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When I first entered the room tonight my first thought was this room is too big for us. I was wrong we had a nice size crowd. I counted at least 100 people, mostly our fans The manager said it was the busiest night they've had in a,while. She sent the till numbers to her boss and she was impressed. I had a fun night. However load in an tear downs are becoming a real challenge for me. Back to The Harley Motor next Saturday. Daryl

It was a bit of a strange one last night. The pub is quite small and gets quite busy, so they take a lot of the chairs and tables out when they have entertainment on. We've played there quite a lot over the years and have recently started doing the "acoustic" thing to better fit the room. We don't do a lot of Saturdays though, we normally do Sundays, and it turned out it was quite a different crowd. Instead of half the room being musicians, it was a load of younger people getting hammered. When we arrived the place was already fairly busy. By the time we'd set up I was starting to get getting fatigued from the volume of chatter - it was so loud! There were a larger proportion of ladies than our usual audience (old men!) so the chatter was also quite shrill. When we started playing, rather than shutting up and listening, they just talked all the louder! By the end of the first set we were starting to wonder why we were even there. We normally have a bit of banter going between numbers, but couldn't last night. It did get slightly better as the night went on. The crowd thinned slightly so that it was a bit more comfortable. They got a bit more involved with the songs and were singing along loudly. We also had the inevitable drunken dancers, one of whom got a firm shove in the back from the guitarist's right foot after persistently getting too close to his mike stand (to be manhandled out of the pub by the landlady a little while later). Anyway enough negatives. We really like playing "acoustically". It makes for some interesting arrangements. Playing my EUB makes me want to mess around a lot more, with silly slides and fills. We actually had a great laugh performing. "Rocket by Stagg" EUG in sparkle black, straight into my Fender Rumble v3 500 combo. Treble rolled off on the amp because it was feeding back through the piezo because the amp was up on the seat. Solovair boots

Great crowd for last night's 60th birthday party gig. A slightly shortened set to allow for the buffet at half time, but had plenty of singing along and dancing to the 70's and 80's punk classics. All done and dusted by 11pm due to noise curfew at the pub, home by midnight as we had hired a PA so just had to stuff the backline gear into the van and away!

If you want to play in bands forget about YOUR tone, it doesn't matter. It's no good having great solo tone if you disappear behind guitars and drums.

40 years of listening to music and I have never heard a RUSH record until now. This is just WOW.. I get it.

I bought this little monkey for £20. Never dismiss a cheap bass.. the neck is just... I've never got an action this low on a bass apart from the Modulus J. .set the neck dead flat with DR Low Riders and it's so playable. Sounds like a great P which I believe are the the stock single coils. I will never put flats on a P bass because imo a P needs rounds. I'm actually amazed at this bass.

I played with The Paper Castles at Market House in Maidstone on Friday for valentines. The gig went pretty well, its the best local venue to play at in my opinion and it was busy. Ive been playing with these guys since September and now settled in with the setlist etc. Im now in two bands, as my other band doesn’t gig too much I managed to join this second band. However it’s quickly turning into number one band as it has a lot more gigs. We played a softer mix of dance, pop and rock ( 3 piece band), which is a nice contrast to the full on heavy rock of the other band (4 piece). Im getting some good use out of my Tech 21 Steve Harris pedal, as this band is softer I don’t need the heavy distortion from my Darkglass Alpha Omega amp. I’ve also been getting good use out of my 5 String Ibanez, as the extra string is helping with the more dance oriented songs. A good night all in all, albeit didn’t get home until 1.30 Rubbish picture of rig attached!

First gig back last night and down a guitarist who was away on a delayed holiday following a family bereavement. We can cover one or other guitarist and drummer either as a four piece for guitars or with one of a couple of drummers. Not for vocals and whilst I have been covered for a couple of times it was not possible for next weekend after I got diaries mixed up and booked a weekend with family too far away to sneak back and do the gig. Thought we’d found cover but he decided it was too much work to prepare, which is fair enough. The week after I have a gig with my band, and a dep the following night, with a dep with a different band the week after that, so other than the mess up for next week it’s a busy month. Last night went ok for the first play in anger for the year. Vox says to me just before we start “how many songs am I going to forget?” Not too many as it turned out. 🙂 First set with the Status 5. Second with the FrankenJazz 4 with a Status neck that I am currently loving. I do need to sort out a new slightly larger pedalboard and have a rejig to fit everything. Currently I have to rearrange bits to fit the OCX Boost and last night added the C4 synth (though I couldn’t work out why the midi switcher wasn’t working until after the gig when I remembered I had forgotten to fit the midi link 🤦‍♂️). I also need to get a different IEM setup as the xvive seems to wipe out my connection to the mixer wherever I put the transmitter. Switch that off and go back to hard-wired with the Behringer P2 and everything is fine 🤬 Gig went well with plenty of crowd participation and no major gaffes on my part, and we ended up slightly overrunning with “just one more”.

Done.

What's the point in it? When I go to a gig, I want to hear the musicians, warts and all. I don't care about wee mistakes, in fact I am reassured by the odd bloop because it means that A) they're human and B) makes me feel better when I'm up there and I make the odd bloop. I would be utterly bored in a setup like this. Hard no from me.

Last gig I got a load of... What's that? It's an EUB ... An electric upright bass ... A bit like a double bass but electric ... Oh, right

Dave, As you know I'm an attention seeker. The high point of the evening was when I was taking a break and a guy approached me a started telling me about his wife who played bass and his guitar collection. My response, " I get it. You just wanted to talk to me and that's completely understandable. " LOL The other thing that concerned me. I had dyed my hair earlier that day, which I've been doing for years. However as I was walking around I didn't hear one person say " Hey look, a young person ". A sad state of affairs .lol Daryl

I decided to swap out my usual green and black Trace Elliot boxes for the SVT last night. Obviously in a tiny <80 cap venue, I needed a heavy-weight 300w all valve setup.. (!) 😅 I didn't go bananas with it but even so, the sound was lovely - somewhat different than my beloved V4 and V6 amplifiers but it worked beautifully. On the top of the amplifier, you can see the Ampeg Opto Comp and the Yamaha NE-1 with the Squier 40th Aniiversary positioned in front. ❤️

What amazes me (and makes me sad as I've spent so much money 😂) is that any of us bass players could probably play a simple p like that our whole musical career and it would sound great and do exactly what's needed! GAS is a terrible thing!

Off the back of the Vintage Fender thread I purchased a '74 P-bass on Reverb, beaten up just how I like them (not everyone's cup of tea I know). It needs work to get it up to scratch, the main things being: 1. A refret. 2. Replace the installed electronics back to the original (if they are usable) and earth wire 3. Change the scratch plate 4. See if I can free off the bridge from the body consider reconditioning or replacing. 5. Add my favourite flats. Happy to listen to constructive advice as I update this thread.

Funny how us bass players end up with the PA cabs to set up and take down. I even store the larger QSC 3-way 15" PA cabs we use. I even transport them to and from gigs in my car. Its a large estate (station wagon to to Daryl ) Volvo V90. I also strip down all cables while drummer does his kit. I load my own bass gear into my car first and then come back for the PA and lights. My wife goes to all my gigs where acceptable with venue and she usually gives me a hand with heavier gear plus she's great at coiling leads. She goes to the gym with me and can almost lift same as me so that's a bonus Dave

It's the drummer way. Get your kit in from the car and arrange it as a barrier in front of the stage so that everyone else trips over it carrying their amps, guitars and cases

Thanks for the replies, in the end I ended up our purchasing this off of BaggyMan , looking forward to once this is delivered. https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/508185-markbass-121h-combo-with-cover-now-£400-come-on-this-is-a-steal/

Nah, am still trying to master playing whilst awake 🤣

Ssssshhhhhh, guys! Nobody show him a picture of a Bongo… 😬🤫

A new song for the Hulla band has made me think that the 12 Step will be needed for some synth bass. For one song it may be overkill (not shown is the wiring loom, synth (a half rack Korg01/RW) and associated stand) but I'll take it along for tonight's practice and see if there are other potential uses. I have to be careful as we have a keyboard player and just as I wouldn't want her playing basslines, I have to be careful what I play. The top row is the usual small board line up which I'm hoping to use this year. The MS60b has compressor and noise gate patches plus a few modulation patches and is there so I can try out ideas on the fly. As we narrow down the final choices for the core set for this year, it may be replaced by dedicated pedals although I'm happy with the sounds it produces and the simplicity. The Joyo line selector acts as a summing mixer for keyboard and bass with options for bass only or both. It also acts as a tuner and mute. The Broughton H24 is great but may be redundant as our sound guy is now using a HPF on my channel.

As far as I'm concerned this is a complete no-brainer. That's not a real band, walk away now and find some decent bandmates.

CNC Machines#

This one goes as dirty as... ... although it's white and spotless... The case was made by Geoff at Matamp.

Sorry, not sorry:

With stairs no less! One of the venues we play has a decent stage, but no stairs and it’s the kind of height that requires a fair bit of effort to get up on (without rolling onto it and standing from there ). However, could the drummer have made this any more awkward to get on the stage?

Dave, I think going with no amp and DI straight to the PA will help. Last night my monitor sounded like an amp. Good clean volume for me on stage . I'm not sure if it's worth it to invest in one of those high end dedicated bass DI pre amps. I'm lucky I don't have to drive. However riding in the van means I have to help unload and load. Last night loading and unloading when it's 20° was rough. Daryl

Stub, Last night I didn't use an amp. I went DI into our sound. Thing is I have to help unload and load the van with sound and lights. I also tear down mic stands and load those. I also help set up the RCF mains and subs. I would invest in one of those higher end bass DIs, however, the basic DI I used last night sounded good to me. Daryl

The only photo of all four of my Washburn basses, with the "bag of bits " XB925 finally restored and rebuilt as a fretless. Left to Right, 4 of the same Bantam basses. 1. 1998 XB500 (twin humbuckers; panpot selection of the pickups). Translucent green finish. 2. Probably a later (1999 to early 2000s) Custom Shop XB925. We know it's a later one, as it has the signature "dodgy neck" that eventually twists, and fail. Neck remade by Mike Sherman, who ran the original Washburn Custom Shop, and also designed the Bantam bass. There is a whole thread on this particular vanity project... Twin Barts, pan pot pickup selection, stack-knob bass and treble controls, plus a midrange control too. And an active/passive toggle switch. Purchased from Hungary, along with the other XB925. 3. Probably an earlier (pre 1999?) XB925, with zebrawood top. We know it's an earlier one, because Mike Sherman told me so.... And he made them, at the time. The neck is asymmetric (fatter on the bass side). Same control configuration as for the previous XB925. 4. 1994 XB500 (twin single coils; switch selection of the pickups). So, "Where are all those Washburn basses?" I have them all. Or at least, four of them...

Great things in small packages.

You make it sound as if the US were altruistic in their dealings with Europe.

Moving Pictures is generally thought of as their best album; I like Grace Under Pressure and Clockwork Angels too. For bass playing, there are two especially standout tracks: (The solo is how to make two chords sound nothing like two chords!)

It’s all shaping up to be as much of a cock up as I feared. Geopolitically making China and Russia stronger. Domestically creating the conditions for an uptick in inflation. Globally creating turbulence amongst allies and trading partners. The sad reality is change is urgently needed. The level of debt in the USA (and most other nations tbh) and the deficit is unsustainable. However simply doing a Johnson and acting like a spoiled toddler in a sweet shop is not going to turn the tide. A credible plan and a systematic approach would avoid the inevitable train crash. Perhaps if billionaires were not taking more of the wealth and paying less and less back into the pot more revenue could be generated. Giving them the power to scrape the pot even further might not work. It’s even more concerning when they are using this power to interfere in other democracies. There is are those that don’t want political discussion. What is happening in the world now for me transcends party politics. Vote for whoever you like based on your own personal beliefs but surely there needs to be some discussion when those running for office are preaching hate, discrimination and meddling in the democratic process?

