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Both Hurtsfall and In Isolation played the Goth At The Brewery Event on the 27th as part of WGW. This is a free gig at Whitby Brewery on the Saturday afternoon of the Goth Weekend organised by Dominique from the band Westenra and over the past 3 years has grown from being fairly low-key to one of the major events of the weekend, and for those who attend WGW for the music probably as important as the "main" event at the Pavilion as it showcases the current generation of Goth bands. It draws a massive audience made up of people who are there for the music rather than parading around town in their "costumes" and is now so well attended that the main doors of the room are opened to allow people outside in the courtyard to see and hear the bands too. This weekend was a "Nottingham takeover" with Chaos Bleak also playing. Hurtsfall were on first at 2.00pm. We probably had the best on-stage sound of the afternoon, but even so there were problems with the monitor in front of me which kept cutting out. However due to the nature of the band we are well used to playing under less than ideal conditions, so it wasn't really a problem, and everyone we spoke to afterwards (including several people whose opinions I trust) said the FoH sound was excellent. The audience appeared to enjoy it, and we sold a decent amount of merch afterwards. This photo was taken at the beginning of our set just before Sam, our singer, got everyone to move forward so that more people could get into the venue. Even after that there were still almost as many people outside enjoying the gig as there were inside (and yes that is Whitby Abbey you can see in the background): And two more general gig photos: Chaos Bleak probably pulled the best crowd of the afternoon due to both their time slot and their reputation. And then at 4.00pm I was back on stage with In Isolation. By this time it appeared that all the foldback had stopped working - There wasn't anything coming out of the wedge in front of me, and unlike during Hurtsfall's set I couldn't hear anything from the other two. Still we powered through our set even though it sounded weird on stage. Again we were told afterwards that FoH the mix was excellent, but it was unnerving playing some of the songs with longish intros on the backing tack where they were barely audible on stage, so having no clue when our drummer was going to count us in! Also we discovered that playing last in the afternoon isn't the ideal spot as people tend leave before the end so they can get ready for whatever night-time event they are going to. Still there were a decent number who stayed all the way through our set, and we even had to sign CDs at the end - something which always bemuses me... For some reason there are a distinct lack of photos from our set on Facebook and this one of me was the only one I could find.

My gig wasn't last night, but rather last weekend when on Friday we opened up for Subhumans at The Drill in Lincoln (a 550 person venue, but I heard that around 300 tickets were sold). I'm a huge Subhumans fan, have been ever since I was about 13 or 14 years old (I'm in my late 40's now). Fortunately I met them once before, otherwise I would have been completely geeking out. There is a Subhumans cassette tape that I have had since the late 80's / early 90's, which I used to just leave in the tape deck of my car for a long while... I brought it on to stage with me when we opened for them. The Drill is a really impressive venue, and the organization in advance was superb. It was the largest stage that me or any of my bandmates had ever played on, and we felt a bit out of our league (in the same way that you might feel flying business class when you normally travel economy). We certainly enjoyed the experience, but at the same time we were playful and laughing about how unusual certain aspects of the show were. I had brought my Mesa 6x10" cab specifically for this show, but sadly the main sound engineer did not want to mic it (he mic-ed the Subhumans bassist's cab, and commented it's only done for the headliners). For me he used the post-eq DI on my amp... oh well! We had one dedicated sound engineer just for monitors. He seemed very attentive during soundcheck, but when we played our set in front of the audience he seemed to forget my request to kill the vox in my monitor. This threw me off a bit at the start, and our songs came fast and furious... I was only able to communicate the problem to him on the fourth song of our set, which starts with the bass and gave me the opportunity to briefly pause. We had a dressing room complete with mirror and large round bulbs, a couch, fridge, and the wifi password. Beers and other drinks were provided. My family came along, and my son ran the merch desk. He did really well on sales! He sold 5 tees, 6 CDs, and 3 cassette tapes during the show. We played really well, and someone who had seen a lot of our performances commented that it was the best show yet. Most of us stayed overnight in Lincoln, and I went around the town the the fam for some sightseeing the next morning. We didn't stick around too long however, as we had to hit the road and head to Boston. There we were headlining on Saturday, but given a lot more time for our set. We played every song that we had, and I honestly think that the Boston performance was the very best show yet. They get better and better... I had to take the fam to Manchester airport on Sunday afternoon, and Subhumans were playing at the Star & Garter, so I popped in for their show. I caught the opening bands too, and between acts I went into the loo... I find Trotsky (Subhumans drummer) taking a leak next to me and he says, "Hey, what are you doing here?!?" Funny. I chatted with the Subhumans merch guy (he owed me a shirt from the Lincoln show, when I traded tees with Dick but they sold out of my size), as well as Phil the bassist (there are two flights of stairs at the S&G, and he said he was too lazy to carry up his bass cabs). I'm honestly not sure that we'll ever play such a large show again... but who really knows? Anyway, we enjoyed this weekend, which was awesome.

I got the Schecter P4 Exotic a couple of years back and while I loved the way it played and the look I realised that P bass sound wasn’t for me. After watching @funkle’s post on building a Wal-ish I decided I wanted to build my own. It’s something I’d looked at before but always seemed like a massive leap of faith with the lack of demos, all the content showing off the Lusithand NFP and Turner Pickups pushed me over the edge. Here’s some of the process so far: The original Schecter P4 Exotic. Prepping for incision, getting centre lines and working out how much needed routing out. A little improvising and got it routed, regretted forgetting the dust extractor for the router though… A new pick guard and some extremely deep pickup cavities to house the Turner English voiced multicoil pickups. Test fit before I attached the neck and started connecting wires. The journey has hit a blocker there sadly as I seem to have misplaced my flathead screwdriver bits to connect the preamp and pickups. Hopefully should get that all finished up this weekend though 🙌

Pulled out the recording board today to rewire the moose sunhammer in and give it some sunlight and a quick run-through. Such a killer board, but it is so heavy...

Just had one of those “hang on a minute” moments regarding the missing flat head screwdriver bits when I woke up this morning. It struck me odd on reflection that they were missing despite the lack of empty spaces where they should live… Checked this morning and as suspected I had a suspicious number of similarly sized bits. My daughter had turned them all round at some point and I was too tired to work it out last night 😂

Just watched this and was blown away by the chemistry and the talent in this s band . Willow is Will smith daughter , mohini dei on bass 🤯🤯🤯🤯

Some smashing gig reports and stunning photos ; keep em coming folks!👏

50!! You're a youngster!

First coat of lacquer on the travel guitar, it will take a few more coats and two weeks to cure. I'll be back on the denim bass soon.

Just finished routing the pick guard and some finishing touches like countersinking the screws etc. Was just about to connect it up and realised all my flathead screwdrivers i need to connect the pickups and preamp have gone missing 🥲 Very happy with how it’s turning out, ended up spacing the pickups a little further than initially intended largely down to cosmetics and symmetry.

Come to think of it, I suspect there are some well-informed members of this forum even, who admire the basses which Jack Stratton et al. market to them as musicians. I for one like what EBMM and Joe Dart are doing, and I hope it inspires a new generation of bass players to emulate their hero.

Bandmix. List your achievements. You're probably underselling yourself and a few 'auditions' and jams with people looking for a Bass player will probably give you a better idea of where you fit in. If you've played functions you're a step ahead of tons of players, not least because you have some good experience. Most bands are looking for competent players rather than virtuosos.

Am quite tempted to get one of these, then put an oval pickguard on it. Then, install active electronics and EQ controls, maybe on a chromed metal plate or something. Oh, and get it refinished in black sparkle. Price of the upgrades is a bit much, otherwise I’d be on it like Vanessa Feltz on a roast dinner. Might do it anyway. Vanessa Feltz and a roast dinner I mean, not the Joe Dart bass.

Just had a rush of blood to the head and ordered a Joe Dart SBMM. I play punk, not funk. What am I doing? The most sudden urge of GAS in my life.

