Marc S

Although I wouldn't say I was a massive fan - I've always liked them quite a lot... or a bit - depending on what year you asked me, or what mood I was in at the time lol. However, I was just going to answer as others have done - "comfortably numb" But then I started thinking more about my fave tracks. And the whole of Dark Side of the Moon is pretty awesome really - especially "Money" and "Us and them". Then I suddenly thought of "Shine on you crazy diamond" and "wish you were here" and as I started to type this answer, while thinking of the earlier Syd Barrett stuff, I thought - you can't leave out the classic "See Emily play" - perhaps my favourite of them all? Nice thread, as I'm already thinking of tracks from "Animals" and "Division Bell" but better close there See, I'm more of a fan than I even thought I was

Hello Ralf, and welcome to basschat I don't know much about AER. But there seem to be many lightweight bass amps & cabs around these days. I like Markbass, Epifani, and TC Electronics gear myself. I particularly like my 2 Epifani 1x10 cabs. Despite their small size, and light weight they do pack a punch! plenty of other options too, from the like of PJB and Barefaced etc etc Personally, as I get older, I'm really glad equipment is being designed with portability in mind EDIT: Genz Benz and Vanderkley are also names that come up regularly and seem to have many fans All the best Marc

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1478683194' post='3170811'] ......Nothing wrong with not wanting to be in a band at all, but when it all comes together and it's a great feeling. [/quote] Absolutely! If you're happy noodling at home, experimenting and jamming along to whatever you want to - fine Yes, bands can be an absolute pain, and other people's egos can be frustrating to deal with, but that goes for pretty much any other walk of life too. It's the same if you play any team sport, or join an event involving other people (I used to get similar stuff when organising country walks for heaven's sake lol) Yes, you can sometimes get drunks coming up to you, saying their Dad plays better than you. BUT you can also get complimented on your playing, or your sound. And hopefully, the whole sound and vibe of the band. Last Sunday, I played 10 songs at an open mic with a new band I've been involved in setting up "The Soggy Mountain Boyos" - they're fab guys, maybe at last I've met the best band members - it can happen. People loved the songs we played, they loved the sound. I got complimented on my slap style DB playing - that's never happened before, so it felt great (I've only been playing slap DB a few weeks, and the band has only been together just over a month. At the end of the summer, I played my biggest gig yet, at the Elvis Festival in Porthcawl. The venue was big-ish, but it was rammed. The place rocked from the opening bar of the opening song, and it was a brilliant atmosphere No amount of noodling at home could ever even come anywhere near the highs - but that's my opinion. I'm sure there are plenty of players on here who've played live and loved it, even if there are only 10 people in the audience, it's possible to have a great gig....

When I started playing BG as a begiiner, I was quickly able to use all 4 fingers on my left hand (probably because I'm left handed, but play a right handed bass). On DB it is of course, the preferred technique not to use your 3rd finger I discovered this on various youtube lessons, and tried to train myself to play the "correct" way, and not use this finger on DB Usually, if I concentrate sufficiently, I'm able not to use it most of the time However, there are times when I'm a bit lazy with technique, and moreover, times when I just find it seems natural for me to use all 4 fingers like artisan says above, I've probably just switched over from playing BG...... bad habits, but hey ho, old dog, new tricks etc etc

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1478267443' post='3168039'] The bass intro to Princess of The Streets is a work of art. [/quote] I second that - one of the best intros I've ever heard

Not sure what the actual width was, but I recently played a Steve Harris sig, and compared it to a few other Precisions in the same shop The Steve Harris was the widest, and deepest / chunkiest of the lot. It reminded me of an early '70's P I had years back, which was wider & chunkier than other P's I had tried at that time - mine had a maple board.....

Hello Markus Welcome to basschat Good luck in your search for a '59 Precision - I'm sure it'll be expensive But if you want one.... that itch won't go away Cheers from South Wales Marc

I'm careful with all my equipment, and try to look after it as best I can. I've rarely had a brand new bass - mostly second hand. It's funny, I know, but if the bass was mint when I bought it, I wanted it to remain so. I once had a near mint Rick, and I was way too precious about that, so rarely gigged it (twice I think) Nowadays, I either gig my Squier CV P or my Fender Roadworn P or J. So I'm not too bothered if they get an additional ding or scratch. The Squier is near mint still.... so I suppose I'll be annoyed if/when that gets its' first scratch or ding!

If you have found a sound & style that works for you, then that's great. But as for any differences in the sound of the bass, I quite often slide up to higher notes, and I like the sound of the slide itself. The slide and the notes at the dusty end of the bass are integral to some songs, like RHCP "Give it away" or Macca's bassline on "Come Together". In fact, those are 2 of my fave bass lines, and I can't imagine either without the slide to the dusty end You may not use that end of the neck much, but never consider it out of bounds EDIT: Also, when playing "Come together" I quite like the sound of a slide back down from the higher end of the neck, to the lower

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1478267835' post='3168046'] Definitely seperates as folk have suggested. Probably a head and 2 x 112's. Decide what sound and features you require. Do your research (Basschat really is an excellent resource for this). Then buy used from here, preferably from some of the guys with some decent feedback. If you buy decent gear used, you won't lose massive amounts if it doesn't work out live for you. Gear is VERY different in shop/bedroom/rehearsal room/ Ferret and Hat/O2. Welcome back, good luck, enjoy the journey [/quote] I meant to say, of course, the marketplace on here is very good for second hand gear And you'll get more for your money buying used. A new head, say TC Electronic 550W and a Markbass 1x12 would be a good start Then add a further (used) cab at some later date - check out what other BC'ers say about each cab, it's merits and weak points And as others have said, buying components makes it easier to change or upgrade

Ah JJ - one of my fave bass players! In fact, probably the man who made me want to play bass, and sound like him... Love the song, haven't played it in years. I seem to recall never really "nailing" that intro riff - just playing some rapid notes, with a pick, around A and B on the G string. Of course, youtube wasn't around back when I played it - so that's my suggestion anyway; see if there's any footage of JJ himself playing it live, or if there's someone on there who has made a video bass lesson? Worth a try.... Funny enough I saw the Stranglers recently, and watched out for a few details like that; eg, which part of the neck he plays such & such a riff etc. And I don't recall him moving his left hand that much when playing NMH Best of luck

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1478254590' post='3167854'] The current popular choice seems to be two 1x12" cabs - you can take one for small gigs & both for bigger ones. They're mostly light weight & pretty small box-sizes, especially compared to what you'll have used in years gone by. I chose the TKS ones because of the tone but there are plenty of other brands available; Bergantino, Vanderkley, Barefaced, even Ashdown apparently make a good one...... [/quote] Yep, plenty of choice of lightweight cabs out there these days. Barefaced, Markbass, Epifani I use a couple of Epifani 1x10's, also, love my Markbass 2x10 traveller Perhaps a rig consisting of a 1x12 and a 1x10? Don't be fooled by smaller speaker sizes, and thinking they won't cope... I had a 1x15 and it wasn't capable of handling any more power than some 1x10's. Also, it tended to sound very "boomy" and ill-defined at the bottom end, whereas some 1x12's and 1x10's can sound more well defined, focussed and punchy Also don't forget cabs like the Phil Jones 4x5 Piranha cabs. I had 2 of those, and boy did they sound great, despite the speakers only being 5". They were a tad heavy mind you, but now they do a lightweight version of those cabs too... [quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1478255057' post='3167870'] Where do you live? Maybe a nice BC'er can offer you a go on their equipment? The more you try, the more you'll know [/quote] Can't see what area you live in, but honestly, most BC'ers seem decent folk to me. If you were anywhere near FuNkShUi and myself in South Wales, you'd be welcome to pop in for a cuppa at mine, and have a listen to some amp heads & cabs.... just bring some nice biscuits! Plus, is there a bass bash anywhere near you? As BC'ers usually turn up with basses and amp gear for others to try out... Any BC'ers playing any gigs near you? Check that, and pop along to listen to their gear in a live situation - and support their band & venue to boot. Don't worry about being out of the game a few years. Yes, things have changed, but IMHO, things have changed mainly for the better. There's lots of choice out there re basses. Cheaper end instruments are so well made now eg. the Squier Classic Vibe range. And amps and cabs are so much lighter weight than they used to be. I started playing in the early 80's and basses were expensive. There was quite some cheap tat out there too. And amps were very hefty. I stopped playing for over 20 years (nearly 25 in fact) and boy, things had changed - but look on it as an exciting journey, where you can learn a lot too. Most of all, good luck in your quest. And post your location in your info - so others will know when to invite you to a gig or bass bash

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1478184619' post='3167370'] I once fitted some SD quarterpounders to my Hondo professional II, could hardly tell any difference then found out they fitted DiMazio's as standard still I sold them on for not much of a loss (the Seymour Duncans) [/quote] Earlier in the year (or maybe it was toward the end of 2015?) I put a new neck on an old 70s / early 80's Matsumoko Japan built P bass I picked up cheaply. The old neck was really well & truly broken, Someone had (mostly) removed the old logo on the headstock, so I couldn't tell what it was. It looked like it may have been a Hondo... Once fixed, with new neck, the pickup in that bass sounded awesome! It was quite a high output, really punchy too. I sold the bass by advertising it on a local facebook group. It sold the same day. Guy picked it up next day. I regret not swapping the pickup out of that bass, as it was so good. Maybe they were DiMarzio's as PaulWarning says? They sounded great, whatever they were. I since found out that the guy who bought that restored P bass from me sold it on to a chap I know (this guy does a lot of buying & selling) and I think he's sold it on again. Perhaps I didn't ask enough for it?