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Idiot probably working under the misconception that anyone at all would notice 😊

Couldn't resist. Had to buy this one. Damned glad I did!

Yep, I find it easier to learn on a new bass.

Is it neck-through or through-neck? I haven't done one of these in a while. I made a massive mess in the garage building a TV cabinet and couldn't face tidying up for months, but I finally did it and here we are. I'm making a 32" scale bass with a 5 piece wenge/padauk neck and poplar wings. I finally made a radiusing jig - still a lot of sanding needed, but it's made thigs a bit easier and more accurate. I've never glued a pre-radiused fretboard to a neck before - the bike inner tubes worked remarkably well for clamping. And yesterday I just sat in the garden with some sandpaper seeing how shiny I could get this truss rod cover. Next on the agenda: I messed up with these Padauk inlay dots - they weren't deep enough and have just about gone through a couple of them in the shaping of the board. I wasn't sure about them anyway so I'm going to drill them out and try something else. More to follow...

Picked up a few pedals from here recently so been busy making a stand with a drawer for a couple of smaller boards. Wanted to try using both QMX and Swiss Things on a larger board, didn't really work so opted to use them on smaller boards.

Ok, this doesn’t really fit the inappropriate category, but it was a bit odd… My first ever gig was with a school band. It was for pensioners from some old-folks homes, held in a church hall. I think they called it a chicken and chips dance, or chicken dinner dance. Something like that. Our school orchestra was playing, but my music class only had five people in it, and so we made up our own little band (piano, drums, bass and two singers). We were to perform three songs during an orchestra interval. I can’t for the life of me remember what they were, except that one was The Locomotion. The other two would have been something from the charts around the same time. We played them and it went ok. But the old folks loved it and wanted more! But we only knew those three songs. They didn’t care, they said we should play them again! And so we did! Some members of the orchestra were quite miffed…

You don't need a finger training aid. You already have one - the neck of your instrument. Just fret with each finger in turn repeatedly. No need to play or even have the bass plugged in. You can sit and do it whilst watching the TV. The tendon that moves the third finger is linked to the one that moves the second, so it has less independence of movement than the others and needs work to develop it.

Far Queue ～ CeeLo Green

Well this dropped through my door yesterday and I had a short play with it last night, I haven’t read up anything yet just installed the app and plugged it in and played, so far I really like it , doesn’t seem very loud but maybe I need to try my various other headphones and read the settings properly, one thing that’s really good is I can just play to YouTube or any music on my iPad with no messing around, can’t wait to play with it later

That's a misconception. Learn on the instrument you are actually going to play. That will always be the absolutely most productive way of practicing. If you plan to continue predominantly playing 5 string, learn on that, if you plan on switching to mainly playing 4 string, learn on that. Also never too late to learn. And I'd suggest you spend some time on practicing improvisation as well.

Hi Folks, Just picked up this beautiful Peavey thru neck bass and would love to know a bit more about it. what is the actual model?. I was told it was a C4 Zephyr sold only in Europe but when I took it to my local store(a peavey dealer) for a set up they claimed it is a early Grind series. What woods would this be constructed out of? Pretty sure the wings are not mahogany. headstock also has a maple veneer under the ebony one? Does anyone know the exact years these were made From I've read online I would say its certainly a C4, just what to try and get as much info on it as possible. Thanks in adavance

Otis Jay Blues Band played an assisted living complex in Bournemouth. All good clean fun, got some people dancing in their seats and/or on their feet. My Elf and Barefaced One10 kicked it in the outdoors, and I am still enjoying my recently acquired Flea bass. It almost plays itself!

Brief camera phone footage taken by one of our singers from Sunday’s headline slot at a local music festival in Banstead, Surrey. Great turnout - on a par with last year’s 30+ degree weather - despite the preceding days’ weather threatening a damp squib. Fantastic line array and subs sound system courtesy of local chaps Sound Solutions (soundsolutionssurrey.co.uk). No affiliation btw… IMG_0082.MP4

Summer stack!

There are no short cuts to finger dexterity. Chromatic exercises, one finger per fret, will get you there, but you've got to do it and stick to doing it correctly. Keep your thumb in the middle of the neck, not hanging over the top. E 1-2-3-4 A 1-2-3-4 D 1-2-3-4 G 1-2-3-4 D 1-2-3-4 A 1-2-3-4 Repeat, repeat, repeat E 4-3-2-1 A 4-3-2-1 D 4-3-2-1 G 4-3-2-1 D 4-3-2-1 A 4-3-2-1 Repeat, repeat, repeat E 1-3-2-4 A 4-2-3-1 D 1-3-2-4 G 4-2-3-1 etc etc etc These are also great for getting your right hand fingering/plectrum strokes in shape. All downstrokes, no up, down, up, down, etc. Also, if you find it hard to have one finger per fret, perhaps cast a glance at your left wrist. It should be fairly straight, not contorted into a right angle. Adjust your strap length as necessary so your wrist, hand and fingers are all quite straight when fretting.

I like to transpose a lot of dance music low ends usually done or a synth or a software program onto the bass guitar. So while looking on YT for some ideas I came across this. Sandstorm by Darude is a long time fave trance tune of mine so I was interested to see what Charles Berthoud would do with/to it. Now, there's no doubting the guy's monster talent and I like his channel. However, for my money this doesn't work. The double thumbing is fine but IMO should be an octave lower. Problem is when he throws in tapping and starts jazzing around. Whaddya think?

I worked there in 1986 for 6 months, though it was the Three Kings by then! There were 13 bar staff on a Saturday night, and 'twas completely rammed, but there was no live music. We got paid £1.90 an hour, and I remember the landlord asking after one busy shift if we wanted to stay for a drink afterwards. Most of us agreed, then he insisted we paid for our drinks! We didn't stay next time he asked.

Thanks everyone. it's good to know that what I heard wasn't just an illusion. You all know that some days at the bass are just magic and others just a mirage that disappears when you look too closely. I really admire people who set up different sounds for each song but I'm never going to be able to concentrate on that live as I'm usually managing the PA. I do play in a duo though and am looking to fill out my sound. Anyway this has been really helpful. I'm off to try Seven Nation Army with some plate reverb

I’m going through my bass books today. Send me a message and I’ll zip you across a few that you might find useful (free, this isn’t me trying to make money!)

I’m mostly a Mustang player, I’m currently on my seventh, they’ve ranged from 1970s USA Fenders to 2000’s MIJ reissues to more recent Squiers. I swear the Squier CV Mustang is the best and most consistent of all the ones I’ve owned. I might have just got lucky with this one but it is excellent and not just for the price. I’ve played JMJ signature Mustangs and a black one is on my wants list but for now the Squier CV for 300 notes (plus 50 for the La Bella strings) is brilliant. I still own both Fender and Squier gear, and I’ll play whatever ever feels right. Badly, obviously, but I’ll still play it 😂👍

Hand made Ibanez Musician exact copy of a custom order Ibanez made for Sting. This one has all original Ibanez Musician parts on it.

Happiness Is A Worm. Gun ～ The Bëatles

As you've been playing 5 strings for so long I don't see any advantage to "learning on a 4" unless you plan to move back to 4. You're already familiar with playing a five so its one less thing to think about and confuse yourself whilst learning the new stuff. Any new bass line is difficult until you've learned it! 🤣 Some tracks do take days or months to get all the notes down, this happens to everyone whatever their level. Even Mr Wooten needs to work on stuff. What speeds up the "brute force trial and error" part of the process is knowing note names and positions on the fretboard, scales modes, arpeggios, intervals etc. This theory stuff might sound boring and it can be a bit of a slog to get through. However when things start to fall into place and you get lightbulb moments where you are able to recongnise what the next note should be (and know why) you'll find yourself grinning and enjoying playing more 👍 Who said you should learn on a 4? I would say its more common because there's more 4 string basses out there. Don't let that stop you playing the 5.

I wonder if anyone is familiar with what my band are feeling at the moment. We’re making our debut in Ipswich, at the Rock against leukaemia bash in August. Our set is ready, we know our stuff inside out. We think we sound pretty decent in rehearsal and have had good feedback on socials and from friends, family, work colleagues etc (not exactly unbiased sources though!) But until we hit the stage in front of an audience for the first time, we have no idea if we’re actually up to scratch. It’s a really mindblowing and frankly nerve-wracking sensation.

Well... I didn't mean to! ..but I noticed the 'make an offer' section.. & after a large glass of wine or two.. offered £300.. next day, I saw it was excepted!.. jeez, commited now! ...Here we go!... See what turns up! ? 🤔

Cygnet X1 - Rush

Ride A White Swan - T-Rex note: Do not attempt to ride a white swan - It will sink and result in a very irate swan. Don't ask me how I know this.

I got as far as "solo".

No matter how hard I tried I couldn't out-macho this beast.

Thanks for posting those pics Valerian - very similar looking neck to mine for sure, ebony slab thickness withstanding! I've taken the time today to pull it apart for a brief look and review scale lengths, etc. Scale length appears to be absolutely bang on from the end of the nut to the bridge saddles. The G string being a pain to intonate must be either related to the nut at this point or the string itself being old and done in. I will look at changing at the very least the G to check whether this is the case. I've also taken the neck off and pickguard off to get a bit more information about the actual parts in use! Some very interesting insights for sure, at least I think so 😁 The neck has this code on the bottom - I have done a bit of googling to figure this one out and I believe it's 01 (precision) 02 (no clue) 36 (36th week) 9 (79) 3 (weds) - the 02 I have no clue, but I think the rest is correct. Anyone with better info let me know! The stuff on the back of the neck eludes me, although googling J Torres brings up a fair few results about him being a well-regarded neck builder of the era. The sticker I have absolutely no idea what that's about, but assuming original. Also not sure what the stamp codes mean, so any englightenment is appreciated! All the internals look well done, though I honestly have such poor knowledge of electrical work on my instruments it just looked like a mass of cables to me. Anyone with better knowledge please chime up! Not sure what dates these EMGs are either. The silver foil job appears to be as from the factory, suggesting this is also the original pickguard. I've never seen a silver foil on a bass before from Fender, but the serial number sticker on the underside suggests it is indeed how it was done in the factory. Last but not least is a sticker with F 1-23 written inside the pickup cavity - again, absolutely no idea. The buttons are removable, one I've got out and the other is providing difficult. Even with big holes in the body it looks a damn sight better than whatever those metal buttons were, so I'll take it. At this point I'm likely to buy a fretted replacement neck to avoid doing any major work to this one, the neck pocket is 2.5" by 3.8" or so, which I believe is relatively standard for a Precision neck? Hope the guts and glory photos are of interest guys, thank you for all the comments so far - very illuminating for both me and my father!

I finally got a set of these (used from BC) and they're on the ABG. They're fine with the bridge pins, and so far they play and sond great. Thanks for all the input, folks!

If we can include Walsall, Caldmore Chameleon

It's quite easy to slip into concentrating on playing what the tab says, and not manging to get it to match the music .I finish up like that sometimes, and I've found that what is needed is to listen to the bassline as a melody and hear the tune, and become familiar with it. When you know what you're trying to get to as a musical piece rather than a series of numbers on a page, it's easier to get there. I probably haven't expressed this very well, I know what I'm trying to say but I don't know whether I've conveyed it well.

Fun fact: there are no muscles in your fingers. Powered grip is supplied by the forearm muscles, while those in the hand govern precision grip. It may be that your problem is simply forearm strength, in which case the tool mentioned above may well help; alternatively it may also be a function of the size and shape of your hand, in which case you might need to modify your technique to compensate. It's hard to move the third finger in isolation for anatomical reasons, so if you're struggling it may be because of the way your fingers align over the frets (especially the lower ones). In which case, if you try to force things you risk doing yourself a mischief. If this is the case, maybe continue to use the workaround you've already found, and experiment with the position of your thumb behind the neck to see what's most comfortable. Without knowing more about the problem it's hard to give good advice -- can I suggest booking in with a tutor who can look at your instrument and your technique?

That green to yellow burst reminds me of the Precision that Jean-Jacques Burnel used early on with The Stranglers. I like it 👍

The Yamaha custom shop can do such cool things...shame more of the fun stuff doesn't trickle down

Shine ～ Mötörhead

Baby You Can Drive My Carpet - The Beatles

Whilst playing with a jazz trio at an office garden party: "Can you do Sex on Fire?"

I'm really **** too. Probably in the same way as you and I have a terrible ear too, so probably even more ****. I too resort to brute force and repetition to learn new songs. I suspect there are lots of us here trawling BC for clues. I know with certainty that learning music would improve me as a bassist and make learning new songs much easier. I've friends who are classical musicians or who have done their grades on the piano when they were kids and what they can do seems like magic to me. Sing all the harmony parts in a song, no trouble. Play along with a song they've never heard before? Locked in by the end of the first verse. We had a keyboard player once who had never listened to Dark Side Of The Moon. We played her Great Gig in the Sky and she played the piano part back to us, both hands. This is great power but I know it isn't magic, it's knowledge. I can't do music but I can do numbers and logic (I was a science teacher) my wife taught English and can spot a grammatical error or a misplaced apostrophe every single time. The point is that my maths seems like magic to her and her command of language and ability to spot a spelling mistake seems magic to me. I got short shrift from her when the first reports came out of Wuhan and I sat down and calculated what the death toll would be. But then I can't spot a fleckle when we're watching Strictly and she can't pick the googly We drive each other to distraction I know I should learn a lot more about musical theory and to read and write music. If I loved poetry not being able to read would be madness, it would shut me out of nearly everything good, I'd still be able to recite poems and learn new one, maybe even perform live at open mics but I'd still be lacking opportunity. I don't think people who have skills and knowledge understand how it feels to be at the bottom of the mountain. We do know we are at the bottom using strategies to get round problems rather than addressing the problem, Telling us to learn scales, major minor and diminished isn't helping even if it is well intentioned. I wouldn't tell someone to learn their tables up to 19x and then they would be able to do maths. Learning needs to be structured, integrated and needs to understand where the pupil is. It needs to understand the fear factor and the feelings of inadequacy, of not being able to do what others seem to find so easy. There's hope though, you have curiosity on your side and there are so many resources out there to help. Me I'm contemplating getting music lessons on another instrument where I have to read from the start and have to face learning the grades. My son learned to read in a couple of years of piano lessons even though he hated it. Maybe my mind is not as flexible as his but I want to do it. The answer is not another bass with a string missing. Good luck

I can't play "properly" myself but as you said, you do have those 4 strings in your bass so even if there was for some reason a rule that one learns better on a 4, you could just use your B to rest your thumb. Unless you want to buy a 4 string bass