Leaderboard

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And the final verdict is, it does work. The B string does not thunder like the 64' stop on a church organ, but in my heart I knew that would be the case. It will probably be a string for special occasions only. But if nothing else, it will remind me that I am now more used to a 5 string than a 4 string so muscle memory will not have to adapt The original preamp sits nicely with the pickup filling out the lower register nicely. In case anyone has ever had any doubts about Jez's abilities, the man is a wood whisperer.

Similar story here. We should have bought a Basschat bottle and shared it around.

My latest guffing-about-with project thing, a Westfield 'Bird-shaped thing. Bought for next to nothing on my local Farcebook marktplatz. Was cheap because it's scruffy and was missing half its knobs and had really awful strings and is a Westfield, most of which is easily sorted. The fingerboard is filthy and cleaning it is the first thing on the list... well the 4th thing, having already 1) binned the old strings, 2) chucked some temporary knobs on, and 3) fitted a black bridge. Some black tuners will be in the pipeline too I think, probably a full electrics overhaul and maybe even new/different pups depending on what it sounds like. The action was surprisingly low and the neck felt really good to play in the quick blast I gave it. Inevitably there will be massive neck dive but I will cross that bridge when it comes along. I'm not expecting it to be any great shakes really, I only got it for the look... as deep as a puddle, me

It might be from their Irøningbörd range?

Classic StingRay (think it’s a 2014)

I'm pretty certain it's IKEA, from their carpoultunnoul range

It went well!. Reasonably quiet, and the Elf/,One10 did the business easily. There were many Telecasters!

And who can forget Vim Fuego?

… and finally this Classic JR for the Soul/Funk/ Motown stuff I also will hopefully get back to soon 👍🏼:

..then this one for my church stuff : .. the Beta is a lovely pedal, should be great when using IEMs.

just sneaked another under the radar I see ! have a look here

New board to accommodate the Barefaced Machinist I won in their recent Instagram competition 😎

Not for sale, unfortunately.

You are John McVie and I claim my five pounds...

I would go so far as to dare suggest that without either a decent singer or a tight drummer, you're knackered.

I was invited to audition for a band once, over in Oldham and a guitarist that i knew was putting it together. We all learned a few songs in advance and had goes on the night. I was a known quantity to the guitarist and was sort of 'in' as a result, but he was very keen on this keyboard player. The keyboard player was really good (apart from her having a proper strop at me for not knowing Riders on the storm by The Doors off the top of my head, as it wasn't actually one of the songs we'd been asked to learn). She was reliant on the guy who was singing that evening for transport. He couldn't carry a tune in a paper bag. Listening through the evening, I seemed to be the only one who was distressed by his warbling. I rang the guitarist later - he had serious designs on getting this excellent keyboard player in and if the singer was part of the deal... well, so be it. He was mortified when I told him that I couldn't be in a band with someone who couldn't sing in charge of the lead vocal. They lasted another two rehearsals. The singer and keyboard player started to haunt a number jam nights in our local area and, while she glared at me, he insisted on getting up singing and trying to chat people up into taking him on. It sadly never worked. A band is only as good as the people in it. If you have a lead singer who can't sing, you're knackered.

HX Stomp has been my only pedal for the past year (well, the Stomp and a few utility pedals to control it). It's a great platform, and it's really flexible. I'm moving on to an HX Effects as of this week, because my primary need these days is something to go in front of my amp, and I want more footswitches and easier programmability, but I have nothing bad to say about the HX Stomp. The main downside is its lack of switches, which is why I've had to expand it as much as I have, but if you can live with that and create cleverly designed presets and snapshots, you're golden. Here's my pedalboard as it stands today, and is getting ripped apart and rebuilt with an HX Effects within a few days. I'll happily claim that you can't beat this amount of flexibility in such a compact setup.

This is a real shame. Particularly considering Mesa had left their previous distributor and it appeared that prices for Mesa gear were going to be considerably more affordable. Alas, while it appears that the the gear is going to be more affordable it appears that the gear is not being made for anyone outside of the US for the foreseeable future. I'm conscious that there are supply problems, however there are several other US manufacturers who are still exporting products and Mesa are presently the only company I am aware of who are deciding to simply not fulfil any international orders whatsoever. However, the position taken isn't actually as bad as the complete lack of communication to Andertons until such time that Andertons had probably secured a whole host of orders worth presumably tens of thousands of pounds going back the previous 6-7 months since the new distribution model was launched (amid a certain degree of fanfare). It appears that there has been a complete lack of transparency to international dealers like Andertons. I'm conscious that we are still in the process of coming out of a massive global pandemic with shortages to all manner of materials (I struggled to find concrete and sand to build a patio!) but the approach by Mesa is particularly poor. I am sure that Mesa have underlying reasons and that the parts shortages issue is a real issue, but the way in which the reasons were communicated (or rather not communicated) is disappointing and frankly, a bit Gibson-esque.

