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Great wee regular gig for our classic punk covers band Emergency Exit in The Cave in Paisley, near Glasgow Its a 6-9pm slot so home via kebab shop around 11pm ish. This is one of my fav gigs TBH. Night started well as we arrived with our gear with a local being literally thrown out by bar staff who had been asking him to leave on several occasions as he was very drunk and annoying a couple who were sitting quietly waiting for the band. Then during our 2nd set Jen the owner escorted another very drunk outside altho he was ok and just left without a struggle. Oh happy days in Paisley. Started the set to approx 15 people (its a very small pub so that makes it look busier than you'd expect. By the 3rd or 4th song it started getting busier and by the end of the 1st set it was very busy with several ladies up dancing away. Now that was fun (ny). And that was without our usual local support who were all attending a birthday party. All good tho. We even had one of the Blue Angels come up specifically to see us after playing the Club House last week. He's the organiser for the Ayrshire BA. He's actually a really nice bloke to chat to about bikes and band gear. He even owns a Hesketh (motorcycle for those that don't know) that he bought new in 1982 when they first appeared. That must be worth a fair bit of money nowadays. Anyways it turned out to be another fantastic night in The Cave. Early enough finish to miss the on-coming motorway closures that were being set up as we drove home. No pics or vids as yet but if any appear i'll pop something up. My usual punk gear. Sandberg MarloweDK into Ampeg SVT7 and Mesa SW210/115 cabs. Dave

Well after about 6 weeks of gathering bits… I’ve just finished this. Squier Classic Vibe Body Fender Japan 75 neck Fender Covers Earlpilanz Pickguard NW guitar parts Covers/knobs Strat knobs are to emulate that weird 78/79 era where fender used strat knobs. wearing roto flats, plays perfectly, sounds great - may invest in some vintage voiced noiseless pickups at some point…

The acoustic show " She's Right I'm Left" will be back at The Harley Motor Restaurant this Saturday, 5:30-8:00. The Motor has always been good for us. Daryl

Super day, thanks to everyone who organised and participated. Really enjoyed meeting everyone, appreciated the chance to try out some exotic basses, and loved Guy's interview and the chance to play the sublime Betsy 🥰 Afterwards I messaged my boys to tell them I'd had a go on the bass used by the bassist from Oink Floyd. It was a typo but I'm bagging it as a tribute band name 🐷

As a regular to the SW Bash, I looked forward with anticipation to my first SE Bash - and I wasn't disappointed. It was a brilliant day! First, the venue was outstanding. There were half a dozen medium-sized rooms, all with reasonable, if not wonderful, acoustics. This made playing at a decent volume possible - unlike in a single large hall, where one loud player can drown everything out and get on everyone's nerves. The organisation was as smooth as a baby's bottom - thanks to Colin and the gang. (I only realised afterwards that Colin is @Hamster. Oh well.) There were some nice goodies in the raffle, and I managed to win a practice amp for my son, who is starting to learn bass at uni and needed something tiny for his flat. Result! Like the SW Bash, everyone was exceptionally friendly and welcoming, with a good mix of beginners and advanced players. It was a joy to meet so many of the people I've chatted to here over the years. The basses on display were out of this world. But really! Quite a few custom jobbies, with more Wals than I've ever seen in my life before, plus Spectors and Musicmans galore. I think Jeff @tubbybloke68 broke the record for the number of basses at a Bash. They were all in fabulous condition and available for anyone to play. As for sounds, I was knocked out by @Merton's 1200W Trace amp. I wish I could afford one.🫤 Then there was the sound of @chyc's double bass, which was absolutely glorious. I'm so glad he went to the (not inconsiderable, I'd say) trouble of bringing it. At the SW Bash, the floorshow is usually hosted by @Phil Starr, who does a brilliant job of keeping us informed and entertained. However, even he was outshone by the brilliant combination of Laurence Cottle and Guy Pratt. Guy was exactly what we expected - interesting, witty and entertaining, and Lawrence provided a fascinating insight into the world of the pro bassist/composer/studio musician, which included a demonstration of a piece he had to sight read for a recording. Mind boggling! What really impressed me was the way both pros made a point of wandering round the rooms, chatting and joking with everyone. Kudos. I think @BassforradioDarren Redick also deserves a big hand for the professional way he introduced and interviewed the guests. I kept missing Bass Centre Barry. I wanted to say hello because I used to be one of his regular (although less important) suppliers when he ran the Bass Centre. I can, however, confirm @silverfoxnik's observation that he still has a full head of hair, although it's unsurprisingly not the same golden blond colour of yore. But hey ho. It gets us all in the end.😀 See you next year. (And thanks to all the nice people who said they liked my cabs).

