stingrayPete1977

So if you do grade 5 violin at school and never play again your a musician but if you play gigs most weekends to a high standard and get everyone on the dance floor week in week out your a hobbyist?

I am swaying to the Spiros then you know, anyone got a set going nice and cheap Where is the cheapest place if I decide to bite the bullet and buy a fresh set? 2 months off the council tax coming up, thats a carbon bow, pot of rosin and a set of spiros if you ask me!

[quote name='marvin spangles' timestamp='1357483259' post='1923178'] Clarky gave you a pretty comprehensive round up on strings . It can be a long process getting the string that really suits you and your bass. Different basses react uniquely to different strings. Spiro Weich's are a great String and tend to suit most basses and playing styles. Good for arco too IMO. They are the type of string you can put on nearly every bass and just concentrate on the music. [/quote] They do look like a sort of one shoe fits all string for me, way past my own capability and I fancy a go at everything so strings that are great for pizz but cant be played with a bow are out and visa versa [quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1357485917' post='1923250'] And of course, there is Daf's Innovation string trial on this very forum where you can try out different Innovation strings for the price of the postage. [/quote] I like the look of Honeys, what do you think?

IBTL

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1357487437' post='1923285'] So, if its all in the fingers and the player ability being more important than the gear why do we have 16,000 topics (with quarter of a million replies) in the Bass Guitar and Amps sections but 1600 topics in the Theory section? If you consider nearly 2,000 in the 'Gear Porn' but 129 in the Groove Library you'd be forgiven for thinking being a bass player was more about having than playing. [/quote] Buying gear takes a few moments, I know as I am about to buy a bow and some strings if the boss will let me, learning to read or learning a new skill on an instrument takes months, years or maybe even a lifetime, I started on Lojo's bass clef YTS thread in Nov 2010, I am the only person left doing it and I am on page 20 of the reading book thats less than 10 pages a year!

[quote name='sgh' timestamp='1357480549' post='1923127'] Thanks for all the replies guys. This is true, was just weighing up as at 235 for the Head thats cheaper than if I wanted to buy 3 effects pedals [/quote] It also gives you a spare head, I have run my Shuttle 3.0 through the power amp of my 6.0 as I prefer the sound of the all FET 3.0 to the 6.0, the plus side is that if one amp packed up during a gig a few leads moved around has you up and running in no time, the smaller of the two is also handy as a practice amp or taking to a practice room with the enevitable worn out Trace GP7 in the corner

Thanks for those weeleigh, Fever did come up at practice actually played by the drummer would you believe as everyone wanted a go on the beast! All of those would fit in with stuff we have already too, nice one ta Funny thing really as this came about due to breaking my arm/wrist and now with more practice and some good song choices it could really define our covers band as a two possible sets act depending on the gig, first half gentle and upright bass orientated with the second set all electric and more rock based or just a nice jumble up of the lot for shorter sets, cant wait

It sure does Les, you cant beat first hand experience. Maybe the finer details will be lost on me at the moment anyway so as long as they are decent I bet they will improve the Stagg and my playing until I have learnt a bit more about what I want, secondhand spiro's on my radar then

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1357471674' post='1922951'] Im unsure with bh series but you can apparently just run two of the rh series heads into each other through speakon [/quote] If you did in on November the 5th it could be impressive Kaboom!

Ah that link is brilliant, listened to them all pretty much! I liked the Thomastik Spirocore the most overall but the nylons really get that vibe going when it comes to arco! What about the lengths then?

OK I have been playing bass and guitar for over 25 years, I know my 9's from my flat wounds and my nylons from my G string but what the hell is going on here then?! So far I am thinking weichs are low tension and mittels are medium after that I am getting a bit lost, gut I imagine is like nylon guitar string and can only be used with acoustic or piezo pickups. Is there an idiots guide to everything anywhere, just the basics like the sizes and what they mean 3385 42W etc common types and common uses for common basses? In the near future I will be putting a set on my EUB and super silvers have been suggested along with spiro mediums or weichs (I presume medium and lights) What am I doing Thanks folks, Loving the upright though

Jeez the Boss pedal is an antique these days! I like a bit of retro and have an Atari 2600 with 100 games but seriously get a TC Polytune Thom

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1357406882' post='1922263'] Right, but that doesn't mean you don't know any theory. Everyone, [i]everyone[/i] knows some theory. See here: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A13_QGMtlRE[/media] [/quote] Brilliant and he is also in better shape than me, I would of needed an hour to get my breath back!

