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Just got back from doing a last minute dep at a local club’s rock and roll night. My buddy in our acoustic duo does the gig every week, but the regular bassist was unavailable so I got the call. Ended up using his MarkBass combo ( which wasn't a patch on my Rumble 500 which I should have taken really.) Took my passive P- Lyte as I knew there was a lot of playing. Still, a good night playing some old school dance tunes along with a few I’d not heard in years. Guitar, bass and drums trio - drummer is a nice player who keeps it simple and straight and doesn’t speed up or slow down. Particularly important on this gig as most of the audience go to dance all evening so tempos are quite crucial. Some nice comments afterwards and home by 11.45pm so happy days.

You cannot spell Bass without a B. Come at me 4 string zealots.

Final rehearsal last night for the folk and cider festival gig on Saturday night. Ran through the full one hour set without major issues, plus tea and biscuits afterwards. Apart from playing through the songs, it gave me a last opportunity to sort out a few issues before the gig, including setting the volume balances between the two Uke basses I'm going to be using. With one having the poly strings and the other has phosphor bronze, there's a slight difference between the two, so for ease of switching mid-set, just had to back the PB strung Uke back a little to match the poly strung one (couple of slower songs mid-set that sound lots better with a more upright bass type sound). Looking forward to the gig now, on at 8pm for an hour, so a fair amount of the cider should have been consumed by the crowd by then. Total gear load in for me will be the two ukes in a Fusion double Uke case, small pedalboard and my new DB Hype 8 in a small holdall - one trip to and from the car! 👍

I've just come into possession of this: I think it's from the 1970's, and it has one missing cone and one dead cone, which, given the 4ohm impedance and paltry 160w rating, I'm not surprised about. I'd like to fit some new speakers to it and give it a bit of a spruce up. I have heard it in action, years ago, and from what I could tell it sounded pretty reasonable, so if I can get it up and running again it might be fun. I have the mesh grille and all the fixings, but the one 15" speaker I have won't fit in the hole in the baffle, annoyingly. I'm not sure at present whether this is because the speaker's chassis is too big or the hole is undersized; I suspect some research may well be due. If anyone has any info or insight into these cabs then I'm all ears. Cheers, JRK

Ive not posted my last clutch of new pedals, theres been a couple 🤣 Aotearoa intermodulator - built by the wonderful @LukeFRC its a Prunes and custard clone, but very small and rediculously well made. Its a damn funky touch sensitive synthy fuzz. Diamond Bass comp Jnr- id forgotten how great these are, subtle fatness and sheen, works beautifully with other pedals, this is for the big fusion board. MXR Bass chorus Deluxe- i love this pedal, lovely subtle but warm chorus, with a fantastic Flanger and the best colour. EBS Multi comp - one of my favourite,with three great sounding modes. This is for the smaller board used for my rock and soul bands. Emma Okto Nojs - dual pedal, versatile octave and a synthy octave up fuzz as well as an octave down fuzz, very synthy. Subdecay Prometheus filter- very resonant and versatile filter, tons of synthy sounds available, not the easiest to dial in, bur rewarding when you do. Best used with octave /fuzz as its not really a bootsy type filter

I'm a big Sweet fan but its all those high end backing vocals that Andy Scott did that make it difficult to replicate. All of Sweet were "properly trained" singers plus all that touring in their early days certainly makes you a lot better at what you do. Incredible band. Our drummer new the band and lived down the street from Steve Priest altho he was a bit younger and as a kid he said that Steve was "the guy that played in a band". He even had some drum lessons from Mick that to this day he is still in awe of Mick's abilities plus he was singing backing vocals at same time. He has some great Sweet stories from those days 😂 Dave

I was in a band with a guy who used to sight read drums and play with orchestras, even played for the BBC. He was a hard task master, would play challenging rhythms on the bass drum for me to play, and 'it's straight eights on the original' didn't wash. He left when it was obvious the (six-piece) band wasn't really bothered about gigging, and having already made up my mind that if he went, I would, I followed. I was flattered when he asked me to join another project, but I was way too busy.

This was going to be our Saturday but it’s been cancelled… bummer! I organised the spring and autumn festival last year but as I’m leaving post next week it was organised by others. Well, what with one thing and another, the posters went out very late so very little uptake. Shame really as it would be one of my last gigs. The only upside is that we’d be setting up in 45c heat, which would have been a bit much. Still, next week is our last Friday and all my musician friends are coming along and we’re having a big jam at the our Brit club. Should be a good blast. I’m getting everyone up from the 5 bands I’m in for the last number… a giant jam of superstition. Actually maybe we should start that first as it could take all night!

Not quite new but in such good condition it looks new. Its one of the earlier 212 cabs i believe. Bought @eddbass cab from the for sale section yesterday. When i went to try it Eddie had it set up in his conservatory with a TC Staccato amp. Boy that thing was loud. All set flat same as the bass. He let me use his gorgeous Warwick Jack Bruce Signature Thumb bass to test the cab. Oddly enough i'm a huge JB fan from his session era with Cozy Powell etc. He was a big influence for me along with Neil Murray. Initial reaction after the volume was how deep and yet clear it was. The tone was even across the full bass range. No boominess anywhere and no high end shrill that i've experienced with some amp/cab set ups over the years when you boost the EQ on the bass. Loved it, bought it there and then. An easy one hand lift too so that was another huge bonus. Got it home and set it up with my Mpulse 600 and using my Geddy Jazz it just sounded so bloomin good. Left the amp with the same settings as with my Mesa PH212 cab but this sounded deeper and clear with every note. As i positioned myself around the bass cave (its a small box room so not a lot of space between Mesa rig, multi bass rack, filing cabinet, Hi-fi separates and my album and CD collections along one full wall) but if you stand to the side of the cab you can still hear it as clearly as standing in front of it. I've never experienced that with a cab before. The volume and tone remained the same even leaning over it and beside it. Its hard to describe that TBH. Its a very well built solid cab. Handles at each side and one on top and a set of inbuilt wheels at rear bottom edge to tilt and run more so on even floors i would imagine. Only one Speakon connector on the back. Not that i'd need to hook up another cab with this one as its fairly loud at 4ohm. My only minor criticism and its been rectified in newer models i believe is that having strap handles on the sides means it can't be stored securely on its side in the car so i may put some small rubber feet on one side fixed to the corner metal protector screws. Might need to use slightly longer screws but that's fine. Doing it this way means no other holes drilled in cab for extra feet. That way it will sit flat on its side in the car. Other than that i can't fault the cab. Will use it at Beat Generator gig in Dundee this coming Saturday to give it a proper test but i'm confident its gonna work a treat. I think i may be a BF convert after this cab. Dave

The Sweet were an incredible band. Outstanding musicians...

I would also suggest doing exercises to improve core strength, especially to build up the muscles supporting the spine. The best way of doing this is to go to a gym and start doing weights (get advice on what exercises to do). I used to have back problems (displaced disk), but have had no issues for many years, not since I started going to the gym!

Auditioned a singer yesterday. He arrived over an hour late, which wasn’t too much of a problem as it allowed us to set up and run some songs ourselves. He didn’t bring so much as a microphone but I had a spare mic and lead and there was a stand in the rehearsal room. He was ok on some stuff. Other material was clearly out of his range (ever tried singing anything by the Sweet?) but on some other songs his response to running out of range was just to sing any note he fancied. Yours truly was attempting to sing harmony so that was interesting! Unsurprisingly, a unanimous NO from the rest of us.

This little bass caught my attention... and accidentally fell into my bass rack!

Tuesday night at the Cavern, finished up playing with three others - female vox, female guitar, and male drummer. Sum total of their ages was 23 years younger than me. It was great fun. They are all really good - from a bassist's POV, the drummer and I have clicked from the start and like each other's playing. There were a couple of bands on - one was a duo, guitar/vox and drums, deafeningly loud (I carry earplugs and they went straight in), the other a three-piece who are regulars there with a drummer who only knows BANG BANG BANG - earplugs back in. There were four or five guitar/vox artistes, and in the absence of Mrs Zero, I was one of them. Rather a contrast to Wednesday night, which was quite a low turnout - normally it's a full list with everyone getting two songs, tonight it was three songs apiece. Managed to get Mrs Zero out so the audience weren't subjected to my voice.

Please don't expect loads of reviews yet. The first Goodwood has gone out to a customer who has promised to report back, and some beta testers have tried the cabs and will no doubt chime in when they're ready. But shipping won't start in earnest for a month or so.

I am so unlikely to buy (and retain) a 4 string bass, I often get annoyed that the sales area doesn't have a filter to filter only 5 strings, then I remember it would have to be me that did that and I let me off

So it seems that I'm the first customer of the new Goodwood cab and I'm very happy with it so far. I've got it to pair with my GSS baby sumo and line 6 helix lt as I've been after a very transparent clear sound that I can colour as much as I like depending on my mood or who I'm playing with. For my needs the Goodwood seems a very good fit, it would appear loud enough for a jam with a loud drummer (I don't play live on the regular and when I do it's seems to always be through FOH or pa these days), you very much get out what you put in so my jazz had a lovely slap sound (not that I play that style much but it's there) and good funk vibes. My pj with tapewounds could be lovely and warm. As for the low b it handled that with ease so no issues there. With a the sounds I tried what stands out is the clarity of sound. I just sold my GK mb500 with matching cx 210 can that set up was loud and bassy but compared this I would describe it as muddy. Now I like muddy and loved it from a epiphone thunderbird pro I used have but the reason I've gone down the road is I want to chose the sound and have lots of variety without lots of gear although gas may have a part to play. An extra bonus is it sounded great playing some blues on my gretch 6 string semi acoustic so 1 rig to rule them all. Amazing what you get out of a small easy to transport small package. One thing to mention is I would say in the flesh the blue is much darker that it seems in photos which I like and to me makes it look more premium. The cover is top quality to 👍 Stevie has been a pleasure to deal with plus 20% off definitely sweetened the deal 😁

I think, thank goodness the finger noise is gone.

I’m 58 years old and started playing bass when I was 15 I think and just learned that volume reggae trick maybe a year ago. It totally works.

