neepheid

Honestly, mate, I don't know and I've never really taken the time to find out. Actual 'Rays never appealed to me. If I've ever played one, it'll have been briefly at a bass bash or something. People just call this the "Stingray killer", probably because the Internet is built from beef. Always beef about something, trying to get a rise out of some group or other. I have no idea how true it is, the whole "Stingray killer" thing, and I don't really care. I can tell you this sounds like it'll be tasty live, plenty mid poke, even when the EQ is set flat. I might be modding the switch though - the two pairs of coils together in parallel is pretty scooped sounding and easily my least favourite sound of the three. Might mod the switch to be north pair/both in series/south pair in the future. It is on the chonky side of things - 4.7kg/10.34lubs according to the bathroom scales. Personally, I consider this to be a middleweight, but I know many have other ideas (and unfortunately for some, it's not a simple preference, but a physical requirement for their basses to be lightweight).

And I'm of the unpopular opinion that they all do the same job. Now, which one will make me look fancy tonight?

I'm going to try to do gear abstinence next year, so I thought I'd have one final swatch at FB marketplace. I was instantly reminded how dangerous it is when this bad boy appeared for a very keen price (complete with a Hiscox Liteflite hard case) and on the right side of England for my purposes. I decided to carpe that diem. 9 hour round trip, but it was definitely worth it. Basically unusued, the only issues were that it was a bit dusty in places, and there was some goop on the headstock where a clearly disintegrating stand had been cradling. Managed to get that cleaned off - it hadn't stained the finish, yay! Gave it a fret polish and oiled the fingerboard and gave it a good old setup. So, how is the "Stingray killer"? Good, as far as I can tell in headphones. My favourite finish for these basses would be Soda Blue, but this natural one is growing on me in its elegant simplicity, and the black pickguard suits it very well. But that's it! No more! I will be striving to make 2026 a fallow year in the gear acquisition stakes, so I guess I was getting one final hit in before the lockdown. FYI - no Stingrays were harmed in the making of this. Merry Christmas to me (and everyone else!)

No, I have a harem to manage. Strict rotation is the only way to do this. I accelerate the rotation by playing two different basses at the (two set) gigs. The only sentimentality I have is that Mrs. Neepheid bought me my Reverend Triad, so it would be last to go in a fire sale type situation.

Our work here is done.

Yes, it's the best performing pitch shifter I have ever tried, and I've owned 3. It copes admirably in a band setting - I use mine all the time. Not only for those requests to play a song in a different key, but I also use the octave up blended in with overdrive for a bit of "fake guitar" action sometimes. I've pushed it as low as -3 live and it's been decent, eminently useable.

If you're just dipping your toe in, get a 434! At least you'll find out if you like the looks and the general ergonomics.

I'm not a trained fire fighter - I'm out.

Why are people getting het up about this? As far as I understand it, the only quibble here is whether or not the aesthetic quality of the top of this bass is a fault or not. Some say yay, some say nay. Ultimately the vendor's covered by the Ts and Cs, they don't consider it to be a fault, so honestly I'd take the offer of getting it picked up for £25 and move on. Yes, they've been a bit rum and heavy handed about it - it's been escalated and a compromise offered. Whether or not I would have allowed it out of my factory is irrelevant (but in case you're wondering - I wouldn't).

It would bug me. I mean my Epiphone Jack Casady's flamed top isn't book matched, but at least each half isn't wildly different from the other... Do these retailers think we don't talk to each other? Attitude's a bit rum, I reckon.

I don't think it's cheating at all - better living through technology as far as I'm concerned. 6 or 7 songs get shifted +/- 3 semitones. I also use it for octave up blend for a bit of "fake guitar" action (pitch shift up + overdrive) on a couple of songs because we've only got a single guitarist.

That seems a little imprudent?

Bit far away for me, but you never know! Best of luck with it!

Alas, I have a gig the night before, so no Scottish invasion this time, sorry!

Are we taking bets? A tenner on the sack trolley!

How is my gig tonight? Cancelled - singer's got the flu. Baws. Oh well, one of my mates is coming round for a few drams instead. Evening, saved!

Similarly, think our gig tomorrow night will be off - singer's caught the flu

Believe it or not, a lot of thought went into the design of the UK plugs and sockets...

Last gig of the year, with Nine Lives at the North Bar in Peterhead on Saturday 13th December.

Bought a Glockenklang preamp from Andrew. As above, sent next day delivery, well packaged. Great comms, top notch deal!

There certainly is - https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/436082-recommend-your-whisky-of-choice-here/ RE: talkbass whisky thread - "Oh no, someone from the motherland who actually knows what they're talking about - I can't act like the biggest whisky bore any more because I might get called on my BS..." Fair?

Nah, as you will see in the whisky thread, I've been lagging behind with that. But yes, I was rather inebriated on Friday night.

Last night (just), played with Nine Lives at the Pittendrum Bar in Sandhaven - a wee villiage near Fraserburgh. Unfortunately, it wasn't very busy, maybe 15 folk in at the peak. The apologetic barmaid told us later on that since they had booked us, a bunch of stuff got organised in the "big smoke" of Fraserburgh which may have contributed to the lack of bodies. It was probably for the best, because I was far from my best. Having had only 4 hours sleep and basically waking up to go to the gig (work's Christmas do the night before - don't ask), I was so tired that as well as making a few pretty horrible flubs, I forgot to hook up my extension cab - did the whole gig with just the 250W combo and single speaker. Didn't even notice until packing up time when I couldn't figure out where my speakon>speakon cable had gone. Bloody hell. This dopey so-and-so played the Neep One followed by the DeArmond Jetstar (the wonky boi) into a single Markbass CMD combo sitting on top of a completely ornamental New York 121 cab. FFS.

I prefer the first one - more flexibility for positioning your forearm. I would worry that the second one is much more prescribed and you have to keep your forearm where the carve is - either side of it and you're actually going to be resting on a perceived hump/point.

It's a weasel word. There are no standardised guidelines as to what "vintage" means when it comes to instruments, unlike in cars.