Jackroadkill

It seems we have some similarities; it was getting my head sorted that led me to pick up the bass and get a band together with my friends, so I'm just starting too. I'm very glad to know that the bass is working for you.

Not cheap but he'll never need another tuner. These work brilliantly, are fully programmable and are easy to see on a dark stage.

I saw Ministry at The Big Day Out at the Bowl in 1999 and weirdly Paul Barker was playing what looked like an Aria bowlback acoustic bass. It's annoyed me ever since.

Surely this is all just about what works for the individual. There are no rules about what age you can or can't gig to.

Thanks, Loz, that's great. A wide range of sounds is ideal. I'll check one out.

If you don't mind me asking, how are you finding the chorus, and what sort is it (as in, thick, wide etc)? I need a chorus but haven't got a clue which one I want.

I bought one for those occasions when I might not get to use an amp and I love it. Great sounds, and very easy to use.

Not bought much gear this year, but T bought this from @dmc79, and it's a corker: I also bought a 500w 2x10 Ampeg Portaflex, which whilst not as good as my big Eden is much more portable and engineer friendly. I guess that makes it my worst purchase, but only because the bass is so good.

The lure of the bitsa has reared its ugly head again. The last time this happened I built a Telecaster, and this time it has to be a bass. I'm going to do this a bit at a time, as and when money and time allow. I know it's cheaper to buy a complete bass but I enjoy the process and I can get exactly what I want this way. I went to Ebay and sourced a Jazz body for the princely sum of twenty quid and a Precision neck: I'm not sure what the body's parentage is, although it may be a Squier. The neck's from a Classic Vibe. Neither are that posh, let's put it that way. Someone's been at the frets with a file in order to smooth the ends, and hasn't done an amazing job. There are a few things to do in order to bring things up to scratch, let's put it that way, but nothing too dramatic. Right, the first job was to strip the body. Immediately it became apparent that something strange was afoot: I stripped the top coat off with gentle heat to find that the whole thing was covered in some sort of epoxy. Not totally unexpected, as this was similar on the Telecaster mentioned above. What was unexpected was the resin that had been used to fill gaps, presumably during the, ahem, lamination process. Still, I only burned this in two places... I can solve this with some judicious sanding and filling a little further down the line. There was also black goop under the dark parts of the burst, so I sloshed some standard thinners around and got rid. It's a good job I wasn't planning another sunburst or a natural finish, isn't it? I was planning a nitro CAR paint job, but I'll go for CAR in poly now, seeing as the epoxy is staying put. To this end there'll be a white primer, followed by the silver base-coat, transparent red colour coats and gloss top-coats. I'm intending to paint it when the weather is warmer, so don't hold your breath for an update on that front too soon. Plans are: Chrome hardwear A mint or parchment scratchplate Alnico pickups Decent pots and caps. Cheers, JRK

A lot of cool basslines to choose from with this band, but I think this might be a favourite.

The funny thing about that is that I did! I mean, to be fair, my sh!tlist does allow me lots of different Fender P and J options. Oh, talking of which - I hate PJ pickup combinations!

Soapbars Block markers Bound necks** Black hardware*+ Cheap tort* Active circuitry*+ Five strings*+ Headless basses Sunbursts (although this is okay on guitars for some reason)** Short scales (although I really want to like them) Pointy / melty / just plain stupid body shapes*+ Figured woods Wax / oil finishes Mirror scratchplates Thin necks*+ Narrow necks* Jumbo frets*+ Angled pickups Jazz Basses with Strat knobs* Jazz Basses with one-piece scratchplates Basswood bodies** Paulownia bodies Plywood bodies* Tidepool / LBP bodies** Pau ferro fretboards Laurel fretboards Volutes (just use a bloody scarff joint!) Barrel jack sockets*+ Skinny wee tuning machines*+ '70s style Fender Logos and block lettering Brass nuts Satin finishes on Fender basses Curved-section bodies I think that's probably enough to be going on with. *=I have owned basses with these features **= I have owned guitars with these features *+= I owned one bass with all of these features I am the most anorakky (is that a word?), sad, pedantic, lonliest bass player in the world and I claim my five pounds.

Yes, I tend to agree. Occasionally there may be the need for someone to learn a bit on the fly but not very often, and certainly not the whole song, and (again certainly) not on multiple occasions.

And a great name, too!

Bugger, was just about to mention Krist Novoselic and Melissa Auf Der Maur!

This is looking like a great project. At some point I must get on with mine...!

