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Late again, but two gigs over the weekend and then life got in the way. First was the opening slot for the Re:Vamped Weekend gig at the 1 in 12 Club in Bradford. We were on at 5.15 which was a bit too early really - there were still people coming in as we were packing up after playing. However those that had made it to see us were enthusiastic and we had a good proportion of them up and dancing and singing along and we played well. Sold a couple of T-shirts afterwards, and would have sold some CDs too but someone (me) forgot to pack them. Here's a photo from early on in the gig: We stayed for a couple of numbers from the next band but then had to leave as we had our second gig of the weekend the following day and had been asked to load in at midday. So Sunday saw us back in Nottingham playing the "I'm Not From London" stage at The Chapel as part of the Nottingham day of the Dot-To-Dot festival. Another early start this time we were on at 3.00 but there were 4 bands on before us so there was a decent crowd. Weird sound problems on stage with some bass notes causing the drum monitor (which didn't need to be on for us) to fart out, and it was one of those things that once you'd noticed it you couldn't stop listening out for it again. Didn't play quite as well as the previous day, but the audience seemed to enjoy it, although only having 30 minutes meant that we had to keep the inter-song crowd interaction to a minimum which always impacts on the performance. Sold T-shirts and CDs afterwards and had to sign some CDs too - which that always surprises me as it's not something that I would ask for as a punter. Still it is gratifying to know that people are interested enough to ask for us to sign stuff. One of our fans took this short video of the last verse of "Lost Souls (Driving At Night)": AQNSbRIdNxxoFSFNULxeMhr8TOT0MZ2RdKNtVmn-y-KELkj4aSQ4k26wN9AVp3ia1SG8CVGX2k0coV7_dIQdt0jt.mp4 We have a month off until our next gig so we'll be working on a couple of new songs and recording for the album.

FRIDAY NIGHT! (Sorry I'm late.) Jones Jazz Orchestra 'Tribute to the Rat Pack' at The Cameo Suite, Coleshill (near Brum) 20-odd piece big band playing Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin type stuff. A 6pm start on bank holiday/half term Friday meant I turned up half an hour late, sweating like an inappropriate similie (I went on a rubbish date with a girl called Similie... I don't know what I metaphor) as I was suited and booted and carrying a Double Bass, which was a good start. I had to set up as the band topped and tailed a few bits, I got done just in time to join in on the last bit of tailing. Just enough time to grab a lime & soda before doors, the singer from the rock band and his other half came, as well as my current squeeze... good to have a few friendly faces there. (CS & singer's OH became instant besties, which was nice) We had a dep trombonist who I'd found on facebook and a dep Bass tromboner (friend of the BL) who were both fantastic - the Bass Trombone has got some cracking parts that we never hear as we don't usually have one, and this guy was REALLY belting them out! The dep (normal) trombonist was really good too - sight read the whole set (!) and sounded great. We sounded really good! We had four singers who chopped and changed, a few duets, BVs on a couple, and all four of them for the last number (New York, New York). (One of the singers (Zak) is barely old enough to drink (the others call him 'babyface' (affectionely!)), but he's got an incredible voice and he's been on the telly a few times (singing, not on Crimewatch or anything) and recently sang in the garden at 10 Downing St as part of the VE day celebrations - clearly got a bright future ahead of him. I hope he remembers us...) It was our lead trombonist's (Monet, Birmingham's finest non-binary, Japanese, Lindy-Hopping, Morris Dancing, Jazz trombonist (they're such an utterly awesome player.... I may have mentioned them before)) last (big) gig, so the BL gave a little speech about how much we'd miss them and I presented them with their leaving present from the band, then (totally unexpectedly) had the mic thrust into my hand and was told to say a few words... thanks, Boss! I didn't disgrace myself or embarrass Monet too much, so... all good. We played really well, we sounded great, we 99% nailed all the tricky stops and tempo changes and stuff, we went down a treat (there were about ninety people there I think... all friends and family, so a friendly crowd) and everyone in the band enjoyed it. Highlights were Lady is a Tramp, Orange Coloured Sky, New York New York and me not *totally* cocking up the little solo bit at the end of I've got you under my skin. Played the Double Bass -> Fishman Platinum pro EQ (the old one) -> Thumpinator ->MB 802. EDIT: Midnight Blue DMs with neon orange laces. It was the first time in absolutely ages I've played DB live.... I did OK. I'd done plenty of practice, so no blisters or torn tendons or anything. I was *right* on top of my amp so had loads of feedback and couldn't really hear myself, so much of it was guesswork but enough people said I sounded good, so... I'll take that. Current squeeze loved it (I mean... she's not going to say it was rubbish is she, but... y'know...), singer from the Rock band and his OH were blown away (they're used to seeing me play rock stuff in a 4 piece covers band, so a very different vibe!) so a good night all round. A short video is attached - please don't mock my awful posture, face, hair, Mr Mackie glasses or piss poor Double Bass technique. Thank You. WhatsApp Video 2025-05-25 at 18.36.17.mp4

