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Not last night, but this afternoon. My acoustic trio, The Desperate Cowboys, kicked off a two-day festival of original music in Wirksworth, Derbyshire. A forty five minute set of our own songs. It was overcast and slightly chilly when we started but the sun came out part-way through. We were very happy to take the credit for that. 🌞 Taylor mini bass through my Trace Elliott Elf and Barefaced one 10. Black leather Chelsea boots.

Did a charity gig tonight with BLOCKBUSTARZ for the Heart & Chest Foundation. We don't usually do charity events but as our singer is a nurse and it was done thru her work we said we would. We halved our normal fee to help things along for them. The organiser was hugely thankful. Venue was up two sets of stairs 1 floor up but that wasn't too bad. Large stage too that we weren't expecting. 1st set was a bit slow altho we had dancers for most of the songs. Few wee mistakes tonight which is unusual for us but they were on the new songs that we've only played once before so reasonably OK that we know what went wrong with them. Nothing drastic just the band noticed but we covered it well. Lots of people taking vids during 1st set so that was good to see. At the break the club organiser came into the dressing room and asked if she could book us and arrange something before we left tonight. Now booked into the club in April 2026 at full fee. She was surprised at the fee but in a good way and said she has more expensive acts in the club but they normally use a local agency so the costs would be higher. Anyways 2nd set and things just went up a notch with the floor full from the 2nd song to the end with lots of singing along and specific dance routines for Time Warp and Tiger Feet. Lots of great feedback at the end too which is always good to hear. Few guys from the club even gave us a hand to take gear out to cars. Sandberg VM4. Shure wireless. Keeley Bassist comp. Handbox WB-100 Amp Mesa SW 210/115 cabs Lovely warm tone with lots of depth and top end mids as and where required. I've returned to the HB amp again and loving the tone. That's the last 3 gigs now. Might take a look at a Barefaced cab possibly a 212 cab. Think it would sound great with the HB and even the Mesa TT800. Easy drive home altho i got lost at roadworks in Livingstone and took a wrong turn. Thank feck for Sat Nav. Next week its Beat Generator in Dundee. Love the venue but those 3 flights of stairs are a killer for us old folks 🤣 At least its only backline tho. Dave

It's been a long time since I saw a drunkard thrown out for wanting to start a fight. Tonight's gig was a smallish social club too, so it was an unexpected bit of entertainment for us to watch while we were playing. I managed to pick up a cold from the great unwashed last weekend, and have battled with it for several days, so wasn't quite as bouncy as normal. I forgot to take any photos. I even made a few cock-ups in the first set, which was highly unusual. We got a young guitarist up to play All Along The Watchtower. Wow he was good for 17 (?). He's off to music college in September and I'm sure he'll do really well, such a nice talented lad. It was very gracious of our guitarist to let him up to play on his guitar (the one I made for him too!). However after the next break he pulled out all the stops to avoid being upstaged. It was a great set - I just wish I was feeling a bit better. The room was carpeted with upholstered benches, etc. That made the sound very dry, which took a bit of getting used to. I could hear every little nuance of what I was playing, even though I could feel the speakers shifting air on the backs of my ankles (warm enough for shorts!). Sire P7-5> GT-6B > Rumble Custom Converse One Stars Coop Cold & Flu Max Strength tablets with Decongestant, washed down with a large shot of Aldi's "Black Label" whisky - which is actually quite palatable

Got to play Desertfest yesterday. It’s been on my bucket list for years. Brilliant time, really great crowd and atmosphere.

This time a personal attachment, I now own this beauty. https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/jaydee-supernatural-mark-king-series-ii-cherry-red-1985-pre-owned/ I’ll do a NBD in due course…..

Our last ever gig for the Hendrix/blues band. Just as we have to part ways we’re beginning to really gel. Still, at least we’ve had the opportunity to do it and playing with them has been an amazing experience. We have recorded about 18 songs which will be put out on Spotify in the next week under the name of Move Over Rover. The guitarist is the ghost of Hendrix (I kid you not he was born the day Hendrix died and is steeped in the blues). I’m moving to a different country in a few weeks so the reason for it ending. Although I’m trying to persuade the others to join me! The gig had a small but enthusiastic crowd who are big blues fans. Always good to play to an appreciative audience. I’ve organised an open air music festival (a small affair) for next week, so we might do a few numbers at that, but the temperatures are now 45c and creeping up so it’ll be fairly unpleasant.

I didn't take any photos of last night, but someone passed on a video of us making a passable attempt at Fanfare. Unfortunately they missed off the initial fanfare, but hit record in time for the important bit 😜 Don't ask me what effect that is. It's a combination of a lot of things, I set it up years ago and can't remember the ingredients! I do end on a bottom B though 😄

Playing an ex-serviceman’s club, doors open at 7:30, allowing us to set up, sound check, etc. People allowed in at 7! I’ve pretty much had enough of this shit! 🤬 I often wonder about packing it in, this is a tick in the yes column. Tonight’s rig Tonight’s footwear

… another Lusithand Alma, but this time the new Mk 3: … these are my favourite comps, the additions for the Mk 3 are a switchable input pad, fast/slow attack times and an improved signal path as far as I know. Great comps.

My current band had a rehearsal on Thursday. It was set up in a hurry as we have a gig in June and we have only met up twice! Although the singer couldn't make it, the lead guitarist, drummer and me really clicked. It looks like the knowledge of an upcoming gig has really pushed everyone into nailing the songs at home. Next rehearsal on Wednesday,

As part of Oxfordshire Artweeks we did a couple of sets in the garden outside an artist's studio in Charlbury. This was a rare chance to play fretless electric as the performance space was a bit cramped. A few seconds of one of our tunes can be heard here, if anyone fancies it (I'm hidden behind a bush).

Jokes aside, this is my current setup

Today we kicked off the UK proceedings for World Goth Day (technically this Thursday but I managed to get our event listed) with a cheeky little in store record shop gig. I played mainly mandolin with some mandocello and a bit of a guitar (not bad for an old bassist). We had a pretty respectable crowd and I enjoyed the set. We even had a brief write up locally Deadlight Dance Devizine

Tonight’s jacket

'Silent' rehearsals with my band. Must sound really odd to those outside the room. Drums, vocals and some clacking from strings & keys. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJwbBK8sX3g/?igsh=cHliZG81NGtzc3M4

Nice! I can hear Dune Tune already.

I read an interview with Bryan Ferry where he was talking about the succession of bass players Roxy had during their classic era. He singled out John Wetton as being an extraordinary player, as well as Alan Spenner, who he said would still be in Roxy had he not died. He also really liked John Gustafson. Bryan also made a point of mentioning that Alan Spenner was a big fan of Marcus Miller's bass playing, and was pleased when Bryan hired him for Live Aid ect. I seem to remember there was a track on Bryan Ferry's solo album Olympia that had three bass players on. I think it was Flea, Mani and Marcus Miller. No skimping in the bass department for our Bryan !

I've finally finished my 100 year old(ish) John Gray and Sons 'Dulcetta' zither banjo. I had to silver solder the tailpiece and tension ring, then make a flesh ring (I cut down an embroidery ring). I fitted the goatskin myself, having last done this on a banjo mandolin in about 1983. I also had to make the bone nut from a guitar size blank. The first string snapped twice but I was able to thread it through a bit of plastic tube for protection from the rather severe ben in the tailpiece. Strings are Aquila nylgut. Tuned GDGBD. Or will be when they stop stretching! I love the engraved cover for the tuners. The positions of the tuning knobs bears minimal relationship to the strings. I fitted them all so winding away fom me increases tension... for my sanity.

A bit of a departure for me using a Rockboard, I found it much harder than my usual Pedaltrain builds (staggered cut outs really don’t help with uniform dual lock placement!)

Ooooh, we're trying to work out how to play Desertfest at some point! Glad you had a good time! I'll give you guys a listen.

