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Hello BCers, I’m approaching 73, and it’s time for me to retire from gigging. This is partly due to minor health issues, but also a lot to do with having no desire to continue driving around the South East at midnight after a gig. It’s become a bit of an issue, especially in winter. After 57 years in bands I think I deserve a long service medal, but I’m not sure who awards these. I’ve been lucky and have worked with some seriously talented musicians over the years. But I’m also not forgetting those bandmates who maybe weren’t the greatest players but always did their best and were genuinely nice people to be around. I’ve written plenty of anecdotes on this forum about my various adventures and misfortunes over the years, and that’s just the stories I can remember. For the last few years I’ve been doing mainly dep work and have worked with all sorts of bands, from elite function bands to local pub rockers. Band politics never change - some bands have been super friendly and obviously really enjoyed gigging together, whereas some bands hardly spoke to each other all night. But I always tried to turn up on time, smile at everyone, and play the right notes, and that’s usually the successful formula for a dep player. I’ll still be a regular on this forum, which must be one of the most polite and friendly forums ever. But that’s what you’d expect from bass players, isn’t it? Sensible comments, witty comments, bit of banter – what’s not to like? Peace and love to you all.

My daughter was two years old when I joined Basschat, played her first gig last night at sixteen. She hasn't been playing long, but has picked it up remarkably quickly. Must be in the blood. Proud Dad moment.

Since my last band split almost a decade ago I completely fell out of love with all things bass. I have hardly picked up a bass in that time. I’ve been getting that itch again and was hunting for a Geddy Lee Jazz as I’ve had 2 in the past and love them. BassBros had one to win in one of their competitions. I bought a ticket the day before the competition ends, and it was my first time buying a ticket. I only bloody won! Beyond chuffed! Won on Sunday and today this was waiting for me at home. 😍

Ive only just became aware of this (and spent 30 mins sobbing afterward) a few members im close too will know that after 22 years of marriage my wife asked for a divorce. At the risk of oversharing. For many years ive struggled with (for a long time undiagnosed) carpal tunnel in both wrists, which at times has hampered my playing. This is on the mend, but among other things has taken a toll. Im devastated, but ive done a lot of thinking and looking back, it cant go on Ive been harming myself mentally, and suppressed anger and frustration and sadness until it warped me into something im not, and caused her to fall out of love with me ive numbed the pain with Alcohol which has affected my physical health. She knew what was happening to me, but dealt with it by keeping busy with other things and remained focused on creating a life for herself that didnt include me, in time we were more roommates than a husband and wife. So sad, we had a beautiful relationship, and it withered and died and we both let it happen! heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking Ill always love her,she was my best friend, soulmate and the love of my life. Right now im still full of anger and resentment and need to try and let it all go and forgive, because ive tortured myself and her for years If this looks at all familiar i beg you COMMUNICATE, share your feelings and find the person you love. Im not courting sympathy or even attention, but please hug your partner and love them fiercely and with all of your heart. Ive been a nember of this forum since 2007 and it has been part of my everyday life in all that time. Ive made friends for life and brothers id never had, and many many times been a small light in my darkness. I cant thank you all enough for this, im very moved and grateful to have so many wonderful people in my lif Im going to move out and get a flat with the shirt on my back and a couple of basses, at 51 my life parallels when i left Newcastle at 19 Im on the cusp of a new start My focus will be on healing myself phyisically and mentally, i plan to throw myself into the thing thats always defined me , Music!! Time to forgive and heal

Took my 15 year old daughter to a gig at rock city Nottingham last weekend. She suffers from Cystic Fibrosis so as a treat id arranges with their manager for her to go to soundcheck and meet the band. they were great. Friendly and chatty with her. She’s made each of them a bracelet and they wore them for the actual gig. Then after they were meeting fans, signing stuff, and recognised and said hi to my daughter. I find it rare that bands are that accessible to fans. It really made her day.

Hi BC-ers Firstly, Russ, thanks for your kind concern for my health. I'm glad to say that I'm very well and feeling good. Apologies for being elusive on the support side during recent months, but unfortunately, needs must, as outlined below. (I'll respond individually to those who still have outstanding enquiries) To explain briefly, what started out as a minor production blip with some custom parts further snowballed, compounding the issue to a level that required a good deal of hands-on work from me for several months to keep things rolling. Thankfully, we're through it all now, and our UK assembly supplier has bounced back. This period highlighted a weakness - support relying entirely on me. So, now there are 3 email support tiers: Info, Sales, and Technical, to facilitate sharing the load.

No reply from my WhatsApp group message to the band, which suits me just fine. I banged out a "bassist available" ad on one of the Facebook musos groups and I got this reply: "Hi there, Firstly it’s great to know that there is a Soul, Funk & Groove style bassist in the area, Most are Rock or blues influenced. I, and many of my musician friends have been looking to get a really good funky soul Band together for a while, without much success as decent bass players are very rare, And finding a soul/funk/groove influenced bassist has been like searching for the holy Grail. We are all knocking on a bit (60-63), and have had lots of experience in various bands Playing various types of music, but we all like soul, funk, jazz, groove influenced music Where bass and drums are the driving force, the engine room of the band, so to speak And everything else fits in around that groove! I hope that this could be something that you might find interesting, and maybe consider getting involved in." We're going to meet up for a chat. One door shuts and.....

