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TONIGHT! (Technically last night as it's past midnight but it counts as tonight) Second gig with a new band (Midnight Mayhem (they were already called that when I joined, don't judge me)) at The Rose & Crown in Ludlow. Lovely old pub that has lots of live music so they're used to it, fairly small stage place where the band goes, decent mob there by the time we'd set up and soundchecked (The soundcheck (sixteen bars of 'All the small things') had people up dancing (!)) and from the off people were loving it - singing along, dancing and generally enjoying it. Mid first set, a bloke came up and told me he appreciated my Bass playing (Not 'liked' it, mind you) which I tried to take as a compliment, then he stood right in front of me and watched me intently which meant I completely forgot how to play. At half time a guy I'd genuinely never seen before came up and greeted me like a long lost friend ("I forgot you said you did this too!" ) so I had to pretend I knew who he was (because I am English and to say "I'm so sorry but I have no idea who you are" is about as appealing as stamping on a newborn kitten) which was...odd. The set went down really well, it's a mix of (sort of) alt-80s type stuff (Back on the chain gang, couple of Blondie ones, Kids in America (Kim Wilde - absolute BANGER and tonnes of fun to play), There's a guy works down the chipshop swears he's Elvis, Doctor Doctor (Robert Palmer), Echo Beach, Sweet Dreams sort of thing), a few pub-cover chestnuts (Dakota, Teenage Dirtbag, Mr Brightside (which the guitarist started in the wrong key and then got horribly confused when it came to the chorus but he styled it out)), a couple of curveballs (Take another little piece of my heart, Crash (Primitives)) and an ABBA one for good measure. I went for a wireless wander for the last song (Born to be wild) which got a good reception AND I got to fuss TWO Doggos *AND* a man told me my dreadlocks are "Really Cool". We played really well, sounded good, went down a treat (Even the bar staff liked us) and the singer said my playing "brought them to another level" which was very gratifying to hear. Played the StingRay -> Small board (I only used the Soul Food) -> Amp board (Thumpinator -> VTDI) -> Markbass CMD 121, footwear was the bright orange DMs (with glittery black laces). An absolute corker of a gig!

I think it's my first time posting in here..if not for a long time. First gig in about 10 years (stopped when my first kid came along and somehow didn't start again...) Studied jazz at Birmingham conservatoire about 20 years ago and a guitarist on my course plays professionally and now lives fairly near. Always say we should do something. He messaged me a week ago saying his regular bassist wasn't available and did I want to do a gig at a pub in Adderbury. 2 country/blues sets. Mix of original's and their own tunes. About 30 to learn in total. Whilst trying to finish one work contract and prepare for another. Mild panic set in as I wondered if I still had the ears to learn that many so quick. Cur Spotify playlist on loop whilst I went about the week. 3 core band members (2 guitar/vocal and drummer) play together but keys were from a jam Jimmy the guitarist plays at and well, I was the random. Setup. Fairly small but nice size side room. Banging pub with loads of spaces all filled with families, solo drinkers, younger ones (people saying they don't drink...) and older groups. Extra bonus was Chris from Fairport Convention was going to sit in...turned up and did every song for both sets. Goes without saying he is an absolutely outstanding musician with big ears and chops. Setup in minutes with those new iPad driven PA systems. No rehearsal or soundcheck just straight into it. I know they are players and heard their recordings but hearing ripping country blues licks from them both was a delight which makes you want to play even better. I remember laughing at one point at the licks being pulled out The new TRB6 from Bass Bros and Aguilar AG700 w/SL212 sounded so nice in the room. Maybe being right in the corner helped. Also had a couple of admirers in the audience as a friend at the back overheard them when they came in ogling it. Bringing a 6 string to this felt a bit like bringing the whole Japanese army to a gun fight, but its what I feel more comfortable on. Left the SL112 in the car as the ful stack would have been overkill. Many a compliment from Chris about the sound and feel, which made my day. He was like 10 inches in front of me and the cab. Audience liked it. The dogs liked it. Bar staff liked it. We liked it. Can't ask for more than that. Look forward to the next one in less than 10 years hopefully. A sample of their regular band to give you an idea of you're into that sort of thing:

Well, last night's gig with The Inevitable Teaspoons (we're on Spotify, by the way ) at Drummonds in Aberdeen was a lot of fun. Gigged my Cort Curbow for the first time since I replaced its guts with USA Bartolini pup and Glockenklang preamp and it is the bass it always should have been now. Sounded terrific last night - punchy and strong. To be honest, I didn't need to do any EQ on the bass, I just left the EQ flat and ran the pickup in series. The gig itself was a good laugh, maybe 50 folk there, hard to tell because some folk were at the end of the room up a level. Mrs. Neepheid came down to see us too, yay! She reported that she saw quite a few folk into it, not quite motivated enough to get up and actually dance but there was chair dancing going on in various pockets of the room. The crowd took a while to warm up, but we had a few folk up dancing by the end. I went walkies during "Shake a Tail Feather", that got a good laugh (and a dance with Mrs. Neepheid). I'm a happy boy. Gear was the Cort Curbow and my pedalboard - I love a "just turn up and play" gig with house PA and a sound engineer who knows what they're doing. Although I had some Trace gear behind me, most of my monitoring was through the house wedges in front of me.

Strictly not last night, but Thursday night (yes, a school night). Our acoustic trio were invited back to the Speakeasy at the Harbour View in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. This was our third appearance, and probably our best, even if I say so myself. The Speakeasy is a mixture of an open mic night and a gig. For the first hour, it’s an open mic, although due to its popularity, performers have to book their slots weeks in advance. The second half is a 45 minute set from a featured artist or band. This week, that was us. Bear in mind that the Harbour View pub is perhaps unsurprisingly sited overlooking Sunderland port. As a result its on an exposed hill top, and on Thursday evening a brisk south easterly was whipping the rain into a face stinging frenzy and making the 6c feel a whole lot colder, and yet the pub was still full of enthusiastic music lovers. Gear-wise, I was using my Boosey & Hawkes Excelsior laminate double bass equipped with a Realist copperhead pickup straight into the EBS Stanley Clarke acoustic preamp. From there, straight into the desk (a Behringer X-Air 12), and out to a pair of RCF HD 10’s and a small DB monitor that was almost at my feet, which sounded great on the videos I have seen 😎

With my thanks going to @HeadlessBassist for agreeing to collect this from Rotherham and meet me at Membury services (mentioned positively in the 2019 Gavin and Stacey here is a 1981 Aria TSB 550. I have only ever seen one other fretless one of these in this colour and it belonged to Frank Allen from The Searchers. Undergoing some TLC as the truss rod is seized atm So 3 in 1 oil into it and fingers crossed I can sort it 32 inch scale and MB 3 pickup

Well, a few days ago tbh. Acquired from a Basschatter very local to myself. Overwater Hybrid Custom 4. Well pleased 😊

New venue with a new band last night, our first solo gig together. Enjoying playing with a keyboard player again, not done that since the 90’s. Crowd seemed to like it and venue said we’ll be invited back, so a good start to the new venture. Different stage presence, being just the bass player at the back and a frontman in front of me. Having spent two weeks in bed this year, so unfit and ribs were killing me, with the weight of the bass, so was wilting by the end of the night. Any advice on how to get fitter is appreciated.

My Fender Adam Clayton signature.

I sold eight basses to finance this one, now in the making. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime build for me by my luthier of choice: Christian Olsson at Unicorn Bass. Here is a close-up of the headstock just to show the incredibly grained 3000 years old redwood face. The body of the bass will have the same top and backside, so it will be just gorgeous. It will be an unlined fretless five string with one pickup in wooden housing. No controls , pots or switches, just plain wood. Except for the bridge and tuning machines. Long wait, but within reach... ❤️ https://www.unicornbass.se/

Opened and closed the main stage with a couple of tributes at Rock The Gardens at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. First run out with a Japanese Faker I picked up recently, great gig to kick off 2026!

