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Had a fantastic day yesterday in the company of Billy Sheehan, have been in contact with billy for a number of years, always had great chats with him etc, he arranged for me to meet up with him yesterday in Glasgow, just can't put in words how cool that experience was, i take part time photos of bands for fun, and billy asked if i would take some shots, Mr Big are a very slick set up!! Pro all the way, i was listening to Billy's onstage sound which is just incredible he has the smoothest low end with just the right amount of grunge on top he is an expert at sound control of a bass guitar , he can manipulate that bass to sound any way he likes it, so happy i got the chance for this experience, great bunch of guys too, i took a pile of photos if anyone fancies a look. cheers Geo Billy Sheehan pics here https://www.flickr.com/photos/139327844@N08/

Nice work Norris - and it's only gone and changed 'penile' to 'puerile' on your last post!

Just as well you added that caveat, otherwise the previous poster might have felt very hurt.

Muchio respect for Billy... Very personable and a great raconteur. Not sure I've heard anyone with a more refined right-hand. His solo on the Stanley special is probably the best... and Stanley's response at 7:40 is hilarious... Second vid is Bill showing he can cut it in jazz which we know from Niacin.

Okay, I want to test something out. Ahem. Steve Harley and pink torpedoney Rebel. S.P.

... to impress people they don´t know.

another device to get people to buy stuff they don't really need with money they haven't really got

Sure - he's not for you. You are in no means in his demographic. You may as well spend your time getting annoyed with TV adverts for CBeebies. As a guitar manufacturer. And also as somebody who has worked with Davie504 - I think you're missing something very important. People like him are VITAL in getting young people interested in playing the bass. Kids (largely) don't care a stinky poo about what famous rock star plays what bass. But what kids DO do is watch a lot of youtube. I have kids coming to my stand at guitar shows *specifically* because of Davie. So what that recent "The Guitar is Dead" article https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/lifestyle/the-slow-secret-death-of-the-electric-guitar/?utm_term=.ce7968ff795a didn't take into account was the effect that these youtube players are having on sales. Just my 2 cents. **EDIT haha. love the censorship applied to my post. "stinky poo"

I imagine it would go something like: "I enjoy playing bass, i'm alright at it, I made some videos, list them with a title that fairly accurately relates to the content, some people watch them". I'm almost certain that he doesn't have the time or inclination to defend himself against those in his extended community (bass players). He's happy, he's helping infinitely more people than he's hurting. Again, good luck to him. Si

Oh gawd! I can't remember the last time I had one of those. You should hear him perform on the brown paper bag too.

I think my Beatles post broke Basschat

Wouldn't surprise me, I've been misunderstanding a lot of stuff lately. I think I went to someone's house today for Thanksgiving because I thought I was invited. Now, I'm not sure if I was really invited. Great food. Blue

I presented Billy with a malt whisky from JURA which is not too far away from where i stay he was over the moon with that he is taking it home to Nashville.

People think my head is so far up The Beatles arse nobody takes me seriously. As for Ringo, do drums even matter when you have songs that great? Blue

If more drummers played like Ringo instead of trying to be Neil Peart* amateur music would be a happier place. * Not a dig - I think he's fab, mainly because he can actually play like Neil Peart.

To save any further puerile thread derailment I've created...

That guy 'old mark' who says he really likes the white one isn't me, by the way.

But the wisdom isn't in oneself eating the poop; it's in getting someone else to pay you $2 each time one of those flies does so. Here endeth the lesson in how to commodify YouTube. Or maybe PooTube

Another stupid craze that that originated in the USA.

Gotta love PIL, I used to drive my mum to distraction by playing "Blue Water" at full volume because I knew how much she hated it I remember the video for Rise being on the chart show one Saturday morning, my mum shot in the living room and started shouting that he was raving mad and he was not suitable viewing for my sister (who was at least 14 years old at that point!) before stomping off back to the kitchen to get on with the washing or cooking or whatever parents do when you were 17 years old! I am sure she still has a soft spot for him now she is in her eighties, I may give Blue Water a spin for her when she comes over this Christmas

Oh no Lewis..... you've been trying to thin the herd! You're as bad as me (nearly!) lol

I wouldn't be surprised he occasionally has a nosey in here.

