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Hi everyone, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you who have supported the site this year—whether by becoming a Supporting Member or purchasing tokens for the marketplace. Your contributions enable us to keep improving the site, reduce our reliance on advertising, and dedicate time to supporting our community. I mention this now because December typically sees a noticeable drop in revenue, and with the challenges many individuals and businesses are facing right now, I’m especially grateful to those of you who continue to renew your subscriptions. Of course, I also deeply appreciate everyone who visits the site, shares their knowledge, and offers support to others. A site like BC is only as valuable as the knowledge contained within the membership. So, thank you once again. I’ll be taking a bit of a BC break over Christmas and New Year, so I want to wish you all a relaxing, joyful time with your friends, family, and instruments 🎸. Cheers, Ped

Hey all you lovely people, my name is Ruby Jones, I'm a journalist and musician and recently completed a documentary about bass guitar and tuba hero Herbie Flowers, and thought this would be the best place to share it with fellow bass nerds! Herbie Flowers Documentary

My 2024 Jetglo Ric 4003 has arrived. This was secondhand from (Gasp) Cash Converters. I particularly wanted a 2024 (or 2023?) model for the usable bridge and single truss rod, so when this one appeared at a decent saving over a new one I jumped on it immediately. On inspection it is in near mint condition, the only mark I can find on it is a tiny chip at the tip the headstock. After unboxing, I tested it and initially thought there was an intermittent problem with the bridge pickup as when switching to it the sound was cutting out, however I then found that this only happens when using my ridiculously heavy Fender curly cable with woven covering. It seems the weight of the cable was pulling the plug and doing something to the weird mono switching jack used for the 'normal' output. Once I swapped the cable out for a more normal cable the signal was rock solid. I don't have the correct cable etc to try the rick-o-sound output yet, but I'll be placing a thomann order soon which will include the necessary bits & bobs amongst other things. Over the last few weeks since deciding to buy a 4003 I have accumulated various things to slightly customise it: 'Traditional' Rickenbacker knobs with bass/treble & volume/tone text to replace the jazz bass style knobs Rickysounds clear thumbrest Rickysounds black pickguard (bought when I thought I was going to acquire a Mapleglo 4003) A set of Ernie Ball Cobalt flatwounds 40-60-10-95 (I use these on my Gibson & Epiphone thunderbirds & think they should suit the 4003) A set of Schaller Chrome S-Locks — The 4003 is fitted with strap buttons compatible with S-locks but due to their small size I wouldn't trust them with my usual rubbery grolsch washers. It is not practical to replace the stock strap buttons as they use a machine screw fixing rather than a wood screw. I nicked the black suede strap from one of my guitars and fitted the S-locks. I'm not sure whether I will use the black pickguard but I will put the cobalt flats, knobs and thumbrest on soon. I will probably shield the bass with anti slug tape at some point, however I saw a Youtube video of someone who did this including putting copper tape on the back of the white acrylic pickguard and I'm sure it had a bit of a copper-coloured tinge after he refitted it. Maybe I'll try Aluminium tape on the pickguard or rather than sticking the tape directly to the guard, or make a slightly undersized plate from thin opaque black plastic card stock to go under the pickguard and shield the underside of that to prevent the copper showing through.

Last night was another concert with my teacher's Young Artists Orchestra, as usual augmented by a few adults in the bass and cello sections since a lot of the kids are too small to play the larger instruments. For some of the easier pieces about 7 of the youngest players aged 5, 6 and 7 joined us on stage for a total more than 35 musicians and as usual it was a great evening with a nice mixture of Christmas songs and the audience of about 300 loved it. Most of the kids started in my teacher's program at age 3 or 4 and so the oldest at 19 are very skilled musicians. For the fourth time my teacher asked me to add to the bass section and this year there were three bassists, two of them play better than I do and they are 9 and 16! I have learned a lot in two and a half years of lessons but these kids are fantastic, the younger one was a prize winning violinist until September when she decided to play bass and she is amazing on it, very smart and very dedicated. I wish I had started with the bow when they did at age 4 instead of 75, I am by far the oldest in the orchestra (78) and get immense pleasure from being a part of the group and as a side benefit my playing has improved and carries over into my jazz and bluegrass gigs. Here's the bass section after the concert.

