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That'd be one of your PG Tips then...?

I bought the house, where ever I damn well want.. oh oh sorry babe, I’ll move them right away... 😵

I decided that I'd craze the finish on the body - to give a lightly aged look, but still keep it looking shiny for now. (The bass will get any knocks and wear from gigging and playing over the coming years). Anyhow, when I've cracked the lacquer in the past, it's been on guitar bodies - which I've just stuck in my freezer overnight. The size of a bass body doesn't fit into the compartments of my home freezer, so I had to think of another method of crazing the lacquer. By chance, I'd met a plumber who was talking about freeing stuck pipe connections. He said, "when that happens, you just spray one part with Crack It spray. That instantly freezes the part and breaks the stuck connection". It turns out that this plumbers aerosol reduces the surface to minus 45 degrees. I got a can myself from a local Toolstation. All you have to do is get the lacquer warm, then simply spray the aerosol on the surface. You can sometimes hear the lacquer crack. Anyhow, the end result is a nice crazed lacquer. As the plumbers spray has an oil in it, you need to clean the surface afterwards using a rubbing compound (I used Mer Car Polish). I've heard that some folk use aerosols of compressed air to reduce the temp. I might try that on my next build? Here are some pics of some of the crazing (after crazing the lacquer, I wiped the body surface with water based Dark Oak stain to emulate years old grime in the cracks).

Say what you like about TOTP being contrived and controlled by the old boy network. Those of us who were there watching the telly at seven O'clock every Thursday evening are still talking about it and remembering artists as if they had attended the performances themselves. Thirty years from now, I don't think we'll remember so many of the equally good, sometimes better, artists of today even with instantaneous global communication and clever marketing. In its day TOTP was the sole source of video* promotion for bands. Apart from posters, album artwork and pop magazines you could only guess what a band might look like as you listened to a low-fi MW transistor radio. God forbid that you should tune that lovely warm sounding valve radio set to a pop station. Your parents would have a fit. Today there are so many promoters and outlets for video that that marketing power has been diluted for them all. In this century, mistakes are easy to edit out and that perfect image of how the promoter wants you to be seen is preserved in binary forever. As a consequence of quality editing it is rare to see the day to day foul-ups that occur. These days the bits that are edited out are kept for collectors of bloopers who are looking to market a collection of out-takes. More revenue for someone I suppose. Personally, I like to see how bands used to cope with stuff like that when they were dropped in it, so to speak. Today everyone has the option of 'phoning a friend' if they're the slightest bit uncomfortable. *In this instance, just for convenience, lets ignore the fact that the term video became popular later.

I feel I just have to share, the excitement is growíng So, after 20 long months of waiting my Wal MK1 is finished and soon to be on the way. Update photo from Paul.

Hi I just had to vent my disappointment and frustration at the obvious lack of quality and care that occurred in 2002 when Rotosound produced the batch of RS66 strings that have been on my bass for the last 16 years. The A string broke on new year's eve!!! You can imagine how shocked I was at the obvious lack of longevity of the things these days. Its also meant I've had to clean the fret board eradicating a small but very important ecosystem that showed promising signs of world domination.

Forgiven, but you should know that the pancakes have gone cold and a passer-by has stubbed a fag out in the hoisin sauce.

Some people seem to have shops, not storage... Under the stairs seems to be a very popular option, and I have the great good luck to 'own' the cupboard under the stairs, to which I've fitted a 5-lever mortice lock. I have to leave enough space to sit down in there and shut the door, for when I need to cry in private.

Bass cave. Been a few additions since this was taken like a Fender P Deluxe, an Orange rig and a TE small rig.

Hello there! Just for fun I did this blind test Which take is MM? And which Cort? Both played with bridge humbucker pickup, no eq, D'Addario EXL170 strings. Answer will come in the next days Ciao!! Al

Here’s the new one. Fully functioning. Looks good. We’ll find out next week...

Greetings from a fellow South Yorkshireman, beautiful looking pair of basses, and if they sound/play half as good as they look (which from your post they obviously do) you've hit the jackpot! Where ìn South yorks are you? Wombwell, Barnsley myself.

Less than £50 is a steal for a unique lim.ed. work of art. Come to think of it, in fact it's even less than what I paid for my Picasso, Dali and Vasarely silk screen prints! Order, folks! Order!

All set up and ready to go!

I did dozens of gigs all over the UK and in Europe via Eurostar as a solo bassist last year. You just need to plan exactly what you need to take on a gig, then sit and plan on how to take it. The photo below show my rig en-route to s show in Bristol. My bass in a Mono gig bag which also holds my MacBook Pro. I bought a brilliant padded container from Amazon, a little like one of those things Deliveroo cyclists use, but smaller. In there goes my combo and boxes containing my interface, and other bits and pieces. My pedalboard is in it's case. All covered by a large waterproof cover from Amazon.

