tauzero

[quote name='jsixties' post='1072860' date='Dec 30 2010, 04:31 PM']Absolutely terrible. I don't know if is worst the "artist" work or the seller description . [/quote] It could be worse. It could be an Oly White Fender Jazz with nothing at all done to it.

The shop is empty...

[quote name='Merton' post='1073107' date='Dec 30 2010, 08:18 PM']I just "accidentally" phoned Mark @ Bass Direct (twice, bloody HSBC...) and "accidentally" paid for an MB200 to be my home/practice amp. Now just gotta wait for the tiny thing to arrive [/quote] At least the postman will be able to put it through the letterbox.

[quote name='mep' post='1072912' date='Dec 30 2010, 05:21 PM']And me. I've tried others, but always come back to JD nylon 1mm's[/quote] That's what I use - I don't use them much on bass but I do about 50/50 fingerpick and plectrum on guitar, using the JDs, and I just use the same plectrums on bass.

[quote name='Marvin' post='1073135' date='Dec 30 2010, 08:45 PM']With regard to the subject of U2 I've never understood the moaning about Clayton's playing. Most of the whinging seems to emanate from people who don't even like U2. It's not bass driven music so it doesn't require 'look at me' lines. Anything more 'colourful' wouldn't fit in, there's no space for it - the focus of U2 are Bono's lyrics/voice and Edge's guitar playing. Arguing that one could play a better line is a mute point, and somewhat irrelevant as only the 0.0000x% of nerdy bass players in the general populous would be listening to it anyway.[/quote] With U2, there's also quite a bit of difference between songs where the bass and drums are simply providing a platform for Bono and the Edge (eg. "With or without you") and those where the bass is providing a melodic glue (eg. "One"). I'm not much of one for playing the chugging note but I enjoy playing "With or without you" far more than the dreary "Dakota".

[quote name='nick' post='1072283' date='Dec 29 2010, 11:28 PM']It's a Gherson 'Finger Picar' - daft name or what! [/quote] It could have been worse, it could have been the "Jean-Luc Picar".

[quote name='jezzaboy' post='1069237' date='Dec 25 2010, 01:28 PM']I drop the bottom string to E flat but still play the A in the 5th fret position as normal and it sounds a semi tone lower? And this makes it easier for the singer? And is this called concert pitch?[/quote] Yes, yes, and no. Concert pitch is 440Hz A. 40 years ago or so, when I was living at home and we had an upright joanna, it used to be tuned a semitone down from concert - which, my dad told me, was standard tuning (ie. standard was a semitone down from concert). Always caused problems with my violin playing as the pianos at school were in concert pitch so if I retuned to the piano at home, it needed tuning again at school.

[quote name='Roland Rock' post='1066309' date='Dec 21 2010, 11:41 PM']2: I'll focus on the bass player and compare their standard to my own. If I feel they're better than me, I'll sit back and enjoy the show. If I feel they're not as good as me, a bit of smugness creeps in. I'm not proud of this, and generally regard myself as a nice person, but that's how it is.[/quote] When my current band was invited by my old band (who had dumped me for a mate of the guitarist's) to support them, this was the one. I managed to conceal being unbearably smug quite well, I think.

Happy Christmas to you all from everyone at Zero Towers.

Like Jennifer, I have a 6-string Grind. I had a play of assorted 5-string basses at PMT and found the Grind 5 was the most playable. I would like it active for preference so I might put an Artec preamp into it at some point.

[quote name='dbass' post='1062265' date='Dec 18 2010, 09:28 AM']Also - what is quite interesting to know - the Planet waves have those sprung jacks that "hold" them in your bass...after many chats with Warwick owners this actually buggers the inside of the jack socket up by applying unnecessary pressure. Happened to my FNA Jazzman and Thumb.[/quote] One was supplied with my Variax guitar. The guitar kept cutting out. When I put a reasonable quality stereo J-J lead (for the phantom power) in its place, the problem went away.

[quote name='dmccombe7' post='1066007' date='Dec 21 2010, 06:39 PM']Something I'll need to look at is strap locks but not sure where to start ? Any advice there would be great. I have a Warwick Thumb NT, Overwater Progress 6 string fretless, Fender Jazz.[/quote] Didn't your Thumb come with Schaller straplocks on? I use the Boston Schaller clones (they have two nuts on the strap bit so less prone to that bit coming off the strap). I get mine from [url="http://www.dangleberrymusic.co.uk/c-52-guitar-straplocks.aspx"]Dangleberry Music[/url] - all my basses and guitars have them.

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' post='1066367' date='Dec 22 2010, 02:15 AM']One other thing is that I pretty much don't know any other musicians my age. I never did music at school plus I'm shy when put on the spot like if I had to do an audition. Also Irvine ( where I stay ) doesn't do jam nights as far as I know.[/quote] Skank has responded well to this. As he says, age doesn't matter - I'd been gigging for ten years before the other members of one of my bands were born. And although I did music at school, it was violin, and it's a bugger getting a bass under your chin.

[quote name='noelk27' post='1065260' date='Dec 20 2010, 10:54 PM']If this plays anything like the guitar version my mate was using late 70s/early 80s it's best avoided. Truly horrendous.[/quote] That would account for it being under the bed for 35-40 years.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='1065397' date='Dec 21 2010, 09:09 AM']It's funny, whenever I read these threads, the common theme seems to be "I don't need the lower notes". It's not just about the lower notes, it's about increasing the ease of reaching notes without shooting off down the fretboard... e.g. the availability of hitting an F on the B at the 6th fret rather than going down to the 1st fret on the E string. As stated, it also makes transposition on the fly a hell of a lot easier.[/quote] The fact that there are so many who don't get it is quite handy, as it means there's all those basses for sale where the advert starts "I've tried 5-string and it's not for me". I do drop down to the bottom D occasionally, but generally as a passing note in a fill (probably a pentatonic widdle when I'm playing A), or, of course, in "Run to you" or "Summer of 69". I keep my options open - I tend to play 4-string with the ceilidh band, I play 5-string with one covers band and the originals band, and 6-string with the other covers band. Helps keep my brain active.

Bass God. A man can dream...

Playing with others, as has been said. And try to play with as wide a variety of bands as you can - I started playing with a ceilidh band a little while ago and it's actually taught me quite a bit. I've been playing for 35 years but still learning. Walking bass lines - there's rules for constructing them, eg. [url="http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/archive/index.php?t-591737.html"]here[/url], which should help, but the key point is to listen to them.

[quote name='casapete' post='1062442' date='Dec 18 2010, 01:35 PM']Mmmm.. I thought 'D' too, but sounds (to me anyway) like the guitarist plays the solos as if it's in 'G'??? When we play it we always do a big rall and finish on the 'D' though![/quote] That means you're finishing the song with the wrong chord...

Currently not using effects with either covers band but do with the originals band (Korg AX3000B, mainly chorus and octave). I think I'll be using the Korg with one of the covers bands though.

Rule of thumb - the final chord of the song is the key that it's in. See "'i' after 'e' except after 'c'".

I hope that Ricky is going to get a nice psychedelic refin to go with the scratchplate.