bassbiscuits

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1492702101' post='3282538'] Sounds sensible to me. The phrase that stuck out was "I'v just stopped enjoying it" If you are like me I presume that's why you do it? If you no longer enjoy it get out, and do something you do enjoy. [/quote] Yep - thats about right. I'm quite excited about doing some different new stuff instead, so all good.

[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1492579526' post='3281282'] don't stress, you're not the first musician to quit a band to spend time with his family, only to discover family life is boring [/quote] Ha ha! Yes there is that.....

I've got my last ever gig with my old band this weekend - a longstanding wedding booking. Looking forward to getting it over and done with as I'm a bit in limbo until then, neither being in the band or able to finally put it to bed. It's been an interesting few weeks since I announced I was going. The band all took it really well, and a couple of them have made a point of reaffirming our friendship outside the band, which is cool and more than I expected to be honest. Been spending more enjoyable time with the family without having to leave early to do a gig etc. I've also been offered some solo gigs on acoustic guitar from people who've seen my old band and know what I sound like. Unexpectedly I also signed up for some life drawing classes at the local college in my newly-found spare time. I haven't done any serious drawing since my A Levels 25 years ago, and it's really helped channel my creative spark and get me thinking. Since leaving my band it has all been a bit of a case of holding my nerve to remind myself why I've done it etc. But now there are a couple of interesting, less demanding things appearing on the horizon, I'm reassured of the positive aspects of why I did it.

I bought my first really nice bass - my vintage Fender precision - while at my first year in university by flogging pretty much all my other kit! But I found myself in Halls of Residence faced with the dilemma of playing my new bass or preparing for the Monday morning tutorial on Shakespeare. Come Monday morning, I admitted I hadn't done any of the Shakespeare work, upon which the lecturer told me there was no point in me staying at the tutorial. I shrugged in agreement and trudged back to Halls, where I spent the rest of the morning playing the bass. In hindsight I was perfectly right. I've never earned a penny from knowing Shakespeare.

I've never had any issue with trying out stuff there. Sure if it's a bass displayed up high I'd probably rather they moved it than me just in case I drop it. But I've never had an issue with the secondhand stuff and rack of Fenders etc that's at floor level. Normally I'll have already spoken to someone from the shop when I arrive telling them what I'm interested in etc and they'll often suggest a few etc and let me get on with trying a few in my experience. Given the value of some of those instruments I'm more than willing to go along with that approach. I've also left empty handed a couple of times having tried out various things and again, no problem or pressure.

Fender P bass - La Bella flat wounds, because they just really suit the tone and feel of that particular vintage bass. Lull PJ4 - D'Addario XL165 nickel round wounds, because its more of an all-rounder than the Fender, so covers greater range sonically. Epi Jack Casady came secondhand with TI flats on it - happy with them so haven't changed the. Yamaha BB604 wears one of a number of nickel/steel round wounds on it. It's a more modern sounding bass and works well with punchy round wounds. I use to use Rotosound Swing Bass for years, and i still like the tone of them. I've also got some DR Pure Blues and a set of D'Daddario NYXLs, neither of which i've got round to opening yet!

That's cool - well done. I might well be in the same boat soon - have left my band but already bored with the prospect of doing nowt - so this is very encouraging!

I went from a five-piece band, which then became a four-piece when the singer/banjo/acoustic guitarist left, and which then regularly played as a three-piece. At each stage, it felt a bit sparse for the first gig or two, but we quickly learned to fill out the songs (or where completely impractical, we just dropped certain tunes and replaced with new ones.) Personally i love playing in a trio format - lots of freedom to expand and explore, tho it obviously puts more emphasis on each member (in our case, both me and my guitarist shared lead/backing vocals, and i also played harmonica, so we covered a lot of ground between us.)

Do you mean the ones like a big rounded off triangle? I believe Fender make a pretty much identical one. Dunlop also make a similar thing, but its a bit more triangular (like the yellow Angry Bird) but comes in a variety of gauges. It's what I use.

Yeah the JB84 is the dark one of the two - the Thumper is just fat and loud - no complaints there at all! I may yet experiment with running the Thumper paired with the original Fralin jazz pickup... I'll gig it this weekend and get a proper feel for how it sounds.

I've installed a PJ set of Hot Rod pickups (formerly Wizard Pickups) in my passive Mike Lull PJ4. It originally came with a set of Lindy Fralins, which were beautifully articulate and open sounding, with lots of high-end shimmer and a lush airy sound. But for my sort of sound I felt they were perhaps a bit too vintage-voiced, and I wanted a bit more in terms of low-end thump. For reference, I'm primarily a finger style or pick rock player, with occasion visits to slapping if I'm asked nicely... Cue the Hot Rod PJ set, made up of a Thumper and a JB84. The Thumper has 14k ohms resistance, which is a fair whack hotter than the Fralin. The JB84 11.5k ohms, which is much the same as the original Fralin bridge pickup, tho a bit darker and dirtier sounding. Result? Well they certainly add a lot of low end oomph and overall volume - the bass on this thing is really hefty now! The trade-off? If anything, it has lost something of the hi-fi openness at the very high end of things, and now overall has a hotter, slightly darker sound. On such a naturally bright-sounding, ash-bodied bass, that actual evens out to a very nice, full bass tone. Cranking it up and digging in on the weekend was an absolute pleasure, and i can't wait to gig it this weekend for the first time in its new configuration.

I'm happy with mine now, but it's an awful gnawing feeling when you're not happy with one or more of them. I'm particularly happy with the cheaper ones, because I'm always pleasantly surprised that they play and sound as good as they do.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1483897880' post='3210955'] I think the main problem with guitar amp sounds is that too many folks apply far too much gain to their sound which takes all the dynamics out of the playing and sounds to the audience like a fizzy mess. User error, for the most part, imho. [/quote] This. I learned a long time ago that what sounds good in your bedroom generally doesn't sound good onstage trying to cut through a live band. Too much distortion, scooped mids, too much low end - all end up swamping the sound live. Better off concentrating on midrange/top, and using a cleaner sound, to get a bit of clarity. All said tho, some of the amps mentioned here are actually pretty bad!

My missus doesn't bother coming to my covers gigs - we've got kids and it ain't worth the hassle to sort out babysitters etc just to see me in a pub. She used to come along years ago when the other various wives and girlfriends came too, but over the years that's dwindled. She does come to see some original gigs tho - especially if they're outside and the kids can come too!

Gone....

I try to make sure my hands are broadly clean before I play (i.e. Not having just scoffed some greasy burger etc). But sometimes a really sweaty hot gig will kill my strings and leave the bass all smeared with forearm sweat. In which case, damp cloth all over bass, new strings and a quick lemon oil of fretboard for good measure usually puts things right. I've had a few secondhand basses with verdigris on the fretboard and green mank around the frets. Sorted with careful use of a sharp knife and a few baby wipes.

I've had an MIJ squier silver series, a more recent standard MIJ from early 2000s, a 1996 USA and a 1970 Precision. They've all sounded broadly in the same ballpark, but all different. The USA 1996 one was by far the loudest and fattest sounding, but also the heaviest by some distance. The old P is a bit gentler and woodier sounding being vintage I guess. Both MIJ ones I had were decent too, tho a bit more generic sounding - tho they still had that rich, throaty thump and growl which you want. So in a nutshell, any decent precision will give you broadly the precision sound, but all instruments sound slightly different and Ps are no exception.

As good as gone.....

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1490190394' post='3263053'] Buy a couple of well-chosen books (I'd recommend What Duck Dunn) and work your way through them. Choose a couple of songs where you reckon you might be able to sing and play bass at the same time and try them out. Take a Beginner's Course in drumming. Buy a cheap PA and learn how to improve live sound. That lot should keep you busy for a few weeks ... [/quote] Liking the sound of this! I'm already a singing bassist so I've got that bit nailed. Drumming - now there's an idea! Duck Dunn book could be good tho - reading Johnny Marr's biography at the moment. Plenty of room for improvement in my songwriting and theory, so plenty to get on with really. My old Soviet-era PA desk has died too so there's a whole project of taking that thing apart and fixing it. Thanks folks. You've cheered me up.

