Leaderboard

Next job was to get a couple of swifts at the 12th fret. Normal stuff of MoP cut out with a jeweller's saw, chambers routed out with a 1mm bit in the Dremel and glued in with epoxy mixed with ebony dust: In the meantime, Jack was able to confirm where he wanted the toggle and pots (we're going conventional 3-way, V/V/T) and so I was able to thin the ebony internally for the switch to fit - taking a paper template so that I knew exactly where the thinning was - and then glue to second top section on: And then this morning was able to mirror the soft carve on the bottom half. And any excuse for a mockup The fretboard here is longer than it will finish up (this is slotted at 24 frets and it will end up at 21 or 22) and so the neck pickup position will be 2-3cm closer to the nut - but it gives a general idea of how it's going to look: And actually, Jack has sent me some custom Mojo wide-range pickups for it (Mojo pickups are great!) so this is probably a better representation, again with the neck pickup 2-3cm higher up than in the shot :

My gear is probably from Columbia 😛

From all over the world. Purposely limiting to just UK stuff is as cringy as the Americans and their ‘USA or nothing’ approach.

My trio of Warwick loveliness. recently got back into Warwick after many years away and lovin the ownership experience again. the thumb dirty Blonde came from desmondpot and the Streamer LX Jazzman came from warwickhunt.

Go for it. There's some nice wood under that finish, strip it down and oil it - you'll have a totally new bass on your hands. I'm just about to complete a similar project and couldn't be happier with the experience and the outcome. It won't lose any value at this stage - and it will gain value to you. Here's mine...

Like he said. 115s in general don't add any low end to 410s, and they have lower sensitivity and maximum output. That said, where 410s are concerned the Orange OBC isn't exactly stellar, being loaded with entry level Eminence Beta 10 drivers. I'd be looking at replacing it, rather than trying to augment it.

It's an RS924, all that's missing are pickups & electronics. Finish doesn't look awful to me, and it's an nearly 40-year old bass, so some scars are (almost) mandatory. All the irreplacable parts are there - the Hercules tuners & Accu-cast bridge are proper hen's teeth items. I would be inclined to stick a cream-cover DiMarzio DP126 set in it (original pickups were DiMarzio clones) and wire it passive v/v/t/t with selector. That way it magically becomes an RS824, the 924's passive sibling, and quite a lot like this one: https://reverb.com/uk/item/6200616-ibanez-rs824-roadster Stick a phase switch in the remaining hole in the body - that's where the active/passive switch was. Fwiw I have an RS924 and always use it in passive mode, I've even idly thought about removing the (very limited) active circuit & wiring it like an 824 so I can blend the pickups. The fact I can't is one of the reasons I don't play it as much as I should - it's otherwise an incredibly nice bass. The only other missing part appears to be the brass trc - you won't find an original so get one of these: https://reproguitarparts.com/#!/Ibanez-Roadster-Bass-Truss-Rod-Cover-Brass/p/5678959/category=1370956 These are great quality cold-cast resin/brass powder repros. I had one for a Musician resto & they're pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing. Broadly I'd say if it was mine, I'd do a sympathetic resto to RS824 spec, I wouldn't refin it, certainly not if I was considering I might sell it - these are pretty sought after & do command increasingly decent money, and removing the original finish will devalue it significantly.

I absolutely loved that classic Lemmy/Fast Eddie/Philthy line-up. Never quite the same after Eddie left.

I think Ashdown, in the interest of sales would probably pay me to do the opposite 🤣

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Some of the comments are good. We got a spot for rhythm guitar or bass, which would you like? Lemmy: Yes.

Jinkies. I thoroughly enjoyed those - thanks for sharing. Like a lot of these "isolated bass" dealios, it's quite surprising how loose they are when you hear them devoid of everything else. Tighter than a very tight thing on the records tho'. "Killed by Death," "Overkill" and (especially) "Stay Clean" are tons of fun. A neat reminder of how Motörhead in their prime, were a force of nature with their own gravitational pull and the power to bend light. They existed in their own world and defined a genre, in spite of hating what it was called.

