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Last night I began my 20 gig countdown to retiring from The ELO Experience with the annual visit to our hometown gig - Hull New Theatre. As usual it sold out so we had around 1300 people in. Slightly different this year as we had a flying PA which involved a lot more time and manpower to set up. However the improvement was definitely noticeable to the audience ( and me too, being non IEM’s!) so well worth the hassle and expense. I dropped a couple of silly clangers but nothing drastic and the band as a whole played well considering our last gig was mid November. Bit sad for me knowing it may be the last time I grace the stage there, but still a great night for us. Caught up with a few old friends in the pub afterwards too so happy days.

Right, that's it done. Back panel lacquered a few days ago and pinned on this afternoon. Yay, I'm a pedalboard guy now!

Whereas I welcome it. When someone dies they are dead. They have died. This recent trend to say 'passed' is, imo, just a pointless euphemism that is simply ducking what is perceived to be an uncomfortable issue. Yet it will happen to every single one of us. Seems daft to me.

That's lovely and £1,000 more than my one.

She was very kind to me, and had some nice words about my voice after the first thing I recorded on Radio 1 in the 80s. I never forgot that complement. Very sad indeed.

Clean...... turn it up, plenty of mids, P bass or Thunderbird, old school. Pedals? Cobblers.

I can probably answer most of your questions relating to Trace Elliot products made between 1978 and the end of 1986.Fred Friedlein (MD),Alan Morgan(sales) and I (designer) were the founder members of Trace Elliot.designed all models up to then including GP 11 preamp, GP7 preamp and the AH 150 combo amps. The amp heads AH150,AH 350x,the biamp model and the most popular AH250 and AH500 heads. Stuart Watson.

Hi folks Just wanted to show you another fantastic ACG I’ve acquired from the great Alan Cringean. This one is a pure joy both in terms of feel, playability and tone. Alan’s work is second to none. This is the Krell model, 5 string and 35 inch. ART maple on top of a swamp ash body. Ash neck with wenge strips. Fingerboard is flamed sycamore with blue dots from the bass body. Luminlay side dots. Hipshot ultralite tuners and Hipshot bridge then finally a John East Uni Pre 4. Pickups are a FB humbucker in the neck and an RFB humbucker at the bridge. This combo can cut through the mix no problem. If 2024 is the year you’re looking for a custom bass then get into ACGs website. Alan is a pure gent and any communication I’ve had with him has been top notch. All the best Stuart

I remember Oasis (in their prime) saying they keep tickets at £20-30 each as they know the kids and people similar to where and how they grew up couldn't afford more. Always had admiration for them for that.

Small, medium or large?

What the hell does 'world-leading pickups' mean? Leading the world in what exactly?! I'm blaming my age, but the nonsensical bo**ocks that is employed in the name of marketing and that is so ubiquitous these days is really starting to grind my gears...

+1 for the Behringer B205D. Played a support gig a little while ago and the headline acts bassist was using one with his db and he kindly offered to let me try it. It was one of those tight little stages where you are almost stood/sat on your amp, so having this thing at ear height was a godsend. He obviously knew it well and had the eq spot on and it produced a surprising amount of bass from its 5” speaker. Plus points I could clearly hear every note I played, downsides I could clearly hear every note I played. Note to self, stop prattling around on the internet and practice more instead 😂

Just what the world needs - another Fender clone.

I'd recommend using a decent recording interface, and not use an amp at all. Most bass is recorded directly into the desk. Just my tuppence-worth.

Utter overkill IMHO. 8x10s are only for bands with roadies. Where are you using it - an aircraft hangar? Even if you're recording the cab sound with a microphone, you only need a single speaker cab to do that.

Extraordinary person and life, all too easy to overlook that at a time of serious sexism and elitism she was always seen by audiences and colleagues alike as the real deal and never a token, and that was still the case 50 years later among audiences and colleagues of very different generations and cultures. RIP Annie ❤️

Sansamp - Punchy, grindy tone without distorting Then add a: TC Electronic Spark Booster - adds as little or as much grit as you want or: Joyo Double Thruster (budget copy of a Darkglass B3K and just as good IMHO) You don't need anything more than the Sansamp plus one of these.

In general, I've found that bass is only interesting to bassists.

Maybe he did - we wouldn't have been able to hear him.

I think the “bb sound” is so evident on “No Doubt” and “Tragic Kingdom” by No Doubt - it’s an amazing bass sound - not harmed by Tony Kanal being an absolute monster. If you want to hear classic BB slapped - go for “No Doubt” and finger style “Tagic Kingdom” without a doubt (😉) it’s just his bb1600 with volume and tone wide open for the vast majority. a 414 through a decent amp (Tony Kanal uses Gallien Kreuger) can get close. I also have no recollection or record of who I sold my 1600 to 😞

I've had someone tell me I should use old strings and not change them because Jamerson used old strings. I don't remember Jamerson playing much metal though. Maybe he played on Justice For All

First bit of feed back for Elliott! He just bought an amp from me, lovely bloke and dead easy to deal with. All good and welcome to the money pit!

Here are two recordings. This is just a demo off my MODX, not me playing. The DAW version was direct in to my UR22-C interface. The Wireless version was with the MODX going directly to the Transmitter, and the Receiver feeding the same interface. It's not an even playing field but you can get an idea of how close they sound. No EQ used. Both 24bit/48khz. When I went to record this I had an issue where the Receiver wasn't picking up the signal, but after a re start it was fine. Something got keep an eye on though. Direct.wav Wireless.wav

There should be some effort involved, but it shouldn't be horrible. I have the Spiro mittels on mine, and it was hard. I was on the verge of ordering a set of weichs, but decided to book it in with Thwaites for a general MOT (as it was new to me and I wanted someone in the know to look over it), and to see if it could be made a touch easier to play. I told them the kind of music I was playing, and conversely the kind of thing I wouldn't really ever do. They contacted me after a few days, said that reprofiling the bridge would do what I need. I think they charged me 80 quid... It saved me a few hundred quid over replacing the strings. It's infinitely easier to play now, still sounds strong, a bit growlier and less thumpy maybe. I'm happy with the mittels now and don't feel the need to change. I'd have a chat with a pro before doing anything else. It worked for me anyway.

I was looking up Jason Arthur Welsh bass player after listening to a track earlier, and he played on these 2, really good player and nice Basslines and this really sounds like old school Aswad and steel Pulse with Brinsley Ford

First practice with the BB734. When I got it out everyone looked concerned that I’d replaced the Schecter J4 but as soon as I stated playing and they all agreed it was a keeper. They’re a tough crowd to win other with bass acquisitions so that’s a pretty big win.

Having owned all the models you mentioned, I found I preferred the BB414. Slightly slimmer neck. They all sound very similar, with no massive " wow that sounds much better " moment. There all really good which ever one you decide on.

Currently is the worst that fender you got where they forgot to sell you the body

I've played at many weddings. The one thing many bands don't realise, at a wedding you are playing to guests, not an audience. They are not there for you, and what you play only had to keep multiple generations happy and on the floor. Modern or old fashioned is irrelevant if they are dancing and enjoying themselves.

There's a huge range of bass sounds in metal from super clean to fuzzy, clanky nastiness. My bass sound is quite mid heavy with a good amount of grit. I take a little bit of grit from the amp but most of it comes from a Darkglass vintage microtubes with gain up high but blend in the middle and then a Two Notes Le Bass preamp for added valve grit. The most important thing in a band situation is to forget about what your bass sounds like in isolation, that doesn't matter. It's all about the sound when played with the guitars and drums. A lot of bassists who hear Lemmy's bass isolated will say it sounds dreadful but listen to it in the mix and it's perfect

We have a winner, @Manton Customs! My guess is that the tuner is there by accident - should never have made it out to retail channels.

The Behringer B105D (50W) / B205D (150W) models could be just the ticket? Have had good experience with the B205D with my bands. Decent value for money too.

New toy: It seems decent, quite futuristic compared to individual analogue pedals. All the software and connections are intuitive (no need for a manual) and I've got some good sounds from it. Slight issues being: The tuner doesn't work well with the open E (it's fine on 12th fret instead though), no dedicated Bass effects or Amp/cabs. You can change presets, volume, and access the Tuner on the pedal, anything more involved needs phone/app though which is a bit of a shame. I suppose the thing is: Is it better than the NUX Mighty Plug for headphone practice, Zoom B1 four for band practice/backup, or a pedalboard of individual pedals for gigs? I think the answer is it's kind of the middle ground. It's bigger than the Nux but has a built-in tuner, more effects and longer effects chains, more presets, and more hardware controls. It is smaller than the Zoom and has Bluetooth and rechargeable battery and longer effects chains, not as editable without a phone though and I think I generally prefer the effects on the Zoom (they tend to have more parameters to adjust). A tradition pedalboard wins for being tough and more foolproof and easily adjusted/footswitch stompable for gigs. P2 will be a good pocket sized backup though, or good for having access to effects you don't have. I think for me it'll mostly be used for band practice rather than carrying about a full pedalboard. Perhaps I'll use it more than the mighty plug for home headphone practice - especially as it has a tuner. I don't think I'll use it at gigs, good as a backup though.

Double bass is tortuous and exhausting, it’s why we play it 🧐

Her death has really got me thinking. I'm 63, started off a punk ended up in a pit and all the clubs and dives inbetween.. done a lot, loved it all. To me she was more than Peely, maybe because she was a woman...I dunno...In a way the female equivalent of Bowie tho not a musician, just one of those people who maybe influenced more people in the pop scene than it's realised.

Many thanks for all the advice, here it is - all sorted! I don’t know what it is about this one, I’ve had many stingrays and Stirling basses over the years and this one is incredible and very different in sound to the others that have passed through my hands. Pickup and electronics are stock.

Your average musician (who isn't a bass player) probably couldn't name the bassist in their favourite band. Bassists are invisible to everybody, other than other bassists. Sad but true

....and even thats pushing it a bit! 🤣 Maybe as @NHM says, to most people "the band" is the influence and the bass player is a by product of that eg: from the age of 10 I was influenced by a range of bands from Black Sabbath to Abba and only much later knew who the bass players were!

"It's gonna be free practice for us tonight...super quiet"... Lead Singer Well it was the start of "dry" Jan, but that's maybe going to be the worst prediction of 2024 already in the bag! Was a huge amount of fun!