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A week ago now but I played my first overseas gig in Germany at a small doom festival in Leonberg, with Gévaudan. Really really cool vibe, promoters really looked after all the bands and the crowd were ace both whilst on stage and hanging out during the before and after. we played pretty well and the sound was clear and mainly on point on stage. Good times and lots learned. Felt like a very different approach to live music on the continent.

Couple of gigs.. Last Saturday was an all day festival with 7 bands playing various different styles of metal - mostly the more tuneful variety. I've been depping for the last year with the band that organises the day but wasn't expecting to play this one, so it was a surprise when they informed me that they'd eventually parted company with their bassist and asked me to cover. It was a long day from turning up at 10am to get everything ready for doors at 2pm, then generally meandering round smiling at people and drinking a lot of alcohol-free Guinness until our 8pm co-headline slot. An hour on stage went pretty fast, and the four new songs (two originals and two covers) were well enough planted in my head. No screw-ups, a pleased band, and home before midnight... though predictably knackered. Warwick RB Streamer LX 5 -> L6 G30 wireless -> [SFX m-Thumpinator -> Boss XS-1 -> Boss BC1-X -> T21 VT Bass v2 -> T21 Sansamp BDDI v2] -> Markbass Nano 2 -> Blackstar house cab (?) Last night was back to the same venue but a different room for a tribute to Ozzy that another local band had put on as a charity event. We'd tentatively agreed to be support, but the tentative bit didn't quite make it across so the posters were printed before we knew our singer would be out of the country at a conference. We're all for keeping our implied/inferred word, though, so we borrowed the two singers (and the keyboardist for one song) from the depping band, and they took a couple of songs each solo then a couple of songs together. The rule was that there were no repeats throughout the evening, which is totally reasonable, but once the headline and main support had taken their pick, we had to be a bit creative to come up with a set that wouldn't leave people scratching their heads. In the end, though, I think we got it right and played a half hour set which seemed genuinely well received as far as I could tell. No screw-ups, and because I was able to get my gear disco-loaded-out and driven away, I got to stay and enjoy the headline set with a few beers as well. Warwick RB Streamer LX 5 -> Fender Telepath wireless -> T21 Bass Fly Rig v2 -> Markbass Nano 2 -> Blackstar house cab (?) Sadly no photos have emerged of either gig just yet, but there were enough cameras out and about at both so I'm sure there'll be some eventually to prove it all happened. No time to let that spark an existential crisis, though, as it's off to a first open-mic with a side project tomorrow, and then last gig of the year with the dep band mid-December. I realise it's nothing compared to the schedules of some round these parts, but I've not played out so much since the enforced break of covid, and I'm enjoying it; my gear is all condensed down to the smallest, lightest and most efficient versions I can manage, the DI sound keeps getting general thumbs-ups from sound techs, and my main gigging pair of Streamer LX 5s are feeling comfortable.

Gig with the Bonnevilles R&B band at the Foley Arms in Sutton Coldfield. Reasonable stage area and an unused area to the side where we could dump bags and cases. A fair few followers came as well. I'd managed to rip a flap of skin up on my right middle fingertip on Thursday which wasn't ideal. Put paid to any alternating finger work, and to the occasional bit of index finger relief. Had to resort to plectrum for quite a few songs, which reminds me that I left my plectrum holder on the mic stand (the singer supplies his and my mic stands). Had several plasters on standby in case the one I was using fell off (it didn't). Obligatory atmospheric shot by Mrs Zero Sei Flamboyant 5 -> Lekato wireless -> Zoom MS-60B+ -> home made jack-jack lead -> Tecamp Puma 900 -> GR Bass AT212, normal Caravelle memory foam trainers

He came on here a couple of times to reply to threads about his basses @Maniscream. I remember at the time thinking he came across as one of us, a really nice bloke who loves his bass gear (as well as an advocate of flatwounds which always moves a man up in my estimation). I read most of the Obits yesterday, it really is unusual for a bass player who most of the general public will never have heard of to receive such praise from music journalists and such love from fellow musicians ❤️

This is going to have to be my last new pedal for quite some time I think. Really need to get stuff sold but this is the sound I’ve been chasing for ages.

My bass playing is often described as agricultural.

And mine....

"Gay Kremlin?"

