Leaderboard

Can't afford it, don't need it at all, I already have everything I need. Bought it anyway. headless bass itch well and truly scratched. Series S4000 I believe, serial number is 235... I have no idea how to age it though, any ideas? I had no idea these things were so heavy though! I changed the batteries and one of the connectors fell apart as I unclipped it, so it now has shiny new battery clips but everything else is perfect. Can't wait to wheel it out at a rehearsal.

I suppose I belong to this ragtag gang now that I've made my own pedalboard. Not much going on here in terms of pedals, but I made the board myself to keep me out of mischief over the crimbo break... T-Rex Fuel Tank Jr. hiding underneath, just in case anyone's wondering where the power's coming from...

All gathering dust as the band is hibernating for the foreseeable future. Only ever used the two 2x10s and TD650 a couple of times at larger gigs, mostly used the HD350 and one 2x10 for smaller gigs and rehearsals. The 1x15 is a recent addition to the family and I'd like to see how it works with a 2x10 or just on its own.

I have spoken to the current owner, he is literally a couple of miles away and he is going to have a think about selling so it could be coming home! Will update when I have some news...

Sorrel Seems To Be The Hardest Word Blue n Elton

Two possible answers to that: A: That's absoluetly fine, everyone has different tastes. Jaco was also an incredible player, but musically never hit the spot for me, whereas Mick Karn did. I could listen to Mick Karn all day. Jaco about 3 minutes. B: That's absoluetly fine, your are perfectly entitled to be wrong!😄

It's only been a month since I picked up my Vintera Telecaster Bass so I wasn't expecting any more incomings, but I spotted this online and the price was too good to pass up. A 2010 Squier Classic Vibe 50s Precision Bass in butterscotch blonde. I'd wanted one for a few years but they don't come up very often. It's in 9/10 condition with just a couple of tiny dings in not-very-visible places. I restrung it with a set of flats I had in my parts box and it plays very nicely and sounds pretty good to boot.

My two

Having just turned 75 I relish learning new numbers. I've been playing with soul bands on and off since the 60's, so some of our numbers I've been playing for 50+ years. Funnily enough it's these numbers I seem to make the odd mistake with as I feel I know them so well, I don't seem to think about them. Newer numbers I really concentrate on.

First of all, these additional discussions can be valuable for those who are open to learning. that’s why some of us put in the effort to explain things the way we do. Of course the additional information are going to be frustrating for someone who is struggling with the facts yet continues to post incorrect information as though they know what they are talking about. Clearly I poked that bear here, sorry for that. The term RMS power is defined by industry convention to be power based on rms voltage and current, it is a descriptor which is well understood and accepted by the industry. It’s also been accepted by all of the regulatory agencies (safety and EMC) for audio equipment testing. Hopefully this isn’t going to be controversial as well.

The Bootsy Collins. I will NEVER buy one but if one was given to me I’d be very happy.

My first go... I have ordered two more, at 8 quid each I would be a chump not to.

Totally get that Mick, it`s what I do for fun & to have laughs, making it the day job would have killed my enthusiasm for it.

I've one these in the basket a couple of times now and just about managed to talk myself out of it. I think they're beautiful but oddly it's the budget price tag that puts me off. You can get them for under £300. I'm not a gear snob and own and play a couple Squiers alongside more expensive instruments but I just worry that this is going to turn out to be not as nice as the stuff I've already got. Also they're big and I'm running out of guitar/bass space.

I practice maybe an hour or two per week, outside of weekly band rehearsal. I'm a perfectionist so I could always play better but I'm competent enough to hold a band together and help make it sound good when it matters. 6 hours a day everyday, I'm sure I could be technically brilliant etc but I would likely start hating the thing that brings the most happiness in my life..

Small update on my board....replaced a treble booster with the origin DCX. Sounded pretty ace tonight, need to get to grips with it a bit more but pretty impressed. I need to work out how to potentially best stack it with my fuzz, which may make the muff redundant, but we'll see.

My 1982 BB2000. I love this bass. Such an amazing bass to play and the tone is absolutely brilliant. I’d lusted after these ever since I saw a Yamaha catalogue in the late 80s. Picked this up in April 2023. It’s a keeper.

Since my last update, I have now written most of the software and it works (for some value of 'works') with the simulator. I've now just about reached as far as I can go with the simulator, there's probably going to be some hardware issues to resolve now and the only way to do that, is to get the hardware built and the code uploaded. I'm now going to use a Mega 2560 Arduino rather than a UNO as it has more pin outs. I'd literally run out of pins on the Uno and was struggling to put all the bits I wanted. I had a Mega 2560 sitting around doing nothing so thats now the base. It also gives me far more code space to program in and save stuff in. I've got a CNC Shield as that sits on top of the Mega 2560 which saves vauable real estate, I'll only use two stepper drivers at the moment, though I can use four. I might use a 3rd for tension control of the wire but not yet. The CNC shield takes 12-36V and a bench power supply is on order (60V/10A). Stepper motors can take a lot of amps, I suspect I won't need this sort of output power, but it's nice to have a lot of head room just-in-case. The menu interface is quite good (even though I do say so myself), I can create sub-menus but so far haven't needed it. I can use a 4x4 membrane keypad to enter integers, floats and select from lists. I'd love to be able to find a blank 4x4 keypad, or one where I can change the keys to be what I want them to be. I'll have to use sticky labels at the moment, but as these keypads are about £2 each, not a problem. So next steps are: 1. Working out how to do microsteps on the stepper motors. The reason for this is that there is a ratio between the number of loops that the main pickup winder motor makes and the number of turns that the lead screw turns to ensure that the pickup wire moves across the bobbin so that the pickup wire is evenly placed. I know some people might want randomisation but thats V2 of the firmware. These microsteps appear to be controlled by the CNC shield and setting jumpers (!). if I can move from 400 steps per singe revolution to 800 or 1600 steps, then I can get the ratio between the two motors to be higher and closer to an integer. Thats good 2. Putting everything onto a thick A3 plywood base. I wanted to use a larger base as that reduces the angle that pickup wire moves through as the bobbin is turned. If the bobbin is very close, then the angle subtended gets closer to 90 degrees. Imaging your finger wagging at 10 times a second going through 90 degrees vs at 45 or 30 degrees. I might be worrying about nothing but lets see. I have printed most things including guides to position everything accurately. I have all the hardware to do it, just been away and its bloody cold in the garage here in North Yorkshire. 3. Work out how to build an Arduino dev environment on a M series Mac. I have a simulator but not a clue how to actually prgram an Arduino on a Mac. Last time I did this, I used a Windows laptop. I might still have to yet. I really want to built it around Emacs but suspect thats not going to fly. 4. Get it installed and get the firmware properly debugged. 5. I have a couple of cheap bass pickups I've brought, so will gently take them apart and see if I can replicate how they are made. My knowledge of magnets is limited but I'll start reading up over the next week or so. 6. Buy some 42AWG wire. I'll start with the thicker stuff first. 7. Work out how to fit bump stops in case everything goes out of control. There are pins on the CNC shield for this, its mounting them thats the challenge. Thats probably enough to go on for the next week or so. I still have to start work on my 3d printed bass but thats on hold whilst I get this working. Rob

Our hope is that the Mesa showroom will also be complete by that date, but I don't know the details. There are containers of Mesa products that have already been shipped, so we are all hopeful that this date remains correct.

Night Train Oscar Peterson

Rudolf (Nureyev) The Red Nosed Reindeer - Christmas song

Indeed. Yes, prices have gone up a lot in the past few years, but at the same time I don't think there's been a better time than now to buy a cheap instrument that is also decent.

I am sure Karn was an influence on Pino, no bad thing obviously, it's how most of us start out, listening to and emulating, to some extent, players who inspire us. I have maybe overstated my case because both Pino and Giblin are superb. I personally prefer Karn but that's down to all sorts of stuff to do with Japan and the times when I was listening to them. Karn seems (to my ears at least) to have developed a very unique style that I cannot hear in anything that precedes him (perfectly happy to be directed to anything that might be an influence on him, apart from Jaco, who I can't stand for more than thirty seconds).

Black Ol' Son ～ Soundgarden

News to 'you know who'...

Music we usually start the gig to i the pub jukebox they forget to turn off before we start. Step 1: Politely ask at the bar Step 2: Ask over the PA. (normally ignored) Step 3: Ask again (now shouting over the PA helps, expletives optional) Step 4: Offer to mime to the jukebox Step 5: Play along with the jukebox until they notice Step 6: Start gig...late Step 7: Mid gig break, repeat steps 1-6

Well said. Therein lies the real danger.

I remember once at work we had a conversation on what might be the worst thing to happen to you. You know, things like a 9" grinder accident with it going into your abdomen; circular saw running at your hand; plate glass impalement; acid spills; welding incidents. Apparently "being stuck in a dead end job on an industrial estate near an airport for the rest of your career" isn't the right answer.

My plans are to use it as my signature/gig bass, I want to do a neck plate like the stingray special one, red body and carbon fiber pickguard, control plate. As bridge I will mount on some monorail in black, as well as the tuners (they would be black too). I know that the fender neck is also 34" but it misses one fret. If you notice the neck is placed a little bit forward from the neck heel bottom, in order to match the stingray classic diapason scale (nut-bridge screw). By the way, I placed that neck only for reference, I'm selling the maple jazz neck rn and because of that I had it lying around in my room. The Harley benton with mods sounds 1:1 to my ears, best deal for the price as a base for mods, but the basswood is awful... I tried to dig a battery hole with my luthier and the wood was so soft that it was so difficult to not make any dent... But in the end we succeeded and it was a killer bass! The pickup is an handmade Stingray replica made in Italy with alnico rods, 70€... For that price it was an absolute win. I still think that a sterling sub ray4/5 are the best modding platforms tho, If I'll find one I'll take it and keep in my closet waiting for future projects. Still looking for a status neck, because I know what look I'm seeking for

It doesn't matter how good you get; there will always be someone better than you, or at least someone you think is better than you. It doesn't matter how bad you are; there will always be someone worse than you, or at least someone you think is worse than you. Forget the destination and enjoy the journey. What scares ME late at night?

The bass should be a tool to bring joyful experiences into your life, it should never be something which causes you to lock yourself away from joyful living.

I'm thinking of playing 'asteroid' as the call up music for sets 2 & 3. Its only 18 seconds long so the bu99ers had better not wander off too far.

+1. By the same token I do this loudspeaker stuff every day as part of my design work. 😉

A MOGulation pedal, maybe? (Sorry)

Affordaboard makes buying effects a relatively inexpensive bit of fun. My latest dip included this little gem: £25. Delivered. Bonkers. I have it set to give me an always on 'thickening' with just a bit of dirt around the edges. It does get fuzzier if you want it to, and has excellent tone controls. There's no loss of bottom end anyway, but it can be enhanced rather nicely. Pros: looks neat, sounds great, responsive controls, crazy cheap. Cons: stupid placement of power socket, absolutely blinding led.

According to an interview I read (from years ago) with other members of Japan, Karn would turn up at rehearsals, usually late, when the band had worked out a new song. Karn would respond with a bass line that would often have very little to do with the music. Apparently he would often just read the working title of the song and write his bass line in response to that. It infuriated the band because they would often have to rewrite or start from scratch to build the songs around Karn's bass lines because they were so good.

At this year's SE Bash Laurence Cottle did one of the seminars. For those who don't know Laurence check out the artists he's played with and what tracks he's recorded. He says that he practices 5-6 hours every day - and you can tell. He plays effortlessly in all styles, note perfect, never misses a beat. Inspirational? No! Pisssed me right off - completely demoralised. Till that seminar I thought that I was "alright " and could hold my own. If I'd put in the same hours practicing would I be as good? Unlikely - for me, like many others here, playing bass is a way to vent my artistic streak...if it was my job I would probably come to hate it.

Ooooh, I'll have a Mockingbird from that era please!

I'm in a band where the drummer is 75. He's very good and very busy (he plays with two other Jazz/Big Bands and regularly deps for local jazz, Strict Tempo etc bands). What I've noticed is that while he's not reluctant to try new songs, his confidence is starting to go a bit. When he does make a mistake (its very rare that any one notices him making an error) he tends to focus on that rather than the other 2-3hrs of great playing. When he talks about a Jazz band gigm, the first thing that tends to come out is 'this mistake, that mistake, missed a beat' etc. Reading between the lines, it seems he's beginning to think about his age and rather than celebrate the fact he can still do it, blame the years and start to think he's past it. I had a chat with him before Christmas and talked about letting the missed beats go - because its likely that no one but him will notice 99% of the time. One of the factors I think doesn't help is that in the Jazz and Dance bands, the B/L tends not to hand out positive criticism. There's also an old school mentality amongst the players who, from what he tells me, are unwilling to praise their fellow musicians but quick to nit pick. So I've started to mention the good bits when he's playing with me or when I hear recordings of the other bands he's in. Genuine praise (flattery would be worse as he'd see through it straight away). Maybe it's a confidence issue with your keyboard player associated with his perception of what is expected of a 68 year old, his health or both. I don't know the characters involved so I can't say what would work (and you may already be doing this) but perhaps a subtle and genuine praise for some of his playing, 'lets try a different arrangement' to simplify the things he's struggling with - even get him to suggest the new arrangement. If it is a confidence thing, the aim is to boost it without going over the top. This may be a temporary situation and it would be a shame for the band to stagnate. With my drummer, we've got to the stage now where we joke about any mistakes, referring to them as our free form jazz moments. 😀 More importantly, I haven't heard any of his age related comments so I think he might be getting over that one.

You've seen it too?!

This is what I've managed to squeeze into one of these cases. Matt

I shouldn't want any basses this year, I'm supposed to be aff it! But if a Fender Modern Player Dimension bass (the one with the triplebucker) ever appeared in white at a knockdown price, my abstinence would be under severe threat! I wish Fender had stuck with it for more than a few years, I think the Dimension is a good looking bass.

On some of my gigs it should have been the Laurel and Hardy theme tune.

Frankly as we get older I feel we need to be mentally challenged, or our brains will vegetate. Interestingly, my brother in law, who is an professional electric guitarist/vocalist in his early 60s, has complained of forgetfulness and he's member of a band that is the house band at a local music venue. They play with different front men/women twice per month and he has to learn their sets. Some of those songs are standard but many are songs he's never heard before and he learns them pretty flawlessly every two weeks. I feel if he hadn't had that incentive to learn new songs, as a work out for his brain, the issue with his memory would be far worse than it is.

Board as of today Free The Tone make great equipment