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Hi everyone, after a very challenging year I'm now picking this project up again. A prototype (built onto a YI200 chassis) will be ready in next few working days. Been really struggling with the coffee maker attachment! The easiest thing would be to combine 2 x 6550/KT88 with a high voltage supply, say 650V. Most high power valve bass amps use this. It works, but high voltage is a valve killer. I've been working on increasing efficiency so I can use a regular 500V supply and prolong valve life. I've got a bit further to go but have just obtained 90 watts from 2 x KT88 with a 450V power supply which I'm excited about. This first prototype will put out about 90 watts, until I get a custom transformer set wound.

I love me some pointy headstock/garish coloured rock basses.... and they're getting harder to find. Every so often something cool will pop up though... and here are two such beauties that I recently purchased at ridiculously cheap prices (i.e. both for less than the usual price of one!): A thru neck 1986 Charvel Model 3B, with upgraded Seymour Duncan PJ pickups and a detuner: and a 2021 ESP Ltd 'Surveyor '87' in rainbow crackle finish, again with Seymour Duncan PJ pickups:

Thanks again all, basschat is such a fantastic resource. GAK have been very good with this, within the day they replied to say they were contacting Fender, then replied shortly after to offer me a full refund or swap. A like for like swap isn't possible as they have no stock on what was a limited run, which is a shame, but that just means I've spent a while browsing the GAK website! They also offered the opportunity to send DPD to collect if I packaged the bass up for return, which would save me the train fare down to Brighton. Apparently Fender replied to them that they thought it was a manufacturing error with the body joint. Edd

Hmm I don't know, applying E45 cream seems like a rash decision.

Current iteration. Terrible bout of gas earlier this month . . Oh well! Ps. The Dobsky fuzz is in the t65 loop! Mwahaha New Alma MK2 and ground and pound are awesome

Just in ! Any of you had to deal with short notice gigs? I received this message this morning. "Hey all, potential very last minute Maple Rd gig tomorrow night, Thurs. 8/17 for Music on Main in West Bend, 6:30-9:30. The band they had scheduled had to cancel do to illness. " Blue

Anyone going to The British Motor Show in Farnborough this weekend? We're playing there with not just one but two bands. Our established rock 'n' roll trio Damo And The Dynamites will be on stage twice every day of the show: Our new Classic Soul band Soul Purpose will be there on Sunday only: @Happy Jack will probably want to tell you about our trials and tribulations re. actually understanding what we're going to find the first time we set foot at the show, and how we may deal with the situation... 🙄

Yesterday's "gig" was a bit of a challenge, but unexpectedly rewarding - I worked as in-class support at a music summer school, playing bass with 8-12 year olds learning drums, guitar and keyboard. I showed an 8-year old to count in the song using his drum sticks over his head, we learned to swing quavers (no doubt letters from classical piano teachers will be coming in!), kept tight as a band, and learned to keep a nice steady beat over repeats.

I got this Small Hofner because it was cheap and got good reviews.

I think any 35" scale 5 string would get you there.

Irrespective of what you decide to do with this particular bass, I can thoroughly recommend that you try putting a “bitsa” together at some point. It’s not particularly difficult and there will be lots of BassChat help on hand if you need it. It’s a very satisfying experience and you’ll learn a lot in the process. 😉

back in the abm club with cabs anyway

Just to update you all: Four rehearsals in and I've decided that it really isn't for me and have resigned. The decider was that I just wasn't getting the buzz from it that I should have been. Now looking for a Bluesy/classic rock sort of band to join.

NPD lwa The Plague. Oh mama what a stonkingly good tweakable Rat.very pleased

I'm liking the sound of this, since I have leave days I need to use, but I'd be flying in from Dublin & taking trains. So I probably wouldn't want to carry a bass, just a few of my less-common pedals, maybe.

Grab a coffee and think outside the box. Consider your impressive experience and see if you could apply it in different ways. You're a professional musician, which has given you loads of skills: You could work with a music charity (which I do sometimes). In Bristol, where I live, there are sites dedicated to youth work, and I regularly see opportunities. It's not amazing pay, but it's better than nothing. You could move out of just bass, and do some tech work. I'm useless, and I did some work with a PA company. Much was lugging stuff and cable running, but my music knowledge helped. You may not want to go down this route, but I know a successful function band player who became a booker for other bands. He works with venues and arranges for high-quality bands to come in, and he takes a fee. If you're a good writer, you can apply to some magazines and websites and see if they need expert blogs written. Sounds mad, but this is how I got started (42group.co.uk is what I do now). OK, it was a long time ago, but you never know.

You should be covered if it was new. This is GAK's Warranty Statement off their website: "Warranty We want our customers to buy from us in confidence that their purchase is covered under warranty should anything go wrong. Some manufacturers may offer extended warranty periods if you choose to register the goods, so we always recommend checking the manufacturer’s website. All new items are covered by the manufacturer’s minimum 1-year warranty Second-Hand, B-stock and Ex-Display items have a 3-month warranty"

Nearly a year is less than a year and so it may well be still under warranty. And if it is still under warranty then it's definitely a warranty job - there is no 'misuse/abuse/lack of maintenance' that can cause that that wouldn't show signs of misuse elsewhere. If it is out of warranty and they start talking silly repair costs, shout - in terms of stabilising it rather than going for the 'invisible repair', there is a relatively simple and easy fix I can talk through with you that you would be able to do yourself. But only resort to that if a warranty claim is a complete no-no and they offer no other acceptable fix.

I was bored and I had a set of EB Group stainless steel flats lying about that I had taken off a bass when I sold the bass. They were only on for a week and were still bright and clanky. I used some E45 moisturiser and after 15 mins gave them a wipe with a dry sponge to remove excess and then put them on my ‘Berg TT4. The TT4 already had a set of the same strings on so I got to compare like for like. The difference was very noticeable. The moisturised ones sound very broken in, that’s something that takes months on these strings. I didn’t expect much of a difference to be honest, but there really is. I can only assume that the cream gets into the windings and deadens it, and maybe the effect is less pronounced on other strings that are polished so much that there really aren’t any gaps, like the Picato flats that are almost as smooth as solid solid wires. Maybe the stickiness of the cream also helps to attract dust and skin and gum up the gaps even more? I really like my TT4 having old sounding strings for big band work, so I am pleased.

Here’s a very lovely Forte 4 for sale at Bass Bros 😉 https://bassbros.co.uk/product/2018-spector-forte-4-usa/

I finally made up my mind and decided to go with the Enhanced MP-5MN as I've been hankering after a 5 string and a bass with a reverse P pickup.

Be sure to use SpeakOn cables with genuine Neutrik plugs. Some knock-offs can damage the amp’s jacks.

It’s taken ages, but after years of muti-effects, I find myself using individual pedals more as I don’t require much in the way of effects. Over the years I’ve collected a multitude of different pedals, having given away a few (regrettably now?). So, I decided to make up a pedalboard for what’s left over, much better than collecting dust on shelves…My collection goes from cheap & cheerful to more collectable items, I’m looking forward to using the board soon with my occasional rock band, I used to love the dirt with the EHX bassmuff…

The difference a year makes…

Not a particularly bad tune, I actually like it, but the bass line is ace

I blame @TheGreek, he keeps mentioning basses in the Ebay - weird and wonderful section and I keep buying them. This Pedulla Series 2 was at Bass Bros, 40 miles from me, so I went down there and had a play, and then went home with it. This is a non-Buzz fretless - bolt-on neck, Bartolini pickups, natural finish (which appears to be rare for the Series 2), birdseye maple fingerboard that someone has put little marks at the edge of with a bluntie (like a sharpie but not as precise) between the official fret markers. Not terribly visible, I may see if a spot of IPA [1] will remove them. Controls are volume-blend-tone, and it is active - I think the active aspect is more for a buffer than for tone controlling as the tone control seems to be treble cut and boost. The neck is nice and shallow, the way I like them. I have encountered one minor annoyance. There's a little more relief in the neck than I'd like, so off with the truss rod cover and - WTF? Instead of the hex head I was expecting to accommodate one of my vast selection of Allen keys, it's a square head like a harp or piano tuning peg or a central heating radiator bleed screw. Not having anything to fit, I'm chancing my arm on https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314738850431. At least in trying to find out about this, I have also discovered that the truss rod is reversed (something I'm well used to, with old Warwicks and Seis) and very enthusiastic, so a little adjustment goes a long way. I shall doubtless find all this out in the fullness of time. I've put Schaller strap buttons on it, as is my wont. An inspection of the battery showed it was dated 2016, so it came out and a new one went in. The pickups were adjusted a bit oddly - the treble side on the bridge pickup was rather low and the neck pickup was very low. I had to ease the neck pickup out to adjust it as the "springs" are rubber doughnuts and a bit of one had slipped up between pickup and the rear of the recess, jamming it in place. I assume that this is pickup mounting tubing like https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174301475762 so that's something else to get. The height adjustment screws on the bridge are a bit rusty, as are a couple of the rear panel screws, so I may replace those, but that's not a priority. Mrs Zero and I are going to do an open mic tonight with just bass and vocals, and I'm taking this along. Should be fun. [1] Not India Pale Ale

