The Big Fat South-West Bass Bash 2025

[MichaelDean]

@rwillett - I'll be in touch about some pedalboard bits too once I've had a good think and measure. I thought it looked like a good system on your thread here but in person it looks even better! And that bit of chipboard on legs in the flight case that is my pedalboard is on borrowed time 😅

 

I was also wondering about integrating a power socket - something like the link below. Maybe a panel I can mount it to between the top two rails?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D7C7M4VJ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0

 

Or raise up the back of the board and have a whole patchbay lurking at the back? A bit like the Warwick Rockbaord patch bays. 
https://www.thomann.co.uk/rockboard_mod_1_v2_trs_xlr_patchbay.htm

 

I'll have a think...

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, rwillett said:

I have no idea what @Woodinblack was doing with what appeared to be an etch o sketch screen but it looked interesting. Also the only person to show any interest in my ToneX and Mod Dwarf.

 

Well, not so much the dwarf, as mentioned I do have one of those, but I have a tonex one, and am wondering if a ToneX would be something I could use - seems quite a flexible device, still not sure. There was so much to look at there!

 

As to the etch-a-sketch, that was magnetic paper, shows the magnetic fields on various pickups, so I was looking at what was under the plastic / metal of the pickups. Was going to put them here, but will post under a different thread for that!

 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

46 minutes ago, stewblack said:

And the winner is............

 

 

 

He covered all the basses

 

[JohnDaBass]

Just to add my thanks to @scrumpymike Mrs Scrumpymike and the Scrumpettes for creating such a wonderful opportunity to meet with other kind like minded bassists.

Atmosphere, food and fellowship second to none. 

T'was an absolute joy.

 

My humble aray of basses and home brew combos .

Thanks to all for a wonderful day. 

Edited 4 hours ago by JohnDaBass
Spelling

[JapanAxe]

Here we see @Sean  demoing (1) the new pickups in his Precision, and (2) what an all-valve 22.5W amp sounds like when driven to the max!

 

[Rich]

What a completely brilliant day that was. Absolutely the bestest SWBB yet. As always, huge colossal thanks to @scrumpymike, Mrs Scrumpy and the Scrumpettes (oh god, the crumble ❤️) and of course Graham at the door. 

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am seriously considering a cab full of 8" speakers after the astonishing results of the shootout. Thanks Phil, it was intriguing. 

Edited 7 hours ago by Rich

[Rosie C]

8 minutes ago, Rich said:

What a completely brilliant day that was. Absolutely the bestest SWBB yet. As always, huge colossal thanks to @scrumpymike, Mrs Scrumpy and the Scrumpettes (oh god, the crumble ❤️) and of course Graham at the door. 

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am seriously considering a cab full of 8" speakers after the astonishing results of the shootout. Thanks Phil, it was intriguing. 

 

Me too, hearing all 6, I can't see me buying more than 8" drivers again. 

[Rosie C]

46 minutes ago, JohnDaBass said:

 

My humble aray of basses and home brew combos .

 

 

I did like the orange one. In fact looking at that photo, I could have your orange bass and that TE Elf and cabinet and I'd have a rather nice setup...   

 

[Phil Starr]

1 hour ago, Rosie C said:

@Phil Starr can I ask what was speaker #1 ?  

Here you go 

 

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

He covered all the basses

 

Hmm - needs tort. And a p bass 

[Rosie C]

1 hour ago, Phil Starr said:

Here you go 

 

 

Thanks Phil and how awesome that the cabinet I chose in the blind testing is the BassChat 8" which I've still been thinking about building   

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, JohnDaBass said:

Just to add my thanks to @scrumpymike Mrs Scrumpymike and the Srumpettes for creating such a wonderful opportunity to meet with other kind like minded bassists.

Atmosphere, food and fellowship second to none. 

T'was an absolute joy.

 

Sorry for my complete meltdown when I realised that holding your double bass upright and figuring out where the first few notes were was utterly beyond me in a brief try!

[Rich]

For me, the bass of the day was @Rosie C's lovely doghouse.

 

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Sorry for my complete meltdown when I realised that holding your double bass upright and figuring out where the first few notes were was utterly beyond me in a brief try!

I was told by a luthier and professional db player (who made his own cello, as you do) that on an acoustic db it’s not that important to be precise as the note takes longer to form as a sound by which time you’ve moved on to the next note. 

and breathe….

[rwillett]

Its certainly lovely and if I I'd realised it was in the "quiet room", Id have loved to have tried to hear it and possibly play it under somebody expert tutelage.

[scrumpymike]

16 hours ago, Geek99 said:

What was this bass @Stub Mandrel ?

The HB and its new owner - or rather the brother of the its new owner 🙂

 

[Rosie C]

18 minutes ago, rwillett said:

Its certainly lovely and if I I'd realised it was in the "quiet room", Id have loved to have tried to hear it and possibly play it under somebody expert tutelage.

 

@Chrs and I both had our uprights in the 'executive area' (aka quiet room) - the main room was so loud no one would hear them.

Edited 3 hours ago by Rosie C

[Pea Turgh]

16 minutes ago, Rich said:

For me, the bass of the day was @Rosie C's lovely doghouse.

Surely it’s the Rabbit Hutch?!

 

Thank you @scrumpymike and the Scrumpettes for another great day out. Got to try some lovely basses, ate some lovely food, chatted to some lovely people!

 

I just tried the Trace head through the tiny blue cab to see how knackered it was, but all I got was immense Trace sound through an impossibly small speaker! To all the people I told that my son had knackered the micro cab, I was wrong! Doh!

[scrumpymike]

And here's a few more pic's - at last!! In order of appearance:  GrahamT; Charliebass; Basstone getting to grips with chyc's (Christopher) UB; Rosie and her gorgeous bunny bass; Neepheid playing the amazing Lego bass built by Rosie's partner Andrea; various; one of Jabba's builds; group pic.

 

More to follow!

Edited 3 hours ago by scrumpymike

[Stub Mandrel]

25 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

The HB and its new owner - or rather the brother of the its new owner 🙂

 

 

Perhaps I should have grabbed the chocolates instead?

Ms. Stub's reaction was 'woW..gorg x' which I think was positive... she's never said that about any other basses...

 

 

🤣

Edited 3 hours ago by Stub Mandrel

[scrumpymike]

4 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Perhaps I should have grabbed the chocolates instead? 🤣

Does he like chocolates?

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, Geek99 said:

I was told by a luthier and professional db player (who made his own cello, as you do) that on an acoustic db it’s not that important to be precise as the note takes longer to form as a sound by which time you’ve moved on to the next note. 

and breathe….

 

Sounds like my system with fretless. Play enough short notes fast enough and nobody notices that they're not in tune.

[neepheid]

I have made it home in one piece, and all the basses safely stowed in the house.

 

Thank you to all involved in organising the bash, thank you for the delicious lunch, and thank you to everyone who turned up with loads of amazing basses. Great to chat to you all, sorry to anyone I missed. I had a great time!

 

I have photos, will post them up after a well earned cup of tea!

[Geek99]

Perhaps I will see you in November @neepheid

 

[Geek99]

2 hours ago, scrumpymike said:

The HB and its new owner - or rather the brother of the its new owner 🙂

 

Lead him away from The Dark Side