Basschat

Basschat: a UK-based forum for bass players

Basschat is an online community built around the bass guitar and related instruments. Its own description presents it as a forum for bass players in the UK and Europe, and the site is organised into discussion boards, a marketplace and sections for events and site news. The forum reports 55,703 members and a total of 5.2 million posts across 370.3 thousand topics.

Discussion boards for bass players

The forum is divided into two broad areas. The first, The Local, covers introductions, general discussion, events, site news and site questions. The second, Gear, groups conversations by instrument and equipment type:

• Bass Guitars, including a section for left-handed players and discussion of four-, five- and six-string instruments.
• EUB and Double Bass, aimed at classical and jazz players and anyone working with a longer scale.
• Amps and Cabs, for amplification and speaker cabinets.
• Effects, for pedals such as phasers, envelope filters and overdrive.
• Other Instruments, for instruments that fall outside the main bass categories.
• Accessories and Misc, covering straps, cases, stands, strings, headphones and plectrums.
• Repairs and Technical, for modifications and repair questions.
• Gear Gallery, where members post photographs of their instruments.
• Build Diaries, open to luthiers and customers documenting instrument builds.
• Basschatters' Reviews, with sub-sections for basses, amps and cabs, effects, and hardware and accessories.

Performance, recording and musician connections

A Performance section includes boards for recording and sharing music, gig photographs and videos, and a Musicians Wanted area with separate boards for bassists wanted, bassists available and other musicians. There is also a Theory and Technique section with boards for books and DVDs, bass transcriptions and a Groove Library organised by style, including rock, funk, jazz and blues.

The Basschat Marketplace

The marketplace is a substantial part of the site. It is described as a place for private sales of used items only, and the site presents it as a possible venue for selling basses in Europe. Its boards include:

• Basses For Sale, with a separate board for left-handed basses.
• Amps and Cabs For Sale.
• EUBs and Double Basses For Sale.
• Effects For Sale.
• Accessories and Other Musically Related Items For Sale.
• eBay - Weird and Wonderful, for sharing unusual eBay listings, with a note asking members not to promote their own items.
• Recycling, for freebies only, with no selling.
• Feedback, where members report on transactions.

The marketplace also has a Tutors Available board for members offering lessons.

Events and the wider Chatgroup network

Basschat members organise gatherings called Bass Bashes around the country, and the site notes that members also attend major music shows and events. A thread listed at the time of writing referred to Yorkshire, Essex, Wales, Scotland and North West Bass Bash 2027, with the date still to be confirmed. The site also links to a separate guitar forum, Guitarchat, at www.guitarchat.co.uk, and carries a small legacy Guitars section with boards for guitars, guitar amplifiers, guitar effects and guitar accessories.

Community activity and site operation

The forum displays recent status updates and a list of online users, and it reports a peak of 35,957 users online on 7 May 2025. The site is operated under the name All The Good Names Are Taken Ltd and runs on Invision Community software. It offers light and dark themes and includes pages for frequently asked questions, site rules, advertising and jobs.