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2023 Stingray 5 Special in smoked chrome. Haven't weighed it yet but can't be anymore than 9lb. Looking forward to comparing it to my 2005 StingRay 5.

Metal stage at Baldock: Tent at the bottom of a beer garden - is what it is. Well received though, we're not that 'metal' and I think we were a welcome interlude.

Last night with Emergency Exit punk covers band in a regular venue for us in The Cave in Paisley. Sex Pistols were playing in Glasgow so most of our regulars were there but it turned out to be reasonably busy which was a big surprise for us. Few mistakes made as we wind the band down this year. It was a good gig tho and we did get asked for several encores. Lack of interest within the band after many many years together. No ill feeling about it but we've decided it might be best to just take a break and see how everyone feels in New Year. Not sure if it will come together again tho. Auditioning with another band on Thu night doing 80's rock so will see how that goes. Its not so much an audition as more to see if i fancy doing it. I know the singers and guitarist. Dave

I’m a middle aged man just starting out on bass and I’m frankly appalled by some of the comments on here about Blu and whether she deserves a signature bass. No wonder young people - especially females - aren’t picking up basses any more if these sorts of attitudes are around in the bass playing world.

We played Nightrain in Bradford on Saturday. Ace venue, great stage and PA, just ridiculously loud. We complained at the start of soundcheck but the engineer said "yeh, it's a loud stage". WTF is that? Turn it down man! He just had the FOH cranked and as is the case at such venues, the subs were wobbling the hollow stage making the whole stage sound muddy and rumbly. No worries, just EQ it out? Apparently not possible. Anyway, the gig was cool even if we couldn't tell what we were doing

THIS ^ About 10 years ago I tried to make the point that middle-aged men using relatively provocative images of women as their avatar wasn't especially encouraging to female members. IIRC it didn't go down well. Re this thread, to be honest I'm surprised a mod didn't openly challenge at least two of the posts above; as you suggests @Supernaut, if I were a girl or woman new to the forum reading this thread, and despite the very positive attitudes of many of the members, I wouldn't feel it is a place I'd want to frequent

In interviews (prior to any discussion over a signature bass), Blu DeTiger had talked about her desire to bring the bass out of the shadows and to the front of the music, having been heavily inspired by Motown and Funk greats and the like. So, that’s not new news, it’s literally the sound of her band and self-penned songs from the beginning. As for “empowering bassists” of the future, I don’t have a signature Fender bass, or 2 million followers on TikTok, but I sure as sh*t have spent more years than our Blu has been alive wanting to inspire all ages to pick up the bass and fall in love with it as much as I have. (I made it my career after all; 100’s of video reviews, years of magazine columns and countless students from all corners.) Is Blu different because she is signed and has albums out and stacks of touring air miles? Still just someone who deep down loves bass and supporting other musicians right? You know, like bass chatters …. 🤨 I, like many of us on BC, have been a music teacher for many, many years and the stats everywhere are the same, there are fewer women choosing to play guitar or bass. Why wouldn’t someone in Blu DeTiger’s position want to use the opportunity to spread some positivity and address this? In support of, I can immediately think of three pro UK bassists (female) off the top of my head who have sought to address the issue in either interview or written their own magazine articles. And there are plenty more!

Just have a look at her Wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu_DeTiger?wprov=sfla1 She's been playing since she was 7, was touring with bands before COVID, during which she's exploded on social media and has now made a solo career out of singing and playing bass. Why is anyone getting upset about it? She's currently popular with millions of streams on Spotify and has great chops. No-one should be surprised someone reached out about a signature model. If it inspires people to start playing bass, that's super cool. Bass lines also need to fit the music. Maybe she's got mad jazz skills, but doesn't need to use them day to day in what she wants to do. Has Mikey Way from My Chemical Romance set the world on fire with his playing style, or is he in a popular band? A signature bass is a popularity contest. My niece is starting rock school next week at 6 years old and has been allocated bass. I really hope she doesn't come under fire like this if she ever becomes a well known player.

