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I feel shy, but Ok)

COME TO BUTTHEAD

At what age did you think it was time your son stopped wearing a Superman outfit to parties?

Bass is out the clamps and the bridge slot was finished. Then time to remove some meat from the wings for the pickup cover / ramp, forstner bit comes in very handy as always. One side of the cover / ramp is done, and I'll get the other half done tomorrow!

Already got mine ready - Fairfax Aikman... The Geordies will appreciate this...

I applied for the Music degree with Bass at ACM and I've had confirmation that I've got an audition in a couple of weeks! EEEEK. It's the day after my birthday as well so no drinking for me lol! I've decided to do Bombtrack by Rage against the machine as my performance piece, but I need to revise my theory as there's other bits I have to do to show my understanding of theory, groove, timing etc. OH GOD.

I AM LORD RAVEN VAMPYRE OF THE BLOODY GOBLETS AND I SHALL RIP YOUR SOUL FROM IT BOD... oh ffs, shut up Brian you work in accounts and play 3 chords in drop D on Thursday nights after you drop the kids off at their Soccertots classes..

I've always thought the Limelight thing was pretty dodgy. I understand they're doing it for 'complete authenticity' rather than with the intention of deceiving but at the end of the day they're still badging the instrument as something it's not. And a few buyers and sellers down the line who knows what it's being sold as?

Got the fretboard side inlays installed and trimmed flush... I did a quick check to make sure everything was still lining up and what needed to be square was and... ...Glued the top wing on so I can move on to finishing the routing on pup cover and bridge, then carving and shaping properly begins! Excited to have a rough bass come out the clamps tomorrow and sit it on my knee, the 30" scale seems amazingly comfy reach wise so I think this is going to be a fun bass.

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Chill me brethren, just chill -

I have a bitsa P bass, the neck of which has a F decal on it. In the unlikely event that I sell it, I will sand it off first. That notwithstanding, it's my bass and I can do whatever the hell I want to it. If anyone has a problem with that, they are welcome to contact my complaints department on 1-800-IDONTCARE.

I am considering... Grant Bail Drew Breath Tim Bucktoo Stew D'Apples Art Gallery Doug Graves Frank Ingmachine Norman Invasion Robin Istheft Marshall Law Cliff Lift Lou Ming Reed Mumsnet Clay Pipe Dïck Tate Gene Therapy Bob Upandown

The irony is, Fender are putting out crapper Fender copies than the likes of Limelight etc.

I've always thought the vegetable 'Curly Kale' would be a great stage name..... I can hear it now.... "Ladies and Gentlemen..... please put your hands together for.....on the bass guitar..... CURLY... KALE!!!! 😉😁😆

I joined this band who were originally a two piece, and had been using a drop/octave pedal for the 'bass'. they basically gave me free reign to write the bass parts. This is the first time playing this song with them after 3 months of lockdown and having never played with them before. It's not perfect, but for a first rehearsal I was really happy with it. Edit, this is just recorded on my phone so ignore the sound/video quality! modern messiah vid.mp4

MacDaddy is my stage name because of my boring real name, Brett Startwinkle.

Calm down mate. It’s a bit of wood with a sticker on it.

1001M arrived from DV247 this morning. First impressions: First thing I wanted to check was the fan noise, given a couple of earlier comments. Was it going to be worse than I had feared and a deal breaker? You know that moment when you're opening the box and worried you've just bought a lemon (but fortunately if worst came to the worst a returnable lemon)...but it's definitely not! Phew! Probably only 2/3 the fan noise of my M6 which I have totally grown used to and perhaps even kinda like - it tells me the old girl is still alive, hehe! Plenty of punch and decent bass & mid EQ, particularly with the choice of 5 mid centre points although the available treble boost is a little timid for my liking - but nothing that a VTDI pedal won't fix. With the gain maxed there was definitely some "valvey" break up, which is what I might have hoped to get from the T version, albeit less so than on that YT video review I posted a short while back. I guess it's going to depend on what bass and pups you're using. Footprint is a little larger than my DG M900, but fits snugly into the DG padded case which is very convenient. Here's a pic with them next to each other: For £200, first impressions are that it will provide a capable back-up amp to my M900 and I'll certainly be using it in band rehearsals and pub gigs too.