These two gigs are extremely competitive and difficult to get full time work in. The majority of musicians I went to uni with make a living from a mix of teaching, sound engineering and cover gigs (weddings ect). Our teacher in first year said only 2/15 in the class would make it full time and he was right. I’ve had a long journey in work in the decade since I graduated but work in finance. I could be doing music part time at the weekends but have chosen not to. Despite this, those three years studying music everyday were the best of my life and I still play as often as I can at a much higher level than I would had I not gone. For me that makes the degree worth every penny.

I was rocking my JMJ on the Garden Stage on the Saturday as well at Belladrum there, same stage as Fatherson apparently. Sadly we never made the iPlayer coverage though, but were the backup for the telly if Kiefer Sutherland said no. Ha ha ha! Probably unrelated, but there was an issue at sound check with my level as well that day, but I put it down to a first gig with my Cali76 and Bassrig 64. But maybe there was something else going on, who knows. Tech lads were pretty quick at sorting things though.

Think I can make it for once... I'm a lefty and travelling by train so probably won't lug any basses over, will chuck some pedals in a bag once I see what I've got nearer the time...

In my previous band, we played functions all through the year. Christmas gigs started end of November and ran into January! We used to play at a local hotel for all their Christmas parties, often maybe up to 20 nights in December. November and February were probably our leanest times, (as you say few weddings etc) but company events sometimes turned up along with the odd birthday / retirement party etc. We usually made enough to see us through the quiet times, but some of the band did teach to supplement this. I started playing with a friend in an acoustic duo at this time, so any gigs we fitted in always helped out. Function work then (90’s / 2000’s) did generally seem more plentiful than now, and a lot of bands round here have struggled - most of them semi pro though so not their primary income source. With my current band, we play mainly theatres. December is always out for us due to the panto season, likewise summer holiday period when not so many punters around. Again, we do okay for the rest of the year, but some band members have side gigs they fit in around our schedule - our violinist runs a string trio doing weddings, and our keys player does deps with other bands. I still do gigs with my acoustic duo, and the occasional dep with pub bands. Not a lot of dosh but it all adds up.

I contacted the seller about the duff LED at the 24th fret and he's sending me a new neck. That's what I call good service (as long as it turns up!).

Even if it is out of manufacturer's warranty, you have coverage under The Sale of Goods act. That states (and I paraphrase massively), that goods should last for what a reasonable person thinks they should, taking into account the cost. I've had external hard drives with 12 months warranty fail at 19 months, and had them replaced, as it's reasonable to expect them last two or three years.

I give it a week before someone starts doing comparisons of different creams! 😂

I think the roadies are there to conjure Eddie!

I have a feeling if all that ancient electronic gubbins was bypassed and the bass put through the Tech 21 and one of those GKMB800s, I doubt Steve Harris would notice the difference. He's probably deaf by now anyhow

On A Rope - Rocket From The Crypt

Jive Stalkin' ～ The Bee Gees

Yet more flip-flopping. Decided while the MOD Dwarf is a lot of fun, it's surplus to requirements for band stuff. It introduces latency and just presents a potential point of failure. So now I have a business board and a fun board. All the stuff for the band on a ready to go board the the Dwarf on a separate board for experimenting and guitars. I've added a little FX send from my pedalboard patch bay now so I can easily connect the Dwarf (currently in the Capo post FX loop) for delays and the fancy reverbs etc.