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An alternative, more visually pleasing approach would be to tie a large, colourful helium balloon to the headstock. The more neck heavy the bass, the bigger the balloon. Thunderbirds generally need a giant rainbow coloured unicorn. 😎

Sorted, bought an Ibanez SR500 of a fellow BC member. Thanks Stuart!! Off to find an amp!!

So kind of you But no - this is paying forward what others have helped me with. I suggest getting yourself a massive jug of Pimms on this summery day!

I've experimented with many solutions and the most effective was still a little inelegant. I have a canvass pouch designed to hang from a belt or bag whilst out hiking. This pouch holds a water bottle. So when I cycle to my rehearsal with my tiny travel bass I take the bottle from the bike, fill it with water at the rehearsal room, clip the pouch to my guitar strap (at the bum end of course) and the weight of the water precisely balances the instrument without me having to carry anything heavy on the bike (which would kind of defeat the object of travelling light). I carry the bottle anyway and it becomes lighter throughout the ride as I consume the initial quantity of H2O. So I rehearse with a bottle swinging at my hip. Perfect if, as I say, inelegant. I am therefore adapting the idea for when I'm actually gigging with a neck heavy bass. Quite simply velcro attached to the back end of the strap and a certain number of curtain weights sewn into a flat pouch with the other half of the velcro sewn to the pouch. Balanced bass? Remove the pouch, neck heavy? Velcro it on. The 'certain number' of weights is arrived at through trial and error but by using three smaller pouches rather than one big one I can stick on differing amounts of weight to suit each bass on a case by case basis. Or a bass by bass casis. A bag of curtain weights, yesterday: Pictures to follow. When I've actually done the sewing.

Looking for a jazz neck for my P bass, found this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202542172424 I think he has assembled it wrong. Shouldn't the strings go in the front?

Right, photos time. My Stanley Clarke.

I'd use whatever the manufacturer says is good for bass fishing

Orion is a very comfy set-neck ride

If you think it would help I'd be happy to give that a go, as long as it was fully funded of course. Maybe the hotel in Antigua where the rehabilitation would take place should have a catchy name like Antigua Support Scheme Inclusive Therapy Care Home, although a bit long it could be abbreviated.

The difference is it doesn't shine - it glows.

Relicing = a very good thing. IME.

To stop neck dive on my EB3 I pass the strap behind my belt.

I'm very much in the realms of a cover being a version of a song, not a slavish copying of the original. That, in my opinion, is the job of a tribute band.

Sounds a lot more organised than any I've attended! Chord sheets are a great idea. I'd also start a Facebook page and encourage any musicians to nominate songs they'd like to play (e.g. posting a YouTube video), that way you could end up with a bunch of strangers agreeing to learn them before the night and playing some lesser known tracks that otherwise wouldn't have a chance.

Now there's a prog band just waiting to happen

Relicking most definitely exists in lots of other areas, shabby chic furniture, ratlook cars and bikes, ripped and faded clothes, tarnished and dented brass instruments, scratched and faded string instruments, etc. All fair enough, whether you like it or not doesn't matter as it's most definitely a popular style, the one thing that does matter is that Antigua finish exists and only exists in the guitar/bass world and should be stamped out. Even the bizarre world of fashion or the unemployable that declare themselves 'interior designers' wouldn't stoop this low, so what does that say about lovers of Antigua. Wronguns the lot of ya!

Cuzzie.. That blob of solder was absolutely it...near it there was a bare wire in amongst the birds nest. I have resoldered to wire to the blob and guess what.. It is absolutely quiet.. No more fizzle. I have maxed out the treble on both bass and amp everything remains quiet. Please PM me your PayPal addresses and I will send you the price of a pint.

As @dmccombe7 says, the black labels have twin pole pieces per string. The pups in the photo above are definitely Sandberg’s “standard” models, hence the little Sandberg logo (4 dots) on the corner of each pickup. Black labels look like this:

Totally normal for that model, bridge weighed about the same as the rest of the bass

I paid £300 and spent the rest on vodka. My bass looks as good as anything out there after 1700 quids worth of vodka.

Swapped my precision for Mark's Lakland DJ5. Genuinely great guy to deal with and I would not hesitate to recommend dealing with Mark to anyone. Oh, and he also has a VW camper van which makes him cool as well as nice 😎😁

Might not be helpful but the Aguilar DB cabs work exceptionally well with Ampeg in my experience!

Waddya know; they do lefties too!

Antigua trigger warning: Image may cause alarm

As long as the DB sounds good through the MB, that would be my choice.

I know many bass players these days (including me) that use synthesizers as part of their live performance. In many genres (pop/R&B/gospel) it's essentially becoming an expectation that in a live scenario bassists can supply synth bass as well as the traditional method. Does anyone think it might be beneficial to add a section on the marketplace specifically for instruments of this type? I know that personally I would always prefer to buy from a BC member than descend into eBay/gumtree/FB marketplace any more than necessary, but at the moment there doesn't seem to be a dedicated place on the site apart from 'other musically related instruments' which is full of everything and anything, making it hard to search. I'd be interested to know if any other members are/have been in a similar situation. (currently looking for a Little Phatty Stage 2, hence the post, so drop me a message if you're looking to move one on!)

