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Late post. Sunday, the day after the " Po Dunk" Ringling Brothers gig in Baraboo, we played a 3 hour acoustic gig for a 2 year anniversary for a brewery. The weather was fantastic and we had a nice receptive crowd. Blue

Newly put together bass day Enfield Fusion I bought around a year back, to which I've added a Badass, J-Retro, and Status Graphite unlined Precision neck. It just works in a way that no bass I've owned before can claim to do. OK, it was a great bass with the original neck, but the recent addition of the Status has taken it to another level in terms of intonation, clarity, and tone. I feel rather lucky to have this one!

It's been an amazing 7 days for my little gothic duo Deadlight Dance. The album came out a week ago and we had some surprise radio play in France ("un groupe darkwave d'Angleterre" - or as my partner rechristened us - "The Sisters of Merci" 😂 We have our biggest show to date tomorrow so decided to venture down to the open mic night. Armed with two massive effects pedal boards and two mandocellos, we seem to be accepted by the locals like the strange teenage kid of the friends who is going through a phase. Nick's vocal is so strong that people can't help but watch us - I am not convinced that means they are all liking it but we certainly seem able to captivate. That appeals to my punk rock spirit. We recently opened with Joy Division's New Dawn Fades which kinda bombed recently in a rival village pub. The decision at the time was we shouldn't open with it again - a couple of weeks had passed and we totally ignored our own advice to much more success! We then did our current single "Infectious" where audience members were shouting about Spotify and YouTube - "our Bentley is outside" I replied! Finally ending on The Cult's Revolution, it was just a very brief but fun outing. My one grumble about open mic is the musicians who arrive late, expecting to play and those who play early and disappear. I'll add those who outstay their welcome onstage. I appreciate that people have busy lives and there can be legitimate reasons for having to go but some people here are posting on their own social media about friends not supporting local venues and then not really walking the talk. Minor rant.

My SFG jazz arrived yesterday. Beautiful thing, very happy. The neck has tinted varnish on it and is quite darker than the other photos I have seen on here (which looked more like natural maple). Are they supposed to be tinted?

Hey mate, thanks for the post. I think we had a chat about these necks (and this bass) a while back, and yes, I'm very very glad I persisted with the Enfield, and especially that I held out for the neck that I knew would transform it; I tried a Status fretted Jazz neck on it but both the frets and the width/size didn't work for me. Something that really surprised me about the neck is that I am far more in tune, no doubt as the result of the virtuous acoustic cycle et up by small changes in how it feels to play resulting in small changes in the clarity of the note resulting in same change in my confidence in hitting the note. The Badass and J-Retro both added something incremental, the neck is. a step change. I've made a lot f bad decisions around music gear over the years, this appears to be the good decision that makes up for them all 👍

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I have gone with something based on the 5 string version of this bass: Martin is going to run a few other ideas passed me but we have a good base to work from!

Even if there is no issue with the account, there is no need to write people off as fraude when they don't want to use PayPal business. When I sell something, I am happy to pack well and ship out when a buyer asks me to. Payment has to be completed before I ship out the item, and I don't want to have the risk on my side. I am clear about this on forehand. I do not accept Paypal business because the seller will be paid out only when the parcel tracking says the parcel has been delivered. When the tracking doesn't update correctly, you'll have to wait for 90 days (I think) to clear. Or you'll have to come up with evidence which is very hard to come by... This gives nasty buyers the opportunity to say they haven't received anything and get full refund in the worst case. When you don't have any proof of delivery when a claim has been opened, your item and money are gone.

That's what deafness sounds like! Best to learn to deal with the plugs and save your hearing. At least the plugs are temporary. Deafness isn't.

Worst gig ever on weds. Wedding in a swanky tipi in a beautiful setting. Forced to use in house PA and no backline. Like so many venues they send details to the bride and groom stating "we have a state of the art in house sound system with over ten trillion watts of power and speakers hand crafted by angels using components delivered direct from the gods". The reality was that it was all cheap junk and limited to the point that the stereo in my old 1989 mini had more clout. Couldn't keep up with a drummer using brushes. If you ever get enquiries to play at Hadsham Farm Weddings near Banbury just walk away and say no thanks.

Jacob used four strings, John Wayne had a six-gun Use what comes to hand - you'll still have your fun. Ben-Hur rode two wheels, George Peppard had twelve Don't worry about the others, you just do yourself.

Vol/Vol, Tone/Tone, Rear Wash Wipe, Hazards and Cibie Spots... Nice, can almost forgive the tort...