Thanks for your input folks. As someone in work kindly pointed out, its not as dramatic as when Robbie left Take That...

[color=#000000][font=Calibri, sans-serif]I’ve just called it a day with my pub covers band, but it has left me in a bit of an emotional limbo after playing in it for over 10 years.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Calibri, sans-serif]I had good reasons for doing it, and had thought it through properly beforehand – a combination of having two very young children to care for, a nagging shoulder injury which I want to rest, and if I’m honest, I’d been pretty bored for a while with playing the same old music in the same places.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Calibri, sans-serif] I’d just stopped enjoying it, and it was time for a break.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Calibri, sans-serif]But suddenly I’ve got nothing musical to be planning for, which has totally thrown me, and slightly surprised me![/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Calibri, sans-serif]I also play occasionally in an original band, and do a bit of depping work, as well as very occasional solo gigs on acoustic guitar and vocals, all of which I could build up into something more. I’ve built up a decent reputation locally as being a good musician, and hopefully not a total idiot.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Calibri, sans-serif]A big part of the reason I quit the other band was to cut myself a bit of slack timewise, and I don’t want to rush straight back into anything just yet, but I’m already feeling bored and moping round the house.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Calibri, sans-serif]Am I being a dunce, or is this just natural? [/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Calibri, sans-serif]Feels a bit like splitting up with a partner – you know when its time to do it, for all sorts of good reasons, but it doesn’t exactly leave you feeling brilliant all the same, and can leave you feeling a bit insecure and in a vacuum afterwards.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Calibri, sans-serif]Hmm.[/font][/color]

Hi Gary Mac - yes mate its yours if you want it. PM me with your details and i'll get it packaged up and sent out to you. I'll see what the postage is (couple of quid at most i expect). Cheers

From my parts drawer - it's a parchment white pick guard from a 2001 USA stratocaster. However.... The previous owner of the guitar left the various manufacturer's stickers on the pick guard, and while the rest of the colour has aged, there are lighter marks showing the outline of a Fender USA logo etc on the pick guard in the area below the middle and neck pickup. Other than that it's good nick, with lots of foil shielding on the back etc. For anyone wanting a cheap pick guard for a project or someone who's gonna cover it in stickers! NOW GONE....

Did a double-header Friday/Saturday night in O'Neills Bar in Leicester city centre. Absolutely insanely busy on both nights (one for St Patricks Day, one for the final Eng V Ireland Six Nations match). To my relief they were both excellent gigs - really good vibe and lots of people up for dancing/singing along, which always makes all the difference really! Had sung myself hoarse by the middle of the first night tho, so had to keep nipping to the nearby McD's between sets to grab some coffee to sooth my poor throat. Currently talking like Barry White as a result. Whole mid/upper section of my voice has disappeared for now. Oops.

Another big P bass/flatwounds fan here. Mine has been strung variously with La Bella 760FL flats (nice tension, similar to 105-45 gauge rounds) or occasionally Daddario EXL165 nickel round wounds. Both have plenty of warmth and thump - flats better for the sound you're describing, but rounds arguably a more versatile all-rounder. Don't be put off by price of flats tho - you won't have to change them for years, if ever, as they don't go dull the same way as rounds. They also feel smoother and more comfortable than rounds, and have a fat thumping low end you won't find anywhere else. I've only tried La Bellas (great sound and feel) Thomastik Infelds (great sound, tho tension is a lot lighter) and Rotosound Sm77s Monels (quite stiff). Like everything else, there's an element of suck it and see, or try them out on other people's basses if you get chance. There are sometimes used flats for sale on Basschat, which is a good cheaper way of getting to try some.