I'm playing Glastonbury 2025, I have 4 gigs lined up, playing with Andrew Maxwell Morris. Wednesday 25th: Toad Hall - 17.10-17.50 (40mins) Thursday 26th: Mandala Stage - 14.00-14.45 (45 mins) Friday 27th: Open Arms - 12.00- 12.45 (45 mins) Small World Stage - 14.10-15.00 (50 mins) I so can't wait 😁

After having a brain-bleed stroke at the beginning of Feb, followed by 5 weeks in hospital and 7 weeks recuperating at home, I actually managed to get out and play half a gig last Sunday. I'd stepped back from my band ('Mustang Sally') simply cos I couldn't drive nor stand up for very long. They replaced me on bass for the time being by a guy with 5 years more experience than me (he's 80!) but as the gig was actually an outdoor mini-festival in West Bay Dorset where I live they invited me to play the 30 minute sax set with them that I used to do. I have to say it was very nice to get up on a stage and belt out One Step Beyond, Geno and some rock'n'roll without falling over, running out of breath or having another Julius (Seizure!) It was also interesting to compare the new guy's bass sound (vintage Vox Phantom long scale and TC Helicon gear) with my Mustang and AG700/Darkglass set up - his sound throughout was a band-leading Jean-Jacques Burnel Stranglers clang while mine is mostly much a more nuanced thump with the occasional clang where needed... Let's hope a few 100% gigs come along before Christmas!

First of three gigs with this guy 😃. We have a Billy Joel tribute band in Holland and we got our stamp of approval from original drummer Liberty DeVitto. He agreed on coming over from the US to do these gigs with us. Needless to say we are over the moon with him agreeing to play with us. Had a blast on the first and looking forward to number two and three.

Whilst we still have a handful of jobs left to do to fully finish the Nick Smith Midas, today saw a massive step forward seeing the frets leveled, crowned and polished, electronics wired and fully assembled and strung! We heard her voice for the first time today and the pairing of Aguilar Amplification HJ pickups and two band cut/boost preamp are sounding sweet! It feels bittersweet that Nicks vision has reached this point yet he won’t be able to see it or make it sing 😢 She’ll now be given some time to settle before setup and the last few jobs completed at which point we’ll tie down and announce the details of the charity raffle!

Just got in from a Knock Off gig (my old band which I’m standing in for) at The O2 Academy, Islington. Was a Vive Le Rock event with a load of great bands, being headlined by Cocksparrer. Load in was 5pm, had our own dressing room and refreshments, then on at 6pm for a short sharp shock set of 30mins. We played well, no errors, backline was provided and it was Blackstar amps - for bass was a Unity 700H & Unity 410C that my trusty JMJ Mustang & Behringer BDI21 went through, with both DI and miked cab. Was quite touched to hear a good few people calling my name out when we were setting up, and afterwards caught up with some people I’ve not seen since I left in 2019. Again the black New Balance trainers got the job, might not be particularly punk but neither is having sore feet!

Just got back from a gig with Bendricks Rock in Newport. Overloud DJ/karaoke distorting and making setting up hard and soundcheck impossible. Town was quieter than last time, but we had an enthusiastic reception. My bass was very boomy and I had to cut bass and >gasp< boost mids to get a decent sound. Forgot my mic stand and really missed doing bvs, although there wasn't really much room for another mic. My usual rig with the AVII Precision. Quecha approach shoes which give my dodgy ankle excellent support. Got a band selfy for once!

An unusual gig this morning at a classic car breakfast meet down in Hampshire with the new funk band and then back home to Horsham to play at kings Lea school fate this afternoon with some old musician friends. Really enjoying my GB Spitfire 5 since it came out back from a service by Bernie recently. Sounds fantastic though the puma and LFsys Monzas . Now to enjoy a nice relaxing evening ( not playing) x😊

Sadly the video files we have of this bass are too large to upload but here’s a link to our Facebook page where you can see it https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CTLc7Rn87/?mibextid=wwXIfr Here’s more pics of the finished bass

Just back from the Audio Lounge in Glasgow after a gig with the punk band. We were second out of four and went down really well. Quite a small venue - it certainly isn't the Barrowland - but I'm really warming to more intimate spaces. The Stingray acquitted itself well, although it's getting a bit clattery. I think it's going to have to go to Chris McIntyre for him to work his magic. The backline was deffo old skool - SVT plus Workingman 810. Awesome sound and it was great to feel the air hitting the backs of my legs but completely OTT for such a small room. I wasn't complaining though, as for once I had enough oomph to hear myself over our volume 11 guitarist!

I was listening to some songs from my old band the other week and kinda missed my maple necked P bass, glorious Fender Japan '57ri sunburst with a gold plate I added (if you have it give me a shout!) ... so went looking on eBay at maple necked Precisions.... Years back I lived in Glasgow for a year and found an old beat up Cimar 1905 model Jazz bass from 1975ish bought it knowing a friend was going to have it, @Bassassin helped me fix it up, and it was just fun thing, fun to play and a bright bouncy sound.... nice. I regretted selling it to the mate (although he has loved it since.) And then in my search on eBay for a precision I found a Jazz like the cimar ... and stuck in a bid... and lost.... A week later I got a second chance offer and a few days later it arrives - sold as broken from someone selling for a family member. So other than knowing what it was maybe going to be like a bit of a risk... So it's a Japanese made 1975-76 ish Jazz bass, the headstock is branded Diplomat who I think were a kiwi distributor, but it's very close to both the other one and assassin's one - so Cimar/Ibanez/ Fujigen build probably. It's ash and maple, kinda cheap - pressed tuners that look cheap but seem to work well, square end bridge, the old curved end Japanese pickups, the most evil bridge design known to man, the pots which need replaced and just a bright engaging tone... first thing I found taking it out the box was wasn't far off being in tune that the neck relief was spot on. A good sign. Though the action was High. Then I noticed that the evil bridge had something missing... so the evil sticky out screws to adjust the height are on the bottom, with the nice rounded ends facing up (an improvement) - but the adjustment screws... erm... but the intonation was pretty much spot on... And then soldering the wires back - I imagin they were broken when the old owner tried to fix the dodgy pots... and it comes alive... And yeah they feel, look and sound like TI jazz flats on it too! So yeah my new precision bass ...

MONDAY AFTERNOON! (Sorry I'm late again) The Sax Pistols in a bandstand somewhere in Stratord-upon-Avon. Seven-piece funky brass band playing everything from Bruno Mars to James Brown to the Pulp Fiction theme tune. It was cold, rainy and horribly windy, so there was hardly anyone watching. The wind meant my music wouldn't stay on the stand, so I gave up after the second tune and did it from memory/busked it. I was not entirely unsuccessful. We played pretty well and sounded good! We were all dancing about to try and keep warm and complaining (good-naturedly) between songs. Those that were there really enjoyed it, lots of confused-looking foreign tourists filmed us (presumably for evidence) and we went down well enough. It's really good fun stuff to play, and they're all good players - the new Tenor Sax player is absolutely cracking. BL has got really good banter/spiel between numbers, which helps keep the spirits up when you're freezing your proverbials off! Highlight was the Trombone in 'Just a closer walk with thee' (New Orleans style hymn) - Monet (BFNBJLHMDJT - see my previous post) has total free rein and... it's an almost religious experience. Back to BL's canal boat afterwards for a much-needed cuppa! Played the Sousaphone, wore the offensively glittery Converse.

FRIDAY NIGHT! (Sorry I'm late.) Jones Jazz Orchestra 'Tribute to the Rat Pack' at The Cameo Suite, Coleshill (near Brum) 20-odd piece big band playing Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin type stuff. A 6pm start on bank holiday/half term Friday meant I turned up half an hour late, sweating like an inappropriate similie (I went on a rubbish date with a girl called Similie... I don't know what I metaphor) as I was suited and booted and carrying a Double Bass, which was a good start. I had to set up as the band topped and tailed a few bits, I got done just in time to join in on the last bit of tailing. Just enough time to grab a lime & soda before doors, the singer from the rock band and his other half came, as well as my current squeeze... good to have a few friendly faces there. (CS & singer's OH became instant besties, which was nice) We had a dep trombonist who I'd found on facebook and a dep Bass tromboner (friend of the BL) who were both fantastic - the Bass Trombone has got some cracking parts that we never hear as we don't usually have one, and this guy was REALLY belting them out! The dep (normal) trombonist was really good too - sight read the whole set (!) and sounded great. We sounded really good! We had four singers who chopped and changed, a few duets, BVs on a couple, and all four of them for the last number (New York, New York). (One of the singers (Zak) is barely old enough to drink (the others call him 'babyface' (affectionely!)), but he's got an incredible voice and he's been on the telly a few times (singing, not on Crimewatch or anything) and recently sang in the garden at 10 Downing St as part of the VE day celebrations - clearly got a bright future ahead of him. I hope he remembers us...) It was our lead trombonist's (Monet, Birmingham's finest non-binary, Japanese, Lindy-Hopping, Morris Dancing, Jazz trombonist (they're such an utterly awesome player.... I may have mentioned them before)) last (big) gig, so the BL gave a little speech about how much we'd miss them and I presented them with their leaving present from the band, then (totally unexpectedly) had the mic thrust into my hand and was told to say a few words... thanks, Boss! I didn't disgrace myself or embarrass Monet too much, so... all good. We played really well, we sounded great, we 99% nailed all the tricky stops and tempo changes and stuff, we went down a treat (there were about ninety people there I think... all friends and family, so a friendly crowd) and everyone in the band enjoyed it. Highlights were Lady is a Tramp, Orange Coloured Sky, New York New York and me not *totally* cocking up the little solo bit at the end of I've got you under my skin. Played the Double Bass -> Fishman Platinum pro EQ (the old one) -> Thumpinator ->MB 802. EDIT: Midnight Blue DMs with neon orange laces. It was the first time in absolutely ages I've played DB live.... I did OK. I'd done plenty of practice, so no blisters or torn tendons or anything. I was *right* on top of my amp so had loads of feedback and couldn't really hear myself, so much of it was guesswork but enough people said I sounded good, so... I'll take that. Current squeeze loved it (I mean... she's not going to say it was rubbish is she, but... y'know...), singer from the Rock band and his OH were blown away (they're used to seeing me play rock stuff in a 4 piece covers band, so a very different vibe!) so a good night all round. A short video is attached - please don't mock my awful posture, face, hair, Mr Mackie glasses or piss poor Double Bass technique. Thank You. WhatsApp Video 2025-05-25 at 18.36.17.mp4

