Frank Blank

I did not, I stuck at it but the short scale thing has won. It now just sits in the rack looking gorgeous but wasted so I’m going to hopefully sell it on here.

I am just going to put mine for sale on here if you are interested?

I am awaiting a Mikro to try out at my local shop so I’ll report back.

The SRC6 is strung E, A, D, G, B, E but, in my bewilderment, the higher strings befuddle me, almost certainly because I am used to the wider string spacing on my other basses. I am probably jumping the gun because I’ll almost certainly get used to 6 and I have a Chowny Pro winging its way to me that will most likely satisfy all my needs, I probably am actually being idiotic.

They do indeed but I don't really want anything over a 30".

I know it isn’t a uke but I own a Taylor GS Mini-e Bass which is superb, might it be an option?

See I like and will keep the 6 but I might, if no other option is available, actually buy another SRC6 and just have it strung with 4...

Time to show my ignorance. i recently purchased an Ibanez SRC6 from the excellent @adamg67 and without putting too finer point on it, I love it. Does anyone know of an Ibanez model similar to the SRC6 but with four strings? I have looked on the Ibanez website but everything in the SR range appears to be long scale. What I love about the SRC6 is the short scale, the narrow string spacing and I love the walnut finish. A 4 string version of the SRC6 might just be my perfect instrument, there must be something close. someone stop me before I buy another SRC6 and just put four strings on it...

I am seriously considering this route but it means parting with my AER and it took so long to get it, however I know the tech has superseded it really.

I plug my basses directly into an AER amp, the only other device involved is a clip on tuner (specifically a childish unprofessional one just to ensure no one mistakes me for a professional adult).

I used the “...it stunts your creativity” (or rather I would say it worried me that it might) excuse for years, thirty seven years in fact. Last night I had my third lesson and I can feel it helping already in both theory and technique. I was going to argue that maybe someone young and just starting out might be funnelled into a ‘classical’ channel and not think outside of that channel afterwards but I cannot, absolutely cannot, disagree with...

Was listening to In The Flat Field this morning, splendid.

Hmmmm, very interesting.

Where and with what do you fix it?

Thank bog it’s not just me, I had two Polytune clips in white and replaced them both with black...

Apologies. I didn’t realise they weren’t out yet, I am doing the same as you, holding out for a black one!

Purely out of interest can I ask why it has to be a Hamer?

Not on here it isn't! Welcome.

You can also get a TC Unitune clip on tuner, same design as the Polytune but without the flaky Polytune mode, significantly cheaper too.

Indeed you didn’t say only but you did say always and, as an outlier myself I find absolutes difficult. Fundamentally I agree with you but I never want to put off players who don’t do things in a prescribed way.

After over 35 years playing bass I have just recently started having lessons and learning theory. I play with the index finger only plucking the strings and through exercises I am realising that I’ve played 1,2,4 instead of 1,2,3 resulting in finger 3 having to be dragged around like a reluctant slug. The aforementioned exercises are improving my third finger dexterity and I find myself using it more on some of our songs but not always. I think this is the key, especially if you have been playing a while and have settled into your own style, there is a ‘traditional’ way of approaching playing but I’d stop short of calling it ‘correct’ because that implies that people who play like me are ‘incorrect’ rather than just slightly different. I also respectfully disagree with @Chris B that the guys who know music theory and have learnt a good technique will always be better players, they will usually be better players, sure, but not always, one of my favourite bass players, Mick Karn didn’t know any theory at all, even which notes his open strings were, he would bowl into rehearsals, ask the title of the song being worked on and write some of his bass lines solely inspired by the song title, the band would then sometimes have to restructure the entire song around his bass line. This sounds like a drag but imho that’s what makes Japan’s music sound so fresh and interesting becaus it isn’t necessarily structured around a traditional or classical route. I have often played in bands with classically trained musicians who wonder about my choice of notes, the polite ones will say some of my choices are interesting, others say will say wrong, sometimes I am swayed by their arguments, other times I will stick by my decision because it is right to my ear and by ear likes dissonance, granted it isn’t a classically trained ear but sometimes I think that training will filter out some of the more interesting ideas in order to tread the traditional route. I’m waffling, essentially I am now being tutored and I’m finding the tuition extremely helpful but then my tutor is not insisting that I use two finger plucking technique, he is showing me the traditional route but not insisting how I walk it because he realises I already have a style of my own involving technique and choices of note by ear.

He Always Struck Me As A Colossal Bell End - The second of today's entries on my list of potential autobiography titles.

Fingers crossed.