Leaderboard

Given the name of the band, there's an obvious irony here ...

New Bass day! Always been a fan of spector, ever since I started playing. According to Facebook I got my first 9 years ago, a CR5FM it sounded fantastic,buy eventually moved it on as I found the weight and scale a bit much at the time. I regretted it ever since! After a bit of recent searching I have today received a Twin of my old Euro, a Euro 5LX-TW in natural. Much lighter than my old one and a shallower neck too. It has the Alder/walnut sandwich with a slightly quilted maple top, with the Tonepump circuit. It has these lovely EMG CS TW pickups, which means that are ceramic and Steel magnets, giving a warmer sound. They can be coil tapped to single coil with pull switches, although I've found they have a large drop in volume in single coil mode. Using these is cool in that with both pickups on, you can coil tap either pickup and it emphasises the other but sounds tighter than the pickups alone (for example the front pickup is boomy on its own, coil tapping the bridge sounds more like the front pickup, but tighter. The two split coils can be used for quieter mellower tones). Really pleased to have a new Euro and its a great counterpart to my Euro4 which is more aggressive. A picture came on Facebook today, posing with my CR5FM and my baby daughter Cora, so we decided to recreate it 🤣 my thanks to Mr Travis for putting the two together.

… for when space is tight on a gig … R to L signal, Korg Pitchblack Mini - Xotic SP compressor - Markbass Raw Octave - Sfx Micro Black Dragon - TC Electronic Corona Chorus mini - Aguilar DB 925 preamp. All powered by a 6 way daisy chain and a 1 Spot (but have the option of a Volto) and mounted on a Pedaltrain Nano. I use this in a Motown/Soul/Funk band I gig with when space is at a premium (lol, most gigs so far!). The compressor is always on, use the Octave when playing Superstition in C (singers!) and a combo of octave, dirt and chorus for a synth effect when playing Mercy. The Aguilar is a new addition so not sure if it’ll be an always on kinda thing to fatten the tone somewhat (but I could do that with the amp EQ) or for the infrequent times I get to ‘stand out’ for a few bars ha ha.

Some significant progress this morning - have cleared most of the top coat (just the sides left to go and had a little experiment of getting through the clear sealer / primer coat - man that was a b****!! So, I got quite excited first off, burnt off the top coat in a small area, a bit of a rub with 120 grit sandpaper and wahey!! Wood! oh wait... nope, that's the clear sealer coat. Hopes of a quick job were dashed. So, I burnt a bit more off around the control area just to be sure there was no damage to the wood itself and I thought, 'Odd - I can still feel it'. Start sanding and then realise that this was the sealer coat. Damn. So I sand.... and sand, and sand some more until finally, I start to see wood. And I am PLEASED! Lovely grain and gives me hope that a strip and a wax was not such a terrible idea after all! Yes it is a lot of work, but I can get through a lot of it with a tougher grit and an orbital sander leaving the finer stuff to hand. Will be a lot of work but the outcome should look good in the end I hope! The control knob recesses will be tough, as will the sides as I would be wary of tackling these with a orbital sander for fear of mis-shaping them. Any advice is welcome on that front! Overall I am pleased with the look of the wood so far, and you can kinda see the grain patterns through the sealer coat so I think it is definitely going to be back to the wood. When I get there I may ask for opinions on finishing as I want to achieve a satin lacquer look - not heavily glossy but with a nice smooth finish. Feel free to chip in at this stage with opinions! Going to try and strip the rest of the top coat from the sides later today and then the sanding can begin!

Why Wise Ed? ～ Rush

You Can Deepend on Me ～ Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

I posted this over on TalkBass in response to jb90’s comments, but I think it’s applicable here as well: My feeling is that one benefit of a public forum is an open discussion of both the benefits AND drawbacks of a piece of equipment, as well as potential challenges in learning how to operate a new piece of gear. Everyone benefits from these kinds of discussions provided they remain civil and respectful. What is not cool is when the discussions evolve into accusations based on incorrect information leading to false accusatory conclusions. Life is not all “glitter and unicorns”, there are going to be issues with any new gear. To avoid such discussions really do the community a disservice in the bigger picture IMO

I'm here now...the whitelocks and all the other small pubs were fabulous but nearly all of them only had pale ales ...I like good old fashioned "amber" bitter and my go to reserve of Cider was also not to my taste in aany of them, hence I didn't stay long in any of them. The Duck and Drake is still a spit and sawdust pub .. suits me ... and the band are apparently Americana, which I don't mind ... looks like I'll be here all night( they have two Amber bitters) ! 👍👍

There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards - Ian Dury and The Blockheads

White Diet ～ The Clash

My first ever bass was a short scale Arbiter SG type, I didn't keep it long 🤣 recent problems with Carpal Tunnel, has forced me to look into one, to continue playing. I tried a couple in my local music shop (Fender Player Mustang and Sterling stingray) and was very impressed by the sound quality (although I had issues with the Sterlings build quality for a bass costing in the region of £800) After lots of research online,I decided to take a gamble on the sire U5! What a great sounding and well built little bass! I restrung it through the body with normal scale Dunlop superbrights and it sounds huge. It has the deep bass that shortscales are known for, but the maple board and 70s position back pickup give it a lot of bite. Its definitely redefined my thoughts in short scales, however I personally struggle playing past the 12th fret with an octave pedal, the frets are so dinky🤣 so long term, when I eventually get my operation and hopefully recover, I'm not sure I'll continue using it. Mind you both my daughters have fallen in love with it and now want to play, so they'll have a much better first bass, then I did 😁

Lol.....I'm still finishing my current video and will post the answer video in a few weeks.....I apologize for the inconvenience: I no longer play music for a living after 30 years but I am a full time RN.....I squeeze making videos into a very busy life. A Big thank you to everyone that subscribed....I hadn't expected to get to 500 so soon and i am deeply grateful 😀

The start of another month of music making to be inspired by last months winner @Doctor J As he has noted in his choice of picture "Choosing the picture is more pressurised than recording the music! " A 'pressure' I have been chasing for a while ..... So without further ado we have the following for you an excellent reminder that today is the first meteorological day of Autumn Simple rules ✔️ Entries must be <5 minutes and recorded this month. ✖️ No illegal samples, copyright infringements or other snide goings-on ✖️ No Bagpipes. the Edinburgh festival/fringe truce has been sacked off . panpipes only if you have too. ✖️ No voting for your own entry. We'll know. And we'll shame you. A line or two offering an insight to your inspiration/track choice will be good as well , it works nicely on the voting thread. The Deadline for entries is Midnight on Friday 23rd September good luck everyone

This is simply not true in general. Tube amps do not have a problem with low master volume control settings unless that is an inherent part of a specific design, in which case suggests that a master volume control should not be included if it’s not intended to be used as such.

I'd go with a Barefaced Super Twin. 2x12. No tweeter. Huge tone.

I have had a Vintera JB on order for since June, and still not getting a delivery date I cancelled. Found a nice Fender 2005 CIJ 62 RI Jazz Bass online, ordered and it arrived yesterday. It had a few high frets so did a full level, re-crown and polish this a.m. On with some new Fender 7250M strings and did a setup. Plays beautifully, really slick with 1.6mm at the 12th... It has a duff tone pot so I'll be replacing the Jap Alphas with CTS and a Switchcraft jack, this w/e if the bits arrive. I'm really happy with this Jazz.

That was quick "Hello This article applies especially to eBay sales. You can insure guitars that were sold on a guitar forum. Should you need more information, please let me know. Kind regards, Marie Vastel | Account Manager "

I've sent them an email: " Dear Sirs I was looking at your tems - Art 6.2 in particular. Can you confirm how you define "online marketplace" please? I understand that services like ebay would be an online marketplace, but there are some guitar forums where private sellers have to pay a small fee or subscription to be able to sell. It's no different to a fee for putting a private advert in a newspaper. The website owners do not get a cut of the sale proceeds or take any interest in the transaction at all. Would that be considered an online marketplace and thus mean you would decline cover? What about classified adverts where the website does not charge a fee at all? Would that be different? Perhaps your list of definitions could be updated to clarify that. Thank you, and kind regards" I'll post any response I get.

