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something to cheer us all up this morning

I think the technical term, given the smoky venues these basses will have been played in, is 'Fagnolia'... 😀

1972 all original Fender Jazz, with the original case, she’s aged beautifully with great looking wear and checking all over, she was Olympic white but is now a gorgeous buttermilk colour with the most beautiful piece of tort I’ve seen, I think my soul was a small price to pay.

Although the Festool is now firmly on my wish list (I have seen previous reviews and it is that halfway house that @Christine mentions that seems to be a pretty powerful USP), nevertheless it isn't in my present means so it's old-fashioned BF&I this time round. Got the sanding pretty much done (prob still got the final, final neck work to do) and THE FINISHING IS STARTED Here it is in its sanded form: Not sure if it really comes off, but the figuring just behind the fretboard end always reminded me of the swift shape, so I tried to emulate it with the fretboard end carve: And then the first tru-oil slurry and wipe coats. Unless I have a colour concern, I generally now use that for my base sealing and grain-filling process, whatever the final finish. In this case the final finish is going to be Osmo Polyx satin, but I'll still start with the tru-oil treatment. In a previous build, I proved to myself that you can slurry with Osmo just as well, but I wanted that touch of added amber hue that tru-oil tends to give: The bridge, by the way, is now flush with the leading edge of the body as planned: Finishing progress shots tend to get a bit boring so I won't post the Polyx progress, suffice to say that I will be wiping it on with micro-fibre cloth. All being well, the next shots - probably next week - should be the fully assembled bass It will still need a week or so for the finish to fully harden before I can pass it across to Neil but I think I'm now fully clear of disaster/BBQ wood potential tasks - I think it's actually going to turn into a playable bass! As always, many thanks for the encouraging feedback and pearls of wisdom along the way

always loved Bobby Vega

I have a full set of plans and instructions to build an Eagle 1 hovercraft from ply and fibreglass. Engine options include a lot of single cylinder ones and even a 2 cv. I made one myself about 15 years back and they comfortably take 2 but are more fun with one. Easy build for anyone with decent DIY skills. Free to collect or cover post and they are yours.

That looks the business, if they’ve sorted out the issues I might get another one! Good luck with the mods.

Arrived Monday but only got a chance to upack today. 1st thing... How the F**ck do they make these for so little money? Some things other people thinking of buying may want to know: No hole under the scratchplate like some others have reported. Can use without plate now. Bridge has changed from the large bulky one to one with Fender dimensions and screw placement. Volume and tone pots work as they should do. Gave It a quick set up and It plays superbly, love the tone with my old flats on too! Mods I'm gonna do: New tuners. (anyone know what are direct replacements?) Amber tint the neck with Nitro. Reshape the headstock. Add own decal. Repaint scratch plate aged cream. Must say I am blown away at the price. Cheers Geoff.

We had a somewhat different experience - we played together, off and on, for a year as a blues workshop at Band on the Wall in Mcr which ended with a friends and family gig at the BotW cafe. At the end of that gig we looked at each other and knew we couldn't let it end there. There was so much shared energy and potential, we just had to carry it on as A Real Band 🙂 Two people did drop out, one more joined, but by then we knew exactly how much commitment and ambition was shared. Played our first gigs outside Mcr last weekend, and we're all looking forward - realistically - to building on it.

Melodic and groovy too.

Now that’s a challenge to the profanity filter!!!!

Talking of Laura Kuensberg...

Grecos were excellent basses. Dont be confused with the likes of Columbus etc

This should be progressing according to the script. Fender are digging themselves out of the financial hole they are in. To do that they have to draw a line under the "old" Fender product lines and start anew. These basses are supposed to be "better" than the old ones. I assume that means they have taken notice what customers have been saying and addressed any QC and build issues and looked around and finally seen what the competition are doing and are incorporating the best and most useful bits into their basses. Of course this means they will be more expensive. The market place will decide if the extra cost is covered by the "improvements" being made to the instruments. Bass players moaning and thinking that cheaper instruments was the was to go was what got Fender into this mess in the first place. I'm hoping Fender makes it.