Late again, but two gigs over the weekend and then life got in the way. First was the opening slot for the Re:Vamped Weekend gig at the 1 in 12 Club in Bradford. We were on at 5.15 which was a bit too early really - there were still people coming in as we were packing up after playing. However those that had made it to see us were enthusiastic and we had a good proportion of them up and dancing and singing along and we played well. Sold a couple of T-shirts afterwards, and would have sold some CDs too but someone (me) forgot to pack them. Here's a photo from early on in the gig: We stayed for a couple of numbers from the next band but then had to leave as we had our second gig of the weekend the following day and had been asked to load in at midday. So Sunday saw us back in Nottingham playing the "I'm Not From London" stage at The Chapel as part of the Nottingham day of the Dot-To-Dot festival. Another early start this time we were on at 3.00 but there were 4 bands on before us so there was a decent crowd. Weird sound problems on stage with some bass notes causing the drum monitor (which didn't need to be on for us) to fart out, and it was one of those things that once you'd noticed it you couldn't stop listening out for it again. Didn't play quite as well as the previous day, but the audience seemed to enjoy it, although only having 30 minutes meant that we had to keep the inter-song crowd interaction to a minimum which always impacts on the performance. Sold T-shirts and CDs afterwards and had to sign some CDs too - which that always surprises me as it's not something that I would ask for as a punter. Still it is gratifying to know that people are interested enough to ask for us to sign stuff. One of our fans took this short video of the last verse of "Lost Souls (Driving At Night)": AQNSbRIdNxxoFSFNULxeMhr8TOT0MZ2RdKNtVmn-y-KELkj4aSQ4k26wN9AVp3ia1SG8CVGX2k0coV7_dIQdt0jt.mp4 We have a month off until our next gig so we'll be working on a couple of new songs and recording for the album.

Saturday night, playing with Nine Lives at Wilsons in Aberdeen. Some context for you non-football following types, Wilsons is a football bar. That afternoon, Aberdeen FC won the Scottish Cup for the first time in 35 years. So we were expecting busy times, and so it turned out to be - especially in the second half when people either came in from other bars or had made their way back from Glasgow (where the match was played). It was loud - in most breaks between songs an Aberdeen FC football chant would erupt - we politely let them complete the first few, then we kinda ignored them and just cracked on regardless of what they were singing, lol. So, the gig was going great but unfortunately, as is so often the case at these kind of affairs, one person (there's always one) had overindulged and had a massive navigation fail on the way to the bogs, stumbled over - past the front of me and taking out the singer (who ended up on her backside) and landing in amongst the drums! FFS! I grabbed his arm as he went past, but he was a hefty bloke and there wasn't much I could do versus the inevitablility of gravity So there was a break in the proceedings as we checked on our poor singer (who thankfully was OK, just a bit shaken up) and then the drummer rearranged his kit back into some semblance of order. The guy was steamin' - super apologetic, in that annoying, insistent drunk way - we politely but firmly instructed him to just go to the bog as originally intended. Thankfully, the rest of the gig went without a hitch, I played pretty well - couple of bloops when I was more concerned with protecting my pedalboard from being accidentally stood on, but decent all the same. Roastin' though! I was absolutely disgustingly damp by the end of it. Still managed to do a wireless walkabout during the last song, difficult at times though it was to get through folk - guitarist was soloing his fingers off and beginning to wonder if I was ever coming back! All in all, great night though. Bit of a bummer at the end though - it had been raining during the gig and while we were unloading stuff and packing cars, the singer, having already been poleaxed by a large, drunk guy missed the kerb outside and ended up falling on the pavement, skinning her knees! Talk about being in the wars! She's OK though, bit bruised and battered but unbowed! Gear was the Burny LSB-80 followed by the SGC Nanyo into the usual Markbass cubes.

Bought this corvette as a back up ….just couldn’t fall for the post box red so I was going to move it on ..it did play and sound awesome ..so I spent Sunday morning stripping it back and waxing it Jacobean oak ..literally cost me my time and that’s it ..looks like it was originally antique tobacco it’s as ash wood and think I’ve been quite lucky with the grain ..🤟

Had an absolutely amazing gig last Wednesday playing in Guildford at part of the very busy GT Session weekly gigs. We were headlining out of 4 acts with a 30 minute slot. We weren't quite sure what type of set to play as each act was different and we originally decided to play a more uplifting choice of songs. The act before us was very chilled and laid back so we mixed it up and played some chilled songs and a few upbeat songs to lift the vibe and pick the listeners up. I can say we played an absolute blinder and went down a storm. I play fretless and the sound was incredible, so I decided to have a bit of fun by really bringing out the fretless tone, emphasising the slides and the use of my chorus and octave pedal, so much so that our singer gave me a nod and gesture to take a bit of a lead bass part as it was just sounding so good. After the gig, another bassist came up to me and said I saw you were playing so I had to come down and listen as you are my favourite fretless bass player and you sounded incredible 😲 Another bassist came up to me and was fascinated by the pedals I was using and what strings I was used and a few other people came up after and complimented me. Absolutely awesome gig and makes it all worthwhile.