That’s it then isn’t it? Is Moondance the equivalent of ‘Mornington Crescent’?

cocaine - jj cale

I’m fine with lightweight cabs and Class D heads. And I’ve had them repaired and serviced. I have a GenzBenz Streamliner so when I realized agedhorse was still servicing them it was a no brainer. Off it went to California. It’s now like a brand new amp . My main practice amp is a tiny GK MB200 , and it sees heavy use daily. It developed the famous “ pink ring of doom” and was seen by a qualified technician. The fan had stopped working and the ICE power module had to be replaced , it was fixed , and is back to rigorous use. Class D heads can be serviced. My main gig amp is a Bergantino , I’ve yet to find any issues or problems. However should anything happen I’d call Bergantino , their customer support is legend. The Berg and Liner are completely different amps. The Liner has a three tube pre and can do that warm tube thing , the Forte is a stripped down clean transparent slam. I enjoy the differences. I like them both. I recently picked up an SWR Headlite for a song on the local kijiji buy & sell. The amp is clean , everything works just as it should , and I’m aware some parts are no longer available , so when it eventually goes it might be gone. I was quite aware of that when I bought it. For the time being it fires up and sounds just as it should. I expect years of future use. I gig every weekend , and use Bergantino HDN cabs. Never had a better stage sound , I smile every time I lift one. I’m fine with D heads and lightweight cabs. But I have friends that run multiple tube heads and big rigs and swear by them. To each their own. I’m fine with that too , but I’m thankful to be using smaller and lighter gear. I think my back is too.

It's always struck me as odd that, whilst most people view it as normal for instrumentalists to work at their craft, practice scales, acquire theoretical knowledge and so on, many seem to think that singing well is all down to "talent". Proper singers know different, of course and will learn vocal techniques and exercises and practice just as any musician does. They know that having a decent sounding voice (which is something one is born with) is only a starting point. Shame there aren't more who think that way.

This is a topic I've been trawling for an answer to, for weeks. I want a battery powered bass option when the rest of my band have acoustics and away from power, so I can be heard and hear myself. I'm fortunate enough to own a Warwick Alien but it can struggle to cut through when playing outside and with a couple of other guitars, acoustic percussion/drum/cohon etc, I'd much rather have a battery bass combo that has good sound quality and is controlable. So, options... 1. PJB briefcase with battery option: https://pjbworld.com/cms/index.php/product_bg-200/ Great sound quality, expensive (even more with the battery option) and difficult to find to try let alone buy. 2. PJB Double Four (Newer model) with "laptop battery input" option: https://www.pjbworld.com/cms/index.php/product_bg-75/ Great sound again, more affordable, laptop battery option not ideal and difficult to find a supplier for battery. 3. Roland Micro Bass Cube: https://www.roland.com/uk/products/micro_cube_bass_rx/ Much more affordable, more available - seems like the go to option. 4. Battery powered bass amp like these: https://pignoseamps.com/product/hog-20-recharging-portable-amp/ £150-£180ish https://blackstaramps.com/fly-bass/?product_id=843 £80ish https://www.laney.co.uk/amps/bass/mini/mini-bass-nx £80ish IMO all come up far short of what I want and almost a waste of money in a group environment 5. Other option - rig a battery solution to power an existing small amp. Relies on own knowledge of requirements and making it myself. However there is another way... https://www.amazon.co.uk/ALLPOWERS-Portable-41600mAh-Generator-Emergency/dp/B09M3S5H9M I have just got it and tested with my MicroMark and it all seem to work fine. I'll feedback more here when I've seen how long the charge lasts etc but initally seems great and is a flexible power option too rather than a laptop backup that is restrictive. Its small easy to use, quick to charge from the main and can be charged by a solar panel (not supplied). The sound and output seems IDENTICAL to mains powered and infinitely better to option 4 above, (I have not been able to check out option 2 or 3, but have tried a PJB briefcase before (mains powered) and loved it but thought it was a little expensive). So, hopefully rather than have another BassChat member regret shelling out another £80 on a Laney that claims to be a bass battery amp, I thought I'd share this option as I was far happier to spend £160 and get something that delivers a tone I am familiar and satisfied with, plus I can use it for other things when I want. Check back for an update after I've tried it for a bit longer...

Basschats Resident Wire Man @KiOgon aka 'Looms-a-plenty' is ya man... I have his neat n tidy VT loom in a P and a VBT in a Jazz... Loads of satisfied customers on Basschat. Lot of love for the Wilkinsons and Entwistles... keep an eye in the FS...

