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This was inspired most obviously by the bass made famous by Les Claypool of Primus, which was made sometime in the mid 70's by Brooklyn luthier Carl Thompson. I made a number of changes. The original was built from mahogany, curly maple & walnut. Mine is made from sepele, regular maple, fumed ash, wenge & paduak. Mostly because I either already had those woods or could source them easily. The original was a 32" scale with wayy too many frets but mine is a 24-fret 34" scale. Below is my design, both my trace of the original and the modifications I made to the shape to tweak the bits that didn't quite work for me. These are the raw materials and the body blank being glued. The core section was actually a glued up sandwich of ash & figured sepele that was originally going to be for a different project, but that didn't work out and I figured I may as well make use. The neck laminates were mostly offcuts, so I'll be scarf jointing the headstock which is a first for me. The body blank then gets flattened in my router sled. The the shape is rough cut on the bandsaw, and routed to the final outline using an MDF template. Then the edges get a roundover cut. Then I draw on the contour lines, and get to work on carving. The really big carves I do with an angle grinder & flap disk, and the rest with a shinto sawblade rasp and a drum sander. Last pic with a wipe down with shellac to seal it and pop the grain. To the neck! The laminate strips have been glued & planed. The fretboard is radiused, slotted & tapered. Scarf joint is glued & shaping underway. I cut the neck pocket by forming a template around the neck itself. This gets routed in and the neck glued and clamped in place. Much drum sanding to shape the neck heel, and some refining of the headstock shape. Cavities are routed in, and after sanding to about 220-300 grit, the french polishing process begins. Then we've just got fret dressing & assembly to do. I made some last tweaks to the headstock, and made the nut from scrap paduak & truss rod cover from wenge. The pickup is a Wilkinson WJM with the vari-tone wiring I found on this forum. And here's the finished result. Gotta say that I'm super happy with how this one turned out. Ergonomically it's pretty much bang on, and really comfortable to play. Now, if only I can nail that riff from "Tommy The Cat"....

Funny isn't it? How many times have you heard, "this music thing is not a competition...." So is this an invitation to have your ego crushed or for you to be publicly humiliated. Are onlookers going to start feeling bad about their playing - just what is needed right now. And how can you compare showboating when it's not even like for like? It's all subjective nonsense. We've seen this on the countless Flea vs Mark King posts. It's a narcissists heaven. And all this... what for strings... or a pre? This toxic stinky poo needs to go. https://www.facebook.com/markbassamps/photos/a.10150626181423632/10158618967978632

I don't have any advice, but I am stunned that a mixed gender band is regarded as a harder sell.

I spoke to Tom yesterday, all is fine and well, just that life in lockdown very much got in the way (difficult with a one-person company). He’s currently working on starting up again soon though, so watch this space! Si

And...it's finished!!!! Here are some shots:

One of the reasons short scales are so popular is Fender have made a vested interest in promoting and pushing short scale basses. They’re revamped the line up, released Squier versions and stuck them in the hands of many of their endorsing artists. On a less cynical note home recordist and the like might find a short scale an easy transition from guitar etc if they’re wanting to nab a bass that’s comfortable to play and easier on the left hand. I have a Mustang (JMJ) and love it. It’s got a P bass like quality to it and I agree with @funkle that it doesnt have the same low end as my 34” scale p bass but it has a quality of its own. I can hear the difference in the lows from my ‘regular’ scale p bass. It’s not a negative and the Mustang brings a nice quality of its own while retaining that familiar p sound. It plays really well with octave down/synth. I should be notes that the Mustang has less wood, a nice chunky neck, a slightly thicker headstock etc so it has its own build ‘quirks’ and let’s face it is a different bass to my bigger p so I wouldn’t expect them to sound the same. I also owned/gigged a hollow body shortie years ago and loved the warmth it had especially with the neck position ‘mud bucker’ pick up. It was another ‘colour’ and while not ideal on every song for that band it has its place and filled out that sonic space that only a hollow short scale can.

I’m a real sucker for 2 or three part harmonies, but if we’re talking solo voice, I’ll take this guy

3 pages in and not this?

Is Vic There? - Department S

Speaking of white Spectors, I just had a great and fun rehearsal with my band for our gig on Friday using my Spector Euro 435 (35" Euro 4 LX with solid maple wings) This is my main live bass since last spring and although I prefer the NS-5XL for recording this is really kicking donkey for playing live. Since the G string is not a necessity for the gig it is tuned B(A)EAD and I can have the iconic white Spector PJ look onstage 🙂 This is such a great bass, I got rid of the Aguilar P/J that it came with in favor of a X series EMG PJ but kept the Aguilar OBP it came with. And in action! 🙂

Would all the self confessed SAs on this thread please stand up and be counted? Oh sorry, my bad, you already are...

This one is more like 'Y' factor than 'X' factor

IMO, the finest female voice ever to have graced the planet. Absolutely peerless and such a sad demise.

The much-missed Sandy Denny ...

One of these came up near me at a good price and I just couldn't resist! I've heard all the positive feedback they get here, and on TB, so GAS curiosity got the better of me. Its a 2005 from the Peerless factory and is in pretty good shape apart from the odd ding here and there. I've been playing it for the past few hours and it produces quite the lovely mwamp with flats on it 😁

Another favourite female voice.

always thought this was a great live performance, and the bloke went on to sing for Jefferson Starship. Apparently there's been some videos from Vocal Coaches who use this as a template for control (or something)..

I know Sandy Denny has already been mentioned, but just putting these out there. Love these performances:

I don't even attempt it. Life's too short. Unless it's a really stand out bass riff, I just follow the cord progression and try to get the general vibe. Nobody's listening to the bass anyway.

If you liked that consider this: If a man is walking through the woods and says something, and there's no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong?

I'm not convinced string length makes any overwhelming difference when we are talking such small differences. Whether I play Bb on the e-string sixth fret or a-string first fret on a standard bass the difference in sound is very subtle. Yet the difference in the vibrating string length and gauge are significantly bigger than between a 34" and 28" scale basses. The short scale bass may be lighter, but it's also going to be considerably stiffer (stiffness varies by the third power of length, other things being equal) so with the right choice of string gauge it could actually be brighter sounding. After all, who has noticed guitars (or mandolins) that lack brightness...

I've always been a huge fan of male tenor voices. Steve Perry (Journey) is really THE "be all and end all" in emotive, soulful rock voices for me. Noone comes close. Here he is 'live' back in 1981: Here he is, at his soulful, smoothest: My other fave is Peter Cetera, here with the equally fab Amy Grant in the mid 80's: ....and back with Chicago (in the studio) in the mid 70's:

Sometimes the song helps - two stunning, and very different voices:

And I love the way Chet Baker's voice and horn have the same feel/tone.

Not quite. A different sound, sometimes darker, sometimes not, just different. No better or worse than a bigger bass, just different. I haven't measured the harmonic content but I wouldn't describe it as lacking anything, if anything the sound is, generally speaking, richer in the lows and low mids, so a different harmonic profile but not one that is lacking any harmonic content.

I like what I like and don't really try to analyse it. Familiarity has a lot to do with it both positive and negative. Having to learn how to play a lot of "classic" rock songs for my Dad Rock band many years ago has left me not wanting to ever listen to some of those songs again, despite that fact that I always had time for. them before. OtOH I find myself getting into music from my past that I didn't previously like because it has been seeped into my subconscious through films and TV programmes (and occasionally ads). However as visual person image does have a lot to do with it. I grew up in an era when the best (IMO) rock and pop bands looked different, dangerous and exciting. and I find that I don't have time for artists who don't (or deliberately look like they don't) make an effort to project an alternative image to the mainstream. I most certainly don't like musicians with beards. No real reason other than I think they look scruffy. If you sport a beard your music needs to be significantly better that a similar band/artist that is clean shaven. Also I can't stand unplugged/acoustic music. You can 100% blame my parents for this, as they put so many obstacles in my way to being able to own and play electric instruments, I will hate nearly all acoustic music forever.

