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Thank you @Burns-Bass.

I wonder why.... I've taken basses on trains both long distance (Oxenholme to London) and local (Leeds to Lancaster), both in soft cases and hard cases. Nobody has ever batted an eyelid. As a previous poster has said, some people have enormous suitcases and people take those on the trains all the time. Try taking the Gatwick to East Croydon train and you can't move for massive suitcases, some of which I suspect could easily take an 8x 10 bass cab and the amplifier and leave space for a Marshall stack I think the key is being sensible. Doing this at rush hour might get a raised eyebrow in London., but offer to move for more needy people and/or go off-peak and you'll be fine. Not sure what the biggest package I've ever seen. I know my cousin, fresh from the USA, brought a Marshall 2 x 12 combo in Nottingham and took it on the train to Chesterfield. He may have actually put wheels on it and made it a new carriage. It took two of us to lift it off the train in Chesterfield as I recall. Rob

Thinking about this as I prep for another dep job. My MPV fiver has not been out of the house for a while, but I’ve been playing it almost exclusively whilst practicing. It’s such a joy to play, and inspires me to try more creative kinds of bass lines. I think I’ll unleash it this weekend. Would you take a basically irreplaceable instrument to a pub gig? Why or why not?

1984 (Sex Crime) - The Eurythmics

Metallica & San Francisco Orchestra: Bleeding Me & Outlaw Torn all over again, Jason's bass work on them two pieces is just, well, magnificent..

Hi Everyone, Bit of a weird one that I can’t get my head around. I’m having an issue while using a Jad Freer Capo and HX Stomp together. Both are being powered through a Strymon Zuma. The HX Stomp is using the VL HX current doubler as it’s supposed to. The Capo is being powered properly too. When both pedals are engaged at the same time there’s this whirring electrical noise (ground loop issue?) If I switch the Capo off and leave the HX Stomp on, the noise goes away. If I switch the HX Stomp off and leave the Capo on, the noise goes away too. If I use either pedal on its own but in conjunction with other pedals there are no issues. If I use the original power supply for HX Stomp, plugged in to the same 4 way (and mains plug socket) as the Strymon, and have both the Stomp and Capo switched on, there is no longer an electrical noise and everything is fine. Obviously this solves the problem, but I would much prefer to have everything on one power supply. Each of the power supply ports on the Strymon are isolated, so I thought this shouldn’t be a problem. Clearly I’m wrong. Any thoughts or ideas to potentially fix this or just to explain what is actually happening would be great. Thanks, Michael

1983... A Merman I Should Turn To Be - JMH

I was at Forever Now yesterday in Milton Keynes and can't have been the only Basschat member? I saw Kraftwerk, Death Cult, Billy Idol, Jesus and Mary Chain, the Damned, PIL, Johnny Marr, Psychedelic Furs, Chameleons, She Wants Revenge and Berlin. A promising rebrand of the US Cruel World festival that had a few teething problems but on balance, showed promise.

I would write a short, clear returns policy, and when you sell a bass, give a printed copy to the buyer and briefly talk them through it. That way everyone knows where they stand.

For the specs you probably need either an intermediate or occupational (standard in the middle with a "boost" at the bottom of the lens) prescription for on stage, and as far as the look goes if it's good enough for Elvis, Ozzy and Slash it's good enough for you. If you don't play rock then Bootsy, George Clinton and Nile Rodgers all wear glasses on stage and no-one's gonna accuse any of them of not looking the part. Short scales can save your back, a lot of them come in well under 3.5kg / 7lbs (my stock SG was 2.8kg!), but a wide padded strap can go a long way to mitigating the weight of a full scale - I got a 5" wide Maruszczyk PES50 off here a while ago, it's super comfortable and I can happily wear a 4kg+ full scale for over an hour without my fully herniated L5/S1 complaining. I find offsets cause more trouble than heavier guitars these days, think it's more about the diagonal distribution of the weight than the weight itself.

Definitely looks like the creaminess of olympic white. Arctic white is not creamy at all. It's more of a brilliant snowblind white.

Bought a lovely sadowsky from Daryl. The bass was very well set up and in excellent condition. Very well packaged for delivery Good friendly approach to doing the deal, good comms, well recommended

I tried that for a while, before the other eye also worsened. These days monocles only appear to be made in certain set diameters and gallery depths rather than made to fit the wearer; if those standard sizes are right for your eye then you should be fine. Otherwise, it is likely to fall out frequently and be uncomfortable to hold in pace.

Welcome Phil.

Harsh and selfish? The op was just looking for helpful suggestions not character assassination.

I've travelled on the train with musical instruments loads of times and like others it has never occurred to me to check if there was a maximum allowed luggage size. Besides I've seen people with enormous suitcases that take up far more room than any bass ever could. One thing to note - last time I did this was on the EMT Nottingham to London and my bass in its Mono M80 case was too bulky to go in the overhead racks.

If you need a lightweight bass there seems to be some nice options out there these days. If I had the need and money I would speak to Shuker and get him to make something nice and light. I have crap eyesight due to various things and wear glasses when gigging. It`s a bit of a rubbish look in a rock band but as I can`t wear contact lenses, glasses it is. In fact the one time I played without glasses, I couldn`t see the set list and a few comments were made that I was getting vain in my old age In other words, do what can to make the gig easy. Good luck!

I’ve done a few train trips with a bass in a soft case, no big issues. As long as it’s not packed trains at rush hour, most staff don’t care. I usually just stash it upright near the luggage area or in the door space if it's clear. Technically over 1m, yes, but no one’s pulled out a tape measure yet. You should be fine.

Totally get it. I went with a lighter jazz-style bass and a wide strap; big help for longer sets. For the eyesight stuff, maybe try a Zoom B3n or something with a bigger screen. If you want to stay sleek, an iPad flat on the board with dimmed screen could work. Adapting without killing the vibe is key. Still playing shows is what matters.

Hey everyone, Just wanted to share a little lutherie moment from home. This is the build of my third instrument; a Chick Yellow Stingray, assembled from a kit I got from The Guitar Fabrik (once again). I went for their Music Man Bass Kits, and like with my previous builds, everything arrived clean, well-packed, and ready to bring to life. The wood was beautiful. Everything fit the way it should. The neck dropped in without hassle, which is always a good sign. Even after two builds, I still get that same feeling when I sand, shape, wire, and suddenly realize there's a real instrument coming together under my hands. And the result? I’m genuinely happy with it. The natural finish keeps things simple and classic; it lets the wood speak for itself. The active pickups bring out clarity and punch, with just enough growl when you dig in. Great for tight grooves, smooth walking lines, or anything in between. What really surprised me is how balanced the tone feels across all the strings, even with the stock electronics. It’s fun to play, and even more fun knowing I built it myself. If you’ve been thinking about doing a DIY bass build, I can only encourage you to go for it. It’s a hands-on, creative process; and in the end, you walk away with an instrument that feels truly yours. The Guitar Fabrik has been a solid starting point for all my builds; their kits are reliable, well thought out, and just plain enjoyable to work on. Here’s what I used for this one: - https://guitarkitfabric.co.uk/products/bass-guitar-kit-mm-in-solid-mahogany.html - https://guitarkitfabric.co.uk/products/paint-set-nitro-spray-1-color-opaque.html If you have any questions about the build, finish, wiring, or setup, feel free to ask. I’m happy to share tips if you’re thinking about starting your own. Musically,

1.5A would be enough at 12V if we use the 18W power requirement.

Hey guys, I'm just wondering if anyone has notated or figured out the Victory Dance bassline by Ezra Collective, would love to learn it but i'm not good enough to figure it out myself lol. Cheers