Leaderboard

Well lookie what landed today! So... this is a Limelight Precision, with a '67 spec in a light-relic LPB finish. I ordered it last year, and had a good chat with the - extremely pleasant - Mark at Limelight to discuss the spec and the level of relic'ing. I wanted the finish to be a little more muted, so it glows a bit more, and he's obliged. It's a nice weight, less than 9lbs, helped by the Gotoh Res-o-Lites, which bumped the cost up a little more. I've just put proper strings on it (it came with fairly light rounds), and it sounds just like I'd hoped. A really nice P... and it cost significantly less than a Fender Roadworn MIM. I'm about to start a solid week of rehearsals, so lots of time to give it a run out. Happy days!

Doesn't matter what you're making. I'd follow the thread if you were building a sideboard.

Looking at the subject heading I was expecting a discussion about Jack Klugman! Anyone for a subdural haematoma?

The dude is 84 and claims to have ten movies, six albums, four Broadway shows and a number of other projects on the horizon! Hardly someone who’s no longer relevant and has it ‘all behind him’. The thing is that he has had a pop at a few sacred cows (Macca, Jackson, Prince et al), which has upset a few people when their heroes are being dissed by someone of his undoubted pedigree.

I remember being in talks with my folks about the possibility of getting some kind of instrument, and then seeing this ad in some magazine and thinking..wow. I just found it online and it's one of those things that makes you go right back in time. I was 13 or so, going back and forward deciding between guitars and bass as my final request, sure that one of these would be mine. We ended up going to a shop and I got an Encore P-Bass (which was actually great). Here's to joint Christmas and birthday presents.

Here are my two new working basses. I had kind of given up playing in bands after doing it for around 25 years and had sold all my working basses but then an opportunity came up to join my friends band. They are a very busy, popular club band playing stuff from the 50s and 60s so I was in need of a couple of working basses. I've gone from doing zero gigs to about 60 a year. The first is a Fender Jazz American Vintage 75 Reissue and the second is a Fender Precision FSR 70's Reissue. Both are amazing to play and I love how they look similar.

Had to add to this thread. After using the new site and got used to it, how did we survive before? The look, feel, facilities, notifications are just brilliant. Also much more responsive, which may be due to the server shift. Well done peeps. Cheers Geoff

Cracking looking bass. I have one of the newer bolt on Arpeges but I think the old through neck models are truly state of the art and more unique looking. For anyone else looking to get on the Vigier bandwagon there is a rather tasty Excess on sale at Guitar Guitar. Price seems reasonable considering the quality of the bass. I have had an Excess since 2004 and it is still going strong. https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/px180127321592006--vigier-excess-1996-dark-red-burst-pre-owned

I'e now received l the hardware I need - just need to finish shaping and sanding the neck (cutting headstock and getting the tuner holes ready, and "rolling" the fingerboard edges for a played-in feel), then spray the nitrocellulose lacquer. It'l take a few weeks to properly settle, and then I can final sand and buff it.

Well last night reinforced my opinion of Paul Gray. Him being back has lifted the whole band. He is just plain awesome! Apologies to the "camera at gigs" haters. but I was at the front and kept it at chest height. :-p

Better to simplify the part and devise something that is musically correct that works in a band context than to play the "right notes but not necessarily in the right order". You can always work on getting closer to the original as time goes by.

Forgot to post on this thread the link to my blog entry about the lefty Dingwall! It's here: https://goo.gl/YaqoHB

It's both. You can assign it to one or both and it'll do a load of other stuff too like assigning variable drive levels on amps or distortion pedals etc. Ive had my LT for a few weeks now and barely scratched the surface of what it can do - basically, if you can think of it, it’ll probably be able to do it.

First gig of 2018. We shlepped down to Birmingham for an 'originals only' night at a folk-club. I wasn't too hopeful. The usual mix of singer-songwriters, us and one other band (who most of the audience seemed to be there for). The promoter then swapped the running order so we had to headline to a crowd who had literally no idea what we sounded like and by the time we went on (very late and with no soundcheck) I was practically asleep. Despite all of this (and some awful level and feedback problems during the first two songs), we totally slayed and the crowd loved it. One of the loudest and most enthusiastic responses we've ever had. Apparently we totally rock. I just wish they could have heard us bring our A game. I'm starting to think that this type of audience - older, folkies - might be worth targeting. I'd assumed the thrash metal aspect of what we do wold be off-putting but apparently if you do it on a cajon and a violin, it's fine!

He needs to get out more if he thinks Paul McCartney is the worst bass player in the world. Come round mine for starters!

And this speaks a lot about the thread's topic. MB gear may not be seen with the same eyes as some years ago but there's still a lot of market for them. They didn't got worse with time, other things were designed in the meantime and now there's a bit more choice for everybody.

That is gorgeous, I wouldn’t have thought it but the light wood really suits it.

+1 for the M900 Clean channel The clean channel is awesome and provides all the headroom (and that 'heft' folk refer to) you are ever likely to need for pretty much all venues that don't have an in-house sound system. The EQ section is perhaps the best available on any D class amp at a similar (or cheaper) price point on the market today, with very usable and versatile EQ centre points: Bass - 80Hz Low mids - toggle switch optionality centring at 250, 500 or 750 Hz High mids - 750Hz, 1.5kHz and 3kHz Treble - 5kHz If I was to find any room for improvement in the above it would be to have a toggle switch for the Bass to also give the option of centring at 60Hz; but hey really starting to split hairs, right? DG have pretty much nailed the EQ. This clean channel alone IMO makes the amp worth getting for the price (particularly if you can get a mint condition one second hand - which I was lucky enough to do; there were several that came up in the latter part of last year and seem to have all been snapped up). Drive channel I'm definitely not in a metal band either (actually I'm playing in two covers bands). Like many of us I'm still looking for that elusive dirt pedal (having tried several thus far, but nowhere near as many as our resident dirt boy guru @dannybuoy, who is also a M900 owner). I initially found the DG dirt to have too much top end fizz (which was not massively dissimilar to the Channel B dirt on my Two Notes Le Bass), however this was partly down to bright / aggressive Nord pups (which I love) on my Ibby SR combining with a very articulate and responsive VK 210 which has a tweeter. The DG dirt has a 'Tone' control which is essentially an LPF and allows you to cut out the top end fizz, and that combined with adjusting the tweeter crossover on the VK cab got me 85% of the way there, and has allowed me to move on several dirt pedals including my 2Notes, One Control HGBM and TC Mojomojo. What I've found interesting is that for cabs with a warmer tone e.g. my Markbass 1x12 which has a tendency to roll off the high-end or with a P-bass rather than a J bass, the high end fizz disappears entirely and actually the high end presence of the DG dirt comes into its own and becomes a plus rather than a minus. The drive channel (which is not a standalone but feeds in seamlessly to the clean channel and clean EQ) also has a clean blend to allow you keep as much 'clean' bass in the signal as you wish which is very helpful in maintaining the low end. So having come to the amp as someone pretty sceptical about the DG dirt sound (but convinced that it had one of the best clean power-amps and EQs on the market today), I find myself being pleasantly surprised by the dirt channel (which is effectively £400 worth of DG pedals) too - always nice when that happens! Intelligent foot-switch Really handy to be able to engage dirt or mute via a compact stomp box foot-switch which is included in the price. I personally also like the fact that (IMO!) it's been beautifully designed. Hope that helps. ...I'm still on the look out for that elusive dirt pedal though

I can't agree with that. There are some excellent methods out there, on theory, technique and/or composition/harmony, plus transcriptions of 'greats'. Not to say that listening isn't useful (it is...); reading (or rather: 'studying'...) has its place too.

Anyone want to buy a Vox Amplug?

While I hope that you join this band and become both rich and famous.... I can't stand managers and hangers on who hype like this, how many times do we see the band start believing the bulls**t, stop honing their songwriting, and then still be playing the same half decent songs in small london pubs 4-5 years later "I've got Parlophone's top A&R man coming down to this one lads"...

Thanks Baz for speedy payment and great comms. A pleasure to deal with.

There are a couple I have struggled with purely down to the speed they are, I try to learn both the original and a simplified version I know 100%. I can do. Then which I use comes down to how I get on with the quick one. I have even started a song with the quick version and then swapped to the simpler one when my fingers start to cramp and then switch back again. By doing it that way I have total confidence I can nail the song one way or another andcan just mix and match as I feel at the time.

A friend of mine swears by his Harley Benton JB-40FL. It's a solid bit of kit and if pressed he'll admit he preferred his Overwater but it was sold years ago The newer models comply with CITES regs so no rosewood board and the Wilkinson pickups have been dropped for Roswell. £140 and no quibble return policy makes it worth thinking about. https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jb_40fl_sb.htm

My experience of that song is drummers quite often play it oddly, mainly in the verses...so be prepared to make adjustments! If you don't have a keyboardist and you fancy a wee tapping solo, check out Billy Sheehan on Mr bigs cover. Simple major and minor arpeggios. Pretty much 2 shapes in different positions. Stick a wee boost on and voila, instant keyboard solo done on bass!

Oh, and if I wasn't already feeling completely inadequate... ...matching up the grain lines at the back, where no one's going to see it anyway, is just taking the p*ss!

Just recorded a quick noodle...sounds a lot like a P Bass! And loving the neo pickup, it has a little growl when pushed! I like the Fender flats too, but I can't help but think I'd prefer La Bellas. Only one way to find out, I suppose... Listen loud with headphones, decent monitors, yadda yadda.

If your band doesn't care what you sound like then you're playing in the wrong band, with a bunch of talentless Mr and Mrs Silly Billy, who have their ears painted on. Tonight the band leader told me I sounded good and 5 people from the audience came up and complimented me. Being noticed and liked is one of the reasons I'm in a band and standing on a stage. Audiences don't have to know about me but my bands certainly do. If people ignore you maybe you don't sound good. Sound better and make them appreciate you.

Years and years back when I had just started playing I had to miss a gig as I was out in the outer Hebrides, the band got some guy in to dep and we sit down to teach him the songs and he's all double thumb slapping. I was intimidated. Then we got to a song where over a Cmaj chord I was playing a C# in the bass - and he just couldn't get it - he mentally couldn't understand why we would have chosen to play a "wrong" note. I suddenly wasn't intimidated

I prefer this ...

I think 'not fashionable' is the term you're looking for. Remember the TC RH450? Everyone had one then the next thing. Genz Benz Shuttle? Great, what's next? Barefaced cabs! Before you know it they're in the FS section.

As a very general rule, I usually advise going up one 'gauge' for every half a step down tuned in order to maintain a similar feel and tension. Of course the 'perceived' tension may increase or decrease based on string thickness and how it feels under your fingers, but you can just about nail the actual, measurable tension. Unless I've missed it, you don't say which gauge of string you are currently using that starts to feel a little loose. I'll use as an example EXL170 on a 34 inch scale length. Tuned to standard tuning: 1 G 2 0.0450 in. 42.52 lbs 2 D 2 0.0650 in. 47.89 lbs 3 A 1 0.0800 in. 39.59 lbs 4 E 1 0.1000 in. 34.07 lbs EXL170 tuned down a half step Gauge Tension 0.0450 in. 37.88 lbs 0.0650 in. 42.67 lbs 0.0800 in. 35.27 lbs 0.1000 in. 30.35 lbs So around a 5lb loss in tension, which is very noticeable. In order to retain the same feel as EXL170 tuned half a step flat, these are the gauges the system reccommends: Gauge Tension 0.0480 in. 42.84 lbs 0.0700 in. 49.01 lbs 0.0850 in. 39.96 lbs 0.1060 in. 34.16 lb Even using single strings (which you can buy) we don't actually make a gauge 106 or 48, so you are never going to get the exact same feel, using our strings at least. It's usually best to round up slightly so using single strings you could make a set of: 50 - 70 - 85 - 107 Of course buying single strings to make custom sets can get a little pricey. So, if you want to by a predetermined set you have to compromise a little. The compromise is only slight if you get the EXL160 set which consists of gauges: 50 - 70 - 85 - 105. These will feel very similar to the EXL170 and won't take much adjusting to. If you let me know the set of strings you are using I don't mind repeating the exercise to work out the best set for you -- Adam.

Changed my perception of old Cee Lo. Wonderful stuff.

Bought a very nice preamp from Bas. I can only echo the other comments here - great transaction, lots of info and fair price for a great item.. Cheers Bas - much appreciated!

Just got back from meeting with Bas to sell my Ibby. The man was super nice and we had a great time trying out amps and basses in the mean time. I would highly recommend buying or selling anything to this man! Cheers mate

Fast, easy transaction for an Aguilar Compressor pedal. Buy with confidence! Great comms!!!

Sold a compressor to Bas, very smooth transaction. Lots of comms and general bass related chat. Excellent guy.