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Last night was our first gig in 4 weeks but things starting to build up as we head towards Christmas. 🎅 65th birthday party, always difficult at these trying to motivate the audience to dance but we had dancers up early and altho not a full floor it was encouraging. By the end of the night we had the floor pretty full. Considering we haven't played in weeks the band was spot on. One or two very minor mistakes that only we would notice so that was good. Had trouble with drums going thru digital desk. We were getting incoming signals but nothing going out the front. We eventually managed to get drummers vocal mike going and then his bass drum but we were now at doors open time and had to leave it at that and get the sound check done. Digital desks are way over-complicated for my liking but it looks like part of his grouping or his drum presets are somehow muting. Overall everything was well balanced out front tho. Bigger venue than we expected with a decent sized stage so all good there. The tone i had was spot on for me. Deep but not boomy with that little bit of growl when digging in. That Handbox WB-100 and Barefaced 212 set up is just sublime. Used the Sandberg VM4 with MarloweDK as back up. Dave

We were scrappy but the punters were happy. two gigs in a few months with no rehearsals. A month before next gig so we're going to get some rehearsals in. We all made silly mistakes. I was way too loud playing Uprising through my Joyo XVI but it was fun 😈

Had a solo gig in Leicester which was just hard work. The venue had had some issue with noise complaints so a local came in with a sound monitor thing while I was setting up. Told me I had to be under 90db. I pointed out that even without playing, the busy bar full of people talking was 95db and when I talked to him loudly it shot up to 110db. He set up his device. I ignored it and just concentrated on the gig. Then a big group of fairly “refreshed” punters came in and were in total disbelief that I didn’t know some obscure song they insisted upon. They kept trying to play it to me on their phones (like that would make me know it suddenly?) so eventually I told them firmly no, it wasn’t gonna happen. I sensed the atmosphere get a little aggro for a bit and I kept an eye on things through the second half. I just played singalong stuff I thought drinkers would like to stand up, dance and shout along to (which turned out to be accurate) and things seemed to get back on track. By the time I’d finished and was packing down everyone seemed to have chilled out again (though I did get the classic demand of: “Go on - set the kit back up and I’ll sing it for you blah blah…”) Some other cool punters there who were very appreciative and a decent enough size crowd. Glad to get out and get home tbh. Gear - Mackie SRM350s, Allen and Heath ZedFX10 desk, Shure SM58, Simon and Patrick SP6 guitar with a Seymour Duncan Woody pickup, small effects board (tuner, compressor, EQ pedal). Alas no pics from last night. (Imagine an acoustic guitar and a mic stand and you’re pretty much there).

I always liked the look of a Fender PBAC, they don't appear often so even the chance to just try one out is very rare. Having waited a few years for one to appear, to my amazement one did appear, not only that, it was being sold by none other than @Happy Jack, so no worries about, well, anything really. I wasn't the first to see the ad but I was the first to say I'd have it if it hadn't already gone..? 🤞 Phew, it hadn't. I drove over to Jack's the next day. I'm not one for sitting down with an instrument and noodling for hours before deciding if I like it, I am impetuous to the point of foolish and have bought a few basses only having played a few notes. However, in this case, I think I'm right in saying I didn't play it at all, just seeing it was enough, let's just say we hit it off instantly. I had briefly seen @Silvia Bluejay at the front door on the way in and before Jack knew it I was off. I should apologise really for not hanging around longer being sociable but on the way I realised I had double booked my self and had to rush back to do some archery coaching! I got home and, as ever when I buy a new bass, I put it in the rack and forgot about it for a few days. I don't know why I do this but I do, I also always take my basses straight to Guitar Technical Services as soon as I get them for a set up, luckily he could fit me in that weekend. I drove up to Warwick, the bass was checked over and was in top order, he did remark (something I had noticed too) that the fingerboard was screaming out for some oil! I left it with him to fettle and tweak, he knows how I like my basses set up. As I was driving back I realised I still hadn't played a note on it (I don't think). I'm rambling, anyway, a week later I got it home and on the following Friday I used it during a rehearsal. Although I have very much got used to short scales I adapted pretty quickly (which is odd for me). All my basses have thumb rests, the PBAC doesn't have one so I rest my thumb on the very bottom of the fingerboard, the notes really bloom on this bass when played in this position, playing there also helped with the shift from short to long scale. We played several of our songs and the difference with a full sized bass was huge, a real improvement all round. Having had it a few months now I have to say I am loving it. The other fretted basses are lingering and looking like they need to be moved on. The chrome flats on the PBAC fit most of our songs, my new Sire GB5-4 (stupid name) will fit the few that need that bright metallic twang, but it's going to be difficult, the PBAC is the sort of bass that fits with an acoustic duo perfectly, it might have to be prized out of my cold, dead hands. Now I have a wait of Bog knows how long until a fretless version appears...

We did a ticketed charity gig last night at a local music venue. It was our gig, our singer organised it all (the venue also helped masses). As we're still a newish band, this was our 6th gig, it was a bit squeaky butt timeas to how many would turn up. In the end we were absolutely chuffed to get a decent number there. And a great crowd they were as well. It was a really cracking night and we raised several hundred £s in the end. We had support from a former band mate of mine, who did a great solo set and went down a storm. We're all still buzzing I think.

Matinee gig at the Fiddlers Elbow in Camden - 1pm - 5pm. Confirmed my belief that there's a reason gigs usually start after 6pm. Also, was recovering from a bout of covid, so spent most of the afternoon wearing a mask and keeping my distance from everyone. Also, spent our set having to concentrate extra hard to remember my parts courtesy of covid brain. I brought my GK Fusion S 800 and my recently purchased GK 4ohm 4 x 10,which sounded immense. Other bands were lovely and we made a few fans. Overall, probably one to forget though.

Nice weekend all in all - Friday was a local charity gig. Nice little five piece with an old friend and his son and daughter involved too. Sadly, a total 'Guitard's valve amp setup was far too loud, so we just did the usual backing right off until he realised he couldn't hear us due to his own row! Nice evening all in all, although was a little broken after three hours' playing! Saturday was a Duo job in a large club in Stoke-on-Trent. Club land can often be depressing and I've not worked the clubs for a long time, but this was a nice and welcoming one. As a complete contrast to Friday, it was a joy to play quietly and we had folks up and dancing all night, right from the start of the evening. We also used no monitors this time and had the system behind us. (Sometimes tricky for feedback issues), but it sounded really good. I hate monitors. These two jobs were also a good opportunity to road test my recently acquired GB Spitfire, which I have to say has punch and tone in spades. Dig in a little harder and it's metallic-like punch is like a hammer hitting an anvil! Noice 😎

Pub gig in Peterborough. Kind of the classic small pub gig…no parking close by….check, stuck at the end of an already small room….check, next the the ladies loo so you have to move out of the way…check, PA speaker on top of bass cabs…check, footie on even after we start…check,loud, social but uninterested crowd…check. Added plus to sit on the floor because no chairs are available during break…. played well though, and very pleasantly surprised with my sound through the elf.

Complexity, solved.

My favourite 1980s bass tone: Dave Pegg, Fender precision.

Happy clocks-go-back Day I think this might be the first pic of a pair of Monacos out in the wild.

and a little ridge for cocaine!

I left my six string Unicorn Artist to Christian Olsson, Unicorn himself, this summer for a total electronic makeover. I bought the bass second hand, loved it, but disliked the electronics the previous owner had demanded. New higher output split coil "reverse P" pickups as well as serial/parallel switching on each pickup. Also, a 5 way rotary switch with different capacitors. As icing on the cake, the bass also got balanced output. All passive circuit. I also brought my "Mean Green Machine" , my Purist 5, to get the same electronics and switching done. Christian is truly the Master of arts... I also commissioned a new fretless 5 string Artist; it'll be ready in February 2026. Christian with his own personal bass, yours truly with The White One... Master at work... Here is the White One after upgrade... ...and a close-up where you see the grain of the quilted maple top under the thin layer of white. Pickups are capped with ebony, and knobs are solid ebony too. The fingerboard is really brutal; heavily quilted and roasted maple... Close-up of the pickups...

Carterton tonight. Go big or go home.

Not seen any mention of this rather stunning bass from Ibanez. Looks like a custom shop jobby so probably only going to trouble Elon Musk's accountant. But it's a looker no doubt. Deets here: https://www.ibanez.com/usa/news/detail/20250829113531.html

Probably not much of a highlight Dave. But remember as a single guy and not much of a cook, it was a big score for me. Lol Being a smallish intimate party, we didn't bring much production. I will say for a small intimate party our manager did a nice job with the lighting. Daryl

No worries, Richard; I was hoping to have something more exciting to show you by this evening but have encountered issues with my soldering iron (as in, it's knackered) and so I've had to order another. I have, however, come up with a plan for the connection of the drivers - tin the cables up, run them through the spring connectors and then heat-shrink them (carefully) into place. Cheers, JRK

Great list! Pressure Drop - Toots and The Maytals

Just seen a band called Parcels do a Tiny Desk and I am a bit obsessed with the harmonies, great piano and really tasty bass playing.

