Annoying Twit

Yes. It's tempting to look at upgrades, but bang for the buck is important. I couldn't find 2tek bridges online to check the price, but I'm sure they are probably about what my whole bass cost. I've been advised that Bartolini pickups and active circuitry would improve my bass. But they would cost even more than my entire bass did.

[quote name='mcgraham' post='306318' date='Oct 14 2008, 03:38 PM']2) ensure you practice efficiently, whether you play fast or slow you should be playing in the same way, i.e. constantly/frequently re-evaluate your playing technique and root out/address issues that are limiting your technique (e.g. a bent wrist making things hurt/hard to move, anchoring your thumb instead of having a floating/sliding thumb making it hard to skip strings etc)[/quote] Could you please describe in more detail what "anchoring your thumb" is?

I've noticed that there is a lot of love for badass bridges on this forum. I've looked at pictures of the badass bridge, and they look reasonably similar to the Warwick branded bridge on my Rockbass. It seems a solid piece of cast metal, rather than the "bent metal bridge" sometimes mentioned. I'm not experienced enough to know how long various basses sustain for, but the rockbass seems to sustain notes a long time. I'm not sure if some bassists sustain a single note for a whole chorus or something, but otherwise, the sustain of my bass seems fine. Not that I was planning to swap the bridge. But I'm curious to know whether my bridge is on a par with the badass or not.

I was surprised to stumble across "economy" six string bass bits on ebay. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Bass-Guitar-Bridge-6-String_W0QQitemZ250307310361QQihZ015QQcategoryZ22670QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Bass-Guitar-Brid...1742.m153.l1262[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/6-String-Bass-Bridge-Chrome-Black-or-Gold-B12_W0QQitemZ130181686296QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/6-String-Bass-Bridge...6QQcmdZViewItem[/url] cheap pickups too: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Wilkinson-MWJH6-6-String-Bass-Guitar-Pickup_W0QQitemZ250306886164QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Wilkinson-MWJH6-...4QQcmdZViewItem[/url] I saw I'm surprised as I was thinking that six string bass is a more specialised market. That there wouldn't be much of a market for six string bits. And that those looking for them would probably want to go further upmarket. Is this not so?

[quote name='eude' post='306764' date='Oct 14 2008, 11:19 PM']Seriously dude? Me? I'm well flattered! What piece was it?! Eude[/quote] It's "The Demons Bite", Clip One on your Shuker bass page. I really like that riff. I've seen the clips of Victor Wooten doing the speed bit and the tap bit, and that superfast slap guy posted here. And I think that given that I'm now older and busier, I don't think I'll ever be able to practice enough to do that, and in the case of the extreme slap bass guy, don't want to. But even though The Demons Bite is [b]comparatively[/b] simple and straightfoward compared to the Wooten and Jaco extended solos, I heard it and thought "that's what I want to be able to do, and if I keep practicing, I'll be able to do". I like the percussion too. Other playing I aspire to includes Paul McCartney's playing on "Wings at the speed of sound", not his most popular album, but I much prefer the bass playing on it to anything else he's done. That sort of "riff that's melodic enough to be a hook in itself" bit is what I like. And I think "The Demons Bite" is an excellent example of that.

[quote name='eude' post='183602' date='Apr 23 2008, 11:05 AM']Nice one, with the single Pickup it reminded me of 7string's Sei actually, which is incredibly drool-worthy. I'm pretty certain that's what's next on the list for me though, once I get my hands on my Shuker Pub Bass that is Keep us posted on what you decide, if you want a hand roughing a shape out, I don't mind helping out using Illustrator, although if you want a proper mockup i do believe Sugden does some cracking renderings of basses, I think he's been doing all of Skelf's for AC Guitars of late, which look brilliant.[/quote] I've just realised who you are, by following your band's myspace page. Did you know that I posted on another forum giving a link to one of your pieces on the Shuker site and saying that this is the kind of bass playing I aspire to?

