BobTheBassist

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1471793571' post='3115910'] Looks beautiful apart from the missing string! [/quote] My partner took one look at it when I got it home and said "Well at least this one has the correct number of strings on it!".

Thank you for everyone's advice and help. As I have little or no self control I went ahead and bought the 1800, and I can honestly say i could not be happier. It plays beautifully, sounds fantastic (lovely growly sound when you dig in, smooth as butter when you don't) and looks stunning. It's also light weight and really well balanced, and the neck is [i]seriously [/i]fast. [attachment=225931:BASS.JPG] I did have a play on the 1805, and it was a close run thing - but the four just ticked the boxes.

I tried the a spector - I liked it to play. I just don't like their sort of 'vintage' look if you know what i mean? There's just something about the shape which fails to excite me. Not that looks are important (they totally are), or that I'm shallow (I totally am).

Again, thanks everyone. I've asked my local PMT to get in the 1800 and 1805 (I figure maybe I'll love it in a 5er) and I'll give both a try. I looked at the 3005 and the 5005, both looked good, but a bit more than I want to pay and I know better than to "just try it, even though I won't buy it". That way leads to no money and a house full of bass guitars!

Thanks everyone. Ref the neck thru - you are quite right, it's the 1400t that's got that. My bad! Fionn - good tip on the streamer, I did like the one I played it just failed to really grab me if you know what i mean.

The thru neck doesn't have that much of an effect then?

TBH my biggest issue with it is that first position is just slightly to far away to be comfortable. It's actually really nice to play around the 5th fret and higher but at the bottom end it's just not quite a natural stance and the result is an arm that's going to sleep after an hour playing. It's also a mid 2000's model with the baseball bat necks they had then. Don't get me wrong, not saying it's a bad bass (it's absolutely not) just trying to explain why I've fallen out of love with it.

Hi Guys, Long time lurker, first time poster - nice to meet you all. What has prompted me to come out my cave you ask? Well, it goes like this. I'm currently looking to sell my Warwick Thumb 5NT and get something which is, to put it kindly - a bit nicer to play. Don't get me wrong, I love the sound to the Thumb but it's a heavy beastie, and the neck dive is at the best of times - very annoying. I should point out that I do wear it high, and that I have very thick leather strap - but despite that it's still not exactly comfortable. More and more I find myself playing it less and reaching for a guitar (I know, I'm sorry!) simply because playing it is more like a work out than pleasure. I'm looking at some of the Ibanez as a replacement, had a play on a SR1200 today and thoroughly loved it but I was wondering if anyone here has experience of the SR1800 and what the general thoughts on it were? I like the tinner neck of the 1200 and the tone is actually very nice, though obviously not in the same league as the Thumb. I am also looking at ditching the 5th string as there isn't much I actually use it for and I can always get a cheep 5er if I really feel the lack of it. So, any thought or advice guys?

Hi everybody. I'm looking to get a wah pedal and a fuz box and I have no idea what I should be looking at. I've always played clean or overdriving using an eq so I'm a bit of a novice in these things. All I know is I want seperates. I'm looking to get quite a warm distortion but as I play many styles flexibility is really the watch word. There's no real time frame in mind so just post up any thoughts or advice you might have. Oh, and what sort of price should I be looking at for a half way decent one? Cheers Rob

I've seen ERB - Extended Range Bass refering to 5 or more strings. But WTF is EUB?

The only thing that really stick in my mind is a gig many years ago when my E string gave up just before we got up. No spare so I ended up re writing a 10 song set for a 3 string bass on the fly. Quite proud that I pulled that off.

Similar thing happened to me recently. I'm waiting for the warwick strap locks atm but last week the strap came off and my new thumb NT plummeted to the ground. Fortunatly my foot broke it's fall, though the bass broke my foot.

+1 to the ER20's. Very good. As for hearing the bassline better that's partly because low frequency stuff doesn't come in through your ear it makes your skull resonate so ear plugs don't block them so much, though obviously they cut off alot of the harmonics.

I ended ended up in a similar possistion after sticking the stem of a wine glass into the palm of my fretting hand. Couldn't play for over a year and when I could it was slowly and painfully. I found this [url="http://www.studybass.com/"]http://www.studybass.com/[/url] very helpful. [quote name='Ross' post='1026560' date='Nov 17 2010, 12:55 AM']As far as theory goes I've forgotten almost everything I learnt about bass theory which is my main challenge at the moment.[/quote] As the website I've given says, you don't need to know music theory to play music anymore than you need to know the theory of gravity to stop flying of the face of the earth!

