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So while I have a couple of days off work, I really wanted to take a couple of hours to scratch a P Bass itch I have, I don't know where it came from as I have NEVER liked the look or the thought of a P Bass, but I've been bitten recently and the itch is too much, so got to scratch it. I popped into Guitar Guitar in Newcastle and asked them to unfurl their in stock P Basses, line them up and let me try them all in a shootout fashion to see if any of them were a suitable ointment. With that said I was presented with lots of basses highlighting Fenders highly confusing catalogue of models, with a £5000 50's custom shop propping one end and a Squier Classic Vibe at the other, sandwiched in the middle were American Pro's, Vintera's, and Players series'. What a bloody hit and miss selection of basses they are, some were good, some were awful, combinations of good / bad strings, setups and neck feel, the £800 Vintera having a much better setup than the twice the price American Pro for instance... I can quickly talk about that £5k P bass here, and this is for people who have played it... that neck... WTF... it's a tree, U profile? sheesh!... ...So for an hour I went back and forward between 5 or 6 basses until I was playing just one and didn't want to put it down... that bass was... drum roll please... a... Squier FSR (Factory / Fender Special Run?) Late 50's Custom Vibe P Bass (awful mouthful) in a two tone sunburst (never liked this colour) with a anodised gold (never ever would have wanted this) pickguard... so it's a P Bass in a colour combination that I would never have looked twice at, it's got a maple fingerboard which I have forever told myself I don't like, and it's a squier... so why did I buy it? well put simply it's one of the best basses I have ever played, ever, I couldn't put it down, I went back to it after playing US Pros and Mex Vinteras and Players Series' and for me it was just better, the neck was better, the frets were better, the feel was better, it was just better so I left with it and then played it for 2.5 hours straight when I got it home, it's tremendous. £400, was the American Pro 4 times the bass? not a bloody chance. As for P Basses I thought they could only produce a stuffy wooly thumpy jumper sound, but it knocks most basses out the park for bark and bite, volume up, tone down and it just nails everything I want to play. I'm converted! It's a wonderful instrument, and I'm definitely coming round to the two tone sunburst and gold pickguard, it's classy in a "late 50's" kind of way 🤔.

My Youngest (13) is showing an interest... His mate plays electric guitar and his dad acoustic guitar in a kids church band occasionaly. Hopefuly Marcus can join em on the root notes and take it from there... I new that Cheapy Ibby would come in handy... a few well placed stickers... Wired both my GSRs VBT to make things easy, and left the PHAT II so he can join the 'Dark Side'... Sorted! Should keep him out of trouble and of the computer for a bit...

Not last night, but last Saturday, a three-hour afternoon 'invitation only' private do, organised by our 2nd guitar/keys. The hall, originally, in bygone days, a stable for coach and horses, it's quite spacious enough for the fifty or so folks attending. Firstly, though, a clean sweep... Plenty of access from the wide-open side door... S'not as easy as all that, this 'ere keys stuff... ... but it all works come the sound check ... A first outing, too, for the newly-built and as yet unpainted, Hartke-driven bass combo (more on that in the Build section of the forum...). Unproven for 'live' work, we'd hedged our bets with the Ampeg, just in case, and just as well, as the combo isn't up to the task on its own. Maybe with the planned 4x5 extension cab..? The Ampeg was fine, of course, so no worries for the evening... Some pre-gig ambience from our LED PAR lights... An unusual format for this, our first outing for a couple of years, with a two sets alternating two or three as The Daub'z, with all five of us, and two or three songs as a solo or duo, giving a sort of cabaret feel to the occasion. A first outing, too, for one of my e-drum kits, for a more cut-down, one-hand set-up, which worked quite well. No need for a massive FOH for such a small room; it's the Behringers on sticks that you see in the corners. This meant, however, no foldback, which makes e-drums a little... erm... 'delicate' to play. All I hear is the clickety-flack of the nylon tips on the pads, and nothing at all from the bass pedal..! The event went off well, with a good turn-out, despite hard rain all day, and a splendid time was had by all. If I get any decent shots of us playing, or, even better, any video, I'll add them here. As a group we shared a marine choucroute for evening meal after breaking down the gear and I was home at half-past ten. A format to be repeated, with some slight technical adjustments. I'm not sure it would work quite so well with a 'cold' audience, but we're unlikely to be playing out again for some time yet, in any case. Altogether a very satisfactory, if modest, event, so 'Happy Daze'.

He doth protest too much… I detect an unresolved Eden issue. @GearguyDid your Dad have a World Tour rig that he never let you touch??? 🤣

Olympic White P, maple fretboard, black pickguard, long strap, curly lead and curly top lip.

