Silvia Bluejay

I was waiting for that. I wouldn't remotely know where to start. I'd be happy to make initial suggestionsto experts, and test prototypes; then again, they'd have to be lefties, wouldn't they? More hornets being stirred as we speak... 😮

LOL LOL! I don't know about Tal - or her boobs! - but mine would really like a better-designed bass! While Warwick Corvettes and Bass Collection instruments are so far the models I find more comfortable than most, neither model is perfect: Corvettes are far too heavy and, despite that, the 5ers suffer from neck dive, while my Bass Collection is light and small but has a P pickup, whose sound I simply hate (all P-sounding basses are anathema to my ears, and I am not apologising for saying that). Having to EQ to dial in my favourite sound every time I want to play it is tedious, when I can simply plug in a Corvette and be ready to play instantly. GAS is good. I like GAS. New, female-friendly bass guitar designs welcome.

I've met her, yes she's small. And no, while she is waay cooler than I will ever be, she does look a bit swamped when she's playing some of her larger basses. The boob that hangs over the top is not the main problem, believe me. It's the one that gets crushed by the upper horn (except when I play a Warwick Corvette) that gives me pain, or at least makes me uncomfortable.

Esperanza also (wo)manhandles a double bass big enough to squish me... 😮 And no, Jazz basses are terrible for a petite person, that horrendous, big, oblong body is a complete disaster - uncomfortable and cumbersome, bass-with-two-little-legs-beneath-it kind of look. (Incidentally, a Precision is almost equally uncomfortale to me.) The only reason why those idiots in the shops were pointing me to a Jazz was because of its thin neck. Luckily being left-handed saved me from having to buy on the spot and from having to argue.

I imagine it's part of the wider attitude that we older women had to face while growing up. 'Yes, of course you can become a mechanical engineer' I was told by my mechanical engineer Dad 'and you'd be great at it, but you'd face so much hostility and discrimination it may stump your career, frustrate you on all levels and not be worth the effort.' This was Italy in the late 70s/early 80s. I didn't become a mechanical engineer.

Welcome to the forum, @BrianGrant bass! Yes, this question is more suited to our Double bass forum. You may find this thread particularly useful. If you have any more queries, ask away in the forum - we have a bunch of very helpful experts there.

I can't make up my mind on whether that's good news (i.e. Yay! More women play an instrument!) or bad news (Woman goes into guitar shop, is steered towards a Fender, buys it because she isn't geeky enough to know there are lots of better choices). (I quickly lost count of the number of times I went into a shop while first-bass-hunting, my only requirement being 'suitable to petite player with small hands', and was offered a frigging Fender Jazz! 😮 Luckily I did know better.)

Back in the room, still busy, blog to be completed asap.

Well, there are a number of us female bass players on here - one of them is even a mod, and she can reply to locked threads! While we are all very, very pretty indeed, most of us are not exactly 'young', so our reaction tends to be a weary shrug of our shoulders, before moving on to another thread or back to practising on our basses.

Um, do you mean Steve Harris? 😮 Edit: referring to MacDaddy's post.

Have a word with @Happy Jack (tomorrow morning) - he spent quite some time playing it.

Excellent! Happy to help - hope it works out for you.

Warren, if you are on Facebook you can join this group and post it there too: Dep Musicians, Vocalists & Bands Across The UK

Regarding the events in the Auditorium, may I suggest we get the speakers a microphone next time? Although the recording devices automatic levelling did a good job of making the whole of the talks and tests audible, it would be a lot easier if the speech was amplified as well as the bass playing, so we could have similar levels from the start. (Yes I know it can be remedied with software - that's not the point.)

Yesterday was one long day for @Happy Jack and me! We left the bash and drove straight to a gig in Dartford. All good - I've got audio and video recordings of the bass and heft tests and of the whole of Richard's talk. I'll probably post the videos in their entirety on youtube and link to them in my forthcoming megablog, but before that, I'll let the BC Podcast team have the audio, in case they decide to publish snippets in the next episode. I've also got loads of photos, of course. I took pics of @Marcoelwray's bass in the jam room, but didn't have the chance to sit anyone down to play it and record their impressions. I'm sure the next person who has it will do so on the forum. It was great to see you guys again, and have the chance to catch up, albeit briefly. 😎

I've tweeted it. I'll also Facebook it. Good luck.

News just in - Paul the Drums is too sick to attend the bash. He apologises for cancelling at the last minute, but his cold seems to have taken a turn for the worse late last night. If anyone knows a drummer who would be willing to attend (with their kit), please feel free to ask them! 😮

Done - thanks!

Updated attendee list... 1) Cetera - Spector NS2 & Legend 4X, Dingwall NG2, Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird, Yamaha BB3000, GK800RB head, Genz Benz Neox212 cab, Tech-21 Dug DP3X preamp/pedal 2) Ezbass - Maruszczyk Elwood L 4 string fretted (J pickups), Maruszczyk Elwood L 4 string fretless (MM pickup), Rickenbacker 4003s, Rob Allen MB2 fretless, Phil Jones Flightcase + PB300 3) Happy Jack - AliKat DB #004, Mike Lull 54P, all I need to play a doubling gig (that evening) on those two instruments 4) BlueJay - Eminence Upright (left-handed) - IF IT FITS in the car, as we're now carrying a full PA system as well. Loads of camera and audio equipment 5) obbm - Fender Precisions, Sadowsky HPJ, Bergantino NV115, Handbox WB100 and if room Quilter BB800 + BF One10 + Nate Mendel for sale/trade  6) Nancy Johnson (Paul) - The Big One, rack (GED/poweramp), possibly the dUg DP3x. A bass. 7) MacDaddy - Shuker bass(es), Snapdragon Folding bass, Flattley Bass Poison Ivy. 8 ) prowla (Paul) - Maybe a Ric or two and fakers, maybe a couple of Statii, maybe J- & P-basses. Probably a Markbass amp & cab and a pedalboard with some FX. 9) Graemeross - Sire V7, USA Jazz Deluxe and USA Precision (for the bass shootout) 10) TrevorR - Wal Pro II E, Wal Mk 1 Custom, Aria SB700, MarkBass LMII and Traveler 2x10, pedalboard. 11) TheGreek - Mesa M Pulse 600 head/ Powerhouse 1x15 cab and The Psilos bass built by Andyjr1515 12) JapanAxe (Graeme) - most of the stuff in my signature! 13) Wolverinebass (Andy) - Maybe some Wounded Paw effects/signature preamp and a bass. 14) Silverfoxnik (Nik) - Roscoe Beck 5, Gibson Thunderbird, BC Rich Eagle, plus my Ampeg V4BH Rig 15) Paul The Drums of the Junkyard Dogs, with kit. 16) Frank Blank (Frankè Blanké) Rob Allen Mouse. 17) Ordep - Noble Preamp, Modulus Jazz, Fodera Monarch New Std, Amp, pedalboard depending on the day’s mood. 18) Jabba the Gut - TC Electronic RH450, RS112 and some own build basses 19) Thestick - Vanderkley cabs, Aguilar ag700 head, selection of basses 20) Mr & Mrs Hamster - Tea, coffee & cake! Might bring a couple of basses too 21) bassace - usual double basses etc. 22) OutSpoon (Steve) - Fodera Monarch Standard Classic, Sandberg California VS5, Maybe a '94 Stingray? TC 208 combo or PJ Double4? 23) Walman - BF Super12T, FPPR Status S1 (yes that one ), Genz Benz Streamliner, Helix Floor, and a load of EBS pedals for sale 24) musicbassman - planning to come, sorry I've nothing of great interest to bring with me, just some respect for all you guys bringing your treasured possessions to display. 25) Kebabkid - Sire Marcus Miller V7 (4 string), Roland Bass Cube 120XL, Zoom B3 & EBS Octabass 26) Graham (still tentative at the moment) - Lakland DJ5, G&L USA SB2, Yamaha TRB1005J, EBS HD350, EBS Neo 2x12, EBS Microbass II, EHX Big Muff Bass Deluxe, Joyo Orange Juice 27) NickD - Maruszczyk Jake 5P+, Maruszczyk Elwood L5A, Markbass 121H, Zoom B3, Bass Soul Food, EHX Freeze, Mooer Tender Octaver, Ebow. 28) Rodfunnell - Darkglass Microtubes 900 head, Barefaced Big Twin T, BB2, Super Compact, Warwick Corvette $$, Streamer $$, The Alien; Various pedals including MXR, AudioSource (inc a Hothand) and a couple of Darkglass bits and Phil Jones EarBox 29) JHK -usual yamaha TRB 6P ,Musicman stingray 5 fretless,GB Spitfire fiver,EBS Neo 15 cab,EBS 350 head 30) Hen Barn - status kingbass, nightingale, ebs reidmar & 2 x 10 LMT Vanderkley 31) Captain Rumble - walkabout, m pulse, Vanderkley 112, 212, Exotic Jazz 32) PTB - MTD 535, Sadowsky Metro Will Lee, Mark Bass amp, Barefaced S12, various pedals 33) clivem - Yamaha BBP34, Eden WTX264 amp, Barefaced 110 cab. 34) Captain Bassman (tentative) - Alembic Series 2 medium scale ‘Fire & Ice’, Alembic Series 2 30” short scale; RH750 and 2x Berg cabs, or old Aguilar DB750

The new thread is HERE!

From @TheGreek This is the Elwray bass built by BCer Marco Elwray who's a recent member here. He's putting in the BC community for trial and review. It may have been a mistake giving it to me first, but being the first to receive and play it I'm being honest in my appraisal and feedback, in the hope that this can be used to enable Marco to build even better basses (should that read "more suited to me"?) in the future. Now Marco, as far as I know, is not a professional builder and, for an early attempt, it's very respectable. As I said, he's given this over to the BC community for review and it's a brave man who would do that. Yes, there are a few bits that niggled at me, we'll see how much they niggle others. Overall I liked this bass - I'm not sure how much Marco would charge you for it - but it felt well built - and easily as good as many custom builds I've owned. I'll be bringing the Elwray to this weekends SE Bass Bash where you'll be able to play it and make up your own mind. The bass is a custom made European Walnut and Canadian Maple fretted 4 string with antiqued hardware. It's uniquely designed but at the same time gives a nod of acknowledgement to Euro builders who have gone before him. I'm sure it will remind us all, in a small way, of something we've seen before. Marco is clearly happy to have the Bass critiqued, I don't think that mine amount to much really but here goes. What I liked: Aesthetically the bass is very friendly to the eye, reminiscent of some other high end European basses. The slim body (reduced weight) helps with the balance and feel on the strap. I'm not sure of the weight but I suspect about 4-4.5kg?? This made playing problem free - walnut can be heavy, but not with this.The timbers used are, again, very pleasing on the eye and I really like the European Walnut (IMO much nicer than the American on this occasion). I don't understand why we don't see it being used more. I liked the antiqued parts. The bridge felt very stable and sturdy and compliments the Schaller tuners very well. On this, the antique look works better, in my opinion, than chrome or gold would have and helps the overall look. There are some really nice design features on this, I especially like how the neck (swallow effect) finishes above the Jazz neck pick up. The satin finish on the body and neck is excellent - my favourite finish - and made the bass feel expensive and classy. I'm not sure what the pick ups are (Marco?) but they're operated by a 3 way toggle switch which I suspect means each of the twins on the humbucker and then the jazz neck alone. Nice tonal palette and there's something in there for nearly everybody. The fit and finish on this are probably around the 98% mark - something Marco acknowledges with his accompanying letter - really just a few little bits which would take a few hours to get this up to top standards. What niggled me: Neck: The profile of the neck was too flat for me - I prefer a rounder, classic jazz profile C neck. The profile on this reminded me of the Mike Walsh Zoot bass I used to own, and though it didn't take too long to adapt it's not my profile of choice. That's just a personal thing - I know that others may not see this as an issue. I found the profile around the 5th to 9th frets most to my taste but above the 12th, the flatness really showed. My favourite necks are on SGC Bass Collection Nanyo basses. If you don't or haven't owned one, borrow one check the profile. Nut: You can probably see this, the nut sits a bit too high which raises the playing action. Lowering the nut by a few mm would make the bass much more playable (for me). It may suit somebody who plays with a plectrum better - so I'm hoping others will not be bothered by this a give a better review. Headstock: For me, it looks a bit too long for the instrument - maybe an inch and a half? - I felt it should finish on the curve just above the D tuner - which, to me, would be more aesthetically pleasing. I think that, because the body has soft curves, the headstock would have benefited from being more contoured. Styling: Some parts of the body feel really nice, smooth and exotic but the lower horn, for instance, has curves which don't really match and I felt that this detracted from the bass. Not something that would bother most and this could easily be rectified in this and any future builds. Would I buy one? Not this one but I would certainly think about commissioning one, following a detailed discussion, with my specs. As I said, I like this bass and it wouldn't take much to bring this into the "very desirable" league. Marco clearly has a very promising future as a Bass Builder. If you're interested in trialling the bass for a while add your details to the list - all you need to do is wait patiently for it to arrive near you and give it a review when you're done. Seems more than fair to me. Mick

Dedicated thread for comments and suggestions while the Elwray Passaround is happening. This is the bass: ElWray Basses Infinga 4 Type: 34.25" inches scale fretted bass Weight: 3.6Kg Construction: Hidden Neck-thru Body: Half (20mm) Walnut on back, Birdseye Maple on top (20mm) Neck: 5-ply Walnut/Maple Fingerboard: Birdseye Maple Nut: Ebony adjustable 44mm custom Pickups: Delano DJC 4 HE bridge, Delano JC4AL neck Electronic: Passive, Tone control, Volume control, 1 kill neck on/off, 1 bridge series/parallel/single switch Bridge: Schaller 3D 20mm ss, vintage copper Tuners: Schaller BM4 90 Light, vintage copper Currently equipped with Warwick Red strings Mick's review follows in the next post.

Yes, I agree that a separate thread would be needed for the actual reviews, as opposed to the discussion. I am creating a new thread under Bass Guitars and will copy Mick's review there.

Would be helpful if you could add a photo to your post - even just a simple phone pic, just for people to see what you mean. (I'll be taking proper pics at the bash anyway.)