[quote name='alembic1989' post='305662' date='Oct 13 2008, 05:54 PM']That's a thought..but I can't upload any pics of my wishbass as I don't have a digital camera. The Harley Benton..IMHO is a really cracking bass..I bought it to see if I could get along with a 6'er. It played/sounded great right out of the box,very versatile tonally too. I think I paid £120..including shipping from Germany.[/quote] If you send me normal photos of the wishbass, I can digitise them and upload if you want. I'm only in beginner mode as a bassist, but I look at the Harley Benton 6er for that price, read the HC reviews, and wonder if I should buy one and store it away in case I can never buy a usable 6'er for that price again. It's a bit more than £120 now, £124 + p&p, but still cheap.

[quote name='alembic1989' post='304991' date='Oct 12 2008, 08:04 PM']+1 on that point. I own a wishbass..had it for a few months now. I did all the necessary "googling" and the general concensus from people WHO ACTUALLY OWN ONE (important point), was that the finish was poor but they liked the tone. I like many others did a bit of work on mine ..which basically involved sanding down to the wood,rounding a few edges, and then finishing with teak oil...it took about a week. I really like my wishbass. (I own some very high end basses too)..it has a feel all of its own..very comfortable to play.and a very pleasing tone..and each one really is unique. The much maligned bridge works perfectly well..no intonation problems at all.There is a lot to be said for simple engineering solutions like that. ..and I've also noticed some high end builders who use a similar arrangement. More power to Mr Wishnevsky.[/quote] How about if you give a detailed review of your wishbass over on the appropriate forum. I'd like to hear of your experiences with your Harley Benton 6er too.

Here's a happy owner. 8 strings, frets, and a regular bridge. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__uCAE1HTIA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__uCAE1HTIA[/url]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.com/Winkle-Gandhi-handmade-bass-guitar-custom-neck-thru_W0QQitemZ270278927902QQihZ017QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.com/Winkle-Gandhi-handmade...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='304479' date='Oct 11 2008, 05:16 PM']I wonder if its anything to do with market saturation and being too fashionable for too long? Thats a cracker of a bargain though![/quote] I haven't been observing the bass market for very long. But I did notice the comments on the second hand prices of Warwick basses. And that there seemed to be an awful lot of them for sale. Supply and demand and all that. Though, since I'm a Rockbass owner, perhaps I'm also a cause rather than observer of the problem

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='304475' date='Oct 11 2008, 05:13 PM']There's no doubt that the finish is much improved on that one.... still, that crappy bridge bleh. [/quote] On the talkbass thread, someone swapped the bridge for a normal one. I think it might have been a badass. They said it worked fine.

I find it very interesting reading some talkbass threads on wishbasses. There seem to be lots of wishbass owners on that site. It appears that they have to spend a lot of time finishing the instruments themselves. [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=448044"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=448044[/url] But I think this looks fabulous. It's been finished post-delivery, even to the point (if I read the thread correctly) of narrowing the horns. But it looks like a thing of beauty to me. You can, it seems, get a standard bridge adjustible for each string, truss rods, etc, for a bit more money. I'd be sad if he stopped making Wishbasses. I could imagine getting one some day as a "project". Where else can you get a hand made truly unique looking instrument for that price?

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Fretless-Five-String-Cherry-Fantasy-Wishbass_W0QQitemZ130261801950QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Fretless-Five-S...0QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

No bids yet.

I'm not in the market for an EUB. But I was very interested to see one in a local guitar shop about two weeks ago. I think I'd prefer a natural finish to the red one though.

The cheap ebay silent basses have turned up again. They look a bit too cheap to my eyes though. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SILENT-ACOUSTIC-BASS-GUITAR-RED-OR-BLUE-INC-FOAM-CASE_W0QQitemZ180296661986QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SILENT-ACOUSTIC-BASS...6QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Thanks. When I get home I'll search for dead spots on my bass's neck. I'd agree that there are musical contexts where a bass sound with little midrange or higher frequencies sounds good. After all, in dance music isn't it fairly common to use a pure sine wave for the bass?