Maple Road Saturday 11/22/25 7:00-9:00 "Join us in the newly revamped Eden Ave. event venue located inside Game Over, downtown West Bend! Full bar, killer food menu including smash burgers and a Saturday night of live rockin' blues tunes!" I don't know about this one. I have one main concern. This is downtown West Bend (30k). We're not a 3 hour Saturday night party band. We're a better fit for the larger Summertime afternoon multi-band festivals and fairs, playing for 1.5 hours. This could be a real dud. I've been wrong before. And here's another issue. Dep drummer. Daryl

Bringing the tone down: I did a charity fundraiser with Bandwidth (covers and originals) for the Felbeck Trust at Cley Village Hall last night. It was a ticketed affair with a meal between sets (veggie and gluten free), with a few over 70 there despite the filthy weather. The meal was delicious in fact and we were provided with free drinks. The stage could have been excellent, if it wasn’t for the hundred or so chairs stacked at the back, which meant we were very cramped. It also looked a mess with the curtain tucked into the chairs. Anyway we played 2 x 1:15 sets and got plenty of dancers in the second set. I was really struggling, as I was diagnosed with a chest infection an hour before set up and had just started on antibiotics. I’m not sure how I managed to drive home. Gear was Guild Starfire 1 and custom P/J shorty into Blackstar U700 (via Peterson Strobostomp) and 2 LFSys Monza. DI to the desk. U700 master literally on just over 1, so two Monzas was complete overkill. I should just have connected the top one, as I don’t think the amp was working hard enough. We got loads of good feedback and possibly some follow on gigs🤞. Not a great pic and yes,mChris has to sit through gigs these days. We’re a poor old bunch🫤

Home straight… Bottom block fixed, bass bar reinforced, top going on. Slowly one step at a time. Leave it like this for 24hrs. Finish off tomorrow.

One from earlier in this year at the regular Monday Night Jam I go to. Having fun grooving to the Ceelo Green/Live at Darryl’s House version of I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do). Can you tell I love my new Sandberg?

Can they be trusted 😀

Got the bass and it was in as new condition. The bags are still on the tuners and film on the pickguard. Yay! The fit and finish are exceptional, the neck is a thing of beauty - reminded me of the Charvel necks everybody used to rave about. I actually quite like the colour, it is an unusual green but perfectly complements the darker colour of the neck. The preamp and eq are working perfectly as per the review above and you can get some positively thunderous tones out of the thing. It is perfect apart from the neck dive which when seated, is probably up there with the worst of any bass I've ever owned. Such a shame. Definitely worth what I paid for it but it could have been a 10/10.

Someone who does an advert without saying they are doing an advert.

As far as I can tell, they err... inform those people who lack the ability to form their own opinions what to think and believe. Think of them a bit like a gen Z version of Joseph Goebbels only with somewhat more inclusive agenda.

Last gig at the start of this month.

I’d imagine it would translate quite well. I can hear a difference running just my amp versus running my pedal board into my amp. Same way my amp Di is adequate- I never use it but had to recently as my tube pre amp wasn’t giving any sound (turned out it was a simple fix but the amp DI did the job in a pinch). Did it sound ok for the gig yes but it’s wasn’t as enjoyable a sound. I could defo he’s the difference in my IEM’s This same question gets asked a lot on forums and there’s been some great demos showing how a pedal can sound like another pedal but I believe Origin are going for more of an experience in both feel and tone. It might not be important to folk for a pedal to feel like an amp if it’s nearly £500 but it’s exciting that we have a recreation of a classic amp that folks are describing as nailing the tone and feel. Does a 5k bass vintage bass sound better than a £400 bass? Does it feel better to play versus the £400 bass? Not everyone cares for these things but it’s nice when we can feel and hear a difference and that can push something form desirable to must have fall in love at the first play. If a £99 pedal can do 80% great but some players live for the last 20% because that’s where the inspiration lives.

Before my life as a professional musician I used to work in IT. I also really liked advertising that I'd much rather have been doing music than being there, so I had a BassChat business card in my ID card holder. Imagine my embarrasment on the occasion we're all stood in a lift and my "i-have-no-social-filter-and-dont-know-when-to-shut-up" colleague spotted said business card, the letter B obscured by my lanyard..

First gig in a while for me, hernia op and rotator cuff uff injury means I have not played in anger since August. Still struggling so will take the Kala UBass Solid Body. Depending on the audience, might tell a joke about the UBass shrinking in the wash. However on Thursday I managed a session with the Fender Aerodyne so will start with that but change to the U Bass if necessary.

Have you just joined ? 😳 WTAF? I’ve got the stake, kindling and rope … “yes, of course” and “just because” are the only answers needed to your two questions

Ha ha! Dr King is ready for you now… (evil cackle, snap of latex gloves etc)

Like you, I’m mostly running these sounds clean (or with slight breakup when digging in). Yes, it is frustrating to hear most demos showing the harsher side of the SV because it’s very capable of some lovely clean tones. (I actually noticed the other day that Avishai Cohen was running his upright through an SVT-CL Heritage rig.) As mentioned above, the SV does have deeper and more prominent lows. The top end can also get much fizzier due to the high switch. And this is before using either of the cab sims. I thought getting the Fifteen would obviate my keeping the SV, but I do appreciate the extra low end heft it brings for certain sounds.

