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Showing content with the highest reputation on 14/02/25 in Posts
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So I’m reaching a landmark year this year, and I decided to treat myself to a new bass? Well of course I did! I have an amount of money, and my budget could stretch to something nice, to mark the occasion. I’ve been window shopping for a couple of weeks, probably for a 5 string….. possibly another Gibson Thunderbird, maybe Sandberg, Musicman, Shuker …. there’s a bunch of stuff in my watch lists…. But there’s a fly in the ointment A f*****g Sire V7 5 string, that I can’t put down. It does everything, it can sound like anything, it plays beautifully…… I got it for peanuts, and quite frankly I cannot fault it in any way. It’s ruined everything! Now I can’t justify buying anything else, because I can’t believe that anything else is going to be that much better?!? 😠8 points
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Sounds like you need some boutique all-tube amplification, that'll get the costs back up again 👍8 points
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We've got three gigs in March... so we've announced it as a mini tour 🙂7 points
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Oops, I forgot to report about last weekend - a double header so I must have been knackered on the Sunday! Friday night with Nine Lives at the Butchers Arms, Inverurie. Two people in the bar when we first went in, lots of car parking spaces nearby, we feared a "paid rehearsal". Thankfully some more folk came in and made a night of it so in the end it was quite an enjoyable gig. Gear was G&L L-1000 then Epiphone Thunderbird into Markbass toan cubes. Then Saturday night, on to the Harbour Lights in Peterhead. Again, we arrive and the place is empty. And yet again, it got better as the evening progressed and by the end we had a small but enthusiastic audience, including one guy who was performing backflips to some songs! Gear was Sire Z7 then Yamaha BB1200 into the Markbass terrible duo. Had a great sound because the place has monitors which they let us use and it made for a great onstage sound (yes, there was an actual stage - luxury!)6 points
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We live in a golden age of lutherie. And I am not talking about the top end.6 points
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You know the time you first solder a project together, and it works, and it sounds great, and it makes up for all the "oh crap why did I make it in such a small enclosure?" moments... Prunes and Custard in a Gorva M45 (5mm or so wider than 1590A) with top jacks. Printed by Gojira... I think I've missed the wire earthing the input when off, and the bass cut switch might actually be on in the down position... (but it's fairly subtle) But I'm pretty happy with that. Camera died before I could show what top jacks look like... It's also tiny. Got parts and enclosures for another 5 Oh and after 10+ years my solder sucker broke.6 points
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Think I might have been in a bit of a bad mood yesterday 🤣5 points
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Music Man StingRay Special 4 Charcoal Sparkle £1800 Serial number F81378 Up for sale is this 2018 Music Man Stingray Special in the stunning and now discontinued Charcoal Sparkle finish. This was made in 2018, the first year of the newly redesigned lightweight, StingRay Special basses with an 18 volt preamp. The body is made from lightweight swamp ash (not the ‘selected hardwoods’ of the later versions) and the fretboard is ebony on a smooth, fast, roasted maple neck. The bass also comes with an excellent Zero Mod thumb-rest. This StingRay is in very good condition with just some minor plectrum wear to the pickguard and some very superficial finish wear to the brushed metal plate the tone knobs are mounted on which is hard to capture on the photographs. The hard shell case is also in very good condition. A great looking, great sounding bass. It’s a sleek and contoured delight to play, and sounds fantastic in a live setting. Cash on collection only please as I don’t want to courier this, especially since reading all the horror stories on this forum about sending basses. A half way meet up is a possibility if you’re in the South East. I’m not interested in trades. Any questions, please let me know. Here's a link to my previous feedback as a Basschat seller for assurance of a clean and honest transaction: Feedback for EdLib-3 - Feedback - Basschat4 points -
First one of the year tomorrow night - 60th birthday party - playing 70's to early 80's British punk stuff to a largely captive audience.....😉👍4 points
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The Joyo has a slight delay between pressing the switch and the fuzz kicking in. It's a tiny bit irritating but the sound is so good it's more than worth it. I've never heard a better dirt pedal than the Hot Wax, and I've tried plenty. The Poly Blue Octave does so much more than you imagine an octave pedal could that I think of it as more of a multi effect. This board was very satisfactory.4 points
