FLASH

Thanks Guys for all the feedback, much appreciated. I will certainly be ordering a new cable from OBBM. Hi Oranger Whip - Definitely loving the Wild Thing Bass makes playing so much easier compared to my first and only bass (Tanglewood Rebel) . A lot lighter and a thinner neck which suits my small hands. It also has the added bonus of looking great so all round happy with it. Still keeping my faithful Tanglewood as a back up and probably going to re-string to learn slap bass on. Besides I always felt a little inadequate having just 1 bass when nearly everyone on basschat has numerous basses. I'm moving up in the world!!! LOL Flash

Finally upgraded to a Danelectro Wild Thing Bass at the weekend which I am loving. I am now looking to upgrade my other equipment. I must admit I am a novice when it comes to bass amps & cables. I have just been using basic £9.99 cables (don't even know the make). A few people (non bass players) have said that the quality of my guitar cable can make a big difference to my quality of sound so I thought I would ask the experts, i.e basschat members, for an opinion/ advice. How much of a difference can the quality of a guitar cable make? Any suggestions of make and prices to pay for a quality cable would be appreciated. Thanks Flash ps My current amp is a Behringer 90 watt bass and I currently play 50's & 60's rock n roll, oasis, Chilli Peppers, Kings of Leon,etc. Mainly birthday party's, weddings, charity gigs.

Thanks for the advice Chrismuzz & zero9. I'm learning fast that its a case of experimenting with the different gauges/ makes to find out what suits and works best for me. Flash

Many thanks RhysP I will try Stringbusters online. I am off to a local Bass and Guitar Festival on Sunday so I will also have a look for some there. Thanks Flash

Hi I have just started to learn slap bass as I am a big fan Flea & Mark King. I also love the bass sound in funk music so I brought Ed Friedland's Ultimate Guide to Slap Bass DVD to help me learn how to play slap style. On there Freidland states that roundwound strings are best for slapping as they are more flexible and give a better slap bass sound. I am about to upgrade my bass (from a tanglewood Rebel) and I am thinking of changing the strings on the Tanglewood to make it better to play slap on. The current strings are quite rigid as I play all my songs fingerstyle. I am a complete slap bass novice so any advice on the best strings to use would be much appreciated. Any other tips for learning slap style would also be much appreciated. Thanks Flash

Just thought I would let people know about the Pendle Guitar and Bass Festival which takes place this Sunday (24th June) in Nelson Ace Centre, East Lancs. It starts at 10:00 and ends at 17:00. Costs £4 in advance and £5 on the door. I took my 4 year old son to it last year and we had a great time. Lots guitars, basses and gear for sale at discounted prices. This year they have made it into a bass and guitar festival where as last year it was more geared towards guitarists. They have even got bass lessons and demonstrations included. Check out the following web link for more info [url="http://www.pendleleisuretrust.co.uk/index.php/component/k2/item/20-pendle-guitar-festival-2012"]http://www.pendleleisuretrust.co.uk/index.php/component/k2/item/20-pendle-guitar-festival-2012[/url] Thanks Flash

Difficult decision but I have picked the 10 bassists that have influenced me the most and caused me to pick up the bass; Flea John Entwistle Paul McCartney Jack Bruce Mark King Ronnie Lane James Jamerson John Paul Jones Jaco Pastorius Mani These guys really motivate me to become a better bassist and I love learning new songs which have these guys playing on!

Hi guys Thanks for all the replies and advice. Decided at present to stick with the Tanglewood and save my money. I will continue to try and find the right bass for me but instead of getting a backup I intend to find an upgrade from the tanglewood. Once again thanks for all the advice. Flash

EmmettC thanks for the advice. A friend has an Aria Pro II that sounds great so definately an option for me. Ibanez basses have a thin neck which appeals to me due to small hands. I think its a sensible decision to hold onto the £50 and save up an upgrade rather than spend it on a backup Jim Deacon. I am attached to the Tanglewood as its my first bass and I like the sound but after 2 years (& 20 gigs) I know its time to step up another level. Also time to get some bass lessons to help me progress!!! Thanks Moos3h for your comments.

Hi Just wondered if anyone could advise me on the quality of Jim Deacon basses. I am looking for a back up bass guitar as I currently only own 1 bass (I know the shock/ shame of it). The only bass I currently own is a very basic Tanglewood Rebel 4 (bought new as beginner package 2 years ago). Money is tight and I am getting some money together to buy an Ibanez or Aria second hand on Ebay (£100-£150) but in the mean time I need a back up as I play gigs (1 a month) with just the 1 bass so if the Tanglewood breaks down then I am stuffed. Seen a Jim Deacon bass for sale locally and looks in good order for £50 but I do not know anything about the make and just wanted some advice about whether it is worth buying it. Also wondered if anyone has any advice regarding the future second hand purchased of an Ibanez or Aria bass. Being a shorty I have reasonable small hands and arms so I want a bass with a relatively narrow neck and I have tried a couple of Ibanez basses and 1 Aria and liked the feel of them. Any help welcome Thanks Derek

Loved it. Not got any Muse albums but enjoy the odd song I hear but always found their songs a bit downbeat. Thought I'd check the performance & really enjoyed it, especially the energy they projected. Curtainly not downbeat. Amazed at the number of different basses the guy used. Never seen a headless bass!! Also loved Florence & the Machines & the Editors sets & some new bands for me the National & Hot Chip. One of the best all round lines up Glasto for years. Me & why wife spent most of the weekend watching it on the BBC channels. Even my 2.5 year enjoyed dancing & singing around to some songs .

Thanks guys for taking the time to post grettings. Gig went great on Saturday (only my 2nd ever). Fortunately managed to borrow a Peavy 100 watt amp for the gig so sounded a lot better than my pidderly 10w practice amp they I normally use (diverted to a sub woofer). I could actually hear myself instead of playing blind as I normally do. Had a play with the reverb, gain & attack functions which is all totally new to me so learnt quite a lot about different sounds to use. We did a 40 min set & then an 1 hour set to finish with & seemed to go down well. Quite a few people came up to thank us so take that as a positive. I still need to work hard on the day tripper bass tab but I have but only starting learning it a week ago so not going to be too harsh on myself. I am having big problems with Waterloo Sunset & Proud Mary as the tabs I have do not seem to work due to the singer singing it in a different key than the original so I need to sit down & work out the correct bass lines for those songs. Derek

Hi my name is Derek & I live in Lancashire (Nelson) I have just joined basschat so wanted to introduce myself. I have just started playing bass in January 2010. Never played bass before, only a bit of accoustic guitar a few years ago (nothing serious). Mainly started learning to play in my church band but the pastor of the church & a friend of mine started a new band on October 2009 & they needed a bass player. I used to help them set up & do sound checks for them so they encouraged me to give bass a try. I have been a big fan of the Who & Beatles for years so love John Entwhistle (the greatest) & Paul McCartney. Started playing in church in January & much to my surprise they asked me to come along to rehearse with them beginning of February. I played my first gig 18/04/10. I am basically teaching myself using bass tabs & listening to the songs we are playing (Beatles, stones,oasis, small faces, snow patrol, killers to name a few). Really enjoying it & joined Basschat to learn as much as possible as knowledge is really limited. I want to learn about bass amps, sound, pedals,etc so I can work at producing a good bass sound. Due to limited money I brought a bass guitar package off e-bay for £103, I got a tanglewood bass & Hiwatt 10w amp. Unfortunately I cannot afford a better amp so we are diverting the bass from my 10 watt amp to a sub woofer by microphone. So if any one has a cheap amp bigger than 30 watts to sell please let me know!! I have another gig this Saturday so trying to practice as much as possible at home (not easy with 2.5 year old & a 6 week old boys) but a do what I can. Currently learning Day Tripper, A day in the Life & Stand by me bass lines ready for Saturday. Thanks Derek