Burns-bass

Bit of an update, I’ve gigged another 5 or so times and getting used to the instrument. (Currently paid back £400 of the initial outlay!) Yesterday I did a 3 hour session outdoors in the sun and the bass did indeed get hot. Thankfully not in the full glare of the sun as I reckon the reflection would blind someone. The bass really doesn’t sound like a full acoustic double bass, and the feedback can be a killer (unless you use a magnetic pickup) but the looks make up for it. As someone who prefers to blend into the background, you really can’t with an aluminium bass. People absolutely love it. But the weight makes moving it a bit of an annoyance. Finally, I may get a new fingerboard put on next year as the one I have had the bevel and I don’t like it.

Not sure Sinead and Prince saw eye to eye (that’s not a joke about him being a midget but her allegations about his violence).

I can’t stand Prince’s music, but even I recognise that the guy was a genius. A friend went to see him at the 02 and said he’d never seen a performer command a venue so big so confidently. That’s a skill in itself.

My currently guitarist does this. Drives me up the effin wall.

I’d agree and add a fourth - it has to be reliable! Ive played hundreds of basses of all ages and types, from £10 (my first in 2001) to £10,000 (a 64 jazz I sold on here) and the one thing that matters to me now more than anything is that it works. I currently gig a £1500 Fender US jazz with a £100 Harley Benton or Squier as a backup. That’s it. All meticulously cared for, set up, and maintained.

Done! Thanks so much.

Sorry not to respond just packing up for holiday. That’s a wonderful offer. Can we do when I back from holiday? Happy to make a donation to charity of your choice.

It’s a fully converted loft, so it’s just laying on the (heavily carpeted) floor! The roof eaves mean I can only have one bass on a stand and that’s the aluminium one. I think I’m going to sell the Bryant soon, although it pains me to do so.

The 10-hour round trip from south Wales may be a bit of a stretch, but certainly worth it if you can mange it.

Are you in Bristol? I need a gig bag for a Bryant bass that’s currently living on the floor in the loft (don’t ask). Would it fit do you think?

Not sure if you can get a credit card and pay that back, but you’d get a better deal on here buying second hand. To get you gigging, you also need: - A pickup - Bag - Pre-amp / HPF When I started I got all that on here for £500.

I’m going through my bass books today. Send me a message and I’ll zip you across a few that you might find useful (free, this isn’t me trying to make money!)

What do you want to achieve on bass that you can’t already do? There are plenty of bass players who can’t read music, don’t know their scales or arpeggios, or modes and still get paid. Don’t do something because you feel you should. Do it because you want to! Sit down and figure out your goals. If it’s to play gigs and have fun, then figure out your path to get there. If it’s to sight read complex passages, all good. oh, and you can achieve everything you want to on a 5-string bass. Do not buy more gear.

http://bristol-violin-shop.co.uk/instrument-hire-scheme/

Excellent advice. I think you can still rent a bass with the violin shop, so that’s an option too. As soon as you play DB I was offered gigs that were far beyond my ability, in many cases because of the aesthetic. Im pretty awful and I still get paid (mad world). The guys here are proper gigging experts so I’d go with what they recommend.

Agreed. You need to find a EUB with the correct scale length so you can apply the same technique. You should also try and find a bass with genuine DB strings and learn how to pull the string back using your bicep (not using your thumb as a pivot). Playing DB is hard and you need to put in a lot of hours to get anywhere near competent. I can busk a jazz gig but earn my cash playing blues in a loud band where my technique is less apparent. I wish you well in your DB adventures and I’d love to hear how you get on.

This is bass direct I should say