BS. The guy is sleeping on a mattress on the floor.

Mrs Axe was decorating one time and had a paint roller tray of white emulsion on the landing floor. I said, ‘The cat will walk right through that.’ Seconds later, the cat scooted up the stairs and walked through the paint tray, panicked, and ran round the house leaving white footprints everywhere. The cat was called Marshall but my nickname for him was Fat Boy Dim as he was all 3 of those things. Without fail he would time his use of the litter tray to coincide with us sitting down to our evening meal. More than once he stood in the litter tray and crapped out of it onto the floor. But no, no Valentine’s Day gig.

This record is fantastic.!!!. say this is not a jazz bass. Is it a Ricky.?

Just picked up this cherryburst USA L-2500. Set it up this afternoon and it's now just about where I want it. Always loved the cherryburst/maple combo on these ( as well as on Lakland Skyline 55-02s)

I LOVE that you've fallen for one of Rush's most misunderstood and neglected albums. Not unloved by me, you understand. I adore it 😍

Picked up this on Thursday. LX basses are genuinely excellent things... I've had a few top end masterbuilt Warwicks over the years and the LXs are really just as good.

Last Saturday, big local pub. Loading the new car took a bit longer as it appears my cabs don't fit side by side, they're about 0.00001mm too wide. So had a bit of jiggery pokery taking stuff in and out to rearrange. Arrived at the venue about 15minutes later than intended (leaving 45 minutes to set up before start time). Parking was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to get lights set up and all my bass gear in with plenty of time to spare. There was no sign of singer, who arrived at 8:30 for an 8:30 start. 🙄 Played really well, we are well rehearsed but quite gig rusty, so some tunes and particularly endings weren't as rehearsed. Audience loved it, some singing along, a bit of dancing. Booked back to do 2 more gigs. Will see if we can move tables to create a proper dance area next time.

Just got sent a pic from last night's punk gig.

It's over a year since we last played at the White Hart in Ashby de la Zouch. It's usally a really buzzing town, having at least 6 pubs within a couple of hundred yards of each other on the main road, and a constant stream of itinerant drinkers. The cold February drizzle reduced the number of young ladies wandering around in next to nothing, but didn't stop them completely 😄 So the pub was a bit quiter than normal, but a more challenging load in due to the number of cars stacked up outside the surrounding takeaway outlets, making it nigh impossible to park up outside. It's always a place where we debate if we want to carry on playing there... until we do. We had a great night, managed to retain a crowd, got so many compliments and only had one instance of a drunken dancer trying to knock the guitarist's teeth out with his mic stand. We're back there in June - the night before we play another pub in Ashby! We wouldn't normally book gigs that close, but the other pub is off the main drag and we'll be doing it acoustically, for a completely different audience, so no conflict there. Usual kit: Sire & Rumble + DMs and elderly drummer On another note, in a recent post I mentioned that I have 6 weeks off. No I don't. We have a smattering of gigs over the next month or so, but then 5 weeks off. Still, it's a bit more relaxed gigwise and I might be able to get some spannering done on my old VW camper

Our 80s punk band played at the Brit club last night. Right place, right audience= a great gig with fantastic atmosphere and energy. Played at the Canadians the other month and they didn't get it, played to the Brits, our home crowd, and they loved it. Middle aged ex punks singing anarchy in the UK! Half the audience weren't even born in the 20th century but they got the vibe, joined in and loved it. You have to enjoy the Jam and Clash for energetic sing alongs. I wouldn't have picked it as my fav but a Town Called Malice went down a storm with everyone. On the technical side used a zoom L20 for the gig and it sounded great and was easy to use. Also recorded it the SD card. Also went old school with old passive Yamaha speakers and amps.... best sound we've had so far. Could just be the desk that made the difference but equally loved going to passive speakers.

I guess I like the active pre-amp on my 1994 American made G&L ASAT. I think it sounds better when both pick ups are engaged Daryl