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I don’t buy a lot of basses. In fact, I bought a CS Jazz some years back and haven’t bought a single thing since then. Mostly I’m happy with my lot. The Shuker gets a lot of play time - I mean, we’ve bonded me and that bass what with truss rod explosions and it being away at the hospital for a year… Anyway, I digress. I find myself in need of a bass with some flexibility. I need tonal variety, and I decided I needed 5 strings. I mean, nobody needs 5 strings, but still.. Then I found this bass. And I bought it. Like with my money. And it wasn’t cheap either! It’s a Mayones Custom 5 eye top walnut thing with too many knobs, and pickups the size of a small country. But I flippin’ love it. It’s got a 43mm nut and is a nice flat C profile. It’s light (for a 5’er) at 8lb 12oz. It has active/passive which means I can have a nice good old fashioned passive P, or a passive Stingray, or active versions and combinations of the above. The preamp is USB-C charged or 9v battery. The USB-C job is for a headphone amp built in. It’s got one of those bumpy resin-filled tops and a not smooth back, but the neck is rather smooth and lovely. I’ve stuck some Chromes on it and tweaked the setup and I have to say it’s one of the nicest playing or sounding fretted basses I’ve tried (can’t be upsetting the Shuker fretless or it might explode again). Bought from Peach - because they had pretty much the exact configuration I wanted. Some of the photos are theirs - the last one is mine with it on the sofa in its new home. Fancy that. Me, and a New Bass. Crikey.

Well, always wanted to have a go on. Road trip to Doncaster yesterday and returned with this example. A very decent price and it sounds immense. Not everybody's cup of tea but hey ho.

Just a quick 'Thumb's Up' and 'Hat's Off' to the Mod and Admin team for their too-often thankless and never-ending 'swatting' of all the Spam shït stuff that gets thrown at the BC wall, all too often. Good Job, folk. We (the BC Hive...) are grateful.

I was looking for a second PBass to use alongside my Player II Nearly went Squier but decided to try out these new Standed series It’s a nice bass and fretwork and neck is lovely to play. Noticeable difference in tone from the ceramic pickups in as much as it’s brighter and clearer sounding, less warm and vintage and more modern Set up out of the box was decent apart from pickups were not set slanted to match neck profile etc Slight tweek on truss rod and she was playing sweetly Wasn’t sure about the Olympic White colour as it’s more cream than white but it quickly grew on me. I did own a polar white and I thought it was closer to that but I would say closer to cream Tuners are good and work well as does bridge etc For a £500 bass I think it’s a nice balance of quality, tone and cost. A workhorse gigging bass

THIS THURSDAY! 6-9pm. Live rockin’ blues and $5 brews! The Annex At Foxtown Mequon WI. Looks like a cool music venue . However, I'm concerned about Thursday night. Also it seems like the other bands that play there are a few notches above us. Daryl

Yummy!

I wouldn't mind betting that either one or both of the guitarists have WAY too much bass on their eq. Sure, it sounds nice and heavy in isolation but totally inappropriate in a band situation and sadly very common! Start with just drums. Then add bass; can you get loud enough to comfortably match the drum volume? If so, your equipment is fine. The guitarists should then turn up enough to form that cohesive blend where you all sound like 'a band' rather than several people playing their instruments in the same room if you get my meaning...

Magnificent bass. I just want to play it and do nothing else. D’Addario Chromes are sufficient. I’ll keep them/won’t likely change for rounds as intended. Fret markers are at the fret lines not at the dots. A little odd but I’ll live. I may stain the top a deeper color (if it takes). I’m pleased and inspired to play more.

His playing on this is just utterly fantastic.