Here are also some pictures of the dot installation procedure, for posterity. First I figured out the middle point between frets. Then I made a small indent with something pointy, I recall it was a pin needle this time. Then I made it into a small counter-sink with just a small drill bit and finger power. This was to prevent chipping and all that nasty stuff. Then I made the final hole, 3mm I recall it was. And stuck the plastic pipe inside with a dab of regular locktite superglue. Added some tape for protection and used my mini-saw to cut it flush. The saw is just a metal saw blade cut in half and added some tape as a handle. Totally works. Then I cleaned the cavity with a smaller drill bit, just by hands. Packed in that glow-in-the-dark powder and added a drop of the super-thin starbond CA glue. It just sucks straight in, capillary action. Couple of times I even got a green flash of light due to the exotermic reaction, that was weird to see The CA glue is so potent that it generates a bit of heat when reacting. After some filing and fine grit sandpaper, et voilà!

Interesting... https://zoomcorp.com/en/gb/multi-effects/bass-effects/b6/?fbclid=IwAR2vWIJ3oqxhF91D3Clk1SO6FBUhMva0E8SRI2-cavz7ILoMO5CgexQIEBE

Here's the one in question .. Owned by Paul gray from around the last Rods album 78/79 through the damned black/album strawberries and into UFO .. It was a bass used just for studio/spare from what i gather and he owned it until early 2000's. I know the guy he sold it to and the receipts are from the guy who then bought it from him ...who sold it to me ... can be heard here if anyone cares .... and not for sale... Ever ! as it's the best playing bass in the world

Stop them! Drugs will be cheaper!

Fodera Emperor Deluxe Custom peacock maple top 5, FBass BN4 cocobolo top, Wal Mk3 5 spalted top, Ken Smith Elite 5 ebony top, Fodera Imperial Elite Richard Bona olive burl top.

Come on man. Spit it out. Tell us what you really think!

I ditched my amp and cabs completely for the very reasons described by the OP. I used to own a very nice (and very expensive) big rig that looked very impressive, but as the OP has discovered when all the gigs you do the bass goes through the PA it was starting to look a bit redundant. On the big stages as soon as I stepped away from being directly in front of my rig I could hear more or "me" in the fold back than I could from my cabs and on the smaller stages I was being asked to turn it down so as not to interfere with the FoH mix, that even stood directly in front of it the bass being supplied for the guitarist in his wedge on the other side of the stage was louder! At the same time I'd been following the various FRFR threads on here and they were making a lot more sense to me, so I sold everything and bought a Line6 Helix Floor and an RCF 745 powered cab. As I also play Bass VI in another band having a "neutral" sounding amp and cab system was a lot more versatile and saved having to carry a massive and complex rig that could cope with both "guitar" and "bass" sounds. And after selling all my conventional amplification I actually came away with a small profit! I don't miss the old big rig in the slightest. For the big gigs (Nottingham Rescue Rooms, Leeds O2 etc.) I do I don't even bother taking the RCF cab. I just give the PA a DI from the Helix and get a monitor mix that is balanced all the way across the stage. For the one gig I've done since changing where the PA was strictly vocals only the RCF was more than adequate for projecting the bass sound into the audience. For all the other in-between gigs I usually tuck the cab out of the way (the size and shape also lets me fit it in spaces where there would be no room for a conventional bass rig) and often have it firing across the stage so the rest of the band can hear me without it disturbing the FoH mix. All the sound shaping is done with the Helix and therefore what the audience hears is exactly what I hear on stage only much louder and with no nasty frequencies ready to spill into the drum and vocal mics and ruin the sound. It makes you think that the only bassists really benefiting from expensive boutique bass rigs are those who just play pub gigs where the bass doesn't go through the PA and their rig is entirely responsible for the bass sound that the audience hears.

The stock response should be 'P' bass. However, the correct answer is whatever you want and can afford because that is the essence of punk.

70s Punk? Think you'd have a job to beat a P bass, both in looks and tone. Probably covers most of the bass parts played in that era!

I've got a Tiesco Clubcard, can I help...?

The Ethiopians 'Train to Skaville' (Boops Riddim - must have been used on 100 other tunes, 54-46 probably the most famous)

Yeah I'm loving that colour very much 😁

Not to be outdone by @spacecowboybelow, I also bought a bass at Newcastle Guitarguitar yesterday. A Balaguer 'select series' Goliath. And here she is: Double humbucker with pull pots for each pup's volume that turn the pups into single coil. So it can be a jazz, and also a HH. Practising today I really love the bridge pup soloed, it has a lovely bark to it. It's very light, not weighed but would estimate at 4kg or less, so I don't know why it's called 'Goliath'!. The neck is gorgeous, see the pic. It also feels fantastic. I can see no improvement on this with any American made Fender. Apparently the 'Select Series' are made in a factory in Korea with 7 luthiers, so not mass produced a la Cort in Indonesia. It was £899, with a deal so mid range, price wise but the quality is way above MIM Fender (of which I own two). I feel like I've got a top of the range bass for a steal.