Probably the only 210 I’d think as being up to it is the Barefaced 210. But to be honest Stu I’d look at getting another of the same 112, assuming it’s 8ohm of course. Not sure about your band or gigs you do but in general I look at most 210s as being just not quite enough. If a single cab is def your intent then in that position I’d be checking out 212s.

As msb points out, your reading and busking skills need to be on point. Bands on cruise ships must be versatile and be able to play virtually whatever is asked of them at the drop of a hat. Two pals of mine (one now sadly passed) used to play for Joe Loss when his was the resident band on the QE2 (so this was a while back, but I shouldn't imagine much has changed). The band book was enormous and encompassed all styles (despite the tea dance image one might associate with the name Joe Loss). They told me it was quite lucrative, but also quite boring for much of the time. You are rarely if ever pushing the musical boundaries - most people who go on cruises are not fans of anything "out there" - and you will often be playing the same stuff night after night. The hours can be long. Obviously, one needs to be presentable and have social skills (interacting with passengers and crew is part of the deal, on and off stage), be disciplined and punctual and so on (it helps not to have a weakness for the electric soup - temptation is all around). Essentially, it's a musical day job but, unlike most day jobs, you don't get to go home and kick back/go out on the tiles when you finish work. Most cruise ships have excellent PA, etc, so any portable, high quality rig will be fine. You don't need a stadium rig. Carry spares of everything - you can't replace stuff, get it repaired, go to the shop or order online in the middle of the Atlantic and stopovers in ports are usually brief. Are you looking to get work as an individual or as part of a band? I'd approach some cruise operators and enquire how they book their entertainment. Most will use an agent.

Stupid questions. NMA

The track would also open up with audio of either: - the US President ordering some kind of nuclear strike; or - slightly eastern sounding music to signify some kind of terroristic threat

I’ve never done cruise ships , But living in Halifax I’ve known a lot of people that have. And the ones that have … have all had music degrees , and were excellent sight readers with great improvisational skills. They had to be able to instantly deal with whatever was tossed their way. Some have loved it , and many bailed at the first opportunity. And they found much of the work boring , but the money was good. Some of the combos on board were said to be wonderful , and some were simply god awful. So I’m not at all surprised the advice has been contradictory.

The Question I'm Asked Most Often Is ... "Is that a cello?" BUT The question I'm asked most often by other musicians is, "How do you do those harmony vocals?". There doesn't seem to be a thread anywhere about BVs, so I thought I'd stick this here. At every live gig with my two main bands, I bring That's a Pedaltrain Nano (plus an extra pedal off to the left) fitted on top with a Diago mains power distribution and underneath with a battery pack that can deliver up to 1A - note the label on the Harmoniser pedal. The bread and butter end of the board is I still rate the red Mic Mechanic as one of the most useful things any vocalist can carry, a genuine Swiss Army Knife of a vocal pedal. https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0DDW The green Duplicator is, essentially, a Mic Mechanic with the Echo function replaced by live ADT, really useful if you need a voice 'thickened up' on stage. https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0DDX In The Junkyard Dogs I route lead singer Rick through the Mic Mechanic and drummer/BVs Paul through the Duplicator. In Damo & The Dynamites I route lead singer Damo through the Duplicator and I put my own voice through the Mic Mechanic solely for some subtle pitch correction ... essential (IMHO) if you're going to use a harmoniser of any kind. Ah yes, the harmoniser. For that we need the other end of the board. Since The Junkyard Dogs routinely sing in 3-part harmony there's no call for a harmoniser pedal. For those gigs, I swop out the harmoniser for the TC Helicon Voicetone X1 (on the left there). I've always sung and I carry a tune well, but my voice is a muddy baritone which simply does not cut through in a pub rock setting. The X1 is frankly a bit of a novelty act thing; it has eight settings, of which just one I find useful but thats OK, I only need that one setting! https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0DE4 With Damo & The Dynamites it's a whole nother thang. The drummer doesn't sing so all the BVs are me, and we do a lot of stuff where the song is 'made' by the harmony BVs ... think how lame a lot of early Elvis would have sounded without The Jordanaires. To achieve that I use the TC Helicon Voicetone H1, and that's the pedal that gets noticed; used wrong it's the most complete train wreck you can imagine, but used right it can really deliver. This pedal has the facility to run your guitar/bass through it which will automatically set the correct key, which is cool but of surprisingly limited use. Firstly, if you operate it like a pedal (i.e. with your foot) then you are either restricted to a single set of harmonies or you have to kneel down and fiddle with it between songs. Secondly, if you play a fretless bass or a double bass then the smallest error in your intonation can have catastrophic impact. 😂 I keep the whole board at waist height beside me and operate it manually. Note the Tippex marks at E and A for easy location on a dark stage. As an aside, on one occasion I used this pedal to tune my bass at a gig ... I sang each note (EADG) with the pedal correcting my pitch, and tuned to it. https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0DE1 When multiple harmonies are not needed but I still want it to sound as if more than one person is supplying BVs I switch to the TC Helicon Critical Mass. This is something of a halfway house between the Duplicator and the Voicetone H1; it can be used in quite a subtle way but it certainly beefs up the sound of a stripped-down 3-piece. https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0CGT I should probably state for the record that I am NOT sponsored by or affiliated to TC Helicon ... I just like their pedals. All five of these were bought by me, with my own money. Speaking of which, all these pedals have increased in price substantially since I bought them, by well over 50% in a couple of cases. On the other hand, we now have blue passports. For context, in the unlikely event that someone wanted to duplicate precisely my vocal pedal board today, and bought new all the way (I always buy pre-owned if I can), they would still have change from a grand. That's including the Nano and both power supplies. If my board got nicked and I needed to replace it, I would expect to spend half that figure. Now ask yourself how much a half-decent bass guitar costs ...

Just the dog version of punks gobbing at the band if they were good. Dog loved the band, obvs.

Great stuff once again and a worthy winner!

When reading about this pool of alcoholics and junkies, I find it helpful to picture them sitting in the arcading outside Tesco Metro, arguing in incomprehensible slurs and waiting for the next hit of methadone from the open all hours pharmacy.

You're quite right, they don't have a tweeter. I always had a preference for a cab with a tweeter. My Epifani UL110 has one, and I always liked the tweeter in that cab. I especially like the level of control of the tweeter in the UL110, it can be really finely "tweaked" to just the level you want. For larger gigs, I tend to use my Markbass 210 traveller plus the UL110 and was always happy with that combination. I bought the Elf 1x10 cab though, as it's so light & compact, and I sometimes want to use the UL110 and the Elf cab - and that can also be a nice combination, as it gives me the full 500W from my EVO1 head (unlike using the MB 210 alone). Even though the Elf has no tweeter, I'm really happy with the range of tones from the rig. Yes, I'd have a bit more control over certain frequencies - but I get decent enough tonal options from the EVO1 head anyway. I've used the Elf and the MB210 for several gigs now, and I'm really happy with it. I perhaps need to dial in a bit more top end than when using the Epifani cab with the tweeter - but I'm just as happy with the results, especially as the Elf 1x10 is more compact than the Epifani. I would be tempted to sell the Epifani cab at this point, bar the fact that for some smaller gigs I tend to either just use the Epifani, or sometimes add the Elf 1x10 - and this rig is surprisingly loud, given that it's 500W through just two 10" speakers. Also, it works really well with upright. EDIT: I meant to add; I wouldn't describe the Elf 1x10 as "dark" either - it seems to produce a lovely tonal range, and sits well when I use it alone, or with either of my other two cabs. EDIT2: I used the MB210 and the Elf 1x10 for a full band outdoor gig last Sunday, and it more than coped - plenty of headroom. Another bass player who was present said he thought the bass sounded great

Nice one! That was a winner the moment it went in. The production really stood out.

Alfie ～ Dionne Warwick

👏 Bravo Doc, good stuff!

In fairness, that only happens occasionally in pubs.

My R400 stage animal sounds sublime at low volume too! What an amp!... bought it off here and it instantly made my other two amps redundant. I use it constantly now...no mid control..no worries, just turn the bass and treble down a nats!

Given my finances, if I bought another bass now I’d end up having to chop it up for firewood to survive the winter…

The same could be said of Penetration covering the Buzzcocks