Paul S

I've been wireless for a few years now because of all the reasons above. I've played theatres, I've played pubs that struggle to fit in more than 30 people. I don't see what venue size has to do with it, really - many big name bands I have seen live use instrument leads, many don't. I see it as more of a choice thing. I use a Boss WL-50 - have done for 3 years or more and it has never put a foot wrong. It costs £180 +/-. The Shure kit costs £540 +/- and by all accounts doesn't put a foot wrong. But I wonder what extra value I would get from the Shure that the Boss doesn't deliver, given that it has been 100% on point? But then my main gigging bass at the moment is a 70s Eros short scale EB-3 that cost me £220. Maybe I am just a tightwad I have dispensed with the mains lead, too, by using a rechargeable power brick for my rudimentary pedalboard. I already DI into the pa so that leaves one more to ditch - is it possible to go wireless between the pedalboard and the desk? I see no reason why not. There's a thought....

It entirely depends upon which model. The Classic Pro iV and Vintage Pro (now called the 60s bass) are fabulous. I had a Gibson T Bird, sold it, missed it, bought a Classic Pro and it sounds and feels the same but is better finished than the Gibson was. I think the tuners might be a little clunkier but they are fine as is. If weight is an issue it pays to shop around as they can vary - my Classic Pro is exceptionally light at 8lbs. They don't feel like Jazz bases when you wear them, the neck seems very long and the first fret seems a long way away, but once you get used to them they are fab. Look cool as flip, even on a thick waisted ugly old guy like me 3 point bridge on the Classic Pro is a problem if you don't like them but there are drop in replacemets. I got used to them. But other than that, both have set neck and Gibson pickups. The big trip wire on these is getting a hard case that fits. These two models have extra large headstocks (yet no neck dive?!) so early Epiphone T Bird cases don't fit. Edit - Snap! Another edit.

Saturday night we 'headlined' the Beetroot, Beer and Blues Festival, held at the Wheatsheaf, Tattingstone - a lovely country village pub a few miles east of Ipswich. There were bands all through from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening. Food and drink free top bands, camping available for those who wished. It had been raining the night before but Saturday was just very windy - the small tent we played in was blowing aorund, as was everything else. Still, it calmed down a lot by the time we were on - 8pm-10pm. I saw all of the band before us - Joel Fisk and the Breakdown. Great set from them, really good band. Some lovely slide guitar on show. We decided to use our own pa - 2 x RCF EVOX 8 - which doesn't take us long to set up and it means we can sit it at the back and dispense with monitors. Rain clouds gathered during our set which, because of the wind, would have meant finishing but - luckily - it held off all night. I reckon there were probably 120 or so people there, many of whom migrated indoors once the sun set and it got a bit chilly. So it did seem a bit lonely outside, playing to the 50 or so die-hards who stayed outside to listen and dance. Still, we played well, were well received and got fed, watered and paid. A12 was shut, went home along the back roads but still only just over an hour, so all good. Here are a couple of vids someone took on an iPad, now uploaded to our Facebook page. Shows how clearly the pa, which was still coasting, comes across even outside. Bass sounds fab, by some measure my best and favourite at the moment- a 70s Eros EB=3 short scale. Unusually one of our regulars who came to see us made a point of mentioning it. Sweet Home Chicago - we usualy play through the last bit, don't do the stop https://fb.watch/lQQPuW29P8/ Jesus Just Left Chicago. https://fb.watch/lQRKWoPpzJ/ Two of the less challenging bass lines

I like Precision basses. I've owned loads, handled even more. The two that have stayed with me are a Squier JV and a 70s Antoria.

Everything is pointless, right up until there is a point to it. The point may evade some people, individually, in which case it may appear, to them, to be pointless. But for others there is a point, in which case it is not pointless. The thing is to appreciate the point as it applies to others, even if it is pointless to you personally. I might keep this on my clipboartd and paste it into every thread

My blues-rock trio Toredown are 'headlining' the Beetroot, Beer and Blues Festival at The Wheatsheaf, Tattingstone, tomorrow 8pm-10pm. I think the downpours and thunderstorms will have finished by the time we are on, leaving just the 50mph gusts of wind to contend with. Do pop along if you fancy holding down a corner of our banner or gazebo. Eating beetroot isn't compulsory so don't let that put you off.

What my lot did was this. I bought the pa for £2K. Working on a nominal depreciation of 50% over 3 years, losing £1K which was divided by the 3 of us, the other 2 band members each paid me £130 each year for the first 3 years. We are now looking at the next 3 years, 50% depreciation, so £500 over 3 years divided by the 3 of us so I expect to get £65 from them both each year for 3 years. But the pa is still mine, they are just covering their share of the depreciation costs as opposed to part ownership. Not sure what happens if any of us leave the band, though. If it is me I guess I sell it to the others but if either of them go then it is less straight forward. We'll work it out in the event anything happens, so hopefully won't need to.

Yes, that's right Warren, although it was some years ago now and not via eBay. I bought a Yamaha BB8000 via Danny aka Bass Hunter then 3 other medium scale jobs direct via Ishibashi. At the time it was financially viable with a decent exchange rate plus it opened the door to models that were extremely hard to find over here. The service and transactions were totally trouble free - the biggest drawback was Parcel Force dragging their feet but for a couple I went via DHL and it was a delight. They informed you it was about to arrive and sent a proforma for the import duty etc to pay ahead of time. I seem to recall one of the basses took just 3 days door to door from Tokyo.

I've been using one since they came out (3, 4 years?) for gigs and rehearsals and it hasn't ever distorted or had a drop out.

If you decide to move it on at some point I'd be interested. Save you all the bother of pictures and listings and wot not. I know, what a guy 😎

I had a Squier 32" scale P bass, MIJ, absolutely fantastic bass. Should never, ever, have sold it. I wonder where it is now? Here alongside a 32" scale Aria Pro II CSB 'Black n Gold' in museum piece condition which I probably shouldn't have sold. I bought another, sold that, too. On the strength of the white one I imported a black 32" Squier P from Japan. It was nice, but not as nice as the white one. I did get a Fender one, too - a 32" scale Jazz Bass Special. Again, imported it from Japan. Don't recall why I sold this one.

For the band as a whole we currently do about half of one of the songs we are working on, a Lonnie Mack tune called Cincinnati Jail. One day Alan will learn the third verse and we can stick it in the set but that requires a rehearsal and drummer Joe doesn't have time at the moment, him being a farmer and all. On occasions when I have to do a solo line check I launch into my 'disco bassline medley' but rarely get past the run down at the start of Disco Inferno before soundman shouts 'That's fine'. That's usually after listening to 5 mins of 'dub dub dub dub' for the kick drum, followed by 5 mins of 'bap bap bap bap bap bap bap bap' for the snare. Then the rest of the kit.

Beats the hell out of M&Ms and complementary water.

I asked about the weight yesterday - it is 10lbs. Bit of a chunk.

I love these threads. Music is such a broad church with such diverse genres that we can all find very different things uplifting. I'd probably choose something fairly mainstream like 'Long Train Running' by The Doobie Brothers that most folk could identify with. Then someone will post a song called something like 'Rancid Cadaver' by a band with a name like Mutant Zombie Slime with hoarse shouty vocals and superspeed, detuned and distorted riffing.

And....?

I had this from Bass Direct a few years ago - I bought a Hipshot Supertone bridge and it arrived as a kind of DIY assembly kit loose in a plastic bag. Without all the bits. One of the saddles was completely detatched.

I played a decent one with the Bon Jovi tribute band I used to be in. It was called Bunn Leisure at Selsey on the south coast - called something else now. That was a great gig, great facilities although food options were limited. Fish and chips or sausage and chips as I recall. They put on some good shows and had a massive revolving stage that had a curtain across the middle, so we could physically set up while the act before was on, then it was all spun around. A couple of chalets were put at our disposal to stay afterwards but I drove home.

Yes please! PM incoming.

My blues rock trio Toredown's regular 4th Friday of the month gig at the Shamrock in Ipswich. Traffic on A12 on the way there was light, which makes a change. Unloaded then had to park a fair distance from the pub. Only a couple of our regulars turned out and the pub was generally quiet. Kicked off to a handful of largely distinterested punters with maybe only a dozen or so paying attention. Things improved as the night progressed but we didn't get the usual kind of joy coming back at us which, in turn, meant the evening lacked the usual spark from our direction. We played well but it seemed to me something was missing. My back and knees are playing up and I felt rather uncomfortable all evening, especially in the heat, so I was generally out of sorts. A12 shut homebound, followed 4 articulated lorries along the diversion of small roads for 10 miles, got home about 30 mins later than usual at 01:45. Maybe I am spoilt as I usually leave gigs feeling fairly euphoric but last night not so much. Looking forward to our next one is in 3 weeks - a beer, beetroot (?) and blues festival - slightly nearer and slightly earlier.

Excellent. Great video, great song especially - kind of country meets Fleetwood Mac vibe. Love the little touches on guitar all the way through but everything was just fab. Right up my street.

Drive. Rehearsal space is 30 miles away, gigs usually 50-60 miles away.

Looks like one of the Cardinal Series, CSB300 or similar, but they were passive. Maybe someone has modded it.

I have this fella, an early/mid 70s Antoria precision. Really good bass, great quality. Fijigen, I believe. Not masses different to my JV Squier, pictured to the left, which continues to be my benchmark bass. If anything I find the neck a bit more comfy, in fact, as it is a tad slimmer and deeper. Sounds immense, very aggressive 70s P bass tone. Had a look at the serial number on the pickups to try to pin down the date and discoverted that it was, in fact, a 1975 Fender pickup that someone had put in there at some point. That'll explain the tone then! On its own it's worth more than I paid for the bass Someone had changed the pickguard to an all black - I've since swapped the screws for black ones. The original tuners were a bit grindy so I stuck in the drop in Gotohs.