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Edited with additional photos. Another dep gig last night with my 'new band' (I'm getting to be more regular than their regular bassist) in the smallest venue I've ever played. There are a number of small shops, coffee bars and alcohol bars in Mumbles that appear to have been set up in former domestic housing. This one was in a terrace of 'houses' and was pretty much the living room and dining room knocked into one. We were a 5 piece with keys set up across the narrow width of the room at the back, with keys, electric drums and me against the beer wall (see photo) and the singer and guitarist in front of us. I was at the end that bordered on the narrow space between the end of the bar and the passage to the toilets. Fortunately, I'd been warned about the space and took my EHB1000S. Even so, I felt like a drawbridge all night, having to lift the neck as people went past. By the end of the night, I had two people stood next to me and another three directly in front, effectively blocking the route to the loos. Having been hit in the mouth by my microphone as the stand was jogged by a drunken dancer in the past, I'm never happy when the audience is so close and for the last 30 minutes or so I stopped singing (BVs) and moved the mic stand. Shortly after, it was hit by a drunken punter who had already lost her balance. Had she not been grabbed by her partner, she would have become part of the drum kit. All this said, it was a very friendly audience and there was no hint of ill will or aggression that often happens with such a crowded... er... crowd. From the off the place was bouncing and by the end of the night, all the chairs and most of the tables were occupied by dancers. The owner was dancing on the bar. The set was mainly 90s and 2000s rock covers with a few oldies thrown in. As I have mentioned previously this era of music passed me by at the time so when I first started with this band I had a lot of catching up to do. But there are some great songs that I missed out on first time around. That said, my two favourites in our set are 'Mr Blue Sky' and 'Born to Run'. At the end of the night, after the landlord had climbed down off the bar, we were given extra money over the agreed fee which is, perhaps, the most telling feedback. Once again I was really pleased with my sound, which was nice and punchy without booming. With a keyboard and drums going through the PA the potential for lower mids and bass 'mush' was high but we managed to keep the mix nice and clean. I was using the two TE 1x10" cabs fed by the power amp stage of my Peavey Minimax 600. The signal chain into the FX return was slightly modified because of the lack of space; instead of the floor pedal board, I had pedals on the amp itself (I have velcro strips on it for just such and occasion. The chain was Behringer TU300 tuner/mute > Ampeg classic pre-amp > Sine HPF (set to 40hz) > Behringer DI. We were debating whether to DI the bass but I didn't think the size of the venue warranted it. The option was there just in case. This was the first time I'd tried out my new XVive U45 IEM system. Paired with a set of KZ SAR earbuds, it was plugged in to the headphone out of the mixer and I had a nice vocal/drum/keys mix and some protection from the stage volume. On the feet last night were a pair of black Skechers. I had some nice compliments on my playing and on the sound of the kit. No photos or videos of the band have surfaced but here are a couple I took of the set up pre-gig. This is the width of the 'stage'. Beyond the speaker stand on the right is the entrance to the toilets. I was stood under the speaker with my head just brushing the underside of the cab. Sadly, the beer wall was not our rider. More photos have emerged:

Standing room only at the Griff and Coton Club in Nuneaton. We were half expecting an empty room, but far from it. It seems we had drawn a few in - we overhead one woman say it's the first time she had been in the place in over 30 years! 😂 A really good crowd. It took a little while to get them dancing, but then they didn't stop. My sound was strange in the first spot, which I put down to the really low ceiling in the "stage" area and fact I wasn't on top of the amp for a change so could hear it better. However then I noticed the knobs for the mids had been knocked up accidentally. I set them back to flat and all was well in Rumble world again. Many compliments and shaking of hands afterwards. The only slight disappointment were the cheese and onion cobs - we've had better.

