dmccombe7

Many happy returns Mick, have a great day. Some pics of the new bass would be nice. Dave

Me twa. My fav being a box filled with 3 large packets of Cadbury's Giant Chocolate buttons which just happen to be my fav. Dave

I see the price has gone up on the Amazon ones from just under £30 to £36 now but still cheaper than anywhere else. Good to know they work well on a P bass too. Might even fit the set i got for Xmas to my P bass. Dave

I usually change my strings when i notice the tone starting to dull down a fair bit. I dont like them when they lose their top end and start sounding more like flats. I would nomally get approx 2-3mths out of a set of D'Addario EXL190 nickel rounds but a lot depends on the gigs i play and if i sweat more than usual. Worst case was 2weeks and 2 very hot and sweaty gigs and the strings died and sounded more like a dull thud when played. Hope that helps a bit. Some strings last longer than others and personal preference comes into it a lot too. A lot depends on whether you want to keep that new zingy edge or not too fussed about it. Depends on style of music too. All the best Dave

I've recently fitted them onto my Sandberg VM4 and my initial response to how they sound and feel is WOW. Played a 3 hr gig with them and they were brilliant. I dont have any tension figures on the box but they are similar to in feel to my D'Addario EXL190's I was surprised how flexible they were (40-100's) compared to other coated strings i've tried over the years. I'm a convert and got another set at Xmas for my MarloweDK and will be fitting a set to my P bass once i've used up my other spare string sets. Dave

Good to know they sound good on the P bass. Think my P bass will be next after i've fitted the MarloweDK set. Dave

We had the same with approx 6" snow around the house and then +12 the following day and all gone. I thought it strange to be honest but that's our weather for you LOL

Snow on Xmas Eve and Boxing Day but nothing on Xmas day. Would have been nice to wake up on Xmas morning to snow falling and a white Christmas but alas not to be but i do like snow at Xmas time especially when i dont need to go out. Dave

Yep same here. I started off in record shops listening to albums i couldn't afford and then when i started playing bass i was never out of our local music shop and on occasions the bigger shops in Glasgow of which there were quite a few great guitar shops. First song i remember playing in a band was Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy. I used to go into Glasgow to get music sheets for songs i liked and i still have all those music books with the Genesis Seconds Out book autographed by the full band including a few wives and even Tony Smith the manager. Music shops always had guys that were exceptional compared to me and they were usually happy to show you how to play things and talk about gear. Happy days. Dave Dave

Apologies Pete, I just assumed you had taken lessons at the start of your journey when you recommended learning the basics. I class myself more as a rock/prog bassist that has dabbled in Jazz rock and learned bits and pieces of certain songs or basslines that i liked over the years mainly for my own benefit. Altho i must admit learning those songs made playing other songs easier. I was a huge fan of Jeff Berlin in 80's when i first heard One of a Kind album. When i was younger i did experiment a lot more with bass playing to try new things and play in different ways to see how it sounded. I returned to standard 4 string bass and fingerstyle and i'm just happy doing what i do. Dave

Today Santa brought me snow. Its like a "Winter Wonderland" today.

Its the thought that counts. Just buy a short scale bass. Sorted.

Santa brought me another set of DR Black Beauties, That was the only bass related item. Put a set of Black Beauties on my VM4 few weeks ago and have to say i had a WOW moment with them. They sounded almost the same as my D'Addario EXL190's but smoother to touch. For coated strings i was surprised how flexible they were. I got another set for Xmas to be fitted to my MarloweDK and once i've used up my other spare sets of strings i'll be putting a set on my P bass. One thing i would mention is that if you like doing the slidy string thing at the big ending finale to a song you might burn your wee fingertips. Love the tone so far and the tension suits what i like. Reently i've been trying various other strings to no avail incl Markbass Longevo, D'Addario XT's, LaBella low tension flats. Dave

or insanity

It jumped hand when muting was mentioned. Now i get it. Dave

WOW simply WOW I decided to read the full thread because of some unusual replies i was seeing before mine above. Now let me get this straight........the OP asked where you place your thumb on your plucking hand so why did we have 6 or 7 pages of fretting hand thumb position ? I still haven't sourced the change-over point from plucking hand to fretting hand thumb position. I took lessons for a few years at the start. I've already mentioned my plucking hand thumb positions but with regards my fretting hand I generally did have my thumb on centre of the neck but i picked up sloppiness over the years when not gigging and started to suffer left hand cramp and i decided to revert back to what i thought was proper technique and it helped resolve the issue. I do however see my fretting hand thumb hanging over the edge of the neck on occasion probably thru laziness and if my hand gets achy again i revert to back of neck position again. I started off playing rock music then Prog and jazz-rock. I learned Teentown and Portrait of Tracy back in 80's altho it took me a while to get it right. No expert at playing those kind of songs and i really do need to put the work in mainly for the stamina of playing them. I learned a few Jeff Berlin songs too just for my own satisfaction at the time. Not sure i could play them now tho LOL Last year i started playing witha punk covers band and realised just how good some of those 70's punk bands were. My fav being Stiff Little Fingers who have a wonderful bass player. Punk proved to be more interesting than difficult than i originally gave punk credit for. Yes i am old enough to be into Glam rock, Prog and Rock and living thru the punk era that i never had the time of day for. Funny how views change over time. I'd agree with @peteb on this that its best to take lessons and get the basic theory and technique correct and learn and adapt from there to suit what you are doing. I'd also say that some of JPJ's bass lines are pretty impressive and better than a lot of what i've heard from Jaco but then again they are different styles of music. That's just my tuppence worth. Dave

In our punk covers band our most political song with true meaning is Dave

When i was looking for a 5 stringer i drove 250 miles down to Bass Direct to try whatever Mark thought would suit my needs. Having tried the one bass i originally thought would work i was disappointed with the Spector bass and MArk offered me a few others. At no time was i pressured in any way altho i did end up with a Dingwall NG2 in black with maple neck that did the project i wanted it for and then i moved it on. I've also visited Guitar Guitar in Glasgow and had no issues trying out various basses and again didn't feel under any pressure. In fact it can be rewarding getting some feedback and advice from assistants in shops who are usually bass players themselves. That's how i first came across a Sandberg. Guitar Guitar let me try one when i was looking at Fenders. I was most surprised how good it was. I made it clear from the start i was only just looking with a view to buying in a few months. I have bought most of my recent basses on line tho some new and some 2nd hand. I always advise to try before you buy. Its thhe best policy IMO. Dave

Yep that would do me too. Dave

Depends on the song. Sometimes the thumb floats across the strings other times i'll rest on the strings above whatever strings i'm playing on and sometimes i rest on a pick up more so with a Jazz style bass. With a P bass i've seen me rest the thumb against the body if i want to play near the bridge or neck. No fixed rule to be honest, whatever's comfiest at the time. Dave

I love driving Daryl altho not in cities. I live in countryside but your cities are bigger than our Country Have a wonderful Christmas Daryl and a prosperous New Year. Dave

Had a van hire from a local garage couple years ago using a VW LWB Crafter van that was very nice indeed. I was getting 40-50mpg from it until i picked up drummer and large PA and we hit the motorway and a yellow warning light came on and the engine went into limp mode. Driving along the M74 motorway thru Glasgow at night and dropping down to 30mph on a motorway is a scary experience. I started pulling onto hard shoulder with hazzards on every time i hit a hill. Also had to keep the revs up a bit when stopped intraffic or lights in case it stalled and wouldn't start. Garage didn't even offer a partial refund for the worry and length of time it took me to get to and from the gig. Dave

Wee update on the DR Black Beauties. Played a 3hr gig on 17th Dec to a full house with Glam covers band and the strings sounded amazing throughout the gig. No tuning issues with them but they had been broken in during home practice. Feel of these strings is really nice with lot less tension than any other coated strings i've tried. My overall thoughts so far is they sound quite like the D'addario EXL190's i normally use but have a smoother feel not like flats but smooth. Only downside was that if you slide your fingers too much at the end of a belter song it burns you I've now ordered another set for my Sandberg MarloweDK. Looks like these will be my new srings. I'm still WOW'd by them. Dave

Well done for exceptional effort there sir. Dave

Its finding a good one Daryl, i've heard stories of some new ones that had neck issues. Try before you buy is always best tho. Dave