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+1 to the OP For me, I've had over 12 years and counting on Bassworld, Basstalk and Basschat collectively, and had almost overwhelmingly positive experiences when buying and selling gear. And though there's only been a couple of instances in all that time which had problems - both caused by Courierbot error I might add - things were amicably resolved in typical Basschatter fashion, i.e. through good communications. On more than one occasion, people have loaned gear to me to try out at my leisure and that's been an invaluable resource, especially when that evil-eyed GAS monkey is getting the better of me! Happy to say I've made a few good friends on here too, often through buying/selling, but also at the various Bass Bashes I've been to. Gotta say... the Mods deserve a lot of credit for keeping this place in good shape; without that constantly care and attention, I think it could quite easily slip a little. But most of all, I think it's a great community on Basschat because bass players are all about building good stuff from the ground up, and bringing folk together - it's just what we do! ☺

Yesterday I just finished the shaping of the second body and called it a day, hardly worth an update. Today I played around with the neck joint, I made a quick MDF jig to cut the tenon on the router table and screwed it to the top of the neck along the centreline where the truss rod will be set in next week. I roughed out the tenon on the bandsaw and routed the neck. They turned out just a tad tight so a couple of wipes with a file saw them a perfect fit. Then I semi scribed them into the body but left the tenons needing to move forward by about 1mm when the neck has had some shape cut into it so by scribing the neck join this will pull in nicely. I did the rough scribing with a dovetail saw and then pared off anything that looked to be sticking out. The tops of the necks are still about 3mm proud of the surface of the body, I'll sort that out next week after thinning just to make 100% sure everything stays straight and flat So for now we have two massive blanks for the necks waiting to be thinned and the scarf joints cut for the angled headstock will probably do that on Sunday, I have other things to do until then unfortunately And for those who have been wanting to see what I keep in my drawers

Tweeted and Facebooked as Basschat.

Peaches by the Stranglers

I've told this story before elsewhere - we only had classical music in the house when I was a child, but I can clearly remember, aged about 6, sitting on the floor beside the one speaker of our mono record player tracking the cello lines in Mozart string quartets. Nobody suggested it, it was just instinct. So of course many years later when I discovered the Byrds, Eric Burdon, etc it was the bass I latched on to and wanted to play. My mother beat it into my head that I would never be able to, and I believed her. Children believe that sort of **** and it can cripple them for life. Finally at 59 I just got angry and decided not to believe it any more and went out and bought a good bass and found a good teacher. By then I was well into electric blues, and the first thing I learned to play had to be a classic 12-bar. The first time I played a turnaround was a huge, demon-killing joy. You were wrong, Mum. I still enjoy Mozart cello lines though, thank you for that.

Couple of weeks ago I received an email asking about a magic booking... This is it. I have not edited it. At all. "Ayo wagwan b holla at me with you bbm pin eint I looking for a sick magical party with the mandem like playing pin the shank on the donkey and real life pinata" I have no clue.

It’s only fair to warn you that you may be exposing yourself to the unsolicited attentions of the entire singles faction of BC. Next you’ll be telling us that when you want or hope for something from your partner, your simply ask them instead of expecting them to know instinctively 🤪.

Sort of reminds me of when I had to collect a parcel from the local PO sorting office. Missed the driver so went to collect with best ID I had at the time. Current utility bill and my expired passport. They would not accept my ID as they needed valid photographic evidence. An idiot could see that my old passport was me. They asked for my driving licence but it was an old one with no photo. After a good few minutes of banter that was getting a bit heated, they said they could accept a credit card? I pointed out that there was no photo on a credit card but they said they could still accept that? I told them I didn't have a credit card and so we went back to the heated banter. Eventually I said, "Why don't you just say that there is no way I can have my parcel. My property". He paused and then said, "We could redeliver it to your address tomorrow".

The problem I used to have with Mr Josie (before he became abusive and I had to move out) was not how much stuff we each had, but how we kept it. I had at the point I moved out - in the house - about 4 basses, 3 guitars, and 2 amps, all in my broom-cupboard "3rd bedroom" music room. (Also 2 basses at work and one in Nashville - that's another story...*) I own three pairs of shoes and no handbags 🙂 He had a relatively small amount of walking and climbing gear, which absolutely had to be strewn about underfoot everywhere. * The bass in Nashville is my beloved 1966 Gibson EB2, which my son who lives there is "looking after" for me, and which I don't expect ever to bring back to the UK. Too fragile and valuable. He has her hanging in pride of place on the wall, he loves her almost as much as I do. I try to go back twice a year to play her as much as to play with the grand-sprogs 🙂

@devinebass good to see you over here on the dark side 😁 On a serious note though - there literally isn’t a better, more comprehensive online bass tuition resource anywhere. It just makes sense!

