Stub Mandrel

For a large proportion of players, amateur or professional, your instrument(s) of choice are an extension of your personality. For introvert, extravert, narcissist or whatever that's going to drive your choice even beyond budget as even those with little to spend can find a bargain used instrument that's at least close to their aspirations. Marketing things as 'pro' is simply that, marketing. I have a 'pro-user' adjustable spanner here, but it's pretty cheap. If I worked in a garage I'd probably kit myself out with Snap-On tools, but I know that Halfords kit is likely to be just as good (and has a lifetime guarantee - the one time I split a socket they replaced it no questions asked). Plus another factor. I've got a fair few basses, one of them is a rare Fender (a Performer) and is at least as good as any bass I've played and is so easy to play with its skinny neck my playing goes up two notches just by picking it up. But it really only works for me when I'm standing up so it's never had the use of my other basses. Both times I'be been recording a demo in a 'proper' studio the sound engineers told me to use my battered Hohner B2 in preference to the Performer because it sounded better (one said it was one of the best sounding basses they ever heard, but this was a local studio in Coventry not Abbey Road...) OTOH I realise my flea bass is outstanding, I play it nearly every day. I change basses from time to time for the variety but I usually have two handy, and it's always one of them. This is simply because it's so comfortable (to me) and gives great range of sounds. What I'm trying to say is that instrument choice is intensely personal and I imagine being a pro just gives you the opportunity to be more discriminating and gives you a certain licence to use what you want, not what you are expected to use. The roads of music are littered with 'Signature' models that the signee quietly puts aside after a tour or so...

Used to drink in a bar in Porthcawl where you always had a bottle first, even if you wanted to drink the cans. Not being a fan of Breaker I stuck with the Nukie Brown.

Try different jack leads.

I made a case for my Jaguar SS, which is an awkward size being too big for a guitar case but rattling around in a standard bass one. I found a furry dark crimson throw that had that 'slightly metallic' vintage look, indeed it looks just like proper lining material. It had a large hole, having been used as a dog blanket for a week or so, but after washing it there was plenty for lining two cases!

I still am!

Guilty secret... me too...

I hesitate to mention it, but I'd suggest encouraging the sound engineer to go for a tiddle while you do the filming next time - or at least ask him to try not to look like he is falling asleep 🙂

Ah, well you are such a very long way from Ped and BassChat Control HQ Centre.

Groovy threads.

Suggestion for the next product: Basschat Wristbands*. *Also usable as Basschat neckwraps for people who haven't learned how to mute yet

Well burger the lot of you, I'll have you know that Morrissey is the best, most cultured and most insightful consumer monkey there is. So there.

Nor mine... I just noticed I was bending the strings up when playing along 🙂

Suddenly Alembics don't seem that weird 🙂

The pair of them are channelling Robert Fripp at a few points in there 🙂

Live, a few things have gobsmacked me: 1981, Rory Gallagher playing the mandolin. ~1984, Jim Lea playing Purple Haze on his bass. 2019, Tim Blake on theremin with Hawkwind. Recordings? There's some amazing stuff on Birds of Fire, especially when Mclaughlin trades licks with Jerry Goodman. I don't know what's going on, it's like trying to catch a flame. Plus last night I was listening to the radio and Hendrix's All Along the Watchtower came on. The textures and sounds in that song don't sound like a musical instrument, it's more like the planes of the universe shifting against each other and letting infinity weep through.

A compressor seems to be a very frequent answer to the question. Can I throw a cat among the Spectracomp pigeons and say my TC Electronic Forcefield compressor? It's about half the price of a Spectracomp and meant for guitar. It seems to really bring out a richness of tone as well as evening things out, and doesn't reduce the bottom end (as far as I can tell). When I tried it out using in the shop it was like light and day through a fairly small amp, less marked through a big amp but with everything more or less at 12 o'clock it just seems to bring out detail in the sound without making it harsh or bright.

Looks like it was meant to be a lap steel guitar to me - and a bit of fun.

I've got a cheap set here that I bought for a future 'bass strumstick' project. The slot is too narrow for an E-string (nota problem with a strumstick) but must be an issue with some brands of string that don't taper after the nut (e.g. at least some Fender strings).

One downside to an SVT. Chap I know had the transformer come loose when it was on end. It dropped through all the valves on its way down...

Is it me or is that slightly above concert pitch? You could write a book on what's going on in that video. 96M views. If it was one view per sons it would be 2% of the planetary population, but I know I've watched it twice for a start.

It knows about your google search history, being part of google pan-galactic.

I like his (Troy's) choice of positions/fingering which usually suits me, plus you always get a really clear, vanilla view of what he's playing. Plus he seems to be pretty faithful to the songs AFAICS except he sometimes gets a bit fancy over the fade out 🙂

A bit of KY certainly helps with slipping them in, sorry on...

I notice they stay flatter than Grolsch ones.