msb

They are beautiful things , I have a later 60’s shark fin that will be getting a new trussrod. I look forward to getting it back in working condition.

Enjoy the vacation and shopping! fine combination

We lost a great keyboard and bass player last month and held a memorial gig last night. Barry Cooke. He’s been an institution in our little blues scene. So our favourite old dive was jammed , and just about everybody that wasn’t out gigging was there. Some even flew in from Ottawa. Players from all over the province. We managed to get most everybody up. Stage was packed. Wonderful night.

Yes. Both are great players , legends. Jamie is more of a Jazz guy despite touring with the Barra McNeils. Was trying to help Bruce track down a part for a Steinberger bridge yesterday.

The flats need a little playing time to settle down , but they sit nicely in a mix. If you like an old school thump they are the ticket.

The Sisma by Jad Freer is another I’m curious about.

Holy sweet lord lifting Jesus. I picked up a lightly used Squier VI and have spent much more time goofing around on it than I ever expected. I found the stock strings lacking and put on the heavier set Fender make. I had to re-intonate , and file the nut. All good. It did become a little more expensive than I expected. First was a Fender TreVerb pedal , and then decided some gain might be useful. Than echo , chorus , and octaver … and then picked up a Gretsch baritone. Be careful.

They’re surprisingly heavy to move around , and don’t carry much power , but they are beautiful sounding amps. There are many tube preamps around today that mimic the B15.

My gigging rig has been constant for a while now. Monique tube pre into a Bergantino Forte. Simply a beauty. but for the others… Mesa tt800 Aguilar TH I’m curious about Darkglass Microtubes and Trickfish. and for the classics GenzBenz Streamliner 900 GK RB400 edit and for a versatile little practice amp Darkglass Exxponent or the classic little GK MB200

We recently lost a great friend and piano player , unexpectedly. He had played a gig the night he died. We’re doing a memorial for him Saturday night. His regular band had the gig booked and decided to keep the night and pay tribute. We’re expecting quite the crowd of characters. Here’s the poster. And a link showing some of the characters.

My condolences WalMan.

I have a fairly light touch , my hands don’t sweat a lot , I wipe them down every once in a while. Intonation is good on them. And they have a nice woody thump , not a lot of sustain. I plan to leave them on until I lose or break one. Could be years. I’ve occasionally cleaned the gunk off with some alcohol. Maybe every 2-3 years or so … When the bass was new it could be pretty zingy. And I found that with more playing time the strings lost that high end and sounded better. It just sounded better , and better , so I didn’t change them. Today , with the hollow body , wooden bridge and 25 year old strings it’s just got a rich thump. But it does that really well. I do run it through a nice amp.

Single Coil Precision Bass , the original style before the split pickup in 57.

I’ve got rounds on my Longhorn , but they are still the factory strings from 98 or so. I have a set of LaBello Dano flats if I lose a winding or break a string. They’ve long lost the top end … they just thump. They still sound great for an old school thump. I kept thinking that they were sounding better and better as they got older. And never changed them. I have two other Dano shortscale basses , they both have Flats on them.

It wasn’t just a trinity. Between the SCPBs and the L2500 there was quite a pile of basses. You’ve got the greatest hits of the middle section.

I love the later 4001 basses with the one inch neck pickup spacing. The necks are beautiful , I bypassed the .0047 capacitor on the bridge pickup. They do have the older style rods and you have to adjust them properly , I’ve only tweaked mine twice in the last 25 years. They’re incredibly stable. But before you buy look at the truss rods. Check if they’re turning down , or if there are any cracks or separation around the first three frets of the fingerboard. That’s where the damage will be from rods that were not properly set. Look for the tiny capacitor on the bridge tone pot , check if it’s been bypassed or removed. If there are no signs of abuse , I’d recommend the 4001.

I was telling a friend I was feeling guilty about having twenty something basses , but there were only a couple I’d sell just now. I do appreciate the ones I’ve acquired. He told me he had seventy six guitars , including thirteen Les Pauls. I felt much better.

Great night in the old dive we call the Land of Dreams , the long weekend made for a packed house , and a ton of players for the jam. There is a guy I’ve been trying to get up for ages , serious funk guy , and I finally convinced him to get up. He brought the funk. I’ve never really mastered the slap and pop approach and it was a joy to hear him just nail it. With authority. Good to be schooled. He can also sing like Sam Cooke. I’m hoping he’ll sing some next time.

definitely got that post apocalyptic thing going

Set neck? There’s a lot to be said for the two knob simplicity of the 4000. Great basses.

People today are not drinking the way they used to. I’m driving home , and have to expect I might well be tested. One beer is my limit. It’s simple. I’m more likely to just have ginger ale. But I do remember a time when most musicians were as bombed as the audience at the end of the night. Those days are gone. And everybody would hop in their car and head home. Frightening.