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Hi everyone, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you who have supported the site this year—whether by becoming a Supporting Member or purchasing tokens for the marketplace. Your contributions enable us to keep improving the site, reduce our reliance on advertising, and dedicate time to supporting our community. I mention this now because December typically sees a noticeable drop in revenue, and with the challenges many individuals and businesses are facing right now, I’m especially grateful to those of you who continue to renew your subscriptions. Of course, I also deeply appreciate everyone who visits the site, shares their knowledge, and offers support to others. A site like BC is only as valuable as the knowledge contained within the membership. So, thank you once again. I’ll be taking a bit of a BC break over Christmas and New Year, so I want to wish you all a relaxing, joyful time with your friends, family, and instruments 🎸. Cheers, Ped

Two much better photos from last Saturday's In Isolation farewell gig:

Stripped my board down to the essentials for town centre gig, thinking I could use the local metro service - only for the metro to be stopped due to issues with the gateshead flyover! 🤦‍♂️ Here's the results anyways - ultrawave, space heater and rattler mkII removed. Dynassor removed and in the FS section. All missed, but loving the more compact set up. I'll sit the mvave chocolate midi controller to the side of the board. Old set up Smaller set up Eventually I'll get a new psu, tuner and preamp for the big board and move the important stuff (C4 and HX one) between the two. I have a Celebrity pedals taylor shift inbound too, so that may go on 1 board and the octabvre on the other...

2024 ended with a cheeky little trip over to the Southgate Inn in Devizes. Armed with just my mandolin, I actually got the bus over. We got a heroes welcome from the regular customers and were greeted with "here come the goths". 😺 My wife snapped this one picture that sounds off a comparatively quiet year on the live front.

Mmm… I remember when Nadine Dorries asked Microsoft when they would stop using algorithms….

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The politician's syllogism: 1. We must do something 2. This is something 3. Therefore we must do this

Pre-penultimate gig for our residency and it was the one we thought might happen at some point. The whole room was one firm, lots of gentlemen dressed in what I call Haute de Countrywide- gillet, checked shirt brown boots, aggrieved at having to pay inheritance tax, you know the type. Just a general stand offish impress us attitude. Anyway, we get them ticking over nicely in the first half, get to the break, have ten minutes in the room we’ve been provided to modify the set to taste and return to a distinctly frosty atmosphere. Turns out two factions have had bit of argy bargy outside and now no one’s interested in partying. Until, and isn’t this just typical, we play our last song to indifference really, the dj insists we do an encore, we play Fairytale and then they go nuts and want another…. Left quietly as the police watched the would be pugilists get taxied off. Two more gigs to do- I think they’ll be much better.

As I get older my ability to tolerate people behaving like tw@ts diminishes exponentially. I wouldn't want to be in a band with drama queens.

What are you in prison for?

Thanks to the BC legend that is Ash, I've welcomed a short scale Sterling Stingray to my wee collection It's in great condition, extremely well set up with a low action and well cut nut. It sounds just the way it should, and is great for my back and bad arm. I had one before, but just couldn't the action where I wanted. So that's that itch finally scratched

So about a month ago - I decided to sell my Gibson Ripper to fund some house work for my little girl who needs a wet room… you have most likely seen the thread…no further comment…(love you guys). Ive been swapping between the Ripper and My Jack Casady… Both absolutely heroic in their own right. I’ve a potted history with Casady’s - I adore them and with a few minor tweaks, they’re ideal for me. So, resigned to the fact I’d be Gibson-less, I sold some bits and bobs I had in storage and a lovely little peavey bass to buy a gold Casady like my old one - to sit next to my blue one (one flats, one rounds…) But then I spotted an Anniversary model on a facebook marketplace listing which I’ve always loved (although I hated the white pickguard). The seller would not ship - and no matter how I wanted it…I agreed it was a stupid move in a gigbag. My loverboy @walshy stepped in and took the Casady under his wing. After a few weeks of trying to figure out when I could get to Hexham or he could get to Manchester. We managed it. By this point - the wonderful folk of BC had negated the sale of the Gibson by raising funds to help with the project for Iris. So I’ve now got 2 Casady’s and a ripper. Weirdly, the neck profiles are totally different - the blue one has a flatter profile, the Anniversary has a deeper shape. Needs a clean and a set up. The wonderful Earlpilanz on eBay has done me a black pickguard which is in the post. Actually really cheap (£20 all in, mental) At some point, I’ll have to sort some longer straps; the casady sits higher than I have the ripper even on the same straps because of the button position/body depth. but that’s me and gear done - for the next few years while we upgrade the house… Anyhow…fat bottomed girls…you make the rocking world go round…

