thisnameistaken

I'll give this a go tonight, cheers man.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1309187' date='Jul 19 2011, 02:25 PM']You shouldn't be gripping the neck,you should be using it as a balance and pivot point. You should be able to lift your thumb from the back of the neck and still play.[/quote] So where is the equal and opposite force required to fret the notes coming from, or do you temporarily suspend physics for the purposes of playing bass?

I've got a '91 Thumb and the blend pot is exactly as you describe.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='1309047' date='Jul 19 2011, 12:47 PM']I slap my 6. I never learned to hit the right strings, I just mute all the wrong ones instead.[/quote] Class!

Thanks Paul my bass is pretty dark sounding so hopefully I won't have too many issues with twanginess. I tried a friend's bass that is strung with Rotosounds the other night and his G sounded very twangy and artificial so I think I know what you mean. They were a nice set to play, but only the A and D sounded good, IMO.

Since it all went quiet when I brought up Super Silvers I've ordered some Silver Slaps. Thanks all.

I don't really like the treble from the spiros though. It's fine for more modern music but I'm after a more trad sound.

Being a dickhead, I have gone on to look at other strings instead of just buying some Silver Slaps and getting on with my day. Super Silvers look particularly interesting, given that they are "slightly higher tension" than Silver Slaps but I wondered if anyone has slapped them and how high "slightly higher" actually is? I suppose I'm looking for something more flexible than a Spiro weich, but not too floppy. I'm worried the Slaps will be too floppy. :/

Brilliant cheers man I'll give them a spin.

Have you tried them Clarky? Are they quite gutty sounding? Does the E sound as good as the others? What strings do you use on your Rattlin' Bone gig?

My bass is currently stung with Evah Pirazzi D and G, and Spirocore E and A, but they're a bit high tension and zingy for slapping and I'm taking my bass out to do some busking next week so I thought I'd put on something more rootsy sounding. I was thinking about silver slaps since they're a decent price, do they sound fairly gutty? And does the E work alright? Plenty of volume and bottom end?

You could get a very agreeable double bass for £1200. Then in a way it's not buying another bass, it's different.

I practice picking in a couple of different ways, and I can now pick (or slap) quite consistently with either side of either of my first two fingers, so I get to give one finger or one side a rest if it gets sore if all I'm doing is picking crotchets or quavers at lower tempos. I initially ended up learning this out of necessity (rather than have a day or two off practising while my sore fingers healed) but it does come in handy.

[quote name='flyfisher' post='1305134' date='Jul 15 2011, 08:31 PM']I've never had an active bass, so I'm just thinking out loud really, but why can't such things be phantom-powered like many microphones?[/quote] I think some are, although I've never seen one, and I've never seen an amp with a powered XLR or TRS input either for that matter. I suppose the consensus was that it's easier to deal with replacing the odd battery than supplying power down a cable.

Wow I never knew they would last so long plugged in, that's nice to know.

I usually drop my thumb up the dusty end and use the knuckle instead, it's got nowhere to go on most basses anyway.

Culture's not that closely related to nationality though is it. Not these days anyway. If you immerse yourself in a particular culture then you'll probably make a decent fist of their music. I suppose places like the UK and the USA have a bigger proportion of foreign cultures living locally, and their music has been more integrated into western music, so it makes sense that - for example - there aren't any world-famous German reggae bass players.

To be honest I would just buy a Pedaltrain. They're so light and easy to organise they make gigging so much easier, especially if your band has to change over quickly. Being able to run cables - and stow power supplies - under the thing is very handy. They're not cheap though. :/

I saw Squirrel Nut Zippers at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC in 1996 and they got Les Paul on stage to play Sweet Georgia Brown. That was pretty amazing.

Are you doing clips of the Frantabit? I'm really happy with my Bugcrusher but I'd like to hear the bitcrushing side of the FB just to find out what I'm missing.

I wouldn't worry about versatility, there are only two or three bass sounds that ever get recorded anyway. Get a bass that does one of them well and you'll be fine. Fender aren't exactly a brand I would trust to deliver consistently high-quality instruments. If you want one, I would suggest you buy used. On their new basses the timber can be a bit green and the standard hardware is often unreliable so at least with a used instrument someone else has replaced the dicky hardware and gone through the risk of the wood changing shape.

If you're a big soppy git then keep it. I have a bass that I think I will never sell, but it's not because I'm a big soppy git, it's because of how it plays and sounds. I don't really understand people who hang on to stuff they don't want or need any more just for the sake of having it. Those people end up with crowded lofts and cupboards. And I imagine their houses burn down a lot faster.

That G looks well weedy. Sounds good but I'd be scared of hurting it.