We had a great 4 piece acoustic show at The Ziegler Winery yesterday. We had a very good guest blues harp player. I played sitting down because of my ankle. The 3 hour gig went fast and we were sounding really good to me. I was approached by several people after the show. I love that. It makes me feel famous. Lol The Ziegler Winery is a beautiful venue and they feature live music 3 days a week. Super nice crowd with lots of dancing. Perfect weather. Next week we have Summerfest in Milwaukee. Daryl

Last night saw my duo return to The Blue Boar in Aldbourne. What's been a good regular venue will sadly be ending soon. The current landlady / landlord are retiring and the local gossip is that they are trying to get out the contract early. Our show was moved back a week due to other music activity in the village and I think that hurt our audience as I had a lot of people who were coming who suddenly weren't. This was my local until we moved and I have been out of the loop. When we arrived the clientele seemed much younger than normal. The barman said afterwards that he thought being goth would mean we were very metal which to me summed up what an awkward fit we've always been on the local music scene. We set up and the younger crowd gradually left. Prior to going on, we had an audience of my wife, my stepson and a guy who'd added me on social media a while ago and I didn't know him! However, we were getting paid and I learned that the pub is open so sporadically at the moment that recent shows haven't been well attended across all acts. A genuine shame. The twist was that we played really well. I was on mandocello for most of the first set, finishing on the bass (my trusty long scale Hofner Verythin). The second set was three on guitar for me and the remainder all on the mandolin. My step son has Down Syndrome and stole the show by shouting "yes!" when I announced that we'd be taking a break in a moment. It was funny! He's a big supporter of the band as amongst other things, he really likes Nick (my musical other half). Thankfully it started to fill up a fair bit during the second set and a good night was had by all. Honourable mention must go to Nick's 87yr old mum, who apparently ironed our backdrop for us! I'd have done it myself, had I known it was bothering her!

Weekend report time! On Friday night, playing with Nine Lives at O'Donoghues in Aberdeen. A late one - 11pm-2am, and just as well because it was dead when we arrived to set up, not a soul in the place. Ooft. First half had quite the "paid rehearsal" feel about it, but it did start to fill up towards the end of the first half and into the second it was a damn sight better. Curiously, at the break, this lassie came up to us, told us that she was on a work's night out, complimented us as a band (thanks!) then asked for our autographs! Only the drummer and I were around at that time, but we played along and briefly felt more important than we actually are, lol. Gear was Sire D5, then Squier Jag H (with Ibanez CAP double humbucker) into the usual Markbass ISO Standard bass player's rig... But soft! There's more! This afternoon, we played outside on the back of a lorry at the Ellon Gala. Second year we've done it, nice to be asked back. It's a freebie - for the community, innit? Makes me feel a little less mercenary. Supposed to be playing at 4pm, well did a monsoon not chuck itself at the earth around 2pm? We had to close the side tarp of the trailer, and feared the worst for the gig from a health and safety perspective. Thankfully it rained itself out and the sun eventually burned through the clouds. By the time we started, it was glorious again - god bless the Scottish weather, schizo as it is! As you can see, gear was a delectable G&L Tribute SB-2 into the most boring bass rig in human history. Noise making evidence...

Gig #2 of the weekend was a hot sweaty punk rock all-dayer in Cambridge with Youths. Great venue, loads of bands, lovely promoter and a brilliant sound engineer all made it a joy. We played well I think, had a laugh and lots about half our body weight in sweat. Bass was my first ever bass (Vester jazz) direct into the PA via my Laney Digbeth pre. Sounded ace from where I was. Shoes were some tired black Etnies which are super comfy but maybe a bit heavy for such a hot day - lesson learnt 😄

Just done two of four gigs this week. Tuesday night was our acoustic duo’s monthly residency at a local pub, doing our request thing. Not quite as busy as usual ( half term around here so some folks away ) but still some varied songs asked for, including ‘Shadow of your smile’ and also ‘Where everybody knows your name’ which I’m sure you know is the theme tune to the ‘Cheers’ TV show, in tribute to cast member George Wendy who died recently. I’ve never played the song, and was quite surprised how tricky it was in places! Others played included ‘Have a nice day’ and the Ken Boothe version of ‘Everything I own’ which made a nice change. Really humid in the pub, sunroof open in the car on the way home. Then last night I was playing at a local club’s weekly rock and roll night, which I’d also done the Wednesday before. A bit special this week though, as it was the last night for bassist Rob who’s been doing the gig since 2011. He’s just turned 80 and is retiring from gigging now, after being in bands for 65 years!! I’ve been offered the job of being his replacement, so have accepted with immediate effect. Rob played the first song of the evening (see pic) before giving a short speech, and then I carried on for the rest of the night. Used his MarkBass combo, but will be taking backline of my own for next week onwards - I can leave it at the club so makes it nice and easy. ( Think I’ll be taking my trusty old Loud Inc 4x10 cab, with some old school head I guess ) It’s a new chapter for me, and another part of my ‘semi retirement’ 😆

