Baxlin

I’ve just p/ex’d my Toby 5-er as tbh I couldn’t get on with the extra string, in other words user error! (I only bought it because we play a lot in D) But the point of my post is that this was a budget-priced, fairly light bass, which (apart from the aforementioned user ineptitude) ticked all the boxes I wanted to tick.

P/ex’d my Toby 5-string last week for a Hofner 500/2, the too heavy Epiphone EB3 will be the next to go when I’m totally happy with the Hofner’s setup.

Unfortunately The Searchers a few years ago at the Cromer theatre. Very disappointed, they didn’t have a ‘proper’ lead guitarist, harmonies not quite there. I wasn’t at all surprised when not long after they announced they were retiring. Tbh, when a band gets to that stage, I’d much rather see a decent tribute band.

Just got home from seeing the show “Lipstick on your collar”. Absolutely brilliant band of multi-instrumentalists. Over 2 hours of non-stop 50s and 60s rock and pop.

A few years ago I bought a real cheapie Westfield on eBay, (I sold it for a reasonable profit - I bought it that cheaply!). I”d wanted to try a fretless, so I defretted it, fitting the fret grooves with wood filler, and painted the fretboard satin black after a good sanding. I enjoyed messing around at home with it, but hadn’t the courage to play it anywhere else…

Phew! Thanks everyone. I also have 5-string Toby-by-Tobias which is lighter, but I’m not really comfortable with the 5-er, so that has to go.

I volunteer Front of House at our local theatre, last Friday we had The Dung Beatles, a really excellent Beatles tribute band - not the usual run of the mill lookalikes but a band that is sound perfect - and who currently feature the 60 years of A Hard Days Night in their set. I’ll be on duty to see Ralph McTell performing here in November, and the ‘Searchers and Hollies Experience’ a couple of days later.

Church band yesterday morning an hour or so before before the service, starting about 9-ish. As we’re on a rota, the leader as well, there’s always different line-up and ways of tackling the songs. Makes life interesting, but fun! Currently having problems with the iPads we use for crib sheets though…

It’s a while since I’ve posted on here, forgive me! I currently play an Epiphone EB3 (long scale), which I really like, and I have an ‘80s Marlin as a little used backup, but thanks to a bad back and age, (i’m in my late ‘70s) I’m increasingly finding both of these to be uncomfortably heavy. Any recommendations please for a lighter bass? Thanks

Am I still in? I bought a pair of strap lock buttons for my practice bass, so I could use my favourite strap on it.

While as a Baby Boomer I’ve not heard of much of the music quoted in the OP’s post, so it’s not aged for me, one much earlier song that is bang up to date is Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi. How prophetic is/was that!

I made something like this to tilt non-wedge cabs we used as on-stage monitors, from mdf and wood found in my garage. Cost £0, apart from the blackboard paint I bought to make them disappear! (PS. my woodwork skills are significantly better than my drawing skills 🤫)

Just returned from our church weekend away, (fantastic place, Highleigh, nr Hertford), I played in three of the four worship sessions, with three different worship leaders. We were given some of the songs last week, the others were in the form of ‘they will be from these’. One song was sung in two of the sets, but treated differently by the two leaders... Re the discussion above, I have no problem with having an iPad in front of me with words and chords, even though much of the time they’re not needed. We also have MEI mixers for the in-ears, which need stands anyway. Question. I now wear rather expensive hearing aids, with built-in Bluetooth, and I know (from buying a cheap transmitter and earphones a while ago) that Bluetooth has a slight delay, which is not ideal for a bassplayer(!). But is there any chance of finding a Bluetooth transmitter with little or no delay, so I don’t have to faff about taking the hearing aids out each set?

Having dropped a pick too many times, I now use my index finger as a pick. It’s easy then to change to ‘fingers’ in the song. (sorry, the photo doesn’t show it particularly well)

The only Epiphone in my stable is a fairly boring gloss black long scale EB3, wearing black tape wounds, just to keep the black theme going.

I wish this thread had run a year or so ago. While I knew not to use WD40, I used the electrical contact cleaner I had in the garage (I’m into kit cars) on the scratchy pots on my practice amp. They are all now noisy again, but one in particular is worse than ever, and which I think I’ll have to replace. So some good advice been given in earlier posts.

Saw Herman’s Hermits a couple or so years ago - one original member, the drummer. And didn’t he build up his part. Searchers, 1.5 originals, but so sad to see them frankly (sorry) not being very good. I believe they’ve now retired. At least with ABBA we have all 4 originals, well, voices at least, even if they’re not performing live.

Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz - Janis Joplin

Whispering Grass - Don Estelle and Windsor Davies

This is what I did, and even with headphones the sound man couldn’t hear the bass. A point made, I felt, without upsetting anyone!

To know know know him - the teddy bears

The devil went down to Georgia - Charlie Daniels Band

You can’t sit down - the Beatmen

FWIW, I went to see blues harmonica player Paul Lamb and his band the other night, and noticed that while the vocals went through the PA, the instruments all appeared to go straight to their amps. Presumably line-outs to the sound desk, but I couldn’t see any pedals. Sound was excellent.