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Another to add to the list... Sam Vallen of Caligula's Horse has a PhD in Music from Queensland University. Saw the last night in Islington, epic show. If you've not heard of them, definitely give them a listen, fantastically impressive guitar work...

Id have kept it if i had space in my gig bag, but it was still on the larger side of what i wanted. If i was just playing at home it would have been fine, and im sure ill get another at some point for this use, but for now ill be using just a Paradriver. Nice and compact and runs off a battery. I like things as neat as possible when i have to carry stuff on public transport.

I once saw an interview with Marcus Miller, I believe with SBL. If I understood correctly, he pretty much said he had only one bass as he came up as a musician. He said that was normal for NY session men as they would move around with public transport. Also, he basically implicitly admits he was not super learned on eq. When Sadowsky installed his bass/treble boost-only preamp in his bass, he did not fully realised that scooping the mids was making it more difficult to come out in the mix. Instead of putting his head around it, he just instinctively started playing differently, using slap everywhere. I guess he would not be a big gun in Basschat, but his tickets at Ronnie Scott's go for £100-£160.

I've had various band break up scenarios from amicable to bitter break ups. One band i left was down to the BL who only wanted to rehearse. I was angry about that one as i had made it clear from outset the travelling of 80 mile round trip over winter conditions and country roads i wanted to recoup my costs thru gigs otherwise there was no point joining. He assured me of plenty of gig opportunities in the area. Had one band that had got together to play classic rock like Deep Purple, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Sabbath, Metallica etc and we had worked hard on the set list when the weaker of the guitarists with the least experience asked if we could do his local event in his village. We all agreed and after it being confirmed he comes back and says we need to change the set and drop half of the heavier songs for pop rock songs and chart hits. WTF was my response and said "Not for me" I said i would play the gig but i'm not staying in a band that wants to change 50-60% of its set list to accommodate a venue. They managed to get someone else. I didn't really fall out over it but it was an odd one where the least experienced guy was all of a sudden making the decisions on what the band should be doing. Not sure why the others just seemed to go along with it. And last but not least this is more of an audition thing but thought i would share as its funny. I went for an audition with a Celtic Rock band. When i was setting up my bass gear the two female violinists told me the previous guy was a perfect fit for the band. It thru me a bit but the guitarist and myself got on really well during the audition and i think i had won him over. Anyways i didn't get the job and it went to the guy the girls "liked". Now the funny bit is that approx a year later they contacted me to see if i was still interested in joining and the job was mine. I had a good laugh at them and said NO and explained about what the girls had said when i was setting up and i found that extremely rude and i wouldn't work with people like that. I also had my current Glam band just started so was sorted for bands. Anyway that's my best ones.

I sent mine into Ashdown and Dave swapped the volume pot for a smooth one for me.

has hotrods ceased to be? thnks

Let's Roll - Neil Young

Here we go , dive in and fill yer boots

The drummer/singer/'gig getter' moved out of the area. I realised that the 2 guitarists were not talented enough nor motivated enough to find another singer and drummer, and get gigs. So I made my excuses and left as well. No great loss, as in 3 years we'd probably done less than 10 gigs and gone through 2 singers.

After another close run vote @xgsjx clinches the win with a great piece for the May challenge. Inspiration for the month of June comes in the form of his own photo as he explains below.. "I took it from the necropolis in Glasgow a couple of months back. I think it’s a good mix of lots going on as well as being quite tranquil." Simple rules ✔️ Entries must be <5 minutes and recorded between now and the deadline. ✖️ No illegal samples, copyright infringements or other snide goings-on ✖️ No Bagpipes/panpipes, though as the photo is from Scotland, if they are very low in the mix, it might slide. ✖️ No voting for your own entry. We'll know. And we'll shame you.. Deadline-wise, we will go for Midnight on the 24th (effectively Tea time on the 25th I guess) A line or two of blurb as usual for the vote thread will be super smashing. Good luck, Have fun

Skating Away (on the Thin Ice of a New Day) - Jethro Tull

NL4 plugs will not work with a NL2 connector but NL2plugs will work with an NL4 connector, most modern PA's have NL4 connectors, so no problem. https://www.amazon.com/review/R3CPRR8V9Q7C7C/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm

You certainly are! I managed with one bass for many years.

Slip Sliding Away - Paul Simon

I’ll be doing Jam Night with a different band this month. Although it is my slot at the Jam night. I asked for their set list rather than me imposing any on them to learn. I chose: Make me Smile (Steve Harley). I used to play it on keys 25 years or so ago, but not on bass. I’m a Believer (the Monkees) Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll (Bob Seger) Blue Suede Shoes (Elvis Presley) The last 2 are 12 bar Blues progressions that the band do in the same key - that should reduce the leaning time on those songs.

We got a new single out and I'm so damn proud of this one. There's also quite some screen time for my custom P bass that I posted some times on the forums. I really hope you will enjoy! ANY feedback is deeply appreciated!

I have one modestly priced bass that suits everything I do. I wouldn't want anything more expensive in case it got damaged being gigged. But I wouldn't want a nice one to keep at home as I'm not the best player and like to practice on the same bass I perform with. Sometimes hanging around here I wonder if I'm not a proper bass player!