What a shame - a cracking band, by the looks of those videos. Still, all good things come to an end, and I reckon you can be proud of your involvement there. Hope the singer recovers quickly - what a sod of a way to end the last gig.

We've just had to change our drummer, as Jim*, our original drummer, was really struggling to get to rehearsals and gigs. He's a lovely lad and a very feel-oriented drummer, and I really enjoyed playing with him. He, the singer and myself have known each other since we were 13 and Jim's lack of availability was starting to cause some pretty serious friction, even between the three of us, who have always been tight. Add into this his poor mental health (which we'd spoken to him about and he wasn't ready to acknowledge as a problem), his two jobs, other band, fraught family circumstances and an over-reliance on alcohol and it all became a bit much. We'd have band discussions regarding what songs we were going to learn, and he'd agree one week and then adamantly refuse them the next, saying he'd never heard of them or didn't like them. There would be discussions about when a gig was booked for and he'd agree to the gig, we'd book it and then he'd cancel, saying that he had other commitments - but only after we'd said yes to the gig. I spoke to him one night after practice about his mental health and his circumstances, and told him that if something had to give, he could leave the band with our blessing, as he was my friend first and my drummer second, but he insisted that all was fine and that he was on top of it all. Rehearsals were getting pretty fraught, and as the de facto BL I was constantly trying to give everyone their say and at the same time keep it all from going bang. The band Whatsapp group was becoming a bit of a minefield, especially when he'd been drinking. Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't all down to Jim - the rest of us have families, jobs etc, and they all make demands on our time.We all have stress and problems in our lives, too, so he wasn't alone in that. I think the main issue was that the band wasn't as much of a priority for Jim as it was for the rest of us, but he didn't see it that way. To cut a long story short, after declaring that he wouldn't be available for a fortnight (not in a "Lads, things are a bit busy so I'm going to need a couple of weeks off" kind of way, more of a "You lot will have to wait" kind of way, there were.... words between Jim and the singer, which culminated in him saying he was leaving the band. I phoned him a day or so later and said that as much as I didn't want him to go, it was probably for the best. I think he was hoping we'd have him back, but I said that the rest of us were in agreement that it was best that he left. It was a hard call and a bit of a balancing act, but he and I are still firm friends and we message each other almost daily. As I said, friend first, drummer second. Almost immediately we put out an advert for another bin-hitter, and had three firm responses and a couple of less firm ones. We went with Phil, the first guy we tried out, because he was a perfect fit. He just clicked. A superb drummer whom we had all seen in action before, an easygoing attitude and able to say exactly when he could and couldn't rehearse. It's taking a while for things to settle down, as changing a drummer is a big upheaval, but Phil is keen and is learning the set at a very pleasing rate. TL:DR: Sometimes you have to replace a band member or two to make things come together. *Not his real name.

It doesn't sound like there's any functioning at all going on there, I'm sorry to say. I think I'd be out of there by now (not suggesting that's what you should do, just saying where I'd be at). Some of the weirdest people I've met have been metal musicians. Again, some of the weirdest people I've ever etc etc....

I think that happened to rather a lot of them!

@DGBass, that's a What's the name of the band? great-sounding band you've got there. Tight and loose in equal measure, absolutely rocking. What's the name of the band?

I'd love to do Down's version of When The Levee Breaks but can't because of Phil.

In my younger days I was very strong, but hard work, bad technique and inheriting my Dad's skeleton has meant that, at forty-four-and-three-quarters weight is starting to become an issue. I also don't have anything like the brute strength I used to have. My knees, back and neck have always been painful but now they're impacting on my ability (and desire) to lift as much as I used to. Basses aren't a problem yet, but lugging a 4x12 in each hand up stairs is a thing of the past. Thankfully my big cabinet (an Eden 2x15) whilst heavy, has wheels, so that takes much of the graft out of shifting it. That said, I am slowly learning from my mistakes, and will move to a stage monitor and pre-amp pedal before if necessary.

Paul Simonon, Patricia Morrison, Nick Oliveri, Duff McKagan..... It's a long list!

We had our first proper rehearsal with our new drummer last night. It's coming together but we're still not at the point of being relaxed and riding the groove yet, although this will come. One thing that was really enjoyable was that without our old drummer, who had a very.... robust approach to backing vocals, there was space for myself and one of the guitarists to actually put together some far more enjoyable arrangements together, BV-wise, and they sounded really good. I'm pumped about the band and really enjoying it again. The groove thing will come with familiarity.