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I had one of those clearance Spectors from the demise of Sound Control on Oxford Street. A NS6XL with a spalted maple top and alder back, it sounded warmer but less growly. I gigged with it for a while but when an old Basschat queen of a NS5CR came up for sale in 2009 that I originally played two years and two owners previously, I jumped on it and it's become one of my top three instruments. It does nearly everything really well. Solid sounding and tight with some nicely peaky midrange and not too bright. The only thing it won't do is Fender. But it easily matched and surprassed the three Smith basses I sold off earlier in that year and cost a fraction by comparison.

Great work. Bet it sounds as good as it looks.

Goodbye Girl - Squeeze

I'm waiting for them to do a lesson on 'bass face'. I'm never sure if or when I should scowl or grimace or leer or whimper or whatever. And eyes open or closed? One open one closed? Top ten expressions? I'm ready.

I'll look him up! Thanks!

It's still in pieces, back in the bench after feeling it wouldn't get loud enough. Getting it back pretty soon for another run...

Did you find out out? Were they Sandberg stainless steel?

I've always hated them, I thought they were very ugly and I kept wondering what they were thinking with an egg shaped oval. These tuners first appeared about Aug 65 on the Jazz Bass, and were in full use by Oct 65, while the P bass used Klusons well into 67. Back in 2018 I ended up buying a very late 65, and it had the ovals. Still not my favorite tuners, but I like the Jazz.

Update time: The two remaining Batch 1 necks (#4 and #5) are currently being painted and I expect them to be shipped later this week. The necks for Batch 2 have also been made and are currently being wrapped in an outer layer of cosmetic weave. This marks a change in our approach - we've found that the wrapping technique reduces wrinkles, creases, undulations and warpage by quite a bit. And the weave really pops when not covered by so much resin. So, a risk of sounding a bit corporate, we're constantly learning and adjusting to keep quality at the highest possible levels (for us). Hopefully I will be able to post a vid of batch 2 later.

Just found https://en.toutlehautparleur.com/loudspeaker-components/paint/warnex-1kg-professional-paint-pot-black-textured-special-for-enclosures-honeycomb-roller-application.html - 1kg tin of Warnex for 25EU plus whatever getting it across the channel will cost. Black and grey available. Should cover up to 3 cabs.

I don't know if the XL letters were an acronym for anything. But the yeah it was the sandwich body; it had alder on the back half and the thin slice of walnut I think. I owned several early Czech/Euro that were solid maple, and the LX's just sounded different to me. No, XL was not 35", Spectors NS5 was already 35" by 1999, and LX's came out about 2004. Back then, the 94-98 dot inlay SSD NS5 was 34", and then changed to 35" along with the crown inlays and SS logo in '99.

So Roland are re-inventing the PiPedal.

I'll bring something. Fancy bringing stuff people will think is shite but sounds killer.

I'll bring a Sei or two, an Antoniotsai, maybe the Esh Poseidon V, a BC cab or two with amps to match (TC BAM200 and Tecamp Puma 900 should do), maybe the Barcus bass and the Shuker if I've got it back from Jon by then. And if something interesting happens to the OLP Tony Levin, I'll bring that too.

Was listening to the Rokonteurs episode earlier. Quite poignant knowing he's gone 😟 I was never into The Stone Roses, but I liked playing his bass lines (in the same way I wasn't into disco but love playing Bernard's lines). In the 00's the band I was in used to play 'I am the resurrection '. That opening bass riff always got a great response.

Just got back from watching braxton cook at the jazz cafe in Camden. Wow it was amazing. Braxton plays sax, flute and guitar. The sound was insane! What blew me away was the bass player. He was so so clear and you could hear every note he played in a 4 piece band. He was playing a 6 string MTD. Even the low low notes was crystal clear. I’ve never experienced such clarity before. Even when I was a performer and was touring with music artists I never heard such clarity from the bass. Literally 🤯. The supporting act was artist “Madeleine”. They was Really tight and on the same frequency with one another. Great bass player also. Had to Share my amazement of the clarity of every single note the bass player played. High or low. Didn’t sound or feel “modern” in the slightest.

I wasn’t a roses fan but I did enjoy his work. Few effects and very funky He seemed like a nice guy too. Was he not also a member ?

I think the John Gustafson and Alan Spenner eras get a fair bit of love and respect their way - and rightly so! For me, the first two Roxy albums can get overlooked, which is a real shame. They also hold a special place as they were pretty important records when I was first really getting into music - so not necessarily better, just my favourites, and I think underrated, from a bass playing perspective. But as I say, the whole Roxy catalogue is full of great bass moments, across all eras…