You might be able to find some youtube clips on how to play this. Maybe its beyond some people's skills. Who am i to judge others ? 😂 I'd be happy to send you my notes on it. Dave

A bit of an update, I've been using the amp for a couple of days in rehearsal with a single 6" cab, surely the ultimate bijou pairing. I wanted the Gnome for just this sort of thing. We have a duo with amplified acoustic guitar and two vocals and I needed something super compact to carry with all our luggage or a weekend away which would produce a satisfying sound for rehearsal. Which it does in spades. Within 5 mins the amp was quite warm and fair enough to get the volume through a small speaker it was working about 3-4x harder than with a 'normal' bass cab. the funny thing was that as we turned up it stayed at a similar temperature and even between songs it seemed to stabilise at 'quite warm' not quite q hot water bottle more like the forehead of somebody with a bit of a fever, so maybe 40C. The tone controls are OK the bass control seems to shelve so bass is enhanced without getting extreme boost at the bottom end, the mid frequency is lower than my Peavey or MB so it really enriched the bass without getting harsh. The treble is not particularly dramatic, I mean it works but you don't get searing treble and with this speaker moderate roll off wasn't making a huge difference, but this speaker is only flat up to 6kHz so maybe it is acting mainly above this frequency. I liked the mid control though. The best sound I've had so far is with my Zoom Hartke emulation and a touch of compression and bass boost, it pretty much sounds like it does through headphones. the Gnome works well with flat controls and something else doing the eq/processing So tonight I took it all to an open mic in Reading, the Butler if you know Reading. everything else through the provided PA but bass through the Gnome and 1x6. Maybe 50 people in the pub and it was a lively night with an enthusiastic and noisy audience. The pub is an awkward space with an L shaped bar area. I needn't have worried the Gnome and mini speaker were more than adequate My duo partner says the bass dominated the on-stage sound and and Nicole running the sound said it was about right out front. The amp was up quite high and the compression light was flickering but I reckon there were a few more db if I wanted them. I you remember that this was with a tiny 6" speaker then with a couple of decent 12's I think the Gnome would cope fine with a shed building drummer. Finally if you are in Reading on a Friday go and check out the Butler's open mic. The standard was insane for an open mic, some of the singing was exceptional, there were at least six singers I'd have loved to gig with. the audience were enthusiastic too, it was a great evening. Aha looks like the host recorded us, this was with everything set flat with a tiny touch of the top trimmed with the tone on the j bass https://fb.watch/8P3Y8FUcuU/ apologies for the audience singing

Just... WOW. Don Blackman. Barry Johnson on bass.

What could be more straightforward!