I'll expand.... I've played in a lot of bands, some I auditioned for (both pro and am), some I was invited into, some I forced my way into (long story), and some have simply emerged from conversations with friends. By far the best have been the latter, and specifically the guys I'm playing with at present, who are 1) a guy I've known for 15 years as a friend but who seemed musically well above me (multi-instrumentalist/multi-genre), 2) a close friend with whom I've gigged a few times but with whom I've drunk beer and talked band ideas more times than I can remember, and 3) a good friend of his who is (was) a casual acquaintance of mine. It's a project I'll expand on here as it develops, but the main thing is that the core sentiment of the band is goodwill, there's not been one argument despite the fact that at least two of us are very good at arguing, everyone turns up at rehearsal having learned their parts, no-one is trying to take the lead, there's an implicit group decision making that is quite unusual in bands in my experience. But most of all, we enjoy playing the set and that means that at rehearsals, while we may arrive with the weight of a day's work/kids/families on our shoulders, 30-minutes in we're in the groove and I think it's fair to say we all leave feeling a whole lot better than we arrived. And I am by far the least talented member of the band! I've only ever been in one other band like it, and that band was the same, a group of friends. They are without doubt the two best bands I've had the pleasure of belonging to. Friendship is I think a major player in bands I'll update on this band's gigs etc in another thread as things develop 👍

Thank you so much, we feel we have definitely upped our game and striving to make everything as good as it can be for the customers

Make it clear at any auditions that what is heard is what is going to be played and that if that’s not suitable for them then thanks for their time but no thanks. Sometimes the direct approach might seem to take longer to find someone but it’s usually quicker than having 2 or 3 unsuitable people in post trying to make changes and getting on everyone’s nerves.

All this drama could have been saved if you hadn't gone off the deep end...

In a hole! With an OWL!

Bit the bullet and booked some one on one lessons with a working pro bassist for January. Onwards! 🙂

We've 2 more gigs to go before the band in its current form at least packs up. It's been ten great years, i think about 170 gigs, with time out for Covid. Last night we were so busy trying to nail a chrismas song for the gig tomorrow none of us stopped to realise it's the end of an era. Something else will take its place i know but i shall miss the old gang. We've had 4 big family deaths, cancers, niggles, more laughs on and off stage than i can possibly remeber for all of us it's been the band that has helped us through it all. What a privilege to be part of it.

Actually seems not too onerous, one contact person to talk to, and a system to take down illegal things quickly, which we pretty well have.

