BigRedX

Only applies to their round core strings - something that should be explained better on their web site and packaging IMO.

The graphics card must support “Metal”. There’s a list of compatible cards somewhere which I will look for later. IIRC for best compatibility you need an AMD rather than NVIDIA card. Edit: read this article https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/production-expert-1/2018/6/12/how-do-you-find-mojave-compatible-graphics-cards-for-cheese-grater-apple-mac-pro-51-computers for compatible cards.

I would agree. I've just upgraded from a 2008 MacPro 3,1 2.8Ghz 8 core with 16GB RAM (which cost me £350 just over 3 years ago) to a 2010 MacPro 5,1 3.46 GHz 6 core with 64GB RAM which cost £600. (These are proper Xeon desktop/server processors rather than the i-series that are found in most consumer grade computers). The only thing wrong with the old one was the fact that it wouldn't run an OS newer than El Capitan and I needed to upgrade the OS in order to have the latest versions of Adobe Creative Cloud for my work. The old Mac was more than capable of running any of my music projects in Logic.

Rather than looking at the platform, look at which DAW and which plug-ins you want to use as some are only available for one OS or the other. IME unless you are a very experienced and technically-savvy Windows user, the money you save by not buying a Mac will be used up in the extra time spent troubleshooting.

I don't see what the fuss is all about. It's just an extra string. The tuning interval between this extra string and the others doesn't change irrespective of whether you go for low B or high C - it's still a 4th down or up, so all you playing patterns transpose perfectly. Having said that I've pretty much played 5-strings only since I switched back to mainly playing bass in the late 80s. There is one thing that helps. Stop switching between your old 4-string basses and the 5-string unless you are going to use the two different types of bases for different bands and/or styles of music. I had a brief spell of playing 4-string fretless at the same time as playing fretted 5-string, mainly because I hadn't found a 5-string fretless that was as good as my fretted basses, but getting a good 4-string fretless was much easier. But because I only used the 4-string on songs where I played fretless and the 5-string on songs that needed a fretted bass, there was never any confusion. At the moment I play 5-string basse in one band and Bass Vi in another. The baselines I play for the two bands different styles so once again there is no confusion between the two.

I've just had a quick look at the options available for Hardware recorders that are currently being produced and all of them appear to work on the principle that if you want to do anything more than rudimentary editing you will be transferring the files into a computer based DAW, the hardware unit simply being means of having a portable recording device that you use on location rather than transporting your computer. Also unless you are using paid for plug-ins with live authorisation copy protection (which wouldn't be available to you on a hardware recorder) you don't need an internet connection for your dedicated computer to function.

If you are looking at the expense of buying a hardware digital multi-track recorder, but prefer the practicality that a large display brings, then why not just buy a dedicated computer to do your recording on?

IME Titebond will be too thick to be pulled into the cracks in the manner that Andyjr1515 describes, so you will need thin Superglue for stabilising the existing neck construction and Titebond for re-attaching the fingerboard.

It what we do best...

With a £5k budget a Gus G3 wouldn't be out of the question, provided you didn't go mad on the extras.

Warwick Red Label. Excellent value for money and surprisingly long-lasting.

No. What I was trying to say is short-term a lacquered fretboard (irrespective of the wood used) is easier to maintain. So long as you do it every month or so (depending on how much time you spend playing it) it is basically wipe clean. However eventually the lacquer will wear away and the fingerboard need refinishing. Long term an unfinished dark wood fretboard will easier. The regular cleaning routine will be more effort, but it will take much longer before the actual wear to the wood becomes a problem compared with a lacquered board. The wood used for the fingerboard is irrelevant, unless it is an unfinished light coloured wood which I would not recommend, because it will be almost impossible to keep clean.

Having been the person in the past who has required multiple takes in order to nail a tricky part, I know that there is nothing more boring for the rest of the band to be sitting there waiting for me to finally get it right. I wouldn't want to be inflicting this on my band members and I would prefer (and be thankful) for them to leave and let me get on with it. If another band member was in the same situation and they needed/wanted me to be there because they are after my opinion on the sound and/or performance then I would be happy to stay.

The whole point of getting a luthier to make you a custom bass is that they do all the hard work for you. When I had my Sei made, I picked them because I liked one of their bass shapes. Other than that I specified 5-string fretless in grey and orange that had the potential to make me sound like Mick Karn. Martin Petersen at Sei did everything else. When I was unsure about a specification he had me play a selection of basses in the shop and asked me what I liked and disliked about them. Then he used that information to make my bass. Any luthier who is not going to offer this level of service is IMO not worth using.

During a recording session, if I'm not actually required to in the studio there for the purposes of either playing or to comment on the sound and/or performance, then AFAIAC there is no point me being there, so I'm not. If someone requires numerous takes to get the right performance that's fine, but they shouldn't expect the rest of the band to witness it and IME they would probably perform better without an audience.

There never was one. The bass version was Squier only.

Very early on in my bass playing gigging career, I broke a string during the first song and had no spare strings and no spare bass. I had to borrow the support band's violin bass which was strung with flats and consequently played and sounded nothing like mine, for the rest of the set. The next day I went out and bought a couple of sets of strings and found a cheap bass to use as a back up. Since then I have whenever transport space allows brought a spare bass to gigs - which meant that in the days when I was playing both fretted and fretless basses with the same band I had 4 basses on stage with me. I have only ever had two more string breaks at gigs. Luckily I had a spare bass with me which was just as well since on both occasions none of the other bands on the bill had a bass guitarist in their line up.

Thanks! There will hopefully be a "live" video for The man Who Hides From Love up soon.

Dingwall.

Thanks. The track which is most likely going to be the next single - The Man Who Hides From Love - has just been picked up for the daytime playlist on BBC Radio Nottingham. It's not the big time, but it's a step up from just being played once or twice on the weekly local music program which is the best most local bands can hope for.

4 out of 5 of my Hercules stands developed the sticky handle symptoms and were all promptly replaced. Unfortunately cleaning with meths or similar is only a short-term fix as the stickiness is caused by the plastic used in this batch breaking down, so while you are curing the symptoms it's doing nothing for the underlying cause and eventually the plastic of the handle will disintegrate. I would have no problems buying more Hercules stands. The bad plastic appears to have been limited to a particular production run and has been noted and fixed. Besides what are the alternatives for guitars and basses with asymmetrical bodies. Over the past 40 years I've owned numerous makes of guitar stands, but the Hercules has been by far the most convenient.

When mixing I only ever want to hear instruments solo'd when I can hear something wrong and want to know exactly what it is, so we can work out how to make it not sound wrong.

I had all the hardware on my black Gus G3 anodised. Original it was going to be black chrome after seeing what had been done on one of the sample basses, but by the time mine came to be built the company used had gone out of business and Simon Farmer couldn't find another who were prepared to take on the small volumes needed for a few guitars and basses at a price that made economical sense, hence the alternative was anodising. I've owned and played this bass from new for 18 years now, and apart from a couple of places on pickup covers the anodising has shown no wear at all.

AFAICS if you want active you are limited to offerings from either MEC or EMG. However unlike guitar pickups where "soapbox" has a definite meaning - fat wound single coil in the style of the Gibson P90, when it comes to bass soapbar pickups it's simply a description of the form factor and there could be absolutely anything (that will fit) lurking under the covers. BTW what makes a pickup aggressive? High output? Upper mids EQ hump? Both of which IME can be achieved at the amp irrespective of the pickup.

If it sounds right in the context of the overall song mix and production then it is fine. Personally I thought the isolated bass track just sounded like a random selection of notes, the sort of thing that you play when you are trying out a bass and not playing anything fixed, just noodling to see how it feels.