Conan

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1332326285' post='1586571'] What? [/quote] Yes. What.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1332328080' post='1586604'] do you find the skinny strings on guitars cause more probs than bass strings though? - bass strings is fine with me but as soon as i start noodling around on my old 6string acoustic it does start to take its toll in very little time at all [/quote] I guess the physics would say that it's down to pressure (force) per unit area. Skinny strings = smaller contact area so greater force per unit area = more pain!! Bass strings are thicker, but also rougher in texture (unless you use flats) - so friction is a bigger factor, especially when moving up and down strings. Swings and roundabouts I suppose.

I like to "dig in" as well, and have had problems with blisters over the years when I've had a few weeks with little practice or playing time. I found that trying to incorporate a third finger also helps - so instead of just first and second fingers I can take the pressure off a bit (literally and figuratively) by using combinations of fingers 1, 2 and 3. Picks as well, obviously. Funnily enough, I think I tend to play harder at home as I often can't be bothered to plug into an amp and play acoustically. At rehearsals or gigs I can turn the amp up...

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1332274078' post='1586005'] Would it be wrong of me (and pedantic) to point out the original post title should be "What is Hip?"....... [/quote] It would, if the OP was actually a statement "What is hip". Letting us know that the word "What" is actually cool and groovy. Which it is.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' timestamp='1237844737' post='443160'] Chuck Norris makes strings now? [/quote]

[quote name='The Bass Doc' timestamp='1332315821' post='1586384'] Offset contour body [/quote]

Define "authentic".

[quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1332165734' post='1584107'] So I do it and remain glad that they like seeing me do it.[/quote] At least [i]you're[/i] appreciated...

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1332163575' post='1584061'] They are all concentrating at a level that BC'ers can only dream of! [/quote] Yeah, I guess it could be that. I forgot that Jazz isn't a very "visual" medium.

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1332161758' post='1584018'] He looks bored, as does his band. [/quote] Much as I love MM's playing, I have to agree with this. I just think that the tempo is too fast to allow much in the way of feel, nuance or dynamics. To me, soul is more about the spaces in the music and this all sounds a bit frantic and rushed. Impressive but not enjoyable. Sorry Pete!

You sound like a very loyal person. This is good. But you are letting your loyalty to your bandmates get in the way. You like to play bass for fun, but your band is not fun. It seems pretty clear-cut to me. Be honest with them about what you want. It sounds like you have already done that. If they can't accommodate your wishes then you should leave. This is a hobby after all.

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1332059742' post='1582551'] Yes lots on google- cheapest place I found is soundslive in newcastle [/quote] You see... fortune is leading you to Newcastle!!!! PM'ed.

Further research indicates it may well be a Mayones...

As used by Mariusz Duda in this clip. I don't recognise it at all. Sounds a bit like a cross between an Ibanez Soundgear and a Wal to my ears... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiEyhg6eYjw&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiEyhg6eYjw&feature=player_embedded[/url]#!

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1331906873' post='1580755'] Hi I'd like a low b five string, I will probably have to buy used to get best value. I have at most £275. What can people recommend based on their own experience? [/quote] You don't want my Cort?

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1331833814' post='1579705'] Don't fall into the trap of camping out in the lower range. Too many people do when first moving to a 5 string and rather than making the music sound 'heavy',it can end up sounding a lot emptier,depending on the instrumentation of the music. [/quote] Spot on!! That's exactly why I am now moving away from five and back to four. I think that, somehow, a four encourages you to be a bit more creative.

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1331887417' post='1580297'] I've never got over excited about gear. I'm a player , not a collector. I can get attached to an instrument because it's such a tactile thing but not amps. Black boxes with knobs on. I want them to sound OK in 'neutral' and not break - nothing more. [/quote] Good point! Isn't it interesting how people use very different words to describe their amplification rather than their guitars? There is a lot less emotional attachment to the electrical stuff then there is for the bass itself. Why is that I wonder? Is it because we aren't physically connected to the amps? You rarely hear anyone say "I could never get rid of this amp - she and I go back a long way and have many shared memories... etc, etc" Discuss

[quote name='garethfriend' timestamp='1331846075' post='1579934'] Barefaced vintage - so long as I can manage the size and don't need smaller cabs it's definitely a keeper. [/quote] What are these "smaller cabs" of which you speak?? My Vintage is definitely a keeper. Yes, it's big (but smaller than the two 410s it replaced) but it's easily transportable. The tone is right for me and the volume on tap is just incredible. Ampwise? Well, I like the simplicity of the LH500. It's loud and clean, which is what I like. It could have more mid-boost available though. I know why, but I do miss a graphic EQ sometimes. There are amps that I haven't tried and one day I would like to try them. So, at the minute the Hartke does all I ask of it but I may try something else. If the "something else" is something I prefer I would happily move the Hartke on.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1331816129' post='1579313'] If you buy a ready-made bass for £100, remember that a proportion of that cost is for the time of someone building it. So the materials will have cost far less, and the quality of them should reflect this. [/quote] True - but because materials can vary, and humans are not machines, the end result will (and does) vary. Fender are well known for this variability and the cheap basses show it too. That's why it's so important that you try the actual bass that you want to buy, as two made from the same materials by the same person may be different. I've played awful Fenders and brilliant copies costing under £200. It's all a bit of a lottery really. But it happens in pretty much all manufactured goods, so I don't know why we are surprised...

[quote name='Icarus_147' timestamp='1331765572' post='1578707'] Haha, thanks for the offer man.[/quote] Well the offer is still there - as it is to any North-East based Basschatters who fancy a play!