It's far larger than the wire in the voice coils. 😎

Had I been able to come up with the flimsiest of excuses to hang on to this bass then I'd have done just that ... but unfortunately that line of reasoning leads to madness. 🙄

Right, the new speakers are here and I've degunked the internals of the cabinet in preparation for fitting them. Whilst doing this I looked at the cabling and wondered if it's going to be up to the job or potentially going to melt under the workload. It wouldn't be a big job to replace the existing wiring with some heavier-duty copper, after all, so I may well invest in some for this project. What do the BC hive mind think? Once it's all together I'll get the Tolex cleaned up; the grille cloth is also disgusting (it's had 40 years - minimum - of spit, beer and bodily fluilds rained down upon it, so that's coming to work for a pressure wash and trauma counselling before it goes back on. Side by side comparison. A (nearly) clean interior; whatever has caused the splashes in the bottom port isn't keen on coming off with water and elbow grease so I may have to get a bit medieval on it. This is the wiring; do we reckon it's up to the task? 800w each at peak power should be enough.... Sprung connectors, though. I might need to do something about those to ensure that the wiring stays attached. So, things are coming on, and hopefully I can get the drivers (which actually fit in the holes cut in the baffle!) fitted soon. Cheers, JRK

chorus or flanger effects were very popular in the 1980's also roundwound strings

We'll be issuing everyone with a sticker like this. Just put your Basschat username/real name on it. This will allow you exit/access.

The Royal Institution has just made available on YouTube the 1989 Christmas Lectures series presented by Charles Taylor on the topic of music.

i should add that Whole Lotta Love is the Goldbug version 😎

Fretless. Bridge pickup. Lots and lots of compression. Midrange-heavy EQ, boost a lot around 800Hz-1kHz, cutting most of the bass and treble. Bakithi has a very particular touch on the bass though - he plays fairly hard, with high-ish action, and mostly plays over the end of the neck. I went to a bass clinic with him a few years back and got to see it up close (as well as the original old Washburn bass he used on those sessions). Same applies to a lot of 80s bass tones - very prominent and punchy, but not actually all that much low end. That was often left to the synths and the Simmons/808 bass drum.

Another recording of AJ back in his four string days (with a lovely rich tone). This live video may be the early days of 'smooth jazz', but still, both AJ and Steve Gadd are really in the pocket. In fact, the whole band are:

We had an acoustic gig at a Holloween party tonight. Way out in the country. It was freezing. Very low key gig. Excellent food. Daryl

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

Right - 2026 is the year we're going to actually going to do this! Updated 13th Ocober: The hall is now booked 🥳 The date: Saturday 20th June 2026. The venue: https://bentleyheathhall.co.uk/ The address: Widney Rd, Bentley Heath, Solihull B93 9BQ Link to Google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kN4xPQQe35cHTNKbA Probably 10:00 to about 16:00 as usual.

And a queue jumper, going by the above

So, pardon my ignorance, but if you started with a nice tone, why did you eff around with it?

Digital mixers are the mutts nuts for live work. We got an xr18 and have never looked back. I love the studio FX you can use, fully parametric EQ on every channel, and 100 band rta, really helpful you get a professional sound.

And of course it's now pouring with rain today which is highly annoying. So I've made little jig to fit the Katsu router for making the speaker hole and the port hole. The two sections need to be bonded together and a a slide fits in the middle to act as a pivot and to lock the router in place. Just need the rain to stop now....

He’s Pete the poster!

One I have loved since I got hold of the album in the 1980s. The tune is 'Blues For C.M.' from the 1987 Dave Holland Quintet album, 'The Razor's Edge'. Like any number of similar Mingus compositions, is it drenched in the Blues but is devoid of the normal BeBop cliches. Great stuff. Mostly playable but some challenging reading here and there. I went 4:4 not 12:8 and am not entirely convinced it was the right decision but, if you want a 12:8 version, the information is all here so you can do it yourself without any real difficulty. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/blues-for-c-m-dave-holland-quintet/

Good old Mark Radcliffe on R6 played this and wow, I wanted to go straight to the bass room and pick up my upright, something I've not done for 6-months..... Beautiful playing, I'm going to be diving into his work today, especially a recent album of duets with vocalists from which the below is taken

Dave, it was also good musically. After playing together for over 15 years we just seem to know where everything is going whether we've played the song before or not. We had some cool improvising happening. Daryl

I DON'T have a gig tonight. It doesn't stop me thinking my phone is going to ring any moment and have a bandmate asking where the heck I am because we're on in a minute! I'm sure I'm not the only one