leftybassman392

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1379341009' post='2211438'] And I really didn't mean to get you wound-up lefty bassman Marc [/quote] I used to get really worked up about it but these days I'm a bit more chilled and have learned how to stop when I feel a rant coming on. Actually it's nice that other people are talking about it so I don't have to... I'm cool

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1379320962' post='2211114'] Very much the same happens in many other European languages. The point of my little anecdote about the dance class is that there may be a reason why it's not too easy for a lefty to become a good dancer unless they are really a natural talent. Think of all the rules of traditional dances such as tango, waltz etc. Quite apart from the man having to be the lead - whether he's comfortable with that or not -, most of the standardised movements come more natural if you are right-handed. It's usually the same with any other dance, old or contemporary, for which you have to "learn the moves". [/quote] It's a righthander's world, that's for sure (ever tried to put the tone arm down onto a vinyl record with your left hand?). Actually I'd better stop there or I'll rant on about this all day. And........................... breathe.......................

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1379273801' post='2210744'] Another question / observation thingy NB. Bad dancers are said to have "two LEFT feet" - not two right feet! Marc [/quote] Don't even get me started on this one! Examples of 'Left = Bad':- Left behind Left out Cack-handed (ever stopped to think what that actually means? - clue: it's from Islam) Sinister (Latin for 'Left'); Devil is Lefthanded etc., etc., etc. Examples of 'Right = Good': in the right right on right away right-thinking Dexter (Latin for 'Right') Ambidextrous (Latin for 'On the right both sides' = 'Righthanded both sides') Jesus is said to sit at God's right hand; etc., etc., etc. Upshot; the whole language is thick with stuff like this. Oh, and I've always been a pretty good dancer......

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1378991130' post='2207434'] I was proud to be a lefty, blame Macca, so I never tried to learn right handed, wish I had now. A few months ago I bought a drum kit and decided to play it right handed, no problems at all. I do wonder if Hendrix would have been as good right handed though. I think some people are more left handed than others, if that makes sense [/quote] James May time! It's actually a sliding scale that almost everybody is on somewhere. It's pretty rare for somebody to be so completely one-sided that they can't do anything the other way round. Personally I'm pretty close to the Lefty end, but not so much that I can't do anything Righty. As to cause, most studies seem to point to genetics as playing a key role. Here's a half-decent Wiki article. I found the bit on handedness in sport pretty interesting. Nothing on handedness in music though - which is a shame. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_handedness"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_handedness[/url] (Just so we're clear, I did know about this already and just dug up something that folks can read, ok?)

[i] [/i]

I don't have any scales handy but I'd like to offer up my '84 Wal Custom with Wange facings and an Ebony fretboard...... I currently have 5 basses, and it's the heaviest by miles. Miles and miles and miles..... On the other hand the Zon Sonus with the compo neck is pretty lightweight.

Not a quote, but a post with a link to a uTube video. Funniest thing I've seen all year (it's post #39 I think): [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/189679-guitarchat/page__st__20"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/189679-guitarchat/page__st__20[/url]

[quote name='Cat' timestamp='1378332134' post='2198916'] Mea culpa. And I naively thought I was the only one who did that! Nice to know I'm not alone. I try to force myself to play "properly" but I've had problems for years trying to play with a plectrum. (Until recently - the Dunlop Stubby 2mm is MY pick!) so I just unconsciously played the guitar like a bass - fairly successfully for most things, it has to be said. It's a habit I can't break either, although for some things there's really no choice. But mostly, yea. I'm far more comfortable using a guitar like a bass. [/quote] Nothing wrong with individuality! Teachers normally look to develop technique along specific lines that they know will work for most students. Having said that, a good tutor should always have room for the unorthodox. As an example, I had a bass student a few years ago whose playing technique was a bit, er, weird. After a while trying to get him to do it 'properly' I realised that it wasn't going to happen and went with the flow. It helped that he was possibly the most talented young musician I'd worked with for a long time - good singer, superb drummer, very decent guitarist, and a fine bassist too! Whenever I asked him about it he would always say something along the lines of 'I can't explain it - it just works for me'.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1378276891' post='2197912'] I posted this elsewhere, but to get Guitarchat off the ground, here's an educational video... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwIvUbOhcKE[/media] [/quote] HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAH!!! Funniest video I've seen this year!

It's actually very similar to standard classical guitar technique. The Apoyando stroke (rest stroke) involves plucking the string with a sort of upward pull, with the finger then coming to rest against the next string up (as in physically upwards i.e. towards the ceiling). The thumb, meanwhile, rests against one of the bass strings (usually the low E). Knopfler's technique is more like the classical Tirando (free stroke) technique, where the fingers and thumb float above the strings and, in effect, flick out to pluck the string and then retreat again.

Well I have a SeiBass headless Original 5, a 1984 Wal Custom, and a Porsche Boxster. All were secondhand, none of them cost anywhere near what I'd have had to pay for new, all are very good at what they do and all have been gigged in a professional capacity. Except the car. That's just for fun and because I could afford it after a healthy PPI payout. I don't have a problem with people buying for investment, but not for me. I should add that in due course I will likely sell the Wal for more than I paid for it, but I certainly didn't buy it with that in mind. Actually it's quite an interesting little story - another time perhaps.

Crikey! Closing in on 4 years and still going. Surely that must be some kind of record for a technical thread...?

[quote name='Noisyjon' timestamp='1377803938' post='2192185'] I'm in favour for a bit of brand consistency and look but with different colourings. [/quote] Yup, gets my vote too.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1377501894' post='2188099'] I scored a Wilkinson VS100C convertible trem in March - rare as rockinghorse poo and a great design for locking the trem when not in use. But it was in gold so I set about replacing the chrome hardware with gold. Mr Shuker also installed and routed for the trem so it floated properly. Apart from pickup screws still being chrome, the rest of the guitar is complete. [attachment=142345:DSC09487.JPG] When I got the guitar in 2006, it looked like this: [attachment=142346:DSCF1200.JPG] [/quote] Very nice. Shame it's not a lefty really... Eggle used to fit those trems to their guitars at one time. I spoke to Rob Williams about it a while ago when he was building my guitar - in fact I asked whether he could get one, but he told me there'd been a lawsuit as a result of which they'd had to stop making them. Shame really, as it was an excellent bit of kit.

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1377447920' post='2187651'] I am thinking of getting a left hand bass. Anyone any thoughts on this as a beginners bass please? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130974101695?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649"]http://www.ebay.co.u...984.m1423.l2649[/url] [/quote] Have you looked in the 'Basses for Sale ' forum? There's a dedicated Lefty thread. Depends what your budget is of course. but you may find something in there.

Still looking into it but no definite plans as yet. The basic problem is that it is by it's nature a national event, and wherever we hold it there'll be some who can't do the journey. Another option I've considered is to hold multiple events so that everybody gets a chance to attend one within reasonable travelling distance. I would hope that 2 would be enough to satisfy everybody's needs - I've picked York and Reading out of the air as possibles. I live in Greater Birmingham so would need to travel a fair distance to both. Thoughts? Anybody? Feel free to offer alternatives.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1376722191' post='2178352'] Right...we ended up having to part company with current developer for reasons I won't go into. However, Ben who manages the server, is going to set something up hopefully by the end of NEXT WEEK! [/quote] Coooooool!

[quote name='Dread Bass' timestamp='1376511211' post='2175332'] Welcome back buddy [/quote] Cheers Andy. Nice to catch up with people. I remember Patch talking about getting an ACG last year. I see you've got another one as well. Nice! I've whittled my collection down a bit now that I don't do it for a living any more. I only have five now! I did buy a new guitar though.... it's in the 'Other instruments' forum under 'Rob Williams Custom Build' or some such.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've only just found this thread! On the other hand, my life priorities have changed somewhat in the last couple of years so perhaps not so surprising. All the same...

All the above are good suggestions, but do the guitars have decent preamps? No amount of processing will make up for a cr*ppy sound source. Just a thought....

If you look carefully you'll see that the fretboard is flat as well (no radiusing). Like others, I'm not a huge SJ fan, but it is an interesting technique. Does have it's limitations though (it's very hard to really attack the notes for example), and doesn't do anything that a good conventional player can't do (Guthrie Govan springs to mind).

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1376172882' post='2170588'] ...so what's the address to send the 'heavies' round to..? They're especially chosen for not damaging typing fingers... [/quote] What, you mean they [i]don't [/i]force you to play a longscale bass?

Added it to my favourites page. I'll check it out properly when I get more time. (Still hoping for Guitarchat at some point BTW.....)

Here's a couple for you: For a number of years I played in a function band called Rich Clifford (no, not the one mentioned earlier); In a previous band, we would sometimes do spoof 'tours' with made up names, one of which was 'Malt Loaf on the Boat out of Hull' tour. (The band's real name was 'Tango with Dignity') A fellow BC member plays in a band called 'The Really Hot Chili Peppers' (who are actually really, really good!)

Something wrong with Beyerdynamic DT100's that I should know about? A bit pricey for some budgets, but an enduring classic nevertheless. And yes, you can still buy them new (I checked on Amazon before posting). Quite a lively SH market too.