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  1. Morning everyone, It's 365 days since Nick passed. I wanted to share my favourite photo of him and thank you all for your support in 2025. He gave us 19710 days of LOVE, LAUGHS and RIFFS ... Shine on brother 💫🎸😇💚🤟
    30 points
  2. With my thanks going to @HeadlessBassist for agreeing to collect this from Rotherham and meet me at Membury services (mentioned positively in the 2019 Gavin and Stacey here is a 1981 Aria TSB 550. I have only ever seen one other fretless one of these in this colour and it belonged to Frank Allen from The Searchers. Undergoing some TLC as the truss rod is seized atm So 3 in 1 oil into it and fingers crossed I can sort it 32 inch scale and MB 3 pickup
    25 points
  3. Well, a few days ago tbh. Acquired from a Basschatter very local to myself. Overwater Hybrid Custom 4. Well pleased 😊
    20 points
  4. TONIGHT! (Technically last night as it's past midnight but it counts as tonight) Second gig with a new band (Midnight Mayhem (they were already called that when I joined, don't judge me)) at The Rose & Crown in Ludlow. Lovely old pub that has lots of live music so they're used to it, fairly small stage place where the band goes, decent mob there by the time we'd set up and soundchecked (The soundcheck (sixteen bars of 'All the small things') had people up dancing (!)) and from the off people were loving it - singing along, dancing and generally enjoying it. Mid first set, a bloke came up and told me he appreciated my Bass playing (Not 'liked' it, mind you) which I tried to take as a compliment, then he stood right in front of me and watched me intently which meant I completely forgot how to play. At half time a guy I'd genuinely never seen before came up and greeted me like a long lost friend ("I forgot you said you did this too!" ) so I had to pretend I knew who he was (because I am English and to say "I'm so sorry but I have no idea who you are" is about as appealing as stamping on a newborn kitten) which was...odd. The set went down really well, it's a mix of (sort of) alt-80s type stuff (Back on the chain gang, couple of Blondie ones, Kids in America (Kim Wilde - absolute BANGER and tonnes of fun to play), There's a guy works down the chipshop swears he's Elvis, Doctor Doctor (Robert Palmer), Echo Beach, Sweet Dreams sort of thing), a few pub-cover chestnuts (Dakota, Teenage Dirtbag, Mr Brightside (which the guitarist started in the wrong key and then got horribly confused when it came to the chorus but he styled it out)), a couple of curveballs (Take another little piece of my heart, Crash (Primitives)) and an ABBA one for good measure. I went for a wireless wander for the last song (Born to be wild) which got a good reception AND I got to fuss TWO Doggos *AND* a man told me my dreadlocks are "Really Cool". We played really well, sounded good, went down a treat (Even the bar staff liked us) and the singer said my playing "brought them to another level" which was very gratifying to hear. Played the StingRay -> Small board (I only used the Soul Food) -> Amp board (Thumpinator -> VTDI) -> Markbass CMD 121, footwear was the bright orange DMs (with glittery black laces). An absolute corker of a gig!
    20 points
  5. Still buzzing from last night's gig with Nine Lives at the Harbour Lights in Peterhead. Yay, a stage! Yay, a sound engineer and house PA! So we found ourselves in the unusual position of being ready to go about half an hour before show time. It was pretty busy, certainly the busiest I remember it being at this particular venue, there seemed to be a constant, but varying level of 30-40 folk in the bar at any one time. I worried that we'd be a bit rusty, being the first gig since the beginning of December, but we played really well, a few minor bloops here and there but nothing showstopping. And boy did I feel frisky - I went on three wireless walkarounds during the gig (or was it four?). General shape throwing/posing on stage and I'm feeling pretty creaky today. But all in all, cracking night, got some great comments and chit chat with a few of the punters. Had the obligatory drunk guy thus: Punter: "Can you play some Metallica?" Me: "Sure, in a couple of songs" ... *band plays Enter Sandman* ... Punter: "You said you'd play Metallica!" Me: "Umm, we did?" Punter: "Aww, I missed it" *I shrug* Well, we're not going to play it again, are we? FFS! Anyway, apart from that, cracking night, loads of folks up dancing, a new song in the set went without a hitch, got some great feedback, got paid (and got told that we could up our price next time), reduced load in/out due to not having to provide PA. Just all kinds of good really. Gear was the Cort Curbow then the Ibanez ATK into the usual toan cubes (which weren't doing that much, mostly just providing the feed to the desk, had a wedge in front of me)
