SumOne

'I don't need pedals, just an expensive Amp with Drive, extensive EQ, Compressor, footswitch for boost/drive, and a few different Basses and Cabs to get the sounds I want'. 😉

I manage to shoehorn in some music talk in with just about anyone - whether they like it or not!

I get that in principle. But it doesn't incentivise quality, or innovation, or efficiency.

😀 I meant 'sucking' but my phone seems to prefer 'suckling'..... which I suppose also works!

Some very far left/rightwing thinkers and certain religious views might say all professional musicians are decadent parasites - suckling time and money away from productive society.

I play a 5 and rarely need anything below the E, I use the B string all the time though - playing further up the neck, and not using open E. Could get by with a 4 with a de-tuner but personally I prefer a 5.

Interesting Bass orientation too:

Everyone knows this one, but always worth a re-listen:

I like a Bass chorus to only apply the chorus effect to the higher range as it feels a bit sea-sick/wobbly to have it on lower range too. So Bass specific ones like the Boss CEB-3 (with low filter), and the EHX Bass Clone (with X-over switch) get my vote. The Boss is more subtle, EHX more full-on. I havent used the Chorusaurus but see that it has a blend so that should keep the low end from being too wobbly (I assume you can't stop it 'chorusing' the low end effected signal though). I dunno, £250 seems a lot.

I don't remember ever seriously thinking I'd be a famous professional musician, so I guess I realised very early on I won't 'make it'. Even if it was offered to me now I'd have to consider long-term job security, if I'd actually want fame, time away from home and family, and if it'd turn music into a stressful job rather than fun - it'd have to be quite a good offer for me to give up the day job and do it. There have been times where I have felt I have 'made it' as a musician: being paid, playing at a decent festival, radio play, being on fliers & posters, DJing in a big club on a Saturday night, signing a contract with a record label and releasing music. Things I still aspire to do to which I haven't given up on yet: Go on tour (even if just a series of gigs around the UK over the space of a week), have music released on vinyl, album or tour advert on a billboard, radio play from a big national station like Radio 1.

Red, Gold, Green has Rasta symbolism: https://www.rastaknowledge.com/2020/12/28/red-gold-and-green-what-do-these-colour-mean-in-rastafari/ but is often used to symbolise related stuff like Reggae and Jamaica.

Yeah, I don't think people are generally as easily offended as certain media likes to make people think.

I have no need (or £) for a new Bass, but with a red/tort scratchplate this would be a Reggae machine! https://bassbros.co.uk/product/2013-fender-japan-jb-62-qt-jazz-bass-reissue-mij/ .......although nowadays, seeing as I'm no Rasta, it might just be seen as cultural appropriation?!? I've been listening to this a lot through this recent heatwave:

Reminds me of this:

Sennheiser HD 25 for me too, (they are nearly 30 years old, a bit like Triggers broom though!).

Fat Freddy and the Queens might be after some of this. https://www.lewesconclub.com/events/fat-freddie-and-the-queens/ .......I don't know if they are any good as a tibute band, but as far as tribute band names go they are top tier!

Thanks, I've since got an Ibanez EHB 1005 MS (so has a 35" B , down to a 33" G) > Boss GT 1000 Core (EQ, comporession etc) > Ashdown RM 500 > TecAmp 212. I don't know if it is the equipment, strings, playng technique, or a change in expectations, but I'm now happy with the sound and balanced tone across strings. I think it has a lot to do with expectations (I now kind of expect each string to have a different tone for the same note - that's part of the charm of playing a Bass instead of a Keyboard mimicking a Bass), and it helps to play at volume with a Band to stop me obsessing over small tone differences.

My Birmingham era was mid 90's - 2000 and it was a great place for clubs during that time: Q Club: Atomic Jam Pulse: Sundissential Branstons: Wobble Bonds: Miss Moneypenny's Bakers: Republica Subway City: House of God The Sanctuary: Godskitchen and Ultimate Orange (my claim to fame is I DJd at this in the main room) And various decent things at the Steering Wheel, Medicine Bar, and not so decent things at the Dome.

My attitude is they are tools, and you need the right tool for the job. At the moment, I do quite long gigs, need some low notes, haven't got loads of £ and want to leave it in pubs between sets without too much worry of theft and not worry to much about a cosmetic ding or two, I've had a dislocated shoulder that hasn't healed properly so can easily get a bad neck/back with heavy Basses.....So 'the one' right now is a 3.3kg Ibanez EHB 1005 MS and I haven't noticed many better alternatives - if I do I'll be buying them and selling the Ibanez without much sentimentality.

I'm not much of a Jamiroquai fan, less so Jay Kay, but Stuart Zender is great. I guess Stuart had similar feelings towards Jay Kay as they argued and he left Jamiroquai a few years ago (and they've not been as good since).

Perhaps a bit of a cheat as it's a part of a much bigger city, but Brixton (population 78,000). Has a long list of musicians, including: David Bowie Alabama 3 Skin Dillinja Maxi Jazz Don Letts Stereo MCs La Roux Ty Linton Kwesi Johnson Basement Jaxx Carter USM .... and 50% of the Clash

I've spent hours mucking about with multiple pedal boards - literally doing the woodwork to make custom boards to fit pedal setups, playing tetris with pedals, then changing pedals and their order for certain sounds/gigs, I had a 'utility' type board that basically stayed the same and the other more fun board could be added to it which changed all the time. I enjoyed figuring it all out but it did take quite a bit of time and effort, and bulk, and cost of pedals, and room for error playing live. Lately I've gone for maximum convenience and only use a Boss GT 1000 Core - basically doing all that pedalboard re-arranging (and more) with presets within one small box and no actual pedalboard at all. It is flexible enough that I've also used it for Guitar, Keyboard and even as an extra FX tool for DJing. The biggest downside for Bass is the synth and envelope filters are nowhere near as good as the individual pedals so I might add them to it and step back onto the stippery slope of pedalboards.

I won't bother listening or paying to see them live, but that is a choice anyone can easily make (by doing nothing!) so it doesn't bother me that they are continuing. I assume they enjoy making music, playing live, being famous, and making money..... I wouldn't stop doing that just because some people don't want to hear my stuff.

What was that you said?!

I suppose there is potentially something a bit conceited about it, I guess it's not too far off having a t-shirt with your name written on it. And possibly it looks a bit too much like trying. Personally though, I own a t-shirt of the band I'm in and would wear wear it live - but I am aware that about 50% of people think that is un-cool and I'm not cool enough to ignore that!