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Just got the new Plethora X1 for messing around. It sounds fab, my only gripe is that you can't change the effects slot order 😒4 points
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Here's a teaser!4 points
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Should look nice when fully sanded and finished4 points
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One of the guitarists in my band bought a membership to the Aston Villa women's team and a premiership ticket for £42 in total in order to access the pre-sale! He's got two standing tickets now.4 points
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"THIS Saturday 2/15 folks! 5-8pm. Looking forward to our debut performance at Inventors Brewpub! We’ll be doing the 4 piece acoustic thing on the big stage in Edison Hall so come enjoy some tasty eats, delicious brews and a whole lot of live tunes!" I hope it doesn't get canceled. Daryl4 points
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As great as they are it's not for me and I had the chance to get a refinished strpped to natural 72 P think John Deacon (complete sucker for natural basses esp satin feel) So 'ere no messin' abaht - rock bottom price £2400 got offered £2200 off one of the well know UK bass shops but too much off a loss - so can just about live with dropping £450 in two months for this amazing Ric - Mr Mojo Risin and all that Bought from Andy Baxter in Dec to scratch the Ric itch - I really didnt like the standard Ric bridge - so got a hipshot one from BCer here - and much much better to play and can palm mute without having a physics degree to work out break angles and can intonate it easily, i have the action pretty low as I dont really dig in but this locking bridge is easy to raise too- UPDATE the original bridge is back on back on for sale and include hipshot - also will include new foam mute from Ricky Sounds that needs putting on if you want. Full disclosure putting the old bridge back on one of the hipshot screws lost its head - which is 1 of 3 under bridge so cant see it and all still works - cost well reflected in price - easy fix if you have the tool - i dont and dont want to risk messing up the wood. Weight was 9.1lbs - think hipshot has made it more 9.5lbs but it doesnt feel it as balances real nice - nut is 40mm - the neck is the best ive played - i dont know what profile it is apart from it's great. Buckle rash on back and the odd ding here for a 41 year old bass and there but nothing that takes away from playing Grab a chunk of Ric gold for much less than the 3K+ you see these got for. Come play it in Clitheroe - happy to drive about 40 miles in any direction - or can post but post will have to be insured about £50 - comes with vintage case which is a snug fit, see in pics or for extra £50 can throw in bigger more roomy hard case. Cheers for looking - get in touch if you need to know anything.3 points -
Blame Gibson, not yourself! I was also wrong btw, the EB model name had already been used for four different shapes, not three. I forgot the violin shape, silly Gibson me.3 points
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Next up is an Anconda Ultra J4 Essence bass. This is an fantastic jazz that absolutely nails the hifi super-jazz sound. It's built to a high standard and is in very good condition. It has the latest iteration of Anaconda electronics including the fantastic active /passive preamp (including the all important passive tone control) and the Anaconda pickups with huge pole pieces. It also has lightweight Hipshot Tuners so it balances well on the strap. It comes with a padded Fender gig bag and is available to try/ collect in Margate. I'm happy to box the bass up if you'd like to arrange a courier. It will 100% make you sound like this 😁3 points -
Yep, bet this is a pretty decent alternative to some very expensive instruments, I'm almost tempted...... https://www.andertons.co.uk/sire-f10-fretless-6-string-natural-satin/3 points
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I've got two this weekend! ...and then about 6 weeks off while the guitarist goes on a proper tour of UK & Germany 😀3 points
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People who have the money and time to get into watch fancy don't really care what time it is...3 points
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It's always been diminishing returns though. A £250 bass will be a LOT better than a £125 one. The £500 bass will be a fair bit better than the £250 one but once you get past £1000 the improvements will be smaller. I'm being deliberately sweeping here though - there will be individual instruments that go against this and offer amazing value at a high or low price but I stand by the general point. There seems to be a sweet-spot about £500-750 ish where you can find a lot of manufacturers giving very good value. When I've spent more than that I'm very aware that it's very much because I WANT something rather than being logical about it. There's usually a perfectly good alternative a lot cheaper that does MOST of what the expensive thing does!3 points
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Had this from new, not gigged it much due to illness and reluctantly selling for that reason You are more than welcome to come and try Happy to send more pcitures £2600 plus postage Rosewood fingerboard 18mm spacing 34" scale Brass nut maple neck Ash body natural OW pre and pick ups Black hardware comes with hardcase weighs around 9lbs3 points -
I’m trying two different headless bridges on these builds - I’ll let you know what they’re like when I get a bit further on.3 points
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Back at the Piv in Nuneaton for another Sunday 4-6 slot. It's one of our favourite gigs, with a nice laid back vibe. They seemed to have the heating turned up to 11 though, so it was darned hot! There again it always seems like a "proper" gig when you're sweating, so I threw a few bass stances for good measure. I'm normally a reasonably tidy player, but this time had a rare melt down in the 2 octave riff in the middle of Frankenstein. Ah well, it gave my bandmates something to laugh at. No photos this time, so you can have another punter photo from Friday which I quite like because it shows how much fun we have playing together 😁3 points
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Just back from doing a rare solo acoustic guitar/vocals gig. It turned into a brilliant evening. Was beset by technical gremlins at the start (buzzing power supplies, dodgy wiring and breaking a string on my main guitar in the first intro to the first song…). But just used my backup £40 Yamaha FG512SJ with a Seymour Duncan woody in the sound hole all gig and it sounded great. The venue usually has music on Saturdays, so Sunday afternoons currently seem quiet for passing trade (though a load of my friends and their mates came along and made a racket). Maybe Saturday nights would suit my rowdy loud playing more anyway. I needed a decent gig after a rubbish few weeks in several aspects of life so this one did the job perfectly. Very happy indeed. Edit - added the only photo I can find from the gig3 points
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I know I said I'd never buy another Fender or Squier. A man can change his mind, can't he? Saw this 5-string Jazz defret with a humbucker pickup in the bridge position and went and had a look at it. Very nice neck (unlike my Standard Precision Special V from almost 20 years ago), great defret job, and a switchable humbucker - series, parallel, and single coil (I assume). Humbucker installation wasn't perfect but the slight waywardness of the rout is imperceptible from any distance. There's a couple of minor dings to the lacquer but nothing much. The owner was suffering from arthritis and had to sell the bass not long after buying it. It came reasonably set up, I lowered the strings a bit more and put straplocks on and so far that's it. The humbucker isn't ideal as it's for a Ray5 or similar with the narrower string spacing but I don't feel any great urgency to replace it. Photos from original listing. Control plate with 3-way toggle switch You can see the serrations from the fret tangs here, but there's no tear-out and the unfretboard is lovely and smooth Pickup rout for the humbucker isn't perfect but it's not bad. I think I could do with replacing the pickup screws as some of the heads are a little chewed up.2 points
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Nice OLP Stingray in a Metallic Firemist type colour in very good condition. Has A Retrovibe Stinger 2 band eq/preamp which is a copy of the MM circuit. Sounds great! Comes with a grey/silver pearl scratchplate fitted with 2 additional mirror and black scratchplates as pictured. The black one is slightly narrower profile. Also comes in a Freedom by SKB Musicman style hard case. Will need new strings. Preferred pick up from Poole, or maybe a meet up or could possibly courier at cost. Thanks. To answer a few questions: The battery sits in the control cavity, and the weight is 9.75lbs, see pics https://retrovibe.co.uk/product/retrovibe-stinger-77-classic-mm-stingray-bass-eq-pre-amp-2-band-pre-eb-circuit/ Edited: Possible trade for Origin Effects Cali 76 compressor or what have you.2 points -
That is not what you said though, you dismissed a whole category of instruments on the basis of spurious technological and audio grounds. Happy for more basses in the world, but the idea that if there’s more than a certain n= in the band you need a boutique 5er remains utter bollocks 👍2 points
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I think Sire are perhaps where Fender were 60-70 years ago, producing instruments that do the job at a price that reflects that fact and nothing more. So much of the perceptual bollocks in bass guitar design/engineering/technology is being demonstrated as little more than placebo by these guys2 points
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I don't think there's anything wrong with that type of marketing phrase. I've seen some local guys do it around here. Now that I think about it, we're booked at The Harley Motor almost once a month. Is that a " residency " ? Lol Daryl2 points
