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Walnut one almost ready to assemble. Lots and lots of tru oil and it’s looking bloody lovely. The other is primed, grain filled and mist coated ready for wet coats and lacquer starting tomorrow. Ending up Candy Apple Red 😁

Agnesi: (speaking in tones of hushed reverence) "The one I got in my hands. The big daddy of them all. The Les Paul." Ah, yes. A Gold Top with a visibly squint bridge pick-up. Screengrab from Agnesi video

In fairness, hiring the normally reliable Mark Agnesi from Norm's is a bit of a coup. Shame that the new hedge fund wonks at Gibson decided to put him out there as a bizarre cross between an awestruck muppet and an Obergruppenfuhrer with piles.

That's not Porky Pig. That's an imposter. ^^ This is Porky Pig. He's about 20 years younger and three foot shorter than the bogus Porky. And what's with Axl Rose? He's dropped three decades and fifteen stone from the lardy geriatric last seen out with AC / DC. So two imposters. Someone should f*cking sue someone about this. Edit: ... and the fake Porky's wearing a blue neck tie like some kind of wage slave gimp. The real Porky wears a red bow tie. I'm so furious I could sh*t.

I wouldn't be too bothered if there were no more Rics or Gibsons fake or real tbh

Well I revived my new P34 today. Got it from Kenny’s in Glasgow for a good price. Very happy with it, or rather happy that I’m not disappointed lol. Just got home and tuned it up. Seems nice (bare with me). Just need to get my own strings on it. I think the ones it comes with are a bit thinner than i normally use. I was expecting XL’s but all the ball ends are brass coloured, not sure if they are stock or not. There is a bit or tarnishing on one of the neck washers, but now I’m being very picky and too OCD. Not an issue at all. Set up is as good as i need. Action is just over 2mm at the 12th, my preferred height, and neck is almost straight. I always shim my necks, i like the action to stay constant above the 12th fret. Not sure I’ll bother with the P3 or 425. Seems like it might be a bit harder due to the way the bolts go in. Not a bit deal though, and the P34 definitely wont get shimmed. The neck is very similar to the Lakland JO neck i have. Flat and narrow. A very good thing and it feels very fast. Not quite as comfortable (yet) as my Squier CV Jazz, but a neck i will definitely come to prefer. I do wish it was a good backed neck though. It feels spacious, more than my CV Jazz neck, even though the string spacing is the same at the bridge. Tone through my B1 and headphones sounds good. Having just got used to the more aggressive 425, the P34 sounds a bit plain, and while not lacking power certainly lacks a bit of punch the 425 has. I was aware of this before getting it so its not a negative, just an observation on first play. Its certainly a good P bass, as good as my Fender Sandblasted P, and will put my other P basses out of a job. Expect the 425 though, as its a 5 string so i may need it one day. I love the body shape and size, it seems smaller than my other P basses, which is great. It doesn't feel too heavy when i hold it, ive not strapped it on yet but i know it wont cause any problems even on longer gigs. Now, all the above hopefully shows i love the new bass, but i still feel the 425 has it place. The bridge pup on the 425 can easily holds its own against the neck pup. Ive already started to use it on its own for a few songs, and its the most useable neck pup ive every owned. The neck pup on the 425 seems to be perfect for me without needing any effects, not something ive found in any of my other P bass (inc the P34). All in all I’m happy with my 2 new Yamahas, but more so the 425.....for now.

He also appears to play upside-down lefty, a major faux pas... 😂😮

Gibson… Sponsored by Rickenbacker

I think they tried this with Paul Reed Smith a few years ago and they didn`t win that one. Does Gibson`s legacy and copyright of shapes extend to the Gibson/Epi Stratocasters they made a few years back? Hi my name is Mark Agnesi and no I`m not reading this corporate BS off an autocue.

No, only got the P34 today. Ill get some taken of both basses tomorrow when the light is better 🙂

When was the last time you updated Safari or your OS? You may be running an older version of Safari, so things might be not running properly.

It's pronounced LESS Paul now, apparently.

It’s pretty straight forward. If your unlikely to use the Native software then it’s not really of any value to you. If it’s something you can integrate into your normal workflow/music making/home rehearsal/practice then it might be worth the cost. I don’t see how it gets much more complicated. Personally I do all my music rehearsal/practice at home via laptop/headphones and as I noodle on guitar and some keys too this would be quite a tempting deal. I can see how it might not appeal to someone with an already heaving pedal hoard and a couple of existing multi fx units.

Does Mickey Mouse know Gibson have got his ears?

Myself and Porky have much in common.

Like I said in a later posting, five of the number being advertised are by two sellers. Not all music, or all players require the use of a six string instrument; I think most players would actually get away with a three string bass and just four frets. I think Tony Levin had a three string Stingray built for him? I mostly play solo, and I tend to use a lot of chords, so for me the high C string is really a necessity, as is having 24 frets. It all depends on what you do. I remember one of tutors at uni kept asking if I wanted him to remove one of my strings. He was d**k though, his thing was playing like Victor Wooten, totally different to my thing.

Meanwhile, in a bar in south London, 500 Superdry tee wearers enjoy a quiet natter over a pint.

I thought the the two extra strings were spares in case summat snapped on stage ?

I went from a 4-string to a 6-string after a lot of research, back and forth, worry about the additional strings, etc., etc. and many conversations with @ambient. This was 2015/16 and now I'm down to just one bass - a 6-string. Ultimately it's been fine. You just adapt and get used to it. Never say never but I can't see myself moving away from a 6-string now.

If you can, solder it in such a way that it will run around the socket to the lug it is pointing at, not over the socket where it can be interfered with by the lead being plugged in and out, which could have caused this. Use a cable tie or something similar to get that other lead away from where it will be moved by the lead also.

I spent a lot of money over the years chasing tone in different instruments. I think it’s a fool’s errand, to be honest. These days, if it does’t sound good with everything flat, I move it on. The EQ should be there to enhance an already fundamentally strong tone, not to try to hopefully uncover a silk purse, if you know what I mean. Just a quick observation on your settings as described, you boost the low frequencies on the bass and the amp? Punch comes from mids and boosting lows is, effectively, turning down mids in the way the amp will try to make the sound and how your ear will effectively hear it. Try setting everything flat, everything, and adjust EQ according to the sound you want. I’d wager your Ibanez has a stronger mid presence than the Jazz, especially if you were running both pickups together which is a naturally mid-scooped sound anyway, and that’s why it felt like the Ibanez had more punch.

When she meets up with Phil wherever they are, she will be giving him a right bollocking for all the drugs! Hope he`s got a set of earplugs 😊

I've a bass like that, spent a fortune on it over the years ... market value = ziltch. Think we just have to keep them and get them out now and then for a bit of reminiscence .. finally handing them over to a grandson or nephew ... who will go " yeh, whatever" and stick it under a bed.

Go on then! switches are parallel/SC/series for each pickup then volume- 5position switch - bass - treble using a copy of a pre EB stingray preamp I built. 5 position switch is 100 neck/100 Neck 80 bridge / 100 both / 80 neck 100 bridge / 100 both idea being in bridge pickup in parallel it’s 100% a stingray in terms of pickup position and how the circuit works. Neck pickup is more or less a precision sound and close to my G&L L1000. Both single coils and you know it’s not an awful jazz sound. Sounds good, though preamp needs a fair bit of balancing between settings as (like a stingray) there’s nothing in between the pups and the preamp input. oddly it comes into its own tonally through a compressor.

The nerd room at Ez Towers.

*much time has passed* Well, the good news is that I've found the sound I want: Unfortunately, it ain't coming out of my J bass ... need some thicker strings ... gonna get me some tapeworms. 👍

Hmm! Must be I sold the 6 string bass I bought them for, on here a couple of years ago.

Have you tried clearing your caches. You can get it from the Develop menu on the current safari (which you can switch on in preferences->Advanced).

Does the same apply to the rule that bass players also always wear a shirt and tie but absolutely nothing below the waist?

Perfect. Many thanks for your quick response.

I'd say the vast majority of immediate custom build disappointment is the customer not understanding what they really want from a bass. I can understand the frustration of someone receiving a bass which wasn't what they ordered (as in the case above, which is the first one I think I've read on here in such stark terms), but most of the custom sales are people not liking what they ordered, or just plain moving on. I've moved on from what I used to like in a bass (and the purchase of a brand new 4003 a couple of years ago underlined that one massively for me - good job it was a bog stock GAK purchase, because it went back the next day (although to be fair, it just wasn't a great bass for £1600, full stop)) and I have sold on some very nice basses which I'd just tired of. I faff about with the odd bass here or there in the lower orders of cost, but if I had the money I wouldn't hesitate with another custom build, because I know exactly what I want, and I've had very good experiences with custom builds before.

Ok, my bass tone has taken an unexpected change, in my defence despite playing for a while I have only recently got a proper decent combo amp so am still finding my sound. Anyhow with the rounds on my bass I was aiming to get a dark, ballsy, cutting tone, engaged the vintage switch which gives that tone but does not work for a lot of songs, then found myself gravitating to the complete opposite end of the spectrum and found myself cranking the treble on my amp and engaging the bright switch and switching on the amps tweeter, despite the Hofner's reputation for bassy, thumpy sounds it can get surprisingly bright and aggressive with the right strings. Funny how I started trying to get a sound like Paul Simonon and ended up sounding more like Bruce Foxton.

I see. If I were to order a custom instrument and had a sound in mind (especially if I have a bass already that kind of matches that sound) I would make sure to provide enough sound samples and make sure the 'estabilished design' is the same estabilished design I am talking about and feels good to ME (eg an instrument I own I'm taking inspiration from). I don't know, never understood someone who goes on the phone with someone like ACG or Shuker and goes 'you know, I want a super duper jazz, you know what I mean right? Throw maybe a cool figured top, how much is it? 3k? Allrighty then, coming your way tomorrow!' and then be surprised to be disappointed by the result EDIT: Also considering that, at the end of the day, MOST of what would be changed would be pickups and/or electronics to match better with the original spec, so it wouldn't even be such a disastrous result for anyone and wouldn't take more months to fix...

First band I ever saw live. Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson era. One of the memories I shall carry with me to the end.

Update HERE.

Back to our favourite venue, the Old Abbey Tap in south Mcr. They've been good to us and the numbers are always small (it's tiny) but vibe is always good. I'd set up the gig as a double bill with the Gus Glynn Band who were coming up from Nantwich and happy to play for pizza and beer rather than their usual £. Got there well early with bass and rig (MarkBass 400 combo) for the barman to say "Nobody told me there was live music tonight - but you're here so you might as well play!" He then went on to say "I'm the sound engineer, I'll help you set up and soundcheck." Star. It was on their FB page with a fair number of peeps "interested", but there was more or less nobody there, apart from one local whose appreciation became more annoying as the night went on. Still it was a fun night, the pizza was excellent, and it was a good warmup for our first professional gig on Sunday. I was worried GGB might have been unhappy, but they seemed to enjoy it too and were the first to say "Lets do this again!" My GMR 5 and the MarkBass sounded good together 🙂 Even my higher-pitched lines with lots of sustain and slide held up well in the mix. On a couple of songs in C or D I play octave switches between rooting on the A and low B string and the contrast was dramatic. Happy cat 🙂

When I got to get change out of my pocket in the shops, I have to dig through the plectrums to find the right coins.

No worries. I saw Knower and didn't really like it, but I can see what Louis is trying to do. As for influences, to me it's very Steely-Dan / Brecker Brothers top-down, white trouser funk. There's a strong Crusaders vibe too, and Shuggie Otis too. His pentatonic stuff is inspired by The Meters, whose entire career is a lesson in funk. When I get started I could be here all day going through this stuff.

You reckon? I'd say funk is as creatively dead as jazz. Doesn't stop me enjoying loads of new funk and old funk, but bands like Vulfpeck aren't exactly making much of a contemporary artistic statement, in fact, the main message seems to be "things were better in the 70s",

Yep - it would be vulgar to even mention it!

I've had this one kicking around for many years, and posted on here a few times. Its a handmade/assembled thing. The body was handmade, probably rather crudely, but then the body was wrapped in adhesive soaked thin canvas (As used for artwork), then the paint applied to this. The neck i believe is from an old lawsuit Hondo replica, or similar, has nice pearloid trapeze inlays, and is very straight and well set. Since I've had it, its now got mostly original Ricky parts, TRC, tuners, tailpiece, scratchplate, pickups, pots, knobs etc. Looks ok, but could do with some TLC. I'm a big Mani fan, and its a bit of fun really, although its become quite an expensive one!! 🤣

Had a gig at the No.1 in Cleethorpes on Saturday night, great crowd & great night. My band play a mix of covers with some original material thrown in, it's nice to see the crown dancing to the originals. Was playing the Squier VM that I bought of Pentode on here for the whole gig, what a great bass that is, I need to find out what make/gauge strings are on it, I think I'm a convert to flatwounds on a fretted bass. It was also the first outing at a gig for the Line 6 wireless set up, so I had to play in the crowd for a couple of songs (see the picture!!!)

Hi all! Just bumping an old thread to say that Tommy's been ill and had to down tools for quite a while, but happy to say he's back in the saddle...

I play alembic for reggae and ironically the one I use mostly is an all maple neck through Europa with humcancelling pickups. When I first had it I thought it was gonna be too twangy and bright for reggae. It is a twangy bass with lots of prominent mids also the bottom end is healthy end has so much clarity without sounding woolly. I am experimenting with using older strings that were on a previous bass for about a year to get a thicker sound and these have been on the bass now about a year and a half and sounding good for reggae. I may try flats next time it's due a string change. But I think any decently setup bass can be used for reggae. Some of the really old reggae was don't on quite shabby instruments and I think that tone is part of the charm of that era. I did try using my P-style alembic bass for reggae but with LP filter based tone controls fully closed for a more bassy tone I started losing volume on the D and G strings moving up the neck compared to the E and A so I have a bit of tweaking to do with the pickup heights on that bass. It's absolutely fine with more treble in the mix.

Last night was harder work than I thought!!! Got home around 2 in the morning. Shower & a bit of a browse/post on here then off to bed 3ish. Woke up from a mad dream, went to the bathroom, looked at my watch on the way back to bed & thought "bu99er 5am, I need some more sleep". Got up again around 7:30 as I was awake & thought "well I'll have a lazy day to catch up". UNFORTUNATELY it was 19:30 this evening not 07:30 this morning & I had slept pretty much 16 hours straight[url="http://planetsmilies.net"][/url] Got to be up at 6 tomorrow for work. What are the chances of me sleeping at all tonight!? Slim to b'all I suspect