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BOOM! Got the job!!!! Band is called Fraudio btw. Absolutely stoked and in need of a beer or two. Now begins the hard work!

Bass Players be warned.

I recently quit a blues band I'd been in for the last five years to avoid the routine of Saturday night gigs at pubs up to 50 miles away to indifferent audiences. Last year I played 50-60 gigs, this year about 20, plus five I am proud of that were played with a band who share my taste in music, to an audience who know the music and are there just to see us. I'd say think about what you really want to be playing, find some people who share that dream and get a band together, and you'll find an audience. You won't get anything like as many gigs as the local standard covers band but you'll feel so much better about yourself.

I do it because I've seen other bass players do it, and I think it will give the illusion that I'm quite professional. 😁

I never understood this. You're literally giving away your bank details [*] to strangers all the time. It's good to be cautious but... On the other hand, bringing a stranger to my place, I may be more cautious about that. [*] By bank details, I mean account/sort code. There's nothing anybody can do with that other than put money into your account If that's a scam, scam me all the way to Chicago.

Just for balance... Several years ago now, I saw an ad (not on BC...) for a Hiwatt amp I was keen on. Isn't it always the way; I didn't have the £600 asking price. The amp was in Kingston-on-Thames; I'm in France. Not deterred, I asked the seller if I could buy it, but pay in instalments, 3 x £200. To my surprise, he agreed. I paid using Paypal (not into his account, but his father's...), and three month's later, with Our Youngest, took the ferry to Portsmouth, then train to Basingstoke, from where my elder brother drove us to Kingston to collect it. Uber-heavy, in a new flight case, it almost had to be crow-barred into the boot of the Jaguar. Some folks can be trusted; some folks are trusting. It may be rare, but sometimes the two go together. The amp (DR205...) is now our principal bass amp. A Good Deal; it does work out, sometimes. Just for the anecdote, the car was parked in the only space available, quite far down the road from the address. My brother stayed in the car; Our Youngest and myself went in to see the amp. The bloke had it set up in the back kitchen, with a 4x12 cab. He handed me a Telecaster, to try it out; I plucked away a few chords, testing the inputs, listening for pot crackles; it seemed fine. I handed the Tele back, and the fellow turned the master to full and hit a chord. Our son and I both jumped back a metre or so; it was loud; very, very loud. Lugging the brute out to the car, my brother, who had been quietly listening to the radio in the car the while, asked what the heck that noise had been..? That power chord had woken up half of Kingston; it was audible, and bloomin' loud, all around the block..! No, we don't play that loud, but I'm ccomforted in the knowledge that we have 'headroom', and that it can deliver..!

My truss rod looks like that. Not wishing to teach anyone to suck eggs, but you do know the Maruszczyk truss rod is backwards to other truss rods don’t you?

For me Aladdin Sane is TB’s finest work. It’s possibly my favourite record of all time any road (certainly the one that never strays from being in the top 3) and would be my recommendation to any budding bassist in terms of an album to listen to that inspires. The title track is sheer perfection. And of course he also had those amazing sidies!!

Now that my Reincarnate bass is almost finished and I still haven't decided how to move forward on the neck thru build!! I thought its time to start planning an new build It's either going to be a 5 or 6 string depends on what donor bass I can get hold of?? This is the shape it's going to be: I'm thinking (at the moment but it could all change?? ) of doing a wood and resin body, I can get for a very reasonable price from a fella that lives in my village and sells 'character timber!! ' a nice looking lump of live edge Spalted Ash which I think would look really nice teamed up with some Black resin I haven't decided if it's going to be trans black or opaque yet??............. 😀

[Long-winded old-man alert!] Reading this may alter your mind. "Retirement" is only a modern-day phenomenon. We've forgotten that in past centuries, people never retired. They belonged to guilds as shoemakers and blacksmiths, ...etc. When they became old and feeble, they simply cut back until they could no longer pass muster and hopefully, they were wise enough to save for their twilight years. Or successful enough for apprentices to take up the slack. Perhaps retirement was born as a military contractual benefit, to entice men to join such a thing. But, everyone else couldn't just stop working and "retire", as their work, proprietary profession and business was certainly their only means of livelihood. No cushy pension schemes. Life was short and brutal. Most people dropped dead on the job, before they could worry much about "retirement". You bopped till you dropped. Today, most of us work as employees for corps and gov't. Retirement schemes abound. Even doctors and lawyers are salaried, now. Of course, it's a ponzie scheme waiting to collapse as demographics invert. Hence, the big push for immigration. Soon, we'll all witness abrubt and impending retirement upheavals and the fallout of lowered expectations. If you can still command an audience, carry on. Back in the 1980s I watched Peter Noone (aged 71) performing Hermin's Hermits songs for twenty-five people in an open-air park at the CNE fair in Toronto. While sitting on a park bench, I had to wonder how this could be. But I was still young. You're all in for a surprise at 52. That's when you find out how stupid you really are. Things get better after that. By the way, he's still performing. I'm 64 and have long moonlighted as a BP. I have no intention of working the careers that I chose to raise a family and earn a living. But last week I joined a bar band. Why? Because bass playing is my passion. Knocking those four strings about makes me feel like I'm flying. I know that I'm a denizen of the far tail on the BP bell curve and can shake a dance-floor better than most. So why not? (I'd rather recline, drink coffee and watch House MD, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, Law & Order and Tommy Cooper; but I seen 'em already. Besides, the actors are really the ones having all the fun. A bar band provides human interaction on a grand scale.) Why is age a factor? Is it youth that is the real commodity? Do you go to a concert to see youth or hear music? Dancer or lurker? That's the part that makes no sense. Mass youth was simply a property of the post-war baby-boom. It's not a religion. Why would anyone seek after a youthful face when they really just want musical entertainment. It's not a romp in a cat-house. It's only entertainment for bar hoppers and pub punters to immerse themselves in a joyful noise and dimness so they feel more secure as they seek a buzz or a mate or give the baggage a good shake in public. Those who like music based on the Fender bass have grown-up and aged. But they still like this music. Look at the Stones. Look at their audience. The sixties was not just a youth rebellion. Most of us were not rebelling. We just liked to hear the drum kits, the Fender basses, the 'lectric guitars, and the vocalists with colourful voices and magical, meaningful lyrics. Trump is 71. Merkle is ? McCartney? Richards? I'd bet that even Elvis would still be gyrating today at 83. Why do they do it, the OP asks? Because there is a public need... Because passion rivals money... Because they can... and they're good at it! Satisfaction trumps waiting to die. Live the life you love... till it's time to die. Let's not call it a disorder. It's a blessing.

OMG, I do that too!!! Black ones, obvs. In all seriousness, I do find them useful during the summer months if your fingers are getting a bit sweaty!!

10 holes and only 2 screws. Just like my last visit to a swingers club. Looks very nice though.

I just couldn't stand the 'no pickguard'' thing any longer. It's just not me. I tried tort, black, gold and white, they all looked terrible. So I went with this cream job. I hope you like it. If you don't - too bad!

This. It takes less than a second and avoids that schoolboy-error embarrassment as your lead comes out and you look like a total twât. Or more of one.

I can't be the only one wanting to know the name of the band surely?

I have this in a week or so's time but as I keep telling myself, joining a band is a two way thing and you are auditioning them too! To make a band that works needs so many different stars to align that if you don't get the gig it's to be expected in many way - getting the gig is a bit of a miracle! Good luck!

It's what keeps him going; he loves it. Same reason most on here will travel 60 miles to a gig on a Saturday, spend 2 hours setting up, play for 3 hours, spend another hour breaking down, then drive home, and maybe get £30.

I dont have much time for Cliff's music, he was a late 50s/60s artist to me, but to suggest someone should stop doing something they love seems strange. If what he was doing was important to well being in any way (Yes I know ) then yes, give it up, but its just music and if he and the audience enjoy it then why not? Its his job after all. My old man loved his work as a carpenter and did his job till he was 76, not cos he was desperate for the money but because he loved it.

I've already thrown away my surgical boot - what more d'you want??

In my quest for a really small and extremely lightweight bass combo that has enough poke to do an acoustic session I stumbled across this one and the thing that intrigued me was that it runs on a 19v DC adapter which is exactly the same as the Phil Jones Double Four... now I know the PJB is a quality unit and is much loved, however it is also twice the price of the VX50BA and in this demo the Vox sounds pretty nice... If a laptop battery will run one of these ala the Double Four ( and I cant see what it wouldnt) I must admit its quite tempting!

Just back home now! I’ll post thoughts tomorrow. I have videos of ropey playing on ropey jammed songs.. not sure that’s a good thing or not 😂

Yes, much better to wipe a runny nose or sweat onto a shirt sleeve. A pro would always use the shirt and not a wristband, which is ideal.

I'm also aware that only recently on another thread (what with me being in the Pickguard Police and all), I ranted about how a white guard was totally unacceptable with a sunburst finish. But I like this cream guard, it just seems to work with the burst and dark board. Maybe because there's no bell plate? I would have preferred tort, but IMHO only vintage tort or Spitfire tort is ever good enough and as these options each cost more than the entire bass, it's not going to happen. There's also a whole thread on TB about the merits of various shades of mint green with sunburst, but I'm really not sure about that.

Very nice tune ,the female vocalist fits nice 👍

I don't find it to hard to get my head around. Drive off, it's just like any amp, gain doesn't have any real effect on the sound. Dialing in drive lowers the headroom, so that the gain control starts to produce soft clipping overdrive. It also starts to roll off highs and lows as you turn it up, so you can think of it as a modern/vintage knob. At low gain, you could just use this drive control as a HPF+LPF speaker simulator. The final thing to realise is that the mid control is placed before the clipping section, so has a massive effect on the overdrive character. Boosting mids gives you more drive, but boosting bass/treble does not, since those controls are placed after the clipping section. Therefore don't be afraid to drastically scoop mids if using lots of drive!

used the 935 in anger last week at a particularly boisterous gig and it performed brilliantly, the vocals are a whole level higher than the AKG D5's (and they're pretty good). The actual volume levels are much higher and the crispness and clarity was astonishing, very impressed..

Good advice but a couple of points that you might like to consider. You said you are mixing from on stage. I'd be thinking about something with some physical sliders for those moments when something goes wrong and you need to tweak a channel and keep the music going at the same time. Pretty tough to use a touch screen and play bass at the same time but hitting a physical switch or fader if you've forgotten to change scene is a bit more practical. The other consideration is the vocal mics. I've got 3x AKG D5's and the sound is fantastic and they are a bargain but the downside is that they are fairly demanding of your mic technique, you have to keep your head fairly still as going even slightly off axis or misjudging your proximity kills the volume, the downside of their feedback rejection. Mic's suit some voices better than others and some singers prefer a less demanding cardioid mic. (secretly I like the rest of the band to use the predictable, reliable, good sounding D5's but I am rubbish with them and use a Sennheiser 935 or a Shure) I'd really look at the RCF 735's though, you'll get a better sound than most of the tops and subs mentioned here and cut down on the hassle factor. It'll be a long time before you need any more than this and you can add a sub or two if you need to once the money starts rolling in, personally I suspect you won't.

I have had a set on at least one bass for over ten years now and I can’t see that changing anytime soon. I just love the soft slinky feel of the strings, and the tone just last so long. They are well worth the investment if your body chemistry ‘kills off’ other strings. I did a price comparison to another brand and in the same period I had one set of Elixirs on, I would easily have been through four sets of the other brand which would have cost me a chunk more than the Elixirs. Just as a side note, I can highly recommend D’Addario NYXL strings too, great feel, brighter tone out of the gate than Elixirs, and I have had a set on my stingray since August last year. Yes they have lost a bit of zing but they still sound good, feel good, and no signs of any corrosion, which for me is unheard of. They aren’t even advertised as a long life string either!

it arrives on Monday but I don't have a gig till dec 14th. would you believe it's my Christmas present from my mother in law (well she gave the money lol)

I would say the obvious thing was not getting on with them at the audition, or seeing something in them you know would be a problem. Or even finding out they are not as good as you thought they were.

Or, you may have just got in from the pub.

Just remember some of the best bass players are not the best band members. Blue

I've not heard of this as being a scam. He can't, as far as I know do anything with just bank details. Just be wary of PayPal, that's often involved with scams.

I notched the two saddle bridge to get better intonation. Black lines are now the break points. Definite improvement. Dents and bruises.

OK - still got to finish shaping the neck and the volute, but this is what the headstock is starting to look like. From a functional point of view, I'm MUCH happier with this: The final sanding will straighten up the right-hand walnut flash: Going to see if I can finish the neck carve this afternoon before the next stint of grandparenting!

As would be Basschat, were it not for the vigilance and diligence of the Mod and Admin team. All sites on t'web are bombarded constantly with stuff of the sort; it's up to their teams to make sure that very little gets through, and what does pass, is swiftly removed. It would appear that jmb are less fortunate, s'all..?

I’ve got a yellow fretless Kubicki.. 🤗 Like the colour alot but never play it.. 🙄

Here you go....here's my 50's Classic Lacquer DIY Roadworn work in progress...

I've anyways thought of the Holy Trinity of bass as being Fender Precision, Fender Jazz and Musicman Stingray (Honorable mention to Saint Gibson of Thunderbird). Today's new arrival has completed what I'm now thinking of as my UNholy Trinity. Unholy? Well firstly - as you might notice - they're all five strings. Secondly because the Precision is a (much modified) Squier rather than an actual Fender, the Jazz is a real (albeit Chinese made) Fender but has coil tappable Humbuckers rather than the traditional single coils and now the newest addition is a Sterling by Musicman Ray CA25. Anyway, not had much time with it yet other than to give it a good set-up with a nice low action and to temporarily stick a bit of black adhesive vinyl over the (in my opinion) cheap looking white scratchplate but so far it's looking good. Sounds like a Stingray. Plays nicely. Looks pretty good to me. Now looking forward to giving it a run out at Saturday night's gig. Also, any help choosing between these three scratchplate materials I've narrowed it down to to permanently replace the white plate with would be appreciated. 🙂

Apart from the fact of you've got some stunning looking basses there! The main question I've got going through my head is HOW BIG IS YOUR SOFA!! 😁

On the flat-pack idea, I think we got up to about half a dozen potential takers. I haven’t given up on the idea, but we haven’t reached critical mass yet. Maybe the next incarnation of this design will get some more interest. I’ve designed and built a few bass cabs with midrange drivers, and gigged a cab with an 8” midrange chassis for a few years. I built my own take on the Fearful with an Eminence 3012LF and a Celestion sealed back midrange (the Celestion is much better than its price suggests but it needs some fancy crossover work). I also built a 15” system with the Beyma 6” neo midrange. Although I thought all of these were a worthwhile improvement on a single driver, I still much prefer a two-way system with a high-end compression driver and this is the direction in which I am heading. Naturally, I’m still interested in finding out how Phil gets on with his line array design. Both John (Chienmortbb) and I have been keen to try to get the weight of our cabs down a bit. He has been using the Beyma SM212 and Celestion CDX-1445 (as used in the Yamaha DXR series incidentally) in this cabinet with a fairly weighty crossover, while I have been using neos, albeit quite heavy ones. So we’re now on a mission to make a more lightweight 12” system, although it will of necessity be more expensive. I received the Faital Pro chassis about a month ago – probably the first in the country – and this is what I have been working with in the odd hours I get to spend in my garage/workshop. For those interested in such things, it’s the 12PR320. It’s an uprated version of the 12PR300 used in the Vanderkley 112EXT and the Bergantino CN212 which beat all-comers at the Essex Bass Bash cab shootout a few years ago. The main improvement over the PR300 is in its xmax, which has now gone up to 7.37mm. Its 300W power handling matches the 8-ohm output capability of the popular lightweight amps, it weighs in at a fantastic 2.5kg and is very well priced (by Blue Aran) at about £130. It works well in our Basschat cabinet, although it looks like it will have even more low-end oomph in a slightly larger cabinet. We’ll see. I’m not messing around with cheap tweeters this time round. I’m using a top-of-the range Celestion 1” neo (the one above the model used in the QSC K-series and the one used by Duke Lejeune in his multi-thousand dollar hi-fi cabs) on an asymmetrical CD horn and crossing over at 1.5kHz. I’ve already designed the crossover, although I still have to tweak it. It’s complex and won’t be cheap, but this is a no-compromise box – so it has to be right. This will be a genuine FRFR design. You’ll be able to use it for keyboards, for PA, or as a monitor. I expect it to sound at least as good as the Yamaha PA cabs that are getting such a good press at the moment – but it will be designed specifically with the unique requirements of bass guitar sound reinforcement in mind. The drivers I’m using have distribution in the US - so we might even get some input from our US contributors, where DIY cabs seem to be a lot more popular than here. I’m not sure how they’ll deal with our new-fangled millimetres though….. Chienmortbb and I don’t live too far away from each other and we’ll be getting together in a few weeks’ time to check the new design out and compare it to the previous incarnation. We’re hoping Phil can make it as well. Anyone else within travelling distance of Dorchester is welcome to join us if they can bring a high-end 12” bass cab along with them for comparison purposes. And yes, the new cab will be at the SW Bass Bash. I have to be there to watch Phil building a cab in a day.