Not a band with two basses normally, but on this occasion they were, and bloody good it is too.

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Ah good. I shall play it just like I play piano…with heavy hands, little or no skill…and zero timing.

i just installed a subwoofer in my studio/listening room. Im re-listening to my fav dub albums, and ill be working my way through this thread next. happy days!

Nice bit of Freddie McKay

So that's twice in 58 years....they're starting to rack up.

I have an Antoria EB-3 replica and I definitely won't be putting a Fender decal on it, that's for sure.

I found the half-hour or so to finish the slotting and they are all done: From the absence of white lines, there's half a chance they're in the right place too As it's easier to put down the main finish before fretting and then a quick re-finish after, I've done a sealing slurry and buff of Tru-oil. Brings out the colour nicely and will be silky smooth to the touch as well as being sweat and muck resistant: Got some domestic duties over the next few days and then a burst of progress early next week on @Matt P 's single cut (that is pretty close now to moving on to starting the finishing processes) so it will be mid next week before the frets go in . And we're going for EVO Golds that will match @AndyTravis 's dastardly plans on hardware for the bass itself

Mick Jagger?

I take this on the 'why would anyone?' front as a parallel to relicing... FWIW, my Shukerbird has a Shuker logo on the headstock, because Jon put it there when he made it, and there's nothing left of the original Epiphone apart from the body wood and the neck plate...which still says 'Epiphone'...it's a neck plate, why would I change it? If anyone's thinking about logos, 'Fender Precision' is an anagram of 'Reinforced Penis'...just sayin...

To be fair, they do have their own brand... it's one of the better headstock logos out there, IMO. I suspect from his lead times he's doing OK from word-of-mouth. He can only make so many basses at a time...

I stand corrected! Side note - you can DIY a midi host if you have some soldering skills. I did this recently and it worked out great. Another option for OP if so inclined!

I once joined a band and my then husband managed to manipulate his way into being the drummer (long story short, he was controlling and didn't want me doing anything without him). Needless to say it ended badly and I now refuse to join any band my partner might be involved in and visa versa.

I'd have Reginald Kenneth Dwight as my stage name, 'cos my real name (Elton Hercules John CH CBE) is so dull

If I ever get famous I'm totally ditching my full name in favour of a stage name. Mainly because I don't want my now ex husband, who's surname I still have, to get any credit 🤣

Now I know it's not taken anymore, I'm considering Eileen Regina Edwards.

This is me, there’s also a mini Pitchblack not in this photo.

I'm here, I've brought an Epiphone, what you going to do, snobby sound engineer, cancel the gig? Thought not, now get back behind that desk and do your f'n job. I really don't see the point in putting a Fender decal on a Squier or other non-Fender instrument (which this disease seems to chiefly infect, with a side order of Gibson TRCs on Epiphone Thunderbirds). It is what it is - if you play well, most of the talking is going to be about how good your playing was, not what brand of bass you were playing. So I focus on that, instead of what a minority of people deem important. I think what this inferiority complex stems from is possibly justified snobbery in the 50s/60s when the Fender Precision was seen as the gold standard in the recording/session musician sphere and all other basses were deemed to be inferior (a lot of them probably were - everyone was playing catchup and getting it wrong) because producers either couldn't be bothered learning how to record/EQ other basses, or couldn't afford to take the time to do so. Those days are long gone now but some people still cling to the ridiculous and outdated idea that if you're not playing a Fender (and more specifically, a Fender Precision) then you're somehow a rank amateur/not serious/mentally deficient/a dangerous deviant (delete as applicable). Codswallop. Instrument manufacture has improved immeasurably in the last few decades at the cheapest price point. The diminishing returns of spending more on an instrument have never been so diminished. Play your Epiphones, Squiers, Harley Bentons and whatever else with pride, they're fine working instruments and if you play well, it really doesn't matter what's on the headstock.

Could be interesting - so yes please!

