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Rare-as-hens'-teeth lefty Eminence, with massive thanks to @Happy Jack for his generosity and organisational skills in a. ordering it as a pressie; b. having it secretly delivered to his little sis in Pasadena; c. flying both of us to Pasadena on holiday, and collecting the parcel and taking it with us on the flight home. Since it was packed in a golf club case, I was none the wiser until we finally opened the parcel at home in London. Kudos. The bass is NOT as red as these photos show, despite my desperate attempts at colour correcting in Photoshop. It's more of a brownish-red tobacco colour. I feel I have finally graduated from beginner's upright to a slimmer version of the real thing! 😄😍

Hi Those of you who follow my threads will know two things: My workshop is TINY I absolutely HATE routers Well, based on MrsAndyjr1515's assertion that I fill every room in our house with my c**p already, the first item is unlikely to change But I ought to do something about the second one - if only because there still are certain things I have to use a router for and, hand routed, they remain the messiest and most risky operations pretty much of any of my builds. So, with a short break between actual builds, I decided to rethink my cellar / workbench arrangement and ask the question of whether there was any chance of all of getting a small router table in there. And I've just done it and I am so, so pleased with how it's turned out. The research and thinking process was long and painful (especially the thinking bit ) This is what I ended up with: Anyone who has also looked at tables will know that it is a complete minefield of partial and/or ambiguous information of what each option will do or not do, how portable, how big, what routers they are compatible with, what guide rings they are compatible with, what comes in the box and what is extra, how heavy, how easy to disassemble, how stable, etc, etc.. I also had a requirement to be able to easily store it in a very small space when not in use and small enough to be able to use it in the narrow standing space in front of the workbench And this latter requirement knocked 90% of the options out. So a bit of lateral thinking. Was it madness to consider using the folding stand from my £12.00 (yes £12 !!!! from Maplin, god bless em and RIP) lightweight workmate and do a 'bitsa' job on the table itself? Could I use my Draper router fixed base (on the right in this pic) that - against all odds - actually does fit into a so-called universal sub-base: ...and therefore be able to still use it as a hand router with the plunge base and remove it easily for storing the table and changing the router bits. And the answer was yes. Not cheap, but I think meets all my requirements. And - if early trials are anything to go by - SO, SO, SO much safer, more accurate, easier to set up and cleaner than hand routing. This photo was taken immediately after rounding all eight sides of a test piece. The sawdust in the tracks were from an earlier tryout without the vac attached. The rest of the chips - ie none - were what were left after the cuts: Can't tell you how chuffed I am

Is this another example of the necessity of correct punctuation..? Hmm...

The other week a fella wanted opinions on the Peavey T45. Being an honest soul I chipped in that the T45,like the Sarzo, was a great looking bass but sorely lacking in the tone department. The single humbucker T45 is 1 vol 2 tone set up and would've been better wired parallel 2 vol 1 tone IMHO. You'd need to rewire the pickup to get parallel and I don't have a spare so other options were needed. Being a fan of Warman pickups, that decision was quickly made 4 wire MM humbucker. Spare Peavey Foundation body would finally see some use 😎 First snag was the 2 pickup Foundation body, I'd need a scratchplate big enough to hide the pickup cavities.Printing off a Stringray plate showed the trouble,tight to neck heel exposed the bridge pickup/moved back to cover the holes and it was shy of the neck heel. OK I can live with shy of the neck heel 😀 Pearloid plate arrived yesterday,as did the Warman. Dropped the pickup into the plate then marked pole positions on masking tape. Popped a neck on the body and run 2 wires from bridge to tuners. I looked into pickup position/frequency response,sweet spots etc but the bottom line was the pickup position would be decided by the plate hiding holes and lining up with strings. Plain sailing followed 😎 Routed out for pickup,wired it up,fitted stings, took a photo. Then decided a maple neck would look better so took it apart again 😂

