Jellyfish

Funny you should mention that actually, my previous bass was a very tasty Ibanez BTB 475. I don't suppose anyone knows if the new Ibanez 575s are currently with us here in the UK? Thanks for the tips about Peaveys. I also had my eye on a couple of Schecters. I going to to push for a mega bargain so well see what I manage to get.

Unfortunately I have to buy new! I basically had 4 months of bullshit with PMT (not their fault) and because that was where I bought it from I just got a credit note instead. I can spend about £500 in total. To give you an idea, I was looking at the Ibanez SR505, but wasn't keen on the 34" scale.

Hello! I'm currently in the market for a bass with the specs you see in the title. My previous bass was an Ibanez BTB475. I absolutely loved the thing but it had a lot of problems so I had to get my money back. I've tried a plethora of 34" scale basses and can tell the difference. So I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions. Unfortunately they can't be used as I'll be having it ordered in. Cheers!

I've read all the replies and just want to say thank you to everyone. If I were to use just two fingers, are there any other techniques I can use to get speed up apart from just practicing with a metronome?

I play power-inspired metal. Mainly chugging single notes at speed is my problem. Not the speed part exactly, but switching strings to play different notes. Or at really high speeds, just switching to any other note at the right time can be a problem when I play with 3 fingers. I have been playing for about 2 or 3 months now and my two finger style and speed is pretty good I feel. I have no problems there really. But i'm at the point now where using two fingers for the speed of notes I want to play is just not optimal. So it's either 3 or or a plectrum! I'll take your suggestion and start off slow and work my way up.

Thank you velvetkevorkian, that's the kind of reply I was looking for. Really, all I wanted was someone to say 'Yeah, it's possible, i've done it!'. And i'm aware that people aren't a fan of the three finger technique, which is understandable, but for the music I play it's a hindrance if I don't learn to use three fingers or get a fast plectrum technique.

Hello Basschat! I'm quite the beginner bassist, but am starting from the ground up and trying to cover all techniques. I do have a bass teacher and he's great but i'm currently having trouble with a personal decision over my technique. I find it difficult playing single notes at a high speed. If I use 2 fingers, I can't do it fast enough, but at least I know I end on the same finger every time. If I use a pick, I feel bad because I know that if I put the effort in I could become great with 3 fingers, but at least i'm always finishing on an upstroke. Now my dilemma is if I attempt to use 3 fingers, I find it hard to keep track of what note within the bar i'm currently playing. Finishing a stroke on a different finger at the end of every bar puts me off and I get confused and want advice on if this is just a barrier that I can't break and how I can help myself get used to it. Or if it's just something that will come with practice. Thanks.

Just thought i'd leave a quick reply here and say that I started with Alex last week and it went better than expected. Had a lot of fun and was really impressed. And as someone who has had a multitude of different music teachers in the past, Alex is definitely one of the best and i'd highly recommend him.