Laurence is the type of guy you convinces you to either practise more, or give up. Such a great player, with amazing stories. As an aside, I thought I recognized him, and chatting with him afterwards confirmed it, he's here: Thanks everyone for taking the time to organize the event. My first trip was certainly a great experience.

It annoys me when a venue books a band and then wants them to turn down lower than their TV screens. Worst i've had was a club booked us and sold out 120 tickets plus a few paid at door on the night but another club committee member decided to take a 2nd booking in the smaller hall for approx 30 people at a birthday just one door away from us. He then came into our hall and told us to turn down because the other hall couldn't hear their small portable bluetooth speaker playing background music. The members attending our event told him he should never have taken a double booking when a band was booked in main hall. He left in a huff but oddly enough during the 2nd set he was in dancing away to our Glam covers songs and had huge praise for us at the end of the night saying we will definitely be rebooking us. Unbelievable but yes we have returned and it went exceptionally well. Dave

It was on Saturday night at a local social club. Large venue with a great stage. We were greeted with. "That's a lot of gear for a band" (not really but we don't go out light weight) and then by the old boot on the door "Don't be loud, I don't want any of our members walking out!".. sigh. So at a suitably reduced volume that felt distinctly emasculating. The sea of tinted perms and frowning faces didn't improve matters. We did have between 2 and 10 up dancing at times, but 3/4 through set one, the old bag from the door comes in and waves to turn it down.. FFS we're not an acapella band. Second set she had buggered off so we turned the volume back up a bit. We ended up with about 3/4 of the audience left when we finished. Guess it turned out as a paid rehearsal. Turns out they've been enquiring about us doing Xmas Eve next year! Oh but would you believe it, every single one of us won't be available that night 🤣

@petecarlton: So the SW bash has legendary food and now the SE Bash had Guy Pratt for goodness' sake! I think we need to up the game for the Midlands Bash -maybe the local Greggs and @Andyjr1515's bass setup tutorial aren't good enough for folks nowadays? 😉

I actually spent that weekend at Scout Camp on Dartmoor ...

Saturday's gig could have been a tad melancholic, as it was a memorial to a guy who passed suddenly earlier this year. He was the singer in a band that we normally do a two-hander with called Rock for Remembrance as a fundraiser for a charity supporting disabled Forces veterans. But far from being downbeat, it went down a storm. It was held in Colinton bowling club - a genteel place in a leafy Edinburgh suburb. A kids' birthday party was finishing as we were loading in - I don't think I've ever seen so many Trinity tractors in one small car park before. We were on first, and I was expecting our whole set to be met with nothing more than polite applause, but we had people up and dancing well before we finished. It got livelier as the evening went on, so all good there. On the downside, one of the lighting stands slipped as I was setting it up and took a lump out of my left index finger, and the lighting desk was sulking. It took a bit of percussive persuasion to get it to behave. I think it's on the way out. But all in all, a great night!

We can all learn, and benefit, from his enthusiasm for the bass !

Big thanks to Colin (Hamster) for his organisation and securing the venue and Guy Pratt, his lovely wife Sarah for the refreshments, Trev and Mick for organising Lol Cottle, Barry Moorhouse and some raffle prizes....... and all of you for attending, donating raffle prizes and generously sharing in the spirit of the event and helping to raise lots of money for charity!

Great to catch up with Gary (Cetera) and Barry Morehouse , the time just shot by . Laurence Cottle was superb and definitely a real bonus to the event , great that he could stay on to the very end as well . Tip of the day was the second finger leading technique . Looking forward to next year and hopefully better weather on the day .

(And Mrs Colin for the tea & cakes!)

Many thanks to Colin, Trevor, Gary and anyone else who was involved, for making the bash a great day. . . . again.

Ding dong the b*tch is dead though...

Macaque the knife. Various

That looks like a fabulous day, some great gear and people as usual. Shame I missed it On the other hand - I played better on Sunday morning than I have done in ages and had this very odd sensation that I am now actually a bass player.

Yeah, Darren was the perfect MC for those bits. As you say, top bloke! I couldn’t believe it when Guy finished his chat and said, “I’ll just leave those there if anyone wants to look at them or have a go. Just limit yourself to a couple of minutes coz there’ll probably be a few of you!” He’s such a lovely erm… guy.

What a great, great day!!! Posted a load of pics up at Facebook. You shouldn’t need a Facebook account to view it, I think. https://www.facebook.com/trevorraggatt/posts/pfbid02MUasXEzTEiBG4KPoW6BdTfqYrVUBnZPGxceEQ82UUUVatTJUbYpPGxEyyFvUsPYnl

The Trace was sublime. I've always thought amps were much of a muchness - but the Trace sounded ridiculously good. Thanks, @Merton for the short- term loan. They look good together, too!😄

Just posting this because of how constantly amazed I am by the little TC Electronics BG250 208 combo, especially with my NS EUB. Wife was out yesterday so they both snuck into the lounge in her absence and it was a great opportunity for a photo 😎

This is Heidi, my 77 Precision. I bought her sight-unseen online from the other side of the planet before I moved to NZ for what was then going to be a one year working holiday. She was waiting for me when I got off the plane. 13 years later, she is still my absolute favourite. Professionally refinished by the original owner some time in the early 90's in Sparkling Lake Placid Blue (maybe a shade lighter than LPB) and the pickup was also swapped out for a SD SPB3. I'm told this had nothing to do with Mr 'arris... She is quite heavy but definitely not the heaviest 70's P I've ever owned or played.

Its basically just ignorance on my part. I simply wasn't aware and never really gave it much more thought. When i looked at the google map Paisley borders on Glasgow so i wasn't far away I also had no idea Paisley was Scotlands 5th largest Town / City. Every day a school day on Basschat and happy that people actually read my posts. More importantly WHY WERE YOU NOT AT MY GIG LAST NIGHT in Paisley. Dave

Weve been lucky. We don't deal much with volume issues. Most of our business is during fair and festival season. Daryl

I have many regrets throughout my life.... I, like many of us have many "I could have been a contender" stories, missed opportunities, record company interest, A&R scouts etc, but blew them all through naivety and acting like a d**k. I wish I'd taken the bass more seriously in the early days too. I regret selling many many basses..... beautiful instruments I wish I still had, hundreds of them, but GAS and the misguided idea that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence has plagued me for 40yrs. Let me tell you, the grass on the other side is exactly the same colour as it is on this side. If you have an instrument you love, hang on to it with both hands, and don't be tempted to trade it out for other shiny things.... you'll regret it. I also regret not telling my dad that I loved him..... more than I did.

Like being homeless? IBTCL (In before the 'Cruella' lock)🤣

I’ve used contacts for years, used to wear them all the time but as I got older I would use them less. These days I wear them when out and about mostly in the summer months so I can use decent sunglasses. Very occasionally on gigs. I have varifocal lenses in the specs as I’m short sighted from an early age, and I now need additional help with reading. My contacts are monthly Bausch & Lomb Purevision 2 multifocals for distance and reading. Can’t recommend them enough. I can see the audience, the fretboard and the charts on the iPad.

Drivng home from Hereford last night, I was feeling absolutely gutted that I had to miss the Bash, but many thanks to Mick ( @TheGreek ) and Trevor ( @TrevorR ) for posting the photos. Of course, now I'm feeling even more gutted! 👍😎👍

Gibbon It All Away - Roger Daltrey

It was made clear at the very start of this Challenge, that the criteria of recording quality, production, technical ability and more were (and, for me, still are...) essentially secondary to the inspirational and composition elements of the work proposed. Not everyone has a studio at their disposal, nor even the domestic conditions for professional-level recordings, so the pieces with background noise, some 'flubs', a low, or too high, level can still be appreciated for the idea behind them. Some may benefit from a heavenly choir, others a soft trumpet solo or a Trinidad steel band, but, even without any window dressing, a Good Composition is a Good Composition. I would humbly offer some of my own renderings as model of just how little technique is required; some of my pieces have even been voted as 'best', proving that it's not always the most 'pro' efforts that are recompensed. In short : don't sweat it; it's fine as it is..!