Having not played an NS design EUB, thanks for that appraisal Sylvia. It's nice to know the pros and the cons, from someone who actually plays one, rather than someone who dislikes them. I quite fancied an NS myself, after buying a Stagg - which was also my first foray into the world of upright... I've heard others say that they don't really sound much like a DB, rather like the Stagg (which sounds more like a big fretless bass IMHO) I've heard sound clips from the Yamaha SLB's and that EUB does sound much more DB-like.... of course, this could be achieved by effects units or sound processing of some sort... Looking at photos of the NS. I think I'd get confused by all those dots too, and I have heard of owners "dabbing" over them with a felt-tip pen (or even model makers black paint!) to help prevent confusion But as Sylvia says, the NS does look quite cool, and the fact that it's designed to be played on the stand could be really useful In terms of an EUB sounding more like a true acoustic DB, the best I've heard was the Emminence. Because it has a small, slim chambered body, a bit of careful EQ'ing and you can get a very DB-like sound. I now have a KK EUB (bought from that nice chap Happy Jack of this forum). In my opinion, the KK sounds more like a Double bass than my old Stagg did, and it looks really cool, and is a fab design, shape & colour too. Though its' main con is that it's still quite heavy, compared to a Stagg. Al Krow, if you're intent on upgrading from the Stagg - take a bit of time, do a bit of research and play as many EUB's as you can Pop along to a basschat meet, or maybe post a few questions and request that you try other BC members basses? We're mostly friendly folk on here I can't see your location (NB. This may have disappeared since the recent forum update, so you might want to add it, so people can see where you are) I'm in South Wales, and would be more than happy for a fellow BC member to come & have a try of my bass(es) Good luck in your search PS. The Stagg is an excellent, and inexpensive introduction to the world of upright bass

regarding Macca and Lennons songs, I'm the other way round, apart from a few exceptions I found McCartney's songs twee and middle of the road, Lennon's had a lot more bite to them, something for everyone I suppose, Ringo's drumming always sounded ok to me, I'm told he was behind the beat, but then again a drummer's got to be really bad before I notice, it's not difficult hit the snare on the off beat, right? it's not like they've got to play the right notes

If the kids misbehaved in the car, I used to put Flowers of Romance album on. It ensured a quiet journey after that! ? Great album but they really didn't appreciate it!

A sloppy feel sounds like something that happened round the back of the bike sheds...

I agree with that, and in fact I do also have a slightly more DB-like EUB in the shape of my righty-turned-lefty Harley Benton. It's got a DB-like bridge and the neck's shape and size, the action etc. are closer to a DB than an NXT. I love both and happily switch between the two.

If I can offer one piece of advice here, its to play slower and with very deliberate control, making sure that you don't do it. That way you will unlearn the bad habit fairly quickly. Speed comes naturally, but playing better at a higher speed comes with control.... young Padawan.

Cuzzie you make your points eloquently and with passion. A bit like Jeremy Corbyn. Doesn't unfortunately mean that I can necessarily entirely agree with them. Let's just have a think about what Two Notes were doing when they put together their pedal? Two thirds of the pedal control is given over to Channel B which includes mid sweep, mid control and fusion mode, all of which are missing from what they have provided in relation to the 33% devoted to clean Channel A. So it's obvious to me and I presume to any impartial bystander that the 2Notes is a dirt pedal with a clean EQ bolted on? It is certainly 'famous' for being a dirt pedal and not a clean EQ. The Ampeg SCR DI is opposite way around, with this being primarily a clean EQ and what it is 'famous' for, with a (not so highly regarded) Scrambler dirt bolted on. You're obviously at liberty to use your 2Notes exactly how you wish to maximise the benefit for your sound. And, in your defence, I completely acknowledge the sound you are getting with the various components of your signal chain from relic'd Sandberg bass via your carefully thought through pedal chain with some great, and occasionally avant garde, pedals through your 1000W Form Factor Amp into a BF ST cab is nice (you've banned me from overusing 'gorgeous').

Some cracking photos there! I'd love to go see Mr Big some day. Billy is one of my inspirational players. I can't even play 1/2 as well as he can, but I learned a lot of great techniques from his books & vids.

Aye, if only more people had listened to me....

It might help if the finish wasn't so bland. Would look a lot better in strident Gibson Cherry Red, for example.

What an Album ! What a package ! Blew my Nans speakers out too ( so much Low end ) 38 Years ? where the hell did that go ? Tomorrow will be an all PIL listening day Top Ten Album for me ( hell , top 5 ! ) Gary

Well aren’t we ying and yang ;-)

Hearing Poptones on John Peel blew my mind and inspired me to play bass. An amazing album.