    19 points
  6. The Diamond - Sutton in Ashfield. A great live music venue with a lovely family feel to the whole thing. It was an early Sunday afternoon gig but there were still 70+ Cheap Trick fans in attendance despite a £10-£12 entry fee. Taxman.mp4
    19 points
  7. Well, last night's gig with The Inevitable Teaspoons (we're on Spotify, by the way ) at Drummonds in Aberdeen was a lot of fun. Gigged my Cort Curbow for the first time since I replaced its guts with USA Bartolini pup and Glockenklang preamp and it is the bass it always should have been now. Sounded terrific last night - punchy and strong. To be honest, I didn't need to do any EQ on the bass, I just left the EQ flat and ran the pickup in series. The gig itself was a good laugh, maybe 50 folk there, hard to tell because some folk were at the end of the room up a level. Mrs. Neepheid came down to see us too, yay! She reported that she saw quite a few folk into it, not quite motivated enough to get up and actually dance but there was chair dancing going on in various pockets of the room. The crowd took a while to warm up, but we had a few folk up dancing by the end. I went walkies during "Shake a Tail Feather", that got a good laugh (and a dance with Mrs. Neepheid). I'm a happy boy. Gear was the Cort Curbow and my pedalboard - I love a "just turn up and play" gig with house PA and a sound engineer who knows what they're doing. Although I had some Trace gear behind me, most of my monitoring was through the house wedges in front of me.
    18 points
  8. I think it's my first time posting in here..if not for a long time. First gig in about 10 years (stopped when my first kid came along and somehow didn't start again...) Studied jazz at Birmingham conservatoire about 20 years ago and a guitarist on my course plays professionally and now lives fairly near. Always say we should do something. He messaged me a week ago saying his regular bassist wasn't available and did I want to do a gig at a pub in Adderbury. 2 country/blues sets. Mix of original's and their own tunes. About 30 to learn in total. Whilst trying to finish one work contract and prepare for another. Mild panic set in as I wondered if I still had the ears to learn that many so quick. Cur Spotify playlist on loop whilst I went about the week. 3 core band members (2 guitar/vocal and drummer) play together but keys were from a jam Jimmy the guitarist plays at and well, I was the random. Setup. Fairly small but nice size side room. Banging pub with loads of spaces all filled with families, solo drinkers, younger ones (people saying they don't drink...) and older groups. Extra bonus was Chris from Fairport Convention was going to sit in...turned up and did every song for both sets. Goes without saying he is an absolutely outstanding musician with big ears and chops. Setup in minutes with those new iPad driven PA systems. No rehearsal or soundcheck just straight into it. I know they are players and heard their recordings but hearing ripping country blues licks from them both was a delight which makes you want to play even better. I remember laughing at one point at the licks being pulled out The new TRB6 from Bass Bros and Aguilar AG700 w/SL212 sounded so nice in the room. Maybe being right in the corner helped. Also had a couple of admirers in the audience as a friend at the back overheard them when they came in ogling it. Bringing a 6 string to this felt a bit like bringing the whole Japanese army to a gun fight, but its what I feel more comfortable on. Left the SL112 in the car as the ful stack would have been overkill. Many a compliment from Chris about the sound and feel, which made my day. He was like 10 inches in front of me and the cab. Audience liked it. The dogs liked it. Bar staff liked it. We liked it. Can't ask for more than that. Look forward to the next one in less than 10 years hopefully. A sample of their regular band to give you an idea of you're into that sort of thing:
    18 points
  9. We played at Artisan Tap in Stoke on Saturday. It was absolutely rammed, "sold out" and then some! Ace night with everyone singing along. We played just the acoustic songs but that was still over 1hr45. Still, the quieter sound means it's an easier gig for me on drums. At one point I noticed the gate on the acoustic guitar fluttering and had to ask the sound engineer to turn it off. To be fair he's always fantastic, but I wonder why anyone would put a gate on an acoustic guitar in a live situation? They want to strum a chord and sustain it, and a gate will always kill that.
    18 points
  10. I was up in Scarborough last night with our acoustic duo, playing at ‘The Lookout on the Pier’. We were a bit concerned with the weather, as the waves had been crashing over the end of the pier where we park to unload, but the tide was out when we arrived so no dramas. A full house of dining punters, with some familiar faces and some newbies which is always good. We run the gig as request based, and had some good ones including ‘Dead flowers’, ‘Walk away Renee’, ‘Budapest’, ‘If you could read my mind’ and ‘Stormy Monday’. ( Also nice to see Chris from ‘Knight’s Music’ shop in the audience - a great place in Scarborough.) I used my Fender Kingman bass into a Rumble 100 combo, perfect for venues like this. We are back there next on February 15th, so looking forward to it already. Just hope the weather has calmed down a bit by then.( Apologies for the boring photo, but Mrs CP was too busy socialising and forgot to take any.j
    17 points
  11. Strictly not last night, but Thursday night (yes, a school night). Our acoustic trio were invited back to the Speakeasy at the Harbour View in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. This was our third appearance, and probably our best, even if I say so myself. The Speakeasy is a mixture of an open mic night and a gig. For the first hour, it’s an open mic, although due to its popularity, performers have to book their slots weeks in advance. The second half is a 45 minute set from a featured artist or band. This week, that was us. Bear in mind that the Harbour View pub is perhaps unsurprisingly sited overlooking Sunderland port. As a result its on an exposed hill top, and on Thursday evening a brisk south easterly was whipping the rain into a face stinging frenzy and making the 6c feel a whole lot colder, and yet the pub was still full of enthusiastic music lovers. Gear-wise, I was using my Boosey & Hawkes Excelsior laminate double bass equipped with a Realist copperhead pickup straight into the EBS Stanley Clarke acoustic preamp. From there, straight into the desk (a Behringer X-Air 12), and out to a pair of RCF HD 10’s and a small DB monitor that was almost at my feet, which sounded great on the videos I have seen 😎
    17 points
  12. It subtly changes the sound, and gives people yet another thing to endlessly debate the virtues of on an electric bass
    17 points
  13. I played a charity gig with the Hulla band last night at Rhossili village hall (that's right on the windy end of Gower and last night was very windy). It was in aid of Brain Tumour Research (organised by someone whose daughter has recently been diagnosed) and well attended for such a stormy night. The hall has a proper stage but as a thirteen pieces, we manage to fill the space of most stages and tonight was no exception. I was stage left as usual but at least I had a small off stage area that my headstock could fit in. The set was a mix of rocky stuff, a bit of C&W and Stones songs, requested by the organiser. Pizza and drinks were supplied for the band, which was very thoughtful as we had an early setup and little time to eat. Lots of dancing, some tears at the speeches, more dancing and some dodgy (but great) audience singing. We had a 'mare during 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' when, for no obvious reason, the arrangement went jazz on us and I found it hard to get back to some kind of normality. Later, the singer/guitarist jumped off the stage (about 3 feet) and as he landed, the battery pack for his wireless guitar setup fell off the strap and bounced across the floor. He was set to solo and instead I had to fill in the gap with some bass runs while the crowd picked up the pieces and handed them back to him. That seemed to clear the jinx and the rest of the set was fine. The inevitable 'one more song' chant led to an extended encore and a later finish that we were expecting but everyone stayed to the end and I was home by 12.30. Kit last night was my Fender P Bass going through the Behringer TU300 tuner (I can't get on with clip-on tuners) and my Behringer BDI21 which fed the desk from it's DI and my IEM from the jack socket. I was trying to keep things simple as I knew there wouldn't be much space on stage. Footwear was a pair of black no brand boots.
    16 points
  14. Opened and closed the main stage with a couple of tributes at Rock The Gardens at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. First run out with a Japanese Faker I picked up recently, great gig to kick off 2026!
    16 points
  15. This one is very bitter sweet - on the band stand as part of the local Wassail yesterday, leading community singing along with the local singing club and male voice choir. We had about 500 in the audience all singing along. Sadly that's the last gig we're doing as a band, but there's some good memories. Sorry, it's a rubbish photo.
    15 points
  16. Cracking gig at The Bungalow in Paisley. Depping with a band I used to play with a few years back! Great fun and very very busy! Got to use my newest bass which is the Deaky bass as seen on this very forum! It rocks!!
