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arrived this morning. Birdseye maple facings, ebony fingerboard I've had a couple of Wal's before (one second hand from the mid '80's, one that was new but not my custom order from the late '90's) and those never quite felt like they were "mine". Also, necks a bit on the chunky side. This one is most definitely mine, and the neck is unbelievably slim and fast. Plus, you know, it sounds like a Wal. Just all round gorgeous - now that I have it the two year wait seems completely worth it. Another reason to hope for the end of the lockdown so I can take it to a studio and play it through a cranked up amp And Paul and Philip at Wal were excellent to deal with - top marks all round. My boss thinks I'm working this afternoon. My boss is wrong

I have placed this Bitsa build here as I don't feel it warrants a place in Build Diaries as it is basically an "Assembly" with a bit of body finishing. I wanted a Year of Birth Bass but not a '51 P slab so I thought of a '54 P contoured body with a minimalist Pup and control panel with no pickguard or Pup covers, so here's how it went. Last year I bought a really lovely '51 P neck off a Chinese seller on Flea Bay. It had a Jazz width bound neck with block MoP inlays. Over the following few months I acquired all the other components for the build. I bought a mahogany '54 P body from Guitar Build and opted for the "view & select" option and selected a handsome 3 piece blank. The body arrived and thanks to the experience of @honza992 and @Andyjr1515 shared on this forum I started to finish the body with Tru oil. On a previous Bitsa build ( '51.75 P) I used, very successfully, a Jess Loureiro hand wound '51 P slit Pup with a @KiOgon loom which included a "series / parallel" switch. This time I bought direct from the USA a Lindy Fralin '51 P split Pup as I wanted something different and the various forums contained a number of positive reviews. It's a bit more expensive than the Jess Loureiro once you add on the shipping and duty but it does offer something different. The bridge had previously been taken from my 90's USA Fender P Deluxe which had installed a BADASS 3 thro body bridge. The Loom , as always , was supplied by @KiOgon CTS V & T, Switchcraft jack socket. The sound and tone of the Lindy Fralin is very bright and clean. It does not have an option for "series / parallel", it is wired in parallel. A number of years ago I had a new Fender '51 P Re-issue and the Fralin sounds very similar but much "cleaner" more powerful somehow and of course noiseless. The Fralin is not as mellow as the Loureiro when it's in it's series position but very similar when it's in it's parallel position, but the Fralin just seems brighter and cleaner ( not brittle at all). I really like the '51.75 P Loureiro darker tone but the Fralin seems to provide a fantastic starting point to use the amps EQ to tailor the final tone. All in all I am very pleased with the out come of a very handsome, sweet sounding easy to play, fast glossy neck and low action, YOB bass. As always, thanks to all the Forum contributors who generously share their Build expertise for novices like me to follow.

Thanks for the comments and feedback, folks...however Covid-lockdown-cabin-fever-hallucinatory they sometimes get . I'm going to let this cure for another day or two before I make the final judgement on whether the next stage is to polish (which will be after a week or two of curing) or a final 2000 grit flattening and a couple of final, final coats. The reason for that judgement (and I have to make it every time I do gloss this way) is that you can't - in fact you mustn't - buff this type of poly varnished finish as you would with, say, nitro spray. The reason is that each application of nitro and similar, melt into the previous dry coats. This type of poly varnish doesn't. Each cured layer is a distinct layer. So if you buff - cutting through layers, you expose the under layers and you can get unsightly contour marks. But you can polish a poly varnish done this way. The polishing works on the final coat - it smooths minor lumps and bumps, dust buggies, light brush ridges. It needs to be rock hard before you do that otherwise even this risks cutting through to underneath layers. Either way, I can get on with finishing the rest of it, because if I do a final flattening and a couple of light top coats, it needs at least a week hardening first anyway. It's very close though and so this may not need anything more than the final polish. This is always a decent test: I never worry about the finish sinking into the grain - I think that actually enhances the organic feel - but there are a couple of non-grain lumps and bumps that - again - may polish out or might need flattening. But, whatever, this is going to end up as eyecatching as I had hoped at the beginning The obligatory mockups So while that's curing, next focus is oil and buffing the neck, levelling and crowning the frets and positioning and fitting the tuners

I work for Royal Mail. The problem in sorting offices is that we have to practice social distancing so letters/parcels can't get sorted as quickly and efficiently. Also staff are off sick. The number of letters has probably decreased slightly but parcel numbers have massively increased. In our London delivery office tracked parcels are a priority and letters and non tracked parcels are having to be delivered every other day as opposed to the normal everyday.

Hi Everybody, I'm new in the club. I bought a Yamaha BB424x on saturday. This is my first BB. I played just 1-2 hours with it but this is really good. The plan was a white BB1024x, but as rare as a hen's teeth.

Just placed an order through their online Configurator... Elwood C 5 string, Charcoal Frost Metallic, Alder body, Maple neck and fingerboard, Aguilar 5J-HC pickups, Delano Sonar 2 band preamp. Straightforward, hopefully good sounding Jazz Bass. Nothing fancy, just a bass to my taste.

Just spoke to Dave Green. Very helpful. Got everything I needed answering. @walshy I know you are due a ctm300 too, so this may be of use. 1. Biasing is fine as long as everything is under 0 and out of the red. The valves will take a while to settle in (100 hours) so as long as everything is under 0 you'll be fine. 2. To bias - make sure theres no signal in the chain. And as always make sure you have a speaker connected. 3. Turning on - pre heat ON, leave for a minute or two, the Main ON. 4. Turning off - this was interesting: Turn MAIN OFF then keep playing a note until you dont hear anything - this takes the charge away, so theres no charge stored for weeks etc - then pre heat OFF. Oh, and only use the valves designed for the amp. Hope this helps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramones Maybe read up about what they achieved before slagging them off. They have been hugely influential. Yes, its simple music but all Rock 'n' Roll tends to be. They were the fathers of punk and deserve their place in the Sun.

After 2-3 years hearing good things about it, last week I was alone in front of my computer and I caved in. I ordered one, and it arrived today. It's not good. It's REALLY good. Nice range of overdrives, from round and fat to aggressive and gritty, just by turning the "voice" control. No low end loss to speak of, and it's got a 3-band EQ so you can easily adjust the basic sound should you need it. I first used it with my Stratocaster... and I liked it a lot, nothing extraordinary but I got easily some really cool sounds. I've owned a couple of old Fender valve amps and I could recognise some of teh sounds in here, with low gain. So far so good. BUt on bass? Fantastic. I especially liked this lowish gain, fat, creamy compressed type of sound... hmmm. Hard to describe, I should record some clips. Anyway, I just wanted to say that if you're looking for a nice overdrive that works well on bass and is versatile... you should consider this one. If you also want it to be cheap, then you DEFINITELY should consider this one.

Just had my first lesson from my mate over face time (a first for both us) and, apart from some quirks where face time decided my playing was noise and cancelled it out, it went very well. I have some great exercises to work on over the week. Next week we are going to look at some bits from one step beyond as a simple pentatonic practice. Very happy.

Best bet would be give Dave Green a call who designed the amp and have a chat... 01621 857853. He's in currently and would be happy to clarify best way to use

Really appreciate it. The support all round has actually taken me back a bit. Had a little card left on the van yesterday to say thanks. There are loads of lovely things in windows and on doors to say thanks too.

While I wouldn't judge sound or playability from a photo, I think it's fair to criticise appearance on the basis of, well, appearance...

@P-Belly Evans @soulboy I think they’re doing an absolutely amazing job under the circumstances

Hey everyone, Here's my take on 'Blues for Jimmy Yancey' by Colin Hodgkinson. It was a lot of fun to learn, hope you enjoy! Alex

Bit of a throwback to my Big Band rhythm guitar playing days, enjoying Ella Fitzgerald sings the Duke Ellington Songbook. Lovely!

TC Polytune/Unitune clip has been flawless for me.

Matthew was a good friend, an absolute gentleman and brilliant musician. But at first, he was a bass hero of mine. Hearing "Screen Kiss" and "Mulu" from Thomas Dolby's "The Flat Earth" was a game changer for me. You could use fretless bass in a left field pop record, and make it really interesting and dominant. For me Mick Karn, Pino Palladino and Matthew were my big pop fretless bass influences. We made an album together released in 2017. Myself and Matthew on basses accompanied by guitarist Jon Klein (Siouxsie & The Banshees), keyboardist Paul Smyth (Birds Through Fire), Bruce Woolley (Theremin) and David Bridie (Australian band Not Drowning, Waving) on vocals. You can hear the album here. Neon Sisters - Monoplane https://neonsisters.bandcamp.com/releases Play on dear Matthew.

Even Nile approves.

I really like how you do the finishes on your builds Andy, it always amazes me that it is brushed/wiped on. It seems a very organic finish that really complements the natural wood. Top work 👍

Bass Direct update... if you're thinking of getting anything from them. I decided to take a punt on some new pickups... ordered them yesterday... just arrived now, less than 24 hours. I paid a total of £6 for p&p... that included next day courier. I know it's a courier rather than the post office, but great service. As it happens, we live in a little village and know our postie... he's still battling on. Any delays in service happen before he gets his hands on them. (applause for posties... and courier guys)

Or protesting too much, I suspect a spare room occupied by life size Ramone mannequins, all this is just smoke screening to put us off the trail.

