Leaderboard

So I had incredible GAS for a fretless Stingray bass. I was looking for one when I found this oddball at the London Bass Gallery: Sterling Ray34 body, Kent Armstrong pickup, fretless Status neck. It was affordable and I lóve the look. So it arrived today and I absolutely love this bass. Great sound, preamp sounds great... I might replace the pickup with something more vintage sounding (any ideas? Nordstrand? Aguilar?) but I'm very happy so far. It's currently strung with D'Addario strings which I don't really like so I ordered some Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkies which should arrive tomorrow. Super siked!

Smx 1020 by VTypeV4, on Flickr Smx 1020 by VTypeV4, on Flickr This week I grabbed true bargain from the wonders of eBay.. Here we have a 400SMX, an 1153 & 2103H - classic Trace gear from the late '90s which still kicks a$$ more than 20 years later! I'll take it all to rehearsal later and see how it goes. I'd forgotten how good these things are despite weighing 10T..

-

Picked up the bass today. Absolutely stunning in the flesh and beatiful to play.

I'm not a C4 owner - but what an amazingly generous resource to be providing for free to your fellow bass-players. Bravo mate!

@dodge_bass, @thisisswanbon, here is my tutorial patch: https://neuro.sourceaudio.net/preset/DyV1RQhBhF

No. None. I've whittled my collection from over 40 down to 5 basses (soon to be 4). It would be nice to still have most of the ones I sold, but I have recognise the fact that a lot of them were bought simply to own rather than to use. However owning lots of instruments has allowed my to work out exactly what I like about the ones I'm keeping and why the ones I sold didn't quite "do it" for me.

Got this..

Wonderful song , but on a point of order, that verse is by Billy Bragg (on the original Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy) The extra verse(s) on Kirsty's cover were "My dreams were full of strange ideas My mind was set despite my fears. But other things got in my way I never asked that boy to stay. Once upon a time at home I sat beside the telephone Waiting for someone to pull me through When at last it didn't ring I knew it wasn't you" These were also written by Billy, but adapted by Kirsty. On a related note, I'd propose "There's a guy works down the chip shop, swears he's Elvis Just like you swore to me that you'd be true There's a guy works down the chip shop, swears he's Elvis But he's a liar and I'm not sure about you."

I’ve only finally gone and done it, as in written a book! It’s all about my many years as a bassist mainly in covers bands, what made me do it, how many basses and amps I’ve bought and sold (gulp) mainly on here, but mainly about the fun I’ve had, and funny things that have happened along the way. I’ve tried also to share some of the advice and knowledge I’ve acquired that might prove useful, IMHO, obvs, as da kids say. Ultimately though, I hope it makes you smile, and you find it enjoyable. A big thank you to @Dave Vader bassist and author of this very parish, who provided some wise words and guidance. He said he enjoyed it, as have a few other of my selected guinea pigs / test pilots. Some even said it was very funny indeed, but I’ll let you guys be the judges. It’s in Kindle format at the bargain price of £4.99 (link below), or paperback format direct from me at £8 inc. postage and packing (which is cheaper than it is on Amazon, although it’s up there too if you want to shop there). If you prefer the paperback format, PM me your name and address, and payment preference (Paypal or bank transfer), and I’ll advise accordingly. I’ll even write a signed dedication inside the front cover if you let me know what you want, which may be worth millions when one of my bands finally makes it big.........there again, most likely not! https://eur05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2Fdp%2FB08CGY1V9X%2Fref%3Dcm_sw_r_em_api_wI0GFbPQ7NSBD&data=02|01||99808ebee8c844256c1608d86e0fd55a|84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa|1|0|637380361560219122&sdata=RmtiUEgYmJOF0HNZAVyeZ%2BFc4y818DMraO%2FBzpL9Z7w%3D&reserved=0

Spotted on Facebook Marketplace yesterday at 9AM, in my house by 2PM same day - I do love spontaneous purchases 2004 model in moderate condition, got it for a good price and has cleaned up nicely. Has a couple of drill holes where a rudimentary ramp was fitted, but I'll get round to hiding them eventually. Taking it to rehearsal tonight for a good blast .

Hi All, a both emotional and technically briliant arrangement performed on guitar...

The BB2004

Hi. I am Alan from East Cheshire. I own and run heavy machinery in the agricultural sector. Long time lover of all heavy bass guitar music but never quite got there with playing or owning one. Life long piano player and I do own an old Japanese RG550 but it has never inspired me enough to be any more than an occasional noise maker. I’ve now got a bass, a humble second hand squire p-bass, and I love it!! It makes the sounds I’ve always loved in music and I’m loving learning how to play it.

Current incarnation of my board. The tuner might not be the sexiest but it works so it will stay for now. The Bassballs should be changed to something I can get more control over but it gives me that some extra funkiness when I need it so no hurry with that. The Drop is the latest add, don't want to carry an extra bass or detune for two songs so this one saves the day.

This may help some with temp relief. I have had it for over 40 years (mine is a high pitched whistle) which I believe was caused by testing/running Burman Valve amps at very high volumes, in a small studio! What would the older me tell the younger me. . . . . . "Turn it down a bit, squire!!" This works for me. Doesn't last very long but it does give some relief and reminds me of what my hearing was like, pre 1978!! https://trudenta.com/this-simple-trick-may-help-with-tinnitus/

Joni Mitchell - Hejira “I know, no one's going to show me everything We all come and go unknown Each so deep and superficial Between the forceps and the stone...”

Finally took this to pieces to finish the last couple of bits off and ow it is complete!! Here's a few pictures of the finished bass:

Hello Mark Brian Ashcroft was indeed in the Last Chant as the bassist. He was left handed. Sadly my brother Brian passed away in 2010 leaving me many good memories. I would be interested in buying the case off you if it is for sale. I bought the Precision Bass for Brian after working in the Middle East for a few years. Nearly died when he painted it matte black. Get in touch if you want to sell. All the best Neal Ashcroft.

I've made a couple of 4 string mini basses which I'm really pleased with so the time has come to make a 5 string version! It is going to have the same body shape as the previous build but just be a little wider to accommodate the extra string. I'm thinking of the 5th string being high rather than low - I've tried a low string on the previous basses just to see what it was like and I don't think it was quite defined enough. I will try a couple of different things before I make the final decision. Going for a more minimal look in terms of wood finish this time. The body will be ash (nearly quarter sawn), plain maple for the neck and padauk for the fretboard. Hardware will be chrome for this one. I've made a start, cut the templates for neck and body and headstock. I've also cut and trimmed the body. I've also got a body left from a previous mini bass that I have veneered the top with maple and cherry layers but haven't decided what it will become yet!! This will be another slow build as I've got loads of jobs to do around the house.......

So after reading the thread about Cliff Williams of AC/DC getting a signature Stingray it reignited the want for one. I love Stingrays but have ever managed to “tame” the sound, but then I’ve only ever had the 3eq versions. I have however read that the 2eq is beefier sounding so thought, I’ll give one a try if a black/black/maple one comes along. And it did at the weekend on EBay. Sealed the deal, delivered today. Like an excited child I got home and to work on a clean/set-up and in honour of Cliff, a set of D’Addario Chromes. It’s a 1987 model with the truss rod adjuster in the headstock, and the silver battery cover. It has some nice authentic road wear on it, nothing hideous, just the signs of a 30+ year old gigged instrument. But all that doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t enjoy playing it. Well I settled down in front of YouTube to some of my fave covers and an hour and a half passed in an instant, yes, the ‘Ray passed the test, I love playing it, and yes, the 2eq is beefier sounding. Oh, the beauty in question, well it’s as below.

JJ Burnel. Great player, and gets acknowledged as such.

Great concert - Californication tour

The great thing about this phase of a build is that you can see progress very clearly. - Neck now flush with body - Neck thread insert installed - Ferrules for neck bolts installed - Neck bolted on to test it Weight, with cavity for battery, pickups and controls still to be done, a tad above 3800 grams. I think since I am installing a few bits as well, weight will end up at 3850. Not bad.

This is it...this is the holy grail! Shipped over from Sweden, this is a 1970 Orange Matamp OR200. As used by Jimmy Page and many others back in the day. I believe they were only built for a few years and they don't come up very often, so I snapped this one up when it became available. Fell in love with these back in my teens when Weezer's original bass player used one on their first couple of albums and been after one ever since. The UPS guy was pleased I was in to help him with the box, but out of the box it's not terribly heavy...the two handles make it relatively manageable. Not had chance to really crank it, but just take my word that it sounds really good 😁 Anyway, pics...

Cant understand what he's saying but that bass makes great noises! Maybe I just hold off and save my pennies for this. If I was going new I would probably go relic so this model would be the most sensible option for what I'm looking for! Really appreciate all the insight though, will prove helpful for others wondering about Sandbergs.

I'll find it. The guy recommended by @nige1968 kind of answered my question in this video right near the end. He explained how modes and scales and chord tones offer many, many varied possibiliteis (he's talking about squeaky little toy instrument soloing - but it all applies to real instruments too) and IF YOU HAVE TIME (my emphasis) you can explore as many as you want, if the chords are thrown at you however, you have to think on your feet. In other words, no one can glance at a complex chord sequence and instantly know all the modes and scales and their application, but take your time, work stuff out, and you'll start recognising patterns. I was asking for a quick fix to something for which there is no quick fix. @Reggaebass here's an example of the kind of video I mean (can't find the specific one I referred to - I'll keep looking)

Earlier today I posted this about headless basses in response to this thread: I play two Status S2 Classics and a Hohner B2A, and to me the biggest advantages are: Tuning stability: because you don't need to wind the strings around a tuning post, there is a lot less slipping and stretching. Instead, on most headless systems, the ball ends of the string clamp into a claw at the bridge end and the claw moves forward and backward on a threaded tuning screw. Once the strings are properly stretched, there is barely any detuning; Compact size. I like how compact my Status basses are, especially for portability: they fit into a regular guitar gigbag. The Hohner has its own dedicated gigbag which is even more compact because of the body size (if you can call it a body). A Kramer Duke has regular bass guitar tuners, so the first argument doesn't count for those basses, but they are really compact (even more so than a Steinberger, because of their short scale which makes them pretty unique). The aluminium necks with wood inserts are a bit of an oddity too, and have many lovers and haters alike for their weight and (apparent lack of) tuning stability because of their sensitivity to temperature changes. For these reasons it wouldn't be my weapon of choice. I would also be weary of the balance on these. Because the body is so compact it doesn't add much weight to balance out the weight of the neck, and the front strap button is roughly behind fret 16/17.

I think this guy teaches pretty well, but YMMV etc https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTR7Cy9Sv285kV3pohsMtUg_O_50oDyoR

Start by browsing the user patches. Remember to readjust the input knob and volume knob for each one before you assess its suitability. (See the manual to see how to set the input level correctly.) I posted some Filter Twin patches already you can search and filter by keyword, pedal type and user so you should be able to find them. Search for C4 (with compatibility box ticked), my username and keyword “twins”. As regards learning, I put together a patch which is set up to help users explore the features. In the patch’s description the is a link to a post on Talkbass where I wrote a mini-tutorial. I’d suggest looking through that. ( @dodge_bass, it might be worth your while too.) I can’t remember what I called the patch but it will be obvious when you see it. I’ll have a look and amend here and link to it.

Been after a drive pedal for a while, nearly bought a SA Aftershock a couple of times but went off it due to having faaar too many options for me! Came across the EHX Battalion Nano the other night, really liked what I saw and heard, figured at £85 delivered it would be worth the punt.

That's it. Very well put

I was able to finally buy one! The first thing I did was full re-cap and screen grind resistor change (bigger value/bigger wattage). So the amp will not blow using current production KT88s which are nowhere near to the GEC KT88 these were designed for. The same sound, more reliability.

Don't think of them as words. They're just a flow of consciousness. Or something.

Back when I was a youngster in the late 1970's and just starting out on the bass, Yes epitomised overblown pretentious prog rock. Or so we were told. Listening now without the fashionable prejudices of those days ( which still proliferate), at their best, Yes were super- hip. Tracks like Heart Of the Sunrise, Close To The Edge, Roundabout ect still sound fresh and fearlessly experimental. I would venture that if a new young band with a contemporary image came on the scene today and made those tracks they would be lauded as creative geniuses. Modern bands like Muse or Radiohead cannot get close to the virtuosity and invention of Yes in their prime, and back in the early 1970's Yes were their cultural equivalent. Jon Andersons' lyrics are definitely a bit strange though, I must admit.

You'll get a VM4 but it won't have the Black Labels as standard. Can't say i've seen one fitted with them. Its the VM4 i have and its a fantastic bass to be honest. A good condition VM4 2nd hand will typically cost £1000 upwards. Mine was £1200. Not sure what you paid for your VS4 but additional £500 to get the bass exactly as you want it doesn't seem so bad. Of course you could sell the VS4 to help finance the VM4. Some hard decisions needed i think but good luck with what you decide on. Dave

I tend to find lyrics of the "She Loves me/She Doesn't love me" type to be just that bit trite while pretending to be deep... I personally don't really care either way about some singer's love life! However, if you're going to have lyrics I'd prefer them to be either powerful, or witty... Here's powerful: You're a star-belly sneech You suck like a leech You want everyone to act like you Kiss donkey while you beach So you can get rich While your boss gets richer off you Well, you'll work harder With a gun in your back For a bowl of rice a day Slave for soldiers 'Til you starve Then your head is skewered on a stake Now you can go, where the people are one Now you can go where they get things done What you need, my son What you need, my son Is a Holiday in Cambodia Where people are dressed in black A Holiday in Cambodia Where you'll kiss donkey or crack Witty, or just downright daft: Now this is what I want you all to do: If you got faults, defects or shortcomings, You know, like arthritis, rheumatism or migraines, Whatever part of your body it is, I want you to lay it on your radio, let the vibes flow through. Funk not only moves, it can re-move, dig? The desired effect is what you get When you improve your Interplanetary Funksmanship. Sir Lollipop Man! Chocolate coated, freaky and and habit forming. Doin' it to you in 3-D, So groovy that I dig me. Once upon a time called Now! Somebody say, "Is there funk after death?" I say, "Is Seven Up?" Yeah, P-Funk!

“Nw I guess I’ll have to tell ‘em That I got no cerebellum” Joey Ramone’s finest, courtesy of ‘Teenage Lobotomy’.

I should state for the record I’m sure the effects in the Boss sound great. Im sure they’re on a par with Strymon, Eventide Source Audio etc. (I didn’t hear anything in that last Boss video which would have me get one or sell my Stomp but I like the amp and cab sims for home use, they’re effective and appealing tone shapers in and of themselves and they make IEM more fun and ‘authentic’ for me and my band mates live and put out a FOH sound- I should add I love my amps and I love playing through them. Using the stomp amp/cab sims into my amps is fun too)! Whether a company’s thing is emulation of classic effects or just offering all varieties of an effect type you’re basically getting the same thing. There’s only so many types of effects and each unit will cover most of those irrespective of how they name it or what unit they say it’s based on. AK applauded stomp fans for defending their unit as now there’s competition but the boss unit has been about in one guise for a few years and pretty much passed under most folks radar. As for more blocks on the stomp it’s unlikely as it’ll be limited due to the processing power which I think has been a well discussed by now. The stomp was always a smaller, stripped down unit to integrate into a bigger board or offer a compact unit to cover gigging needs. I’d imagine most stomp users work within the limitations of the unit quite successfully and I don’t think the core would appeal to many of them as the amp/cabs are a big part of the appeal? I could be wrong but once the initial gas wears off what one is left with on the Boss units is a guitar multifx with a few patches for bassists...who might well be chuffed that Boss have thrown them a bone two years down the line.

Great thread........ here's the youtube link mentioned previously - just had a listen in memory of Brian...... and it's a great track!

PJB Double Four- just excellent.