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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/06/22 in all areas

  1. Well, customer service goes a long way with me. Even better when a retailer does you an unexpected favour out the blue. The story was that classic cutting a string too short. Bought some lovely DR's off here at a good price but stupidly cut the D string a tad too short that it was slipping on my newly purchased Stingray. Gutted to say the least I took to Dr Google to find me a retailer who'd sell me a singular string. Gutted even further i couldn't find anyone, other than across the pond, who'd sell a singular DR string. Enter 'another Lee' from Strings Direct - a quick email, unsure they can support so they'll get back, had a quick reply and luck is on my side - they're able to meet my needs...but it gets better - Lee to Lee you can have it for free. I'm bowled over by this to say the least! Despite offering they even paid postage...what amazing excellent support from a retailer, top notch! I've bought from them before but will make extra effort to go there again. Customer for life! Supreme customer service.....So BD in Middle Earth, UK i hope you're reading this So, I'm bigging up Lee at strings Direct - simply brilliant!
    11 points
  2. Hi people, my collection has recently grown and due to a house move I'm trying to be good and reduce it. So putting the feelers out to see if there's any interest in this stunning bass. It's a fibenare globe bass. If like myself (until I did some research) you've never heard of them, they are completely hand made in Hungary by 3 brothers. They make every single part in house (apart from the gotoh tuners) and it is of the highest quality. This was made in 2014 and had an original price of over £4k! Absolutely stunning woods throughout, alder body, burled top and flamed neck. The pickups are dual coil and split series/single/parallel and sound fantastic. It has a active passive push pull vol control and a 3 band eq. There is a low battery led on the rear cavity cover. 24 frets and adjustable string spacing (18mm currently) and a very very fast and easy to play shallow neck. Very good condition, a few marks as shown and some light scratches that won't photo. Comes with a perfectly fitted hardcase and will come with the original gold control knobs. Weight is approx 9.5 lbs and it balances perfectly. This is a really stunning bass that is amazing to look at but has the tone and playability to match. Cash sale and collection preferred, may take a part trade if I could sell it on easily enough. Will travel up to an hour if it helps a meet up. Any questions pm me
    8 points
  3. Yesterday was something a bit different. My originals-only band, Diamond Bridges, took part in The Rebel Ramble. This was a celebration of the 1817 Pentrich Uprising. A motley band, some dressed in period costumes, walked the route of the rebels from Pentrich in Derbyshire to Giltbrook on the Nottinghamshire border where they were stopped by a detachment of Hussars (in 1817, not 2022 😆). The organisers arranged entertainment at pubs and cafes along the route and we were invited to do The Crown at Heanor. There was a great atmosphere and everyone seemed to be having a good, if foot sore, time. We did it as a freeby, but we made lots of new friends and plenty of cash was going into a jar for the local food bank.
    6 points
  4. Here we have a spector ns-94 in black gloss finish, upgraded gold hardware (black spectors with gold hardware just look perfect), thru neck and a haz clone preamp. Currently strung with fender 7150 nickels and has all the bark and growl you would expect. I do still have the original black hardware and will of course include in the sale. I need to remember that a solid p bass and flats is absolutely my thing but I always fall for black spectors after seeing Blondie live years back and falling in love with Leigh Foxx’s tone. Will chuck in a gig bag but ideally need collection from Bolton or can meet/deliver within reasonable distance. No trades currently please as I already have my eye on a mij P. Pics to follow asap IMG_2748.MOV
    5 points
  5. Yeah, I was a fat kid too.
    5 points
  6. A very compact and bijou workspace for last night’s gig in a pub in Huddersfield, reminds me why I use short scales for most gigs. A bit of an adjustment after a run of gigs in larger clubs and bikers rallies. A good night was had by all though and the LL informed us of remodelling work, knocking out walls which will mean a decent stage area for the next one. Up at the Farmyard rally in Helmsley next week so plenty of shoulder room!
    5 points
  7. This one is using @Phil Starr's original plans. I have very little faith in my own ability to use power saws accurately (see later) so I found a place that would supply cut panels and got the panels from there. After getting panels, battens, speaker, connector plate, and speakons, the first thing to do was mark up all the panels for drilling. I wanted to screw and glue everything, so marked up lines to screw into the centre line of the battens and the centre line of the side panels and drilled 3mm holes. That was a few days ago. Then I got the screws and the glue arrived, so today was the next stage. Both sides battened up. Then the top (part battened in this photo): And with the bottom also done, I glued and screwed the sides to the bottom (seen inverter here): The mitre clamps aren't exactly up to professional standards, but they were four for a fiver or so off Ebay (rather than four or five quid each) and they did the job. I also cut the hole for the connector plate and for the port, and the hole for the speaker (which was a little wobbly but OK). Last job today was gluing the port in place. I was going to use grill cloth but after seeing @Pea Turgh's build, I've decided that the circular speaker grills look OK and it'll be simpler to work with, so one of those is about to be ordered. Given the absence of a router at Zero Towers, plus my complete lack of experience at handling said beast, I think rounding over is going to be by means of a sander. Front and rear panels will be getting blackchalkboard paint and I shall probably be wrapping the main body - I have an idea but I shan't reveal it yet. Current plan of action is to finish box assembly tomorrow and do the painting and covering in the week.
    4 points
  8. *** Now Traded *** Hi Folks, Heavily modified 70s MIJ Maya Jazz 'Stealth Bass' , with John Birch pick-ups For Sale. Back in January, I was scouring the internet as you do, looking for an unusual bass to buy, and this one caught my eye on Gumtree. It's a heavily modified 70s Maya Jazz Bass (which in itself is a good thing IMHO) that has been turned into a 'Stealth Bass', complete with a body refinish in a kind of satin black (that's almost impossible to photograph), and kitted out with all black hardware, which I think looks great with the maple neck and black block inlays. The most interesting of all those mods are the two John Birch pick ups, which are not only very unusual, but super-loud and sound great! The guy I bought it from who had all the work done, said he wanted the loudest, punchiest sounding pick-ups he could find, so he chose these... There seems to be a lot of mystique around John Birch pick-ups, and I have to confess, I don't know much of the background .. But these pick ups - set up in a simple V/V/T configuration - really are quite different sounding to me.. Too my ears, they're much more like a proper vintage Thunderbird than a Jazz Bass, but there's a fab, old-skool, Motown tone to be had too from the neck pick up and, when balanced so that the bridge pick is more prominent, the sound reminds me a little of my old Wal Pro IIE basses.. I'm not 100% sure, but I think these are John Birch Hyperflux pick-ups.. See here for more details.. https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/swd/years-ago-i-heard-of-a-company-out-of-birmingham-england-that-made-guitars-and-many-models-of-pickups-who-was-it-and-what-kind-of-pickups-did-they-make-lewis-harley-isle-of-sky-scotland And there's more info on John Birch as a luthier, and his pick up designs, here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Birch_(luthier) (I've included a couple of photos of basses fitted with John Birch pick-ups for reference..) When I bought it, the bass played well and sounded really good to my ears, but I was convinced that the bridge was slightly out of alignment. So, I took it to our very own @gary mac, who did an excellent job of moving the bridge 2mm, and giving the bass a good set up with a set of D'Addario NYXL strings... The action is set now at what I would call medium height , and the neck plays really well.. However, the truss rod is working as it should, so a lower action could definitely be achieved on this bass if required. Weight is 4.6kg (10.14 lbs). As quirky and cool as this bass is, I find myself still defaulting to either my G&L SB1 or my BC Rich Eagle when playing, so this is just not getting used.. Hence why, as part of my gear clear out, I've decided to put it up for sale. Hard to put a value on this, but it owes me the best part of £400, so I'm offering it for sale at Now Traded. Try out welcome and collection preferred from Potton, near Sandy in Bedfordshire, but postage is possible at buyers expense and risk. Please note that I don't have a case for this, but I would ensure that it is very well packaged up for shipping. Having said that, I do have a nice tweed Thomann case that could be included at an additional cost.. Any questions, please ask here or send me a PM and I'll do my best to answer them. Thanks for looking.. 😊 Nik
    4 points
  9. Only had the Fallout on a couple of gigs so far; was pretty impressed with it’s sonic abilities, very clear and defined. Overall has a few have said, dimensionally it feels more of a full sized bass than my Mustangs.
    4 points
  10. Blimey we have one missed ending cue EVERY SONG... even without a dep drummer!
    4 points
  11. Here is a video of a trio I did as we were coming out of lock down the first time. I chose to use a £150 Harley Benton bass because I was looking for a certain vibe. I left the £2000 double bass and £5000 Wal at home. Nobody gave a s***. In my experience, gear snobbery is a sign of an amateur. Anyone who really understands what being a musician means will wait until they hear a player before judging them and will pretty much never comment on their gear. A poor player is a poor player, whatever instrument they are playing and a great player is a great player. This is not genre specific and applies to all settings including classical, jazz and everything else. It's the music that matters not the instruments.
    4 points
  12. I didn't bin it in the end. Four years later I get around to buying some blackboard paint and fitting a vintage Fane driver instead of the excellent HH which was a guitar thingy unit. I shall be fitting the recommended driver if I decide to use the cab on stage. You would of thought lock down would of given me time but as I work for the national grid it didn't happen. I changed my member name as I messed up signing in so often too.
    4 points
  13. RAGS WARNING... Just a quick note, Rags from using with some oils, like danish oil can Spontaniously Combust!... So a little caution... wet the rags, and allow to dry flat, outside before disposal, dont screw them up oily and put in the bin... especially indoors!
    4 points
  14. I have the sunburst roadworn model and they are truly wonderful to play. If you are even semi interested/curious, do some research and buy one - they really are some of the best Mexican Fenders ever made
    4 points
  15. Emergency Exit punk band at Graeme Hotel in Falkirk last night. Odd gig as audience seemed to come and go in crowds. No rhyme nor reason it seemed to go from busy to quiet and back to busy thru the full night (2.5hrs) Feedback was great and we were persuaded to do 5 encores by the enthusiastic audience including bar manageress and bar staff altho last one was a repeat song from first set. Got a request from a very nice looking young lady to see if she could come up and sing some Joni Mitchell. Had to decline tho. Once again at this gig someone collided with the vocal PA cab at my side and i had to stop playing and catch it from falling. It turned out to be the bar manageress who did apologize profusely. 😂 Dave
    4 points
  16. 1978 Fender Musicmaster Bass. All original except the pick up was upgraded to a Seymour Duncan SSL-1. This short scale bass has had a recent set up and new strings. Plays really well. Condition wise it’s great considering it’s 44 years old. No case or bag(apart from a well worn gig bag that came with it.) You’ll see these retail at far higher prices so grab this while you can. I was looking for one for ages and ended up with two hence moving this one on. I do have the original pick up which could be included by separate negotiation if you’re looking to have an all original instrument. Happy to meet up to exchange with in reason.
    4 points
  17. The clear out continues…Ashdown drophead 30w valve bass combo. Essentially Ashdowns answer to the classic Ampeg B15 - an all valve fliptop type combo. Fitted with castors and comes with fitted HotCovers padded cover. I also changed the silver pre-amp valve covers for black ones as it just looks cooler. Power valves replaced last month with a matched russian set. The ultimate motown tone with this and a flats loaded precision bass (not included in this sale) I bought this in lockdown for something nice to play whilst i was holed up. Alas now the gigs are back on i need to fund something bigger for what we do. Collection only from Bolton or can meet/deliver within reasonable distance. No trades on this im afraid
    3 points
  18. I Predict a Diet ~ Chris Moyles Doubly correct, some may say 🤔
    3 points
  19. I fell out of love with this for quite some time, but just recently (since returning to gigging after lockdown) it’s my go to.
    3 points
  20. I just purchased a new to me Stingray BFR so a few basses need to go to try and make up for some of the cost. Here is my Geddy Lee Jazz Bass which has been Crafted in Japan which I’ve had for about 4 years. It has the 70s bridge pickup position for that punchier bright sound and it has the thinnest jazz neck on market. It is in good condition but as it is black it is very hard to photo. There is small scrap on the body contour and a scrap at the bottom on the back near the jack (see pics), there are a few small dings but they are barely noticeable, none of the marks have been made by myself as I look after all my gear. The previous owner appears to have also rubbed the gloss down to the skunk stripe and then re-glossed it (see pics) however it now has more of a satin feel to it and is very smooth to play. I have just put new D’addario 105 - 45 nickels on it and done a full set up with low action at 2mm on the 12 fret and plays fantastically well with no fret buzz anywhere on the fretboard. Comes with a Fender gigbag and weights 4.5k. Price is £650 plus UK shipping fully insured with UPS which is usually around £40. I have an extensive boxes and bubble wrap etc to ship it properly. Feel free to message me with any questions. Thanks for looking, Jimmy.
    3 points
  21. I used to use a Status Streamline but it didn’t fit in with the look of a Glam Rock band so I ended up with one of these...
    3 points
  22. Afternoon gig in a town market yesterday. Our fourth one together, and was really quite excellent performance-wise. Sadly only two microphones on stage so I had to project loudly over my bandmates left shoulder!