Zoot 32” Funkmeister P bass review Over the course of 25+ years and many, many basses I finally concluded that: 1. I particularly love the Precision sound 2. I don’t need more than 4 strings 3. Standing around playing for up to 3 hours was stressful to my back and shoulders 4. I was getting stress injuries and ‘trigger finger’ with my left hand I have many friends who use basses made by Mike Walsh of Zoot (Iceni) bass in Essex. I originally hail from Essex (Mersea Island), and I’ve met Mike on a couple of occasions over the years. I did own a fretless 5 made by him many moons ago. I bought it 2nd hand from a guy in NI and it didn’t work out mainly because it hadn’t been looked after and the cigarette smell wouldn’t go away. Mike offers the opportunity to place a deposit and then make payments as the build progresses. He’s busy now and back to being a ‘one man band’ so build times are creeping up to and even over a year. I had a couple of basses to sell, and the monthly transfer of funds wasn’t an issue. Due to my regular changes to the spec the cost rose steadily! I have a 2008 Fender Jazz in off white with both white and tort plates. I bought it on Bass Chat (Nick Carey). He had the neck fettled by a top luthier (Mr Robinson in Bolton) and upgraded the tuners. I fitted a high mass Gotoh bridge and upgraded the wiring (still passive, VVT) It’s an awesome bass and more than the sum of its parts. It’s also the model colour wise for the Funkmeister and a keeper. Another huge inspiration was seeing Mike Birch’s black 32” scale Funkmeister P finished. So, to start with, a 32” scale. I believed that the 32” scale is the ideal compromise for me. I find 30” a little bit ‘wee’. Ownership for several months has validated this choice hugely. The body is scaled down to suit the neck and it’s also chambered which has made a huge difference to my comfort. I’ve not weighed it yet (I will, for the review) but it’s light! Lightweight Hipshot tuners are fitted with ‘proper’ ears and it balances absolutely perfectly. I wanted a matching headstock, a maple neck, and an ebony fingerboard. No front markers. I initially wanted a John East P Retro. Sadly, John was having problems obtaining the rechargeable battery at the time and they were temporarily (?) discontinued. Mike had a cream Haussel pickup that he suggested I could use. This was a change away from the black that I had in mind, but I thought it would work well with my colour scheme of off-white bass and ‘Colgate’ white plate. When the P Retro became unobtainium Mike suggested a Noll 2 EQ with an active/passive switch and passive tone powered by 18volts. I have heard many positives about Noll and went with that. Things I changed as the build progressed? 1. A zero fret was added 2. I decided that I would like a 3-piece neck for added stability. The centre of the 3 pieces is reversed. 3. The next add on was to add ebony veneers between the 3 neck pieces 4. I had Mike add in his ‘magic’ filter circuit with a switch between the controls 5. I had a 2nd ’tort’ plate made to give me that option I had already specified Dunlop strap locks and Dunlop flatwound strings. I value 4 main things in a bass. It must look good, play well, have good build quality, and have a versatile and strong tonal palette, capable of the job it’s designed for. It excels on all 4 counts. Looks: I love it! The finish is flawless, the ebony board is very black, the matching headstock is stunning and as an added, unexpected extra the neck is flamed maple. Looking down at the neck while playing can make me smile in appreciation as I see the flame finish and the neck veneers.. Playability: Perfectly balanced, light weight (7lb 10oz on my fishing scales), and that slightly shorter scale makes a huge difference to my left hand comfort. I went with Mike’s suggestion for the neck profile and it’s not particularly shallow as per modern trends, but it just feels right. Fret access (I don’t often go there) is very good too. Build: Its fit and build quality matches its finish. In terms of fretwork the neck is very well dressed and the trussrod is smooth and light to turn. The neck is super stable. The zero fret takes any mention of the nut depth away and the neck has a neat 5-bolt fixing. No build issues here. Sound: I generally play through a GK Legacy 800 head and one 8-ohm Accugroove Tri112L cab. I have a 2nd cab (both the earlier models with 2 variable controls on the rear) but I’ve not needed the 2nd cab yet. Bass to amp is via a Broughton tuneable HP filter and a EBS Microbass III. The Funkmeister has a huge range of tone for a single pickup bass. Firstly, and most importantly it cuts right through the mix at very low volume settings on the amp. Passive is pure P bass and active just boosts/cuts the same in bass and treble land. The passive tone works in passive only. I tend to run with the bass control centred and the treble backed off a tiny amount. Either that or passive with the tone set to taste. Mike’s magic filter? I guess it’s a sort of Low Pass filter. It’s a whole lot more than just rolling off passive tone. It gives the bass a real old school tone without taking away any of its ability to cut through. It’s great. It gets used often. The bottom line? I couldn’t be happier. I’m enjoying playing more than ever and much of that is due to the bass. My MiM Jazz and custom Sandberg Jazz with JE Uni Pre are sadly under used. The full spec sheet: Body: Zoot Funkmiester 32" from swamp ash finished in "off white/light cream" hi-gloss Neck: 32" Canadian maple neck with Bi-flex two way truss rod with modern 'C' profile. Finger board: Ebony with M.O.P. dot inlays to side and a compounded 16" radius and medium heavy fret wire Pickup: Haussel P pickup in cream Bridge: Hipshot "Kickass" in chrome Machine heads: Hipshot "Ultralite" with Fender clover leaf buttons in chrome. D Tuner Hipshot. String retainer: Hipshot "Ultralight" quick change E.Q. Noll 2 EQ Active/passive with passive tone and filter with swich Battery details: Gotoh 18Vdc quick change battery box. Top nut size: 40mm with zero fret Bridge saddle spacing: 19mm Neck finish: Hi-gloss to back of headstock matching colour front with smooth satin to rear of neck (playing area) Body finish: Hi-gloss off white with ‘tort' and brilliant white 3 ply scratch plates. Hardware: All other hardware in chrome finish. Price, £1325

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcCAQKr4UYsYL310LeEyUbGlwLdNjxTHb

Most of my basses are Japanese, with a German and an American in there too. Amp and cabs are 1st gen English Ashdown ABM. For build quality in relation to price, I've found Japanese instruments impossible to beat.

Happy talk - Captain Sensible

Met up with Sidney today in order to sell him a sat nav as he cannot find his way out of a well tied cravat without a liberal smear of premium brand peanut butter on his stirrups. In reality I met up with The Lord of The Dead at Bass Direct where he sold me a HX Stomp. As always, smooth deal, everything as it should be, a first class seller and a complete gentleman, deal with total confidence. Sid tried out some cabs. I showed my approval for one cab with a thumbs up and my disapproval for the other by dropping a really tasty air biscuit, we left shortly after, honour intact.

I just bought 10 sets of Warwick Reds from Thomann and they worked out at £7.09 a set. Bargain....

It's a long time since I had enough gigs to be able to pick and choose who I play for based on the company's business model!! I have no shame. I even used to gig in Watney's pubs when they were foisting Red Barrel on an unsuspecting public. We are seeing some pubs going cashless. I'm now being paid by bank transfer and even PayPal on some of my gigs. One regular pub had even stopped accepting cash from the customers! It's all change. We have to learn to live with these changes or risk sitting at home for months waiting for cash only gigs to come up.

