Burns-bass

You’re moving your fingers on your right hand too much. This is a common thing but it’s wasted effort. As you play faster, you’ll struggle - but by straightening your fingers and focusing on economy of effort will help. That’ll help with the articulation, too. Your left hand is good. I’d work on getting more dexterity and finger independence. Loads of good exercises here. Also, watch your thumb. You’re moving it a a lot, but you don’t need to. I used to show my students that you don’t even need your thumb to fret notes. In the end it’s there to guide you to the right position, not drag or inhibit movement.

Those are fairly tough with the palm mutes and accents.

It’s hard to explain but we see it loads in my job. AI writing programmes don’t really “write” anything, they spin existing content (essentially reconstituting in a new way so it reads like original content but isn’t). So it will copy and subtly change whole sentences from publicly available websites. Heres one I asked GPT to write and it’s strikingly similar. What it lacks is the care and attention of a real human being/bass player. “As an American musician renowned for his prowess on the electric bass, Pastorius’s style revolutionized how the bass guitar is perceived in jazz music. His tenure with the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1976 to 1981 solidified his reputation, but his contributions extended beyond with collaborations with artists like Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, and his own band, the Word of Mouth. “Pastorius was known for his innovative techniques on the fretless bass, which included lyrical solos, bass chords, and the use of harmonics. His approach combined elements of funk, R&B, and jazz, creating complex bass lines that were both intricate and rhythmically powerful. Despite personal struggles with mental health and substance abuse, which affected his career and eventually his life, Pastorius’s influence on music and bass playing remains profound. He was posthumously inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, a testament to his lasting impact on the music world.”

I run a content agency for brands and businesses and this is AI content. Red flags all over the place.

Genuine vintage can be problematic. Sometimes they’re light, play great and work flawlessly. Others are dogs. Dont ever buy one without trying it. The recent US 70s jazz basses are all ace and I’d spend my cash on that if I needed a reliable working instrument. Vintage for show, modern for dough (etc). The Geddy Lee Jap jazz bass is exceptional if you can find a good one.

I really want a historic Warwick. I had a 1986 Warwick one that I played at some monster gigs, but I sold it (like an idiot) for about £900 at the dawn of Basschat.

Interesting. The OP is worried about technical issues (bowed neck, dodgy electronics and poor fret work). This is all stuff any retailer should be checking out and fixing it would be part of what I consider a set-up. String heights, less so, of course. I know Bass Bros will do it and the last Fender I bought was set up from the shop by someone who really did know what they were doing.

Treat buying a bass like a used car!

Always factor in the price of new strings and a full set up into the purchase of every used bass. It may play perfectly when it arrives but in my experience, I’d say 75% don’t. Plus I like the peace of mind that comes from having it fully checked out, cleaned and set up. I’d say this will cost about £150 (depending on strings). if you’re buying from a shop of course they *should* (but don’t always) set it up to your requirements. if buying privately, then pay PayPal proper so you have some recourse if it’s not as advertised. Tell the seller you’re going to get it checked out and set up by a professional and you’ll chat about any issues.

I’d just like to resurrect this and say thank you for creating such a wonderful resource.

Was easier when the market wasn’t full of dealers buying up all stock and then rising prices every few months. Or private sellers trying to charge shop prices for their gear. Or “all original apart from a few changed bits” or “as far as I know it’s all original (but I won’t take it apart to prove that).” @GuyR had it nailed.

I had one of these and I really liked it.

I saw that. Very helpful if you and I’m sure he’s grateful. I think the price is punch. Quite why people consider it a “custom colour” when it’s a refin is beyond me.

Agreed. I’d also never buy a refin without rock solid provenance. It’s easy enough to hide things with a new cost of paint. (It’s conceivable that the body may not be original, either…) Too many unanswered questions for me, but totally understand others are happy with that.

You and about 75% of other buyers.

One of your roles is to look at the drummer and make eye contact with others on stage. They’ll be more worried than you and your confidence will help them. Resist the temptation to look down at the fretboard or twiddle your amp.

This is the problem. I like vintage sounding amps but I don't want it to break up like an old valve amp too soon. I'll stick with what I have (and I have no work so maybe the lack of cash is an influence here!) Thanks all for your comments and views.

I used to have two flightcased Hiwatt DR103s so I’m fully aware of how heavy amps are and can be. The 350 is nice it’s just annoying to carry to my music room in the loft and lug about. I use Barefaced cabs and just fancied a fully lightweight rig. A/B testing sounds like a great idea.