Leaderboard

This video confirms what I've been trying to tell people for ages - those flat patch cables from EBS and Rockboard are very prone to noise in certain environments (skip to 22:46). Not seen those mini Ibanez ones before, they look great!

After much trying out and research, I’ve finally sorted out my small rig. It’s unbelievable that this little lot ( Aguilar AG 700 and a Barefaced One 10) can produce the sounds that it does in such a lightweight package. Rehearsal tomorrow night should be fun!

If you have a back drop and end up supporting super mettallers Testament, don't let them near the stage before you go on. Last night of the Tour. Annihilator about to play the support slot. Back drop mysteriously different...

Well, I took delivery of a brand new in the box Road Word 50s Classic within the last hour. I quickly replaced the round wound strings with a set of used Chromes, and it certainly does play well (only other one of these I have played had the original strings on, which really don't suit it IMO). Sound (though a small home practice amp) is close to impossible to tell apart from the un worn Classic 50s. In terms of feel, the RW neck is better, though the frets feel a little rough.I'll have that sorted when I get the bass properly set up. Out of the box, it's pretty good, apart from the strings. By a quirk of luck, good timing, and an alcohol-induced lack of sense, I paid less for my road worn than I paid for my Classic 50s a few months ago. I'll add a picture of the two of them side by side for comparison. Of course, now it's here and I like it, I'll need to sell something to pay for it and make room in the house. I'm pretty sure that whatever I sell, it won't be a Fender though!

OK - it's all packed up and ready to put Mike out of his very patient misery Here's some finished shots before it went back into its case. First of all - a 'before and after' : Then some standard shots - probably the same ones you've seen before but with a dark background : ...and yes, Mike, it fits! :

Got to agree on them being superb quality for the money. I got this a few weeks back (brand new) for £412

Can only live in hope my brother

Pleasant Stumble whilst researchng versions of the John Martyn song :

@Paul S I love him dearly, but please do not lock me in a room with him, it’s bad enough I realise that as he gets older and more batty I will have to take him to feed the ducks, I don’t want to live with him as well....

Not to engage in some form of hideous 'who had more necks' oneupmaship but... I did own this ridiculous 6 necked beast for a year or so a decade ago! At one point (after many beers) 6 of us did attempt to play Hotel California on it. Ahh those where the days!

Saxophones in Jazz: Yes please. Saxophones in Rock/Pop: No thank you. Also: anything with a synthesized brass section makes my teeth hurt.

New original rock bands? Rock is the music of my generation, the music of 40 years ago. It's a bit like asking why no-one writes original Dixieland Jazz, original Blues music or even original Britpop. Styles just come and go. Don't get me wrong I love all these and more but whilst there will always be people who love this style or that and will write tributes in the style they love most creative people will push the boundaries on from the music they grew up with. We're several generations on from true Rock so why would you expect people to doggedly stay in one place. There are plenty of successful bands and musicians around, music goes on and keeps changing, good luck to the kids there's no reason for them to humour our tastes. At least so far fashion still demands drummers and bassists

Celebrating it's 5th Birthday and incorporating the best Basschat luthiers in their very own Basschat Custom Bass show, The Midlands Bass Bash 2018 is taking place on the 5th May 2018 from 1200 to 1700. The venue is Brockington College, Blaby Road, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 4AQ It's easy to get to from J21 of the M1. Take the A5460 and at the first roundabout turn right onto the B4114 towards Narborough. Carry on the B4114 past Fosse Park on the right until you get to another roundabout. Turn right here onto Blaby road, the B582. Follow this road and once you cross the motorway Brockington College is the next left. In the left hand corner of the car park is direct access to the front of the school. If you want to use that to unload that's fine, but it would be appreciated if you would then park in the car park proper afterwards. The room we are using is the first door on the left, just beyond the disabled parking bays. We'll try and get a sign up with an arrow! There is a firm limit of 7 amp rigs in the room but if you have one handmade by dusky thighed maidens that is acoustically perfect in every way then I'll make an exception to the rule! The room isn't huge and I'd like to be able to hear afterwards and be allowed back next year We're going to ask for a £5 entry fee on the day. On the off chance enough people turn up to cover the costs any extra will be donated to a charity voted for by the attendees. I think that's about it, any other information will appear in this post at the top of the thread and then be bumped. Can any possible/definite/probably attendees put their names on the list so we have a reasonable idea of how many to expect.

My eye was caught on the Cerulean blue prestige this morning that I hadn't seen before: https://www.dawsons.co.uk/ibanez-2018-sr2605-premium-electric-bass-guitar-cerulean-blue-burst as I am rather partial to ibanezes, and knotty wood, and blue. There is no info on the ibanez pages, or in their facebook page which is odd, seems like they are producing so much now that even they can't keep up. I noticed also they do an 'upright' this year: https://www.dawsons.co.uk/ibanez-2018-ub804-upright-electric-bass-mahogany-oil-burst which is a bit of a departure from normal from them. I guess they are doing well, on the sidebar of the dawsons page where I saw this, if you filter by manufacturer, they have 83 models, the one one that comes close is fender with 60, and yamaha with 39, the others are in the low 10s.

@Psharpe89 I played in house ands for two local venues here at about the same time, both had TC RS212 and RS210 cabs, one had the BH550 and one the RH750! Style was much the same, general covers/function stuff. Very similar amps to one another, and the toneprints on the 550 were more useful than I first suspected. The 750 seemed a little more vintage coloured to me, and the presets were handy for different basses. I'd say I felt the 550 to be a little tougher as a unit, I've seen a lot of 750s with damaged knobs and plastic. If you want to save a little cash, I'd honestly say I had as good a time with the cheaper of the two!

You guys do realise that by posting here you are basically opening yourself up to future "Ha! ha!" comments when you post those NGD, NAD, NCD etc. posts?

You could consider a squier Jazz or Precision I think the best thing you could do is go and play some different types and see which feel most comfortable

So... will it be good for metal??

Listen to this (two minutes in, but there's plenty of good bass during that time) and then say that!

That's actually not a bad idea. I'll discuss that with the Mrs. I've already got a good set of headphones. I want a 1/2 decent set of monitors.

Totally agree. I play 5's now and spend most of my time around the 5th - 8th fret. Makes life so much easier.

I did that years ago and didn't stick with it. On medium light strings (can't remember exactly what - this was the best part of 30 years ago) they get very loose. Also, if you are producing notes that low you need a system that can cope with it and I seem to recall the amp I was using at the time got a bit farty even down at a regular low E. However, it is worth noting that strings might be sold as, say, an E string, but it is really all about the tension they reach when tuned to different pitches and that is principally based on the gauge. A medium light 'E' tuned down to B is floppy but a heavy 'E' will probably cope with it even if it feels more like a light gauge string by the time it gets there. By the time you get that low, there are other physical factors that come into play, like scale length, tapering and how the string is anchored at the bridge so you might not get such a good result as a quality bass designed for that range but, with suitable strings it is feasible. Mind you, you have to decide if it is worth it for one song. Either decide learn a lot more songs that want extra low notes or perhaps just concentrate on other tunes before putting time and money into either the 'new strings' or 'new bass' solution. Wulf

I bought the standard ceramic JBX Jazz Entwistles and they're absolutely fantastic. Very warm, but punchy and with lots of articulation. Classic single-coil sound. I think Alan would get a lot more interest if his pups were four times the price and looked like stock Jazz pups... http://www.entwistlepickups.com/assets/JBX dimension drawing.pdf Not sure if the JBXN are the same size as the JBX, though.

Mesa are redefining their business. People have opinions but Mesa will know which amps sell and which are and are not worth keeping in the catalogue. The Subway is their big seller and has moved them into markets that were previously closed to them. I imagine the Subway range will be extended to more models. The guy who designed the D800's posts on Talkbass and is very knowledgeable and open. Expect more great amps from Mesa in the future.

Fantastic! Well done Andy, I love the colours! It's a really gorgeous, sophisticated looking swanky type bass.

Wowzer, lovely looking bass and a great job

You clearly have more restraint than me Chris...

Nooo. Why would you stick with playing bass only because you spent £500 on a new amp rather than £300 on a used one? I don't get that logic. You should buy the best used amp for the least. Then if you decide to stick at it you can look at more expensive gear down the line.

Ideally I'd want my instruments buried with me in my Egyptian style hidden tomb. ;-) In the real world I really don't care what happens to them when I'm dead. None of my family is sufficiently interested enough to want to have them once I'm no longer using them. Maybe by the time that happens some of them will be sought-after desirable instruments with a value to reflect this. maybe they won't. However unless my circumstances change in a way that I haven't yet anticipated they won't be sold within my lifetime. And that's what counts.

"Happy new year, marketing team! You're all fired."

Just a quick update, I have been playing this bass a lot the last few weeks and yes it really is good! I used the bass on a few gigs and in the studio and it's just an amazing versatile bass with a really big sound. I gave the body a really slight oil finish (well actually dr. Ducks axe wax) which brings out the grain in the wood even more, beautifull! I did have to get the edges of some of the frets dressed though, they were a bit sharp, but that's what you can get when a bass has been made in a nice warm climate and then is transferd to the cold Netherlands. That being said I can truly say that these basses are really really well made and are definately worth the money! Love it!

1. What makes owners of Mesa gear like it so much. (general question about Mesa gear ie build quality, support and availability) - for me it is extremely well designed and built. I have called upon customer service twice (not related to problems) and they have been very good. 2. What is it that made you pick that particular amp over others. (in respect to other Mesa amps or cabs and maybe in respect to other manufacturers gear) - my first amp (Bass 400 in 1988) was bought solely on a review that called it the Rolls Royce of bass amplification. I have used Mesa stuff entirely since then (save for a short period with an Ampeg PF500 and 1x15 cab). I have had a 400+ and also have a Walkabout and an M-Pulse 600. In side by side comparisons with other Mesa amps I have noticed some commonality in eq and sound. 3. Is there a favoured set up that majority of owners prefer or would prefer. - I'm a 15's kind of guy and started off with a pair of Diesel 2x15' but now use two Subway 1x15s. 4. Can you describe briefly your preferred tone (ie, warm, mellow, mid-punch, heavy bottom end, high top end are just some things i can think off) - think Bohemian Rhapsody. 5. what bass do you generally use with it. (just to give me an idea of whether your bass is passive, active or has a deciding influence on how your tone might sound) - Precision with flats although I started with rounds. 6. Finally what Mesa gear would you recommend for a Mesa Virgin like myself playing mostly classic rock with a Jazz bass but occassionally depping for other music genres doing pup / club material. Depends on what you want but I would be looking at a D-800 and the Subway cabs (whichever suits you best). The thing to remember with Mesa stuff is the eq is not straightforward. It took me 6 months to figure out how it all worked together (on the Bass 400 when I first got it). The eq is very sensitive and little tweaks can make a big difference. I have not had a single problem in the 30 years I have been using their gear and still have my original Bass 400. Wonderful kit and worth every penny. Toured with me all over.

I reported this instrument too. It winds me up that people list this stuff like this. I don’t believe for a second that the seller believed the bass to be genuine, because if they did the asking price would have been closer to £1000. Some one trying to pull a fast one on some uninformed parents before xmas!

A bit of a late update to this thread - I played my last Think Lizzy gig on 16th December - but it wasn't without incident! The previous week I spoke to the band leader regarding me finishing and he agreed that I didn't have to play the gig on the 16th, that they would get everything up to speed so imagine my suprise when at 6:30 on 16th I read a text message regarding the gig, the PA being in house, load in and sound-check times etc. A quick call and several expletives later as I had no gear, nothing, not even a guitar pick with me and I was 60 miles from the venue with 60 mins to go before sound check! I glanced into the corner of the g/f's lounge and spotted her LTD Viper bass and quickly hatched a plan! One phone call back confirmed that the venue had a serviceable if not spectacular Behringer 2x10 combo. One quick cross country rally-stage-esqeue trip in the Mini Cooper S later and I arrived at the venue, borrowed a strap, lead and guitar picks to go with the borrowed bass. Band leader admitted he had crossed his wires and thought I was talking about the gig on 16th January, not December!!! Still, all was good with everyone, I got to thank everyone in the band publicly for the last 3 years and my last gig with Think Lizzy was done and dusted.

Best: John Bonhams drum sound on When the Levee Breaks and Fool in the Rain, AND his triple kick drum on Good Times Bad Times Worst: The Seinfeld theme arrrrgh FAKE BASS, FAKE BASS

Alex, if you read this... put the name badge diagonally in the corner. That way, it wouldn't matter if a cab was horizontal or vertical. It might require a smaller or different shaped badge, but it would allow symmetry with both orientations. Frank.

As far as I know Gary Mac on here is selling a 60s Precision that would fit the bill rather nicely. Removes all the trust issues as Gary is well known and respected on here, plus - I believe - is one of the Mods as well.

You can just order a Limelight.

I got one and I like it! I was looking for a Trace Elliot Sound "in a box" and I got it with the Transit B. I like the usefull EQ and the two band compressor. The pedal is made in high quality and roadready. My impressions: Klick

Red, white and blue ball-ends are Rotosound. Bronze, red, black and green are D'Addario. I'm guessing they're Rotosound RS55LD Pressure Wound roundwound 45-105.

Something I'll never need again is a comb. Does that count?

This. Playing with an ill drummer is a bit like playing with a crap drummer. To be avoided if possible.

Interesting comment... I got my first acoustic bass exactly because I thought it would be quieter than an electric, and less likely to be overheard by housemates. But I found (and it's also true of the two much better ones I have now) that to get a decent tone they have to be played hard, and are actually louder than an electric on lowest volume (let alone with headphones, which personally I can't get on with). I do quite often take one round to play with people who don't have a spare amp. I also love the physical feeling of those big light thin resonant bodies - I would play mine just because it feels good, if for no other reason.

No - it will be fine. Feels quite light on the strap, although there is not a huge amount of reduced weight... There is still lots of spaghetti sticking out of the back, but the front view won't change from this other than the lipsticks height balanced during the set up: Looks nice, doesn't it Just the pickup wires to resolder to the switch, the magnets to put onto the hatches and then the final set-up.

'No, no, No, no, no, no , No, no, no, no. No there's no limit'. Words to live by.

Another D'Addario fan here. I fit Chromes on all of my own basses and fitted a set of black tapewounds to a £35 Harley Benton deko acoustic that made it sound like a pro-job!

Well there we are, this just shows why those switches are useful, as my choice is quite different. I tend to play passive, neck pickup, series with treble, bass & volume rolled off about 1/3.