Oddly enough, Fender did build a headless prototype bass in 1975. It was the result of Gene Fields (of Fender's R&D Department) research into eliminating dead spots on basses. Gene’s research led to his designing a completely new instrument, the first Fender prototype headless bass. The instrument consisted of a maple neck-through body with mahogany wings. The neck had a 32″ scale with 23 frets and black position markers. The body was cut to a stylized Jazzmaster shape with a carved top similar to the LTD jazz guitar. The body-mounted tuner was a simple right-angle pull design with tuning knobs in the tailpiece. Individually adjustable bridge sections were used, as well as individually-adjustable mutes. The neck pickup was humbucking, while the bridge pickup was a P-Bass with a special cover. Two switches provided pickup control and phase reversal.

Update time: The two remaining Batch 1 necks (#4 and #5) are currently being painted and I expect them to be shipped later this week. The necks for Batch 2 have also been made and are currently being wrapped in an outer layer of cosmetic weave. This marks a change in our approach - we've found that the wrapping technique reduces wrinkles, creases, undulations and warpage by quite a bit. And the weave really pops when not covered by so much resin. So, a risk of sounding a bit corporate, we're constantly learning and adjusting to keep quality at the highest possible levels (for us). Hopefully I will be able to post a vid of batch 2 later.

It's getting dark out there earlier and earlier. Luckily, I got just the thing.

A while ago I splashed out on a cheap Kay Gremlin. The nachine heads responded to a drop of oil and I decided the pickup was ok. The slightly worn finish I tarted up with ratty mustang stripes and added a tiny amount of extra wear on the upper bout. Needed a shim to let me drop the bridge. Took me a couple of sessions to sort the frets... I suspect a few might lift again. I only resorted to superglue on one. Lots of filing, scraping and stoning. Action isn't super low but is much better. Quite a fun wee thing now.

Band photoshoot pic. Rob

Sounds…. Just like a Stingray. For a lot lot lot lot lot less money. Aguilar pickup, OBP-2, 18volts. nice.

I've snagged some tickets for the tour and will be seeing them in Hertford in January. This video popped up on my FB feed and i thought it was quite interesting 🙂

12th fret to the neck side of the pickup on an original stingray is 321mm That’s what I went with. Not quite enough room to have the P pickup as well.

My current ‘Ray GAS is leading me down this route. In general, ‘Rays are generally too heavy for me and the ones that aren’t are £3k-ish 😱. I have a Squier 40th anniversary P that has a neck I like, is lightweight and balances well, which I picked up from Thomann on the cheap deals they were doing on this model, some time back. Time to invest in a Dremel (other small handheld tools are available) with a router attachment methinks; how hard can it be? 😬

🥰😍😍 loved this era of herbie. Paul Jackson just makes me smile. 😊

Just got back from watching braxton cook at the jazz cafe in Camden. Wow it was amazing. Braxton plays sax, flute and guitar. The sound was insane! What blew me away was the bass player. He was so so clear and you could hear every note he played in a 4 piece band. He was playing a 6 string MTD. Even the low low notes was crystal clear. I’ve never experienced such clarity before. Even when I was a performer and was touring with music artists I never heard such clarity from the bass. Literally 🤯. The supporting act was artist “Madeleine”. They was Really tight and on the same frequency with one another. Great bass player also. Had to Share my amazement of the clarity of every single note the bass player played. High or low. Didn’t sound or feel “modern” in the slightest.

Mine is relic'd after a hot curry.

Just found https://en.toutlehautparleur.com/loudspeaker-components/paint/warnex-1kg-professional-paint-pot-black-textured-special-for-enclosures-honeycomb-roller-application.html - 1kg tin of Warnex for 25EU plus whatever getting it across the channel will cost. Black and grey available. Should cover up to 3 cabs.

Actually, it's 4. My bad.

If you remove one letter from each word you'd have 'Anus Asses'. There, it's been said.

All done! Gave the corners a final paint early this morning so I could fit them this afternoon, drilled out the speaker mounting holes, re-dyed the baffle, fitted more wadding inside so that more or less all internal surfaces are covered, cleaned the jack sockets and replaced the wiring, mounted the speaker, and put the grill back on. Finished. I've given it a blast as loud as I dare at home, and the house was rattling. It does sound better than it did, in fact it sounds bloody marvelous with the Bassman. Perhaps it's just me making sure everything was tight and secure, extra internal wadding and the speaker mounted properly, but it's tighter sounding, no rattles and no flub. My intention was to create a recording setup, but I think I could gig this rig! Very happy with this! Cheers, Rob

Sounds perfectly rational to me. Oh, and bloody "influencers"!

Too many windings, 3 is enough.

@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.