KingBollock

I saw the thread title and thought "50 basses? That must have cost a bit..."...

I was hoping to have another go this month, had a noodle all planned and everything. Unfortunately I managed to bugger my right knee by throwing myself down the stairs. I have rather badly strained my MCL. It feels fine (now, after almost a week) until I do a couple of very specific things, 1: turn my lower leg outwards, and 2: touch the inside of my knee. The effected area is quite small, about two and a half square inches, but touching it, even lightly, causes blinding, nauseating flashes of pain. Guess where my bass rests when I play... I just can't find a position comfortable enough for me to concentrate on what I'm doing. But I will be voting.

It looks like there might be so much extra wood on it that it could be whittled down and refined into a proper shape. There's a bass in there somewhere, maybe.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1461055163' post='3030921'] An anecdote..? Oh, go on; only a (fairly...) short one. I can..? Ah, well then... My parents met and courted during WWII, and founded a (large; 8 children...) shortly afterwards. They both worked hard, but money was pretty tight, so luxuries were...well, luxuries, so we seldom had any. One of the fashions back in those days were for fur coats; all the 'stars' had 'em. Too expensive for most folks, but one could dream, couldn't one..? The children grew up and left home; Mum and Dad would have, little by little, a bit more disposable income. In secret, and over a decade or so, my Dad put away a medium chunk of money and, as a surprise 50th wedding anniversary, presented my Mum with a splendid mink coat, just like the ones seen on the silver screen in their younger days. Of course, she was delighted. However, their social circles and way of life had changed a lot over time, and she had less occasion to wear it than in the past,and, frankly, fashions had moved on. The moral of the tale..? It's a question of dreams. My Mum had gained a much-coveted fur coat, but had lost a dream of having a fur coat. She was the first to admit that, whilst being very grateful for the intention and attentions of my Dad, the dream was, in fact more valuable to her than its concretion. Back in the '50s and '60s, rock'n'roll, and modern music in general was a dream for many of us, and an almost unobtainable luxury. Not so these days. The current generations have their own aspirations and dreams (X-Factor..? Top footballer..? Fashion designer..? I dunno...); it's the dream that's got value. The realisation of one's dreams is not, always, desirable, or, at least, should be followed by further dreams to aim for. Are we really luckier these days..? Hmm... Not for those still dreaming... [/quote] That makes me think of the radio controlled monster truck kit that I so desperately wanted when I was a kid, and would still love to have to this day. I was twelve and had decided that the £130 monster truck was what I wanted for christmas, more than anything. But my Dad had decided that he wanted to manage a band and made my brothers and me take up musical instruments. He wanted me to play the drums, but I didn't want him to have it all his way and chose the bass instead (being a big Motorhead and Iron Maiden fan it made sense to me). I still look lustily at those kits to this day, and they're still the same price. A couple of years ago my wife offered to buy me one, but I just knew the guilt of spending so much on a toy like that would ruin it for me. I am the only one of my brothers that actually kept up playing my instrument.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1460996714' post='3030499'] Cheers, Blue, my band seem to think I'm doing OK, they like the clearly, better defined sound...and so do I, but I miss the direct contact with the strings. Gig on Friday in my village, so the audience won't hold back from telling me what they think! [/quote] I believe that once you get comfortable using a pick, that feeling of disconnect will go away. A pick really can be versatile and subtle, an extension of the fingers.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1460897500' post='3029579'] Hi OP451, there's nothing to stop you using house paint, but prepared for being always being able to see the brush marks. I've sprayed a few and always used Halfords primer, paint, lacquer. For the rubbing down get hold of some super-fine sandpaper. If you get bits in the spray paint, don't always rush for the sandpaper - sometimes you can get rid of such bits by using the back of the sandpaper. Get a face mask to protect your lungs and take your time. Yes you can use T-Cut. Don't expect perfection. If you want perfection take it to a pro-spray shop; like a crash repairers, or French polishers. I once got quoted £100 for spraying a body. On reflection, with paint, sandpaper, time and the better finish, it's probably worth every penny, but don't let me stop you having fun. It is satisfying. [/quote] Model painters often use old t-shirts for buffing. I bought a pack of micro-mesh a few weeks ago, eight different grade sheets and half of them (the 4,000 to 12,000 grit) are smoother than the cloth backing on them!

Is it me or is the link broken somehow? I keep getting an error message.

This reminds me of my wife and best friend walking in on me bouncing around the room playing guitar along to Shania Twain's Man, I Feel Like A Woman. I was proper going for it, too. Fortunately, they thought it was ace.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1460743016' post='3028457'] I think the carlsbro amps were just so bland that they got a bad rep. It had one and if it had a better cab it might not of been so bad. But in combo form it was boomy and no matter what I did with the eq I couldn't make it sound right. In its defence while being a bit rubbish and not having the best tone it wasn't the worst thing I've heard. I once opened it up was so simple inside but was fairly well put together and used nearly all British parts and the transistors were USA made. Does that make it a boutique amp or future classic!? [/quote] I opened my Carlsboro Stingray up, too. To replace the dodgy bridge rectifier... I ended up swapping it for my first ever PC (a 286 with a monochrome monitor).

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought it sounded really amateurish. If he had played it in his bedroom and put it up on YouTube, the comments would have gone: [i]You're doing well for only playing three months. Keep it up! Dude. You need to relax and learn the basics first. Lol!! I want to have sexual relations with your mum. Don't cry, you should just get more proficient before putting stuff on YouTube... Failed guitarist! Lololololol!!!1![/i] Still, love those cabs, they look ace (going back to the aesthetic look of amps and cabs thread). I was sooo close to buying a couple of the 4x10s a couple of years ago, just because they look cool (and they were going cheap).

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1460586528' post='3027156'] Now that does look useful, and affordable! [/quote] I think finding a pick you like the sound of and modifying it, is your best bet. And Tauzero's Sugru idea is brilliant. Being able to make a pick as thick as you like and also have the grip moulded to the shape of your finger and thumb, has got to be the way to go. I'm tempted to try it myself, I've been meaning to get some Sugru for ages. You don't have to buy it online, craft shops and even Maplins sell it. There are also epoxy putties such as Games Workshop's Green Stuff, that can be had from model shops.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1460661455' post='3027743'] What, not even brushed aluminium, or hand-beaten bronze..? [/quote] Or the classic end of a night out in Newcastle... Face-beaten copper...

I once made a pick out of a two inch steel washer. Even though it is smooth metal, the hole in the middle makes it very easy to grip. It's also the very best pick for metal...

I really like Dunlop Primetones. I switched to them from Stubbies because I prefer the material. They come in a range of shapes and upto 5mm thick. The pattern on them makes them less slippy than Stubbies. I get a lovely tone from them and because of the way the tip tapers, I find them very versatile. They're not cheap, though, but they do last a long time. http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/search/dunlop-primetone

I'd prefer it all to be black. My rack has a white bass amp, black power amp, silver amp modeller/effects unit, metallic burnt orange guitar pre-amp/effects unit and a black tuner. It would annoy me more if say all but one was black. I'm the same with furniture, if I can't have matching everything, then nothing should match. One day I still plan on building a small cab that will look like an animal crate. It'd be a standard cab inside a skin, and bars on the front instead of a grille.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1460565643' post='3026891'] Assume your goods are going to be dropped from head height, thrown around in a truck and stood on by an 18st courier wearing size 13 boots, then pack them accordingly. This is expensive and time-consuming, particularly with cabs, and you need to factor this into the cost. Adding tape and stickers bearing the legends 'Fragile' and 'This way up' and so on is just asking for trouble as items marked in this way are singled out for 'special treatment'. Couriers absolutely loathe and detest their jobs (which is hardly surprising) and grow to loathe and detest people who send stuff AND the people they have to deliver stuff to. It's wrong of course, but that's how it is. [/quote] When I was a kid my dad was a parcel 'umper for Federal Express. He used to laugh about the way they treated certain types of parcels. "Frageelie? Where's Frageelie?" "Dunno, just chuck it in the back!" *lobs parcel as far as he can* Bit of a ****, my dad.

Sounds like they're as dim as the American I once had an argument with who disagreed with me that being in an M1 Tank that was thrown thirty feet in the air by a bomb, might be a bit uncomfortable. His argument was that they wouldn't have even felt it at all because it was an American made tank... He refused to try to understand that the internal organs inside the occupants might get a bit jiggled. Although, I was arguing with him, so who's the dim one?

It would be more important if I had the money to be choosy. It must be somewhat important else I wouldn't have gone to the bother of replacing all the knackered black knobs on my Peavey T-Max (bought secondhand) for nice chrome ones.

My first ever favourite pick was a normal Dunlop 1mm, but I stuck a round, rubber foot from the bottom of a telly to it, which made it about 4mm thick, and so much easier to hold. I played with that thing until there was no actual pick showing around the foot. That was before I discovered 3mm Stubbies. I also had some picks with the hook side of velcro stuck to them. It was so I could attach them to a strip of the other side stuck to my bass, but it made them easier to grip, too. I don't know if thicker picks would be easier for you to hold or not but, if it would, you can still use standard picks but adapt them like I did.

It's a tough one. On one hand, everyone that enters the competition has a bass and a way to record it, so we have a level playing field. Not everyone has a looper or knows how to use one (I have a couple in multi-effects units but I have never used them). The question is: is using a looper an unfair advantage? To say that it is might imply that music made with a looper is fundamentally better than music made without, so it would garner more votes. And because music taste is so subjective, I don't think you can really say that. But how do people choose who to vote for? Do they vote for the tunes they like or for the ones that seem to take more skill (I came third last month, which suggests the latter probably isn't true...), or if they hit a tie for favourite tune, do they then choose the most skilful of the two? Which might give a looper an advantage in that case, if conflating skilful with most complicated to perform. I would probably prefer loopers not to be allowed. However, if they were to be allowed then, to level things out, multi track noodles should be allowed. They would still, strictly be only bass, but it would allow people without a looper to use layers. But I think it gets too far from the original spirit of the competition. 'Ark at me! I've only entered once and I'm not even sure if I will enter this month yet... Edit: Yeah, what Rob said as I was typing this post out slowly with one finger.

Well that was exciting! When I entered I thought it would be nice if I didn't get no votes, so doing as well as I did is ace. Congratulations Rob. It's nice to know that the person that won is someone I voted for. Perhaps I should have voted for myself, too... Kidding! I'd never do that! Not sure if I will enter this time, though. I didn't come up with my noodle for the competition, I recorded the noodle just so I would remember it, and then saw the competition. But we'll see.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1459939255' post='3021012'] I've finally begun to realise, after 37 years of playing, that if I'm looking for fulfilment I'm not going to get it from music. [/quote] Never say never. But then, if you stop looking it might find you.

I know people that took up instruments, and actually got really good at them, that never had any intention of playing live or even with other people. The bass traditionally being a supporting role, I can see how people might find it difficult to imagine someone taking up the bass with no intention of playing with other people. But the bass can be a fun solo instrument, and things like YouTube can allow people to play to other people completely on their own terms, and home recording can fulfill other creative desires. Playing live can be a hassle. You need the right gear, a way to transport it, and there's all the time and effort that goes into that relatively short amount of time on stage. And some people might just not enjoy being on stage. For me, unless I decided to take up bass professionally and make a living from it, if I was offered a place in two identical bands, but one was paying and the other not, I would choose the one that didn't pay. Things tend to get squirly when you throw money into the mix and I would far rather not have the extra hassle. But I am the same in other parts of my life, I am quite happy to do odd jobs for people for free, but I won't do it if they offer me money (this drives my mother-in-law mad. She always wants to offer me something for my time and effort, but eventually she cottoned on to the fact that it just wouldn't get done if she did). My ideal band situation would be with a bunch of people I like, we would meet up at our homes to write original material and have a laugh, and would get together once a week at a rehearsal space to perfect the songs and have a laugh. And once we got it right we would record it. I wouldn't care if it went no further, but the occasional no pressure gig would be nice. I would actually love to gig, but I would want to put on a proper show with good lighting and probably even pyrotechnics, not just a bunch of blokes in jeans and t-shirts. I'd even be prepared to wear makeup if it helped the image and stage show. Unfortunately I live in the middle of nowhere, don't drive, and the music I would really love to play would be something like symphonic, blackened death metal... Not going to happen any time soon... Such a specific genre definition sounds like I am sabotaging my chances, but there is other stuff I would enjoy playing, too.

If you're in an experimental mode and not set in one technique, try as many as you can, but you do have to allow each method enough time to really know for sure if you like it. Three fingers is harder to get used to, but I believe it is worth it if you can stick to it. My favourite three finger (technique wise) player is Adrian Lambert (ex-Dragonforce, Biomechanical), he has a very, very tight technique. Also, don't forget your thumb. I personally struggle to keep three fingers tight, I get very sloppy with it, but I find it much easier if I use my thumb and two fingers, used normally or even rolling as in the banjo technique. I will also occasionally use my thumb and three fingers, assigning each to a string. I find these techniques where I use my thumb and fingers easier than just using my fingers, including just two fingers, which I really struggle with. I am mainly a pick player, but I will also use a pick and my middle and ring fingers at the same time for chords, either one after the other or all plucked at once. It is also handy for adding fast, or simultaneous, octaves while using a pick. Edit: Yeah, what NickD said...