chris_b

If you want your rig to have a "look" then get a matching gear. If you want your rig to sound the best, all options are on the table. I haven't had a matching rig for 20 years. Mix and match can get fantastic results.

I've spent many years trying to expand my playing situations, and you're trying to reduce yours. I don't understand that approach to being a professional musician, which I believe you are.

Hi, I was, but sold it about 4 years ago due to the weight! It was a very early bass with the original Lakland Barts and I forget which Bart pre amp, but the sound was one of the best, which is why that bass was my go-to for nearly 14 years.

I put Barts in my P bass about 40 years ago. Can't remember which ones, but they made that bass sound wonderful. I also put the TCT pre amp in but IMO that was a waste of money. The Bart pickups were amazing in passive mode on their own.

For me, playing music and listening to music are two totally different things.

What bass? What amp? What style of music? What don't you like about your sound?

I don't use pedals, apart from a Pitchblack tuner . Never have. I bought a Thumpinator once but it sat on the shelf and I never got around to trying it. I don't recall seeing any bass players on the circuit using pedals either.

I'm sorry to hear this news. Very sad.

You chose wisely. For most of the last 70 years a Precision has been the bass for every eventuality.

I grew up with one bass. For 25 years, I owned one bass. No one I knew had 2, not even the pro's, Chris Dreja in the Yardbirds, John McVie in Fleetwood mac, Noel Redding with Hendrix, I saw them all trying to fix their bass before they could start the gig. It wasn't until much later, when I guess CNC machines had started to lower the prices, that owning a "collection" became a thing. I still have one bass that does 99% of my gigs.

Chuck Rainey was on a film score session, and couldn't read ledger lines very well. There was a very busy couple of bars with a lot of ledger lines. He fluffed the first take and Tommy Tedesco stood up and apologised. Chuck fluffed the second take as well. Tommy stood up again. This time, when he sat down, he whispered to Chuck, "Next time you're on your own, kid!". On take 3 Chuck didn't play those bars. To his amazement, everyone on the session was playing the riff and no one in the control room noticed that he'd stopped playing.

That was Tommy Tedesco. That's life, letting those who need to be in control think they are, and getting on with the job in spite of them.

I went the other way, from MM to FSO's (Fender Shaped Objects), but you are right to want to replace basses that feel "not quite right" with ones that do.

Shows how out of practice I am. On my first gig after lockdown, I walked on stage with my ACS plugs hanging around my neck and forgot to put them in. I nearly jumped out of my skin when the drummer started up!

DR make a set of stings designed for down tuning.

I didn't know they all had 6 fingers.

Sorry to hear this. Is there no alternative, like one of those stands that holds the bass and you just stand behind it and play? Keyboard bass?

I needed help to carry my 20kg 410 up and down those stairs!!

Whatever bass she buys, get her some lessons so that her technique will be correct for the new instrument. Having small hands doesn't have to be a problem when playing 5 string basses if you are paying then correctly.

Bob Marley.

Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Eric Clapton (+many more), all writing era defining songs after the age of 30.

IMO it's worth relocating to where the good drummers are.

In isolation, I guess my preference is for the 60's position, but it's not something that would influence whether I bought the bass or not. Fender have used many different pickups in the last 70 years and the difference between pickup location and pickup sound could easily cancel each other out. I would buy a bass based on the overall sound and there are many other factors involved there.

Like my bad back came from 90lb Mesa Boogie cabs, I know exactly who caused the majority of my tinnitus. Three guitarists did most of the damage and then I compounded the problem by matching their volume levels.