Leaderboard

Take 5 minutes for a story about a very fine chap. Before the start of the pandemic I ordered a Moollon PV having been in Seoul to visit YJ and Andi Roselund at the Moollon workshop a few months before. I was really taken with the PV's tone. So the Pandemic hit and after working in a factory building respirators for the NHS through most of it I then lost my job. Not good karma. Sadly having paid my deposit I wrote to YJ and Andi saying that I could not afford to continue with the purchase and I heard no more. A few weeks later I saw a red PV up for sale and thought no more of it knowing I could not afford another one. 2 1/2 years later I got a message from Andi saying that YJ had not sold the bass it was still there available for me... Jaw dropping moment. They never got the email and YJ hadn't sold it - he kept it for me. What other maker would do something like that? I had in the meantime managed to get myself back on my feet and could complete the sale. Last week I took delivery of the bass I ordered three years ago. Delivered in pristine condition and sounding like a complete beast. I'm overjoyed to have this bass. I thought I had lost it and out of the kindness of YJ I do. What a bloody awesome bloke - unreal. The bass BTW is staggering, the low end is so deep but articulate and the higher register is thick like a short scale. Its ridiculously good, and oh the colour.. Red............ Red...... Red........

I recently collected this piece, having won it in a proper auction. It could be a very late '63 but is more probably very early '64 as it doesn't have the raised logo. It's a feather weight, as it's hollow. One volume control is seized but I'm going to try and take it apart and repair it. It needs a tuner ferrule and a screw for one machine head I've plugged it in and it has that sound. I may name it Paul, after my late brother who was born in '64

Appreciate this might not be for everyone, but if anyone fancies some bank holiday viewing, my little gothic duo recently made a short 20 minute film with a very old friend (Haunting the Atom) about growing up in a small town, discovering bands (Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division etc) and getting into bands ourselves. Months of planning went into this (complicated by my Mum passing a few days prior to filming, after a very long illness). Essentially it is a live performance in an old Saxon Church, interspersed with some talk of our roots.An album of the same name is also streaming everywhere worldwide from today. I normally play bass on the original stuff but as we swap out instrumentation, the bass doesn't appear until later. Check it out, I am sure many of you will relate to some of this - even if you like different style of music. It is beautifully shot.

Well…after a bit of a wait, and a bit of Wayne Carini style “it’s all about the chase” behaviour… A mate had bought a 70’s one on a whim and I was absolutely smitten with it…but he wouldn’t sell. Off I set on my little search…found via the Shergold owners group on Facebook. Original 1980 case too. its very clean overall with some edge marks. Not bad for 44 years old.

Bit of an emotional one for us last night, it was the final gig for our original lineup. 😢 We've been together 13 years, we're all old friends that go way back, and it's been all good times and zero drama! The drummer and rhythm guitarist are taking a step back now though to focus on family and other commitments. It was a fantastic gig to finish on though! The best live music venue in town, and it was packed! 😎👌

This beauty arrived from Status HQ a few days ago, ordered to my specs. I've owned quite a few Statuses (Statii?) over the years, but being the unabashed bass tart that I am, I moved them all on eventually for something or other that probably seemed more sparkly and alluring at the time. I thought I'd got the carbon graphite bug out of my system, then a couple of months ago I spotted an S2 headed 5-string bolt-on online at a very reasonable price that had been delivered to the original owner in 2021, then promptly put in storage for the next three years as the pandemic played out. It looked like it was completely factory-fresh, so I took a punt. It turned out to be absolutely pristine and lovely to play, and immediately re-kindled my love of all things Status. As many of us will be aware, Rob Green (the boss of Status Graphite) had been ill with cancer, and with Brexit, the pandemic and price hikes for raw materials on top of that, production was shut down in 2022. Thankfully, Rob recovered after major surgery. Deciding he wasn't quite finished with the business, he opted for what he referred to as 'semi-retirement', and started making basses again late last year, but decided not to produce any of the previous ranges, making only a new 'Series 23' bass with a wooden, graphite-reinforced neck and a Richlite phenolic fingerboard, as well as Chris Wolstenholme and Alex Venturella signature models, made the same way. Although in some people's estimation this might have appeared to be flying in the face of the very thing that set Status basses apart from the rest, I was intrigued at the prospect of the new model, and decided to take the plunge and order one, a 5-string headless with Paramatrix 4-band EQ and Tri-Max pickups in soapbar cases. The chameleon finishes on offer on the website weren't really my thing, but Rob said he could make one in Satin Black, and I was sold. So what's it like? As I mentioned earlier, I know my way around the various Status models pretty well, and having the S2 to hand means I have something to compare the S23 with. The build quality and finish of both, as you would expect, is flawless. The S23 neck feels very slightly chunkier than the S2, due in part to the different finishes, but the profile and dimensions are almost identical. Using a depth gauge, the S23 measures a couple of millimeters deeper than the S2 at the zero fret, presumably to support the headless string retainer. Depth measurements at the 12th and 19th frets are the same on both basses, as is the width at the zero fret on both. The S23 neck is very slightly wider at the 12th and 19th frets than the S2 by a couple of millimeters, but it isn't apparent when playing either bass. Tonally, the S23 doesn't disappoint. Acoustically it's resonant, bright and crisp, with a piano-like quality to the B string that I wasn't expecting. At my request, Rob fitted 45-130 stainless steel "Hotwire' double ball end strings, and even though I'm used to nickels, the steels play so nicely, I think I'll be ordering some more. I've played extra-long scale Laklands for years, and the B string on the S23 is just as clear and defined, completely integrated with the other strings, as opposed to an afterthought added to a 4-string, as some fivers can feel. The acoustic clarity and resonance are borne out in how the S23 sounds plugged in - clear, crisp and open, and the EQ and coil tap switches mean you can create an incredibly wide range of tones, as well as dialing in the famous Status mid poke. The S2 sounds great too, but to be honest, it seems slightly muted in tone in comparison to the S23. As you might be able to tell, I'm very impressed with my new acquisition. I can see my S2, Lakland and Dingwalls all taking a back seat to the new arrival. If you're in the market for a high quality custom bass, I would suggest you seriously consider one. The other small bonus (at the moment at least) is that as production has only restarted recently, the build time from placing the order to delivery was only 6 weeks. Get in there quick.

It was the first gig of the new blues band last night - The Out and Out Blues band - https://theoutandouts.com/ The Gregson Centre in Lancaster, four bands on, fundraiser for the Gregson and Lancaster Music Co-op. We were first on at 7.30pm and did a 45 minute set. A decent crowd, and very appreciative, we went down very well, and I even got them singing with us at the end, at 8.15pm! The other bands were great too, and there was a lot of comradery amongst the musicians. I used someone else's rig, Mark Bass 1x12 combo with a 2x10 extension cab, with my '73 P Bass. We were very pleased with our performance, and it's probably the best "1st gig" I've ever played. Now we have to work up the rest of the tunes for our first full 2 set gig on the 18th. Rob (edit: now with a pic!)

Here she is in all her glory. Will take some more photos tomorrow when the light is better. Stingray Classic from 2011. Lake Tahoe Blue with an ebony fretboard and birdseye maple neck. Stunning instrument. Beautiful condition. Only issue is the nut seems cut a little high on the E string. Maybe it’s just me, I’m only used to P basses. This thing is solidly built and the finish is amazing. Was thinking about a Stingray Special with blue body and ebony neck, but when this popped up at bassbros I had to have it. delighted. Plugged in to my Ampeg SGT DI and it’s sounding mighty.

Spotted this Retrovibe on FB marketplace and even better, it turned out to be for sale by a BC'er I'd dealt with before. Its a short scale with the stinger pre amp and obviously jazz pickups. I put Labella Mustang flats on it ( as its through body stringing) and its just a dream to play. The quality for the money is phenomenal and I'm seriously tempted to get another and string it piccolo.David has even agreed to do me an edstraker123 truss rod cover. Definitely one of my better buys.

A golden weekend for me - by which I mean a 4 gig weekend. Thursday - Bandeoke residency in Bristol, Friday - originals band first time in a very nice boozer only 10 minutes down the road from me, last night - soul band in a favourite pub in Shrivenham, and later today another Bandeoke residency in Warminster. Just been woken by a very excited 4 year old hunting Easter eggs. The joys of grandparenthood!

I was at the Dog and Duck last night when I saw Charles Berthoud sitting in with a blues band. It was terrible - he kept playing so many notes and was slapping and tapping over everything. He was also playing a class D amplifier that had no heft. Nobody in the crowd was dancing due to the lack of groove. Eventually the band got sick of him and invited a Basschat greybeard onto the stage to sit in. From the moment he plugged his (modified) Harley Benton into his vintage '80s Trace Elliot everything changed. The power and heft of his whole notes and the tasteful use of minor pentatonic shapes (no matter whether over a major or minor tonality) had everybody up on the dancefloor grooving away. I later saw Charles outside pacing up and down nervously and chain smoking, a bit like when Clapton saw Hendrix for the first time. True story. There's a lesson for us all there I think.

Our acoustic duo played last night in Beverley at The Sun Inn. We weren't sure if it would be busy with it being Easter Sunday and all, but when we arrived at 4pm the place was getting quite full. It's a lousy get-in with parking difficult, and the pub is on a blind corner which makes unloading a bit scary but we got it all in just before the heavens opened. It's an old pub dating from the 16th century - stone flagged floor, beams everywhere etc (see pic) so the sound can be a bit challenging. Due to the number of people in we didn't get a good soundcheck but just cracked on anyway. Did 3 x 40 min sets of requests, usual broad range of stuff from Ray Charles to Taylor Swift! At one point they had someone on the door having to turn people away as the room was rammed with punters. Plenty of faces we hadn't seen for a while, so great to catch up. Gave away a few business cards so hopefully will pick up some other work too. Landlord Paul is a top bloke, and we've just agreed to play a monthly gig there now for the rest of 2024. 🙂 http://suninnbeverley.co.uk

Played the crooked crow bar in Leighton Buzzard on Saturday night. It's a funny venue, it used to be a Blockbuster video rental shop but now it's a live music venue. The boss, the staff, the sound people, each time we've played there they've just been so good to us. Not in the way of loads of free drinks or whatever but just in the sense that they really want you there and want to make sure you've got everything you need for a decent gig. I'd highly recommend anyone in this area to look them up. Anyhows, we are doing another specialist 00's gig on Friday so we trialled about five new songs and they went down very well, so we were pleased with that. Best part of the night: an artsy bloke in the crowd who fancies himself as a poet started peeling and eating an orange while doing some strange crouched down dance. Band's the Desert Penguins. Gear: Ashdown ABM600 with 2x15" cabs Bass: Stingray

Started my final run of gigs last night with The ELO Experience at Milton Keynes Theatre. As you’d expect, a large modern theatre with great staff, load in and backstage facilities. It has a capacity of 1400, think we had just over 1000 people in so felt quite full. We haven’t played for 3 weeks, so were all a bit on edge hoping we would be okay. Didn’t start well at soundcheck with a few tech issues, but with the help of our guys we got it sorted eventually. We were just leaving the theatre to find somewhere to eat and bumped into Warwick Davis passing by -nice bloke and a favourite of our lighting maestro Rob who got a selfie. The gig went well, lively audience in good voice. We all got through it without any major problems, although I was quite tired. 170 mile drive back home as the gig was a stand alone, have been having a quiet day today.

Central Bournemouth show at the Poole Hill Brewery, one of the best live venues. First of three bookings this year for the Otis Jay Blues Band. Sparsely populated to start with (playing 3-6) but fuller later. Had our original guitarist come visit - he isn’t in the best of health now - and was good to see him. Audience changed halfway with an influx of would-be dancers so had to change set 3 to suit, but few noticed the repeats! Played my Flea through an Elf and two Barefaced One10. While I’ve played the venue with one cab, the sound is so much better I’m a two-cab man now!

Yesterday we played the "All that is Devine IV" goth festival at The Fiddler's Elbow in Camden. A rare(r) electric gig for my band, Deadlight Dance. Knowing what a nightmare it is for parking, we blagged a 17yr old roadie and drove to Hounslow. The plan was to travel light (for us) and get the tube in to Chalk Farm. Arriving at the venue, everyone was super friendly - absolutely no egos or divas across a five band bill. We opened and had a really good crowd. I was using the house Fender Rumble which is always a fairly tidy bit of kit. Adding Boss Bass overdrive and Super Chorus to my tone, my Rickenbacker sounded pretty amazing. We sold a few CDs and got paid due to healthy ticket sales. Nick (my professional other half & friend of nearly 35yrs) and I nipped over the road for a cheeky Katsu curry. One of the bands was all the way from Mexico and they wanted to share their culture with us - this meant doing shots of Tequila backstage later into the night. I don't think our 17yr old roadie had quite the stamina of the 50 / 51yr old band! I got to bed around 4am due to the clocks changing. I'd do it all again... so long as I can have a day or two to recover!

First time in Arbroath with BLOCKBUSTARZ last night in Royal British Legion. Sold out again which is always a great morale booster. Audience were up for it from the first song. Lots of people turned up in Glam gear too which is always great to see from the stage. It was so enjoyable we had a contest for best dancer and best glam dresser who both won one of our T shirts. A few others we gave out our new pin badges. Was very warm even with our fans on but air-con units above the stage were firing out warm air all night. We had a smaller upstairs function room to get changed in which was good too. Lot better than a small cupboard sized room that some venues have given us in the past. 4 blokes and a female singer doesn't work in cramped spaces My usual gear, Sandberg VM4 into Ampeg SVT7 and Mesa SW210/115 cabs. Shure wireless unit. Stage a bit boomy even with gramma board it was a bit noticeable. Had to turn the bass EQ down a bit on the amp to clean it up but no big deal. They want to book us for 3 nights in 2025 incl a Xmas gig. Bit of a drive tho 2.5hrs on way there and 3hrs on way home. On way home the roads were quiet but they closed the main M90 right after the Queensferry bridge crossing meaning i had to take a detour. Wasn't home till 4am so by the time i unloaded the car with my bass gear and the 3 way 15" PA cabs it was 4:30am and then a coffee to wind down getting to bed at 5am and back up with a cat banging cupboard doors at 8am. Bit tired this morning to say the least. Probably one of the most enjoyable gigs we've played. Just great fun all night. One or two wee hiccups but nothing we couldn't cover. Dave

Got a call from a friend yesterday afternoon asking if I could dep at a local social club last night. They have a rock’n’roll night on Wednesdays which is quite well attended, and I’ve depped there before. Just a 3 piece band (guitar, bass, drums), and when I arrived I found out it was a dep drummer too, who turned out to be an old mate who played with me in the same band years ago. Had a cracking gig, both musically and socially. Two 45 minute sets, nice people and well paid! Used my Danelectro Longhorn into a Fender Rumble 500 combo. Home before midnight too, so happy days. Tired today though, and got 3 more gigs this week - tonight at my local pub with the acoustic duo, then Redditch tomorrow / Shrewsbury on Saturday with the ELO Experience.

I am well chuffed to have taken delivery of this ACG Graft 4 today.

A three-band bill of folk (State of Undress), blues (my own Otis Jay Blues Band) and Americana (World Gone Wrong) at New Milton’s Forest Arts Centre. Capacity audience of 125, which is gratifying. Sound technician Alice did a brilliant job considering the variety of instruments involved. A super fun evening, and though we had a few duff intros - new drummer’s first gig - no one seemed to mind. Photos show me having foolishly raced to the top of the theatre with Sandberg in hand, and descending rather more gingerly… Love to take this package to other venues - suggestions gratefully received.

Just got in from a Spacewasters gig at The 100 Club in London, supporting King Kurt & The Polecats. Used my JMJ Mustang into my Ashdown RM500v2 into whatever the cab that was there was. Doors opened 7:30, we were on at 8:00 and for that time not a bad sized crowd at all. Played well and got some very good applause. Was nice to be on a big stage again, especially now we’re a 5-piece. One of the guitarists sadly broke 2 strings (at separate times) so we had to change things about a bit (they both work in London so only had one guitar each as had come from work) a bit disconcerting for me as I then ended up doing half lead vocals on a song which ain’t my bag, but the show must go on. Nice & easy trip home too which made for an all round good gig.

A few months ago, I watched a video of a guy designing and building a guitar/bass with a spinning round neck. He surprisingly got it to work! Now Charles Berthoud has got his hands on it. Not everyone's cup of tea, but you have to admire his ability to play his style on almost any stringed instrument.

Last Night: Bloxwich hockey club's end of season awards/prizegiving/dinner/pissup at Old Wyrley Hall in Walsall (I think?) with Down to the Floor - 5 piece girl-fronted modern popular music beat combo. Britney, Beyonce, Dua Lipa, Arianna Grande, Rhianna, Girls Aloud, Spice Girls, Whitney type stuff. Load in at 5 so we're set up, soundchecked and out of the way before the awards and speeches. The stage is about the size of a postage stamp (a normal one, not one of the big commemorative ones) so there was barely room for my size 12s and the New Improved Enormous Pedalboard (NIEPB). The Bass amp was on the other side of the stage and I had to fold my stand up between sets, it was that small. I had a bit of a mare setting up as the Bass amp (not mine) decided to commit suicide (luckily I had mine with me) AND my midi controller decided it didn't want to play nicely, so I took ages to set up and had to soundcheck without IEMs and hope it would all be fine. Soundcheck done (sort of) and with some time to kill, a couple of us went to the drummer's gaff and watched most of Pretty Woman with his Mrs (Spoiler Alert: Julia Roberts is pretty and also a woman. Richard Gere is also in it (He's not a woman, as far as I am aware. I wouldn't call him 'pretty' either, but I believe he is generally considered to be quite handsome (if you like that sort of thing))). Back to the venue for 9ish, sat around and kicked our heels (and had the singer paint my nails a fetching shade of purple) while the prizegiving and roistering continued, went on about 10:30 to a room full of incredibly excited and heavily refreshed hockey players - imagine rugby players but without the restraint, decorum or dignity. They absolutely loved it, the dancefloor was packed from the first note, we played really well despite being wedged onto a tiny stage - I was so close to the drummer, I could smell his earwax. We had our first choice singer, she's fantastic - she's always nervous about Love on Top (the song), but she smashed it - including the four key changes and the whistle register stuff. Highlights were Toxic, which we nailed (a relief after we totally flubbed it last time) and Crazy in Love/Crazy mashup which is our collective favourite now we've nailed the arrangment (It's easy enough: 6, 4, 2, 8, 8, (4), 8, 10, Crazy, 6, 4, loads, (*4), ending). Two 45 minute sets, finished about half midnight... they would have had us playing til 3 AM, they were loving it that much. The organisers loved us, they want us back next year (again) and have promised a bigger venue (again). Played the 'Ray 5 -> New Improved Enormous Pedalboard (NIEPB) -> MB 802 (with PA support - I'd love to hear the OC-2 and C4 synth bassline on 'How will I know?' through those subs) Foot fans: White DMs with purple laces (to match the white shirt with purple tie and purple fingernails - you think I just throw these outfits together?!) Packed up (the drummer can now officially carry his entire kit including cymbals and hardware in one trip), home about 2 for last nights curry and a Westons reserve (8.2% ABV). Great night.

Bought on looks alone 😂

Nice gig at Leicester’s Donkey music venue with my blues/soul trio the Andy Wales Band. First outing for my recently-acquired Ashdown ABM500 head too, which sounded beefy and fat - apart from briefly leaning my bass against the front panel which pressed the switch to turn off the EQ (why would anyone want that?) leaving me wondering for a few songs where my lovely sound had gone…. Lesson - always know the position of your knob. Good turn out tho including interestingly various punters who’d paid for a nearby blues festival but didn’t like it and instead spotted this gig in the listings and came along (and seemed to enjoy it!)

Drummers 65th party last night playing with both the Glam band and the Punk band. Great night and just good fun night. Glam band went on first mainly because the singer Mikey and guitarist Colin wanted to get it done so they could have a few beers etc after playing. Have to say the Handbox WB-100 with the Godin Shifter bass is a perfect match. The depth of tone was simply incredible and worked so well in both bands. Guitarist and singer from the Glam band told me after the punk band played that the bass tone was the best they had ever heard and reminded the guitarist of Roger Glover's Deep Purple tone. He had never heard me playing like that with so much energy and aggression. I don't particularly play that way with the Glam band because its not needed when you are copying the Glam era from studio recordings rather than a live sound. Its more controlled and a bit more mellow. So many compliments from our guitarist about my punk band style and tone and the fact he had no idea i even played like that. He reckoned it was the best punk band he had ever seen. I have to add that by the time we finished at 1am they were a wee bit oiled and i think the comments were fuelled with alcohol a bit but a compliment is still a compliment is still a compliment. The punk band is all about energy and that amp and bass gave it in buckets full. It had so much depth and from what they told me carried right thru the guitarists Marshall stack with so much power and clarity. Singer said the high notes at the dusty end were so clear and sharp where he was standing at the back of the hall. For the more Ric style tones i engaged the "bright" button just to give it that little kick edge. Loved it. Particular punk favs for me last night from a tone point of view were Do Anything you Wanna do and In To the Valley with its de-D tuning for one song but the depth remained but that bright button just meant it carried so much further. Another thing i found using the Godin bass was that the pick ups being so hot meant the amp was nowhere near the same master volume as with my Sandberg basses meaning that amp has a lot more headroom than i thought. I am now keeping that bass and amp. Guitarist said it ws THE best bass tone he had ever heard from any band The Handbox is staying and hoping the Mesa TT800 when it arrives will also give me that Mesa "heft" as so many have commented on the TB site i follow. If anyone gets a chance to play one of those Godin Shifter classic basses then try them they are so well made, not heavy and some of the nicest sounding pick ups i've tried over many many years. Not a hugely expensive bass either on 2nd hand market. If you like a P bass with some extras its a wonderful buy. It has a V & T control and 4 way switch for P, J, Series or Parallel. I had it on Parallel last night and cant fault it. Many thanks to our very own Stevie @theplumber for finally selling me the Godin. If you're reading this Stevie i'll take the other Godin if you decide to move it on. No pics as yet but if any appear i'll post later. Short drive home too at 25mins altho the road to Wanlockhead is very pot-holed at the moment and a bit of care was required in the dark. Just got to head back there today at mid-day to pack up the gear and return home again. Bit long winded post but it just shows how excited i am with that HB and Godin combination. Sometimes things just fall into place by accident and this was that night. Dave

Not quite a gig, but last night I performed two songs at our local folk club - the first time I've sung publicly since 'ambulance day' in December after I had trouble breathing, needed an ambulance, and lost my voice for a month. I think I sang well and it felt so good to be 'back' !

Back at the Cow & Telescope in Southend-on-Sea on Friday. Our third time at this venue and by far my favourite place on the pub circuit. Always an appreciated crowd who turn up for the music. A decent night with a good turnout of our friends, family and followers. Unfortunately for us, we were told by the landlady that about 15 of the regulars (who wanted to see us) were up in London to see Slash and Myles Kennedy - I don’t blame them TBH, I’d rather watch Slash and Myles than us, lol. We’re gradually getting used to the Allen & Heath desk, and it’s getting easier to dial in and tweak for every venue,. I had a slight issue with my IEMs - the cable came out of the right one halfway through the second set. It was so hot and sweaty in there I could grip the plug firm enough to push it back in, so I played the remainder of the set with one IEM and a glorified earplug. Oh well. Our super sub Sophie did and fantastic job yet again and received lots of compliments. She blew our socks off on Proud Mary, she really went for it. I had an interesting chat with one chap. One of my wife’s younger workmates introduced me to her new boyfriend before we started who is a drummer. Nice chap, and got a chance to chat with him after our first set. He was very impressed with our drummer, asking me who he is. I replied he’s a grade 8 qualified drummer who’s a full time drum teacher, played in a number of bands, including originals and previously a busy, touring a punk band. The chap said, I’m a session drummer and he’s better than me. He then asked who our bassist is as he’s pretty good as well I don’t think he could see me where he was sitting and didn’t realise it was actually me. I said, “that’s me, and thank you. He told me one of his regular session gigs is playing with Samantha Fox, and what am I doing in a couple of months time as there’s a gig their regular bassist can’t do. I told me I’m not a session guy and I have a full-time day job so I’m not sure about that thing. He said, “Oh the songs are easy, and it'll be a case of fly into Lithuania on the Friday, gig Saturday and home again Sunday"! I'm extremely flattered and we shared details, but I don't think I'll go for it if he does end up asking. Not only do I need to renew my passport, but I don't own any flight cases for my gear not to mention a massive dose of imposter syndrome and I don't think I'd be able to dedicate time to learning a batch of songs I've never heard of at very short notice - it's just not a skill I'm used to doing. Still, it's nice to be asked. Obligatory venue pics, including the tools for the night - the very unidentical twins.

My 1982 BB2000. I got this 1st April 23 and absolutely love it. Such a stunning instrument.

Just got in from a Spacewasters gig at The Barn in Portsmouth. Went very well, the new 5-piece lineup settling in nicely. Stage sound and sound out front were good, and bonus, not too loud as not a very big place. Good crowd too, and we were asked to do 2 extra songs by the people running the gig as we had gone down so well. I used my JMJ Mustang Bass into my Ashdown RM500 v2, with that connected to the headliners Marshall VBC412. I also used my Nux wireless kit which worked a treat.

Our acoustic duo played another gig at The Lookout on the Pier in Scarborough last night. Usual full house and dozens of requests, this time including ‘The thrill is gone’, ‘Moon river’, ’Unchain my heart’ and even ‘Waterloo’ which I don’t think I’ve ever played before. Nice bassline too, although a bit more limited due to dropping the key so two blokes could sing it! We have one more gig there at the end of this month before a bit of a break until July. Picture taken as we were loading out, a beautiful evening over the bay.

I settled on an Aria STB Jazz for a modding platform. It's cheap, made in china or indonesia, and, did I say it was cheap? I first checked fret level, and it was spot-on, no work needed. I rolled the board edges and polished the fret ends, set up the nut for 21 thou string height, and added a set of Hipshot USA tuners. The body got Dunlop straplocks, an Allparts vintage bridge, a pair of DiMarzio Area J pickups, Alpha concentric pots, a series/parallel switch and Switchcraft socket, and I knocked up a pickguard from a sheet of mother of toilet seat pickguard material. A new set of TI Jazz Flats and we're off. At just under 8lbs (3.6kg) it is a great weight and balances absolutely perfectly on the strap. It's one of the most comfortable basses I've ever had. Soundwise, in parallel mode it sounds just like a quality Jazz, in series mode it rawks! I had most of the mod parts in my stash drawer, so it's been a cheap build. Yes, this one is definitely a keeper!

Finish has just been completed.

I wasn't sure where to post this - gig or rehearsal thread, but it's felt more like a gig than a rehearsal. I've spent the weekend at Stonegate Recording Studios near Bentham North Yorkshire. We set up Friday night, and have done 10-6 Saturday and Sunday. This is the new blues band, with only one 45 minute gig under our belt so far, and this was for recording a few tracks to promote the band. We have really gelled as a unit, personally and musically, and it's been a really positive experience. The band leader does his job well, directs with without being over-bearing, and is a consummate musician, playing Hammond, Rhodes and Sax, and the drummer is one of the best I've ever played with, really exceptionally good. We managed to get down 6 tracks yesterday, without vocals and solos, which we've added today. We had a guy filming too yesterday, which we're hoping to sync with the recordings at some point. I took two 70's P basses and have played everything through my rebuilt '73 Bassman 50 and a Barefaced Super Compact, it was a great sound to me. When the tracks have been mastered I'll post some links up. Knackered now though! Rob

Quite silly but amusing.

So some already know I’ve quit playing live gigs and was selling all my gear. Ive decided to hang on to my American PBass and SVT112AV cab and today have ordered the Ampeg Micro VR head as a neat home only rig. The rest of my gear is sold or up for sale ( two Vintera basses ) but I felt I would miss playing at home hence the mini rig

Some pics arrived from Sat nights gig iin Arbroath at the Royal British Legion Club with BLOCKBUSTARZ. (see earlier post)

A return to the Apple and Parrott in Torquay last night. Our drummer couldn't make it as he had tickets for Mr Big, so we drafted in our previous drummer, my son, who still deps for us. It was party central and plenty of people up for dancing and a good time. In house PA and engineer always gives a great FOH sounds, although the stage sound can be a bit odd, but was sorted for set 2. It's a great vibe there which we can feed off. Lots of great compliments from people afterwards, including one guy who admired my playing and my Stingray. It was a late finish, but at least no PA to breakdown. Looking forward to the next one. My usual set up, Stingray 2eq, Ashdown RM 500-Evo II, BF 210 on gramma pad due to raised stage.

First gig with a new singer last night for Nine Lives, at the Balaclava in Fraserburgh. It was a good gig! Our new singer has put a lot of work in to get the songs together and she did great, if she was nervous she didn't show it. I'm really chuffed with how it all went - change is always difficult for all concerned but we all handled it like champs. Pub was lively, maybe 40-50 folk in there at the peak with plenty dancing and 1 face plant that someone is definitely going to feel today! Kit used - the Soloking's first live outing (which also did me proud) and the Yamaha BB1200, all into a Markbass Mini CMD 121P IV plus New York 121 cab.

No. but it is an increasingly obsolete view. He, and others like him, have musical careers. They are getting paid to play. That it is not to your taste is irrelevant. That they are getting paid by advertising revenue rather than getting 2% of physical media sales is also irrelevant. He is not releasing music on 78 speed vinyl, he's releasing it on youtube and he has built an audience over years of hard work. And it is hard work. It's coming up with 4 or 5 new vids a week. Planning it, filming it, editing it. Dealing with copyright issues, etc etc. And that ignores the investment of the time needed to be able to play as well as he does. He's probably putting in more than 40 hours a week on it. That's a lot more than most musicians do, or even attempt to do. Complaining about modern ideas is a weird thing. We are on this forum because we play an instrument that has only been around for about 70 years and was laughed at when it was invented. I suspect that when Bottesini asked for a 4 string double bass rather than the traditional 3 string one the response was "Why? What's the point?" as well. Things move on. People like him do not affect the traditionalists ability to get pub gigs, or record what a traditionalist gatekeeper has decided is valid musical expression, or any of what has gone before. It's just something new to go into the pot. And like or not - he's inspiring people to play. 99.9% of them will never reach his ability. But they are playing and increasing sales of kit and making manufacturers invest in more product ideas etc etc. For some reason I had this view that bassists were somehow more rational than guitarists - many guitar forums are filled with people complaining that many new young guitarists say they were inspired to play by Ed Sheeran! Who GAF how they decided to pick up an instrument? The important bit is that they did! As for the amazingly dim sounding "I bet he can't play in a band" type argument.... ye gods that's a poor argument to present. Loads of the flashiest players spend most of their day doing sessions for other people. Just holding down the bottom end, playing roots. Marcus Miller does it. Billy Sheehan does it. There is zero reason to think that someone who can play like CB cannot play what a song needs. I used to play Classical Thump and Colorado Bulldog etc. And I had no problem joining a 25 member jazz big band and just playing what was written. I loved it just as much.

Good idea, I've done that -- she sends her thanks to you all.

Played tonight with the Daz Kelly blues band at The Boat Inn, Cromford, Derbyshire. A good, appreciative crowd out for a Friday night. My @Andyjr1515 Swift Lite bass through a TC Elf and Barefaced one10 was just the ticket. The landlady told us we were the first band, ever, to put the tables back in place after we’d finished. We’re not very Rock n’ Roll, but very polite boys. 😆