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I've put an MTD humbucker in my Z3, it wasn't hugely different in tone (maybe a little more bottom end/clarity), but it looks so much better with wider pole spacing:

It was hard at first TBH, the guitarist borrowed my Strat and proceeded to blaze up and down the neck like a man possessed. He loved the Strat and I just looked on and inwardly sighed as he was 100x better than myself. I blame the fact that my fingers all point in different directions, please do not mention Tommy Iommi and his lack of finger ends, it doesn't help me here . Once we got the rhythm sorted out, it did start to click. I started running up the dusty end of the bass and then realised the bloke on the mixer had basically cut off anything above D on a filter on the mixer, so had to move down again. I wasn't really sure what it sounded like at all. Everybody was very nice but we were also very nice to the lady who was strangling and disembowelling a cat earlier in the evening. For next time, I'll try and have the Basschat 8" speaker with me, and politely drop that in the corner. Anyway, early days, the fact that the lady got away singing with a voice like that gave me hope my bass playing wasn't too bad. Rob

I've done some improvements to my board itself over the last few weeks. First up, the feet all needed replacing. I leave my board in the flightcase so I just have to lift off the lid and plug in, but the feet I had on there were pulling the T-nuts out of the wood. I cut up some old spare laminate flooring for extra height, and glued and screwed new feet on. They're much more secure now. And then, I've had a big plug socket coming out from the power supply for years. The velcro keeps falling off it too. It wasn't a great solution. I finally found a better method with a panel mount IEC socket extension lead (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008002957857.html). So the top goes from this: To this: Much tidier and room for more pedals should I ever change up my setup!

I think bassists are the worst people to pick the three best bass lines as it'll most likely be some virtuoso nonsense like Joe Dart or Jaco Pistorious or some million note a second slapper. Here's my possibly terrible pics. Peaches - The Stranglers Rotten Apple - Alice In Chains Turnover - Fugazi

I know the feeling sir.

The P is about as standard as they come. When I say they are old, they are at least 20 years old so it might be that they are just super mature and all the boing has been boinged out of them.

+1 Subway D800 1 x 12 Comb plus Subway D800 1 x 15 Combo plus Subway D800 2 x 10 Combo in Walkabout format pretty please with sugar on 🙏.

Those are little beasts! It was the predecessor to the Baby Z-4J, and it's specced very similarly but minus the neckdive and I believe with an EQ that's boost/cut instead of the boost-only job in the Baby Z. They're amazing little basses, and sound very modern and punchy. The 17 mm string spacing will not be for everyone.

No rehearsal at all, due to drummer having a flat battery and not being able to start it as his battery pack thingy was in his electric car wot his Mrs had taken out.... (????) And one guitarist was too hungover to come anyway. So I spent the afternoon recording bass lines for the other band's upcoming 2nd e.p. (all recording is remote with Weeds!).

Aye, the Narrow Tall frets are my one gripe with the Am Pro II Jazzmaster I own. They required some getting used to for sure. I've had many guitars with regular jumbo frets, and a Fender with medium jumbo frets, and I wasn't a fan of those either but these narrow talls are somehow even less comfortable to me. I'll take a medium or vintage fretwire over these any day!

Space is the Place - Sun Ra

Looks like there are some new colours for the JJB-300. Anyone seen any in the UK? Bass Guitar – JET Guitars

Last night's rehearsal (at the local village hall, our regular practice venue) was largely a celebratory home made meal and several bottles of wine to thank our sound engineer who is present at every gig but who rarely gets noticed behind the desk. His first gig with the Hulla band (before I was with them) was landed as a result of the single qualification he had - that he was available on the day. He was placed behind a 32 channel mixing desk and had to do FOH sound for several bands at an outdoor event in the village. From no knowledge of sound engineering, he has become a very knowledgeable and capable operator of the desk and now takes the annual Hullabaloo festival (last year - 6 bands, a choir and 850 festival goers) in his stride. He has even branched out into DJing. We did manage a couple of songs. Our next gig is the annual Crown Court Christmas party so we concentrated mainly on the Christmas standards we'd be expected to play. After the bottles of wine, it wasn't the sharpest rehearsal and there are only two more before the gig but with a bit of work I think we'll be ok. I was trying out my Sire Z7 last night. It needs a setup but is still very playable. I was also back to my pedal board after a couple of minimalist gigs with just a DI. Unfortunately, in wiring it all up yesterday afternoon, I mist have made a mistake as the output levels were well below normal and I had to resort to bypassing almost all the pedals and just going through the (new) Valeton GP5. All good in the end.

On Friday I went and saw the fantastic @sprocketflup (Dave) playing with his wonderful Kate Bush tribute show 'Cloudbusting' again, but this time with an Orchestra, at the massive Basingstoke Anvil Theatre! 😎 Such a wonderful performance, with the orchestra and arrangements bringing out the depths.... and the subtleties... of Kate's music like I've never heard before. Dave nailed it on bass, as always, and I was fascinated to hear from him afterwards that a couple of the basses he was using in the show had actually been owned/played extensively by the late Del Palmer 🤯 It always make me happy and proud to see my fellow basschatters involved in such wonderful projects and I can't wait to see these guys again as they never disappoint!