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New to me, but a 2011 model. A ‘Ball Family Reserve’ instrument, limited production run. I’ve asked about the actual production numbers, but they are not known. Most Stingrays are 4H, so I’d imagine this is a pretty rare beast in this specification. There is a very subtle copper sparkle in the paint. Invisible in daylight, & just about visible under lights, but that’s where the ‘Black Sugar’ name comes from. Rare for me to want a painted body over exotic wood, but the gorgeous roasted maple neck ticks that box. It was the sound that made me want it anyway - as soon as I played it plugged in, I knew it was coming home with me!!

I was away from this thread for a while trying to keep up with, and occasionally contribute to, the UK General Election thread - I've now recovered sufficiently to start re-engaging with the Bass Chat bit of Basschat😀 . Also I found the first night at the new Jam Night venue a little underwhelming, so wasn't inspired to write anything about it. It didn't have the same "good live music" feel as the previous venue and several of the better bands didn't turn up. This month's was better - the atmosphere wasn't back to the previous venue's but the bands turned up. Except mine, so I talked a couple of members of the host band into playing with me and a new bloke on the guitar joined us. People sang along to our set, so I guess we made a good call on the songs and I felt we played them pretty well. Here is our version of "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" by the Georgia Satellites - a bit of a one hit wonder and I suspect not that well known in the UK - do any of your bands play it?

Played an end of year party for the teachers from a Bristol school at the Grain Bardge last night. Great gig. They were definitely up for a party! I'd recommend doing end of year parties.

Have missed a number of gigs because I’ve forgotten to take photos- no issues tonight, the venue owner (Lyde Court, Hereford) suggested we got one by his plane, as one does. Horns on track tonight, punters don’t really care but they’re a bit cheesy for my liking but otherwise a great gig, works do, young-ish crowd and they lapped it up. Two more this weekend as well, best get some sleep!

Thanks Mykes, I know we all play in different levels of the gigging game and it's fun to share stories because we all see the good and the bad side of it. Daryl

I took delivery of a new bass yesterday , and had the chance to hear it at room levels in my favourite downtown dive last night. I bought a big orange Gretsch hollow body last December and have been mostly using that. Some Gretsch fans mentioned that the ThunderJet would pair nicely with it so I’ve been looking for one. They were from the Pro Series that were made in Japan. Pricey and only made in small batches , no longer in production. I finally managed to find one. And I like it. Fairly quiet night at the gig , still an enjoyable night. I was able to switch basses a fair bit and compare the two. Some of my favourite nights have been quiet ones. Small but appreciative crowd. I’m back there Sunday night for the jam and will hear it again.

Or does @Bluewineknow the oldest trick in the book, and chuck some notes in first to attract more of the same? 😏

Here’s the new Jet , and me shortly after buying that big orange one. I guess I’m becoming a Gretsch guy , didn’t see that coming. I was originally a Pbass guy and for years that was all I had. Then I got into Rics , and somehow into Danos after that. Then it was Gibson short scales , now Gretsches.

I'd be all over that, if it was a 2-string. GLWTS.

I’ve watched this a couple of times now and have really enjoyed it so thought I’d share with the BC community! I think Ian Allison really gets the best out of the guests on the channel, and this is no exception. As for Tim Lefebvre, I think he’s all-round fabulous. This interview covers, amongst other things, Knower, Bowie (again), Tedeschi Trucks, and some sound advice (and examples) of what happens, and what to do, when you mess up in the studio/on stage - it happens to the best of them! Well worth a watch…

" I have heard there's good money to be made down the docks. Doing favours for sailors".

A pity that many of us don't 'do' facebook. Never mind.

I just sold all my gear. Where was the international music media interest in my stuff?

A bathroom scales reading reports a comfortable 8.5lbs.

That was not our tip jar. The Baaree puts that jar on a stand in front of the band . They also pass it around through the crowd. Mykes, the $100.00 was not a tip. The head bartender asked If we'd play an extra 30 minutes for a hundred. He put the note in the jar Daryl

Dave, The $100.00 wasn't really a tip. The head bartender asked if we'd play an extra 30 minutes for a hundred bucks. He put the note in the jar. However it was a good tip night. Daryl

Here's mine with a Genz Benz cab, that combination can kill small animals

I'm quite fond of this one.

Oh I quite agree. There was a Radio 4 show about why ignorance is key to innovation. People who approach problems from a unique angle (because they’re savants, non neurotypical, incredibly intelligent or from another culture, for example) can often find new opportunities that others have ignored or simply never considered. Musicians have incredible skills that can be applied in new areas. I used to work with a woman who studied music and played professionally. She moved into music therapy and, from there, moved into the NHS and is now head of a national charity. Power of music!

