tauzero

Once upon a time that was the Palace Cinema. When the Odeon multiscreen opened it became a music venue with the sloping auditorium still in place - played there once, rather liked it and it was massive. Then it went titsup and the next owner filled the sloping auditorium so it was level - played there once too. It has been through various incarnations since then and has recently reopened - I've tried getting a gig there but so far without success.

Played there once. Never again. Singer got a parking ticket, I got s speeding ticket as I was so desperate to get away. Dreadful load-in and load-out, nightmare parking, and we were supposed to be using some of the DJ's amplification except that he didn't get there until well after we'd set up. Good job our "drummer" only had cajon and bongoes.

Penultimate gig of the year at the Swan in Coleshill. Unusually, the car park was fairly empty, although there was a crowd watching the football which had gone into extra time when we wanted to get the gear in. Running time is now 8:30 to 10:30 due to noise complaints, so had an hour to set up which was just enough. Used the Sei Jazz BC Bike and the Cort Space - must stop using headed basses there, it's rather short on space. Four Christmas songs including a seriously revved-up Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.

Because the internet is a write-only medium.

Is it permissible to go all emperor's new clothes on these and say they're (IMNSHO) pig-ugly?

I had about £3000 worth of gear on stage earlier for a £75 gig. The most expensive single item was the £1600 Sei Jazz BC Bike, and I wish I hadn't taken it because it's not a headless and there's buggerall room at that pub. I'm quite happy to use expensive gear if I'm enjoying it, with the minor proviso that I don't want it damaged or stolen.

Must be standing back a long way if he's in a different country.

You can have great fun with them with a security pen - UV fluorescent, so you can do yourself a "tattoo" which will show up under UV light. Which reminds me, I really must do that some time.

I've only put Tuffcab on one cab - I was very apprehensive about it but in the end it was quite plain sailing. A few times I got either the pressure or the speed wrong and skidded the roller (the Blue Aran special one) but reworked the area with no problem. IIRC the worst bit was doing the front edge, bringing it round to the side. It wasn't so bad going over the rear edges onto the back.

At a tangent - many years ago, I had a mixer/amp which only muted FOH, not monitors. Rather embarrassing to come back from the break and do our first number before someone pointed out to me that FOH was still off.

Except for the legendary Tandy PZM, of course. Although that wouldn't be an ideal stage mic.

The first 5 string I really bonded with was around £300 IIRC, from Vietnam. Played beautifully, electrics weren't great, so it's had electronic upgrades and new pickups and I still love it 17 years on. I use that and a couple of Seis for gigs - all effectively irreplaceable but I want to use them. I can always take a Cort or Ibanez to somewhere I'm not sure about, not a vast difference in price but I can get another one if disaster should befall it.

I would guess Kasuga - I had a Kasuga LP copy, also bolt-on neck, it was a great instrument.

Have you ever considered just changing your strings for every gig rather than changing the bass as well?

I'm sure I was on it a few months back. Domain registration was updated in March so can't have been long ago. Just checked archive.org and the last snapshot was on 23rd November, forum was still active then.

A short cautionary tale - I've used the cab several times with a Tecamp Puma 900 with no problems. Went to an open mic night on Wednesday and the organiser asked if some lads could borrow it. I said yes as long as they didn't mess with the gain and volume, and set them a bit lower than I use myself. They were guitar with a 2x12 combo, electronic drums, and bass. They did 3 numbers, came off for a bit, then went back on, and after a couple of numbers I could hear the cab was cutting out and then went silent. I think the cause of death was blunt instrument trauma rather than stabbing, pounding semiquavers had pushed the speaker into thermal failure - my own bass style might be busy but it's not incessant. The bassist was very apologetic. Got it home, opened the back, smelled the fumes, checked impedance (open circuit), ordered another speaker. It's now back together and running, I've decided to get a smaller amp to use with that cab and to use the Plenty 1x10 as a minimum with the Tecamp from now on.

* denotes ones I still own. With apologies for any omissions: Rosetti Bass 7 (best forgotten) Hayman 40/40 Burns Bison Fender Precision Hohner B2 Frontier fretless Fender Precision fretless Wilkes fretless *Warwick JD Thumb Maison fretless 5 string Bass Collection fretless Vester Thumb copy defretted Westone Quantum Steinberger Spirit XZ-25 5 string Brice V2 fretless 5 string Axl Tiger Pro 6 string *Warwick Thumb defretted Squier Standard 5 string *Antoniotsai dragon 5 string *Antoniotsai 7 string Guild Ashbory *De Armond Ashbory Mazeti fretless 5 string Peavey Grind 6 string Peavey Grind 5 string *Ashbory Mk 2 *Antoniotsai 5 string *Antoniotsai 5 string defretted Peavey Zephyr 5 string *Sei Original headless fretless 5 string Hohner B2V 5 string *Hohner B2AV 5 string *Dean Sledgehammer 10 string Status Series 1 headless 5 string Warwick Buzzard 5 string *Eagle acoustic *Harley Benton acoustic 5 string *Sei Flamboyant 6 string *Esh Poseidon V 5 string *Sei Flamboyant headless 5 string *Batking ukulele bass *Kala SUB 5 string *Line 6 Variax 705 5 string *Warwick Thumb 5 string *Pedulla Series 2 6 string fretless *Iyv headless fan fret 5 string Cort GB4 Custom Cort GB5 Custom *Ibanez EHB1265MS headless 5 string *Cort Artisan Space headless 5 string *Sei Jazz 5 string *Sterling SUB Ray5 *Handmade headless 6 string *Acrylic 5 string

You have that inverted. The first is hideous. The second is acceptable.

Of the bands I've been in which would qualify (ie I was a member at the point the band split up), I have no idea where my fellow band members were for almost all of them, for one band the drummer has moved to Australia, the singer I've lost touch with, and the guitarist I was in another band with subsequently. That other band had transformed so it no longer had that guitarist in when it finished, but Mrs Zero was the singer and she and I met up with the final guitarist yesterday, and I'm still in touch with two of the drummers we went through.

There is no such thing as a great scratchplate, only a marginally less offensive scratchplate.

I was the final recruit to the current band. The drummer gets most of the gigs - I have tried to get a few but so far unsuccessfully. I do the website, the singer and I do the little FB that we do (creating events and posting something afterwards).

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176730901676 Neck, body, and the saddle section of the bridge. Missing guts, battery box, tailpiece, nut, and machine heads. However, the headstock has been attacked with a drill. The holes should be five big and five small, but all but one of the small holes have been enlarged, maybe to reverse the stringing order. I'm a bit tempted (I have one, it's quite good but the electronics leave something to be desired) but metalwork plus woodwork plus luthiery moves it rather outside my comfort (and ability) zone.

There are three basses shown on the Facebook link, and one of them is quite attractive. Not this one, though.

While I'm playing it. On the simple ones I enjoy being in the groove, on the complex ones I enjoy the challenge - either from getting the preplanned line right or coming up with some interesting variations.

TBH, I don't like pickguards (or scratchplates as we once called them in Britain before we got Yankised). Presumably they were used because of front routing, as that meant the body never had to be turned over as all the routing was on the front. I far prefer rear routed basses with no pickguards.