New cab incoming - Barefaced Super Twin on its way from Brighton via Fedex, ETA some time tomorrow. *dances around like a ninny*

I see nobody has replied yet, so I'll start the ball rolling. I have an NXT 5 - photos here: Warning - it's LEFT-HANDED! Pros: very very portable; looks great; extremely easy to play, as its action can be set as low as that on a bass guitar, and it's got DOTS! Adjustable bridge height makes bowing perfectly comfortable too; extremely easy to set up through holes in the back plate, without the need to remove the cover; has a fully adjustable tripod stand that eliminates the need to balance the bass on your body while you play - it stays where you put it and you can walk around it. Cons: doesn't sound like a double bass, even with the corresponding switch activated; doesn't 'feel' like a double bass, and offers much less of a physical experience, because it's so small and thin you can almost play it like a bass guitar; the tripod is rather horrid to look at. Er, that's it for the cons... I do like my NXT a lot; then again, a normal size double bass is bigger and heavier than me, and a lefty is practically impossible to find and try before buying/ordering one from scratch, so EUBs are just about my only option.

Hi, folks. I thougt it was time for me to write a short presentation of my self and what I do (or try to...) I am currently in the mid- fourties, and just recently picked up bass playing again after about 20 years of thinking to my self: "why dont i play that stick standing in the corner any more...?" Back in the days i learned to play on a Cort Space G2, headless travelbass with licensed by Steinberger hardware. I still have this little Axe, and am thinkin about using it mainly to teach the bas(s)ics to my youngest, who at the age of 13 is beginning to become interested. About a year ago I got myself a loaner from a bass- playing friend. It's a Squier JV- series Jazz bass from 1983, and he's not getting it back anytime soon! The bass is played through a Gallein Kruger MB200 amp with a GK MB 210 cab (400w) on the recieving end. I recently startet playing With a band, doing Country/ Americana type Music (which I never thought I'd be playing, but playing is fun regardeless og musikal style and genre). So: That's the short of it, and i want to thank you all for the informative and meaningful reading- experience i have on this forum. Best Hal

Being a 'YouTuber' is now a career path and it's possible to earn very good money from it. As an extreme example, the most prolific YouTuber, a game reviewer called PewDiePie, earns an average of $12 million a year in advertising based on having over 50 million subscribers (that's not too far off the entire population of the UK). The most successful YouTubers are, by the nature of what they do, attention-seekers. It's what pays their bills. You're not going to earn much money in this arena if your modus operandi is quiet modesty. This may bug the hell out of some people, granted. But it's the way YouTube has gone; there's no turning back; you're only going to see more of it in future. And if it offers musicians a new way of earning a decent crust, then I'm all for it. So yeah. The world changes. Stuff happens. Etc... PS: never encountered Rob Mullarkey before. Love his playing! Very nice.

Cheers everybody. Don't think I would subject any members of the public to my playing just yet! As far as equipment, I have 2 basses, a Lindo and a Black Knight and a small practice amp for now (will have to learn a bit more about amps before buying anything bigger). I have found a bass teacher and have another lesson tomorrow.

Looks like a 'hairdresser's' bass to me...

Really odd discussion for me. It's a sound you can use. And so I use it. Sometimes when writing bass lines I will consciously choose an open string rather than fretted equivalent for the sound/flow/feel It's a tool in the toolbag and I don't see why you wouldn't use it. Right tool for the right job etc..

I imagine that a fretted A on the E string is better than an open A on the er, A string. It is definitely tonally different. But if needs must I'll play open strings, no problem. Sometimes it's just a lot more difficult to play certain lines without playing open strings. And as for muting, if like me you're mainly a pick player and use palm muting, then muting isn't an issue. I would say though, that during my brief dalliance with five strings it was clearly a lot easier to avoid playing open strings, if you really wanted to avoid doing so. One thing I liked about five-string basses was the ability to play lines without moving around the board as much as you sometimes have to with a four-string. And it's easier to transpose keys. What I didn't like about five-string basses was the extra weight, faff and expense just for a few extra notes. So I went back to four strings and am perfectly happy. Well, happy with four-string basses, that is - I'm a miserable, grumpy git otherwise, obviously. Edit: Just thinking about five-string basses has ignited 5-string bass GAS. D'oh!

If you ever played double bass you would have learned to love open strings. I carry some of that love over when I play bass guitar, and dampen the note with my left or right hand, depending on what i'm playing.

It doesn't play well, but looks cool: