fretmeister

Buttercream is a lovely colour! Here is mine: No I'm not selling!

All sandberg relics have 3 level options. Soft Hardcore Masterpiece. Soft doesn't have any neck or guard relicing. Hardcore has guard and headstock and some neck colouring. Masterpiece does the entire neck in great detail - that's why Masterpiece costs loads more. I've got a Hardcore and the guard is definitely done.

The sharp frets complaint appears to be common - it's been mentioned on the fretboard today as well.

[quote name='Stuart Clayton' timestamp='1426524822' post='2718837'] Without wanting to self-promote too much, I wrote a series of books on reading music which have been very popular. You can check them out here: [url="https://www.basslinepublishing.com/bass-essentials.html"]https://www.bassline...essentials.html[/url] Stuart [/quote] I've got these and I'm finding them very useful. I've also got "Simplified Sight Reading for Bass" and the excellent Sight Reading Machine app on my iPad - it generates new things with each page turn and then plays them back to you. You can set the instrument, time and key signatures, tempo - you can even set limits on the range of notes. So if you want to start just within the stave and not worry about ledger lines you can. And I'm also using a couple of early Double Bass books (ignoring the bow of course!) such as http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abracadabra-Double-Bass-Andrew-Marshall/dp/0713670975/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428575226&sr=8-1&keywords=Abracadabra+bass That is really BEFORE Grade 1 level so it's a great start. But the biggest hint I can give is - do a little bit every day. It's far better than 30 mins or an hour only once per week. Structure it almost like a lesson and homework. So pick one or 2 short and simple tunes and then practice them for 10 mins per day for a week. (Most beginner tunes are only 2 or 3 staves). In a week you should be able to master them. Then a week later decide on 2 new ones and then practice them for a week. This approach copies my kids' music lessons and I'm following it too and it's doing wonders for my sight reading.

WASP version of "The Real Me" Johnny Rod alters Ox's bass part and makes it better.

[quote name='police squad' timestamp='1427044472' post='2725013'] and it weighs 12 pounds on the bathroom scales [/quote] Put some Hipshot Ultra-lites on it and it will "only" weigh about 11.5lb then!! Blimey though - I get upset at more than 9.5lb. I had a lovely lovely lovely Yamaha Attitude 3 - but that was 12lb as well and had to go. I just couldn't do it.

That one's a bit dear! I shall keep an eye on eBay.

£15,000 gets you a halfway good orchestral double bass. £50,000 gets you a pro level instrument. Handcarved to your spec.... Do you want a house or a bass? Bass guitars, even Fodera, are cheap by comparison.

I've had very few basses that didn't have neck dive. If I like the bass then I put Hipshot Ultralites on it to cure the problem (in most cases)

Rock gig - nothing. Time for ears to recover. Orchestra - usually Skindred!

Listen to everything Jack Bruce ever did.

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1427972749' post='2736454'] +1. Having an F on the E string sounding different from the same F on the B string, for example can be a distinct advantage. [/quote] I recall Lee Sklar making that very point that the difference can be a compositional tool in itself.

Don't confuse string thickness with tension. They are not the same thing. The material and the construction method are far more important than the thickness.

Marleaux Consat Custom. Not cheap, but still way cheaper.

I like pimping my basses - but there has to be enough right with it in the first place. For me the neck profile and the balance of the instrument is vital. No amount of reasonably priced pimping will sort out a neck that isn't comfy. Balance can sometimes be pimped - If an otherwise comfortable bass is a bit neck heavy but has old fashioned tuners on it then a set of Hipshot Ultra-lites can cure the problem. On a 5 string bass with trad tuners (Fender, Sandberg, Musicman etc) a change to Ultra-lites can save 1/2 pound. And that 1/2 pound is all saved from the headstock. The difference can be amazing. I'm about to do a pickup swap in my Stingray5. I love the feel of the bass and the neck profile, but I find the sound a bit too aggressive for my current needs. But I'm not afraid to get the router out if it will make an already brilliant bass perfect!

Wow! I need to start saving so I can have something that light when I'm old and knackered.

5.7lb!!!!! What the smeg is it? Is it a U-Bass?

[quote name='patrikmarky' timestamp='1427745464' post='2733842'] My local pmt told me they or any other branch can get ernie ball on sale or return from there distributors ..might be worth a call [/quote] That could be useful. Thank you.

I've been trawling through the official stockists to try and find a 4 string Sterling to try. Loads of places have plenty of Stingrays with a variety of pickup and fingerboard options - but no Sterlings! It's the neck shape I'm most interested to try as the Ray 4 string is a bit chunky for me. Anyone seen a USA Sterling anywhere in the East Mids / Beds / Bucks / Northants area?

Empress Compressor. Best I've ever found, and I'm a compression junkie.

I'm rusty but I play sax. Great instrument.

For big loud gigs I prefer to rehearse with the exact set up I will be performing with. For woodwind based ensembles then I'm almost happy within anything as long as I've got my small pedal board (tuner, compressor, VT-Bass-DI)

The Little Marks are not class d. They are class C. The F1 is D.