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Bought this recently becuase I needed a 2nd bass, I have my P (first ever bass) but wanted something with a different tone, and my favourite ever bassist (Roger Lima from Less Than Jake) plays them pretty much exclusively. I was going to get a Stingray but when I found out that Roger plays a USA Sterling I started looking into it. I have quite short arms and fingers so thought the smaller body and slimmer neck might be good (tried a jazz bass and hated it). Went to try this one and it fitted like a glove, I just couldn’t believe how comfy it was. Considered it for a day or so as this is only my second bass and a lot of money for me but in the end I went for it. In very good condition for a 2007 bass, the body has some minor marks and a couple of chips in the back (which I will touch up) but the frets are almost perfect and the neck/head perfect. it came with a pearl pick guard but included the original black one too so I fitted the black one which I prefer. Took it apart a bit to polish the frets and all the metalwork, set the neck and check the intonation, everything works perfectly And it sounds AMAZING. Apparently the pickup/preamp drives harder than a Stingray but never played a Ray a/B with this one so wouldn’t know. Turn the bass and mids up a bit and it’s just wonderful (novice so not sure how to describe it - just fat with a rounded zing?). Not really sure there’s a lot of difference between the 3 pickup selector options, it doesn’t drastically change the sound. Unfortunately one of the strap lock button on the Schaller locks I bought for it was faulty so waiting for Bass Direct to send me another (they were great) and some new strings on the way too. Need to raise the action on the A string as it’s a bit low compared to the rest but need to get the proper imperial size Allen key for it.

Hello all. It's been some time since I have owned a bass (2 Years), that situation has finally been resolved. Long story short My US Musicman Stingray was stolen shortly after I went through a divorce, where I lost my house and my job all at the same time. I literally couldn't afford anything beyond sustenance. I sort of have some semblance of a life again after 2 and a bit years, though Rent is extortionately expensive and I don't see it getting any easier ever... But life goes on! Managed to get a bit of cash together to Paypal Pay in 3 on this bass. I felt that getting a bass was more important for my mental health at this point. (Don't worry, I have a large emergency fund and some savings, I just don't like to outlay all at once). Made in Ukraine Stas Pokotylo PJ bass. Clearly a Fodera copy, but with a different headstock. Stas has no website, but conducts business through Email and his Social Media pages. Stas Pokotylo (Стас Покотило) (@guitars.sp) • Instagram photos and videos Mahogany Body Maple Neck with Rosewood board. Bolt on 24 Fret neck, Medium/Jumbo ish frets. Very heavy duty bridge. Not a clue what it is. Wilkinson Closed Machineheads. EMG P-J active pickups with no pre-amp. Roughly 7.5lbs in weight, Though this was taken on a very dodgy set of scales... regardless, it is light! I needed to take apart the bass, clean, reassembly and set it up when it came in as the action was pretty high (Though it seems to have been by choice as the Truss rod position was perfect for low action). Dropped the saddles and all seems well. Very little buzz from the frets if any. I am not a fan of the P-J combination usually, but this is surprisingly pleasant sounding after changing the pickup heights a bit. The Jazz pup surprisingly overpowers the P pickup for a change, which is better to my ears. It has a nice clangy tone with the Tone control all the way up, bring the tone down it has a really nice and wiry finger funk sound. The strings that it came with seem to be used standard gauge nickels. The condition of the bass in the photos is not representative of what it is like in real life, there are more dinks and scratches than I realised. I get the feeling the bass was un-played for quite sometime during it's life and probably stored in a bin liner in a moisture laden basement due to the dings all over and the slightly rusty screws. I cleaned off all of the rust on the screws and replaced the Pickup screws for new ones. There were a couple of sharp dents in the fingerboard which I used the Soldering Iron/Wet Tissue trick on and they are much less noticeable now (It didn't effect playability, just cosmetic). The Low E tuner is quite crusty so will be taking it apart to check out the gearing and get some lube inside it. The nut is a little skew whiff in terms of alignment of the strings, but for now is perfectly usable for the time being. It is certainly a lightweight bass considering it is of mahogany construction. I was very surprised with the pleasant weight. Plenty of sustain at the low end. No Dead spots or wolf notes. Whilst it is a bass of few features and built to a price point, it is clearly a quality made instrument. I believe Stas Pokotylo makes the basses for Jinjers Bass player. I might drop Stas a message to find out a little bit more about this bass, including it's age and original spec. So in conclusion, it's a fantastic bass for the money which needed/needs some TLC, It was certainly made with some care and attention. I am happy with the pickup sounds and I don't see the need for a pre-amp. The Playability is very very good and is on-par with my old USA Musicman Stingray. This bass will certainly last for many years to come Short term I would like to get the strings replaced with some Nickel 40-95's and the Pots replaced with something a bit meatier as the current ones seem a bit crusty (I believe these are 425k rated, not sure what brand they are all I can see is the T on the pot with a wiggly character next to it, any recommendations? Long term, I may try and get it refinished (Just a sand back and reapplied clear finish) So yes there it is! Not something you see everyday. It definitely scratches my Vincen Garcia itch as it can certainly cop that tone despite the reverse P and active pickups. Will I keep it long term? Hard to say, I did actually go into buying a bass that was Passive and Fender USA Jazzish... But came out with this instead. We'll see how it goes!

