The Big Fat South-West Bass Bash 2025

[stevie]

@Sean's awesome Lany valve amp dwarfing his LFSys Monaco. I think that's @Wolverinebass's very noisy Explorer on the right. 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2025 by stevie

[stevie]

This is a rubbish picture of a great bass. I had the chance to play @rwillett's printed headless wonder and it sounded awesome! Who needs

tonewoods?

 

Edited October 14, 2025 by stevie

[stevie]

Well, waddaya know - another LFSys Monza! Partnered by a Bugera Veyron - an excellent combination. Note the tiny but pokey homemade cab in the background. @Pea Turgh's, I believe.

 

 

 

 

[stevie]

Nomen ist omen, as the old Romans used say. I found this amusing.

 

 

Edited October 14, 2025 by stevie

[stevie]

These photos would not be complete without a view of the three LFSys cabs I took to the Bash. From left to right, the Silverstone II, Monza and Monaco. That's my Classic Vibe Precision in the front and a Trace TE1200 providing the oomph.

 

 

Edited October 14, 2025 by stevie

[stevie]

The big reveal!

 

@Phil Starr always puts on an interesting demo at the SW Bash. This year, he played a short bass track through all of these cabs - hidden behind an acoustically transparent screen - asking us to figure out what they were. Like everyone else, I didn't have a clue. I knew which one I preferred and which ones I didn't, but that was as far as it went. After the reveal, it turned out we had been listening to a range of cabs containing drivers extending from 6" to 15" - and nobody twigged. Amazing!

 

Which, to cut a long story short, goes to prove something that most of us probably knew anyway: that size doesn't matter. 😀

 

My personal preference, which I think quite a number agreed with, was for the 8" cab. It sounded cleaner and better balanced to me because it was the only one with any decent high frequency extension.

 

I think Phil is  toying with attending the SE Bash. If so, someone should persuade him to do something similar there.

Edited October 14, 2025 by stevie

[stevie]

These are the cabs from Phil's demo (next to a headless @Chienmortbb)

 

Edited October 14, 2025 by stevie

[stevie]

At the end of the day when everybody had gone home, the cleaner arrived with a bucket and mop to clean up the mess.😀

[rwillett]

36 minutes ago, stevie said:

These photos would not be complete without a view of the three LFSys cabs I took to the Bash. From left to right, the Silverstone II, Monza and Monaco. That's my Classic Vibe Precision in the front and a Trace TE1200 providing the oomph.

 

 

@stevie I am tryimg to remember which cab you brought over and plugged the Gnome into, I think it was the middle, the Monza. is that right?

 

It sounded great with a Tonex or Mod Dwarf into the Gnome.

 

Thanks

 

Rob

[stevie]

Yes, you played through a Monza, Rob.

[Wolverinebass]

52 minutes ago, stevie said:

@Sean's awesome Lany valve amp dwarfing his LFSys Monaco. I think that's @Wolverinebass's very noisy Explorer on the right. 

 

 

Yeah, that is of course my Grainger Hades on the right. I think a few folk thought it was just "too mad" to have a go on, which was a pity.

 

Naturally, sonically, it's set up for me, so precision with flats it most definitely is not. Noisy? Not really. Loud? Absolutely! I don't think that one can play a bass that visually striking quietly without appearing silly. Especially not when you're playing through a Laney Nexus and one of your Monaco cabs.

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, stevie said:

It sounded cleaner and better balanced to me because it was the only one with any decent high frequency extension.

 

To be fair, he switched off tweeters in the larger cabs 🙂

 

[stevie]

38 minutes ago, Wolverinebass said:

Yeah, that is of course my Grainger Hades on the right. I think a few folk thought it was just "too mad" to have a go on, which was a pity.

 

Naturally, sonically, it's set up for me, so precision with flats it most definitely is not. Noisy? Not really. Loud? Absolutely! I don't think that one can play a bass that visually striking quietly without appearing silly. Especially not when you're playing through a Laney Nexus and one of your Monaco cabs.

 

Did I say "noisy"? Of course, I mean loud. 😀

[stevie]

37 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

To be fair, he switched off tweeters in the larger cabs 🙂

 

 

I don't think any of the cabs had tweeters, @Stub Mandrel

[stewblack]

21 hours ago, Richard R said:

The mind boggles!!!

What was going on there @stewblack?

That's how good that bass sounds 😀

[Stub Mandrel]

46 minutes ago, stevie said:

 

I don't think any of the cabs had tweeters, @Stub Mandrel

 

That's what Phil said he'd done at the start.

[Phil Starr]

Just one with a tweeter which was the BassChat lockdown 110 that @stevie designed. I did disconnect the tweeter for that one.

[Dumpystumps]

On 07/10/2025 at 19:26, Jabba_the_gut said:

I’ve got a few bits and pieces I’ll bring for sale or swaps if anyone is interested. Got a bunch of Schaller tuners, some bridges, TC BQ250, and probably some other bits. Got a couple of bits for the raffle too.

Are you Mr Gut.  I had your  acoustic fretless bass and still have your telecaster bass which I am trying to sel, due to ill health.

[Jabba_the_gut]

1 hour ago, Dumpystumps said:

Are you Mr Gut.  I had your  acoustic fretless bass and still have your telecaster bass which I am trying to sel, due to ill health.

Yes - have messaged you.

[Pea Turgh]

Hello All, my memory for names is terrible, so I am sorry to have to ask, but who had the jag mute retrofitted to a P Bass?  
 

There’s someone in the “Repairs & Technical” thread with questions!

[derreybass]

thanks Mike for another great meet up

[scrumpymike]

Dear Bass-Bash buddies,

 

I'm sorry to start your New Year with unwelcome news, but I'm sad to announce that the 2025 Bash was the last one that we'll be doing.

 

As you know, our Bashes have always been massive value-for-money, largely because Mrs. Scrumpy and I were able to hire our wonderful hall at a much-reduced rate. For various reasons, we have both recently retired as Trustees, meaning that the cost of hiring the hall this year would be the full commercial rate of £232!

 

Thank you all for making this such a joyous event over the years. If anyone else decides to continue with a S-W Bash, you can be sure I'll be there 🙂 

 

Here's wishing you all the very best for 2026 and beyond!

 

Mike, Gabrielle & The Scrumpettes.

[neepheid]

1 hour ago, scrumpymike said:

Dear Bass-Bash buddies,

 

I'm sorry to start your New Year with unwelcome news, but I'm sad to announce that the 2025 Bash was the last one that we'll be doing.

 

As you know, our Bashes have always been massive value-for-money, largely because Mrs. Scrumpy and I were able to hire our wonderful hall at a much-reduced rate. For various reasons, we have both recently retired as Trustees, meaning that the cost of hiring the hall this year would be the full commercial rate of £232!

 

Thank you all for making this such a joyous event over the years. If anyone else decides to continue with a S-W Bash, you can be sure I'll be there 🙂 

 

Here's wishing you all the very best for 2026 and beyond!

 

Mike, Gabrielle & The Scrumpettes.

 

Mate, that's rough.  Totally understand though.  I really enjoyed the couple I managed to attend, and I want to thank you for all your (and your co-organisers) efforts over the years.  Hope someone else manages to pick up the reins.

[Rosie C]

Sad news. I only managed to make the one last year, but it was fantastic. Thank you to all of you for the work you've done organising over the years.

 

[MichaelDean]

Sad to hear it too, but thanks so much for the work you, Gabrielle and the Scrumpettes all put into it. I really enjoyed the three I went to.