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I've not been very active on here for a number of years so didn't know Sam. However, I've just read the depression thread and it's heart breaking. Whatever the cause of her passing to be that unwell mentally is awful and must have been terrifying for her. It's very upsetting. Rest in peace Sam

At The Cricketers in Westcliff on Easter Sunday. Our "long-awaited" debut at this venue. I've wanted to get in here for a while - it's one of the good ones on the local circuit. Someone who used to work at another local pub where we play approached us to play at this venue as "he knew what we can do" and convinced his boss to book us. It turns out we didn't disappoint! It was a little quieter than I had hoped for, but Easter Sunday evening is an odd one. But the people there were up for a proper party and stayed till the end. The chap who booked us told us his boss was very happy. He also said he's looking at putting on a cover band event at their music venue next door that they also run (locals will know this as the former "Club Riga" venue bar - which was quite a popular venue for originals and tribute bands. I even saw Michael Schenker and Blaze Bailey play in there several years ago). Anyway, he said they've just got it up and running again and want to put on a cover bands event with the best bands in the area and has invited us to join the roster... which is nice. A couple of other people involved in local bands told us they really enjoyed our set and performance, too. I was very happy with our performance considering we were a man down (guitarist on holiday), which meant the other guitarist wasn't able to double on keys, which restricted our set choice a little. We also had a dep drummer as our usual drummer was watching West End show with his family and wouldn't have made it back in time to set up. He actually showed up to watch halfway through the evening, so we dragged him up for a song. As such, me and the sole guitarist had to work a little harder and creatively. I got to use my "Eliminate the guitarist" Helix preset for a few songs, which blends in an octave-up driven guitar tone as well as power chords with my standard bass tone. Sounded great to my ears, and filled a hole during a couple of solos.

That is so sad, like so many I was chatting via pm with Sam. She was going to build one of the first of the new BassChat 8" cabs. I have a kit of parts here packed and ready to go and was increasingly concerned when she suddenly stopped communicating. Now we know why. I'd like to think whatever happened was sudden and quick while she was still planning for the future with new builds and new adventures. She will be missed and she touched a lot of us it seems.

Pictures say all that needs to be said, it's taken me a while to get here, but I suspect that of all the fretless Precisions I've owned (P, PJ, PP, PM) and all of the board materials I've used with them - rosewood, ebony, maple, graphite - this is by a long way the sweetest. Classic Vibe body, PUP, and circuit (the PUP as I'd been told would be the case, is very very good indeed), paired with a stunning Warmoth neck. First rehearsal tonight

Oh hey — Reverb here. 👋 Just to clarify, Reverb is not being purchased by Fender. Two new investors—Creator Partners + Servco—have entered an agreement to purchase Reverb. I think the confusion probably stems from the fact that Servco has a long history with Fender stretching back to the '50s, and is now a majority owner of Fender. Once the deal closes, although we'll share a common investor with Fender, Reverb will be a privately-held, independently operated company. You can read more on our blog. Cheers!

Will there be a cheaper and better quality Japanese version of Reverb?

Wanna hear something funny. I just saw this. Like 30 minutes ago. Read like the first 3 post. Ordered it. It arrives tomorrow. So... pedal board number 6?

This is my bitsa; Fender AVRI 62 neck, Fender MIJ P Bass body refinished in sonic blue nitro, a Creamery pickup, and a mix of Gotoh, Hosco, and Fender hardware. It's very light, coming in at 3-point-nine-something kg.

Sod it. Live once.

Janek just posted the below on his YouTube channel. They have managed to secure a venue in North London, in Dalston, on the 1st of June. Tickets on sale, I bought mine just now and with the exchange from US to GBP it comes to around £35.

Got this beast on loan:

Anyone read the replies ? Post #1 says Reverb bought by Fender's owner's Servco r. What follows is a whole load of waffle where folk think Servco buying Reverb means they have FMIC running it, one eejit even says he's glad no generic private equity firms are in control. Guess joined up thinking is a thing of the past 🤣

In response to a couple of PMs I'll post pics of each of these (and the two that don't fit in the box) in a day or so 👍

Don't own this any more but this is my old cheapo rat Jazz I threw together from random bits off here and AliExpress/eBay: The pickups were old MiM units, the body was from a low end vintage MiJ copy (already sanded/stained when I got it) and the neck was from a very nice old Japanese copy. Tuners, neck plate and bell plate were new cheapies, the bridge here was a nice quality Korean unit. God know how many bridges and tuners this thing had over the years, lots of extra holes but it had a certain charm. If anybody wanted to know what those old butcher block Fender copies from back in the day look like when the paint is sanded off well, here you go.

I just took delivery of a Harley benton PB50. I'm doing a 50s Rock'n'Roll show and have used my HB Beatbass up till now. It's fine soundwise, but the 14mm string spacing, while doable is overall a bit meh. Also, while looking at the media stuff running on the screens behind us, I noticed that, when not playing upright, they were all playing (surpise, surprise) 50s p-basses. The clue is in the name, right? Also, I wanted more of the brash 50s youth look (cars with fins n'all that) than vintage p-bass. The irony of the fact that I am in my late 50s and no longer a youth is of no relevance here 🤨 Soooooo, that's how I justified this purchase to myself. I swapped out the delivered roundwounds for HB Flats, did a bit of work on the action and Bob's your aunty's live in lover. It's loads of fun. Can't wait to do the show on Friday

It's a bit like Amazon's recommendation engine: "Ah I see you bought a new TV. I guess that means you like buying TVs, so now I'm only going to recommend you TVs for the next few months"

Will they be renaming it to Deluxe Reverb or Twin Reverb now?

Texas has a bit of an "exceptionalism" thing going on - in most places in the US, you see the American flag flying outside peoples' houses. In Texas, you're more likely to see the "lone star" state flag. They regularly threaten secession from the union and think they're better than the rest of the US. They're kinda the "Brexit Britain" of the US. Austin is a cool city - been there a few times. One of my favourite places over here. And it's very different from the Texas stereotype - young, progressive, geek-friendly, music everywhere, people bike and use public transport (they have a decent light rail system), and so on. Great food too - proper authentic Mexican food, Texas BBQ, good steaks, and surprisingly good Indian food! As a Brit in the US, it's also nice because they have a good football team (Austin FC), Nando's and a decent British pub (run by Brits) that does a Full English and a good Sunday lunch! But you don't have to go far out of Austin to be reminded where you are - miles and miles of nothing, megachurches, people in the biggest, most jacked-up pickup trucks you've ever seen (all the big car manufacturers make special Texas-only models!), people carrying guns, and so on.

Completely agree Joe, I have this rather weak part of my brain that believes that a bass built while the Beatles were still together has some magic, but every time I own one it goes, and my old bitsas stay, simply because theyr are better instruments in nearly every respect. OK, they don't have the mojo (although they do if people think they do of course), but they make me feel much better when I play them, and that feeling's a big part of why I play 👍

Yep, I had a 78 Precision that was around 7.5lbs, and a 77 that was 10.5lbs. And a mate of mine had a 77 that was exactly the same as mine except it was 14lbs. We used to joke that he stood on stage like The Ramones not to be punk but because that`s what the weight of his bass did to him.

The OP had it right in that some of these bitsa basses are like custom shop creations. I picked up this one a few days ago and have worked on it a little. Done a nice setup with lighter Elixirs, and added some better foam on the bridge pickup, as it was sinking too far away from the strings. Just been out and done some new outdoor pictures, too. The constituent parts are; Fender MIM roasted maple neck, Schaller tuners, 'Guitar & Bass Build' high polish Alder body, Hipshot bridge (only bridge I've ever seen that needs a 0.05" Alun Key!) and active EMGs with a 9v battery under the gold tort scratch plate. A very lively and snarly sounding bass - think of it as a non-pink Betsy.

There's a chap whose work features on here occasionally who could do that for you...

I've decided to base my build on the Fender Bassman 100, with a circuit more or less like the one below. In the past I've reduced such circuits to one channel with a single input but I like the idea of being able to use this as a guitar head too. Rather than jumper the inputs (which would work, as the channels are in phase), I'm thinking of having a single socket that connects to Input 1 (high gain) of both channels. Then I'd have a 3-way switch to select channels (Bass-Mix-Guitar) and use the channel volumes to mix their relative levels.

Has anyone seen, or played with, one of these yet? Looks like a serious contender. https://www.darkglass.com/creation/anagram/ (Can feel my gas rising....)

..or destroy it!

I noticed that too. A bit annoying. Boss do make a MIDI enabled expression pedal (EV-1-WL), but it's a bit spendy at £140. I still can't get on with the Darkglass tone though. That fizzy top end and seemingly disconnected low just doesn't sound good to me.

Behold - the finished cab drawers (and the other two cabs are very grateful for the speaker donation):

Very true. My local grocery emporium were out of stock of my usual brand name choice, so I took a chance on their own brand. On opening the bottle I missed the woody notes of my favourite Domestos, and whrn decanting I noticed a lack of body. It went down well enough after I'd let it breathe for a while, but the afterburn was shocking.

In late 2011, Prince Rogers Nelson walked into Capitol Guitars, a modest music store in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dressed in dark shades and an overcoat, he browsed quietly, barely speaking. The staff recognized him instantly but chose to respect his silence. He pointed at a few guitars, asked about the tonal difference between maple and mahogany, and then paused when the owner mentioned a recent conversation with a local teacher. The teacher had said that students at Anwatin Middle School in Minneapolis were losing access to their music program due to severe budget cuts. Prince nodded slightly and left without purchasing anything. Three days later, a delivery truck arrived at Capitol Guitars. Prince had returned but not to shop. Instead, he gave the owner a handwritten list and a simple instruction: “Everything on this list, pack it and deliver it to Anwatin.” The list included guitars, drum sets, violins, keyboards, amps, microphones, and recording equipment. When the owner asked if the instruments should be marked with a donor name or message, Prince replied, “No names. No credit. Just send love.” The delivery created confusion at the school. Teachers and administrators at Anwatin Middle School had no advance notice, and the delivery slip listed only a phone number that led to a private voicemail. Music teacher Kenneth Simms opened the shipment, stunned by the quality and quantity of the instruments. He assumed it was a mistake. It took several days of asking around and comparing handwriting on the note that came with the shipment before a staff member connected it to Prince, who had visited the store days earlier. When a friend later asked him about it, Prince said, “That’s between me and the kids. Not for headlines.” He declined to make any public statement or appear at the school. According to Minneapolis-based journalist Jon Bream from "Star Tribune", even the school district wasn’t formally notified. They only learned about the donor’s identity after teachers pieced the story together. Those close to Prince knew his silent generosity wasn’t a one-time impulse. During his early years growing up on the north side of Minneapolis, he often spoke about the importance of music education. His mother, Mattie Shaw, was a jazz singer and heavily involved in the local music scene. Prince once said in a 1999 interview with "Ebony", “If I hadn’t had access to a piano when I was seven, I don’t know who I would’ve become. Music wasn’t a hobby, it was a lifeline.” Former bandmate Sheila E. recalled in her 2014 memoir "The Beat of My Own Drum" how Prince frequently funded youth centers and music camps without telling anyone. “He believed in giving kids a chance to create,” she wrote. “He didn’t want applause. He wanted them to play.” At Anwatin, the new instruments transformed the energy of the school. Simms recalled how students began coming to class early just to practice. A hallway that once echoed with silence after the final bell now hummed with guitar riffs, drumbeats, and laughter. “We didn’t just get instruments,” Simms told "MinnPost" in 2012, “we got hope.” Store owner Alan Geller, who kept the receipt from Prince’s bulk order tucked in his office drawer, shared later that the musician didn’t even ask for a discount. “He said, ‘Charge full price. They deserve the best.’” For Prince, who had often used his wealth to quietly support causes tied to youth empowerment, the act wasn’t about visibility. His friend Van Jones later commented during an interview with "CNN", “He believed that if you help a kid find their rhythm, they might avoid chaos. He never needed a stage for that.” The donation never became a national headline. There were no photo ops or ceremonies. But in a city where music had once saved a young boy from the streets, it was returned, quietly, to the next generation. Prince gave them music when theirs had been taken away and never asked for anything in return.