Was always quite proud with how this came out, a playthrough of an old electronic/dubstep band I was in. You absolutely need headphones or decent speakers, listening on your phone or laptop speakers? Don’t bother pressing play . There’s no bass sounds on the track, all me! The verses are just OC-2 (-1 Octave, no direct) and this slow gear effect on the ME-50B (basically a volume swell). The synthy ‘choruses’ are all tapped on my fretting hand so my right hand can operate the Hot Hand for the enevelope changes. So that’s a Source Audio BEF, OC-2, Orbit CoPilot Fuzz & the ME-50B for some chorus and the whammy bits at the end of the phrase. Worked nicely live. Basically every modular bass synth sound is Envelope filter, fuzz, modulation and pitch in some variation. Si

Well Darren sold his 🍌M and then bought a replacement(!)**. That kinda told me it's a pedal worth investigating - 'cos there have been MANY pedals that have crossed Mr Gisser's pedal board, most have come and gone and very few stayed! [Aside: the only pedal I've ever done that with is my Zoom MS-60B - bought my first one back in 2013 when they first came out...and I'm more convinced than ever that they're probably the single best value for money pedal on the market, particularity with the advent of the Tone Lib editing software!] I pulled my weekend's effort into a crib sheet for future reference, which I've attached in case this might be useful to you (if you do decide to get another one!) or any other BCers who might be interested in this pedal. At the moment it seems to be quite complementary to my Markbass SS in the sounds it produces, so I can see a place for both of them on my pedal board; besides the octaver on the MB SS is surprisingly good (both in terms of tracking and also having an octave up). Having never owned an OC-2 but in the knowledge that, together with @Sibob, you're our BC expert on those ancient emblems of glory: the third BM clip I uploaded is how I imagine an OC2 would / should sound like. (The clip is not a million miles from the "full filter" sound on my COG T16 v2 which I recently moved on and whose place the BM has taken on my board). I'd be really interested to hear from you how close that third clip is, if at all, to the classic OC-2 sound? (And please do feel free to upload a clip so we can hear them side by side). Bananana Matryoshka.pdf [**Edit: and has sold it again now. Lol!]

I was tempted , but i decided it was too obvious Carry on Christine - the world is watching these incredible axes

My turn to make some belated contributions to the thread. Here's a couple from my Markbass SS: MB SS (1).WAV MB SS (2).WAV

That was what I was afraid of.

That was aimed at Jack.

That's a voluptuous pair of volutes you have there. (I like a volute)

Not really, and it's back with its current owner. I'll see if I can grab it again. Here's some other general pics:

Whereas I'm a Yank...nuff said.

I bought it yes! but I obviously didn't know it was stolen until after Received it! --As I said I will give a full report once it is finally sorted so no more silly accusations please! Will.

No, he's a footballer...

And before anyone asks, yes I paid full Duty & VAT as we passed through LHR. First time I've ever walked through the Red Channel.

Hahahaha! No. I'd look at owning one in the same way that I'd look at dating a supermodel. Having wet dreams about one is okay but living with one is totally different.

Don’t broadcast it, I want to increase my chances of winning!

Well; you try getting the strings taut without one, it’s a right pain!

This is great. I was in a live 10 piece DnB band in the early 2000's - had some success musically but I was permanently frustrated by not knowing where to start getting these types of sounds. Fast forward 15 years and I've got quote a few at my finger tips...but using the hot hand like this for those amazing whammy bits is inspired. AWESOME.

Nice. That should do nicely :). Enjoy.

You can cross a shallow river quite safely in a pickup

Ah okay, am working up to that...just home use at the moment

That looks fantastic, they really are a proper upright imo.

A minute!!! I had to wait weeks for mine...why do some people always expect preferential treatment?? 😍😍

I bet you're not sad about the trojan horse gag now. Congratulations! Just don't invite me around for tea for at least six months. The two of you are bound to be unbearably smug with yourselves. Heeheehee

They'll have tons of crap note choices if I'm playing it!!

I didn't know he worked in a zoo.

What a lovely looking instrument. That Jack is a fine fellow Silv

I dont like any of it , including the bass.

