Paul S

I was listening to some Jeff Healey Band playlists when this popped up. A jazzier style for SRV - I had forgotten the track completely!

Only the windows.

This calls to mind one of the more disappointing gigs I saw a couple (few?) years back in one of the smaller hip venues in London. Vintage Trouble. I really enjoyed what I had seen and heard of them on YouTube and the like and was very much looking forward to seeing them live. The singer moved around a lot in the vids I had seen and it seemed I was due to watch a high octane kind of performance. What I saw was a guy who clearly thought he had been handed the baton by James Brown but without the timing or charisma. It was an out of time display of second rate gymnastics at the expense of a vocal performance where doing a hand stand (or something equally physically demanding) completely out of sync with the music seemed more important than having enough breath to actually sing. I left early.

I always find the headless, bodiless basses extremely useful. Usually as back up as they take up very little room on 'stage' or in the car but, often, just for their own sake. In the past I have bought, sold, rebought, sold again then rebought the Hohner 'B' series a few times, ending with this B2B. The recent arrival of a Riverhead Unicorn bass has usurped the Hohner, which I am now putting up for sale. So, firstly, it isn't a spelling mistake. This is the B2B, not the B2 or B2A or B2AD or any other letters of the alphabet. It is a B2B. It differs from the B2A in that it has PJ pickups, not EMGs. It is passive and also has a bolt-on neck rather than a set neck - still has the full 2 octave, 24 frets though. This is the second B2B I have owned - I prefer the more organic sound from the PJ set up (V V T controls) compared to the EMGs of the B2A and it does a passable precision bass tone on the neck pickup. Blend in more of the bridge pup and you get that classic burpy tone. The only other difference is that it doesn't have the flip down leg rest thingy. The serial number makes it 1990 and, like most 30 year olds, it has signs of use and wear. Nothing scary. The pickup poles and adjusting screws show signs of slight corrosion, making me think a previous owner sweated sulphuric acid. Not a problem, everything works and I am sure they could be cleaned up, I just never considered it important. The tuning adjusting screws on the bridge are a bit stiff but work just fine, I put some graphite grease on them when I first got it (it really made my fingers sore trying to tune it!) and that has freed them up OK. Neck is currently straight. I've not needed to adjust the truss rod but have no reason to suppose it doesn't work. A few dinks, nothing bad, worst one is by the input jack and pictured below. Currently strung with double ball end Status flats, there will be a set of double ball end rounds in the box when it goes out. I don't have a hard case for it but it will be packaged well. Priced to sell - these usually go for £250+ - at £190 including shipping to UK mainland. Collect from SS7 and it goes down to £170. I happen to be going to Devon on Friday morning - M25 south, M3, A303 - then on to Penzance on Saturday if that helps.

What about this Squier and upgrade the pickup? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FENDER-Squier-Classic-Vibe-50s-Precision-Bass-stunning-looker/373207324202?hash=item56e4e3d62a%3Ag%3ATAgAAOSw7MlfQib6&LH_ItemCondition=3000 Edit, nowt to do with me.

There's a good chance a short scale bass will fit in there. I have one for my Gibson LP Jnr DC.

Love it! What a great retro sound! Bass sounds brilliant, as does everything else.

3 major forces have moved me to get rid of stuff. The first big cull was driven by a back injury that got promoted from 'acute' to 'chronic' - out went the heavy gear. The second was always trying to find nirvana - both tone and bass. Moved on some seriously nice old stuff in the mistaken belief the new stuff would be better. It was rarely better, just different. The last time I had a major clear out was when I had to use a 5 string for the first time for my Bon Jovi tribute band. I used nothing but 5ers until it became second nature and all the positives of using a 5 string became apparent. So I thought - no need to keep my 4 string basses any more - I have a bloomin' luvverly 5 string that can do everything I need. And it did for a while. Then I joined a blues/rock trio. I'd kept just one 4 string bass - my 'keeper' Squier JV Precision - and decided to get it out of retirement for the blues band. Yum. And that opened up the floodgates for a tidal wave (note to self. Nice mixed metaphor - must use that again ) of 4 string GAS that I have embraced enthusiastically.

The Unicorn has landed. It is every single bit as nice as I had hoped. A Hohner B2B will be appearing in the classifieds very soon....

I bought Jarek's Unicorn bass. Perfect hassle free transaction, great comms throughout, friendly guy. Speedily dispatched, bass arrived beautifully packaged. As for the price? I still feel as though I have stolen it! Highly recommended Basschatter!

There's this vid that compares the Gibson SG vs Epiphone EB3 basses. There is I am sure an Anderton one comparing the Epiphone EB0 and EB3 somewhere, too.

For those occasions that I need a rig it is now an RCF 732-A and a TC Spectradrive, from which I can get the sound I want. Generally, just the Spectradrive into the pa, which is one of those jobbies that sits behind us so I can hear myself. It does make Life simple I have an in-ear set up, which I will play with at some point but, at the moment we aren't playing loud enough to add this extra layer of gear.

Thank you!

Nope, maple as Nature intended Especially when it is old and caramel coloured.

Black bass, maple neck and fingerboard. Yum.