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I’ve had an SLB300 for about a year and a half now and it’s been amazing. I’ve had a couple of other EUB’s in the past (Van Zalinge and Warwick Triumph) and the Yamaha was the only one that immediately felt like playing my regular upright bass. And it’s the only one that bows really well too. It’s a very well built instrument and incredibly intuitive to play; it balances beautifully. And it sounds great for both pizz and arco playing. I had played a few gigs on its predecessors (Boisdales in Canary Wharf had an SLB200 and more recently an SLB100 as their house bass) and the 300 is by far the best sounding and feeling instrument of the three. The only annoying foible, as has been mentioned here earlier, is the battery life. Why they decided on putting AA batteries in it I don’t know, but what I do know is that I need to change the batteries every four or five gigs to avoid the flashing red light of doom. And that’s with me unplugging it and switching it off religiously between sets. I always carry a big box of AA’s in the gig bag so I never get caught short. Having said that, I also know that even if the red light starts flashing right at the beginning of a set, I can get to the end of that set (~45mins) no problem. It’s a bit of a pain but frankly it’s such a lovely instrument I’m happy to live with it. I’m many ways I prefer playing it to my acoustic bass.2 points
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Really? Most professional PA systems are powered by D class amps.2 points
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This bass only cost me £100 on ebay, but it plays wonderfully and sounds great. It's my main home bass. Gigging wise I use my Riches, Aria SB700, Squier 51P, Thunderbird, Dean Demonator, Fender Modern player Jag - All dependant on the particular band I'm playing with. For Recordings, the Blue Aria has had some use along with the Thunderbird and an old Kramer, but my first call is my 04 Usa P2 points
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That explains why Precisions are so rarely seen/heard in live and recorded music. I guess it was the absence of definition, the excess of low notes (the latter not something a bass guitar should ever aspire to of course), and the overall woolyness that eventually killed them off. When you think about it, it's amazing that Fender still make them really. Rubbish instruments, really rubbish2 points
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My brother sent Gibson a video of his robo-tuners spontaneously unwinding all of the strings on his guitar. It was too unreliable to gig.2 points
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Wot, you ruined my day too, Chris, a fretless version of the sixer F10! 😍2 points
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Oops - forgot to mention I also own this monster from 1983 (my brain still thinks of this as being a 70s bass, for some reason or other):2 points
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Gibson went through a period of innovation fairly recently that included the infamous robo tuners and the Firebird X 'smart guitar'. It wasn't exactly a roaring success for them. I suspect it will be a long time before they stray from the tried and tested path again.2 points
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Also, and sorry for the tangent, but I'm waiting for an £82 bass to arrive and I have set myself a "giggable bass for £150" challenge.2 points
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I actually think some recent fender items have been quite brave2 points
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I went for it as an experiment, the "flamed maple" option from eBay. I have rolled the edges, oiled the board, tightened the truss rod and filed the nut down (it was way too high). It's a fraction narrow for the neck join but have managed to get it in straight; the gap is barely noticable. If I had paid full whack from Allparts etc I'd be a bit miffed but I can live with it at the price. I'd say the nut slots aren't quite evenly spaced either but that's easily replaceable. I will need to sort something regarding the dots as mentioned in previous posts but for a relatively cheap punt - £85 vs £250 - I'm happy enough with it.2 points
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Hard disagree. In the good old days you had to have money to get started on recording. Hell even instruments themselves were relatively much more expensive than they are now. Yes, that barrier probably meant that generally people who recorded were a bit more serious about it, but mostly it just meant that poorer r less fashionable artists struggled to get off the ground. Being able to record on a whim and really cheaply undoubtedly leads to more dross, but it also leads to more gems. People like Walk Off The Earth would have never been able to do what they do before decent home recording. There are also people in this thread making the point that music is fashionable, and that your face has to be marketable. Not so if you can do it yourself. I completely agree. Viagra Boys, Highly Suspect, Red Fang, Doctor Dog, plenty of bands out there making new music every day. The other thing that people stuck in the last millenium forget is that bands have always been