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If he was going to give away free lessons he might as well have just bought a new bass. What happened to just doing the right thing purely because it's the right thing? He didn't have to offer a reward - moaning that it isn't enough is distasteful.

I’m not doing any more today 😄 (famous last words) as it was bad enough getting that screw out! State of the nation tho:

I'm going through those topics to update 'em so that the links work again (but not the YouTube embedding...). I'll finish 'em off over the next couple of days, I expect. (All the more praiseworthy as I'm really not a fan of funk in general ...) Edit: Slight correction: One of those links above takes us to a topic of some sixty-five (count 'em..!) pages. I'm beggared if I'm going through that lot, post after post, page after page, so the links will stay broken, I'm afraid. Sorry, 'n all that, but I wouldn't even do that for a Grateful Dead topic, so funk..? No chance.

I was waiting for the picture to load for ages.

There are lots of mod's that can be added to a bass but, as 5 string players are always posting and 4 string players are constantly failing to understand, a 5 string bass is not just about the lower notes. The main benefits also include the flexibility to play different lines, in different positions and in keys which are sometimes more appropriate to the song. A 5 string bass is not a 4 string bass with an extra string. It is an instrument in its own right with different possibilities and techniques. Adding gadgets to get a lower note and thinking that is a substitute for a 5 string bass is to completely miss the point. It's on a par with the misconception that EQing the neck pickup can make a Jazz sound anything like a P bass and that an electric bass can sound like a double bass if you fiddle around with the EQ enough.

When I first came here I was too embarrassed to be 100% honest. I have been playing for over 30 years and this still evades me. This forum has been a breath of fresh air on an internet that is usually full of complete and utter vileness. I have been a poster and user of internet forums for many many years and I don't remember the last time I actually found some real compassion and help, this forum should be very proud of itself. I think I may well stick around, as I have lots of other musical talents that I know I can use to help others as I have been helped. A bit more about me, if you will indulge me. I've been playing over 30 years, in a very on and off way (I realise of course that this alone doesn't help me learn what I want to know). I have played in 2 pretty successful bands, one for 4 years and the other 6. None of those band members ever suspected that I knew nothing and people from all walks of life and throughout the entire 30 years (often including people I greatly respected) have commented on my bass playing, telling me how much they enjoyed it! (if only they knew huh @6feet7 ) I can play almost anything, especially given time to sit and work something out and that has been my entire bass career. I'll work something out rudimentary at the early stages when writing with the band and then go home and in my own time work something nice out. I'm so fed up of having to do this and this is why I want to move forward and LEARN where I can play given any chord progression at the time of writing. I so want to be naturally playing sexy fills, rather than having to work them out later, note by note. I wanted to quote several of you but my post is already leaning towards tldr territory, so I will just try and ask some more directions based on the advice given. It has been mentioned several times here and I have seen it online many times also (scotts bass lessons, talking bass.net etc) learn what the intervals 'sound' like. I cant understand this concept because in my mind its not helping me 'know' where I can play. I can't see a link between the two things (this is hard to articulate too apologies). I know what a 5th sounds like, I am 99% positive I can pick a major and minor 3rd and a 2nd 4th 6th and 7th are all pretty distinct also. Maybe I don't know these as well as I think I do but one thing is for sure. I cannot understand how this helps me? I don't mean to sound disingenuous to the advice, I KNOW 100% it's good advice as I see it and hear it often but as i say, I cant see how it solves my problems. Get a bass teacher: Unfortunately, I'm out of work atm with a serious back condition (thanks years of humping band gear :P) and simply can't afford this route. I wish I could because the right person would be able to help me I am sure. Thanks for your time here TKenrick. To elaborate, I started based on advice from Scotts Bass Lessons on the C major scale (I actually started with G Major - seemed to maked more sense to me) all over the neck. From different finger positions. Finger 1, 2 3 etc. This IS actually helping because the more major scales I learn, I am beginning to see the geometric patterns without thinking too much about them, this has taken (if im honest about practice time) 30 mins a day for around a month. I started to speak the 'intervals' to myself as I went (and based on the advice given here and around the internet) hear what they sound like. The thing I think this is doing beyond anything else is making me a faster player AND making me stamp out bad habits, such as turning my fingers into spaghetti trying to jump around the neck. I know you can all relate to that. So this practice time and repositioning of my hand to use correct fingers has been great for many reasons. BUT... I am still not learning what I want, applying it over major chords in the songs my band and I are writing still comes up with bum notes!! And this leads me onto one further thing... (how very Columbo of me) I am actually enjoying playing scales. Really, truthfully... Its (as mentioned above) making me a better player and despite hitting bum notes still I AM learning and moving forward. But its these bum notes I want to talk to you all about. They are coming about I am sure from these rules in music that BAFFLE me completely and one of the things that's keeping me from actually understanding the fret board while trying to be creative. The use of borrowed chords, the use of sus chords, the flattened 5th or 7th of a chord... Now let me just explain, I have an understanding of how these are used and why. But when I'm playing with my band members how do I know this is happening when even my band mates are just doing things because they 'sound' right. I know my guitarist knows no theory but he will throw in some beautiful sounding chords that none of us have a clue about. How do 'I' know what it is thats happening? How do I use the knowledge of 'shapes' and all my recently learned knowledge to play over this when I have no idea for example that the chord he is plying has a flattened 6th? I am getting to grips fully with the shapes of the major scale all over the neck, and all different keys. Haven't even STARTED on the minor scale yet, there goes another month. But what then? Do I then spend another month on the harminic monor, then another on the melodic, then another on the blues scale... and on and on. I really appreciate the advice you have all given, and I apologise for the length and waffley-ness (is that a word? lol) of this post but honestly I dont know where to turn for the answer thats right for me. I hear what your all saying 'in general' and thats to forget learning this way and learn songs and interval sounds etc. But I counter this with the fact that I 'have' learned hundreds of songs, played in many bands and tried to learn along the way, yet somehow this still evades me. I'm sorry, I'm speaking in circles now... I won't change it, it's my frustrations laid bare because I know your a decent bunch who will listen. Once again, I thank you for your advice and time. And if you read all of this post I think maybe you deserve a medal of some kind. I have much to digest much to think on... Now I'm going to make myself a full member of this forum and start to help out where I know I can... In the recording section. Art

