dmccombe7

I started at 15/16 yrs old, took lessons for few yrs and started in bands. I was a fanatic for playing bass, it was my main focus in life altho i had a great well paid job i always considered bass my hobby. Don't get me wrong if the perfect opportunity had come along i may have jumped at it but i guess i was just realistic about things. At age 35 i had other priorities in life and gave up bands altogether altho still playing at home on occasion. I kept my last decent bass from 1989 my Warwick Thumb NT. Then at age 50 i decided on a special birthday treat and got an Overwater custom 6 string fretless and from there i started playing with friends at jam sessions for a laugh and that put me back in the mood for bands and i restarted. When i retired at 55 i had lots more time and i've never been so busy playing in a 70's Glam rock covers band is my main band and i also play in a great fun classic punk band which for an old rock & prog fan was a surprise how much i enjoyed the challenge. It might take a bit of time and effort to find the right people to get satisfaction from a band but with age comes a bit more acceptance of others. Give it a go and just do it. If it doesn't work out or you find yourself not enjoying it you can always just stop. Dave

Depends what you mean by better or improved. Personally i played faster when i was 20 and i was able to improvise better. Now 63 i feel that i fit better in bands. My attitude to playing has improved, I'm more acceptable to others and the needs of the band and not just my own needs plus i don't have work to worry about now. My accuracy has improved, my technique has improved in past 5 yrs where i'm not hitting the strings so hard and getting blisters on my plucking hand. I'm holding both my hands at "better" angles to reduce aches. I'm playing more and better gigs these days so that's an improvement. Modern amps with hi-fi tones have meant you hear every noise of your technique forcing you to play better so i guess i've improved there too. All in all i would say yes i got better after 50. Dave

This is really interesting and decided to check my main basses :- Sandberg VM4 is 3mm / 2.5mm. I've never adjusted this bass much since buying it. It was pretty much perfect when i got it from Classic and Cool Guitars. Only thing was a minor adj on truss when i changed to a different string that i cant recall what they were and since put it back. Sandberg MarloweDK is nearer 2.5mm / 2mm at neck pick up and a touch less at bridge pick up. Never adjusted pick ups on this one either. 2nd hand from Bass Direct. Fender Vintera P bass is 3mm / 2.5mm but the split pick ups are angled with the E string pole slightly higher than the A to balance volume level but not much in it. I enjoyed this and checking mine out of curiosity. Cheers @Grahambythesea Dave

Interesting as i'm sure one or two of my basses must have the pick up height too high as i've noticed that odd warbling tone almost like out of tune but with tuner on it stays in tune. Dave

If pick ups are to high or too low what effect does it have on the sound other than volume. ? Just a bit curious ? Dave

When i first started playing bass 40+ yrs ago i would never dream of adjusting a truss rod but i was lucky that the necks were already bowed in to start with. Like others have said best adjust the neck a little to get a slight bow and from there just practice. Fender guidelines set up on string height is 2.5mm to start and adjust from there. One thing i would add at this stage is if you use a pick you might need the strings a little higher than 2mm. 2mm is where i set my string height but that's after years of playing. You can google Fender set up guide once you've been playing for a while otherwise take the bass to a specialist and get it set up correctly until you are happy in doing it yourself. Dave

I found the XT strings a bit like that. There was nothing special about them. I liked the NYXL's but they just didn't last any longer than my standard EXL's so a bit of a waste of money for me. Dave

Well that's the DR Black Beauties on my Sandberg VM4 sounding a bit dull so i've ordered a new set for tomorrow and can fit for my gig on Sat night. They've been on since 6th Dec 2022 so they've seen some sweaty gigs over Xmas and quite a few this year too with the Glam covers band. Could probably get another few weeks maybe a month before it really annoyed me. They are starting to sound more like flats now. 5mths isn't too bad. Couldn't get exact same set as i have fitted for tomorrow delivery and had to go from 40-100 up to 45-105 but dont expect any issues fitting them. Tension shouldn't be that different to require any truss adjustments. Only £30 from amazon free delivery. Tried to get a set of Elixirs but the only ones they had were 45-105 too but i don't know the tension on them and don't have time to faff about tomorrow making changes to neck so i'll stick with the Black Beauties this time and order a set of Elixirs in a few mths ready to go and see how they work out. Dave

I use one of those race car computer chairs that was originally for using a PC but i find its too relaxed for longer periods on the bass and my back starts to ache a bit if i'm sitting upright on it. Sitting back into the chair means the bass lies at an angle. Because of that i change between sitting and standing but i do find playing a lot easier when sitting and have to rework some parts when standing. This thread has made me realise i need a proper seat for practicing in/on. I like the drum stool thing with small backrest. Dave

I liked the NYXL strings but they didn't last much longer than my D'addario EXL nickels so moved on again and currently trialling the DR Black Beauties which have now been on my Sandberg VM4 since start Dec 2022.. Probably 5 or 6 gigs and 3-4 rehearsals plus practice at home. I do sweat a lot at gigs with Glam covers band and killed a set of EXL's after only one gig during a very hot summers gig where i forgot my cooling fan. Black Beauties have seen a few sweaty gigs and still sound pretty lively. Feel a bit more like flats, they dont have that new rounds zing but still enough treble click to keep me happy. I think i will re-try the Elixirs strings again to see if they've changed since they first appeared. I've had a set on my Thumb bass for about 10 yrs now altho it rarely gets played these days and is kept at home. Trying to find a balance between lively tone and longevity. Dave

Superb stuff @cetera Enjoyed that a lot. Dave

Just be aware that it can return at any time. Last weekend with the punk band i had no issues at all and yet a week later my fingertips were starting to ache a little towards the end of the 2nd set. Same set list, same gear but i know for certain on this weeks gig i was more into the gig and playing a bit harder on the songs i really enjoy in the set. Think the advice of turning up louder than you think and being forced to play lighter to keep the levels good for the band is pretty solid advice from @gjones. Its what i'm aiming for even after 40+ yrs of digging in there's always room for improvement. Once you get up to a certain level where fingertips are hard and you're gigging every weekend you shouldn't have any probs. Even Geddy Lee gets sore fingers at the start of a tour and has mentioned on occasion that he used to get blisters in his early days but because they gigged almost every night he just played thru it. Dave

It may be that you're playing lighter at home and not toughening up the fingertips but when you gig you're really going for it. That was my problem and i still occasionally play too hard at gigs when i'm really getting into it more so with the punk band than the Glam covers band. Even at rehearsals i can do the 6 hr sessions without issue. I do find when i get really into it that i hit the strings in a downward and across the bass ie i push the string down towards the pick ups at same time as across the pickups like a 45 degree angle but when playing lighter i generally pull the string across the pick up more evenly. When i play the harder way its mainly my fingertips that get achy. How often are you gigging ? I'd look at trying to play a bit lighter at gigs, its what i've been trying to do. Dave

I'm curious about what the 2 white bags are in front of the bass drum and what bass you're using there. Dave

Punk gig last night with Emergency Exit in one of our regular venues The Riverside in Dumfries. Pub was fairly busy when we arrived 5pm to set up apparently due to local football team playing there and that meant a lot of very drunk younger guys falling about and being pretty boisterous. Venue has recently been having problems with a neighbour noise complaints so not sure how long it will be able to keep its music licence. Had to start earlier at 7:30 and definite finish at 10:30 without fail. We finished at 10:27 how good was that for planning Gig started off quite busy but the boisterous lads had to be told off by our female singer for getting too close to the band gear while holding beer glasses and spilling a fair bit. They weren't aggressive but just drunken antics you might say. It caused a bit of concern for us tho and was very off-putting as we were constantly having to watch what they were doing. They eventually left for a pub crawl (mmmm that wont last long i was thinking LOL) After that the gig went really well and was a decent sized audience. We had a guest singer for Sheena IS a Punk Rocker from a guy who always attends the Dumfries gigs and he did really well. With the early finish i was home for 12:45 am so that was a nice bonus. Band played well and we had a great laugh thru the set. Audience were bopping away and dancing in the bar so that was good. Few vids appeared on FB but they were taken from one side of the playing area so the bass has a lot of drop outs. The few taken from front of the band sounded good. I decided to give the P bass another try last night and it worked really well on all of the songs, a lot more depth of tone and i think i'll maybe use the P now with the Punk band. There's something about the tone of a P bass that has a warmth about it compared to my other basses. Decided to try what many of the TB Mesa forum guys have suggested by putting my 115 cab on top of the 210 and it doesn't half make a difference to what i hear. I could hear the bass clearly all night. When i have the 210 on top i occasionally get tone low end drop outs because i'm standing directly in front of the cabs. For some odd reason the 115 cab on top doesn't seem to produce that issue. Its an odd one but it works. Dave

I do sense much sadness in your life, but we do appreciate you being here and sharing views from another continent. Dave

Tried the Elixirs and still have them on my Thumb bass for past 10 yrs + but i do find the tension a little tight for me. DR Black Beauties have a similar tension to my D'addarios nickel EXL's. Might give the elixirs another try tho as things have moved on since i last bought them. Dave

Its an interesting one as i do turn my volume up with flats or coated strings which is deliberate so i dont need to play so hard. I do like the aggression with nickel rounds being really hammered, it just offers up a more powerful feel in a song but my little fingers get shredded so i'm currently using DR Black Beauties on 3 of my basses now and they are working well. Dave

I should think so.

wonder which one i am