First gig for 6 months, first gig as a 5 piece and only our 3rd in total for TTFC - a 30th birthday party at The Lescar in Sheffield. Cool place, great acoustics and staff. Went ampless with my Fender jazz 5 into a HX stomp - easy peasy. The birthday girl was the bass player in a previous band with our keys, sax and singer. So the crowd was made up of lots of their mates, a proper home fixture. We played well, I was happy with my end, my improved discipline in practising and staying focused onstage is starting to pay off. Recorded the whole thing, I'll post some stuff once it's all edited down. Birthday girl got up on bass for a couple of times, so I got the chance to listen to my own band and take a few pics. A great room for photography too. We've already got more gigs coming in, very gratifying after an extended period spinning the project up and getting the set sorted.

First show of 2026 and we played a micro brewery in Calne, Wiltshire. Super friendly staff and great little space. No real walk up (it was on an industrial estate) but we had 4 or 5 groups of people come especially to see us, which filled up the audience. The only low point was when I made a flippant joke about Red Hot Chilli Peppers (who, whilst not really being a fan, I certainly don’t have an issue with) and it transpired that everyone in the venue liked them! The bar man even put them on the stereo after our set! I never criticise other acts normally so I don’t know why I said it, but we soon clawed it back. No harm done. Afterwards, I was asked why I had six pedals when I only have two feet. A comment that I reflected heavily upon, whilst driving home in my manual car! We played well and I was pleased we pulled as many as we did. A good night.

I literally had a first dip gig with Full Flavour last night and they have these. I was wondering where they were from! BTW - if anyone gigs in the Camberley / Blackwater area, Mr Bumble is a nice venue to play - audience skews slightly older, so the classics go down well - and for a 5-piece we got £75 each, so for a pub gig, that's pretty good. Appreciative audience, good beer, and they have 3 pool tables out back, where apparently if the band stops everybody asks why the music stopped, so there's that! Here's the setlist (ignore the key sigs, we sorted that out later :-D) - indication of what works. The Weekend track (blinding lights) was amazing (no rehearsal, first go!) - the keyboard player I know from the Alanis covers band, and he'd spent some time on the synth sounds for it. I'd found a great Moog patch for the C4 synth pedal which swelled beautifully and brought in the texture with harder playing, and it all sounded amazing. Lovely when that happens. Has anyone dug out the tools and adjusted their bass action halfway through a gig? First set (I didn't get the chance to warm up properly) I realised the action was a little high, and after a quick quarter-turn down on the bottom 3 strings, things were a lot less difficult (I keep the neck really flat on my basses). Always take tools 🙂 Set 1 Let me entertain you 125 E 💯 You should be dancing 125 Gm 💯 Don’t stop me now 151 A 💯 I’m still standing 89 Bb 💯 Video killed the radio star 131 C#/Db 💯 Cosmic Girl 120 B 💯 Angels 150 E 💯 I feel good 142 D 💯 Dancing in the dark 149 C#/Db - write out the structure Superstition 100 E 💯 Baby when you’re gone 125 C 💯 Hard to Handle 104 E 💯 Simply the best 120 F 💯 Blinding lights 171 D#/Bb - write out a structure (not a complex song) Uptown Funk 115 C 💯 Summer of 69 139 D 💯 Set 2 Final Countdown 118 F#/Gb 💯 All right now 120 D 💯 Mama Mia 138 D 💯 Pinball Wizard 123 C - write out the structure and watch for the modulated last verse Don’t stop Believing (Journey) 119 E 💯 Sweet Home Alabama 98 G 💯 Remember us this way 130 C - write out the structure, not too complex Rebel yell 166 E 💯 Man I feel Like a Woman 125 Bb 💯 Don’t stop (FMac) 119 A 💯 Proud Mary 171 D 💯 It’s my life 120 C - write out the structure Highway to Hell 116 F#/Gb 💯 We will rock you 81 D 💯 I love rock and roll 94 E 💯 Bat out of Hell (Introduce band??) 172 F - DEFINITELY write out the structure - LONG SONG Sweet Child of mine 125 F#/Gb 💯 Sweet Caroline (Last tune) 63 B 💯 Extras:-, 500 miles 132 E 💯

Just been offered yet another charity (i.e. everyone bar the musicians gets paid) gig. Support a good cause, "exposure", etc, etc. As we're not completely heartless bar stewards and the good cause in question was a reasonable one, we suggested we might be paid expenses, so that, whilst we give our time and effort for free, we don't actually make a loss on the evening. Petrol still needs to be paid for, we'll need a drink or two plus something to eat and so on. Cue pearl clutching on the part of the organiser, "but it's for charity, etc". "We realise that", we replied. "We don't expect to profit. We just don't want to lose money". They were not happy, so we said we'd pass, thanks. What is wrong with these people? Are they wealthy dilettantes who don't have to worry about where the next penny comes from? Do the think everyone else is in the same privileged position as them?

I don't mind playing for nothing, i.e. losing money, if the charity is close to home. Alzheimer's or some such. Generally though I'd ask for a bit of petrol money, 20 quid is better than nothing. We did a charity gig some time ago and I was expecting just expenses but they gave us a pretty substantial wedge. I stuck some of it in one of the collecting buckets on my way out the door.

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention the ritualistic sacrifice at the end of the evening! 😉

I'll be 72 in a couple of weeks. I hope I can get into a healthier lifestyle and practice more. I appreciate that since age 12 or 13 I'm still gigging. I blessed that I'm working with younger musicians. These guys are in their early 40s and motivated. They're not emotional like me, everything is strictly business. I'm more conscious about the caliber and logistics of the gigs we play. We're starting to fill up our summer schedule . I'm hoping we get some of the bigger festivals and fair gigs with big stage and big sound. Am I asking too much for a 72 year old ? Daryl

I agree with some of what you say, but I don't regard gigging as a "privilege". I'm experienced/good enough to be worthy of my place on the stage. Whether people like what I do is another matter, of course, but that's their choice. It doesn't alter the fact that I do what I do competently. For much of my life, music has been a sideline that earns me extra money, although I have had a few periods during which it was my sole source of income. However, I wanted to be able to pay a mortgage, have a family, etc, so I kept a day job for the majority of the time. I also made it clear above that I'm not opposed to turning out for charity, so it's not a case of saying no to charities and focusing on paid gigs. I make monthly donations to a few charities and am happy, provided the cause is one I have sympathy for, to turn out and play for free on occasion. However, the fact that my band may be willing to give our time and effort does not entitle people to treat us without respect. Covering basic expenses (we're not talking 5 star hotel stays and expensive dinners) is part of that respect.

It may do, but it is more likely that you need to practice with a metronome and work on how to improve the way that you listen to your own playing! You are not alone - timing and consistency are what sorts the men from the boys and the thing that really makes you a top player. I've been playing for fifty years and they are the two things that I'm still working on!

Hi all — Carlos Bass is strictly a hobby for me — no bands, no recording goals, no career angle. I’ve been playing 15+ years, but mostly on and off, pretty basic for a long time… until my own kid started playing guitar and I decided I’d better up my game so I don’t embarrass her 😄 I’m into the rabbit holes: tone, feel, ergonomics, and building/modding instruments purely for personal satisfaction. I’ve attached a photo of sume of my current lineup (I have also an spector NS 5 multiscale that I hardly use) — a small herd of 4/5 strings with a strong bias toward headless and multiscale ideas. Musically I lean rock/alt/metal, and I’m always chasing that balance between clarity, punch, and comfort under the hands. Looking forward to learning from everyone here — and if anyone wants to nerd out on setups, strings, pickups, or weird gear choices, I’m in.

I checked with moderator Ped if posting this is okay. Thank you Chris for the green light. The Best sounding bass pickup of all time is the Gibson low impedance stacked humbucker that was used in the Les Paul Bass between 1968 and 1979. At least in my opinion. 😉 I really think they're amazing. Extremely silent. Magnificent dynamic response. Tight low end. Chrystal clear top end. And very versatile. For years I roamed Ebay and Reverb to score them to put in various bass guitars. But last few years they've become as rare as hen's teeth. And when you finally do find one the prices are astronomically high. Many times I tried to find a pickup maker who can replicate it. And many of them said they could. But in the end they all had to admit they couldn't. Until recently! I joined forces with Mike Rose from Gemini Pickups in Wales. I sacrificed an original and carefully dissected it. The pickup revealed its very unusual architecture. And step by step we reverse engineered it. The Brooks Gemini was born! I installed the Brooks Gemini into my Epiphone Jack Casady Signature bass. The bass previously sported an original Gibson lo-z humbucker. Here's the video demo of the Brooks Gemini bass pickup: a faithful replica of the low-impedance stacked humbucker that Gibson used in their Les Paul Bass between 1968 - 1979. Bass played by Dutch rock royalty Ivo Severijns. Straight into the desk. No compressor, No amp, No speaker, No speaker simulator. Just an honest registration of the sound of the pickup. What you see is what you get! Enjoy!

Bloody good gig at the Exchange tonight. Left us all buzzing. It was short notice so unrehearsed for ages. We have a big gig at the Earl Haig in February and two rehearsals to sort new material. After tonight happy we don't have to focus on the existing set.

As part of building the Basschat 8" cab, I needed (wanted?) to rebate some handles into the side. I didn't want the handles sticking out too much so wanted to put a 2mm deep rebate in. I suppose in the old days, highly trained craftsmen would use hammers and super sharp wood chisels and make a wonderful job but would take seven years learning how to do it. I know my limits so I do it the easy way using a 3d printer to make routing templates and routing bushes for a cheap handheld trim router. The basic principle here is that the template protects the area outside of the area to be rebated and provides a simple template that even a muppet novice user with a router can use. The complication is that you have a spinning piece of metal (circa 30K RPM) that cuts the wood, but you don't want it to cut the routing template. That's where the routing bush comes in. A routing bush slots into the router and runs against the edge of the template to ensure that the routing bit doesn't hit the template and trash it. I'm not going to get into the routing bushes, apart from saying I make my own as they are dead simple and I don't want to pay £17 for a set of brass ones that I'll only use one or two of. Many people, myself included, struggled to understand how the routing template is calculated and rather than using maths, I'll demonstrate it using simple diagrams. Step 1 - Get an outline of what you want to cut out. This is the handle # and this is the outline of the handle backplate. I know the corner radius is 10mm as I have a little set of corner radius tools that cost about £3 to buy. I've drawn this in Fusion 360 below. 2. The next step is working out which router bit to use. As the corner radius is 10mm, you could theoretically use a 20mm diameter routing bit, but I tend to use an 8mm for most things as its smaller and easier to manage. So we'll assume an 8mm bit. If you use an 8mm bit, you need a router bush that is a little bigger, so I would use a 12mm router bush with a 1mm thick wall 3. So I can either calculate what to do using a fairly simple formula OR I can draw it out to demonstrate to simplify it. I've drawn an 8mm bit in the middle of the area I want to cut out. Now if I had a really steady hand, I could possibly trace a line to do this, but thats not a good idea, so we have to protect the area to be routed. 4. So I draw a circle to represent a 12mm router bush, thats below. Technically that router bush is 1mm wider than the radius of the router bit. However the 10mm is the inside of the router bush, we are interested in the outside of the router bush which is 12mm, the wall of the router bush is 1mm thick. The outside of the router bush is 2mm, this means that the template for the bush to run against is 2mm wider than the actual area. 5. So we offset the actual size we need to cut by 2mm, that's the red line below. The red line is just Fusion 360 showing the offset and means nothing else We now have the inside of the template done. 6. It's relatively easy now to create the outside of the template, here's a 20mm wide outside. The wider the template, the better it gives the bottom of the trim router something to keep it vertical. I use an acrylic sheet underneath the trim router as it provides a great support for the router and keeps it vertical. I think it was £10 off ebay. I didn't print one because you want to see through it. 7. I add in little 'V's to help placement, I'll draw mounting lines in pencil on the cabinet to align this. 8. If I now extrude this 5mm in Fusion 360 I get this 9. I'll edit this after printing it and showing the template in use.

The main talent needed is entertaining an audience. Its entirely possible to be musically amazing but boring to an audience

I couldn't possibly comment on this individual circumstance, but something I have learnt over the years is that charity is a business. The higher up the chain you go, the people running the show aren't so much altruists as businessmen and women. Ordinary folks are brought up to equate charity with giving for free if they want to be a nice person. Those running charities are acutely aware of that and know how to exploit it. The people who give the most proportionately are often those who can least afford it.

OK, enough of all this talk about blues jams (go and create your own thread for that boring nonsense) Dany rules, and this is our new logo!

Whoops... the video. 20260115_124629.mp4

Funny, I was thinking about posting some love for HB flats and searched first! Basically I concur with all of the above 😄 They have a mid forward sound which I found close to TI jazz flats - albeit a bit more mellow. Not much in the way of thump or low bass, very different from LaBella DTF voicing - possibly a result of being light gauge? They feel smooth but not highly polished. No “grabiness” like I’ve experienced with TIs. Basically an affordable, easy to play flat with low-ish tension and a general purpose voicing that sits right where you’d expect. I read somewhere (not sure if it was here) that they might be rebadged Olympias. Olympia do sell a 45-100 flatwound set for £19.99 on eBay but I’m too tight to risk the extra £7.89 to find out whether they’re the same! Anyway on the back of these I tried HB “HQS” steels and they went straight in the bin.

Then you must be a fan if Igorrr. They're so weird they make Primus sound like Michael Buble Weird but very clever

I had a resin printer for a few years(mostly for mini's/warhammer stuff) Bit im finding the FDM to be a much more practical buy/tool One of my fav print so far has been these ER collet chip/dust clearing fans https://www.printables.com/model/420575-er11-a-collet-nut-fan they work so well that i was able to remove the dust boot and just vac every once in a while or at the end of the cut.

I'm going to steal this phrasing.

So some minor levelling, dressing and polishing up of @Kiwi fantastic neck aided by the Frtlzr system. @Kiwi the neck really is a joy to work on. If you haven’t invested in a Frtlzr yet, its well worth it as it makes polishing and spot levelling so much easier! Getting the neck ready to mount on @HeadlessBassist custom walnut body.

Just added the MXR Chorus to the analog board. Helix Floor as an alternative/backup.

Dear Basschatters, I have a P bass body, along with original pots, neckplate (and bolts) and knobs, pickup screws (they look old but I'm aware they're just a bonus!), strap and bass case that I believe to be from a 1977 Fender Precision bass. I have some pickups too but they don't have any serial numbers or markings so I am not sure they are from the same bass. I am looking to sell the body and parts but I'd love to know if anyone can help identify the body especially. The pots are from 1977 and the body looks to be from then too but any help would be hugely appreciated. And any estimates on a price for it (as a package with everything or stand alone) would be hugey appreciated! Best wishes, Sam P.s @Reggaebass kindly suggested I put this on here so thanks to them for the heads up!

Panda will be at the NAMM show next week with a preview of the big update we’ve been working on.

No point. @neepheid will buy them all first.

You get those AJD lit up speaker stands, looks like that: https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/ADJ-Colour-Stand-LED-Speaker-Stand-With-LED-Legs/27VU

I hope not.

If you're in a small town, lie about your location in your social media and any other bios. There's lots of small venues in cities who support the scene by only booking local bands as support acts. Those are the venues you need to get in to. Thats where you'll gain a following and be seen by promoters. Im in Frome in Somerset, our nearest city is Bristol so if we want to play there, we have to say thats where we're based. Be as helpful as you can if you want repeat bookings. Send the venue logos and pics straight away if they want them and make sure they have a tech list so the sound tech can be prepared and have an easier night. If he's prepared for a standard 4 piece rock band and you turn up with 9 horns without warning then he won't want to see you again.

