TRBboy

Well done Shelly, I'm really pleased for you! You'll definitely find that both your playing and confidence come on leaps and bounds now. Let us know when/where you're playing!

Are all you guys covers bands? We did a 3 hour set last NYE for considerably less.......

He is great, a very natural player, and he doesn't just fly off and play a million notes a minute. Very sympathetic to the song with a great feel and groove. I discovered Sharay fairly recently when I was looking around YouTube for Gospel bass players. He does obviously have great musical knowledge, and knows his scales and chords etc inside out though.

Just a couple of pics from when we were recording a demo the week before last. I'd pretty much come straight from work and hadn't had time to get changed. [attachment=111961:Studio 2.jpg] [attachment=111963:Studio 1.jpg] [attachment=111962:Studio 3.jpg] Talking about left hand technique, I had a fair old stretch going on in the last pic! Quite a busy walking line in that song.

I still haven't got bored of this album, and I've listened to it almost every day since it came out! My second son was born to it on May 2nd too! This is probably my favourite bassline on the whole album, although there's so many good ones to choose from!

Personally, I always think that good left hand technique is with the thumb in about the middle of the neck pointing upwards (perpendicular to the neck), with the wrist dropped down which allows more accurate and comfortable fingering. Your hand should be as relaxed as possible too. Any contact with the palm of your hand should be minimal, maybe only when your reaching for the E or B string perhaps. This relaxed style with just the thumb and fingertips in contact with the bass not only helps to reduce tension and stress in the fingers, hand, wrist and forearm, but also allows much more accurate and dexterous playing, with minimum effort. It can feel a bit unnatural at first, especially if you already have bad habits, but after a little practice the benefits can really be felt.

FWIW the SR700 is by far the best non-prestige Soundgear I've played. Dunno if it's the maple centre block or what, but it seemed a better all-round instrument than the SR500. Sounded a bit more solid and snappy.

It's awesome! Certainly would make you stand out from the crowd!

I reckon the Thumb really is the epitome of "that Warwick sound". Punch and growl in abundance!

[quote name='Jigster' timestamp='1341001560' post='1712828'] ah, some experts online! I know it's pretty self explanatory, but occurs to me that in passive the Basic has no eq - does any of the knobs do tone control? [/quote] No unfortunately. On the California series, which have the two-band eq, the treble pot becomes a passive tone control. I reckon it would be worth emailing Glockenklang, because I'm sure it must be possible to do. Alternatively, you can buy a Glockenklang 3 band pre from Thomann, which has the passive tone control, swap them over and just leave the blend pot inside the cavity.

[quote name='kennyrodg' timestamp='1340999310' post='1712793'] Cheers Guys, There's a fairly nice looking Jazzman on the bay atm, a little bit battle scared though. A mate of mine had an FNA Jazzman a while back, what a sweetie !! Cheers Luke, you never know bud.Very kind of you to offer bud. In terms of tone then which I guess is why I'm drawn to that video, well that and Susan Tedeschi (who can do no wrong for me) I should be looking out for a Thumb then ?? [/quote] Obviously it's always advisable to try before you try, but I think you really need to have a good go on a Thumb to know if it's the one for you. The small body and short upper horn is an issue for some people (myself included). A bolt on Thumb 5 was my first "proper" bass in 1997, and although I LOVED the sound of it, it just didn't work for me geometrically in the end. First fret can feel a very long way away from you! Awesome basses, but just make sure you spend some time with one before taking the plunge.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1340750376' post='1709264'] Love the Sandberg Basic I got off Oli AKA TRBboy Such an excellent bass, build quality, feel, sound. I haven't got bored yet so it must be good. Contemplating a custom jobbie though in memory of my old Sterling. Stphen [/quote] Glad you're still loving it dude! I really miss that bass, if I had enough money I would have kept it for sure! Time's going too slowly waiting for my new one........ Really diggin' my KT5 though at the moment, it's amazing. I should do a proper porn shoot with it actually and post the pics. I've played/owned quite a few Sandbergs now, and I just don't think they're capable of making a bad instrument.

[quote name='Kongo' timestamp='1340934160' post='1711788'] That's what the general census seems to say...Yet I always seem to be the other way round? Hmmm but then again, maybe it's technique? Take my Yamaha TRB6II...very well made bass so the fretwork is fantastic (although the years are beginning to show). Last gauge was .25 .45 .65 .85 .105 .135, action pretty damn low. Now I've gone back to .30 .45 .65 .80 .100 .130 I can get it lower, same on my cheaper basses, whereas before the string would always catch a higher fret. other than tension...I do wonder the physics behind this. But yeah, high action causing pain? Unless your playing some sloooooow Blues lines or something it's not worth keeping action high any more. More wear on hands. Oh and a random note...also cause of hand pain? Too much Vitamin A...True story. :-P [/quote] I agree, I seem to be able to get a lower action with the lighter gauge strings (although I don't actually measure my action). I know technically you should be able to get it lower with heavier gauge strings because the increased string tension = less travel of the string when plucked, but I find that i want to hit the heavier strings harder to get the response I want whereas with the lighter gauge I can play much lighter and get the response I want. It also just feels like there's less tension in the neck, which seems to help too.

[quote name='Kongo' timestamp='1340900050' post='1711307'] Keep em as spares. I used Roto's for a bit but quickly came back. That tone your enjoying won't last, that's if one doesn't snap whilst tuning. That's my experience with em anyway. Aching hands though? Careful dude. If things get too tough during a song and it's just rehearsal, back off and shake off when you can. RSI / Carpel Tunnel LOVES to jump you at those moments. Few years ago I was minding my own business when all of a sudden...BOOM my hand stopped working and pain shot all over...RSI from nowhere. 2 months healing and THEN getting them back to strength after. [/quote] I'll have to see how the Rotos wear, I haven't used them for donkeys years but I seem to remember them dulling quickly. I don't see why any stainless steel string shouldn't last for ages! I just wish D'addario did the same gauge in the Prosteels, but maybe I'll just have to give the set with the 75 and 95 a go after all. I don't usually have a problem with aching hands really, and I'm always concious of my technique and hand position and well aware of carpel tunnel, etc. It's just sometimes, depending on what I'm playing and for how long, I might get a little discomfort. For instance, last week in the studio, one track we recorded has a pretty busy walking bassline where my left hand is at full stretch for almost the entire song. 3 takes and those heavier gauge D'addarios meant that my hand was starting to hurt a bit!

Well, my new strings arrived today; Rotosound SM665 .040", .060", .0.80", .100", .125". I usually always buy D'addario Prosteels, but I didn't fancy the .075" and .095" A and E strings. I quickly whacked them on in 5 minutes before band practice tonight, and wow! what a difference! Of course they're a different brand so it's hard to make a direct comparison, but they felt much easier under both hands but especially my left hand. I could play with a much lighter touch and didn't get any aching in my left hand, which I sometimes get after a 3 hour rehearsal. There didn't really seem to be any flappiness or buzzing, which I was expecting a little of, and the low B was much better IMO because it had much more definition and presence. I was impressed that there didn't They sounded spot on to me too, less of a big bottom end boom, and much more of a punchy, growly midrange. My bass certainly seemed to sit better in the mix tonight, and cut through amazingly without overpowering everything else. Amazing what difference a set of strings can make! I just wish I'd had them on last week when we recorded, instead of the heavier gauge D'addarios. I can see myself going back in to re-do the bass parts....... I'm sold! Dunno what to do with the D'addarios though? They only did a 2 hour studio session last week, but obviously I cut them to fit my bass (3+2 headstock), so I can't really sell them......

[quote name='Rowley Birkin QC' timestamp='1340626562' post='1707165'] Just acquired my California JM4 from a fellow BC'er........love it! Sounds great through the TC rig too. [attachment=111424:Sandberg.jpg] [/quote] Congrats dude, another convert! feels good don't it........ Was it from Mikeh by any chance?

[quote name='bassfunk' timestamp='1340735662' post='1708956'] Hi, we use a Q3 to record rehearsals and gigs. It's easy to use and you could get a small tripod to hold it steady. To give you an idea these videos were recorded with it: [media]http://youtu.be/jrKSa1ntSBA[/media] [media]http://youtu.be/WFJNAY_YWoI[/media] So I think it would do the job nicely. The other option is an interface and webcam, you'd then have to sync the audio and video. [/quote] It seems to do the job pretty well! I'm surprised how well it copes with being right up close to the PA speakers!

As it says above really! Pretty much the last time I did any home recording was about 15 years ago with a Tascam cassette 4-track! I'd like to be able to post vids on YouTube, but I don't really know what's the best way to go about it to get decent sound quality, without spending much money. And it needs to be pretty straight forward! Would I be best to use some sort of interface and a webcam, or should I just get something like a zoom Q3? I guess I could use the latter for recording my band too... I've got an older version of Cubase on my laptop which I've never used, and a digital camera that does video, a flip camcorder and a zoom H2. If it's possible to use any combination of these things to get the desired effect then great!

I asked New Moon LOTS of questions when I took out my policy. The "theft from an unattended vehicle" thing is like on your normal car insurance really: if you've left something valuable in plain sight, they wouldn't pay out. However, New Moon advised me that as long as I'd taken all reasonable steps to conceal the gear, and it wasn't blatantly obvious what it was, they would pay out. The example we used was that if you had a bass on the back seat with some sort of cover/blanket/sheet over it, they would pay out. I also quizzed them about the usually grey area of theft whilst loading/unloading. I said what happens if I'm loading the car after a gig, take something out to the car and when I walk back into the venue my bass has gone. They said they would pay out, and process it as a straight forward theft. AFAIK New Moon have been set up and underwritten by Hiscox specifically to be a specialist Musical Instrument insurer, and I think they're trying to out-do most of the competition and try to establish themselves as the best. Most other companies who do MI insurance do everything else too, and I think that New Moon are very customer focused and are able to concentrate 100% on meeting the needs of musicians.

Very, very nice! Beautiful birdseye maple there!

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1340652413' post='1707671'] +1 to the above. Fingerboards seem to dry out more quickly in bright light, at least in my living room, which is sunny, British weather permitting, and relatively warm (but the basses are in a slightly cooler corner, protected by a curtain). My basses have rosewood and ebony fingerboards; I haven't had the opportunity to work on the ebony yet, but I've cleaned the rosewood ones with Fast Fret - it does say on the container that it's safe for fingerboards! - and they are now as smooth as new. The thin layer of mineral oil applied with the normal Fast Fret brush is completely absorbed after a couple of days max, and leaves no residue. [/quote] Fast fret is safe for fretboards, but it's really designed for cleaning your strings. I think it just means that it won't have any detrimental affect when you inevitably get some on your fretboard! The best product to clean and moisturize your fretboard is lemon oil (although don't use it on maple). I use it every time I re-string. Another good product I use every time I re-string is Planet Waves Fret Polishing System, which is basically a pack of very, very fine abrasive cloths. Not only do they make your frets nice and shiny, but regular fret polishing will help to reduce obvious, localised fret wear.

I think it would have looked much nicer with chrome hardware and a white pearloid pickguard.

As far as the body goes, I would contact Elrick and ask directly. If it is an oil or wax rubbed finish it should be easy enough to keep on top of. Just keep it clean and apply some more oil or wax every now and then. Any bass will eventually show signs of wear if it gets played a lot, but natural finishes are perhaps more prone to showing it more quickly than gloss finishes. Having it on a wall hanger shouldn't be a problem, but try to make sure it's out of direct sunlight, and not anywhere particularly hot/cold/damp etc.

[quote name='Kongo' timestamp='1340582576' post='1706692'] Nope, through bridge. Yamaha TRB6II, so 35" scale. The taper towards the headstock falls shy of the nut. :-/ [/quote] Ah yes, that rings a bell.....! I've got a feeling that with my last TRB1005, the winding used to finish JUST on the right side of the nut.

Bleeeurgh! I've just been sick in my mouth. It looks like when a cheap, no-name, far-east manufacturer tries to make what they feel is an "upmarket" looking bass (although that does look like a quality piece of quilted maple).