    14 points
  17. New venue with a new band last night, our first solo gig together. Enjoying playing with a keyboard player again, not done that since the 90’s. Crowd seemed to like it and venue said we’ll be invited back, so a good start to the new venture. Different stage presence, being just the bass player at the back and a frontman in front of me. Having spent two weeks in bed this year, so unfit and ribs were killing me, with the weight of the bass, so was wilting by the end of the night. Any advice on how to get fitter is appreciated.
    14 points
  18. I'm not sure if it has been posted before, if so, always worth another thread. 'Martha Reeves live in concert'. It's not very long (22 minutes) and there are a few top players by the looks of it. Some posters have named the band. Jamerson, Joe Sample (Keys), Wah Wah Watson & Dennis Coffey (Gtrs), Jim Keltner (Drums), Ollie E. Brown (percussion), Steve Doc Kupka (sax) Emilio Castillo (trumpet) Both from Tower of Power. George Bohannon (trombone) Maxine Willard, Maxine Waters, and Clydie King on back up vox. And, of course, Martha on top form!!
    13 points
  19. Saturday we were at Wilnecote WMC, which is now the home (literally) of Sub Zero. I don't know why, but I seemed constantly mentally off balance when setting up the PA and my rig. Finally got it all together. Took the Poseidon out again today, having restrung it with Elites 40-125. Also started using the Zoom MS-70CDR+ instead of the MS-60B+, as I've mentioned in the open mics thread, as there's more choruses and a better pitch shifter on the 70 than the 60 which means I can pitch shift Sweet Child O' Mine instead of playing it a fret down (I play it with the other band and on open mic nights in D, so playing it in C♯ is going to cause confusion at some point). I think we played pretty well although there were a couple of minor fluffs, and the side dots on the Esh are very small and on a stage without much light from above it's easy to miss your positioning which meant my quota of bum notes was a little higher than normal. Audience was fairly sparse (January and February tends to be) and we didn't get any dancers. Our singer has got a pitch shifter for his guitar which means that the change into Sweet Child O' Mine, our last song, is a lot smoother as he used to have to change guitar for a downtuned one just for that song (the guitarist has a Variax so can pitch shift on the guitar). Gear - Esh Poseidon V -> M-Vave wireless -> Zoom MS-70CDR+ -> Tecamp Puma 900 -> GR Bass AT212. Footwear remains Caravelle memory foam trainers.
    13 points
  20. When we took the gig it didn't register that it was Burns night. I arrived first to find a very loud piper in full flow on the stage! We therefore had a slight delay getting the kit in. The plate of haggis, tatties and neeps with whisky sauce while we were setting up was very nice though. We are not a Scottish music band at all, but we did play a few songs by Scottish artists or fabricated tenuous Scottish links to the songs we did. I don't think we upset too many of the folk in tartan, although one guy did ask if we could play properly. When we said no he just said "Ah, crack on then" 😂 The place was quite busy and very hot when we started around 4pm. It was a bit of a relief that it thinned out slightly as it went on. We were all starting to flag a little by the time we finished though. The trusty Stingish bass and Rumble were in action again. I also gave my Solovair boots a run out for a change - not quite as comfy as my DMs yet though, so I'm glad to be at home in my slippers now 😜
    12 points
  21. Off to the Hartshead Moor WMC on Saturday for a 60th birthday bash. We'd done one of those last year and it was essentially a paid rehearsal with nobody up and dancing really until we were near the end of our second set, and when we saw the size of the party we weren't confident, but this lot were a lot livelier, with dancers up in varying amounts from the middle of our first set, and we went down well. It turned out the organiser, the birthday boy's niece, had seen us before, so knew what to expect, and we pretty much nailed everything right up to the drummist ending our last song Two Tribes two bars too early. Fortunately we were all well aware he can never remember when it ends every time so managed to style it out, although it sounded a touch anticlimactic. Went with the Siredowsky and trusty ABM into the Two10S, which was probably overkill given the volume dial didn't get above 9 o'clock, which was also good because apparently the club often gets complaints when bands are too loud so we played quieter than we thought we would, but with the bonus that said drummist comments that he could actually hear all of us for once! 😂 We politely rebuffed the birthday boy's husband's entreaties to let him buy us drinks, but I gratefully accepted the offer to snag a couple of muffins from the buffet on the way out. Home by 10 and actually got to hang out with the missus for a bit, which was nice. (We've played smaller stages but this was the first time our singist had experienced a bass guitar to the head so was grumbling a bit)
    12 points
  22. Update. I'm in. The band were supposed to audition another bassist tomorrow, but he forgot about it......😁 His loss. I'm chuffed. First rehearsal tomorrow night.
    11 points
  23. Serek Midwestern 2 for sale, very good condition. Dark star pickups, light in weight, with Serek gigbag included. £2400 collected from Newcastle.
    11 points
  24. Just back from a great night at The Brook, Southampton with the Phil Collins tribute, used my newly acquired yammy TRB5P.we got about 400 in tonight which was pretty respectable i think. Always go down well there and last night was no exception. 😊
    11 points
  25. Very rare medium scale JV Squier. Very recently traded for this from BassBros but won’t get used much by me I don’t think. Sounds exactly how you’d want a P to sound, scale doesn’t seem to make it any different tone wise to my other P’s. this was listed at £1200 by BassBros so thinking this is a fair enough price. Comes with flats. I’ve included photos from BB along with my own I’ve just taken now.
    11 points
  26. I bought this lovely self build Jazz from @briansbrew recently. It has a genuine Fender Jazz neck and 70s style Fender tuners. The neck has a lovely played in feel. The tuners are great, they really hold. A lot of my other basses I've owned I've always wondered how it could be flat and sharp at the same time when tuning...cheap tuners. The body, an alder jazz body from North West Guitars. I love 3 tone burst with tort. Seymour Duncan pickups, a push pull switch on the neck pickup volume to go between series and parallel. And a great Schaller bridge. It's a lot of bass. It's only the 2nd bass I've bought where when I've played it I've thought, yes this is my bass. I took it to practice on Wednesday. I find the neck really easy to play, and I just love the tone in combination with my amp and cab. So yes, result!
    11 points
  27. My Fender Adam Clayton signature.
    11 points
  28. OK, everyone calm the flip down please. If you want to argue, do it via PMs. Not here. Your luscious, pouting mod team would hate to have to lock the thread, but if it descends into acrimony, it's toast.
    11 points
  29. I sold eight basses to finance this one, now in the making. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime build for me by my luthier of choice: Christian Olsson at Unicorn Bass. Here is a close-up of the headstock just to show the incredibly grained 3000 years old redwood face. The body of the bass will have the same top and backside, so it will be just gorgeous. It will be an unlined fretless five string with one pickup in wooden housing. No controls , pots or switches, just plain wood. Except for the bridge and tuning machines. Long wait, but within reach... ❤️ https://www.unicornbass.se/
    10 points
  30. Beautiful instrument built by John In Derbyshire, well known for outstanding workmanship and attention to detail, this one is around 2017, it’s worth viewing the Shuker website to get a little insight into price and build etc. The body i believe is alder and there is a burl maple top, neck and fingerboard are maple with a flamed effect on the board itself, the fretwork is immaculate and overall this bass is very light. It is five string currently with a high C and the bridge is super adjustable in all directions, tuners are Gotoh and the active EQ like the pickups are Seymour Duncan comprising volume with push pull to dial in a separate profile, blend, mid, and bass/treble stack, the playability is without peer and apart from a couple of minor cosmetic anomalies as you can see in the pictures it is in great condition. The original hard case is included however I must insist on pick up from Halifax for obvious reasons. i think I have priced this fairly, reason for sale is that i am playing four strings almost exclusively in my dotage and this deserves to be loved. Contact me if you have queries and i will help if i can, thanks for your interest.
    10 points
  31. Always loved the RB Duo 2.1 board but hated the lack of a patchbay like its bigger siblings. Did some modding, don’t have a decent work area available so it’s pretty rough but the wonky cuts will be hidden. Gonna finish setting it up later 👌
    10 points
  32. Status S2 Classic 5 String Headless S/N 030XXXXX Body: Padauk/Walnut/Utile Neck: Woven Carbon Graphite Bolt On Hardware : Black Additional Features: Front LEDs – Blue Original supplied Hiscox Hard Case Weight approx. 4.27kg / 9.4lb Original factory supplied string clamp screws, allen keys etc. Strap & Straploks Havent been here for a while but do occasionally lurk🙂 Original Factory spec sheet present. Built circa 1997, owned by me since 2008, not used since Covid pandemic, at the end of which I took it to the Status Factory in Colchester where Rob carried out battery box repairs, electronic check,fret dress & clean, and set up prior to coming back into use. The invoice from Status for the work done is present, as is Rob's comment about this bass - he likes it. Well he would say that wouldn't he! This bass has been used and loved during its lifetime with me, and has the patina to prove - any number of extremely small and minor dinks and v light buckle rash in the wood, as seen in the photos. Ready to go. Any questions please ask, genuine reason for sale. Collection only PE19 area. No trades thank you.
    10 points
  33. Rarely available 2021 UK limited edition from Fender Japan. As it's a Ltd Ed it is relatively rare and has features not often found on other Fenders. Think Duff. Bargain price IMO. Sherwood Green Metallic 8lb 10 oz. Unusual 12 inch radius Rosewood fretboard, satin maple neck, microtilt. TBX pot has been removed & standard tone pot now fitted. Much better imo. Apologies for photos, I'm old and not tech. 1 tiny lacquer crack next to neck, 1 tiny dimple on top chamfer, both circled in yellow on photos. Anything else is reflections. Thinnest worst Fender "gigbag" ever. Collection from Darlington, however I may meet up within about 50 miles if buyer has good feedback. COURIER! UK ONLY, buyer to organise & pay for it. Other feedback also available. Thanks for looking,
    10 points
  34. I dread to think how many marketing emails from ScottsBassLessons you’ve missed out on in the last 15 years 👀
    10 points
  35. Right. I work with our local Foodbank and Community Grocery (pay a few quid for a week's worth of food and toiletries etc). First of all, if folk are wandering past free fruit, it's about dignity, not a preference for haribo. A lot of people feel ashamed to take free help, especially publicly. This is why the Community Grocery model has worked really well, alongside Foodbanks, as people have the dignity of paying a small amount. Almost all of the food and supplies for the Community Grocery is donated by supermarkets. Supermarkets also sponsor and make regular large donations of food to Foodbanks, which also saves a lot of food going to waste. They leave baskets out at their stores to make it easier for you to donate food too, if you'd like to. I don't understand why anyone would be angry about that. Frankly this is a problem that shouldn't exist. More people need and use these services then you would think, or stereotype. On the wider issue of charity events, it's not a gig for you, it's a fundraiser. That's the whole point. Don't expect to be paid, but donate your time if you support their cause. Or don't. It's pretty simple.
    10 points
  36. The audition went well. Blasted through seven of the ten songs. The usual botche and getting lost once or twice. But generally a positive vibe from the band. They're auditioning one more bass player next week, so a ten day wait for a decision.... Good bunch of guys as well.
    10 points
  37. Hey folks. i bought this back in February or March last year. I had it listed, then realised it was the mutts nutts and kept it. It’s limited edition worldwide (50 in each colour). This is the passive quentin blue version (which is verrrry nice in person!) - this is number 30. EBMM have now made this an actual standard model - however, they only come in white and red, and will cost a fair chunk. The blue is looovely. It’s a brilliant bass but I’m more of an active player, so this has sat mostly in its case and occasionally jammed on. Which I could have been happy with, but a bass has appeared that I want. So… needs must! based in Aberdeen, can probs meet etc nearer Glasgow area. Or shipping in the UK. Ta!
    9 points
  38. Here’s my promo video I recorded for Laney Amplification to support the release of Nathan East’s new Digbeth Preamplifier Pedal this week. I am also very proud to have been an important part of the prototyping and testing for Nathan’s pedal prior to release and was involved in tweaking the tonal parameters.
    9 points
  39. So I answered a JMB ad last week for a bass player - seemed interesting with an emphasis on funk n soul, with a female vocalist, so I was thinking Jocelyn Brown, Dawn Penn, Colette Kelly maybe, yum! I responded also mentioning that I played sax. The guy replied that he already had a bass player (a friend, who’d’a guessed, so why advertise?) but would like a sax player as well. So he sent me charts for ten tunes that they were rehearsing, mainly by male not female singers, very little solo sax, a few with brass section stuff, alarm bells already ringing but I invited him to my place one evening for a chat and a guitar plus sax tryout. It soon became clear that a) he was a very reasonable guitarist but b) he had very fixed ideas about what and how much sax he wanted in each number, eg one 8 bar solo in Moondance in a five minute number, and a few chorus punches in the Graham Parker version of Hold back the night where the original had a three piece brass section riffing all through, you get the idea. I played him some video of what I’ve been doing in other bands, where the sax was used more, but got nowhere so I stopped the session and told him that I didn’t think they needed a saxist, I couldn’t justify 50 mile round trips for rehearsals playing just a few notes with no gigs in the book, and BTW why did he advertise for a bassist if he already had one? Answer came there none… thing is, I took up bass two years after the sax because I’d learned that while bass is pretty essential in a band, sax is a optional extra that needs a careful curation of setlists to get maximum value…grr! Was I being unreasonable?
