SpondonBassed

I have wanted to try an extra long scale bass for ages but you never see them in high street outlets. I understand much of the technicality on this but there is no substitute for a good old grope and pluck!

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1462549552' post='3043993'] And, just to be controversial, he's worth 20 Jacos in my book. [/quote] I have to agree. I never really found Jaco accessible. Maybe it would be different if he'd come to my attention in the same way as Watt-Roy did - punctuating Ian's rasping lyric in Rhythm Stick on TOTP while I was in my teens. Before that, I'd never seen a bassist wear a guitar that high on its strap and I thank him for "breaking convention" else I might have felt the need to conform to Peter Hook's low-hung example of axemanship as a lot of players did. Thanks also to Mark King for that. Glad to hear Norman's still working. I do like Jaco at times, usually with a bit of Joni though. Weather Report isn't on my Easy Listening shelf

Welcome Mrbacco. I remember Dublin fondly as I lived there from 1980 to '88. We used rehearsal rooms just off of the Northside quays of the Liffey but they've likely been redeveloped thirty years on. I've just reminded myself how much of an old fart I've become... I'll get moi coat.

Andyjr1515 - Splendid fellow. I met him recently when he agreed to have a look at my B2A. By arrangement I took the stick to his place and we discussed what would be worth doing and what would be nice to have if time and money were of no concern. He's quite a pleasant chap to talk with and we settled on a repair/replacement of the seemingly inoperative pre-amp, a change of jack socket and a light polish on the fretboard. The pre-amp turned out to be okay when he put in the new battery that I had supplied. If memory serves, the last time I tried it and thought it had failed I had used a rechargeable battery. I read recently (elsewhere on this forum) that rechargeable batteries don't always work in B2As. He told me when he rang to update me that the amp was fine and needed no further attention. He did the job in slightly less than a week. He even dropped it off at ours and stopped for a chat. All he wanted was for his expenses to be covered. It was a relatively minor job and Andy may have a tendency to undersell his work so I made sure he could have a couple of drinks for his trouble. I am happy now that I have a crackle-free connection. The stick sounds good because I don't tense up in trying not to cause crackle. The fret board is nicely oiled and the frets twinkle when they catch the light - nice. Thank you Andy. I am happy to recommend you should anyone be looking for assistance with their guitar maintenance.

Welcome Chris

Welcome Stuart

Welcome Pieterh, We'll forgive you the guitarist tendencies (Heeheehee).

I want a set of Borg ocular implants too.

Welcome WNY. I hope your covert operations are fruitful and that they do not involve violence, bestiality or swearing.

Welcome Mario.

Welcome.

I suppose naming and shaming is not an option for legal reasons but it is something I think I'd want to know about before coming across it in the manner you described. It's just plain mean.

I don't see age as a problem. Far from it, where else can you get first hand accounts of how music has developed other than those who have lived it? I am dead chuffed to get these responses as it confirms my own feeling that this would be a worthwhile project should I be invited to join.

Welcome Martenot. Good of you to join in.

Cheers chaps! Thanks for the encouragement.

Last night I went to a community centre not too far away in response to an ad in our local paper. I was the youngest there at 53! Three lads were looking for another three to fill out the band. I think they were all in their sixties and seventies so fifties music was the agenda. Lots of Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Buddy Holly, Elvis etc. I don't know what audience still exists for this sort of thing but it looks like being a really good laff if nowt else. Of course there are others to be auditioned before I hear back. Good progress for me even if it goes nowhere. I'm having a crack at memorising a few off of their set anyhow. No harm to widen my repertoire. I was dead surprised how little had changed from my memories of jamming in Dublin years ago. It was as if I had never stopped. Cracking! I even got compliments about my sound and the way that I was asking questions when in unfamiliar territory rather than just blagging it. Time to hit the toob.

I think this is far too subjective a subject to attempt to comment on. The only thing I can take from this thread is that smilie faces are good for rock and frownie faces are good for metal! I like it flat to start. Tweakage occurs during my warm up. Not a fan of presets.

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1460315413' post='3024619'] It's an RGB 400, I had the gain on 1.5 and the vol on 4.8. [/quote] My mistake, sorry. Crikey, your amp was barely above idle then. It's nice to know you aren't going to clip or distort unintentionally.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1460328687' post='3024762'] Don't forget to breath [/quote] Dad3353 is dead right on that one. I sometimes have to tell myself to relax and adopt a better posture so's I can breath naturally. There is a natural tendency to tense up when faced with these situations for the first (and possibly second or third for some) time(s). Yoga is a good way of "finding your centre" just before you go on. There are many other disciplines that can put you in the zone, as it were. This forum is a good place to start looking.

I am amazed that no-one has mentioned piano wound strings for bass. They used to be popular in the eighties. Only the core wire passes over the saddle with these because the winding starts just a few mm the p'up side of the bridge. The string is just the same in tension. The difference in tone coming from the effectively super-light gauge at the bridge allowing for additional harmonics to come forward. More "ping" for your pluck, as I recall. The gauges are nominally the same for the most part of the string and they feel no different to play but they make funk and disco lines pop just a little more. Not sure how easy they are to get now. Mine were DBEs

Well done Lardy. It sounds like you had a normal and healthy first jam. I am hoping you get some laffs from the whole thing next time because it's never worth beating yourself up just for being a beginner. I am looking forward to one of my own on Tuesday. The first after being absent from ensembles for about thirty years. It will be interesting to see if I get that same newbie vibe once more. You know when actors and actrusses say "Break a leg!"? Well I don't yet know what bassists say in the same circumstance but [i]that [/i]anyway. Enjoy.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1457427625' post='2998290'] Guess it sucks to watch your show if you are off centre of the stage. [/quote] Sounds like a hi-fi enthusiast I knew at college. He would invite us to his sitting room but we'd all have to be placed so that we got the full "benefit" of his sound system. He loved his tech so much I often wondered if he was interested in the music at all.

Welcome. I hope you find benefit from the exercise. I do. There are some good instructional videos on whole body warm-ups for bassists. I have found a few just reading through the posts here. John

Well worth the effort my friend. I enjoyed that clip. Is that a Laney RB3 then? If so, had you got any head room with it at that venue or did you have to max it? Not used mine "in anger" yet.

A post elsewhere reminded me of a project my partner completed last year. He wanted to make his own ukulele having taken up the uke in his retirement. We looked on the 'net and found a local supplier of kits and ukulele parts about 50 miles North of Derby. Jack rang and arranged for us to visit. These days, Kenneth Smith is a bassist and an excellent wood craftsman. In his retirement he has been making ukuleles and sourcing materials for his kits. We got a detailed tour of his workshop and were made to feel very welcome. Jack has built two kits of his. I can't remember what woods were chosen for each but they whole process was fascinating. The grains of the various timbers come to life as the finish is applied... and they are both playable. If you're interested his YouTube presentation is here - [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upVWD74xbi0"]https://www.youtube....h?v=upVWD74xbi0[/url] Ken if you're on this forum, hello and cheers!