struggling against solo singers. Pink Floyd spent 57 weeks in the singles charts. Cliff Richard spent 1182. Ok, maybe that's about longevity as Pink Floyd weren't huge forever. Fine. The Rolling Stones spent 389, still a third of Cliff. Came here to say this but have been beaten to it. Music used to be an effort. Vinyl and CDs were expensive, and they had to be bought in person from shops that had physical copies in stock. Then you had to find them on your shelf, turn the hifi on and play them. Nowadays you just scream into the void and ask Alexa to play anything ever recorded. Yes there's always been the radio and music in shops but kids today who aren't interested in music probably listen to more music of their choice than even the most ardent aficionados did in the 70s. That's got to be diluting the charts somewhat. As too are the algorithms, Spotify plays things that are already more popular, as does Youtube. Ask it for 'rock music' and you'll be spoon fed stuff that's already doing well. If you're not paying too much attention or you just want music but you're not specific as to what, then you'll be changing the charts without even trying.2 points
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Fender FSR American Special Limited Run Precision Bass – Honeyburst Nitro ***NOW REDUCED £1,000*** Significant reduction due to change of circumstances. Down to £1,000 for collection. Silly price for a limited edition USA-made Fender. Epsom This is a very rare USA Precision Bass – it was produced as an exclusive for a US chain (Guitar Center / Musicians Friend) back in 2012. Other internet sources suggest that only 150 were ever made, and only 9 made it to the UK. It has an beautiful honeyburst hand-stained nitro finish. I think my photos are reasonable, but you can google around to find other images under different lighting conditions. It is in absolutely mint condition. I bought it because I fell in love with the finish, but have always had other ‘daily’ basses to play and have not played bass as much as I thought I would over the past several years (I’m more of a keys guy). I have taken it out of the case about three times since I bought it, and never taken it outside the house. It plays really nicely, and is fitted with some Fender flats. 3.9 kg weight. Sale includes: · Spider hard case, extremely good condition with black velour lining. · Factory tag and unopened accessories bag. · Genuine Fender strap. I have a strong preference for collection from near Epsom, UK. But happy to discuss meeting half way or shipping options. To the best of my knowledge, the exact specs are as follows: · Series: Factory Special Run · Body Shape: Precision Bass® · Body Material: Alder · Body Finish: Hand Rubbed Stain/Satin Lacquer Top Coat · Neck: Maple, Slim "C" Shape · Neck Finish: Satin Urethane · Fretboard: Maple · Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm) · Frets: 20, Medium Jumbo · Scale Length: 34" (86.36 cm) · Nut Width: 1.625" (41.3 mm) · String Nut: Synthetic Bone · Pickups: American Standard Precision Bass® Alnico Split Single-Coil · Controls: Volume, Greasebucket Tone Circuit (Rolls Off Highs without Adding Bass). · Special Electronics: Master Greasebucket Tone Circuit (Rolls Off Highs without Adding Bass) · Hardware: Chrome · Tuning Keys: Standard · Bridge: Standard Vintage 4 Saddle Bass2 points -
12 character passwords are becoming the default. https://www.lastpass.com/features/password-generator People who moan about passwords are the same people who moan when they get hacked.2 points
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Another vote for the Lakland Skylines. I've played and owned Musicman, G&L, Fender, Warwick amongst others but I never owned a Skyline until 2021. I've owned five since then and they've all been really great basses. I sold on the four strings but kept the fives as they are now my 'go to' brand for band work now. I have a quilt top 55-02 Deluxe, a 55-60 with East J Retro preamp and a flame top 55-AJ. I want to pick a winner but I can't. 55-AJ (Active Jazz?) 55-60 55-022 points
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Afternoon / early evening gig at The Imperial in Filey with blues trio ‘ The Alligators’. Small venue with no stage, but reasonable amount of room for us. Took my recently acquired Sire U5 short scale straight into Rumble 500 combo. We haven’t played since December, so nice to get back to it. I made one or two stupid mistakes but nothing to scare the horses. We’re having a rehearsal this week ( my 2nd with the band!) so hopefully we can refine some bits here and there. Anyway, the gig - comfortably full pub of people who had come out on a rainy afternoon to listen, including a lady who reckoned we’d played ‘Black Magic Woman’ for her before somewhere and asked for it again - the BL couldn’t remember it - so we did it for her anyway. Two sets of around 50 mins just flew by, and a great response from the audience. I love doing Sunday afternoon gigs, and even an hour away for me still home before 9pm.2 points
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My favourite haiku, courtesy of the great Dr John Cooper Clarke: To freeze a moment In seventeen syllables Is very difi2 points
