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So, with the missing knob arrived, final finished pics As always, thanks for the fantastic support and tips and tricks you have all generously given along the way

You should like Rick Wakeman for this alone ......

In the end, it's your choice whether you have a car or not, and it's the band's choice whether they are willing to take on a member who doesn't drive. For some bands, that won't matter, for others it will be a deal breaker.

Back in the early '70's, I played in my first band. We had a set list of 28 songs, 18 of which were Wishbone Ash numbers. It would be fair to say that we were a Wishbone tribute band. Anyhow, we split up around 1978 and having not seen some of the guys for 40 years, we're having a reunion jam in Glasgow on 3rd February. Last night, I contacted Tim Brown, the drummer with Martin Turner plays the music of Wishbone Ash, ( A legal complication with the name) to find out what strings he uses on his Thunderbird. Tim was kind enough to get back to me this morning with the info I required. I just want to give Tim a big up for being a thoroughly nice chap and a great drummer.

Try these guys. They recovered my bassman and did a really great job. They could build you one http://www.zillacabs.com/

I'm lovin' the Aria. If you score any Matsumoku made bass in excellent condition as you have, you really can't go wrong.

I would say that the only responsibility the house band has is to hand you an instrument that is in tune. That's not cast in stone either. I'd love to agree with you though. I've done an Open Mic where I've been caught out by an insistence that I play the house bass despite having my own with me. I was stood in the wrong spot for the monitor too because the cable was short and routed badly. I was more crap than usual because of it so I get your point. Next time I went to that pub it was with @PaulWarningand Wendy as their guest. I suppose because we appeared as a trio for the first few numbers I didn't get pressed into using the house bass. I was still rubbish but I felt much more capable and probably sounded a bit better too. When I came away I revised my ideas about these sorts of sessions. Like yourself, I will always want to play my own bass but I am ready to go regardless. Getting asked to step up when you aren't ready is also something I have experienced. It didn't go very well but it won me the notoriety of a short piece of video on twitter when someone kindly clipped out a relatively botch-free part of my meagre effort. I did have my own bass for that but I could just as easily been handed the house bass. My point is that you can't predict what you'll be given but you are expected to make do. I see it as a necessary part of my development on my way to becoming a well-rounded player to meet these circumstance and cope. 'standard set-up' - what is that anyway? We had a thread a while ago where BC members compared action at the 12 fret. I'm still trying to pick the bones out of that one. Oh yes, OT; my housemate gave me a lift to the local OMs and I got a taxi home each time. @Len_derby was kind enough to invite me and give me a lift to the other OM out of town. Last year was the busiest bass year I've had. That's not saying a lot by average standards but it is a booster for my timid ego. This year I aim to build on it. No car though. Wish me luck.

Art is not the artist. go back 100 years and it’s likely every piece of art was made by a racist. Another few and you’ll find slavers.

I'm supposed to be working on a grant so that I have a job next year, but I decided to make another coffee and distract myself a little and tell you all a story. Grab a mug, it's still warm. Last August, I bought my girlfriend a bass. She's a beginner, but very much into bass. She already had a bass, but there were a number of things she didn't like enough about it. She of course has tried all of mine, and she cannot really describe to me what it is she likes... but when she feels it, she knows. I did all I could to that bass to make it play and sound nice, but it was not quite right. From time to time she shows me pictures of basses she's seen on shop windows etc. But one day in June she shows me this one. She really liked this one. How do I know she really liked it? Because this time, she went in, and asked to try it, and played with it with other people around! She's extremely shy to play in front of anybody. She first loved the way it looked, but then... it felt great, it was very light and comfy, and she was seriously considering going back to buy it after pay day. I didn't show any interest beyond the usual, and didn't ask about the shop but I recognised it. Next opportunity I got, I went to the shop, tried the bass and bought it. Lucky for me, it was not a Wal, but a Squier P/J, Standard range. It was very nice, it just needed to be cleaned up a bit and new strings etc. She never mentioned the bass again... and I thought I had made a mistake and she really didn't want it that much. Then I smiled "cool, I like this bass, I'll keep it if she doesn't want it!" Her birthday was in August... and I gave it to her. She cried. I thought I was in trouble... especially when she yelled at me "I hate you!"... but then she laughed. She said she avoided looking into that shop until she got paid, just in case it was gone. After she got paid she went and... no bass. She went inside, looked around... nope, it was sold. She was very disappointed, and kicked herself for having waited... and decided to push it away from her mind because it was upsetting to have found one bass she really liked everything about and she let it pass. Ok, phew... so she liked the bass. But she didn't like the strings I put. I put some Rotosounds I had, as she had not tried those, and I figured they would do until she finds the strings she likes... and the search for new strings started seriously. We tried a few on her other bass, but she didn't seem to have much of a preference. However, this bass was different for her. She has finally decided she knows what strings she wants to try. Over the past few months I've tried various types on various basses, and she's tested them all, plus I have a few others that I've accumulated in the past couple of years... and she has decided that there was one set of strings that she really really really liked above anything else. Labella white nylon tapewound strings, which is incidentally my most expensive set. It couldn't be the £11 Warwick red label ones, could it!? But it was a good choice. What a difference did they make!!! The bass sounded nice before, but she loves it now, and how it plays... and as a result she's playing the thing constantly now. Strings... so often overlooked, yet so important. Now I'll have to buy myself another set. I hope she doesn't think of trying the same strings on her other bass now

Wow! Really nice Spector and a lovely bit of firewood! [JOKE]

It was my intention to buy it off you after you’d realised it didn’t track low enough. My cunning plot was foiled when you cancelled your order!