Hi all. Could someone please explain two bass terms I don't quite understand. What exactly does it mean when a bass sounds like "mud"? I quite like turning down the tone and getting a sound that lacks definition. I like the full tone more defined sound too. But is the former sound "mud"? Also, what are these "dead spots" on bass necks. I'd presume that they are notes that don't ring properly. Is this true?

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='300930' date='Oct 7 2008, 12:03 AM']I was just having a plonk on the Spector 6 this evening and comparing it to the Smith 6 that I used to own. Both basses had strong and weak points. I was thinking that there are certain basses that have good and bad points depending on the genre but I'm not aware that I've ever seen strong opinions about great 6 string basses expressed here. Does anyone feel like putting a case forward for a 6 string they've tried and liked?[/quote] You need to state minimum standards for posters who might follow up your question. I've spent a total of a few minutes playing a Yamaha TRB1006 unplugged. It was (probably is) for sale in Cash Generators in Derby. I spotted it there and asked to have a look. The shop assistant took it off the wall and basically put it straight into my hands. My experience is limited, but it felt really nice. Unsurprisingly this £499 (about £700 new?) instrument felt a bit nicer to play than my £120 s/h (about £250 new) bass. I didn't find the neck too wide at all, in fact it felt really comfortable. I was sitting so didn't feel the weight, but the whole thing just felt "right". Again, I'm not experienced enough to tell, but it felt well set up. At present I have only one bass, and this is likely to continue for some time. And spending £500 on a bass right now just isn't sensible. But I must admit there's a nagging temptation there. Fortunately I can resist such temptations. I took a photo of the bass, which I have attached.

Someone lost two brand new Yamaha basses on Bristol public transport? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yamaha-RBX270-J-YNS-Electric-Bass-Guitar-BNIB_W0QQitemZ310088289367QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yamaha-RBX270-J-YNS-...7QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

For £1500 I would expect better spelling and grammar in the listing. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/bass-guitar_W0QQitemZ150300343402QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/bass-guitar_W0QQitem...2QQcmdZViewItem[/url] [quote]The top is one piece qwilt maple and the back is one piece swomp ash.[/quote]

Any comments on Foulds in Derby? I happened to be randomly walking past, and dropped in to have a look. Time was limited as the rest of my family was waiting, but the store had much more interesting stock than I expected from the shop front. A very big emphasis on Cort basses, but it looks like they can order some interesting things. They sold SX drums, so I asked about guitars and basses. They told me they can get them, with prices starting at about £60-70. They quoted me £100 for an SX Jazz Bass. They also had a large number of "Spear" guitars. I asked about the basses, and they said they'd be able to get them too. The Spear basses look, IMHO, fantastic. But of course I don't know what they are like to play. Prices didn't seem incredibly low. £199 for a Yamaha Pacifica 112v instore, which is about full price. Though, their prices on their website look significantly marked down from RRP. Maybe negotiation is possible for anything at RRP. Overall, it looks like this could be a useful store for me.

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='299121' date='Oct 4 2008, 08:40 AM']I can practice silently with my bass unplugged or using the tascam headphone/mp3 thing I can't see what the problem is that these basses are supposed to solve. Any ideas? [/quote] it's not really good internet form to quote from a PM without permission, but I think this is fairly uncontroversial: [quote]Leaving aside the tone, it can do certain things that most other basses can't. It's more portable (I can sling it on my back and carry it comfortably on my bike), you can plug headphones directly into the output jack, the headless design makes it perfect for gigs in small spaces, and I always, without fail, get people coming up to me after gigs to talk about it.[/quote] Note that the owner discussed the tone in a previous paragraph, and, in short, he likes it.