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Hello all, long time no speak. My old band, The Rock 'n' Roll Outlaws, last played on NYE 2018, which seems a lifetime ago. Frontman Sam emigrated to Quennsland and never looked back, and good for him, too. BUT... He's coming back for an extended holiday in March 2025. The boss at Tavistock Wharf always said, "If ever..." So we have the last weekend in March. Saturday sold out in 24 hours. Sunday is currently about half sold, but that's only been public for a day or so. Fabulous! But boy, have I got to work on my fitness...at 72, I won't be prancing about like before! Exciting times!

If that was my daughter that you'd just accused of dressing like a prostitute, you and I would be having very serious words. Sorry, this is absolutely out of order. 'Suitable role model'? Seriously? You realise it's not 1970 any more, right? I'm sure she'd probably pee herself laughing if she saw that, but I wouldn't blame her if she got very cross about it either. Anyway. For our delectation, here are a group of male role models promoting themselves and their instruments in a sober fashion. Perhaps one of them looks like a whore?

Love the purple GZ so much I had to buy the white one. Pickups are different so I don’t just have two clones.

Hi all, I've been on Wal's wait list since 2021 and was finally offered a build slot in June this year. It's due to be completed late next year just in time for my 30th birthday (fingers crossed). In the last week I've selected my facing and had a progress picture of the neck. I'm not sure how many pictures I'll get but figured some people may be interested considering how difficult it is to get a new Wal.

Swop the neck for a jazz one.

True, most people don't know the difference between a bass guitar and a normal guitar

One of those very unique bands Talking Heads - Psycho killer | Tina Weymouth

I’ve got a couple of gigs coming up with Stray on 5/6 October. On the 5th we’re headlining Cornwall Rocks at Tencreek Holiday Park in Looe, then the following morning we’ll be trucking over to Chelmsford’s Hot Box Live. Doors at 3pm for this one but may not be on until five ish depending on the journey.

Just back from the Manchester gig. It was ace. Of course I'd have preferred to see them with Lydon but that would've been an arena gig and I'm not up for that. One of the great bands - and Matlock's bass playing is magnificent. If it's a choice between a semi-cabaret version and nothing, I'll take the cabaret, old chum.

Hmm, sounds like a less cheery Frank Sidebottom.

@binky_bass saw a T'Bird in CackConverters, and posted a thread... I had a hearty Spag Bol, Garlic Flat Bread, and half a bottle of cheap Malbec, so was a bit vulnerable... Next thing i know Russian Activists hacked my brain via Stolichnaya Vodka, they no longer need mobile phones and computer viruses, they can attack at the Alcohol/Molecular Level... who knew?... so be careful. T P-Bird Pro, Thru Neck, Improved Bridge, Active Model in Natural Finish... But, the Pickups in the Active Model are Low-Alcohol, Half-Fat models at 7k rather than a Proper-Pint, Double-Cream 14k versions of the passive model. Oh What to do?.. a quick search of the classifieds turned up @mike 110 and a DiMarzio Model 1... A 'Match' made by the Hard-of-Hearing! So going Single Mudbucker at the Neck/Mid Position, Empty Cavity at the Bridge, A500k Vol, and Pure Tone Jack Socket and will be wearing Olympia Stainless Steel Flatwounds. Cavity is 92mm, Pup 90mm so reasonable fit, maybe a shim of veneer?, Width is gonna need a 4mm chiselin' a side to go from 40mm to 48 for the coils, String / Pole spacing is a little tight at 48mm, 52mm would be Bang-On for the Neck/Mid position, 'spose they are meant for a more up against the fretboard fitting. Might need some wood blocks glued in for the pickup mounting screws. Putting the Thunder back in Thunderbird...

If the singer wants you to pay for a share of his PA, then maybe you could get him to contribute next time you see a bass you fancy.

I have a couple of their Strats and both are fantastic.

Sorry to muddy the waters further but if you are looking at these kind of cabs, I would recommend you check out LFSys as well. There are several threads and reviews on BC and @stevie might still be offering a discount to BCers. https://www.lfsys.co.uk/bassguitarproducts.

Same here, until you join a band there’s a lot of mystique about how good people in bands must be. Then you join one and realise that same with anything, accountants, firemen, footballers etc there are different levels, and that once committed that’s the first level.

If it's purely vocals only, I'd treat it as "singer's backline" and it's on them. I'm with the drummer on this one. If you end up buying as a band, I'd suggest that each bit is owned by a single member rather than owned collectively which in my opinion is calling for trouble.

TBH, totally agree. If someone equates mini skirt with prostitute or see through top with call girl it says more about them than the person wearing it. I've not seen footage of Blu in anything other than clothes a 20 something might want to go out in. Even if she did anyone can wear what they like to promote their image. Jonny

Exactly. One man's reasonably loud band is another's quiet band. Things is, the folks who play in what we would term stupid loud bands are unable to fathom how the rest of the world operates.

