fretmeister

I have Ti flats on my P, and Dunlop flats on my medium scale Ibby 5 string Mezzo. I have rounds on my Sandberg and on my 4 string Ibby Mezzo. I haven't decided about my Ibby EHB multiscale yet. I've tried both and I like both on it. I am not a fan of heavy and stiff old flats like the La Bella ones or Chromes. I don't like to fight the instrument. I find that different basses, even with the same scale length, often need different strings that suit them best. I have tried rounds on my P and flats on my Sandberg etc but they don't seem to suit quite as well, although the Sandberg nearly got stuck with EB Group 4 flats - they were very nice on that bass. There's a lot of nonsense about flats on a P being "the" classic sound. I'd say it is just a very common sound, but that rounds with a P (the right P) gives just as much of a classic sound. Different genres need different approaches for the most part. I like the feel of flats for most things. I like the lack of string noise when moving around the neck, but I'd I'm having a Sheehan moment then I prefer the grip that a round gives me. I think what I'm trying to say is - you need at least 2 of every bass so you can have flats and rounds. And maybe tapes. And coated. And Half / Pressurewounds. So at least 5 of every bass.

As per other posts - you have to tell them you'll cancel the gig if he doesn't learn to count. Don't tell them obviously - just add another couple of weeks between the last rehearsal and the next one and tell him to adapt. He sounds like a right eijit. Even well know jazz armhole band leaders wouldn't take a 14 bar solo just because of the "feel!"

I used to use a B3K on very low levels for clean - just to give some harmonic richness. It was very nice.

I love my Helix - admittedly I don't take it to my big band gig, but for everything else it is fantastic. Great sounds that can be easily tweaked for the room / bass / style Mine is the rack helix and since the beginning of lockdown it has become the heart of my home studio - it is my interface and my soundcard for normal PC use. It's just dead easy to use. I've been playing for 34 years and I genuinely think it is the best single bit of equipment I've ever had.

I prefer DR Pure Blues to Sunbeams. The PB are smoother. I’ve gone back to D’addario nickels though as I like their lower tension better. They are brighter out of the packet but they mellow quickly enough.

The necks are the same.

AmpliTube free for iOS. Dead easy and you can buy extra bass amp models if you want. But you don’t have to. There’s an Ampeg on there free. It has a Note at the bottom, you just click and it will import from your iTunes to play along with. Its great.

Nah - brilliant name, brilliant colour. My favourite was on a marker pen though, called "Personal Inflammation Red"

I've "liked" a video with one of them that hasn't shown up for you yet to see if that makes a difference.

I've got 3 YT accounts so I've followed you from all of them. Hopefully that will work. Maybe there is a time limit so the 100 followers is a constant and not a blip?

Well - not the 3 guys at the back anyway!

Marshall ED-1 Compressor - lovely little thing. Some are a bit noisy so worth playing a few to find a quiet one. Dano Cool Cat Fuzz - a fantastic filthy fuzz

I tend to set them so I’ve got a bit of movement each way for easy stage tweaks. P - tone at about 60%. Then I can tweak for the song. Then I can have Jamerson at one end and Duff at the other. Active 2 band - bass at the detente and treble a little bit down. Active 3 with mid sweep. Bass at detente, treble a bit down. Often the Q on the treble for a 3 band is quite narrow so I move the mid freq as high as it will go and reduce that a bit as well. I’ve got a 10 band EQ on my mini board too, but mainly for solving dodgy room issues.

Strat maple fingerboards are coated so it’s not the wood being smooth. And on modern instruments the frets are too tall for the string to make any contact with the board at all. If bending is hard work, polish the frets not the wood.

Nice!

Easy then - it comes with a bag! It's not Mono standard, but it's not crap either. I'm happy to use it.

They come with a half decent bag but I don't know about a case. When I get a moment I'll do some photos next to a tape measure, if that would be any use?

Following on from Happy Jack's experiments with the Hotone Thunder Bass. On another forum someone has suggested an 18V drill battery. Just need to find a way to get it hooked up safely. Although at this rate I'm just going to credit card a Bari sax and have done with it!

I fancied having a Pedulla too - it's a nice shape. But they weigh far too much for me, alas.

Worth a look - thank you. I've got a Tech21 preamp that I could use with that sort of a set up.

Yes.

I've heard you play - you're not clumsy! Just misguided!

I've only got one, but Sandberg I think. They just fit my hands so well. Tech21 kit as well. Just amazing stuff. Markbass amps - despite my complaints about the regular model EQ points I really like them. I sold mine a little while ago and I'm regretting it. Next year I'll have to have a look at the new Andrew Gouche head. That looks fantastic to me. Can't wait to try it.

I've been discharged from therapy now with home exercises. I'm told it probably won't get any straighter now but I can build some of the strength back at least. The PIP joint is stiffer / a bit arthritic now as a result of needing to be immobilised for so long to get the tendon to knit but it's also lot better than it was. As long as I can have 10 mins of warming up before playing properly it behaves itself most of the time. I'm very happy to be playing with fingers again. The fear of having to play with a plectrum URGH! Might as well give up and become a guitarist!!