I’m no wiring expert but the UK has ring mains with multiple outlets and a higher rated CB so the fuse in the plug is important.

I sort of get it, but there are ways around this stuff. The video was a guy moaning about how people can’t make money from music anymore as the opportunities aren’t there. That’s basically it.

Agreed, but I'm not the biggest fan of having a tip jar passed around. However, I'd say most of the tips were from people walking up to the jar. Daryl

Yes, thought the 100 was a bit heavy, even for US tipping. The old trick here, where people will put £1 coins in a tip jar is to put a couple of £5 and £10 notes in before the jar starts going around, encouraging a bit more generosity.

Wrapped around your fingers. Polis

It's not just the amps, it's also the speakers. Ampeg has used Eminence almost as long as Eminence has been around, and Eminence bass drivers have a distinctive rise in the midrange. When emulators are voiced they include the voicing contributed by the speakers.

They did a pretty good version of Badge too

Thought I'd test the theory using Bing's AI bollocks image generator. The prompt I used was the ad title, plus 'fretless' as that seemed important, even though the seller didn't appear to think so. So - Warmoth Short Scale Fretless Bass Neck with a Blue Headstock. This was the closest to the prompt - and honestly, the more you look at it, the better it gets.

Hi guys A Two Factor Authentication (2FA) option has just been enabled for all members. We strongly suggest you take advantage of this option to keep your account safe from anyone else logging in as you, for example if someone obtains your password or login credentials (particularly if you use the same details on other sites). If you're not familiar, it'll mean that you'll need to carry out a second step when logging in (or carrying out any of the actions below) by one of two methods - either entering the answers to three security questions which you can set up yourself, or by using Google Authenticator which generates a code for you to enter when prompted whilst logging in to BC. Other 2FA apps may be compatible in the future but for now the software supports these two options only. Rest assured it's easy and helps secure your account which is becoming increasingly important. If you use the 'remember me' box when logging in, you will not have to use 2FA every time you log in on that device. Access your 2FA setting here https://www.basschat.co.uk/settings/account-security/ 2FA is required when: Changing email address - The user will also need to re-enter their password. Logging in from a new device Managing Authorized Devices Logging into AdminCP Updating two-factor authentication setup, changing the online status visibility, requesting PII data or account deletion. Changing password Managing alternative contacts Viewing, withdrawing or topping up account credit Managing PayPal Subscriptions Managing stored cards Editing personal billing information Managing addresses Any questions or concerns just let me know! Cheers Chris

If you're just putting vocals through the system, a sub will do nothing for you. They're meant to reproduce frequencies lower than you'd want to hear from a vocal mic. The powered monitor you have isn't a particularly loud or punchy one. If you're trying to get vocals heard across the room, a couple of passive speakers on stands driven by your Behringer will do a better job, but those Behringer units aren't exactly super powerful amplifiers either. In addition to adding some speakers, I'd also look at reducing the volume of the backline in the room. Bands that are struggling with vocal levels in the practice room are usually playing too loud. I always found rehearsals improved significantly when everyone dropped their volume down. You can hear with more clarity, your ears get less fatigued (and less likely to be damaged!), and you're more likely to pick up on details in the arrangement and performance than if everyone is thrashing away at full belt. If it's your own practice room, I'd also look at some sort of acoustic treatment. Cleaning up the sound of the room will do wonders for clarity in a small space. Heavy drapes hung on the walls to dampen reflections would be a good place to start.

As an oldie, I don't think it's a case of people not being able to make a living from music "anymore". It never was an option for most. When I started playing as more than just a hobby (slightly north of 50 years ago), the dream was to "turn professional". For the majority, including me, it remained just that. A dream. Occupations that everyone wants to pursue tend not to pay well for the majority. It's a case of supply and demand. If everyone wants to be a musician, actor and similar, the pay offered tends to be low because someone somewhere will bite. For much of my life, music has been a side-line, occasionally a moderately lucrative one. I've enjoyed brief periods during which music was my only source of income, but they were brief. It was always necessary to return to a day job to make ends meet, unless you wanted to live on baked beans, never own your own home, run a car that was on the verge of falling apart and not be able to have a family. Looking back now I'm in my dotage, I'm glad about that. When I hit 40, I realised that I had 25 years to pay off the mortgage and build some kind of provision for my old age, which I managed to do. I quit part-time casual working and got a "proper" job. The funny thing was that, once I had made the decision to keep music strictly as a side-line, I got offered a lot more work. Some I accepted if I could fit it around the job. The rest I politely declined, explaining that the job wouldn't permit (obviously sensible to keep people sweet in case they offered more in the future). It was a luxury being able to turn down offers to play in toilets to a room full of animals who hated me. All in all, I've done OK and can afford to enjoy my twilight years if I'm sensible. With the benefit of hindsight, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Sean just purchased the TechSoundsytems 6x10XST Cab from me, and I can say that it was a pleasure meeting him. We had a good chat about all things bass. A very friendly and well-spoken chap indeed, not to mention a great bassist. As it transpired, we are the same age and started playing bass at the same age, many decades ago, and we are both really big fans of Jaco! All went smoothly.