Big corporate Christmas Party gig tomorrow night. We're not a Christmas Party band. However who can turn down 2k for a 6:00-8:00. I'm not trying to brag but I don't think I've ever played a 2 hour gig for that kind of money.And it'll be a long time before I see another one. Lol Daryl

I have the natural poplar burl finish, I like it, the bass is probably the best sounding bass I have owned, It is one of those basses you can't stop playing , it feels so good to play, that custom dark glass preamp is really good sounding, perfect with the EMG X P/J pickups. I love it.

There's nothing big or clever about having cheap gear, and equally there's nothing big or clever about having expensive gear either. Use what you can afford and/or need and just get on with the important job of playing the actual music. I always put it into perspective by considering that when I was playing in a synth band in the 80s it would have been possible to buy a small mid-terrace house in need of modernisation for the same amount as we had spent on the musical equipment we took to gigs. In that respect taking £10k worth of instruments, effects and amplification on stage, when compared with property or even car prices these days, is peanuts.

Everyone knows trolls can’t even count up to four! In fact, trolls traditionally count like this: one, two, three, many, and people assume this means they can have no grasp of higher numbers. They don’t realise that many can BE a number. As in: one, two, three, many, many-one, many-two, many-three, many many, many-many-one, many-many-two, many-many-three, many many many, many-many-many-one, many-many-many-two, many-many-three, LOTS. Sir Terry Pratchett

Merry Christmas to you too, @ped. When I consider the amount I pay for BC versus what it costs each year for Sky, the TV licence and my various OnlyFans subscriptions, BassChat is an absolute bargain. It could only be better if I could persuade @Osiristo get a better webcam and then I could cancel my OnlyFans subs.

Newly acquired 2002 MIJ 62 Reissue, came with a white pickguard which didn't last long.

… and with Spectre basses.

Pretty sure these work on phantom power…

Oh if only the rest of us had to slum it with such low end equipment

I'd echo all of the above; you get what you pay for, and your ears will tell you if it's what you want for your music. I'd add a couple of details, which concern the higher-priced cymbals, mostly, but is good for all, basically. Most quality cymbals are cast, and then turned, on a lathe, which results in them having grooves in them, in similar fashion to vinyl records (remember them..?). This helps to explain why careful handling is key to having their original tone maintained throughout their life. Most folk take care handling vinyl, and wouldn't dream of leaving grubby fingerprints on the playing surface. Once degradation has started, no amount of cleaning will restore the music; the only real solution is to keep them as clean as possible for as long as possible. Thus it it with cymbals; one does not 'clean' them, one maintains their cleanliness. Getting them shiny with Brasso and the like may be good for the video shoot, but the sound they had in the studio is then ruined. My cymbals, for example, are kept in 'Cymbags', until they are on their perches; I remove the Cymbag when I play, and put it back immediately when finished. The metal is never touched by human hand, only the tip (olive...) of the drumsticks. I use nylon olives, which leave no marks on drum heads nor cymbals. Another factor to be considered is strength. By their function, one is hitting the cymbals; they must be able to resist this. The more delicate the sound, the more delicate the cymbal, generally (and the more expensive..!). When playing in the UK, with light folk/pop groups, I had splendid Paiste 602 cymbals, which sound awesome (to me...). I moved to France, and toured in variety bands, playing larger venues, with no PA support (mid-seventies...). 'Variety' is what the name suggests : various styles from '30s dance music (musette...), '70s popular songs and some rock stuff. These latter did for my cymbals, as, although not being a particularly heavy hitter, they did not appreciate being played in that fashion. I replaced them, as and when they split, with Paiste 2002 versions, which don't have the same crystalline ring, but withstand rock rhythms much better. I now play with a mixture of Paiste and Sabian, but insist on using, in our micro-studio, my Paiste 602 Sound Edge hi-hat, as it's the most responsive to the way I play. I don't 'leather 'em', though. Although I have bought cymbals second-hand, if the price is right and the condition is pristine, but I prefer to go through a rack of cymbals in a shop, using my sticks, and choose by ear, as there can be quite some difference in tone and response, even from the same model. Slightly academic these days, as I now play mostly e-drums, and can choose from a vast selection of top-end instruments without spending a fortune or deafening fellow musicians on stage. No, it's not the same as playing acoustic, but I get a repeatable great sound without having to worry about mis-handling them. Disclaimer : I'm a drummer; I could go on and on for ages on the subject, so I'll stop now. Hope this helps.

The amount of time I spend on here weighed against the cost of being a supporting member makes it probably the most cost efficient thing I do. Think of all those pages of unread posts you can wade through when you return . Have a good break, @ped.

