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'Ooh shiney....'' 'I'm sure that will make me a better player....' 'WANT ONE WANT ONE WANT ONE.......'

Boom! Sofa shot just in.

Now you see I like that a lot. So much energy and real talent too. Trying too hard?? Maybe / maybe not but if you're on Letterman then you could do a lot worse than milk it for all its worth and be memorable.

Just got this. Huge Kings X fan...

Let's share our weird and wonderful ideas for making life that little bit easier in the world of bass. Even if they appear long winded and silly and actually use more effort than they save. I'll start: One of those over the door clothes hanger thingies available from all B&M, Poundland type outlets makes a great cable tidy.

A bit of a pain to take a door to every gig just to use it though!

Because it's easier than sitting practising for hours on end.

If we're on about Chickens ...

Bought this from eBay & it turned up on Tuesday. I was after a rehearsal / crap venue bass to protect my Maruszczyk’s from some wear & tear. This fitted the bill nicely as I like old Jap instruments, & the active electronics & 19mm string spacing matched nicely to the M’s. Pleased to report that it lives up to the SGC reputation - great quality, easy to play & sounds excellent.

The same percentage who know what it means.

Will post some fancier pics later but here´s proof it´s now actually strung up!

I have ended up buying kit after I reviewed it. I AM completely skint!

Like the Circle of 5ths, there is also a Circle of GAS. The progression goes I'm happy with what I have. Something different catches the attention. Reasons to acquire said article begin chattering in the brain. Justifications for acquire said article begin to form. Said article is elevated from 'Desirable' to 'Must Have' status Previously satisfactory equipment becomes unsatisfactory. Rabid obsession with said article developes. New article is acquired. I'm happy with what I have. Rinse and repeat.

Honestly? Before coming on here I was blissfully unaware of the variety of basses available & was quite happy with my cheap squier jazz bass & old cheap bass stack. No one in any band ever commented on said bass/amp, only on my playing. "that's great, or that's not great"...end of. I then entered the black hole of bass forums which reached into my very insecure being, and I began to say to myself. "other bass players will look upon your lowly bass/amp, point and laugh!" Oh how I imagined being mocked by the multitude of low enders. So, I started a ridiculous 10 year journey of buying and selling equipment in order to feel better about myself, so that in my imagination, I could look another bassist in the eye and without hesitation spout forth the list of high end gear that I owned (but couldn't really afford). However, no one in any of the bands I played commented on said bass/amp, only on my playing. Hold in I thought, this has made no difference to anything other than my insecure ego & bank balance. I now own one cheap bass, and don't even own an amp. Still get asked to play/gig/record with some great players. So why the GAS? For me coz I forget what matters, & have to admit I can suffer from chronic comparing syndrome. I'm probably the only one, but I'm glad that's off my chest. My name's oldslapper & I'm a plonker.😁

I think we just get caught up in it - if you're gigging and getting some spare cash coming in, its just too tempting to treat yourself to some more nice kit. There's no obvious cut off point once you get beyond the basic necessities, and into the realms of fantasy kit. The bubble burst with me about a year ago, mainly cos i cut right back on gigs for family reasons, and then realised how much kit i actually had. The apparently amazing, life-changing aspirational gear I'd bought didn't make me play any better, or feel any better. It just tied up thousands of pounds, so I flogged the stuff i didn't really need. I still look on Basschat most days and see stuff I like - but then a reality check reveals i don't actually need it. It's nice feeling that you don't have to buy anything. Sort of the opposite of GAS. I'll probably get lynched on here for saying it tho. It's lovely to have shiny new exciting treats, but constantly longing for different things and working out how to get them makes me really stressed out I've realised.

Great idea...there's something similar in the Pirate Studios we use, but it's hung on the wall. My man cave / practice / music room is usually a sh*t tip, so I'll be borrowing this one!

"What if...?"

I'm disappointed. I was expecting a topic about new sources for band transport hire... (... and that young lad will hurt his voice if he carries on doing that for long ...)

I actually used excess string cut-offs to pick the lock, seemed approriate!

There's definitely a Linux version. No need to run it under Wine. I use it all the time. Linux is now quite a reasonable proposition for musicy stuff.

I can't see clearly but it might be that she's pointing to her euphonium to alert the sound crew that she's about to go solo on it.

If you find you can't do a weird routing thing you want interally then you can always use a patch cable in the FX loops and use separate send and return blocks to put stuff anywhere. You can jump the paths at will then.

I disagree. It would have been a waste of time doing it and not sharing your experience with the others here... perhaps. I mean; in addition to learning something new and finding that it works, you have inspired others, @stewblack for one, to have a go where otherwise they'd have been overawed by the prospect. That lickle cab might find a new home in a home cinema system. All you need is a mono amplifier module of suitable spec to make it an active sub. At those levels you might never get to fart inducing cone velocities and you'd have a really solid bottom end as a result. Not a waste of time. Well done!

You could hover the bridge pickup ABOVE the strings. Some small offcuts of wood and a load of Blu-tak should do the trick. This will give you an idea of how loud it will appear, and the compliance of the blu-tak will afford some adjustment.

You've inspired me! I have a lovely lightweight combo which just,and I mean just, about coped at band practice. It has an output for an extension speaker which could make the difference I need. However the entire point of the small combo is ease of getting the thing in and out of the car so I want something small. Now I also have a very nice 2 X 10 in a scruffy and above all heavy cab with damaged grill that I don't mind taking apart. I reckon I could make a little 1 x 10 like yours employing one of the speakers from this unused overweight cab. So thank you for showing me it can be done. To be frank I'm a little intimidated by the high tech talk around here, although I love reading the threads.

There, Marc, fixed it for you

There is an Ibanez ATK 400 for sale on the forum here (not mine) But great basses for the money. I rate them.

So, Just because I can, thought I'd "improve " the head amp cabinet of my BTA300 ashdown, spurred into action by the aquisition of MatampGt1Mk1amp'n'cab that is wine coloured with gold faceplate and corners. Besides many hours, this stands me at ninety quid so far, and I think will be great in the lounge on its Orange cab, yes, that's next after this !

Quality icon MonkeyTrick.

They were when I first saw the Crazy World of, Drachen Theaker on drums and Vincent Crane on Hammond. Both impressive players.

It used to be free.

Don't forget a set of these to tuck down your lycra tights: CLACKERS! They're appropriate to the era so no-one can do you for it. Mick Fleetwood even had a wooden set that he got out for an album cover once.

I’m doing my masters at the university of Birmingham. I’m focusing on composition, I do know that the instrumental/performance course is excellent. A lot of the classes and tutors are at Birmingham conservatoire, which is housed in a fantastic brand new building, complete with its own jazz club. I was there for a workshop a few weeks ago.

Seriously fell in love with this I am even thinking of possibly giving away my beloved Precision Classic 50 which I thought I never did!

Nah. It's summat to do with that Peaky Blinders' themed gig that @Les attended recently.

Not if you buy used. And I'd add Maruszczyk to the list too. My Elwood is excellent and I payed around £750 for it brand new (well, ex-exhibition so "nearly new"). https://public-peace.de/bass-guitars/maruszczyk/elwood/4-string

Time is a great healer, just goes to show sometimes we need to let things bed in. One if my basses I sort of struggled with over a period of months, and if I was in more of a flippant mood could have gone, but something clicked all of a sudden and it was a lightbulb moment. Congrats!

I'm having a Pelican Day - wherever I look there's a huge bill in front of me.

Agree with a lot of the recommendations - Graham's on the Spectors, T-Bay's on the Ibanez and I'm sure somebody would say the Yamahas (Thanks Paul S for the post while I was drafting this). Personally I'd avoid an acoustic unless the plan is never to plug it in.

I'll pitch a Yamaha BB424 into the ring for consideration, too.

Necks can vary quite a lot - there are even noticeable differences between similar models I used to think there were P necks and J necks, and whilst it's generally true that J necks are slimmer, there are variations I've played several P necks that are quite slim, and J necks that were relatively chunky (and one or 2 that seemed really slim) Squier Vintage modified series (VM) P bass necks are fairly slim, compared to some of the older Fender necks, and VM's are pretty damn good I'd say, look for a 2nd hand VM on here - they're a lot of bass for the sort of money they go for Yes, the newer Affinity series are pretty good - but less money or similar money will buy you a used VM Squier, and I'd say that was better value Of course, you should always try before buying, and buy what you prefer anyway..... As you already have a bass - don't be in too much of a rush to get your backup / 2nd bass If you're going to keep it alongside your sofa, or in a corner of your living room - you could also think about getting a smaller, "handy" sort of size bass Maybe something short scale, like the Squier SS (Short Scale version) Jaguar - unless of course, you don't want to be swapping different scale lengths, while you're learning Personally, I quite like the idea of changing scale lengths, as it's good to be able to switch & swap easily..... again, up to you though - try one & see what you think Good luck with your search - I always think this is an exciting stage, when you're looking for another instrument, and don't quite know what it will be Let us know how you get on, but definitely keep an eye on the BC marketplace - you'll get more for your money, and most BC members are the good sort, who won't rip you off

Ah cheers. Food for thought there. On GAK at the moment, you can pre-oder a Yamaha BB734a for about £630.. That made me twitch a bit but I'm waiting for some overtime to come through at the end of the month so im holding my nerve, plus its ordering from GAK which can be...eventful. Its also very tempting to just order a Sire based on Feedback. I'd get the Natural Ash P7. 150 for that Cort sounds like a bit of a steal. Im seduced by the wood grain and clear scratch plate, but again reviews are very good. I'm using one of the new Rockbasses at the moment. Im trying to force myself to love it but can't, but am making a little headway and am currently on 'quite like it' so its taking the heat off. Just have to avoid alcohol and arguments with the wife..the two things that make me click 'add to basket' quickest.

STOP spreading the myth that original bands play for free !!! I'm in two now, and have played all originals since the 1980s and we never play for free apart from a festival as our first show with a brand new project.. WHY should a cover band get paid more for bringing the same sized crowd as an original band?