Of all the Wal basses I could have bought back in the day, it’s a green single pickup fretless that I wish I’d bought. It was in a small music shop in Hanwell, very west London, and £500. I’m a fan of Wal basses when they’re at that price, but a penny more and they’re not worth it.

Gibson made one briefly, you might be lucky enough to find one on the market... https://reverb.com/uk/p/gibson-thunderbird-short-scale

Firstly congrats on your Rickenfacker I bought a 1990 Greco RB 85 recently & honestly I, can't get over how well they are made and I owned a real Ric 4003 for years. Secondly like you I own an original 1964 Hofner 500/1 and the prices now for them is shooing up. Luckily back when I bought mine in Nov '88 I only paid £175 for it.

There's so many basses mentioned on this thread that I've literally never even heard of much less seen 😂

Gig Ink came through with my new trc in ridiculously quick time - it's a perfect replacement for what would originally have been there and it looks great. So that's now two loud'n'proud Fakers refusing to pretend. The only other mods needed were to add straplocks to both basses, in the process moving the strap buttons to a more sensible location. And a gentle tweak to the bass-side bridge saddle was enough to get rid of the farting on the bridge pickup, too. Finished off with matching straps ...

I see what you did there...!!☺️

Ha ha, sorry, but a new bass can't be a bad thing surely I remember at the time of Manifesto Roxy Music were pretty much Prog Rock Royalty with Ferry as the King and a court of highly acclaimed musicians - Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay especially - and then suddenly there was this punk kid not only playing bass, but putting the bass front and centre both in the mix and in the imagery (as as I said in the RM thread, Tibbs gets more video real estate than anyone other than Ferry in that video). At the time it was really aspirational 👍

These were sold branded Satellite in the UK, they were Korean-made budget instruments and unfortunately nothing to do with Matsumoku or any other Japanese manufacturer. These appeared around 1980 and were around 1/3 of the price of similar-looking Japanese instruments. They're not terrible - I had one as a cheap project around 12 years ago, it was very heavy, with a massively thick neck but playable enough with a bit of work. If it was priced around €150 it might be worth a look but as it is it's very, very overpriced! Here's an old cutting of a review of one from back in the day!

That's the weird looking mid 80's John Page designed one, isn't it? They only made them for about a year if I remember rightly.

Our singer back in 1988-ish was particularly keen on putting things on upside down... Here he is wearing a Buckaroo Banzai (worrafilm!!!) sweatshirt as trousers:

I don't post much, but have actually been a member on here for many years. I was recently talking to Andrew Taylor-Cummings at Anaconda Basses about how many of his instruments went to America, and as a UK brand relatively few made their homes here in the UK. I said I would try to do my bit to change that - this is a review of the Ultra Jazz Essence 5 I bought a while back (hopefully you can read files in this format). I am pretty enthusiastic about what Andrew does, the bass is made overseas to his design, and checked before dispatch. He also crafts his top end basses in his North London workshop. The great thing for UK bass players is he does support his instruments, which some other suppliers of offshore made basses struggle to do. He is also very pleasant to deal with. I played it in a covers band since I got it, where it replaced my trusty Squier Jazz Deluxe. The Drummer said it was the best bass sound he had heard (more to do with the bass than me I think). These are great basses which are more affordable than many of the established brands, and in my humble opinion outperform some of them. I have owned a number of high end basses including a Wal 5 midi bass, a pair of Shukers, 4 ACG basses and my beloved Ashley Pangborn among others. I have also built from scratch a few basses of my own. So while I am no professional reviewer, I think I know a bit about what I am talking about. Anaconda Ultra J Essence 5 String review.pdf

I am not 100% sure, but I don't think I have ever played a Fender Jazz or a Fender Precision. Copies, yes. Bitsas, yes. Even a Strat. But I have never got my mitts on a proper grown up Fender. I saw one at a jam session I attended yesterday and remember thinking ' I have never been this close to a Fender Jazz bass before'. I may be wrong as I have a brain like a sieve.

