Leaderboard

Hi there, Thanks for your messages, Nick's memorial gig was phenomenal, grateful for Grainger guitars and all there support for our family. The weather held out and the everyone rocked there hardest for our big bro 💚🤟🎸 I dropped a couple of notes but managed to get to the end of my song!

Hey everyone! I’ve followed Bass Chat for a number of years but only just joined the community properly. My name’s Dan, and I’ve been playing bass for around 20 years. I’m lucky enough to work in the music industry through my own music studio and events company, and I also play in a few different bands. Earlier this year, I was fortunate to join the artist rosters for both Blackstar and Alpher Instruments, which has been a real highlight for me. Over the years I’ve owned more basses than I can count, but lately I’ve found myself gravitating more and more toward short scales. My JMJ Mustang has actually stuck with me longer than most others, which says a lot! I’m a huge advocate for short scales—not just for their mojo and unique vibe, but also for how playable they are. One thing worth mentioning is that I developed a tendon issue in my right hand about 3–4 years ago (likely from overplaying). Because of that, longer-scale instruments aren’t always an option for me, but the lower tension of short scales means I can still play comfortably for much longer. So, I’m partly here to say hi, and partly to share my appreciation for short scales. Really looking forward to being part of the conversation!

Saturday night was a trip to London to play the legendary What's Cookin', for my friend Rich Davies and his band The Dissidents. I've been part of the band since 2016 and we have kept the same lineup throughout. They are all insanely good players and I like the fact that this keeps me on my toes. We had one rehearsal and I spent the week going through the set at home as we don't play live often and Rich had changed some keys of songs. I'd initally thought of bringing my Rickenbacker but midweek decided to change to my long scale Hofner Verythin bass. Rich wanted me to bring my Blackstar rig but I hate London load ins so when I found out there was a house rig, I was happy to use that. Having travelled up with the keyboard player, we arrived in good time, only to find out our drummer was not so fortunate. We wound up sound checking without him whilst a kit sharing support band quietly twitched! Thankfully he arrived and we got all set up. The nice thing was I had a bunch of old mates show up, including a singer I worked with for 10yrs, a roadie from a previous band and the guy who does the videos in my main band. We went on and just killed it. Due to the tube strike, the venue was quieter than usual but respectably half full and all eyes were on the band. Props to the support act who danced at the back throughout our set. The downside was that an accident on the M25 meant I got in at 3.15am but it was a superb evening.

The strap button, presumably.

Just got in from a Knock Off gig, supporting Therapy? at 229 Club London. Journey up not too bad, and managed to get parking right outside the door - result. Great backstage area where we could chill before and after the gig. Signal chain was Fender US Precision, via BOSS WL20L into my Sansamp, with my RM500 as a power amp. Therapy? kindly allowed us to use their cabs so I went into an Eden 810, so with that and monitors no trouble hearing myself. Therapy?s monitor mix was perfect for us too so soundcheck was one song and sorted. On at 7:45, for a 45min set, venue holds 600, probably 500 watched us. Being a streetpunk/Oi band we’re not really on the same scene but we went down very well, many people coming up to us afterwards saying how much they liked us and how well we complimented Therapy?, being not just a clone but offering something different. Footwear was my Vans trainers.

Back with an enhanced version of Deadlight Dance yesterday, and once again we were joined by our drummer from our Sixth Form band, Mike. This was for a street party in the road my band mate lives in. I had my trusty long scale Hofner Verythin bass but was mixing it up with several on the Gold Tone (AKA Goth Tone) Mandocello and even a couple on guitar and a couple on mandolin. I was going through my Boss BCB60 with the Boss IR2 at the end of the chain. I was telling the story of how we filmed our zombie apocalypse video in this very road, in a very light hearted way - see Infectious for details - when that Government text alert went off! You couldn’t make it up and it was a genuine comedy moment. We played well. We picked up some travelling fans from the last gig and even sold a few CDs. It was also an absolute pleasure to hang out with two of my oldest friends.

