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PJB m-300 PJB 6B

Hello all, I’ve been itching for a gold paisley something for ages, and recently I’ve been wanting a 51/68 style Tele Bass. So I thought I’d stick those two ideas together! 💡 I’ve done 3 parts builds that I’ve sprayed myself, and 10 scratch builds. As well as copious amounts of spray work for neck breaks etc. So going all out doing some stuff I’ve not done before on this. Never down paisley, and never done any bursts, so should be interesting. This will be a fairly long on going project but thought I’d start a thread as I’ve been buying some bits. I got this body in Black Friday deal so this is the start. The neck and some other bits are on their way from Allparts. So if your a tele/precision bass, or a paisley fan then watch this space. 👍

Glorious, just glorious. Why did I wait so long? It brings a joy to our kitchen that has been absent since my family decided that Heart FM was their preferred station about 5-years ago (I know, but some battles are not worth fighting). And the songs I'm hearing that I'd forgotten, I even heard one of my old bands from 1984 the other day (a reliable sign of quality curation if ever there was one). And the basslines? Seems the editorial policy is defined by the two questions 'Is the artist credible?' and 'Is the bassline creative?' Love it. Renewed my faith in the BBC 👍

… in Cambodia. DKs

You rang? 🙂 OK, interesting thread... Yes, Haydn wrote 104 numbered symphonies - there are various other bits and pieces making the grand total anything up to about 110... but 104 is the standard list. 104 is known as the London symphony, as that was where it had its first performance and it's fun to play. I was playing Haydn 6, 7, and 8 at the weekend in a workshop - great fun and there are two bass solos in there... Okay, suggestions of 'what' to listen to.... There are good suggestions above. I always sit someone down and I do a musical history tour to cover of the various genres and try to find a style or period that someone likes. Loosely speaking, the music falls into various time boxes, bear in mind these often overlap in time by a lot...: medieval (pre 1400); renaissance c.1400 - 1600; baroque 1600 - 1750; classical 1750 - 1820; romantic 1820 - tricky... roughly 1900. You've got impressionists writing in late C19th (not romantic) and Richard Strauss writing up until 1949. Anyway, styles explode in late C19th. For 'easy listening' the baroque era is good. It splits into three roughly 50 year periods: early (1600), middle (1650), late (1700). Late is where your well-known composers are: Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann, Handel. Music of this era has a strong structure with a bass line that is controlling what is going on. Suggestions: JS Bach - Brandenburg concertos, Orchestral Suites, harpsichord and oboe concertos. Organ music try the trio sonatas And less well-known items such as the toccata and fugue in F. Vivaldi ignore the usual suspects and listen to concerto sets like La Stravaganza or La Cetera, or the Concerto di Amsterdam. Telemann wrote a lot... his Tafelmusic (table music) is good. Handel try the Concerti Grossi - there's the opus 3 and opus 6 sets of those, the 'concerti a due cori' are fun (wait until the horns come in...). English baroque composers include Avison, who was from Durham. Early baroque tends to be dominated by French and Italian composers - a lot of good recommendations in earlier posts. The Monteverdi Vespers are fun to sing. I will write a couple more posts covering different periods. If you want the 'heavy metal' department of classical music... then you're looking at things like Wagner (Entry to Valhalla from Das Rheingold), Siegfried's Funeral Music etc, Bruckner (symphonies 4 and 7 perhaps), Tchaikovsky symphonies 4, 5, and 6. Big music with tunes - Dvorak symphonies 7, 8 and 9. Really big orchestras - Mahler. Possibly symphonies 4 and 5. I'll write more later...

Just in case anyone is interested, here is a couple of projects/parts builds I’ve put together and sprayed up.

For a one-off concert have you considered sourcing a bass out there? Either through loan, hire or buy and then resell. From what you’ve said above about only you and the singer travelling there must presumably be some technical and musical infrastructure in place out there for the concert, and maybe the rest of the band? Therefore people around likely to have a bass or can access one easily. It’s the solution I went for playing in the Netherlands and I’ve done similar in return for bands coming to the UK.

