Maude

Dollar Bill - Screaming Trees What a voice!

Another Girl, Another Planet - The Only Ones

Blank Generation - Richard Hell & The Voidoids

@ped, my string of choice is the D'Addario half rounds. I'm not a regular changer and the set that went on my gigging bass went on when I bought it just over two years ago. Admittedly it hasn't been played much with Covid but it was used for rehearsal every week and gigged every other week roughly, for the first 15 months until the first lockdown. I can't say I've noticed any real difference in tone from new to now, apart from a very slight settling in period where they lost a little bit of zing. The previous gigging bass had the same set rehearsed/gigged for three years with similar results. They never get to the full flat tone and I'd say they are like a reasonably (but not totally) dead round out of the packet but don't really get much deader, at not for a long time. Ive actually broken a string with these (heavy handed enthusiasm) and didn't notice a difference with the new set. Our soundman didn't notice or feel the need to change my EQ. They do feel a little rough when new but just play through it and it will go in about 10 to 15 hours of playing. I've never liked that new round topiness, but with the half rounds I lose that harsh top end but still retain plenty of definition. With a pick they're perfect for a Bruce Foxton tone so definitely not a dull thud, unless a dull thud is needed.

That's a a good solution for trying out new tones with the new relative pickup positions, but, although it technically is a shortscale, it won't feel particularly shortscale-ish to play as the first fret will still be the same distance from the body, meaning it still has the stretch of a 34" scale. Some semi acoustic and acoustic 34" scale basses feel very long because the bridge is quite far up the body. It depends on the reasons for wanting a shortscale I suppose.

Out In The Fields - Gary Moore

Luckily the repaired neck break is in the very dark, almost black area so it could be smoothed and blended in quite easily. As long as the repair is solid. Irrelevant now anyway, it's sold.

Boom!! And there it is, the 'Alan Partridge Clip'. 😂😂😂

The Ballad of Barry and Freda (Let's Do It) - Victoria Wood

It Wasn't Me - Shaggy

Nope, and of course it doesn't. 🙂

Yeah but he got some funny looks lugging the speaker cab in there. 😉

Nope, it's coming, wait for it. If I say what it is, people purposely won't post it. 😉

IBTAPC. 😄

No need to get your coat. Stick around and you'll find most folks are OK (not that @Teebs fella, but he can't help it 😉). I think a lot of folks are getting a bit short tempered with lockdowns and no gigging, I know I am. If you are a beginner then that's great and welcome to the world of bass. Maybe you could've asked, 'Is it important to be able to play fast?' Or something along those lines, rather than, 'How fast do you need to be able to play to be respected?' A similar question but worded differently comes across better. It takes time to find your feet in some places, that's all. 🙂👍

Throwing My Baby Out With The Bathwater - Tenpole Tudor

Could it not be said that the bassist is still playing at 120bpm throughout the verse, but just playing no notes? The song is still being played at 120bpm while the bassist waits to play some notes in the chorus. Even though the bassist isn't playing the song is never 0 bpm.

Rubbish - Carter USM

S'pose not, but Fluff Freeman is pretty dusty these days.

Tonefluff.

Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag - Pigbag

I'm certainly doing less at the moment, and I think those that have heard me would agree with you. 😁

Which actually leads to the next question. How many notes per beat are you talking about? Playing 16ths at 10bpm would require the same dexterity as single notes at 160bpm. Bpm is irrelevant.

Is that just playing 16th notes or more?

I don't think how many notes you can play in a given time is any kind of indication of ability at all. Is a badly timed busy bassist playing a hundred miles an hour all over the fretboard better than one who puts in that perfectly timed single note per bar, whilst locked in with a great drummer to create the heaviest funk groove in town? Sometimes busy is good, sometimes sparse is good. The bassist who knows when to do what will be the most respected. 🙂👍