I prefer my Stingray Bitsa to the real deal. That said I prefer all my Bitsa basses to their real deal counterparts!

I know it's gone now, but it would be Raspberry Red, I've had a 415 in this colour. Very much what other companies would call Dakota Red.

Can you check your amazon/ebay purchase history?

That seems like a massive ball ache for a pub gig?

Well as was said by one learned forum poster, you can work out your bass parts from listening or watching the guitarist, so all's good!

14 shows down, 10 to go. We did 5 straight nights last week and it’s 6 this week and 6 again next week. Physically demanding but great fun. Plus we get to perform with the Naughty Nurses (and sundry other characters) every night!

When I first read this, I thought you were joking. Then I realised you weren't, so I read it again and looked more carefully at the headstock. It's a really neat idea! 👍 What might also work instead would be to run a parallel scratch also from the top of the headstock, exactly the same length, pointing to the 3rd string hole. The current one points exactly to 5th. The two lines would then frame the bau logo and match.

I don't intentionally collect signature basses - they just seem to accumulate. More likely they have a) a great playability that suits or b) they have earned their keep. I don't go looking for signature basses on the whole. The three basses I currently have are: A black/maple Matt Freeman precision. I had no idea who Matt Freeman was/is when I bought it - it was a damn good bass. Still is. Now struggler's with TI flats. A Fender Flea jazz. Now I have heard of Flea...Admire his skills and playing but not a huge fan of RHCP. I picked up one in Andertons when I was looking at fretless basses just to see what all the fuss was about. Wow. Great pickups, nice neck, etc. The music teacher (gigging musician) at my school thinks it's the best bass he has ever heard. I sort of got it as I wanted something close to Herbie Flower's bass. The Flea is strung with black tape wounds - although not in this pic. Now, that is a signature I would be interested in. Next Bass Centre signature? A Betsy bass. This may be the one I got because it's a signature. I wanted a more modern sounding bass in contrast with the two above. This has the stock strings (Elites) still on it. Plays like a dream.

Give the guy a break. Apparently Zeus has been been working him in to the ground since things ramped up thanks to Covid and he isn’t getting any younger!

Hi Guys and dolls, I'm an old subscriber to Bass Chat but this is the 1st time I've ever written anything and I really hope I don't bore the pants off you. I don't actually know where to put this message so here it is here... I'm almost an OAP and have been a muso since the age of 8 years, starting on brass valved instruments and at 14, I began to play the bass trombone which I adore! You can make seriously loud noises on it without any lugging of amplification At 15 years, I began to play the bass and during my entire playing career have spent an utter fortune on various assortment of basses and gear. Nowadays, my collection is pretty sexy and totally over the top:- 1) Roscoe Century Custom 5 with top of the range Bartolinis (Barts' are my all-time favourite electronics). This Roscoe is laminated across its thickness with 5 woods, a mahogany body, maple, wenge, maple, and a really thick burl amboyna top which is carved by Keith B Roscoe himself. This is worth a fortune! 2) 2 more Roscoes, a 4 and a 5, both of which, filled with Barts... 3) A Tune Hatsun TWB53 5 string Canadian bass made for the 2019 NAMM show. 4) A Yamaha TR1004RB 4 string. 5) An Mike Tobias design Kingston fretless with Barts' 6) A fake Rickenbacker with Seymour Duncans fitted. (I've had 4 previous real Rickys but I didn't like their playability. I thought a cheapo one wouldn't be such an expense. 7) A SIRE V7 just like the look of Marcus's Fender Jazzes prior to his Fender Custom. 😎 On the way from Thomann is a SIRE P7 PJ bass with the same preamp as the V7 Jazz. It's the only one I could find with an ebony fingerboard. (I'm a tad worried about any potential HMRC payment I'll have to pay!) Amp wise, I have a Bergantino B|AMP with Berg cabs, a CN112 and a CN210, all of which I think are the ultimate amplification on the planet. Also, l have an EBS Magni 250 watt 1x15" combo which satisfies my rehearsal and smaller gig usage...EBS gear is so loud! Last but not least, my bass trombone is a Yamaha YBL 830 G Xeno Custom, 2 rotary valve system. Oh, and I've got a load of various pedals on a pedaltrain board. I love all my various instruments and I haven't mentioned all my 6 string guitars because that would make this even more boring and I'm extremely rubbish! Apologies for wasting your time if you've bothered to read it. Take care, and keep safe, and well. Kind regards. Den Finch.

Or was it even earlier...