Leaderboard

Played a 60th birthday party on Saturday at the Baines Hall at Elland Cricket Club. We'd been brought in as a replacement for the band originally booked who became unavailable, and who for some time have been trying to get us to fulfil gigs they can't but this was the first time it had happened. Absolutely pissed it down all evening, so got drenched loading in and loading out. I also made the mistake of being set up first which led to other band members dumping things on the (fortunately quite well padded!) gig bag containing my spare bass! I used the Sire - Elf - Two10S setup again, but it didn't sound particularly great, probably not helped by the hardwood floor throughout making the place really boomy, or by the fact that the Sire desparately needs a string change. It didn't sound bad, especially when the full band was playing, but when I was on my own then it was definitely noticeable (by me) that it didn't sound ideal. I also had the amp cut out during the first song, but a quick reduction in gain and increase in volume, together with a conscious effort to play lighter, solved the problem and there were no further issues. I had cut the pad on my left ring finger a few days prior to the gig - not a deep cut but given the aforementioned filthy strings I didn't want to get anything nasty in it, so I had to play in a plaster. That didn't cause any issues fortunately, except when I had to slide using that finger and found myself a fret higher than I'd intended to, and towards the end when it started to come off my fingers would stick together which made me really have to concentrate. We didn't expect to have much audience interaction, and apart from a dad and his two young kids, and a young woman in very sparkly trousers, we had no dancers until about three songs from the end when there were a good twenty people up and cheering. No encore and the fastest teardown I think I've ever had, and I was home for 11. Shoes were a pair of very wet brown Clarks ones that need a bit of attention now. We've a couple of months off now until our next gig in November, so plenty of time for string changes and learning new songs.

Finally…… I have got my hands on the one. I was 16, when I first got into bass. A mate played me “Live Xcert” by The Stranglers…. and I was hooked. Jean Jaques Burnel playing a black/maple Fender Precision. Yes mate. 44yrs later, and 100’s of basses…. like all the basses, and finally I have the one I should have had in the first place….. I’ve owned most brands except Fodera , but one bass always eluded me, the one that started it, at least in my head. I have no idea why it took so long tbh… Anyway, there you go, better late than never eh?

Ah, that's great to hear. Everyone was very welcoming. Up early the next morning for a rainy 7-hour drive to the Laundry Theatre in Bowness the following night. Another lovely venue. ...and then back to 'proper' work for 8am Monday morning. Even so, I'd do it again tomorrow.

First proper outing of my project bitsa P bass on Saturday night at a gig in the Griff and Coton Social Club in Nuneaton. First time there, small crowd but filled up as the night went on. Torrential horizontal rain and high winds during the load out at the end which was annoying. No pics unfortunately as I spent most of the time away from the stage nattering nonstop to people at the bar. Gear - the red bitsa Unfender P, Little Mark 2 and MB Traveller cabs etc.

Sad news indeed. There’s something about G&L that just doesn’t fly with the market and it’s been that way for years. Prices of used USA basses are proportionately low compared to US Fender or US MM equivalents. Some of the US L2000 instruments that you see for sale used go for Japanese Fender prices and the Tribute line used prices are rock bottom (I’ve sold a couple in the last 2 years). I had a few of each and the quality/sound/playability is as good as anything comparable but they have remained very niche. A few times over the years I’ve had compliments on my G&L basses especially a US trans-orange L2500 I had but people said that they couldn’t get past that headstock. One person said that the G&L headstock makes it look like it’s aimed at the country music sector. I couldn’t disagree. G&L has lacked faces too, in a recent Andertons video on why Andertons is still in business, Lee Anderton says that they keep good stocks of and sell lots of instruments that customers’ favourite guitarists/bassists are playing. G&L just isn’t on the radar of many buyers in the way that Fender and MM are. There isn’t a high profile artist roster and there’s not a history of legendary stars out there playing them in the same way you see Fender and Gibson etc. G&L marketing focuses on the Leo Fender legacy and “the best instruments Leo made”. All commendable and worthy but I don’t think that figures in the buying decision of many people. The landing page of the website says “Made in Fullerton since 1980” - who cares about this except for me and few other crusties? It presumes that you know the history of Fender and significance of it, whereas most Fender owners have no idea where Fullerton is nevermind that it was where so many great Fender instruments were made. The product info is all “features”, like Saddle Lock Bridge and Dual Fulcrum Vibrato; that’s like a car manufacturer putting Fuel Injection, 16v or ABS on its products, it’s old hat, we expect all this and a lot more these days. On the homepage there’s a bloke in a G&L top and jeans sitting down playing a natural JB. Then there’s pictures of Leo and other G&L blokes in plaid shirts in the workshop, one is even holding up a competitor's guitar (it’s a Fender). That’s the shop window of G&L today. None of that helps get these amazing instruments into the hands of potential buyers. I’ve dealt with G&L customer service a couple of times in the past and it’s so far above and beyond expectation, it’s like dealing with a boutique builder that focuses on your need, they’re fantastic. I’ve had a pickup sent out FoC from California and another time they shipped me a tuner to replace one that was bit stiff. I really hope G&L comes through this in whatever way, the products are fantastic but they need a serious business rethink to get them out there selling decent numbers. Spector went through a rough patch in 2007-09 with distribution, image etc. Prices were disproportionately low but now it’s bounced back. Fender went through a rough patch in the 80s until the management buy-out. If someone like Marcus MIller can drive a new brand (Sire) to the point where it’s becoming a benchmark within its market position then surely someone can inject enough magic into G&L to make it a brand that is on a lot of people’s shortlists.

Hi everyone, Thanks for the kind words and great to hear from some old friends on here! Hope you're all keeping well. Glad you enjoyed the video, it took a while to film all the separate sections and glue them all together afterwards, but I'm hoping it proved useful and vaguely interesting! It's difficult sometimes to show what you're up to on a particular gig without coming across like you're just bragging about the equipment you use, so I was mindful to try to make it educational where possible. I'm playing Queen songs with the Royal Philharmonic at the Albert Hall tomorrow so I should take my little action cam along and see if I can take some footage there, and later in the year I have my usual NYE gig but this time it's going to be filmed in a TV studio so that might be a good one to do some 'behind the scenes' filming at too. I'm going to try to make my YouTube channel a mix of videos from a pro's perspective (Gigs, gear, etc) and also lessons and tutorials. My channel is iankingbass if you fancy taking a look. Anyway back to looking at Basschat Marketplace! Cheers, Ian

Quiet couple of weeks for me, our annual 2 weeks blanking the duo’s diary for holidays etc. However, I’ve had a couple of gigs this weekend with friends. First one was my favourite boozer, The Sun Inn in Beverley on Saturday evening, depping with a band of mates in their dad rock band. Absolutely torrential rain so expected it to be quiet but by 9pm we had a nearly full pub when we started. It was one of those gigs that didn’t really gel for some reason - guitarists struggled a bit, and it was a bit too loud towards the end. Still, went down well so job done I guess. Played my P-Lyte into the Rumble 500 combo. Then yesterday it was playing at a memorial gig for a good friend Lynn Blakeston ( Blako ) who died in April. This was in a local civic hall, with a big PA and backline / kit supplied. Plenty of acts / bands lined up to play, and of course we were on last ( bit annoying because we all arrived early but hey ho). I was playing with an old Hull band called ‘Uncle Sam’ who were an early country rock band in the mid to late 70’s. Four original members plus myself. John Cambridge on drums ( ex-Bowie) and Steve Lee on lead vocals ( also a writer / multi instrumentalist with a CV including Joan Armatrading, Lionel Richie, Will Young, Then Jericho). Steve came up from London for the gig, and was amazing - a pleasure to play with such a talented singer. I used my 63 Precision which had done a lot of gigs with Blako so seemed fitting. Used the house HA5000 / 410 which was fine. We did eight songs, including stuff from Poco, The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt and went down well, with a few dancers at the front and a good reception from the rest of the audience who were mainly made up of musicians. Despite the sadness of the occasion it was still good to see loads of people I’ve not seen for ages, and we all agreed we’d have to do it again in happier circumstances.

I am really pleased with the Paisley P-Bass I made recently. Next up is a Jazz Bass. I've decided to just use clear gloss coats on this one, without the tinted ageing i used previously. The body finish will have some lacquer crazing when it's completed.

Sadly not mine - just in my custody while waiting for it's new owner to pick it up, but a delightful example of a 2004 Textured Teal/Checkerplate 2EQ MusicMan SUB.

I would like to give a big shout out for Hellzero, Tony’s help with sorting out my issue with the jack has been above and beyond, a damn fine fellow 👏👏👏

Looking to have my white one repainted to this and have a mint guard so I did a quick mockup. Been a fan of Daphne blue since getting an AVII 60s Precision, but sold it to fund for a nice sounding P with great low B which is the SP1. But yeah just looking to personalise mine. Have been using this for many gigs now and been pretty happy with this thing. Still looking for someone who can nail this. I've only inquired so far with Chris from Bow Finishing(closest one to me as I'm based in SW London) and TDog customs and just waiting for their replies. {retty excited about this project!

Having recently posted my rig from a few years ago, this is my current rig……

And Graphite, which is a really nice silver grey that works very well with the texture as well as with the black neck and pickguard: I honestly think the SUB line is about the least aesthetically pleasing thing to ever leave San Luis Obispo but if one can look past that, they are fantastic. Also, being face to face with these really helped me appreciate their utilitarian approach - you won’t ever spend a second thought on dings & scratches with this finish. As I personally seem to have quite a thing for Sterlings-without-contours (I have accumulated three over the past 11 months), my SUB certainly did scratch the itch and kept me from buying a third Classic Sterling. And while prices are indeed starting to get into stupid territory, you simply won’t get a better deal on a US Music Man (I paid 800€ for the one above because I wanted the rarer Sterling in this colour specifically and it was in excellent condition. Around here, 600-700€ seems to be standard for a well-worn SUB Stingray). Even cooler if you’re into the Classic line - surprising, really, how there’s a budget friendly alternative to these rare birds. Also, I saw somewhere on here an example of a stripped neck with an intact black "matching headstock" (front) and found that to have been a rather great call:

Geez, don't give Moog any ideas...

She is currently with Fury, who supported Metallica Unloaded tribute at Torquay Arena tonight. I only caught the end of the Fury set. But I told her she's brilliant and that I play bass too. Yay!

She was indeed, and she is their current bassist. I've known Becky for many years, in fact she actually depped for me waaaay back in the dim distant. Since then I've watched her career rocket off through the roof, and it's all down to her hard work and determination. She's a great example to us all, regardless of gender.

If you have the original Silverstone, I had one too and in many places had to dial down the low end. This is more the fault of the rooms than the cabinet. I have since gone Monaco then, owing to increasing age and puniness, on to the Monza. One of the things I know about @stevie at LFSys is that he goes through many iterations of drivers, cabinet designs and horns to ensure the best result he can within the design parameters. Many well respected drivers are rejected during the design process. There are also minor changes as time progresses and my early. version of the Monza does not have the recessed handle now standard on LFSys cabs. Having just had a hernia operation, the lighter weight of the Goodwood does appeal but I am loathe to give up my Monza.

Been far too long since I updated this thread. Other things got in the way and it's slowly morphed into something else. Basically the idea of a rail guitar was nice but it had a lot of problems I struggled to get worked out, so I was thinking about testing some other ideas: A simpler outside frame. The top and bottom is about 2/3 of the size. A simple mounting system to mount the outside frame to the centre section. That's the three circular rods top and bottom. Would they be strong enough? Still not sure. A simple control panel. The top and bottom are two distinct parts and don't join at all until ... ... a simple aluminium backbone and floor is put in. The mounting system for fitting the backbone has been simplified. Not sure if it'll work but lets find out. All of this is now printed and is being glued together. Just printing out the drill guides This is how it looks without the backbone, floor, bridge and neck. and in cross section It turns out that putting the rods at an angle makes assembly super difficult as you have to do all three at the same time I had to print some alignment guides to hold everything whilst I was glueing or to suddenly have eight arms. However having the three rods perpendicular looks naff. This will have an Aria Pro neck and a high mass bridge. Probably a cheap set of pickups as well. It is more or less done apart from the metalwork, the finish, which is a new technique but the simpler frame should make the finishing to a high quality easier and to be also setup. I want to get it and the six string done for the SW bass bash, so @neepheid may be working the Friday he turns up here He doesn't know yet. I'll post real photos shortly. Rob

Ok, sorry for delays, I've had the chance to put the Goodwood through it's paces more now, and I like it. This cab is mighty loud. I'm not actually that surprised by that, it's a 10" driver in a box that many standard 12" drivers would fit into. I feel like many bass cab makers make their boxes smaller than they ought to, which reduces low end sensitivity for the sake of easier carry. I get it though, a properly sized driver in a properly sized cab ends up a lot bigger. I've had no problem keeping up with a loud guitarist and loud drummer in a jazz-funk setting, even with me using octavers and whatnot. That was great. No problem carrying the room with a a mic'd up ceilidh band (fiddle, mic'd drummer, mic'd accordion, and me) at the weekend. A church hall with about 100 folks, so not a massive gig, but plenty enough to carry the room without PA support. What was great was that my drummer, about 70 degrees off axis to the cab, had no problems hearing me either. I do love the horn on Stevie's cabs. It's pretty good outdoors, although I want it on the ground near a wall to get max volume out of it when busking. But then I'm unusual in that I'm busking with a drummer on a proper portable kit. Every bass sounds honest through it, same as for the Silverstone. There's no hiding, what's in the signal chain is what you get. The B-Amp is a very good match for the cab, as I can sculpt the tone out for the room with high and low pass filters and then use EQ for other areas as desired. It also matches the B-Amp power rating well. (When I tried the Monza, I felt like that might want a slightly more powerful amp than my B-Amp to get the most out of it.) The Goodwood is very slightly leaner in the low end than my Silverstone (around 100Hz), but in real rooms when it's placed on the floor, I need no bass boost. I'll try and see if I can do a video review of it. It's a great cab. It's way more capable than any other 10" box I've owned, which has included a Barefaced One10 and the venerable Acme 1x10, and beats some 12" cabs I've had. This is the most compact FRFR solution apart from an LFSys Monza, and it's a fair bit lighter and a bit cheaper. I finally might sell my Silverstone. I try to be a one-cab guy...but I've had that for so long I can't quite part with it...hmm.

I'm guessing that these will replace the Pulse II basses, which appear to have ceased production....

Seriously good value if you use this brand / gauge - 2 sets for under £30 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007MWDOC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title Fill your boots! I clean my strings in a meths / denatured alcohol bath so I get several uses out of one set (never had one break yet!) and they come back bright and played-in. Cheers m'deers Andy W

I have a very ordinary singing voice, but it’s ideal for BVs where it’s not threatening any lead vocal….ever….. 😆 I think that’s what has often helped me get gigs, as there are quite a few players around here who are a lot better than me. ( Nothing to do with me being cheap either…)

I 'think' I've just ordered x2 12 string set for £48.63... if that is for 2 sets (image shows box that states 2 sets), then it is virtually half price! @Sean @12stringbassist @Wolverinebass

Maybe for some, but sadly not for me, which is why today my 112 cabs weigh 10kg each, and I often use a trolley.

I get that some can'/won't do this, but IMO we should all be able to separate work from play and, if we do it properly, enjoy both. I depped for a cover band on Saturday and it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The set, band, venue and audience made it a great night. On Thursday I'm gigging with my old fashioned R&B / Rock n Roll/ Ska band. It not really my thing but I expect everyone to be dancing and having a good night, so I will too. Saturday is a dep with a pickup band and, as yet, I have no idea what songs we will be playing. I'll probably find out when we get to the gig!! The jury is out on this one! Sunday is my regular Blues Band. That will be a good evening with an appreciative audience, sitting and listening. Variety and good players keeps it interesting, a happy audience and getting paid makes it worthwhile.

Despite what we may think, we rarely buy the best tool for the job, which is why Fender are where they are and G&L are where they are

I think we can all agree that Steven Seagal singing "Me want the poonani, see for make nice" in a Jamaican accent is perfectly acceptable:

I was fortunate enough to pick one of these up in white when they were first released. One of the best basses I’ve ever owned and it cost me about 400 quid. This one here looks lovely!

Often someone just went at the top 7 frets with a bit of sandpaper leaving an awful mess. But then even if it was done well, the painted headstock then looks odd.

Fretboard "binding" was done by layering 1.5mm ash veneer with the offcuts of the wenge planed down to 0.5mm. Also routed the channels for the truss rod and the carbon rods, the latter of which I epoxied in place

Mine had been modded by previous owners , Badass bridge , Jazz pickup , but I liked the mods. one of my regrets. Still have the fretted rosewood , 72 too. I was once a Pbass guy. Not so much now , I’ve come to prefer shortscales.

Don't tell John Hall, he'll sue her! 😆

I like what she has done to the Ric headstock logo on the image for her youtube channel. Rickenbecky!

@HeadlessBassist Sorry for the delay. I recorded a play along of one of my favourite songs: “Come as you are” by Beverley Knight. And then because I was curious I recorded did it again for another 3 takes with different amp sims. SVT 4 Pro. Dirty Aguilar Tonehammer Joe Dart heavily compressed (although new roundwounds not flats) Fat DI. Bass EQ stayed the same apart from the Tonehammer as the low was far too much so I backed it off a little, but it was only boosted a little in the first place. There’s a little playlist of the 4 on YouTube.

Yesterday afternoon at the "Piv" in Nuneaton. It's our only gig this month due to the guitarist being off touring elsewhere. The Piv is a great social club that belongs to the allotment society, and has survived by having regular entertainment. As we were leaving our early evening gig in the lounge, people were arriving for ballroom dancing in the big room and others were setting up a poker night in the conservatory. I should really have taken some photos while the lights were on, but was a bit out of sorts after the guitarist's Mesa Boogie combo released the magic smoke! We think it might have been a dodgy socket it was plugged into - duly "sorted" by sticking some gaffer tape over it 😂. Anyway he luckily had the foresight to carry a spare amp with - and what a fabulous little amp it was. Switchable output up to 50W and sounded great plugged into the Mesa speakers I did ask him why he was still lugging the big heavy combo around! (The tablets are Vocalzones btw) The afterthought photo just about showing my Rumble and Stingish bass... Oh and you can also see my new Gravity lighting stands - the black ones. I've been wearing shorts since the spring but went back to jeans, which felt strange. Footwear were black DMs to match the rest of the garb

Great gig, depping with Duran/Spandau show 'From Gold To Rio' in Gainsborough on Saturday night. Almost full.... and receptive audience up and singing/dancing. Bass sounded great in my IEM's, and apparently out front too, really cutting/punching through. Gear used: Spector Dimension HP4 set flat, through dimed HAZardlAMPS preamp pedal, in to HXStomp with my own EQ'd GK800RB/Ampeg 810 setting (& chorus where needed).... and out to desk.

Friday night saw Hurtsfall's first proper headlining gig. This was at Liquid Light in Nottingham, which is first and foremost a brewery that has a bar and occasional events such as gigs and film nights. I discovered the place as it used to be home to the best vegan burgers in Nottingham. Unfortunately they seem to have moved on and there was no food on when we played. The PA is something else - it looks home-brewed but sounds great - see the photo of support band St Lucifer: There were plenty of people about while the bands were setting up and sound checking, but only a few of them opted to come inside once the actual gig started which was a bit disappointing for opener Joshua Todd, but luckily for the us and St Lucifer it filled up as the evening went on. I don't think the location helps, although it's close to the city centre, it's on an industrial estate and quite hard to find if you've not been before. With it being our first headlining set we were able to play for longer than our normal 30-35 minutes, and dusted off a couple of songs that we haven't done for a while. While it would have been nice for a few more people to have been there, once again we were competing with a goth festival in Morecambe and some of our audience were definitely in attendance there. Still it wasn't band for our first self-organised gig and we sold a decent amount of merch afterwards. Hopefully I'll be posting some more photos of us playing later in the week when they appear on social media. Next gig is also with St Lucifer in Manchester on Saturday 27th September.

I love the B&W shots of the Divine Comedy album launch… I’d love to share on my insta feed?

Daltrey's autobiography's very funny; on the night he flushed Moono's entire stash after walking off at the end while they were trashing the gear (off their collective gourds on uppers), Moono went for him... "I only hit him once. And I apologised when he came round." They sacked Daltry, but took him back after negotiating a settlement: "The band wouldn't do loads of drugs until after a gig, and I wouldn't knock any of them out again." 🙂 I've had a fairly easygoing run of being in and out of bands, nothing more savage than the aforementioned ghosting sort of thing, but on one occasion (and I've mentioned this before) I did have a blazing row with the other three - the details are unimportant/forgotten (late 80s this was), but they did have their old bassist on call, and sure enough he joined immediately - but the whole sturm und drang of the episode was slightly undermined when, after arguing/shouting/gesticulating around the pool table at the rehearsal rooms, I stumped off to the car with my bass and amp (an SVT at the time, and it's tricky enough to stump off carrying an SVT...my back was clearly better those days), came back in, remembered my 810 didn't have wheels, and had to ask the band for a lift getting it up the stairs... I haven't stumped off anywhere since...

Here are some pictures of my Greco. (DId I just go off topic in my own thread?) It's a neckthrough, the original pickguard is white and it is a "high gain pickup" in it. I think the toaster one looks better. 🙂 If I remember it's built in 1989. Again, a big thank you to all of you that contributed to the thread. Both I and especially my friend are very greatful.

One of the drummers with whom I often work, is not just a great musician but also has a great ear. He and I share a liking for similar sounds. So when I hit 'that' sound, the one I really love, and I glance over and he's clearly hearing it too, I take notice. These moments always seem to happen when I use a 1x15 cab and a big old style head. The last time this happened I had bypassed the complexities of the preamp and used a simple preamp pedal instead. The Joyo series is my favourite for this. American Sound, Californian Sound, Oxford Sound - they're all great. I was pondering why this should be. The conclusion was that the bottom end is less big and booming - these are after all g****r pedals - and the mids seem tighter, more pronounced. All of which is to say the sound sits better in the mix. None of the above applies in my reggae band mind.

I`d use the tone control on my bass for this, set the punk sound to full on tone, then back off as needed for the dub/reggae.

Mike Read isn't though. Warning - do not play, political content.

I was very tempted for the Monza the first time I played it as well @Chienmortbb. I was loathe to upgrade my amp power though, and my Silverstone was plenty good enough for me. And I’m tight with money, lol. But the Goodwood is wonderful.

Mr Hall now resides in the UK and he has HW's phone number. I know this because I have met HW and bought a bass from him very recently

I am totally in love with this pickup configuration

It’s about time that you implemented a “one in, three out” rule!