elom

On 18/01/2016 at 14:34, discreet said:

They are very useful indeed but should be used with discretion, especially the VPF and especially live. The VLE (Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator) gradually rolls off a wider and wider range of top-end for a more old-skool sound, while the VPF (Variable Pre-Shape Filter) will progressively Boost lows and highs, in effect giving you a mid-scooped sound. Though this makes the amp sound very nice when playing solo or at home, you definitely don't want to be scooping your mids in a live situation as you will not be heard.

It's important to note that both controls are only in the 'OFF' position when fully LEFT, and not at 12 o'clock.

They are a major selling point of Markbass amps. When I had a Markbass, I set the EQ controls flat and got all the sounds I needed using only the VLE and VPF filters. You can get an amazing combination of tones just by using the filters and nothing else.

Thank you. I have had my LM for many years and randomly played around with these settings. This explanation is like the clouds parting for me!

I recognise that shop. It’s in Exeter and they have one of my basses selling on commission. 

Ride are one of my favourite bands. So how nice of Steve Queralt, bass player in the band, to list Andy Bell's solo record in his albums of the year.

But I love this subtle dig when asked if he played bass on the album. Gem Archer (guitarist) was in Oasis with Andy. Andy was the guitarist recruited to play bass in Oasis.

I've been looking for information on this so thank you to @dudewheresmybass for the Musician's Union info.

Our rehearsal space is now open and the rest of the band want to rehearse (amateur, no gigs for next 6 months). Given that I have been working on the Covid response I want to make sure that I follow the guidance. In Tier 2 this looks like 'non-professional' groups could only rehearse if they were part of the same household or bubble. https://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/Home/Advice/covid-19/Covid-Restrictions-FAQ

The rest of them will practice without me on Monday, and I'm quite comfortable with that.

If I was playing for free when I would normally get paid then I’m effectively making a donation. To do that I would really need to believe in the ‘cause’. So that’s a possible but not likely. 

Why did previous owners of this bass believe it to be particularly valuable? I mean given how much you wanted it back they must have been asking for way over what you thought it was worth. 

Welcome. Lots of us took a long break from playing. It’s even better second time around! 

40 minutes ago, chris_b said:

In Sydney, Oz, in the lase 70's there was a band called Free Beer. They upset so many landlords because punters thought the pub was giving the beer away. To keep being booked they had to change their name and became The Free Beer Band.

Wasn’t this also the idea behind the Bare Naked Ladies?

Quick fix: Take the name you thought of and stick a colour in front or after it. 

You can only improve by practice, not by buying more and more gear. Pure nonsense. 

4 hours ago, jimfist said:

Waiting to hear from the " I don't use a compressor and never will, and because I don't use one, you shouldn't need to either, unless you have lousy technique, and so I'm better than you" crowd.

I actually do have lousy technique so maybe this is something for me to consider... 🤔

Bought a beautiful Epiphone De Luxe Masterbilt from Kris. A really genuine guy, loads of info and great communication throughout. First time I've bought a bass through basschat and he made it painless!

That is a thing of beauty. GLWS

Hmm the description is accurate, the title not so much!

I wonder if the way we buy (new) instruments might change. I have teenage daughters and I see the way they buy clothes. Often multiple sizes and colours of the same item. Try them all on and send back the ones that they don’t want, much like trying on in a shop. 

Now I know that the postage costs are a bit different but I wonder if a younger generation of bass players might instinctively favour this approach, or if online stores might routinely offer a ‘sale or return’ basis. 

What I’ve found an acoustic useful for is just having around the house. Propped up in the corner of the living room I’ll pick it up and play a few minutes surprisingly often. 

Up for sale is my 1985 Fender Performer, the bass that Fender prefer to forget ever happened!

This short-lived Fender Bass was Made In Japan in the 80s for only about a year at a time when theFender corporation was going through a lot of change. There were only a few hundred made and it was not a success but... I love it!  The style is unique (you'll think it is cool or awful) and the neck, oh the neck! This is the thinnest neck you have ever seen and plays so fast. I loved it so much that when I had my custom bass built I had them use the exact same neck profile. So once I knew that the Fender Performer existed I had to have one, but I could not find one for sale anywhere in the UK. In the end I bought this one from a seller in the States who collected them. That was 2007 and it was my main gigging bass for the next 10 years. Any guitarist or bassist in the audience would always come up afterwards and say something along the lines of "Is that really a Fender?". Even the Fender logo was different for this bass!

You can read more about the Fender Performer here.

You can see that the condition is 'worn' 😉.  All of this was done before I bought it and no cracks, chips or other damage has occurred in the last 13 years, and it is not really visible when playing anyway. Included is the owners manual, which fetches $25 on its own on ebay. It will come in the quality Hiscox hard case that is in the photos. I'm happy to ship at the buyers expense or meet if that is geographically possible.

Everything is original on this and given their scarcity they come up for sale very rarely and I couldn't find another one for sale anywhere in the world at the moment! 

It has recently had a full professional set-up by Mansons Guitar Shop. I was previously selling this through them (and their price tag of £1100) is still attached, but took it back ahead of lockdown. I have sold on Basschat before but a long time ago (2007, to fund this very bass) so if I have got this listing wrong or omitted key information please excuse me and just ask!

As soon as you put the first ding in it you've modified it 😉

In my opinion, unless it's value to you as an object is greater than it's value as an instrument, do whatever you need to do to make it give you the sounds and feel that you want.

I think this looks great. Really original and the kind of personal specification that a big birthday deserves.

Oh my, that looks beautiful. Is it still for sale?

On 11/01/2019 at 23:02, julesb said:

Brilliant gig and he's still playing a Westone (thunder 3a as far as I could see)

Can I just say that it made me rather happy to know he is a) still out there and b) still rocking the Westone Thunder. 

I bought mine because of him, still have it*

*(Dad bought it for my 15th birthday, I sold it when I was 20, I found it again on eBay 20 years later)

Thanks for all the advice folks. Bass now properly strung and no pegs popping!

Cheers guys, will give that a bash first chance I get!