    9 points
  40. Beautiful vintage lined fretless, one of the first series 300 from ‘93. Japanese made, very light and easy to play with a good action and an active 2 band EQ from EMG, this comprises of volume, pickup blend, bass and treble cut and boost,the strings are flat wound which means you can dial in a range of tones from modern fretless to double bass. This instrument was defretted and is in good condition despite it’s age, there are a few scuffs which is to be expected but it still plays well, there are a tuners are high quality Gotoh. This is a great opportunity to pick up an entry fretless at a good price or indeed a hard to acquire blast from the past, pick up only from Halifax, thanks for your interest do mail any enquiries you have.
    9 points
  41. Point of view from the other side. I'm on the committee for the Necton village charity music festival and have been for four years My job is to find and book the six acts. All the profit from the events is split between three charities. Noone working on the day is paid EXCEPT the bands. The committee chairman would like me to find at least five free bands to increase profits. I refused the first year and someone else did the bookings. The disaster that followed (on a par with a very bad open mic night) made them see sense. Since then, every act gets at least £150 expenses. I'll usually try to get the headliners to drop their fee down to maybe £500 but one, has actually refused payment and just taken the expenses. Our bar is run by the committee and village volunteers do the parking We pay for security, medics tent, the stage, sound system and engineers and the 50Kw gennie. None of the organisers and helpers get paid. Bands also get a free burger each and a drink. I would never expect a band to play for free AND be out of pocket.
    9 points
  42. Well, that didn't last long. Do me a favour... If I start going on about Precision basses again, just remind me that I put this one up for sale after a single month. Just tell me to buy another Jazz instead! For Sale/Trade, 2025 American Professional Classic Precision in Faded Sherwood Green Metallic in as new condition, complete with all case candy & original Deluxe Fender Gigbag - it even comes with the original OEM 45-105 Fender strings. This is a seriously lovely bass, from the excellent build quality and flawless finish to the solidly stable Gotoh Lollipop Tuners, the quality of these basses has been pushed much more towards the current American Professional II. The new "Shoreline" pickups (based on Fender's Pure Vintage Series) sound full and punchy, with that trademark warm bottom end. It's literally done some home playing and about three numbers at one gig, but I ended up changing back to the playability and scooped sound of my American Professional II Jazz - Jazz Basses are my comfort zone, apparently!. The bass is, as stated, in perfect condition with no scratches or dings, and is currently set up with a low and fast action on 40-95 Elixirs. If you want it on the Fender 45-105's, just let me know and I'll happily change it back. Price is £1295, which is a very reasonable near £250 saving on the new RRP. This one is played in, properly set up and sounds fantastic. Buyer to collect from Derbyshire (10 mins from M1 J25), or will happily meet you up to 100 miles from DE7, or 100 miles from Gloucestershire/Wiltshire where I work Wednesday-Friday. Interesting trades considered. Pics are from my music room, and the original pictures of the bass are by the Bass Gallery in Camden where I purchased it.
    8 points
  43. Well i couldn't find a 32" SC headless...So i decided to design and build my own. Had a pair of Peavy VFL's 5;s lying around so one's gone in the bridge (im still looking for it's preamp..it's about here somwhere!) and id thinking of dropping an S in the middle position (maybe mod one in after it's finished) My 2.9mm stainless wire just arrived after being lost/delayed last month, not sure if i'll be going high gloss or hard wax/poly wipe on yet...i should start a build log here for this i guess.
    8 points
  44. I'm an ex-Barefaced user. I had 4 over the years. My experiences are well documented on BassChat. I've moved on. I've applied a lot of my professional skills to the "what" of the desired outcome. I should have done this years ago but it's like cobblers' shoes. In work (I was a product manager for a big engineering company for the best part of 30 years) when developing a new product, we always tried to establish what users were trying to achieve, not what they want. In terms of bass players, they need to be able to hear themselves clearly and easily in a live environment. There are various solutions including IEM systems, which is disruptive tech as far as bass cabs go, but there's still very much a need for the individual bass amp to be heard in the room. So, bass cabs are still a need. Often users don't really know what they want from products and it's the product managers that need to determine what the product needs to be to meet the needs. I thought in the past that, "I want 10" drivers because they give me this..." and I couldn't have been more wrong, the level of ignorance involved in coming to that "requirement" defies belief. What users actually want, though they sometimes don't realise it, is easy portability, the ability to hear what they're playing in various situations and rooms easily, enough "volume" to keep up with other instruments (drums usually) etc. The constraints that then shape the product are price, size, availability of tech etc. For those of us that attended @Phil Starr 's speaker/cab demo at the SE and/or SW Bass Bashes last year, we've seen and heard first hand the whole "I prefer 10s" or "I only use 15s" fallacy in action. That demo just kills the argument about driver size preference and turns the conversation to which sound do you prefer, not which is your favourite size speaker. Then there's the array fallacy, "I prefer 4x10s". No you don't. What you have is experience(s) where a particular 4x10 has given you your desired outcome, or seeing Billy Sheehan using Hartke 4x10 cabs has coloured your thinking. What you need in reality is the sound you consider to be a pleasing tone clearly audible to you while performing. What pulled me away from BF? To start, product quality was a factor. I've never had anything where the tolex comes away and shrinks so easily; unacceptable on any product but inexcusable on a premium priced product. And the 10" BF cabs just didn't work for me in a gigging environment although they often sounded great out in the venue. The BT2 was pretty good but lacked something. I've now settled on a cab that gives me exactly what I want. I don't care what size driver it has, it does everything I want it to beautifully and brilliantly. It's light, compact, built like a tank and looks very professional. Comments and feedback from other people on the sound are always positive and I'm playing better because I can hear myself clearly all the time. The more we think about outcomes and less about specifications, the better products will get and the sooner you'll get what you need.
    8 points
  45. I've done something foolish... The Brooks EXB-12-QB - the construction of which was already completed in August 2024(!) - is finally completed and ready to ship. The installation of the electronics took about a year and a half for all kinds of reasons that I will not bore you with. I solemnly promise that I will never build a thing like this again. 😵‍💫 Anyway: Here it is! - Mahogany body. Explorer shape - Quilted Maple top. Sunburst. High gloss - Body back, sides and neck: Clear gloss - Pearloid Binding - Neck through, mahogany/maple/purple heart five piece laminate. - Two spoke-wheel type double action truss-rods. Plus one carbon stiffening rod. - Ebony Fretboard. Pearl dot inlays. 12th position circle - Sintoms Jumbo frets. Nickel-silver - 32” Scale - Buffalo horn nut/ string guide - Custom made 12 string bridge and tailpiece. Inverted triplets. Gold - 4 x Gotoh GB 350 bass tuners. Lightweight. Gold - 8 x Gotoh ST-31 Octave string tuners. Lightweight. Gold - Custom D’Addario string set - Gotoh large gold strapnuts - Pickup 1: Ubertar Sliding Pole Piece pickup - Pickup 2: 2x Nordstrand NM4 - 1 x 5-pin XLR. - 2 x Volume. - 2 x Tone - 2 x On/off switch with led light for each effect - 1 Master volume trimpot - Weight: 5,1 kg Custom made electronics: - Built-in effect 1: Frog FX1 pre-amp with sub-mini tube. - Built-in effect 2: Aguilar TLC Compressor. - External power supply I will post pics of the build process in several separate posts below.
    8 points
  46. Right, this is where it ends (famous last words 🙄). Both serve a purpose atm though.
    8 points
  47. Prefer it personally, better balance across the strings. Got this one, and another on the way
    8 points
  48. The guitarist just messaged with another gig for the book. He didn't really fancy it so slapped an extra 50% on what we normally charge, and they went for it without hesitation - sweet! A fat wedge always helps the night pass quicker 😂
    8 points
  49. Acoustic gig Friday night. Guys, I'm not good with Legion Halls. I haven't played one in awhile. In the past they've always reminded me of an Assistant Living Facility or what we use to call Old Folks Home. OMG, and it's a 7-9 show. Daryl
    8 points
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