Today I made a 440 mile round trip to collect a bass that has just been completed by Mr.Jon Shuker. It's a bit too late to take any photos, so that will have to wait until tomorrow. It's similar to the one below, but the neck is narrower and more figured, it has different knobs, is #8 of 10 and is signed by JJ. Pick-up's are in house built, as are JJ's now. After years, probably more like decades, of avoiding Precisions because I found the necks a bit chunky, in 2021 I decided to order a JJ Sig with a J neck (build thread here). I have since used this exclusively in my main band and Queen tribute and it's been absolutely faultless. The Zenith promises to be equally as good and almost unbelievably, it seems to be lighter than my first one. Thanks once again to @Dood for turning my gaze towards Jon's basses in the first place (I'm sure Jon is a member here, but I can't remember his tag). Whilst at Shuker HQ, I also saw the two pieces of spalted maple which will form the top of my next Precision build and they look stunning too. If any of you are looking for a quality hand built Precision (other models are available) that won't require a second mortgage, give Jon a look at Shuker Guitars.

We opened the Swindon Shuffle’s Friday Night at The Castle in Old Town last night. Arriving in good time to see the headliner’s soundcheck, I was immediately taken by the bassists sound. Very dubby. He had his back to me and when he turned around, he was playing with a pick, right up by the bridge! It was a Genz Benz amp and every time I hear one of those, they sound fantastic. We were the first of five bands and I think were given this slot as we’re just a duo. I would be too polite to argue but a few people suggested we should have been higher up the bill. In many respects though, it was one of the better slots. I had my 2008 USA Fender Jazz that was going through my board. Doing as the soundman wanted, he had me go through the Genz Benz amp and it sounded great. We did an all original set with the keys / drums on the iPad. Some soundmen struggle, with this set up but the guy last night clearly knew his way around the desk and the sound both on and off stage was glorious. We let the music do the talking but still had a bit of banter with the audience. We held the audience throughout our 30 minute set, something some of the other acts didn’t manage. Introducing two new songs and a few favourites, the time flew. At the end, I thanked everyone, only for the track to loop and start up again. I quickly stopped it and said “So sorry, you didn’t ask for an encore!” which I think endeared us further. I thought we played well. My lead vocals (I am not the main singer) are definitely gaining confidence and I am falling in love with my Jazz bass all over. A great night.

A few photos of the actual bass. This one weighs just 6.7lbs! My other one feels like it's made of lead in comparison weighing in at 8.2lbs 😂.

https://www.leics.police.uk/news/leicestershire/news/2025/september/man-charged-with-fraud-offences-to-appear-in-court/?fbclid=IwdGRzaAMr9bNjbGNrAyv1TWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEe9KOKyYzb75zVeG1K57SVi-Nvq63U1Cw7mnABJETMLSDQPCJSCovaWHT1FfI_aem_eUKPZo5af_A8f6Jh7NfVtA

Not last night, but Friday night, played a rare live outing with The Inevitable Teaspoons at Krakatoa in Aberdeen. We played last ("headlining") and were treated to some fine acts first - Kaleidoscope and then Autohuman. No pics, it was a bit of a rushed changeover because as usual things ran on a bit. We played pretty well and went down favourably, heard someone describe us as "entertaining", and was speaking to the guitarist from Autohuman after and he was keen to do gigs with us again. It wasn't super busy, but there was an enthusiastic gathering of about 20 folk up front and probably 10-20 more skulking at the back, so eh, as long as it wasn't empty! Gear was the Greco LGB-700 three pickup bass into my pedalboard then out into Krakatoa's FOH, using a Markbass Little Mark Black Line 250W into an Ampeg fridge for monitoring. Because why not?

Just back from Stourbridge town hall where I played with the Phil Collins tribute, lovely old place and the audience and atmosphere were brilliant, decided on the GB Spitfire tonight, put lighter gauge strings on as a bit of an experiment. Had to push the low mids on the Tecamp puma and dial off a bit of the bottom end as it was sounding a bit ‘flubby’ , not tight and punchy how i like it, but after a good sound check everything was fine and nicely cut through as the show went along. My LFSYS Monza was fab as usual. Not very rock’n roll but enjoying a nice cuppa and a couple of bits of toast after a long drive back to West Sussex.

Well, better than last night, very little of the same problems of yesterday, but god was it hot! Luckily the club had some fans, but even so it was like a sauna. Not as well attended as some have been there, but for some reason the setup was easier, and I think we seemed to play much better. There were a couple of songs, Learn to fly, the singer decided to do the end part before the end which caused us an issue, and a few other fluffs, but nothing as major as that. At half time we found the guitarist that we had last year came to see us which was good to see him. I played the ric tonight, as I did last night, I really do like that bass live, apart from seven nation army, that is a bit shit for. Everything else it is great. Certainly going to feel it tomorrow though. And black Solovair boots, the broken ones. Oh I took the <£10 laser too..