Well! Hot - branding iron lessons have been learnt Of course I tried a bunch of times...> First go not deep enough (that's what she said) Of course now, raising tension since I had to realign it to try again - not aligning nicely would double print it etc etc... But I HAD TO MOST DEFINITELY BLITZ IT on the 2nd go 😢 The trouble is that the neck has a matt finish so it was different woods to try and sort, however I didn't have a sample of it - in hindsight, maybe the neck pocket would've been good but anyway... However, I've learnt that 90% of problems of my life can be fixed with sanding - and even if not perfect, I've managed to salvage it methinks: Project is FINISHED and Quality Control passed:

Three little updates...! a) because the neck is matt finished, the waterslide decal falls out every couple days - I am not gonna refinish/strip the neck etc so I have ordered a hot stamp / branding iron from Etsy for £20 to permanently brand the headstock. I'll update when it's here. b) I chipped the pickguard in 2-3 spots around the screws - maybe a bit too white but those can always age/tint/coffee to yellow up... c) wore down and installed the mandatory pickup cover and thumb rest - the ashtray cover is the only Fender part, much as I've looked for generic options seems only Fender had the right measures at least at the time... Ander.

I've had a hankering for an 8 string guitar for a while... I saw that Gear4Music had this 'damaged' Schecter C-8 SLS MS Elite Evil Twin up for £899 instead of £1600 due to a small paint crack around the volume pot that happened in delivery from the distributor. I sent them a message and punted an offer of £600, they accepted. So it's a £1600 guitar for £600... Pretty sure having £1000 knocked off the 'new' price for the small paint crack around the volume pot counts as a good deal! The Fishman Fluence pickups and Hipshot hardward are worth that alone. Looking forward to delivery...

I reckon its gonna be tough to match the original, but Reiner, McKean, Guest and Shearer are geniuses, so it might be a monster https://www.nme.com/news/film/spinal-tap-sequel-update-rob-reiner-teases-release-date-3776826

Or ESP

Handbox WB100 through a Barefaced 2x12 Cab OK I've now gigged this at a few different sized venues, I absolutely love this amp, I play it mostly clean, so the volume is cranked right up, and I use the gain control to control the level as advised on here, I was concerned that 120w may not be loud enough on stage, as I play in quite a loud band, I've got to say I don't think I've ever had the volume above 10 o'clock on the gain, the sound of the amp itself is lovely, and have had nothing but compliments on my tone, playing my Japanese Sadowski Metro Express through it. It just sounds great with the EQ just set at 12 o'clock, and adjusting my tone using my bass pre amp. I am a big fan of this amp, and it's now my go-to amp, I always carry a back-up as it's a tube amp, and they can get damaged easily, but I don't let roadies near it, until it's cooled down it doesn't get moved, and I do the moving. Touch wood, I've had no problems so far... Verdict = Fantastic amp, I'm a massive fan 🙂

Just adjusted both. Once I had identified the tools needed for each it was as easy as adjusting any other bass or guitar. I have fitted the thumbrest and knobs. I've not taken the foil sticker off yet — perhaps I will soon; if it comes off in one piece I'll probably resite it on the back of the headstock. The bass has also had its first string change. The light cobalt flats sound perfect for this bass and I'm sure they will feel great once they've lost the initial grabbyness you get with cobalts. I've done a basic setup. It was easy to set the intonation, string height and relief perfectly for the cobalts. I like the tuxedo look, so I won't be putting the black pickguard on it — at least not for a while. One minor issue that foxed me for a little while was that when I removed the original strings the little roller saddles rolled sideways but when I tried to roll them back a couple of them wouldn't move. I took a bit of the neoprene foam that's used in EMG pickup packaging and used that instead of my fingertip to roll the saddle.

I added small side markings with nail varnish a few months ago purely for gigs where hearing myself can be challenging. I hardly ever look at them but they occasionally help as a sanity check and can provide a "safe place" if I panic..... Of course, you can call this a crutch, and adequate practice and consequent muscle memory should remove the need for them, but I like having them there all the same.

There’s No Lights on the Christmas Tree Mother, They’re Burning Big Louie Tonight - The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

I always find it fascinating to read these kind of discussions. I am an unabashed gear snob, always will be. Yes, there are inexpensive instruments that are well made, and can be made to be very giggable. Having said that, there are bunches of reasons why top-end instruments are worth the money. In some cases, it's the playability...the instrument can be a lot more responsive to small nuances in your technique. Other times, it's having a monster active system that lets you easily adapt to any and all situations. Fingerboards and fretwork are usually a lot better. I like ebony boards, so there is that. I'm not into looks especially but I guess that is the other factor. As far as using them, I'll play any of my basses down at the Dog and Duck..I just won't leave it unsupervised....:)

I'm not worried. Everything this lot do is great (see also A Mighty Wind, Bet in Show).

