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Here's me (and the lovely Di) when I paid the swag over this morning! Thanks to everyone!

Well, I'm a plum. I wrote a "I got home for reals this time" message yesterday, then forgot to hit the submit button. D'oh! TL:DR I got home safe

Peace and harmony for everyone on the planet. Peace of mind; I've not been too much of a burden to the planet. Piece of Christmas pudding this year with the family, lit up by blue brandy flames. Piece of my birthday cake when I reach 100 (coming up faster than one thinks as a teenager...). Piss as I did when I was a teenager.

Ahem...

My Rics..

As I'm an idiot I pasted this in the wrong chat. This is one way to cut a sheet of plywood down from 1440 x 660 for pieces for the 8" Basschat speaker. There are others but this does it in six cuts if you can stack the pieces, click on it to expand. If you have your own guide rail BUT it's not 1.3m long, you can also use cut 3 first, then cut 4, place them on top of each other to do cut 1. Still the same number of cuts. Apparently my circular saw will do 66mm of cuts with the blade at 90 degrees. It's a relatively cheap Makita (for Makita) https://amzn.eu/d/j6vA5Sf My guide is only 1m long so I do the same cut pattern as @tauzero. Your local timber merchant may have their own way to cut this. my local one has a sign adjacent to the very large table saw, saying this is highly dangerous equipment and under no circumstances tell the operator how to do his job So 24mm of plywood should be no problem and neither should 36mm of plywood (mmmmm...). It has an 80 tooth wheel on so it does very nice fine cuts and I have absolutely no idea if that makes a difference or not on the depth. If anybody can say for certain it's OK to cut 36mm of plywood without it destroying the 80T blade or motor? I'll have try when the weather gets better. Currently we appear to be doing our best to emulate Noah's flood in North Yorkshire. One day of decent weather and two weeks of rain and another week forecast. My poor dog never seems to have enough time to get dry from each walk

What a bunch of absolute geeks. I salute you all

Thanks to @Paulhauser for giving me the heads up on this stunning limited edition Spector Euro CST! Ordered and paid for last night and due next week... 1 of only 6 total made in this colour (3 x 4 string & 3 x 5 string). Ash body with Poplar Burl top, Ebony board with Abalone inlays, black hardware, EMG X pickups and DG Legacy preamp.... and that beautiful Purple/Black finish... 💜🖤

If I was aiming for the impossible - just my folks back would do me. Otherwise; 1) My 66 slab back 2) My 53 Precision back 3) A heritage B15 4) A new splitter van 5) One of John Deacon's old Precisions

Further to this. I have had a Luthier recommended to me by Ged Green in Cheadle. Ged was the man in these parts for top notch work, and I've used him for decades, but he has now hung up his tools to retire. He has recommended Jim Fleeting - https://www.jimfleetingguitars.com/ In my conversations with Ged, he recommended I use Jescar 47104 fretwire, and in a subsequent conversation with Jim, he said the same, so that's what I'm having fitted. It will also get a new bone nut. I drove it down to his workshop this morning and dropped it off. I'll post pics of the completed work and my first impressions in a few weeks when I get it back. Rob

Mine: 1. A month in the studio with Trevor Horn producing. 2. A small tour bus complete with driver and road crew.

I hear people complaining of getting old. After the last few years I realise what a privilige it is to be able to get older having lost people long, long before their time.

A Jumbo Jet.

GOT IT

New Brooks offspring was born last weekend! It's a twelve string bass and we call it: TB-12-SF Specifications: - Khaya Mahogany body wings - Nine ply Khaya Mahogany/Walnut neck. Neck through - Seafoam Green high gloss finish - Ebony fretboard - Luminlay side dot inlays - Jumbo frets - 34" scale - Buffalo horn nut - Three ply black/white/black pickguard - Custom made twelve string bridge set - Two spokewheel double action trussrods - Carbon reinforcement strip in the neck - Lace Alumitone Bass Bars - Controls: Volume Volume Tone - Gotoh GB 350 lightweight bass tuners - Schaller GrandTune octave tuners - Pure Tone Multi Contact jack output - Schaller S-lock strap buttons - d'Addario EXL 170 - 12 strings - Weight: 4.5 kg I'll share the build process in separate posts below.