As many have said, he was - for me, at least - the greatest of the greats. I saw him with Hiromi at Ronnie Scotts in 2015ish and was so taken with his focus and ferocity that I immediately bought a ticket for the next night's show so I could do the same thing all over again. Hard to pin down my favourite AJ contributions as his output was so vast and so diverse, but the Michel Camilo (One More Once, Rendezvous) and Chaka Khan (Naughty, What Cha Gonna Do For Me) albums are the ones I keep coming back to. Certainly a man of principles who stuck to his guns in spite of musical trends. Just dug this out and it's possibly even more relevant now than it was in 1992:

Picked this up today. First impressions are very positive. I've never had a stingray-esque bass but to me this sounds big and punchy as one would expect. Set up wasn't bad out of the box, although needed to raise the g-string side of the pickup as was set too low and thus unequal volume across the strings. Easily sorted. Nut feels cut slightly high but I'm being picky - overall it plays very nicely. Enjoy the finish even more than I expected. It's not heavy and generally feels comfortable and balanced. Impressed. Looking forward to using it at a rehearsal tomorrow.

I was immensely lucky to have met him in New York back in 2013. I was only in my early 20s and myself and my girlfriend at the time went to Blue Note to watch Hiromi, really just to catch a glimpse of my bass playing hero. Afterwards I managed to sneak upstairs by the dressing room and got talking to Simon Phillips, who I will attest to this day as one of the nicest musicians I have ever met. After chatting for 10 mins or so, I asked whether AJ was still around. SP mentioned that he was famously shy but that he’d see what he could do. SP proceeded to put his head round the dressing room and explain that he had a really good friend from the UK over that he’d love to introduce. After ushering me in (what a cool bloke for doing that, will never forget it), I got introduced to AJ, who was sitting in this old battered armchair like some demigod. I’d had several cocktails and quite a few beers by this point, but I was dumbstruck and totally lost for words. He was immensely shy, but so generous with his time. I was a young lad so he seemed genuinely enthused by me knowing virtually everything he’d played on in the late 70s and early 80s. I was so very sad to learn of my favourite bass player’s passing today but I’m quite certain his legacy will live on for many years to come. He was to my mind the greatest bass player alive, unmatched and unrivalled - subjective I know but something I really do, did believe.

Having previously moderated an internet forum I can quite categorically state that it can be a monumental ball-ache, so thanks very much to the guys who give their free time to herd the cats, push the fog up the ditch and plait the yoghurt in order to make BC the welcoming, friendly and wallet-hazardous community that it is.

Been in the studio today doing captures of various drives and preamps/di’s

The dimensions at the start would work but I'd tune slightly lower for this driver Two drainpipe ports of 18cm each would be a better tuning and what I was using in the computer model above. You can get a slighly better response with bigger ports but the port is then longer than the cab is deep and would need to be removed, probably bottom venting. At anything below 200W you wouldn't have problems anyway. In the end I used this cab for quite a while with one of my bands and had no problems with wind noise from the ports at gigs despite playing with one of my loudest drummers (David you know who you are ). Like any ported cab using a highpass filter helps power handling and chuffing a lot as well as cleaning up your sound. It might be worth having a quick look at this thread. Although this is designed as a 10" cab with a tweeter/horn the basic cab is the same except for the front panel and a bit of extra bracing. There are proper drawings in the first post

It was so obvious that I think we all forgot that one... Thanks for the reminder. 👍🏻👌🏻

For pure double bass try ' The Griffith Park Collection' it's a superb album.

Always. Its been either the band isn't busy enough, the standard has dropped, or the musical direction has changed significantly from what it started out as. However, I've always found another band to play in and had a few rehearsals and at least one gig with the new band before leaving. Don't want to jump out of the fire and into the frying pan. Currently looking for a new band due to lack of gigs and a complete lack of interest from a couple of the other band members.

I bailed on my band a few years ago. It was a very successful pro function / wedding outfit, and I’d been with them for 15 years. We did a lot of prestige gigs/venues, but there were always issues within it’s members, ranging from conflicting work schedules through to drink and drug problems ( not mine!). Anyway, I was approached by some friends who were in a tribute band who asked me to dep for their bassist who was sadly having major health issues. I stepped in and did quite a few gigs with them, until unfortunately their bassist passed away. I was then asked to join full time, but my loyalties lay with the function band, so I reluctantly declined. I helped them recruit a new player, and I thought that was the end of that. Then around 15 months later I got a call from them again, as the new guy had decided it wasn’t for him. To be honest, I’d regretted turning them down the first time so jumped at the opportunity. My old band by now were falling apart, with fewer gigs and other significant problems, so I bailed - gave them a month’s notice and that was it. The new band were quite the opposite - all lovely people, professional and organised etc and it immediately turned out to be the right decision. The old band finally spluttered to a halt, whilst I had a great 15 years on the road with a fantastic band, all of them memorable. After that I had to (reluctantly) retire from touring, and gave them a year’s notice! We found a great player to replace me, and I still keep in touch with them. Nowadays I still play, just more locally - mainly in an acoustic duo with my best mate, and some dep gigs. Sometimes things do work out for the best. 😊

I've heard that Ice-T is going to join the party...

Saw him live with Jean-Luc Ponty and Al di Meola in an a fully acoustic gig, so Stanley Clarke on double bass all concert long, something like 30 years ago, and it ended up with speed race on School Days. Amazing how fast he coud play this tune on double bass ... using the chords for the main riff.

This is true ! It’s a Gender Jazz Bass …

I've used loads (and loads) of amps over the years and once you get above a 300 (genuine) watt rating, with a reasonable speaker array (210, 112 or 115... heck some good 110 cabs will cut it) you generally have enough power to be heard over an enthusiastic drummer; especially in a rehearsal room. However, what the guitarist(s) are doing, your EQ, room size/shape, cab positioning, drummer location etc can all affect how well you'll be heard. As others have said, you all need to be looking at ear protection, especially in small rehearsal spaces where you are playing with a drummer (cymbals destroy bass players ears). Get everyone else to turn down would be my starting point; the drummer playing at their comfortable level should be the loudest thing in the band, if you are drowning any of the drums out you are too loud... says the man who has been in many pitched battles with overly loud bandmates! LOL Oh and I had reason to use a Rumble 500 combo at a rehearsal room the other week and it was seriously loud when it was barely ticking over, so I don't think the gear is at fault unless it is set up incorrectly!

I would also advise the use of a High Pass Filter at the sort of levels you are playing this eliminates all the sub bass energy that your speakers are trying to handle and you cant actually hear. Set around 40 Hz shgould be fine, but to get full power you will need another 8Ohm cab to go with the combo. i use the Rumble Stage 800 for a backline and rarely go above 12 o clock on the volume and often dont need much through the PA, if i need the extra power for a large gig i have another rumble 2x 10 cab i can use. i use a Broughton Hi pass filter to stop all the unwanted speaker flap etc.

I left a band I’d been playing with for 16 years around a year ago, it was a jukebox band (which was great fun), we had a list of 120 songs or so and would get the audience to call out what they wanted to hear. The band was well received and almost always got repeat bookings. We all got on really well and there were no egos and very little bickering or disputes (if any tbh). i left to join a guitarist I’d played with about 5 years previous - I felt things were a little stale with my main band and also we had reduced the number of gigs we were doing, we used to gig 3 or 4 times a month when I joined, latterly we were doing 2 a month maximum and sometimes less. There were no gigs in August as that was considered holiday month. Did I make the right decision? Do I miss the guys? An I happy with the new band? Depending on when you ask me (my mood) would depend on the answer I give - an I entirely happy - no. Would I go back to the jukebox band - maybe. Have the band said anything to you regarding your performance? I’m my own worst critic and often I’ll over think things. If I were in your position I think I’d be wanting a heart to heart chat with the band leader before making any assumptions that they may be looking to replace you - better to discuss any concerns either of you may have and clear the air surely?

