uncle psychosis

I once saw a great piece of advice on another forum. I actually think James (loosemoose) posts on here too. It's based on 6 strings but most of it makes sense on bass too. [Quote=loosemoose]"Trying out a guitar in a shop" Looking into buying a guitar and terrified of the thought of playing in public? Confused at how to tell a good 'un from a bad 'un? The thing to remember when trying out a guitar is to get as many things as constant as possible. Think of it as a scientific experiment if it helps! When I try a guitar, I always: + Go during the week if you can - Weekends can be bedlam and in most cases you will recieve better service when the shop is quieter + Before you play, take your COAT off. If your clothing has buttons/buckles etc. take it off before you play - it's courtesy and might stop your potential new guitar from getting all scratched up! + ALWAYS take (or ask to borrow) and electric tuner. Do NOT accept the sales-d00d taking the guitar off you and tuning it by ear. No good. Why? Because a common way of making guitars feel nicer and disguising problems with the neck/soundboard is to detune it. Unless you've got a VERY good ear, chances are you wouldn't know until it's too late. Borrow and tuner and keep it in tune. + Be honest. If you're not gonna buy today but will in the next year then SAY SO. The sales guys aren't gonna be impressed if you try to lie to them that you have the money for the '59 Burst or if you open your wallet to let the moths fly out. If you level with them, they WILL respect you for it and thus give you better service. Anyone who doesn't? Leave... + DON'T let yourself be patronised. Personally, I couldn't give a damn what the guitar sounds like with the shop's resident superstar playing through it. If you won't let me handle the guitar then I walk... + If trying out a guitar, select an amp similar to yours - DON'T go straight for the Purple-People-Eater-5000 sitting in the corner but pick something that is like your amp. Even if you plan to change it, for now it's the guitar you're testing. Likewise, if you're amp shopping, then take your own guitar (or pick a similar one from the shelf) - Do NOT accept the Tom D. Strat that they hand you if you're a PRS kinda guy. + If the guitar they give you has strings that feel like someone's recently been buried with them then ask to change the guitar - You CAN'T demo something like that. Don't stand for it. + Always be polite and ask to try Guitars - Keep the staff onside and you won't be pestered or scowled at for taking your time Okay, so we've got you sat down and you're ready to show the world you're playing. But you're scared! + Ask for headphones if it makes you feel better, but be weary of how they influence the sound. Don't try your latest 'Project' out on the guitar, stick with stuff you can play inside out - you won't be truly appraising the guitar if you're having to mentally picture your tab book or your Mum shouting out chords to you! Give it some scales and chords - don't bother with individual songs and NEVER 'jam' with anybody else trying their stuff (or your pals etc.) believe me, Rehersal rooms are expensive, do you want the shop to charge you by the hour? Instead, I always start with plucking the open strings - do they ring freely? A common problem with new guitars is the nut slots not being cut right - this can manifest itself in one string sounding dull. Do they all ring clearly? If not, mention it to said sales-d00d. Okay, open strings checked, then give it some 'E'. I always strum (fairly stridently) a open E and just move it around the neck. If it helps, you can play the Kinks 'Lola' like this... Can you move around the neck comfortably? How is the string spacing? Do you feel cramped? Okay, so we've given it a bit of a go - I then recommend (if the shop is quiet enough) doing the same with the guitar unplugged. Good electric tone ALWAYS builds on good acoustic tone so just try it, if the guitar sounds dead but another of the same type feels more alive i GUARANTEE that when they are plugged in this will be all the more apparent! So, do you like the guitar? Yeah? Ace. But you're not gonna play Wembley Arena whilst sitting on top of a Marshall AVT50 are you? Ask to borrow (or even better take your own) guitar strap and play standing up - What's the weight like? Does the neck dive to the floor? Does the guitar fit your ribcage/beergut/boobs? So by now we should have assesed if the guitar is right for you or not, but how can we tell if the guitar is a good 'un. There's NO substitute for taking someone else along with you. It's all too easy to enjoy the buying experience and get caught up in the fun of it all - leaving with something that wasn't quite right! Take someone who you KNOW has their feet on the ground, they don't have to be a Guitarist but it helps. Don't forget, that there's two sets of ears to listen to the sale-dood as well. Although the industry has cleaned itself up a lot, there is STILL a fair amount of rubbish spoken in guitar shops. Anything a salesman tells you take with a pinch of salt - chances are most are morally decent enough not to lie, but you want to be sure... Let's check the guitar out then: 1. Firstly, you've just played it - how does it feel? Is the action high enough to sleep under or buzz-city? If the action is very high this could be a sign of no set-up or even deliberate tinkering to hide poor fretting. 2. Stand the guitar on the floor (or your shoe if you don't want to smash it to the ground) and look from the headstock down the neck to the body. If you get your head at the right angle to the guitar the frets should just look like a nice, neat row of metal, is anything sticking up or odd-looking. Ask for it to be explained if not sure. 3. Depress the D or G string at the first and 16th frets at the same time. Look at the area near the 6th and 7th frets, is there much of a gap between string and fret? If there's a little gap, excellent - if it resembles a chasm then the guitar needs adjustment and if there's no gap then likewise. This is to asses the shape of the neck, ideally it should be just a little concave (hence the small gap) but any extreme in either direction is a bad thing. 4. Check all the electronics - move the switch and twist the controls. Hear any scratchy noises? Most 'demo' guitars sit in a shop for a while and pick up dust in the electrics - if this is going to be yours ask to have the electrics serviced before recieving (and check again before accepting it!). 5. Check the jack connection. Firm? Does it crackle when moved? Same as before, if all sounds well then it probably is - but any odd noises and something needs attention. 6. WITH THE ELECTRONIC TUNER. Give the guitar a tune (again) and feel how the machineheads work, do they feel sloppy or pretty good. Is there a 'PING' from the nut slots as you tune? If so this has uncovered a problem with the nut. Get it sorted as that is a first-class ticket to tuning troubles. 7. If the guitar features a Floyd or some other locking trem (or even a basic, non-locking one) make sure you try it - then check your tuning again - is it returning to pitch okay? If you use it and retune, use it and retune you will be able to tell what is new/shot strings and what is a poorly set up vibrato unit. Finally. Be cheeky - If the strings are cruddy ASK FOR SOME FREE ONES. Also, make sure you're not entitled to a Hard Case/Gig bag included in the deal (some major retailers have been rapped on the knuckles for this in recent times). Get a plectrum thrown in if you don't have one etc... So that about covers it, but there is one final thing to mention. Make sure that the guitar has either had a setup or is entitled to one. Ask about 6 months time, is another setup included in the price? What about parts guarantees if something should fail? Who does the setups, a trained technician or a saturday boy in between runs to the Bacon butty van? Hope this all stands you in good stead, it's by no means comprehensive but hopefully should make you feel better equipped in the jungle that is the world of guitar retail! Now GO BUY STUFF Cheers, James [/quote]

