IBWT

I tried this bass the other day at Dawsons in Liverpool. Very well balanced bass, very comfortable and gorgeous. I had very bad memories from Bartolini MK1s in Soundgear basses but in this one for some reason they sound great, and the preamp is also very versatile (the mids selection switch is priceless); you can get nice almost old school sounds out of it, which is something unheard of for me on a Soundgear. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmOwdjcJQDs"]https://www.youtube....h?v=BmOwdjcJQDs[/url] I really enjoyed it, although the action was too low and soft with clearly not enough tension. It made me think whether this bass would not be better for a high C instead of a low B. The overall feel was like a 33" or even 32", given the diminutive neck profile and body (even being singlecut). I'd say for the price is very good value. Any other opinions?

I've always relied on shapes on fretboard but lately I've been playing jazzier tunes, soloing, improvising and I don't have as much free time as I used to, so I find learning the chords and their function much more useful. Now I can transpose more easily, including improvisations, and for rock tunes instead of learning the exact bass fills I can rely much more on improvisation to cope with the lack of spare time to practise at home. It is also a great way of finally get to learn all the notes on the fretboard (still working on it after 15 years).

I know a bass player bound to a wheelchair from years ago and I've seen him playing Warwicks, Fenders and mostly everything he could find. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtryAoNlM5Y As you can see in the video the sides have been taken off the chair.

Thanks Frank for your support. What I've been looking so far are originals band that seek bassists or musicians to form one; I've been in an originals band for a year a half or so. Luckily I found an originals project although it's my own songs what I really wanted to develop.

What I've seen so far in the music scene in Belfast is mainly:[list] [*]Not very good (to be polite) originals bands with low attendance [*]Talented one or two-piece acoustic sets all playing the the same pop charts in the same style [*]Open mics which are basically the same as the acoustic sets but more amateurish and for free [/list] Apparently the local culture prefers acoustic sets to disco, which is good, but it also makes musicians kind of lazy in my opinion, because they prefer to play the same songs in the same style over and over and get a regular gig instead of taking the risk of creating something new and different. The scene back in Spain is similar to what you guys describe in this thread, I think the main culprits are:[list] [*]Too many low quality bands with low attendance, making the audience feel like all live music is crap [*]Pubs/Managers not doing a good selection and just hiring anyone, thus enforcing that feeling in the audience [*]Good bands having to play cheaper or for free for promotion, so people tend to think music should be completely free (it is scientifically proven that humans value more what they feel is harder to achieve and the other way around) [*]Audience having unrealistic expectations on what an amateur live band looks and sounds like (some seem to expect stadium-quality sound and performance) [/list]

Where did you meet them? I've met musicians, but most of them have been time wasters or just too inexperienced. At some point I tried to start my own project (I even have 20+ fully recorded songs) and failed miserably to find anyone suitable. Back in Spain I even got to form and run a local musician society for several years and organised gigs, festivals and promotion, but I didn't think that would be necessary in the United Kingdom.

I guess it all comes down to networking then... It gets a bit complicated when you come from a different country with a different language and you're too old to be a student. Also my terrible social skills don't help either. I do have transport but only since last April, but that has never been a problem to me. Coming from a poorer country I expected a much more vibrant and dynamic scene but now I'm actually jealous of my old friends back in Spain, the amateur band scene there is better than ever and miles away from Belfast's (no offence intended).

Hi there! I arrived to Belfast a couple of years ago from Spain and have been actively looking for joining or form a band. So far I've joined two bands, but it feels to me almost like a miracle, because my search has been really fruitless most of the time. Back in Spain I was used to put ads on local shops, practise rooms and regional/national online forums with great success, but in Belfast I don't feel like any of that works. I don't see ads in rehearsal spaces or shops, the only NI specific forum I could find (fastfude) is almost dead and the Facebook groups for musicians and bassists in Belfast are mostly silent all the time. To make things even worse, most of the people I've contacted have ended up being time wasters that won't even show up or leave a project with no excuses whatsoever, showing little to no interest in making any progress (sometimes even on their own material!). Moreover, most of the ads I see on JoinMyBand (the only active place I could find) are posted with restrictive age ranges (I'm 33); that's something unheard of where I come from, I remember playing in bands with a 20+ year difference between members with no issues! I really feel lucky for the two bands I'm in (although one is still more of a project) because at one point I was almost giving up on music in this city. All I see when I go around are acoustic sets playing slow melancholic versions of pop hits and gigs with really small audiences for 3 or 4 bands whose name I only hear once in a year. So my question is... how are you supposed to find musicians to form or join bands in NI/Belfast? Is there a hidden amateur scene that I'm missing? Do I have to go to pubs and ask anyone who looks like a musician? My social skills are terrible so I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to that... Cheers guys and thanks for reading.

Crank up the treble and character on your VT.

I always try to set the volume on my effects so that they match the volume without them, unless for some reason those effects need to be louder (e.g. boosters for soloing). Makes it much easier live.

It does track great but I wouldn't be surprised if the signal of your bass after those 4 seconds was not loud enough to feed the octaver properly.