bass_dinger

A major purchase, you say? Is it a new set of cello strings?

There's always ebay.... You could go online while the singer is setting up the PA, and spot an original stack-knob Jazz bass in Burgundy Mist with a Buy It Now of 50 quid! Then, you would buy it, and be out, and everyone would laugh at you! 5 hours to go.

Spot On! For me, the biggest win of this Challenge is realising that a new effects pedal, or amplifier or bass won't necessarily help me play better. I am more focused on improving my skills, thanks to these yearly challenges. In which case, why do I have five bass guitars, but only two hands...

I am in - a too-small house ensures that I won't buy anything more, oh yes.

I have enjoyed @neepheid's custody of this year's Challenge - the right mix of mercy and scholarly application of the rules. Thank you for keeping the flame (other maple finishes are also available....) Robert

You are Spinal Tap, and I claim my £5.

Looking forward to the Future

Sorry. I made a joke so poor, that I now need to explain it. People will sometimes comment on a bass for sale, saying that it's lovely, but has the wrong number of strings for them, and wishing the vendor all the best with the sale. I took it to the next level - I saw a headstock for sale from a 4-string (in essence, a lump of wood with 4 holes in it), and wished that it was a lump of wood from a 5 string. I'll get my coat....

Four Candles was enough for Ronnie...

I'd be all over that if it was a five. GLWTS!

Or, indeed, if only Spear And Jackson made a bass guitar.... The body seems very short, and the bridge is commensurately closer to the neck. So I wonder if the 12th fret is in the right place. Actually, on reflection, the 12th fret, and the bass, are both in exactly the right place - in Norfolk, 200 miles away from me.

I am planning on using them - and wanted them to also install the base, too. I shall carry out a little more research.

And he hadn't felt enough, either.

No, I think that that his handle still works for a member who used to play bass but now plays guitar. Bas Sadder 60.... But, in seriousness, I need to visit there more often.

I refer the defendant to the case of bass_dinger v Basschat.co.uk This case seemed to establish that a refinish that was a repair, counted as any other repair, and would not result in a Gear Abstinence breach. However, it will be for you to show that it was a repair...

. . . and the bass is painted, a turquoise-to-blue-burst finish. Even the headstock has the same 'burst. Although it is ready to ship back to my luthier to be rebuilt, we all agreed to wait until the start of January 2025, once everyone is back at work after the holidays. That allows the finish to rest and cure a little more, and ensures that the item is not stuck in transit over the Christmas holidays. Right now, it looks like someone else's bass, or something out of a custom-shop catalogue - certainly, it doesn't feel like I can possibly own this! I rather like it. @AndyTravis - that colour was inspired by the image of the 8-string that you shared. Woof, indeed! Edit - the colours are Candy Blue, and Candy Royal Blue. Not the Feibing’s leather dye used by the Washburn custom shop. But I am very happy with the finish.

Me neither. In my case, due to a lack of talent rather than a fear of heights.

It's real. The Torzal Twist bass. Read more here https://www.torzalguitars.com/natural-twist Edit - they seem to also supply a fan-fretted twist bass. Look at the headstock end for the twist, and the bridge for the fanning. My brain hurts.

I see what you did there. Very good!!

I do like a busy bass line - especially with chromatic runs in them. It feels like an opportunity to take my playing up a level. So: You're my first my last my everything Silly Love Songs Signed Sealed Delivered Christmas Wrapping It's great fun to drive a song along. By practicing harder stuff, I can play other stuff more easily.

Thanks for all of the answers. Logically, it should be Vox - the only amp manufacturer that I have evidence for being based in the area. However, it was definitely a small and new business, and Badger feels like a familiar name - were it not for the fact that Badger seems to have been based in Leeds, 10 years prior to my time-slot. For now, it will remain a mystery.

So, I used the amp a few times over the past few weeks, in a rehearsal and two live situations. The D and G strings tended to dominate - that was a deliberate choice on my part, as I wanted those notes to cut through. When the guitarist complained about the volume, it was easy to change my technique and cut back on the treble. All in all, the smaller cab seems to give a tighter, more aggressive sound than the Ashdown cab and head that I am more used to. I still don't know what the Aural Enchancer does - but the rest of the amp does a job, and has a small footprint. For the £20 that you paid, you can either use it as a cheap combo amp, or convert it into a bird box big enough to frighten the neighbours ("yeah, mate, eagles used to nest in the area back in the 1850s, and the council want to reintroduce them as part of the rewilding project....") PS the cooling fins on the back are necessary. I don't play many songs in a set, but have found that the fins get warm. If I was going to use it for a one hour set, I would perhaps put a little PC fan on a bracket to mitigate the warmth.

It's even trickier on my mobile phone, with the music the size of a postage stamp! I shall look again, when I have access to a PC - it looks like an enjoyable challenge.

Nothing bass-related (apart from the conclusion of a long term rebuild project that started in 2023). However, I am looking for an Eastman mandolin - the MD304E by Eastman impressed me a lot, more so than any other builder. So, that's what I am looking forward to exploring in the new year. But before I get a better mandolin, I need to learn some tunes on my current instrument.

I enjoyed a gig by the Colin Peters Set, at a venue in Hextable. Lots of Jazz standards, played on piano (Colin), guitar, upright bass (a chap who normally plays in West End shows), drums, trumpet and sax, topped off with a superb lady vocalist. You can be forgiven for not having heard of Colin Peters - he is my piano teacher, and in his 80s. However, he was previously the resident band leader at a venue that hosted Harry Seacombe, Shirley Bassey, Norman Wisdom. He gave it all up when he started being asked to play Led Zeppelin tunes. However, he is now playing again, and all that experience bought him where he is today - teaching me Grade 1 piano.... It was a delight to hear good musicians playing well, and so relaxed too. As for Colin, it was wonderful to hear him play in a setting that allowed him to enjoy the music - and I learnt that my piano teacher is remarkably talented!