I wonder why you ask? I wasn't clear whether you are looking for something to work on in your skill set or if it the job you aspire to? Or maybe you are just musing? Let's be clear, the hurdle for a working session musician and a covers band are the difference between Olympic qualification and entering the parents egg and spoon race. You can already do much more than I can and I''ve been gigging in covers bands every other weekend for years. Learning 30 songs by memory playing four to the bar and the root note in the right places gets you an awful long way. Listening and responding to the rest of the band helps a lot too. I take it seriously and practice daily and try to be professional in my attitude but technically I don't offer much, fortunately I've not been rumbled yet Being in a successful touring band is a matter of luck, no disrespect but most of us here could probably learn the whole of the Rolling Stones (insert almost any band you like) back catalogue and go on tour playing it but weren't there when Keef and Mick were growing up. To be a session musician or a professional gun for hire you need to be good, either good at one thing which you will get hired for or with high level musical skills. Growing up my best friends father was a classical musician, he played French Horn variously for the BBC Symphony, Philharmonic and the LSO and incidentally for the Beatles (on Rubber Soul) He practiced lots, hours a day, every day, he treated it like a job! He probably had a lot of talent too, had studied since a child and was a really personable man. The big skill most musicians miss though is enterprise, you aren't going to join a band unless you get out there to find other people to play with. Look for the ads, answer the ads go to auditions, prepare for auditions, say yes to playing with other people. Go to gigs and talk to people. Advertise for people to play with you. Hang around places you know the local musicians hang out or find out where they go if you do. Start your own band. Be flexible too, the chances of you meeting three other musicians whose taste exactly matches yours is close to zero.

Wow, that's a huge spread of music you don't like!

Yeh, it is a no-brainer. Ive been on the hunt for a Fireglo 4003S for some time to do a V63/RM1999 replica but I simply refuse to pay the money being asked for 2nd-hand Ricks so when this appeared I was on it like a tramp on chips. The Fireglo is actually darker than the main photo; this is more like it:-

After many years of wanting to go, I was finally able to go to The Gallery in Camden this morning to gaze upon their wares. As luck would (not) have it, I'm down in Hemel Hempstead this week for a course with work. I found out last night that despite what I had been told, the course has been moved to Wednesday and Thursday so it left me and a colleague with a day to kill. Naturally, we went to check out The Gallery. Luckily, I knocked after finding their front door locked (smart practice, I think). The wares inside are stunning. A gorgeous Maruszczyk near the door that was quite Esh-esque in spec. A Moon in Larry Graham white with a matching Maruszczyk tribute hanging across from it. I had a chat with John Chapman who seems a very nice dude and was happy to entertain some conversation on bass. Down at the far end of the store I was absolutely drawn in by the Alembic Stanley Clarke they had in at £6500. The finish on that has to be seen to be believed. Even more rare was the bass next to it, a Wal fretless six string on hold pending sale at £12,500. Looking at it, I was wondering if it had been the one that Littleeal of this parish used to own. There can't be many of those around. Whilst I don't think Wal are 'all that', it was really cool to see such a rare item in store.

Thanks. Yes, it is a Ken Lawrence Chamberbass (built in 2000). Here's a pic of the bass without the ramp. Trying to keep everyone in this thread happy. M. M.

Working For The Yankee Dollar - The Skids

A difficult one to call, but I think my favourite is .......................... And one of the best covers of Deep Purple's Highway Star is ..........................

Did not know ramps were no longer a thing. Don't be a ramp hater-player. Be a ramp-facilitator. 🙂 M. M.

Vole over Beethoven - nearly everyone seemingly

I've modded pieces of foam with a lollypop stick glued to the top or bottom (depending on how you place it) with a bit extra at the edge to make removal easy. I reckon you could make a similar T shaped piece of wood to glue a chunk of foam to which would fit under the cover and leave a little tab to grab for removal. You could even use a tonewood lollypop stick and retire on the proceeds. I want 50%.

I have just got hold of a 2014 Fender Rascal. They were not made for long and are short scale; a bit like a 4 string BassVl. I wanted it because although short scale, which I like, they are not small - the bridge is not at the end of the bass. I am very tall so some SS basses look daft on me. I also wanted a bass that worked for palm muting and playing with a pick and this is ideal as you adopt a more guitar like playing position. Although I also play “finger style” I use other things for that and this should work brilliantly in my 60s band, especially since I have now changed strings to LaBella black nylons.

Life Is A Minestrone ～ 10CC

That made me chuckle. The answer to that question is a whole can of worms best left closed, an era of my life that is well behind me, one I'd be happier to talk about had anything I played, wrote, or even wore - especially hairstyles - possessed any quality or merit

Kissinger Fool George Michael

It was a sad day when Shaun Keaveny left the breakfast show.

I have ramps on both my Ibanez Prestige SRs for many years now, still use them and still like them a lot actually.

