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This afternoon.. a bit of a special one for me - I gigged with my son for the first time ever. He's 13, the rest of the band are 15/16, but they're pretty accomplished for their age. An afternoon stuffed with proud Dad moments.23 points
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Just a bit of an update, and a huge thank you to everyone who commented or reacted. With just one gig in the diary and with a regular venue switching to an agent, we have called time on the band. The singer started off a little defensive (as you would expect) but did see that it was right in the end. He admitted that some gigs completely wipe him out and he has good and bad days more generally. We all wish that it was not so, but to carry on (in front of 'strange' crowds) would expose him to criticism (and possibly even ridicule) and that would be far worse. We will bow out on 7th October. More importantly, we are parting as chums. Thanks again for the support people have given. This is a remarkable place - and this is demonstrated so often here.22 points
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BLOCKBUSTARZ at Lilliardsedge Caravan Park for the Hot Rods in the Borders weekend. Another great night was had. 3 yrs in a row we've been asked back by the Hot Rods guys which is nice. 2 x 45min sets that ended up a bit longer 9 - 10pm and then 10:15 - 11:30pm. Very warm on stage, sound wasn't quite perfect but sounded ok out front. We had problems with the drum channels on the desk and decided to just leave them out and play raw along with bass and guitar backline only. Only vocals thru our desk and the venues PA which is always a risky business but it works. Very busy night, all seats taken with every table full and standing at the back of the hall. Its actually a permanent marquee tent they have. Nice set up but stage is hollow and does create a boom so used my Gramma board last night. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. There is some doubt about whether the Hot Rods will run the event next year but organiser for the Park who books us said she would be happy to have us back next year same time provided the event goes ahead. Decided to give the Godin bass a run out and it has a wonderfully deep warm P type tone that i have to admit was very nice IMO. It was in PJ mode all night, both pick ups selected. Godin bass, Shure wireless, Keeley Bassist comp, Mesa TT800 Boogie channel, Mesa SW210/115 cabs. Sandberg VM4 as back up. Really quite liked that Godin tone tho and its a really nice bass to play with a narrow neck very similar to the VM4 but having that typical old Fender-ish tone it kinda suits the music more than the VM4 which has a modern tone in comparison. I believe Godin had Seymour Duncan produce the pick ups for them. 1.5hrs drive home along quiet country roads made for an easy drive home but my eyes were starting to get tired. Home for 2:30am by the time i unloaded the car, quick coffee and a bit of TV before bed at 3am, back up at 6am with a cat bumping heads with me to get fed. Today will be a quiet sleepy day. Dave20 points
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The Zep tribute played at the Nightrain in Bradford on Friday night, a hometown gig for 60% of the band these days and the only one we're playing anywhere near locally all year. We hadn't played (or rehearsed) together for a month, so it a bit rusty but a pretty good performance overall. A few people reckoned it was a bit loud at the start of the set, although a muso mate of mine who was near the back reckoned it sounded awesome! First gig since the drummer got his driving ban, so the logistics were a bit of a challenge! I think the reality of the situation has started to affect him and he even managed to forget his bass drum pedal! Fortunately, there was one there we could borrow, so no harm done. Same rig as normal (Fender Jazz / Handbox amp / Berg cab) and the new Vans pigskin hitops got an outing! Before and after show pics:18 points
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18 points
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My dep last night went well. Hardest thing was many songs in different keys. Busy, noisy pub with dancing from the start. Plenty of room. A lot of songs I haven't done live before, a couple of older Beatles numbers for example, and Mama Mia. Cold as Ice by Foreigner and No Matter What by Badfinger are great songs I hadn't heard for ages I really enjoyed. Apparently I was a bit loud in the first half but corrected that in the second. Managed a few backing vocals. Had a message from the band saying I was 'brill' so that's nice.18 points
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Saturday night, back at a WMC that Dirty Roses have played at before. Went down well, which was nice. I've done several years of social club work so I'm used to the bingo and play your cards right, it's still a novelty for the others. Antoniotsai dragon bass -> Lekato WS-90 -> Zoom MS-60B+ -> Tecamp Puma 900 -> GR Bass AT212. We have our youngest fan.17 points
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17 points
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We played Capones last night. 7-11. A little long and late for me. BL called out songs we haven't performed in years. It's a good exercise, keeps you on your toes. I'd say it was an okay gig. I'm ok if we never go back. Daryl17 points
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This is a single-channel take on the venerable Ampeg B15, sitting somewhere between the Heritage model and the Ceriatone 'Aunt Peg', but without the fixed bias option. The build blog is here and I suggest any prospective purchaser should read it carefully to get an idea of: How much care went into this build, along with the quality of the components. The problems I encountered and the fact that they have all been ironed out! The specifications. This was far from being my first amp-build rodeo, and I feel that I did a quality job on it. The amp has seen a lot of use over the last 4 years as a luxury practice amp in my home studio / practice room. I built it to use, not to sell, but I now find myself with (a) too many amps, (b) not enough space, and (c) a hankering after various other shiny things. I'm looking for £950 collected or by way of mutually convenient meet-up - it's not something that I would want to entrust to a courier. I'm based in Swindon, Wiltshire, but do travel around for gigs and to see family. The price reflects the cost of the components plus a tiny fraction of the many hours that I enjoyed putting it together. I will provide documentation (circuit diagram and layout) that should assist any tech that needs to work on it in the future. Some of the folks who attended last year's Big Fat South West Bass Bash got the chance to hear this through my BF Super Twin - @Stub Mandrel, @Chienmortbb, @MichaelDean iirc. If it hasn't gone by then I intend to take it to this year's Bash, this time with a FOR SALE sign on it. The Barefaced One 10 is shown for scale (I was right out of bananas) but is NOT included in the sale!16 points
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The covers band, Top Deck, played The General Havelock pub in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. A good gig; ‘ilson’ people can be a bit wary of outsiders, but if they take to you they love you. We never had to buy our own drinks all night. We played in an outdoor, roofed, area. Showtime was 7.30 until 9.30 as it’s in a residential area. The pub seems to be managing its relationship with the locals well. Home by 10.30 to some cans in the fridge.16 points
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Not a bad night at this evening’s gig. Reasonable crowd. Sound was good. IEM’s set nicely and the ambient mic I put under the kit between hi hat and bass drum worked well for all the cues I needed. Bass was sounding great and everything seemed to be going smoothly until midway through the second set one of our guitarists felt unwell and left the stage to sit outside for fresh air, though he was still not 100% when we finished so vocalist who had travelled with him drove him home. I used the DAddario mic mute I picked up last week and it seemed to work well, though I do go a little boss eyed watching the infrared light go on and off. I had the proximity set quickly and as well as moving back out of range it was easy to move just off axis and for it to cut the mic. Sound guy said it worked well and was watching how it muted my mic when not in use. May have to invest in a couple more for the other two BV mics 🙂15 points
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Two gigs this week. Wednesday at the rock and roll club was a good one - old friend of ours on drums who is really easy for me to lock on with, so it made for an enjoyable evening. Some people in from South Africa who danced most of the night, and were most complementary. Usual mix of stuff, with me doing what’s now appearing to be a weekly Chuck Berry medley. As some of them are so similar it’s easy to mix them up, although I seem to remember Chuck did this too sometimes so let’s just put it down to authenticity. P-bass Lyte into Hartke 3500 head / Loud 4x10 cab. Then last night I was depping with some friends in their pub rock band. Bit of a strange one as they were booked to replace another band who dropped out, and they were an Irish style kind of singalong bunch! Event was a birthday party at a nice local country pub, and when we got there I didn’t think it was going to be very good for us. First set only had a couple of dancers, but after a break the audience loosened up and we had most of them up at some point. We got a bit loud as a result, but nothing to scare the horses really. My old mate John Cambridge on drums ( ex- Bowie etc) meant a good gig for me. I love his playing and we gel really well, and he’s also great company, very funny ( although that might not be evident in the pic below where he looks rather serious). Songs included ‘Missing You’ ( by John Waite ), some Small Faces stuff and ‘Somewhere in my heart’ by Aztec Camera, as well as some other stuff you’d expect from geezers our age. P- Lyte into Rumble 500 combo, my go to these days. Finished around 10.45 pm, home by 11.30.15 points
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In another thread a forum member mentioned a band finishing with "everyone remaining chums". While I applaud this band for its maturity, I don't think I've ever had a band finish without never talking to at least someone again (which I fear says something about me...). My least amicable split was when we accidentally dropped a flight case on our singers tambourine that she referred to as her "instrument". In penance the guitarist and I went to a music shop to buy her a new one but she didn't like the sound. Thus followed an argument along the lines of "but they all sound the same"... "no they don't"... "well you don't have to play it because it annoys everyone anyway"... etc. and the nickname "Jingle Bells" being coined. I think we only lasted one or two more gigs! I'm sure others can better this!14 points
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So, Bought this on a well known selling platform a few days ago. It was a warehouse find, and was reasonably priced. Received a call from the seller after order placement to tell me the neck was unserviceable. Just happens that I've a spare Fender 70s neck here, so I gave an offer for everything, thinking I'd fit my own neck. Well, it's arrived in 1/2 hour ago with the original neck. It's fine. Like, it plays lovely. The electrics are pretty crackily, but I'll fit solderless controls / pots that I have lying around. So I really don't know what the craic is with the supposed knackered neck, but I've scored this for a very, very good price. Feeling lucky today, as I've always been after a Fender with block inlays. Cheers14 points
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In my teenage incarnation, Our band had a disagreement over the tempo of a Santana song we were going to cover. After much heated disagreement, I rolled the drummer's snare down a four-flight, stone staircase. The end. Probably the best tempo it had kept for a few months.14 points
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I've mentioned this before on BC, but I once left a band by going to the toilet during a rehearsal and escaping through the toilet window. There's more to the story, but the crux of it is that I ran away in the least dignified way.14 points
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Bedford BandStand Sun 17th big crowd for Bedford Cardiac unit....strapless!!!!!!14 points
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Played with Nine Lives last night at the Balaclava in Fraserburgh. Pretty good night, was a bit quiet at the start but it filled up during the first half and was nice and busy in the second half. Saturday night is the night to play in Fraserburgh, by my experience, should you ever find yourself playing there. We had a hen party (I think) and a divorce party all in one night. The divorcee in question was well oiled by the time she arrived though - spent half the time on the floor, she'll feel that today! Also in a new first for my gigging career, I got my bottom spanked by a lady with a miniature tambourine - a new peril when going for a wireless wander! Spanked all the way back to my amp so I was and to give credit where credit is due, her timing was not awful - kept me right anyhow! I took a highly unprofessional course of action and brought two basses I had been modding and mucking about with this fortnight - the Jet Star with the added Peavey T-40 pickup and the Fazley Hot Rod which recently arrived at Neep HQ and got a pickup change (Tonerider Duke) within an hour and a half of arrival, and copper shielded the night before. What could possibly go wrong? Well, nothing, as it happens. Maybe I'm lucky, or - whisper it - maybe I'm getting half decent at modding basses... The Fazley Hot Rod in the first half was a joy to play. With no controls to eff around with I could honestly sense the freedom from thinking about it and just enjoyed playing. The Tonerider pickup is a great sounding pickup - lots of output but more than enough low mids to really punch through with quite an aggressive sound. Really happy with it. As for the Jet Star, being wary of a boomy sound from the T-40 pickup neckwards, I hedged my bets at the start of the second half - both pickups on, T-40 in single coil. And it was... OK. Compared to the Fazley in the first half I was having a less good time. Part way through the set, I switched to T-40 pickup only, in series and wow, what a difference. I needn't have worried - the sound was much more satisfying, heavy but not boomy, lots of low end substance but never muddy. Much bettah! You know what my rig is by now! Which again only needed to be up about a quarter on the master to easily fill the pub with bass.14 points
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The first photo was around 1983 when I was posing for a photo student friend, trying to copy a Stanley clarke album cover pose. I've never been a smoker and didn't enjoy puffing that cigar. In recent years I found that same bass listed on a French web site and resisting buying it. I was a guitarist back then, the bass was really an impulse swap when I tried to sell my Laney Klipp guitar head to a small second hand guitar shop. The more recent was taken at a gig where i was depping for a Bob Marley Tribute band.13 points
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My legal team have advised me not to contribute to this thread.13 points
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Good midweek gig at The Gryphon last night. After a late night two nights in a row (and the usual 5:45 alarm 😭) I'm knackered today! Too much headbanging as well, my neck is giving me some jip this morning. There were a few issues, the first band took a while getting off stage, which meant we were rushed and our guitarist couldn't work out why his amp was quiet. Turns out it had been switched to half power mode. Still, it went very well and there were lots of positive comments and we even sold a t-shirt. Very hot up in the small gig room there though. I think capacity is about 50 and we were almost at that, plus no air condidioning. My new digital only fuzz was working a treat tonight too. On my GX-100, I'm running a transparent overdrive into a bass fuzz and then a parallel signal with bass overdrive into the fuzz face model, both fuzzes with a bit of clean blend, boosting the lows on the fuzz face, reducing them on the bass fuzz. It has that high end chaotic movement to the sound that most digital fuzzes don't quite get. My rig was Dingwall Combustion -> GX-100 -> Laney Digbeth 500 -> Fender 610. WhatsApp Video 2025-08-21 at 09.36.02.mp413 points
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13 points
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1st one. Channeling my inner Zal Cleminson at a 6th form college gig (about 1976, I think). 2nd on. Reunited with my ex Pretty Things colleague Dick Taylor (on guitar) at the SoL Party earlier this month. Singer is the ubiquitous (very) Alan Clayson.12 points
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I would strongly recommend trying to go for a used, slightly higher-end starter bass rather than a brand new Squier Sonic, Markbass, or Harley Benton. Yes, those new starters are so much better than they used to be, but that quality has also trickled up to the lower end of the mid-quality basses. If you find a good used mid-range bass, especially one that's been a little abused, you could end up with a life-long bass instead of something you'll outgrow. Seriously, look at a used Sire or a Squier Classic Vibe. There's one in the classifieds right now for £250—which is "good Harley Benton" money. I recently had to grab a cheap bass for a wedding gig in Latvia. Flying with my expensive instruments is always risky and a pain, and hey, it was my wedding, I could do what I wanted! So instead of renting one for a week, which would have cost me about 300 Euros, I decided to just buy a bass in that price range. What followed was a great adventure, I went to every music shop in Riga to try out everything around that price. I'd tell the staff what I was up to, and they often gave me free rein, hooking me up with the same amp i use at home , some even offered to buy the bass back from me at a reduced rate afterwards. I went into it expecting to walk out with a Sire, a Markbass P , ibanez or maybe a used Harley Benton. What I ended up doing was falling completely in love with a fantastic Squier Classic Vibe P-bass. I took the neck off wrapped it all up in my clothes and paid for checked luggage to bring it home and i'm going to be rehearsing with it tomorrow, It has no business being as good as it is— My Stingray is sitting unloved in its case.12 points
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I turned up to a local gig with my folder full of bank statements, rather than my chord charts.12 points
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Following on from the various threads about how you started playing and what's keeping you playing I thought I'd see if I could find and the oldest photo of me playing bass. And here it is: There a date, 1978, written on the back which means I'm 17, and you can tell that punk rock hasn't really reached Loughborough yet! The bass isn't mine, but one borrowed from a school friend for the purposes of doing some home recording. I didn't have a bass of my own until 1981. I like to describe this instrument as being made by someone who had once been shown a photo of a Fender P and then had to recreate it from memory using just what was available in the spare parts drawer of the local musical instrument shop. This is also probably the closest I've ever come to playing a "Precision" bass. No idea what song I'm playing other than it is likely be something from our "concept album" on the subject of Nature vs Man vs Nature. Compare and contract with this photo taken last week of me on stage at the Twisted Firestarter gig in Manchester: So what are your oldest and newest bass playing photos. Add them to this thread. Don't be embarrassed!11 points
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1976. 15 years old with my first bass. Made by Gary Nava, school mate (now makes bespoke instruments for people like Matt Bellamy). 2024. My last gig before retiring from live bass duties.11 points
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My first gig, probably 1987. My most recent gig photo: Inspired by @Wombat and his replica pose/playing style, it seems my left hand technique hasn't changed much in nearly four decades! Another shot from the recent gig:11 points
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So first we have me in The Shout, prob 88/89 Secondly we have me in The Spacewasters 2022 (I do have later pics but they’re pony, so this one gets the outing)11 points
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This first one is a couple of weeks ago, a band called Heores, new wave, mod , ska and punk. I'm depping here, nearly 57 years old The 2nd one is from 1988. A band called Roadhouse, we did literally 4 gigs a week for 18 months till I left. I was 20 in this band11 points
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Oldest (don't remember the date; that's our singer playing my drums at the time. It's an outdoor 'on the pavement' 'Fête de la Musique' event in our local town...) ... Latest..? [Shock-Horror] I'm 'playing' a recording for a past Composition Challenge. No, it didn't win, but was fun trying (until I tried to get up..! )... Embarrassed, me..? Nah..!11 points
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My Wilcock Mullarkey short Scale bass guitar with gig bag is up for sale This is a great sounding bass please go look them up on YouTube The bass is in great condition no missing paintwork or anything that I can see Their is a similar one for sale at Bass Gallery This is a UK sale only Collection or willing to meetup halfway Courier at buyers risk11 points
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If you have time you could pop in and see us, we can put LOADS of 5-string basses in your hands11 points
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Saturday night I depped with a local band at a pub in Bracknell. Being a warm evening most people were outside so we just played to a small crowd inside. They seemed to enjoy the set but were muted in their appreciation... Decent payer and I had a nice compliment on my bass tone from a punter so not all bad11 points
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Very early days but loving this already. MY first fan-fret and first Dingwall. Not a review but my first thoughts and feelings. I had faith that these Far Eastern versions would be good quality and haven't been letdown so far. Everything seems topnotch. Hope it stands up to some hard sessions. By far the easiest playing bass I have ever owned (maybe that's the banjo size frets?) The neck is a perfect P size and shape for me with very smooth rounded edges. Weighs in just under 3.9kg or 8.9 lbs. The balance on the strap is perfect. The pickups seem to be amazingly punch for a passive bass, seems all 4 selector positions can be are very usable, never had a bass that I would want to solo the bridge pickup before, this seems to be one that could work for me. Like I said early days and honeymoon phase right now, but there is nothing not to like (except for the price maybe) but then I have had more expensive USA made and boutique basses that these would give a run for their money. This really is a Super P. The custom shop versions must be obscenely nice! Maybe it's just the Dingwall thing, and I had no idea all along.11 points
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I spent the day turning this piece of Sapele; into this Precision Bass body; It will be for sale soon on BC probably with EMG pickups and preamp and Wenge neck??? The body finish will be hand sanded finishing oil to as much of a gloss as I can get. I think it’s going to be a beauty.10 points
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1st is from '78 - earliest picture on my i-pad. 19 at that time 2nd is from June this year, making me 6610 points
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One of the first gigs I played in around 1980 I think, Polesworth Working Mens Club. Last gig I played, charity event for Capital 1 in a big tent in Nottingham somewhere around 2020.10 points
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1996, first gig, which was a RHCP tribute, I was 18. Last pic is actually the last time I played through an amp 😢, jamming with a drummer mate in 2020.10 points
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Haven't got any photos of early Weeds with borrowed Gibson short scale... But I do have Barf Roco stuff from around 1987-8. I no longer own the babydoll nightie as that was forcibly removed during the gig by singer and guitarist. luckily I had a codpiece on. Then a couple of weeks ago at Rebellion:10 points
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First one is a rehearsal with a bunch of school friends circa 1973. The bass is a 1964 Burns Jazz……I still have it! Second one is from earlier this year……….rocking a fretless P in a café bar.10 points
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The next evolution of my Nano Rock Covers pedalboard: R-L 1. Korg PitchBlack XS Bass Tuner. 2. Microthumpinator v2 (underneath). 3. Grimalkin. It's like a posh fuzz that does so much more. It's very cool. 4. Origin Effects DCX Bass sparkle box. Makes Spector basses more Spector than is appropriate in most circumstances. 5. Origin Effects Cali76. A compressor that I actually understand and get to work for me easily. 6. Aguilar Chorusaurus v2 analogue Bass chorus. It's lovely, so much so it's turned me into a Chorus-whore-us. I can't turn it off. Edit to explain signal path: It all runs through a PedalSnake, which keeps it really neat on stage. What you can see in the photo is RHS=guitar cable, Middle = 9v supply to board when not using the PedalSnake (at home), LHS = the PedalSnake tails. The power comes down the power connector of the Pedalsnake. It’s a TrueTone OneSpot 1700mA. The Chorusaurus goes through the send/return loop connection of the PedalSnake. You can see the red/white connectors on the top. The others go straight in the front of the amp via the black PedalSnake connection. Sometimes I go cable straight in to the tuner from the bass and sometimes I use wireless bugs.10 points
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Sunday day gig, thought it was going to be hot so took a fan, so did the drummer. We eventually made a fan table behind us and it was a good thing! The gig in general went well, normal set list, we didnt' get any new songs ready like we were hoping too, people were too busy. I used the Ric in the first half and it was as good as normal, but the guitarist broke his single guitar strap (he has 3 guitars and 1 strap), so as my ric has a strap with no strap lock I switched to my Maruszczyk in the second half so he could use the ric strap. In the second half he was getting electric shocks from his pedal board and threatened to stop so I let him use my wireless so he could continue. Aside from that and a few messed up songs that noone noticed, it went just fine!10 points
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Hi everyone Selling this Aguilar rig .The amp was up for sale recently and withdrawn as a friend wanted to buy it. Unfortunately this deal has not materialised due to some sad circumstances and so now I am re listing it along with an SL410 it is an extraordinary rig with power/ width/ girth - almost a physical experience as well as tonally One of the greatest amps that still is seen on stages all over the world it is in a sleeve which is in good condition The cab is in very good condition with no tears and only a couple of light scuffs Price wise, I am happy to discuss but the amp is around £1350 ovno and the cab at £650 ovno Happy to split, answer any questions and discuss shipping Thanks for looking and just ask if you need Open to offers.9 points
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c1979 local charity gig... Aug 2025 local charity gig... A theme going on that isn't just that I have the same bass on???9 points
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Over in the thread about acrimonious band splits, I was talking about the band I was in where the guitarist just upped and left after a gig. Here's a pic of that band, and it's the oldest pic I have of me onstage (there's probably a few more that I have as actual photos, but this is the oldest one I have on the computer ) - this is from around 1997, and that's me on the left. ...and this is a more recent one from a year or so back, playing my trusty Sei.9 points
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Up for sale is my 2019 Rickenbacker 4003s in limited edition pillar box red. Unusally for a Ric these came with a maple fretboard. Bass is near mint condition, set up nicely it plays great and sounds as only a Ric can. Apparently there were only 25 of these made for the Uk market so it is a bit of a rarity. It comes with the Ric certificate and all the tags too. There are a few very tiny lacquer chips on the bottom edge. I couldn't really see them let alone photograph them but they are there somewhere. They are only the top coat of lacquer so not through the paint at all. The case has typical Ric case single foot damage but other than that the bass is mint condition. Weighs in at 4.2kg on the kitchen scales and now can be seen in a better light with new pics - more than can be said for my grass. I can take trades with cash my way. A skinny necked P would be nice, jazz basses always tickle my boat and float my fancy so you never know. Finally, I can travel to meet up but have a hernia op on the 27th Aug so am out of action for a few weeks after that. Better pics to follow....9 points
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9 points
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Well, I had it to a band rehearsal the other night and I forgot to mention another source of cost saving in my initial blurb - absolutely zero shielding, not even shielding paint. Needless to say it did not like being in the rehearsal room very much (but the noise gate in my Spectracomp made it bearable when I wasn't touching the strings). No matter, not much cavity to shield! Also, the knob arrived... Looks even better in person - the black knob with silver highlight complements the pickup beautifully. Really pleased with it!9 points