thisnameistaken

[quote name='TomRichards' timestamp='1334869582' post='1622797'] Asbury is better then ever, okay, not ever but it has com WWWAAAYYYYYYY back. Lots of places with live music, a ton of really great restaurants, and you can walk the streets of most of the town late at night with no worries. So, what made you move to the other side of the pond? [/quote] Glad to hear it man I used to spend a lot of time in Asbury, playing at The Saint and the Stone Pony. I guess you probably know John D'Esposito? He used to attempt to manage our band back then, poor guy! I am originally from England I came back here after three years because I got a bit homesick, but I had a great time living at the shore in NJ. I keep meaning to go back to visit old friends but they've scattered up and down both coasts now, would be an expensive trip!

When I got swollen tendons the NHS gave me wrist braces - basically velcro'd long gloves with a steel insert to keep the wrist straight. The insert was removable to make the fabric washable. You can buy them online in slightly less NHS colours - [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000KHVPKM/ref=asc_df_B000KHVPKM7518238?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B000KHVPKM"]like this[/url].

I had a BB1100s fretless years ago, my third ever bass I think it was, great little bass. I'm sure these are just as good if not better but I am old and have tendon problems now so I need to give any new bass candidate a good try first. The 2025x is so expensive I couldn't really justify it even if the mojo injection procedures have turned them into '60s closet classics.

I really like the look of the BB1025x, has anyone tried one yet? Opinions? Any dealers in/around Yorkshire I could visit to try one out?

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1334856591' post='1622511'] 3rds? 7ths? [/quote] That is some pro pizza slicing you're doing bro.

My Thumb has a clip-on control cavity cover and was made in 1991.

Yeah but you see Marvin is dead nice. Being nice is way more important than being willing to play Mustang Sally.

Ooh a Basschatter in Asbury Park. I used to live in Belmar (and Point Pleasant, and Tom's River, and Bayville, and Jackson...). I hear the boardwalk's been redeveloped and the town is on the up?

If you want the best tracking from your analogue octaver and pitch-tracking pedals, flatwounds are what really make a massive difference. Although I did once have a Robot Factory Pulse Synth which was a mental little box but it glitched too much with active basses. I guess some effects just don't cope well with them.

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1334784724' post='1621381']What's already been said with just one small caveat: if you really aren't band-ready and you persist in auditioning around, you might get a reputation which could precede you when you really are ready. But if you can keep time and not play any bum notes when you're playing along to your playlist, you're ready![/quote] TBH I think if there's nothing fundamentally wrong with his playing (he can keep time and understands how the bass is the link between the drums and the vocal [most guitarists don't know this, so don't worry about it too much!]) and - most importantly - he's flexible about rehearsal times, reliable when they're booked and fun to hang out with, then he won't get a bad reputation.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1334784350' post='1621369']The thing that made me really go for it and decide to take an opportunity when it arose, was the honest feedback of people whose musical (as musicians) opinions I trusted.[/quote] Whereas I never believe anyone who pays me a compliment, but maybe that's just me. It makes me feel good for five minutes and then I think they were only talking about a subset of my playing and if they knew that there isn't much more to my playing they might change their minds.

Fortunately Yorkshiremen are impervious to weapons and not gullible enough to go to church. (OK it's a fair cop we just don't like the collection bowls)

Pretty sure Yorkshiremen can shoot anyone they want north of Watford. SRSLY though I am apparently, as a free man of York, legally required to practise archery weekly on St. George's Field, which is currently a car park.

I think the nice thing about the OC-2 is that you can add to it if you need a more aggressive sound. I often find if I need a bit of bite I add my Bugcrusher on a light setting, just to give it some electronic kzzzthff! to liven it up. Sounds ace. So yeah, maybe consider an IE Frantabit too, because Bugcrushers are fairly rare.

Really depends on the band. If you're doing a covers band then you'll know if you can play the material by listening to the records and giving them a go. If you're playing originals then there's a lot more variables. Typical rock/punk bands don't really tax the bass player too much, whereas jazz requires you to be a bit of a mega-musician. In an originals band you might find the band's songwriter wants something specific from the bass player and might even guide you as to what to play, so that would make your job easier, but potentially less fulfilling. On the other hand the band might require more input from you, so you would need to be very creative. To be honest I've found that creativity is usually way more important than technical ability for a bass guitarist, so your time would probably be better spent learning more about music than learning how to play difficult music on the bass. Difficult bass parts are rarely called for, but the more theory you've got the less trial-and-error will be involved in coming up with an interesting and hook-laden bass part. Hope this helps. Also bear in mind that the best experience for playing bass in a band is playing bass in a band, so if you're in any doubt just give it a try and answer some ads, see where it gets you. Enjoy.

The real benefits of active electronics on the bass are more EQ options, and a lower output impedance so your signal survives the run down your cable a bit better than it otherwise would. Active circuits aren't necessarily louder but can be of course, given that they usually allow you to boost certain frequencies (something passive electronics can't do). FWIW I like things that 'just work', like passive basses and amps with simple but musical EQs (like my Hartke LH500). It's nice to have actives onboard for some stuff, like if you want a massively scooped sound or whatever, but I tend to prefer more rounded sounds.

I think that makes Wales officially a part of Yorkshire, according to some old law I'll pretend I read on the internet once.

Yeah the Blowtorch is very good for that sort of thing, +1. Bit annoying requiring 18v though. The Brown Dog is good too but quite pricey unless you can find a used one, and there aren't many used ones around.

Bought Chris's OC-2, exactly as described, posted very quickly, packaged very well, top marks from me.

[quote name='nicklathambass' timestamp='1334748646' post='1620555'] Thanks for the kind words and criticism! I don't really know how you can think the little tap has no musical reason for existing.. it's part of the melody! Thanks all the same though. [/quote] I know what he means - it sounds incongruous. The note may well be essential but the performance of that note stands out and not in a good way. Congratulations on the win, looks like an amazing bass, fairly jealous.

FWIW Crate do some small battery-powered wedges (The 'Taxi' series, I think 15w, 30w or 50w) but they're not exactly gig bag sized and weight about 10kg, certainly portable though, and the internal battery is rechargeable IIRC. There's also the Roland Cube Street (5kg) which again is a bit big for a gig bag and about twice the price of the Crates. I've been meaning to get one of those Crate boxes for a while.

I think you win the thread.