Ah yes, that's the J.R. Hartley signature model, isn't it?

@SpondonBassed It's not mine, I quoted Wateroftyne's post above mine. I have considered buying a Chinese 4005 from AliExpress as a base to make a decent faker, only for myself, not to con anyone. I love the sound and look of a 4005 but they're getting close to 10k second hand. Way out of my league.

Today I picked up my new custom zoot bass from Mike Walsh and... oh my! firstly, the workmanship is stunning. Every aspect is top drawer. It was great to be able to specify the exact neck profile and radius of the ebony board and mike absolutely nailed it. Although I decided to do unlined on the board facia I’m pleased I got lines added to the top of the fretboard to give me a helping hand. The ebony board is so thick too! Really makes it sing. its fitted with a Noll 3 band active preamp and amazing pups from Harry Haussell. The neck is a 70s jazz and the bridge is a music man with a jazz coil sitting between the two mm coils. The amount of switching options is ridiculous... it’ll probably take as long to get to grips with the electronics as it will to learn to play it in tune! 😂 if you’re thinking of getting a custom build do yourself a favour and have a chat to mike!

Love the security...! That made me laugh out loud.

The Grecian 2 Cromwell Road, St Andrews, Bristol, BS6 5AA Hundreds of times, and it opens until 5am. If you’re in Bristol the Grecian is an establishment that needs no introduction. A freshly cooked pizza and (proper) chips for just £5, kebabs and a whole host of cheap but delicious produce. Been going here 20 years, and the veggie options are brilliant too. Perfect for a post-gig bite. Amazing! http://www.greciankebabhouse.com/bristol/

Somehow missed this along the way. Great transition! I agree also with the maple neck - very classy

Played with the Wirebirds last night - first gig with them for three months (we did play at one of the band member's birthdays, but that wasn't really a gig, just a bit of a jam) and no rehearsals for a year or so - just went straight into it and enjoyed ourselves. The first time we played this venue, a bunch of my biker mates showed up, this time it clashed with a local bike rally, but a few turned up and had a good time, as did the locals and the landlord and his staff. Return there in October. Having broken the fast with last night's gig, we 're closing Faringdon Follyfest this afternoon with a set on the main stage at five. Our 6th consecutive year there. Last night I played my Alembic Epic through my Barefaced Super Compact and recently acquired ABM 600 head. Next week I'll be playing with the Grateful Dudes at the Summer of Love party in Kent, but with the Super Twin instead of the Compact.

Those anti-bacterial foam hand sprays are excellent to wipe grease and sweat off the hands before playing. Leaves no residue so your hands are crystal clean, at least for a while. Doesnt need water or a towel. Spray on - rub off ( matron ) This will do more for your strings than waiting till they're full of hand sweat and oil and trying to clean the strings after the dirt has wound its way into the windings

The Warman MM style pups are monsters, I`ve had several including 2 in my Westone Quantum and I`ve just put a 5 string version in a deco HB 5 string ray copy and it`s transformed it.

Setup. The adjustable neck angle is a clever idea although mine needs to be almost flat in the pocket to get reasonable string height. Strings. I fitted the suggested upgrade Thomastik Spirocore Weich strings and they are excellent for a more traditional sound. Playing. This where it wins over something like the otherwise excellent NSX EUB when reading. The neck has the reference points that you have on a double bass. Transporability. In our hatchback the Allegro just needs the wider side of the split rear seat folded down and it fits comfortably behind the driver's seat.. It will also fit in over the passenger seat when it is moved fully back. Please ask any questions that you might have. As always, the above is all just my personal experience.

He said that they average about 8 pounds! 🙂

One of our gigs last weekend was at a pub whose landlord, Phil, used to own a different pub. We used to play regularly for Phil at his previous pub but the new owners cancelled all the bookings when they took over. At last Saturdays gig two minibuses turned up full of locals from Phil's previous pub who'd come especially to see us, a thirty mile round trip. Money in Phil's till and two fingers up to the new landlord at his previous pub. We were delighted to see them