Marc S

Banana pancakes - Jack Johnson

I hope the owner of that fab Limelight of yours is enjoying it & making good use of it Ah yes, Covid put paid to a band I was in too.... Still, I joined another, and a rather different set-up too. I'm enjoying my playing more than ever matey. I'm quite well for such an oldie 😉 But I'm with you re the weight of gigging basses. It's why I've started playing mainly short scale, lightweight basses for gigs - they're easier on the shoulder, and left hand finger joints too. I'm now even pondering selling my beautiful Classic series Precision (in my fave Fiesta Red). It's a real beauty - but I'm not gigging it now 😞 Like I say, as I'm enjoying gigging so much, I want to keep going as long as possible 😀

I always wished I'd bought that Fiesta Red P you were selling years ago @FuNkShUi I had a PJ built by Mark, and it was great - but there was just something lovely about that bass you had. The neck on it was just sublime, and really nice to play. But I dithered, and missed out. Ah well.... Hadn't realised you've stopped gigging Kert? I just want to keep playing live for as long as possible. Hope you're well mate? 😀

Glad to hear you're getting on with your Ibanez Upswing. I was going to sell mine, after getting my BSX EUB - but I like it so much, I decided to keep it. The EBS Micro Bass is a great pre-amp pedal, and a bit of experimentation, and you'll find it invaluable. (Yours might even be my old one) I only sold mine, as I wanted to try the Stanley Clark Acoustic pedal, and liked that even more. Re evenness of volume - keep playing & practicing with the bass, until you're even more comfortable with it. A really nice feature of the Upswing, is that you can adjust the level of the pickup under each bridge saddle separately - so you can even those levels out 😀 you just need a jeweller's screwdriver, and it's so simple to do.

oooh - that could be an evening well spent

Wow. That's some price rise! Have you ever compared / played any of the synthetic strings that are supposed to be like Gut strings? I recently got a used set of Innovation Silver Slaps, and instantly remembered how much I like them. How do they compare with real Gut strings? Mind you, my first set of Innovations cost £100 - now they're double that.... but still cheaper than gut. Are there any other synthetic strings that are more Gut-like?

Yes, I had a Marshall MB30 and that sounded really nice too. But as @nekomatic says, these aren't particularly loud. The 30w was surprising for its' size - however, if you then start playing with other musicians these amps start to struggle. The 30w version was OK... but only as long I wasn't playing with 2 guitarists, or guitar & keys, and if the drummer didn't play too heavily. Of course, they're great for home use but they can quickly become redundant if / when joining a band. There's no harm in keeping the small combo at home - but I found that once I'd re-started my playing and joining bands or jamming with mates, that MB30 suddenly became surplus to requirements.

The Elf cab really is tiny & lightweight. Either an Elf head, or that TC 200 head would be great with it I've owned & borrowed 30w combos that are heavier & more bulky. The other positive about opting for the separates, is that you can upgrade / uprate the head and add another cab at a later date, for gigging & band rehearsals.

Rock the Casbah - The Clash

Yes, OM nights can be like this. I've not done one for a while now. But you go to a few, and nothing. Then you turn up one night and get asked along to next week, or to another OM night altogether. Re learning songs - if I'm asked to do something I'm not familiar with, I either ask for a chord chart, or usually look up the song on YouTube. Mostly there's a video of someone playing it, and even a play-along tab, if you're lucky. I recall playing an OM years back. I was with the "house band" who opened with a few songs, then OM attendees got up to play, then we closed the night with another shortish set. At the start of the 2nd half, a trio of drummer, singer / guitar and lead guitar asked me to join them. I had never heard of the song they wanted me to play - "It's OK, we've got the lyrics & chords - it's even colour coded" said the singer. I agreed, feeling rather cocky because it didn't look too challenging...... As the song kicked off, it suddenly dawned on me that the ambient light and light from outside had dimmed. The stage was lit by colour changing LEDs, and you guessed it - as the colours changed, parts of the text just disappeared! My own fault for being cocky, I think

I stopped playing in my twenties, and then started again after a really long absence. I now enjoy playing more than I ever did in my early twenties. So I have no intention of quitting, as I'm enjoying it so much. I fully realise that ageing can have an adverse effect on the lugging of heavy gear, and late nights - so there will be a time when it becomes more difficult, and then probably too difficult. I have been acquiring lighter weight amp gear, and some smaller, lighter, short-scale basses - so that I can hopefully head off some of the issues. I'm already feeling the benefits of playing shorter scale instruments, and finding big chunky necks less favourable. And I'm really liking the sound of my tiny, yet powerful AI cab. At this stage, I know I'm still going to be enjoying playing for a while yet. But I think I will know when the late nights and the lifting no longer suit me, so I will make that decision then. Hopefully, that's a good few years away yet. If a band member told me they think I'm past it.... then I'll simply find another band. (I often play with a Folk Club, and I'm one of the youngest there - so I can always just continue with that). Even if I have to, or want to give up gigging, I have a feeling I'll be playing more of some of the other instruments I wish I had more time to practice / learn etc. and just enjoy playing them at home.

Thanks, yes it turned my head. (At a time it didn't need turning). I went for it because I thought I may not get the chance again. Check out some of Jabba's other builds. He's a really talented Luthier.

Ooh - that gold Jazz looks rather nice too

Just some early thoughts on playing this super little bass. I'm still in disbelief that the sound from it is just so immense. The lows are really thunderous, and the mids and top really punchy. I'll be taking it to rehearsal on Weds and Thursday evenings, with 2 very different bands - so I'll see how it sits in the mix then, and it'll be good to try it in very different situations. I have a little issue currently, in that the strap button is much further forward than the usual position around the 12th fret - so that throws me if I don't concentrate on that. Plus, with a narrow necked instrument, I sometimes lazily wrap my thumb around the top of the neck (a bit) so I need to get used to the neck being joined to the body around the 7th / 8th fret. It's all something that can be remedied by just playing on it as much as possible. Getting the strap height just right on this bass is going to be critical, for a comfortable left hand position / full access to the fretboard. @three advised me to change the strings on it, for a heavier gauge set. He very kindly gave me several sets with the bass, some of which Owen had had made. I'll stick to this set for now, and venture to change them in a couple of weeks. I have currently just changed strings on my BSX upright, to some used Innovation silver slaps, and am about to swap back again to Flats on my Danelectro (I should have just stuck to the flats on that!). All these string changes are making me dizzy lol Anyhow, so far I'm really happy with the bass I shouldn't have bought

3.7kg is fairly light for a P bass too Miles 😀

So I was already at full capacity, bass-wise, and had promised not to buy any more. Plus, I have recently been yearning for a fretless again, having joined a band 11 months ago, which would suit a few songs on fretless. Then, this little 23.5" scale beauty turned my head, and I weakened... as I thought I never would! Lol. Bought from @threeof this very parish. I believe it was previously owned by @Owenon here too? It was built by @Jabba_the_gutwhose work i had previously seen on several of his excellent build threads, and I knew this bass would be absolutely top notch, as his workmanship always looks great. So why buy a bass I wasn't looking for? And at a time I should perhaps seek out a fretless for my latest band? Well, I usually carry a spare bass, as a backup. Plus, I like to have 2 bass guitars, with different tones, for some gigs. Also, I play upright in a couple of bands, and I like to play a few songs on Bass guitar too. I'm always looking for ways to travel a bit lighter, and more compact, and this ticked those boxes. I sometimes play a few songs on U-bass, which is great - but the range of notes which is reachable with the left hand on a U-bass is rather limited. They're absolutely fine of course, but I sometimes like to play a run up to higher notes. Anyhow, enough rambling on from me. Jabba's work is indeed super quality. The bass is slightly heavier than I thought it would be - but it's still considerably lighter than my Fender P. Nice & compact too, it came with a small gigbag, but it fits into an even smaller generic U-bass gigbag. I think I will get more used to the scale length than I ever have with my U-bass. It's active and the pickup sounds absolutely thunderous. The bottom end sounds way deeper than looks possible from such a small instrument, and I'm pleased I went for this bass. Last photo is for size comparison, with a standard size Kala Uke bass. Now I need to sell one of the 2 U-basses I own.... or I'll be in trouble! 😉