Good evening! Here's me with my bitsa Musicmaster. The neck is dated 1971, everything else has been replaced - I'm not sure about the age of the body which has been resprayed, and has a huge hole under the pickguard where a neck pickup used to be. Sounds amazing and has La Bella flats on it,

I've owned 3 Sei basses over the years, for me ACG is my personal preference over Sei, but by a VERY small margin and purely just personal preference. Sei build exceptionally good instruments, each one I've owned has been a joy to play. Excellent ergonomics, fantastic tonal pallette, love the look and the build quality is simply stunning. Perhaps have a little look at ACG too as for me they're the closest UK based competitor in terms of quality, price etc. That should then give you a good perspective as to whether Sei is 'the one' for you. I would say that if you do go Sei, you won't be disappointed, they are truly excellent basses and for me hands down beat the likes of Fodera and Wal that charge 3 to 4 times the amount.

I have a couple of white basses...a short scale Ray and a Yamaha BBG5s. I bought a white pickup cover for the Ray only to find it's a sealed unit. Law of the Sod.

Apart from a couple of grainy and totally embarrassing photos, Ive got one single set list on a tatty sheet of coffee stained note paper from a summer hotel residency in 1987. Fascinating to look at the tunes now...Pointer Sisters, Sting, Crusaders, Tina, all the old disco classics. Me, a Fender Rhodes, drums and a bird who was older than us and who could really belt it out....Dance floor packed every night....ahh the good ole days.

You're welcome. I have four new Squiers and the necks are incredibly smooth. Got lucky with the fretboard on this one, too.

You block people who don't use PayPal? What do you think they're going to do to you?

Beck, Steele or Poirot New Seekers

That's a complete nightmare. Sorry mate. An old friend used to quote Love many Trust few Always paddle your own canoe. Works when it comes to house sound systems!

To be fair, the Bach version was much better.

What kind of crazy twin bass busking outfit is this??

Once upon a time, there was a bass player named Bob who was convinced that five strings were better than four. He had a beautiful five-string bass that he loved more than anything in the world. He would often lecture his bandmates about the superiority of five-string basses, and he would even refuse to play with anyone who didn't play a five-string. One day, Bob's band was invited to play at a big gig. Bob was excited, but he was also nervous. He knew that there would be a lot of other musicians at the gig, and he wanted to impress them. Bob arrived at the gig early and started to set up his gear. He tuned his bass and plugged it into the amp. Then, he started to play a few scales. As Bob was playing, a man walked up to him. The man was tall and thin, with long hair and a beard. He was carrying a four-string bass. "Hey," the man said. "I'm Jim. You must be the bass player." "Yes, I am," Bob said. "My name is Bob." "It's good to meet you, Bob," Jim said. "I'm impressed with your bass. It's a beautiful instrument." "Thank you," Bob said. "I'm very proud of it." "So," Jim said. "You're a five-string bass player, huh?" "Yes, I am," Bob said. "I believe that five strings are better than four." "Well," Jim said. "I don't agree with you. But I'm open to hearing your arguments." Bob was excited to finally have a chance to debate the superiority of five-string basses. He explained to Jim all of the advantages of five-string basses, such as the extended range and the ability to play more complex melodies. Jim listened patiently to Bob's arguments. When Bob was finished, Jim smiled. "I see your points," Jim said. "But I still believe that four strings are enough. For me, it's all about the feel of the instrument. I just love the way a four-string bass feels in my hands." Bob was disappointed, but he respected Jim's opinion. "Well," Bob said. "I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree." "Yes," Jim said. "But we can still play some music together, right?" "Sure," Bob said. "I'd like that." Bob and Jim played together for the rest of the night. They played all sorts of music, from jazz to rock to blues. They had a great time, and they learned a lot from each other. At the end of the night, Bob thanked Jim for playing with him. "It was my pleasure, Bob," Jim said. "I had a great time." Then, Jim leaned in close and whispered in Bob's ear. "You know," Jim said. "I think you're a great bass player. Even if you do play a five-string." Bob smiled. "Thank you, Jim," he said. "That means a lot." Bob walked home that night with a new perspective on five-string basses. He realized that it's not the number of strings that matters, but the skill of the player.

What A Waist ～ Ian Dury + Norman & co.

Negative, that would be the J-tone, not the J-retro. This is the J-retro:

I don't know where Gibson's head is at to be honest and I'd say with some certainty that they clearly don't frequent the various bass forums online. They're ultimately a Les Paul reissue business, or just lazy enough by putting Slash's name on anything. From a Gibson bass perspective, players don't really want nonsensical Rex Brown or Gene Simmons Thunderbird IVs (or EBOs); there's clearly more desire for faithful reissues of the Thunderbird II, plus Rippers and Grabbers. Hell, they missed a trick not making some 20/20s three years ago. More colour choices needed, ditching of the three-point bridge etc. The only reason Gibson reissued the (frankly awful) non-reverse Thunderbird about ten years ago is because Bach had a lot of success with their model (which was pretty close to Gibson specs and ultimately customisable) and they could probably sniff some profit.

I watched this interview last night. I like Rick a lot and Robert DeLeo was a huge influence when I was younger. He comes across as such a nice guy and a very capable guitarist and songwriter as well. I loved hearing some of those Stone Temple Pilots songs again.

What a load of smug tosh Same here - i got right royally stuffed for over a hundred quid using Paypal, but because the courier registered that it was " delivered " they wouldnt accept it was " ITEM NOT RECEIVED " I saw no proof of signature. They didnt have one. I was furious, so i contacted my bank, which were reluctant to help at first, because it was a debit visa card and it was involving Paypal. Should have used a credit card, but they came good in the end. I got a rather aggrieved email from Paypal, and i told them in polite words to Foxtrot Oscar. I dont use Paypal anymore. So if anyone mentions, quote : "If someone says to me they have a problem with their PayPal account I halt the sale and block them" I dont give a hoot, and you lose a sale.

I also heard that the acoustic360 cabs are empty; the axefx rig is hidden somewhere.

As I mentioned it a lot of times, some 22 years ago, I wrote a very complete mémoire about the electric guitars and basses from their origin to 1965. You can read it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MH6uXdr4PAOTlt9h-vh1aVaeeYCTSfPj/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=108217044156770833021&rtpof=true&sd=true Leo Fender wasn't a businessman, but a radio repairer at the time he started his activities, but when he got bigger he hired some real salesmen and businessmen in his team. His strength was listening to the needs of musicians back in the day and he had the idea that an instrument should be fixed very quickly hence the removable neck allowing for the quickest repair ever as all you had to do is change the neck or the body and your instrument was ready to use immediately.

For those not on social media or simply missed it: Spector made some new colors available for the Euro Classic line ( Metallic Gold and Metallic Blue ) I love my Classic Euro 5 white and these colors wouldn't top that combo (or the red for that matter) but still they are nice nonetheless

Ah how I love the look of ric’s. I had one for a couple of years. I was so scared of damaging it, I sold it. How ridiculous. I didn’t think I got on with the sound, but I listen to a track on an album I did with it and it’s instant regret each time.

Nobody Likes You ～ Aretha Franklin

This is a really interesting debate, I hope it doesn't get testy. I sit in the middle on this and I don't think there is real disagreement. Nobody is flying in the face of the physics and it is really, really helpful to understand as much as possible. When you are stuck with 20 mins to fix a problem and surrounded by punters who just want you to get on and play it helps to have a bit of theory to tell you where to start looking, and after all we do all face the same problems. I also suspect that performance spaces in the UK are often smaller and less suited to live music than in the USA. I'd say that the average age of the pubs that I play in is close to 200years old in this rural part of the UK. The hint is in the word Pub or public house, many of them are just houses adapted a century ago or more to sell alcohol. That said subs are effectively omnidirectional at all of the frequencies they are used for (without splitting hairs) so positioning and feedback isn't about in front or behind the mic line. It is more about how close to boundaries the sub is positioned. Each boundary reflects the sound increasing it's volume and changes it's phase at wherever point the listener is standing or where the mic is situated. You are setting up a complex series of bass peaks and troughs all around the room. You are also boosting the bass by quite a lot so that placing the sub in a corner as opposed to just on the floor is pretty much the same as suddenly turning the bass eq on kick and bass from flat to full up. A lot of bass feedback is because the subs are just too loud. How close to the boundaries is important too as different frequencies are emphasised depending upon the spacing. Mic-ing up a kick drum isn't straightforward either, you have the angle and height of the mic to consider and the kick drum is a highly resonant space, so how close to the hole do you put it? All of these things will affect gain before feedback as well as the tone of the kick through FOH. If you are going for a nice full tone you are emphasising those bottom frequencies which in turn are going to acoustically feedback to those resonant skins on the drums. Add in a floor monitor nearer the kick drum than the drummers ears and you have a nightmare to deal with. If you are having bass feedback problems then use the subs sparingly, keep them away from side walls if possible, expect to have to turn them down or up depending upon the venue and if your mixer allows it filter the lowest frequencies if you have issues. keep any floor monitors well away from the kick mic and even be prepared to steeply roll off the bass on the drummers monitors. You don't really need anything below 80Hz in the monitors anyway all the musical information you need to play is above this frequency. The issue though is time, I always think of the witty riposte after my friends have gone and the solution to last night's PA problem the day after the gig

The plum crazy they've just released in the NS Dimension HP... 🤑