Hey guys - great to see that you're checking out what we're doing over at SBL! Thought I'd chime in to add some clarity that may be useful in some way, shape or form. What I publish on YouTube is a completely different kettle of fish compared to the ScottsBassLessons Membership. My YouTube lessons are kinda bite size chunks of standalone info, usually on a particular subject. The latest one's (as in, for the last 18 months or so), are very "unpolished", show a lot of behind the scenes stuff, and 99% of them are all me. ScottsBassLessons on the other hand is an online school. We have a library of over 40 courses (each course is focused on a particular subject, and some are up to 10 hours long) We stream live classes for our members each and every Monday from some of the best bass educators on the planet (these are also interactive so our students can ask questions, live). I host a monthly "student focus" class - so members can submit videos directly to me, and get a video response from me in return And a bunch of other cool stuff... but I'm guessing you get the idea. Again, just to make it super clear, ScottsBassLessons isn't just me - our faculty consists of bass players such as, Gary Willis, Cody Wright, Rufus Philpot, Steve Jenkins, Rich Bown, Danny Mo Morris (Berklee College of Music), Ed Friedland, Ariene Capp, Evan Marien and many more... As I'm guessing you'll see, it's a big operation and is nothing like what I do on YouTube. I should also mention that all of our courses inside SBL are highly produced, unlike my YouTube videos. If you do wanna check it out, we have a free trial for that exact reason - so you can take it for a test drive and see if it's for you. Any other questions - just gimme a shout! Cheers, Scott. PS. I'll try and keep the meaningless drivel down to a minimum for ya @thebigyin

No but I could try to get something, I'll post it here if I do. Seems most fretless players aim for a upright db, sort of rubbery sound and use tape-wound strings. I'm trying to get a silvery shimmery slide sound inspired by the slide guitar in some of my favourite blues bands. Somehow the chrome flat-wound strings and the hardest sharpest pick just work together really well to achieve that.

Nothing to do with speed, but the difference in sound is clear. I've seen good bass players switch between pick and fingers between songs, or even mid-song, to get the right tone or attack. I can only play with a pick (right elbow RSI, limited use of my fingers) so I've explored that a bit and it's striking how much difference in sound one can get from different picks. Stone sounds different to wood sounds different to resin. Sharp sounds different to rounded sounds different to blunt. Atm I'm mostly using sharp hardwood with my electric fretted main squeeze, sharp stone with my flat-strung fretless, and blunt resin with my fretted acoustic. And they're rather lovely things...

No worries There are indeed now workarounds yes, but enough people have just closed their accounts for a critical mass of stuff to be fully gone rather than just unnecessarily awkward to access. I can't fathom what kind of echo chamber has to exist to make something like that seem like a good decision!

Not that people didn't play with a pick earlier but IME when playing with a keyboard player or any other instrument in the same low end zone a pick can help push our basses through the mix And once Synths came out in the late 70's early 80's a pick really helped Also the pick has a sounds and techniques all of its own, which I quite like (Thin Lizzy!!!) (Yes, I am old!) Faster, I think so and easier to maintain a faster beat. I have been trying for years to emulate with my fingers some of the techniques that can be done easier with a pick. Speed is one of them. Now the down side to a pick is string skipping. Depending on the bass there is a lot of real estate to cover. Fingers can do that faster IMO than a pick can. I am 'one of those guys' that says it is best to know finger style, pick style and slap style I hope this helps a little, thanks

I spent all my life without needing a pedal board. At Christmas i got a PT Nano+, and now I’m on my second board this year. This one is pretty much going to stay as it is though. This collection of pedals offers me all i need. I may swap ther Qstrip out for my Zoom 60D at soem point, but only when I’m bored.

I can confirm that an FR800 is more than any sane person would ever need. That's why I have 2.

Glad to see you're adding value to the discussion, Cam 😂

New Vigier porn on it's way. I should have it next week. This is the teaser pic I was sent, yesterday. Very excited. Full, detailed pics upon arrival 😋

You see a fair few pro bass players sporting Squier et al. I don't think it's that remarkable... Squier basses are of a quality that can cater for most people's ability. The key point is being able to play the bloody thing and not have to worry about it. For example, if you're on tour and your bass gets wrecked or goes walkies it's easy enough for someone to go to the local music shop and buy a near-identical instrument off the peg without going bankrupt.

Tears of a Clown. Smokey Robinson. Bass by Bob Babbitt. First time I noticed how the bass drove the whole song.

Hello. How are you? Kindly reply to me using your Blackberry Messenger..... yeh, never mind 😂

I'm eternally grateful to prog, without that self indulgent tedium (IMO of course) we wouldn't have had the perfect antidote, Punk

When i worked on the Post Office counter there were certain forms of ID we could accept, and others that we couldn`t. I won`t explain why certain items were unacceptable, but there was often a way to apply common sense to a situation. Fair enough if there wasn`t then the rules were there, but said common sense not only made the customers day easier, it actually made your own day easier.

I had similar recently but got a message to say they had attempted delivery but they had not left a card (still think they had ticked a box on the computer and been nowhere near my house) so went down with enough ID to get a mortgage and a date with the queen, nope not good enough. But they would deliver to ANY address I chose the next day. Where in the name of all that’s Holy does that make sense. I did ask if iI t was possible to deliver it to my car in the car park in the next ten minutes but that was met with stony silence.

I think some of us need to get past the idea that if a bass doesn't resemble a well known design from 1957 or 1960 it's in some way odd. I had this obsession in the late 60s and early 70s despite many of my favourite bassists of the time playing such oddities as Gibson EB3s and the Art Deco hinted Rickenbacker. We just should not be questioning what Anthony Jackson wants his signature bass to be in my mind - it's got nothing to do with anyone but him - if some of us don't like the bass (I'm one of them) then tough - they clearly make it because some people want to buy a replica. As for Hiram's Fodera, it looks totally inocuous to me - I'm sure it sounds great (stunning in expert hands no doubt) - I just don't get people's objection to other people's basses - if you don't like it then fine but it seems to me to be crass, if not rude in the extreme to be moaning about it and almost inviting people to justify why they've had the audacity to buy it. I have to say I find Fender basses in sunburst as boring as bland boiled potatoes, and when coupled with a tort scratch plate, an eyesore. But would I post such views generally - and least of all in a thread where someone's referring to selling one on the forum - I personally think its totally out of order 😕 but then I've become a grumpy old git like that singer from the Who!!!

I think you'll find punk happened for a lot of reasons but mainly because a group of kids got the opportunity to perform for a load of other kids - aherm just like the fab 4 and others did in the 60s - and a couple of scallies from Manchester and Messrs Albarn and co did in the mid 90s. The fact punk was pretty aggressive and had its own fashion is no more seminal in my view than other genres over time - maybe a reflection of aggressive times in the mid to late 70s - a couple of my haunts as a early 20s youth were blown to bits, complete with packed crowds at that time - and I doubt a punk gig was any more aggressive than a Slade one in their skinhead era - although communal gobbling was a punk trait only...... The fact is Fleetwood Mac and their late 60s audience had developed musically so that's why the music changed - plus all the other influences of the time. It is very true that many of us do turn into our dads in terms of musical tolerance (I do remember mine being outraged - and I mean seriously and vocally so - by the JH Experience on TOTP doing Purple Haze and demanding to know why people couldn't play guitar properly, like Hank Marvin. I used to play in a band with people a few years older than me and some of them, excellent musicians, were firmly of the belief that music died at the end of the 60s and anything after is rubbish - they too are Hank Marvin fans. I like to think I have a fairly open mind when it comes to music and indeed I like playing bass across all genres and eras - having two children who are also big music fans and also play instruments is a tremendous way of being exposed to a lot of excellent music I wouldn't otherwise have heard or known about, whilst they grew up and developed their own tastes (spookily also varied in genre but slanted towards the dance/R and B side of things). i think we are in danger of being grumpy old men in this thread without maybe realising - and of course that's exactly what Mr Daltrey is!! A track off his new album came on the radio last night whilst I was driving - I have to say it was damned excellent - a pity my mind has him down now as a bit of a b*ll end as far as musical views are concerned - but I do recommend a listen - for such an old git he sounds bloody excellent!!

Aye, great site. Though I think I’ve found more musicians on Autotrader.co.uk

Couple of things: * The observation that 1971 may (or may not) have been the year that 'rock' peaked does not impede one's enjoyment of product released in any other year. Indeed, pretty much most of everything worthwhile that's ever been recorded in any year is still available somewhere, so the issue of peak year is pretty much moot in practical terms. Which leaves us with the issue of people feeling vigorously proprietorial about their 'year' or their 'band'; which is subjective rather than objective but that's the interwebz for ya. * Hardly anyone (?) has suggested a 'peak year' preceding 1971. How odd.

You bloody mellifluous, considerate humanitarian! Coming on here with your damn congenial, indulgent tolerance! It's nothing but benign encouragement and accommodating bias!

I think my first audition made the band giggle. They're a covers band that will cover anything from gossip to audioslave to GnR. I had never been in a band before, and was terrified turning up to the audition. I'd played the bass for years, at home.... When I get there the bassist before me was just tearing down his 2 4x10 rig with Trace head and I immediately thought "shi what am I doing?" I place my 25 watt peavey practice combo next to it and tell the other bassist I was ready to bring the thunder - we have a laugh. I take my guitar out of its bag. Did I forget to mention I didn't actually own my own bass? It's my sister's that I stole years ago and it still has pink ribbons on the case. Anyway... I play my heart out and barely get heard over the thunderous drums. I place my tiny amp in a corner at head height to allow us to just about hear me and somehow I get the gig! We've just booked our 8th gig in July in front of 200 festival goers.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SIRE-MARCUS-MILLER-V7-FRETLESS-5-STRING-NECK/142820329655?hash=item2140c148b7:g:RQwAAOSwwAdbFDn4

It's always great fun meeting a Basschatter in person to collect or hand over! Cue coffee, bass and bants - usually at a time when we're both supposed to be working 😉

The way I got it to work was to practice without using my first finger so just index and ring, then added the first finger back in once I was happy with it. But I switch from one to two to three fingers depending on what works best, I don’t even think about anymore, it just happens. Edit: and I am pretty crap anyway so doesn’t make much difference!

There are some 112 "super" cabs that can sustain 600 watts comfortably and remain pretty fast unlike cabs using PA/FOH drivers that do what they are designed for but are not IMHO suited for MI/bass guitar use. Also, there are new 15s that are like D140s on steroids. They are taking 4X the power and venturing up into 12 territory while maintaining the "old school" foundation that began our love affair with them back in the day. A 25lb 115 is powerful and very portable.

Wondered that myself. Hardly the busiest of threads lately, though - Ebay's not the marketplace it once was for interesting Japanalia.

This was it..

I wish I could agree! But I'm pretty firmly of the view that rock in all its forms before 2000 has generally outclassed what has happened since then and what is happening right now in 2018. Nightclubs all over the country are closing, kids today are as likely to be interested in computer gaming as they are in pop and rock and long gone are the days when we all eagerly waited to find out what the new top 10 chart was going to be! Similarly classical music could well be said to have peaked around a century earlier - very little since about 1920 compares to the majestic works that were composed in abundance in the classical music golden age that preceded from Mozart to Mahler.

I don't know much about this session in particular but I can imagine many engineers being reluctant to work with something home made.

Well that wasn't entirely easy to resolve, and taught me a few things about eBay, the main one being that they will listen hardest to whichever party is prepared to shout the loudest (and this was a guy who sent all of his message IN CAPITALS so I'm guessing it was him, for a while at least). Also, and rather alarmingly, the person who eventually resolved it for me - a process which took several long conversations - suggested that eBay doesn't disclose the nature of complaints made, even to the person who is the focus of those complaints. In short, they initially said they couldn't remove the negative feedback because they had evidence from the seller that the feedback was accurate, but they could not share that evidence with me? Amazingly however, not one of the people I spoke to had actually read the eBay messages between me and the seller, and the guy who eventually did said "no brainer, he's clearly in the wrong", my negative feedback was removed and case closed within minutes. I'll be honest though, I found the whole thing quite stressful, the guy was clearly a little obsessed with getting his own way, and the constant messages and accusations just started to wear me down after a while. Anyway, lessons learned.

Same here - its been a really good reliable place to buy and sell in my experience. The only one transaction I've been involved in that didn't turn out as planned was efficiently and amicably sorted with the seller via an exchange of PMs. So yeah, all good.

Another big +1 from me. Been on here 11 years ( blimey...) with no bad experiences at all, and met some top people too.