I'm amazed you even had to explain that....

Same as me, myself and I

Just to say I'm not a luthier, I'm a hobbiest builder! So I got VERY bored very quickly and had a neck lying around that was on another bass I replaced the neck on and pickups, bought a bridge and knobs etc and built the body... I'm writing as I'm uploading the pictures so I can remember everything and you can follow it and the pictures! I wanted a double P as I had a Fender CS '57 p pickup I had bought off a mate and a Dimazio P pickup which came in a project bass I got at the tail end of last year! First came the wood... I found a STUNNING 1 piece swamp ash body so that sealed it and had some red stain and guitar finishing oil so then started the process... So I started to research double P pickup basses and it came down to the BC Rich style, 80's Fender Elite P basses and the Warwick styles... I didn't like any of them! So I started to look at where my thumb sits on a P and where I should put them... So I came up with a reverse P at the front (with the bass half sitting where it would normally sit on a p bass and the treble pickup infront of it at under the D and G strings) and a P pickup behind in the "traditional" style with the bass half infront of the treble half. I cut the body using a P template, but planed it down to 41mm so it's a bit thinner than a standard P to counter the weight of the wood! I made a template for the neck I had (a Brandoni P bass) I got in 2002 when I had a frankenstein parts bass put together for me which was my first proper bass (which I think started my obsession with replacing and adjusting things). Then routed it. I then had to think about pickup positions and where I play so I took one of my other P basses and played it for a bit thinking about positions and took the covers off the fender pickup and taped them to the bass so I could see if I was happy. So came the result! So then, being a man of... larger stature and built for comfort, I had to think about contours, arm and belly! So here comes the axle grinder!!! So I then pilar drilled where the controls would be and I always LOVED the way a '62 jazz is wired with a stacked volume and tone for each pickup and wanted that look and vibe for this build seeing as I'm having 2 pickups! Then came the routing of a rear mounted control plate as the front of the bass is stunning! I used a piece of offcut from the body when bandsawing the shape out and routed the rear for this! You'll notice a knot in the wood in the rear and this was soft and plyable so I chisled it out and sealed it with glue. There was also a small crack in the wood so I did the same too that! Whilst I was looking at the bass I contemplated leaving it natural as it's just too stunning not to see the grain! Whilst I routed the neck pocket, I noticed that one the neck it's got the old fender style truss access with a phillips at the base (what I call the body end) of the neck so I took a little bit of the body away and built a template for a scratchplate/truss rod cover so I could access it... this meant making a custom shaped guard but still wanted to make it out of wood, so with a lot of sanding and shaping with a file, I made the template! Then I saw I had some Sepele lying around so I made the plate from that! Then I had to go home as it was the end of the day and I decided that my workshop needed to be shut during this time so I took home some stuff so I could do it at home! Then came a LOT of sanding... A LOT and thank god for random orbital sanders is all I can say! So I progressively took it back to 320grit! Then the red came out so I started to stain... but I forgot to use my gloves so it looked like I had murdered a small animal (clean version)! Whilst applying the stain, where I had stabilized the wood on the crack and the knot, the stain didn't take so I took the body back and started again! The stain was looking great and applied 2 coats to the bass... then I found some silver car spray paint in the shed and had a mad idea... what about a silver accented grain... stinky poo... I've gotta sand it all back again... it'll be worth it... let's do it... so I did, it's not like I'm on a time scale or can go out and gig it at the moment! So here comes the silver spray paint... And now to sand it back again after leaving it to dry... That's when I thought "Holy stinky poo, this is gonna be stunning!!!!!" So I started to apply the red stain again... 4 coats in total before oil! That's when it was confirmed I did the right thing!! This is where I discovered that the misses goes mental when red stain (which will wash away once it rains) goes on the patio! So at this point, I was waiting for the stain to layer up, I made the scratchplate silver, sanded it back and then stained it... Then came the oiling! This was long and I almost lost patience but the results are STUNNING! 5 layers of finishing oil (also Crimson Guitars) later and it was time to put the bass together... but I had forgot to locate the bridge (Sir Richard Head III!!!!!!!) So it was a quick trip back to the workshop as all the main tools including long enough rulers are there... just to locate the bridge!!!!!!! Assemply, wiring, setup, pickup height... BOOM, it's done and STUNNING! Kind of a P on steroids but with some really cool combinations of tones from the pickups and being able to change the tone on one of them and leave the other one, it's mental! Really cool! And here's a picture with my other P basses (the Kay is having new tuners, I just haven't installed them yet)! I hope you enjoyed this! I may be doing a couple more during this mad perio of not being able to gig!

