stewblack

I've loved hats since I was knee high to a garden gate and would happily wear a tea cosy if it was the only headgear available. People with anti hat prejudice project their own character defects onto those sensible enough to wear them.

@Bluewine hat looks well cool. But then you always look cool. Last night for me was a private party with the Bandeoke band. Different line up with drummer and guitarist I hadn't met before, lovely setting, lovely people. The wheels only fell off a couple of times but as ever we got through. Only problem for me was the amp going phut in the soundcheck. I always carry my trusty Elf in the gig bag so it didn't affect the show.

Yep. The older ones I have do this.

Yes I thought that. Also incredibly powerful. I have two of the older slim HB battery packs and they're nowhere near as powerful but run a board happily for 3 - 4 hours

Bass The World showed off a pedal recently, a sweet sounding low gain overdrive. I dug around a bit and found three pedals I hadn't seen before. A bass preamp, bass compressor and the OD mentioned. Now I happen to rate Joyo and I'd love to try these but can't find them anywhere beyond those iffy Chinese sites. Anyone got any inside information?

Played a Bandeoke last night. Second of what I hope will be a long term residency. However not too many turned up so the jury is out.

Thomann just announced a new HB rechargeable power pack. Great spec too... https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_powerplant_powerbank_mk2.htm

Amp: Ashdown CTM100. Why? I like to lean into it and smell the nostalgia.

It's almost certainly a faulty unit. The price of gear is pretty much irrelevant where quality is concerned

Actually I just checked a bunch of reviews and there is no mention of noise nor anything audible on the demos so I'd definitely change it

Thanks for the review. As far as the noise floor goes it might be worth getting them to exchange as you may have a faulty unit. I'm not in the least bit surprised it's as good as you say. HB products tend to make a nonsense of the "you get what you pay for" cliché.

Headlined a 'sausage n cider' festival last night. Judging by the condition of the audience the emphasis throughout the day had been decidedly less sausage and considerably more cider. But they enjoyed themselves, danced and cheered, and generally had a good time. The highlight of the evening was that rarest, most precious thing, a member of the audience who actually understood music in all its subtlety and all of its majesty. She stood open mouthed in appreciation of my supreme bass playing skills, and at the end of the song announced that I was 'carrying the whole band'. A fact I had previously considered blindingly self evident and yet one that had always gone curiously unrecognised. After one particularly superb bass fill she told the singer that the entire room now needed a pregnancy test, such was the filth with which it was imbued. Probably the greatest compliment I've ever been paid. Where was this creature come evening's end, I hear you cry? How did she show her appreciation for my hypnotic musical skill? A gentleman never tells...

It's difficult to quantify for me. When I was young the sheer energy and single minded determination I brought to bear were mind boggling to my elderly self. I would write and learn my bass lines for hours and, honestly, I listen to some of them now and I'm not sure I could even play them. Nowadays I play with a calmness, and an understanding I lacked then. Nowadays I can read music and gig songs I don't know from a chord chart. Nowadays I can gig in multiple bands across multiple genres. Nowadays I'm grateful to still be playing but envious of the crazy young thing that played his insane bass lines while leaping across the stage like a gazelle. A slim, young gazelle. With hair.

T40 with a dark board and in sunburst is one of the greatest looking basses ever made. Unfortunately they're reputed to be built in the same factory as the Russian tank of similar name. I like Retrovibe basses and the guy who runs the company is a lovely bloke too.

That's really useful thank you.

Superb review. Thank you.

I was pondering this in relation to one of my bands. It started with high ideals of interesting interpretations of whatever covers we chose. But over the years the inevitable conclusion is that as we play pubs and the odd private party, our set is evolving into playing what the audiences want to hear. Which is leading us into becoming very similar to a lot of other bands. Now I don't mind that at all. My job is to entertain people, I'm the modern day equivalent of the wandering minstrel. I'm not there to pose as an artist, or pretend I don't care if people like us - my job is to give people what they want. I need to get rebooked. I spent my youth playing original material to mostly empty bars, and now I get off on giving the maximum number of people the best evening I can. Luckily we have an extraordinary singer who can and does, sing songs other singers would either butcher or avoid. So the set has some real special moments despite the descent into the somewhat obvious set list.

Ok so we're being finicky. There are no music shops where I live so it's a trip to somewhere and Thomann being out of bounds I guess it's Bath. There is a musical instrument shop in Cheap Street. It has four basses in stock. Three under the price limit all Squires. So I guess I end up playing one of those.

Beautiful. Restrained, rhythmic bass line, perfectly complimenting a busy drum part.

Exactly. It's all fantasy and my fantasy gig is in Deutschland.

Harley Benton. Doesn't matter which one they all come out of the box in tune and set up.

Outdoor Bandeoke in a tiny village near Devizes. Well attended, well mannered punters, played a couple of tunes new to me which is always fun/hair raising (delete as applicable). Only real drawback was the mud shod members of the great unwashed tramping over my cables. Absolutely beshitted by the end of the night.