uk_lefty

I'll see how much use the EHX gets and if I need to upgrade later. There's a bit of a cost difference between these and the price of the C4 is getting towards something like the second hand price of a Novation Bass Station type thing which may eventually be the way to go. I'm just trying to persuade my 80s band that 3 musos plus singer is the max we need. The guitarist is happy to play synth on some songs, and I'm happy to play some rhythm guitar if he needs to play synth and he can cover the bass line too. Having said all that I recorded a version of Take on Me with bass and guitar, no synth at all, to demonstrate how you can still capture the essence of the song without needing to be a poundshop Rik Wakeman.

Under two guitars I often just run by bass clean in to the amp. The effects I use most in that band are EQ based, like amp sims. In that particular mix distortion would lose me under the guitars, so would Wah or envelope filter in most occasions, and so would chorus! Often because one of the guitars is using the effect I want to, but none of them do big round meaty bass, so that's what I stick to. Horses for courses, find what works best in your situation instead of what sounds good at home or on other peoples recordings.

Well, I had a bit of success making synth sounds on my Boss GT10B by combining envelope, fuzz and octave but it couldn't do everything. And being impatient I got an EHX Bass Mono Synth which has arrived today. I've got an 80s band starting up, lockdowns interrupting a lot of it, and I really dont want to bring in more musos than we need, I want to keep the band lean, so the guitarist and I are working out ways to make good 80s covers that don't need a keyboard player. Hence the synth pedal... So far I have easily been able to get the "Danger Zone" synth sound and I've been exploring getting sounds passable for Sweet Dreams and Don't you Want Me. I've had less than 15 mins with the pedal, but here's the first impressions... It can't run off batteries. If I'd known I wouldn't have taken the back off. The monophonic Ness is a bit annoying. You have to really attack the string on some settings, no subtle or soft touch allowed or you won't get any output from the synth, even with the dry signal on full you'll just drop out unless you give the string a firm pluck. Having said that playing with a plec isn't the answer, you lose a lot of nuance. The tracking is not great. This wants long ringing out notes, not fast intricate lines. It feels like combining this with the attack I need to be very careful how and when I try to use this, it's not going to get kicked in to a song in a moment of spontaneous improv. The issue with the tracking is the complete drop out, if it just let the uneffected note out I could probably live with it. Maybe it's my technique/ approach. I'll persevere. I've been playing a fretless through it... I might get some Pino sounds, I might just be emphasising the pitch wobble too much. Will try a fretted bass through it later. None of the base tones sound like stupid gimmicks, which is how I feel about most synth tones on multi effect pedals. So with dedicated tweaking I can get some good stuff out of it. The controls are intuitive too, you don't need to be a brain surgeon to change it how you want it. I think this is a keeper for my 80s band. It's unlikely to get any use in my "function" band that has 2 guitars, the songs and the 2 guitars make any bass effects other than EQ and the odd bit of drive redundant. However, for some songs I think I can get close enough for authenticity, and that's what I was aiming for!

I picked up an unlined Warwick fretless Corvette that is incredibly light and has bags of mwaaaahhh. Decent bass.

There's some good lefty options in these, like a jazz bodied fretless PJ, but you're right, safer with a Sire for now. There's a few B stock of the Sadowsky Warwicks (or Warwick Sadowsky's) up on ebay already. Something doesn't look right with them, the bodies look tiny and the necks look huge, like it's a badly scaled down version for kids or something.

I asked the teacher, a full time quality musician and bassist, specifically about expanding my creation of bass lines beyond major and minor scales. I said I have books with all the modes etc and I could parrot fashion learn them but I want to know how and when to deploy them. I sent him recordings of recent gigs so he could hear my playing and so the lesson was geared instead around how I can create more within those songs, study what the original player was playing, get out of bad habits, rather than learn a load of scales and modes and then be more confused about what to play. I've really benefitted from just one hour with a much better bassist, but luckily he is a great communicator too who can quickly understand what I really want to know and how to get there. I don't think a prescribed course would do that for me.

Do what you're enjoying the most! I came very close to knocking guitar on the head a few months back to be a "pure" bassist then had an idea, recorded it with a few different guitar tracks and I am glad I didn't sell off my electric guitar and related other gear. For me these things go in cycles, I bet if you pick up your bass again in a few months time the guitar experience will give you a new perspective, and isn't that what life is about? Know what you mean about endless drills. Had my first ever lesson after 21yrs playing last month and though I'd asked for drills and theory I was told words to the effect you can pick up what you need to know by playing different and interesting songs that you like. Any other theory stuff might not be that useful to you. And after one inspirational lesson I agree!

I'd emailed Andy Baxter saying if he ever comes across one of these to let me know! Not sure it's ever going to happen, I really like the look and the idea of them though.

This could go either way. Pubs will go out of business and bands may be asked to play for nothing or a whip round, then again if the vaccine gets rolled out people could go crazy and live music may be what people think could keep punters spending. I know in my band of five two of us would play for free but two can't afford to, one wants the money but no idea if he could compromise or not. Difficult to call, but we are going to book a venue in our "home" area as soon as we know we can gig and just get out there with a private party. How we charge for that I don't know... Pay what you want type thing so people who are tight for money can still come along for the good time and put in £1 and those who are saving hundreds a month by not commuting to London can stick in a tenner or whatever they think? Who knows. I just want to gig, and see people without having to worry about how far apart we are stood.

They make a direct replacement for £100, and do a souped up replacement too in the same casing. I've got the direct replacement in my SB Elite 1 with a Kiogon loom giving me a third switching option and it does sound very, very 80s pop.

There's a lot of demand for unmolested Aria SBs at the moment, I wouldn't do any routing to that bass if I were you.

Thanks. I have thought of buying a synth pedal to loop in to the Boss. It just could all get a bit complicated, especially if I then need to add a switch and a Pog or something to make a chord... The boss does some harmonisers and can add a power chord but only certain keys and it doesn't sound great tbh.

Apologies if this has been covered before. I'd like some pros and cons of the Line 6 Pod Go currently out as I've seen some January discounts. I'm looking to consolidate and modernize gear where I can. In my new three piece I may need more effects than I currently use in my rock covers 4 piece. I've got a Boss GT10B that does everything I could ask for and more though where it lacks is 80s synth tones and to thicken out sound under a guitar solo, it's a bit basic on those fronts. I also may need to play guitar on a few songs and I have a zoom G7.1ut at the mo but I have rarely touched it tbh and I bought it as a toy for home use never expecting to take on guitar in a live band. Any views welcome, the line 6 stuff looks great but there's so many options I wouldn't know where to start. I'm also very aware my Boss is a great piece of kit and it won't go quietly.

What is everyone's feeling in using sine kind of f hole fitted semi acoustic bass, or even a Hofner, as an alternative? I'm very reluctant to buy an acoustic bass for all the reasons covered in thus list but a Warwick Star bass, a Jack Casady or similar seems a best of both?

But I think these things go up and down. Someone must surely remember soon that Fender QC was dire in the late 70s and then 1978 Precisions (they're always 1978 aren't they?!) won't sell for over 2 grand any more, surely?! It's a bit of a gamble as to what will keep its value and what won't I think. Unless its a special edition fender I wouldn't go speculating on basses.

I now have everything I've ordered except the body. The body may take until the new year, unbeknownst to me there was a 4 to 5 week lead time as its a custom order, so that's my Xmas holiday plans put the window then! I've received everything else but will restrain myself from fitting anything together until I know that the neck and the body will fit, while the measurements mean they should I want to actually have them in my hands, I don't want to tempt fate by drilling the neck for the machine heads and string post if its not going to work.

Firstly, what a beautiful bass. Understated excellence, love it! Secondly, I've never seen shielding tape under the bridge like that before, and notice you have it coming out the cavity for the screw holes for the bell plate too. Is this "best practice" that we don't see on basses made to a factory budget? I'm curious as I'm about to self assemble a bass and want to copy as much as I can from someone who knows what they're doing!

That is the most gorgeous neck I've ever seen. Ever.

Do I need a fiver... Yes I suppose so. For a long time all I had was my trusty five string fretless. Do you need a fiver? Yeah, go on then. 5 is 1 more than 4 after all. But 6 strings? 6??! Are you off your head. Nobody needs that.

Agree with you, I happily buy stuff of theirs like their USB mixer and mics and I know plenty that use their amps and PA gear with no complaints.

The plastic casing is supposedly ABS or something it another which is very hard wearing and hard to crack or snap, I've never had an issue with it. What I have had an issue with is ordering their chorus pedals only for them to not work, I've tried a few times a few years apart and never had one reliable which was annoying as I'm not much of a brand snob and would happily try more of their pedals. I think I was just unlucky though, twice, as I know plenty of people are happy with their Behringer pedals.

There's a tanglewood violin bass back on, this time available for postage.

Nice pun!

What an absolute dipstick this guy is. I hope you get your money back and that he gets his comeuppance for being a liar and a fraud. The leopard has not changed its spots, which is rather stupid. Give him a deadline to refund you otherwise go to the police. He's taken the time to do a screenshot of the so called failed delivery, probably the same screenshot he's sending to loads of people whose money he has taken, so he has the time to go to online banking and refund you. If he isn't doing that he's either keeping your money or he's already spent it, both are good reasons to report to the police.

Resolution to the list of issues with the neck is a partial refund. A refund of enough money to fund the machine heads I need for the bass. That should be all the bits ordered except the wiring loom, but so far all I have in my possession is a neck, a bridge and some shielding tape. I can't really do much with those three!