I bought this lovely self build Jazz from @briansbrew recently. It has a genuine Fender Jazz neck and 70s style Fender tuners. The neck has a lovely played in feel. The tuners are great, they really hold. A lot of my other basses I've owned I've always wondered how it could be flat and sharp at the same time when tuning...cheap tuners. The body, an alder jazz body from North West Guitars. I love 3 tone burst with tort. Seymour Duncan pickups, a push pull switch on the neck pickup volume to go between series and parallel. And a great Schaller bridge. It's a lot of bass. It's only the 2nd bass I've bought where when I've played it I've thought, yes this is my bass. I took it to practice on Wednesday. I find the neck really easy to play, and I just love the tone in combination with my amp and cab. So yes, result!

I’m not sure if Laney are at NAMM, but this week they announced the brand new Nathan East preamplifier pedal. I was involved with the testing and was asked to produce a product release demo for Laney and Nathan. I’ve linked my video in our reviews section.. because, you know, BassChat and everything Please give me some nice feedback on the YouTube video itself, show some love ❤️

Thanks. And appreciate that not everyone does. I still prefer my CD collection and talked at length with Chris on the night about having something physical Vs the convenience of streaming. YouTube so you can enjoy them?

Classic era Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz has sadly passed away after a battle with cancer: https://blabbermouth.net/news/original-scorpions-bassist-francis-buchholz-dead-at-75 😞😞 Cool guy, cool basslines. Scorpions were never as good once Francis and drummer Herman Rarebell left the band in my view.

Having finished the two BC1x10's I decided that I'd have a go at the BC1x8 which is well under way. At the same time I have also decided to build something to house the 15" Eminence driver that I'd been given a while ago. Both underway and at different stages of completion. I used an opensource plan as the basis for the 1x15 using WinISD to attempt to tune the final design. Only time will tell how it sounds. After these it's on to finishing the two bass guitars that are in the pipeline, a VOX Phantom tribute, planned to be short scale, and a new old stock Dan Armstrong body that I bought recently. It's a good job woodwork was my favorite subject at school.

I saw the Scorpions live on the Lovedrive tour. I remember Francis was playing a P Bass through an SVT rig and you could feel it hitting you in the chest. RIP Francis, no more pain now.

Shortly to be followed by the Ernie Ball Sterling Session Series by Sterling by Musicman

The bum - puckering drilling done today in @HeadlessBassist graphite neck sourced from @Kiwi. My advice for anyone doing this for their own neck…..pillar drill set at slowest speed, new sharp cobalt drill bit which was 9.5mm to fit the supplied threaded inserts. I did some test holes into scrap wood to get the drill size and technique. Make sure the drill bit doesn’t get hot and clear the swarf regularly during drilling as this can generate heat. Holes are slightly chamfered/countersunk so the inserts are under the neck surface to make the joint completely flat. The machine screws supplied with the neck are M5 but are torx headed. A couple of these rounded off so I am replacing with M5 x 40mm Philips head. Tuner mounting screws and tree string screw should also be machine screws and into inserts.

Well, I just made myself unpopular. Got excited and pushed the wee Joyo to the max, got an angry text from Mrs. Neepheid who was upstairs having a nap. Whoops, this little amp is a bit more pokey than I first thought.

Get’s less attractive each time I look ….

Here’s my promo video I recorded for Laney Amplification to support the release of Nathan East’s new Digbeth Preamplifier Pedal this week. I am also very proud to have been an important part of the prototyping and testing for Nathan’s pedal prior to release and was involved in tweaking the tonal parameters.

Get out your spandex. Tease your hair. 😉 Here's the Brooks EXB-MS-10 A multi-scale ten-string bass. SPECIFICATIONS: - Mahogany Khaya body - Laminated Mahogany Khaya set neck. Glued in - Black with Lake Placid Blue graphic finish - Pearloid binding - Ebony fretboard - Pearloid position markers - Jumbo nickel silver frets - 35-32" scale - Buffalo horn nut - Custom Brooks bass bridge set. Black Bridge base plates by [URL="http://www.paulinevandenbroek.nl"]www.paulinevandenbroek.nl[/URL] - Two double action trussrods - Carbon reinforcement strip in the neck - Lace Alumitone Bass Bar pickup combination - Pure Tone output. Black - Stacked Volume / tone knobs. Black - Three way pickup selector switch. Black - Gotoh GB 350 lightweight bass tuners. Black - Schaller GrandTune octave tuners. Black - Custom set d'Addario strings I'll post pics of the build process in separate posts below.

