Sean

Another sign of the times I guess. Tariffs are mentioned. 

Remember the politics guidelines we have. 

https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2026/01/17/harley-benton-to-close-u-s-reverb-store-ending-direct-u-s-distribution/

Over 10 years ago we did a fund raiser for the Teenage Cancer Trust following the death of the daughter of a couple that the band knew, it was quite high profile locally and the local MP popped in, it was well-attended and was part of a series of events that the couple did to raise funds for TCT. I was told on the day that they'd raised over £1600 just at the event we played. 

There was a photo of the couple in the local rag after these events presenting a big mock cheque for around £400 to TCT. A friend of mine checked and that was the only donation made by them, so where the money raised at the event that we played went and what happened to the cash raised at the other events we can only guess.

As you might imagine, this has coloured my attitude towards any event where I'm donating time/money. 

I'm now playing in a band that has been around a long time (I'm new) and the majority of the gigs come either from an agency or rebookings from venues previously played. There's a few functions in the calendar too.

The band has a good reputation for delivering a good show and the guys are all very personable and no dramas. 

There's very little promo material and cold calling venues to get bookings is a challenge because there's nothing to show them, so it's a combination of reputation and having a good strong loyal customer base that brings in repeat business. 

I get the impression, though I haven't asked, that they don't play many/any venues they don't like mainly because they've been around for >15years and have learned what venues to choose to return to.

50 minutes ago, Len_derby said:

I think we all have to make our own decisions on whether we do a charity gig. 
In response to the question about ‘are the bar staff doing it for free?’ I’d say that the majority of posters on this forum are in a much more secure financial position than the average bar worker.

I agree. 

What I will say is that the bookers don't do any means testing and I've played in bands with a lot of folk that do work that is paid at a similar level to bar work or not much above minimum wage. 

I've done a few of these gigs over the years and without exception, they've been poor experiences where the bookers don't value the bands, don't treat them in a civil manner and seem to completely forget that you're giving up your time, paying to be there and also blocking your calendar for a paying gig. 

For context, I do around 500-700 hours a year of charity volunteer work for a (not at all musical) cause that I'm passionate about, it costs me money but I get appreciated, I expand a wide skill set and it does a lot of good for those receiving the benefit. The concept of giving my time/money for a good cause is fine with me but I'm not dragging others into it and unless it's something I know a lot about, I'm turning it down. 

I've got a story about one gig I did years ago to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust that makes my p155 boil but I'll save that for later. 

And, I'm sure I've posted this a few times over the years, going back about 15 years ago a band I was in used to get paid >£1000 or more for doing British Heart Foundation, CF Trust and other big charity fund raisers. 

The mentality is that if you have quality entertainment the punters will part with more cash. 

In these situations the guys in the bands are the biggest contributors. It's not something I get involved in. You're effectively donating.

I used to ask if the bar staff were working free and if the beer profits went to the charity but now I just say, "Sorry, we're booked for a private function."

There're plenty of bands that'll play it.

And, a good standard response I keep in case I hear "that phrase", is "Yes, I know but we get all the exposure we need at paid gigs".  

Just released as a remaster is the Thunder Live album on Spotify. This must've been from Chris' first coupeleof years in the band. 

It's beautifully recorded and Chris' bass sits nicely in the mix with a great tone. 

There're so many fills to plunder on this recording.

And, folks, Like, Share and Subscribe etc, as from my point of view I think the content is much better than many other UK bass channels.

I learn stuff from most of Brooksy's content that other UK bass Youtubers just can't match. There are UK bass YouTubers whose content just makes me think that I should pull my finger out and do a bit myself. 

Support the quality Youtubers. 

This was a fabulous day out and one of the many highlights was @Mike Brooks doing this interview with Chris Childs. 

It’s a very insightful chat and even if you’re not that familiar with Chris’ work and extensive resume, it’s fascinating and very funny in places. Very enjoyable watching. 

17 minutes ago, Delberthot said:

Is there anything recommended around the £50-70 mark?

 

I want to teach myself to solder - in all honesty I really don't want to spend £200 on something that I'm not going to use a great deal but at the same time I don't want to buy garbage. It would be purely for soldering bass electronics and nothing else and I like the idea of a soldering station with a temperature control but if someone could recommend a soldering iron which operates at the best temperature for this type of work then I'd be happy with that as well.

 

I've made the mistake over the years of buying rubbish and wondering why it was rubbish so want something good enough to make a decent job of soldering stuff.

This is exactly where I was. 

I'd be interested to see if there's an answer. 

It looks like April according to my accountant before the 24-25 tax year rebates will be in. They will of course pay a whopping 2.75% for keeping your money from you all that time. 

25 minutes ago, Cornwall Steve said:

That's a very nice example of a fine looking Spector. Has it sold yet?

I'm not sure. I put @Woody1957 in touch with the seller and that was the last I heard. 

I can send you the seller's details if you want. 

As someone who should know better and who rarely buys cheap cr4p, I will put my hands up and say that cheap soldering irons/stations are just landfill. I found out the hard way of buy cheap, buy multiple times. Spend a few quid on decent kit. 

Cheap stations have vague temperature control, they can have thermal lag after delivering their initial heat and the actual temperature versus setpoint can be off enough to screw up your work. Also, the tips are rubbish, although you can use good tips with them but that doesn't fix the other issues. The vague temperature control and lag can lead to dry joints, component damage through overheating and just frustration with the job that can lead to burnt fingers. The recommendation from @itu on 60/40 and 63/37 is very good too. Lead-free solder plus cr4p gear is a "challenge" to say the least.

I was reminded of my own past failings recently when someone showed the difference in quality of the work between the looms in a Nash Jazz and a Limelight Jazz. Now, the quality of the work in the Limelight has nothing to do with the price difference of £1k vs £2.5k between 2 different partscasters. The quality of the work in the Nash is what it's supposed to look like and that in the Limelight was just unacceptable. 

I'm capable of getting both results and even following the same process, the big difference is the gear and the solder. 

Nice to see they got the headstock design sorted. It looks classic Ibanez and it'll age well.

Another fab selling experience on BC courtesy of Ian. Superb comms, prompt payment. Thanks very much.

Which pickups are in it? 

One pic shows EMG and in the others EMGx.

Me too.

1 minute ago, Bassman1974 said:

Thanks Sean. How do you find the mids with them? My Jazz is so annoyingly boomy with the Toneriders that I just don't play it at all !

They're punchy and cut through a mix. A pair of Js is scooped by nature but these are bright and sparkly. I was so happy with them that I got Lee to make me a pair of splittable J humbuckers for another bass so that I could effectively have the same j pair available on a push-pull pot. 

He also did me P+J set that is brighter and less nasal than typical. They have longer bobbins. I've had three sets of pickupsfrom him and he's nailed what I wanted each time. He changes the recipe to capture what you need. 

3 hours ago, Bassman1974 said:

Many thanks for the recommendation Lozz,

 

I'm having some discussions with a chap from Toltec pickups about a bright overwound set that he's had success with in the past. If that draws a blank, I'll be on to those 74's !

 

Thanks again

I've only had excellent experiences with Lee Laverack, he's magic at understanding pickup requirements. I have a set of bright overwound J pickups here that are fantastic. 

29 minutes ago, Rexel Matador said:

This is a great idea!

You can also muck about with weighing and taping coins to the headstock to get an idea of balance of lighter tuners. On such a long neck (distance from the strap hanger to the end of the headstock) small weights can make a big difference.

Some years back Spector introduced bridges that weigh around 180g compared to the older bridges that weighed 500-600g. It was a quick way to drop almost a pound from the overall weight of the instruments and I've seen no discernible change to tone.  I posted about this a couple of times in the big Spector Fans thread. The consequences of this on a light bass is that it's going to make it neck/headstock heavy. I have an early Euro 5LX that is /was quite a heavy beast and when I replaced the bridge with a new light one, it did change the balance but it's a heavy enough pair of wings that it doesn't dive. Newer instruments tend to be lighter and some are "weight relieved".  

If neck-dive is the problem, we either need to lighten the headstock or get some ballast loaded on to the body. There are other options like moving strap-locks or adding extensions but that tends to be anathema to the Spectorati and it affects resale.

Solutions to either cure or reduce neck-dive:

1. Using a wide strap that has a suede/raw leather inside surface so it increases the friction
2. Lightweight tuners - make sure you compare the weights of what you're proposing to change out with what you're going to put in. If the new ones weigh 50% of what's coming out, see how the bass balances with two of the old ones removed so you get an understanding of how it'll balance before you commit to buying the new light ones. 
3. Get an old bridge. This is obviously going to add at least 400g to the overall weight of the bass. 

I bought a Vintage guitar from GAK about 6 years ago, it was absolutely shocking, the routing, the neck joints, fretwork etc. Everything that could have been wrong was wrong. It went back to GAK and Dennis Drumm from JHS (the brand boss) was in touch to apologise and they put it right within days, sending out a replacement that had been set up with my choice of strings and some extra goodies thrown in. The replacement guitar was really outstanding, and JHS stands by its products 100%. I've also dealt with JHS and Dennis over one of the Vintage ProShop guitars. Now, they are very good indeed, that one is a keeper.

My favourite GK of all. They’re magic. My regular gigging amp and this is an absolute bargain with the switch and (extremely tough but light) Gator rack bag. 

This needs a good home and taking out for regular gigs.

@Berserker is a top bloke to deal with too. You can’t go wrong. GLWTS. 

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

 

I bought mine on a whim just to see what it was like. Right now it's my main instrument, and is the only bass I've played over the last 12 months.

That's quite the endorsement. Do you use the floating trem? From what I've seen/heard this is one of the features of the instrument that makes it what it is and something that's completely lacking in some of the quality competitors' instruments like the Schecter Hellcat VI. 

I just voted Vintera.

I love it when there's a loophole and you can vote for the outcome that's already been decided. Makes me feel like a winner. 

Enjoy the Vintera. I've always fancied a Bass VI but have no idea what I'd use it for other than noodling at home.