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Last night my blues band played the town's Art Centre. This may not sound a particularly big deal but for me it was one off the bucket list. The venue isn't big, but it has a good reputation and has had some very good artists and bands play there...the likes of John Martyn (obviously when he was alive), Andy Fairweather Low is there again soon. The first time I went so see a band was at this venue, I was in my teens and went to see a band called the Cult Maniax, ironically last night, my first time playing there, our guitarist was in the Cult Maniax. This was a ticket event, we didn't sell all tickets but the venue were very pleased with the turnout, I think we out sold a much better known blues band a few weeks ago. It was a great gig. When we finished the first song we received a massive cheer. I think this really spurred us on and gave us confidence to not just play the songs but to entertain as well...if you get my drift. Post gig I had people come up to me and say how good they thought it was, never had that before. This was the first time the band had played an established venue having to sell tickets (we usually play pubs) and we were all really chuffed with how it went.

I feel like I'm in a really obvious game within the Crystal Maze now, wearing an ill fitting jump suit, knowing full well that everybody at home behind the tele is shouting at me, "What a Richard!, just freaking listen and get it already you ****!".

I'm a big fan of WRs Heavy Weather but for me Percy Jones with Brand X top the fretless bill (I've got the 4 CD set Nuclear Burn so can't decipher which album is best!).

Brand snobbery and much competition I reckon . Used and owned a few Laney rigs over the years , never had a bad sound . A bass player local to me uses a Laney rig ( DPseries ) and sounds enormous Like the look of the newer Nexus , just think its so competive at the pricing and maybe they lack an endorsee or 2 . Must remember where I left / put / stored / my RB9 too …hmmm Gary

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put the guitar together today just a mock-up to make sure everything fitted and I was pleasantly surprized that it all fitted ok, the pups were a bit tight and I think I will need a little shim in the neck pocket or sand a bit of the bottom depends on how lazy I feel, I will take it apart tomorrow and try to get a coat of lacquer on it. got to put another hanger on the wall now.

It was! Good high-energy stuff and good audience. Really sorry I had to leave early, but you don't want to be on the last bus out of Stockport on a Saturday night 😞 Hoping to get my band to one of your Sunday afternoon open mics soon.

I always wanted to release an album that not only was it not recorded at A=440 but each individual track was off by a different amount. And then to mess with people's minds even more the tunings of the individual tracks would also be different depending on the format - CD, Vinyl, iTunes download, Amazon download, Spotify stream etc.

Whether you're a fan or not, check out June Lee's transcriptions of JC's stuff. Amazing works of scholarship & musicality.

Just for the anecdote... More years ago than I care to remember (even if I could ...), I was an active member of the organising team for our local summer festival (Les Trois Elephants; look it up..?). Ideas for a 'theme' were always in discussion over the winter hiatus; one suggestion I made seemed to strike a note with the others. I had contacts, from a previous job, with purveyors of second-hand pianos in the North of England. They had (and still have...) entire floors of a very large building, heaving with pianos of all sorts, many of which have no value as instruments (wooden frames, you see...), to be had for a song and a penny. My idea was to bring over to France a Tautliner full of pianos (about fifty or so...), build a pyramid as part of the festival decor, and, at a suitable moment, set it alight. Stuffed with adequate preparation (ping-pong balls stuck in the strings, rubber bands, a bit of pyrotechnics...), the blaze would 'play' itself; it was to be recorded, both from outside and from a couple of sacrificial mic's inside. The budget was accorded (modest enough; the truck cost more than the joannas...), and a few days before the festival, they were delivered. That's when it all went wrong. Seeing these pianos, half of the team, and more onlookers once they heard the news, decided that these 'instruments' were in too good a state, and would grace their homes. Once a distribution of the better looking furniture (for that's what they're classed as, really...) had taken place, there were so few pianos left, it was not worth piling 'em up..! The remaining pieces were scattered around the festival site as ornaments, but the Biggest Blaze of Pianos in the World did not take place. A shame, really, as I could otherwise have played you the resulting cacophony. I'd especially ordered (and paid extra for...) a player piano, which was to be the summit of the edifice, playing away by itself until things go too hot. Never mind; at least I tried. The festival was, despite not having this show-piece, a great success, and for several more years since, including this year.

Cracking build Andy, first class. Len must be chuffed.

Just finished the Proms show. Absolutely incredible, great pacing with amazing dynamics, harmonically and rhythmically complex whilst also being beautifully sparse in places. Normally i’d take unbridge at people saying he plays it safe.....far from it, as mentioned, the harmony and rhythms that weave their way through his songs and arrangements are definitely not ‘safe’.......that said, they are safe because he’s utterly in control, nothing is an accident, everything is constructed perfectly! Yet he still manages to create the magic that other artists only sometimes stumble on by being ‘on the edge’. If there were a couple of low-lights, it was Every Little Thing She Does and All Night Long, boring choices, but lots of amazing ideas within them to unpack and learn from! Yeah, amazing on the whole. Hideaway (song number 2) was a particular highlight! Wish I could have been there! Si

I think if you're wearing the dress and wig most people will know who you are supposed to be. If you get time you could draw on some sailor tattoos as well.

Two more jobs - soldering the wires and fitting the strap buttons. However, took the advantage of a little bit of cloud (not often in the UK we say THAT!) to take the arty-farty shots - taking photos in full sunlight is not an easy thing to do! Before those shots (and forgive the self-indulgence!), someone asked me why I've started scooping the back. Two reasons that can be seen in these two shots: It takes out a LOT of weight. Just look at how much wood has been removed - and this is a relatively thick body this time: It allows a superslim transition of the neck to the body. Again, this one has been made a little deeper (this one is 30mm at its minimum - my last build was 25mm where the body was basically the same thickness as the neck!) but still retains those pleasing lines at the transition. I've also left the transition relatively modest starting with a taper just past the 13th fret - I can always get the surform out if, after he's had a proper play with it, @Len_derby wants it slimmer further up Anyway, enough of the technicals - here are the fancy shots: As always, many thanks for sticking with yet another tortuous thread and for your kind words and encouragement - always HUGELY appreciated Andy

According to what I believe is a trustworthy source on social media, this is the new Flea American Artist series active bass. As lots of us commented a while ago, it’s the signature bass we thought fender should have released. No news on preamp and pickup but is looking good.

Doesn’t look very popular to me.

Thankfully you've seen sense, pickguard all day long...don't even know why you asked

It's been a good weekend, Friday was our annual performance for Young Epilepsy's summer ball, this is always a really fun gig, the young people at the charity are always so enthusiastic that it makes it very enjoyable. Saturday was a nice wedding in a converted barn - good sound, lots of space and an appreciative audience again made for a good gig, decent money both nights too. Before we played at the wedding, they had an Elvis tribute, who was great; it was a surprise that the bride arranged for her husband and he sang the first dance. He was a lot of fun and a great entertainer; I really liked that he stuck around to watch our set too, which I wasn't expecting to be honest.

Did you look it up after you read it?

We had a great gig at a little pub in Mold , North Wales , it seemed a bit quiet setting up , but was bouncing by the third number. Got called for 3 encores finishing at 12.15 it took ages to breakdown for all the dudes wanting a chat , very pleased with the performance and the staff were a bit gutted as we are not due back there until December 😂

These are gorgeous and I'd love one, especially as 30" scale is my preference! Seem to remember the bass player in Paolo Nutini's band using one to good effect and looking dead cool while he was at it.

Blimey - I'll have to put the Rascal Mervyn-Lyte you built for me on a diet!! Congrats on another beautiful creation.

That’s no playing...that’s something I take very seriously...🤗

Less of your Radical Silentist talk!

The driver is the same - not sure about the amp tho. There’s a k10 and a k10.2 in our band and they are very similar tonally and volume wise.

Sounds like a Pink Floyd lyric to me...

I think the quality of the high spec MM’s is excellent (e.g. PDN’s, Ltd Ed and classics) and up there with the similarly priced hand made basses I’ve tried/owned. The new Specials look as though they’ll be more high spec than the already pretty good current SR4’s, Ikm keen to see if they really are much better in the flesh. Hand made isn’t a definer of quality, or an indication that it’d be better than a similarly priced factory built.

Acetone is for wimps. For the real hard stuff you need the tube of catalyst from a pack of araldite, forget the syringe, just screw the needle right onto the squeezy tube. HTH

No, it's tiny, I don't think you could get anything that thick through it

Summer is great in Italy as there is live music out on the square every night ! If you into jazz next time visit Perugia or anywhere in Umbria ! Also another great place to be for live music is the buskers festival in Ferrara ! Unbelievable talents out there

I have no idea what you're talking about. *cough*

Sounds good, looks good @kodiakblair, and thanks for the tip - £17 for a pickup? I’ve bookmarked those bad boys!

I'm confident that the Ducati engine makes a more pleasant sound than that pair, lol

Cheers anyway mate

Haha! I'd love to hear him testing mic's too! He certainly is 'possessed by the music'. I'd like to hear the bassists other work as well. We all get something different out of sonic experiences. Especially this kind of avant-garde or free-jazz. This sort of thing can really test people and challenge their definitions of art, as it seems to have done for you. It can drive them genuinely insane as well. I personally love it for that, its very punk! His vocalisations are just that. Vocalisations. This doesn't limit him to specific words, harmony or rhythm. It could be considered quite dissonant. But interestingly, I saw a Rick Beato video recently where he discussed the idea of 'immunity to dissonance'. If you hear a dissonance or musical oddity enough you acclimatise to it and it is no longer dissonant or odd to you, just another fascinating harmony. 7/8 is 'odd' time, but we all got used to it. It's not strange anymore. Immunity to dissonance, while utterly alien at first, is central to this performance I feel. I found it was interesting to listen to with my 'soundscape head' on. The beginning brought the image of someone working with wood outdoors to my minds eye. I'll readily concede that it's not musical in the classical sense of the word. It's not Trane, Ornette Coleman or Sun Ra, but it does have a certain something. I once went to an enjoyable free-jazz/avant-garde gig which closely resembled this but used prepared piano, drums, bari-sax and electronics in addition to voice and bass. I found it made a refreshing change from the usual diatonic harmony and evenly divided rhythmic content. When I was younger, I remember feeling the way that you feel about this, but for all Jazz. The music was unpredictable (which I took to be bad at the time) and harmonically beyond my understanding. So, like a typical monkey I interpreted that which was unknown to be bad and avoided it. As I have matured, this has obviously and quite necessarily changed. For me, this performance clearly demonstrated the difference between improvisation in a conventional jazz idiom (where we expect the usual cliches of approach notes, time on the ride cymbal, walking bass, extended harmony etc.) and improvisation in a free setting such as this, where any sound can be interpreted musically. John Cage had alot to say about this. He held that all sounds/silences are musical, it is the listener and their ability to hear the sounds as such which varies. Don't actively listen to it I say, just be part of the thing. This is what I would call "inhabiting a sound-space" or passive attention. Very meditative if you're into that stuff. Similar to when you put on a record while doing some chores. The tune simply accompanies you as you go about, you're neither ignoring nor focusing on it. Performances like this are highly introspective, interpretive and, as with all music like this, requires completely different priorities from the listener. If everybody walks away from the performance with the same thing, then this music has definitely failed. Think about abstract expressionist art. It doesn't ask you to recognise use of forms from reality in the work (in this case the parallel would be use of conventional musical laws in the piece). The point is not to say: 'Look how well they depicted this scene or that tree.' or 'Look how well the bass outlines harmony x or rhythm y'. Nothing so literal. Rather, the purpose is personal, unique from hearing to hearing and often difficult or impossible to convey with words. P.S. The little "Ooo." from Minton at the end made me laugh.

You're welcome of course. Really though, I'm sure I speak for lots of folk when I say thank you for sharing your craft with us all. I will watch with interest to see where you go from here. I wish Len many happy years of ownership of this beauty. With a bit of luck I'll see and hear it in performance soon. (Been trying to catch Len with the Daz Kelly Trio for a while but plans keep getting scuppered)

Glad the pickup came 🙂 And thought I'd better come and say hi ... after all, I've been bass player in a few bands too, have owned everything from a 63 Precision to a BC Rich Mockingbird bass, and build and repair nearly as many bass pickups as guitar ones. Plus my business partner's a bass player, and is always trying to get me to design and wind more bass stuff ... he'll be flipping his fingers in delight. 🙂

Studio daytime. Gig evening. Perfect day! 😻

Great post. For me "Masques" by Brand X is tops. Percy Jones playing is hugely expansive, influential and undoubtedly had a meaningful affect upon Mick Karns development. ... I wouldn't disagree with any of the other opinions offered thus far. Jaco was obviously a monster on "Heavy Weather" by Weather Report.

I’m a big fan of J&D basses, in fact I have this exact ’75 model but in black. Mine’s entirely stock and I regularly gig it. Super instrument and for a shade over £100 it’s incredible.

We played for a Harley Davidson event some years ago. Did I mention that we‘re a 70s disco band? Under the circumstances it went as well as could be expected. The guys stayed outside at the bar and one or two of the women even danced.

Ok, you got me on this one. Can anyone tranlate this into Yankee talk? Leathering? Is it something I might enjoy? Blue

Just said to my mate, no idea why they’ve not done a mexi version of this for £750/£800 they’d sell a whole truckload of them. £1600+ is getting a bass made by someone else money.

...and here it is alongside my J&D ‘70s Jazz, which was an absolute steal and gets gigged regularly. I can’t say enough about how great this bass is, especially for just a shade over £100.

As far as BC is concerned, I think its sole ethical duty boils down to whether there's an intention to deceive a prospective buyer. The OP first raised this earlier today on an ad placed by a BCer for his Limelight Jazz bass. That bass is clearly being sold as a Limelight - not an original Fender - and as such imo there's clearly no intention to deceive a buyer. They know they're buying a Limelight, not a vintage Fender. And imo there ends BC's (and the buyer's) responsibilities. To claim that they must also be responsible for any future selling of that bass, possibly long after they sold it here, is nonsense. You wouldn't expect someone to be held responsible for the correct & legal resale down the line of, say, a car they sell tomorrow on autotrader, so why would you a bass? As for the ethics of putting Fender stickers on non fender basses; personally, I'm not remotely arsed about whether some huge corporations trademark is being infringed, and i'm surprised that anyone who isn't a corporate lawyer acting for one of those corporations could give a hoot either. Are we all gonna start acting as unofficial trademark policemen for private corporations we have no connection with? Seems a bit weird and cult-of-Apple like to me...:)

Here's a 28'' scale fretless I just finished (build thread in the Build diaries section). It's called the Flea Market Funk Machine as it was made entirely out of wood from furniture found at flea markets.