dmccombe7

You get to a point where its more distinguished looking to go grey/white. I speak from experience. Well that's what my wife tells me. The beard has long gone and was just a trial during lockdowns to see how it looked. Dave

Only just clocked this and i'm in. Dan is one of those nice guys you know in this world. Nice guy and absolute gent. Happy to help. Dave

Good luck with the surgery and hopefully a speedy recovery. I would tell the band now what's happening and take advice from your consultant on how to proceed. As mentioned before you need to do what the physio says and not to overdo things and possibly set you back a bit. Focus on your recovery rather than worrying about bands / gigs. If your GP / consultant is ok with you playing keys or you can use your other hand to play the bass parts then by all means go for it but only if YOU want to or feel like doing it. Don't be pressured by the band to play before you are ready. All the very best Dave

What version did you settle on for NFG ? More important ........... what amp are you gonna try next. ? Dave

what were the new heads you bought. ? I'd like to stay clear of them. Dave

Nice bass i was looking at one of them in white at Bass Direct just last night. Dave

Ach i say that to everyone, its a common courtesy plus i'm hoping he gives me his red Ric bass when he retires. Dave

Wow you certainly don't look your age @Cat Burrito wearing well. I had you down as late 30's low 40's at most. Dave

We definitely do, probably the best fun band i've been in. We all get along so well in the band too and we have some great laughs when are in the changing rooms (ooohhh Matron !!!!!) Dave

Fantastic night in Beat Generator in Dundee with 70's Glam Rock covers band BLOCKBUSTARZ. First time at this venue, well to be honest my first time in Dundee centre and have to say i was impressed. Looks like a good day out could be had there. Bit of a pain loading in and out with 3 flights of stairs but no PA to carry. Good size stage a bonus. Sound was first class from SE and PA was good quality. All in all a great venue and really nice owner too. Good sized crowd too that spent first 6 songs just watching us before they eased off into a bit of dancing. Many had even dressed up in their 70's Glam gear so that was good to see. It was more like a concert audience, all standing from front of stage to the back entrance door so pretty full by looks of it. It was a door money deal 70/30 to us so we ended up with a tidy sum at the end of the night. They want us back this year again and owner said the feedback was astounding. Not just a band but a full show. Had to cut the set short as they only wanted two 1 hr sets whereas we normally do 1hr:15mins first set and 1hr :30mins the second set. On stage 9pm finished back of 10 and back on 10:15 to 11:30 altho we were asked for more and got permission from owner to do another encore. Very warm night but everyone was happy. Sandberg VM4 into Shure wireless and then into Roland mfx then into Handbox WB-100 head and Mesa 210/115 cabs. I'll add some pics when they come in. Dave

Did you buy it 2nd hand from a guy North of Watford. ? Dave

Its all in your head Michael now stop whining and get on with it Dave ( a youngster at 63 )

I restarted at 50 and by 51 i was in a deep purple tribute band and since then i've been in several different bands. Once you get back into it you will be out gigging within a shorter time than you think especially if you can be flexible with the style of music you play. All the very best with your new journey. Dave

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