dmccombe7

What didn't you like. I'm curious and thinking of maybe trying them if i can get a set of strings to last 8-9mths it might be worthwhile. Dave

Lovin that. Takes me back. What a great bass tone for a rock band. And he's a pure showman too. Brilliant. Thanks for sharing this one. Dave

Ah much sneakiness Cuzzie. i like your style. A bit like TOTP then

But you're a legend in bass. Surely no-one can say anything negative especially when you are helping others learn some very difficult basslines. I wouldn't let them put you off. Think most players have such a high regard for you even those that aren't into rock music regard you as one of the best bassists ever. I certainly haven't seen a bad word against you Neil. All positive and high praise. Ignore the idiots and please the fans. Dave

Will have a lok at them as DR make quite a few different strings. Not used the Amazon Global Store just the UK one. Dave

If you're getting 9mths out of a set then its worth the extra cost but mine generally last up to 2-3mths and i just didn't find that much difference between the Sunbeams and the D'addarios i was using apart from tension which i quite liked on the DR's but not enough to warrant the extra cash. If you're getting 9mths from a set are the Fat Beams faltwounds ? I'm using Sandberg steels at the moment so that's got me changing from nickes back to steels again. I hate this choice its brain damaging trying to find that perfect string. I usually end up going back to D'addario nickels but i keep trying. In the old days you had Rotosound rounds or Rotosound flats. It was easy in those days.

Yep i'd be up for that too. My 2 bigest influences on how i play were Neil and Jack Bruce. Loved the Cozy Powell albums they both took part in.

Others that influenced me over the years of varying degree Jack Bruce having the biggest influence :- Jack Bruce Percy Jones Pino John Giblin Mo Foster Michael Manring Steve Bailley Mark Egan Mick Karn Jaco Alain Caron Steve Lawson

Saw him with The Firm back in mid 80's and was hugely impressed by him. Think he was using Jaydee basses at that time. Loved the sound on the album with Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers. Exceptional bassist. Little odd at times but can't take away his ability on fretless. Very aggressive style. Dave

Think they make good strings but a bit over-rated for the additional cost. I've gone back to Fender nickel strings at half the price of the D'addarios i had been using for several years and they seem to be doing pretty good. Just bought a Sandberg which came with steels and oddly enough they feel really good. Out of curiosity what strings are you using at the moment ? Dave

Don't know your ability on fretted bass so its a little more difficult to suggest something that you are comfortable with plus i don't know what style of music you listen to altho having Mr Sheehan in your name i'm guessing its more rock based. How about some Tony Franklin

That's a stunning looking bass. Very rich colour. Dave

Had a twin neck Shergold with 4 and 8 string necks around late 70's Was Shergolds first 8 string. They adapted their 6 string bass to an 8 for me. Great bass but very heavy for a teenager at 9st. I'm probably a bit like you in that i don't need a 5 string for what i'm playing at the moment so i'm happier with a 4. Dave

I've done the 5 and 6 string basses but just find the 4's more comfortable for what i'm doing but as Chris_b says if you spend a bit of time with a good 5 stringer you soon adapt to it. I'm able to swap between 4, 5 and 6. I normally only use the 5 or 6 stringers for studio work when asked but i need to spend a couple of days beforehand to get a feel for them if its a tricky bassline i need to do. Initially you'll find yourself missing the occasional note or even string until you get the hang of it but that's natural at first. Once you've been used to it you can easily swap between 4 and 5 strings like many bassists do. I just don't play them very often these days. Dave

If you can copy Troy's clip then you are there. I used to have the music sheet or bass tab and i'll have a look. It helped me when i was learning it about 5 or 6 yrs ago Dave

Not sure what's classed as a good set up but recently i decided to reduce the neck tension and straighten the neck more. Not that it was what i considered bad but i had read that many guys have their necks almost straight. I think that is the problem. Almost straight is down to interpretation. That allowed me to reduce my string height a touch more and that also felt as if the string tension was less. I don't think i imagined it but i'm not a 100% sure what gave me that feeling of less string tension. Dave

That must be really frustrating for any famous bass player who has written a great bassline and can't actually use it. I'm assuming you were part of the band and not just a session guy so should have the same rights to use the bass part in question. Dave

I've found that Strings Direct and Stringbusters to be more expensive than many other suppliers these days. Used to use them all the time but recently i've been buying from GAK or Bass Direct and a few others on line. Have you tried other shops ? I bought a set of D'addarios thru ebay and i swear they were duds as they didn't last much longer than 3-4 weeks when typically they last me 2-3 months before changing depending on usage of course. I also found the E string tone was a bit more thud than actual tone so i never buy thru shops i don't know like ebay suppliers. Just my own experience in life. Dave

I was a D'Addario nickels fan for quite a few yrs and thought i would try the DR sunbeams. What i found was they seemed to have less tension and could bend them more easily. Apart from that they felt much the same as the D'addario nickels. They didn't last much longer if at all longer than the D'addarios so for me they simply just weren't worth the extra cost. Can't really fault them as a string tho. I went back to the Fender nickels which seem to last same as D'addario nickels but cheaper. Dave

I guess its all about feel Cuzzie and i don't have it.

Same here. When you see this version its bloomin good. Think i had most of it but played it on different areas of neck but this guy is good, very good indeed. Dave

One of my fav songs and one of my fav musicians. Only came across him few yrs back. Brilliant Dave

70's Glam Rock covers band. Jacket was made by the guy who made Glitter Band, Elton John and few others gear back in the hey day period and is still making some great gear now. Not cheap but its good quality. All part of the show. You should see my boots but that's another topic.

Because its the reverse P set up you don't get that bassiness on the E & A strings the way my Fender P/J does. The Sandberg tone is far more balanced across the strings. The volume and tone is far more even but that neck has really surprised me how easy it is to play when i've come from a Geddy Jazz or even my early Warwick Thumb NT. Maybe the low action is helping too but what a great package to have. I was able to go from a deep P sound to what i prefer a mid punch with depth of tone. Yep i'm happy. Bass GAS has gone.......... for now anyways.

Played my new Sandberg VM4 at its debut gig on Saturday. Absoliutely glorious bass to play. Lightweight too in comparison to other basses i have. Tonally it was very mid sounding with a nice depth of tone. I had the amp almost flat with just a slight bass boost and the treble brought back on the bass. Bass cut thru the mix really well and just loved the mid punch it has. I wasn't really expecting it to be so mid sounding and thought with the MM pick up i'd be hearing more bass and treble tone but nope it was just gorgeous for me. Many comments on the bass look and sound. Action was set upby Mark at Vintage and Cool guitars and is set at 1.2-1.3mm on the E string. Lowest i've ever had and absolutely no fret buzz even when digging in a fair bit thru the set. Only negative was when i was seting up i played a little slap and pop run (no-one else around at the time) and the G string did hit the pick up. I'm not too bothered as i don't generally play that style and shouldn't be an issue. I prefer having that low action and great sound to start mucking around with pick up heights. All in all one of the best basses i've played. Neck is supreme. I can see me buying more Sandberg basses in future. I'm hooked. Here she is. My wee beaut Dave One pic from the gig on Sat and the other with friends in the bass cave.