chris_b

Prince: All the right notes in all the right places.

Prince was a genius. Sadly there are usually downsides when you are dealing with a genius. He was a bit of a monster on the road. A few years ago, over the course of a world tour he managed to fire the entire road crew. I know the guy who took over as tour manager in France for the final couple of months. Apparently the crew wasn't allowed to talk to Prince and he even got upset if they looked at him. Everyone had to address him through his manager. She was a lawyer who didn't have the first idea about anything that was going on. She thought it would be a good idea to do one of those gigs to a million people on a Brazilian beach and pencilled in a date a couple of weeks ahead. She was very annoyed to find out that getting visas wasn't guaranteed and for 60 people it would take a minimum of 3 months anyway. Even so, I would have loved to be at one of Prince's after show parties. On the one in Paris Prince was joined by Larry Graham and they played for a couple of hours.

When Darryl Jones joined the Stones he asked Keith Richards about the bass lines he should be playing. Keith just said, "You tell me, you're the bass player".

Just bought a bass from Dave. Great bass, great transaction and a good guy to deal with. Thanks.

Just bought a bass from John. Great bass, great transaction and a good guy to deal with. Thanks.

Good on him for trying to make at least some of the bass line his own.

At this point, try everything. Then will you be able to make better choices. You have plenty of time to decide what you like and don't like and you might meet someone who will make you see things differently, and maybe change your mind. It's too early to put on blinkers.

Forget about being picky about the music. Go and play with everyone and anyone you can find. Play every style of music. Become selective in a year or so.

You are lucky. I remember when I was the same. Take care. The world can change very quickly. It's not an obsession if you have back or shoulder issues. Then it's called a necessary precaution.

My gear has to do 3 things: it has to make me sound good, has to make me play better and, these days, has to be light. I prefer if it looks right but that's an optional requirement.

I saw the Stones at the O2 about 20 years ago and didn't hear Darryl Jones either.

I put flats on my PJ5 because I had heard them on another Mike Lull bass and they sounded like a million dollars. They brought an extra level of authority and that just hit the spot. They were my first flats since 1970. I have added a lump of foam under the strings to maximize the thump. On the other hand I have the zingiest rounds on my Jazz and a new Ibanez. You can get a great sound out of most basses, and there are many ways we get there.

Marcus Miller uses 4, 5 and 6 string basses, plus fretless. There are pictures of Jaco playing a 5 string bass. The number of strings that should or shouldn't be on a bass is a very pointless discussion.

For me, being 18 meant unlimited opportunities and possibilities. Unfortunately I wasn't very focussed, was too easily distracted and didn't reach anywhere near my potential. I'd do much better if I had another time around.

If I could advise my 18 year old (shortly to turn pro) self, I'd tell me to focus on my singing, carry on playing double bass and get better at being a front man. All things I didn't do and have held me back over the decades.

I change the stupidly heavy cabs that irreparably damaged my back.

At the moment I only have one thing on my shopping list. . . . a bass that weighs 2lbs. I guess I'm going to wait a long time for that! So far I've bought 2 7lb basses and an 8lb bass. All excellent instruments but I'm still looking. . . . . . so if anyone wants to sell a very, very light Sandberg, call me.

I own 3 amps and 5 cabs and take 2 of each to every gig. Depending on the sound check and band I can use either. IMO it makes absolute sense to have a backup, but makes no sense to have a backup that is very different. I use either a 500 watt or 700 watt amp. A 200 watt "backup" amp wouldn't be any use to me.

You can rehearse until you are blue in the face, but the best way to get better, you and the band, is to gig as much as you can. You will hear all the bad notes and the audience will hear all the good notes. Just make a mental list for the next rehearsal and enjoy the gig.

Sadly my favourite bass is way too heavy for me to gig these days.

You learn piano on a regular sized instrument. All 88 notes. You learn to play drums on a full kit. You don't start with the bass drum then add the others at a later date. You need to lean on a 4 string bass? Nonsense!

The OP.

Are you drunk??

I used to get DR from strings direct, string busters or the bass gallery.

Excellent playing. The best musicians are not copyists. They interpret and make their own statements.