https://youtu.be/zfoLBRcK9to

Hi All, I'm Sarah and I play bass. Sounds like an introduction to an AA meeting, but without the guilt! You don't want to know how old I am or any of that boring stuff, but if you are curious I'm sure you can Google me and find out. I started playing bass when I was about 13, after my Dad bought a Beatles greatest hits album (the red one, 1962 - 66), and I was blown away by McCartney's bass sound and the way bass made the song 'whole'. After a lot of nagging I persuaded my Dad to get me a bass for Christmas; he got if off his mate who had been in a band years before and since stopped playing. It was a 1965 Hofner Violin bass, which I dearly wish I still had, but I sold it years ago for a ridiculously small sum. Anyway, I joined a band and had a ton of fun. Not long after that, we broke up and other life things happened; marriage, kids, house moves .... all the things that happen during a lifetime. I stopped playing and didn't touch a bass for around 20 years, until my current partner surprised me with a bass and a little amp for Christmas in 2009. That started me off again and I started from the beginning, teaching myself to play the thing properly this time. I soon sold that bass and started trading up; I went from the Agros 'Starcaster' Jazz bass to a Vintage V940, then to a Peavey International, a Washburn Taurus T25 and then made the jump to a Mexican Fender P bass. I wasn't much impressed with the Fender, so I traded that for an Ibanez SR300, which I kept for about 4 years. During this time I started making bass cover videos on Youtube, which earned me a bit of a 'following' both in the UK and around the world, notably in South America for some reason. I still do the videos when I get time and the inclination hits me, and the videos I already have online (about 70) still get comments and views on a daily basis. These are almost entirely 1970's pop hits; there are a couple of 60's and 80's songs in there as well, but I've just chosen to cover songs that appeal to me or mean something to me. Then, about 4 years ago I fancied joining a band, so I advertised myself on Joinmyband.co.uk and got no serious offers, just a few time-wasters so I quickly shelved that idea. Then, 2 years later someone unearthed my advert and contacted me to say that their bassist was leaving their band, and would I like to join? I sent them some links to my Youtube stuff, we met, chatted, jammed and before long I was in! So the first thing I did was upgrade my bass (again) and I bought a beautiful Ibanez SR1200 Premium. Not long after that, things started to get serious and I bought and Ibanez SR 5000 Prestige as well! Realising I was spending far too much on basses, I sold the SR 300, the SR 1200 and my SR 300 DXF ( did I mention I had one of those as well - lovely fretless bass!), and spent the lot on a Rickenbacker 4003s! So those are the basses I have now, the SR5000, the Ricky.... and a Fender American Standard Jazz bass which my partner and I decided to go halves on about a year ago. I'm not buying any more now (unless a Rickenbacker 4001 comes up at the right price!), I'm just keeping what I've got as investments and for the gigs we play now. My band plays pubs around the Leigh / Atherton areas of Greater Manchester; we do covers of 60's 70's and 80's pop hits, a little bit or rock and generally feel-good drinking music! People seem to like us and we have a lot of fun doing what we do and entertaining people. So that's me. probably more than you need to know, but what can I say... I talk too much !

I`ve swapped from Roto steel rounds to Warwick Red Label rounds and yes, I get about 2+ months out of them, rather than the up to a month on the Rotos. They sound very similar as well, and that`s the killer for me.

God yes. It all gets very dark and serious when that starts. A silly story but we used top play a large club in Slough. During the high stakes Bingo on a Sunday night they banned any talking, phones off etc. Our guitarist, being a forgetful chap, didnt turn his off. Off he goes across the room to the bar. Whispers to the bar man for 3 pints, and starts to walk back with them. Now, im not sure why i did this, but i decided as he was crossing the dance floor to call his mobile. It might have been because i knew he had the Dambusters theme tune as his ring tone, and maybe because there was no way to put the drinks down, but it was the funniest moment we ever had at that venue.....expect for him of course 🙂

The Story of Funk, on the iPlayer. Well worth a watch even if you're not a funkster. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04t6nm5/the-story-of-funk-one-nation-under-a-groove?suggid=b04t6nm5

I have an 8 string bass the ESP/LTD B-208FM that I use for my Pearl Jam tribute. I upgraded the pickups and preamp (because I wanted to, not that I needed to), rest is stock. GREAT bass. Best bang for the buck I have had in a long while. I recently tried a Frank Bello LTD (not the ESP Custom Shop), also incredible value. Some look a bit "rocky", but you cannot deny they sound excellent and have really playable necks.

Is this the 'Bird" they speak of in jazz?

I had a listen to the first video. In places it was interesting enough. Pretty much in the vein of the experimental stuff that we saw being done in the 60's. Lol Coxhill was great at getting hitherto unknown sounds out of his sax. At least these guys are out there gigging. Sounds like they had a bigger audience than on some of the gigs I've done. Good on them.

Out with the old: In with the new:

There's basically two 'Generations' of Class D amps out there, a lot running the older power amp module (which, I believe the TH500 is one), which had its detractors, and was the origins of the whole 'heft' thing, but the newer generation module in the Magellan, Mesa 800, Darkglass, etc, is a different animal in terms of presence and 'heft'. Unfortunately, an awful lot of people's negative perceptions of Class D is based on their experience of the first generation amps... That being said, I think the OP will struggle to replace a db751, which is at the end of the day a £2500 amp, with a £5-600 amp...if weight is the issue, I'd agree with the folk above who have suggested keeping the 42lb amp and changing the 98lb cab for something half the weight...and there's plenty of options for that...

I was expecting the ghost of Vivian Stanshall to materialise and announce : " Double Bass " .

I always thought red was not "my colour" for basses but it's definitely growing on me The VM4, however, ticks all the boxes! If I was buying my first Sandberg bass again today I would almost certainly go for a VM4 or VM5 (rather than the TM4 I originally went for) - there is something about a P/J or P/MM pup configuration that just works; for me it's all about having a 'P' in the mix. Whoever ends up with that bass is in for a treat.

They're from Milwaukee, Yeah! Blue

Doesn't really matter, they both suck.

Always the way. Stable neck - easy neck adjuster. Wibbly wobbly all over the shop neck = remove 16 screws and resolder 8 wires just to get to the adjuster

Just wanted to pass on a little advice on this subject. I've never really been a fan of maple boards, much preferring rosewood/ebony, so a while back I researched easy methods of staining a lighter board to near-black, so a couple of days ago I had a go. If you look at the photos, you'll see I did it on one of my Lulls (gasp), the board on my JAXT4 (mahogany) would darken a bit after an oiling session, but was very light compared to the ebony of the NRT5. The board is quite open grained and would take the stain easily enough. I'd done a bit of pre-research and the one product that came up time and again was Fiebings Leather Dye; I picked up a small pot off Amazon (£6.00), put on some rubber gloves and fished out some cotton buds. I masked off the nut and set to work. To be frank, I was pooping myself while I was doing it. I let the leather dye set up for a couple of minutes and wiped away the excess; the dot markers took a little of the stain, but this came off with a little methylated spirit once things had completely dried (24 hours). The neck doesn't have any binding and the wiping down after applying ensured nothing went where it shouldn't have. [edit] I also masked around the heel joint so none of the dye got on the body. I'm very happy with the end result. BEFORE: AFTER:

