geoham

I'd mostly agree with the above advice - learn the original parts and mostly stick to them. I went through a similar experience several years ago - I did make some tasteful tweaks in appropriate places (well that was the intention!). The original guy's parts were a wee bit dull, mostly just mirroring the rhythm guitar - which is fine in many bands, but I like to try and be a little more melodic. I got away with it and got some compliments. Though, I think that doing such things sparingly is important - little hints of what you could bring to the table and make the band better. George

That reverse headstock one is particularly nice!

I do have occasional GAS for other instruments. I used to play a bit of guitar, and had a bit of GAS for a new one a few years ago. When the missus asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I suggested a cheap six-string guitar to mess about with at home. I then praised my guitarist mate's new Telecaster, said I could be doing with something similar myself, knowing she'd ask his advice. I wake up on the big day with a six-string bass under the tree! Note quite what I had in mind, but very nice all the same! I also occasionally toy with learning other instruments. I fancied sax, just because it's cool. I've also considered leaning bagpipes, after noticing a fair demand for them up here in Scotland - particularly during peak wedding season and hogmanay. No need to align diaries with other folk or share the takings! Didn't follow through though... George

Looks like my head is probably going to be repairable, some more detail in my 'Repairs' thread. I have lost a bit of confidence in it however, so I've ordered a Trace Elliot Elf. Small enough to live in my gig bag and get me out of trouble if needed. I still REALLY like the look of the Markbass stuff. Once gigs pick up a bit again, I think I may save the earnings and buy myself a pretty yellow rig... I like to use gig money to buy gear and pretend to myself this is a self-funded hobby! Thanks for recommendations everyone.

A fairly positive update... It turns out my singer's neighbour is a retired electrical and electronics engineer, who still occassionally fixes PA gear and amps for local bands. He's been quite frustrated that he can't lay his hands on a service manual for this or anything similar, but has having a go anyway. He's replaced an internal fuse and tested several components in the vicinity of the blown VDR - and they are apparently fine. He's actually temporarily got the amp running without the blown VDR - though it's apparently needed for safety, so he's going to source a replacement for it. Hopefully he gets this back up and running. Though I think I may still buy an extra small amp as a backup given how cheap some of these micro class D amps are!

Thanks - the Orange stuff looks great. Though I think I’d need the cab to complete the look!

Thanks, The LM III does indeed look interesting, and can be had at a good price used too.

Thanks, looks nice. Will investigate further…

Per my post in Repairs and Technical, my TC Electronic BH550 met its maker yesterday. Two days before my first gig in forever! I may have found someone to repair it, but I'm already looking at replacements... I have a pair of TC RS112 cabs, which are honestly the best sounding cabs I've ever used - so definitely keeping them. Most of my tone shaping these days comes from my Helix, so I don't really need anything with lots of options or a particularly baked in sound. Pre-Covid, I had started to make the transition to in-ears live, but did still use my amp for on stage sometimes - nobody else is on in-ears despite my efforts. I also use it frequently at home, normally just in the front end. I'm not considering a power amp, monitor etc - I still want the option of just going in the front end of the amp without the Helix. So, my requirement is for a small class D head, preferably with a speakon connector and pre-eq DI out. I think the TC BQ500 looks like the BH550 minus the tone-print and mute switch, and the price is very attractive. Has anyone used both? There's also the tiny BAM200 which looks incredibly good value! There seems to be a really good choice these days - The Ashdown OriginAL 300 would allow me to bypass the pre-amp when using the Helix for example, Markbass have several, the Trace Elliot Elf. Any particular favourites? Unfortunately, it seems that there's no stock of anything interesting available to try anywhere locally, so I'll likely need to resort to an online purchase. Thanks, George

Basically what the title says… Practicing today at home, the amp went bang as I switched the power off. The mains tripped and there was the expected electrical burning smell. Popped off the cover, and the internal fuse is gone as expected. But also this component labelled VRD100. A piece of it has come right off. I’m not adverse to replacing it, doesn’t seem a particularly difficult soldering job. Assuming I can source the part of course! Slightly concerned about the surrounding parts too, particularly the white rectangular part next to it. Just putting it out to the experts before I dive in!

Surely if this was a genuinely deluded singer, even a bedroom sound engineer would have auto-tune all over this? As has already been pointed out, it's difficult to sing this out of tune... so it's got to be deliberate as far as I'm concerned. Someone signing it normally, then pitch-shifting a quarter tone for example.

Came home from rehearsal last night and was shocked when my wife told me. It's not often that a celebrity death impacts me - but I'm really sad that Dusty has gone. What a legend!

I've got mixed feelings on the topic... From a punter's perspective, I went to see a covers band play in a pub - with a view of booking them for our wedding. We had asked their agent where we could see them live, as I didn't just want to rely on well produced YouTube videos. They knew we were in the audience, the singer made a slightly off-colour comment about it. They played several original songs as part of their set, and didn't get my booking. I play in a covers band myself, and while we've toyed with an originals side-project - I doubt any of the pubs we play would appreciate them. At the end of the day, pub punters generally want to hear songs they know. There are some pubs where it'd be more acceptable though. Taking Glasgow as an example, you'd probably get away with it in the Scotia or Clutha - both attract a slightly more serious crowd who appreciate music. However, in nearby O'Neil's your main objective is to keep the dancefloor full. In the past, I've also played in originals bands and understand how tough it can be to just get your music out there. There's only so many times you can ask friends and family to shell out to see you on a four band bill on a Tuesday night - so any opportunity to get your music heard is a blessing. George

Very nice! My final conversation with Jon was asking about lead times and prices on a new build... not sure what - I don't need anything. But after seeing first hand how good Jon is, the next bass I buy will be from him.

I suspect it does! Jon has a machine that can do a plain black or gold vinyl logo. You can leave it blank if you prefer. I hadn’t thought of anything in advance. So I had to think of something quickly. My intention with this is that it looks ‘normal’ at a glance.

Do it… there’s definitely something magical about your own build. First rehearsal with mine tomorrow night and can’t wait!

A second confirmation that materials are included, and they are high quality. For me, a two-piece alder body, maple neck, extremely beautiful rosewood fingerboard, Gotoh bridge, Seymour Duncan pickup, Schaller tuners and straplock buttons, GHS flatwound strings. My mate built a mahogany strat, birdseye maple fingerboard, Seymour Duncan pickups, Gotoh trem and tuners. I think you’d struggle to buy an instrument with such quality components for a grand. George

The power tools are undeniably scary! You use a bandsaw, some routers and couple of sanders if I remember right. My approach was to take my time and go ultra-slow... turns out that causes its own issues, as you end up burning the wood and have to sand out the burn marks. But Jon and Tim are never far away if you need a bit of help. Just stop if you aren't sure, make sure you don't do something unreversible.

The course I went on - a class of three costing a grand - is restricted to doing a Fender style bass or guitar (Strat, Tele, P or J). One bloke built a strat with a pair of humbuckers, so there is a bit of flexibility. There's also a 1:1 course, which I think costs from £1700 and you can basically do what you like. He's a very accomodating bloke - definitely worth dropping him a call or email. George

It's very rewarding indeed. There's a few moments where I thought I was making a right mess - like carving the back of the neck - then suddenly it all starts coming together and looking like it should.

Hi, I posted a thread several months ago asking for views of Shuker's bass/guitar building course. I've spend last week doing this and thought I should let you all know how it went. The short answer - it was great and I'd recommend it to anyone. I went in to this course with almost zero woodworking experience. I can build a flatpack or put up a shelf, but that's about it. I know my way around basic guitar maintenance – I can do a setup, electronics work or a swap out a bridge for example. But I had never used a bandsaw or router before! Jon Shuker is extremely knowledgeable and patient. Nothing seems to phase him – he’s a great teacher! He was assisted by Tim, who is also very good. They were both happy to help resolve any shoddy workmanship, ensuring you come away with a quality end result. It was a very busy week. Within minutes of arriving, we were selecting our body wood – alder or mahogany – swamp ash is impossible to get at the moment. By the end of the first day, I had something resembling a bass body. The next three days, the focus was mostly the neck – which really is a huge amount of work. Cutting the basic maple shape and rough fingerboard, routing a truss rod channel. Sawing the fret-slots was far less daunting than I thought it’d be, aided by a nice tool that ensures it’s done precisely. Adding dot inlays is quite a fun job – although one ended up marginally off-centre due to my inability to mark a centre point! It definitely felt rewarding to spend time sanding the fingerboard until it was shiny smooth – it seems a much better finish than any bass I’ve owned. Between neck jobs, we were sanding the body, which seemed to be the one job that was never finished! The final day was mostly fretwork, soldering and assembly – and was definitely the busiest day, we were finally done by about 6pm. It's worth noting that all the hardware is top quality - Seymour Duncan pickups, Gotoh bridge, Schaller tuners. Jon even ordered some straplocks for me, rather than have me get home and replace the normal ones. The only job we couldn't do was spraying - apparently he's not insured for it. Given the short time, the choices of finish are quite limited anyway - I just opted for clear lacquer as I quite liked the grain. This is the final result – I’ve very pleased!

Looks like the bloke has form... And interestingly, @warwickhunt is mentioned in the thread, which is ten years old.

***Ignore!***

I have the six string version and I'm pretty happy with it. Slightly funny tale - I'd suggested a cheap six-string guitar when the wife asked what I'd like for Christmas. I was aiming for something like an HB or Squier Telecaster to muck around with. I knew she'd ask my guitarist mate for advice, so praised his new Tele and said I was thinking of picking one up myself. Xmas morning - this monster is under the tree! Not at all what I had in mind, but really can't fault it.

Beat me to it!