Sean

2 hours ago, ezbass said:

^^^^ Very much this. Any little note that aids memory/instills confidence is worthwhile. I used to have tunes that I’d have a mental block with, which only got worse as the section approached. I’d just write a few chords down on the set list that I could quickly look at for reassurance.

I had two cheat sheets taped to the set list Saturday night. 

My own "shorthand" that I use.  One was for the unique non- standard end section of Mr Blue Sky that the bands plays and the other for One Step Beyond. Both are printed on the top quarter of an A4 sheet, cut off and taped to the set list, or back of a monitor. 

I've done it for years with various songs. After a few gigs they stick.

However, Saturday night I had a little moment during the first bridge of Mr Brightside where I completely forgot where to put my fingers. Last non- encore song of the night, played it dozens of times over the years and rehearsed it last week without incident, then I get the "wtf moment". I probably fumbled half a bar but it felt like the world collapsing. I don't think you can mitigate much for brain facts like that. I practise until I don't get stuff wrong but sometimes we glitch. 

I did my first gig with the covers band last night at The Whitmore Tap, Clifton/Redland, Bristol.  It was quite stressful overall especially being the first time with a very established band. The footprint was so small and the layout so weird, we didn't have space for monitors, lights or my mic stand. I had my pedalboard on my amp and had to stand still to not hit walls, drummer and 2nd guitarist with the headstock. The pub has waist-high wooden screens that form booths and the sound was muffled everywhere. The load in/out was horrible too. No parking, yellow lines everywhere. The radiator behind us was red hot and didn't seem to respond to the valve adjustments we made. I was sweating and my fingers were slipping easy more than you'd expect for a February pub gig.

I told Guitarist 1 that he'd have EQ issues with his cab in a corner and guess what? 

No one seemed to know what time we were supposed to start, we had conflicting info from the agent/promoter and the pub and we went on in the end at 19:30. Finished up about 22:10 with a short break. 33 songs in total. That's as many as I've ever played I reckon. 

The punters were annoyingly all over us and wanted a go on the drums, guitar, they wanted selfies with the band, they thought it ridiculous that we don't do random requests. And of course they all stood in our way when we were packing up and unloading to the cars. It was like a greatest hits of pub gig niggles rolled into one! There were some tyre-kicking wedding enquiries that might or might not lead to decent function money but who knows?

One bloke told me that my bass was the nicest Warwick he'd ever seen. Second time that's happened in the last 6 months. If you know, you know 😉.  

I kept my cool, did my job and went home only to find the road for last 3 miles of it was closed and I had to make a 9 mile diversion up the M5 to get home.  

Considering everything, I think we did well. If you can deliver the goods under those conditions, you're doing alright. 

I've never liked Peach. It's my #2 least favourite retailer in the sector.  

Staff attitude stinks in my experience. 

What's the neck profile like on these? 

Lovely bass.

I had a 5 that was sold without the pre and I put the wonderful East MMSR preamp in. It's an easy job and really suits this instrument. 

I saw a show last March where the Xtender failed and the bassist didn't have a spare bass. I'm not sure exactly what happened to it, my friend is in the band and explained that "...it was one of those drop tuner things you have on your basses that just fell apart on him. " 

I've never had an issue and check my gear all the time.

15 hours ago, Sibob said:

Does everyone hold the new BB235 in equally high regard? I would like a backup P/J 5er and always had a soft spot for BB’s. It’s either that or a Sire I think. 

 

Si

I've set one up, played it a bit and it was very good. I don’t want to get into comparisons with the Japan basses but the 235 I fettled was good and to be honest, anyone could have a career on it and be happy. I used to own a BB415, which is kind of the same but a generation earlier and that was my #2 bass for ages. Again, it was set up, fettled and made to play as well as any of my spendy basses. You can’t really go wrong with a well set up Yam at any price point. Even an expensive one is going to need some TLC “out of the box”.

On 10/11/2025 at 18:12, Beedster said:

And here it is......

 

 

Uuuuffffff. I can’t believe I missed this back in the day. I missed it when Beedster bought it from someone, I think. It would look lush hanging next to my black one.

Above and beyond tech support and first class service from James. Another reason why this Basschat community is so valuable to us all. 

Thank you. Much appreciated. 

Here’s a very good condition T-Rex “The Fuel Tank” Chameleon. 

A great piece of kit that hasn’t seen much action. 

Loads of leads including a doubler lead that gives you 18v from 2x9v outputs and this Fuel Tank gives 12volt options too. 

IEC lead included (not pictured).

Boxed with sticker and manual. 

Postage £5.

This pedal does a lot of good stuff and it’s all described here https://www.gallien-krueger.com/plex-preamp/

I found it very intuitive and very faithful to the GK sounds. 

Recording interface, headphone amp, DI, tuner, 5 GK amp models, overdrive,  compressor all in one. 

Super useful all-in-one with DI.

Brilliant for jam and open mic nights. 

I've gigged it. It's very Ampeg sounding and just one of those things it's worth carrying.

I have so much redundancy that this is ready for a new home. 

100% the Yamaha. 

The Franconia is, I believe late 70s, early 80s. It's niche, quirky and very much a collectable or enthusiast instrument. Pickup spacing is unconventional too. 

@Bassassin will undoubtedly be able to shed some light on Franconia basses. 

1. What's under the screw-on lid? Pre? Battery? Stash?

2. What's the logic on the pickup spacing? 

3. Who did all the graffiti on the Limelight one? Is it replica gráffiti? 

If anyone is sitting on the fence about this, I can say that it's the best amp I've ever used. I regularly gig mine as you can see in that thread. I picked mine up from the Amp Hospital yesterday after a repair to some damage caused by someone else's abuse/idiocy and one of the leading amp techs of all time (IYKYK) told me how good an amp it is and how beautifully designed and made it is. 

They're very very good with "ordinary" basses but with Spectors they absolutely kick @$$ and take names. 

Also, yer man @Berserker is a absolute gent and top basschatter. 

7 hours ago, ped said:

Don't worry, he has a crime number

My uncle was an assistant chief constable. I geddit. He was a thirty something degree freemason and CBE from QE2 herself. Crime number. 

There is absolutely no way that a bass guitar gets accidentally delivered to an auction house and then that auction house proceeds to list it for sale.  "Oooh, look! Something got accidentally delivered. Let's list it."

The whole thing stinks. 

I'll speculate that someone at the auction house is a fence and uses the business to move on their stolen goods that come in from a network of theives that include contacts in courier companies. The reluctance to cooperate might point towards this incident being just the tip of a large iceberg. 

If it's gone back into the Parcelforce system it will have a new tracking number, shouldn't it?

Wilkinson hardware is generally good and stands up well against other brands. Schaller and Hipshot are higher quality and associated with more premium or high end spec instruments.

I've only had good experiences with Wilkinson hardware. Another brand that is gaining popularity and a decent reputation is Guyker. 

One thing to be aware of when swapping out this kind of tuner is the mass. If the V96 is light, putting heavy Schaller vintage-style tuners on that are heavier than the stock ones, could cause neck dive or at least a change in balance of the bass. 

Another consideration is that the OEM tuners aren't the same spec/quality as the aftermarket ones. That the WJBL200 tuners supplied from the factory aren't as good quality as the aftermarket. I've seen this before on various products. 

Sometimes it's impossible to change to another tuner without having holes. 

I'm doing one this afternoon and will post a pic. I'm putting the old screws back in the old holes...

...probably.

I've done it myself a few times but recently I've done it 3 times through https://www.bassjapandirect.com/index.html

Danny Stewart is the chap. He charges a small fee for his export services however this is the only route I'll use these days. He has a Bass Finder service but if you know what you want and where it is he reduces that to just his admin fee. 

I loves a look behind the scenes. Thank you for posting this. 

This week:

1. What You Know by 2 Door Cinema Club 

Plectrum, clean, touch of Chorusaurus.

2. Just a Day by Feeder

Plectrum, DP-3x bi-amp mix setting, touch of Chorusaurus.

I'd not heard this before, it's a good un for getting a tone of your own. I have to learn my vocal bits too.

Rehearsal tomorrow, gig next week. 

14 minutes ago, kwmlondon said:

the only way to 100% guarantee you don't get them is to go headless and maybe even use synthetic materials.

Hmmm, this is today's new thing for me. I've had headless basses, 7 Hohners, a Status Streamliner, a Status "somethingelse" graphite/wood (sorry, can't remember) and I didn't know about the dead spot thing.  

"You're always on that Basschat forum..."

"Yes, I learn stuff. Most days."

I wonder how many readers of this thread have picked up their basses and started looking for dead spots.

I'm not going to bother. I'm not aware of any and would be frustrated if I found one. 

Good luck with getting it sorted and although I've not had any dealings with Dingwall, I only hear positives about its customer service. 

Not for me. I just don't get on with any jewelry. I love watches but can never keep one on for more than a few hours. I tried various rings over the years but am always too conscious of them. My dad will be celebrating 60 years of marriage this year and he hasn't worn the ring since the wedding day! He doesn't like the feeling.