Wolverinebass

"Tonight at The Tickled Trout.... The JTUK All-star band!!"

I think most people have something that they'd change. For me, I spent too long working with one person who despite being an excellent player, was also incredibly difficult and controlling of the band's direction. It took a very long time for me to realise that and I blame that on being young. I wished I'd started producing bands professionally when I was 25 rather than 38. I stupidly settled for the easy paycheck. That decision caused me years of anguish of hating my job. I love my job now though. Over the years I got fired from some signed bands (don't worry, they did nothing), which was mainly down to making sure I kept a job I hated to pay the mortgage rather than take a chance. In 2019, I quit my job to produce full time as I realised I'd reached the point where the job was making me ill and if I didn't make the leap, I wouldn't ever. Nowadays, I love my bands I play in and the people I work with. We all get to where we get to. Maybe it's not when you wanted it, but when you're ready for it. Life has it's way of teaching us whether that be in the case of hard knocks or learning about ourselves over time.

A great day with old and new friends alike. Many thanks to @Merton for letting me leave my 12 string next to his copious amounts of ACG's (borrowing a strap) and running it through his fantastic trace 1200 and Barefaced 210. Whilst I'm not in the market for new cabs, having tried @stevie's LFSys cabs, they're great. Exceptionally clear and articulate which is why I'd choose a cab. They really do the snap, click and top end extension which I like very well. You could do a lot worse than get one. They're easily on a par with Vanderkley, Barefaced or Bergantino.

I'll be on that train as I'll be getting it at Waterloo!

Is there a running order of things yet?

Ernie Ball. If you're reading this thread, sort your life out. Issuing a bass which costs more new than the period model it's copying? Really?!! I think there are far better basses that I'd spend £3100 on. Plenty of manufacturers (some of which are in the affiliate pages here) which for that cash would make a bass that would be spectacular. There's nothing massively special about these. They're not character basses in the way that brands like Alembic, Wal, Status, ACG are. They're just a slightly more modern take on what Leo thought a bass should be in the 70s. As such, they're not boutique and to me are a £2k bass max. Maybe it's all reverse psychology though. Maybe they don't really want to ship to Europe and the UK so are jacking up the prices so nobody will buy them leaving them cheaper in the US where their more natural market is?

You do realise that playing a 12 string will be endlessly more fun than miming/crying/looking moody/dressing up as a banana or whatever people do in music videos any more.

It's all relative. I saw David Coverdale at Ramblin' Man festival in 2016 and I can say even then his voice had gone. He managed 2 songs before going off whilst the guitarists alternated solos for 10 minutes. Then came back on did one song, then guitar solo. That pattern lasted the whole gig. It was quite sad actually. As an ardent Who fan, they should have stopped in 2002 when Entwistle died. All the music since then has been awful/mediocre and the fact they have got lesser and lesser bassists since then (now its some American session musician who looks like an iced gem) just takes it to a new level of wrong. That's about the only band I'd honestly say should pack it in, but only because of my hypocritical stance as a lifelong fan. Most people are going to see bands of this age because they're always sure it'll be the last time. I think the Stones got that nonsense in 1994 and they've just continued. Plus it's nostalgia. How you felt when you first heard a song transporting you back to your long since departed youth. It's all expectation as well. I saw Kiss at the o2 recently and it was clear to me some of thr gig was being mimed. Isn't that having a laugh? I actually went to that one for free as a mate got tickets through his work. If people are going to pay for it, who are we to say who should retire? I'm 44 and recently a band (in their early 30s) the singer said (not to my face) that I was too old to join the band. I hasten to say, I could easily pass for almost 10 years younger than I actually am. We're all going to get there eventually I suppose. Someone saying Danny Glover style that "you're too old for this." It's the way of things and to be expected. Much like ageing boxers, we all believe that we've got one more fight left in us. Whether other people agree is a different matter.

That's true about anything. Whether it's fitness, sport, snooker, whatever it is you're into. If you want to get better, you'll find the time. I count myself as fortunate that I can play every day if I want to. I mostly do. I work on something I can't do until I can do it or get a bit closer and continue from there. Certainly when my kids were born I had much less time and I felt like I was stagnating. The gulf between what I felt I could do and what I wanted to was there in my head at least. I still do the same things well as I always have, I just happen to have a few more of them now and the confidence to do stuff live that I just wasn't so sure I wouldn't screw up when I was 28. It's all relative and only the person in question can make (or subconsciously make) the decision that where they are is a good place to be in. We're all different and can all learn things from each other. At least, that's the way I look at it.

Such things depend on what your definition of "good" is and what the comparison made between yourself and this standard is. I mean, it's just personality for the most part. What does your playing when you feel you're at the top of your game say about you as a person? Does it make you happy? Are you constantly in a state of despair because Mark King can hit triplets so fast it sounds like cutlery being emptied from a dishwasher? Ultimately, we choose our own style based on lots of different reasons. I very much doubt anyone on this thread is anywhere near as bad or mediocre as they think. I know what I do well and what I can't do as well. I'm sure everyone else does too. Whether that be being solid for the band, being flashy or just making the band sound full. Not everyone aspires to technical greatness and isn't it good that we're all different? I look upon seeing other people play as an opportunity to learn something, not as a source of physical and existential pain where I go home, smash up my basses and pack it in because I think I'm not as good as them. Whatever level you're at is irrelevant if it makes you feel good.

