bass_dinger

3 hours ago, Hellzero said:

the Casio PS-X1100, which is worth a try as Casio is not a cheapy maker anymore.

You are right - a good reminder.

The Casio piano was on my original list, having tried one in Martin Phelps music in Croydon,  about three years ago.

I need to pop over and try it again. 

On 25/11/2025 at 17:36, bass_dinger said:

I just 5 minutes ago spoke with Rose Morris (the shop in Denmark Street) to ask if they stocked the Kawai ES60, to upgrade my old Kurzweil. They do - and I was also offered the option of Roland pianos (two doors down in the same street) and Yamahas (5 minutes walk away, at the main Yamaha store at
152-160 Wardour Street

Today, I went to each of those three shops. I took with me my AKG headphones, and some sheet music 

Rose Morris had the Kawai ES60, and the Kawai ES120.  I preferred the ES60 - great feel, strong and boldly realistic sounds.  There was an immediate and lively response to my playing. The keyboard felt a little tiring on my fingers, but I put that down to fact that I rarely play a proper weighted piano, and because the device was mounted quite high up.

Slim form, good speakers, entry-level pricing: if that was the only option available to me, I would be entirely satisfied. 

The ES120? On paper, the specifications were better.   But under my fingers, it didn't work as well, for me.  It was somehow more polite, more sophisticated, and it lost the energy of the ES-60. 

The sales guy explained that the ES-60 had a shorter travel on the keys than the ES120.  So, shorter travel means that there is less delay - and more immediacy. 

On to the Kawai ES920,  just to see what a blank cheque would get me.  Incredible feel and sound, and clearly a stage piano. However,  the sound of the keys was the noisiest of the bunch.  Not a problem for the stage, but potentially annoying when someone else is listening to the noise of the keyboard, without music.

The quietest keyboard? The ES-60. 

Next door but one, and into the corporate world of Roland.  No entry level Roland FP10 Digital Piano on display, but the Roland FP-30X Digital Piano had the same piano action.  An incredible instrument! Lively and responsive, allowing for lots of expression and emotion when I played. And that model (unlike the FP10) allowed for three expression pedals, which is essential for Grade 4, I am told. The grand piano sounded huge, the string sound lush and expressive. 

For me, the Roland was the instrument that I wanted to play at home.

The Yamahas? I tried a P145.  It was....okay.  Again, I would be perfectly grateful for it. However, it didn't excite me.

So, in conclusion, it was important for me to have tried the keyboards, before I invest in one.

1 hour ago, pete.young said:

So there is no need to consider impedance mismatching, or a foot-pedal tuner to switch off the sound because these are already built-in to the on-board preamp.

Thank you for sharing that.

I am so used to bass guitars and my Boss TU2 footpedal, and my 30 year old acoustic guitar without an inbuilt tuner, that I hadn't realised that acoustic guitar technology had moved on.

@Jack ignore my anachronistic comments about tuners.  But i think that the guitarist should go old-school with a 1970s beard, and a silver jumpsuit. 

For myself I have managed with a small Ashdown Acoustic Radiator - very powerful for the size.  There are a few on eBay for around £130 right now, and Ashdown happily service them. Avoid anything with damaged speakers, as replacements were no longer available when I last contacted Ashdown.

Some Acoustic Radiators have a DI out, so your guitarist could just turn down the amplifier and use the DI out and stage monitors if he is feeling bold. However, given his lack of on-stage experience, I would not recommend it. 

He can also use the Acoustic Radiator at home, to get used to the concept of stage volume, of adjusting the sound of the amplifier, and of identifying and removing feedback. 

Add to that a tilt-back amplifier stand to point the sound at his ears, and a chorus pedal to soften the sound a little.  Cables in various colours (so that your guitarist can easily set up: "the long orange one from the guitar, into the chorus pedal; the short green one from chorus to the amplifier.")

Maybe a breakfast-bar stool, if he wants to sit down.

A guitar stand for the guitar, because it's important to set it down without laying it on the floor, or for when he swaps out instruments. 

As for which guitar to use, let him test them all with the band first. It may be that (for example) his hand-made custom shop twin neck acoustic is less stage-friendly than a cheaper Tanglewood. He will also want to learn that the rich bass and soaring trebles of his guitars when played solo, may not be necessary in a band setting. 

