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Last year i've been working on a Wal copy bass. As Wal basses are my absolute favorite and i am the happy owner of 3 Wals (two MK1 basses and a ProIIe) i was wandering if i was able to build one myself. Since 2018 i'm following a luhiers education (6 hours a week) at the CMB in Puurs (Belgium). I allready build an acoustic steelstring guitar (Martin#1 copy) for my wfie so now it was time to treat myself. This Wal copy ofcouse needed to be an extra addition to my collection. Since i have a fretted Mk1, a fretless MK1 and a fretted Pro (which has a more vintage sound compaired to the MK's ) my weapons are quite complete. But they are all 4 strings ands sometimes i miss a low B. Since i prefer 4 strings i've decided to build another 4 string but tuned BEAD. To make a plan i disassembled my MK1 and measured everyting. Last week i've completed it and it feels and sounds damn close to my other Wals! Here are the specs: Mahogany body with ebony facings (maple veneer) Matching headstock Maple/mahogany neck Ebony fretboard Danish oil finish Lusithand Double NFP special MKII preamp Turner Multicoil Pickups ABM bridge Shaller tuners Handmade potmeter knobs and output.

Conversely, I've previously gigged in front of an audience that were about as responsive as a row of folded chairs.....😲😆😆

Great sound funkle! I used the same combination of electronics and pickups in my recently build Wal copy! (Sorry for hijacking this topic) Here's the build diary: https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/510756-wal-mk1-copytribute-bass-claassen-mk1/

And of course myself testing it.. Soundclips will follow!

Well, the Classic 5 arrived this morning. I immediately took it to my trusted setup guy. New strings and a setup and it was perfect. My luthier works out of the shop where my buddy works. They have a very righteous bass department. They also have a new Growler and Killer B. While my Classic was being sorted, I had a run with them. That Growler was so light. I've never held a 6lb full scale bass. The tones were cool. But probably really not gig worthy. Too light. Felt like was gonna break it. But for a studio bass there are a lot of sounds in there. Then I tried the Killer B. Oh my... Tone. Feel! It's all there. So! I wanted a real case for the classic and of course Gator cases are everywhere there. So I got me a nice hardshell case for the Classic. Then I turned around and bought the Killer B. Crazy day too say the least. 2 new Tobias Basses in one day. And yes, I bought a second Gator case for it. Gonna be spending the night switching from Classic to Killer B. I will post pictures and a NBD later. Been a busy day. Time to chill.

You beg the question of: what are you trying to achieve by sitting this cab on top of your Ampeg cab? If you are simply trying for more volume then a second ampeg 15 would be a better bet. It may also be that the Peavey cab on it's own would be louder than the Ampeg. Have you tried the Peavey with the Ampeg? The results of merging cabs is a bit unpredictable for good technical reasons. If you are trying to aim for a particular tone this isn't the way to get it. The probability is that there is no way you can run these two cabs together. You could try running them in parallel (both cabs simply plugged into your amp) this will mean both of the 12's and the 15 will each share the power equally.The problem then is the amp will be driving into 2.67ohms and not all amps will do this. The extra current demand may well overheat the amp leading it to shut down if it is well protected or to burn out if it isn't. If you re-wire the two 10's to make a 16ohm cab then this will reduce the output of your tweeter and your crossover to the horn will be all wrong as it is designed to work with the 4ohm speakers. in any case the two tens will be getting a lot less signal than the 15 which will mean they won't be as loud and your sound will be dominated by the 15 . Dozens of people have asked how to mix an 8 ohm cab with a 4 ohm cab and the answer remains the same. If you want to change your set up then the minimum you need to do is to buy another 8 ohm cab. Don't buy this one, it just doesn't match.

Isn't that called a jazz gig?

Fun fact, some chairs in fancy concert halls are designed to have the same absorbtion coefficient as people when folded so that the sound doesn't change from soundcheck to the show! Obviously a niche case and not a lot of use down the Dog and Duck, but I think it's cool!

@MoonBassAIpha took a deserved win for February and of course, had the honour of the picture choice for March. He Chose , he Posted and he thus Mused... "I've been thinking about the photo and this came to mind. I was working a short contract in Oxford with a group who make instruments for satellite and lander missions and had a spell in the clean room. I thought this could suggest more sinister stories though..." Thus inspiring the following pieces for your entertainment . Please choose your favourite 3 tracks and vote accordingly 1 @Baloney Balderdash As last time recorded through this setup (bar the added Orange Juice overdrive in place of clean blend with the Turbo RAT distortion) : 2 @Leonard Smalls My song is meant as accompaniment for our Grand Theft Auto hero's getaway which was top-fuelled by nicking the large cylinder of nitro (*)... 3 @AndyTravis In my head it worked…I’d best describe it as a challenging listen 4 Lurksalot Its a soundscape as a theme to a scene that may be transpiring 5 @Jean-Luc Pickguard Our gowned-up hero is actually an undercover Roman Catholic scientist working under direction of the Pope in the top secret research laboratorium deep below the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican City. In the Eucharist Magnification experiment, scientific methods are used to electronically multiply the benediction beam, and exponentially amplify and concentrate the consecration field generated during the sacrament of the Eucharist. The objective of this experiment is to transubstantiate a loaf of sourdough bread into the reanimated head of the Messiah. 6 @alibabu This months entry is more of a short interlude than a full song, but it is a start! 7 @upside downer A dystopian tale of chilling proportions. An exploratory way of dealing with miscreants is underway, conducted by scientists at a secret governmental location. It's all so clinical and a frosty reception awaits the poor souls who are the recipients of this cryotherapy. 8 @MoonBassAlpha There's a very non-benign alien secured in the lab. We found an annoying frequency that it doesn't like either. It's dark sticky mass squirms in discomfort until it expires. Or does it... Well there we have it, fantastic stuff yet again! Vote for your favourite 3 Voting closes midnight 31st March

TL:DR - I've bought a new bass. It's very nice. I've been hankering after a jazz for a while to fit with the vibe of my new band. Thought I wanted another Sandberg, a Vincent or really push the boat out and get a Lull. However, I fell in lust with the blonde Fender Japan Kazuki Arai signature jazz on the Bassbros website. It was 4.5kg however, so not for me. Then they got one that was listed as 3.8kg on their site. I messaged them to double check. It was actually 3.8kg. I was in trouble. Being away from Thurs to Sunday guaranteed that this would happen on Thursday afternoon (pic whatsapped to my by my delightful and not at all surprised by another big box arriving other half). Had to wait until Sunday to open it, it played nicely straight out of the box, but a swap to my preferred strings and lowering the saddles by a quarter turn really made a difference. The I plugged it in, oh my, these noiseless vintage pickups really are something. It's the sound I've been chasing for ages. The low B is fabulous. It's gorgeous and not at all 'signature-y'. An engraved neck plate is the only giveaway, and it comes with a plain one too, nice touch. I've got my first gig with my new band on Friday. Everything sensible says I should play my Sandberg as it's a known quantity. I won't though, can't wait to hear this thing in the mix. If anyone's bothered enough then I'll try to get some video and update this post at the weekend. Or, if you're near the bright lights of Chorley then pop along and check us out at The Shed and Garden.

I seem to have selective amplifier constipation.....I can't pass GKs. So another one arrived yesterday. I first heard one of these at the North West Bass Bash last year when @GreeneKing brought his along. I think everyone was quietly impressed by it, I certainly was. Anyway, one popped up on Facebook Marketplace, but it was a long way away and the seller was unknown to me. I messaged him and explained that I was reluctant to buy sight unseen on Marketplace, and he offered to list it on Ebay instead to provide more security. So here it is. It's intended as the beginnings of a smaller rig, smaller than my BF 3x10 and vintage racked RBs, but also as a backup on bigger gigs when I'm using the big rig. It will replace my Elf as backup too. I've seen and understood what Bob Gallien says when he explains how things work, and that the EQ and Overdrive circuit are based on the old RB heads. But if anyone here has/had one, I'd be interested to know how you used it, particularly the Overdrive circuit, to get a similar tone and feel to the old RB heads. Cheers, Rob

They've just posted a new cab on FB... 1x10", w/ adjustable tweeter 8ohm Dimensions: 380x345x300 mm (height/width/depth) 6kg Comes in two finish options: in Tolex (sky) and structural varnish (Duratex) Price - 1250 PLN (£250-ish) https://www.facebook.com/HandBoxAudio/posts/pfbid0225EigyCFD5o3JXpE2iEraBGUMPxLt8Z3vhLtMNys4At9BAsytz8NLYS7GkRmdDWXl

Mick F*cknell........

Simply Ped *wins Ped's everlasting respect*

Here's the great Axl Peleman (Belgium bassist) testing my bass, he was very fond of it and told me it felt like a fullblood Wal! I coundn't get a bigger compliment from the master!!

The family picture

Curiosity Killed the Car Bronski Boat X-Ray Spew Alternative TB Sod Barrett Manfred Manc Johnny Rap Johnny Hates Jizz

I was invited to join an established folk band for a rehearsal last night, with a view to joining them. I've not played upright properly for a few months, and just before I found the G string has failed in some annoying buzzy way (notes on the G string buzz horribly, the same notes played on the D string are fine). Anyway, I was about first there, and set up with my trusty Crush 25B amp. There was accordion, violin, octave mandolin, clarinet, bodhran and washboard. The set list was a mixture of Morris dance tunes, Irish folk tunes and Klezmar. All went well - I kept it simple, mostly improvising, root-5'ing the chords with an occasional run on chord changes.