Bernard Edwards also used a BC Rich Eagle during Chic’s metal phase.

It still holds up really well. Branson's Virgin empire was pretty much built on that one record. It got loads of airplay because the piano intro was used on the soundtrack for [i]The Exorcist[/i] which was released the same year (1973) when Oldfield was 19. At a time when there was a lot of well cheesy pop in the charts it was a sign of independent intellectualism, good musical taste and ultimate progressive cool to be seen with a copy of that album under your arm.

A new Wal arriving is such a rare sight it feels a bit like when someone’s had a baby Congratulations on your new arrival , she’s beautiful

Honestly, the additional NY121 cab completely changes the game. I would really suggest you add a second cab then consider a head change.

Colchester Arts Centre

Wonderful pairing! If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, check out the "Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington - Cote D'Azur Concerts on Verve" box set. 8 CDs. Recorded June 26-29, 1966.

have to say Baby I love You is a long way from my favourites Ramones song, not typical at all, but perversely (a bit like Chuck Berry's My Ding a Ling) their biggest hit. I agree with you about It's Alive, my favourite ever live album and what got me into the Ramones as well. Edit, the whole concert it was recorded at is available on youtube, but maybe you already knew that

Erm, maybe Something simple like this silhouette.

Get the one you like. Worth doesn’t come in to it IMO. If its the bass you like, with the tone you like, its worth the extra for it. If you get the cheaper one and not too sure about it, its not worth it and you may end up regretting it. I cant say which is better for you, but i loved the Ash/burst when i had one. If it hadn’t been faulty I’d still have it. There will be a minor difference in tone (different strings will make more of a difference), and hardly noticeable if you play with a band. Both will feel the same, so its really down to looks IMO. Obviously this is based on trying them out. If you cant get them from somewhere you can return them (I’m gushing Andertons).

Fascinating! It'll be interesting to see how good a 'rattle can' paintjob can end up. 👍 Here's a thought -- white spray cans are as cheap as black (from the motorfactors)... and could that headstock be converted to 3+1... ? Oooo, white, with those black blocks... with an M&Ms logo! I have other 'ideas', but they're mostly based around an online farting competition... 😬

Head Return Day. Looking forward to the return of my 30 year old Ashdown 300 Evo II head from House of Ashdown, hopefully tomoz. Amazing customer service. Let's compare with my Markbass head I broke a while back. MB Q: Who can fix my LM2 head? A: You're 'aving a giraffe, int'ya? Ashdown Q: Can you fix my head? A: Certainly. The day after we get it we'll replace your fan, check everything else and in a friendly way guide you through how to use the EQ properly. Then we'll send it straight back and we won't charge you."

Righty-oh; it's arrived! I might get to play with it this evening.

For people like me who appreciate objects that show-case the natural beauty of wood, this is a real delight!

It's reminiscent of coach painting. When you see how good a hand finish can be you wonder why folk don't insist on it. Granted, no-one wants adverts hand-painted on coaches or buses in the 21st century but there is still a place for the craftsman in the right setting. Agreed. "Top work"

Harsh for these times, don't you think? Maybe it's just me.

Dave Green is a dude, he's helped me on more occasions than it's really fair to ask

I don't know why when they are thinking about doing one of these lists they cant simply call it "My favorite bass players" or "The 100 most influential bass players....probably" Its all subjective. What constitutes "Greatest" anyway? Fastest, longest solo, most genres played, best stage moves, longest hair, most endorsements? Who cares, you either like the music or you dont.

I count three comments since asking to be excused 😉

My wife is a big fan, we saw her solo a couple of years back and she had the whole audience spellbound for 2 hours or so. Even when her PA failed as she was about to do her last number, she just carried on, we all joined in...special moment.

If the legend that is Lemmy likes The Ramones that's good enough for me!

So, initial impressions are excellent. The cab feels really well put together: It’s crazy light, 11kg is just insane for something this big! Metal corners and grille. A sort of medium pile carpet finish. Not sure how robust it’ll be, but time will tell. The rear panel is recessed in the same way as the front, so the speakon connectors have a little bit of protection. The cab has an 11cm port in the bottom. The cable and connectors inside look very heavy duty. Big thick feet to give it good clearance. The sound is wonderful. Full, rich bass, plenty of mids and just nice warm highs. As I said in an earlier post, I went without a tweeter as it goes to 6.5k with the 10", which is fine for me. It’s a perfect match for my fretless, as I hoped it would be. Hans says if it gets too boomy in a room the port can be plugged to tame it. Here are a few dodgy pics. I will take more when I can get it out in the sunshine.

I don’t know about the bass, but with the short blond hair he looks like the lovechild of commander Ed Straker and Klaus Kinski.