Early monday morning update: Neck and pickup fitted. Pickup work was a bit tedious due to hand rotary tool broken last week. Back to chisel and patience. I extended the cavity, but, as you can see, I made a little mistake in the bottom left corner of the pickup ring, where I went mad with the chisel and extended the cut a few millimiters that were NOT required. The ring does not cover it unfortunately, so my OCD will have to live with that and with the fact that there is a tiny gap between te neck bottom and the picket bottom, but it seems straight enough (will have to string her up thou to check). Now we are ready for soldering the control plate and the pickup. Will have to work separately on the output jack, as this body has it at the side and not as a third hole in the control area .... (sigh!)

Was great fun, good to meet and chat with many of you. Many thanks to the organisers too - I hadn't actually paid any attention beforehand to which guests would be showing up, but totally blown away by how good they both were, I could happily have listened to either of them for another few hours. Surprised by how quickly the day flew by...

TBH if you have PA support then you don’t need 1000W or a 4ohm speaker. Indeed it is a positively bad idea. If the PA is what the audience are hearing then you need them not to hear the bass amp and even more importantly you need to turn down as much stage sound as possible to keep it out of the vocal mics. You’ll never get a clean sound if you and the other instruments are drowning the vocals and distorting the feed to the PA. Go for a really good 112, it will serve you better than a cheaper 212 and if you absolutely need volume when you don’t have PA support you can add a second. A decent 112 with 500W through 8ohms is already way more than you need for stage monitoring.

A great day with old and new friends alike. Many thanks to @Merton for letting me leave my 12 string next to his copious amounts of ACG's (borrowing a strap) and running it through his fantastic trace 1200 and Barefaced 210. Whilst I'm not in the market for new cabs, having tried @stevie's LFSys cabs, they're great. Exceptionally clear and articulate which is why I'd choose a cab. They really do the snap, click and top end extension which I like very well. You could do a lot worse than get one. They're easily on a par with Vanderkley, Barefaced or Bergantino.

This is my slightly re-configured mini board, complete with the new micro-thumpinator. I am thinking of adding a preamp / DI and using my bigger board (Pedaltrain Jr) again in the new year, but this is what I'm taking out at the moment.

Our illustrious guests

My noise gate , works incredibly well and was only £25

Tonight: A social club somewhere near Walsall. It was as glamourous as it sounds (if not less so) - the average age was about 100, and that's including me and the three 20-somethings in the band... We had a dep singer as our singer/guitarist was busy/couldn't be bothered, she was great- really nice husky voice, got stuck in lugging the gear, lovely lass and a good laugh. We did mostly 50s and 60s stuff which went down well - you've not lived until you've seen a dancefloor full of septuagenarians shuffling away to a Connie Francis number, and a few of our usual set. Not sure what they made of Dakota, Brightside and Footloose but they gave it a go, bless 'em. We changed key on the fly for a few songs (to give the female singer a fighting chance) which meant I launched into my BVs on autopilot before realising I couldn't get that high, so I ended up alternating between Barry White and Alvin and the Chipmunks. There was a raffle at half time. Glamourous, like I said. Played the 'Ray for the first time in ages - it's been out of action for a bit due to me not being happy with the LaBella DTFs that were on it, back to EB Cobalt flats and it sounded fantastic. Thumpinator -> VTDI was all I took so no pedals to worry about. Probably for the best, as I think the Bass Soul Food would have finished a couple of them off, never mind the one control green bass machine. Dodgy XLR meant horrid crackly/cutting out IEMs for the first set, the joy I felt when I could hear everything in the second set was almost a religious experience. Paid cash, a pint on the house and home at 1:30 to a Westons Special Reserve and a sulky cat. Better than staying in watching telly, innit?

KZ ZS10 Pro IEM’s. Bang for buck difficult to beat.