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This one is primarily, but not exclusively, aimed at those of us who are in the mellow autumn of our years. The partner of our vocalist and band leader had a stroke last week. She’s likely to be in hospital for another few weeks and is likely to need lots of support when she gets home. Consequently, and rightly, we’ve cancelled everything band-wise for the rest of the year. Onwards, we’ll have to see how things go. So, while you are able, do that gig, join that band, buy that bass, climb that mountain. Whatever you want to do, while you can. And, prompted by a recent thread, don’t stick around in that dysfunctional band hoping things will improve.

I'm still in! I haven't been on here for a good while. I think the two may be linked...

Here you go two of the fane's in a 40l cab will do this with a fully rated amp driving 450W into the cab. That's a couple of db louder than most 12's. What it will need is a decent sized port as the amount of air that port will be moving at full power will be considerable. I've looked at using a 110mm soil pipe inside diameter 108mm 111.5mm long as a decent compromise. I'd be rear mounting the port so as not to weaken the front baffle too much.

Gonna sort out my gear for tomorrows afternoon gig. Need to leave the house at 10am, Load in 11:15am doors open 1pm and on stage 2pm for 2 x 1hr sets including our Xmas songs. Its been advertised by the venue as their Xmas party event so all good fun. Its a Sold Out one too so that's even better. Early start means early finish. Should be home by 7pm via Indian takeaway. My first in over 4 weeks as on a 6 week weight loss plan from the gym but i'm allowed the occasional lapse the personal trainer said. 2 weeks to go. Lost 3Kg in the first 3 weeks but its levelled out now so need to reduce carbohydrates. I'll be 12st again. Not bad for an old Glam bassist. I burn as many calories at a gig as i do 1 session in the gym classes. The more gigs the healthier i get 😂 Dave

I fully understand how making claims about the origin & pedigree of an unbranded bass is dubious & potentially deceptive - but heresy? Not sure the seller deserves actually being burned at the stake!

I do miss some of the Squiers I've owned. The 2 CV Jazzes with quartersawn neck, but especially the JVs. It all started with the JV Precision I bought for €75 and sold for...a lot more. The guy I sold it to still owns it and refuses to sell it back to me. Grrrr. Then there was this all-original, mint condition fiesta red JV Jazz in its original case I saw on the local marketplace-website that the owner was selling for about 200 euros. I sent her a message because I didn't want it to end up in the hands of someone who'd just buy it to sell for a lot more. It was the best Squier I've ever played and I secretly really really regret not keeping it. What an amazing instrument that was. I gave it a good clean, some new strings and a good setup and sold it for a market-based price to a guy who wanted to pair it with his fiesta red Precision. And theeeeen there was the sunburst JV I bought because it was so cheap. I thought the neck pickup was broken when I was still at the seller's place, turned out it was a bit of dust in the volume pot. I don't really like sunburst basses but I really considered keeping this one as well. But, as I already have a lot of Jazzes and had just ordered a new custom De Gier, it had to go. But it was a gréat bass.

And the kids' album is released today. Shameless proud dad post!

Unbelievable. Thank you for sharing. After learning of Richard R's misfortune during bass move rehearsal, to stay safe I'll be practicing this one with a pouffe and a broom stick to begin with.

Pah, thats nothing, Zoe, my far better half, is still making a mosaic for my eldest daughters first birthday. Rhea is now in her 1st year at University.

The Arched Window on Playschool was the best window, fact.

Compression is a pretty decisive subject as a trawl of the BC archives will demonstrate 😉. My advice before spending any money would be so a bit more homework on the subject. Admittedly, it a pretty nerdy topic and there's a lot of misinformation about it our there, which IMO, is based more on misunderstanding about what they are, what they do and how best to use them. In fact, you'll get a more objective opinion about the subject from sound engineering sites than sites like this! Only you know what you want from a compressor, and that usually comes from experience and the type of music you play. With @Linus27 being a fretless player, an optical compressor was the obvious choice as they tend to be more on the smooth and mellow side in terms of their action. But it's very much a personal thing. But one thing to bear in mind is that compression is more of a feel thing than anything else. And what works for some doesn't work for ithers. I suspect a lot of people who don't get on with comps but one expecting an obvious effect like you get from a distortion pedal, but it's mostly way more subtle. So in answer to your original post... It depends. I appreciate that probably doesn't help, but it's something that you'll figure out if you decide to dive into that particular rabbit hole. But the Spectracomp is a great starting point as it'll give you an idea of how different parameter settings can affect the bass. If you're in a band, definitely try it in the mix with other musicians as that's where you're more likely to feel what's happened. FWIW, I've been through loads of different compresses over the years, including most of the highest regarding pedals, and I've stuck with the humble Boss LMB-3. It does something that I haven't been able to get from any of the more boutique pedals. It's not expensive or sophisticated, but it does what I want a compressor to do.

I'm current running Bass > Tuner > Octave > Overdrive > Chorus > Reverb 1 > Reverb 2 > Compressor > Sansamp > Amp/Desk so its just before the Sansamp with the Sansamp last in the chain. I chose the Ampeg after having a great chat with @Osiris who suggested an optical compressor works really well for fretless and he was right, I couldn't be happier, it works great for me and the reviews were all really positive as well. A lot of people rate the TC Spectracomp as well though but I would say, due to the Toneprint option, you will fiddle a lot more and may not be able to easily decide what you like or what is working best for you. The Ampeg is literally three dials and super simple to setup and you can just start by having everything at 12 o'clock and tweak from there. I know nothing about the Joyo pedal though but I know the TC and Ampeg are both great.

To stop chipping and make it more pleasant to handle. Very easy with a router. Also paint won't take well on sharp corners. 12mm is good.

The intent (at least my intent) was to go beyond the Bass 400+ with changes and feature set that make more sense to today’s players. I asked hundreds of players what they would like to see different on a reimagining, what features are now considered important or essential. The variable HPF was at the absolute top of the list, but so was the pre-post switchable DI, aux input, headphone output, and somewhat surprisingly the USB power port. Size and weight were also a common wishlist item. Some of you here participated in that TalkBass thread and poll, there was a remarkable degree of agreement too.

I'm going to see Morrissey perform tonight in Nuneaton, just popping into Wetherspoons for a bite to eat first.

I'm going to have a stab at forming a band*. I am a 63 year old hobby bassist but I'd like to play ensemble again like I did in my twenties. I sing in a local choir. I may or may not front said band (not sure if I'm able to sing and play at the same time well enough yet). So far I've got a name and a modest set list of tunes that I practise. Level Neville & The Undulations I claim dibs on the band name on this day, Friday, 28th November 2025. Thank you. * It's such a new band that I am the only member so far. If interested in joining for fun, maybe with a view to open mic nights and pub gigs, get in touch please. Ladies, gents and all variations, able bodied or otherwise. Let's do Dad Rock, Northern Soul, Disco, Funk, Blues & Pop for a laugh.

Hello everyone Hoping that you’re all ok. I’m a bass player, composer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist. In terms of bass; I was originally influenced by Mick Karn, Stanley Clarke, John Taylor, Jack Bruce, Mark King, John Entwhistle, Stuart Zender, Jaco Pastorious and many more. I started playing music, aged 6. Piano. Then guitar aged 10, and moved to bass, aged 15. First a GBP £50 Hondo, black Fender Precision copy. Then I joined a band, and bought an Aria Pro II Fretless bass. This was due to my love of Mick Karn’s playing. I then became influenced by the British “White Funk” movement. At this stage, I bought a Warwick bass, and Trace Elliot bass amp and cab. I currently play an Aria Fretless bass, an Ibanez pearl white fretted bass, a violet Behringer warlock style bass, a blue Fender Precision copy, and an Australian acoustic bass. I use a Trace Elliot amp, and a Peavey 17” cabinet. I have many effects pedals. Mostly by Boss, but also a Cry Bany Wah pedal and a loop device, the Strymon Volante. Other instruments include approximately 12 guitars, a banjo, A Moog Subsequent 37, Korg Minilogue 37, an Oxy 1 Mk2 Sequencer, Korg B2, Korg Nautilus Workstation, Pioneer XDJRR deck, various combo amps, including a Roland Jazz Chorus, Yamaha mini mixing console and 12” p.a. Loudspeakers, Behringer PA amp and graphic equaliser, MacBook Pro and more of the usual stuff. I’m currently setting up a music therapy, for veterans, in Kyiv. I’m very glad to have found this forum. It would be really good, to chat with other bass enthusiasts and music creators. Have a nice weekend, Tiger