P bass and Ampeg spoilt my enjoyment of him really

[quote name='1970' timestamp='1357408393' post='1922306'] And while we're at it, what's the deal with [b]pickups[/b]? [/quote]

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1357409049' post='1922320'] Bang on! Playing in covers band is a relatively new experience for me and I notice that how being able to change my technique affects the tonality to suit the song we are playing. Otherwise, I would be switching over to multiple basses and waste needless time tweaking the EQ on my backline during after each song in the set. It's never going to be 100% accurate to the original bass player for sure and sometimes I just prefer using my personal 'go-to' tone anyway, but the ultimate shortcut for me is being able to adapt my playing technique for each song. It's not easy by any means, but it focussing more on my dexterity across different genres and styles helps to minismise the amount of gear that I need every time I leave the house. [/quote] My version of The Stone Roses She Bangs the Drum played on my Stingray with a pick near the bridge will sound closer to the record than a guy playing it slapped through Mani's Rig Sure if you nail Chic Le Freak on one of my pre EB Rays it sounds ace but would an average guest at a wedding be able to tell it from a Jazz bass once in the mix?

Basses had no frets from about 1500 AD until the 1950s now everyone wants them!

When playing in a covers band situation I will play fingers, slap, pick and thumb with a palm mute techniques all of which will make a more noticeable difference to the audience than the type of bass I am using

It really is all in the fingers

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1357400992' post='1922128'] Our native tounge is a bit mad, anyone who gives it a go is a musician, but I'm not a footballer even though I play every week. I also like cooking but I'm not a cook [b]Musician is most likely one of the few things we can label anyone without defining if they are a paid professional or not.[/b] [/quote] Any of 'the arts' fall into this IMO, if you paint stuff you are an artist makes no difference if anyone buys it or if it is even for sale does it? Sculpter, painter, glass maker, actor etc can all be done either as a hobby or as a pro and with others or on your own, even acting with the likes of youtube etc

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1357397722' post='1922069'] TBH right from the start of 'There's No Other Way' it was pretty obvious Coxon knew what he was doing. It sounded like something Johnny Marr might have played. [/quote] I was young and impressionable back then and they just sounded cool to me, thats the trick, knowing your onions but making it look casual

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1357396413' post='1922036'] Not knowing it does not mean you are not using it just that you are [u][b]unaware of why things work[/b][/u], most of get close enough by repitition of playing around the fingerboard which gives us a 6th sense for it (its not a 6th sense its hearing I know). Lots of people know its uncool to be a theory geek and keep it quiet, Blur are a good example IMO right bunch of nerds that kept it quiet until after the glory days of squaring up with the Oasis brothers had passed [/quote] I am going to quote myself there as I like this bit

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1357395611' post='1922026'] Theory is great but you don't need to know any to be a good musician. I know people with zero knowledge on theory who are fantastic musicians and I know people with degrees in music (and one who was the head of jazz at a prestigious UK music college) who I wouldn't want in my band. As long as you have feel, can groove, enjoy making music and love your instrument you can call yourself a musician. [/quote] Not knowing it does not mean you are not using it just that you are unaware of why things work, most of get close enough by repitition of playing around the fingerboard which gives us a 6th sense for it (its not a 6th sense its hearing I know). Lots of people know its uncool to be a theory geek and keep it quiet, Blur are a good example IMO right bunch of nerds that kept it quiet until after the glory days of squaring up with the Oasis brothers had passed

[quote name='Owencf' timestamp='1357389789' post='1921934'] Cheers technique is prolly a big one for myself, just starting out N'all. And lack of strength in 4th finger oh and factory spec strings (to change soon). [/quote] Snap