12stringbassist

I don't think it is acceptable for a guitar maker to excuse body damage, untidy work and bad electronics by saying that the instrument is 'a prototype'. That's garbage. You asked for a neat, clean and functional custom instrument and have paid through the nose for it. Reading through the topic, I see he's going to do remedial work so you are satisfied with it. That leaves you without the bass for a period, worried about how it will turn up next time and hopefully not out of pocket. All for the stuff he should have got right as a matter of course. I really do hope you get your dream bass back and would love to see full photos (logo obscured if need be). I totally understand not naming the builder while you are dealing with getting the faults corrected.

A bass is only worth what someone will pay for it. I got very annoyed when someone talked me into parting with a fairly collectible bass a while ago and then he promptly flipped it. I think with a price hike... But I wasn't using it much, so.... I'm selling a few basses locally thru fbook and they've been in my collection for years and it's just time to part with some that don't get played. The days of silly money for basses appear to be over. I do see some wacky asking prices and tend to scroll on....

On Saturday we rocked up bright and early and set up at one of our favourite venues in Bolton. Our dep drummer walked in just after 8 with his phone to his ear and a stunned expression. He said his elderly mum had had a fall and was on the flooring her kitchen and he had to go sort her out with an ambulance. He said he'd be back asap. A bit of a shock, but we decided that our only way forward was to play the two sets acoustically, instead of the 4-5 we were going to start with. Our dep drummer didn't reappear as he was in A&E at Wythenshawe hospital and his mum was only seen at 2am. I felt so sorry for the dreadful situation with his mum. He sent us an awful photo of her bruised face. He did exactly the right thing. Fortunately it went down very well and we even threw in some songs we'd never played together before. It's such a pleasure to have my new guitarist in the band. There's enthusiasm now, as opposed to the 'getting through it' that we had before.

Colin Moulding is an unbelievably excellent player. XTC were fantastic at times. Some of their music is quite polarising, but at their best they were untouchable. Much missed.

If Ric don't do anything anyone wants then they would be stuck with everything that they make...

I hope all works out for you. The thing about dealing with people who make your enjoyment disappear.... I was on the verge of stopping playing a short while since (earlier this year) as our ex-guitarist was just a nightmare to work with and he was making me and my drummer totally miserable and I had been dreading going out to gigs. Once we parted with him, I got the bit between my teeth to replace him with someone far more suitable and we were back out gigging 6 weeks later. Your mojo can come back with the right people.

I'd say 'some things could be improved'. Get them to film a gig and then watch it. That usually irons out problems.

The last few gigs we have done have been belters. The band is really gelling with our new guitarist now.

https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/justin-currie-del-amitri/

Lovely. The Chapparall weighs less than the regular B12 that I own.

Downstrokes with a pick get the very best out of a 12er when the drones are uppermost. Fingerstyle tends to / can be muddy. It loses the attack and clarity, but then again you do get a nice thick sound. Basses with the fundamental bass string on top are awkward, as you may not hit the drone strings when playing.

A jam night PA playlist

Done.

We did two this weekend, both with good crowds and we played out of our skins - it's renewed my enthusiasm a bit.

https://www.facebook.com/TheThreeJamNights/videos/736911299505562

Reporting them to the Fire Service sounds like a plan. Best avoided.

We played in Leigh, Lancs last night, to a nice crowd, with a friend sitting in as our dep drummer who did really well. I'm getting back into the swing of gigging again after an enforced absence due to our old guitarist suddenly opting out. Our drummer has also had some spinal surgery and is going to be out of the game for a while. It does feel a little like the band is limping along, using dep drummers, but it is better than not playing at all. The playing is really enjoyable, but it doesn't feel like the same band. Not entirely a bad thing. Our guitarist has learned a good number of songs and he has done a fine job. We can't really advance the setlist that much until our regular drummer is fit to play again. It will happen, though. He's bought an upgraded electric kit to make it easier for him to transport. It's just a case of persevering at the moment. We are winning at gigs, which is the point. My rig is raised off the floor here as the place is a bass trap. One particular note can hang around all night like a bad smell.

It's been a while since I've been able to post in this topic, as our old guitarist opted out at the beginning of May. It's been cancellations, auditions and just a couple of rehearsals since then. I think we've got the right new guy. I was slightly nervous in the run up to last night's first gig, as we didn't manage to rehearse this week as our drummer has been taken into hospital for urgent surgery. He's going to be out of the game for a while. A good friend of ours is going to sit in on drums for a while when he can and I am meeting another drummer this evening, when we play another gig (and he's on drums). We're deviating from usual set to a degree, as our new guitarist has some songs he's pretty good at, so to get a set together, and to change things a bit (the old band was a bit of a museum, as we couldn't add new songs without a distinct lack of enthusiasm from one corner of the room). We've pulled the best set together of crowd pleasers that we can . There were a couple of hairy moments, but the punters didn't notice. The good news for us is that we are back doing it and enjoying it.

I'll take any instrument I own to a gig, as that's what I bought them for. I don't let people get near them unless I know them, and not always then. I will fend off people saying 'Can I have a go?' as a matter of course.

I watched Supergrass do a really good set and struggle for any reaction. What appears to be wrong with festivals like this now is that there is a mad scramble for tickets months and months before the acts are announced, because there is this huge things about being seen there and saying you've been. It's hardly about the actual music anymore and fans of the bands concerned rarely get tickets to see them. The only bands guaranteed to go down well are 'the legends' and any with suitable hype behind them.

Chase have still got the HiWatts in stock.

Sparks. Full report and videos at http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/ian/reviews/2025.06.22.sparks.htm

Just my experience - as valid as any other. I've said how it CAN work and what the drawbacks are.

It only works when the people who run two bands can pull the others in when required and those other people are doing nothing else. As a person who prefers to have one band and nothing else, I have always found that if someone is in two bands, their availability is compromised and so is their attention span and ability to absorb and devote time to learning new material. It very rarely works and there is always going to be conflicts over which band gets first dibs on dates. It's just a nightmare. The people who elect to be in two bands (but don't run diaries) always think they can make it work. They of course, are not the ones tearing their hair out over broken gig schedules and aren't the ones going back to venues saying 'oh I'm sorry, x is suddenly not available'.