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Your creativity is your creativity. Formal training gives you other options and opens your eyes to other ways of doing things but doesn't replace creativity. So no, if you are inventive, a formal education will help. If you aren't, it won't.

It can be an expensive purchase so some may find this article useful... https://www.guitarworld.com/features/the-best-flatwound-bass-guitar-strings-how-to-choose-the-right-flatwounds-for-you

It's no more a barrier to being musically creative, than being able to read and write is to telling stories.

8 replies in and this thread has already descended into complete and utter reasonableness.

Get me a gig...

Let’s play ball...

Apologies, I didn't post a pic of the Electra post modding as I was waiting for some knobs to be delivered. They were, and here it is.

This isn't going to end well.

Or throw some cash at ped and see his jugs as part of the deal

I'm in. I've had to fit Schaller locks to my gigging straps to fit the Ricky buttons. But I'll wear these over my nipples. 👍

I’ve never posted one of these before but this just arrived today after a 7-month wait. Sadly it has a bit of an issue at the neck joint and some buzzing on the open D but I’m hoping a trip to Jon Shuker will sort that out. Luckily it sounds lovely and plays really nicely. The neck profile is wonderful. Here’s a clip: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CsIxUzVpni9GGTdnOjSyycjlzWIOn_PW/view?usp=drivesdk

Came across some pics of my old basses circa 78-84 i reckon. WAL custom fretless (flame sycamore) Shergold 4 & 8 twin neck (Shergolds first 8 string adapted from their 6 string bass)

Hi, no one from Basschat ... I was only kicked out from another forum & as I'm also on FB a lot of people are only arging about my design and much more, anyway the next bridge & final version will be smoother .... Many thanks to all members of BASSCHAT , fantastic forum, nice & polite members !!!! I'm very honored to be part of this forum! Alberto

He’s got enough money. Charge him £10 to enter a draw 😂

Here's a video that helped explain it for me. The guy talks / rambles a bit. It's worth watching from the beginning but its the visualisation of his hand movements just after 4 mins that helped me visualise what was happening.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/20/q-magazine-to-fold-after-34-years Stopped reading this over ten years ago and was a little surprised to find out it was still limping along. I guess they never adapted to a changing world; everything was effectively a month old by the time it went to print. Too much reliance on a handful of artistes (Gallaghers, Sheeran, U2) and a bunch of other ones that really weren't much cop. Q Magazine is (was) the tangible embodiment of Later...with Jools Holland, a publication full of bands you're not really interested in and something you just skim through hoping to find something worth reading.

Democracy has won. I have ordered. In a highly amusing turn of events, if it gets delivered as per the lead time suggested on the website, it might get here on my wedding anniversary. That can only go well.....

Probably customer returns......oh, hang on......😉

Didn't hurt Mozart.

Understatement Alert:: This subject can illicit some strong opinions. A formal music education should not be a barrier to creativity, in fact (in my experience) it can enhance the capacity for creativity. Even a small amount of theory knowledge. But what do I know. 😎

Before the Internet, we used to call folk like that bar room orators. You know, like the bloke down the pub that knows more than everyone else but won't buy a round of drinks because he's on unemployment benefit...? It's all talk on their part. You have actually made something.

what he said. At the end of the day, you got a bass you like. If you dwell on the attitude of the maker too much you'll end up not liking it.

The body. One coat. More will be added.

At this rate, so many will have bought them at 'pre-sale' price, there will be no-one left to pay full price.....🤔

I have been retired for a year and a half now and have combination of pensions(private and government) and savings that allow me to live a comfortable but careful life without any debts. I am 74 and have been gigging since I was 16 and am currently in two bands and have played 15 to 30 gigs a year so it is not a big source of money. Like others on here, it costs me money to play in bands due to distance to gigs and weekly rehearsals but I love it. Right now I am not missing the money but the good times and social interaction with band members and audiences. I am filling the Covid time practicing almost every day and doing a bit of recording just for fun. Since I play DB, guitar, EB and EUB I can vary what I do each day but it is getting very frustrating with gigs being cancelled and no rehearsals although my playing skills are improving. It may be a long time before we get anywhere back to normal and at my age, even though I am in reasonable health, I know the clock is ticking. In many ways I am quite lucky and feel sorry for the full time musicians who are really struggling and are wondering just what will happen in the music world and how long it will be before things get back to anything near "normal". It will be quite a while I'm afraid.

Hi, it seems that only you & me hear more sustain with the new bridge... Honestly to me there is more sustain with the new bass bridge, by the way I received a lot of emails/ PMessenger, non constructive feedbacks: your bridge is ugly as sh..t , I will never buy your bridge I didnt hear more sustain, beacuse you use aluminium your bridge dosen't bring any new improvement to a bass You have copied the bridge from Jens Johnsen ( no under license) and much more... the list is too long & some feedbacks were very harsh... Anyway I'm a small Bass Builder from Luxembourg & doing the best I can & I'm proud of my results... Cheers from Luxembourg & many thanks to all of you from basschat for all your great feedback :))))

That's basically what I did. I had some lessons with Ian King. The first lessons in my life, and I just asked him to get me out of this rut. He explained different shapes, patterns, techniques and ideas and, after showing me these new options, gave me a list of songs that used this information to expand my abilities and creative thinking. I'm probably still in the rut, but it's a lot wider now and some days I can't even see the sides. I'll happily tackle stuff now that I would have left alone in the past. Ian took what I asked and turned it into a set of suggestions that made me make myself a better player. I'd never have done that with a book or sitting at home on my own.

Yes you are overthinking. Have a cup of tea and a biscuit and a nice sit down 😊

And when the day comes when you are so sick of everyone pointing and laughing at you that it tips you over the edge you have a handy attachment point for the noose. Genius.

My take... there wasn't really much wrong with the bass, just a few things that needed attention. The builder is a bit brusque and not good at customer service. The buyer started a conversation starting like he was looking for things to complain about, builder probably reacted to that. I'm sure he's had buyers like that before, get £50 for some small scratch and then find a million more things they want rectified... The buyer is actually happy with the bass except for a few things. The builder is still not good at customer service. It all esculates on Basschat to the point where the buyer and the builder having a mature conversation about what would sort it out isn't possible. €100 back for crack in the nitro when it arrives is probably fair... if not the buyer would need to say what would be. This thread, and language/culture problems means that that conversation probably doesn't happen. Builder is still not good at customer service, and annoyed about this thread. My take is that if the buyer and builder both spoke the same language this whole thing probably wouldn't have happened. Some of the subtly is being lost. Blunt german/polish comes across as ruder than it would be in german, spanish into english also looses some of its preciseness. I wonder too if the builder has ended up growing too quickly, and has got to the point where he needs customer service help. They seem to have a business model based around a user customisable custom shop - when he was selling a £800 bass the quality difference people expect is different to a £2000 bass. But from the builders POV the £1k of extra options prob isn't adding much to the profit. He's seeing it as a £800 that people are choosing to spend more on to get fancy pickups etc.

Sounds Just like Gala @NikNik

Back in the day I was in a Heavy Metal band and the singer moved from Edinburgh to Galashiels. He soon shacked up with a dame and we used to pile down at the weekend and stay in his small flat. Bodies and sleeping bags everywhere. One of the guitarists - who was so shy that he had no carnal knowledge of women at that time - was observed one night having his face eaten off by a dame. We never saw him for the rest of the night. Around 4am we hear the door go and in he comes, covered in massive love-bites and scratches and bruises. Seemingly, his paramour had asked him back to her place, 7 miles out in the sticks, so he drove out there in the small hours. At the door, she kisses him and nips inside, closing the door on him. In a priapic rage he drives back on the winding A7 road to Gala and totals the car; it's a write-off. He's ok, though, and his father was on the way down from North Berwick to take him home. It is then that we point out the massive ring of hickeys on his neck. Someone tells him that putting toothpaste on them will make them less visible to the old man. Which turns out not to be the case, as the toothpaste seems to make them worse and highlight them all the more. His old man - a Magnus Pyke lookalike - enters the small living room where a dozen bodies lie smirking, grunting and farting. 'My God, William! What has happened??' the father asks as he stares at his son. Willie replies, 'I...I've been with a woman, father!' A stunned silence from all follows. The father casts his eye around the beer and sweat-reeking room, turns on his heels and walks away. Nothing like chasing dames, eh?

I fear I may have to admit that my pursuit for the ultimate jazz bass has led me down a rabbit hole. I’ve started rehearsing with a new band. New band, new bass - right? I’ve been lucky enough to own some great basses over the last 15 years or so, but I was very very happy with my new-to-me Fender Elite Jazz from 2016. I played it in a new rehearsal venue with a lovely USA made Ampeg SVT II and 4x10. The ultimate in Fender build quality into a great, vintage SVT. Tonal perfection. Next rehearsal, I thought I’d bring my well loved but often forgotten about Mexican jazz, which I’d chucked some Tonerider pickups in. I opted to use my own Markbass Evo 1 set clean through the same Ampeg 4x10 as I’d be using this head predominantly for gigging with this band. May as well see if it works. Well, it was equally great. Similar low mid mid bump as the Elite, fantastic punch and warmth. There wasn’t enough in it to choose based on sound. In all honesty, I was disappointed. My parents bought that Mexican jazz for me one Christmas and I remember it costing about £339 from GAK in 2007. The Elite cost the original owner over £2k. Don’t get me wrong, the Elite is a nicer thing to hold in your hands and to look at, but which do I feel better about leaving in a van? Or left on a stage whilst I grab a pint and a meal deal? I’m starting to think that all those naysayers, chanting about spending lots on a lovely bass makes little difference to the sound, are true. Bastards.

All I can say is be open, try and be reasonably confident and remember that you're auditioning them as much as they're auditioning you.

Hey Jabba, even more of a faff, on your next build you should try binding the fingerboard with pieces cut from the fingerboard. Cut fret slots after you cut these pieces off. Then glue them back on. The result doesn't look bound, but you don't see fret tangs.

You should order her a new bass as well!

I know i know , what was I thinking 😂

The Sandberg California II is smaller than a regular Fender J as well.

In my trousers, thrice.

For the purpose of the EU directive, it's a custom bass as it is built to the customers specifications.

Thanks for that, typically woolly words, probably the big manufacturers like Fender have all these options if you go ‘up’ the line as it were, hence it will be more stock for them. I had a play with the configurator, and crikey there are some random things on there - they charge you for a nitro finish on the neck - there is no option not to. Extra charge for Carbon rods in the neck when most people have that as standard these days, charge for nitro finish on the headstock, like it’s not part of the neck........ If it’s about extra work, weirdly no extra charge for a J rout in a PJ as opposed to just a P. Anyway, I agree with the fact that it is relevant, to this conversation, but also to extrapolate to other things, situations should they arise.

I'm on page 13 already!

Really? Just need to add a step ladder and some basic tools to your gig bag...

I happen upon old photos like these from time to time. Provides an excellent opportunity to spend some quality time kicking myself a lot ! Also, your pictures emphasise the distinct stylistic heredity evident in these peculiarly British basses....from Shergold and Hayman through Wal to Enfield....

Recording over lockdown. Like everyone else, I found myself without a band and so recorded some stuff on my own. Stuck it on Soundclod and here it is. Under the name of 154. Hope the link is working!

There is absolutely no point AT ALL in getting a double shouldered strap, that does not let you do this: