Rayman

Oh I LOVE hip hop and funk….. but not ALL the time….. I love me some cheesy pop….. and some dirty metal

Technically we’re not married Well….. we’re just not married period, there’s no technically about it. I could just throw her out tbh

Home practise, for me, is quite a personal thing. It's me time, after a day at work, I like to play my bass, to unwind, to get in the zone, and breathe again. Sometimes it's out loud, sometimes it's through phones..... However....... I'm finding Mrs Raymans' insistence on me playing out loud, so she can hear it, along to some funk or hip hop stuff she likes, as opposed to any rock or pop that I might want to play to, IRRITATING! IT'S MY BLOODY TIME NOT YOURS!!!!! So yesterday I was about to put the phones on and dig in to some pop, when she says "No play out loud, I want to hear it". ........sigh..... ok...... so I start playing along to some pop, some Gwen Stefani as it happens, (actually great for pop groove practise), and she groans and pulls a face. "I hate that stuff.... play something I like" 😣 IT'S MY TIIIIIIIIIIIIIME !!!!!!!!!!!! It's doing my head in.

I was told after a gig in the 80s, “mate, you’d be a great singer if you had long hair”. True story.

As my name suggests, and when Basschat first started, I was a Stingray man through and through. Unfortunately I’ve been through many basses since then, and not owned one for maybe ten years. A couple of them definitely had the “quiet” G string issue, and I never did figure that out.

Yep, blue steels seem to be the answer. Never tried them before, but these sound ace, even if they’re old. I’m keeping them for spares and sticking with the Slinky’s for now. Maybe I’ll boil them, or maybe the gunk contributes to the tone? Lol

Yeah, that’s more along the lines of what I thought too….. cheapo strings repackaged. However I don’t think that’s the case here, having spent half the night playing them, I think it’s just the new string thing, which I hate. I like them after a few weeks of playing, when they’ve gone off a bit. It’s been a long time since I bought new rounds, and having been playing tapes almost exclusively the last few months….. I think the new rounds thing has caught me off guard. They’ll be fine in a few weeks….. I’ll just roll all the treble off the bass for now.

Honestly I don’t know, I’m sure you’re right….

Has anyone ever suspected getting knock off strings from Amazon? I’m not sure these Super Slinky’s are right…..

Cool is something I gave up many years ago 😆

Mate, I’ve been playing for 40yrs, I tried most brands, although Dean Markley are not one of them. EB or D’Addario have been my staple for years, after using DRs before that. Blimey I’ve tried them all….. always hated Rotos, not keen on Warwick black labels either, but most others are cool as long as they’re Nickel.

ESP Horizon, had one years ago…. Fabulous thing. Totally stock, it was immense, the band loved it too. Just my preference, in my experience, the Pre is the best place to start. One example, I put a Nordstrand into an OLP stingray….. not a massive improvement….. recently I stuck a Kiogon loom into a stock, cheap P bass with it’s original pickup….. and it sounded beautiful. Average pups can be greatly improved with a decent EQ…… but can an average EQ do the same to a decent pickup? Not sure.

Ahh looks like it doesn’t it?

Yeah well, I’ve been on EBs for 20yrs on and off….. but maybe I need a change! I was hoping someone was going to tell me they were DRs or Dunlop Superbrights, but they haven’t

Just nicely worn in strings, few months old maybe, still a nice bit of brightness but not too much….. y’know, it’s all in the ear of the beholder isn’t it. Having just bought it, I figured that changing the strings was a good idea… clean the fretboard (it didn’t need cleaning, it was spotless), you know, Covid and all.

I hate new strings…. Dunno why I changed them. All this nonsense about putting new strings on every couple of gigs….

Personally I always start with the Pre if I want to alter the tone. A great Pre can make average pickups sound good.

Seriously thinking of putting them back on….. they don’t seem that old, still bright ish, but not zingy. I like them, I just wish I knew what they were. Unfortunately the guy who put them on it has gone on holiday for two weeks.

No mate, just at the head end.

Ok.... well after pulling them off, and replacing them with my usual EB Super Slinkys..... I actually prefer the mystery set. The Slinkys are SO bright, a sound I used to love, but as I've gotten older, I prefer a less bright tone.... The EBs will mellow, but.... I may need to rethink my string choice for the future, thinking maybe DR Sunbeams again, after many years off them.

I don’t recognise this brand of strings, but I really like them…… black barrels, silver wraps, feel like Nickel… Any ideas?

Yamaha have been my #1 brand for years. I’ve had many, many of ‘em over the years, everything from MIJ BB3000s to MIK RBX170 and everything in between…. And at ANY price point, they are consistently amazing. But while looking for something to partner up to my awesome IGB68, I happened across this absolutely immense ‘04 MIK TRB1005. Once again, Yamaha have absolutely blown me away. This thing is beautiful. I wanted a similar feeling bass to the Aria, 3 band EQ, similar neck…. and this thing fits the bill perfectly. I knew with the first note, that it was my sound. Loads of tonal options, lovely low action, it’s perfect. I’ve been on a bit of a tonal journey, with tapes on old school instruments, and as much fun as that was, I feel much more at home with these. They’re not quite up there with my old Kinal MK5, but honestly they’re close, and between them, and my Sunn Mustang, I think all angles are covered for now.