Ah - should have read that first

In my view a band is similar to a team and should help each other. If a band member had a good (physical, financial or whatever else) reason for not carrying heavy equipment, driving or other activities, I'd be absolutely fine with helping them out. However I wouldn't be ok with doing more than my fair share without good reason.

It's looking beautiful Andy. I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing it 'in action'. 😄

Great - thanks for that I'm going to have a go. The brass knobs currently on the volumes and planned for the tone - although OK looks-wise - add about 3oz. When I'm trying to get closer to 5.5lbs rather than 6, those oz make a difference. It really does need a lathe but I am well impressed with @Norris 's results on a drill press. I will, however, try for grub-screw inserts if possible with my rudimentary equipment (and that, of course, will add some weight). In for a penny and in for a pound - I'm going to see if I can get a MoP swift on the top too. Yes - I know. Madness

"Tis another forum dedicated to guitar building that Andy and I frequent, but I don't want to detract from this fabulous forum

Here, and there's still stuff in the bedroom😂

Here you go. Free Bass transcriptions to download...(actually, there are quite a few, free (Bass) transcription sites on the net - down in theory as well). Quite a few Chuck Rainey charts here. http://www.lowdownbass.net/transcriptions/ Although a Big Band site, some Tower of Power Bass charts in among the full scores. http://www.mindformusic.com/big-band/80-artists/345-tower-of-power A few Quincy Jones charts as well. http://www.mindformusic.com/big-band/80-artists/315-jones-quincy

That's fair, but in my experience of non-driving drummers (who, of course, have the most kit to move around) they just stand there looking like lost puppies until someone loads their gear and takes them home. That is definitely selfish behaviour, and I will not put up with it any longer.

Here's a little video of a chap making knobs using a drill press. He finishes them on a lathe, but as he says in the video, you could do it just as easily on the drill press. I would love to be able to source metal inserts to go into the knob to make them a "safer" fit on the spline, but Noick of a hardwood knob pushed onto a splined pot shaft sounds like a good next best option.

I don't think he uses echo. A bit of 'grit', perhaps, but no more than that. Maybe he was playing broken chords..?

Yes you will be quieter playing into an equivalent cab with less speaker area. But different cabs have different sensitivity values so you can't say the same for sure when looking at different brands. Did you say that amp had clicks on the volume control so you can't take it below 1? If so that's a stupid design and I'd be looking at a new amp. Trying to reduce your volume by switching cabs is the wrong path.

The first time I used the Olympia flats on the BB 424x was through an old Trace Elliot combo. I was amazed at the tone these strings produced. They have lost some of their initial brightness now but they will be staying on for good. Really suits the the guitar

This says it all to me. I had it in a previous band but for different reasons. The drummer could drive but was hopeless at navigation. He often got lost or misjudged when to leave so regularly turned up late for gigs and caused havoc with setups and sound checks. I took it on myself to always pick him up and make sure he got there on time, but after about 10 years of this it did start to get annoying that it was quite a way out of my route to pick him up and drop him off, and he was getting to kip on the way home while I was searching for matchsticks to keep my eyes open. However, I loved him like a brother so kept it to myself. It came to a head when the rest of the band got sick of his lax attitude and voted him out. I tried to help him understand why they were upset, but he lashed out at me and hasn't spoken to me since. Drummers, eh? (Sorry Dad!)

Good evening, Laura, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Cioks are great Decibel 11 hot stone deluxe never let me down, great piece of kit

I've done something along those lines myself. I wanted to move on to a five but until I was able to play through some tunes with no stalls and a minimum of errors I wouldn't look at them. I promised myself one if I could string some of those tunes together on random play, as it were, with no hesitation. Once achieved I relished the search for an affordable new bass. The only other bass that I have bought brand new was a kit. I had about 40 or so songs in my repertoire before I went on to a five. That was a Steinberger paddle bass. I was starting to find some of its limitations after a couple of years of happy ownership but then I bought a kit resembling one of the guitars that I was curious about. I enjoyed building it. It even sounded good. It helped me make the decision to buy my latest one, an Ibanez as it happens. The kit built instrument is now a test bed for modifications down the line.

