bass_dinger

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...

These two Washburn XB925 basses just came up after I did a Reverb search - the connection with Def Leppard, and the band memorabilia, explains the asking price, totalling £38,000 https://reverb.com/uk/item/76161223-rick-savage-s-def-leppard-storyteller-washburn-xb925-5-string-bass-guitar-rs-2024-authenticated https://reverb.com/uk/item/73216015-rick-savage-s-def-leppard-washburn-xb925-st-george-s-cross-5-string-bass-guitar-plus-signed-touring-collection-iconic-rs-5019

I find myself drawn to his technique. He has very minimal movement - just his fingers, which is probably all that he needs to move. Economy of motion, for sure.

A year has passed... That's time for Crafter to release another Anniversary model, and for you to have perhaps found one of the missing guitars from earlier in the series. Any updates? I am curious!

Even Mrs Dinger laughed, and she isn't on Basschat!

I played acoustic guitar in church this morning, for the first time in 25 years. To my utter surprise, it was okay. Better than okay - it was fun. I had positive comments from others in the band, and was told that I added to the music. I played second guitar - so, me on capo 7 or capo 5, with the other guitar on capo 0. I might try again - certainly I was not discouraged.

I am trying to work out the scale. Surely it must be a dinky little 4×8" combo and a 4×6" cab? Because if it's a 4×12" combo and a 4×10" cab, then it's a weapons-grade set-up - and "how firm a foundation " is no longer the first line of a hymn, but a description of your playing! Well done - next week, a 2×15" cab too?

Did it sound as good as the lineup suggests!?

My patience ran out after about 15 seconds- or, in terms of the video, 30 changes of shot. What's with the flashing lights? The Leg Model auditioning for a workout video? "Melvin Pierce. Smooth music. Annoying visuals."

This is an 8cm logo, whereas mine is the 6 ½cm version (shown here on the chopped off headstock). I will contact Washburn and see what they have, but will also consider the one on ebay, given that it is so close in size. In other news, I contacted the previous owner of both basses, and asked him if he could help me to source the strings. https://lordofthestrings.com/en/bass/electric/5-string/sit-strings-nrl5-45120l-silencer-nickel-semi-flat-bass-strings.html https://gitaarsnaren.nl/bas-gitaar/5-snarige-bas-gitaar-sets/sit-strings-nrl5-45120l-silencer-nickel-semi-flat-bass-strings.html

Well, that was unexpected. At 2.30 I dropped off three basses at the luthier - this thread's XB925, to ask them to price up the work; another XB925 with a stripped strap button screw, which needed a dowel in the screw hole; and a friend's Fender with the strings flat on the fretboard. The Fender needed a truss rod adjustment (5 minutes, 5 quid), done on the spot. I took that bass back home, went to the osteopath, visited my dad, and at 5.30 called to ask when I could pick up the bass that needed the dowel. "It’s already done. £10" And the other bass? "We priced up the respray, inserted 4 ferrules into the neck, reinstalled the bridge, cut the nut, did a trial fit of all the bits..." Happily, the total cost is very acceptable, and I want them to do the rebuild and the setup - I am very pleased with their previous work. As for the respray, the luthier will get someone called Toby (Diggins?) at T Dog customs to do it on their behalf. Suddenly, I need the Washburn logo and the S.I.T strings!

The world's longest New Bass Day continues - had I known, I would have posted this in Build Diaries! A few people have confirmed that the neck-to-body gap is negligible, and acceptable. I am currently researching options for the finish, which will be paid for by the sale of another bass guitar, or two. I am drawn to local luthiers, simply because the idea of posting a bass guitar in a case makes me nervous. I had an interesting comment from one luthier, about the saddle. The solid lump of metal may not be to replace a lost adjustable saddle. It may be designed as a high-mass, high-surface-area saddle designed to maximise tone transferral. In other news, I need strings. My other bass has a 5 string set of SIT Silencer half round strings, 40 to 120. Where can I buy them in the UK? Or should I try another brand of half-rounds? Finally, I am missing the Washburn logo, which needs to be 2 ½" long. I may not bother, if it proves too difficult or time-consuming to source. I am feeling that the end is in sight, and I will soon be playing a fretless bass.

Scooby Don't is what I am seeing....

".... so, apparently, some bassists use foam mutes to give a old-school sound. They say that you can use one of those sponges used for washing the dishes. But when I went into kitchen, we only had a brush used for washing the dishes ....."

@Nice Guy Rich looking at your facial expression, I would say that you are wearing what amounts to A Bassist's Smile! Well done for making the move, and for landing in a smaller band too - always my own preference.

I have a set, via a Behringer P16 mixer. They are great for all the sounds, apart from the B string first 5 frets, when I dig in for impact. At that point, the sound distorts, which limits my playing. It also struggles to block out the sound of the drums, which in my church are too close, and too loud. However, everyone else finds them great to use, and I would recommend them - just not for my own application

Is the beard good for metal?

If it's Buyer Collects, that would put me right off buying the item! 😉 Unless, of course, you have a very short front garden, and a gate that I can easily jump over....

This is what I should be aiming for, I now see. No band leader wants an argument. Instead, they want supportive capable people that will turn up and get the job done. I find that the most difficult aspect about being in a band is to care, but not to mind, about the others.

I like the message that you are conveying here - the life of a bassist is so fast-moving and exciting, that we may be called upon to dep for a gig midway through cutting our nails! Snip snip snip snip ... Ring ring. Blues in E, 15 times? I'll be right there...

On reflection, I too was once That Person without the necessary kit. I distinctly remember being given a battery about 15 years ago, and having cables that crackled like a short wave radio in a thunder storm. As a result, I have realised that life is better with backups and spares.