Basschat massive. My late boss and bandmate's widow is thinking about letting his custom made jackson go. It has laid unplayed for 10 years now. It had done literally thousands of gigs . At least 50 per year for 24 years It has a custom graphic, a Star Wars theme. There is only one other of this graphic which was the original custom build Jackson did but they made it right handed and he was a left. I tracked the right handed one down on here 10 years ago. This l/h one is a bit tatty Should I tell her to get it restored a bit. Laquer is peeling in places Here's a few pictures It has a rewound p pickup by Aaron Armstrong and Kahler bass trem

Hi everyone, I'm Bado, Scotland based musician. I have been playing bass guitar for 30+ years and double bass for 25. I do a lot of original music, a fusion trio, a harp and double bass duo, a world music group and also sideman work with singers, and a 50's r'n'r band. I've composed four full scores for theatre and continue to explore different avenues of expression with multiple instruments and diverse lineups. I play a Shen double bass with a wonderful Dolling german bow and spirocore weich strings. My main bass guitars are a '94 Yamaha TRB5F fretless with heavy Rotosound '66's and an '80 Hohner P-bass copy with light LaBella flats. I play through a TC Classic 450 combo which was a kind of prototype or first version of the rebel heads with a 2x10 cab that accommodates the head. It's neat and loud and transparent, that I like. I have had an account here a good while ago, but being also a father of two, I didn't have a lot of time for forums. I came back on to participate in discussions, share opinions and learn about gear and exciting music from all of you.

In case anyone interested

Your Crossroads version works for me. I've always mostly used picks in my bands. Goes back to when my short six-string guitar phase was abruptly and brutally terminated in my high-school class of '61. Conversation with my buddies Jim and Steve went like this: STEVE (already a proficient drummer in a Shadows band with his older brother) - The Shadows stuff is shit. Let's start our own band. ALL: Yeah, great idea! STEVE AND JIM: You're a great singer but a crap guitarist. You'll have to get a bass! ME: OK, I'll ask my mum and dad. First step was selling my six-string Hofner (Senator?) acoustic guitar. For a while all I had left was my picks.

Unless Santa has a spare gold brick or two, I suspect the tree will be unadorned > C18th English cello and bow > A shiny Besson compensating 4 valve euphonium...

Two separate Jams this last week. A bass player chum has started a monthly Country Jam in Staines which is very convenient for me. It was their second one last Thursday and so I brought my bass along. Got to play quite a few songs - 5 I think - as there was only me and Chloe who were there. Another bass player who had arranged to play couldn’t come along so I got a couple of his. Fortunately they have a broad definition of “country” which embraces Americana and stretches as far as 70s Fleetwood Mac so it’s not all tassels and stetsons… Though I’d be lying if I said that there weren’t a few who come along suitably attired. The songs I played included Tulsa Time (a blend of Pistol Anni and JJ Cale in style), a Teddy Thompson tune, a rootsy version of “You’re Still the One” and a Chris Stapleton song. Nice atmosphere so I think that it’s going to be a regular one. Last night was our regular Monday Night Jam in Woking - this time a blues focused night (in the loosest terms, of course). I ended up playing on three songs (She Does It Right - Dr Feelgood, me singing on that one too; Julie London’s jazzy version of Blue Moon and Rory Gallagher’s Bad Penny). I also got asked to sing Fire by Jimi Hendrix (that’s blues, right?) which was a lot of fun. She Does It Right was a lot of fun. I’ve wanted to do some Feelgoods stuff for ages and this seemed like a good opportunity. Bad Penny suffered from typical jam night issues. The singer seemed to be singing a different version of the tune, different meter/tempo, or maybe a different song (a perennial problem with that singer) - which would have been fine but the guitar player stuck rigidly to the chords sheet he had written down rather than listening to the singer and adapting to what he was singing. I needed to go over and say “He’s still doing the verse again!” and help guide him through. It was still fun to play though. Love that song as it was one of my late brother’s faves. And can I just say how much I LOOOOOVE my Sandberg. Such a nice bass to play. ❤️ Our next “theme night” is our Christmas one so I have about a month to hatch my dastardly plan - a Christmas version of… WAR PIGS!!!! God bless The Barenaked Ladies.

Oooh, the sound of my old age!!! Oh, joists..! I thought it was joints. You really must speak up, my girl... ...

It was on my list and it's already arrived, though I'm not allowed to touch it for fear of eternal banishment to the naughty list. A Trace Elliot AH300 GP12 with 15" and 2x10" cabinets. It is sat in the corner of my practice room under a sheet and with just the occasional creak of the floor joists settling.

Thanks for all this input guys, May i just recap 😊 - the reason i have difficulty playing my Mel Bay - Bach for Bass by Josquin des Pres, is that i am still in 4th's tuning, this is a discussion i have had with others many times, but couldn't figure if it would be any easier but never tried re tuning and from all your comments i would have struggled to do so, with existing strings etc. fascinating thread cheers guys

I have all the gear I want/need. . . . but if money was no object I'd ask Santa for a couple of Roadies.

1290 hits yesterday - best ever, I think.

We really felt like rehearsal was needed after our last gig. Tonight we focused on the weak points and also played Alive by Pearl Jam for the first time. Alive is a blast to play. My jazz was sounding awesome, I'd boosted the mids a tiny bit and made sure the gain was high enough for a bit of overdrive. Half way through I realised I hadn't checked the controls on the bass, but they were exactly in my favourite spot - neck full, bridge about 20%. Only point of contention... they all think the bass on Uprising sounds better clean! Have they ever heard actually listened to it?