I played a Saint about a year ago. A band I was recording, their bass player had one, so being curious, I had a go. For something that cost 900 quid or so, I felt it wasn't worth it. 500? Yeah, sure. It's also worth noting when that band came back some months later to record with me again, the bass player used my classic 50s precision and sounded much better.

On my Vanderkley 2x12 the tweeter is always on maximum. Not because I slap like Mark King, but just because I like the cut you can get with it. It's basically so nothing of the signal is cut. So basically the DI you hear (post fx or not) is more or less the same as what comes out the speakers.

So, just to be clear. Does this mean that Facebook groups aren't good for metal?

Ernie Ball can go do one. Not just for this, but for their pricing of all basses. It's price gouging almost on a par with Warwick's innovative "let's add another 7 grand to the price and folk will still buy them" pricing strategy. Anyone with an IQ above 2 won't buy one of them as they'll realise they're being done.

@neepheid to be fair, at the time I had got a temporary promotion at work and had a significant pay rise. I had always fancied getting one so i just thought "why not?" If I don't like it I can send it back. I don't do that job anymore (it made me truly miserable) so i quit and run my own studio (see @Erax Sound in the affiliates section - shameless plug alert!!), but it's a really good bass. Ironically, I've been recording with it this morning.

Never having played one, I would say the Aluminati necks are grotesquely overpriced. A grand for a neck? Really?!! For that much I'd want to be able to customise loads more stuff. The nut width for one. For those saying the Klos necks are overpriced, being that these are about double that, it'd be a no from me.

Well, I'm getting a Klos neck. It was meant to have been delivered in April, but now looks more like November. Which is a pity. I had a chat with Ian about what I wanted as I wanted the nut to be 43mm and I got the feeling that this would create problems. He offered me to put the deposit towards a 24 fret Musicman bass they have in the works. If I hadn't bought the body and whatnot I might have said yes, but as I had already I declined. So here's the body. It's a Warmoth G4. Walnut body, Black Korina top. Babicz Bridge, Herrick multicoil pickups and Lusithand pre with Harley Benton knobs. As the neck has been so delayed, this has been put together and sitting in my studio for the past 4 months. I shall report back when I get the neck.

U2 have been finished for quite some time. They are following the Rolling Stones "continue forever" career path. All the best work is done before 31 or so. Get to 40. No album will have more than 3 good songs on it. The rest is dreck. Anything after 50 and the albums are mainly miss as they are devoid of soul, content or even meaning. Quite often a truly spectacular turkey is pulled out of the oven. They effectively tanked their career totally with No Line On the Horizon which may very well be their worst album. Bono's voice is gone and I would say it has been for at least a decade. Bet he's wishing he never took up smoking 30 years ago now. Hearing their new single, I just couldn't believe how rubbish it was. It was the sort of "Snow Patrol knock off U2" that would be discounted for not being very good. The fact that they did "U2 do U2 covers album" or "lower the keys of the songs until Bono can mumble them" depending on ones viewpoint. A pitiful end.

I've got the X7 Ultra pedal. On paper it should be better than the Dug pedal due to the variable crossover. It's not. It's immensely fiddly and the distortion sound is wrong. Worse still, there's a small touch of fuzz on the low end of the clean channel! I could barely get a sound I liked out of it. I attribute this to the fact that Darkglass make products for 5 string players for the most part which is why there is always that tiny smidgeon of fuzz on the low end. After all, you'll need it in drop A. Play in C# standard or higher and not only do you not need it, you don't want it. Running the pedal at 24v does alleviate it slightly, but I'd imagine the amp wouldn't work the same way.

Assuming there's no train strokes and stuff, I'll be along. 1. @cetera - Charvel 3B, ESP Surveyor '87, Fender FSR PJ Precision, Hamer Impact, Italia Imola, Spector NS2, Spector Euro, Spector EuroX (Spectorbird), Spector Pulse II, Spector Dimension 4HP, Gallien Krueger 400RB & Legacy800 heads, GenzBenz Neox 2x12 cab 2. @TheGreek - All short scale this year - a @Jabba_the_gut scale 5er, Mini Ray, Short scale P bass 3. @Harlequin74 - Zoot Performer, Status Shark, Spector QV4 , Markbass TTE501 and Matching CAB. Maybe the Lehle Basswitch… 4. @Frank Blank - @Jabba_the_gut short scale fretted and fretless, JMJ Mustang, QSC K12.2, Grace Design Alix 5. @TrevorR - Mk 1 Wal, Wal Pro IIE, Aria SB700, Frankenjazz, pedals and MarkBass LMII & Traveler 2x10 6. @bnt - travelling light, probably a couple of pedals such as T-Rex Diva Drive, Orange KongPressor 7. @bass_dinger - 1999 Washburn XB500, 1994 Washburn XB500, Washburn XB925 in zebrawood, Washburn XB925 in bits, Boulder Creek 5 string (likely to be for sale), SWR Workingmans 12. 8. @greentext- 2008 Spector NS4-H2, 2015 Sandberg VS4, 2000 Trace Elliot T-Bass, my pedalboard and my tin of picks 😈 9. @prowla - Probably a couple of Rickenbackers and some interesting oddities. Amp-wise a Markbass EVO and a 1x12 (last year I bought some others to try and never switched them on, as the EVO sounded spot-on). 10. @SuperSeagull - Status S2, Feline P Bass, Modded Fender Lyte, Flea Jazz, MB Combo 11. @Merton - various short and medium scale ACGs, Zoots and Conway basses, Barefaced cabs, modern Trace Elliot amps 12. @MacDaddy - Shuker (probably no3), Snapdragon Folding Bass, possibly a Rob Allen Mouse. 13. @neilp - matching pair of fretted and fretless 1980 Aria SB1000s, possibly my fretless Wal mk1, Ashdown ABM500/Ampeg 4x10, Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig 14. @NickD - Strunal Schonbach 5 String DB, and whatever else I can shoehorn in the car around it... hopefully a MD CMD121 H, Zoom B6, and maybe a Maruszczyk Jake and a Shuker Series 2. 15. @WalMan - converted Wal Pro, Zon Legacy Elite, Status S2, G&L L2500 fretless, McMillen 12Step & DSI MoPho, Two Notes Bass Revolt, Trondheim Audio SkarBassOne, BackBeat2 (and my BackBeat1 will probably be available for sale). 16. Darkglass Microtubes500 and one of the Barefaced cabs. All depends how late I leave and what will fit in the new car 🚙 😁 16. @Smanth - With my small, light, battery powered gear (mostly) ... IBBY-Ibanez GSRM25 5 str sub short scale, 'ELIMA - Kala California 5 str fretless ubass, QUINN- HB 5 Str Fretless, MOD Dwarf based pedalboard, Boss Dual Cube Bass LX. (Also some toys to sell) 17. @Jean-Luc Pickguard - NS Design CR5M, Squier Bass VI, Roland MicroCube Bass RX and some pedals. 18. @tauzero - the basses that @TheGreek made me buy (handmade 6-string headless, Pedulla 6 fretless), Roland GR-55, one or two Seis, anything else that occurs to me, Mrs Zero (probably) 19. @Stingray5 - EBMM Stingray 5, a trio of Tunes i.e. TWB-6, TWB-4z, SWV4-BB, Boss GT-6B, Eden EC180 combo. 20. @rumblefish - Reverend Rumblefish, GB basses, Mesa Walkabout amp, Vanderkley 112 MNT. 21. @Paul S - might be space for a shorty? If not never mind. I have nothing of interest 22. @bassace97 - Musicman stingray basses, Fender Mustang bass, Pedalboard and my Mesa TT800 + SL112 cabs 23. @BillyBass - Reverend Decision P, Gallien-Krueger Fusion S1200 and Barefaced Midget 24. @silverfoxnik - some basses and noise amplifying boxes. 25. @Simon C : G&L L2000 Tribute, Sire V7 Fretless, Ibanez EHB1000S Headless Shortscale. Various pedals (switch, tuner, Hypergravity compressor, Laney 85 Bass Octave, Bass Clone Chorus, Spectradrive, Ditto+ looper pedal and a Bluetooth page turner). Carlsboro Colt Keyboard Amp. 26. @Wolverinebass - Hamer Chaparral B12L, Tech 21 Dug Pinnick. Sideburns. Sarcasm.

When I got my 4003 it wasn't set up either. The relief was all wrong so that it had a choke on the 3rd fret. The intonation was a fair bit off too and the pickups were too high. Plus, the case was broken with one of the studs having been bashed through the abs. It was new. Guitar Guitar couldn't have been more helpful and exchanged the case in a day and I did the "lower than the 9th circle of hell" setup on it. Sounds amazing now. I only got it for a laugh and now it's one of my favourite basses.

I did indeed. A couple of friends had one of each at roughly the same time, so I asked if it'd be possible to try them both. Obviously, my opinion is subjective of course as to what constitutes "better" per se, but I feel Gibson would have to up their game a lot to get me to buy a bass from them. I got an Epiphone Silverburst Thunderbird earlier this year and that's brilliant. For me, easily better than any of the recent Gibson ones.

To be fair, the Bach version was much better.

I would imagine they won't sell that many? Even if one were a Kiss superfan would you pay £7200 for one? It's a Gibson. The QC won't be amazing. Take off a zero maybe? Or maybe 2 zeros given Gibson's previous bass record recently.

Hamer it is then!