One supposes there might be a few fans of Yamaha basses, Billy Sheehan, Lace Sensor pickups or a mix of all those things to make this an interesting enough read. The Yamaha Attitude bass is one of those iconic instruments that has always fascinated me. Billy Sheehan has long been a favourite player of mine and I have long considered him one of the finest and most distinctive players in the rock field. I've seen him live a couple of times with Steve Vai and left those shows absolutely convinced he has mastered his art. Anyway, about six or seven years ago my brother acquired this Seafoam Green Yamaha Attitude Ltd II through Basschat. I agreed with his reasoning, that if he was to get one it had to be Seafoam Green, because that is the colour and the one you'd know from performances like the Steve Vai live at the Astoria in 2001 etc. I'd seen it round at his house, played it briefly but never spent much time with it. My impression on seeing and hearing it is that it is so obviously a flawlessly made instrument. The famed Yamaha fit and finish on full display. I was lucky enough to borrow the bass from my brother recently. He's moved back to playing guitar full time and has amassed a fantastic collection of guitars since. His basses collection has been sold off over time leaving just a Warwick Thumb and the Attitude. The top picks of what he had, really, with things like a Pedulla MVP and Ken Smith BT5 having gone long ago. So, what do I think of this Attitude? Well, you'll notice that it's modified, with Lace Sensor pickups fitted to replace the original Dimarzio Willpower splitcoil (the 'woofer' pickup hidden next to the neck remains untouched). This is probably one of the only Attitude basses with a bridge pickup out there, but more on that in a bit. Hanging the bass on your body, there is a slight neck dive to where the bass settles. However, it will sit above level on a strap without holding the neck, so it's no leaden Thunderbird in terms of balance. It gives a feeling similar to a P bass, albeit a little more sleek and slim. The neck is an absolute joy. My initial impression was that it was thick, even for a 'super P', but the absolutely flawless carve and oil finish mean that it is lightning fast. It has a substantial profile, front to back, though it is not at all fatiguing to play. The fretwork it absolutely flawless too. It's currently strung with Billy's signature Rotosounds, which are quite a stiff-feeling string. I need to read up about those a bit more to see what is so special about them, I assume they're just Billy's preferred gauges. I've been playing it through my Markbass Jeff Berlin CMD151P combo amp, using either a Sansamp GED-2112 or EBS Billy Sheehan Deluxe Overdrive for drive. I had actually found that the EBS gives a better tone with the Attitude (hardly surprising, I guess, if you want that Sheehan tone). I was after a 'big' sound with punchy mids and bright treble meshed under a wave of just-there overdrive. Enough gain in it that it sounds 'naughty' but not so much that it gets screechy. I still like to be able to hear the notes in a chord further up the neck, for instance. I don't have a bi-amping solution or a stereo 2 to 1 cable to blend the Woofer pickup, although given the amount of low end that the splitcoil produces I don't think I need it. I would like to try that out at some point though, maybe when I've rejigged my spare room and moved my bass gear in there. The Lace splitcoil is hot, bright, and full of character. It's clean and absolutely noiseless. For a splitcoil, it sounds very tight and characterful, and when played over the pickup it is very much 'precision and then some' territory. Running both pickups together, I find a very punchy tone that works well for most any rock. However, despite finding this sound to be inherently pleasant, I haven't wanted to use it all that much. That is entirely at odds with my usual tonal preference, in which I would always want some bridge pickup blended in somewhere to help me cut through. When you've got this thing barking through the overdrive, you really don't need anything brighter than the splitcoil. Quiet the drive down and you could slot this into any mix but I really think a lot of the fun is running it hot like Billy does and really getting to grips with it. Oh yes, it also has a Hipshot D-tuner fitted on the E string. I won't say too much on that as they're well documented and discussed elsewhere, other than to say that it has been a bit of a revelation to me in terms of convenience. I may end up getting one for my Dolphin. Anyway, I have found this to be one of those iconic instruments that really lives up to the billing in every way. If you consider it as just a variant of a P bass - and it is, and that's how I use it - then it's absolutely brilliant. I never thought I'd say that about a Precision 🤔🤔🤔

My friend and former band mate just released a film at the Edinburgh film festival about how the music industry treats women and girl bands …

50th Birthday party Saturday night at a local football club (though the club was still open to the public/members). Played there before and it is a nice venue, not the best for sound as it is low ceiling L shaped room with us positioned at the bottom corner right corner of the L. We played well considering only one rehearsal prior as members of the band had been on holiday. I was impressed with the sound of my Dingwall ABZ 4, only second time gigging it, we struggled with the sound overall as the 2nd guitarist has gained confidence but that means he is the loudest and overuses distortion. Despite lots of work on this at rehearsals nothing seems to improve so we are looking at improving overall monitoring as a solution. Bonus was I could watch the fight on the TV at the back wall from time to time!

Agreed. This thread is nuts.

Not that you need me to, but I can’t approach your comment with an open mind like I was able to on the plinth thread. Blimey. What would be acceptable for her to wear? Knee length skirt and a nice twin set? A formal trouser suit perhaps? If her online presence and fame brings just one person, irrespective of their sex, to the instrument I’d say that was a good thing. Anyway, to cleanse your eyes, here’s an entirely more appropriately clothed fellow instead. I reckon he shifted a few basses in his time too.

Play nicely or this sh!t gets locked.

Played at The Gryphon in Bristol last night as a part of Gryphest. After battling Bristol traffic to get to the other side and being a bit late, it actually went very well. Sound checked quickly, but it sounded great. I was running my Combustion and pedalboard into my new Digbeth and an old Trace 410 that is the venues and I'm really confident that my new head was the right move. Just looks and sounds the part a bit more. We've also finally managed to convince the guitarist/singer to use an amp instead of going direct with his Valeton unit. It just sounds better like this. We have a more cohesive sound. Also, it's doom. Amps are expected. We (Hora) opened up the evening. Godless Suns were after us, telling tales of how the gods have betrayed us with crushing riffs. Battalions then tore the house down. Wasn't entirely keen on the vocals, but they were tight AF. Witchsorrow then finished the night with a very polished set of face melters.

Depends how seriously you take playing in a band. Do you mind letting your band mates down, screwing up a gig, disappointing an audience, pissing off a promoter? I do, so I bring 2 of everything. The last time I had a cab fail was in the 70's, the last time I had an amp fail was in the 90's and I've never had a bass fail, but I still bring 2 of everything.

The rest of Dad's band:

I don't care about how she looks or whatever level of abilty she has reached on the instrument. Good luck to her. I don't see the need for hostility towards her or any negativity.

This week I welcomed this absolute stunner to the stable! A 2016 PDN StingRay, key features of this one being the stunning Starry Night finish, roasted Birdseye Maple neck and an unmarked Ebony fingerboard, apparently the first run of 'Rays to not have inlays! I've wanted one of these since they were released, I grabbed a Charcoal Sparkle a couple of years ago but it just wasn't the same. It's a beauty, and transforms depending on what light is on it! HUGE thanks to Mick (@MM Stingray 62) for his patience with me over this, kept him waiting for two months whilst I scrambled the cash, all without a grumble. Cheers buddy!

Unless you're banging tympani drums, blowing a tuba or got a violin under your chin music stands shouldn't be anywhere near the stage. It simply looks "naff"! Do your job and learn the lyrics and music. "Appearance" is hugely important in rock/pop music. If you went to see Sir Ian McKellen in a play would you be happy if the actors were clinging to, and referring to their scripts?

There's nothing faux about getting bored of a surly buzzkill who thinks it's "polite and considered" to continually misspell someone's name, then double down on it when called upon it because they consider her name to be "ridiculous". Contemptible behaviour, I'm glad I called them on it and I'll do it again if the need arises.

There seems to be a somewhat surreal belief that in 2024 playing ability and fame are directly connected. They aren't. I'm not sure they ever have been, to be honest. But today, love it or hate it, "making it" as a musician is more about social media presence and reach than any other factor, by a country mile. Naturally, the big brands are going to react to that accordingly, and have done for a while now. Fender isn't giving a signature bass to some nerdy virtuoso who has no idea what TikTok is, because they won't make any money off it. Getting a signature bass isn't a reward for all your hard work becoming the best at playing bass. It's a business transaction, for the mutual benefit of the company and you, like any other endorsement deal.

Was gigging on Guernsey last weekend and was supplied this cheeky little Trace set up, sounded ace with my Lionel!!

Doesn't make it right, and doesn't make me wrong to hope for better. We can do better - most of this kind of "commentary" is bitter, jealous bile. Can people not just be happy for someone making their way in the world instead of trying to tear them down in a ghoulish zero sum game of "if I'm going nowhere, I'm going to try and make sure I drag you down with me"? At the very least, keep it zipped. I don't really directly care that Blu De Tiger has a signature bass, it's a Jazz so I'm immediately out but I think it's a good thing for there to be more female beacons of hope in this sausage fest of a pastime/hobby/career/industry.

There's a real, tangible gender inequality in the music industry (speaking as someone who works in it) and the more positive role models there from all demographics and backgrounds who can actively and visibly use their presence to show young people who might not otherwise see the creative industries as a viable career route that it's actually possible to follow your dreams and make a living out there, the better. If a bunch of young girls see Blu amongst the sea of typical blokes with guitars and think "maybe there's a space for me here after all?", then that's a positive thing. Doesn't sound like nonsense to me. As a dad of two daughters, and having given work and experience opportunities to many of my wife's students when she spent 10 years teaching in another male-dominated creative industry, I'm acutely aware how important it is for people to have role models they can relate to, and the difference that can make in how they perceive their ambitions and their chances of success. Honestly, it's sad to see such a negative reaction to someone trying to put positivity out in what they do.

I hear the Peter Kay Precision is coming also 👍

So you have to be a virtuoso to have a signature bass, like Adam Clayton, Gene Simmons or Nikki Sixx?

Last night, Nine Lives played at O'Donoghues - first time we've played there. What a cracking night! Decent crowd, I could get used to these late starts (11pm) if this is the result. Lots of dancers, singalongs and memorable characters and incidents. Early on in the set, this big guy decided to take a breather and have a seat on the end of the "stage" (it's like a foot high, maybe) and promptly sat his big arse down on my pedalboard. Thankfully he was soft and squidgy enough that he didn't mute me or change any settings - I had to give him a few pokes in the back and he got up. Moved my pedalboard back a bit after that. Then some guy came up and tried to talk to me mid song, I mean like how? Anyway I glared at him and he bogged off but it put me off my stride for a couple of songs because it pi$$ed me off. But the winner was this guy who was very enthusiastic in his appreciation of us. He was trying to high five us/fist bump a heap of times (I acquiesced when I could) then he asked to borrow my hat a couple of times - I allowed him to take it off my head and wear it for a song and he was fine, it was returned to me unscathed. But there's more! I didn't see this, but apparently he got so into what the guitarist was doing that he undid his fly and proceeded to play air guitar with his penis being the guitar from what I can gather. I mean, like WTF? I think the air guitar/penis incident happened after he borrowed my hat. At least, I bloody well hope so. Still, was a busy and fun night all in all, and it looks like we passed the audition - venue has already been in touch asking us for our availability for next year. Gear was a shiny new Sire Z7 then my black and gold Les Paul into the usual Markbass tone cubes.

Well with attitudes like this, why would any stay?

Well that's another 60 seconds of my life that I won't get back. 😎

That's our job, to be invisible, indispensable and to make everyone else sound good.

The timing of this thread coincides with recent changes in my gigging schedule. Have spent 15 years on the road doing theatres and the odd festival, during which I always had a spare of EVERYTHING other than a speaker cab. My spare bass was always within reach of me onstage, and it was reassuring to know it’s there. Nowadays most of my gigs are in pubs, and I’m currently only taking one bass and rig with me. Been wrestling with carrying spares but then using a Rumble combo would mean taking another combo as back up - whereas if it was an amp and cab situation then a small amp (TE Elf etc) would be easy to manage. Reading @chris_b’s comments does make me realise how all gigs matter though, so I’ll be taking a spare bass with me from now on and possibly having a rethink about my amp needs too.

If I have to make the effort to learn the bloody song then so should the singer!

Context is everything. Big band / orchestra / any large band sitting down to play - absolutely fine. Last minute dep gig - also absolutely fine. Non-sitting / high energy / intimate, personal show where the singer absolutely has to connect with the audience - then NO NO NO! It ruins the connection. Even a singer closing their eyes and really feeling the music (or at least faking feeling the music) keeps that connection. Reading lyrics, and even worse - page flipping during a tune - ruins that for me completely. In that sort of show all the other musicians have learned their parts. The singer should do the same. There is nothing more lame than the crowd knowing the words better than the singer.

Well, I guess it might be something like this one. I’m a huge fan of Adele. Great voice, great writer and she’s very funny with it. Scroll to 4:45 if you don’t want to hear the song.

There's your problem. You should have used the output jack.

It’s not a point of view. You said: “The reason Fender have given this person their attention is because she is an a beautiful young woman, not because she is an exceptional or successful musician” Is that an opinion, now?

Would be nice to live in a world where rhino skin was not a prerequisite though.

To be fair, it's just one guy saying "she's a girl and she isn't as good as Marcus Miller, it's all woke innit"! Everyone else is saying that it's a positive thing that she's up there as an potential inspiration to young female bassists. If your niece (or nephew as well for that matter) is going to make their way as a musician they will need a much thicker skin than allowing themselves to get upset by this type of nonsense.

Let's not get this out of perspective. The vast majority of people in this thread have said 'this is great, good for her' etc. it wouldn't be the internet if there wasn't at least a couple of the usual signature bass guardians 😀

No, but they are famous for being in bands with a decades-long track record of worldwide success. Their record sales reflect that. You are quite right to point out that none of them are/ were Innovators or virtuoso players. Whatever their signature models celebrate, it isn't that. I only mentioned her playing skills because the OP said she was a brilliant player. Objectively, she isn't, but if the OP or anyone else enjoys what she does or finds it inspiring then great, that's enough for me. This woman is internet-famous comparatively recently. That's an entirely different phenomenon. Like I said, don't get me wrong, I don't disapprove of her having a signature model, I just don't think it's because of her bass playing being exceptional. That's not unique, though. The fact remains though, that if she weren't a glamorous looking girl, we wouldn't have heard of her in all likelihood. That's just the way of the world, I suppose.

LAST NIGHT! The Cantina band at the Cameo Suite in Coleshill (Brum) for a 60th birthday party. I've played here before with the big band, tonight was a very different vibe. We'd invested in (and were all wearing) some 'Mos Eisley Cantina' T-shirts ('No droids! Live music!'), which made us look like we'd put some thought into a cohesive onstage appearance and would project an air of professionalism. (We hadn't. It didn't.) Load in during a biblical rainstorm was fun, setup fairly standard, (I got to tell my 'Ernie Ball gave me this Bass for nothing' story), the audience didn't look like your typical heavy rock fans, we thought we'd be about as popular as a double-sided sandpaper condom but to be fair a few of them got up and had a boogie, so that was nice. The second set was tons better, loads of people up and dancing (apart from Helter Skelter, which absolutely cleared the dancefloor), the 80s section of the set went down a storm, my hiphop joke got a laugh (just the one) and they were loving it by the end - even the too-cool-for-school youngsters were up dancing. I spent the last three songs on the dancefloor (apart from going to the bar to order a round of drinks mid-song as it was last orders) which was ace and got a lot of bemused looks. Sterling -> small board -> MB CMD121P. I played a couple of songs with a pleccy for the first time in about twenty years, which was very gratifying, the drummer played a blinder (he's an absolute machine, he deps with Edwin Starr (!), no idea why he's playing with a bunch of half-arsed charlatans like us), we even got the riff in the Sweet child of mine solo right, birthday boy loved it, Mrs birthday boy (who'd booked us) loved it and it was a pretty decent payer. Pack up, load out (rain had stopped, thankfully), Marvin Gaye on the way home, back about 1 for a Henry Westons vintage (8.2% ABV - the Hereford Heroin) and leftover Jambalaya.

I've made very few alterations to my board since getting the Quad Cortex. I made a few alterations last night and pretty happy. I'm really enjoying this layout, though. Got my Model feT and Cali76 as pretty much always on and a couple of dirt flavours the QC doesn't really cover. I'm really happy with the bass and guitar tones I'm getting out of this.

@binky_bass fault... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Needs all the usual... but, FAB!

Just got mine - out of the box really good set up - i still think this is like an upgraded SX with the roasted neck (very nice) not sure if you own an SX that for the extra nearly £170 it's worth the extra, the SX has a glassy gloss but feels same shape, they both feel very similar in weight and shape. The Jet has brass saddles too, but as a back up to my CIJ Jazz - it's very nice - easy to play - bit of neck dive sat down but lovely and light - all it really wins over the SX for me is the colour - the finish is great and the feel of the neck - like the SX i cant feel the frets, so maybe it's how Jonny Dibble plays it but nut is sharp (see his review here) nothing a bit of slight filing wont sort - i really should keep the SX and have maybe some tapes on it but I'm not one for having basses sat about not earning their keep - but in conclusion on the Jet hype train - will rehearse it tomorrow

I could spell your name “nasty old bitter jealous man trying to defend his misogynistic opinions”. Cos that’s how I like to spell it.

Put mine through its paces and it running like a champ. Mods: Changed out the neck pickup for higher output, control knobs.

Just played a gig for my guitarist’s 50th birthday party at the Donkey in Leicester. Plenty of family and friends seemed to have braved the biblical rain and thunder to come along. Gig included various guest slots etc from other local musicians and friends etc. I took my usual Yamaha BB604, pair of Markbass traveller cabs and took along the Ashdown ABM500 I picked up on here a few months ago. I’ve realised the Ashdown isn’t for me after all. Its textured, deep, pillowy sound doesn’t suit my playing style or my onstage sound as well as my Markbass head. It sounded good, but just not my thing (so expect to see it back up for sale on here in due course!) Oh yes and there was birthday cake too, obviously. So all good.