CamdenRob

As long as he doesn’t bring back that oval bridge... 🤢

I didn’t, although I did wonder 🤔 I think he’s got a fair stock of seasoned wood built up so likely won’t be an issue for a few years. Hopefully someone will carry it on when Ken calls it a day (not that he gave any indication of that being the case any time soon). Not sure how involved his son is. I’ve seen him in a couple of videos on Ken’s Instagram feed recently.

I had a chat with Ken about the Brubaker thing before ordering my Black Tiger build. I understand everything is from Ken’s stock, glued up, then sent to Kevin for machining / carving, then back to Ken for electronics / set up etc. It was described as Kevin’s workshop being like the next room in Ken’s workshop 😊 To be honest I very nearly went for a Brubaker build when I was weighing up the idea of getting the Smith. He does some wonderful finishes.

I stopped soon after the course, got a boring proper job and only took it up again ten years later... Looking back on the course I feel it was such a great opportunity and at 18/19 non of us really appreciated how good it was, and didn’t give it the respect it deserved. We had great theory lessons, Music Tech (in well equipped studios - mostly outboard gear at the time), weekly guest lectures from pit players, session guys, TV music guys etc and to top it off, they allowed us to arrange ourselves into bands and paid for proper studio rehearsals twice a week and monthly gig nights. Which being full of student bands were always well attended. All of my teachers were great and made a lasting impression on me. Not least a bloke called Jack Monck who was the bass tutor. The best player I have ever seen... the man made a Wal sing in the way only a Wal can... I’ll never forget him.

I did Access to Music in the late 90s, you didn’t teach at Colchester did you? Well when I say I “did” Access to Music I was signed on to the course rather than actually attending on a regular basis 😕 Looking back though it was a great course. I got a solid base in theory from that course (modal theory etc) which made me tenfold the player I would otherwise have been. Good times... if a little hazy 😕

I keep reading this on the Newtone website, but I’ve always cut mine to length, poked the end of the string down the middle of the tuner, bent it, then brought up to pitch. I cut them so I get about 3 winds around the post. I understand from the article that this is wrong (also that this is compounded by using round core strings - Newtone Diamonds) but I don’t really see how else I can do it 😕 Never had a problem with strings going dead, but it sounds like this is more by luck than judgement...

I’m obviously not the first to point this out, but that headstock / logo combination really is horrible. It would look better if you got rid of the excess wood on the end (which looks like it’s just there to fit the enormous logo on) and took the “bite” out of the bottom instead of the top. To be honest though, from a sales point of view - and to echo others above, you’d sell loads more units going for as close to the Fender design as you can get away with, with custom colour / wood options, delivered in a few weeks. I reckon people would go for that. Something traditional - which 99% of players want anyway, with the “feel” of having something built specifically for you 😊

Looks great. Reminds me of a status stealth I had when I was an angry yoof...

My only experience with Limelight was that they couldn’t do me a normal finish, only varying levels of relic... Don’t know if that’s still the case, this was a few years back 🤔

Sounds complicated to me... My entire focus regarding Amps / Cabs over the last few years has been to carry less stuff not more 😕

I had a stack knob Peterbuilt Jazz made a few years back. He’ll do any colour you like and the bodies / necks are allparts so Fender anyway really. Think my build was about £1400. It won’t say Fender on the headstock though if that’s an important factor. Also not sure if he’s still going 😕

Surely most covers bands specialise in cheese? Classic Rock is 90% cheese... Cheesy is just another word for catchy and popular, a set full of singalong cheese I would assume keeps venues full and bands getting repeat bookings?

Oh dear... caught out telling porkies... 😬

I think it must be the latter although I’m a right ugly f**ker so karma has balanced things out... 😐

I have a tiny scuff on one of my basses which has only happened to me once in all my time playing, and that was through a gigbag on one of those knobbly paving slabs they put along tube platforms... I have never bashed a symbol or clattered into anything with any of my gear. Despite playing in very energetic metal bands in my youth. I can’t say the aforementioned scuff in the finish of one of my basses affects my enjoyment of playing it, but I still wish I hadn't done it. 😞 Flawless, clean gear for me given the choice. I always wipe everything down after playing and keep on top of fretboard oiling etc. I don’t want anything damaged or grubby. I paid money I had to earn for my gear and want to keep it in top condition 😊

Goodness me look at that 😍 Always amazes me how thin KS basses are front to back. That is as fine an example of Craftsmanship as you will ever see...

I don’t feel remotely guilty about having nice gear. If my financial situation changed and I needed to sell it all to pay the rent I wouldn’t feel bad about that either. I could easily get away with an entry level Yamaha fiver or similar if needs be. No need to justify it. You earned it, spend your money on whatever you like

I recently got a Baby Sumo to pair with my One10s. It’s awesome and fits in my gigbag. I received the following advice regarding preamp pairings when I emailed GSS. ”The Baby Sumo requires a preamp with at least +15dB of gain and an output impedance smaller than 10 K Ohm. Its input is unbalanced. There are a number of suitable preamp options. Here is a quick test video we did with some of the most popular pedal format preamps on the market: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6AFO-h1xC4&list=PLDrCd9bBoihp3FaPl9igKbYMGOvPwCVam&index=3 Anything from a $50 Mooer Graphic B eq pedal with gain or a One control Sonic Silver Peg, or Sadowsky SPB 2, or a more feature-rich Fishman Platinum Pro... will work fine. If you want to get the very best out of the Baby Sumo, you can also use a high end studio grade preamp such as the Avalon U5.” I bought a Fishman platinum pro which whilst it sounded awesome, with only +12db of output boost wasn’t loud enough. I needed the Baby Sumo on almost full volume to keep up with the band. I’ve since bought an MXR clean boost with +20db of boost and it’s fine now. Easily loud enough to keep up with a full band, with bags of power to spare. I just go from the bass, straight into the boost pedal, into the baby sumo My entire set up is now in a gigbag on my back and with a One10 in each hand. I can now get my rig to the gig on public transport 👍

I have to gig for myself given I play originals and there isn’t anyone in the audience 😐

I’ve no idea what I was talking about, that post was 5 years ago... 😕 Any pics of the bass though? Sounds like I was a fan 😊

I’m in the minority by the sounds of it but I’ve never had this happen to me on a BC sale 😕 Everything I have put up has sold from pedals to basses -some quicker than others obviously- and whoever wanted it paid up straight away 😕 With regards to stuff actually selling and at the risk of cans, worms etc... Is there perhaps an element of BC buyers being more knowledgeable about gear and it’s real world used value than eBay, gumtree etc? The actual price something will sell for is often less than it’s perceived value by the seller... less likely to get away with too high a price on BC I reckon. Easy sellers will always be bog standard stuff at a good price (sunburst Fender / Squier P Bass), or currently in vogue and difficult to get hold of gear - al a Wal / very old all original Fenders. Everything else you either have to wait for a buyer who wants that specific bit of kit (and is looking for a saving off the new price), or set a low enough price to attract people who may have been after something else but like a good deal 👍

I must have done this one on these pages before but I once spent a frantic five minutes at the start of a set with no sound coming from my amp or the PA. Frontman had to make awkward banter whilst I checked everything. Amp on, bass on full, everything connected up, sound man on stage, he checks everything, still nothing..., drummer comes over and investigates too, still nothing... guy at the front of the crowd enquires as to whether a cable is required between my bass and amp... 🤦‍♂️

I vary it to be honest depending on what kind of tone I’m after. But yes predominantly I’d say I do I haven’t had a bass plek’ed, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with the instruments themselves given I’ve never been able to have a very low action on any bass I’ve had... It’s not an issue to be honest, I don’t find my basses difficult to play, far from it in fact, I just don’t understand how everyone else seems to be able to play cleanly with the open strings almost touching the frets... or maybe - as I mentioned earlier - others just don’t care about that metallic tap at the start of every note. ... it’s got to be a technique thing I guess. Maybe I’m striking more down on the strings that others strike across or something 🤔

I’ve never managed to get a really low action on any of my basses. I can’t seem to get it below a certain level without getting loads of horrible fret clank in my sound... I’m certainly not a string tickler, but I’ve not got an excessively heavy handed technique either 🤔 Maybe I just need someone to show me how to do it properly... I never get buzz when I set it really low. I just get the sound of the strings hitting the fret. The envelope of every note starts with a metallic tap which sounds awful. I have to have the action set high enough to eliminate that. Do people really manage to get a super low action without that? Or does everyone else just play ridiculously gently or not mind the fret clank? Reading everyone else’s posts, I reckon if most of you guys tried my basses you’d find them unplayable 😕

If you’re looking for something to sound like a Wal nothing else will... Get one ordered up. It’ll take so long to build that you’ll have saved up by the time it’s ready 👍