I've used my Trace Elliot heads with a variety of cabs - TE (obviously), Mesa, Schroeder, Vanderkley and Glockenklang amongst others. I can't remember being disappointed with any of them. If there is a Mathematical equation it'll probably be: TE+ anything = perfection

It's a fine pick up. Sounds like a P and doesn't have the mid scoop of 1/4 LB'er. One of the original replacement pick ups for the P bass. I'd be more than happy to have one in a p bass - in fact I did for a few years. If in doubt a Model P is a solid bet. If you want to agonise over marketing spiel and pick up's you 'think' you should have go ahead but when jamming with the band you really want the P bass character and the Model P will deliver. Telt!

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Status & Trace were a classic 80s combination. Mark King springs to mind. I had a Washburn Status geat bass ,sadly sold. Status necks always felt a little chunky for me. I have several Trace heads, which aren't too heavy. I only use with lightweight Vanderkleys of Barefaced. A well preserved Trace Head is the way to go.

I have a stage name and have been using it since 2006. initially it was a device to help me deal with shyness, but has since become a separate thing. When I joined Thunderstick, I suggested I use my real name, but it was decided that I keep my stage name as it ‘fitted’. I’m registered with prs etc as both my ‘born’ name as well as my stage name

Well at the risk of causing further upset, lets recap and see what we appear to be facts: Oiling your fretboard can make it look and feel more pleasant. Over oiling can cause problems by softening the fretboard. Oiling varnished fretboards can cause unpleasant streaking. Then some points which are matters of opinion, but less contentious: Sellers of fretboard oil emphasise the benefits of their products to help drive sales, which may encourage over-use. Significant damage is rare and moderate use of fretboard oil doesn't seem to cause problems. Custom fingerboard oil isn't significantly different in performance or effects, but smells more pleasant. My personal opinion: More instruments are ruined through over adjustment of truss rods and clumsy customisation; no-one is going to say 'stop adjusting your truss rod' or 'don't fit new pickups'.

Originally Alice Cooper was a band name. Same as Sade, with lead singer Helen Folasade Adu sharing, then taking over the name. Blondie could possibly be put in the same category, as the name was the band, but was pretty much a nickname for lead singer Debbie Harry.

Long story short : I once sold an early Squier Vintage Modified 70's Jazz Bass to a friend. It was really excellent sounding, way better than a lot of original ones. He started to use it in the different bands he was in and at the conservatory where he was studying. People were always telling him to get a decent bass : Buy a real Fender was what he was always told. So one day he put a fake Fender logo on it and a different pickguard (scratchplate for the others) : Suddenly it became an astounding bass and he got complimented for his sound. 🤦‍♂️ Sad but true.

Get your money back and buy an Ashdown.

