Marc S

I loved the JJ Burnel sound, and his bass on the Stranglers first album "Rattus Norvegicus" was what first made me listen to the bass guitar So that's my contribution - not necessarily my fave album these days, but it's what got me into bass

I'd say most of the sustain will come from the bass, or the body / design of the bass itself, and how well this is set up, of course. Some strings will suit certain basses better, and of course this will also depend on how you play and what style of play etc.... As your playing improves, your fingers will get stronger and sustain should improve too Innovation strings are honestly really good, and less expensive than many other brands. Mostly, they don't bow too well though, down to tension and their construction / materials (which is one reason I asked whether you intended to bow - I must say, I use silver slaps and they sound dreadful when bowed) In addition to their Silver & Gold Slaps, the Rockabilly's and the Honeys, they also do a set called "Silvers" - I've got these on my KK baby bass, as it came with them on from the previous owner (Happy Jack) I had intended to change them, but I quite like them. They're slightly harder material and slightly higher tension than the Silver Slaps, but they're good for pizz, and they've grown on me.....

I've ticked the "exclusively 4" box, as that's my go-to standard I do own a 5 string, but don't play it too often - it's just there to noodle with now & again, and remind me how to play a 5er (I tend to get confused too easily, and play the wrong string on a 5er! lol)

Hi Fleabag, Really laughed when I saw the tumbleweed pic! lol Sorry I didn't see your post sooner.... I've not tried the D'addario orchestra strings, but if these are indeed the strings on your EUB, they are likely to be part of the problem Sorry to state the obvious, but they will have been designed primarily for playing with a bow. Are you intending to bow at all? If not, you may wish to consider some of the strings made by Innovation In addition to the Silver or Gold Slaps, they make Innovation Honeys - these are higher tension than the Slaps and Rockabilly strings they make but they're still relatively lower tension than several other strings. They're relatively inexpensive, but they're good quality and made in the UK Keep your eye on the marketplace here, as DB strings do come up 2nd hand from time to time..... yes DB / EUB strings are expensive, but you can pick up a used set for a good price Often, the player will fit strings, try them for a while, then decide to move them on and try something else..... PS. Just had a thought, not having played a NS design EUB - will standard DB strings fit, or does the bass require something different / unusual?

Hope you get it sorted Chewie Let us know how you get on....

Yes, weight is an issue for many of us, who've reached a "certain age" now Gone are my days of lugging speaker cabs the size and weight of fridges.... Trace gear tends to be on the heavy side.... that is, it seems to vary from "very heavy" to "*@$!*?* heavy"

Good on you Paddy515

Just took a look at it, and it has been "removed" This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing. Yes, like it wasn't even new & unused - let alone not a Fender....

I'd leave the body on Chewie's bass as it is - I do like the RW Jazz in Sunburst..... then again, I like them in Fiesta Red too. Good suggestion here though Rumple, thanks for posting that link BTW. Chewie, you could buy a Shell Pink body and see whether you prefer it? If not, keep the sunburst one for a while - just in case....

I tend not to buy many new releases as soon as they come out, but I really like Skinny Lister They're an amazingly energetic live band, and great musicians with it. They have two lead vocalists, a male & female But all the band do backing vocals too, and there's quite a few of them, so it's very effective, with lots of "Too-ray-ey 'ing" Anyhow, their 2017 album; "The Devil, The Heart & The Fight" - far from being the difficult 2nd album, is great

I've only used them a couple of times, and not for anything major / expensive. I found they were fine, and most of all.... reliable However, you certainly got a result there GreeneKing! That's great - Merry Christmas

I'm with Dan Dare here. Leave it in its' original colour / finish. Plus, when you take it out to gigs, you're less "Precious" about it getting knocked & bumped.... Whereas with a shiny, immaculate, blemish-free instrument - you may end up being on tenterhooks every time anyone goes near it, or too cautious to even take it out of the case.... Let it be

Really like this post, and couldn't agree more Skol One of my own fave HMHB lines (and it still makes me laugh, many years later) "The nauseating bashfulness of Lady Diana, Makes me want to set fire to commemorative tea-towels" I've started laughing again

Gets more & more poignant as each year passes. What's more, Sandy Denny wrote this classic song when she was in her twenties!!!

Hi Keefaz, firat of all.... welcome to BassChat, and welcome to the wonderful world of bass playing Re your need for an amp, of course, you don't necessarily NEED one as such. However, you may turn up at a gig where there's no PA, or where the PA isn't working In the past, PA owners and Sound tech guys were frequently not happy at bass guitars being plugged into their kit - something about a bass possibly damaging their speakers This tends to be less of a problem these days, as more PA's seem to be capable of handling bass and keyboards... but you never know So I think it's good practice to have some amp kit... You may find some bargains on here, particularly among the older gear - because it tends to be heavy, whereas there's a lot of modern lightweight options around nowadays As has been said, without knowing too much about the band you're in, and crucially, without hearing them (even bands covering the same material can differ a lot) what bass will give you the best sound is a tricky question... The good old stable, the Precision Bass is so often cited as being able to "cut through" most mixes and music, and by and large, this is true - depending on amps, venue, and other musicians playing etc. Your Squier may indeed be able to cut it, but perhaps the amp you're using is under-rated, compared to the other musicians? Or, just as likely, they could maybe turn down a tad? Not knowing which Squier you have (they can vary hugely, depending on when & where built, as much as the particular model) - it may even be that your bass isn't set up properly, or the pickups are too distant from the strings... (PS. Also, don't adjust them so they're too close!). It may be that a simple upgrading of the pickups to something more powerful is an option that could save you money? Some used pickups on here, or I'd recommend looking at Entwistle PBXN or JBXN (Precision and Jazz versions) are cheap and very powerful for passive pickups. You could also look at buying an active bass (with battery powered pickups & electrics) - but some of the older amps can struggle with the signal from active basses, if your gain is set high.... The most important factor when choosing a bass, is how comfortable is it to play? Consider neck thickness, body & neck position - is that low F too much of a struggle to reach? Does it hurt your wrists when stretching? Is the bass too heavy? etc. They do vary so much in terms of playability as much as sound (possibly more so?) - so try as many as you can. Pop to your local shop and explain your situation - say that you're new to bass, and want to find the most comfortable one to play. Try a few used ones - are there any for sale on here that are situated near you? Is there a local bass bash event coming up soon near you? We're a friendly bunch, and many BC'ers are happy to let you try their bass A lot of guitarists (and some bassists) like short scale basses. These are 30" scale lengths, as opposed to the usual 34" scale of a normal, full scale bass. Perhaps try one out for size / comfort? Squier do a rather nice Jaguar SS, with a P and a J pickup. They're pretty reasonably priced, and even cheaper 2nd hand. Also, re DI / Preamp pedals. Once you have your comfortable bass - a D.I. Pedal or an EQ pedal can help sculpt your sound. The Sansamp has already justifiably been mentioned, but there's a cheaper option - Behringer do a nice Pre-amp pedal, with some nice tonal and boosting options. OK it isn't in the same league as the Sansamp, but at under 30 quid it's pretty good value. Sorry, that's a lot more for you to think about, and I've only scratched the surface of some topics. But get yourself a bass you're comfortable with - that makes learning a lot easier If you're comfortable with that Squier, maybe think about upgrading the pickups? Most of all, best of luck mate

I'd go with hiring a bass, I think. Alternatively, You could also consider getting yourself an Eminence folding EUB I had one of these, and as they have a small acoustic / chambered body, they sound very DB-like, with some EQ'ing. The added advantage, is that the folding version packs away into a Golf Case The idea behind this, is that Airlines are apparently "golfer friendly" - so taking anything in a golf club case on a plane, you get a heavily discounted rate.... The golf flight case is a sturdy hard case, with wheels on one end, so it's easy to lug around (though it's not heavy anyway really) plus, your bass packs away inside an additional padded soft case. So it's pretty well protected inside a strong case and well padded gigbag (which also doubles up as a softcase / gigbag for when you don't need the hard case) When you return, you could then sell the Eminence for pretty much what you paid for it..... Just another thought....

There's also the option of this - the Fishman bass power-chord pedal I bought one on here second-hand. I've used it in a cover band I play in. We lost our keyboard player a while back, and had some gigs already booked - so I wanted to "fill" the sound a bit more As others have said, this isn't necessarily the best approach / ethos, but in this particular band, the singer / guitarist mainly plays and acoustic guitar I found the pedal worked quite well, and gave another "dimension" to the sound - of course, it can't "replace" the keys and that shouldn't be the aim but when used at the right times, it did add something to the overall sound of a 3 piece band.... https://www.fishman.com/products/series/fx/fission-bass-powerchord-fx-pedal/