Don't believe everything you read on amazon!

Some people need to be playing regularly to get the best out of them, trying the same person on the same songs 3 rehearsals in a row should show no 934 to be either like this or a stay static.

I think you'd be safe with this one Lozz. https://www.thomann.co.uk/sandberg_california_vs_lionel_pf_bk.htm?srsltid=AfmBOop68odtvY22cC7MOJ5e3dIi5pbPqQ9y96_qnavhNNdId965YODafgE

Met with drummer number 934 last night for a start up which has been failing to leave the runway for months now. Or is it 935? I forget. Anyway, he seemed like a nice chap, if a little loose as a player. I have ludicrously high standards where drummers are concerned but the rest of the band are more relaxed about it all. So we're going to see if this line up will work. I'm not convinced, but it's only rock n roll, right?

It's been a busy week here at Dood Towers, but I did get to power up Anagram last night albeit somewhat briefly. My initial reaction is that the UI is really simple to navigate and I managed most actions without the need for a manual, which is always good for those with RTFMaphobia. Looking forward to getting my basses connected and then I will collate these questions to include in my video review.

Would this be what you're thinking of. Our very own @woodyratm I think 🤔 Now where did I put that piggy bank / kids inheritance? 🤣 ....and even rarer is a JD Calibas. I've only ever seen 1 in the flesh, which I owned, and one 6 stringer advertised in the last 30+ years.

I've heard Turbosound speakers and the band sounded great, the EV looks to be a bit more expensive than the others possibly justified by a 'proper' plywood cab but also down to the higher price of US products over here. EV speakers in the past have tended to have a slight bass and top end boost or midrange suckout giving them a larger than life sound but I haven't listened to this latest model. My personal preference would still be the RCF or the FBT but all of these are fine speakers and good value. A word of warning here, you can't trust the numbers in the advertising. As Stevie has pointed out most of these 12" drivers can only handle 300W and the 1.75" horn drivers 50W at most. Claims of 2000 or 1500W amplifiers are nonsense as are claims of 132db sound levels. The reality is that they all proiduce similar sound levels and even if the amplifiers inside them could produce 2000W (they cant) the protection circuits would limit them to no more than the speaker can safely use. Since the manufacturers or their sales team exaggerate by different amounts you can't use their numbers to compare them unfortunately

Truthfully Jim.....

My current drummer (who is very good) calls it 'The Bluetooth's linked' when he plays with the right bassist... 🙂 EDIT: I should add that in my experience it's not always that the drummer (or bassist) has to be fantastic, it's more a chemistry thing: I've played with a couple of fantastic drummers who, while it was all OK, just didn't lock in, and that 'knowing what they're gonna do next' thing just didn't happen...

If my sound is dull or flat it's time to change strings. ☺️

For the last few weeks we've been working on nine new covers and last night we allowed ourselves a smug nod with the realisation that eight of them are finally ready to go into the set.

It’s not one yet but it will be. I have a Boss BCB1000, PT Nano and a Ghostfire Mono Lite+ copy. I’m hopeful that one will become a board and stay that way for more than 5 minutes

Wood varies massively. I”ve had 8lb jazz basses and 10lb jazz basses. Each tree is unique so it’s impossible for basses to all weight the same for a particular model.

Show me a band in which the singer isn't a pillock, and I'll show you an unsuccessful band

Anyway, Stuart Zender... coolest of cats, supernatural talent so young.

I guess you can look at this in different ways. 1. Accept he's not up to your standards but he might be forced to improve himself over time if he's playing with better musicians. 2. You take the lead on the rhythm section and you drive the low end. Sometimes that can work. 3. Keep this drummer until a better one comes along. 4. Just tell him he's not suitable. Its definitely a lot easier if everyone is at a similar level and have a similar outlook with regards the band. My big concern with a drummer that is a bit loose is "will he put in the work to learn the songs." ? Maybe he's not been playing in a band for a while ? No matter what i wish you all the best and hope it works out for you. Dave

Well a year on and having done a lot of work on my fretting hand technique fortunately this doesn`t seem to have gotten worse. I did at first buy a couple of basses with thinner necks but they`re not really my preference so put the hours in on said technique, all seems ok. I have also added in turmeric/black pepper/giner supplements as @Geek99 suggested, and a daily tablespoonful of olive oil to my diet, both apparently natural anti inflammatories, so these may also have had an effect, as they certainly have on my back which also feels better.

This is getting silly. @Dood - you need to cover break up of amp models in a mini review!

The world has gone mad because a few people pointed out how the old headline was clickbait and strongly implied the bloke had died? Time for a lie down mate. It's going to be ok.

Any Status with clean strings. The 30X preamps were set up with very carefully chosen frequencies so you can play them with full treble and bass without any of the usual hiss or harshness. A Spector with tone pump and EMGs. A Warwick ’Double Buck’ bass. Another astonishingly sizzly bass. A slightly more budget friendly choice: The Cort Artisan Space Bass 4/5. Very clean sound, again with very friendly and clear top end. Also, if you can find one, a HH Fender Dimension Deluxe/Elite. I still miss mine.

Stuart Zender - Forgotten but not gone