discreet

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1451835065' post='2943814'] Was this done by that 'improver' bloke on Ebay? [/quote] Apalling though this is, it's still way out of our man's league, which is saying a great deal...

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1451849094' post='2944034'] ...if the band really gels and is a tight unit, then it will sound powerful, which to my way of thinking is much better than just being loud. [/quote] Absolutely, you don't have to be loud to sound heavy.

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1451843147' post='2943934'] I actually have the opposite problem to most of having a fantastic guitarist right next to me who plays too quietly and it's only when he kicks in the boost for solos that I can hear him properly. [/quote] What are you paying him? I'll double it.

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1451842432' post='2943919'] Relisted [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Shergold-Marathon-4-string-bass-guitar-Big-Plate-Mk1-pre-1980-/221984897737?hash=item33af54bac9:g:KLAAAOSwaA5WiUFa"]http://www.ebay.co.u...LAAAOSwaA5WiUFa[/url] [/quote] Thanks for the heads-up! But now I'm skint due to Limelight! D'oh again! Presumably 243 quid wasn't enough... Edit: you can see it's an early one because of the hole in the headstock which would originally have been for a Hayman perspex logo. The later Hayman necks were used for early Shergold basses and the logo hole covered with the Shergold shield logo.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1451841804' post='2943911'] you have to set levels according to the drummer, our drummer is fairly loud (he's not miced up) then the rest of us set volumes accordingly, which means in a small pub venue we are loud, but hey it's rock and roll [/quote] As has been said many times on this forum, a good drummer can moderate his own levels and can always play with hotrods or whatever, but in the real world the majority of bands do not have a drummer with the necessary skills to do this. So generally yes, the levels are set according to the level of acoustic drums - which is reasonable, as long as the drummer isn't a shed-builder. What I don't get are pub bands who insist on micing up the drums as if at a large club, which means the whole band is way over the top volume-wise. What the hell is that all about?

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1451833576' post='2943788'] No, I encourage all my band mates to wear earplugs as we all should. [/quote] I agree. It's not very rock 'n' roll to wear earplugs, but it's sheer bloody reckless stupidity not to - in my opinion. This is one of your five senses that you're frivolously throwing away. And for what? It's just plain unnecessary. Edit: Just read this and it's a bit ranty. I don't care. I feel strongly about it.

Can. Of. Worms. I'm not a particularly sensible man, but one of my better life decisions was to use ear protection when I started playing in bands forty years ago. Subsequently my hearing isn't shot and I don't have debilitating nightmare tinnitus like most of my contemporaries. You'd be surprised at just how 'quiet' some sounds that can kill your hearing actually are. Any kind of band with amps and drums in it will damage your hearing, even if you think you're playing 'quietly'.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1451826253' post='2943705'] A tenner is a lot of money for an empty bag.... [/quote] Hee, hee. The implication was that I'd rather buy an empty bag for a tenner than own a Warwick. I'm being pretty offensive today, I reckon. Why won't someone stop me??

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1451826195' post='2943701'] I don't want to promote kinks or stress. [/quote] Well not stress, anyway.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1451825795' post='2943696'] Why even bother doing that when you can pick up a bag of a dozen assorted Warwicks for about a tenner these days? [/quote] I'd go for that! As long as someone takes out all the brown ones.

[quote name='sunburstjazz1967' timestamp='1451825768' post='2943695'] Needs the head reshaping and the tuners relocating doesn't it! [/quote] Needs burning and burying if you ask me.

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1451823709' post='2943665'] The mind boggles! ...surely buying a new 5 would be the best option, rather than changing your 4 string beyond recognition? [/quote] German control-freak, obviously. 'You VILL be a 5-stringen! Or you vill be shot!!' /racist stereotyping

Sorry, but Keef should be publicly flogged then dragged naked through the streets of Deptford.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1451823140' post='2943647'] ...I get a lot of mileage out of running through the song internally. I run through the song in my head and visualise myself playing it. Works for me. [/quote] +1. I listen to the song closely quite a few times before even picking up a bass. You can't listen properly if your fiddling around tuning, finding which key it's in, trying to jump straight into it, etc etc. You need to pay attention!

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1451767987' post='2943327'] I may have leaked all my creative juices... [/quote] Is that what the first picture is..?

[quote name='goonieman' timestamp='1451761455' post='2943229'] Yeah, this has certainly got me thinking about actually taking the plunge on a VM. [/quote] Go for it. I had a SQ VM Jazz V and it played and sounded great, good build too. I only moved it because it turned out I'm a four-string man.

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1451759364' post='2943204'] Haha! Yup, looks tasty that one. Love their P4's. Still, you got that lovely Limelight bro [/quote] I must learn to be grateful for what I've got... doesn't stop me window-shopping, though.

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1451752241' post='2943117'] I've noticed on Bass Direct's website that they state a £3k full list price, but sell them for way less... [/quote] Thanks, D. Now I've got GAS for the 3-Tone P4 with the Lindy pup. Hnnggg...

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1451725716' post='2942712'] ...it had never occurred to me that there might be play-a-long bassless tracks on YouTube [/quote] Hundreds of 'em! Variable in quality and usefulness of course, but there are some quite good ones to be had depending on your needs. They are a valuable tool for checking out different genres and also for keeping your hand in if you're 'between bands'.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1451748677' post='2943064'] Also if you are learning covers by playing along to the original, stop doing that as soon as you can. The recorded track acts as too much of a crutch and because it never goes wrong you can get away with not knowing the song properly because the music acts as a prompt. Of course once you are doing the song with the rest of your band, it only takes one other member to not know it properly either and the whole thing falls apart. [/quote] This is (another) problem I have with covers bands - other members not learning their parts sufficiently well. I do learn covers by playing along to the original, but I record my bass line and listen to it in isolation to make sure it's up to scratch. But as far as other members not knowing the song properly goes, there's not much you can do about that apart from trying to find a band that consists of good people who know their stuff. This is rare (and yet another problem I have with covers bands), but is great when it happens.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1451740787' post='2942971'] Whoever said it was talking bollocks - I've seen loads of professionals get stuff wrong. [/quote] Don't do drugs, kids.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1451733125' post='2942832'] Practice practice and practice. Then when you`ve got it nailed, repeat it all again and again. [/quote] As others have said, but this is it, there are no short cuts. Some people pick stuff up quickly, I'm not one of them. Don't stop when you're close-ish or think 'that'll do' because it won't. You have to be able to play the material without even thinking about it or looking at the bass. Nothing's worse than a stock-still bass player staring at his fretboard. Don't use music or a music stand, don't use charts or bits of paper - you will lose them in the chaos of a gig. Not sure who said this, but it's a good thought: 'Amateurs rehearse until they get it right; professionals rehearse until they can't get it wrong'.

The CVs are great instruments. I think they're hard to find second hand because people hang on to them - a good sign.

[quote name='bassbiscuits' timestamp='1451693920' post='2942632'] It's taken me a big circular journey to realise I had the right bass for me in my hands all along. [/quote] Me too, I bought my 76P new and it turns out it was 'the one'.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1451687785' post='2942576'] "Relicking" sounds like having another lick of something you licked earlier. It's a nice looking bass, but surely tongues would be taking things a bit far! [/quote] Really..? Oh, right. I'd never do that, of course... it would be very wrong. And weird. How about 'RELLIKING'?