Bredon Cider Fest 2025, Jagged Little Alanis (www.jaggedlittlealanis.co.uk) headlining Friday night - this is a wonderful small festival with a big feel when you're onstage. The crowd are great, no lairiness, everybody happy as anything. Cider selection (and beers) was outstanding, food was good, and neither was extortionately priced. A great example of a well run fest, getting in and out was easy and seamless. They ran like clockwork and the sound guys were excellent, even though they'd come on board late in the game and didn't get the spec sheet (which is extensive for the band). The wig was a £10 TEMU job, it's surprisingly good haha Video is of the crowd singing the first verse. Ends abruptly as I suddenly realised I had to get my arse in gear on bass! Tribute acts aplenty (really good ones!) over the 2 days, such a great little fest. IMG_3761.mov

Yesterday Electrik Soup played at The Hare & Hounds in Claygate, in a marquee in front of the pub (is it still a marquee if all the sides are open, or is it then a gazebo?). Gig was 4pm to 7pm on a lovely late summer day. It was the first gig that we've used all our own equipment (backline and PA). We had so much gear 😆 all used though. Great sound both on stage and FOH. All was going well until 4 songs before the break "something" happened to the guitarist's amp. Regular readers may remember my previous post in which his valve amp died. This time he had a SS back up so we took the break for him to sort things out. The first part of the second set was just acoustic guitar and vocals, then we did the remaining songs from the first set, and the remainder of the second set. The guitarist used his original amp and it was fine. He's still going to buy a new one. We had a few people come to see us, but the pub was busy all day so there was always an audience, albeit somewhat transitory. Lots of nice comments afterwards, someone even wanted to book us for a birthday party. Couldn't do the date though, unfortunately the drummer will be away. Shuker 3 -> Getaria wireless -> Hardwire polyphonic tuner -> Fender Rumble 500 combo. To the right of the bass combo is the offending guitar amp.

My gig tonight didn't involve me playing at all... However, I brought my PA and did sound and lights for a charity gig for our local LegClub (don't laugh, you might need 'em one day) by ex Jethro Tull keys Dee Palmer and Labour peer Stewart Wood, with support by a local Dobro and Beefheart Enthusiast... And due to rain and tiny gazebo (twas outside), didn't even get gear out of car till 1730, punters due to arrive at 1800. So no chance to set any levels, and all key sounds being completely different volumes meant lots of speculative fader-riding (had to put mixer behind the stage!). However, all sounded excellent, loads of Tull songs done and crowd happy, plus nearly £1000 raised.

Mad weekend with the live tribute show, but on Friday I met up with my webcast friends Mike Brooks and Jaymi (the Pink Bassman) who was over from the USA, and had a nice curry evening with Toby from JayDee in Birmingham. Saturday was a looong four hour trip to Gorleston Pavillion Theatre near Gt.Yarmouth for an Everlys & Friends Live Tribute Show gig. Absolutely packed house and a fantastic evening, followed by getting home at 2.30am. Crawled out of bed on Sunday morning after far too few hours of sleep and drove to Leeds to play an afternoon matinee show at Yeadon Town Hall Theatre. I was planning to meet up with Mike and Jaymi again this evening after the Nick Smith Memorial in Peterborough, but unfortunately didn't get out of Yeadon until nearly 5.30 and Mike got a short notice gig. I will sleep well tonight! Gig art: American Performer Mustang under the stage lights behind the side tab curtains.

Just had a run of three pretty decent gigs with the Zep tribute. First up was a trip to the excellent Cluny in Newcastle week last Friday. The evening started off with a bit of unwanted drama, as the police had cordoned off the surrounding streets due to some guy threatening to throw himself a bridge overhead (fortunately they managed to talk him down a bit later). The place was packed (243 tickets sold) and the band played as well as we ever have, inspired by a great crowd (we even got a big cheer walking from the dressing room to the stage). This isn’t the first time we’ve packed this place out and the management have agreed to increase our fee for next year! Fast forward to Thursday night, and a long drive down to southwest London to play an Arts Centre in Carshalton. Another good crowd, although not nearly a boisterous as Newcastle, and another good performance. We were staying a few miles away in Reigate, in a rather dodgy hotel that wasn’t as salubrious as you might hope, but it had the advantage of being pretty cheap! Me, the singer and the guitarist were sharing a room and stayed up chatting until 2:00am with a third of a bottle of whisky and a few cans between us! A drive across to Essex and a gig in Chelmsford on Friday. When we got to the venue, I checked my phone to see a text from a couple of hours ago, offering me a dep for a blues festival next Saturday. Unfortunately, by the time I replied, they had got someone else! I always like the Chelmsford gig, but to be honest, I felt a bit flat by the time we went onstage. Perhaps not as good a performance as the previous two gigs, but still more than OK to keep a decent crowd happy. Me and the singer (who were in the same car) stayed in a much nicer hotel a thirty minutes’ drive away, while the others made the long drive home, something that I didn’t fancy at all. PS. The night before we set off, I noticed that the underside of the rear wing of my car was hanging loose. I couldn’t get it fixed in time, so I popped into Lidl just before it closed to get a big roll of gaffa tape that they had on offer in the ‘middle of Lidl’. I fixed it up as best I could in the car park, before setting off the next morning (we did a better job when we got down to London). I did find it amusing that I’m in my sixties, driving hundreds of miles to do a gig in a car held together by gaffa tape, just like I used to do in my twenties!

Short version. Long drive. Double booked. Agreed to be paid of for reduced fee. Then sorted that other band would do one long set then we do two sets for original fee. Landlord getting increasingly 'tired and emotional'. Luckily the band organiser was sober. Landlord decided that as the other band only played half set, wouldn't pay them. They got half fee in the end but we gave them a bit of ours in solidarity. So we went on at 6:45 instead of 5. Crowd were great, several musos present who gave us some reasonably convincing praise. Our setlist which continually evolves works great in the valleys. First half is all pretty heavy classic rock, second half also includes a few crowd pleasers and a 'Welsh Bit'. Anyway landlord disappeared but landlady gave us the full fee and apologised. They want us back (not surprising as normally it would go dead after the band finishes at 7 and we kept it busy until 9) . We were told this had never happened before. Two of our band are in other bands booked there so they checked their bookings. One was double booked and the other was booked in on the wrong date. Apparently we were down for 30 November... this morning I got messages saying 30th November no good can we do the friday. Then actually can we do another date instead. As you might imagine some of us are 'unkeen' about returning.

Venue: Played at the George III in Hoddesdon for their annual music festival on Saturday night. Heard some really good bands over on their second stage, then took to the main stage ourselves before the headline act. Gear: Played my Stingray through my Boss ME-80B and there was a Fender Rumble 500 provided. I put the Rumble on the "bright" setting with the EQ all centred hoping that would give me the most transparent sound, then used the amp Sims on my Boss unit. I occasionally used some fuzz or distortion but the rig absolutely sang. I was really pleased with the sound considering it was plug n play and I haven't used a Rumble before, also amp SIMs on pedals can often clash with Amps... Set: We jumped straight in with "I bet you look good on the dancefloor" and kept the feel of each song being a 'finisher' throughout. It's a great place to play because you've got a clientele who love their live music and will sing and dance along to everything. No gig photos available yet but I did manage this snap...

A bit late posting but here’s the draw https://fb.watch/C2HTnT-4e_/? The Midas has now gone to its new home and we raised a huge £10890! thanks to those who supported this project

We're back at The Bend Theatre this Saturday night, opening for Reverend Raven. Catered dressing room and we play a 45 minute set. My type of gig. Maple Road By presenting an eclectic blend of blues, rock, and folk jams, Maple Road is a band that does not fall short of keeping an audience entertained and intrigued. While honoring musical heroes and legends, the group also strives to craft original and memorable tunes that allow each band member and the audience to interpret the music. Reverend Raven + Maple Road Blues Band - The Bend Theater | West Bend, WI https://share.google/vkEznZyOQe7dRBx7y Daryl

Left it for a few days, then did a proper flatten and polish - 1500 > 2000 > 2500 grit wet sanding followed by Meguiars Ultimate Compound for the final polish. First time using Meguiars and wow, I'm sold. The compound plus a microfibre cloth and job's a good 'un! Not quite the "sheet of glass", but for a first go by an absolute beginner amateur who has never done anything like this before in his life, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. It looks... intentional? Looks better than this IRL. The camera does lie! So, as you can gather, it's all back together again. Gave the fretboard a drink of lemon oil which it greedily accepted. I can happily proclaim the outcome of my first ever full fret level and crowning to be a success - no high frets, no buzzes, very happy with that! It's playing pretty damn well, took a setup like a champ. Truss rod on this super cheap neck is working great - obviously it was pretty slack from when I was doing the fret level, so when I put a fresh set of D'addario XLs on it it bent like a banana. No matter, a full turn on the truss rod and it was back to straight - actually too straight for my liking so I loosened it about an 1/8 of a turn and then there was a sliver of relief - just how I like it. Nut height feels OK to me - I'm no expert but I'm whizzing around the low frets no bother so I guess it's good. There are only some minor things to sort out now. The rotten bit at the bottom/back of the body. I'm not wedded to these amber speed knobs. I get quite a bit of touch buzz off the pole pieces of the Warman pickup and because it's fully epoxy potted, there's no way to earth them from the back, so unless I've done something wrong in the wiring, I'll have to do the old "lacquer/nail varnish on the pole pieces" trick. And because some of you care about these things, it weighs 3.7kg/8.15lbs on the bathroom scales. It's not a heavy bass by any means, but it has enough heft to keep me happy.

Played a wedding at a stunning venue, first outing of my latest bass that was kindly built for me by a colleague who builds furniture in his spare time (any resemblance to other basses is purely coincidental or a result of a series of router slips)

An Eagles tribute show in Richmond, North Yorkshire last night. A fun gig as always, but notable for being in one of the oldest theatres (c.1788) in the UK.

It was ok. Played to sold out 150 capacity room. Local indie stalwarts ’The Notion’ retirement gig. 9 songs, then when we’d finished - got told to play on, did a bass/piano/vocal version. small stage, increasingly frustrated by the use of music stands. guitarists amp blew up…properly dead in soundcheck… fun.

Tried to add a video, technology baffles me... 😂 1757334673869.3gp

Forgot photos. Anyway not a bad night at a venue that is normally busy but slightly less so. Another band on the same circuit as us that generally seem to have a big pull were down the road a couple of miles, though apparently someone went and came back and said it was also quiet there so 🤷‍♂️ I had some major brain fade moments towards the end. Read the set. Saw the song. Thought it was a completely different song and was expecting something different to start which confused the 🤬out of everyone while they started and I caught up. As anticipated from the rehearsal thread putting a new song as the closer for its first outing whilst a bold move was not the best plan. It sort of worked but fell apart at the end and was a close run thing. IEMs worked well though the leads would not stay attached to the new moulds so I had to revert to the old set. Gear was: FrankenJazz Helix effects Darkglass Microtubes Barefaced BigBaby 2 shoes…comfy barefoot Took the Hardpuncher as a spare tonight as it had sounded nice at rehearsal but not so good against the Jazz so that needs some more thought.

Electrick Soup @ Ram Jam Records, Kingston. Ram Jam Records lives inside The Grey Horse pub in Kingston. A charming spot, if you enjoy one-way systems designed to punish mistakes. There’s no parking out front, so you sneak in through the side streets. Take a wrong turn and you’re sent on a sightseeing tour of Kingston. I took the wrong turn. 😖 We were last on, 9:25pm, so naturally soundcheck was scheduled for 5:30pm. Parking restrictions in Kingston run until 10:30pm, so I left the car a mile away. Halfway back to the pub, I realised my wireless bugs were still in the car charging. Back I went. By then it was 6:20pm, so I abandoned the rules and parked half a mile closer in a 6:30pm restricted zone. A calculated risk. When I finally got inside, the band were already soundchecking. I joined without pedals, without tuning, and straight into the house amp — a Hartke KB12. Perfectly serviceable. Loud enough, no complaints. I was the only one who used it. One of the bands had cancelled, so it was three in total. Two covers, one originals. The organisers were great, the onstage mix was fine, and the audience — small but enthusiastic — seemed happy. Mainly 90s covers, nine songs in, we attempted “Mama Told Me Not to Come.” The arrangement confused us, and the audience. The applause was replaced by silence. We clawed back some dignity with “Connection,” but “Mrs Robinson” had to be restarted because one guitarist couldn’t hear. Three more songs survived, then his amp gave up completely. Four songs left on the list, plus two for an encore. None played. The amp’s valves have since been replaced, so tomorrow’s gig should, in theory, last the full length. Shuker 3 -> Getaria wireless bugs -> Helicon polyphonic tuner -> Flattely Poison Ivy bass fuzz -> Hartke kickback kb12.