As she is your MP, she should reply in her capacity as your MP to one of her constituents, rather than as Home Sec. I would be somewhat surprised if her response is anything but 100% supportive of the Home Secretary. There is zero chance of the act being repealed, but there is a small chance that guidance will be more forthcoming and may be more explicit in defining things like small websites. The main targets of the legislation are: 1. The newspapers so the govt can be seen to do something, anything. 2. The various local party faithful who need to be assuaged that the govt is doing something, anything and are "thinking of the children". 3. A big stick to go after the large social media companies who to be honest do sod all when they could do an awful lot more. Twitter comes to mind here, Facebook is almost as bad, YouTube probably behind them. The govt has given itself a very big stick to beat these companies with. The companies will bleat and shout and whinge but they want the revenue that all of their social media brings to them, so they'll roll over and complain loudly about their first amendment rights and they'll be reminded that they have zero first amendment rights in this country, so no, you can't put out articles or crap falsely saying that a trans-left wing-immigrant-soros-supporter stabbed 97 people to death in a church in Stafford and then claim it was just opinion or somebody else reported it or "I was just asking the question" when other people turn up and start rioting. Words as well as actions now have consequences. 4. It also does give some stick to beat smaller websites up, but if Basschat promptly removes things that breach the T&C's, and so long as it's not clearly illegal, such as child pornography, I'd be more than astonished that it goes any further. Websites cannot be held liable (as far as I can work out from the briefing papers) if somebody posts something illegal and that is immediately flagged and removed. This would mean I could logon to Facebook using a fake account, post a whole load of stuff, log off (from my VPN1 and VPN2 and VPN3 all in very different countries), and Facebook has all the consequences. Whilst part of me thinks this is a great idea, I can't think it's true. If Facebook leaves it up after its been reported or flagged using some sort of content automation. then the law kicks in. 5. Most of the stuff they are really interested in is on the dark web. Sadly you can get just about anything there. and I mean anything. There is little chance of that being policed due to the way its designed and built. It was built to bypass censorship and this is the consequence. The govt in party can rant all they like about it, but there's zero chance of blocking that fromworking. There is the danger that this could be another dangerous dogs act or more likely it'll be focussed on the bigger social media companies, I suspect the latter but simply don;t know. Rob

Like all the meaningless anti-money laundering legislation. All that does is make things likesorting out a relative's estate, or buying a house or a car, an expensive pain in the butt and does absolutely nothing about real money laundering e.g. large parts of London's property market. It's being seen to 'do' something whilst not doing anything at all of any meaningful use.

2004 MIM Jazz Standard. I Saved as a teenager for this, my first ‘proper’ bass. No matter what else I play, this one always feels like home.

That's probably the most concise definition of the majority of governmental policy and action I have seen. The internet is fundamentally ungovernable and now pretty much the entire economy globally is reliant on it there can't be any actual blocking but the whole nation state and democratic process house of cards will fall quickly if their ineffectiveness becomes too obvious so you get this kind of dog whistle legislation. The cynic in me also wonders whether Meta and their like have been whispering in ears as a way of driving more and more traffic onto their platforms where we can be data harvested and advertised to. As many others have said BC is a haven and there are no doubt countless other forums that provide vital informal mental health and wellbeing support to people in an increasingly isolated world. Proper integrated policing and better education, support and more access to community -online or otherwise - is the real solution to keeping people safe but that takes money and time and real dedication, and puts less coin in the coffers of the big players, so it's a non starter. I hope BC and all the other decent forums find a way to keep going somehow.

So it’s placebo legislation and they know it is?

It has arrived... A very nice beast indeed, very well set up (and I am a fanatic about low action). The 'crack' is there, but it's minimal. A careful touch up will hide 90% of it. Given it had over £1000 knocked off for that, it indeed feels like a great buy!

Hello all, Recently I put up a thread about a 'person' called 'Melvin Pierce' who was flooding YouTube with what appeared to me to be AI generated content. Semi easy listening, soft focus stuff. I wasn't absolutely sure whether it was for real or not, and thought maybe I was letting my imagination run away a bit. And now this appears - The Beatles Rubber Soul album reimagined in a Motown style. And yes, it's all entirely AI generated, and it all sounds just so authentic. If this is what's possible right now, then I really can't imagine where will things be in another ten years time . 😵

Hence a separate post about singing lessons!👍

A big thank you to Ped and all the moderators and team. A great place to hang!

Just to update -the amp actually arrived today. So Christmas is saved 😄. All the drama could have been avoided if customer services had just told me that yesterday - it actually ended up a really good deal and it's a cracking little amp. "All we need is just a little patience !"

Great to see Kenny Pasarelli mentioned, I only know him through his work with Joe Walsh, but a name that has stuck in my consciousness. Murray & Johnstone, what a combo, add in Nigel Olsson and that's the backing band from heaven. What a player Dee was. Singers is a good addition to the conversation, Paul Rogers is right up there for me together with Paul Young (who cites Rogers as an influence). In terms of the way I actually sing, I'm influenced by all those, slightly warbly, baritones: Ferry, Sylvian, David Byrne, Richard Thompson, etc.

Who got me started? Bass: Dee Murray Kenny Pasarelli Pierre Brock Percy Jones Andy Fraser Guitar: Paul Kosoff Davey Johnstone Tommy Bolin Singing: (Because it’s as important an influence on me as the above) Paul Rogers David Coverdale Glen Hughes

I’m enjoying reading through this, there’s many bass players I’ve never heard of so I’m looking them up

"Life's for living!" "Well it's hard to know what else to do with it" -Noel Coward

Drummers don't have the right to be opinionated, they're just drummers after all. Stewart Copeland never figured that out.

I disagree that the politicians know what they are doing, they are, on the whole rather clueless about IT, but they want to be seen to be doing something and this is it. It's very much "won't somebody think of the children" and opposing this act will be played out as supporting paedophiles and terrorism. It's bad legislation, and Ofcom, who have wanted to expand their empire for some time, have taken it on with gusto. I would suspect they have asked for a significant budget increase to handle it. I'll try and find their budget and do some simple maths to see what extra they are going to need with 100,000 extra sites to police. A similar situation occurs with the toothless winder that is the ICO, lots of words and zero action. If Ofcom is the policeman here, they will have enough to do with the bigger social media companies before they get down to basschat. The potential scope of this act is scary. Your local village bowls club, 70 members, has a chat section about where the next game is against the village five miles up the road. Is Ofcom really expecting the 76 year old chair and 90 year old treasurer to go through all of the risk profiles? And then report them to Ofcom and keep it up to date. The reputational risk to Ofcom is enormous here. Fighting a large social media company fine, fighting a local bowls club or pigeon racing or local dance class? Not so sure. Just my 2p Rob

Port noise is much better with the 68mm downpipe. After swapping between the two drivers, I've decided to go with the 6FE100. It does require an enormous port, which presumably takes away from already-limited 8.5L internal volume, but somehow it still works. There's not loads in it between the two, but the 6FE100 sounds a bit fuller on the lower strings (even works with a low B) and is a bit lighter. Having made that decision I've glued the port in and rounded the edge over with the router, which takes the port noise down to close to inaudible. Unfortunately it does mean cutting a new baffle, as the 6FE100 is a 6-hole mount and I'd put 4 T-nuts in the baffle for the Fane 6-100. I did the first one with a jigsaw but it came out a bit wobbly so I thought I'd go fancy and use the router and a jig: After getting most of the way through the board I cut through close to the line with a jig saw and used a flush trim bit to clean it up:

When I listen to stuff like this (and I do, lots) I find it deeply humbling. I find myself constantly thinking "where are you even pulling these lines from?".

Start a band with the singer, and look for a drummer and guitarist?..

Many of the greatest bands had an intrinsic tension if not outright hostility at their core, any group of creative and intelligent people will inevitably clash, the trick is in managing and to some extent, coping with the fallout of the inevitable blow-ups. It's partly what makes those bands great. Bit like a marriage I guess. We can't all be Rush, besties for 50 years...

Good stuff here folks. Yes, everyone needs to chip in with carrying and plugging etc… and then STOP and let the bass player mix it. End of. Only game in town. Why we’re best suited to this I don’t know: but there it is. Leaving it to eg keys has resulted in eg mic’ing the kit o/h and racks with condensers and not engaging phantom. I’ve drummer-proofed (well, y’know… as much as one can) our setups by getting all of the cables out into piles, out of the way of where people are lugging amps around, shortest to longest left to right: XLRs 1m, 3m, 6m, 7m, 9m, 10m IECs 2m, 2.5m, 5m Male XLR to Jack adaptors Female XLR to Jack adaptors EDIT: Sure, they’re balanced. I’m not an animal. I always run power around the stage after checking socket polarity and plugging breakers into the wall. Else, the band build a small electric fire for me. Monitor chaining across two auxes remains beyond the reach of m’colls so I do that. Tricky, because the XLRs go “not the same way as for microphones”

I let the singer plug his mic in, as he can count up to 1. I do everything else, which is just two mics. Some cable colour coding FOH speakers = orange, monitors = yellow, and the leads are unequal lengths as the mixer is always one side or the other of the stage.