Leaderboard

Ordered this back in May and it's finally come through. Very pleased with it. Just waiting for the case now

As I get back into bass after a long injury break...here is my lovely bass, been through a lot!

With regard to style, note choices and timing, what I thought was that OMG LOOK AT THE DOGGIE!!!! AWWW HE'S SO CUTE!!!!!!....sorry, what were we talking about?

Well, it was kinda inevitable, but it's finally happened. Unboxing vid!

We have good communication going on with Fluid druid. His good work and his reaching out is much appreciated. His wife had no idea about this bass ..There is a way to go yet before this is resolved. Positive or negative outcome. It is a sad story for sure and this issue was bothering Chris I know. Its not a great feeling when something like this just disappears into thin air. Lets hope there is a happy ending.

Aaaaand yet another thread descends into a pointless quote-fest and an argument that is barely relevant to the OP. Thanks for playing, everyone.

OK, so some observations & comments: Leszek certainly knows how to pack an amp. I can only think Dave dmccombe7's first parcel must have fallen of a cliff during transit 😞 Feel the quality... it's beautiful & solid. The fit & finish is outstanding. Nothing feels cheap. It's gorgeous. Just look at it. Only one handle compared to previous iterations... I don't mind this at all, 'cos it's a one-hand lift and it means you can set it down on its end if you need to (for short periods under supervision!) Mid knobs! 240kHz & 600kHz - I've always ran these preamps flat, and never felt the need to tweak. But I guess they're there if you need them... both EQ points feel sensibly chosen. I haven't had a chance to break it into a sweat yet... I have a gig this weekend (if it's not cancelled) so I'll give it a run out then. Can't wait...

We Are The Champignons - Queen

That is absolutely beautiful, please don't hurt it by adding frets to that gorgeous neck. I'm happy to do a service to the Basschat community and buy the bass to protect it 🙂

Done...

The good reason to buy things that you don't need, is GAS. But if you're a more sensible than me then the B1 4 is more than adequate.

In Winters of discontent of olde, a tradeoff was usually the generation of some great, angry music. A mate sent me a link to this earlier and I was struck by how little other protest/socially conscious music I've heard recently. Has anything else good come out recently?

Spraying due Monday or Tuesday next week!

Quick try-out! (Crappy mic alert)

NSD New settee day… and the footstool is bass sized!

My small but perfectly formed board. This gets supplemented with a Geezer Butler wah pedal for a tribute gig but the rest of the time this covers my frugal needs.

My workhorse is a Player series Fender. I bought it because I did not want to commute with the more expensive older basses to rehearsals. I read somewhere back then that these Player series are almost as good as the mid 00's-10's Usa standards. I owned and played quite few from that era so I had a good reference. I can tell you, it's as good as the 2010's usa sandard series. I can highly recommend it if you don't want to bust your bank.

As I haven't sold my SWR yet (it's for sale here if anyone's interested) it looks like I have a 6x10 rig for the time being.

The purple bass VI looks amazing, but there's no way I'd be able to sneak one into the house without the missus noticing.

I'm told, by different people, that it's to get it on 'Watch Lists' so that there's a load of folks watching it, waiting for the "Reveal". Not my way of thinking, and I certainly won't be participating...

"I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Nothing else matters: not the mortgage, not the store, not my team and all their cow poop. For those ten seconds or less, I'm free" Dominic Toretto - Fast and Furious Sorry, I wanted to do a quote as well, mine was equally as pointless.

I play unlined, always have and use my ear and roll my finger if I need to adjust on the fly. As long as you have a strong ear and technique, then playing unlined is no different to playing a fretted bass, you just need to listen more to what you are playing. I find lines are way too distracting as you have a target to aim for all the time and found I was way less accurate rather than relying on my ear and technique alone. I have no issue if someone prefers lines or finds it easier, for me unlined is easier and more natural to my playing.