This is the board I tend to use for rehearsals.

Ladies, form an orderly queue.........

Most of them were in my spare room cupboard 😀 Had at least one of every model, US and overseas, released between the years 1978 and 2010. Total was 68 basses so luckily I had a very big spare room cupboard 😁 Only 51 manage this photo op.

I saw him 2 years ago at Villa Park. 3hr set, absolutely fabulous. In my top three gigs in 40+ years. Took a couple of songs to get the sound right and (oddly) Bruce's voice to settle, but rocking after that. All having fun rather than going for super-high energy and aggression, but the band were tighter than a torqued-up tight thing. And the crowd were up for a party which fed back to the band. I bought the recording afterwards too, which just makes me smile when I play it back You'll have a blast- wish I was going

Going to see Springsteen in Manchester on 20th May. Not seen him for a long time, and he’s now 75 so may not be quite the 3+ hour sets like he used to do. Still, really looking forward to hearing the band (17 piece) making a wonderful noise.

Absolutely. I've persevered for ages with Fender's *own* strings which we know are made to their spec by D'addario but after fitting a set of actual D's EXL165's, my Jazz bass has come alive. Bizarre.

Another bucket list transcription - this is the complete John Patitucci bass part for the opening 'Prologue' on Dave Grusin's 'West Side Story' album. Highly, highly recommended. I hope to get the whole album down if I can and the recordings allow - I have loved this album since I first heard it in the 1990s. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/prologue-to-west-side-story-dave-grusin/

TBH, I never much connected with Wals. But now I'd have one because they are desirable. Ain't that a thing...

Kind of a niche of a niche but La Bella just dropped 5 new Mustang sets (through body only). The stainless steel flat set looks to be identical to their Deep Talkin' Bass set, but I'm curious about the Super Polished set. No UK dealers as yet though. https://www.labella.com/?s=stang

Native timber telecaster taking shape. For the first time I'm using new wood to build a guitar, all native species though. Single piece, Dorset grown ash body, English sycamore neck and beechwood fretboard.

You could play on a dropped ADGC set which would be GCFB. Octaver that and call it Megazzo Bass.

Was watching some video of Sleep Token playing live the other day - the guitarists play 8-strings in double-low-E tuning (EAEADGBE). Their bass player uses a 4-string. He used to play a standard P as well, only recently getting a multiscale Aristides, but even they are just 34"-36", less extreme than a Dingwall. Just because a guitarist plays in drop-G doesn't mean you have to. Just use a tone that sits under the bottom end of the guitar, even if it's playing in the same octave. Might also be worth checking out a Digitech Drop pedal - they actually work pretty well on bass, as long as you're not looking to go stupidly low.

Use an octaver and play it on your regular bass.

is this a pedalboard? Asking for a friend...

I'd have a look for a cheapy fretless neck on the bay or aliexpress. Shout to @Andyjr1515 for his words of wisdom, and encouragement to give it a go. T'was a G4M Strat-ish, found abandoned, so nothing to loose. Son now has a Fretless Guitar for Ebow-ing and Sliding about on... Maybe practice on some cheapy charity shop find, or some thing local on facebook? Decent ground-flat tip nippers to get flush with the board, i had a pair of i'll fitting, worn and rusty end cutters. *When you have pulled the frets out, don't be tempted to give the board a wipe with a fuffy or microfiber cloth. Nope... Don't do it - catches all the rough and tears out more board splinters, just like this! Go for the lightest rub with a real light sand paper instead. I cleaned the slots out with a razor blade, then a Stanley blade, Until a 0.5 / 0.6 feeler gauge (or the back of the Stanley blade) can nicely run the slot. I got veneer from here - sample sheet on the bay for £3, and went for maple. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284926110021 Cut and Dry-Fit... Then PVA'd in... Trimmed, Sanded and a few Wipe-Overs with Super Glue, followed by a Light Sand and Buff... So, you can do it..

Mine looks like this, it took 20 years of chasing to find this very one.