Leaderboard

I've been very quiet on here recently, for various reasons, but the main one is that I've been building, and learning to run a music venue! I run a recording studio, and my mate runs rehearsal rooms, all from one building in Stoke. We've built up a decent reputation over the years. There was one bit of the building we didn't have, and that was a garage, but last year the mechanic upped and left, and the landlord offered it to us. We spent countless hours turning a dirty old garage into a spanking new venue and I'm super proud of it. Please check it out if you're looking for live music in Stoke or The Midlands, and obviously get in touch if you'd like to play! www.rifffactory.co.uk https://www.instagram.com/rifffactoryuk/ The bar: Opening week: The garage:

May your days be merry and bright.

NBD was actually Sunday, but I won't tell if you don't. I've been a dyed-in-the-wool Precision devotee for quite a few years, having found that they just work for me. But slowly the worm has turned... My Dingwall journey led me along the path Super P > D-Roc > NG-2, which obviously opened up non-P possibilities. I tried a friend's Jazz (American Standard?) and thought, 'I like this!' Then I found a 2001 MIM J at an auction, loved it, but was outbid. I was pretty disappointed. Finally I came across this Flea Jazz being sold by our own @Mickeyboro, tried it, loved it, brought it home, loved it even more. If I'd been a good boy I'd have shifted my D-Roc first, but clearly I'm not - no presents for me, but that's fine, I'll just sit and play this. It does what I hoped a Jazz would do - a different and spankier voice but still with authority behind the notes, a comfortable playing experience, and a sound that makes you think, 'Ooh, that's like a record I've heard'. Going between this and my original '73 Precision, the Flea Jazz feels old like the '73, not least because it has nicely rolled fingerboard edges. I've spent some time tweaking it to my preferences - neck relief, action, Monty's Instrument Food, and a replaced intonation screw (disclosed prior to purchase) and have been having altogether too much fun going through my Steely Dan transcriptions. I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to gig it, but there may well be a 70s covers rehearsal in January, for which this would work a treat!

I brought out the Meteora last night for our last one of the year, via my regular gigging amp head now, a highly portable TCBQ500 into a house cab. Great sound on stage on off, great job by the sound man. Super loud and nice and clear too. Good crowd and a great little venue, awesome parking and access, backstage area and kitchen, definitely looking forward to coming back. The Meteora is such a fantastic bass, I need to use it more.

Last nights gig with BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam covers band in Cambusnethan Miners Club. Was sold out with 200+ tickets sold. Not an empty seat in the hall. It was crammed full. Mostly women in the audience and a mixed age group too. Looked like a few Xmas party groups in. Dancing from the first song all thru the full show. One pair of dancers dressed for the occasion were literally dancing every song of a 2.5hr show. They were on their feet more than us. 🤩 The atmosphere was literally electric and it makes you feel better and put more into the show. The singer was on top form with his audience participation. Not bad considering he drove there straight from work. We had so many people chapping our dressing room door to have a chat and thank us for a fantastic night. Was quite over-whelming but still nice to hear. Sound was incredible from our Sound Engineer And PA guy who is now our new permanent 6th band member. People that saw us there 2 yrs ago said the sound was much more full this time around and you could hear the difference between backline and full PA use. Feed back was sensational with many requests for contact details with the venue wanting to book for next Xmas too. Another woman that asked if we would play the club she manages as she was so impressed by the band and the show. This was a club i played back in early 80's. Similar sized Club too. She's adamant she'll have us booked for 2026 and was so complimentary. And she made a point of telling me she was teetotal and sober so that sounds promising. Will see what else comes out of it all. Tonight at The Dreadnought so hopefully will see the same reaction from the audience tonight. We're already booked in for next Xmas so no worries there. Think this is 4yrs in a row so far we've played the Sat before Xmas. My usual gear Sandberg MarloweDK - Shure GLXD wireless - Bassist Comp - Handbox WB-100 - BF 212 cab. Dave

Just back home from the annual Christmas guitar club concert in my local village hall. Two concerts - one for the younger learners and one for the older more proficient kids. Amazing to see them progress over the years in confidence and musical skills. I bring the PA, the lights and an extra pair of hands to help with setting up and sorting/tuning etc between performers, as well as donating my bass rig for the evening, being their soundman and guesting on the odd song. Proper Christmas thing. Excuse the dull pic but it’s all I managed.