Let us know how he gets on!

Robert 

Edit. He will require a footpedal tuner, even if he has a tuner in his guitars. That's because the footpedal tuner can act as a mute switch, to ensure that the guitar's sound can be switched off to the PA, not just when tuning but to kill sudden feedback, or to swap out guitars.

The Uke bass is a very different instrument to other basses. It would be good to have a separate subsection for it.

I rather like that. 

Wistful, but positive. 

10 hours ago, Terry M. said:

I'm genuinely curious when this running gag started? 

A helpful basschatter shared this glossary back in 2020.

8 minutes ago, rushbo said:

I'm lucky to have a dinky little box room to tinker with things and practice my bass parts. I'm feeling smug as I've just finished setting up my almost-but-not-quite John Wetton tribute bass, which I put together a couple of days ago. 

The neatness of an office, the tools of a workshop, and the accessibility of a spare bedroom. 

It's a good space to use - not just the desk, but also the whole room. 

1 minute ago, tauzero said:

 

New music/computer room. I'm already worried I haven't got enough space.

Not enough space? You could install a model railway on the table and still have enough room for a four-piece jazz combo on the floor space!

5 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

2026, even.

 

Get your orders in quick...

2026 is my only hope....

For now, I am so far Out that I am coming back In the other way round....

When can I sign up for the 2026 Challenge?

On 09/09/2025 at 19:55, bass_dinger said:

My desk. 

 

A pair of Roland Cakewalk powered speakers; Kurzweil SP76 piano; E-MU Classic Keys Module for extra sounds; all into a Xenyx 802 mixer (plus a line-in for the bass guitar); which all connects to a Yamaha AG03 mixer/interface. 

 

The PC is new, too - the old one wouldn't run Windows 11, and only had the ability to drive one PC monitor.

 

 

All this will change next week.  EBay, basschat, and Thomann have together worked to enable a major upgrade. 

Now, with two PC monitors, a self-built rack unit (which also serves as a monitor riser), a new Behringer UMC1820 interface, and a new-to-me Behringer rack tuner.

Those rack mounted units keeps the desk clear.

On 10/05/2025 at 13:05, BassTractor said:

might be dirt or corrosion or whatnot

It could indeed be dirt.  This video suggested that I can take the keyboard apart, and clean it.  However, I am not sure that I have the courage to try it, yet.  

2 hours ago, SumOne said:

it could be worthwhile having them all

Here's a basschatter who won't be entering the 2026 Gear Abstinence Challenge!   

The case against Michael Mason was due to be heard at Leicester Crown Court, at 10:30am on 26th November.

As the case moved from Leicester Magistrate's Court, to the Crown Court, it now has a additional and new reference (underlined, below, from the court listing below).

"10:30am Michael MASON Leic Crown Sitting at Leic Mags Court #15 U20256478 (33JJ0821825)", taken from here https://courtlistings.co.uk/crown-court-listings/leicester#past-section and available for the next 10 days.  

The case has no status update against it, so I called the court for an update.  I was told that the hearing was listed for a plea, and trial preparation; that Mr Mason entered a Not Guilty plea; and that the case has been adjourned until February 2026.   

I also asked the clerk whether I was permitted to share the above information.   Yes - it is all a matter of public record.     

Far be from me to persuade @SumOne to buy more gear and multiple keyboards...

However, the idea of a simpler home piano, and a more capable stage piano, and a compact "workstation" keyboard, all doing different roles, would certainly appeal to me.

In terms of what to buy first, the family can probably play the Nord at home, and you can take it to gigs too.

However, the ES-60 (or similar) perhaps won't be robust enough for gigging, and may pick up knocks - not ideal for a piece of home furniture. 

So, perhaps keep the MPC Key 37, find a suitable secondhand Nord Electro 6 73, sell the CK-61, and finally buy a ES-60 at your leisure. 

4 hours ago, SumOne said:

 

Nice one (and the ES-60 looks decent).

 

For me, I need a compact solution, to fit on a desk just 120cm wide.  I need a weighted 88-key keyboard too, and the Kawai ES60 was highly rated.  It also fits on (or over) my desk, as it is just under 130cm wide.  The only issue is that the ES-60 has only USB midi and I have already invested a tenner in three 5-pin DIN midi cables . . . 

1 hour ago, SumOne said:

are there any central ones that have multiple brands and testing rooms? 

I just 5 minutes ago spoke with Rose Morris (the shop in Denmark Street) to ask if they stocked the Kawai ES60, to upgrade my old Kurzweil. They do - and I was also offered the option of Roland pianos (two doors down in the same street) and Yamahas (5 minutes walk away, at the main Yamaha store at
152-160 Wardour Street Soho London W1F 8YA). 

So, perhaps Denmark Street would be a good starting place for @SumOne?

15 hours ago, SumOne said:

Overall, do you think it has been worth it vs just having piano lessons? 

Just to add, that my initial few months of lessons were spent undoing bad techniques and habits.

I am currently frustrated by how unmusical I am on the piano. 

So, if you take piano lessons, do not be surprised to feel that you are going backwards, in terms of skills and ability to play.

However, I am now at the stage of being able to improvise stuff without thinking about it. That's because the lessons have given me the necessary technique.

13 hours ago, SumOne said:

Overall, do you think it has been worth it vs just having piano lessons? 

For me, it was worth it (in spite of my occasional grumpiness about things on this thread).

I have benefitted from the discipline of forcing myself to work on aspects that I struggle with; of playing stuff that is initially beyond me; of getting ready for a gig wherein the audience (of one) will not just listen to me, but assess me.

Again, for me, I was not very good at teaching myself the piano  - I could not muster the ability to independently move the fingers on both hands, until I started lessons in August 2024. (45 years prior, I had learned to play a two manual organ; 15 years ago, we had a piano in the house. In spite of all that, I still couldn't manage an independent left hand, so I started lessons and passed Grade 1 piano seven months later).

Importantly, I feel that there is a difference between the lessons, and the syllabus,  and the exams. 

The syllabus requires that I (for example) play a D minor scale with both hands, perhaps using the recommended fingerings; or play three of 48 pieces; or listen to and sing back a phrase.  

The Grade exam will test how well the candidate does so.

And the lessons teach how to work on the syllabus (and perhaps, how to pass the Grade exam).

So, the Grades don't teach one how to play the piano - the lessons do.

In conclusion, I could have had lessons, and ignored the exams.  However, after 45 years of bumbling incompetence and failure, it felt like the right time to try something different  - and that was Piano lessons, with Grades. It worked for me.

On 17/11/2025 at 11:11, BigRedX said:

I hope that program makers also remember that some of the most memorable bass lines ever weren't written or played by bass guitarists - cf I Feel Love or Der Mussolini.

... or Air on a G string, by Bach. 

And Pachelbel's Canon.  Sampled dozens of times by modern musicians, and he practically invented looping! But will he get a mention? Not a chance.   

Sķy Arts, pull your socks up, and make a programme for basschatters.  "My 10 favourite pickup windings". "The Story of the Plectrum". 

Depends on the instrument, and my commitments.

Bass?  Hardly at all now, because I rarely play with others.  However, I have a gig mid-December, and I am working on the material, to be stage-ready for Sunday's rehearsal.  So, I expect to put in about 3 hours over the weekend.

For piano, I practice more regularly (because the lessons are my weekly gig, and I need to be ready, for them).    That regular practice amounts to perhaps 30 to 60 minutes a day, and I am seeing a measurable improvement simply because I have targets and objectives.   

16 hours ago, bassace said:

Ben Packham?

This chap?

https://www.thedoublebassroom.com/

Hmmm. Five-string double basses for sale....

Martin sold me a rack tuner - very reasonably priced, inexpensive postage and packing and very speedy delivery.  He was politely forgiving of my delay regarding payment.

Great seller. 

17 minutes ago, Wombat said:

With a hammer 🤣

You're not taking this seriously! 🤣

7 minutes ago, malbass said:

So, open G, with re-entrant tuning (high G, like a ukulele), three strings tuned D G B (like a guitar).

Anyone who has fingerpicked a guitar will be able to find their way around this instrument.