Paul S

PM heading your way! Very nice offer. Nowt better than hands on.

No one used one?

[quote name='davey_one_visits' post='1370744' date='Sep 12 2011, 04:55 PM']Spot on. I've not been on here long but I have noticed a huge interest in gear and little interest in self improvement. It seems that the theory and technique section sometimes goes for ages without being touched. I'm always on the look out for worthwhile information being posted but have to trawl through pages of people showing off the gear they own or want to own. I own some nice stuff myself but I don't feel the need to discuss it on here at all. Each to their own I guess but materialism is a bad thing in my opinion.[/quote] Now maybe I am in a minority here but I am not interested in theory or technique per se. I don't know my arpeggios from my elbow. Self-improvement, yes - I improve by continually playing what I already play and learning new things to play. That does me just fine. I'm never going to set the world on fire, just a pub-gig player that enjoys himself. But I do think I learn a lot about the wider aspects of bass playing from owning and trying different basses. Nothing to do with my playing ability, just about the instruments - how to use them, different sounds, what suits me and what doesn't. The first 'proper' bass I had weighed a ton and had a neck like a floorboard. I subsequently discover that I prefer playing lighter, skinny necked basses but until I tried one didn't know. Same could be said for amps/cabs, effects, even straps, picks, cables. I like to read others' opinions about their gear as it helps me to filter out stuff I am unlikely to be interested in, herds me in the right direction. For me the two areas are not really related - (edit - or mutually exclusive) I don't buy or try gear to get better, I do it just because it interests me.

I don't know if this is 'the done thing' to ask but there is a bass in the for sale section that I know nothing much about. On the face of it the bass sounds tempting but I don't know enough and can't find out much. Dean Edge Q4 Bartolini. How heavy? How skinny is the neck? How does it stack up to a SGC Nanyo Bass Collection, Fender Precision Lyte or Yamaha RBX800E, which would be my current crop. As good? Does it bring anything new to the party that is lacking in the others? If anyone owns or has owned any of these and can make a comparison that would be brilliant. Ta.

For me it started with the buzz of playing music I liked in front of people. But, like a lot of things, the interest has become multi-faceted - I find I have developed an interest way beyond 'just' the buzz of playing live, although that is the ultimate goal of it all. But the nuts and bolts of it all have become interesting. I am in the middle of a complete refurbishment of one of my basses - stripped the old finish, replacing the electrics - just because I find it interesting. Even just a couple of years ago I would never have imagined taking something like that on. I have too many basses already, have no need to do this or buy any more - but I find all the subtle variations in the instruments interesting. So I guess all the ancillary stuff has gained a life of it's own - possibly beyond even the life of my playing, I don't know.

I imagine there will be quite a few takers here! Yes. Most of the time these days after I buggered it royally when clearing snow back at the start of December. I had a gig a fortnight later and, when I first did it, couldn't actually walk more than about 10 yds. Doctor prescribed me Diclofenac which I now take regularly and which works a treat for me - start the day before and for the day after for a gig or any other more strenuous physical activity. Frozen peas/hot water bottle 2mins alternate for 20 mins 3 times a day for acute problems. Look up McKenzie method for stretches and excercises to relieve short term or help long term. For serious long term management, if indeed yours becomes long term, find out as much as you can about exercises to strengthen your core and lower back muscles. Basically it changes your life - never take anything for granted afterwards. Bass playing-wise I have now sold practically all my heavy gear and use the lightweight clobber as per my signature. I use my lightest bass (SGC Nanyo Bass Collection) for the longer playing at rehearsals. Good luck - hope it is a one-off!

I've had 3 Hohner B2As of various types. I had a decent one, sold it and missed it immediately, bought a cheap replacement and now have upgraded to a nice one again. I have a fragile lower back and for me the weight and portability are the key thing but I see from the list of your basses that weight isn't an issue. Above that they are very good basses - well made, nice necks. Relatively slim width but a deep profile. The bridge seems impervious to anything and they have always remained perfectly in tune. My current one has a detuner as well. They sound fantastic. I generally play rock and you can get brilliant rock tones. I do a little closet slapping (badly - don't tell my rock band) and I think you can get a 'Forget me nots' sound out of it easily. Great things. Once you have got your head around the fact that there is no headstock (took me ages and I kept trying to play 2 fret further up as though my brain was compensating for lack of wood at that end) the only disadvantage I see is that they hang in an odd position. Button position for the upper part of the bass 'as supplied' is at the back of the nack which tilts the whole thing forward - I moved mine to the little bit of the upper bout which is better. But the body is short and the head end of the neck seems a long way away. Again, you get used to it. But that is purely the Hohner cricket bat - other regular-bodied basses I am sure hang just fine.

I have a Hohner B2ABD and when played actively there comes a point when it sounds *really* woody. Probably more like a P-Bass than a P-Bass I used to own. Not sure how the small body would fit in with what you are after, though.

The original, by a guy called Richard Torrance, is pretty good too. Somewhere on YouTube land there is a vid of him performing it as some wedding in a marquee - great version, really good vibe to it. Doesn't look like he got too many royalties for it!

Not all watts are created equal, as I understand it, with Trace Elliot watts being louder than most I used to use my old Trace Elliot rig with just one cab most of the time. For rehearsing and playing small pubs - heavy rock covers with a loud drummer and even louder guitarist - it was plenty loud enough with the master volume below half. Add a second cab and you need to turn it down a touch from there - the only time I needed it up to half with both cabs was on a largeish stage outdoors for onstage monitoring.

Anything over 9lbs is a no-no for me these days. I can do a 2x1hr set with my Fender Power Jazz bass Special, which is a shade under 9lbs. 4hr rehearsal I prefer something lighter - usually the SGC Nanyo Bass Collection, which is my lightest bass at just under 7lbs. Anything in between is ok, really. My Washburn Scavenger, lovely beast, is sadly around 11lbs so I'll just open the case every now and then to admire it then put it back.

Ah, I see. I guess that is what the last fella did as I had to prise the hardware out of the paint. Thanks for that!

Thanks. I need some finer wet/dry then And, no, I don't know the difference between drying and curing.... quick edit - label says touch dry 20 mins, recoat between 20 mins and 1hr, fully hardened after 24hrs.

I am refinishing a body. My first attempt and a rather steep learning curve. Hoping for a visible wood grain finish with a soft satin sheen I used [url="http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=113789&Trail=searchtext%3EEBONY&c_1=1|category_root|Decorating|16849219"]Sadolin one coat woodstain[/url]. The result was not quite what I intended - it has coloured the wood ok and the grain is just visible but the finish was crap. So I sprayed it with several coats of clear over the top. 3 cans in all of [url="http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=587002&Trail=searchtext%3ECLEAR+SPRAY"]Rust-Oleum crystal Clear[/url]. When I finally got around to reading the small print - after I had finished - it transpired that the clear is an enamel, rather than acrylic, finish. However nothing has cracked or bubbled alarmingly yet... Anyway, the final push is approaching - I am leaving it for a few days to fully harden (this is best?). In between coats I sanded back any runs or errant hair/fluff as they happened and so ended up with a 'relatively' ok finish - not many huge imperfections but a mix of rough overspray, orange peel and a few shiny bits. To get it nice and shiny, is it best to cut it back with wet and dry first before T-Cut? If so what grade? I used P600 for the between coat sanding - is this fine enough? Or 1000 grade wire wool? Or just go straight in with T-Cut? My instinct (not always right) is to CAREFULLY cut it back with either wet/dry or wire wool to remove the worst of the orange peel and overspray and then use T-Cut for the rest. Any tips gratefully accepted! Ta.

Core exercises are the thing. And yoga - seriously. I used to do lots of weight exercises and was once proud to be as strong as an ox. Now I just look like one Your body changes as you get older and to get your middle section into shape is probably the best thing you can do to stave off back issues and help with posture and all things middle age.

Another one of the grey brigade here - 53 and 11/12ths, played my first gig in front of a live paying audience 3 years ago. Feels like that little piece of me that has been missing all these years has finally dropped into place. Lightweight is definitely the way to go - if you haven't got a dodgy back you will most likely get one at some point so no point tempting fate by lugging 4x10 cabs about! My rehearsal basses are either SGC Nanyo SB-310 or a Hohner B2AD cricket bat - 7lbs is barely noticeable round your neck. I made a switch from classic Trace Elliot rig to a Barefaced Compact cab and TC Electronics Classic 450 head and can still hardly believe that something that weighs so little can sound so huge. If I think what I have saved in osteopath fees it has paid for itself already.