Right, clear your desk out now and get your coat. I'll have security escort you from the building.😂

Thanks Douglas, but as the audition is scheduled on the 11th of September, I will be careful with knockin' em dead. 😉

Last post on this I don't want to derail Andy's thread. If you can't justify one that's fine, they are very expensive but they are exceptional at what they do which is smoothing wood either flat or curved but in the way you want to not the way the wood wants. Previosly I had bought Bosch and Elu sanders which didn't last 3 months in my workshop and spent more time back at the service centre either being replaced or repaired. Then the finished surface was at best a little wavy on flat surfaces, the Festool has the Rotex setting which is a halfway house between a random orbital and a disc sander. It cuts cleanly across the surface not following it removing high spots but in an almost scratch free way. I use that to 180 grit then switch to the random orbital mode for finishing with 240 or 320 on a bad day. And the best bit was it did it for over 20 years, only just recently did the switch give out and need to go back for repair, along with some new gears that I didn't know about, I think it has another 20 years in it now. I would recommend one for the standard of finish alone even if they only lasted one year, they are honestly that good

So have I. £433 was the cheapest on a quick search and that was an RO125. Christine's RO150 is £508! I've not looked at the specs to see what the differences between the two are because I can't justify the expense of the entry level one let alone what Christine recommends. I might have to consider it however as I am getting a bit of interest locally for restored cast iron garden furniture. Shameless thread diversion concealed below:

I think of vocalist as the catch-all term for someone who uses their voice as part of a musical performance. Not all vocalists are singers, but all singers are vocalists

I’ve always had a soft spot for Billy Gould’s effort on ‘Kindergarten’ by Faith No More: https://g.co/kgs/DQQKMa

Just wanted to pass on a little advice on this subject. I've never really been a fan of maple boards, much preferring rosewood/ebony, so a while back I researched easy methods of staining a lighter board to near-black, so a couple of days ago I had a go. If you look at the photos, you'll see I did it on one of my Lulls (gasp), the board on my JAXT4 (mahogany) would darken a bit after an oiling session, but was very light compared to the ebony of the NRT5. The board is quite open grained and would take the stain easily enough. I'd done a bit of pre-research and the one product that came up time and again was Fiebings Leather Dye; I picked up a small pot off Amazon (£6.00), put on some rubber gloves and fished out some cotton buds. I masked off the nut and set to work. To be frank, I was pooping myself while I was doing it. I let the leather dye set up for a couple of minutes and wiped away the excess; the dot markers took a little of the stain, but this came off with a little methylated spirit once things had completely dried (24 hours). The neck doesn't have any binding and the wiping down after applying ensured nothing went where it shouldn't have. [edit] I also masked around the heel joint so none of the dye got on the body. I'm very happy with the end result. BEFORE: AFTER:

Most of my favourite pro players have played 5 string basses from time to time - they would probably have been more commonly seen in the late 80s up to the mid 2000s. As an example, take Nick Fyffe of Jamiroquy - live he usually played Yamaha 5 and 4 string basses, switching dependent on the song. As has been said, people often use what they consider the best tool for the job. I bought a 5 string for the particular reason of learning Stevie Wonder songs, many of which are played on keyboard bass or in keys lower than E - note the Nate Watts plays a 5 string also (though this is not the reason I got into playing one). I basically alternate my basses for gigs dependent on what takes my fancy on the day but I go through periods of playing 5 or 4 strings - I never take two basses with me these days. 5 strings seem to be used in some theatre orchestras also.

Yes, it's a swamp ash routed body with a swamp ash cap. I could have gone with any wood combo, but decided that to stick with the thin line feel would require swamp ash top and back. There's two large routes either side of a block running down the middle - very much like a thin line telecaster. It is, however, quite a bit lighter than the solid 51P bass partscaster I did earlier.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Agree with all of Cameron and Skinny’s comments. Two one hour episodes with that content would be ideal. So record the same amount of material but edit it across two separate hours. The chat to Mr C was fascinating and I want to hear his in depth thoughts on CITES, rosewood and using other woods so do have him back. Well done guys. Reminded me a bit in the chatty bits of David and Marc on the dear old Word podcast back in its glory days. Worked really well. if you ever want a potted history of Wal basses for a future one...

Just stuck In a foam mute at the back and Bam! FAT funky motown thud! I think I'll call It 'The Jamerson'. 😎

I have been seriously tempted. I'd love to have the full range of relatively easy options I'd get from BEADGC. I doubt I could find a 6 light enough to gig though - both my regular gigging basses (GMR 5 and Aerodyne 4) are well under typical weight and my back still complains by the end of even a 45 minute set 😞

Eric Czar - play from 3:30 - epic.

That's a welcome NBD Geoff. The bigger bridge and wiring hole were a balls up and kind of spoiled things. Glad to hear Thomann sorted it out 😎 The question isn't so much How can Thomann do it so cheap, It's more how can the rest get away with charging so much 😁

Take a look at that. Luvvverly....

I've got the Festool ETS 125, which is an eccentric sander. I'm not quite sure what the difference is between that range and the Rotex range that Christine has mentioned, but they are (a bit) cheaper and mine will very happily sand wood and polish finish up to 2000 grit (Andy my blue tele was finish-sanded with it). I don't think it's really designed for taking off lots of material, but for normal sanding and finishing it works great. Give it a go next time you are up?

I see you know not of what you speak.

No thread would be complete without a gratuitous mention of Colin Hodgkinson. I've been listening to this man for 45 yeqrs and I still have no real clue how he does it!

Soul sold but no virtuoso playing, and I have no soul left to sell.... frets are in very good condition and have just been dressed, and no signs of a refret that I can see, there is a bit of wear on the maple fretboard, but I quite like that too, the metal is all original as is the case 😁

😂

Just got permission to publish this ...

Music that highlights other instruments . Two versions of the same jazz standard * : *Tune from the 1959 film " Black Orpheus ", worth seeing to get the flavour of the ballad .😉

I'd agree that the control layout looks odd and I don't recall stacked knobs or switches on Statii preamps of that era, but I'm not much of an expert. I'd get pics in the control cavity if possible. Edit: if the price was right I wouldn't be put off by a change of preramp. Great basses these.

Every instrument has strengths and limitations. The upright bass has a long history of 4 strings. Leo, who made the first commercial bass chose 4. So much ground breaking and ground shaking music was made with a 4. I don't need more than 4. If you need 5 or 6 or 8 or 12 do what you're called to do. I think most professionals will have options in their quiver, but I still think the standard for all is a four.

I like all the usual (and unusual) Bass solos from over the decades; Jaco, Patitucci and the rest of them etc. Slow/fast there is usually something to keep me interested. Just too many to list really.

Well - I'm out of excuses now...tomorrow is final sanding day and finishing starts at the weekend. The last job was to set the bridge at its final height, and that allows me to see how much leeway I have for the final curve of the top. It's not critical, but I would like the bridge plate to be at least partially sunken into the top and, ideally, flush. It makes no difference to the functionality, but I want to avoid the look of some bridges where they appear to be a bit of an afterthought. I used a Dremel precision router for the flatness and finished the edges with chisels. Like the pickup routs, I did the curved front corners with a 5mm drill, drilled to final depth, before routing the bulk out : That gives me a nice close fit and looks like it is supposed to be there: This done, it lets me pencil the 'flush level'... ...so I can see how deep to sand. The aim will be flush at the leading edge and curving down a touch to expose the bridge plate progressively towards the tailstock. I'm hoping that the weather stays dry tomorrow as it is a lot easier to do the final sand outside - especially when looking for sanding marks, glue overspill and unwanted dints. The Osmo has arrived so, all being well, I should be able to apply the first couple of sealing coats as well before the start of the weekend

Love the original by Joe Jackson, but also love the cover by Anthrax :

No electric bass guitar in this current Seattle band .

I’m not sure how some people play their instruments, but a well looked after, yet old instrument won’t always be battered, bruised and have large sections of wood showing through. Some do, and I feel represent those that simply didn’t look after it, probably back in the day when they didn’t feel the need to look after them so much, as the value and desirability simply wasn’t there. Old and clean instruments are desired because they are looked after, like collectible cars, or anything else, they are not un-played because they have ‘issues’. Never understood that theory? Personally, I look for an instrument that is as original as possible, including the finish, then the best condition I can afford for my budget at the time, depending what itch needs scratching at the time. I’m not suggesting worn guitars aren’t also good instruments, many certainly are, they’re just not as well looked after, and prices will reflect that. I have an ‘82 JV proto Jazz bass from April ‘82, I bought it in ‘84, gigged regularly with it until ‘95, and still play it very regularly, it doesn’t have any additional marks on it from the day I bought it 34 years ago. Doesn’t make it a bad bass, it’s actually one of my best, and most played. I also look after it. Having said all that, I love to see an instrument with nice honest wear, even if I rarely buy them. Too many heavy relic things around these days which actually look nothing like a genuine old guitar, which is influencing how people I think about stuff I think.

My greatest bugbear, apart from people who, when they do show up clearly haven't looked at what we are planning to rehearse. I understand people are busy and sometimes things come up which we can't control especially with young families but in the end if you can't rehearse you can't be in a band. If breaks between rehearsals get too great then you lose the advances you made last time and end up constantly rehearsing the same songs over and over. Most of us are just weekend warriors and family/relationships and work usually have to come first but then there are other priorities and being in a band is quite a commitment. For us music is a team sport and there has to be at least some sense of not letting the team/band down. I still play cricket from time to time and if I commit to playing on a Sat I know I am letting 21 other people down if I don't show, 21 people who have arranged their weekend and their families weekends around the game. If I fail to show or cancel at the last minute for a Tues rehearsal it's the same thing multiplied by the fact that four other people have spent the weekend finding time to practice/learn whatever we are going to rehearse. Generally it's the same people each time and what they are basically thinking is that their busy lives are more important than other people's busy lives. You can tell this is a recent experience Anyway, a couple of practical suggestions: In the end the only way I've ever known bands to work is to have a regular practice day. In the end there is always someone who cant do Mon, Tue, ….. or weekends. If you pick a day which suits the majority it is surprising how people rearrange if the alternative is leaving the band. Once you've settled on a day they'll book their pilates class another day and all will be fine, the band stop booking things in on a practice night because they know Tues is the day we all meet. Moveable days don't usually work as people forget and book something in, or their partners do. Bands work best IME when two people form an engine room driving the band. If you turn up and two people have been quietly working away together at new material it generally goes well. It's relatively easy to jam along if two people at least are solid, they'll end up sorting out chord sheets and the like and will generally pick up on most of the organisation and drive the band. If those core members get together maybe with a singer or guitarist as well it can be really productive. a random meeting of three musicians out of five less so. It takes organisation and a decent musical brain to isolate little bits of a set or song to work on, not three people who have all either not picked up their guitar or put the kit together in the intervening fortnight. Only 12 bar hell can emerge from that. If you are working with band members missing an acoustic workout sometimes goes well IME, sitting down where everyone can hear each other can really give you a different insight into songs and your role in them, and people get to talk when they aren't competing with a kit or a guitarist widdling away in the corner through a 4x12. Bitter, me????

[u][b]Instrument and Speaker cables[/b][/u] [url="http://www.rock-wire.uk.com"]http://www.rock-wire.uk.com[/url] David Polgaze, also known as our very own 'OBBM' really is no stranger to the pages of BassChat. Indeed I first chatted to Dave back in the days of BassWorld V.1 - The days before internet mutiny and this superb community made it's home at BassChat.co.uk. I think Dave was making cables back then too - actually, yes, I bought my first 'proper' heavy weight Speakon cables from Dave and they are still going today! Well, I've got a little review of Dave's latest - and they are as good as ever. First up a 'high flexibility' Instrument cable and then a suitably chunky Speakon to Speakon short cable, just the right length for amp to cabinet hook up. Rock-Wire is hand made, which also means that it can be to your custom specifications too. Using top notch Klotz, Sommer and Vandamme cable, Neutrik Pro, Hicon or Rean connectors. Indeed, I recall a BassChatter requiring a one-off signal / effects / power cable snake back and forth from his effects board and amplifier backline. It was an impressive beast of a cable with several signal paths catered for in one flexible sheath! I suppose to get an idea of what Bassic-Bits are capable of, then a look at the website address above. [u][b]Features[/b][/u][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] (10/10)[/font][/color] High quality connectors and cables: I can't really add more to that. The soldering work on the cables I have here is professional and tidy, exactly as you'd expect. Rock-Wire also manufacture cables with those more unusual connectors for wireless systems, effects patch cables and power supply cables too. [u][b]Sound Quality[/b][/u][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] (10/10)[/font][/color] I have no reason to doubt the sonic integrity of these cables. No noise when you shake the instrument cable under high gain situations and the connectors feel solid attached to my guitars. Looking at the Speaker cable specifically - it's a 4mm2 conductor type. It is a BIG FAT CABLE capable of transferring lots of current with minimal resistance. You can also tie up your ogre-sized drummer with this stuff too if they won't stop practicing between songs [b][u]Value For Money[/u][/b][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] (10/10)[/font][/color] Sure, you can buy really cheap cables off eBay - and you may think they will do, but trust me on this. They will break and always at the wrong time. Cheap connectors appear to be made from cheap tin (ha) and always seem to bend out of shape inside, or the cable conductors strands are weak and will just fray away. The brands mentioned above I believe have a huge reputation for quality. [font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][color=#282828] Throw in to the mix the completely customisable aspect, local manufacture, support from the technician himself, then it's a no brainer.[/color][/font] [u][b]Customer Support[/b][/u][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] (10/10)[/font][/color] Dave is an active member of BassChat. When I have needed to chat with him, I've always had a fast reply. [b][u]Overall Rating[/u][/b][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] (9/10)[/font][/color] In the interests of offering a balanced view of these cables, there's just one thing I can think of that will score these cables down, but it's barely worth the mention as it is obvious. You will need to [i]order[/i] these cables and in the case of something specific you may be subject to a lead time whilst they are made. You could of course pop in to any shop and find high quality 'off the shelf' cables same day, same visit. If you are on tour in Europe then you're unlikely to find a local Rock-Wire distributor for example, but if you are taking a huge touring rig with you then that's a different set of needs anyway. If smaller (high quality) orders, one-offs, unusual requests and 'buying local' is what you are looking for, then I reckon OBBM is your man