smithy

A real joy to play and relax : 1. I´d love to change the world (Ten Years After) 2. Loan me a dime ( Fenton Robinson ? Boz Scaggs? ) 3. Mr Big (Free)

1. Andy Fraser 2.Leo Lyons 3.Trevor Bolder 4.Todd Kerns 5.John Entwhistle 6.John Deacon 7.John Paul Jones 8.John Calabrese 9.Gail Ann dorsey 10.Roberto Vally

Leo Lyons - great musician, best example for that making music is a fountain of youth.

Usually I pay respect to everybody who just has the courage to perform on stage. But this.... Nice try- screwed up 😵

Just my two cents... playing a bass with a high reputation on stage might end up in expections that not everybody is able to meet, while playing well with an underrated instrument will be noticed positively. On the other hand, I´m pretty sure that professional players do hear and feel the difference (I´m not one of those, so it´s just a guess)

Having two Harley Bentons with no complaints, I think you can´t go wrong with them. And in the case of cases they have a real good return policy. I myself am in the market for an Ibanez TMB 30 . Great sound and a nice neck on the thicker side.

Thank you all for your helpful comments. Being new to this forum I already can say that it´s a great place to be. I think you poked my nose on it (does one say so in english ? It´s not my native language) I´m used to play finger style with floating thumb to mute the strings with thumb and pinky which certainly doesn´t work when picking. So maybe I´m more busy trying to mute than concentrate on picking which ends up in desaster (that multiple tasking thing😡) I´ll try to ignore proper muting while practicing with a pick and get to another muting technique later. Sounds like a concept ?!🤞

So at least I´m not all alone with my problem.😅 Thank you. You´re right! There´s always hope.

OK i said " weeks " ,but actually there were ten to twelve of them, so others would call it three months.😉 And I´m not exaggerating. There´s is really no (!!) improvement. Perhaps I´m just lacking that motor skills, perhaps it´s the result of an earlier finger or wrist injury ( there were lots of those) Maybe I just should be grateful that finger playing does work.

Well - that was my first step and picking only one string was OK and adding the second string came out as well but then - Over. Believe me, I really tried, but I think I have to give up the idea of picking. It seems impossible to me to alternate between more than two strings. Finger playing - no problem. Pick - chaos. Maybe I´ll have to accept that. Am I the only one with such a problem?

I followed several tutorials and tried to practice the recommended exercises but I just can´t hit the strings. I simply don´t find them. Even looking at my right hand doesn´t help. I feel like I´m actually lost in between the strings. Total desorientation . ZZTop made a song "Driving while blind" That´s how I feel with a pick.

Being a confirmed finger player I have to admit that sometimes (just sometimes) I feel the need to use a pick.... There´s only one thing to hold back - I can´t play with a pick !! After weeks of practicing there should be at least a slight improvement, no?! Looking for a culprit (except me) I noticed that narrower string spacing might be helpful. Does it make sense to try with a cheap Harley Benton VI for example ? Are there others outside with the same difficulties or am I just too goofy? Any help is welcome.

You´ve got to look for Framus Idolmaker Bass or Custom Idolmaker Warwick Bass. Framus was reestablished by Warwick in 1995 , as far as I know. You´re right, there are no reviews but ads. And You´re right, it´s a little piece of art. Here´s a written review, unfortunately in german: www.bonedo.de/artikel/warwick-rockbass-idolmaker-fuenfsaiter-test

I love the sound and feel of Flats. I have strung my semi hollow, my P bass and a Jazz bass with TI Jazz Flats. I do like them a lot, even if their low tension doesn´t offer that rebound that I´m missing sometimes when playing very fast. But I have another Jazz bass and a Hofner Shorty strung with rounds, which I prefer for playing somewhat harder stuff. Those are pretty worn in (not to say dead) pure nickels, that sound to my ears like flats with that extra bit of bite. There´s another thing, at least in my experience : I´ve got the impression that playing with flats makes me play lazier in a certain way, because finger noise (unwanted) isn´t an issue. Changing to rounds it takes some time to play properly without unwanted noises.

Right now I´m in a phase (frequently) listening to old Free songs- I´m a mover, walk in my shadow, Mr Big. Love those great Tunes, absolutely timeless.

That´s actually the core of my initial question. I do think there are much more basses around that did not have that exaggerated fret maintenance let alone a refret and still get played the snot out of them ( Kind of silent majority ??)

Well, I´m with you, Rayman But- as a motorcycle fan I think I can understand those modders. If you´re a pro or semi pro you´re trying to get the best performance out of your bike/bass. Sometimes it might be that those improvements are just imagination because you want it so hard. Sometimes improvements are so slight that an amateur (like me) isn´t able to hear. On the other hand motorbikes/basses are not only fun to ride/play but working on them is at least half the joy. And joy is what it´s all about, right?!

Thanks, Bank balance? Never heard of it. Must be a new band. Losing space at home won´t be an issue as meanwhile it´s time for some motorbikes to leave because of age (my age, not theirs )

Thank you

50 years- this is what I´d call durability. By listening to several people I´ve got the impression that there´s a kind of hysteria concerning fret wear, which will end up in spoiling the fun. I do (not because of fret wear but for sound and feel) . Three basses are strung with TI flats, one with Fender 7150 (I do like them really old and dead) and one with Pyramid pure nickel rounds.

Thanks, Well- because of my job it´s hard to find a band to play, let alone to gig with. But WWW is your friend and makes it possible to play with every band in the world. Let´s praise that brave new world. How did you know, I´m a bladesmith and had my tendon cut with a knife (shame on me)?

Well, admitted that as an amateur player my ears might not really be able to notice deteriorating sound. Maybe therefore I don´t realize that there might be an issue. ( Happy me )

OK ,I had to do this just to get them playable twice. But as you said it was the only time. So this explains what some people mean when saying that non-maintaining will increase wear (regarding a re-fret) Will someone playing with a light touch playing almost all over the fretboard ever wear out the frets ? How often did you replace frets , if I may ask?

Hi there, being new to this forum I´m going to start with a question I asked myself after having read so many posts on different forums. Does anybody, except me, regards 90% of those fret jobs as exaggerated ? Don´t get me wrong, I don´t want to appear being sloppy maintaining my basses, and on almost all of them there are tiny flat spots ,even with flats used. But- I really don´t get the point, why a fret dress or even a polish is really necessary, when playing isn´t affected at all. Some say, less care will increase wear. Why that ? After playing bass for 7 years now (amateuresque more or less), I´d like to hear your opinions. regards Thomas

Thanks, as i´m no pro and I think I never will be one, my basses are of the budget range. A Squier Vintage modified Jazz, a Harley Benton semi hollow, a Harley Benton Kit P bass, a no name Jazz bass and a Hofner Shorty. Budget, but they do make me happy.