Hi guys and gals, I'm 38 years old and been a bedroom guitarist for 15+ years, until recently I was asked if I wanted to have a go at bass in a band. I though "why not, how hard can it be?". It's so similar but so different and I've well and truly been bitten by the bug! I sold my guitar amp and most of my guitars and currently have a Ampeg PF500 amp and a Yamaha TBRX605 and Sterling Sub5 bass. Playing bass is challenging me in a very different way than guitar, and I've definitely become a better musician. We haven't played any gigs yet but it's great jamming with other people, I wish I'd done it a lot sooner!

I don't understand what you mean - on ANY instrument, there's different fingerings for different scales if they contain different notes. But if the scale was a mode of another (eg the natural minor scale is the aeolian mode of a major scale) then (because it contains the same notes, at a different start position) the fingering is the same. But that applies to every instrument, not just bass/cello. Of course the fingering pattern on the bass (tuned in 4ths) won't work on a cello (tuned in 5ths). But.....the fingerings on a violin translate to the voila, and to the (upper positions of) the cello, because these are tuned in 5ths. Just like the fingering of scales on the 4 lower strings of an electric guitar translate to those of the bass guitar. Maybe there's a difference simply due to CONVENTION of what people learn first on each, for example while I know what you mean by the "box position" major scale, there's other ways to play the major scale on the bass - and plenty of practical situations where you'd use one of these alternates. And there's other ways to play scales on the cello other than the one learned first, where the root is under the 1st finger.

Welcome Berserker.

some basses just seem to be duff, so trade it in. I've had various with 'dead spots'- two 'P' basses have been the worst so I don't know if this design is particularly susceptible. What it has taught me is not to try a bass without properly trying it out. Most other problems are fixable, but deadspots aren't. You can'yt play a bass with deadspots musically - it will drive you mad in time. I've gone down the graphite neck route and don't wake at night any more suffering from 'deadspot angst'.

another innovation that I think would improve any bass is a zero fret, no more messing about filing the nut (and going too far, opps)

Thanks for reminding me. I have that on an iPad belonging to my house mate. I found it a little clunky to use but the touch screen was the main problem. I seem not to be able to get them to work reliably. Putting a footswitch on it and updating it might prove interesting as I haven't used it for about two years.

Great name for a band though Muzz......

I hope he recovers it, but to be honest £100 and some beers?? Come on Scott - how about free lessons for a year.

It was from freesound.org freesound.org/people/reinsamba/sounds/73178/ there's loads of good stuff on there !

About a year ago, my old band played the St Moritz on Wardour Street, Landaan. Our singer said it would look good on our CV. Hmm. Journey up was fine, got parked north of Oxford Street, half-mile walk to the venue (locked on arrival), easyish load in. The venue is a basement (a warren of rooms) under a cheese/fondue restaurant. It reeked of cheese, old beer, old sweat, old smoke and god knows whatever else. It was like an oven in there. Stage was maybe eight feet square - barely wide enough for a small drum kit, our amps were set up angled as there was no space and seven feet high (of course our singer insisted on standing on the stage). There was an air conditioner (off, I mean why would it be on?) attached to the ceiling in the middle of the stage (cue head bumpage). The venue didn't promote it, we didn't get paid (nor even offered a beer) but they asked us back. Err, no. I remember me and the drummer stopped at a McDonalds on the way home and for some reason I sniffed the upper arm of the shirt that I was wearing and it stank of cheese.

Yeah I`ve always been a tad suspicious of bands that seem to play really old hollow-body guitars etc in their vids, when the sound would suggest something rather more modern had been used on the recording.

I wonder sometimes if the Fender Precision/Jazz is the staple of music videos because that's "the look" they want to go for rather than the instrument normally played. I prefer to play a 5, but it's party laziness. I'd be quite happy to play a 4 string something-or-other with a Hipshot thingy for a couple of songs -- but then I'd have to learn to play in drop-D properly 😂

I'd be tempted to try a Quilter Bass Block with a Tonehammer DI in front of it...

