Happy Jack

My Mike Lull P5 is slowly developing insurmountable problems. Still plays, still sounds great, but every few months I have to tweak the saddles a bit higher to avoid choking. The trussrod is either jammed solid or at the end of its travel, and proper professionals have tried to de-banana the neck without success. Time to move on. I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want. I want a 35" scale graphite neck, preferably 4-bolt (in case by sheer blind luck the holes line up), suitable for a 5-string with 19mm spacing at the bridge. Although it's to be fitted to a P-bass I would actually prefer a J-neck though I'm not precious about it. I'm thinking maybe Modulus, maybe Status, y'know - the usual suspects. Happy to be told I've missed someone. Suggestions? Contacts? Anyone here actually have something suitable they'd be happy to part with (for money, natch)?

Just saw your recent FB announcement ... hope it's not permanent.

Combine that number of pedals with that many knobs and that close together, blend in my bloody great clod-hoppers, and I'd be tap-dancing through a minefield at a gig ...

What on Earth would you do with a 300W valve amp? 😂 200W would be overkill for almost any venue, 100W is more than adequate. Anything over 100W is just willy-waving, frankly.

I don't think you've been any unluckier than most, Steve, solid state amps - whatever their class - seem to be inherently more fragile than old-school valve amps. And yes, I know how weirdly that reads. I've had at least a dozen vintage valve amps (I still have three of those right now) plus a modern Matamp. Not one has ever given the slightest trouble. I've had perhaps the same number of modern SS amps in qualities ranging from cheap'n'cheerful Chinese jobbies to very high end stuff indeed. At least four of those have failed completely, including one which burned out in a spectacular, sparkily sort of way in the middle of a gig. The failed units include an AI Clarus and a Powersoft Digam, so we're not talking about any old crap here. Both of those two incidentally were fully repaired at no cost under (expired) Warranty and without quiblle by the manufacturer. As a user, I am paranoid about NOT over-loading an amp, any amp, and I always ensure that I have tons of headroom. I use no drastic FX or silly EQ settings, and my greatest extension is to use 5-string basses with a Low B. Each failure can be traced back to a single component (although it always feels odd to describe a complete Motherboard as a single component 🤨) and in some cases the failed components were not cheap items with a limited operational life. After many years of hands-on, in-depth research in the field, I think I can safely say that the link between all these failures is that stinky poo happens.

You and your mates were probably using speaker cables as instrument leads ... 😂😉

Ha! I've played with worse drummers, and heard worse drums too ... 😂

https://www.generators-direct.co.uk/frame-mounted/honda-em5500s-petrol-generator-electric-start

Without soundclips, this thread means NOTHING ...

Hi Seva, the most common places ONLINE are https://www.joinmyband.co.uk/ and of course Facebook, both of which are free. If you're prepared to pay then there are more options, such as https://www.bandmix.co.uk/account/, but I'm not sure they're actually any better. You might improve on that by searching (Google) for the Jam Sessions and Open Mics in pubs near you. Every part of London has pubs which run these on midweek evenings, and they're an excellent way to meet local musicians, show them what you can do, establish some sort of relationship. From your name I'd guess that you're not English (forgive me if I'm wrong 😉) in which case that opens up another route, which is to find your local compatriots. There are places in London with bands formed entirely/mostly of ex-patriate Italians or Spaniards or Poles or whatever.

This ^. Absolutely this ^.

Welcome to world of Real Bass. If you haven't already sorted this, I strongly recommend getting at least one 1-hour lesson from a pro/teacher. Some skills are definitely transferrable from EB to DB, but there are some really basic things which are radically different and you'll want to get those right from Day One. It's not just a question of improving your technique - you won't want to give yourself wrist / shoulder / back problems down the line from poor posture or playing with your limbs twisted! Your string choice will (of course) be guided by a number of factors, the most important IMHO being what sort of music you want to play and what state your hands/fingers are in. I've personally always favoured gut-alike strings, i.e. strings that emulate the feel & sound of gut strings. Genuine guts are unbelievably expensive, give endless tuning issues, and don't even last particularly long. A decent set of (say) Innovation Silver Slaps will last for 10 years and there is no requirement to actually slap them. 😉 Have a look at this for a starter:

I know it's deeply unfair of me, but I see those cabs, I see where it says Ashdown, and I just assume they'll each weigh a ton! 😂

Don't buy an under-powered (for your needs) head ... instead buy the best possible device for headphone playing. I recommend the PJB Bass Buddy VERY highly. Truly excellent piece of kit, something of a Swiss Army Knife in its functionality, built like a tank, and will even drive a 110 or 112 cab at 5W if used as a practice amp at home.

By "black vinyl tape" do you mean something similar to electrical tape? What about the glue residue when you remove the tape?

Now THAT'S the way to do it. You can never have too many power sockets in a studio. It's not just the absolute number ... it's also having sockets at just the right place on the wall for this particular kettle lead, or to make up for that one being hidden by a double bass etc.

Are you a go-with-the-flow type or do you set high standards and expect to meet them?

Your message wasn't delivered to [email protected] because the address couldn't be found or is unable to receive email.

Nice piece of work, this ... very helpful. One for the list, please: Alusonic 112 with tweeter (well, compression driver) 24 lbs 300W 8 Ohms And for your further consideration, perhaps a 'MISC' section for all the quirky, weird stuff that people like me end up owning. For example ... Greenboy Crazy 8 1x8 18.5 lbs 200W 8 Ohms Or even (and at the risk of attracting cries of "but that's a combo") ... PJB Briefcase 2x5 28 lbs (or 35 lbs with a motorcycle battery inside) 100W 4 Ohms

Do your video links last for longer than those of @MacDaddy?

Only just caught up with this thread - great camera work & editing Russ. Have to say, those songs are even shorter than I remember them being.

Sad to say, that email address no longer works. I've found him easily enough on Facebook but it is a seriously inactive page! I've sent him a Friend request anyway, just in case. If he responds, then I can maybe get a conversation going on Messenger.

That would be an Affirmatory, Houston ... beep.