chris_b

I agree, but you have to use a pickup worthy of an East preamp. Saves the bother of upgrading later.

Bartolini pickups would pair very well with a J-Retro 01 pre amp.

In 1976, for 2 days in a row, my brother blagged us into Earl's Court as part of the security company. Our job was checking tickets and showing fans to their seats. The gig was The Meters supporting the Rolling Stones. On the first gig we managed to keep the fans in their seats for the first number but after that everyone rushed the stage. I went with the flow and ended up about 5 rows from the front. I wasn't so lucky on the second night. I ended up about 10 rows from the stage. 'Twas a great couple of nights.

I saw the Barron Knights at Bertram Mills Circus, but I'm not telling anyone about that!

I saw Jimi Hendrix on a Tuesday night at a half full Hounslow Ricky Tick the week Hey Joe came out. Sadly, I don't remember much about the gig, but I must have liked them cos I bought the single. I was at one of the Jeff Beck Group's first gigs at the Starlight Ballroom in Sudbury Town. I saw them a lot before they stopped playing the clubs. I saw the Yardbirds at the Crawdaddy in Richmond when both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were in the band. There was a Precision bass malfunction (no backup!) and I offered them the use of my bass for the gig. They didn't bat an eye lid (actually there might have been an anguished groan!) when I fished my Framus Star bass out of the car!! Chris Dreja was very gracious after the gig. I was at the Marquee Club when Tony Williams Lifetime played. A stunning gig and one of the loudest. I was deaf for 2 days. In MM Chris Welch wrote that 90% of the thinking musicians in London would have died if they'd dropped a bomb on the gig that night. I like to think he was including me when he wrote that, but maybe not! I was sitting on Peter Green's sofa when he told me I hadn't got the FM gig! Gotta think big! I was still at school and had answered an MM ad for a bass player required for Pro Chicago Blues Band. A very nice guy. Even said hello when I went to the gigs.

If you only buy legally sourced wood then your ethics have been sorted out for you. Bass players will only be interested in sound, weight, looks and cost.

I have a PJ and never use the J because the P pickup sounds great on its own. If you own a bass that sounds as you want then it doesn't matter how you achieve the sound. A bad sounding rehearsal room is a completely different issue.

Why are you pressing so hard? Stop doing that and your problem goes away.

A trolley and a couple of bungee straps.

I've been sitting around for the last couple of weeks. Next week I start a run of 5 gigs in 2 weeks. We'll see if any of them happen.

A wise Dad. We should all buy the instruments that make us feel happy when we pick them up. If you start a practice session or lesson feeling happy you'll learn and achieve more, and that is what will get you the gigs. I've never joined a band because of my gear or sound. Only because they thought my playing would be a good fit. From my experience I know it's easier to play better when your confidence is pumped up because you bought the "right" gear.

What are you playing now? If the Viking has really grabbed your attention, you could use BD's finance schemes, or even get a bank loan. The bass will probably be sold by the time you've made the required amount out of the Lego lottery.

This.

IMO this the best solution for playing at home. Then you can play at any time of the day or night. I'm restricted to the mornings and early afternoons. The only reason I don't have a headphone amp is I have spent enough on gear and atm don't want to buy any more.

I use my gigging gear at home and get a much higher quality of sound than I would get if using a practise amp. Currently my home rig is a TH500 and 2 BF One10's. Even at front room volume levels I can get a sound every bit as good as the recordings I'm listening to.

I last adjusted my strap in 1973. . . . . . . . . . !

Saves wasting a lot of time and effort.

When playing repetitive lines for extended periods I always focus on the groove, ie not working on the notes but how to make them flow. I don't worry that there hasn't been a bass fill for 6 verses, just focus on reaching another level of groove. Merge with the drummer. Always assuming the drummer is playing well enough. When that comes easy then start adding flourishes. . . . . . or don't. What are you going to add that enhances the basic riff, that was good enough for a hit record.

If you play faster lines and don't rake you improve your right hand speed, accuracy and dexterity. I guess we should aim to play either way.

It might help with speed, but it's a good way to become familiar with all the notes in all the positions. That will enhance your accuracy and playing vocabulary should you choose to use those patterns in your playing.

So what comes first, stories, spelling, grammar? You can be illiterate and erudite but you don't see that too often. Literacy enhances how we talk, what we say and is critical for what we write. Same with music. You can write and play tunes with no theory, but to do it better and consistently takes knowledge. That knowledge is the theory, that is so easily dismissed.

While so many have spent the last 60 years slagging off "Pop" music, the reality is the production values of this "throw away" music was actually very high, as was the musicianship.

IMO they have all been good, but my current Aguilar AG700 is the best so far.

Rutgar Gunnarsson was a classically trained musician. His great playing and bass lines didn't come by chance. He was that good because he knew his theory.

Does that say what I think it says???