I tried both amps, the most noticeable difference is the drive. On the RM it is more of an overdrive/distortion sound. if I was gonna go for the RM I’d definitely go for 800w version. I think headroom is really important with class D. I went for the ABM, due to bad experience with class D. I’m very happy with it. there are some good deals in the classifieds at the moment with the ABM 600

They've nailed it, a real toe tapper !! 😛 Johh 😎

With a backing track. The main reason I picked it is because RATM is something I'm comfortable playing, ENJOY playing but were also instrumental in being one of the reasons & driving forces in me learning bass at all.

then there's always this...

All bands will always be judged on the ability or not of their LEAD singer. It took me 10 years to realise this with the addition of our female lead singer whoi can sing her donkey off, Before this we had muddled along with our guitarist taking lead duties. OK we got asked back but it was always the elephant in the room. You can be the greatest rhytmn section ever, the greatest guitarist since Hendrix, but if the singer 'aint cutting it live, forget it; you'll always be that band who would be great if they got a decent vocalist. Walk now..

Fake your own death

Remember, you are also auditioning them. They want your money, so don't be afraid about questioning them as to why they should be the ones to get it.

OK I’ve been triggered to write this by the recent posts regarding problematic singers… On the back of that I said I’d write about my background and experience, and I hope that some of it will help others who might be thinking about singing… My experience of singing as a youngster was minimal and limited to the odd sea shanty in music lessons at school and the inevitable hymns in church. I had the frequent bad experience that many have of being told not to sing in the school choir… To avoid this being a very long story, I was exposed to hearing a lot of very good choral music from a cathedral choir. That led me to want to sing. In my 30s I found a good singing teacher and after a trial session he suggested that my voice was probably light baritone (upper bass). I had weekly lessons with him for 8 or 9 years. Within a few months I was singing with his choir and going to choral workshops, singing weekends, summer school… I really enjoyed it and found out I was OK. I’ve sung a huge repertoire of material over the years, mostly classical, performed with small chamber choirs and very large choral groups everywhere from local village hall to cathedrals and concert halls (including the Royal Albert Hall). I’ve been accompanied by everything from a church organ, piano, small amateur ensembles, professional groups to full professional symphony orchestras. At 33 I couldn’t sing a note. We can all sing, but certainly British culture doesn’t encourage communal or group singing the way some cultures do. There is technique to singing, to how you breath, how you vocalise and phonate… My range as a baritone was roughly the two octaves from low F# to the one above middle C. I had a lot of power in the upper register, but very little low down, and I couldn’t sing anything below F, unlike second (low) basses who usually sing down to C. Going to workshops as a baritone, I’d often get asked to cover the second (low) tenor line, but my voice would tire very quickly doing that. A couple of years ago a friend who is a highly respected vocal coach suggested I have an assessment from an expert vocal coach who was attending a workshop she was running. I had a session with him, and it was a revelation. Men’s voices don’t fully settle until mid-30s and his assessment had me singing top Cs (octave above middle C) which means I’m a 1st tenor… He thinks that when I was assessed at 33 my voice hadn't fully settled. So why was my voice tiring trying to sing the lower 2nd tenor part in workshops etc which was mostly within my range? Because I have a whole pile of learnt behaviours to sing baritone and basically putting too much effort into ‘pushing’ to reach the high notes. So, after a 20 year break, I looked for a teacher and eventually found an opera singer whose experience is very similar – he trained at RNCM as a baritone but struggled until he found the right teacher and retrained as a tenor. So, I have been having lessons with him and ‘unlearning’ stuff which is mostly about relaxing and not letting ‘automatic’ things get hold and 'grab' the voice. There are different styles of singing and some of the techniques / methods are different for those different genres. Singing say baroque oratorio, or Romantic era art songs/lieder, is different to musical theatre, which is different to American Song Book etc. Like learning any instrument, it is worthwhile having a suitable teacher to get you into good habits. It is extremely easy with singing to mess up breathing for example. With lessons things like tone and vocal range will develop. One of the common issues that untrained singers have is that their voice tires after 20 or 30 minutes. This is due to tension and leads to too much effort, in essence 'tuned shouting' rather than singing. Over a protracted period, this can do damage to the voice. There’s a lot more I could say, but that’s enough for one post! I hope the information is of use/interest to people. Happy to discuss in more detail if people wish me to.

Add in Boss WL-20 and Megaboom and you have a complete portable micro-rig!