Got my ticket bought. Looking forward to meeting up with you fellow BassChatters at the event.

Boston pick guards have arrived

Boris The Spider - The Who

Aside from anything else you have a dial on ALL amps that stops them destroying cabs... the volume control. A Bugatti Veyron can go 200mph but my 80 year old mother could drive it to the shops at 30mph. You just don't press the loud pedal all the way to the floor.

You‘re a very, very naughty bass- player

It would be good to get together for something, otherwise I'll be doing my Billy No-Mates impression, wandering around Lonfon on my own. Hahaha

It all just leaves me cold. All of these multifx units do. I don't want a single point of failure. I don't want a touchscreen. I don't want something which cost more than many of my basses did on the floor in front of me at the Dog and Duck. I don't want to have to go through menus to get to what I want. I want physical switches and knobs that don't change purpose depending on what mode you're in. I could go on, but you get the gist. Any time someone's shown me one of these devices, either in a video or in person I just think "why?" while giving my best "mmm, this is delicious" act so as not to offend. I'm just offering my personal opinion, not trying to yuck anyone's yum, if you're on board then more power to you.

Jimmy Jimmy - The Undertones

My bitsa! Fender MIA Professional II P Bass body and Jazz neck. Hipshot bridge as the original seized up. Black pickguard and tugbar as I liked the look of John Entwistle's infamous 'slab' basses. Not shown here, but currently wired up with EMG GZR pickups. I have the original rosewood neck in storage, but not sure I will ever swap back. Prior to switching the neck I had a mint pickguard on the bass as I didn't like the dark Fender tort pickguard.

Just got this from Ebay. Found this easier to tweak than the Doom2. I barely use the eq sections of the latest version anyway.

And now this is much more like a BC thread - gone on a complete tangent! Interesting story, though.

If this was a product a few years back I would've chosen it over the Quad. Now? I don't think it would be worth the effort or make sense to sell the QC to buy this. I also feel obliged to stay loyal to Dougs new company and products since he has helped me out a good few times over the last few years. Just please port the Darkglass plugin into the QC!

modelled the Bass on “an justice for all” there is no such thing!!!

The fact that they have brought on board Neural Amp Modeller is very interesting! I've been using the Open Source application for quite some time, from release I suppose. It's profiling abilities are really rather good and "Steve Ack", the chap behind the application could have charged for it over and over it is that good, but chose to keep to a "free for all" license. A user led repository already has a huge amount of bass gear captures (usual guidelines apply regarding the caprturing process) https://www.tone3000.com/search?search=bass&q=bass . Quad Cortex's user uploads are pretty huge too, so having the option of either is nothing but a good thing - though I wonder if there will be cross-compatibility between Neural DSP and Darkglass. In a funny sort of way, they kinda compete, but then, don't?

Minnesota. Same difference though. I hung out a bit with Ian last year. Nice bloke, knows his s**t, grooves hard and knows his HX Stomp like the back of his hand! He's also huge - I'm 6'1, and he was a good couple of inches bigger than me! He's a big fan of Mike Lull basses, which aren't a million miles away from the Sadowsky template - souped-up Jazzes, basically. I guess it's a case of picking what feels right in your hands. (that's the Minnesota state flag on his hat, by the way...)

Pretty much like online shopping from supermarkets, order lemons or lemon juice and if they`re out of stock they send lemon scented bleach.

cut the wood and squeeze the 5ver pick up i dont see the problem. i have a chisel if needed

Local Social Club in Sunderland called Steels on Saturday night, a bass playing mate sent me this pic. Big club but had a full house with a great crowd in 👍🏼