Very late here, last week we did Wednesday 6pm and Thursday 9pm at Bearded Theory Woodland Stage. It's a big festival and really suited to us. I camped over for the weekend after the Thursday set which was loads of fun. Great crew, great sound, great crowd, doesn't get better

MONDAY AFTERNOON! (Sorry I'm late again) The Sax Pistols in a bandstand somewhere in Stratord-upon-Avon. Seven-piece funky brass band playing everything from Bruno Mars to James Brown to the Pulp Fiction theme tune. It was cold, rainy and horribly windy, so there was hardly anyone watching. The wind meant my music wouldn't stay on the stand, so I gave up after the second tune and did it from memory/busked it. I was not entirely unsuccessful. We played pretty well and sounded good! We were all dancing about to try and keep warm and complaining (good-naturedly) between songs. Those that were there really enjoyed it, lots of confused-looking foreign tourists filmed us (presumably for evidence) and we went down well enough. It's really good fun stuff to play, and they're all good players - the new Tenor Sax player is absolutely cracking. BL has got really good banter/spiel between numbers, which helps keep the spirits up when you're freezing your proverbials off! Highlight was the Trombone in 'Just a closer walk with thee' (New Orleans style hymn) - Monet (BFNBJLHMDJT - see my previous post) has total free rein and... it's an almost religious experience. Back to BL's canal boat afterwards for a much-needed cuppa! Played the Sousaphone, wore the offensively glittery Converse.

Reading 1976 I went and saw Rory play there in 71. It pissed with rain and the Richfield Avenue site had not long been earthed over. All the rain and that many people meant we broke through the surface to the refuse dumped below. I can remember the smell now. I found a plastic bag which had covered a mattress to shelter in. The next week I was pictured on the front page of the Morning Star under the title 500 Hippies arrested what looked like drug crazed dancing was me fighting to keep the bag over my head. Very judgemental those communists

Another concert with my teacher's Young Artists Orchestra, kids from 6 to late teens and a few adults to fill out some sections since many of the kids are too small to play full size cello and bass, total about 35 musicians. The bass section was the same as our Christmas concert with my teacher's 16 year old daughter and a wonderful 9 year old girl playing a half size bass and me, at 79 I am 70 years older than the young bassist! I am so lucky to be playing with these kids, they are all students who started at age 3 or 4 with my teacher's program and are unbelievably good musicians and absolutely professional in their attitude towards playing music and have huge respect for music and their teacher. This concert was mostly movie music (Jurassic Park, Hobbit and others) with lots of dramatic bits and a lot of dynamics to deal with. There was also a string quartet selection but the highlight was the 16 year old playing the Gavotte by Lorenziti with a string quartet on the Thomas Martin bass that her father found for her. She was brilliant on a difficult piece and the audience loved it. Martin basses are rare on this side of the Atlantic but I can see why they have such a good reputation, this is a BASS that can just thunder out those low notes but sounded great when she was off the end of the fingerboard. This is my fifth concert with this group and it is so different from my jazz and bluegrass gigs and makes me practice with the bow which is real challenge. Still taking lessons and hoping for another concert with the kids.😊 Edit: The place was packed for the concert, the action photo was taken during rehearsal just before the doors opened.

