Marc S

Looks quite different, and really nifty. I recently heard a small handbuilt ukulele, made by some chap not too far from me It had a really tiny, shallow body, but I was amazed at how loud it was, considering this.... Wish someone local stocked these Motu Ukes - I'm intrigued as to how they sound now Cheers for the heads up Andy

I know you say you're not a fan of Markbass cabs But I own a MB 2x10 traveller. It's crazily lightweight - even lighter than some cabs that are physically smaller than it And it sounds much bigger than you'd expect. You might also want to look at Epifani Cabs. I've got a 1x10UL and it's superb. These days, my rig consists of a couple of heads and 3 different cabs. I like to keep the rig as lightweight and portable as possible, yet with the ability to be as flexible as possible - depending on the band I'm playing with and / or the size of the venue... Definitely look at a MB 2x10 traveller - remember, it will sound different, depending on what head you use it with Use it with the head of your choice, and it may surprise you. Good luck with your search

Lots of good advice in several of the replies here. However, without actually hearing the band live, it's tricky to say exactly what the problem is... Osiris is right in his advice here though, I've played and heard a few pedals that somehow seem to take some of the low end out of the bass sound Also, there have been many occasions (depending on venue and the rest of the band mix...) where adding more of the low end makes the bass sound "muddy" or indistinct. I find that boosting the low mids is often the solution. Perhaps try a Pre-amp pedal? Good luck anyhow - a bit of experimentation will help

Happy NBD. That looks absolutely lovely In fact..... all 3 of those P's look rather nice You don't need them all, do you?

I wouldn't have thought there would be a resonance problem, using thin card - at least by the time the neck bolts are done up tightly, it should all be solid... If you really want to use wood, you could try a model shop. They sometimes sell really thin pieces of ply or balsa Good model shops will also sell A4 sheets of plastic-card. You can get plastic-card in several different thicknesses, from very thin to mm's thick. A thin one should suffice, and you can even glue / laminate several pieces together, if you needed to. It's easy to cut and shape, with a Stanley knife

NB. As you have Silver Slaps on the bass, are you intending to play slap style DB? Usually, slap DB players tend to have a higher action anyway - but your action still sounds quite high to me

Also, don't forget that you don't want the sound-post falling over! When you are taking the tension out of the strings, to remove the bridge - put the bass on its' back.... If the sound-post falls over, you need a special tool to retrieve it, or pay a luthier to do so BTW. I think it might be a good time to fit an adjustable bridge - this will help you decide what action is best / easier for you and adjust the bridge to suit your playing, which will no doubt evolve as you improve

Thanks for posting that link TorVic I enjoyed reading that

I've fancied trying a Maruszczyk Jake for some time now. Sadly, not had chance..... Any owners on here able to comment on how much they sound like a typical Precision? Or how the difference in pickup position affects their P tone? good luck in your search foxyFuze Everyone should have at least one P in their armoury - that's all I can say (keeping it down to just one is my problem lol)

Really like that cherry burst colour on the P bass

As Lozz and Lewis say, the benefits of the Fender Roadworn series lie in the quality of their build, sound and feel. Somehow, Fender have managed to create a series of instruments that feel as though they've been around for years, and played for the same amount of time. They're definitely a step up from the MIM Classic series (though these are also great basses). Personally, I also say that there's something quite liberating about gigging a bass that already has a few knocks & dings. I've gigged expensive mint or near mint condition basses, and I'm always a bit nervy - in case of being the first one to scratch or bump the bass.... I've often told a story of a singer tripping over a wire and bringing a cymbal & stand down on a mint condition Rick I once owned. Very next time I took it out to a gig (different band) I had a similar incident, and decided it was too good (and expensive) to risk damage. Of course, there are those who quite rightly say, it's a working instrument, and it's going to pick up knocks along the way - but I just don't want to be the first to do this, or make another band member feel guilty about an accident.... I've owned a couple of Fender Roadworn basses, and they've knocked spots off US Fenders I've owned. IMO, they're superb instruments. I wasn't particularly a fan of reliced / roadworn basses before - but the RW's have opened my eyes. The fact that you're not over cautious or living on tenterhooks about whether your bass gets a bump or not is just the icing on the cake for me. Re the pickup position - I'm not sure just how much difference the position of the added J pickup makes, but I love the configuration. I've got a P/J and a straight P, and the P/J just gives me the flexibility I want. P sound with as much (or little) Jazz burble as I want, whenever I want it.....

Re the OP - I'd be looking for another band, but give these guys one more chance You never know - perhaps if you can get together, you may find one, or the rest of the guys are up for something with more commitment Honestly, the number of bands I've been in, where someone else decides that's enough, or I want this, or I want that and this isn't doing it for me... But you meet other musicians along the way, and make new pals and meet other people I sometimes wonder whether I've wasted my time, learning songs - only for the band to fall apart Then, one day, I'm at an open mic or I'm playing a gig, and someone asks me to play something that's not in my / our set list.... and hey ho - I might just remember that song! plus, in the long run, it's all good practice to learn songs you probably wouldn't have played otherwise Sure, keep in touch with this band (and give them another chance), but keep looking for something else PS. I'm currently in 4 bands - I always keep at least 2 bands on the go.... as they're always disintegrating! lol

When I'm playing acoustic pub jams, I often take my tiny Tanglewood Elfin bass. It's about 25" scale.... I'm 6' and yes, it does look a bit "toy-like" - but do I care? Nah! Actually, it's often my backup bass too - surprisingly, it sounds like a full size Precision (don't know what pickups they are, but they sound great) and it probably only weighs around a kilo..... maybe even less

Hi Al Krow, I know what you mean. It might just be that when a DB / EUB is on a stand, you just end up playing it as though it's more of a "static" instrument In fact, having done both, I'd say this is what I do myself - almost even without realising it.... I often play with the bass on a stand, for reasons of logistics in rehearsal, and to make doubling up a bit easier when playing live. It's surprising how much simpler it is when you're onstage actually, and how much time & faffing it saves When I first started playing, other DB players told me you need to "dance" with the instrument. It does somehow feel a bit more natural when playing a bass off the stand. Though I must admit, I find it easier to play on the stand... The DB in the 2 video clips, and of course the nature of the songs themselves also will dictate how much movement / dancing with the bass there is. Thinking about Matt the bass player in the JSM video, he defnitely moves about more when he's playing his 5 string bass guitar..... I saw Imelda May at Cambridge Folk Fest a couple of years back. She was great, as was her DB player. Love that song too

The trouble with a lot of YouTube clips, is that they're normally so compressed and the sound tweaked to the extent that you can't really hear the bass that well.... Anyhow, here's Matt aka "Matt the Hat" as he's known locally with Jamie Smith's Mabon

I've also seen one in action ( a few times in this particular case) bass player (nice bloke and talented guy) Matt Downer, playing live with Jamie Smith's Mabon Certainly sounded good live - though I didn't think it sounded just like an acoustic DB..... Actually, in Mabon, the other instruments are quite different to the usual (whatever that is! lol) being acoustic guitars, violins and piano accordion (Jamie is something of a wizard accordion player). I'm not sure whether they don't want a typical DB sound here, so it's being EQ'ed to sound like it does, or whether it doesn't sound particularly like an acoustic DB, and they aren't trying to achieve that sound..... I should ask Matt really..... next time I see him Or will he think I'm being offensive about his sound? lol EDIT: Matt also plays bass guitar with Mabon live - he usually doubles up