Stub Mandrel

Went to the Earl Haig jam on Monday hosted by James Oliver Band. Some interesting new faces, some youngsters (boy drummer & girl bass player) and a band who looked like four brothers and plenty of familiar ones - yook a couple of mates who hadn't been before and were happy just to see what the situation is. Played some bass for Ken Wood with Mark Kemlo on drums. It was a nice Trace Elliot through Ashdown cab, but the previous bass was active and despite fiddling as I played I wasn't loud enough. Still had fun, first was a long, slow blues, so I based around a nice simple riff I stole from Leo Lyons who no doubt found it somewhere else... next was Crossroads, hard to really channel Jack Bruce (😂) when you're struggling to hear yourself, but folks said it was OK (if quiet).

Do you have an Elf? My brother's sounds fine through a Portaflex 15.

I've got loads of Sunday afternoon gigs lined up for '26. They are great - don't interfere with my social life or work!

Starshit

Unleash the bear!

Oh yes... I missed the Ozrics

My partner cut me 3/32" dots from white high-stick vinyl. They last about a year before needing replacement and don't cause any harm.

Here's an example of a club that does it right. One thing they do is allow promoters to puit on gigs in 'the Hall'. In the last few months we've had Focus and Curved Air (not tributes). I've got five gigs there across three bands next year. It's a brilliant place to play.

Skywatcher 66ED cell. ZWO guider on one of my home-made bitsa guidescopes. The cooler is an online design that uses a copper plate slipped between the sensor and the next circuit board. I 3D printed a cover to help insulate it and support the peltier, heatsink and fan. Quite tricky to get right as you have to make a heater from resistance wire to go around the sensor to stop condensation and get the right balance of cooling and warming! Camerea also has the IR/UV filters stripped out. Made a huge difference, but then I got a big cooled mono ZWO and a filter wheel. Sadly, not got up to much since 2021. I think this one is with the ED66. After this, I'd better shut up and let the thread get back to speaker cabs!

I like the relatively modest output of vintage pickups, I'd say they are pretty spot on for a vintage sound.

At last we see it! Well done.

It takes some experimenting, but I've done just that. I built thus scope, Including the focuser, around an ED lens cell. Won a silver medal for it

Mush

Recently posted in another thread. Check out the pups on Tina Weymouth's Mustang.

Looks like the perfect venue for a Christmas concert... must feel odd having anything else there!

I never noticed that before! Going to have to refresh my memory of it, it's a delight to play. Haven't played it live for 35 years... Also... I know Tina Weymouth is a Mustsng player but check out those pickups.

Imagine anodising it 😍

Wow. Must be quite an experience hearing it for the first time as a bass player. Timing is everything, surprising how many bands can kill it not in a good way).

Number 1 has to be the Sire P10. Next my rather fine orange-coloured pedal board (with matching bag). Number 3, lovely little Joyo 10W bass amp with Bluetooth for playing along to stuff. Honorable mention, the Kay Gremlin I tarted up a bit, well quite a lot of setting up epecially, that's now quite fun to play.

I was rehearsing with it just last Wednesday. Glad to see the nickel is finally starting to cloud over. The pickups are very vintage sounding. If you want the identikit Seymour Duncan ¼-pounder sound, not for you. They are very controllable, easy to set the gain right and get overdrive by digging in. VID-20250727-WA0006.mp4

Rings a bell. That's about it.

Fairly? <ducks>

I have to be honest and vote 'none', but when I do use them I have: TU3 tuner 'Snow White' auto-wah Spectracomp compressor Joyou XVI (+/- polyphonic octaver) Mojo Mojo overdrive Behringer Brassmaster fuzz/ring modulator Ibanez digital chorus (ancient) Gumpinator (own build 12dB/octave HPF)

Some of us sewed badges on (and embroidered!) our own jackets!