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My local Aldi has fisherman's scales in the central aisle....obviously not as accurate as your kitchen scales but negates the need for entering "the Forbidden Zone"...

What IS the best bass for metal? I thought I'd better get that one out of the way!

Got some more done on these today and I'm quite pleased with how they are looking so far. I'm also having a variety of thoughts regarding pickups - I'm half thinking of installing just a piezo in the bridge on the burl top. I'm also thinking about making a 30" neck for one of them, though that may follow later. I've done the routing for the neck and bridge on both of these and I've also started rounding the edges. Next task is to route the two neck blanks for truss rods.

Has there ever been a cooler drummer than this?

Just have to say, in response to the Barefaced naysayers on this thread, that my experience with the Barefaced tens runs contrary to the reservations that are expressed here. I am in New Zealand, yet the communication and customer service from Alex has been superb. I have two One 10s and a Four 10 which I combine with anything from a Mesa Subway 800+ to Orange AD200, Fender Super Bassman, Ampeg V4.....so I have a reasonable experience with these speakers. I also own Bergantino, Fender, Ampeg etc cabs for comparison. I do not want to get into a which is best scenario as that has been done to death, but IME and combined with decent amplification the Barefaced 10s far exceed others in volume and the type of tone that I enjoy. Yes, they are coloured but they are designed to be that way and it suits me. They go very loud without farting out and sit nicely in the mix. So light.... Anyway, it does boil down to opinion and we are all entitled to one, but I was surprised to read some of the comments here so looking to balance them from my own experience over 40 plus years of playing.

+1. I love a bit of Indian Yanny.

This is genius! I love it! You've got my vote man, perfection on every level! 🙌🙇‍♂️🙌🙇‍♂️🙌🙇‍♂️🙏 You are a god among mere mortals. 👏

OK I'm in a simple affair this time , nothing too complicated but I am very short on time this month, gigs, work and setting up for Lurksalittles 18th birthday bash next weekend ! Enjoy For some bizzarre reason I cant get the picture to upload this time around , I will try Again in the week

Just a weekend bump, have a great weekend 🙂

Good luck to both of you. Although i've been thru a few bands in past couple of years i've not gigged since early 2017 and current band is in rehearsals at moment. Only half way thru our set list of Glam Rock covers but that's because guys all have other commitments with other successful bands and are trying to slot this project in the gaps but hopefully will pick up once we start gigging. The talk within the band is that this band will take over as the main band for them all so that's nice.

We have a gig tonight to which a couple of people who saw the Stones last night are coming. Someone suggested we should drop our Stones numbers because it would be a bit of a stark comparison for those who’d seen them last night, and we wouldn’t want the band to be shown up for playing sub standard versions of the songs. I said sod that, the Stones have had a good enough run - why should we care if we show them up 😎

So spent quite a bit of time with these ZS10s. Quite a different sound to what I’m used to. Warm, with not a particularly wide soundstage (blocking the port makes this worse) with the recessed upped mids and treble clearly audible. So whilst I don’t particularly dig on them for casual listening of music, this trait could be quite favourable for onstage use as it will keep your ears fresher for longer. Having said that, I do like the warmth of the dynamic but I do find them quite a fatiguing listen generally - but I think that may be down to the mid range bloom. What I will say though, for the money - great. This or a 215? No competition. And if you think that this whole setup is comparable to the cost of an entry level cable from the big boys... not a bad thing to have in the spares bag either!

S'nothing, first gig since 2016 ; we're just about to start loading the truck.

Harsh that, was gonna say buy it a decent suit and get it some singing lessons...

I re-read that but let me just make sure... wink is the correct spelling isn't it? Otherwise I'd say your doctor is extraordinarily friendly, if a little dodgy with it.

At that price point you really need to get down to your local musical instrument retailer and try everything your friend can afford. The usual suspects will be a good starting point but there's always a chance that there will something in stock that you've never heard of before that turns out to be a bit of a hidden gem. Also you'll get a much better guitar at that price if you don't buy one with a built-in pickup/electronics.

That’s James Gadson. He was the guy back then, he certainly did a lot of sessions in the 70’s and 80’s. I think he was still gigging locally in the LA area up until a couple of years ago. A nice little read about his career here. http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/James_Gadson.html

In order to keep my strings fresher for longer I wash my hands before touching my bass, carry a microfibre cloth to wipe the bass and my hands and point a fan at my hands so that they don't sweat and stick to the strings which would inevitably cause skin particles to end up between the winds of the strings. I get around 9 or 10 wedding gigs out of a set before they get noticably dull. My bass is also the last thing to come out at a gig and the first thing to get put away at the end of the night

Just got in from the first of a three gig weekend, two more tomorrow, with not much of a break between them. You know that bit when there is some woman in the audience and all her friends are saying 'oh get her to sing' and you just know they are going to be awful, they are always awful. well, she came up when we were going to do all right now and grabbed the singers microphone (he is good with crowds, not me!), and started singing. OMFG was she good! Honestly I can't remember when I last heard as good a singer, a really strong voice, but not forced, perfect timing, great personality. Can we keep her?? Turned out she was a depping singer on a night out.

Just make sure you don't take it back to the wood - pretty unlikely unless you go mad with a belt sander though. The finish will easily T-Cut back to factory-standard gloss if you want to sell later.

Looks like a Schecter Stiletto Stealth to me:

I was only listening to ‘Tin Drum’ in the car today. Agreed, an exceptionally gifted and original musician.

Garfield Fleming from the Delfonics was walking past a record shop and heard a record he wrote and sang.. They didn't realise who he was. Just an excellent moment.

Having now had a listen to @Akio Dāku and @kingofthestuntmen I have have to say I am most impressed ........ Its a good job I brought my A game to the challenge this month .................................................................

My usual music is Classic Rock but I agree 100% with John Taylor (Duran Duran and Power Station) and Mark O'Toole (Frankie Goes To Hollywood) I also have a great deal of respect for Steve Priest from Sweet and Nick Beggs from Kajajgoogoo. Chris

There's a bass in this picture?

Quite a bit of the bulk is now removed. The lower bout will be slimmed (to maintain the radius as it is shorter) and there is now quite a bit of more subtle carving to be done to get the curve even and smooth. I will be shortly moving to cabinet scraper for the rest of the back carve. You can see how much wood has gone, though, already: And maybe you can see why I took the template of the chambers: The chambers are as deep as the ash is thick where it meets the neck, so too shallow a carve and I could break through the back. Knowing exactly where those chambers come to is therefore essential. I will be aiming at 3mm from breakthrough at their thinnest. I won't be carving the top until the pickup routs have been done, but this is a decent time to start checking the weight. This is most of the weight componentry, less the pickups and pots, still with a lot of wood to take off - especially the neck carve with a lot of heavy maple to remove. Yes - MrsAndyjr1515 was out: So just under 6 1/2lbs. The pickups, truss rod, and electrics will add around 3/4lb, but I should lose most of that with the further wood removal. Target for finished bass will be 6 1/2lbs or less. Ref neck dive control, there are a number of things in play: The bridge is well back The strap button is in the 'goldilocks' zone I'm fitting these really nice lightweight Schallers: Final update, Neil has chosen the pickups. A couple of Nordstrands, passive, master vol, master tone, blend. Great choice!

A band that notice how the bass sounds You need to stick with them Discreet.

Listening to this Bowie clip, I love the production and his performance.

Separate power supply for the Moog, or invest in a supply with isolated outputs!

It always does. Any time a thread with a title such "as are you bothered if you ding your relic bass", it is inevitably hijacked, often in a good natured way, such as here, other times less so, by posters expressing their distaste for relic basses, and passing judgement "sad" etc - often less pleasant on the instruments and those that buy them. It is seemingly not possible to have a discussion about some aspect of relic basses without it, If a thread is on a subject I'm not interested in, I don't bother posting that I don't like it,, because that would seem to me a tedious and oppressive waste of time for those that are and would like to enjoy an exchange of views on it. Further, passing judgement on posters based on the finish they prefer on their bass, as has often happened in other threads on the subject, is sad. It might be described as "bassism" i don't have a relic bass, Im so grateful that by your standards I have a life

You know what they say 2nd times a charm 😁 I've decided to leave a little V-ish shape at the bottom of the headstock (kind of a volute you might call it) just to give it a but more meat on the joint

Without doubt Mick Karn was once of the most original players out there, that Japan catalogue still sounds like nothing else on the market. Lovely fellow, sadly missed.

Absolutely no prob re. getting audio from the bashes. I usually record almost everything on video, so adding a dedicated, good quality audio recorder will be no problem at all. Looking forward to this!

Can't get with the relic'd thing. An old bass that's led an interesting life has a story to tell, but buying a brand new bass that somebody has been paid to go at with acid, sandpaper and a chisel (a cost that gets passed on to you, the buyer) in an attempt to fake a life it's never actually led... Nope, don't get that one at all. Still, pays yer money and all that. Having said that, when I sold my (well-used) '84 Wal a couple of years ago, I actually got a derisory offer from some American yuppie who spent time chirping about how much it was going to cost him to get it 'restored to it's proper condition' and about how badly I'd let the side down by letting it get into 'this state'. I suggested he keep looking for a vintage lefty Wal that might better suit his needs and sold it to somebody else.

Age has no influence on if you should do something in life or not, only ability and if you want to do it or not. Being 42 is no age either, only half way through your years. I say stop thinking about it and go do it, you don't know the fun and enjoyment you are missing. As a tip for when you get started, don't pack your bass away in its case with the intention of getting it out to play each time. It won't happen I promise you. Leave it out somewhere where you see it or walk past it all the time. You'll then get the urge to play it more often, usually at weird times like before going to bed, waiting to go out as your other half gets ready, sitting waiting for a courier, waiting for the kettle to boil or the oven to warm up but it means you still get to play it. Pack it away and you'll never play it I promise. Second tip, play everything, literally everything, play along to your favourite advert, genre's you dont like, songs on the radio, literally everything. At this stage, be a sponge so be as open to everything you can and take everything in as there will always be something you can learn from. Final tip, there is no right or wrong, there is music and expression and how you play and express yourself is your choice. Don't be told you are doing something wrong but be open to learning a more efficient way of playing.

Right here we go;

I can certainly vouch for Bass Bags, they are just up the road from me in Duffield. Mostly new instruments, but my most recent bass teacher had bought his bass from them and they won't sell anything that is not a good bass. .. or for a range of older basses as well as new ones, try Tim Toft in Stone (http://www.timtoftviolins.com/category/instruments/double-bass) and Turners (http://www.turnerviolins.co.uk/Instruments/DoubleBasses.aspx) in Beeston (Derby side of Nottingham). Toft's don't list much stock at the moment, but call them and ask; when I last went they had quite a lot in their bass room; also their Bass repairer is top notch and all their basses are nicely set up and have a price label on them. Turners maybe a little far East for you and I've found them a little shy of actually stating genuine prices, so assume everything is negotiable; but they usually have lots of stock right across the price range. For a big purchase like a new Double Bass, be prepared to travel and see as many as poss. Thwaites in Watford have a room FULL of basses (some of them the price of a decent sized house - but many affordable too). I have only just found out about this restorer and dealer in Leicester, but worth watching his stock or giving him a ring, Tim Bachelor (http://www.batchelar.com/double basses.html). Good luck with the bass hunt.

And, of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being "fine with a Squier". If I played instruments pitched at the level of my playing ability then I'd probably have an Encore and, for me, the Squier would be an aspirational instrument. There is no bassline that I have ever played that couldn't have been played on a £200 bass. The reason I play a Mike Lull T5 (current retail price c.£4500 though that is WAY more than I paid for mine) is simply because I like it, well, love it to bits would be more accurate, and I CAN. "I imagine the sock placement is partly to do with easy of sitting position." And how do you know where Anthony Jackson places his socks?

Why the LMB3? Well I've used it for years, always does what I need it to and is easy to use, reliable and solid. That makes it a quality pedal for me. And live that is invaluable. There are other more expensive ones out there of course.

My support regarding Wal orders is usually along the lines of... Do it... go on do it... do it, do it, do it... have you done it yet? I was going through numerous basses a month until my first one landed, chopping and changing, searching for something that gave me the sound I had in my head. I'm down to two basses now and have been for a while, fretted and fretless Wals

It would be lighter than my other one.

Probably need at least 3 passports to play a bass with that finish

I like the spalted beech option, the black hardware just seems to blend with the wood better for me..

It's going to be a little while before I get to build this but I couldn't help myself looking at ideas of how it could look. So I cut an outline and put it over various bits of wood I have: Ash Wenge Walnut Maple Spalted beech Map I actually quite like the map one!!

Still my favourite looking bass. A super rare Hamer Impact neck through, from the 90's..

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1485080030' post='3220882'] You can buy the labels quite cheaply online :-) Or about £3 a device.. (PS there is no legal reason to have kit PAT tested, just a bit of a scam IMHO..). See the HSE website for confirmation.. [/quote] also you could bet a months wages that if you were unfortunate enough to have an incident involving a third party there would probably be a firm of ambulance chasing lawyers chasing you down for your PAT and PLI certificates