Managed to find a decent desk on eBay and picked it up quite cheaply. Also started on the acoustic treatment today too. I still need to install the computer and hook it up to everything. I also ordered a 16 rack unit which turned up damaged (thanks UPS) so I have an abundance of rack gear waiting for a home. I also got one of them portable vocal booths and managed to get some Producer's Choice sound blankets to cover it. The results are quite good actually and as it can be taken down it also saves on space.

I had a gig! Proper stage, PA, foldback, audience who could choose whether to listen or walk away, new songs to learn, and some great vocalists. This was my first time on a proper raised stage and it was was hard work, for sure. I struggled to hear the other musicians a little, and until yesterday I had no real concept of how long it would take to set up the kit - an 8 hour day for 90 minutes of playing. I have a new respect for people who play on stage, hats off to you all! It was fun. I want to do it again - but better!

One of us! One of us! And HNBD, you have bought well.

It distracts them and then I can post another thread about Br*xit....

40+ plus years a guitar player and resisted all that time playing the bass... always loved a good bass line though. Then I got an invite in 2019 to help out a local band who'd lost their bassist just before going into studio. Absolutely loved it. I'm a much better musician for the experience and we're still rehearsing and recording together.

First reaction. Ouch!!! Delayed reaction...ok that new processor seems to be quite a step up from the B3N and B1-4 and Zoom are clearly intent on going toe to toe with Helix and Headrush. Good for them - the more choice the merrier!

Not sure if this will work. I hope your youngster has fun! ( We do)🤘😂 I'll just say wait for it.... 20210405_135127.mp4

No choice for me regards the pick. I'm just not fast enough with a pick. Altho its rare i've come across a few punk bands from that era using finger style. Agree the pick does look better and gives more hard attack but i'm using the edges of my nails to get that pick sound. Band have been going for circa 40 yrs apparently and at rehearsals are more than happy with the sound and playing. The guitarist formed the band in late 70's so there's been a lot of changes over the years. Think he was surprised i agreed to do it as he knows me from the Glam Rock band but its a lot more enjoyable than i ever imagined. Band are all pretty good guys too. I've even used some of your Bass Tabs Paul. Think it was Babylon's Burning. Dave

Get in!! Been waiting / hoping for this. Thanks for spotting it. Im curious as to how many blocks can be used at once though… answering my own question… the G6 allows 9 effects on a patch, but a ‘large effect’ counts for two. Adopting that on the B6, which is very likely, would mean, for example, the mark bass amp model is a small effect and use only 1 space but the Ampeg one is double-sized so would take up 2 spaces of the 9.

We must have been half-decent last Friday, the landlord has booked us for New Year's Eve. 🙂

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I've a GR2 & I don't think I will find anything quite like it....for its Wet & Squelchy Envelope '. Also their value is rising..

Eddie and Hot Rods, now that rick has some history, the bass is now owned by my mate "Clarky" a member on here, im seeing him after as iv just fixed a truss rod for one of his other ricks so taking it round, al get him to post a pic of it 🙂

Welcome back my friend to the chat that never ends, Ladies and Gentlemen: Delvar, Dadd and Seashell! I think creating a second account then tapping a mod to reinstate the first one is just a way to double your TLRTs. Most cunning.

I have an s2 fretless bolt on, it has really detailed and clear fundamentals which is great for that mwah. I have tried a lot of other fretless basses over the years but the s2 is the king at this, and no fade away dead spots. I think the main reason for getting a status would be the carbon neck, without it it just becomes another well made bass which is ok but I might well go for something else if that was the case. Since getting the fretless I am now getting a fretted version, i have never played a fretted status but if it’s anything like the fretless I’ll be real happy…fingers crossed.

Reading between the lines, I suspect he's not a fan.

I think he's holding back . . . . !

The difference here is more likely about PMT (plus GAK/Andertons etc) selling many different lines to the masses (and thus relying on stock photos), while Peach are dealing with small numbers and have the time to photograph their entire inventory. Read into this what you want.

And a bit more progress. This time it's all about getting ready for gluing the wings to the neck. The back will have maple binding. It's a lot easier to cut the slot for this before the sides are glued. I used the great Radius Dish UK's binding cutting jig - with an added high-tech mod (rubber band) of my own. Spent some time working out the neck and headstock angles and then cut the side profile on the band saw, including the curve at the back: Starting to look like a guitar: