Cato

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1456216192' post='2986593'] My gf wants me too justify why I must insist on switching my main and only bass several times a year, month or even every week. That I can't justify fully even too myself, especially as my playing level isn't that high. Love the Acg I now have though and can't see me parting with it for some time. [/quote] If you can afford it without forcing your family into penury then that's justification enough. Nice basses make you play better because they inspire you to pick them up & practice more. That's my philosophy anyway.

I used to do it with my old Hartke 3500 , but I've since read that it could potentially damage the amp. The sound only came through one side of the headphones which was annoying, I presume because the speaker output is mono, not stereo. Rereading your post if you don't actually have amp here yet try looking for one with a dedicated phones output. I think a few of the class Ds have them. Further edit. In fact having looked at the ampeg you mentioned it does indeed have a dedicated headphones output. They wouldn't have included it if it was going to damage the amp so you should be golden.

I use Seinnheiser hd201s. Excellent quality for bass practice & listening to music. The cable is quite light & thin & needs to be treated with a bit of care, but you should get around £60 change from your £80 to spend on other goodies. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Closed-Dynamic-Stereo-headphones-black/dp/B0007XJSQC

[quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1456009711' post='2984565'] Best advice I was ever given was "if you can hum it, you can play it". [/quote] I had a similar one along the lines of you can play anything if you slow it down enough, then you can start speeding it back up.

I read recently that while Ibanez don't do custom specs for Joe Public they have a small luthiers & workshop operation in California solely for their endorsees. Maybe its a similar thing with Music Man? Although I doubt this Vamps guy has an endorsement, I can't imagine boy band members shift that many units. ( no disrespect to boy bands).

Watching various tutorials on YouTube I've seen a fair number of people who I would regard as top class players who don't use the 'one finger per fret' technique. Going from the first finger on the first fret to the little finger on the third or even from the third to the fifth seems pretty common & not massively detrimental to their overall ability on the instrument. Maybe getting the person you are teaching to start practising stuff to build strength & dexterity in the little finger, which beginners tend to lack, would be a good way forwards?

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1455614935' post='2980609'] Surely the whole point in getting people talking about you is to pique their curiosity, not to make them all think you're a monumental helmet-flake. [/quote] Unfortunately the world doesn't seem to work like that. Look at Justin Bieber, he spent several years earning a reputation as one of the world's leading bell ends & he's now bigger than he's ever been. In Mr West's case he makes a few controversial or daft statements and he gets the kind of global coverage money literally cannot buy. On a purely commercial level it doesn't seem to matter whether the coverage is positive or negative.The people who are bemused by his ridiculous antics were probably never going to buy his products in the first place. Most of the articles about him mention his fashion business or his various endorsement deals or links to various brands, which rightly or wrongly will ultimately only increase his perceived value to his sponsors.

He's got a new album out & everyone's talking about him. Job done.

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1455568124' post='2980345'] I was only talking about a simple t shirt , just to show I play. Nothing else [/quote] Someone bought me something very similar to this a while ago http://www.albertsgifts.com/product/productinfo/bass-clef-golf-shirt/7310?cid=746 Mine is a small gold bass clef motif on a dark red polo shirt. It's a tad more subtle than the average slogan shirts.

[quote name='sunburstjazz1967' timestamp='1455550012' post='2980088'] I'm sure there will always be a place fire the nostalgia but will there be as much interest in ten,twenty or thirty years time? I know there is always "my son loves the Beatles " blah blah but generally the next generation aren't that bothered are they? [/quote] I don't know, I live near Statford upon Avon & they still seem to be doing pretty well out of Shakespeare. He didn't even live there that long, apart from his childhood and about three years before he died. His most productive years were spent in London. At least the Beatles' time in Liverpool has a genuine connection to their work.

Just downloaded & listened to the album. It's really rather good. It's a lot more than just a bass players album (although the bass is excellent, it's certainly not the focus), sort of modern R & B but with a slightly jazzy twist.

A Mexican Fender jazz & new pickups? On a more serious note second hand USA Fenders seem to go for between £500-£800 in the marketplace here and there's a load of highly respected pre owned stuff in that bracket from Lakland & G&L to Music Man & Maruswotsit.

Off topic, but my understanding is that there are a load of classic Stones songs that Wyman, Jones & Watts made major contributions to that are simpy credited to Jagger/Richards. I'd guess that from their perspective a smaller slice of a big pie was better than no pie at all.

I always thought he was a massive duck.

[quote name='keefbaker' timestamp='1455194659' post='2976881'] Muse - in the way that you can always play the "what song have they blatantly ripped off for this one" game. [/quote] Even more confusingly there seems be a whole new batch of bands coming through that sound a lot like Muse.

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1455143308' post='2976505'] Ah yes, in the context of the original comment it's much more appropriate. Which reminds me, quoting doesn't seem to work at all on the Android version of Firefox - I have to do it manually, which is even more error prone :-( [/quote] No worries

5/10, at least three of those were educated guesses. Metal & I parted company in about 1993, no idea about anything past that date.

I suspect everbody experiences plateaus where we feel that we're not improving or have a hit a brick wall with where we want to go next. I don't think learning an instrument is a smooth learning curve of constant improvement, its more like a series of steps and landings, some of steps are quite small and some of the landings between them are longer than others. (apologies if I sound like a budget guru).

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1455123723' post='2976194'] That is such a crass comment. [/quote] Ah, I think thats my fault. Pretty sure Mr Geek accidentally included that when he was quoting something else I'd written. I said it, in the context that none of us are in a position to judge Adam Clayton's actual level of technical ability because we've never heard him play outside of U2. For all we know he may be able to give Victor Wooten a run for his money but never demonstrates that side of his playing because its innapropriate for the band that he's in. Hope that clears that up.

They've got some good deals. I bought a pair of aguilar ag 4j70 pickups from them a couple of months ago for a fair whack cheaper than they were advertised anywhere else,prompt delivery, absolutely no complaints. They also seem to have got a fair bit of Fender Japan stuff in recently, if anyone's interested.

From memory Billy's sig bass is scalloped from the 17th fret onwards but only on the D & G side of the fretboard, but it doesn't always come out in photographs, so the ones on the maple are harder to see than the ones on the black fret markers. As mentioned above it's to reduce friction on bends so the string is only touching the fret & not the fretboard. I've never played anthing with a scalloped fretboard, but I've heard you need a very light touch otherwise you can pull the string out of tune (by pushing it down past where the fretboard would normally be) just by playing with normal pressure. I'd guess that's why he only has scallops at the top end of the neck.

The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails is one of my all time favourite albums. It does a superb job conveying its themes.

There are definitely degrees of story telling when it comes to concept albums. At one end of the spectrum you have 'The Wall' by Pink Floyd or 'Tommy' by the Who where there is a relatively clear and easy to follow story being told accross the album. At the other end of the scale you have stuff like Iron Maiden's 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son', where apparently there was a story being told but to this day I have no idea what that story was,apart from a vague idea that it might have had something to do with wizards.

Those gauges should be absolutely fine for slap (or any other style). Is it possible it might be a technique issue? You don't need to slap or pull the strings very hard to get a good slap sound, a lighter touch is generally better. Also basses are generally noisier than electric guitars when it come to string noise & fret buzz, especially if you hit the strings hard. Other than that my only suggestion is to take the bass to another luthier or tech, demonstrate the problems you are having and get a second opinion.

Clayton does exactly what he needs to for the U2 gig. Whether or not you are a fan, the popularity of their music speaks for itself. I don't think any of us will be in a position to judge him as an unimaginative or 'bad' bass player until he releases a solo album that showcases the full range of his skills. He hasn't always helped himself mind, I remember an interview in Guitarist ( or possibly Bassist) in the 90s where he spoke about using sequencers and loopers on U2's most recent tours and essentially miming for large parts of the show. I have wondered if those comments are the fountainhead of a lot of the derision aimed in his direction.