    3 points
  23. Nothing is OK. It will stain and dirty over time, but functionally will be completely unaffected. Wax is good. I finished a bubinga Jack Bruce Warwick tribute for our band's bassist entirely with wax. It looks just as good now...10 years later. I used Lord Sheratons beeswax from Sainsburys, but Briwax takes some beating, and you can get that in various tints.
    3 points
  24. I'm on my second. The first a Rhino Edwards Charger, this one is a S2 built for me a couple of years ago.
    3 points
  25. Friday night I was depping with a covers band I used to be a member. A private party at a hotel in Clapham, just outside Bedford. Just before I arrived I got a text from the singer saying her hubby (guitar and PA) had just turned up at Luton. She’d texted him the postcode to their son’s cricket match on Sunday. To make things worse the A6 was shut due to an accident. We managed to start on time and a had a good gig. Alls well that ends well!
    3 points
  26. To be strictly accurate, after wearing them once or twice, the socks I bought from Next had at least two holes in most of them - one to put my feet in and one to let my heel get a better view of the world. Some had a third hole, as the toes were jealous of the heels' ability to admire the view.
    3 points
  27. I like my socks to have holes in when I buy them so I can get my feet into them.
    3 points
  28. They're still heavy basses! Just not quite as heavy as one from the 1980s. Personally I like the heft of a good hardwood bass with solid hardware on it. Don't own anything under 10lbs. As to the orginal question .... NO NO NO NEVER NO AND NOT AT ALL. Electric Wood are are making a decent living making a good product at a low rate of supply. If they're happy with that, why should they change a thing.
    3 points
  29. I use the older V4BH head with the same cab. Sounds absolutely superb with any of my Fenders or spector. It just works
    3 points
  30. Never Ghana Give You Up ~ Rickie A
    3 points
  31. And so in the wee hourse of 12th June 2022, Twiggy burst into life! I am now a builder of basses (Well, builder of one bass ... so far) I printed a 0 fret mount The fretwire and 0 fret unit are held in place by friction. You can also see the string clamp unit in place, now with a NeoMag Allen key mount. Tuners all set up Mounting plate printed for the pickup. Mid mounting With the pickup mounted also And with the addition of a pen saddle (I ran out of steam!) I am pleased to present Twiggy We moved to the music room (My living room lol), I plugged her in, tuned her to pitch and ... The B0 string sounds OK and is not too floppy. Given these are a £5 set of random bass strings from Amazon I am happy that a 780mm scale length will work for me. The tuners are stiff but seem to have a reasonable ratio. I shall see what happens overnight, if anything pops or the tuning drops. Definitely need to revisit these (Tho there are a couple of commercial options that would make sense, I particularly like the look of the Nova system ... just need to figure out how to afford them) The action is way too high. I can resolve this by milling out a recess at the head for the string clamp and 0 fret (Given the noise this will make and my tiredness this will wait till tomorrow). Pen-saddle was expedient but will be upgraded tomorrow with 5 separate smaller versions of the 0 fret mount. I might even add a couple of grub screws to allow me to adjust the saddle height; the intonation will be adjusted by moving the saddles up/down the string. I am starting to fall in love with Twiggy so am now pondering how I might shape the back of the neck to something ... well, less like a 2x4! I guess this will have a limited lifespan as there is no stiffening or truss rod fitted (Hmmmm ... I suppose I could mill out a space for these) And I need to add something to house the electrics, gaffer tape is just a stopgap! Once I've modified the string clamp, 0 fret and added the saddles I'll adjust the intonation and try to get a recording of Twiggy in action. Time to sleep now ... perchance to dream gif.mp4 S'manth x
    3 points
  32. Yeah. I’ve got to move gear on. Wish people would stop having lovelies for sale 😂
    3 points
  33. I am jealous when I watch a player with a 'cheap' bass. Is it because of the bass? No - it is usually because they are a better player than me!😇
    3 points
  34. NOW SOLD Before the introduction of the Sterling by Musicman range, OLP (Officially Licensed Product) briefly produced the MM22 bass - effectively an active budget Stingray with two humbuckers. Many OLPs have been modified to be active – this one was designed and built that way in the early 2000s. The MM22 was made in Korea, unlike its brand predecessors, and was good enough for Sterling Ball to reportedly say: ‘OLP quality was all over the board much to my disapointment… why do you think I cancelled the deal? The irony is that the last batch were made in Korea at a higher price point due to the Sub leaving the markiet and they were truly great... too good, but too late.’ My pristine example is finished in a metallic flecked grey/gold – very hard to describe but very attractive on stage. Also unlike earlier OLPs, it has a three-band EQ and five-position switching, which opens up many possibilities. On a physical level, having a second humbucker also lets habitual Fender players like me anchor their thumb, something I could never do on the three Stingrays I have previously owned. Switching options: 1. Bridge humbucker 2. Inner coils (both) 3. Both pickups 4. Outer coils (both) 5. Neck humbucker So the tonal options range from the bridge pickup’s anticipated Stingray tone through a hollow Gibson EB type sound through Bongo to Jazz (great for slap) and finally a P-like thump at the neck. If that’s not versatile... Hardware-wise, the metalwork is certainly as good as MIM Fender. The MM22 has a basswood body but also has contours, as per the ‘real thing’. But the real star of the show is the fast and very playable neck, 42mm at the nut. It has an attractive flame in it but is also lacquered – I never liked the painted US Sub neck nor did I get on with the oiled EBMM necks, so this scored with me. To cut a long story short, if you buy this you get a Stingray-esque bass for considerably less than Squier money. Its been cleaned, set up and re-strung with d’Addarios, ready to rock or funk as appropriate. Here’s a video demontrating a similar example, plus photos of the actual bass. Thanks for reading! STOP PRESS: PRICE REDUCTION TO £249
    3 points
  35. Oh and I need a bit of pipe for the port. However, visually, I’m done!
    3 points
  36. Currently listening to one of my favourite albums ever, Marillion's Clutching At Straws.
    3 points
  37. Sadowsky Germany- YouTube
    2 points
  38. For years my criteria for a bass guitar were that it had to be affordable and versatile, i.e. suitable for a range of genres as the band I was in played all sorts of songs and all sorts of gigs. We were mostly in pubs to start with and the acoustics were almost always dodgy, so the sound was secondary. For the first 12 years of my bass gigging 'career', I didn't own any new basses and hadn't paid more than about £250 for the ones I had. As the gigs got better (and as I improved as a bass player) I started to invest in the sound aspect; better amp and speakers and a new Epiphone EB0. Finally I decided to buy a 'decent' instrument (a Sterling Ray34HH). I've never experienced bass snobbery although I've seen guitar snobbery aimed at our guitarist and on one occasion a case of band snobbery - we were gigging in a pub and another band was watching. Halfway through the set they decided to critique our backline for some reason. After a while our singer engaged with them along the lines of 'what's the matter guys'? to which the response was something like 'we'd never gig with that old kit'. So he asked them where they were gigging tonight. And where they were gigging tomorrow night. And next week. They walked off and later the landlord explained that they rehearsed in the pub but never actually played any gigs.
    2 points
  39. jesus of the moon - nick cave
    2 points
  40. It’s pretty cool as is! Nicer with the hardware on I bet!
    2 points
  41. Katana Hot Tin Roof Dina Washington
    2 points
  42. Hong Kong Garden Siouxsie And The Banshees
    2 points
  43. Turning Japanese - The Vapours
    2 points
  44. Not From Where I'm Standing ~ The Wedding Present
    2 points
  45. These basses are amazing. I'm loving the tone with chrome flats through an Ampeg SVT 4 head and an old Aggie GS410 4 ohm cab.
    2 points
  46. Makes sense, in the punk/Oi scene there are bands that are “difficult” shall we say, many promoters seem to only end up putting them on once (or until they kick off about something trivial) and these bands don’t seem to gig that often. Whereas some other bands who are easy to work with get a lot of said work.
    2 points
  47. Trial fit before the last coat of finish, just to be sure. It's coming together!
    2 points
  48. Your not being over critical, that’s way off , I’d be sending that straight back
    2 points
  49. There's a fine line between raising prices enough to maintain a profit margin and raising them just enough to stay in business. Small entities like BB are more able to walk that line, not having either shareholders to placate nor a top heavy management to feed. As for profit, here also small entities tend to not have any. If times are good whatever may be left over after covering salaries and costs don't go to shareholder dividends or executive bonuses, they get reinvested into the business.
    2 points
  50. Brand snobbery is an intrinsic part of capitalism. Is a US Fender really 2 or 3 times beter than Mexican? Is a 4x4 Porche really 3 or 4 times better than a Skoda Yeti? The answer is only 'yes' as long as people believe in the added value from the prestige of the brand. Otherwise it's almost impossible to account for the mark up just from the 'higher quality' components used in the prestige brands.
    2 points
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