funny enough you see all sorts of rock, pop, world and i don’t know what else kid of music at a jazz festival but you never see a jazz artist at a rock, pop, world, folk or whatever else festival. ain’t that a nice little twist, everybody’s jazz if needs be, but it only works one way. how lovely and inclusive, so modern too…

Just tried that and it asks me to request access. Fingers crossed. I'm interested in patches for my B3 as I play a lot of covers and am trying to get a small set of patches to emulate the various bassline sounds.

Grateful Dead - Iko Iko (Live at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, PA, July 7, 1989)

Somewhat delayed report of four gigs over the last 10 days. First was with the covers band Bandwidth (not my idea) at Blakeney Harbour Rooms beer festival. It wasn’t actually raining when we set up, so they had us playing outside under a gazebo in the beer garden. The venue hired a very good sound engineer with excellent kit, so my LFSys Monza and Blackstar U700 were more than I needed. I could have used a preamp direct into the desk and I am sure Mark would have made it sound fantastic. Unfortunately, the weather intervened. It was pretty cold (around 14C) when we started and about half way through our 2 hour set, it started to rain. We decided to play through without a break. Most of the tables were occupied when we started but by the end our audience had dwindled to about 6 stoic individuals huddled together. I later learnt that this group included the ex-British High Commissioner to Nigeria, the former Financial Times Nigeria Correspondent and the former President of the Nigeria/Britain Association. Blakeney is that kind of place where the great and good retire. Gig number two was at the Necton festival with Checkmate Kings blues band at the Necton Festival. It had been lashing down that Saturday but about an hour before were due to go on (early evening) it stopped a the Sun came out. The stage was a trailer but they had an amazing sound system with two very competent sound engineers. I had come prepared to make enough noise to be heard, which turned out to be completely unnecessary because of the amazing PA. I had my BF Two10, plus LFSys Monza stacked under a Blackstar U700, which can handle the 2.7 ohm load. We just had a one hour slot but the crowd had grown due to the sun and were appreciative. The backstage organisation was great as well, somehow turning the bands round in 15 minutes! The money was pretty generous by local standards as well. All in all an excellent gig. Gig three was playing in the “house band” for a blues jam organised as part of the Dereham Blues Festival. I brought along the LFSys Monza and a Mark Bass LM III. Another great combination and easily able to fill the pub with bass, without having to go much above 10 o’clock on the master. It was interesting to hear the rig from the audience side during the general jam, when the house band weren’t playing. It sounded great with a number of different basses: P bass, Mustang P/J and a Jazz. We had quite a few participants and plenty of punters. Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves and there was some excellent playing. One or two oddities but overall a great night. Shame about the cricket on the massive TV behind the band! That’s pubs for you! This brings me to gig four at the Dereham Blues Festival with Checkmate Kings. This is our third year playing at the festival and we were delighted to be given a prime slot: 9-11pm at the Kings Head on the Friday evening. The Kings Head has a massive beer garden and puts on a real ale tent plus catering during the festival. It is normally packed on the Friday of the festival but this year it lashed down. We asked the manager if we could play inside in their back room three times but they insisted on us playing outside on their fixed outside stage (it is covered). Consequently we ended up playing to about 10 people in the garden and another 20 or so in the pub (which had the garden doors open). Be careful what you wish for! On top of everything else, they have a decibel limit because of local residents complaining about noise: the complainants moved in recently, next to a pub that has been putting on live music since the 60s! We had to turn down a couple of times, so I doubt the folks in the pub could hear us that well. It turned into a paid rehearsal but the last gig for our current vocalist/guitarist. Not the greatest way to go out! No photo of that gig unsurprisingly.

I always played Telecasters, 72 custom and 72 thin line.

The Dave Clark Five - Bits And Pieces