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly of '25, eh? The Good - Ecstatic over buying one of the last 5 Status Stealths, my Fender Elite Jazz, my 95 Stingray and most of all, my 1998 GB Spitfire. Mostly all solid keepers. An honorable mention has to go to my Cort Artisan Space 5 (the third one I've owned), which continuously amazes me for it's sheer value for money, playability and great sound. Also, hopefully arriving before the end of '25 is my Walnut/Graphite 66 Modern/Classic Jazz, with a single piece body by @Silky999 and one of @Kiwi's AUROK™️ Graphite Necks. The Bad - There weren't really any bad instruments per se, mainly some that went out of the door as I traded up to other things. If there were any disappointments, it was the sheer weight of my KingBass Mk-II (now up for commission sale at Andy Baxter's), whose mass could easily generate it's own gravity, and my beautiful Stingray 5 Special, which was left in the dust by my old Aguilar equipped '95 Stingray. But that was entirely predictable. The Ugly - Only one £150 no name Precision that I bought on a whim from Gumtree, which was recently donated to a school I teach at.

Thats BCer @simonlittle! He plays bass for The Divine Comedy and regularly gets shout outs from Viv Wilcock on his Instagram page!

And you do a sterling job of it Mike. Best thing you ever did. On that day you doubled your IQ. 😂 Dave

No worries Dave. That moment as a failed guitarist set me off on my stellar career as an average bass player.

Cheers. I had a student trying to work from the Josquin book, so I have a good insight into how very much more difficult even the first (simplest) suite is in EADG tuning. I’m not saying it can’t be done, or doesn’t sound good, just that it is far harder than on any other tuning I know. I encourage everyone to explore Bach’s music on their instrument, irrespective of the tuning. It’s still good for the soul!

Just for fun, the Status Jonas Hellborg had a 36 Volts preamp... And you received a lifetime Duracell subscription with it. 🤪🤦🏻

1. An electric car that doesn't make my wife feel sick 2. A training course so I am not so shit on the chapman stick 3. A group that exactly like my group without the right wing nutters 4. A loft ladder built into the loft 5. win the set for life lottery thing

I recently got a plate made for my Jazz bass by tiny tone. They can copy an existing plate if you send it to them or they may have a template of your Warwick bass. The plates are handmade and a great fit. Their details are: phone: 07522 500673 website: tinytone.co.uk

Oooh, the sound of my youth!!!

Every fender ever built is a bitsa.

Someone just sent me this link via my YouTube channel of this Herb Alpert performance from 1996 with John Pena playing a 5-String T-Bass..... not too shabby!

Not a transcription (sorry!), but a lot of my students seem to get easily overwhelmed by set lists for dep gigs, so I made this: Yes, it's common sense, but it's amazing how much time I've wasted running through songs that I've already gigged 100+ times.

My list to Santa remains as unrealistic as ever: Wal Mk2/Mk3 5-string Yamaha TRB-5P 1965 Fender Jazz... ...or a Limelight replica

We managed to earn enough off Spotify plays in one year to take the whole band out for a pizza, that, for me was as close to making it as I am ever going to get 😂

Especially tort.....🤣 Double sided tape is a good idea for trying / changing plates without lasting damage to a bass. As others have said this may not be the best if it isnt a poly finish. I used double sided tape on a Lull I had. Both looked good but I decided "why have a lovely quilt finish and then cover it with a £10 piece of plastic?" If you're just looking to protect the finish then one cheap alternative I use on the backs of all my basses is a screen protector (these) which I cut to shape. Dont buy the tempered ones....they just shatter when trying to cut.....guess how I know? I've also used it on the front of my old Ritter. The one in the photo had been used for quite a while so did show some lifting on the lower edge, but its easily replaced. The Lakland shows the protector on the back. I don't know if they would be OK on a nitro bass finish. Just a random thought....has anyone used vinyl wrap for a scratchplate?

An eight loaded top is sufficient for pub gigs, provided the woofer is of high quality. The same applies to eight loaded subs. The trick lies in knowing the quality of the woofer, as manufacturers are loathe to reveal what they're loaded with. Eight loaded tops are less directional, as the angle of dispersion is inversely proportional to the size of the cone/radiating plane . As to throw, the inverse square rule applies to all driver sizes. The advantage to 'stick' systems is they have very wide dispersion on the horizontal plane, due to the smaller driver sizes, along with narrow dispersion on the vertical plane, due to the taller radiating plane. That aims more sound into the audience, less at the floor and ceiling. The disadvantage is most use woofers too small to do the job, at an unjustifiable price. A very good arrangement is a 2x8 top, which can give output equal to a 1x12, with wider horizontal dispersion and narrower vertical dispersion. The same applies to 4x6.5 inch tops. But those are few and far in between, as their advantages are very much unknown to the average user.

To expand on my original post. In my current band, I use a 30" Eastwood Hooky 6-String Bass. Our band doesn't have a guitarist so myself and synth play alternate between playing the melody and bass parts: