Leaderboard

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And the final verdict is, it does work. The B string does not thunder like the 64' stop on a church organ, but in my heart I knew that would be the case. It will probably be a string for special occasions only. But if nothing else, it will remind me that I am now more used to a 5 string than a 4 string so muscle memory will not have to adapt The original preamp sits nicely with the pickup filling out the lower register nicely. In case anyone has ever had any doubts about Jez's abilities, the man is a wood whisperer.

Similar story here. We should have bought a Basschat bottle and shared it around.

Classic StingRay (think it’s a 2014)

I'm pretty certain it's IKEA, from their carpoultunnoul range

My latest guffing-about-with project thing, a Westfield 'Bird-shaped thing. Bought for next to nothing on my local Farcebook marktplatz. Was cheap because it's scruffy and was missing half its knobs and had really awful strings and is a Westfield, most of which is easily sorted. The fingerboard is filthy and cleaning it is the first thing on the list... well the 4th thing, having already 1) binned the old strings, 2) chucked some temporary knobs on, and 3) fitted a black bridge. Some black tuners will be in the pipeline too I think, probably a full electrics overhaul and maybe even new/different pups depending on what it sounds like. The action was surprisingly low and the neck felt really good to play in the quick blast I gave it. Inevitably there will be massive neck dive but I will cross that bridge when it comes along. I'm not expecting it to be any great shakes really, I only got it for the look... as deep as a puddle, me

It went well!. Reasonably quiet, and the Elf/,One10 did the business easily. There were many Telecasters!

And who can forget Vim Fuego?

… and finally this Classic JR for the Soul/Funk/ Motown stuff I also will hopefully get back to soon 👍🏼:

..then this one for my church stuff : .. the Beta is a lovely pedal, should be great when using IEMs.

just sneaked another under the radar I see ! have a look here

New board to accommodate the Barefaced Machinist I won in their recent Instagram competition 😎

It might be from their Irøningbörd range?

Not for sale, unfortunately.

You are John McVie and I claim my five pounds...

I would go so far as to dare suggest that without either a decent singer or a tight drummer, you're knackered.

HX Stomp has been my only pedal for the past year (well, the Stomp and a few utility pedals to control it). It's a great platform, and it's really flexible. I'm moving on to an HX Effects as of this week, because my primary need these days is something to go in front of my amp, and I want more footswitches and easier programmability, but I have nothing bad to say about the HX Stomp. The main downside is its lack of switches, which is why I've had to expand it as much as I have, but if you can live with that and create cleverly designed presets and snapshots, you're golden. Here's my pedalboard as it stands today, and is getting ripped apart and rebuilt with an HX Effects within a few days. I'll happily claim that you can't beat this amount of flexibility in such a compact setup.

This is a real shame. Particularly considering Mesa had left their previous distributor and it appeared that prices for Mesa gear were going to be considerably more affordable. Alas, while it appears that the the gear is going to be more affordable it appears that the gear is not being made for anyone outside of the US for the foreseeable future. I'm conscious that there are supply problems, however there are several other US manufacturers who are still exporting products and Mesa are presently the only company I am aware of who are deciding to simply not fulfil any international orders whatsoever. However, the position taken isn't actually as bad as the complete lack of communication to Andertons until such time that Andertons had probably secured a whole host of orders worth presumably tens of thousands of pounds going back the previous 6-7 months since the new distribution model was launched (amid a certain degree of fanfare). It appears that there has been a complete lack of transparency to international dealers like Andertons. I'm conscious that we are still in the process of coming out of a massive global pandemic with shortages to all manner of materials (I struggled to find concrete and sand to build a patio!) but the approach by Mesa is particularly poor. I am sure that Mesa have underlying reasons and that the parts shortages issue is a real issue, but the way in which the reasons were communicated (or rather not communicated) is disappointing and frankly, a bit Gibson-esque.

I've used my Trace Elliot heads with a variety of cabs - TE (obviously), Mesa, Schroeder, Vanderkley and Glockenklang amongst others. I can't remember being disappointed with any of them. If there is a Mathematical equation it'll probably be: TE+ anything = perfection

It's a fine pick up. Sounds like a P and doesn't have the mid scoop of 1/4 LB'er. One of the original replacement pick ups for the P bass. I'd be more than happy to have one in a p bass - in fact I did for a few years. If in doubt a Model P is a solid bet. If you want to agonise over marketing spiel and pick up's you 'think' you should have go ahead but when jamming with the band you really want the P bass character and the Model P will deliver. Telt!

Status & Trace were a classic 80s combination. Mark King springs to mind. I had a Washburn Status geat bass ,sadly sold. Status necks always felt a little chunky for me. I have several Trace heads, which aren't too heavy. I only use with lightweight Vanderkleys of Barefaced. A well preserved Trace Head is the way to go.

Well at the risk of causing further upset, lets recap and see what we appear to be facts: Oiling your fretboard can make it look and feel more pleasant. Over oiling can cause problems by softening the fretboard. Oiling varnished fretboards can cause unpleasant streaking. Then some points which are matters of opinion, but less contentious: Sellers of fretboard oil emphasise the benefits of their products to help drive sales, which may encourage over-use. Significant damage is rare and moderate use of fretboard oil doesn't seem to cause problems. Custom fingerboard oil isn't significantly different in performance or effects, but smells more pleasant. My personal opinion: More instruments are ruined through over adjustment of truss rods and clumsy customisation; no-one is going to say 'stop adjusting your truss rod' or 'don't fit new pickups'.

Originally Alice Cooper was a band name. Same as Sade, with lead singer Helen Folasade Adu sharing, then taking over the name. Blondie could possibly be put in the same category, as the name was the band, but was pretty much a nickname for lead singer Debbie Harry.

Long story short : I once sold an early Squier Vintage Modified 70's Jazz Bass to a friend. It was really excellent sounding, way better than a lot of original ones. He started to use it in the different bands he was in and at the conservatory where he was studying. People were always telling him to get a decent bass : Buy a real Fender was what he was always told. So one day he put a fake Fender logo on it and a different pickguard (scratchplate for the others) : Suddenly it became an astounding bass and he got complimented for his sound. 🤦‍♂️ Sad but true.

Get your money back and buy an Ashdown.

That's a great phrase, and one that could be applied to many of the talented and very helpful guys who frequent the Build Diaries section - you all should know who you are by now😆 Great that you could get help from one of them, nice one @Jabba_the_gut 😉

From the instant I saw the Junior Reid I instantly had to go play this

Hey all, I’ve had a Pedaltrain Nano Max for while but no managed to decide what to put on it. I’ve finally come to this: … I guess we’ll see how long it stays like that ha ha!!

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There's a few things it's not brilliant at, but the number of things it is good at, far outweighs the things it isn't. I wasn't particularly keen on the octave effect so I kept my Octamizers, but the amp sims, cabinet sims, EQs, drives, modulation, delays, reverbs, plus eliminating the need for a DI and tuner make it a must have for me. Stereo outs, a couple of FX loops to integrate some of your other pedals, AND the possibility of MIDI control if you fancy going that way - It really is a super useful and well thought out product. The way my setup has evolved, I probably could have done it cheaper if I just went with the HX Rack and a controller at the beginning. But what started out as a pretty compact setup with the Stomp, soon evolved into a MIDI controlled monster. By combining it with some of my other pedals, and the ML5/MC8 combo from Morningstar, I can program presets, or turn individual pedals on and off, as well as control different settings, presets and patches in the Stomp, all from one pedal.

Does it matter though? It's a standard P-bass footprint pickup, if you don't like it you could flog it and choose from loads of alternatives to replace it. I doubt you'd end up more than £30 out of pocket selling the DiMarzio.

Where I come from, if a woman marries Mr X, she'll be Mrs X to friends, family and teachers of her children's school, but always keep her name in her official documents, alongside something along the lines of 'married to X'. My mum never had to legally change her surname for any reason. The Spanish are even better. If I understand correctly, each spouse keeps their surname and they give both surnames to their kids. 👍

I have friends who both changed their surname to something new when they get married. Neither liked either their own surname or the one that their partner had, so they saw it as an opportunity to pick a new name they both liked.

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That's one the reasons I'd considered it. I have anxiety disorders including social anxiety, so having a 'character' helps with that a bit.

Kid-in-a-sweet-shop feeling!

There is that expression 'people listen with their eyes'.

There should be another option of 'No'. Don't we live in a world of fakery? It's not limited to Fender decals on Limelight/Bravewood/Squier or Gibson truss rod covers on Epiphones or Rickenbacker covers on Chickenbackers, it extends to other products including watches, clothing, accessories. I've never seen the point in faking things up; maybe I'm just wired differently. I actually like the fact that my 40 year old Aria Primary bass plays and sounds better (*subjective) than it's Fender equivalent, so why would I sand off the logo and put a Fender on on it?

We could be called whatever we want as soon as people hear bass guitar folk have stopped listening 😂

So I had a go at playing bombtrack for the first time in ages and with the no bass backing track.. A little bit rusty in parts but nothing I can't iron out. The question is, is it the rightsong for an audition.. it's got palm muting, slides, bends, chords, dynamics.... hmmm 10000000_769597590396874_5640884625868416501_n.mp4

Ah good. I shall play it just like I play piano…with heavy hands, little or no skill…and zero timing.

Already got mine ready - Fairfax Aikman... The Geordies will appreciate this...

I'm here, I've brought an Epiphone, what you going to do, snobby sound engineer, cancel the gig? Thought not, now get back behind that desk and do your f'n job. I really don't see the point in putting a Fender decal on a Squier or other non-Fender instrument (which this disease seems to chiefly infect, with a side order of Gibson TRCs on Epiphone Thunderbirds). It is what it is - if you play well, most of the talking is going to be about how good your playing was, not what brand of bass you were playing. So I focus on that, instead of what a minority of people deem important. I think what this inferiority complex stems from is possibly justified snobbery in the 50s/60s when the Fender Precision was seen as the gold standard in the recording/session musician sphere and all other basses were deemed to be inferior (a lot of them probably were - everyone was playing catchup and getting it wrong) because producers either couldn't be bothered learning how to record/EQ other basses, or couldn't afford to take the time to do so. Those days are long gone now but some people still cling to the ridiculous and outdated idea that if you're not playing a Fender (and more specifically, a Fender Precision) then you're somehow a rank amateur/not serious/mentally deficient/a dangerous deviant (delete as applicable). Codswallop. Instrument manufacture has improved immeasurably in the last few decades at the cheapest price point. The diminishing returns of spending more on an instrument have never been so diminished. Play your Epiphones, Squiers, Harley Bentons and whatever else with pride, they're fine working instruments and if you play well, it really doesn't matter what's on the headstock.