Well it's a tough one I grant you. I have a penchant for all of the above, but right now the choices are below , based on the picture you see chosen by last months co-winner @upside downer who had the nod over @Leonard Smalls for the honour Pick your favourite 3 , listen to them all mind , some you might listen to again , oh yes! Your choices ........ 1 @Dad3353 Suspense, anguish, doubt, bordering on terror, à la Hitchcock, with these inexpressive 'birds' watching every approaching step. What gauntlet do we have to run..? What are they waiting for..? What do they want with us..? The heart beats apace as the tension mounts. WHAT DO THEY WANT..? 2 @xgsjx Well I remember the band "A flock of seaguls", so this must be "A band of pigeons", which means it's 80's. So Synthwave it is! 3 @Leonard Smalls The picture reminded me of going into the local butchers shop a few weeks ago... The butcher was expertly dismembering a pigeon for a customer who was going to do a fancy confit of leg with seared breast in hoojahcapivvy sauce. Hence a rap, in the form of a confessional, detailing with a total lack of empathy how being ignored, mistreated and abused as a child led him to a life of murder... 4 @Nicko Seeing pigeons go round and round in circles reminded me of the discussions on certain, ahem, internet forums and the feeling that they aren't fully in control of their thoughts. So I took a synth and let the synth take over to an extent using the auto arpeggio function. Like xgsjx I ended up with 80s synth pop. Bits of it remind me of the Pet Shop Boys which would be a good tie in but that's incidental and I didn't set out to recreate that sound. 5 Lurksalot I took the picture as being a guard of honour by birds , and that opened up a few options for a story with some wordplay , of course the downside is that my dulcet tones are all on the vocal on this 6 @upside downer Inspired by the sheer lunacy of people wearing pigeon heads I've gone oddly peculiar with the lyrics if not the tune which is a bouncy little thing that bobs along happily with a spring in its step. Mrs UD helps out on backing vocals by putting to good use her experience of going "woo woo" on stage with my old band when we used to play 'Sympathy For the Devil'. 7 @Nail Soup There are lots of phrases involving pigeons - like pigeon toed and pigeon chest, stool pigeon etc.... and my first notion was a Booker-T style instrumental called "Pigeon Peas". However the riffage went in a different (Crampy) direction so I ended up using all the phrases into a full set of lyrics. 8 @adamg67 Pigeons.... I always think the name for a wild pigeon is way cooler than for a domestic one: Rock Dove! So I wrote something that I though deserved the title "Rock Dove". It feels like it worked to me, it was what I was aiming for anyway, with the bonus that I managed to use all 3 of my basses on it, and the bass feels like the main instrument even with the guitar on there. excellent , please be so kind as to put a tick in 3 of the appropriate boxes by.... Midnight on the 31st May , its a bank holiday so plenty of listening time available on this long bank holiday. ooh , sat outside in the evening with a suitable drink, in front of the fire pit with your headphones on , oh , heaven

I'm fairly new to the world of flats, but so far..... I thought I'd experiment with a relatively cheap (for flats) fender set for my first pair and whacked them on a Precision. I'm not a fan really, the tension is too high for me personally and it feels like I'm playing with cables. Over the past few years I've become predominantly a pick player (I've been playing in heavier/louder bands), but after playing with fingers (in a blues band) in a 3hr rehearsal I found my fingers were hurting with the fender flats. I still have calluses, so don't think it's a case of having wussy fingers, but I am quite heavy handed. A few months ago I out some TI flats on an SG and they're a dream to play. Really easy to fret, really easy to bend and they sound great too. Although they're a bit more expensive, they'd be my first choice.

Japan - The Very Best Of... Tend to get old CD's from Music Magpie via eBay for a few quid... Not really my thing back in the 80's, couple of mates were in to the weird scene... i was more Motorhead n Zep n Gu!tarz... Mick Karn's name cropped up in another thread so i thought id give it a whirl. Saw Sylvian and Fripp 20ish years ago...

Fixed

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Waking this thread up as I’ve just got back from our first rehearsal. I was quite shocked at how good we were... everyone has clearly been practising and we have been doing stuff on Garageband (that was a pain). Everyone admitted to being a bit nervous and everyone had their own “moments”... thinking “I need to sort that bit out before next time...” Very positive experience, but it took me nearly three hours to get the bass to sit in the mix... I should be up and running next time.

For those in need of a good set of piano instruments, here a good one only £8.95 https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/1-Instruments/64-Virtual-Instrument/4461-Essential-Keyboard-Collection - Steinway Grand Piano - Upright Piano - Yamaha Grand Piano - Rhodes Mark I - Rhodes Mark II - Electric Organ - Pianet - Harpsicord - Toy Piano - Clavichord - Harmonium - Tonewheel Organs - Church Organ

Does it matter though? It's a standard P-bass footprint pickup, if you don't like it you could flog it and choose from loads of alternatives to replace it. I doubt you'd end up more than £30 out of pocket selling the DiMarzio.

In all seriousness, I don't have a stage name as such, but it's not my real name on the Facebook and other social media, what with identity theft and all.

Headless basses are very often more ergonomic too. My favourite design is the Leduc. And no, my name is not Paul. I bought it second hand to the original owner named ... Paul. That said (old) Bogart and Le Fay approach to headless basses is also interesting. My Le Fay is called Right Hand Tuning (RHT), see below and you'll understand why.

My wife used the expression 'slim pickings' this morning which made me think it would be a great name for a country guitar player

This is an obvious technique problem that’s common for beginners. If I was starting again I would join Scott’s bass lessons where I’m sure there are copious lessons on proper technique.

There needs to be a drummer called Tom Thomson

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.