Having looked I find tha I keep my thumg rested lightly on the pickup, play with index and middle and mute with ring and pinky if I need to. You might also find that with time your left hand will mute the string it was on as you leave it (kinda like when you play stacato). Not sure how useful this will be though, I have freakishly huge hands!

[quote name='daz' post='1042871' date='Nov 30 2010, 08:14 PM']Its more difficult id say. Practically any strum will hit a chord or harmonic sound. try that on a bass. When i lived in sunny Torquay I lived up the hill from a music shop. I found a stringless guitar outside said shop, took it home and fixed it up. Was soon twanging away through a book of songs from the library. Certainly wasnt that easy with a bass. (I[i] wish[/i]!)[/quote] I play both (though more bass, I just find it easier to write songs on guitar). I'd say the difference is you can get to the point where you can play bass in a group before you reach that point on guitar. That's just cos the bass can anchor the harmony and rythm by just bangout root notes on the beat. It's boring but it works. To be good at either is just as tough. Not that I'm claiming to be a good guitarist you understand I just know a few chord paterns and use a capo. I also found picking up the guitar reletivly easy, but I've always just put that down to playing bass for 8 years first!

I play mostly finger style though sometimes use thumb and fingers to do broken chords. Does that still count as finger style? Keep trying slap but never really get into it. Would also love being able to tap but I have no idea what sounds good or even how to do it.

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='1041109' date='Nov 29 2010, 01:22 PM']4. I could probably get away with 3. I don't feel any need to go to the low B in my band. Plus I think 5 strings look pug ugly and unbalanced.[/quote] You think 5's are ugly. Take a look at this. [url="http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_trip.html"]http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_trip.html[/url]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1040515' date='Nov 28 2010, 09:59 PM']There's hundreds of bands that use 5 strings to their full potential. Streetlight are awesome though, we supported them a while back, insanely good musicians and so tight. Really nice guys too. I think a lot of the negative rep that 5 strings have is to do with the tuned down nu-metal that has been hovering about for the last 15-20 years. Down tuning has lost all credibility (instead of being something you do when your singer's struggling in the keys the songs are written in) and ERBs are following the same slide, even though they were originally used in jazz IIRC. Whether or not people NEED 5 strings isn't really deabatable, of course we don't, we don't need any more than one (assuming you can justify even "needing" a bass at all), hence my post earlier, but in a creative process like writing music, people should be using whatever allows them to best create whatever they want. If that's an Encore strat copy with bass strings on it that's been set up by Mr Universe 2010 with a pickaxe, then sure, so long as the musician is getting what he needs from it.[/quote] Well said sir.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1040503' date='Nov 28 2010, 09:50 PM']'OK' says I. I played it at the octave, and no-one batted an eyelid.[/quote] LOL. Done that myself a few times.

Thanks for all of that guys. Didn't expect to stir up a sh!t storm like I obviously did. I never meant this as a which is better discussion cos I honestly think it's a personal preference. While I do agree with the statement that some bassists use the 5 string to compensate for a lack of ability there are many who use it to the full potential. Don't believe me check out streetlight manifesto and mudvayne. So basicly my 2p worth is that a crap bassist is crap no matter how many stings they have and likewise for a good bassist.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1039759' date='Nov 28 2010, 11:33 AM']Didn't you just say that about 5 string basses?[/quote] That was kinda intended ironicly! My point was that I used to be adrantly 4 string only and only recently realised that it's all about what you play and how you play it. I play largely punk and ska so a 5 is a bit unusual but it works for me.

[quote name='icastle' post='1039768' date='Nov 28 2010, 11:40 AM']I got the impression that they *do* have a shop still but you have to phone ahead and make an appointment. As a customer I'm just not prepared to do that.[/quote] I did phone to go and try a bass. No offer was made for an appointment, by the time I realised it was something they advertised I'd got the bass elsewhere.

Never understood why they went exclusivly on line. I shopped with them a few times 8 or so years ago and they were great. Then they shut the shop "to compete with online supliers". Now they're service is appalling and if you shop around on line they're not the cheapest by a long shot. So it's the worst of both worlds. The only thing I use them for is strings cos they can seem to manage that.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1030785' date='Nov 20 2010, 07:53 PM']My guess would be that most people have never heard of The Clash, let alone know a bass line. Someone played that line at last years south-east bash and I didn't recognise it.[/quote] Not so. I work in a Hi Fi shop and one of our demo cds has London's calling by the clash cos it really kicks out the bass. Normaly takes all of about 3 beats after the bass starts for people to recognise both the band and the song (though I'd bet money they don't know another!). Call it 80% if you want to be all statistical and stuff.