Matt P

i'll agree with everything that has been said already (especially the use of a wireless so you can wander around and see how you sound in different areas as suggested by @Dad3353) a quick click of the link in your Bio shows me that you are playing a fender Precision which is a great starting point, but what amp are you using? also the EQ settings can have a huge difference in how audible you are in a room, i find that a bit of a boost in the mids helps to keep me audible. It sounds like a fantastic opportunity and i'm slightly envious as i've not played in a band since the lockdown was enforced. Matt

😂 right now i'm going to gave to buy some seal stickers to go on it!

some of the images were captured by the way back machine https://web.archive.org/web/20121015131941/https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/134869-re-valving-an-orange-bass-terror/ if someone has a bit of spare time they could be retrieved from there and re-posted to an alternative hosting site? i would do it myself but i'm only here sneakily, i should be buying new seals for the shower screen not looking at basschat 😁 Matt

I know it's not in production anymore but the SWR headlite has a Built in compressor, however i never really got on with the one i had, the input clipping light used to come on far earlier than i liked, ended up selling it and going over to Markbass. Some of the issues might have been down to my stupid colour-blindness though as it used bi-colour LED's as indicators and i was never sure what colour they were lighting up, it also had the stupidest ultra bright LED's and chrome control knobs so it was impossible to see the settings unless you were in a very bright room. Matt

Ahh, I know it was one of the members on here but can't remember exactly who, i don't think it was an abandoned build, rather that the spec was changed considerably (loads more strings than the 5 the neck was made for) and the blank had been glued up already so another was started and the neck i have was left over so a cheapish build was available. I do consider myself quite lucky that i got a playable bass in the end, it took about twice the time than was originally quoted and the collection experience itself wasn't great but I've had it fettled by a local expert and it plays fine. I think that the reason i actually got a bass was partly down to the fact that it was partly made from abandoned parts from other builds so there wasn't much work required to get it together (but it did take forever to get it built despite the ready-made nature of some of the parts) I will leave the conversation now as i know how much of a sore point the whole thing is for so many members.

I have a custom (ish) 5 string that i had made by Letts a while back (just as their relations with Basschat were falling apart) it was actually a neck that had been started for another Basschatters order that was then changed (it might have been @binky_bass possibly) and a body blank that had been started (luckily it was i the wood combination that i would have chosen anyway). the bass wasn't exactly what i had ordered but was fairly close, I wanted a workhorse passive 5 and that's what was delivered, the pickups weren't what i had asked for and the neck was a bit on the chunky side but it's been my go-to bass ever since and if i had another bass built i think it would have the same neck profile as it feels so right now. i may be in the minority of people that have kept their custom basses but i think i just got lucky this time. I would definitely buy another custom bass but probably from @Andyjr1515 as i really like his work, unfortunately i'm pretty skint and that isn't likely to change in the near future. Matt

Which rounds have you tried? Stainless seem to last longer in my experience and keep the attack better, maybe you could try newtone strings, they offer 2 different types in both nickel and stainless. Matt

i find it amusing that all of their stock seems to be 2017 models (with the odd exception) but the fact that all the prices are the same seems lazy to me, and offering a guitar with all the accessories (case etc) for less than half the retail price of just the hard shell case makes it look even worse. Matt

@Mikey D what is the balance like on a strap? that is the only thing that might scupper it for me as i find neck dive a real pain. Matt

I have been using a 25w antex one for at least 15 years, as a bonus the heating element is replaceable if it ever dies. Big thumbs up for esr as well, they're not a million miles from me and a the service I've had from them has been top notch. Matt

Well, there have been developments here, I might have found a buyer for my squier p5, so there may be a tmb35 heading my way at some point soon, for those who have the 4 string how heavy are they? Matt

But it won't fit into any of my hiscox guitar cases so smuggling it into the house is a bit harder, the case issue is also on my mind, I prefer to use hiscox and the only option is a full size bass case which is a bit of a shame and makes it harder to fit in the boot of the car. Matt

I know but I have a real problem with sending stuff back, I don't know why but its a whole psychological thing for me I think, I have the funds sitting in a separate account ready but just haven't managed to buy, there is also the small issue that my wife thinks I don't have room for another instrument and I'm not sure what I would could part with to make space. Matt

Near identical to the one I had as my first 5 string, mine had quite a bit of wear on the gold hardware and the body but it was a great bass, still in regular use with a friend of mine. Matt

I've had my eye on these for a few months, but I like to try before I buy and haven't managed to find a local shop with one in stock, I have played and loved the 4 string version and I love 5 strings but I can't quite commit to buying one online. The stupid thing is that I love the colour, the string spacing is exactly what I prefer and I love passive basses but I just can't click on the buy button. Matt

I've played quite a few aria guitars and basses of various eras and prices and they've all been very nicely made and sounded good, I've got 3 arias in my collection at the moment and I wouldn't want to sell any of them. I'd expect this one to be pretty good for the money, they always seem great value. Matt

I'm being dragged into IEM's as our church has made the decision we all go to IEM's, we have a small contribution of £30 each towards our own set and i don't have the cash to go for custom moulded ones (especially as they will only get used once or maybe twice a month as my pub band won't be going to IEM's any time in the next few years), the KZ ones look pretty good but is there a good reliable supplier of the KZ IEM's in the UK? I try to avoid Amazon for various reasons and would rather buy from an alternative if there is one in the UK. i was thinking of the ZS10 Pro (if there is a worthwhile improvement over the regular ZS10's) Matt

hmm, having had a little google I'm getting stumped too, the nearest i can find are these but they don't mention if they are metric or imperial. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Guitar-humbucker-pickup-screws-chrome-black-or-gold-Bulk-buy-and-save-4-10-or-50/371977562337?hash=item569b9728e1:g:5z8AAOSw9~5ZO4fu or with springs https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4x-Guitar-humbucker-pickup-screws-and-springs-in-chrome-black-or-gold/392845073359?hash=item5b77641bcf:g:Ph8AAOSw09Ve7Zph But- i'm going to assume that you want M3 x35mm probably (assuming you measured the total length rather than the thread length) the screws on one of my basses here (korean maybe Aria) are M3x40 and M3x35 (longer for the D and G) so these should fit - (they are allen head but should work fine and are cheap enough that you can replace them all and have spares left over) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M3-BLACK-GRADE-10-9-STEEL-6mm-35mm-HEX-BUTTON-HEAD-MACHINE-SCREWS/152772320750?var=453718346071&hash=item2391f09dee:g:M3EAAOSwu4BVwe96 they are bare steel though so they might rust, a light smear of wd40 would help slow the rusting, or you could go for stainless steel instead, make sure the thread goes all the way to the head though. Matt

what bass is it? and where was it made? if it is USA then the threads will most likely be imperial, for most of the rest of the world they are likely to be Metric. either way there are plenty of sellers that will supply you with a suitable set for a very low price. a thread gauge is the easiest way to check the exact spec but a good ruler can work just as well of your eyesight is good enough. there are some reliable UK ebay sellers that i have used in the past, CH guitars, black dog music and northwest guitars all come to mind as ones i have used myself with no issues. Matt

When i'm at work i usually have 6music on my headphones all day. during lockdown it was still 6music but on my portable DAB radio or through my HiFi. I'm on annual shutdown at the moment (4 weeks every summer, Bliss!) and my new HiFi amp arrived last week so i'm playing as much as i can, also trying to introduce my 3year old son to as wide a range of music as possible so that's a great excuse to play lots of my vinyl collection. Matt

i think this might only be for the G10? the other models have removable batteries rather than a built in rechargeable one and are a separate belt pack with a cable. I had a G30 for quite a while and never had an issue (albeit with passive basses as that's all i have) now got a G50 and no issues at all (mind you i've not used it much since lockdown!) Matt

I had the red version of this as my first 5 string, I loved mine, in the end I sold it to a friend who is still using it, great sound and very comfortable to play, I had mine string with DR Marcus Miller strings and it was a very nice sound. Worked well with picato flats as well. Matt

Newtone would definitely be my first port of call for balanced tension strings, i have been using their Heritage balanced tension acoustic guitar strings for about 10 years now, they're excellent, great tone, equal tension and long life. I have no doubts that they could make you up a balanced bass set to the same standard. If they made flatwounds then i think they would be the only brand i would use. Matt

i would suggest measuring the spacing of the fixing screws, the standard for 80mm fans is 71.5mm square so as long as the screws fit then an 80mm fan will be fine. i would be wary of any cutting or filing of the metal chassis to make a bigger fan fit, you would need to be 100% sure that all the metal filings are removed to prevent shorting anything out (especially as this is a valve amp so the voltages inside are very high) this fan from RS is the closest i can find that suits the voltage/current/airflow requirements, nowhere near as cheap as the ones you mention but as this is a good quality valve amp i would suggest that skimping on the fan could have consequences down the line with overheating which might lead to a big repair bill https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/axial-fans/7897873/ this one should also be suitable but is a little more expensive with with higher airflow but more noise (33dB) https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/axial-fans/0126206/ Matt (as an aside i spend some of my working life specifying axial fans for industrial equipment)