First festival of the year. The rain stayed away, and good fun was had by all.

I'd like to say thanks to @stevie for allowing me to try a Goodwood cab earlier this year. I'm a bit of a brother of boom and have always been a bit heavy on the bass so The Goodwood was a real eye and ear opener for me when I got a chance to try it out. The first thing I will say is that it is insanely light. The cab I tried tipped the scales at just under 8.9kg. The footprint is also small and compact, but big enough to handle a 19" rack sized amp in portrait mode. The Goodwood also benefits from a larger 5 inch port. The earlier cabs had I believe 4 inch ports, so there is some newish magic tuning sauce going on behind the scenes with this speaker box. The build quality is also as good as it gets these days and I must admit I liked the aesthetics of the cab very much. Sound wise, what really grabbed me was the clarity of sound from the cab. There is no need for exagerrated amounts of lows, low mids or highs on amp settings anymore to try and get the right tone for the situation the cab is being used in. Set flat and then minor tweaks seemd to work best for me. It also let me hear my bass in a way I hadn't previously heard( I used a bog standard Fender Player with stainless Fender flats). I believe the cab is supposed to be quite neutral sounding, but I did feel there is a degree of natural warmth from the Celestion Neo driver being used and that was consistent with various different amp heads I tested during home use, studio use, rehearshal, and a live gig. I'm not big on class-d amplification and the only unit I had of that kind available to try with the Goodwood was an Ashdown OriginAL EVO 300 watt head I keep as a standby amp. That's about 150 watts 8 ohms with a Goodwood. Sounded great, but the Ashdown seemed to be running out of steam a little when pushed hard and the Goodwood I think would have sounded even better with a bit more class-d headroom. Oddly enough, where the sound and performance of the Goodwood excelled for me was using my older lower wattage vintage amps. A Trace Elliot GP7SM 130, a Trace Elliot GP11 MK4 AH150 and a Trace Elliot GP11 MK5 AH250. All three of these amps sounded phenomenal and much clearer, punchier, and louder than the Ashdown could manage despite much lower power outputs running at 8 ohms. Anyway, its the clarity of tone at a gig level that really surprised me. It sounds like the volume is much higher than it actually is so I found myself turning the master down thinking I was too loud. The cab also throws out a quite amazing amount of low end, and it keeps things well under control. I did a three hour gig with the cab using a TE AH250 and was worried I might blow the Goodwood up, but it worked flawlessly and coped with everything I threw at it. That also included and Ashdown ABM 600 RC. The ABM probably is just a bit too much for a Goodwood, but it sounded brilliant with careful use of the master volume and also let me hear my ABM in a new light. If i was asked to say who this cab might be an ideal purchase for, it would be a player who demands super portability, high quality sound reproduction, and a very clear almost neutral tone. Ideally, it would be used with a typical modern 500 watt light weight head that will give around 250 watts of headroom at 8 ohms. I believe that would be the sweet spot for amp power with a Goodwood. A setup like that would I think handle most pub/cafe bar/small club gigs and be super portable. Thanks again to @stevie for the opportunity to trial his new cab design. It's top drawer, the best 1x10 cab i've ever used, and quite possibly the clearest tone I've heard from my bass in a live situation. Ever.

I've been playing in bands for almost 50 years. In that time I've been in 17 bands that played at least one gig or had recordings available for the public to buy. I do it because IMO there is still nothing more exciting than performing something that I have written to an audience. Like others who have commented I can be socially awkward, but stick me on a stage with a musical instrument and I'm an entirely different person. And TBH since 2009 I've had more fun and more success with my music than I did in any of the years before that. I still enjoy gigging and even all the stuff that goes with it. If it became impossible for me to play live any more, I'd still be releasing weird instrumental music that I had written on Bandcamp.

