Leaderboard

Hurtsfall were supporting Swedish synth wave band Midnight Danger at The Bodega in Nottingham. Once again a last minute gig with a fairly early on-stage time, but this time there was a much better turn out both for us and the headliners compared with our previous gig here. Once again we struggled to fit on the tiny stage after the headliners had set up, and ended up with even less room than previously with me stuck to a single spot between the drum kit and the foldback wedge and our synth player half behind the PA stack. However it was nice to see that there were several people in attendance who knew the songs and even surprised us when we got the biggest cheer on announcing one of our newer songs which has yet to be recorded. Played really well apart from when I forgot to un-mute the Helix at the beginning of the first song. Midnight Danger were brilliant although I only saw half their set as was catching up with an old friend, and bandmate from the 70s and early 80s. Once again no photos have appeared on line as yet, but there were several photographers in the audience including one there specifically to take phots of us so hopefully I'll be posting some later...

All is well, that ends well. Did my 3 weeks holiday in the USA whilst all the time keeping an eye on the spending money and a few pennies were to my luck left over. Quick contact to Will at Bass Bro’s from the Grand Canyon…the rest is good history. Growled like a mother biatch at last nights rehearsal. 6.4lbs and sounds awesome, love it, as does my back. Just need to find a de tuner now. Spector RST.

Yep, looking at the disparity between the broad economic situation and prices being asked here I totally agree. There seems to be a trend on sites such as eBay and Reverb to price at market value + 25% in the anticipation that the seller will receive offers at around market value. The problem is that this seems to have resulted in rapid inflation here as people price in line with what they're seeing elsewhere, and low sales as the result (frankly I'm bored shitless of seeing the same sellers bumping the same items every three days). I've always said, if a bass or bass amp doesn't sell here within a week or so it's either a niche item or overpriced; some of the people selling for example MIJ Fenders, which are highly regarded here and alway have been, need to reflect on this. The fact that they're listed routinely now at £1250 on eBay or Reverb doesn't mean that's what people will pay. And really, while I'll tolerate the word 'Rare' on eBay listings, used here it means nothing - because we all know the reality - and probably reduces eventual sale value, especially when it's a Squier 🤔

Great progress as the hardware has arrived.

There's a Geordie-based tradesperson who cements usually square pieces of ceramic onto bathroom walls and does a decent job by his own account, he calls himself called the Bonnie Tiler 👍

My Sonic P and CV 60's Jazz Fretless with DiMarzio Model J's

...and yet I've used a thick pick on bass for so long, hearing that other people use 0.73s that I use for my acoustic guitar, I may well just try one next time I play just out of interest... so the benefit is not just to the OP (and yes, contributing to the forum also passes the time!!).

There is an old saying that goes "You don’t stop playing when you get old – you get old when you stop playing, so keep playing." It's been a mantra of mine in recent years, but I do get where you are coming from. After a good few steady years of gigging, playing, and having a ball with some of the best band mates I've ever had, a band split, a good drummer friend passing away suddenly, and trying over several months to keep new band projects with various new personnel going, has felt not as enjoyable as it once was. Were on our third drummer, and second vocalist in as many months. Trying to get everyone back into sync, and learn material has been very trying to say the least. It would be much easier for me to just hang up the bass, and sell on the gear and melt into the audience instead of being onstage. I have booked gigging comitments to give me a reason to keep going and I don't like to leave band mates in the lurch, but I can see 2025 being a challenge that might mean retiring from gigs. I'll also have a load of stuff to sell on if I pack it in next year, but I think hanging on to at least one rig is well worth it. Just incase a new project comes along, or you get that call to dep, or join a new project you might enjoy that enthuses you to keep your hand in with the bass. Oddly enough, I've just recently bought a retirement acoustic guitar 😁 It's never going to be as much fun a playing bass though.

I like the Dunlop 0.73mm (yellow?) ones, they're a good balance between being too flimsy and they still have a decent percussive attack. When I started playing electric bass I used to use the 3mm purple Dunlop picks all the time, but I tried one again recently and it was like trying to play with a Lego block.

For a pick averse player I’d go for something around 0.73 to 0.88mm, nothing too rigid. I’d also go for something quite large so there’s plenty to grip. Dunlop do triangle shaped picks which is also a bonus as each point works as a pick so if it rotates in your grip you can still use it quite easily. I’ve loads of picks so PM me your details and I’ll send a few over if that’s any help.

One of our guitarists won a Les Paul from there. He was a bit wary, but it turned up - very nice too, must have failed Gibson QC due to not having anything wrong with it.

As much as weight is important, also consider the handle, how they are place and how they balance when carried. The other thing is to get a decent trolley. The Wolfcraft TS 660/850 range are excellent, When I bought mine it was £70 but they have gone up somewhat since. I tried several others but this has lasted really well.

Have we done Laura Vane and the Vipertones yet? Loads of soul-funk stuff by them, e.g.

Karn only needed 34. 😉

More Danny Thompson

Thanks mate, that's much appreciated, what a joy it is to look at the FS forums and not see.....

I did have a pair just like this from a local gun shop. I was struggling to balance the volume of the drummer and horns in our swing band with hearing the conductor in between numbers. I found the sound quality through the mics was poor, and they suffered from mobile phone interference. They had a feature to reduce the volume when a gun went off, which triggered if the drummer in our swing band really went for it, and it shut off the sound at a certain point. Probably perfect for a gun discharging but for music a more graduated control is needed. On the plus side they were bright pink which prompted conversations and gave me many opportunities to talk to young people about protecting their hearing.

Montana stuff is great affordable paint for sure. Maybe @Andyjr1515 could comment on the grain for staining?

OK. We have a solution now. I can stick the Midget cabinet in a cupboard so it's not in the way. This, strangely enough, solves all my problems as I can now test the 1x10s and Midget at the next gig. Phew.

Okay, update. I put some Custom Shop ‘62’s on the MIM and holy sh*t they’re goooood and all is well! Strange thing is I put the MIM’s on my old trusty Squire Standard P and they sound ridiculously good E to G. Only thing I can put it down to is the MIM has a maple neck and the Squier has a rosewood neck and I honestly think it’s ’warmer’. Damn strange things these electric banjos.

Picked up a new Graft 5 in the Frostbite finish today directly from Alan at ACG HQ. Absolutely loved it from the moment I pulled it out the very nice gig bag. Acoustically felt and played just right and plugged in I was taken aback at the wide spread of tones from a passive bass. Bridge pickup can honk with the best of them and it does the hollow two pickup slap tone supremely well too. Can't wait to start using it with the band! Also had a look at some Retro B Standards with coloured figured tops and East preamps. They were superb and something I will be investigating further. Picking up a used Krell 4 string turned me onto the brand. Glad it did 😍

I went through this process about 20 years ago, after knackering my back lifting very heavy cabs for many years, and now that's being compounded by age!! I need 4 things from a cab, clarity, great tone, light weight and portability. After trying a few different makes I settled on Barefaced. They were the only quality lightweight cab manufacturer at the time, and while they have some competitors these days I wouldn't change. BF's still tick all my boxes. I owned BF 10's and the 12's and finally settled on 2 112 Super Compacts. They are the cloth grill models, to shave a few lbs off the total. They weigh 22lbs (10kg) each and are loud enough that I haven't been overpowered by a guitarist in years. They fill the room, and the stage, with their great dispersion. I wouldn't get a 212 because it is too heavy. IMO 2 112's is the best, most flexible and portable rig for a damaged back. They are not cheap, but my back doesn't care about budgets, so I buy what I need. I use Aguilar amps.

We’re opening this cool festival this afternoon at Seaton Carew.

MarkBass make a lightweight range called MB58R, similar in weight to the GRBass stuff. That's worth a look at if you want something similar to your existing rig.

Yes, I used some Gamuts on my Yamaha SLB-100 and it was horrible. I suspect guts, in order to resonate and breath in the beautiful way they do, require the slow acoustic swell of the large wooden body. Note also that guts will not work with a magnetic PUP and tend to have lower output than steels or synthetics so the quality of pickup on your EUB wil also be a factor (on my SLB I was using an high quality underfoot and wing PUPs) But you'll only know if you try it for yourself. If you go for it I suggest that you do not buy new gut strings however, decent ones are bloosy expensive and they will halve in resale value the moment you put them on your instrument. Good luck 👍

Having also had a MB rig and BF 12’s and 10’s, I agree. The 10’s have it for me too. @SuperSeagull when I read your post, I immediately thought of a pair of BF One10’s and and amp of your choice. I also ran this setup for a while, and it never struggled. I’m now using a BF 3x10 for no other reason than because I can. Rob

Me! I went from old School Marshall VBC 4x12 bass cabs, then to Bergantino, then Markbass and then different types of Barefaced. I've had barefaced Supertwin 2x12 (very clean sounding, mid forward) and a pair One10 (more traditional sound). Both really good, but I preferred the vintage tone of the One10 set up. I thought they were closer to Markbass than the Supertwin was. That big Marshall is still my favourite bass cab ever, but it weighs 108lb!

I've played a couple of different guitar amps into my bass cabs, it's not bad as such, but for clean to lightly driven tones it seems a little polite. It could be good for a warm, clean straight-ahead jazz tone (and indeed some of the Henricksen jazz amps use the same driver as my bass cabs), and I've seen people make it work for unconventional heavily EQ'ed drive sounds. But for more "normal" guitar sounds it might be lacklustre.

I honestly don't get these type of what's-your-favourite-colour? type threads. OP has used a pick previously, but is asking for plectrum recommendations and how to use them. What follows will inevitably be dozens on well-intended posts suggesting plectrums of various makes/thicknesses etc. Come on! The OP purports to have been born in 1972. They're 52-ish. It's like riding a bike or tying your shoelaces. If you've used one previously, you know what you've used, whether you were happy with it and you simply don't forget. Please.

I will not look at the new website, I will not look at the new website, I will not look at the new website. Who am I kidding? Of course I will look at the new website😁

I remember buying the music book for The Eagles Greatest Hits and realising there was more to the bass than first thought. I think i gave my young brother a loan of it in recent years and never saw it again. Brothers ....... Huh !!! The one i always thought was tricky was Hotel California. Not hard to play each note but the timing was hard for me for some reason. Great band and i'm jealous of you with this one Michael. Have to say the vocal harmonies are fantastic in the band. All the very best with it. Dave

Cheers, all! I’ve never rehearsed so much for anything in my life. I grew up with The Eagles in my DNA. I thought I knew all the ins-and-outs of all the arrangements, but when it came to it… turns out I was wrong. There’s so many little details and surprises hidden away in those songs. We’re lucky in that we’re blessed with a great Don & Glen, and everyone in the band is great crack. It’s good fun.

Hi Some natural Black Limba Grafts are on their way. And the Standard Series are about to be launched. Will feature natural and coloured finishes.

Meant to post this earlier but forgot... A while ago I joined a newly-formed Eagles tribute with a lovely, talented bunch of lads. Months of rehearsals and a handful of gigs later, we're really starting to settle in to it. Here's a couple of clips from a gig in my home village the other weekend. Gear-wise, it's the usual for me. Handbox R-400, TKS 212 cab.... and the Maruszczyk Jake PJ to cover Randy's P tone in the early days, and Tim's Jazz tone from the Kong Run era. Eventually I'll probably switch between an actual P and J. I'm new to this IEM lark, and I'm still getting used to it. We have lots of refining to do. We don't run a silent stage, 'cos we like amps. 🙂

What’s going on here then? IMG_0052.mov IMG_0048.mov IMG_0044.mov

Given a choice between Oasis and Erasure I know which act I'd rather see; let's put it this way - there wouldn't be many guitars on stage.

*sound of fingers drumming on desk intensifies*

Thanks for hopping on and providing feedback Sarah