Tried the Neptunium live and it sounded massive! FoH guy was so happy with my tone as much as I was. Been putting together some demo of the Neptunium since there’s none in youtube atm. Looking forward to finish it.

As you will see, from my signature, I am fortunate to be a Rotosound endorsee. In anticipation of a new string order, I asked if I could collect the strings from the factory, and have a look around. That request was granted. Accordingly, me and @Rumblefish braved Junction 10 of the M25 and the M25 itself to head to Sevenoaks, to meet up with the artist rep and have a look around. I have to say, we were both fascinated to see the process from wire store to the smoothing of the (flatwound) strings. What was also fascinating was the lervel of a) hand operation, and b) the machines that had been designed by previous members of the Howe family, and that were still in use. Additionally, as well as working on designs for new machines, James is the man to undertake the maintenance of the machines in the factory. Some of them dated back to the very beginnings of the factory, and original machines were still in use today. We were both impressed by the whole process and the sheer skill of the folk who guide the windings onto the core by hand, and by eye. Even the ladies in the packing room were hand coiling the strings to go into the packets. How they produced bundles of strings with the same diameter was astounding to watch. I know not everyone here is a fan, but the sheer amount of manual intervention in the production of the strings was reassuring, and the 'British' ethos of the company was very evident. The core steel of the strings may be sourced externally, but everything else is done in-house, and on machines that had been designed and built in-house. A truly wonderful operation. I didn't want to disturb people by taking pictures, but I promise we did go!!

I don't think they are aware as they're new in town. However in a twist of fate I'm doing the sound for a small open air festival next month and I've been told they are first on. So I'll get the opportunity. Plus I'll make sure I give their sound special attention!

Big Gig this weekend. Maple Road is headlining The Bend Theatre. That means we get the big catered dressing room. Daryl

Final version

This is the latest version of my board. I've had the Spectradrive between the tuner and OC-2 for a while but that meant I couldn't access the aux, headphones or DI out on the Spectradrive. I'd prefer the compressor to be at the start of the chain but it sounds fine in this order. I'm quite surprised I've managed to get seven effects on a mini board!

I fancied a change back to Mark Bass after years of going from Bergantino and then to Barefaced. I was a bit confused as to the differences between the new MB cabs with the P, Energy, and Pure options, but their people explained the differences and that as I really liked the older cabs the one to go for was the Energy as they have the same speakers in them. The new cab material is very interesting to look at and to touch. It's very light and the recessed handles are further towards the speaker edge of the cab so it's very well balanced when picked up. So, it's now at home with my Mark Bass AG1000 Andrew Gouche head and it sounds very nice. That amp is quite clean sounding - a little different to other MB heads and I'd like to try a Little Mark Tube head at some point, just for comparison. I just need a band now, having recently left my last one! I may have to get a cover for it though as the carpeted areas have already attracted attention from a sharp clawed furry ball of insanity...

I recently sold three guitars as they were not being used and at the same time decided that my Sterling 34HH would finally head off to bass hospital to have its crackly selector switch replaced and a decent set-up job done. With a pretty important gig coming up I wanted a back up for my P Bass and settled on this Squier Affinity PJ. It has a chunk of the finish missing at the back which is hidden from view when I play it, and doesn't affect the sound, so I got the bass at a big discount from the local music shop. It helped that I know the owner (we've been in bands together on and off for nearly 30 years). I swapped the pick guard for the one that I had on the P Bass and while it's probably not to everyone's taste, I like it. In the meantime, I've been looking for a semi acoustic bass to complete the line-up and spotted this Ibanez AGBV200A on the PMT website. Second hand, it arrived this afternoon in perfect condition (if you take into account that the 'V' in the catchy model name stands for vintage which means the guitar has been 'relic-ed' to appear old. Edit: The photo doesn't do the finish justice). The action is low as I like it and the strings are relatively new. It has a lovely tone with and without amplification. It's a short scale but feels longer than 30", probably due to the larger body and playing position on a strap. I love the finish and I think it will have a place in the Hulla band set when we do the more mellow numbers in the set.

Here's a photo of my bass collection circa 2015 in Kyiv. Apart from the MusicMan all the other basses are SPs. The birdseye fretless and the 4 string I still have now. The orange one I sold shortly after this photo was taken, and the purpleheart 6 is stuck in Kyiv (I intend to go back and get it but due to the war it's not that easy to get there and back). The sixer was made in 2004/5 when he still had Fodera parts. The bridge and tuners are all Fodera badged and the Bartolini soapbars were the ones Fodera used in the Anthony Jackson contrabasses before they switched to Duncans.

god dammit

I remember when i used to say things like this. i beleived it too 😄

For some people it is. For me it is not. I'm under no illusion about my future but I can't live then, I can only live today. I've wasted enough years of my life in jobs I detested thank you very much. Now I'm earning what little I get on my terms. The mental health benefits alone make it worthwhile.

NBD - Ibanez 30TH5PE Just arrived via an ex band mate now living up in Edinburgh - was collection only from there, which would have ruled it out for me, but a stroke of luck that I had a former bandmate who has relocated to that same city, and is also often back down in London with work.

Addendum to my post above - just received a pic of me being a saxonob again, complete with hat and shades, band's playing 'Geno'. Our gitrist is a teacher, and obviously agrees that 'academic inspiration, I gave him none..."

Don't be that sound guy. You're better than that.

Sunday's board looked like this The combination of the Pulp n Peel at the start and the BDI 21 at the end before the power amp was exquisite. The FI did multiple jobs from synth bass, to wah, through octaves and all points in between. A small sweet board. The chorus is the best I've tried, the Death Saw well named. I tamed it with a clean blend courtesy of the LS-2.

Warwick Fortress Flashback 5 Wenge Wenge Wenge

If only this were a shorty I'd have bought it not posted about it! Solid body with DiMarzio pickup, 2 octave neck, proper bridge, brass nut all sorts of other nice things. Bit scruffy but I bet it is a monster. £290! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/135312739262

If you mean this, it's a Peavey T-40:

It might be even more fun to poach them.

Tony Edwards built me a short scale PB a few years ago and it came in at around £1K. Things have gone up a bit but I would imagine he could do a 32” well within your budget. https://tonyedwardsguitars.co.uk. I happen to know he is on holiday at the moment, so you might not get a response immediately, if you do want to follow up with him. I am very happy with the bass. Babicz bridge and Tony’s own hand wound pickups. Probably not the best picture and this was to my design, so might not suit everybody’s tastes.

The The on their Ensouled world tour in Usher Hall in Edinburgh a month ago. They played two sets - the first set was the new album, Ensoulment, in its entirety. Not my favourite album, but hearing it played live was really good. The second set was all the 'classics' from Burning Blue Soul up to Dusk. I would have paid the ticket price solely for the second set, it was that good!

Preliminary poll results fits its name "Dud Bottomfeeder" well.

I saw Alice for the 1st time on Monday Night 21st Oct at Hammersmith, great venue but always a bugger to get to from the Herts/Essex border but finally found a good route by train/tube at long last. The Meffs were not bad a lot of energy and noise for just 2 people, a punk version of the White stripes, loved there cover of the prodigy, I enjoyed them. Glen Matlock well I don't want to be to harsh, he was on rhythm guitar and vocals, didn't really do it for me , and they even attempted the sacred stuff by finishing with a awful version of Pretty Vacant, but that's just my opinion. Wow Alice was amazing the whole band was incredible, the stage set and lighting, was just superb. Alice may not of spoken to the crowd but he interacted throughout and I felt thoroughly engrossed in the proceedings. Great set list although he didn't play my favourite Alice tune but you cant have everything so it was still a treat to be there. Loved the theatrics and different costumes Alice adorned. Loved the closing version of Schools out mixed with another brick in the wall. Alice was absolutely fantastic amazing energy and singing for a man of his age, would definitely see him again. Top night out.

Raucous? Of course X-Ray Spex!

Mike Walsh at Zoot/Iceni has been doing a lot of 32" scales recently, you'd probably be looking at the Funkmeister shape with whatever pickups etc you want. Merton's here:

I’ll be getting my first Barefaced cab this weekend, a Super Compact. I needed a smaller and lighter cab as my poor suffering wife is now my roadie due to my foot being badly broken. I play in a typical pub band so no larger venues, maybe the odd outdoor gig in the summer. I will be pairing it up with a TKS 1x12 for the time being which I know will be ample for the gigs we do. I’m sceptical if any 1x12 cab would be enough but it would be nice to be proven wrong. I’m really looking forward to getting it and testing it out on its own at a rehearsal. We practice in a function room with a good sized stage, a bigger room than anywhere we’ve played so far so it should be a good trial.

I landed a replacement Ibanez SR Premium bass, which arrived today. I do remember not being able to get my old Smoothhound wireless transmitter into the recessed jack socket on my previous Ibby. The Nux however slots in a treat - that's an additional unexpected bonus!

….. by which I mean …. First, have you said in clear terms what you’ve said here, that to all intents you’ve been fired and given no reason, and Second, that as you are friends you are understandably quite upset about this I’ve been here before myself and with friends, the inability of musicians who on stage or in the studio are able to communicate effectively and authentically to do the same when it comes to pragmatics and politics has been a constant theme

On the other hand, Life is too short for any pettiness. Let it go, you're bigger than that, and no kittens have been harmed.

Don't worry, in my head I might think it but I wouldn't do that to fellow musicians and the audience no matter the circumstances.

These are not far from me: https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-bass-amplifiers/bass-cabinets-trace-elliot-£200-ono-vgc/1486968622

BSR4WT 11' I've had since 2014. BT4TNV 09' I got this one last Oct. Searches ended.