The pickup is wide enough for even 6 strings. They have bar magnets that are 75 mm wide

"Can you give me a strap button for my Kay?" "Aye, that seems like a fair swap..."

I’ve done a couple of charity gigs recently for the Teenager Cancer Trust. The organisers, a mod/scooter club have asked in advance what our expenses will be and have also made sure we are well watered (beer or soft drinks), plus they provide PA & backline, which makes it much less of a faff. This is ok with me and we don’t have to do it of course. I think expecting folk to play for free, without some sort of expenses is taking the pee.

In these situations the guys in the bands are the biggest contributors. It's not something I get involved in. You're effectively donating. I used to ask if the bar staff were working free and if the beer profits went to the charity but now I just say, "Sorry, we're booked for a private function." There're plenty of bands that'll play it. And, a good standard response I keep in case I hear "that phrase", is "Yes, I know but we get all the exposure we need at paid gigs".

I've had a few Peavy basses over the last 35 or so years, all have been solid even the budget lowend stuff held it's ground and played/sounded good I bought this Peavey Bromberg B-Quad (from this very forum) many moons ago....here it is after i made a ramp for it a while back.. the PCB had a fault when i got it (seller was upfront about the issue) where it would drain the battery even without the jack in, It took a while (like 8 months) but Peavey spares UK managed to find me a PCB from somewhere...(USA department didn't have any) after that i took it to many places to try to get someone to change it out but after they took a look a the wiring/soldering job they wouldn't touch it with a barge pole!.....so it went back in the case for a good 5 years un-played......Till i meet a guy on a training course who claimed to have been a PCB design engineer for various companies inc Laney...i told him about the bass/PCB issue and he said well bring it down and i'll do it for you no problem....next day at lunch, 20 mins later he'd swapped it all out and it was totally fixed! he then took the Old PCB home and fixed that too ! (it's in the case pocket as a backup) & he wouldn't even take any payment, so i bought him a bottle of brandy and some cigs...he's admitted vices. Lets just say the B Quad is not a very Polite bass but you can get pretty much any "modern" tone out of and the slap/tap it bell clear unlike any other bass i've ever played/owned (after all brian bromberg designed it to be this way as he's a bit of a slapper/tapper (even if it all feel apart with peavey after they released it) I've come close to selling it a few times as i mainly play 5's now but as soon as i pick it up i quickly reconsider, also if it went i doubt id find a 2nd to replace it as they are rockhorseshit rare atm it seems, it's been years since i saw another up for sale and I've never seen a 5 this side of the pond.

Over the last 3 years my band have done 4 charity gigs. They are all local, either at established venues or somewhere where to PA will be provided by the organisers. Therefore the amount of effort required on our part other than playing is minimal. We have also been able to sell some band merch which normally goes to offset any travelling expenses we might have incurred. We've played Oxjam Beeston three times now and the first two times we were definitely playing to an audience that had mostly never seen us before, and several of those have come to see us play at subsequent gigs. Having said that, the last time we played there was a good chance that the number of people in the audience who had specifically come to see us outnumbered those that just happened to be at the venue already. At Oxjam we get given wristbands that gets into all the other gigs for free, and overall the organisation is excellent so it's a joy to be able to take part. The other charity gig we have done recently was probably one of the best paying gigs we did that year. Again excellent organisation at an impressive venue where we were fed and watered and had proper back-stage facilities including a kitchen and a bathroom with a shower. Apparently these were for all the performers but we appeared to be the only band that wanted to make use of them. So long as we are doing gigs of this caliber we will be happy to play Charity events. Just remembered that Leeds Goth City Festival is technically also a charity event, but again it's well organised and all the bands are paid an amount that at minimum covers their expenses, and the organisers still manage to raise a significant amount of money for the charities they support.

Some things it would be nice to do in 2026: 1. Improve my DB soloing. 2. Improve DB speed and endurance for when horn players call rhythm changes at high tempos etc. 3. Do more jazz gigs on DB, ideally with multiple horns. 4. Get together a jazz group with me on guitar.