Stub Mandrel

Nyango Star does Slipknot...

Odd problem.. are you using long scale strings on an SS bass?

Having seen many people invest a fortune in the 'right tools' just for many of them to never be used again, my advice is that, aside from the obvious basics, see what needs to be done THEN identify a cost effective solution and build your collection of tools as you need them.

Hmm. First concert - Stormqueen, Barry Boy's Comprehensive 6th form common room about 1978 Last concert - Cadstock Fundraiser (including Brothers band Stonehouse and the 'Popular songs in a ska style played by guys in clown constumes' Black Jam Circus) Best concert - Black Sabbath New Year's Eve 1981 at Hammersmith Odeon Worst concert - Cornershop, before they got famous. Just random feedback. But Gong/Here & Now who they were supporting were brilliant. Loudest concert - Motorhead. Hammy Odeon, 83. Seen the most - Probably Fairport Convention, or perhaps Hawkwind. Was once the Stranglers. Most surprising - Dave Swarbrick and Martin Carthy - because my friends invited me along to see a 'quite good' duo on at their local folk club. Or Slade. Next concert - Saxon. Wish I would have seen - Sabbath with Ozzy. Wish I could see again - Heaven and Hell Honourable mentions: Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons - for being awesome. Oysterband - for blowing away Chumbawanba Radiohead - for playing Paranoid Android so I realised I HAD heard of them. Rush - for having an iMax screen as backdrop. Hawkwind - for being Hawkwind.

I didn't actually leave but... In my first band the guitarist/BL had a Dire Straits obsession (about 1/5 to 1/4 of our songs). He was a very able rhythm guitarist but he had a sort of 'Guitar George Syndrome' which meant he wouldn't play lead (OK, he did a bit on Show me the Way, enough to show that with effort he was quite capable...) so the KB player covered most of the solos and I even did a couple on bass (Like a Hurricane with a Bass Solo anyone?) <edit> For some reason I was convinced we were not very good and couldn't understand why we seemed to go down OK at gigs (we even got rebooked...) but from a 30 years later perspective we were pretty tight and in all honesty, despite my angst, the punters at Valleys working men's clubs weren't exactly shouting out for guitar histrionics...

I just found this pic, it's a relatively recent selfie of me with a t-shirt for a band I was in in the early 90s. There must be lots of historic and hysterical t-shirts for basschatters' bands out there, so share yours !

A popular style, but it can look 'sixth-form art portfolio'... Not that my own attempts at cover art are any better:

Utterly rammed and a good time was had by all.

You're doing a beautiful job there, but are you your own worst enemy in the balance department?

The crappy graphics put me off, but when I read that I thought 'must listen' 🙂

Or a skateboarding 'Oss...

There was also the 'Celeb by Ligger' strip in Etavirp Yee...

Not sure why I clicked on that, but I'm glad I did!

I'm from days gone by 🙂

You too Dave!

BoRap (it's on the radio...)

Increasing convinced a Jazz bass on neck pickup with tone rolled right back is the way to go 🙂

Like that.

The guy who stole your seat in the van and was ligging all night stealing your beer and egg mayo sarnies! 🤣

Oh no! For goodness' sake don't let @Al Krow know you are wearing compression gloves... I think that in physiotherapy circles the technique is referred to as "spliffin' up".

LOL! Just twigged who you are Dave... I have to admit categorically NO shortage of thump on Saturday night 🙂

That's because it's an ex-MOD "List, Set - Musician Mk IVb"

This is interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_jazz#Years_of_National_Socialism,_the_1930s_and_the_missing_1940s But as always, music became a focus for resistance too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swingjugend As for bassists, I already knew we were a bunch of degenerate pluckers.

I don't get on much with books, but I have one on developing your 'bass groove' and rather than numbers it has words/sounds that help you visualise (audiolise?) complex rhythms. I find 'internally vocalising' helps greatly with getting a rythym from tab or conventional music (I can read pretty much rythyms, not pitches!) It does come with practice, try and 'accent' the downbeat, and other significant beats. Even simple things like triplets can be: DAH -dah-dah Dah-dah-dah Dah-dah-dah Dah-dah-dah Such emphasis isn't obvious from score (usually) but the grouping of triplets in threes is a clue. Get that in your head and you find yourself playing it easily, emphasising the notes at three levels of emphasis rather than just playing twelve identical notes. When playing with a drummer, listen for the patterns they use, you may want to lock in to the rythym on the snare or kick, or maybe the gaps between them. A good song to practice is In Bloom by Nirvana, where the bass and drums lock together in some nice, memorable patterns but the tempo is nice and slow. I'm afraid I find repeat listening to be more effective than counting... Sharp Dressed Man has 19(!) bars of straight eighth notes and I find it vastly easier to listen to the guitar solo than to count!

There's someone else working hard to convince themselves the 64 picups in their Flea Bass are U/S. Perhaps the two of you could get together and do a swap?