My review of the BB734A I'm not particularly keen on the fuss of active basses (I'm a P bass man at heart) but a local trade opportunity arose and so I have now become the owner of this 734A. First impression once I'd lifted it from its exquisitely plush-lined Yamaha gig bag was the matte black finish of the body and neck. If you look closely at you can actually see the wood grain and also the three sandwiched layers of alder and maple that comprise the body. I just love everything about the look and finish of this bass, from the badge on the headstock to the unusual fingerboard inlays. The design is pure class. At 4.4kg it is not light but balances very comfortably. The neck feels quite chunky, like a P Bass, and the satin finish feels just lovely in your left hand. Machine heads are dead solid and feel high quality, as does the bridge. A full set-up was required. The neck was dead straight which resulted in notes clattering and buzzing at the lower end of the fingerboard. A smooth half turn anticlockwise with a 4mm allen key sorted that problem. The bridge saddles were squewiff and the screws weren't at the same level on each saddle, and the pickups were miles away from the strings. I needed to replace the foam rubber underneath both pickups in order to raise them to Yamaha's recommended height. Lastly I carefully tightened the screws on the bass, mid and treble knobs which were slightly loose and rattly and it was good to go. I can't help wondering whether level of (un)playability caused by the condition I received it in influenced the previous owner's decision to get rid of it. If so what a shame! On to the playing. The neck pickup is really ballsy and does the P sound really well. In passive mode it sounds near perfect to me. With the active EQ you've got plenty of options but I honestly feel this is gilding the lily. Once you pan towards the bridge pickup I think the EQ comes into its own and can fatten up the bridge pickup's output. I can't wait to put it through its paces in a gig environment and find out if its a keeper. Its principal opposition is a 3.9kg Squier Matt Freeman P Bass which I bought last year as a back up bass and has since become my main instrument as a result of its all round excellence. So to summarise in one word- I think I like it 🤓

I tend to find that, when listening to an album, the track I like most soon becomes the one I like least and the one I liked least initially becomes my favourite. I hate being told what is "good" - if I hear something I haven't heard before and it pleases my ears then I may end up liking it. I've tried to like Joy Division and Cold Play - pointless exercise I still can't abide either. Guitarists??? Hate them all, with the exception of Hendrix and the live version (22mins) of "Freebird". IMO There should be funding available to pay people to shoot members of 80s mid American rock bands.

Another one from me. Two for one actually. Both outstanding singers in their own right, and Krauss in particular is IMHO one of the best harmony singers in the business. The music won't be to many peoples' taste, but that's not what this thread is about:

Not just the voices, but the poetry and emotions conveyed.

I have this particular Stingray 5 HS neck through coming in soon. Am so stoked!

If it's an essential riff, fill I like or main part of the song then I try to get it note for note. Otherwise I just get the feel of the song and fill in/make up the dots as I go along. A track on a record is kinda like a photograph of a song, so it'll be the same everytime you hear it. I can't think of any bands I've seen live where everything was played note for note though. If the recording artist doesn't have to stick to the rules then I don't see why I have to 😁

Good grief. They may as well add "Showboaters only, groove/pocket players need not apply".

It's a bit of a tough one. You've got your existing bookings to consider first - if I'd booked a male fronted band for my wedding and a female turned up, I wouldn't be best pleased. I'd actually be more sensitive to any change in singer, much more than any other band member. However, thinking longer term, my own experience is that a female vocalist can generally cover a wider range of material. I've played in bands with female singers doing AC/DC, The Cult, and Stereophonics etc. and done a really good job of it. The same singers would also do material from the likes of Katy Perry, Jessie J and Tina Turner - not the type of thing a bloke can generally pull off. Personally, I wouldn't rule anyone out with the initial ad. Try to get a feel for a good fit via phone, email etc, then audition the top contenders. Also keep in mind that you'll be spending a lot of time with this person, so consider more than just the musical ability. In any case - good luck - I've always found singers the most difficult to audition. Most likely to be delusional (or simply bonkers), to call off an audition last minute or not show up at all. I even had a girl bring her 'own guitarist' along to an audition once...

A few more for your consideration.

I though 'Honk' was the noise a guitarist makes after they've been told to turn it down by the rest of the band... 🙂

Just appreciate the control of this ...

Great subject for a thread 👍🏼

Now it really IS out and available to buy. The track I am on is the first one, 'Signs And Traces'. https://www.progrock.co.uk/multi-story-cbf10-digipak-c2x32609100

Maybe I'm late to the party but I recently found the 'Daryl's House' stuff on Youtube, it's Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates with various guest artists. There's been a bunch of people playing live stuff of their own and covers on there, I saw Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy doing this old soul classic and was pretty impressed having only heard the FOB pop stuff before.

Thanks for posting this. I'd forgotten how good she was.

Ah, thanks for the explanation - the only time I saw Hawkwind live was sometime in the early 80s (Preston Guildhall), and to be honest the only things I can remember are the lights and the labcoats, but never understood the latter!!! Just for the record, I'd probably have fit more in the leather (and denim) camp... 😎