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I got the one off T-40 featured in the Peavey Revolution book! to say I’m over the moon is a major understatement! I’ve lusted after this for years!!!

Here's my trio of '71s.

I mean here’s the rest of my collection… so yeah… totally obsessed with these!

Following my recent "Which Custom Shop?" thread, I received quite a few contacts from people selling CS basses for me to consider. One such bass really caught my eye, and I decided to go and give it a try. There's a little bit of history to this one. It's one of a batch of Custom Shop Basses that Andertons got in, I presume to try out the CS Bass offerings and see how they fared. It's still on the Andertons website (as out of stock) and funnily enough I have the original receipt left by the original purchaser as well, confirming that it sold for just a touch under £4k. It actually featured in one of Andertons YouTube videos - I'll link that in another post. Now, I was offered this for significantly less than that, and just about spot on the upper end of my budget. I've had a few CS guitars in the past, but never a bass. I always considered the guitars to be really well put together, really resonant and lively, and full of character. 5 minutes with this Jazz confirmed that this bass is similar - really super to play, and a very comfortable neck shape. I've always been a P-bass guy and love the wide fat 50's necks, and have found Jazz necks to be a bit awkward, but this one is slim front to back and widens nicely up the neck and really is comfy. It really is lively, and very resonant - lots of sustain, lots of depth to the tone, quite similar to my experience with the CS guitars. Anyway, it's Charcoal Frost - and I'd say a mid-relic (not heavy, but not light either) with a Tort guard. In some ways it's a bit of an oddity - it's certainly individual and plays really very well indeed, so I'm happy. I can see this being a keeper - spent most of last night playing it and didn't for a minute question why at all. I've put flats on it - Super Light Gauge Chromes - and they really seem to suit it. It also came with slotted saddles (as you can see in the pic) which I've swapped out for some threaded which I prefer. I also have some Lindy Fralin Split Coil J pickups on order to get rid of the hum when solo'ing each pickup. I really like Lindy's split coil - got one in my 51P build and it's superb.

I was sitting and thinking about my debut into the music scene all them years ago and what really got me started.Like most of us we watched the stars of the time on the TV and listened on the radio to the music desperately wanting to emulate our heroes whilst mostly just playing air bass or guitar.At some point it hits us maybe we could do that.Talking to a friend at school who could play some keyboards as I found out whilst sneaking in to the music room. He informed that he could play guitar too and was part of a trio playing at a local pub.Fortunately although under age I was tall and could carry an 18 yr old look off.That night changed my music life. I watched my friend and the 2 adults he was with one being his brother in law give a great performance. Yes I had seen pro bands and watched many week end warriors in the local working men’s club but this was different .Some how the guy on the bass played with an ease that looked like he was really enjoying it, the notes he played as well as sounding great just appeared to steer the music as if it was on rails.From that point on I wanted to be a bass player. It has to be said that it was an up hill battle but I received encouragement from my friend and when going to his gigs advice from the bass player in the band who later became a friend..All through my journey this guy always had time to talk and was always pleasant with no musical heirs and graces despite as I learned later had been a pro player in the 60,70s.I still see him today unfortunately to often at sad events ,I mentioned to him when I last saw him that he was really the main inspiration in me taking up the bass and I thanked him for it. He appeared taken aback as always he was very humble in hearing this but I never really thought to let him know before.He probably doesn’t realise how many local bass players looked up to him back in the day. Needless to say in our local are bass players referred to the John Askey sound when trying to describe the sound they were after. If he gets to see this post I’m sure he would be very embarrassed but as someone who has had many years of enjoyment and still do from playing bass because of his inspiration. Thanks John and I’m sure many of us have had similar experiences in the area’s we live in but it’s just nice when our inspiration is a little closer to hand than the tv ,radio,or these days social media.although of corse anything that keeps music live and evolving is good.

So with the fretboard done, time to prepare for attaching it to the neck. But first, while I still have a flat surface to be able to put into my home-made router thicknesser jig, I need to get the neck down to final planned thickness. With a 2.5mm packer at the nut end to give me the taper of thickness, off we go. The clamps double up as end stops for the router carriage: Then the truss-rod fitted and protected from glue squeeze-out with a thin strip of masking tape: And, yes @TheGreek - you can NEVER have too many clamps And - to my admitted surprise - one straight and gap free fretboard fitted Just got the neck carve and headstock to do and then the main build part is complete Of course, then comes the finishing...and I've got no idea yet quite what I will do for that...

With an injured back IMO the only sensible thing to do is buy 2 112 cabs. Each lift needs to be the lightest you can find.

Hey gang So... about 20 years ago, I sold everything I had and bought a 1971 P from a chap in Indianapolis via eBay (back when it was financially not completely daft to do this kind of thing). I loved everything about it - the rich, deep sound, the chunky neck, the light weight... it became my right arm for the next 10+ years. We travelled the world. Like many marriages (but not mine, I must add), familiarity sank in, and I got a wandering eye for something from the 60s. So four years ago, in a moment of stupidity, I sold it. ....and immediately regretted it. After four years roaming the wilderness, howling at the moon, the buyer (Normski of this parish) got wind of my sorrow and offered it back to me. And for this I am INCREDIBLY grateful. It arrived yesterday, and as soon as I picked it up it was like having my right arm sewn back on. It's like no time has passed. Thanks, Norm.

More pics. You can really see how much the red has faded on the front compared to the back.

Hi Biscuit Bass. Absolutely! Mark at Talking Bass is one of the very best online tutors out there IMO: he provides, excellent, clear usable lesson tuition and materials and often at around £1 / lesson it's fantastic value for money. But maybe dip into his free material first to give yourself a flavour of his style and approach? Here's a link to a thread that might be of interest: Paid online bass courses you've done & can highly recommend

So yeah..I bought Michael's P bass around four years ago but as mentioned he didn't let it go without having second thoughts & that kinda stuck with me. I guess I never really bonded with Michael's P bass probably because it still felt like it didn't belong to me (if you all see what I mean). When I read his items wanted on here for an early 70's P bass I just had to reply. I'm a big believer of the saying what goes around comes around & this just about sums up Basschat & our fantastic community we have here. Michael it's great that you have your beloved P bass back. I'm so happy for you. It's the least I could do. Cheers Norm

Hello all! Recently purchased one of the new Squier Classic Vibe "Late 50's" P basses online. Took a little bit of a chance, as they're a fairly new model and don't have any real reviews as of yet from what I could tell! The bass arrived today, and I thought I'd come on here to give you my first look conclusions. Straight out of the box, it was immediately apparent how well this bass is made. I'm not even joking, Squier have knocked the ball out of the park. The CV line has always received high praise for quality, in particular the necks (more on that later) but I was more than a little impressed. The white colour is hard to photograph, but looks sublime in person. It's slightly transparent, and I've seen a couple of people compare it to Mary Kay White. I can't make the comparison myself having never owned or seen a MKW in person but this bass is certainly a looker. The gold anodised aluminium pickguard is to a high standard and compliments the colour scheme very well, although I'll probably pick up a black guard at some point incase the need for a change strikes. The glossy neck has a beautiful vintage tint to it, not overbearingly orange like a few other "vintage style" basses I've seen and not pale, fresh maple either. Just nicely in the middle, and the finish itself is of outstanding quality. Not a blemish, ugly mark or any other concerning sight on either the body or the neck. The hardware also is well made, and feels quality. The tuners move freely but with just enough resistance to feel sturdy. The bridge also is well made, and I was pleasantly surprised to see threaded saddles on there too! Played acoustically, the bass is surprisingly resonant and loud. Always a good sign in my opinion. Plugged in, this bass speaks with typical P bass authority. Very pleasing indeed, and it just has that quality that separates a good P from the rest. Total Fender tones through and through, courtesy of its "Big F" designed alnico split pickup. I can already tell it'll be a joy to play live, and no doubt will sit in a mix beautifully like only a well made P bass can. On the note of playing live, this particular bass is definitely on the sturdier side of things. I don't have an exact weight, but this is certainly not a flyweight by any means. Not hugely heavy either mind, but being a P it balances well on a wide strap and feels perfectly comfortable. Now, in my eyes there is only one minor niggle with this bass. The Neck. It looks absolutely beautiful, from what I can see its a 1 piece maple job with a skunk stripe. It even FEELS great, as I've so often heard of the CV basses. The issue here lies solely with Squier's blurb. They have advertised the bass as having a 1.685" (42.8mm) nut width, which would be in the ballpark of the wider but you would expect of a 50's precision. However, upon checking this with a set of digital calipers the nut width is definitely the standard modern 41.3. not exactly a deal breaker to somebody who wants a great playing bass with some vintage styling (me), just a word of warning to the players looking for a cheap alternative to an AVRI, or the real deal. There seemed to be some confusion when the bass first arrived over where the truss rod would adjust from but I can confidently say it's a headstock adjust. All in all, despite Squiers confusion over what many people would say is a make or break measurement and possibly even a/the deciding factor in buying a bass this is a brilliant bass at any price point. Plays outstandingly, looks absolutely beautiful and sounds every bit as good as you'd expect a good P to sound. They've made a good one here and if you're looking into these, you will not be disappointed!

Legs - ZZ Top

Fight fight fight lol

A few more shots which shows different colour variation..

Pffft. I could jiggle an egg shaker when I was 6. Granted, not in time, but still...

I tend to change my rig every 4 years or so as my gigging needs change and post lock down it’s been nice to make some adjustments to my gear and get a chance to hear them in rehearsal and gigs… Fender Rumble 210 combo - bought this after doing a ‘back line provided’ gig which had one supplied and I was really impressed with the sound, not just how well it took my pedals but more importantly with the variety of sounds I could coax from the amp itself. It really is a cracking and very capable unit. If it came with a foot switch it’d be just about the perfect no nonsense gigging combo (I got mine used locally and it came with a cover so was pretty chuffed about that). Most of my gigs are iem these days but it’s still really nice to have some bass on stage as I know I enjoy it and the drummer always prefers it too so the Rumble is a great sounding way to get that on stage presence in a portable package without compromising on sound quality. Why more folks aren’t using this combo I’ll never know. I’d honestly consider getting the matching 210 ext cab but I’m unlikely to need it! Darkglass B3K - I’m not a DG fan boi but the updates to this pedal have made it way more useful IMO for my needs and I was specifically after something which would play nicely with synths. The addition of a mid button and the tone control and how it’s voiced make this quite a practical unit. I’ve joined an 80’s band and thankfully we all agree that powerful, supportive bass tone is better than me trying to sound like a synth. We already have keys in the band and this prompted me to try the B3K. From what I can tell after some early testing in the rehearsal room is that it’s a great choice for bolstering the low end, adding enough supportive mid range so as not to get lost when I switch it on but also controlled enough in the high end to be heard but not brash or harsh in any way. Rehearsal earlier this week was great as the guitarist wasn’t there so I was playing with a bit more gain than I normally do (to be fair it wasn’t really that ‘aggressive’ per se considering usual DG standards) and it was a great fit. Doing tracks like Material Girl which was probably a synth or bass/synth doubled the B3K got a nice approximation which just seemed to lock in and sit really well with the kick drum - this was all going via the rumble combo which having 210’s might just be a bit more of a punchy sound than I’m used to with my regular 212 cab. Looking forward to having the guitar back and hearing how we can make things work to fill out that mids range and both have our place along with the keys. Spark booster (4 knob version) - total low gain dream pedal for me and one of the best voiced 2 band eq’s for bass too IMO and in conjunction with the MID setting it really pushes the low gain/low mids thing. For me this is a damn fine always on type pedal to allow the bass to sit right where you want it in the mix. I have A/B’d with the Rumble built in drive and both do the low gain always on sound really well. Had the Spark at the pub band gig and would switch between it and the built in drive on the Rumble - both worked a treat and did a similar thing but it their own way with either being a brilliant solution to getting that sound.

it’s messy but waiting on some new cables

Yeah its a one off special and was made as a gift for the author of the book in 1980 as he was the main Peavey dealer in the UK at that time… it’s the only one you’ll see without a pick guard (there are a few T-60 guitars) and the controls going through the wood of the body (with a rear control cavity). It’s made of Magnolia (according to the man who designed these, I’ve also seen him say he personally built this one in his carport which is very cool) and the neck is figured maple so it’s a fair bit fancier than the regular T-40s you’ll see…

Honestly, my heart fluttered when I opened the case. I remember the day before the buyer was due to pick it up, I emailed him to tell him I was having massive regrets, and couldn't go through with it. He understood, but then I felt so bad about it I went through with the sale. I realised I've been searching to fill the gap ever since, and for him to have to good grace to offer it back to me when I put the shout out for an early 70s P on BC a couple of weeks ago was a bit of surprise. I didn't even know he was on BC - I thought it was gone for good. Here's a vid of us happy together back in the glory days when I had a little bit of hair...

I was going through a pretty dark patch in my early twenties. Both my parents passed away through illness. I'd bought a lot of records when I started working, catching up somewhat on what I couldn't afford in my teens. But the current music was rather uninspiring on the whole. I liked The Cult and Guns & Roses and could have gone metal until I heard Gigantic EP by The Pixies on the radio. Got me elements of proto-grunge and alternative rock. Kim Deal's playing got me good.

AssBalls didn't go unnoticed!

This. Lately, I'm finding that after buying stuff and comparing it to what I already have, I am left wondering, "Does the difference really matter to me?" Even the gear that is significantly "better" might not be worth the price tag, when it's only me that will notice the difference. It's dawning on me that I've reached the limit of my bass gear wants/needs. I feel strangely relieved!

Ok, update as promised. I used my Cosmic Ears CE6Bs at last nights gig, first time using them at a gig. I use them plugged into a Behringer PM1, with an XLR cable plugged into the PM1 taken from the mixer. I also have an app on my iPad which allows me to adjust my personal monitor mix to my own requirements. Once I figured out I needed to turn the volume up on the PM1 at the sound check, I was getting lots of lovely punchy bass in my in ears, and was able to adjust the levels of our vocalists and guitar and drums, while making sure the bass was most prominent. A real bonus is the fact I had everything at a decent volume in my ears, thus protecting my hearing. I could still hear our keyboard player telling me we were skipping a song and telling which one was next, in between songs, so even though most ambient sound is taken out, I could still hear her. They were comfortable to wear, we played for two and a half hours with a 15 min break, and my ears felt fine throughout. Definitely recommend.

Definitely something to this in my case. I find that if I’m practising diligently then I don’t have time or mental capacity to browse and buy; the bonus being I’m less poor, mentally more stable and a better player.

I've used a lot of Trace gear over the years - one of the best combinations was an AH150 putting around 90 watts into a V-type 4x12". But those were trace watts, about 1 gigawatt* in new money * figure possibly exaggerated

Hotel Coercion, more like. Sorry, but I watched this with an unhappy mix of admiration and horror.

This has got to be the ultimate endorsement of a bass 🙂

The best purchase is difficult and I'd struggle to choose between my SR5 Special and my G&L CLF L-2000. The worst isn't really a "worst" as such, more "biggest disappointment" but I picked up a lime green Charvel Sam Dimas PJ Bass that was so prohibitively heavy I simply couldn't use it. Such a shame as it was an excellent bass with brilliant build quality. I also bought an Ampeg PF-800 head which is a wild departure from my usual Mark Bass. It's built like a tank and sounds brilliant, just not sure I've particularly gelled with it yet. The pleasant surprise purchase of the year was my Laney Digbeth Preamp pedal. My expectations were low to say the least but I couldn't have been more wrong. It's a wonderful bit of kit and I couldn't recommend them highly enough.

That is awesome! Sometimes I try to cull my collection of basses etc but when I see things like this I go all warm inside.

Well it’s only a best of/worst of thread but it’s sometimes good to get context. I’ve had a main pub band gig for ages but I like to have a second project on the go too. Did a C&W band for a bit which was great fun but now it’s an 80’s thing and I get to try out a different sound. It’s half the fun!

I was googling to see if anybody else had run into the problem of the G string on TI flats sounding dead. Somehow this thread came up

I feel that I should say not all Darkglass stuff is overpriced. The ADAM if anything is cheap for what it is.

I've got a pretty similar story to WoT's - last year I was reunited with the 78 P bass that I bought as a teenager and rashly sold in my mid-twenties when I discovered active basses. Never found a P bass that lived up to my original bass and last year got the chance to buy it back (for five times what I sold it for)! Picture from last night's gig.

Not an A/B, and not well recorded enough to offer a scientific comparison, but here you go. FWIW, I think the maple-ness of the B&W '71 is noticeable.