I'm 62. It's tempting to give a very long answer. I'll try and be concise. From my teens I found live music awesome. Until my early 20s I was just a ragged guitar basher, then I discovered bass and found I could play it reasonably. I got into a covers band, followed by two originals bands. Then I got married and for about 22 years did no more than the odd noodle every year or two. As divorce became inevitable I started playing for my own pleasure, put in liafs of effort, then signed up for a "weekend warrior" scheme. I discovered thst I was actually a reasonably good player with a good ear. I also rediscovered how making music was fundamental to who I am. From that scheme arose a band. We only gigged twice, then covid and the divorce finished, and I came back to Wales to look after my dad just over four years ago. Since then... I joined two bands, one, three piece blues, I am still in. My first gig with them I met a lady who is now my partner and as obsessed with live mumusic me! The other band, I left as try just weren't serious about gigging - three in two years. I founded another band, five of us playing classic/ heavy rock we all love. My dad passed last year. With the BL of the blues band finding success with a young indie band, and all if us in the other band having multiple bands I haven't had as many gigs as I want. Iwas maling up dome of the slack with dep gigs and open mic/jam nights. Then a friend has decided to resurrect his old band with new members to record a new album, and I've joined up to what is a one album and a few gigs project. Then a band I know have asked me to take on bass as their bassist has moved to keyboards. They are a really good old-style rock band playing about 30% CCR and a great bunch. So my answer: It keeps me sane and happy. My partner is super supportive. All the bands have great musicians. who are also friends. But most of all I love jamming, improvising and learning new material.

Hello BCers, I’m approaching 73, and it’s time for me to retire from gigging. This is partly due to minor health issues, but also a lot to do with having no desire to continue driving around the South East at midnight after a gig. It’s become a bit of an issue, especially in winter. After 57 years in bands I think I deserve a long service medal, but I’m not sure who awards these. I’ve been lucky and have worked with some seriously talented musicians over the years. But I’m also not forgetting those bandmates who maybe weren’t the greatest players but always did their best and were genuinely nice people to be around. I’ve written plenty of anecdotes on this forum about my various adventures and misfortunes over the years, and that’s just the stories I can remember. For the last few years I’ve been doing mainly dep work and have worked with all sorts of bands, from elite function bands to local pub rockers. Band politics never change - some bands have been super friendly and obviously really enjoyed gigging together, whereas some bands hardly spoke to each other all night. But I always tried to turn up on time, smile at everyone, and play the right notes, and that’s usually the successful formula for a dep player. I’ll still be a regular on this forum, which must be one of the most polite and friendly forums ever. But that’s what you’d expect from bass players, isn’t it? Sensible comments, witty comments, bit of banter – what’s not to like? Peace and love to you all.

Making music and bringing joy to an audience, that's a huge buzz.

Luckily enough I had more sense. Phew. Bullet dodged.

get a metal box, two speakon circuits, a jack socket and a bit wire, join them together in a box and job is done! Although it doesn't help if the speaker has a jack socket too. Other option, replace that plate with one with two speakon sockets.

I saw Rory Gallagher. I suspect he has an element of responsibility for my tinnitus. Wow, he was loud. See also SRV.

Last purchase at thomann musicsotre visit, it looks like not used for years. From their stock, it was not listed on website, but was in showroom. First try and I know that my wife will see new bass soon (no issue). I am owner of 5 Fender basses (main from US from 79-2024), 2 Maruszczyk. I have to said that is nice sounding jazz, not Fender Jazz but nice, clean, and better made. Fender can learn how to make a basses from them, no gap, etc. Serial number is below <20 Do you have idea which year that could be? He has still foil on pickguard LIndy Fralin pickups are inside, first type of preamp with switches on back plate, with preamp gain pot.

If you cannot lock the cables to that Y-splitter + inputs + output, I see a transformer failure in the near future. Will cost a lot. I hate 1/4" plugs in tube (valve) world. Speakon is a secure option.

Yeah, if only I was 16 again. I figure I'm lucky just to be playing at all!😊

My my, you're looking sprightly, bowing away in that photo..! ...

more pics

Love this tune, always makes me smile. Back in lockdown I used the Emma Electronics Okto Nøjs to make a fairly convincing little version of this.

Not many of these over here but you can see another photo and a story in my post in General Discussion "How was your gig last night". It is a 3/4 bass with a 42 inch string length and although it is not a very big bass it has a massive sound and came with a C extension and is lovely to play and sounds fantastic, too bad it's not mine.😊

You're all as bad as each other.

Pardon?

I saw a brand new red 5-string Vigier Passion II in a shop (this was early nineties). Ran home, sold my piano, came back just few days later - and that red bass was sold! I then decided to buy a 5-string MG Quantum SPi Custom. I never liked it so much, but played it a lot. Now I have a red Passion II, although it is a 4-string.

In case someone is looking for something special 🙂 https://reverb.com/uk/item/90319243-spector-ns-x-black-1984-05-28

Yup, right up there at the top. ... (I would pronounce myself as 'Perfect', were it not for this terrible curse of modesty with which I am plagued. ...)

Ratings are soooooo over-rated, though.

Hmm. That’s such an endorsement I’m considering trying a Goodwood out. I wouldn’t mind going even smaller for my gigs. I’ve never run out of steam with the Silverstone…hmm

That doesn't look like factory wiring and there's a suspiciously 'battery shaped' space in the contol cavity.

Don't forget blues was fading in the USA until their leading lights came to the UK and sparked the UK blues movement.

Good one. Twas '76.

This one is a slippery little sucker and I am not convinced about bars 118-121. This is the Gary Willis bass part for the tune 'Ivy Towers' from the 1985 Tribal tech album, 'Spears'. Don't you wish you could write stuff like this? An interesting point, though. I was in awe of Willis at that point in my life but I can play this now. It is a through written piece - no solos. Fascinating ideas across the piece, though. It is a tough read but brilliant fun once you can get under the thing. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/ivy-towers-tribal-tech/

Like I said Marvin Carthy

Fairly sure I'm buying a Euro 4 LX from a good person from this forum.

I think that applies more to amps where you're generating a bit more dirt in the amp itself, so you want that coloured sound to be effected. It's all personal preference though. Try it and see if you like it. I found it wasn't worth the extra cabling required.

If it's even half as good as the Monza, it'll wipe the floor with 99% of all 1x10" cabs out there, you know it makes sense... Your opinion/advice was key to me getting my LFSys cab, and every time I use it I have a smile on my face

Kind of an old topic, but I find a lot of people do not set their J's up right. In other words, you don't want either volume knob on full unless you want a heavily scooped sound. The J takes more time and tweaking, in my experience. The P is it's own thing and many times works better, especially for rock music where you need to mainly punch. If it is a band where you need to cut through the upper mids, a J with some hair on it, can really do the job quite well. This is why both basses are a staple in every pro bassists collection. They suit different situations. That said, if I could only have 1 it's the J. It's more versatile and fits my playstyle better.

Back Door!

OK, there is a limit on the 'Paid' marketplaces, which is Basses for sale (and sub-forums such as left handed), Amps and Cabs and Other musical items on items that are above £50 where you can only create a new entry if you have created less than 10 other sales since the same day in the previous month. Note you can have many more sales than 10 open at the same time, you just can't start them if you have started 10 or more in the last month So for instance if you created a sale post for a £300 bass today (28th May) and then every 3 days, trying to create your tenth bass sale would fail on the 24th June with a 1650 error and you would not be able to create that post until the 28th June. However, if you changed that and created sales every 4 days, you would never hit the limit.

Moving forward, could you drill out a second jack socket (or make up a replacement plate) to allow the cabs to be daisychained? This will give you the option of going out of the 4ohm output. Alternatively (and I don't know whether this would work), output the 4ohm to an ABY box and squirt the signal to both cabs in parallel? (If the ABY option is doable - I'm sure someone will know - I have a Vein Tap Separator mini I can send up.)

I did go to Knebworth in '79. Still got the T-shirt!

Must've been 76/77?

Finally surrendered to the inevitable... Pink bass day! Traded a Stingray for a Sandberg Lionel. Both parties think they got the better deal! 😂

All barrel jacks are the work of the devil, regardless of who made them. Neutrik make barrel jack sockets - although I think they are branded Rean these days, but it's the same company. And people love to get sloppy with the naming when they think Neutrik sounds cooler and it's not "wrong" enough to be officially called on it. https://www.rean-connectors.com/en/product/nys2203