Delberthot

I've had both a player and Vintera Precision but I found the neck on the Vintera to be too clubby for me. It just felt really massive and uncomfortable to move around the neck the way I am used to. That and the anodised scratchplate felt horrible every time my finger nails scratched across it. Having said that, the Vintera is definitely a step up in terms of quality and sound. The scratchplate could easily have been changed, it was just a pity about the neck

I finally made up my mind and decided to go with the Enhanced MP-5MN as I've been hankering after a 5 string and a bass with a reverse P pickup.

The 3B was the one I always wanted as a young lad. They used to have them on the back page of Guitarist magazine IIRC

There's only Mick and Keef left from the original lineup. They can't be far from calling it a day given that Mick is 80 and Keef is not far off.

I've been using using Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkies for about the past 8 or 9 months and finding them much punchier, especially the E string, than either D'addario EXLs or Fender nickels. I don't think they last quite as long as D'addarios but the difference in price makes it negligible money wise

I developed quite a staccatto style of playing after using so many flabby / wooly sounding speakers back in the day. I've always played far too many notes and the aforementioned speakers just made the whole thing sound flubby and indistinct until I began doing this to separate each note. That and favouring the tips of the fingers gives me quite a snappy, punchy sound. Plus, having played so many Musicman basses my natural position is right where the pickup would be on a Stingray/Sterling regardless of what bass I am using at the time.

I've been thinking about a Harley Benton as well and found this Youtube Channel to be really good - no chat, just playing.

My band in it's current form will end at the end of this year so I don't want to buy anything at this moment. However, if I happen to be fortunate enough to still be playing next year then I would really like a Musicman SR5 with ceramic pickup. Ideally in Lava Pearl if I can find another one (or my old one) at the right price

You should be fine for the double stop level for doing that. It's a bit trickier changing mid-song with the double stop than the regular lever. Back when we used to do "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk, I started the song in regular tuning, then dropped the E to D, then again to B for the chorus and back up to D again for the verse just for the hell of it and because I am a massive show off

Music that you like to listen to and music that you like to play can sometimes be two completely different things. There are literally 2 songs that my band plays that I would listen to in the car or the house but I enjoy playing all of the others. I'll never forget learning the live version of Crazy by Beyonce, the one where it goes into Crazy by Gnarls Barklay in the middle - it was excrutiating listening to it. Sounded like a bag of cats being tossed off a bridge. Yet I really enjoy playing it. As long as you enjoy the playing element then that's the most important thing regardless of whether or not you'd listen to it yourself.

These were all over Ebay around maybe 2008ish marketed under the "Wesley" name. I had one of the 5 string Jazz basses - incredibly cool looking but also incredibly heavy. They still pop up on Ebay from time to time https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wesley-4-String-Purple-Acrylic-Bass-Guitar-Lined-Fretless-/334926453240?hash=item4dfb2c19f8%3Ag%3A0DEAAOSwLc9kmUes&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4BSIX3g5vtJrepmgK1sq5IpKCFt4Kwp21pRiJUMVDgfrI02xWc%2FA2ca6l8UhRhF9fyVv%2F5aoXcMLZv4uc%2FMGL4uS69Gs%2FNTq1zrMIwOjh+H4VttC61jLhWQrk%2BvLEhxE9JIu3vlGAlGPbqy%2BHPiVXxe0BVoKD3gixolmjaQLxA2h7oDrxU3YysJcNk5UnpI%2FbAX5%2BZq%2BFQ3Y7fp6vsKthz1Y83tfPai3IZurdNYeT%2B2%2Fb%2FhgfyuuXKcSTg4fl6EQPC5rPXN30djJ1Uged1RzUgYQQDI%2Fmmy9Pz36W1ayIsc|tkp%3ABk9SR9zP_OWnYg&nma=true&si=jREFqSL1QJ%2FJlDELswFnSUTAlHY%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I have astigmatism so wear glasses to drive and operate a PC (not usually at the same time) but I'm far too vain and rock & roll to wear them while playing. 🥸

If you check Talkbass, I'm sure that someone over there did exactly that a few years ago (could have been 10 years ago or more) - loved the sounds, hated the bass, so took the innards and fitted them to a new bass

Whenever I've played passive jazz basses I've always had both pickups and tone full on and boosted the mids on my EQ. It's my favourite jazz bass sound

Mine was a 1999 and ceramic pickup so it's a bit, but not identical, in sound to a EBMM Sterling

The two best combinations I ever had were: Fender Precision Special with EMGs into a Hartke LH1000, Laney Nexus 4x10" & 1x15" cabs GK 700 RB II and 2x Ashdown MAG 4x10" although I can't remember which bass as I had a revolving door of basses back then so it could have been anything from an Epiphone Goth Thunderbird with passive EMG soapbars to a defretted Yamaha TRB6 II. A couple of 12 string basses passed through my hands around that time as well

I always thought Funky Monks was an SR5 as this is what he played in the video of the same name. My first "real bass" after watching that video was a black SR5 with rosewood fretboard

I've got a bass I use to practice at home on - a Harley Benton Jazz. Occasionally I take it to rehearsals. My gigging basses are used depending on what I fancy playing that night. No problem cutting through as one is an EBMM Sterling and the other is a Status necked Jazz with EMGs and 2 band EQ I've just put an old set of Chromes on my Jazz and that's what I'll take out next. At some point along the line I am going to stick a set of D'addario Prosteels on my Musicman Sterling and use that. From previous experience EBMM Sterlings sound terrible with flats. as in dull and lifeless, whereas Stingrays sound amazing with them. The best recorded sound I ever had was with a Riverhead Jupiter many years ago

had this many times in the past, usually when playing something fast or constant notes towards the end of the gig. Footloose and Br Brightside were usually the biggest culprits. The solution was to stop playing so hard and drink plenty of water. Avoiding caffeine and sugar also helps me

I'm pretty sure that Jon Anderson said that he just liked the sound of certain words so I don't think that many Yes songs that he wrote the lyrics for are about anything in particular

Definitely Fender - the seafoam green on the G is different to the green you get with D'addarios - that's not to say that these weren't made by D'addario depending on how old they are

I've always loved Guns N Roses and enjoy watching Steve Adler play. I think he has a very bouncy disco feel to a lot of his playing. Especially this song:

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I found this video last night and began wondering whose bass it was when I saw Nick playing it