paul_c2

After tootling around reading music and playing some of the songs I used to in the past, I decided to learn a completely new song to me (Smooth Operator by Sade). So, with the wealth of info out there on the internet I thought the place to start will be Googling bass tabs for it. Some don't have any rhythm notation at all, some have a bizarre pseudo-simplified rhythm, and all are ever so slightly wrong, or missing main bits of the song. This: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxtRgu3pg2k[/media] is the best help I've found so far, even without music at least I can clearly see the fingerboard and make out what she's playing. On close inspection (and closely listening to the original song) there's a few wrong notes but I'll forgive her!!!! Currently 1 minute into the 4 minute song, re-writing it out properly (in actual musical notation, like what the rest of the western world use) and learning it. Once learnt on the fretted bass, I'll practice it on the fretless.

When I bought my first bass I bought a Fender Jazz copy and its still my main bass guitar, 24 years on. I bought another - a fretless - but never needed to get anything else, or indeed been tempted. So maybe having had only 2, I'm not qualified to give advice but having 2 pickups naturally increases the versatility over 1. I guess you want something a bit more modern looking than a Jazz bass, but they are incredibly versatile - there's a reason why there are so many of them.

If only I had £245!!! Well, a pretty successful day today. I went to the first shop and was able to try the Roland 20W and the Fender 30W side-by-side. I was impressed with the Fender but wanted to also hear the Laney again. Next shop only had a Hartke (35W) and Line 6 (15W) and I thought the Hartke, being the highest power in my shortlist, would also be the best. But I was a little underwhelmed with its sound, it failed to achieve the 'thump' which a bass should have. They didn't have a Fender or Laney (but I knew from my research that they did do them, just out of stock) so I went to another branch of theirs in a nearby town. They'd phoned and forewarned them......so when I arrived, they had both ready for me to plug into. I'd previously tried the Laney and was impressed. But side-by-side, I could easily tell the difference and the Fender produced the sound I like with plenty of control on the tone controls to adjust it for other variations. For its size, it produces an impressive performance! I'm so glad I persevered with wanting to try out amps properly, with my own bass guitars (even though it meant lugging both around town). I don't know if it was bringing my basses in which affected their attitude, or simply that I'd had an uninterested shopkeeper/salesperson on the initial contact but all 3 shops were very friendly and helpful. Since I'd already looked around on the internet and knew their prices were quite keen, I was able to buy it there and then! I just had another quick check on the internet but I'm happy I bought it from a shop because if there's any niggles I can go back quite easily etc etc The only thing is the other amps tended to have built in effects, most of which I'd not use but a compressor would have been a benefit; and the Fender is pretty basic in its controls (just tried the overdrive and don't think I'll ever need that), just with volume, bass, mid and treble. But I already have loads of pedals etc if I need effects.

Hartke A35 too??? Line 6 do a 15W (LD15) then the next step up is a 75W amp.

I just had a quick Google but can't find any info about the Trace Elliot Boxer 30 except for a review from 2002 - is it still a current model? I've been searching a couple of weeks now and came to the conclusion that secondhand amps don't come up too frequently, and if they do there's always the risk of it being a bit worn out (I am replacing another amplifier which is now quite old, and basically its worn out). So, I was kinda thinking of just buying new anyway (not a massive price difference) and then I'm assured of a decent warranty with it. My shortlist was: Roland Cube 20W and 30W versions Laney RB1 (15W) and RB2 (30W) Fender 30W I think Line 6 do a similar sized amp too. I'm not too keen on non-mainstream names or budget models, and I am wary of Marshall because I already have a 12W Marshall practice amp which is frankly, pants, and is also showing wear and buzzes/hums a bit.

Cheers for the replies so far, I didn't know Trace Elliot did a 30W amp, I'll check it out now.....

What is the accepted etiquette when going to a music shop to try out, with the potential to purchase, a bass amp? I went a couple of weeks back but I got the feeling one shop wasn't taking me seriously and I had to badger them, only to try out one amp (out of a possible 4 amps on my shortlist). The other shop was a bit more open but didn't have the same range of amps so I was unable to compare side by side the ones I wanted to hear. So this time I'm going back, but hopefully with a bit more success. Its a practise amp of around 30W I'm after, so I don't need it to be super loud but I do want a nice proper tone (some of the little ones are useless, just trebly). I guess taking my own bass guitars (I have 2, both passive, and of very different nature, and one is 'quiet' in its output) shows I'm kinda serious. I'd rather not go on a Saturday (shops are much busier) but my GF is a schoolteacher so there's no chance to go without her in a weekday, and I value a second (bit more impartial) opinion. Is it fair game to want to plug into a number of amps and spend a little while with each, adjusting its tone controls etc to try get the pleasing sound I'm after?

I've played bass guitar for about 25 years, I started at about 15 and I'm pretty old now....but I kinda didn't play if for a long time. I've just found renewed interest in it and want to get back into playing, just for fun really. I am mostly self-taught although I did have a few lessons in my early days, although I never really found much benefit from these. So I tended to just tootle around and not follow a strict routine. Are there any tips for getting together a proper practise schedule/exercises/routines again? Scales? A bit of sight reading each day (I have a fair amount of written music, and it being 20+ years, I can't remember it so it counts as sight reading!) Or perhaps should I look at the Rockschool or Trinity College syllabuses, and if so how on earth do I decide which grade to start on?

[quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1330044143' post='1552070'] without examples........how do we explain?!! good luck with this one! [/quote] You could write it out as musical notation, scan it and post it as a picture.

"Before and After" by Rush

My pet hate is music in bass tab form where it seems like a computer, or a non-bass player, have transposed it and worked out the fingering. Sometimes you'll see eg. a fast riff with open notes where its blindingly obvious it was played with a fretted note at eg 5th fret. So I have to 'read' the bass tab and figure out the note, then figure out in my head where else on the neck that note is. If you're learning, then try a fretted variation of the fingering. It might be easier, or harder. But its worth working out, knowing and being aware of the variation and knowing how it sounds different. My other pet hate is music notated with no rhythm at all, or non-standard notations like the numbers of tab with little quavers and rests underneath it, sometimes with crotchets across the beat, etc etc. Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhh!!!!!

[quote name='Jigster' timestamp='1329685457' post='1545993'] interesting advice on the lines guys - i guess it seems a little daunting to go from no frets to nothing!! Unsure about the whole intonating issue without some sort of assistance [/quote] Its not nothing, there are dots on the top of the neck which help you out if needs be. But after a little while, you get used to it anyway.

Having played many brass and woodwind instruments, unfortunately I'd say the opposite is true. Very expensive instruments are easy to play and make sound nice, its the budget ones which don't sound too great unless you really concentrate on technique, and are likely to sound squeaky or make odd noises. I'd say a similar thing occurs with bass guitars too. A good instrument should feel natural and easy to play, and a few budget models sound yukky except when you really concetrate on it. I'd agree with a lot of the above though - play it acoustically, make sure its in tune, and play every note on every string; but also play a wide variety of your kind of tunes you'd play, simply dive in and play the most challenging one you can - if you can do it as easy as your current guitar or it just feels natural, then thats good.

Ok how about: the neck achieves a 2 octave range and the strings being different achieves a minor 10th range in itself. 5 string and 6 string basses have a bigger range due to the strings, etc.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1329587704' post='1544646'] I understand why one might call a 24 fret neck a two octave neck but surely of more interest is how many octaves are available across the instrument. So for a 21 fret 4-string neck that would be three octaves. [/quote] But that doesn't fit, because you don't need frets to create some higher notes, just know where the harmonics are. My 4 string, 20 fret Jazz copy can achieve 5 octaves, for example, the same as my 24 fret fretless.

[quote name='guildbass' timestamp='1329574594' post='1544420'] Erm....Surely that should be....None! The thing with 24 fret basses is that they usually hang off the shoulder differently so the 12 fret comes straight up under your hand rather than across the body. I've always found Fender type basses to be very difficult to play up high because you are reaching across your body to get to the higher notes. On top of that the lack of cutaway makes the higher notes difficult to access even when you DO reach up there... [/quote] Well yes, but you know what I mean. I guess we should say "2 octave neck" or "1octave + minor 6th" neck, or something like that. Can't really call them positions because the positions don't correspond with the fret number (do they? They don't on violin or cello etc). Don't some fretless basses have 1 fret, at the head???

Hullo, I've just signed up to the forum but I've been playing bass for 23 years or so. I started when I was 15 but just before then, had a 6 string electric guitar for about 6 months before finally being able to reach the frets properly. I have played in loads of different kinds of situations including a concert band at school, wind band, orchestra and 'normal' bands of varying musical styles from rock/pop to heavy metal. I could read music from the start and can sight read if needs be too. I started out with a Fender Jazz copy (Antoria) which is probably from the 1970s. It started out life with 2x humbuckers but the bridge one stopped working a normal single pole pickup now sits there. Also I have a cheap fretless guitar. After a bit of a lull in playing recently, I decided to show renewed interest and got all the stuff out again, unfortunately my old amp is faulty so I'm stuck with a little 12W Marshall Bass amp (which is terrible!) for now, but might just get a 30W combo of some kind since they're not too costly etc.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1329525407' post='1543987'] What [b]is[/b] nice about having 24 frets is that you're left with a sensible space to play in without having to struggle. [/quote] That was my initial thought, those basses designed with 24 frets tend to have a smaller body/more pronounced cut away, so anything beyond the octave is more comfortable to play. I have 2 basses and had to take a look at the fretless to remind myself how many frets it has - 24.