Well, I bit the bullet and dipped my toe in the water of nitro spraying a body and headstock front. Previously I had only used oil finishes and wipe on polyurethane. I must admit it has been a very steep learning curve and introduced me to the world of grain fillers and sanding sealers. I used a Okoume JB body from China that was already semi-finished so was routed and sanded to an extent. I had not really heard of Okoume but I believe it is from the same family as Mahogany and is being used more often for guitar and bass builds. The neck is from China. I can honestly say the Chinese stuff is really top notch in respect of the quality and finish. The biggest issue, as I used rattle cans and sprayed in the back garden, was dealing with little pieces of crap been blown onto the finish when wet due to not having anywhere inside suitable to spray. I used Northwest Guitars paint and gloss lacquer as well as gloss lacquer from Nu-gane. I’m not sure I am in a rush to use nitro again as it is not as forgiving as finishing with Liberon Finishing Oil but certainly the clearcoat is a lot easier to rectify runs/burn through etc than using the poly. Blending in the headstock decal was nerve racking as well as the drilling holes for the pickguard, bridge, tuner screw and reaming out the tuner holes by a couple of mm as I was anxious about ruining the finish and having to go back several stages. I would also choose a 21 fret neck instead of 20 from now on as the fretboard overhang on a 21 neatens up the join where the pickguard meets the neck heel. Overall for a first spraying effort and only my 4th build, I am really pleased with how the bass has turned out……is it factory perfect?…absolutely not but for the intended sale price it is a fantastic looking and playing bass. if you’re interested in buying, it should be on the BC basses for sale thread in the next week as I am just waiting for a replacement bridge pickup as the first one was faulty, Specs are: Okoume body Roasted maple 20 fret, black block inlay neck with rolled edges Guyker tuners Gotoh bridge Wilkinson M Series pickups Bloodstone Guitarworks wiring with CTS pots and Spragg capacitor running volume/volume/tone Schaller type strap buttons I will get it weighed as soon as it’s all back together. I have and continue to learn so much with each build and my next ambition is to get to a stage with my knowledge and tools where I can turn a body blank and top into a body myself, route it out to attach a pre-made neck. My ultimate goal is to be able to make the necks as well but baby steps as they say…..

We concluded our Welsh "tour" tonight, playing at Fuel in Cardiff. We had to go home after our set for various Father's day things tomorrow, so I'm home already after driving people back and enjoying a beer with the cat curled up next to me! We'd not played there before and save the sticky floors, it's a nice venue for that sort of thing! We went on at 8 and there was a decent crowd for us who, most importantly, stayed to watch us instead of vacating the room 😂 Always a good sign. A few gaffs, but it's all good! Same gear and footwear as above.

I actually bought this in March but have only now gotten around to posting it. Saw the ad on BassBros' socials about a collection of Fender Japan signature models they had just taken delivery of, and it immediately caught my eye. This is a Fender Japan Tomomi jazz bass in fiesta wash, with mint pickguard, CS 64 pickups and stacked knobs, amongst other distinctive features. I'll keep this brief - great specs, sounds great, plays great, and everything you have ever heard about Fender Japan's attention to detail is spot on. Really impressive bass First time buying from BassBros and it was a top-notch experience. Sam and Will were extremely helpful, the bass arrived on time, was well packaged, good comms and they are nice guys to boot.

What a cracking gig last night with Nine Lives at the Balaclava in Fraserburgh. What can I say, it was busy and loud, with an audience who were bang up for a dance and a sing along. Can't really ask for much more than that. Genuine goosebumps moment when enough folk were singing The Cranberries "Zombie" back at us such that we could hear it over ourselves. You know you've had a great gig when packing up doesn't tire you out. Can't really say much more than that. Probably pay for this with a paid rehearsal next week - karma's a b!tch Gear was the Sire Z7 then the Epiphone T-bird into the ISO standard bass rig. Shout out to the Thunderbird, it was sounding epic last night, and I felt godly playing it. Oh and I got called "the coolest MF" by a punter last night after we finished. My ego happily accepts your compliment, sir! And have a bit of bonus video...

Thirsty Pine in Gloucester. Nice big PA. Great audience, Great gig

You know when you turn up to a venue. The place is busy and very noisy. The staff haven't started shifting people, tables and chairs out of your way. Then the crowd are constantly in your way as you bring the kit in. Then you have to set up on top of each other, deafened by people shouting to each other. ??? Well that's how Friday night started. Despite that once we had set up, had a few minutes outside to cool off and give some respite to our poor ears, we had a really good night. Some serious rocking out, some hilarious silliness too. I took the Sterling Sub5 with the Stinger preamp (I really must come up with a better name for it!). It's rapidly growing in my affections - relatively light weight, close string spacing, great sounds. This time with no backup bass either (growing confidence in it). The Rumble 500 continues to sound awesome, even with the low Bs and Cs. The purple suede Gazelles got another outing - not that you could tell in the non-white lighting, so I wore them again for a trip into town today too

Settling in to my new weekly residency at a local club’s rock and roll night. 2 x 50 minute sets of stuff for dancing, ranging from rockabilly and Elvis along with some lesser known tunes from Eddie Cochran, Buddy Knox and Dion. It always ends with a waltz, and this week it was ‘Until it’s time to go’, made famous by Elvis and The Four Pennies, written by Buffy Saint-Marie. A lovely song but with some strange changes - glad I had a part supplied! Nice crowd in, including a couple who regularly come to see our duo when we play in Scarborough, so nice they made the 100 mile return trip. My first gig there using my own rig, so took along my lovely GK 800RB amp and my Loud Inc 4x10 cab. Used my Precision Lyte passive bass with them, and it sounded fine. Think I may take my old Precision along one week, or maybe the Dano Longhorn too.

I haven’t posted in this thread in a while! Played a local bar on Saturday night. First time for the American Jazz and first time trying to play the set live with a pick! loads of compliments afterwards. Burned 600 cals according to my watch haha! Managed to keep ahold of the pick until the last song, have a gnarly bruise on my middle finger now. only issue was that my ACS in-ears are away getting repaired again so was using KZs from Amazon. Didn’t hear things quite as well as I’d liked! Got some pics and a video, it was live streamed but we haven’t got that yet. cfc5ed86-8502-438b-a48b-12c3ef413f55.mov

Not a last night, an afternoon, multi band event. House FOH and backline. On stage volume absolutely, way too loud, painful at times. I wore the same hearing protection as last week, which was fine then, but felt like it was doing nothing today 😖. Couldn’t go anywhere near my mic, because of the monitor volume coming back and the guitarist’s amp behind me (he turned it down twice, but was battling with the monitors). I hid adjacent to the guitar amp, just in front of the bass rig, which I had already turned down, but sadly right I. The firing line for the snare and crash cymbal. Lots of compliments from other bands, which was really nice. Best thing was I only needed my bass and pedalboard.

Just got back from a Spacewasters gig at The Water Rats, Kings Cross - 2nd gig we’ve done there in 6 days. Was a 2 band bill tonight, making the logistics of the evening much easier, us opening up with an hours set. The headliners allowed us to use their kit & cabs so we only needed to bring guitars, cymbals, snare, pedals & amps, the bass cab was a rather nice Markbass 410 which sounded great with my Fender JMJ Mustang and Ashdown RM500. We played very well, it was our guitarist Joeys last gig with us and it was a nice end to his tenure in the band. Home by midnight with a McDs, and lesson learned from last week, black New Balance trainers this time, much better.

Glastonbudget for INXS (UK) yesterday; cracking gig and I'd highly recommend it. AQOzzp_MbGHfoAfMTQA1oiNsW-zwmZT5u24bHPuASSIQATZ39KIoRCU9CEJAPvAOx7yQKG27BpFrfK2z5luGATub.mp4

Hurtsfall played the Nottingham Craft Beer Festival in Sneinton Market on Saturday. If you are not playing covers these events can be a bit hit-or-miss and on top of that we were the last band playing that day, so we didn't really know what to expect. Sneinton Market is currently the "happening" area in Nottingham where all the interesting independent shops are situated in units in the old market buildings. On arrival we discovered that the beer festival had taken up the whole of the Avenues area and was entry by ticket only. However to allow people to still use the shops you could get in but didn't get a wristband which was required in order to buy beer. As performers we all got wristbands but I don't recall being asked to show mine before being served. There were two stages - one outdoors where unfortunately the performers seemed to be mostly ignored and also had to compete with all the other music - there appeared to be at least one DJ set up on every avenue, and the other in The Grove where we were playing. Probably the most convoluted load-in so far this year. There was only one entrance and some of the avenues were blocked off half way along the length meaning that getting all the gear to the venue involved not only negotiating all the beer festival attendees but also doubling back on yourself to get around all the blockages. Certainly not as easy as the last time we played at The Grove when it was possible to park directly outside the venue. Thirty minute turnaround between performers, whilst someone played on the other stage. No time for a proper sound check, set up, just one verse to make sure we could hear everything in the monitors and a couple of minutes to get changed and then we were on. Luckily there was nothing "miss" about this event. The venue was packed (that's not that difficult as it is really tiny) and it appeared that quite a few people had come specifically to see us play. Cue dancing, singing along to the songs and cheering in between. We even got our first proper encore. I'm a firm believer in both bands and the audience have to deserve an encore. None of this coming back on stage just because a couple of your mates have shouted "more". We were technically past the live music curfew but the sound engineer said do one more and so we did. Even sold some merch afterwards although at this sort of event you don't really expect to. Load out was much easier as the festival was over by the time we had everything packed up and we were able to leave by a much more direct route. As usual here's a couple of photos: Next gigs are on 10th July Supporting Miranda Sex Garden at Rough Trade in Nottingham, followed by Goths On A Field festival on Saturday 12th.

I’ve had 4 gigs this week so been quite busy… Last Sunday afternoon I was playing with the blues band at a pub in N.Lincolnshire. It appeared that very little had been done by them to publicise it so we played to a small audience ( and a dog! ) Finished bang on 7pm, and was back home by 7.30 - one of those rare times for me when I just wanted to take the money and run. Tuesday was a gig with the acoustic duo for a birthday party. Played in a nice garden, and managed to set up in the shade thank goodness, it was a hot one. Took along my little Ibanez PNB14 very short scale, and it suited the gig perfectly. The low tension strings were a welcome rest for my fingers, and the gig went really well, with a couple of enquiries for similar events. Wednesday was my weekly gig at the rock n roll club. Took along my large stage fan which helped with the heat. A good crowd of dancers in as usual, and we did more slow stuff than usual as they were getting a bit sweaty. Used my recently acquired Hartke head into the 4x10, am getting used to this now. Friday saw the blues band playing an early evening slot at Farmyard 2025, a large bikers festival on a country estate in Helmsley , North Yorks. A very well attended and organised event, with great staff and tech crew. Days before the gig I realised I no longer have a ‘big’ bass rig, and so took my (nearly vintage!) Barefaced Compact cab to use along with my Rumble 500 combo. Although the combo would have been sufficient, when the Compact was added it gave it massive clout so I ended up using them both. We did an hour set, which went very quickly. Nice to play on a big stage again, and I really enjoyed it. Also got to meet @peteb who was playing with his band ‘The Gentlemen Rogues’ immediately after our set ( see pics). Was knackered yesterday, but just getting ready for another gig today with the duo - a party in a local village pub starting around 4pm. Definitely taking my fan for this one, so hot today.

Shit journey to Sheffield - 2 hours on the M25 and then 4 on the M1. Great gig though, lovely crowd again, probably the best we’ve played on this tour. The drummer and I were very much enjoying our groove on many of the tunes. As always we are getting well into the groove as a band and the tour is nearly over! Shoes were Soul Cal & Co Converse lo top rip offs. Cheap and comfy and not too hot in this heat 🤓

Little Jazz duo gig in Essex (guitar and electric bass) - second gig in three years. Blew up my Acoustic Image Clarus and ended up playing through a Fender practice amp but just about got away with it. Couldn't have been bad as we got booked for another gig somewhere else on the back of it.

We played our first full gig last night (we did a short set at a charity event few weeks ago) We couldn't of hoped for better. The venue is outside but part covered... it's a bit different which makes a great place to play. We were all worried that we'd have problems with the mixer like at rehearsal, but all was good. There was a decent sized crowd with added benefit a hen do were there (big tick for target demographic there). It was our singer's first ever full gig and she was fantastic. She was insanely nervous to begin with, but after a couple of songs she was loving it. The manager told us it was the best attended night so far this summer and we'll get booked again, definitely. Also a guy from another band said he'd drop our name to a really good venue with good rates. A 10 out of 10 night.

Played at the Cart & Horses in the East End on Friday night with the Zep tribute. If you didn't know, this is the venue where Iron Maiden cut their teeth, which of course you would never guess from the complete lack of memorabilia around the place, Maiden themed beers and wine at the bar and everything in the familiar IM font...! 😉 A bit of an odd gig, as we had a dep drummer for the night, which as you might imagine is a tough gig for a drummer to dep. The guy we got in had been struggling at a couple of rehearsals we managed to get in, but he did fine. Not perfect, but not a disaster by any means! A smallish place so pretty packed, a great audience and Didge even managed to work the Eastenders theme into his keys solo! NB. the picture is of the soundcheck, not the keys solo in the gig itself...!

TTFC's second gig last night at The Garden, Chorlton. Venue used to be Font Bar but has just changed hands, so all the signs still say Font. They're just getting live music up and running, so there isn't a ready made audience there yet. Fortunately it's a local gig for two of us so we brought quite a few people, to the extent where I knew almost everybody in the place! It's got a lot of potential once it gets a reputation and people know there's music on. Bar staff were super chilled and helpful, always a bonus and never taken for granted. We played well, although I made more little mess ups than I should have. The drummer is fettling the recordings, so I'll be able to agonise over them at my leisure soon despite being the only one who noticed on the night. Two 1hr+ sets and 30+ songs (most of them new to me) that haven't all embedded into the muscle memory yet. Gear was Fender Japan Kazuki Arai Jazz 5 -> HX Stomp -> GR One 350 -> PA. Footwear was Vans classic lace ups. A couple of phone clips from friends. If anyone can figure out how to let me resize them please shout up! WhatsApp Video 2025-06-07 at 00.13.50.mp4 WhatsApp Video 2025-06-07 at 00.13.48.mp4

Last week out was a rare outing for my hard rock band as booked to play a 50th wedding anniversary. I'm not quite sure we were the correct booking but plenty of people danced so whatever. Plagued by some technical issues from the electric kit though, specifically the kick drum trigger. I wouldn't care however we only took the electric kit as we were worried about being too loud, it certainly would have been better with an acoustic kit. Bass: Spector Pulse (G&L L2000 as backup) Rig: Wireless>Quad Cortex plus a QSC wedge beside the drum kit to make some 'stage' sound for us all, especially the electric drummer. Footwear: Black hiking boots. Partly because I hurt my ankle doing some DIY, partly as the load in involved some questionably slippery slopes and mainly because I am a perfectly respectable height but our singer is over 2m tall and I'll take whatever heel I can get.

Well that's it.... the final gig in Pakistan for me and a big farewell to all my musician buddies here. Played with three of my bands tonight (singer away in the fourth unfortunately), a bit of bass and a bit of drums. Punk, 80s cover and Hendrix/blues. All my gear packed away so hired a drum kit and borrowed basses. It was a great jam and very emotional. Fly out of here tomorrow. Hopefully will find some equally amazing musicians in Riga but will miss these guys.

Like everyone else, not last night but Monday; first jam night since my first child was born (and probably further than that) at the Woking Monday Night Jam. Had a great time, ran into @TrevorR and got to experience his excellent playing (and the generally very high quality of players there). Note for future me: when the crazy fusion guitarist running the jam asks you "do you know Spain?" the correct answer is not "uhh, yeah I think?", because that's how, 4 songs later, you find yourself frantically trying to fumble your way through it! Still, would probably do it again VID-20250529-WA0000.mp4

Very late here, last week we did Wednesday 6pm and Thursday 9pm at Bearded Theory Woodland Stage. It's a big festival and really suited to us. I camped over for the weekend after the Thursday set which was loads of fun. Great crew, great sound, great crowd, doesn't get better