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Maple Road Saturday 11/22/25 7:00-9:00 "Join us in the newly revamped Eden Ave. event venue located inside Game Over, downtown West Bend! Full bar, killer food menu including smash burgers and a Saturday night of live rockin' blues tunes!" I don't know about this one. I have one main concern. This is downtown West Bend (30k). We're not a 3 hour Saturday night party band. We're a better fit for the larger Summertime afternoon multi-band festivals and fairs, playing for 1.5 hours. This could be a real dud. I've been wrong before. Daryl

I bought a Trace Elliott Elf amp off Ian , it was virtually new , in mint condition. Quick replies , next day postage , 100% recommended Basschat seller .

Went to see Sirom - they bill themselves as an imaginary folk band from Slovenia. There's three of them, and at least fourteen instruments. All acoustic, from some Mongolian two string bass to penny whistle, from a Moroccan 1string violin thing to a weird nine string cross between a bass banjo and a lyre to a hurdy hurdy. And lots of things to bash. They played four "songs" in just over an hour, there were repetitive beats on a home made glockenspiel overlaid with clashing zither melody and African two string thing that became a big fat groove, then dropped out to leave ethereal singing interspersed with gong and one of em playing a dog bowl with a violin bow. I normally hate folk music. But this was like they played all the folk music in the world at the same time. I loved it, and would urge anyone to go see them, they're in Brighton this eve , then in Belgium...

I'd imagine it's on the list, and if it isn't it will be after one of them sees this thread.

A very good point. Although I have substantial liability insurance, I intend only to do this on larger stages such as on world tours and possibly cruise ships (if visible on stage) where the risk of poking someones eye out is reduced, as can happen in pubs. I'm hopeful that when I fully master the switch-back, with strong audience eye contact and head-twist winking, I will be generally admired.

Showdown - ELO

I wonder where this is intended to be put into practice? There are a good few places where you're more likely to be ridiculed than admired.

Read the room…. PLEASE! 😎

Why not get a guitarist to fill in for you? I mean, it’s only four strings which is two less to cope with. It’s easy, innit?

RIP Mani, not many bassists make the front pages when they pass, says something about just how much you influenced music and culture 🙏

i was thinking only the other day about how they must by now be desperately brain storming fresh video ideas ...i mean surely there is only so much to be said about bass but here they are still knocking them out.

i try not to cut the strings too much ...got caught out a few times when transferring from say a stingray to a jazz ..i just make sure that the capstan is always top to bottom even when there is a string tree ..force of habit.

There are some way higher numbers here than I expected, 90mins a day! How do you guys structure your practice time? Are you learning sets, or running through sets you know, or new songs, techniques, scales, etc?

If it’s a dead spot you should be able to move its position by adding mass to the headstock - Fender sell a “Fatfinger” clamp for this, maybe a capo & something heavy will prove the point, maybe even jamming the headstock into the wall / a table to couple onto it. It could be a badly seated (4th?) fret, or a high (6th?) fret stopping the string from ringing/slapping back with a nasty overtone, or neck relief & string height - if you hold the bridge to your face & sight down each edge of the neck is there a noticeable difference in relief for the B string vs G string? Professional experienced techs are worth every penny IMO, if the neck is a little “warped” one side to the other they may be able to level the fret tops to cover for it. Assuming the string looks consistent - no kinks, winding oddities around that area - and sounds good in other positions. Best of luck, if otherwise sounds like a great buy

I'll repost with better pics.

Absolutely luvverly. If it had at least one more string, I'd be really jealous, not just a wee bit.

Two Gunslingers - Tom Petty

Mrs Zero and I have both been unwell so skipped Tuesday but I went to the Kingfisher in Chelmsley Wood on Wednesday, just as house bassist as my voice was well below the normal very low bar. Played with a few people, some with prior notice, some without. I fluffed a few things, as I expected, but wasn't too bad. Tonight was the Crown at Shard End, Mrs Zero came along as well but again neither of us were singing. Quite a few drop-outs and I think there may have been something else going on. Someone I know from open mics at the Cavern in Tamworth turned up with a drummer and we did about half a dozen numbers, and a friend from the Shirley open mic night also came along unbooked but with so few there, she got on, and recruited the drummer and me. Downside was that early in the day, I'd managed to gouge a chunk of skin out of my right middle fingertip - still connected so I've put the flap back in place but it's just where I strike the string if I use my middle finger, so it's index finger only or plectrum. And tomorrow night is a gig doing R&B, which is not ideal.

My gut feel is that the acoustic tone of such a small body will not sound much like that of an upright, even less so when amplified. You could spend a lot of time and money chasing shadows