We played a club near Bolton for the fourth time. The Concert Sec there lives in the 1960's and puts some real clunge on. He's been ignoring my whatsapp messages about next year. He came up to me before went on and tauntingly reminded me that I had gone up to him and shown him a fake Rickenbacker the last time we played. I had two with me that night, plus a P Bass. He wouldn't have it that the Ric I brought last time was real. It was a 2002 4003FG and it was on my stand. He very grudgingly admitted it was real. We always get told what a breath of fresh air we are when we play there. We went on played our two spots, went down like heroes with a 1.05 second spot with dancers throughout. When he came to pay us at the end, I reminded him that he hadn't responded to my Whatsapp messages and laughingly said that I thought he'd died. He told us that though he really likes us we aren't right for the club. Some people left. Like they do when it's cold and dark out and not far off Christmas, etc.. I remined polite and cheerful, as we aren't short of work. Instead of losing my sheet, I just said, we will go down far better than some of the acts you've booked up to June next year. You should've seen his face. Permanent worry-lines forming. He was beyond horrified and demanded to know which ones would frighten their punters and clear the place. I was too much of a gentleman to tell him.

As soon as it appeared on the BassBros socials I had to have it. My 2nd birth year Rickenbacker. Fireglo…..but I kinda feel it’s not actually fireglo but maybe Autumnglo?! It’s a lot darker and brownish to what I’d expect a fireglo to be (pictures show it lighter than it actually is) Either way I love it.

Great: we had a fabulous time at the White Hart in Melton, rocked the place out, hot & sweaty. Sad: it's our last gig at the venue because the landlord and landlady are leaving. They can't make the place pay for itself. Sunday evenings always draw a crowd for the entertainment, but they have struggled to get people in on other nights of the week. Anyway we gave them a good send off. I took the smoke machine for a change, which made all the lights look even better. We didn't even keep track of how long we played. The only thing I forgot to do was to take a photo.

Last night was a dep gig for a local band with a big reputation and following - I was chuffed to be asked back after the last dep with them in September. It was a new venue for them that they were hoping to add to the list of regulars so there was a little bit of self imposed pressure for me to get it right, but they're a decent bunch and I didn't feel any pressure from them. It was a local venue to me, too - less than 2 miles away. Since Tuesday's rehearsal with them, they had added 'My Sharona' to the list and all I could do was try to learn the original arrangement and trust their assertion that they played it identically (which they did). Set up was into a very small space in a raised area surrounded by a waist high glass wall on my left and a wooden railing in front. It was tight, and that meant I had to get my kit in and arranged first before the drums could go in (there being only a narrow gap between the front of the kick drum and the railing). I'd brought my headless Ibanez shorty for just such an eventuality but the glass wall was just low enough that the full sized Sterling had room. I had visions of bending down to adjust an effect and smashing the glass with the headstock but, spoiler alert, it didn't happen. Fortunately, the guitarist was able to squeeze into the space by the back door and although we weren't allowed to block it to prevent people coming in as it was a fire exit, they put a sign out side to direct people to the front door. This gave the singer a little more room. Eventually, the jigsaw puzzle was complete and after a decent soundcheck, we were ready to go. It was a small pub but the place was packed and it was very hot despite windows being open behind us. We had dancers from the start - all credit to them as they had so little space to strut their stuff. There was quiet a bit of singing along too. There was a great sound on stage and apart from a few minor mistakes on my part, I think I did well as a dep. In fact, the only major problem was the guitarist starting a song in the wrong key - which we all managed to adjust to (even the drummer 😂) . At half time the band was offered several bookings in the pub (I've told them that as a dep, I expect a commission 🙂). By the end of the night the place was bouncing and we had a couple of encores. I was pleased to have a number of compliments about my playing and my sound from punters and the rest of the band. I have to say that I was really happy with my sound - punchy without being overpowering. Some of the comments back from staff and audience were that the band had a great overall mix without being too loud. The band are very thorough with sound and soundchecks, which clearly pays dividends. Kit was my Sterling 34HH through the board (MS60b for tuner and noisegate and a synth patch for 'Just Can't Get Enough' >Nux Sculpture compressor >Nux Voodoo Vibe (for Dakota) >Ampeg SCRDI> Sine HPF (set to 40hz)) and into my Peavey Minimax 600 via the FX return. Cabs were 2 1x10" Trace Elliotts. I think I've finally found a bass/board/amp/speaker combination that gets me the sound I've been chasing for years with this line-up. Footwear was, of course, by Skechers. This was my last scheduled gig for 2025. Next planned excursion is mid January.

Great first show of two this weekend at the lovely Trading Boundaries venue in East Sussex, fairly local for us. Roy and Rob the sound guys are great and always do us proud. Fantastic sound out the GB Spitfire /puma/LFsys Monza set up. Very receptive audience as always, nice not to have to break everything down, just take my basses home . Looking forward to tonight’s one now . Happy Christmas everyone! Xx😊

A nice local club for the Glam lads. Was looking forward to a nice packed house but apparently the home crowd was partied out after their club Christmas do last Thursday. Still it ended up filling up to about 75% and we had a decent night in the end. Meeting quite a few people coming down with flu and crossing fingers that we make it through NYE without casualties 😂

Finally pulled the trigger on a BB last weekend (BB 5000)!

Finally put all the bits together (minus the top coat) and plugged it all in. By some miracle, the dammed thing works, not only does it work, but it sounds really good and it's really loud, at least in my dining room The corners are held on with double sided tape as they are supposed to come off later The rest of it is screwed together properly. The Warwick is held on by my "patent pending" mounting system. As can be seen, my "roadie", the CFO, has demonstrated that the Warwick is indeed securely held. I actually tried it in all orientations and it's rock solid. It can also be mounted on the back, but those rails aren't on the cabinet yet. No fears whatsoever it's going to fall off at all. I plugged a Strat in first and it sounds fine, I'm sure a purist might argue it's not a full range speaker (and it's not), but it sounded fine to me. Next up was my headless bass and that sounded fine as well. I did wind the volume up a little bit then and it's bloody loud. No way could I play this at any volume in a small room. I'd certainly gig with both bass and guitar with this. At small volumes it's also fine. The Warwick needs to be setup for guitar or bass with the tone controls. but I have to say the speaker sounds really good. Far better than the Ampeg Rocket 108 to be honest, though it's got significantly more invested into it than the practise amp has. The little rack to the side is a home made one with a Behringher Centaur overdrive, a Mooer compressor and a EHX tuner. The overdrive is not for the bass though. I sill need to get the Armacab on it but not this side of Xmas now Now to build the second one for a little more volume. Rob

Looking forward to 2 sold out gigs this weekend. 1st at Cambusnethan Club in Wishaw area with 200+ tickets sold. This was actually where i had my wedding reception back in 95. Wife's Aunt was Bar Manageress so we got a great deal. 2nd at our Fav venue the famous Rock Club, The Dreadnought in Bathgate that have been booking us every year for past 4 yrs and already booked for next years. Always a great night and always a total party night. Both within 45mins from me so that's a bonus. Got our PA guy doing the hard work at Camby Club and PA is supplied at Dreadnought so no heavy lifting this weekend. Life doesn't get much better than this. I tell a lie - i pick up my new car on Sat morning 11am. A lovely Subaru Outback that has more loading space than my Volvo V90. The dealer suggested i take the demonstrator home and load my gear in to make sure 100% that they fit rather than relying on measuring it at the dealers. This is one seriously exciting weekend. Dave

Well due to injury, and therefore necessity, I have succumbed and bought a shorty. I have no idea how much movement I will get back in my shoulder but for now I can reach the 3rd fret pf a 34” bass. Back of a cornflake packer calculation says 30” scale length is ideal so off I went a-hunting. I did no want to spend an awful lot, I am already £250 down on a U Bass so It was an Affinity, HB, or Hartwood. I did not get on with the Affinity ‘Tang, the HB has been showing 1-2 weeks for about a month and now showed a bit longer so a Hartwood Delta finally showed up. So far I am delighted. Feet work is some of the best that I have ever seen and there are lots of little touches that please. Machine Heads -Smooth and precise Control Knobs- Not the push on, splined type but held on with grub screws. Body-Flawless, at least on first look. Action- Higher than I like but playable out of the box. Frets- I do my own fretwork and these are wonderful, the best fret ends on a bass or guitar I have had in 60 years. Screws-Pick-guard and control cavity screws sit well down. They are domed but sit well into the countersink. Nut-Could go lower but I will not be touching it for now. Criticisms? The neck has what look like ran drops in the finish. However you cannot feel it under your hand, The pick-up selector switch is not straight up and dos but angled. Oddly when playing it seems more natural then if it were more like a Les Paul. The switch may be the first thing I change thought as cheap ones fail quickly IMHO. Bridge- BBOT. However That does not matter to me, It is a well proven design and it works. Strings - Shiny and bright but may have more finger noise than I like.

Hohner should buy it... save me typing in the wrong name all of the time!

Females don't suffer from male weakness. She's had two kids. Don't know about you but I was 9lb 3oz at birth; that's "too heavy" for most fellas on here 😀

Talk about getting everywhere - this was from BBC sports personality of the year last night!

It’s ready! Shipping today apparently, so we’ll see if it arrives before Christmas 🤞 Si

Hi folks I've always loved the Stingray fretless sound, but they are quite a few quid especially his sig bass, so I set myself a task to see what could be done for not too many £s to get the look and as much of the tone as possible. Here's what happened next... I picked up a preloved DiMavery MM501 fretless as a starting point. Actually a lot nicer that I thought it might be, well put together (even with quite a weird passive set up). Nice Rosewood board, lovely satin finish to the D profile neck and acceptable hardware. Brucie bonus, it weighs less than 8lbs. I acquired a Retrovibe Stinger '77 with the Retrovide AlNiCo MM pickup (wired in parallel for this project) and put it all together. Finally I decided just to spray the midly unpleasant tort pickguard black to save a few quid. I also swapped the original fit rounds for some LaBella LT flats. Here's how it came out. To my ears, and despite my huge talent deficit, I think it sounds pretty good and I am really pleased with the results. If were to do any further upgrades, I think I'd go for a proper new pickguard, some better knobs to cover the nuts on the pots and maybe a nice metal or bone nut. As ever my timing is appalling as my arthritis means I'm not playing much now, but if anyone is interested please PM me.

Ahhh, Dobbies...one of those dinosaur venues with a power-mad Conc.Sec. and everything*...you can get a reaction out of the crowd, but with pliers and gritted teeth. For the majority who don't know the place but will know many similar (still), there's total silence** for the bingo but they talk through your first set unless (metaphorically) grabbed by the collar, and the general vibe from the management is 'Why can't you be Matt Munroe? I liked him.' Last time we were there I gave Herr Conc. Sec. the hairdryer because as soon as we'd finished some fool on their side hit the smoke machine onstage about eight or ten times as we were packing down, it was four feet deep and you literally couldn't see the floor, I nearly walked off the edge. I lost 75% of my sheet, went to his table and gave him a bollocking, he tried to laugh it off till I pointed out if someone did fall on (or worse, off) the stage he'd be hearing from lawyers (and I'd taken pictures) about breaching H&S, and he shut up. We haven't heard back from them, but to be honest it's no loss. * Where you're referred to as 'The Turn'... ** The sort of silence only encountered in the bleak chill of deep space or Northern Club Bingo sessions, it's uncanny, unnerving and something I think CERN should have a look at...

Well our afternoon gig started off with a 90min drive. On arrival drummer and PA guy were already set up so that was a bonus. Doors open 1pm, nobody there, no queue, no-one in the hallway outside. Oh well we'll still go for it at 2pm. Paid rehearsal. Then 2 people appeared at 1:15pm and then some more and by 1:30pm the organiser asked us to push it back but PA guy had a hire on at night so we said only by 30mins as we had a gig later that night. Wee white lie but at 2pm it started to get busier. By the time we went on at 2:30pm we had around 50-60 folks but its a big venue so it didn't look overly busy but they were all up for a great party afternoon. People just kept coming in even during the 2nd set folks were still arriving. I think we must have managed about 80 people for 2nd set. Dancers on most songs and full floor for the last 4-5 songs so that was good. Turned out quite an enjoyable afternoon and few quid in my pocket so that was nice. Stopped for an Indian takeaway on way home too. Now i'm sitting watching Mr Mercedes on Netflix with a full satisfied tummy. Diet finishes tomorrow. Target reached last week at 12st. but i'm gagging for a wee dram after tomorrow. Usual gear for me. Sandberg MarloweDK - Shure GLXD - Keeley Bassist comp - HB WB-100 - BF212 cab. Dave

Folded my band of 15 years up last December for a variety of reasons - here's a few.... The death of my Dad meant that i couldn't put the backroom time in whilst i sorted his house and estate out, nobody offered to step in and do the bookings or promo work whilst i spent 3 months of weekends finalising everything. The singer/guitarist was inacapable of learning any new songs on his own and coming to rehearsals with them semi prepared, that was driving me nuts. You know when you've all agreed to learn a song, everyone does their homework and then someone shows up at a rehearsal and asks what key its in or what version is it? Playing the same 40 odd songs at the same 12 venues for years (and no hope of improvement mainly because of the above) was getting a bit boring even though they weere the best local venues and the band was very good. Finding any free family time at weekends was hard as we were doing 50 odd gigs a year and I was conscious of getting older and wanting to travel around a bit with my wife before we couldn't manage to any more. I was the peacemaker in the band that stopped the drummer killing the lead guitarist because he was totally incapable of turning up at the correct time to unload the gear from the van. The singer travelled with the guitarist so he was always late as well. Me and the drummer frequently unloaded the whole van before the other 2 herberts showed up. Along with the grieving process it was getting me down. So i packed up in December 2024 with the intention of taking at least 6 months off and just noodling at home. Maybe learn to play a 5 string. But have a total break from the band thing. Sold my gig cabs. Put my gigging amps up for sale. Bought a 5 string. Bought a boutique amp and cab for at home. Learnt to play a few guilty pleasure songs on the 5er just for fun. Started getting a bit itchy around April. Maybe if i found something that was just about 10 or 15 gigs a year..... Auditioned for a band that looked mildly interesting. Couldn't play with the drummer, he was very average and i was used to something a bit more solid. Got the gig but turned it down. Realised i didn't like the boutique amp/cab for live work so sold them and bought an LfSys Monaco. Love it. Answered an ad in May from a local drummer putting a one off band together for a festival gig locally in June doing some Americana/new country stuff. Did 2 rehearsals and then the gig. Really enjoyed playing (my new 5 string) again. Gig went well and got invited back to headline next year. Started to feel like gigging again as a result. Answered an ad in October for a local rock covers band just starting out but with 10 gigs booked for 2026 at the best venues locally. Auditioned. Got the gig. Drummer left the following week (was it something i said?). Grabbed the drummer from my old band to help. Now we have 5 people all learning everything at home, doing their homework and just turning up and nailing the songs. No issues. Bliss. Had 3 rehearsals. Learned 28 songs in a month ready for 1st gig on Jan 3rd. Looking forward to it. (Figured out that trying to play songs that you already know on a 4 string on a 5 string is difficult. But learning completely new songs on my 5er is a whole lot easier) Went to my first ever jam night last month. That was fun. Did 2 songs with the singer and guitarists from the new band and then 2 songs with the old bands guitarist. Nice to be on a stage again. Just been offered a gig with someone i depped with at a festival with a few years back. Always fancied doing that one again so we're going to see how it goes. Laid back sort of soul and 80's classics with a gritty rocky touch. John Mayer meets Chaka Khan/James Brown. Maybe 10 gigs a year tops. Need a drummer though. I'm enjoying playing again and feel like i have my mojo back. I've learned about 60 new songs of various styles but all ones i like, figured out a 5 string and made some new friends. Oh and also been travelling around a bit with the missus and son 🙂 The balance is good.

And there you have it folks! She lives! The bridge is actually really easy to operate and set up. Even fitting was a breeze as the furthest mounting hole lines up perfectly with a standard 5 screw bridge. Used some old witch hats I had in my box o junk and I think I will leave them on inkeeping with the occult theme Just got to wait 7 weeks to actually play it after dislocating 2 fingers in my right hand. Peace out!

Thanks everyone! The opening week was wild. We're limited to 70 capacity but the first night was probably slightly over that. We had Static Dress play as their drummer is our best mate. There was only one unforeseen problem. The condensation and spilled beer made a mockery of our consumer grade garage floor paint. People were slip-sliding all over the place. The first job the next day was to mix balsam in with a new tin of paint, and get that down in time for the gig the following night. It did the trick! We had 5 gigs on the opening week, staffed by mates, played by mates, and attended by all and sundry. Loads of people travelled in to Stoke for these gigs and it really felt like the centre of a scene for a moment. And we made money! Then we realised we'd not booked any more gigs, and we have overheads to pay, and big bills to pay, and loads of debt... So now we start the long slog of learning how to make money out of a venue. At 70 capacity it's difficult to appeal to bigger touring bands. The other side of that is an other-worldly PA system that out-classes any venue of this size (that I've seen). Proper lighting, green room, potential for live recording etc. so we hope to tempt some names in for "secret" or "super intimate" shows. Otherwise we're perfectly suited to local multi-band line-ups, and the "toilet circuit" in general. Any advice on promoting gigs would be gratefully received, and if any of you are promoters that would like to put on a gig at Riff Factory, please get in touch

Here's an example of a club that does it right. One thing they do is allow promoters to puit on gigs in 'the Hall'. In the last few months we've had Focus and Curved Air (not tributes). I've got five gigs there across three bands next year. It's a brilliant place to play.

oh dear, poor old Basschat, the future isn’t looking bright …😂

latest micro board setup. usually powerbank powered. then this added to whichever board I am bringing with me. (I have two other setup depending on the situation/need)

Personally I’d just pay the return postage, mark it down to experience and get looking for another bass

I've always thought that the Sunday afternoon / teatime gigs made a lot of sense, even before I reached a 'certain age'! I remember doing a few places back in the 80s, playing to bikers in places like Burnley on a Sunday teatime, and it always made sense, then as it does now. A punter can go out and have a few beers, see a band and still get to bed home at a reasonable time to get up for work on Monday morning. From a muso's point of view, a two hour drive home at eight o'clock is better than driving home at midnight, especially for semi-pros who have work the next morning.

Ahhhh...the complexities and beauty of club land in the North. I'd say we do about 70% of our gigs in WMCs now though the differential in 'pay' between them and pubs is not what it was. Unfortunately there are still a number of the 'bingo comes first' outfits, and I still scratch my head at why they pay out for a band....though a sizable number are now opting to cheaper solo/duo backing track jobs to cut down costs. While these can be a disappointing gig they have their moments, though Gladis and Wilf rushing off a quarter into the last spot to catch the last bus can be unnerving - I've never understood the rigid set times that put us on too late when this is a factor. These sort of places seem to be dying on their arses with closures every week and implosions of the committees due to finances/reducing footfall. Conversely some WMCs are still thriving, do less or no bingo type activity and concentrate on good entertainment. We love these places and try and support as best we can.

Regarding Mohini Dey being one of the best bass players on the planet, it's more accurate to say she is one of the most bass players on the planet; she plays an awful lot of notes, but it never seems to add up to much. Yet another bass prodigy who never found a way to make meaningful music. Myself, I'd put Danny Sapko way in front of her in terms of being useful on the bass guitar. The vast majority of these bass "influencers" are all fairly similar in that they have formidable skills but lack enough self-awareness to realise that their playing isn't very interesting in itself. They don't seem to have the creative intelligence to make something more worthwhile. And yet they are offering advice. I like Danny Sapko because he has no such pretentious or delusions. To me, he's not part of that world and long may that remain so. I certainly don't begrudge him if he gets some free bass stuff, though. Better than that even, someone should to send him some proper clothes to wear. He is undoubtedly Britain's Worst Dressed Man, and that is quite an achievement considering both Dominic Cummings and John Barnes still live in the U.K. Never mind YT videos about visiting Andy Baxters ect, he could do with a trip to Primark at the very least.

Have I mentioned how much I love that small, lightweight little beast? It has already served as backline for several gigs with PA and IEM support, and it’s had to work hard to deliver solid stage sound. It also feels like the cab has opened up after some hours at higher volume, and I notice that now even at lower volume. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I strongly feel it sounds better after more playing time: more openness and a smoother low end. Whether that’s measurable or not, I can’t say, but as a user I believe I can hear it. The Monza punches far above its weight and size when it comes to sound quality, volume, and headroom. There’s no escaping the laws of physics, yet they keep getting bent here. It proves that the number of woofers and their diameter is just a label, something people often overvalue or judge too quickly. This is simply a loud, clear, and deep-sounding cab of 11 kilos and 56 liters (external dimensions). What’s inside doesn’t define the name, but it does define the result. The tone makes it unique. Don’t let yourself be blinded by the “1x10” prejudice. There’s so much more to it.

Not really last night as I'm still here. 40th birthday party booked before the band disintegrated, so we had to honour the commitment. Digital desk flat out refused to play ball. Could not connect to it. So the hour I was going to spend blowing cobwebs off the songs I've not played for 6 months I spent messing with that. In the end we ripped out the little 3 input mixer from behind the bar and ran with it. The show must and therefore did go on.

Ashdown put the Capri on the hot wash and shrunk it a bit. 23" scale now https://ashdownmusic.com/collections/basses-22/products/roasted-capri-23

As @Bill Fitzmaurice has said I did a blind shootout of six speakers ranging from 6" to 15" at a couple of bass bashes this year. All eq's flat and diven at the same volume by identical PA amps so no tone shaping taking place. Even when I told them what they were listening too people couldn't reliably list them from smallest to largest. The favourite was an 8" cab which a number of BassChatters are now building but all had some admirers. If I did the same next year with different drivers I'm pretty sure the favourite would be a different cab. After the demo I had the 15 out so I used it at a couple of rehearsals, with a TE Elf it sounded great but not special, with a Warwick Gnome it sounded special. Neither amp is flat (and we've measured them) and the speaker certainly isn't flat but the Eminence Deltalite 15 suits the Warwick Gnome and the high efficiency of the Deltalite and limited top end suit the Gnome. I am a scientist and can use measuremnts to understand what is going on but using your ears is still the only test that really matters. We all percieve sound differently so personal taste is what matters in the end and if you are enjoying your sound you will play more and ultimately better. It just isn't the 15'ness of the speaker that's doing it

We finally got a Jive Deluxe to see what the hub bub was all about.