They are not. I don't suppose they expected anyone to email Eminence for the driver specs. Still, at least the OP should have a better handle on what's happening. I'd say a good quality 4x10 would make a big difference - in 4 ohms if he is sure he only wants one cab.

I had the honour of releasing a compilation of his early work for a record company I worked for many years back, and got to meet him at the launch of the London concert celebrating the 1st anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release. The launch was held in South Africa House on Trafalgar Square, for years the target of anti apartheid protest. When the launch came to an end, Masekela along with Miriam Makeba got to his feet, and they performed an impromptu Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika. It was the most moving musical experience of my life.

Not at all!

No worries, so am I

Deal completed within 5 hours of first contact... Richardd is possibly my favourite basschatter. Great person to deal with all round. Thank you Richardd!

You're doing it the right way.

there are some very distinct similarities. I listened to thirty seconds of it and that was 29 too long.

I know it's a guitar but never the less, I reckon that's the mutt's baubles mate.

Yeah Zilla will do the business for you. Their work looks great!

Hi BC'ers, I've seen this amazing vintage style 19" rack head for my 3U amp but the problem is its in the US. The cost is about £135 but with shipping, import duty, and vat it's getting to be prohibitive. http://stagecraftgear.com/product-category/rack-cases/rack-heads/ Can anybody recommend someone local or maybe someone has a s/h one to sell (unlikely). Thanks

Here's a bit of a crazy idea re home made knobs. It seems really hard to find bushings to insert with an internal spline to use with standard pots - I believe the spec is T18 - or T24 for the fine splined knobs that I think CTS use (just to be awkward). However I did find these https://www.thonk.co.uk/shop/knob-insert-for-diy-knobs/ ...though these are splined on the outside (and not the inside) to fit into a hole, and have a set screw - so you could use these on smooth shaft pots with the flat on the side. They may well work on normal splined shafts as well given the set screw would lock on to the shaft OK. Then I saw they also sell these "micro knobs" https://www.thonk.co.uk/shop/micro-knobs/ ... which are set up to go on a T18 splined shaft. So in theory you could drill a hole the outer dimension of the knob and then glue the whole knob into the wooden outer casing. A couple of strokes of the hacksaw to score the knob to give the glue something to really grip into and it should be pretty solid. That doersn't help with the fine splined T24 style pots though. R

So nice. Top work, as ever.

Hang on, hang on! Brain wave. Behringer XR18 / Midas MR18 is an interface as well as a mixer! ipad/android/pc/mac control. Midas would probably be the nicer out of the two to have if you want to do recording at home as the preamps are a little bit nicer than the standard ones on the Behringer.

Yeah, I watched the tv prog about that, looks like the whole band, but particularly John Lydon had a ball doing that. From the footage shown I`d say they enjoyed playing to the kids and having a cake-fight in the afternoon much more than playing to the adults in the evening.

I think a lot of musicians mellow out once they grow up, they just settle into being reasonable chaps who mostly realise they have been extremely lucky to have had a successful career in music. Having said that there are plenty of exceptions and then there's John Lydon who remains as acerbic as ever and, frankly, long may it last.

You could probably save yourself a fortune by just getting in a car and driving it. Accidents are statistics, there's no logical reason why you should have another. But then, I'm no psychiatrist. Or statistician.

I’M BRIAN! YEAH, I’M BRIAN TOO

Classic Rick.

To be honest I always come in late ;-)

Yep, me bootleg.

The problem you're facing, unfortunately, is that a lot of bands have had experience of a non-driving member who is considerably less dedicated and reliable than you are, and like most of us, operate on the 'once bitten, twice shy' approach, which may well result in them rejecting an ideal musician because they have had times when an excellent player is simply not there because of transport issues. The ideal situation is to play locally and be able to simply carry your gear there, though if you need an amp, that won't be easy. I have personal experience of two bands with non-driving drummers, one split fairly quickly as the drummer often faced to turn up at rehearsals, and the other is teetering on the brink of collapse. Having a car doesn't mean you can always get there on time, either - traffic, breakdowns, accidents...but it is usually the best way to minimise chances of missing a rehearsal or a gig.

My father claimed to have sold him drugs, (great romanticist was daddy), one of his many tales, along with being spat on by the stones in Chelsea somewhere.

Yup, can't disagree with that! Here's mine, beautifully refinished by @Grangur of this estate. Maybe you should let him loose on yours, too, and he'll be able to turn it into something worth nearer £400 rather than £40?

Or a MIM Wal...?

Personally I'd be put of listening to anyone with Gary Gilters rap (I did see him live 3 times and loved the shows). Having said that I know you can take this to any level you like regarding the behaviour of an artist or sportsperson etc so I'd not judge anyone who still listens to glitter just because it puts me off his music Listening to someone doesn't make you like them after all Also , I'm not sure if his band get anything out of sales etc but it's a shame for the band they also have been written off by many . I suppose it's like one hit wonders who where on TOTP with Savile , they'll never get aired again on reruns despite it not being their fault

Of course this guy is an idiot. I hope he doesn't buy anything made in China. To do so would be to support a nasty, vicious, totalitarian state the crushes personal freedom under foot.

A new bass cures GAS like vodka cures alcoholism.

Awaiting for mine.