Sean

I shall say hi from Andy. But he's a tough one, not what I'd call very "front of house" but that's where all my amps go now for that level of expertise and it's nearly 2.5h each way, which for the UK is a long drive 😉

The Spector thread was on the brink of falling off the first page so let's get a bit of Friday interest in this slightly quirky alternative to the NS Icon fest in the other thread. This is a Rebop that has been modded (not brilliantly) but it looks to be a good price for anyone wanting a quality MM-sounding bass. It's Czech-made and the quality and DNA of these is as good as you'll get. At £699 (negotiable?) it looks like someone with some wiring skills could have a belter of an instrument. Remember, those SD pickups will sell quickly and part-fund the EMGs you'll need and then you just need to sell one dusty old unused cab to pay for the LHZ-04 preamp. Even at retail used I think this is a good buy for anyone who likes a "semi-rescue". Or, you might just like it as it is. https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/spector-rebop-4-mm-trans-blue-stain-2015-pre-owned/ The photos don't really show the detail of how bad that route is but I'm sure they'd send you a close up of you asked.

Although I won't be joining the queue to buy one, this sort of product is exactly why Spector appears to be going from strength to strength. And to reference another thread, G&L needs to have a look at what Korg has enabled Spector to do.

Good point. The band I'm meeting don't want a bassist with other band commitments that limits their flexibility with booking gigs. This could be a showstopper for some. It's certainly a consideration if you're joining a band that does say 2 gigs a month and then something else comes along that's similar or more.

Years ago, I went through the initial 400+ owner bewilderment but this thread on Talkbass gave me some good direction https://www.talkbass.com/threads/mesa-400-settings.268322/ I shan't regurgitate what it says. My 400+ is off to see Stan @ The Amp Hospital soon. It's got an electrical fault that trips out the consumer board at home every time I plug it in and turn it on.

Hi Folks, I've got an audition for another covers band coming up next month and thought it would be a good opportunity to gather and collate advice from the collective on the broad subject of auditioning, so that could become a resource. I've had a brief search and didn't find a comprehensive thread on auditioning. My new audition is: 1. Long established (>10 years) reasonably busy (30 gigs a year), 5 piece (vox, 2 gtr, bass, drums) covers band with good rep playing a broad mix of rock/pop/indie covers to decent bar/pub/club/functions. 2. The audition looks like they are doing slots on an evening to try out a few bassists. It's a proper rehearsal studio. 3. I've been given 4 very different songs to learn. E standard, all as per the original recordings. The songs appear to me to have been chosen as they require a certain level of competence. This makes a lot of sense to me. I've never played the songs before although after spending the day yesterday doing charts and getting any tricky bits in my fingers, they should be straightforward and they're all fun to play (or will be on the night, hopefully). I always regard auditions as a two-way street inasmuch as it's as much about the the auditionee picking the band as it is about the band picking the auditionee. What advice would we give on auditioning? My tick list for a starter would be: The Material: Learn the material to the standard required for the audition. Don't skimp. If they're expecting replica/tribute bass lines, learn it inside out, if they're expecting your interpretation, learn that, know the structure, leave nothing to chance. You shoud know the material to gigging standard. If you need an aide memoir, make sure it's discreet and you understand it at a glance. Sheet music and extensive charts on music stands can, in many situations, freak out bands. If reading score off stands is part of the expectation, go for it. Don't be afraid of going back to clarify or check if they have endings/deviations that are specific to their band. Don't showboat. Unless they've requested it. If possible, send them recordings/videos of your playing in a live band context when/before applying. Sending recordings of recent live band performances got me a very rapid and positive initial response this week. Find out what the expectation is for you doing backing vocals. Logistics and Gear at Auditions: Take your own gear to the audition as much as possible and make sure it all works before you go. Don't rely on rehearsal studio gear unless you have no option. Turn up early. It's better to get there 30 minutes early and sit in the car browsing Basschat than it is to be stressed out about running late. Don't play a bass that you aren't familiar with at an audition. Play the one you learned the material on. If it's a band with "a look" or "an image" and assuming you want the gig, try to fit in. If it's a tribute band that wears costumes or specific gear, then obviously you're not going to go in your full demon make-up or wearing just a sock to cover your bits. When you get in the room (or before, preferably) establish how long you've got and what the format of the audition is. Take your own mic if required. Don't use any gear you're not 100% familiar with. Don't be the guy who bought an HX Stomp last week and give it its first outing without fully understanding how to use it in a live scenario. Other Stuff Related to Joining a Band: Understand the nature of the gigs they play. If it's a band that does quite a few "freebies" for charity, decide if that's OK with you. I've done a few over the years to keep the peace that cost me a day, 50-100 miles of fuel and on one occasion a lot of grief that was unnecessary. If you're not into "freebies" it's best to find out up front. Have a look at the band's social media. What do they wear? What kind of gear do they use? Is the band all IEM? Check why the previous bassist left. Try and understand the space that you could be filling. I've replaced previous incumbents that were: Not up to the job, b. Recently deceased, c. Moved abroad, d. Set up their own band, e. Taken a 6 month cruise contract. This could give you insight. Check how the band communicates. WhatsApp group, shared calendars, who does socials? How are bookings arranged? Do they use agents? I've been in a band that had a WhatsApp group for band business and they also had a WhatsApp group for the band with one member not included (me!). Understand the dynamic of the band. Leader? Who calls the shots? Who owns the PA? Is it co-owned? How does that work? What advice would you give me and others? What's gone wrong for you in the past and what did you learn from it? What audition-related stories have you got?

The modern Spector bridge is superior to the BadAss. I'm happy to be educated but as someone who has had intimate contact with both kinds over many years, I don't see the advantage of Leo Quan's bridge on an NS style bass.

Based on price and depreciation, what will these give us that a used Euro LX won't?

The drummer in the covers band I play in does the between-song banter. Over the years it's become an integral part of the show because he's genuinely funny and the audience responds well to it. Sometimes it's so funny I have to really focus on the intro to the song rather than his chat. None of it is scripted, it's always different, it works. I'm not a fan of the chat between songs generally, I like a bare minimum, head down, play songs, thankyouverymuchgoodnight but in this band with that specific guy, it's magic. When I'm editing the live show recordings, I trim out the chat where I can but it always makes me laugh out loud when I'm editing it especially if I catch something I missed on the night. So, to answer the OP question. It depends. Sorry.

I just received the regular newsletter email from rguitars.co.uk. I think it's safe to say that Richard is slightly optimistic with this... He's promoting G&L being back in stock. Hmmm.

That’s what I had on my Trans Orange one. It looks like it went wrong in the wash.

I’ve already done the return. Royal Mail collection tomorrow and request to replace with exact same item.

My 2 twin packs turned up today and one has only got one set in it!

I guess an East SR preamp just drops in if anyone wanted to “convert” one?

There's a decent one on eBay. It's got a gash but it's priced accordingly. https://ebay.us/m/r2dTGV

There's some shocking stuff in there. I had no idea how bad it was.

What a tw4t. Everyone knows you have to go full fridge and run an 8x10 when you've got an SVT!

@basexperience could you give us a quick run through of the process? I've got a lot of isopropyl alcohol here.

I’ve just spent invested my £37 voucher and £8 more... £45 for 4 sets. 4 sets of Legacy from Strings Direct is £50. This lot would be £64. 4 sets of HQS Harley Benton strings would be 4 x £8.60 + £10 shipping = £44.40.

Thanks @warwickhunt. I got given £37 in vouchers this morning as a thank you from a client so will have another look. I use the EXL170-BT set (45, 60, 80, 107) on the Eb-standard Spectors but am willing to shift gauge a bit for that kind of bargain. I ordered 2 sets of 12s just before I got my 12 @£22 a set each. They were pictured as a twin pack but arrived as two separate packs. All legit, the players points went on no issue. The packaging was a bit crushed and I think they’ve probably been around a while but the bags were intact.

Sad news indeed. There’s something about G&L that just doesn’t fly with the market and it’s been that way for years. Prices of used USA basses are proportionately low compared to US Fender or US MM equivalents. Some of the US L2000 instruments that you see for sale used go for Japanese Fender prices and the Tribute line used prices are rock bottom (I’ve sold a couple in the last 2 years). I had a few of each and the quality/sound/playability is as good as anything comparable but they have remained very niche. A few times over the years I’ve had compliments on my G&L basses especially a US trans-orange L2500 I had but people said that they couldn’t get past that headstock. One person said that the G&L headstock makes it look like it’s aimed at the country music sector. I couldn’t disagree. G&L has lacked faces too, in a recent Andertons video on why Andertons is still in business, Lee Anderton says that they keep good stocks of and sell lots of instruments that customers’ favourite guitarists/bassists are playing. G&L just isn’t on the radar of many buyers in the way that Fender and MM are. There isn’t a high profile artist roster and there’s not a history of legendary stars out there playing them in the same way you see Fender and Gibson etc. G&L marketing focuses on the Leo Fender legacy and “the best instruments Leo made”. All commendable and worthy but I don’t think that figures in the buying decision of many people. The landing page of the website says “Made in Fullerton since 1980” - who cares about this except for me and few other crusties? It presumes that you know the history of Fender and significance of it, whereas most Fender owners have no idea where Fullerton is nevermind that it was where so many great Fender instruments were made. The product info is all “features”, like Saddle Lock Bridge and Dual Fulcrum Vibrato; that’s like a car manufacturer putting Fuel Injection, 16v or ABS on its products, it’s old hat, we expect all this and a lot more these days. On the homepage there’s a bloke in a G&L top and jeans sitting down playing a natural JB. Then there’s pictures of Leo and other G&L blokes in plaid shirts in the workshop, one is even holding up a competitor's guitar (it’s a Fender). That’s the shop window of G&L today. None of that helps get these amazing instruments into the hands of potential buyers. I’ve dealt with G&L customer service a couple of times in the past and it’s so far above and beyond expectation, it’s like dealing with a boutique builder that focuses on your need, they’re fantastic. I’ve had a pickup sent out FoC from California and another time they shipped me a tuner to replace one that was bit stiff. I really hope G&L comes through this in whatever way, the products are fantastic but they need a serious business rethink to get them out there selling decent numbers. Spector went through a rough patch in 2007-09 with distribution, image etc. Prices were disproportionately low but now it’s bounced back. Fender went through a rough patch in the 80s until the management buy-out. If someone like Marcus MIller can drive a new brand (Sire) to the point where it’s becoming a benchmark within its market position then surely someone can inject enough magic into G&L to make it a brand that is on a lot of people’s shortlists.

Yes, I've seen a few "shipwrecked" Subs out there. I've only ever owned 2 MM basses; a 5 string Ray for a few weeks and a Sterling (USA) that was lovely but got sold/traded for whatever reason. It could be a future endeavour, who knows what this crazy world of Bass GAS brings 😃

That's lovely, Richard. There were a few times back in the day where I nearly bought one... They were an absolute gem for the money. The likes of these don't exist anymore.

Have you had a change to play them yet? I've not really played DiMarzio, it would be interesting to get your take.

My 400+ is poorly and needs to visit the Amp Hospital, it's tripping out the socket circuit at home 🫣. So, it is highly unlikely it'll be ready to go to the SW Bass Bash by 12th October. I wonder if anyone else has a 400+ that they could take to Taunton. Saying that, who's going to bring an 800D?