It depends on what constitutes a "boutique" bass. If you mean exotic woods, active electronics, brass bridges made in small numbers by "craftsmen" then...yes but no not really. Looking back now with the balance of hindsight at the days when such basses were considered the pinnacle of acquisition for most self-respecting bassists, a lot of what was considered desirable, and indeed essential, seems pretty preposterous nowadays. Conversely,however, the idea nowadays that I need a very old (probably knackered) Fender P Bass strung with heavy gauge La Bella flats and a vintage Ampeg B15 that breaks down regularly in order to be a hip and savvy bass player is equally preposterous. And the same kind of fashion victims that adhered to boutique basses in the 1980's/90's are extolling the primacy of vintage gear now. If you like boutique basses buy one. If you like vintage ones get one of them. The notes are in the same place on either.

Is this a complete the sentence competition? If so, I suggest: Boutique basses are bought by lawyers, medics and well-paid weekend warriors in the vain hope that spending lots of cash will make up for lack of talent. Over to you lot.

Added a Cali76 bass comp and finalised my MIDI controls to my Anagram. quick soundclip

Righty, I'm back from a week's holiday on the Devon coast (lovely) and ready to put the finishing touches on this project. In my time away, the lacquer has had time to fully cure. So the first thing to do was the both tedious and nerve-wracking process of wet-dry sanding the bass to get rid of all the brush marks and runs. This is always a fairly scary process, as you just have to keep sanding (constantly checking things) and trust that you applied the finish thickly enough to be able to smooth out all the imperfections before you go all the way through the clearcoat somwhere. If you blow through it, particularly if its in a very visible spot, you essentially have to just throw up your hands, do a lot of swearing and start the whole process again, which can take a week or two to cure. It's maddening, but I've gotten pretty good now. No issues with this job. Here's what the bass looks like now – I've sanded and polished and polished and polished and polished and polished. I then applied the shielding foil to the control cavity and added the ground wire before attaching the bridge (with thurst bearings fitted now, thanks for @PaulThePlug for the recommendation). I boiled the strings and gave it a rough set-up for intonation and action. No electronics yet. One of the great advantages of headless basses (especially double-ball end ones) is that you can string them up and de-string them over and over again without any problems. I've just spent the last half an hour or so playing it unamplified and it seems pretty damn good. No fret buzzes, and it's really surprisingly loud even with just the wood for resonance. One thing that has thrown me a little is just how chunky the neck is – I'd taken measurements and so I knew in theory that it was a big boy, but I was still a little taken aback when I got it in my hands. It feels more like my dad's 70's EB3 than the jazz and stingray style necks on my custom basses. I'm assuming I'll get used to it in time. Even with the chunky frets, the action could probably go lower than its current position (with the saddles decked on the G and D strings decked) with no fret buzz. Not that it isn't playable now, probably low enough for most players, but I'm picky. I think I can file the bridge saddles down a smidge without problems. Tomorrow I'll prep the 3D printed components from @Jackroadkill and put the electronics together. My plan is to put a basic vol-blend-tone circuit in it for now, and then replace it with something esoteric, filter-based and active down the line if I like the general sound and playability.

Resurrecting this to say my daughter and son's band, Tulpa, release their first album shortly. Preorder available, and a video of their first single below. https://www.roughtrade.com/product/tulpa/monster-of-the-week https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JexAQGyZMYM&pp=ygURTGV0cyBtYWtlIGEgdHVscGE%3D

These knobs. I think they tie things together nicely with their half black, half shiny nature.

🧟‍♂️ Resurrection time. 3 years have passed, but now I’m well and truly back in the fretless fold. I recently took my custom Maruszczyk fretless to a rehearsal (Stingray-alike), just to show it some love and it sounded great. I avoided slides and vibrato where possible as the genre doesn’t call for that style/tone and it just roared, there was a definite Ric vibe to the tone, especially with a bit of grit from my VTDI. I was so impressed (as were my band mates) that I used it for a gig the following Saturday, both sets. The fretted spare (my usual go to bass) stayed in its gigbag all night. Since then it is the bass that I pick up first and I’m loving it all over again. Good to be back.

Just watching Radio 2 in the Park and the Anastasia bassist was playing a Ibanez Talman 5 String and also what looked like a Fender Vintera Mustang too … great to seeing a pro playing a £300 bass!

We’ve let this run for 10 pages with the majority of posts being respectful but it’s clear from reading through and looking at our reported posts that this has now run its course.