It does seem to me to be a core part of the British psyche to diss anything popular and / or successful. Having been on here since it was BassWorld, I soon noticed that any new thread posted about the Beatles, Stones, Ric basses, Wal basses etc will pretty much instantly attract a post(s) about how utter crap they are, as if it were a self-evident truth. There are some bands who if they're played on the radio I have to turn it straight off - UB40 come to mind - but I can appreciate why they'd appeal to a lot of people. Morrisey may well indeed be a complete dick, but to me he's a fantastic singer and talented songwriter. I'm generally not a huge fan of Wetherspoons, but whenever Mrs S and I go to Brecon we always have lunch at The George, an attractive and convivial 18th Century coaching Inn - and part of Wetherspoons. Haven't found anywhere better.....yet. I guess it would be a dull old world if absolutely everything -as that Paul Whitehouse character in the "Fast Show" was always saying - was Fantastic and Brilliant...... "Sugar sugar" famously offered to The Monkees of course, who refused it as saccharine commercial bollocks, then given to fictional cartoon band The Archies (session musicians I assume) who made it a massive global hit

What I sent to Brian was the original plate with a piece of cardboard attached: So if he kept a copy of the final template he used, then you might be in luck. I'll PM you some details and you can ask him.

Little Feat - Texas Rose Cafe

Given the links between John Diggins and John Birch, I'd say Jaydee are the people to go to regarding John Birch pickups etc. I remember seeing a new Jim Lea bass at Jaydee back in 2010 or so, another branch of what they made along with the Iommi SG, Angus Young model also. When I think of Jaydee I tend to associate them with the Mark King bass but there's a lot of John Birch previous history before the Supernatural basses.

That explains why the window cill has broken off, you pair sitting on it.

TEA??? Rubbish! A coffee, please. I'm also with Frank on the arched window.

I also chose my compressor after a similar chat with compression guru @Osiris who also suggested an optical compressor. I went for the Effectrode PC-2A and, like you, couldn't be happier.

Loosen each dull string, one at a time, until you can pull it up from the fretboard about an inch to an inch and a half. Let it slap hard back down on to the fretboard, repeat this moving your lifting position up and down the fretboard about 20 times or more. Then retune that string. It will then be brighter than before. Compare to the brightness of the other strings before moving to the next string. I think it has nothing to do with removing dust/grime, it's more to do with relaxing the outer roundwound wire from the central core. Then repeat for the other strings.

Hi Mike, things were different back then and processes had to be handled through the distributors directly Safe to say, we prefer the way things are now, the joys of improvement hey Cheers, Marcus

My band Shreds. will be opening for D.R.I. in Hull next year. I’ve been a huge fan since about age 14. How crazy is that!?!

I think evolving in the face of local competition and from taking on board feedback from some who'd perhaps not had such good experiences. Just a guess though.

Busy night for me - last time, a guitarist I've played with before at a different open mic turned up with a drummer friend who hadn't played live for years and we did about half a dozen songs. The drummer turned up again this evening and sat in with one of the regulars while I played bass. I'd made notes, having been slightly forewarned, but everything was two semitones down, fortunately not complicated songs (Stick season, Shotgun, Somewhere under the sun). Then played with another regular who always does the same three songs (a blues in E, Folsom Prison blues, Knocking on heaven's door), and then got recruited by another duo of drums and guitar/vox to play Route 66, Amarillo (hadn't played that for about 20 years), and Ventura Highway (new one on me). And a guitarist I've played with a few times before asked me to have a look at a couple of songs for some future occasion.

Around 15 years ago, I did a stupid thing. I sold my 1978 Gibson G-3. In the intervening years, the prices of second hand Gibson G-3s have gone through the roof, beyond where I was willing to go. So, thank you, Epiphone, for issuing this and helping me right a wrong in a more financially palatable way! You can imagine the smile on my face. It is, quite simply, amazing. It is a tastefully modernised G-3 - it frankly speaking feels better put together than my old Gibson G-3. The same oddly twangy but thick at the same time tone is still there, I reckon these pickups are on the level as far as recreations go. I do low level wish they had done clear covers like the 1975-78 G-3s, but these sound as good as I remember the originals sounding. The pickguard? Don't care, mate - the silverburst disguises it as far as I'm concerned. Because Andertons did individual photographs for most of their stock of these, I deliberately picked one where the burst lined up with the bottom edge of the pickguard, giving it context instead of just floating in mid air. I can't wait to take this to band rehearsals this week. Tonight I have mostly been playing songs I played 15 years ago with my first originals band - well, the ones I remember anyway!

I strongly agree with the general sentiment of this thread, and have always had a sense that I should try harder to 'get' stuff I don't like. But I also think there is some stuff that after careful consideration in the spirit of open-minded self-improvement, truly, genuinely, objectively is just utter toss.

I fancy having a go with a monitor style cab with the back corners at 45 degrees. I’d make the cab a bit wider and deeper to keep the same internal volume and match the form factor of a 10” cab I have

Lets hope that as he has pleaded 'not guilty' he will be found 'guilty' and therefore receive an even harsher sentence....

They are quite nice looking pedals in an understated way, aren't they! All credit to their respective designers - though I wish the lettering on the blackout compressor was just a tiny bit easier to read. The only reason I have the TU-3w was that my girlfriend asked me what I'd like for my birthday a few years ago, and specified that it had to be something that I wanted but couldn't justify buying myself as it was kinda stupid. The TU-3w had just been released; I absolutely wanted one and couldn't think of anything much more unjustifiably daft than a tuner that costs twice as much as it should.. just because it's painted black. Anyway, sticky dots now applied and re-photographed against the contrasting side of the cow blanket. Hopefully the next time I need this photo isn't for the insurance when some light-fingered type at a gig likewise finds it attractive!

Why don't you fire the trouble maker instead, so A, as he isn't as good as he thinks he is, which is way too frequent...

Tech 21 Bass Boost Chorus is the dogs’.

Can't beat a Boss CE-2B I had one once - I have no clue what happened to it - but now have a Cog clone

Sure I don't know what you're talking about...

Nice words 👌 Mani's passing has really thrown me to be honest. I didn't know him, never met him yet the positive influence he had on my life is massive. I saw the Roses live in 1990 before I became a musician and for me, Mani stole the show (no easy feat considering the company he was with). I couldn't take my eyes off him. I decided that day that I was going to be a bass player. I sold my car, bought a bass and amp and stayed in for nearly 2 years going at it. Growing up, none of my family were musicians, my folks didn't even listen to music yet along came the Stone Roses and kind of gave me permission to follow my dreams and be in a band. I can't stress how much that meant. Their interviews were as good as the album and equally inspiring. Right time, right place and I was the right age (17/18). I suppose they were like my generation's Sex Pistols in a way. Everyone who saw them picked up instruments and formed bands. Mani was the everyman firebrand who made the Roses so relatable to so many. It's wonderful to see how loved he is these past few days. Hard to accept that someone that seemed larger than life with so much talent, character and infectious positivity is gone. Right at the time he was planning on making waves again and start getting back out there. Seems so unfair. But such is life... I have been smiling a lot at one memory though... I was right at the front for his first gig in Manchester with Primal Scream, his "homecoming" and comeback all in one. He came out wearing a Man Utd shirt and his Rickenbacker, massive cheeky grin as he started playing the first couple of bars of 'Adored for fun and the place erupted! All chanting Mani! Mani! Mani! for a very long time. He had to tell everyone to calm down so they could start the show! Bloody brilliant! So long superstar x

Third Ankle — Bauhaus

Black Friday is the final, big hurdle that might see a number of fallers. I’m wavering on a full, level 1 fail (‘Ray GAS for a change), but I may just avoid it by doing some bass surgery with parts I have in my bits and pieces case.

I am making a simple 6 panel chest for my son's first birthday. He was two and a half middle of this month.....

Yes! And Michael McIntyre.

Free plugin from UAD (if you haven't already grabbed their freebie promotions previously) https://www.uaudio.com/products/pick-one-free-plug-in I have the 1176, LA2a, PolySynth, Pultec Passive, Verve Analog Machines and Century Channel Strip all for free over the last year or so! Nice!