I wrote to Amazon Customer Service to get an explanation (why cancel my order and get the book back on sale within 2 weeks) - and got none, really. The book is however no longer on sale by Amazon.

Finally had the time for the final glueing. If I can find some time for painting and assembling next week it should almost be done!

Bit of a preamble The JMJ or the ‘Justang’ (they’ve missed a trick naming this bass!) has a thicker headstock which may add something to the tone but that’s beyond my hearing, different nut width and I believe the neck feels chunkier, more precision like than jazz like than the MIJ but I’ve literally only played a MIJ briefly. The JMJ does feel great to play and the sound is bang on for what I’d expect of this type of bass. I do generally favour a P bass. The sound ... If you were really wanting to try before you buy fitting a Seymour Duncan mustang pick up would likely answer the question. The SD pick up is what’s fitted in the Justang and it can do punk right through to deep dub and the tone pot on mine is very effective across the whole of its taper which is a massive plus. Not a massive help but I’m sure but with any bass all these little things like the thicker headstock do have an impact but ultimately it’s the pick up which might just edge it in terms of tones. I think Fender have just sent a new stock of JMJ’s into the wild so they should be popping up in shops about now. I nabbed mine locally via gumtree (it’s a first run model form 2017) and it’s a cracking wee bass and the pick up sounds good. A mate had an issue with his MIJ sounding too flubby in the lows but I’ve not had gigging experience with a MIJ, the JMJ hasn’t suffered these issues on my recent gigs.

Yes, but absolutely no fret buzz.

@prowla is indeed in... Updated Attendance & Gear List: 01. Silverfoxnik - BC Rich Eagle, Ander van der End JB5, RBV5, Ampeg V4BH head and matching cabs. 02. Hamster - Tea, Coffee, Pastries, the Wife - might bring a bass! 03. @Frank Blank's Acoustic Corner - Rob Allen Mouse, Godin A4, FRFR setup (QSC K12.2 and Fishman preamp). 04. RodFunnell - '78 Stingray, Assorted Warwicks, Vanderkley Spartan, Mesa Prodigy 4:88, Barefaced Big Twin T and it's still a few months away so maybe more! 05. obbm - Sadowsky Metros, Handbox WB100, Bergantino cabs. 06. Cetera - Spector NS2, Spector Euro LT, Hamer Impact, Hagstrom Super Swede, Italia Imola GP, Fender FSR PJ, GK800RB, GenzBenz Neox 2x12 07. @NancyJohnson Lull JAXT4 & Lull JAX/NRT5, Darkglass A/O Head (will probably be old hat by then), 2xAguilar SL112s. 08. Rumblefish - Rumblefish bass,Wal Bass, MB Mpulse 600,Berg CN212 09. Steve Browning - SVL & Fender Precisions, Mesa Walkabout 15 10. @Stingray5 - MM and Tune basses, Trace Elliot or Eden combos, Boss GT-6B. 11. ChunkyMunky - Builds of mine (P5, J5 etc), SWR SM900, a Greenboy/Fearful build or two and some other assorted goodies. 12. samcrabtree00 - Warwick Streamer Stage II, USA MM Sub, Genzler Magallen 800, Barefaced BB2, Various effects 13. TrevorR - Wal Custom and Pro, Aria SB700, MarkBass LMII & Traveler 2x10 14. @Graemeross 4 Ps, 3 Js, 2 Aria SBs , Darkglass MT900, 2x Barefaced BB2, HX Effects with Line 6 G75 wireless. 15. prowla - Rics, Warwicks, Statii (whatever I chuck in the car!), Markbass EVO 1 & 1x12. Maybe a Minitaur & 12-step (if I've got 'round to figuring out the 12-step by then).

Yup, twice. A P bass and an ACG.

Both my basses are passive - a P and a homemade Jazz style. I've been using a Sadowsky outboard for - must be nearly 20 years. It's the original belt clip model, which is still going strong. I don't use it to sculpt my tone, but simply because when using it I can hear my bass in the mix without turning up the volume. It just sounds better. A much tighter, more defined sound. It brings out the detail. I occasionally add a fraction of bass, but never touch the treble knob. No other preamp, or active bass, has ever given me that tightness (though there are many I haven't tried), and I would dearly love to know what it is about that preamp which does this. I know it boosts at 40 and 4k, but I have never been able to find out why it works this way. Whether I run into an amp, or a SABDDI or a straight EQ pedal, or simply into my computer to record, the belt clip makes it sound better. Maybe there's some kind of built in mush cutter. Or maybe it's highly trained pixies.

I would take a fair guess and say that most bass players have never owned or played an alembic bass. Probably most have never seen or heard one live on stage outside the big named pro users like like Stanley Clarke or Jimmy Johnson. A lot of the negative views I have come across regarding alembic be that on line or in person conversations with other bass player are centred on cost and not the sound or playability. Although some find the ergonomics less than suitable like for instance the stanley clarke style basses are neck heavy but that can be compensated for with a good strap and time getting used to the instrument. Personally I don’t gig, rehearse or record with any other bass than an alembic. For me they give me the sounds and the playing experience I want. For some owners they find the sound is not for them and sell them on and that is fine we don’t all have the same tonal requirements. In the past I did swap the electronics in one of my alembics with some ACG filter based electronics but I found whilst they were extremely good I somehow lost the punchy power in the lower mids that the alembic gave and the upper frequencies I found a bit harsh so for the music I was playing it didn’t work out for me. I have since put the alembic guts back in that bass and it suits me better. Over the years I have since tried a number of other high end basses like Fodera, Ritter, Wal and some custom shop fenders which all sound great but I haven’t found anything in them that I feel would make me choose them over my alembic. Of course we know they are not cheap to buy new even the entry level basses but if that is an issue there are used bargains to be had on the usual internet sale sites. One crucial thing to do if buying used amongst other things is to get the serial number and check it out with Alembic, there are a few fakes/copies around especially the Epic basses and also ask for photos of the electronics cavity as some have non alembic innards that the owner may never realise and the cost of getting a new set from Alembic ain’t cheap. When you get them post them on the alembic site www.alembic.com and ask form verification, there are lots of members there who can save you hassle. Contrary to another poster on this thread, I have found them really easy to set up even though it has two truss rods, and have never taken mine to a tech to have a setup done for me. There is some good information on the Alembic website forum.

Yes Wingbasses are amazing and they don’t just look like a mini bass (like the marleaux) they are more like unique instruments in their own right. I love mine (in my avatar!) However more mini basses on the market is a good thing. Everyone loves them when they try them.

Just brought a great fretless Jazz from Dougie. Fantastic chap to deal with - all perfectly as described, extremely well packaged and very prompt with communication/delivery. Highly recommend. Thanks very much!

I was disappointed to find out that Don McLean's most famous song, American Pie, had nothing to do with pastry.

With fellow Basschat forumite pmjos' kind recommendation while meeting up last week, I decided to stop by and make a profile. Mihran is my maternal grandfather's name (which I adopted as a musical nickname of sorts) and to state things up front, I work part-time for Moollon. I also go by Andi. I was born in Southern California but have lived in Korea for about 2/3 of my life, where I studied music composition and traditional Korean music theory at university, married my travel agent, and worked for close to 20 years in what later became the K-pop industry. As for bass gear, a delightfully back-breaking 5.5kg 1978 Jazz Bass was my only bass for a very long time, which I passed on to a friend when I purchased my first of three Moollon basses in 2009...somewhat lighter solutions! For the last decade or so I've done music sound design for commercial productions full-time and haven't had any Kpop work since 2012, but I do keep things light and entertaining on the side with a personal dreampop/shoegazer project of mine. I also play have too many Gretsch guitars MOTU DP9, SPL Channel One, UAD Apollo Duo, and Genelec 8040s are the backbone of my simple studio setup. Lastly, I'm sure many know me from TB, where my profile name is Ultradust. Hoping to be a positive contribution to the Basschat community and cheers to all ~

I have been to quite a lot of jam nights over the years. I think some can be cliquey, and some can appear so but actually the host is juggling competing priorities the punters don't know about, and they jump to the wrong conclusion. Certainly a long-running jam will grow to reflect the taste of the hosts as they will give longer time and more prominent slots to people they rate - that's natural and OK by me, as long as less able people at least get a chance to play at some point. I love going to jams if my band's having a quiet month as it gets me out the house and playing in front of people with no hassle/gear/organising. I also love how it develops my playing and overall musical awareness. Playing with a group of randoms of at-times extremely mixed ability is a great test of how your decision-making as a bass player can hold a fraying song together. Helping the drummer find the 'one' in a bar; sticking to roots to help a guitarist understand the key or progression; controlling the dynamics to encourage a guitarist to stop hair-dryering the front row with a blistering solo for a sixth minute - it's a fun, low-pressure way to develop skills that have helped me become a better group player. You really understand how quietly influential the bass can be in shaping the tone and colour of a song. It stretches your listening and reacting muscles in a way that another run-through with your well-rehearsed band doesn't always do. And occasionally there is some unexpected musical magic and you step down off the stage with the sense that you really made some affecting, spontaneous real music. That feels great. It's also the best way to meet/hear players who you might want to use in the future in a band, or who might want to use you, or to test out players you've found via ads without going through an excruciating formal audition.

Sold a pedal to Max, instant payment, good communication. Thank you for the transaction.