It's on all of the ones I own!! I suspect most people will know it's been fitted to all Musicman basses since about 1990 (so for 28 years!!). I don't think they invented it though - but it's such a simple system to use. As for aesthetics, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I personally don't think it detracts from a bass (I doubt a lot of people looking at a pre 90 Stingray would even notice the bass has a headstock mounted bullet truss rod instead) - Musicman have even made a feature of it on the Classic series (but not Sabres) by making the wheel a chrome version, looking very smart. I suspect as Fender makes most electric basses and they've never been the brightest (or quickest) of innovators, that has influenced the adoption of the system to their basses, which was included on their Elite series (and thus premium) instruments a couple of years back. So it seems Fender see it as a premium feature to be fitted to the most expensive basses. Probably a matter of economics for them - but interesting they see some of their most expensive production basses needing to compete with Musicman. The same could be said of un lacquered neck finishes which improve playability no end!!

Then please judge me. Also please allow me to confirm that you just don't get it. Now there's no shame in not getting it, of course, but some others do get it. I found it deeply satisfying, and very musical indeed. Had never heard about these guys, but will def. try to check them out. Thanks for posting.

I mean tarnish the chrome a smidge, dull a few areas maybe a bit of paint off on the arm rest just try and make it a bit used Using your example maybe a supermarket door ding would be the level I'm hoping for?? 😁

Subtle? The white and orange combination is already less startling but to seek a subtle relicing is like hoping for a nice relaxing road traffic accident.

I shall be moving onto the other notes when I feel I have fully mastered the A and not a moment sooner

Just a quick update on this. I've dismantled all the wiring. The pots are shot, but the pickups are reading just fine, so that's good news. I think I'm going to go with Alpha pots as they will fit the existing holes. I'll use the original cap as well. I shot some clear gloss on the pickguard, but it's a bit orange peely, so I might sand it back...maybe just get a new guard for it, but unsure for now. There's a headless pickup screw I need to sort too. This evening, I taped off the frets and just gave them a once over with some steel wool to get the crud off, then a quick rub with Autosol metal polish. They're looking really good. Need to order the parts soon so I can get it back into action.

It's slightly complicated with two cabs because the impedance changes so you may, or may not draw more power from the amp. That's probably less of a problem with valve amps of course as the output transformer means they should be able to match to most common impedances. For the same power doubling the cone area will give you an extra 3dB. That's how itsmedunc got such a good result from his Ashdown 4x8's I'm guessing here but an 8" speaker is pretty efficient if it gives 92dB/W. Two would give you 95dB about the same as a reasonable 12" speaker. Four drivers would double again so 98dB/W and two cabs 101dB/W a 50W amp into this would give an extra 17dB That will give you 118dB the same as you might get from a Two10 and a 100W valve amp. Two Two10's with a 100W amp would give you 121dB, with a little overdrive/distortion that would be as loud as a 124dB solid state system in practice. Louder than almost all drums and more than enough to permanently damage your hearing. At this stage I need to say something. Each 3db increase in level halves the time you should be exposed to noise. Anything above 85dB will damage your hearing permanently if you are exposed to it for too long. The 100dB levels we average on stage with a Rock band will start to damage your hearing in about 15mins without ear plugs. I have mild tinnitus. https://www.noisehelp.com/noise-dose.html

Me, I like this one.

They'd generally play what they need for the gig. Sometimes a band leader might specify a certain instrument. I've never personally had that, but I do know people who have been told they must use a P bass or something. I know someone who did a musical based on the 1950s, the band were visible on stage, it had to 'look' right. Dave Swift is one of the UK’s busiest, his main bass at the moment is a 6 string Ibanez, though he plays others depending I guess on what the gig requires. Anthony Jackson always plays his 6 string Fodera. John Patitucci always plays a 6 string, usually a Yamaha. Jimmy Haslip plays a 6 string Roscoe.

Absolutely. I tried several before I finally got on with one, I was beginning to think it was me subconsciously rejecting tutors because I didn't want to confront my bad bass playing but in the end I found an excellent tutor and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. This is the important thing, if you put yourself through the ringer with study and theory and aren't enjoying it then there is no point. Playing bass should be a pleasure and if learning theory isn't adding to that pleasure then don't do it. There are plenty of superb, innovative bass players out there who haven't got a clue about such things. Mick Karn for instance didn't know a thing about theory, I once read an interview where he said he knew the open strings were EADG but that was it, he couldn't tell you where a C was, in fact when his band (Japan) rehearsed he would often turn up late and the band had already begun jamming a new song, Mick Karn would look at the title of the song and come up with a bass line to it that the title inspired in him, then sometimes the rest of the band would change the song to fit around his bass line, which sounds like a huge faff but they did this because this untutored player, who didn't know a C from a kipper, wrote exquisite, unique bass lines.