Went to see The Damned on Friday 13th. They really were rather excellent. I'm thoroughly enjoying them having Rat back on the drums. Paul Gray's bass playing is ridiculously fluid and melodic and it was a superb tone from his Ric. Have they slowed down a bit? Yeah, I guess so but with most of them knocking on the door of 70 it's reasonible.

I recommend that you check out the HAZardLAMPS pedal! https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/lhz-hl-1-hazard-lamps-pedal/ https://lhzpreampshop.com/products/hazardlamps It wakes up my passive basses (P basses never sounded so good!) and if I set my non-Haz preamp loaded Spectors (EMG BTS, Aguilar OBP, Tonepump) to flat position and engage the pedal it gets them VERY close to the Haz sound!

Yep he bought the PA and has various desks. He knows his stuff too. Helps that he comes from a pro background and has close friends in large PA hire business. He has both analogue and digital Allen & Heath desks of varying sizes. Cabs are all QSC from 2 way 12's to 3 way 15's to subs. Never under-estimate your drummer. They are a sneaky bunch and know more than they let on. Dave

I think they look pretty great, actually. Thanks, @remizik!

If it's under the clear then I think you'd have to remove a little of that first, then get a close enough colour match with a sharpie or something and then do a superglue repair to fill the hole. Then polish it.

I had a random guy (a bassist obviously) come up to me after I'd played a very badly paid gig and accuse me of taking a Pino Pallidino custom shop Precision to play in a shithole. He was quite upset. I had to explain to him it was secondhand Squier, not a £3000 custom shop, that just so happened to be red.

Hi there, my name is Ruby Jones, I'm a musician and content creator studying journalism at Huddersfield University. I love making music documentaries about history's greatest music and musicians as well as putting out my own music every now and then. I've just completed a documentary about Herbie Flowers and thought this would be the best place to share it with awesome bass players such as yourselves! Herbie Flowers Documentary

Fender A/E, job done 👍

I concur!

Thanks to everyone who replied. I am now sorted via Anyvan and the seller is happy with the arrangement. Very grateful to you all. Ross

We do rehearse, but getting certain others in the band to do their homework is a lot more trouble than it should be, so it turns more into a figuring it out on the fly session sometimes, which is massively frustrating for those of us who have done our homework.

I'd say that's worked well. Of course you will know where there are imperfections but you are the closest person to the instrument most of the time. I don't think others would notice owt but the fact you have branded rather than applied your mark. The job's a good 'un.

I’d echo the sentiments above, great forum which I’m proud to be a member of.

I think this expensive gear helps, but only up to a point. I've been to several vintage guitar shops and heard people trying out expensive gear and they sound dreadful. Why? Becuase they're stupid (or deluded) enough to think that an expensive instrument will make them sound good. What it will do is help you to sound as good as you can (with your current technique) but an expensive bass won't make you a better player. Only practice and experience can do that. This is the same with any hobby or interest. I went to buy a new bike and my friend who works in the shop politely told me that no new bike would have as much of an impact as losing 2kg of weight and riding the bike I had every day. The point was made politely and it's 100% true.

This is what I made up. Their leads are also colour coded and numbered. Still not enough for some though

To make a decent HPF at the driver end mean big heavy and expensive components . You need IMHO something line 18-24dB. That entails a 3rd or 4th order filter. A first or even 2nd order filter ( 6-12dB) would putter cutoff frequency too high. As @Woodwind says it is easier to achieve in ghe signal path rather after the power stages. I think the Thumpinator sets the -3dB point too low although there are lots of them about. If you have WinISD, you can model the driver and then add various filters to see the effect on the low increase by adding higher order filters.

Come again? The. Drummer. Does. The. PA? Wha? They can do that sort of thing?!

Have you considered the Moog Mariana iPad app , or the Moog minitaur ( hardware ) ? ?

Btw they are also selling the RCF AYRA Pro5 studio monitors for £89. That's mad for decent studio monitors that will take bass at pretty high volumes (I've rehearsed with mine) and which sound not far short of my moderately expensive hi-fi

Oh dear.