Leaderboard

Had my audition. The guy who was doing mine was lovely, but of course as soon as he started recording my performance piece I went into panic mode and started sweating all over lol. Apparently there was a bit of lag but he said he could tell that what I was playing was right from my hand positions as he knew the track well honestly himself. In the end he only got need to do the one piece and didn't ask me to do a separate piece to show groove, timing etc as said he was really happy with what I played and that I did really well. Long story short, I got in! Looks like the next couple of years are going to be a fast track to bass awesomeness

Oh, go on then. In 2004, Mrs. WoT & I hit San Francisco as part of our honeymoon adventure (God, the days before kids when we had a few quid...). I was browsing The guestbook on the Band's website (big fan that I was / am) and spotted a post from someone to say that Garth and Maud (Mrs. Hudson) were playing that night in Boz Skaggs' club in the Theatre district. I posted a 'We're going!' comment, and thought nowt else about it. We got in the car and muddled our way across, and parked outside on what seemed to be an otherwise empty, quiet street. There were no posters outside, nothing. We ventured in and checked with the bar staff, who confirmed we had the right place and time. Medium sized venue with a stage, probably feel great with a couple of hundred people in there. The seating was cabaret style, so we took a seat at the front and waited for the hordes to arrive. ...which didn't happen. There was probably about 30 people in there by the time Garth, Maude and the guitarist and bass player arrived on stage. We were treated to a couple of hours of jazz / blues musical brilliance. Maude sang like an angel, and Garth spread himself out over his keyboard, accordion and sax head-down and hands sprawling, exactly like you'd imagine. They played stuff from his album of the time, some standards, some Band stuff, and it was incredible. At the end of the show, we were getting ready to leave when someone (I think the guitarist or bass player, but I can't quite remember) came over and said 'Are you the couple from England? Stick around for a bit 'cos Garth wants to say hello'. 😮 So we did. Once the 25-odd other people left, Garth and Maud came out and we sat at a table with them and another couple who lived nearby. Just the six of us, for probably an hour or two, listening to these AMAZING stories about his life on the road with The Band and Dylan. They were absolutely mesmerising, and then he came out with the first accordion joke: 'What's the definition of a gentleman? Someone who can play the accordion but chooses not to.". And that's when the accordion jokes began. I laughed. Then pinched myself. Then laughed. Then pinched myself. etc. Unreal, man.

My new limited edition classic 1of 10

I’ve been lusting after this burgundy mist Sei from the first time I saw it about 3 years ago. Finally got round to purchasing it and couldn’t be happier. Almost perfect spec for me 33.5” scale, a P that sounds great solo’d or mixed with the bridge humbucker (which can also be really snarly solo’d), sounds just fine in passive mode, super slim striped maple neck, lovely fingerboard, very low action, through neck with beautifully carved neck to body alignment, bound body, back-angled headstock and even has nice subtle white LEDs on the top of the neck. Sits beautifully on the wall next to my other Sei too 😉

Frets filed flush to the board, none of them had moved or tried to wriggle free so that's nice! Just waiting for some inlay material to arrive before doing the fret inlays then I can glue the board on! made a start on the nut and got the inserts installed, grub screws fit and raise the bridge up well, won't notch it until the strings are ready to go on and I'm setting all my heights. It's the same wood piece as the fingerboard so I assume they're happy being back together! And this handsome chap is my dog who is busy telling me I shouldn't be in the garage on such a nice day!

And I’m quite pleased. I work away from home so treated myself to something for my other flat. I already have an ELF and love it with my Markbass traveler. So I got another along with a Trace Elliot 2x8. Next to the Mark bass it sounds and feels like an executive toy; crisp, crystal clear and, while it lacks the earth shaking characteristics of the Markbass, the volume and lower frequencies are impressive but it wouldn’t be my first choice up against a large drum kit. Looks good though! And the two work together well though the traveler does drown the 2x8 a little.

I have been running a thread on this in the DIY lounge but wanted to show more people so that Ceri who did it can get the applause he deserves. https://www.facebook.com/rendallsrestorations . He has done stellar work. Andy and Jabba also played their parts and I am grateful to everyone )

I don’t know what car my bass is, but I’d venture that slap is the hand-brake turn of driving.

I'll bring my clarinet 🤣

I Want You Bach - Jackson 5

Given all my basses are Alphers made by great guys in Yorkshire, I guess it would have to be a Ginetta.

Just embrace it! The space is one of the characteristics of a 3 piece and isn't necessarily a negative! Nice bit of dynamics and actually it sometimes helps the tightness of bass and drums punch through which in itself adds a new layer to the sound! Especially in pubs where the sound isn't necessarily great!

I believe he’s staying in a posh tent with other astrophotographers.

Finally have a door and a window installed. The door is a composite door with added security locks. Quite hefty with some soundproofing. Electrician came round yesterday routed the wiring which will allow me to do the roof and wall insulation too. I also started painting the studio. Word of advice, if you're going to be paint porous blockwork with a paintbrush, don't bother. Much better to invest in a spray gun which can get into all the pores of the block work. Wish I'd have known this earlier. It would have saved a lot of graft.

Remember, you are also auditioning them. They want your money, so don't be afraid about questioning them as to why they should be the ones to get it.

And finally finished. I had a hairy moment after installing the EMG wiring harness where the bridge pickup was dead but after a bit of trial and error I realised I'd forgotten to connect the wires at the back of the pickup itself. I also managed to completely strip the four pickup screws on the bridge pickup by using the wrong sized screwdriver but being too eager (lazy) to retrieve the right one, so I need to order some more replacements. Other than that and for once, one of my builds has turned out better than I anticipated and pretty-much problem free.

THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The finest bass sound I've heard. The bass sound at 1.26 particularly

We have decided its digital

Open to any 'heavy' music...right up to the point where the vocalist sounds like they're clearing a fur ball from their throat, retching, sounding like they're almost about to vomit, clearing mucus from the throat or any other similar noises.

It is indeed! Well, the slatwalls are in my study anyway It was all part of a plan to run the business from the study (it’s a soundproofed, brick built, building with dedicated power supply, heating, 500mbps internet etc). Vic was going to run it as a demo unit 3-4 days a week or by appointment and I’d manage the web site and finances. Unfortunately the loss of our Victor in the run-up to establishing it really knocked me back and I’ve not had the enthusiasm to reboot it. Was about to get going last autumn but got offered a freelance consultancy project on a 12 month contract just 10 days after ‘restoration’ stuff started. The consulting gig pays about the same in a week as I could earn from Bassgear in a month - in fact, it’s actually more like more in 2 days vs what little we used to take out of the business. About 6 of the basses are BG owned plus a small selection of, never used, MarkBass amps, some ATS and a few boxes of strings 🤦‍♂️ Maybe I’ll start by selling some ex-BG stuff before the private ones. Will see how much time I have spare. Just in the process of putting a 2nd band together so that’ll get ‘in the way’ a bit 😂

We just hate being those what-did-we-tell-ya guys, but ... 😉 Congrats! You'll have a great time, I'm sure.

This is the latest version of my bass rig.

(... and the audition will go just fine. Tell us all about it when you've sobered up from the dual celebrations. )

Decided on an angled headstock - the neck blank isn't thick enough to cut the angle out of it, plus as I'm working without a bandsaw it could have been tricky. So spent pretty much the entire day in the garden measuring, cutting, flattening and gluing a scarf joint for the angled headstock.

I love Joe Lallys tone in general, the argument is the album that really flicks my switch.

Congratulations - sounds like me going to interview with my portfolio of images a couple of years ago for my photography course (I'm over 60 and currently a full-time student...). I'm sure you'll have a really good time.

Reminds me of the first tour I ever did. Got in the back of the van, all chatting/laughing/looking forward to the gig. Pulled up, driver opened the door and we got out. I noticed a shop that said Barnsley Newsagents and enquired, isn`t the first gig in Bradford? Back in the van then.......

If you are in the dark for six hours while your gear does all the interesting stuff on its own with minimal intervention, it's much more enjoyable with a mate to chat to. When imaging at home I spend most of the time on forums or what'sapp. Plus, a star party is essentially the same as a bass bash - a chance to share your interest with like-minded folks face to face.

I can see how you get there, some of their studio stuff is pretty average. But some of their stuff is extraordinary, and live they were something else (never saw them, speaking about their live recordings). There is an extraordinary joy and passion for life in a lot of their songs, and especially in their performances of those songs live, despite that fact that at first impression, the songs themselves can appear quite MOTR.

I always felt they missed out the most important descriptive bits out of their name... It should probably have been "The very middle of the road and rather dull Band unless you're a fan of 70s Americana and blokes who no doubt now wear double denim"

It’s que, not keh, and it’s THE Band.

I bought my first Volvo in 1985. I keep buying them because they never seem to stop working! My problems are usually self inflicted! I missed the only gig I've failed to turn up to, because on the way, I filled it up with petrol rather than diesel!! What a d!ck, and even more stupidly, I cheerfully rocked up to the Blues At The Farm gig in Billericay, when I should have been at a festival at Blues On The Farm, near Chichester!! I finally made it and we played 3 hours late!

😲. Bass Gear 2, The Revenge of Molan?

I wanted an Ibanez 4 string with Nordstrand pick ups ever since selling my six string version - too heavy for 2-3 hour sets and even after a year of playing them, I still got lost on the sixes. Picked up a VGC Ibanez SR 1200, same woods, finish, pick ups and bridge as my old SR 1206 but lighter and with the proper number of strings. Brought it home, tuned it, plugged it in and….. It was everything I've wanted in a bass - at least as good as my Sandberg Panther Special. I might talk to John East about putting one of his pre-amps in it (I'm addicted to his sweepable mid-range) but in every respect, it's perfect. I know this doesn't really fit the thread, but with someone saying earlier that dreaming of an Ibanez was indicative of very low aspirations, let me tell them they are wrong.

Right then- deposit down for the 4th of September. Will update the title shortly.

It’s got really bad since they changed the terms of service to allow ads to be automatically inserted on anything, even if the owner didn’t have monetisation enabled and doesn’t want ads. I don’t mind ads at the beginning and ends, but the mid-roll ones are dire.

Japanese, heavily modified, not the fastest or the best, but lovely to look at. (IMHO)

There’s some good suggestions here but in my experience I’d say don’t be reluctant to leave things just as they are. Let the change in dynamics and sonic space work for you. When I hear a bass player suddenly getting busy or stamping on effects pedals during a solo I often think it shows a lack of confidence in themselves or the material they’re playing.

Classic StingRay (think it’s a 2014)

Ta-daaaaaaa! Witness the fitness.

I picked this up on Tuesday from a guy in London. It needs new strings and a setup, which should be done next week. Overall I’m very pleased with it. It’s a Stentor Conservatoire, approximately ten years old. The guy actually sold it as a Stentor Student 2, I noticed the Conservatoire label inside earlier today. The Conservatoire model is quite a lot better than the Student model, and consequently a lot more money. It has a carved front and back - the back is really nicely flamed.

Had our first band rehearsal last night since February 2020. We were a bit rusty to begin with - I think that we were all a tad nervous, but halfway through the third song we all started to relax into it and the magic started to happen. Really appreciated playing with other people again, and it was great just to be hanging with the band. I haven't stopped smiling all day, and I can't wait for next week!

Yep, the MXR BEF is a fantastic filter. I’m on my second one after I foolishly sold the first one I had. Their octave pedals are excellent too.

Are you a leader or a follower? So many players here seem to have picked their first instrument based on what their "hero(s)" played. I've never really felt like that. maybe it's because I see myself first and foremost as a composer/songwriter, secondly as a producer, and only thirdly as a musician. Also I've never really concentrated on just one instrument. I started on guitar and have also had spells playing synthesisers as well as bass guitar in bands. I'm interested in any musical instrument capable of producing sounds that I find relevant for the music I write. Also I'm not really interested in following the mainstream. That's not to say I won't be influenced by it (both positively and negatively), but I'm not intent or following it slavishly. I'll take on board ideas that I like and make a conscious decision not to be like bands I don't like, but all those influences get mixed up an hopefully something a little bit unique comes out of it. I'm very much the same when it comes to my choice of musical instruments. In many ways my tastes have been shaped by the "cards I have been dealt". My first guitar was an acoustic - my parents very much disapproved of "pop music" and this was as far as they were prepared to support my musical endeavours - that I modified over the years to incorporate pickups and various other things that would allow me to get closer to realising the music that I wanted to make. My first proper electric guitar was one I built myself during my last year of school when I really should have been working on my A Level studies. It was a mixture of originality and what I could afford. If I was influenced in my choice of instrument by the musicians whose bands I liked it was that the ones I found interesting (and noticed) all used non-mainstream designs. The guitar I built had obvious influences (Explorer, 345, Iceman) but the combination of influences made it a unique instrument. It was the same when I came to buy my first bass. It was a combination of what I could afford and a conscious desire not to have the same bass as everyone else. Ultimately it was completely by chance that I ended up with the bass that I did. I just happened to drop by a music store before I went back to university and hanging on the wall was one of the most unusual basses I had ever. Later research showed that it was actually a Burns Sonic from the early 60s, but in the state it was when I bought it I wasn't entirely sure that it wan't home-made. Probably the most important thing about was that I could afford it (if I spent a bit less on food for next couple of months), but it also looked interesting - particularly next to the Grant and Columbus copies. IIRC it cost £55 including the original had case and I persuaded the salesman to chuck in a strap as well. As an instrument it served me well throughout the 80s, and both it's strengths and limitations very much shaped my playing style and the bass sounds I would come to favour. When I finally decided that it time to "upgrade" in the early nineties having spent the previous years mostly playing synthesiser and guitar in bands I bought a second-hand Overwater Original 5-string. Again the choice was based almost entirely on cost (it was a complete bargain because apparently no-one else wanted it and the store was getting desperate to sell it) and the fact that it didn't look like any of the other instruments in the shop. Ultimately I have come to realise that I don't like "ordinary" looking instruments.