So like a Musicman by Sterling by Musicman

I made my shuker build course on the assumption the Bass strings would be more piano like /less boomy and the high string less tinny sounding. But who knows. wrong positioning and you could mess up the sweet spot?

Needs to be mint, pristine white for me. I don't do aged/roadworn instruments....

The Zoo was the first song I learned to play all the way through on bass. Saw them at least once at Hammersmith. RIP sir

Just browsing the GG website (as you do) and came across these 32” Gretschs, I had no idea they existed. https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/250605443228025--gretsch-electromatic-cvt-bass-bristol-fog

My 2 Jazz basses. The black one, is my Sire V7. It's a first generation and I can't remember how long I've had it. It was one of the very first ones made with a signed neckplate. I took the plate off and replaced it was a blank plate. The original lives in a box. I've used it a lot and apart from the neckplate I've done no modifications to it, I've never felt the need. The V7 has been my main bass since I bought it (I did have a Squier P bass as a back up). The 3 tone burst Jazz I bought recently from a fellow Basschatter. I love it. I wanted a passive Jazz with a classic look and this fits that bill. Don't let the Sire hear, but this is probably my main bass now.

Yup - a formative influence on me as a young musician back in the day (the whole band rather than him as a bassist in particular in fairness). Him and Steve Harris are why I play a P bass.

Id like to see a Fender 5 string headless fan fret active with triple pickups and built in cheese board.

And seven! When will this stop? 😀

Sad day (well, week). After a year of no use and increasing pressure to free up some space, I carted my wonderful SVT and Fender Bassman Neo 8x10 off to BassBros. I don’t normally think twice about trading gear in, but I really winced at this one. If I could have kept it, and believe me, much man-maths went into it, I almost certainly would’ve. Very glad I started this thread a few years ago and got to tour a massive, over-powered rig. Nothing comes close. Time to join the other wedding band warriors with a Markbass set up! 😔 (Joking. I love my Markbass rig, just in a different way.)

I'll take the 5th!

Had they done it more like the Mesa Venture - facade similarly on s slant but controls protected by overhang of case, rock solid handle, wheels - they might have got away with it Worth noting that the Venture weighed only slightly less than Luxembourg and had it's own gravitational field as the result, but was actually very easy to move around, even upstairs - defying it's Dalek-esque qualities - on the basis of those wheels and that handle 👍

1998 February Ashdown Klystron 400 still going strong

The fact they’ve released a stripped back version of the UK RBM 500 (the UK OBM 500) for £499 is pretty amazing and knocks spots off everything else in the market for lightweight, quality, 500w class D amps at the price IMO! When the established companies like Aguilar are moving the TH500 v2 for twice the price and almost half the warranty (3 vs Ashdown’s 5 years), it shows just how much of a gap there is for these releases. Well-played Ashdown! https://ashdownmusic.com/products/uk-obm-500?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=21de654dd&pr_rec_pid=15226954744194&pr_ref_pid=4471249535069&pr_seq=uniform

Rare example of an instrument that can give your belt bass rash with all those studs on the back.

Gibsons are readily converted to headless though.

Cripes... that's about halfway bewteen Glasgow and Cardiff so it could also be a South Wales bash... Might make a weekend of it and see my daughter in Manchester ...

Fantastic post for an LLM. They've really upped their game! 😉

"Pick out the best of the bunch from the stockroom for our NAMM display wall." "OK boss, I really like this BB434M with the obviously mismatched centre piece of wood. I like the way it stands out and doesn't just blend in like the others." [A moments pause then face-palm]

Quite like it when people big up amplifiers by saying they have loads of bass, tons of mids and great treble

I don’t dislike the aesthetics but it does give me 1970s washing machine vibes…

There is a modest , underrated and highly talented bass maestro who is revered and lauded on Basschat ..Danny Sapko. Worth checking out . Davie 504 is better entertainment though imho ..” check mate ! “ Lots of headless basses with varying designs and quality control issues ( cort space 5 , Ibanez EHB etc )