There are two books I would recommend my students: Simplified Sight Reading by Josquin De Pres and Modern Reading Text bus Louis Bellson I used to use it alongside Walking Bass by Ed Friedland. (It contains loads of simple, clear and accessible sight reading examples and because it’s jazz it uses lots of chord tones as well). These will help you build a great foundation for reading. Then check out @Bilbo archive and work from there. Working with a teacher is best, but the principles are simple enough to learn. I used to do 15 minute focused practice every day. You’ll crack on really, really quickly.

The Polite, featuring Stink

5th knock with the new band - name as yet undecided - and it's still sounding good. We've run up a set list which varies from 'Does Your Mother Know' to 'Born To Be Wild' with side tracks to 'Superstition' and 'Games People Play' amongst others. The line up is drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar and yours truly on bass. We all sing - them much better than me - so the potential is there for nice vocal harmonies. So far we've concentrated on getting familiar with each other's styles, finding the right mix of songs and, in the case of the acoustic guitarist, getting used to playing in a band (he's only ever played solo and then only a couple of times). We rehearse silently through a mixer and headphones and the recordings have been a great way to listen back in the cold light. So far, so good. Next steps are to fix the arrangements and get a couple of rehearsals at full volume with backline etc at a local hall. Then it's gig time! 😀

Means nothing to me as I’m not massively interested in Grabbers. But, this seems pretty cool from Decibel and something I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone else do. I’m sure this will tick a lot of boxes for many. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHkBcRLJcaO/?igsh=bjVpNjc0bncyYXdy

I learnt using simple walking bass lines for jazz and blues - even if I don't know the particular tune I can tell when I'm hitting the right notes as they harmonize. Also, Bach pieces for bass are brilliant for this.

I bought a musicmaster bass pickup — which is like a strat pickup but with four pole pieces. It looks well made, but I've not fitted it yet so can't comment on how it sounds.

Folding work platform from Screwfix - also handy when fixing things like lights and attaching banners to curtain rails. https://www.screwfix.com/p/mac-allister-aluminium-470mm-x-0-6m-folding-work-platform/5892p

Shatatack

Dank je!!!! It was quite hard work, especially to plane the ebony top and back to the right thickness.(sharpening my plane every 15 minutes...) but it was all worth it. I'm very satisfied with the endresult! 😀

Neck

Body

We will keep pushing on this and let you know when we know

I fully accept that I may be completely wrong on that one, though I stand by Madonna's version of American Pie. Until, that is, A.Hitler comes along and says: -opinions are like testicles: everyone's got one.

The desk sends white noise to each and then both sides of the PA with a special high quality microphone positioned in the 'audience'. It works out the frequency response of the pa + room and any resonances automatically eqs them out. That means you can use the same settings in different venues, even using their pa, and get pretty much the same sound. Obviously tweaks may be needed and in venues where guitars and bass are backline only we need to do our own adjustments (for example on Saturday I was near a corner and had to cut my bass control, which I normally have slightly boosted).

I had an almost fail last week when the thoughts about a used Warwick Thumb available locally started to become intrusive … However, this led me to a revelation while spending the weekend rebuilding the electronics of another beautiful piece of bubinga (one I actually own), as well as rehearsing and practicing with it. My tastes in basses really have become a double-edged sword for my finances: Most instruments simply aren’t even intriguing to me. But whenever something tickles my fancy juuuuuust right, more likely than not, it’s a matter of four figures. And then, it hit me: Whenever I buy something, I‘m not only adding an awesome unique bass to my stable of awesome unique basses - I‘m actually taking another awesome unique instrument off the market. And I don’t want that, at all - I want others to experience awesome unique basses, as well. And with that thought, G.A.S. was gone. Anyone want to recommend me for that swedish medal?

It took mine a year to notice that I was playing a fretless.

I’m seventy three. When I found the gear was becoming heavy I bought modern lightweight cabs. The lift went from close to hundred to about twenty five pounds. My preamp and amp are not heavy. The big misery is trying to find a parking space in the downtown core but I doubt the venue will provide valet parking for the band. Pity. I have an old friend , influence , and mentor that has several years on me and is still playing. Great player. And whenever I watch him do the gig , with grace and dignity I feel like I’ve still got several years left. We are both still going strong.

And maybe it doesn't and you can hear it.

Have we had Shitesnake yet (we must have done)