H'eh', Iv'e cr'eat'ed a r'ule in uB'lock Ori'g'in s'o I ne'ver see that effin' Po'lice ca'r again. ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' - so there!

I also had an epiphany in rehearsal last night. I always put the DMC micro in front, but it's a bit taller than allcthe other pedals so inevitably I'd switch channels or turn other pedals on or off while using it. I decided last night i didnt really need the DMC, i could just use 6 onboard presets for shows Then it hit me. Put the DMC at the top. It's tall enough with the pedal toppers i can use it without disturbing the other pedals. It also gives me much better access to C4 expression input and the dmc expression input so i can simlutaneoisly control both the plethora and the C4 with the source audio dual exp pedal This setup is perfect! I cant forsee any major changes bar MAYBE a different distortion. Love it!

I get a feeling if I was take a punt and hate it - I could move it fairly easily as they'll be A) Joe Dart fans who missed out and really want one. B) People who are just generally nosey but not enough of a fan boi to buy it first time round. Yes, I'm trying to talk myself into buying one 😂

I've been into short scales for almost twenty years, and my gigging basses are JMJ mustangs. Anyone who dismisses short scale basses is in danger of sounding like an ignorant tw@t — like Scott Devine does in the SBL video, even if it was tongue in cheek. If anyone says their reason for not considering a short scale is that they'd look ridiculous playing it, they need to remember that many punters can't even tell a bass from a guitar, a short scale bass is bigger than a guitar, and there are plenty of people who can play guitar in public without feeling self-conscious about it.

I shat the Sherrif - El Clappo

Your strengths are that you are prepared to put in the hard work to learn the songs and be a reliable bass player . This alone stands you in good stead for any future bands . Its not always the flash players that get the gigs .

Yep, something will turn up, keep your playing up to scratch and socialise where local bands are and seize the opportunity when it comes along.

Sorry to hear about your situation. Can be really daunting having to change things up when you feel like you’ve got a good gig already that works well. Could you find some local jam nights or open mics and just drop in and play the odd song? Could be a good way to get to know other local musos. And, keep you playing a bit without all the agro of setting up again from scratch? Think of it as a positive that it may allow you to improve/develop your playing by working with other musos.

With added knobs 👌

I just closed my eyes and hit order when the shipping cost came up, I'm sure if there is a full production model it will be more expensive, plus it comes stock with £50 flats!

phenomenal musicians. I could listen to them all day, the vocal not so much for me

2nd Kim Wilde - You Keep Me Hangin' On | Bass Synth: Ricky Wilde

This is a very interesting thread. I have seen it over the years but never read it and then never felt I had anything to contribute. I finally read the whole thing last weekend lol. I have been playing and gigging for 35 years or so and never felt the need to use effects. I was always curious about envelope filters but did not know what to get. My first pedal was supposed to be one, I went in a shop could not find one so came out with an OC2, this was in 1994. Plugged it in, messed around did not know what to do with it and it went back in the box and I sold it 15-20 years later. I was thinking more about effects around 4 years ago so I thought again envelope filters. Did some research and 3Leaf seemed to come up often and I wanted something small and simple so I thought Proton but could not find any and @fretmeister has always recommended Spectrum so I just bought that. Great pedal but yet again did not know what to do with it. Did not fit the bands I was playing in so I just put it back in the box but thought I would get back to it later. 2 ½ years ago a GR2 came up for a really low price so I thought why not try again and scratch that 3Leaf itch. Great pedal and lots of fun. Still not sure what to do with it. 6 months ago a Wonderlove came up for a very decent price so I thought why not. Finally two of my bands want to do 90s dance music and modern synth pop so now I can finally get them out and use them with my OC5 and Rattler and boy it is so much fun and the sound in a band is epic. I have to say I have only been using the 3Leaf and the GR2 is funkier and bubblier but the Wonderlove is politer and fits a little bit better with the OC5 for that 90s synth sound (I could happily use both and I will rotate them). I have put the Spectrum on my guitar board and finally found a great home for it. I love it. I will try it with my bands with bass as well. I am so much enjoying this filter search that I got a IE Xerograph Del ordered when they opened up the orders last. And I am seriously thinking about Emma DiscBob. How does the Emma compare to the other 3 I have already?