Hopefully the final prototype - first gig test tonight and then i'll make a couple more for further evaluation. Now uses microsuction tape to stick to the helix so will fit both versions and is removable / repositionable with no tape residue stuck on the helix. Screen is now 3mm thick (up from 2mm) and laser cut/engraved

Had all my amps and cabs in the house this week and used the opportunity to take a family shot: The basses and amps are quite self-explanatory. A few word about the cabs: - The Tweed cab to the left is a DIY 1x15" sporting a Jensen 50 Watt C15N. - The cab behind the Dingwall is a Sieben Audio Design 15/8 with Fostex speakers. - The Music Man cab is the version with EVM12L speakers - this cab sounds fantastic with the low wattage tube amps and Fender basses. Only downside is the weight to which the monstrous magnets of the EVM12L's contribute about 80% I guess...

A bunch of us tried the Fame or Vitoos DC8 a while back. I have had no issues with it after a few gigs and practices, nor have I heard any complaints. Very well specced, and the housing itself is rather small (indeed, the cables coming out seem to take up as much room!). Mine was £50 posted for the Vitoos version.

Loads of options these days. On my various boards I've got the True Tone C6 (thinline - gets under a Nanoboard), a Voodoo Labs PP2, and on the massive board a Gigrig Power Generator modular set up. Power supplies are never exciting, but don't begrudge them. Nice quiet stable power is great. And considering the cost of 9V batteries they pay for themselves pretty quick. A lot of the cheaper / smaller isolated ones don't have 8 outputs though. But you can still daisy chain a couple of outputs for pedals that won't be a problem leaving the difficult ones on their own output. Also be aware that some of the posh reverb and trem pedals have high current draws that some power units can't supply. So if you are aiming for an Eventide or Strymon then you'll need to check the current draw specs.

I run a Mooer Reverb off a Mosky power supply without issue. Not sure if I am just lucky or not.

You must be thinking of WILF - Wrinkly I'd Like to.... I should watch myself. I'm already eligible for SAGA insurance myself.

So is Grandmotherable another word for GILF?? "Cor!! She looks Grandmotherable!!"

Awesome. I'd take one home with me!

Very nice! The B.C Rich warlock would fit in there too 😉

Thank you! I was going to label them, but I quite like it without any text, gives it a bit more of a pop-art look, which is what I was after.

I have a 55-01 with swapped out US Bartolini electronics. It hits way above its price point and I'm really happy with it! Si

I've owned a few of the TRB basses. A TRB6, a JP1 and a TRB1006J. The TRB6 and the JP were both very old and Japanese built, they were a totally different level to the TRB1006, both being completely luthier built. The TRB1006J was though a very, very nice instrument, a lot better than the price would lead you to expect. A friend of mine who's a very, very fine solo bassist plays one, and loves it.

I also have a 55-01. best neck ever IMO. Sound: modern. But if you roll back the highs and with worn in strings you can get close to more vintage sounds. (Never tried flats on it) overall opinion seems to be to ditch the stock preamp and replace it. I am going that route within a week or so. 44-01 can be bought pre-loved for around 400 gbp.

Hi, again James (it's alright folks, we've pm'd on a different topic) When I get a linky tag thing from @Norris I know I HAVE to respond! Tru-oil. Wonderful stuff. And like always, there are choices. First of all, unless you've already ordered a bottle, a 3oz bottle will generally do at least 2 guitars or basses so plenty for one even with trial and error repeats Used on unstained wood, I would echo what @Bridgehouse said - use tru-oil with sandpaper to create a slurry. Wipe it off after a few minutes and the slurry acts as a sealer and grain filler. Repeat a few times and progressively drop down to, say 250 grit, and now, not just wipe it off but vigorously buff it off. Quite quickly you will get to a beautiful, quite durable, silky smooth satin finish like this: I do ALL my necks this way....it has to be felt to be believed Next option is to do the above just as a grain filler stage but then just apply coats of tru-oil wiped on (I use cheap household microfibre cloths) and left to dry without wiping or buffing. After a number of coats, with a wet sanding of 1500 to 2000 wet and dry every two or three coats to flatten any cumulative ripples or dust buggies and then a final couple of coats as the final semi-gloss. I say semi-gloss because tru-oil does dull down a touch after a few weeks. This one was done that way: For stained woods you do also actually have a few options: Stain it, apply a couple of coats of tru-oil left to dry overnight to act as a sealing coat, then apply wiped on coats as above, doing the first light sanding (1000 grit used wet) after, say, the fourth coat (so you dont sand into and through the stain) then carry on as above building a semi-gloss build-up I'm probably one of the few people who do it, but I have started doing the 'slurry and buff' approach with stained woods. You have to be gentler, but I've found that the slurry takes stain with is so actually, unless you are too harsh, you don't end up with bare unstained patches. Takes a bit more practice, but you can get some decent results (this used to be white): Hope that helps rather than further confuses! Andy