I [i]think[/i] the ElectroHarmonix HOG will do that if you have an expression pedal. Not cheap though.

(Decent) Ear Plugs. I hear *everything* better when I wear mine to practice. Elacin ER-20. They're only about a tenner.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1329461886' post='1542725'] That's exactly what my wife said, but I dragged her kicking and screaming into a tattoo shop "just to have a look" and she ended up getting one before I did! A little tip, be prepared to smile a lot when getting inked as "it's nothing compared to the pain of childbirth" apparently! [/quote] I have lots of friends with (very good) tattoos and several of them work in tattoo parlours. She's no stranger to tattoos, but she still doesn't like them, unfortunately. I'm not 100% sold on them myself, mind you (see previous comment about being old and grey!)

I also play guitar and I have been through dozens of effects pedals with my 6 strings. Weirdly, though, I think 99% of effects sound awful on bass. Occasionally you want a bit of dirt or maybe a synth but on the whole bass effects are a big no-no for me.

Looks good. There's a music related tattoo I've been thinking about getting for a long time. But: 1. I think it will look silly when I'm old and grey 2. my wife hates tattoos.

A quick glance at the charts from the first half of the 1970s should be more than enough to convince all but the most cloth-eared that punk was completely and utterly [u][i][b]essential[/b][/i][/u].

He was the lead singer of Wings. Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh. Honestly, some people just don't know anything, do they?

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1329054009' post='1536494'] You need a '58 Custom Shop Relic, vintage vibe, raised A pickups for the growl when needed, coolest combo Leo ever came up with; 3-tone sunburst, maple neck, gold anodized guard. Actually, thinking about it, I have one for sale, it's a bargain too!! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/159886-fender-precision-custom-shop-relic-1958-mint-all-case-candy-price-drop/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/159886-fender-precision-custom-shop-relic-1958-mint-all-case-candy-price-drop/[/url] [/quote] Yum.... yum..... Yum..... swap you for a kidney? If I had £1500 you'd have a sale. Sadly, I don't I never know what I think of the yamaha BBs. Sometimes I think they look great... other times, not so much.

So, I currently have a Yamaha TRB1005 which is absolutely great. However, I very rarely ever feel the need to use the low 'B' and long term I think I want to go back to 4 strings. In addition, I'm coming to realise that all my favourite bass players---Andy Rourke, Mike Mills, James Jamerson, Matt Freeman, plus others---are all precision players and so I am tempted to go down that route. The thing is, I like guitars to be slightly quirky and precisions are...well....a bit dull, aesthetically speaking. Well, except the 50s ones, they're pretty cool... So my question is---whats out there in terms of Precision basses, but with a twist? I don't want anything that is totally "out there"---I'm thinking classic styling but with some updates, eg the precision equivalent of an Aerodyne jazz bass (which, I guess,fits the bill since its a PJ...).

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1328913908' post='1534941'] Funny as f**k! Obviously somebody having a public go at [i]their [/i]bass 'player'. [/quote] My thoughts exactly.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1328869385' post='1533905'] I have worn out 3 of them in the last year, and I only use a pick on 3 songs in the set... [/quote] They do wear out. But they're so cheap I don't really care. Just buy 'em in bulk and keep a good stash in your case. I just don't like thin picks on bass. The feel is all wrong and I just don't feel like I have the same level of control. And, it might just be me imagining it but I think they sound better than thin picks too.

I use 3mm big stubbies. Brilliant.

The Danelectro Cool Cat is really good and has the added bonus of being really cheap. I think you'd have to spend quite a lot to get a better one.

I'd never buy a Fodera---they're just not my cup of tea. But they're not *that* expensive. Orchestral instruments cost ridiculous amounts of money. Instead of complaining that Foderas are so expensive we should probably just be thankful that most guitars are so cheap

Weirdly I think Parkers look great as 6 strings but FUGLY as basses! That Frank Bello LTD is pretty cool. Right up my street--- Fender with a twist.

Looks really great. Definitely worth getting it "right" too---better a week of annoyance now than a lifetime of irritation later! I really want a shell pink fender now...

[quote name='Soliloquy' timestamp='1328315726' post='1525595'] The 'best' compressor is the one that does what [b]you[/b] want it to do. Ask 5 different people and you'll possibly get 5 different answers. You need to try as many as possible and pick the one that you personally like. [/quote] Ask 5 bassists what the best compressor is and you'll get 8 different answers!

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1328392670' post='1526477'] See, that's why I still pop into Fopp: it's browsing, browsing to music on the in-house, music that I have often found I needed to hear again, so i've gone and bought it. [/quote] Fopp is awful now. They're more interested in shifting sh*tty dvds at £2 a pop than being an actual record store.

My new zen attitude towards gear is "if it 'aint getting used, it should go to a home where it will". The only exceptions are things with real sentimental value. If I were you I'd sell the extra pedals and the two "unused" basses. If I were you I'd probably just bank the cash---you have some really nice gear already.