I’ve got a pair of BB2’s but I’ve only had the chance to gig them singly. I’d say one of them would be ample. I recently picked up a Schroeder 1212L. It’s a small 2 x 12 with tweeter and one of the drivers is angled at 45 degrees to save space. It’s almost as small as a BB2 and only marginally heavier. I got mine SH as part of a deal but equivalent to £150. I got to say I’m blown away by it. I used it when we played at A New Day Festival and honestly preferred it to the Ampeg 8x10 I used the following night. It’s got a low mid hump baked in so it doesn’t sound great in isolation, but in a band mix it really cuts through. I’ll be using my BB2’s on Friday week at a local theatre gig, not cos I need to, just because I can, but I can honestly see me moving the BF stuff on in the future as I’m loving this Schroeder so much!. If you could find one of these schroeders for a similar price you’d be laughing!

What, no "Scrambling Dice" Carlo? 🤔 Boomeringue ～ Imagine Dragons

In my experience, a preamp pedal won't better the Zoom for headphone practice. The muddiness in some of the patches comes from the cab simulations, EQ and so on. It can be edited out.

Crazy Eggs Girlfriend ～ Miranda Lambert

Here's my new wee setup. I use the stomp for pretty much everything, with the EBS as a light comp going into it- really tames the FX down later in the chain despite it not seeming to do a lot on its own. This goes currently into an SY1 . It's up for sale as it's not the sound I'm looking for - although for more paddy type synths its great, and the tracking is incredible. . I like to keep within one patch on the stomp and basically use the 5 switches as individual stomps. I've also tried to keep it non bass specific so that I can use the same setup on guitar gigs. My 'bass dep' set up is 1:octave 2:filter 3:chorus 4:tuner 5: swell/delay. The dual footswitch and accompanying TRS cable was custom made by my mate big Dan, at Brennan Effects. Underneath is an Harley benton ISO-1AC which happily handles the stomp with a current doubler cable. I chose this as it fits the nano+ almost perfectly- it's tight, and you really need to use the right angled dc cables but works. That leaves 3 x 9v@500ma connectors which is plenty, given the size of the board. It also uses a kettle plug so one less thing to worry about forgetting/breaking as kettle plugs are abundant! I've also stuck a passive DI box under there.. its not plugged in in the photos, but that unused jack patch lead would get plugged into the output of the stomp for bass gigs. I know the HX stomp is balanced and unbalanced but the XLR output is very handy on dep gigs. I've also put wee feet on the nano+ raising it about 0.6cm. That's for the DI box, I think the power bank would fit without them. Still feels good to stomp on it though, and theres no slide. Next job is to make a dc cable with both ends right angle for the sy1, like I've done for the EBS comp.- makes it a little more compact. And I'll probably be trying a c4 next in place of the sy1. Apart from that, this will do everything i need on bass and guitar!

Oh, the irony. 😃 I had the phone call at 11.30 this morning and I said yes, mainly because the singer is a mate and they needed a bass player at short notice. I decided to do the gig and see how things worked out before deciding whether to make it a long term commitment. I'm just back from their rehearsal. It was better than I expected. The old singer is taking a much less prominent role and the two guitarists and the keys player are very good (I've worked with the keys player before). They are also putting a lot of effort into it and it shows, with great vocal harmonies and nice arrangements. It's still very much a 'music of the Eagles' act rather than the full blown tribute.

Used it for the first time this evening. Have to say, I’m thoroughly impressed. Plenty of versatility in the eq, nice depth and warmth to the sound. Used it ‘dry’ and also tried a few pedals through it, Ashdown Lomenzo hyperdrive, EBS Sheehan sig, and Darkglass X Ultra. Only took my Sire V7 tonight, so yet to try my Yamaha Attitude Ltd 2 or my Warwick SS1 yet, but so far I’m loving this amp

I love Idles. Incredible live performances, when they leave the stage you know they've given you everything they had. It's an hour and a half of anger, aggression, love, hate, noise and pure energy. Their bassist, Dev may not play anything fancy but he's a human metronome.

You convinced me that they are very playable, and fun too!

So, my update to this is that I've pulled the trigger and joined the wait list 🙂. Communication with Jack has been fantastic (only the third time a business has wanted to know about me, what I'm using currently and how I'm intending to use the product - first 2 we're Roger Sadowsky and Alex at Barefaced)! Hopefully it'll be here late May 23 - can't wait!

I used to practice in the dark and I mean cant see the fret-board anyway. So I guess I play by ear a lot as well. Mind you it screws you up when you cant hear yourself as others are too loud. I gotta put one of my fretless necks on now thanks to all this. I've not tried it for years since taking the top off my left hand forefinger. 🤣

My bass is a Sandberg California II Lionel Short Scale. I got it around 7 1/2 months ago and around 3 months ago I wanted to replace the strings Sandberg had put on it. When I bought the bass, at Promenade Music, Gary had given me a set of GHS Pressurewound, med-light, 44-102 strings and asked me to let him know what I thought of them. So I thought it only fair to give them a try. GHS say these strings have the bite and growl of round wounds but with a much smoother feel. When I put them on, it was obvious they were heavier gauge than Sandberg's originals, with some extra tension. So, I just lowered the action, to approximate the feel of the original strings. Still had a tad more tension but it wasn't long before I liked the feel of these newer strings. They do have a rather nice, smooth feel to them. I do not like the feel of flat wound strings under my fingers but these GHS strings do feel good and very nice to play. Tonally they do have that thicker tone you get from some flat wounds, yet do in fact retain the snap and attack associated with round wounds. I am not saying they are the best of both worlds, rather they have their own sound, which contains elements of both. It's a sound I have come to really like. Kind of retro, yet with plenty of definition. I do not use a plectrum on bass but for finger playing, slapping and muted playing, these Pressurewounds do a very good job. And 3 months on, they sound pretty much the same, as they did when new and they have had a lot of playing.

Yep! I’m a local musician too so I’d want someone to do the same for me if it happened. It was too niche of a bass for me not to question it and look into it. If I wasn’t there that day I don’t think the bass would have stood a chance.

Hey there! We are a pawn shop in SE Portland, Oregon. I think we have your Travis Bean bass!

I've changed the thread title because things have changed. I'm still going to make the headless, I've got the hardware for it and hope to make a start in the next few weeks. In the meantime I've started another bass, probably a p shape with Jazz pickups. I play in a slightly silly country rock trio and have taken to waring double denim on stage and so I'd like a bass to match. This will be fairly standard but with a top made from resin encased denim. From the top: the body , this will eventually be covered in denim. Mahogany neck blank. Oak, walnut and mahogany fretboards, not sure which one I'll go for as yet. All of the wood is from old pianos. The body blank from the back. It's got nice rosewood veneer, this but won't be covered. Body blank from the side showing the two layers, both poplar. At the moment it's about 35mm thick , the denim/resin with be 5/6mm thick. I'm working full time elsewhere now (don't worry it's doing something similar for someone else) so I don't have as much time for this now but I'm getting a few hours a week . There's also a flying v guitar that I'll be building in parallel.

