chris_b

If I can't work a number out by ear I know I'm not going to be able to play it anyway!!

The £25 my 4 piece band used to get for pubs and clubs in 1971 equates to £376 today. So some of my pub gigs pay less than they did 50 years ago, some pay about the same.

I've just put another set of D'Addario NYXL's on my Jazz. Nice feel and they last. I change strings every year, whether they need it or not.

Looks like his technique has worked for him, being the multi millionaire bass player that he is. Probably not a good role model for others, but who knows. The rights and wrongs of a technique are debatable if the player is very successful.

Really? I have no idea where my thumb is when I'm playing, only where my fingers are. The fingers play the notes, the thumb follows. If you lose track of where your fingers are, you need to practice more, that's got nothing to do with your thumb!

A P and a J? Sod it! Get both.

To a greater or lesser degree, the construction and materials used will affect every part of the sound of a bass.

And you also have at least one volume control on the bass.

Sorry, no idea about other basses. In 20 years I've only played these 3.

The same notes on different strings never sounds the same. An open G doesn't sound like a fretted G on the D string. The differences sound greater as you go down the strings. I haven't noticed any issues on my Sadowsky or Mike Lull basses, nor with the previous US Lakland, all 5 stringers, but then I probably don't play many lines on the B string above the G/8th fret. Up to the G everything sounds good.

Keb Mo has recorded about a dozen albums and uses some of the best bass players working in the US. Work your way through them and experience some great and well played bass lines. Also check out Jeff Golub.

The thumb should move whenever the note to be played lies outside the natural reach of the fingers. Learning to stretch is not the right way to play. The thumb should also be moving in anticipation of the next note or phrase to be played. The thumb should never be "planted" but should either be moving or preparing to move.

Buy the bass that sounds good to you, feels good to play and that makes you happy when you pick it up. A happy bass player will sound much better than the best gear.

One of each. Very very nice. 10 years ago, when I put a wanted post up, asking if anyone was selling a 5 string Sunburst, tort, rosewood board P bass, you PM'd me about a guy selling one on eBay. That Mike Lull PJ5 has been my #1 bass ever since. Many thanks Clarky.

In lockdown #1 I charted all the Stevie Wonder albums. Getting into those bass lines was an education, and fun.

At home I put a 1200 watt amp into a BF One10. I don't know how anyone can get that wrong at front room volumes.

I used a BB2, SM and Berg Forte HP last night. It was loud, vibrating my diaphragm loud, but it sounded great. I had 2 people come up and compliment the sound of the bass. After a 3 month break with that band I was rusty as hell, but no complaints on the gear front.

I've owned lots of perfect basses and a few keepers. I've owned my current basses for 10 years and 5 years respectively, but I wouldn't rule out finding a better "keeper" at any point.

When I tell my wife I've seen some interesting gear, she just says, "If it's that good, get it".

That works for me. I've "volunteered" to take my wife to a very expensive restaurant because I played on New Year's Eve!!

If you are experiencing discomfort or pain stop doing whatever it is that is causing the problem. The bottom line. . . if you are experiencing pain then you are doing it wrong. If the cause is 1fpf then stop and use 124. On the lower notes, for most people, 124 is the better technique anyway. This is not because you are a learner, it's because you are trying to use the "wrong" technique for your hands. If you have big hands or are double jointed and can get away with 1fpf then OK but if you haven't got those hands, don't do it.

Lots of awesome. I mainly use Aguilar, both the TH500 and AG700, but recently I've been running a Berg Forte HP, which sounds very special. Try whatever amp are you using now. Bottom line, any amp you choose will sound great.

Sky Arts for me.

I'm currently using 2 neo 112 cabs and a 1200 watt amp. The whole lot weighs a total of 50lbs. I can go louder with better tone than any of the "old iron" I used in the 70's and 80's.

I'll know the bass player from the song long before I've worked out their tone.