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In fairness to Quincy Jones, he's never heard me.

Just a cheeky plug for my bands new video. We have changed are name to Erronaut. Hope some of you like it.. and yes that is a bass wah in the middle of the song

Get a Hofner. It's like playing nothing at all. I had to get rid of mine because it was so light and delicate i thought i'd crush it with my playing.

My rigs. Most gigs I'll use the two 210's or a lone 212 cab, but outdoor gigs I'll bring the bigger stuff.

Funnily enough, I looked him up after seeing your post and he did the following interview with advice for how to make it as a jobbing pro bass player: https://www.musicradar.com/news/session-ace-derek-franks-top-tips-for-bassists-you-dont-get-gigs-by-staying-in-your-bedroom-posting-instagram-and-youtube-videos Worth reading for anyone interested in this thread.

Default mode tells me to pick something from Made in Japan but my thinking head says Perfect Strangers

I've just heard The Knife - We Share our Mother's Health (a tune that literally the only other place I have heard is in my own DJ mixes) closely followed by Just Because by Jane's Addiction. I don't know any other music source that shares my eclectic tastes.

This looks like a fantastic project, I'll be cheering on from the sidelines I am in the early, slow! stages of something similar myself, I saw this bloke from Big D guitars do on Youtube. He uses brocade which has a silver or gold metallic looking thread to give the paisley pattern, I'm going for a darkish blue and silver on a 5 string P or PJ

Paisley Tele basses are gorgeous things though I'd go further, all Tele type basses are gorgeous things 😀 You can get those PGs on eBay. I handed the scratchplate from my MIJ Paisley to Brian Pillans in Glasgow, so he could make up a temple and add another option to his range. I'm not seeing them listed ATM but he definitely makes them, I gave his details to Blue Flower owner in the US; 10 days later the boy had photos on Talk Bass. Link to Brian's shop. https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/earlpilanz#tab1

I like the look of them too I bought the Hondo Alien specifically because it has an aluminium neck which I thought would be more likely to survive travelling - I keep it in my camper van. I prefer the look of the Hohners. I don’t know how easy they are to find, I think I was the sole bidder on mine 😂

Still haven't called my Trunk of Punk selection in yet. Regularly get my comments about what selection has just been played read out though

Too slow! Shoot Shoot - UFO

I converted to BBC6 around 2010 purely by chance...Unthinkable now but at the time the station was facing potential shutdown. Personal faves are Mary Anne Hobbs, Iggy Pop on Sunday and for both tunes and banter Radcliffe and Maconie....Crisps on the Radio...pure genius

I was watching an old Jackson Browne performance on YT and looked up the Bassist who had been chugging away, called Derek Frank, a LA session guy who I've never even heard of, but he's the go to Bassist for Shania Twain, Kelly Clarkson and Gwen Stefani. Totally under my radar but doing very well, just had a look at his gear collection. He must be well connected and well paid too! https://www.derekfrank.com/gear

When I was a kid, 1/2" was the same as 8/16" and 4/8". The issue seems to be that they're going off shaft diameters rather than the bushings.

With Zappa as your reference frame, I'd say: keep to the biggies first, and take it from there. Bach has been mentioned already, and forgetting the play-along bit, some names I'd add could be, starting with older music so as to hear music developing: Palestrina and Monteverdi for yer renaissance and early baroque. Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli Monteverdi: Orfeo, Scherzi musicali (with that glorious song "Non cosi tosto" a.o.) Bach: what has been mentioned already plus say the Mass in B minor, the St Matthew Passion, Christmas Oratorio and the Brandenburg Concertos. Also give "Bist du bei mir" a listen. It was traditionally, wrongly, attributed to Bach (but he simply couldn't have written it) and is absolutely gorgeous despite its awkwardness. If you play Haydn (say Die Schöpfung (The Creation), piano sonatas and a symphony like no 104) and Händel (operas like 'Julius Caesar' and 'Oreste' and oratoria like The Messiah for example), then do absolutely not forget Henry Purcell - a great composer. My brain refuses to remember pieces right now, but he's up there with the very best. Mozart: late works like his Requiem (which turns away from the perceived lightness of many an early work, and reflects Mozart's understanding of and love for Bach). I'd do the "light" stuff later. That's all for now. Brain is closing down, so best hit the Submit button. Enjoy! Edit: rectified a few wrong entries.

Bach cello suites….

Our guitarist booked me one of these for tonight's rehearsal as a special treat. I have now popped my SVT cherry. 300W is plenty.