RBX800AF? Neck to body join is right... But obvs loadsa tweaking on the body....

Unfortunately I think the era of cheap Gus Guitars is long past, especially since the Prince connection. I was lucky enough to get my G1 guitar and the G3 black 5-string bass back when the new prices were a fraction of what they are now. The red one in the the photos was second hand and just under £1k, but it was in dreadful condition and cost me almost as much again to have it completely refurbished by Simon about 15 years ago. If you were going to go back in 1996 that would have been in the very early days, as this October is the 30th anniversary of the original weekend in 1994. The weekend has grown beyond its tentative beginnings, and although it could appear to have been taken over by people parading around the town in "costume", there is still a very healthy audience for the musical side of things as witnessed by this and other gigs around the town. The fact that Whitby has it's up and coming own goth band in Westenra has most definitely helped to keep the music current.

I had an 87 5 string thumb, it's posted elsewhere on this thread, I sold it in the early 2010's when I foolishly thought I'd not be playing bass anymore... I'v finally got round to replacing it with this beauty courtesy of our very own Cosmo Valdemar. A 1996 Thumb 5 NT with MEC rather than EMG electrics. Reminded me of why I played it's older cousin for over 20 years, what a fine instrument it is.

I'm so out of touch with prices these days. Why on earth would anyone pay this kind of money for a production line bass?

As previously mentioned - absolutely your power supply causing the issue. Digital pedals need to be properly isolated. I use a truetone CS6, cheaper than the Cioks stuff but fantastic quality. I used to use the standard amazon/ebay solutions, but after receiving similar advice to what you've been given I bought a Cioks DC5 at the time, and now I'd never to go back to cheap power.

Try this, with the late great Michel Petrucciani, or listen to the album Trio in Tokyo.

G-Spot Tornado ～ Frank Zappa

Keep your skills up to speed, get out there and something will turn up if you want it to. My last band, a function outfit drifted apart after 6yrs and at 63yrs old I thought the party was over. I placed my profile on Bandmix and 3 weeks later I was in a '80s cover band. Go for it!

Not ticketed, but aside from festivals our biggest crowds have been pay at the door events rather than free ones.

Just that these things happen, especially in these uncertain times! Generally, we (the Zep tribute) play ticketed shows, but the last gig was for a fixed fee and was sold out. We probably should have asked for a bigger fee. The two gigs before that were ticketed and drew a healthy crowd, so we made decent money. The gig before that only got 35 people and lost money! It is difficult times for many people and there isn't a lot of money around for the average punter. We certainly have had shows cancelled due to low ticket sales, but the next venue might be sold out. It is a bit hit and miss these days and sometimes be difficult to sell enough advance tickets to make a gig viable.

We are looking for ticketed gigs since we find people pay more attention to us when they e paid for the privilege!

Kudos for matching rug and socks

The Streamliner is still a great amp.

All the current users.

There are a lot of brain-dead clowns on the internet ... sounds like you've stumbled across a few. As to the hopeless failed musicians who can't find a better job than working in music stores, don't get me started. Start by Googling famous bass players who used short-scale basses, then try to convince yourself that Paul McCartney would voluntarily play a POS instrument. Good luck with that. In anything to do with music you should always ignore the opinions of others (including mine, of course) and try using your ears. Even when they're the opinions of experienced musicians who you respect, ignore them - they aren't you and they don't hear what you hear. If you like the sound of a bass and the way it plays, then how much you paid for it, what it says on the headstock, what the scale length is, whether it's active or passive, uses flats or rounds, all that stuff is largely irrelevant. What matters is that you're playing it and you like it. If you play with others (in a band, jamming, whatever) then do remember that nobody else in the room gives a damn what you're playing. "It's just a bass, right?"