bass_dinger

I rarely take a spare bass guitar to gigs - being church services, none are important enough to worry about. However, I did once play an open air gig and took two basses. Like a total buffoon, after the break I picked up the spare and tried to play it - but it wasn't plugged in. For that reason, the band always brings a spare bass player.... Of all the solutions offered here, the one that I will adopt is using two basses, one for each half of the set. That gives both basses a workout under gig conditions, and gives purpose to bringing two basses.

Oh my! Surely the windchill will play havoc with the strings and the tuning by the time that you reach the venue?

Good reminder. I paid for lessons (and teaching-venue hire) in a ukulele band, with the intention that the band would gig. The teacher was a musical genius with lots of contacts. I joined the group, learnt 3 songs and five weeks later, the band was playing Mr Blue Sky on the stage of the Stagg Theatre in Sevenoaks. That's worth 20 quid of anyone's money, I would say.

Perhaps anything that has been sold and returned is automatically downgraded to B Stock status. It ensures that they needn't worry about checking out each returned item, and risk missing tiny blemishes that would result in further returns. By flagging it up as B Stock, the buyer knows that there is a risk of potential damage, and Thomann thereby save staff time, at the cost of (say) a 20% discount on such items.

At times, I think that the whole thread has gone off-piste. But I love basschat for that.

Is the signal too "hot" - too much gain from the wireless section output? A cable wouldn't give you that extra gain, so, it doesn't present the same problem.

It is rare to find a classic song - one that is loved by congregation and musicians alike. Shine Jesus Shine - do your lot do that handclap thing after "Shine on me, clapclap clapclap ..."? Gratifyingly, my current pastor appears to dislike Shine Jesus Shine - but the last time it was listed for a service, the congregation were all loving it like "Agadoo" at a Saga Holidays disco... I think that, for every time the congregation sing it once, the band will have played and heard it 4 or 5 times in practice and rehearsal. So, we are fed up with it, but they are not.

Let me fix that for you.. " I commented that the song was on the band's list...." Do you think that they would believe that they misheard you!?

@Nice Guy Rich that sounds like the advertising slogan for something tough and rugged. Maybe a set of all-terrain tyres for a pickup truck, or a pair of hiking boots!

An update. The bass is with the luthier, undergoing a little bit of fettling - fine finishing of the body's surface before it goes off to the spray shop. I think that we are waiting for a slot, as availability is limited. In the meantime, I have purchased a cheap second-hand Hiscox case for the luthier to use to transport it - I could have used my existing case, but didn't want to risk damaging it. So, the option of a case for little more than the price of 5 packs of bubble wrap, seemed sensible. Once the spray shop is ready to take my bass, we will send them an email setting out the important parts of this thread (in essence, "it's Feibing’s Leather dye, blue. Subtle sunburst on both the front and back, make the front look like the pictures, as much as possible.") One issue with the neck and trussrod arose. The previous one was so badly made, that it warped. So, the American luthier that made the new neck made sure that this new one would be solid. 5 piece laminate, thick slab of macassar ebony.... It seems to be so solid, that the truss rod doesn't seem to affect much adjustment at all! I await an update - it may be that the neck already has the right amount of relief, or that the truss rod is very slow-acting. Or perhaps the fretboard can be reprofiled? And finally, the strings have arrived from https://lordofthestrings.com/en/bass/electric/5-string/sit-strings-nrl5-45120l-silencer-nickel-semi-flat-bass-strings.html Robert

Duplicate post.

I shared the following update with my piano teacher - he has had me reading music (both bass and treble clef) on the piano. Nothing at all complex, but the discipline of reading the music has done me well. And, perhaps inevitably, working on one aspect of my musicianship has allowed me to do better elsewhere. That update: "Well, here's a surprise, for my bass playing. This morning's church service had us playing a hymn in F, with a key change in the last verse, to G. I was used to playing it in G, but not F. So this morning I printed it off in F, read and played along with a recording in F [perhaps 6 or 7 times, while eating breakfast]. When I got to church, I sight-read the whole song, 3 verses in F. Then did it once more, in G. I was amazed at myself, and I put it down to two things: the discipline of the piano lessons; And the fear of failure in front of the congregation!!!" My teacher replied, thusly: "No reason to be surprised. You are quite capable at doing this. Maybe you need to find some confidence in your ability. I am sure in my mind you will succeed and not too far in the future." So, what surprised me, did not surprise my piano teacher! I must say, it was very gratifying to be able to play from the music, more easily than from a chord chart. PS, the hymn was And Can It Be, one of those tunes that have a proper written bassline, including a ladies-and-men call and response.

If @Geek99 has an ipad or similar, and can download an app to it that allows words and chords, that may help. One can quickly alter Folsom Prison Blues in G (but capo'd 3 to fit the singers voice, say) to the actual key of B flat. Alternatively, if you have an Internet connection at the venue, you can use the Ultimate Guitar tab website to get the chords, and change keys on the fly. And, with a bit of luck, you and the rest of the band will both be playing the same version!

Or, as Farrow and Ball would have it, Dead Salmon.

Of all the photos on the thread, this was furthest from what I imagined a basschatter would look like. Initially, I thought that you _were_ Nancy Johnson. Latterly, I concluded that you would be a geriatric punk rocker. But it turns out that I was very wrong. It must be the face cream that keeps you looking young!

Ped, a bassist so legendary, that even his personal photographer has his own photographer to take photos of the photographer...

If churches had bouncers... 👍🏻 "You want to come in....? Oh go on then! Welcome!"

Herbie Flowers was a bass player so legendary, that Dave Swift was his bass player ...

Played again this morning - by my reckoning I have played 7 times in the last 8 Sundays, and I am rather enjoying it. Back to bass this morning, with a guitarist/vocalist, a young drummer with whom I hadn't played with in a service, and a young keyboardist playing string pads. Another vocalist completed the lineup. So, I had a lot of licence to fill space, by adding in movement - I was literally told to "noodle" in the first few verses. In other songs, I was holding down the beat - 8th notes, with the two-and and four-and missed out, to avoid sounding like Mr Brightside. My wife tells me that it sounded like a party - very gratifying to hear that. Great stuff - I felt that I had something to add, whether driving the song, or adding texture and atmosphere to the songs. Great fun too - I can metaphorically detach myself from the instrument, and listen to the congregation.

The original Bantam (XB series) was designed with a laminated through-neck (and 7 strings too!). It was first offered to Hamer who did not want it. It was then offered to Washburn, who accepted the body shape, and refined the headstock to what you see here, but seem to have lost the laminate through-neck. However, that feature reappeared on the Washburn Force ABT series and the Taurus too. The YouTuber "cover solutions" uses a Taurus.

Ebay is your friend. Or, if you are in the Gear Abstinence challenge, your enemy....

Thank you. I wasted over 30 years worth of adrenaline and spleen before I knew the difference, so, if sharing that revelation helps even one person, then I am pleased to be able to help. I learnt it from an English/American couple about 20 years ago. English wife would ask what American husband wanted to eat. "I don't care", he would say. She pointed out that "I don't mind" is a more neutral and polite way of responding. From that point on, I saw that there was a difference. However, it took me two decades to apply the philosophy to my own character.

And one more from the same Def Leppard stable. £16,000 for this one, along with the other memorabilia. So, buy the set of 3 for £54,000-ish. https://reverb.com/uk/item/73626239-rick-savage-s-def-leppard-washburn-bubinga-5-string-bass-guitar-rs-5020-authenticated

A few general comments, gleaned from years of bumbling incompetence (mainly my own). 1. Nobody's a million years away from joining a band. Time is shorter than that, so aim to fulfil your aims and ambitions as soon as you can. That may mean actively working towards a goal - learn a song, learn a scale, play along to a recording etc 2. Choose a band at your current skill level (or perhaps a little bit better than you). There are bands and there are bands. If you want to join your next door neighbour accompanying his slow blues in E, then you are ready. If however you plan to audition for a touring Prog Jazz Rock improvisation collective, then perhaps "not yet" is the answer. 3. Can you count, and hear? By which I mean, count to 4 at the same speed as everyone else in a band, or a recording? Can you hear when you have made a mistake, and realise how you should correct it? Can you hear if you are in tune? Can you hear when the song is not in 4/4 but different? You get bonus points for recognising 3/4, 6/8, 12/8. 4. Do you know the difference between "don't mind" and "don't care"? For me, I have learned not to mind when things go wrong - I don't mind. Previously, when I didn't care, I would have given up playing, or got angry with band members. From reading basschat.co.uk, the preference is for band mates who are easy to get on with, and who can turn up on time, ready to play. 5. Are you always hungry? Not for food, but for betterment. Do you want to learn more, play better, try new songs, play with others? Do you listen to a band's bassist and think "I could have done that!" If you can meet some of those criteria, then you are ready to join a band.

I now have four Washburn basses. The two XB500s and now, two XB925s. Zebrawood fretted, which is now my main bass. Flame maple fretless - being refinished, and rebuilt right now. Photos available for those who are not yet fed up with Washburn basses...