Amen to that. We're talking about pop music here. It's always been about theatre, fashion and making waves to get noticed. If people don't like that (as is their right), they can move on and find something more to their tastes. As an old git (70) myself, I find it tiresome when other old gits blather on about "role models". Pop music was never about "setting a good example" ("Remember kids. Say no to recreational pharmaceuticals", etc, blah, blah) and similar tripe. It's about rebellion and stirring things up a bit. I loved the Pistols back in the day and guess what? People were spouting the same tired nonsense about them at the time. Ditto the Stones, Elvis et al going further back. Companies such as Fender need to sell instruments. They have bills to pay, staff to keep employed, etc. If they want to pick someone who is easy on the eye and a competent enough player (granted, she's no Marcus Miller, but she can get round the instrument) to promote their wares, that's fair enough. Personally, I couldn't care less about her or her music, but I'm not part of the target audience. I'm not going to buy any more Fenders - I'm happy with the couple I have - and the company isn't going to stay in business due to me. It seems a lot of the moaning is due to the fact that some struggle to accept that they are getting old and that what they want or like is no longer the focus of attention. Well tough. It's the way things are and we have no choice other than to get used to it.

Jesus Built My Fishing Rod - Ministry

It's like saying Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Rotten, Kanye West, Britney Spears etc. can't sing. Sure, they can't sing like an Opera singer but that's not what they are doing.

For basschatters, it's worth sharing that the Bass Gear Magazine newsletter is free to receive and you won't get bombarded with daily spam like some. Furthermore, all of the full video reviews, interviews and columns in the magazine are also free to read! You can subscribe via the link above. You can either enter your details on a side panel or at the bottom of the screen depending on what page you are looking at. You absolutely should follow the BassGearMag YouTube channel too!

Not having to carry a great lump of a thing is good for you 'elf too!

Yes it's a keeper for a back up - very big output like the SX - had to turn the amp down- so down the line probably going to throw in the Colbalt P bass pups from Fender - as have them on my jazz as they sound amazing, then will have similar output hopefully. The treble side of the stock pups is good - the bass side was good and meaty but they feel a bit unbalanced, tho only had a bit of time to dial it in - compared to silly expensive colbalts - but for stock on their own, they are fine. Playing wise, really good experience , so light didnt feel it at all, balanced on strap and that neck is great - impressive as was the SX, but this has a much better neck and bridge. Great for a back up or could be amazing with good pups, will be using this bass.

Gruvgear Kapsule Duo Bass They call it a gigbag, but...

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

Fender Precision Bass Fretless 1970

Davie504. 😁

So... end of July, huh? Well, it took until September but now that my Sire Z7 is finally here (and I remembered about this conversation), I can confirm that the Lekato WS-70 does work with this active bass at least.

You’ve overdone it by about 6 Tim 👍

Keannu 👍

Fixed it for you 👍

That's Numberwang!

The Classic P is the widest of the Precision necks at 44mm, pretty much any other will be 42mm or less.

Mornington Crescent.

unfortunately most people don't share you opinion, they'd rather listen to music that transports them back to more youthful times

Yes you will be good enough for a band. You don't need to be [famous bass player] to make a wonderful noise and have a great time with like minded people.

I decided that after my two-year sabbatical, I would start using pedals again. My old pedal box was a bit of a disaster as the lining wasn't as good as proper velcro, so a car journey on its side and all the pedals would fall off. I decided to go for something a bit smaller but better organised to make me cut down the pedal count (ha!) This Gokko one of Amazon was less than £40 even going for the premium orange coloured version. It has an easily removed base for my PSU and lots of 2" velcro (although I had to add some strips of loop in teh base for the PSU). It even has a matching orange padded bag. It's a mix of old school and modern, but a bit sad some of my other pedals didn't make the cut. Pedal order is not obvious, due to what I wanted at the front and practicalities of where leads go: 1 - my homebrew Death Note switcher featuring Ryuk the Shingami. His Shingami eyes light up when a lead is plugged in and the one selected glows even brighter. Unused inputs are grounded via a 22K resistor. Surprisingly complicated to figure out the wiring! 2 - Boss TU3, not just a tuner but a convenient mute switch. 3 - An, err, new addition, the Demonfx Pearl White Autowah. This is a direct clone of the Mad Professor Snow White and it's opened up a huge range of new options. Set the sensitivity low for slap or near 12 o'clock for fingerstyle and you can either get classic autowah sounds (think Fly Away) or increase decay and you can ride it rather like riding the gain for overdrive effects, except it's like a variable tone control. 4 - TC Electronics Forcefield Compressor. OK, it's a Behringer in a bullet-proof box, but it works really well adding harmonic texture without cutting the bottom end as well as keeping my crap slap under some sort of control. 5 - Joyo XVI polyphonic octaver. It does make some incredible sounds, but is definitely best used in moderation. It would be nice to have two or three set up to suit different songs - I hate knob twiddling during a performance. 6 - Ibanez Digital Stereo Chorus. Wowser, apparently these fetch about £150 these days! But you can't have it, with everything dialed in the direction of slow, wide, deep and high it will stand in for anything wanting a general purpose 'effected' sound without having to pack a phaser and a flanger as well. 7 - TC Electronics Mojo Mojo Overdrive. At my first gig using it again I learnt not to set the drive too high, but set right it can add more consistent grit with less finger battering than digging in for a whole song. A test showed it was darker than a tube screamer clone and the HM2 was just too OTT. 8 - My homebrew 'Nano Gumpinator', a 24 db/octave high pass filter with the knee at 32Hz. Takes away all the handling noise and certainly appears to be kind to my speakers. (Interesting aside, my phone camera recognised the 'Forcefield' as a face and focused on it!)

Ah.

What....is....it....with....the ....anorak?

Ladies and gents, my beautiful granddaughter Ellie. Born at 03:15 yesterday.

I don't think he really sounds any worse than he ever did. Maybe a bit of trouble reaching higher notes, but that's about it.