I was a founding member of a KISS tribute with whom I spent 25 years performing across the World. I, of course, portrayed 'Gene Simmons'.... Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one? You don't HAVE to be, but you should at the very least have a high level of appreciation for either the band or musician you are portraying. There's no way on earth I'd play in an Oasis tribute for example.... How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed? This depends on the band. With KISS the visuals are EQUALLY as important as the music, but the visuals are also the hardest. I've seen some terrible KISS tributes where the Gene Simmons is only 5ft tall (even in his 7" stack heels) and the Paul Stanley is way overweight and lycra is NOT his friend.... lol! Many of them barely move onstage or think that an occasional stick out of the tongue is 'job done'. *head shake* With an ABBA tribute, the four upfront need to look right, but the rest of the band not so much. However, no matter what band/artist it is.... musically the attention to details needs to be there e.g. accurate parts, identical solos like the record/famous live version etc. I also think that where possible identical or very similar instruments should be used - particularly if the artist is know for it e.g. Mick Ronson - Les Paul, Clapton - Strat, Simmons- Axe, McCartney - Hofner/Ricky. Also, I believe there to be two distinct types of 'tribute'. 1) A 'Tribute to the Music of....' - Bands/artists not known for their look/visual impact/frontman with specific image i.e. Steely Dan, Eagles, Chicago etc 2) A Tribute Band/Artist - has a strong visual as well as musical impact whether just frontman or whole band i.e. Stones, Beatles, Queen, KISS, Bowie etc Anything else is a cover band. They may like to think they're a 'tribute', or bill themselves as one - but, to me, if they play the songs of an artist without the necessary attention to details musically and/or visually then they could just be a covers band down the pub... Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig? In the KISS tribute my 'character' was everything. I had to learn/practice how to walk/prowl on 7" stack heels with a huge armour/studded suit on while playing bass, flicking my tongue, grinding my hips etc.... lol! Add lead singing 40% of the set on and bv'ing the rest on to that.... and then learning to breathe fire and spit blood... well, it wasn't exactly a walk in the park, especially when dodging pyro pots and flame pods onstage! If I was a Bill Wyman, Flea, McCartney etc I would also think it essential to get into character. However, if I was in e.g. a Squeeze tribute, it wouldn't be necessary. Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?) I wouldn't say I found it musically limiting - it was a challenge recreating the bass lines accurately while juggling the vocals and physical moves too. We also regularly changed up the set and played plenty of album cuts for fan and band enjoyment. I played/play other stuff at home for myself anyway and at various points over those 25 years I was in a couple of original bands and pub cover bands on the side. Also, there's a skill and discipline in recreating things accurately every night..... Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’? Not at all. It's a separate scene and tbh it keep venues in business, but we always tried to have a local upcoming originals band on as support when we could in order to give something back. Where else would they get to play their original material to maybe 400+ people a night and get to promote themselves/sell a few CDs etc? Certainly not on their own shows.... Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say? We were very lucky in that our positive profile with the band and their record company gave us many amazing opportunities including: Gene invited us to perform a private show for him and the schoolkids on his 'Gene Simmons Rock School' TV series. This was a highlight as we spent lots of time in his company, laughing, smiling and joking. I've met him a few times now and the 'real' Gene I/we know is not the controversial person he projects for the press/general public (PT Barnum was right). We were asked to play at various KISS album and video launch events for Universal Records. We played various Fan Conventions across Europe where we met members/former members Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Bruce Kulick, Eric Singer, Mark St John (RIP) and their longtime Manager Bill Aucoin (RIP). We also had all bar Paul, Gene & Ace join us onstage at different events to play live with us! We only ever got positive feedback from them - although a couple of former members (with alcohol issues) were a little 'difficult' lol! Other well known bands also came to see us over the years including The Red Hot Chilli Peppers who saw us at the London Marquee club & Def Leppard who saw us at Tokyo Ariake Coliseum. What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you? Attention to detail, personal discipline, huge respect for the creative aspect of the original act and musicians involved...and the energy needed to do it night on night for years! It's also a lot harder to do it right than people give credit for..... or than doing an originals band, where there are little or no audience expectations other than hopefully vaguely decent songs. All the 'best' tribute bands and shows pull out all the stops, wherever possible/financially realistic and this sets them apart from what are, otherwise, mainly glorified 'cover bands'. Recreation of the main things the band/artist are known for are key....! However, having said that.... there are some particularly anal fans who will always find something to criticise. One guy said to our Paul Stanley that it was "an excellent show but you don't have quite as much chest hair as Paul Stanley"... to which our guy replied "I'm not Jewish either and I've still got my foreskin .... how accurate do you need it to be?!!" Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different? I would..... not KISS though... as a slightly overweight 50+ in lycra and make up paying tribute to a similar 70+ year old wouldn't be a great look! I'd rather be involved with a 'Tribute to the music of' show..... ideally The Doobie Brothers, Journey, ELO, Toto or something equally as musically satisfying. I'm happy for now doing my 'Classic Rock Anthems & Power Ballads Show' in theatres..... although part of me would love to do a bit of 'Rutger' in an ABBA tribute too

I live an hour outside of Portland (Oregon, there are others in the US) and owned a fretless TB2000 for forty years. If you get any leads feel free to PM me and I'Il see if I can help. I'll keep an eye out and spread the word as much as I can in any case. Best of luck!