I left my own band once for the promise of something bigger and better…I took the drummer with me. I stuck with them for 4/5 years. We did a lot - but I was at someone else’s behest and i couldn’t do it anymore. ”ah man, I’m off in Peru for 6 months to find myself” We re-recorded the second album 3 times and I got really f***ing bored of the nonsense. And the drugs; I’ve never been a chemicals person - but they f***ing loved it. Surely enough they’re all teetotallers now 🙄 I regretted that decision - my own band had been getting some decent gigs and was writing some good songs. I just missed playing bass…as I was singing (of a fashion) and playing guitar.

i think it's Male

I can't help but think that you must be too loud. You don't need a sound level meter you can get free apps for your phone which will do a simple measurement. All you need to be able to do is to match the output of your drummer. Who may be too loud of course. At rehearsal you should be way below gig levels It's a problem with a lot of inexperienced bands, rehearsal is as often about getting out and making as much noise as possible rather than working on learning or improving new material. Bands playing flat out will damage your hearing. Measurements at Glastonbury showed Drummers experiencing 103db and most of the band 100db average levels. That's way above the safe levels where you would be wearing protective gear in an industrial site. You'll suffer permanent hearing damage in less than 15 mins at this level. Think about wearing in ears as soon as possible. They cut external noise by maybe 20db depending upon fit and when you get the mix right you'll hear everything better. It may be that your problem hearing yourself is that your hearing has been damaged at rehearsal. Hearing your self isn't just about volume, it is also about direction and frequency. Firsly make sure none of the guitar amps are pointing at you. They are very directional and should be pointing at the guitarists ears, usually they are pointed at the back of their legs or at some other band member who doesn't need that much guitar. Secondly point your own amp at your own ears. Speakers are very directional, like a torch beam so standing off axis is standing out of the beam. Secondly the frequencies you need most are the mids boost these. Most amps have artificial boost of the bass and treble to make them sound better at low volumes in the showroom. Cutting the bass also lets you use more volume as the bass is soaking up the power and moving the speakers into distortion. Cut the bass and treble. Mainly though get the others to turn down and the drummer to back off too if they are too loud. My guess is that none of you can hear yourselves well and each of you is edging your volume up to emerge from the overwhelming noise level. Basically you are all fighting a volume war. Our ears aren't designed to work at the volume of a Rumble at full volume and they don't hear well. Keep going and that will become permanent.

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Today’s projects…..walnut control plate for a jazz bass and final oil hand hand before curing and nitro on the lightweight Stingray. The chatoyance on that bit of Paulownia really does shimmer!

Some more photos of my build

Lots of big guitar companies use Shopify, including Fender. Gibson also just moved their entire online store to it. This is probably meaningless to anyone not involved in webdev, but you can see the Shopify config code right there in the Fender site's pages.

I've seen no mention of perhaps the most obvious choice, albeit not under SC's name: Light As A Feather, by the original Return To Forever lineup.

"Oh, Marion" Paul Simon Gadd and Jackson greatness

I would never buy a second hand Fender where the serial number is not in the Fender database. I think ease of resale is a factor in your decision on whether to buy or not. You will have the same issue that the current seller is having. It appears to be accepted as kosher on BC but then that might restrict your potential buyer to being a member here. Selling via auction for example will not allow any extra info to be shared and you risk sellers demanding a refund.

There may only be a problem cutting the strings first if they are round core. If they are hex core you can cut them to length before installing them as normal. It's poor advice on the part of Newtone. I've taken this point up with them previously and they really don't seem to be bothered about addressing it correctly on their packaging. All my Newtone strings are hex core so I just cut them to length and fit them. If you have bought round core strings they will recommend that you put a 90° bend it them where they go into the machine head post hole and then cut off the excess.

That is a pretty thing! I love how the bottom of the bridge matches the curve of the body, very elegant.

When it comes to construction materials, the ski is the limit.

We’re never going to see his like again. He was the ultimate musical and intellectual product of an era that has now passed, and he was pretty much at the pinnacle of the first-call session bassist mountain. RIP. I had the good fortune to try out an AJ Presentation bass when I visited Fodera about 10 years back. I’ve never played a bass that sounded so much like a piano in the low register - stunning thing. One pickup, no controls, straight to an XLR out. Unbelievably clear and deep. Huge and heavy, though - no wonder he played it sitting down!

I’ve been bringing my own chair

The absolute best of the best. So much great music over an incredible career. I got to see him with Petrucciani and Gadd. A memorable experience. Such a talent. He will be sorely missed.