ThomBassmonkey

I think the key thing to remember is they're cheap. Unlike a bass where it'll feel/look worse quality, they can suffer reliability issues (which obviously you can't tell on your first try). They are outstanding amps for the money, but you do take a risk. They've been a bit better recently apparently, but you still won't be getting the reliability you'd get from a more expensive amp.

Actually, considering it was posted last night before 12am, it probably is supposed to be genuine advice. Either way, not a good thread.

Well whether it's dangerous because it's giving bad advise or offensive because it's poking fun at a serious health problem related to the target of the forum, I don't think it should be on a respectable forum that's usually full of good advice and support.

It's not an incredibly funny joke when it's possibly giving someone hope with something that destroys lives. Maybe next year the BBC should run a story on how a cure for cancer or AIDs has been developed, that'd be hilarious and something that kills people isn't really that different to something that cripples people. Sorry, but as someone who has been affected badly by tendonitis (what I posted above was not a joke, I was seriously scared I'd never be able to play an instrument using my right hand again) I don't really find this funny.

[quote name='silddx' post='793372' date='Apr 1 2010, 02:47 PM']Glad you edited that [/quote] haha, I still think of it as RSI, it was diagnosed as tendonitis by my doctor though. Also thought I'd point out that there are operations possible if it's a serious problem, they're fairly horrendous though and even if they stop the pain and allow normal-ish movement again, they can cause real problems for certain movements. I didn't want to take it because of playing bass and guitar but I had to completely stop playing for almost 6 months before it fully felt better.

This thread's quite obviously just an advert for a book rather than any helpful information. I've had tendonitis to the point the OP spoke about (maybe worse, I couldn't even move my hand for a while the pain was so bad, I had to go to an all hours surgery thing where they did sod all anyway. At a proper check up later, there was talk of an op to sort it) and had to give up bass playing for several months, losing jobs (both playing and teaching) because of it. If someone had showed me this book then when I was most desperate, I still wouldn't trust it. It's like all those weight losing, muscle gaining, penis extending, brain enlarging books you see advertised online. They're more damaging than good because they often have various extremes of behaviour/diet in them and even if they don't, they're still fooling people into thinking they're having an affect they're not.

I'm firmly of the view that once you're spending over £500 on an instrument, the VFM drops significantly. If you have the money and like one of the more expensive basses, go for it, but don't expect it to be twice as good as one costing half the price.

[quote name='thedonutman' post='792293' date='Mar 31 2010, 06:53 PM']Other people in the shop didn't seem to be getting as much attention. Maybe they were just desperate to sell something expensive? [/quote] If you went up and were talking to them, it could just be that. I work in a music shop and regardless of what people look like, if they want to come and chat to us, we'll give them more attention than someone who looks happy enough to browse (though we will ask if they want any help if they look confused/curious about something). We don't try and force sales though, but we get more people who trust us because we're happy for people to try out things without even a suggestion of commitment. We might not make quite as many sales as people pushing stuff, but our customers are happier.

Hate to be the one to point out the obvious but if you don't like it, just ignore it. Lefty basses look hideous to me but that's ok, I can deal with having sore eyes from time to time. There's 2 styles of SC, Gibson style and a more modern style, I like that more companies are taking on the modern style, I don't think it looks particularly nice, but if I want to buy a high end bass, it gives me more choice.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='790811' date='Mar 30 2010, 05:12 PM']As you can see, with me, it matters not one jot as long as I look professional (and play professionally) & have the right sound/quality in my hands. I don't care what other people think as long as I'm happy with my gear [/quote] In the threads you mention, I don't think other people are asking "what do you think? I'll ignore my own opinions and follow yours", I think people are just voicing their own opinions. You like the way your gear looks and probably would say so if the topic came up, why shouldn't other people? Especially with things like Bongos and Gus that have unique looks. Personally my image is important to me as a member of a band, but having usable gear is more important. So I'd pick a bass that plays and sounds nice, then if possible get a colour that works with the band image. Though in saying that, I did recently trade one of my basses for another one pretty much purely on looks. I've not been disappointed though in terms of feel and tone or I probably would've moved it on again (I'm still trying to work out if I have any use for a 4 string anyway.) though it does look cool in photos (the only place it's actually been used to any effect so far).

We had a review recently that was basically along the lines of "they're great musicians, they'll probably be playing Glasto in a year or two but they suck". The music just obviously wasn't to the guy's tastes but it didn't stop him ripping our songwriting abilities. Some people just don't understand that their opinions aren't objective and shouldn't really be put in a review without clearly defining that they're just opinions. Look at the review and see if there's any quotes you can take from it (we got a good one about playing Glasto from the above example ) and then move on. There's no way you can appeal to everyone and that goes for critics as well as general punters unfortunately.

The mad fiddler as in Mark Knight? If so, it's a small world, I played a gig with him in January. Can't remember the name of his band now, but they were damn good. I'd also echo the sentiments about not really being into folk rock then joining a folk rock band and loving it! (though JWP is far more rocky than Homer's now).

[quote name='OldGit' post='789868' date='Mar 29 2010, 08:26 PM']There are loads of people on here that swear by them but they just don't work for me. I just can't hear them for some reason. I've had two Trace rigs and an Ashdown ABM stack and had trouble getting any clarity out of them. Could be the way I play but they just didn't work for me. Your experience may be different.[/quote] When I was at college they kitted out all the rooms with Ashdowns (and threw out the old TEs, which I was gutted about) and they sounded awful. Either you had the bass up and they sounded woolly or you turned it down and got no beef, there was no middle ground for me. In saying that though, Ashdowns were known for reliability issues and these were worked hard back then. I've tried a stack or two that's been ok since, that experience at college has completely put me off them though.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='790237' date='Mar 30 2010, 08:34 AM']Thanks, know what you mean about the tab. The trouble is for the intro bit to me it sounded like 123 123 1234 but granted my understanding of timings written down etc isn't great however the bassist plays that through once and then starts playing something constantly, like 16ths or something, presumably along the same timing lines but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is. I am listening through headphones but my laptop is rubbish for bass!! Far too trebley. Going to burn a CD for the car I think with it on.[/quote] Ah ok, it's essentially the same rhythm but instead of playing the gaps, you're playing the low note. Then instead of the last high note, you're playing the low note. So if it's E and B, it'd be E E B E E E E B E E E E E E E E Then the E changes to G with the same high note. (notes might be wrong, I can't really hear my leccy guitar properly unplugged, but it's something like that)

Here's some of my band's stuff live at a charity gig we did a week or two ago. Judas Stone: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsQPVQheYgI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsQPVQheYgI[/url] Breathe In: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcJyi-1ohVQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcJyi-1ohVQ[/url] Fashionable Place of Birth: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyomTk-za5E&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyomTk-za5E...feature=related[/url] Mandolin Song: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-b6mNiEqcw&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-b6mNiEqcw...feature=related[/url]

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='790010' date='Mar 29 2010, 09:55 PM']Does anyone have, or know where I can find, the tab to Black bubblegum by Dillinger escape plan? I mainly need it for the timing and can't hear the bass very well at all on the track I have through my laptop! *rolls eyes* Thanks in advance![/quote] Hate to say it, but if you need help with the timing, TAB probably isn't going to help. If you're trying to figure out the intro rhythm, I've just given it a listen and I got this (where you play the bold parts): [b][u]1 2 3[/u][/b] 1 2 [b][u]1 2 3[/u][/b] 1 2 3 4 [b][u]1 2 3 4[/u][/b] or [b][u]1 2 3[/u][/b] 4 1 [b][u]2 3 4[/u][/b] 1 2 3 4 [b][u]1 2 3 4[/u][/b] depending on how you want to count it. I've just worked it without my bass to hand out so I don't know the notes, but there's only a couple. I assume it's that bit you wanted, the rest of the track seems fairly simple rhythmically.

I'm quite surprised about some peoples' views on this. I did say in another thread that I wouldn't let people use my new amp because it was new. I ended up not being that bothered when it came to the crunch though and the only reason I didn't think I'd want people to use it was because it was new. I'm guessing there's some people on here that're either in huge bands that only plays large dedicated venues or they're in function bands who're the only bands playing most of their gigs. There's NO WAY that 3+ bands worth of gear will fit off stage in a lot of pub back rooms. It's very often crowded with just instruments/cymbals in whatever cupboard is the storage area, never mind several amps too. For bigger venues, it's not such a problem, it doesn't take long if everyone in the band works together to move gear, but it's worth remembering that not everyone's at that stage.

[quote name='Wolverinebass' post='788861' date='Mar 28 2010, 08:52 PM']A new amp is the order of the day. I played a Carlsbro a few years ago and it was just ..... awful. Never again. They make Ashdowns sound crisp and I regard them as being very wooly indeed. I think as well, you're playing something that's 45w against a full band? Ouch. No wonder you're struggling.[/quote] I actually quite rate Carlsbro as cheap bass amps. I've only really used the old Bassline series (before they got all round and cuddly) but they were brilliant amps. My Bassline 150's lasted me nearly 10 years and it's only ever died once. Always sounded fine too, not as good as my new GK rig, but it cost a quarter of the price, so no surprise there.

Sounds like you need a new amp. Are you playing in a band and need something giggable or are you just playing for your own amusement or recording? If it's the latter, you have plenty of options for amps on a tight budget, if it's the former, you're much more limited.

Be very careful. Buggering up the truss rod adjustment could seriously damage your bass permanently. I'd ask around and see who local shops recommend, then send the bill to your singer.

I currently exclusively play a 6 string live (there's a couple of pics up in the James Warner Prophecies gig thread). I have been tempted by a 4 string though, a nice fretless VMJ. I do play 4 strings too, but I find them too limiting live. For me playing live is all about improv (obviously within limits) and making things sound slightly different each time. Having the extra strings means I can arpeggio to my heart's content without worrying too much about where my hands are (less movement involved). I do think that there's a lot of 5 and 6 string basses for sale though because people want to try them out then decide they don't want them and move them on.

[quote name='oldmanrock' post='788207' date='Mar 27 2010, 09:59 PM']The good Old Bell eh? Nice one![/quote] Yeah, we play there a fair bit. Always a good gig. We have one coming up actually, I [i]think[/i] it's the 2nd of May, I'll have to check though, not sure why it's not up in the gig listings. Might be because our flautist can't make it so we're just playing it as a 3 piece.