Ed_S

I do like a good number of Finnish metal bands, but they tend to be on the more melodic end of the genre spectrum. I think the songs sung in Finnish sound great, but sadly, with the exception of a few rude words learned from Alexi Laiho interviews, I have very little idea what's being discussed. I've not noted any dodgy symbolism and they seem like nice enough sorts, so hopefully no objectionable politics in there. Last month was time to break out the Raskasta Joulua playlist - the only Christmas music I've ever had any time for.

From your list, I have an SR1305-SB and I'd say that the review video on Bass The World where they call it a workhorse with a solid, versatile tone that sits well in a mix is spot on and describes perfectly the bass I received. No quality issues out of the box, and it's thus far been very stable. Mine weighs almost exactly 4.0kg. Personally I prefer the CND / Nordstrand pickups to the licensed Barts in other Ibanez basses I've owned, which isn't to say the Barts are bad, but they just lack a bit of character for my money; I find them a bit bland.

Afraid I just returned it to stock config and chipped it in at Bass Direct about a year and a half ago, so I have no idea where it ended up after that. Sorry! It was a very nice bass, though - hopefully somebody is enjoying it.

I had a white one as my main bass for ages - only moved it on fairly recently when I decided to go fully 5-string again. Went with a BAII bridge and the catchily named Delano PMVC 4 FE/M2 pickup in mine. Fine as it was, don’t get me wrong, I just preferred the look.

I've used Gator and SKB (roto-rack) shallow cases for LM heads before and they fit just fine. Consider buying the 3U or 4U instead of the 2U, though. It's not that much heavier or massively more expensive, but... if you go for the Gator you'll get proper bar handles, there's more room for air circulation (vented rack blanks for the front look pretty slick), there's room to store cables if you want, you don't have to take the feet off the amp and inevitably lose them, and when the case is stood on its end it'll be harder to knock over.

Clearly a minority opinion, but if she's a passable backing vocalist who knows the set, doesn't mind that you sometimes gig without her, has the stones to cover lead in the event of sudden illness or incapacitation, and you all get on alright to the point where it's not fallen apart in the last couple of years, then I see some value in that. The softest-touch approach might be to say that having had the opportunity to watch the videos she posted, you think that for the sake of keeping the band sound and image consistent you really don't want to book any more gigs when male lead vox is unavailable. That gives her the opportunity to stay on (and maybe even step up and save the gig for you one day) but in a clearly defined backing role.

The E on my USA Jazz 5 is at about 2.25mm, but on my Stingray 5 is closer to 3.5mm. Both feel perfectly reasonable to me so I'd say 3mm isn't necessarily too high - it's just personal preference.

Fair question - the slot for the B on my Jazz V looked very much like whoever cut it only had files for a 4 string on their bench, so just used the E file as best they could. Bit of a mess with daylight under the string until I'd sorted it, and there was plenty of material left in order to sort it. USA Fenders come (or at least they used to) with a T-handled, ball-ended 3/16" hex wrench as part of the 'case candy'.

I was never much of a fan of that type of bridge on my 4 string USA Standard P, but it set up alright with the 40-100s that I was using back then. When I got a matching 5, though, I found it unworkable as the B saddle ended up grounded out with the action still too high even though the neck relief was set absolutely fine. Intonation was also a significant problem. I considered tapered strings and other possible fixes, but in the end I just moved the bass on. When I got a good deal on a USA Pro I Jazz V a couple of years ago which had the same bridge and the same problem, I'd already decided on a drop-in replacement Hipshot 'A style' bridge for it using some of the money I was saving. I find it a substantially nicer piece of engineering to work with, and it completely deals with the issue for me. If the neck turns out to be alright, it might be an option to consider if the deal is good enough to make it worth a try.

Having witnessed a few different versions of what goes on when an instrument fails mid-gig and not liked any of them, and also having had a near miss myself when I only had one bass with me (a passive P - nothing fancy), I now take two basses whenever it's feasible. Since making that decision, I've somewhat predictably never needed the spare and always just left it in the bag. It's either a cheapo that would just get me through rather than being any kind of pleasure to play, or it's essentially the same as the one I'm playing just in a different colour, so ultimately there's been either no desire or no benefit respectively to swap them over. When I used to take two basses to some gigs because one was in a different tuning with heavy strings on it, changing instruments always broke the flow of a relatively fast-paced set regardless of how well it was done. We eventually all switched to using Drop pedals because whilst they didn't sound quite as good (especially on bass) as a dedicated instrument for the lower tuning, the instant switch and very slight loss of quality was infinitely better for the performance and maintaining the attention of the audience than faffing about changing instruments. We always tried to keep it to a single physical change, too - swap to the alternate tuning and finish the set in it - so the pedals also allowed us to put those songs anywhere in the set. Personally, if I was considering swapping back and forth multiple times per set for reasons of tone, I'd first be spending some quality time with an EQ pedal seeing if I could get both instruments to sound close enough to the other that I didn't have to.

Yeah, the neck would annoy me if I could feel the ding. The fretboard scuff probably wouldn't worry me as much, but as a very general rule, if my immediate reaction was disappointment I'd put it straight back in the box and try again. I actually had similar issues with an SR1825 around this time a couple of years ago. It was supposedly 'brand new in box' but had a chunk out of the neck, dings in the body and even a piece of veneer snapped off. That went back, no discussion.

Yup, they tend not to make junk. I would definitely spend the two hundred on a new Pacifica 112. Mainly because about 23 years ago, that’s exactly what I did and it served me extremely well.

I use DT 770 Pros for pretty much everything, so naturally they'd be my recommendation. I also have a pair of AKG K702s that can be useful when mastering as they're open back and quite 'honest', but I prefer the sound of the Beyers for practice, and I find them more comfortable even though they're maybe a bit heavier.

Best is probably the Stingray 5 Special which I got at the start of the year and has become a favourite. Took a bit of stick in another thread for being prepared to pay an admittedly stupid retail price for it, but it was what I wanted and I still have no regrets. Honourable mention goes to a set of EB cobalt flats that have made my Jazz V sound just right. Worst by default is a Sandberg Cali Central 5. Very nice bass but it developed a finish problem and needs sorting under warranty. I’m sure it’ll be dealt with and work out fine in the end but it’s just a bit disappointing in the interim.

Personally I'd still advocate selling the nice instrument with a plain headstock or an original logo and letting the quality speak for itself to the right buyer. Either a thing is what it purports to be or it's not.

I bought a licenced Mighty Mite neck from ebay to finish a bitsa that was otherwise either official Fender parts, or parts very obviously stamped otherwise. The neck was as-new in original packaging and had never been drilled/fitted, yet somebody (presumably the seller) had still put a Fender decal on it and over-sprayed it with lacquer. Because it was a Fender bass by weight and I didn't fancy making a mess of the headstock, I just left it as it was while I owned it. However, because it passed as a Fender bass if you didn't look too hard and I didn't want anyone to be fooled by it, I took a scouring pad and removed the decal before I sold it. I must admit, it was only after I took the fake decal off that it hit me how 'correct' it had looked before, and how much it now looked like the collection of parts it actually was. I just took that as further confirmation that it was the right thing to do.

I started early with the bad back thing - I can recall several occasions when I was off secondary school with my lower back causing the kind of pain that drops you to the floor if you can't find something to grab on to and hold yourself upright. Truly lightweight gear wasn't a thing at that point so I just did my best - two compact 1x15s or 2x10s and separate amp head instead of combos and larger single cabs - but things were still weighty. One day whilst I was at university I took the bus over to Doncaster for a general mooch around ElectroMusic and got introduced to Markbass. They'd just got the LM2 in stock and I was so impressed that I took one home on the bus; the very fact that I could do that made it a no-brainer. When I got my uni results I treated myself to a celebratory Markbass 104HR which, whilst not light-light, was about the lightest beefy cab going, matched my LM2 and made things much easier on my back. I've swapped and changed since then, but always been mindful to keep the bulk and weight similarly low, if not reducing. Alongside the amp journey, I didn't really notice that the basses themselves were doing me no favours until I spent a long time playing my Warlock NJ5 which was so unwieldy and caused me to stand so unnaturally that it made me realise the BTB, Vampyre and Warlock, whilst cool looking basses, were also causing me discomfort. It just so happened that very close to that point of realisation, Fender brought out the MIM Standard range which made everybody go "wait a minute.. these are really good", so I tried one just to see what the fuss was about. I instantly found it very comfortable, bought it there and then, and that was it - progressively lighter 4 string FSOs for relatively pain-free live gigs over the next 10 years. Of course then the pandemic threw everything up in the air. I decided to lose some weight, thin down all the music equipment, and get back to playing 5 string for everything instead of 4 on stage and 5 at home. So 4 stones in weight, 14 basses and loads of other related guff all shipped out, and now I'm left with the basic live rig being an Ibanez SR Premium 5, BF Two10, MB Nano II and PT Metro 16 board. The rig is about as light and compact as I can get it to be and the bass, whilst heavier than the Sandberg SLs and Maruszczyk Jake L I eventually ended up playing pre-C19, hangs much more ergonomically now the bay-window has reduced. I'm unashamedly pain-averse and duly careful these days.

I know the question wasn't directed at me, but I've used the Nano 300 as my main gigging amp since late 2017 and more recently got a Nano Mark II as well. They both deliver the Markbass sound that I'm after (LM3 with the VLE/VPF controls turned to 'off') in a convenient package, they're loud and punchy, and I'm very happy with them.

Tort pickguards. Though I'll make a rare exception if it's a dark tort guard on an Olympic white P with a dark rosewood board, as that can look right somehow. Gold hardware. I'll buy a bass with it, but only if drop-in replacements are available and it's still worth it after I factor in the cost of a complete set of black or chrome. Sunburst finishes. No exceptions. Old basses with 'mojo', or new relic jobs. No exceptions.

Glad to be of assistance! They had literally everybody in our year group take that test over the course of a week, and of the lot of us it was a group of maybe 10ish who were offered lessons, 8ish who accepted, 6ish who stuck with it to junior school and maybe 4ish who were still playing by secondary. Having just had a little look online, one appears to now be the leader of the British Philharmonic Concert Orchestra! And then there's me paying bass in a metal band; no idea which notes I'm playing, and any ability to read or knowledge of theory evaporated years ago, but I enjoy what I do. The interesting thing was that the test said I had perfect pitch all those years ago, and whilst I'm not sure I'd fully agree with that, I have indeed always preferred to just play by ear.

When I was in Y3 (age 7-8ish?) at school, I got sent to a room with a group of other kids to take a test. Turned out to be a musical aptitude (Bentley) test, and off the back of it I was offered lessons with a peripatetic violin teacher, so I ultimately learned violin and played in orchestras and string ensembles for the next 8 or so years. The first 4 years were really good fun, but when I moved to secondary school I had one violin teacher who was fixated on grade exams and then another who I think just liked the money, the school orchestra wasn't all that great, and as it became less fun I lost interest. I was playing grade 8 pieces, but had no interest in theory or taking exams, so kept on with it for long enough to get me out of PE lessons but ultimately gave it up. By that time, though, I'd had a school music lesson where the nylon-strung classical guitars were handed out and we were all shown enough chords to strum along with Everybody Hurts by REM. It made me think that guitar would be a fun replacement, but electric would fit better with the music I liked to listen to and I certainly didn't want to play dots or have lessons. We knew a guy who played and was looking to sell his starter kit, so I ended up buying a cheap 'Session Pro' Strat copy and a Peavey Rage 158 for not very much at all. I got absolutely nowhere with it, so decided to trade it in and get a bass instead - not because it would be 'easier', but my logic was that with 4 strings and single notes rather than 6 and chords, it might feel more familiar. My first bass in 1999 was a Squier P Special, and it rattled horribly but I could play stuff on it pretty much straight away. I took it back to the shop and was told they'd had issues with the entire batch so were refunding people and sending them back. After a bit of back and forth I managed to walk away with a Yamaha BBN4 instead of a refund, and I've been a self-taught bassist ever since.

Playing that AIC track would be a 'no' from me - of course it's all personal taste, but I just don't find very much in it save for a few seconds in the chorus. I play entirely by ear and relative position, so I learn songs by just knowing the song; if I can hear it in my head I can play something appropriate, but I can't get to know it if I don't want to listen to it and I certainly won't remember it if I don't like it. When I have had to veto in the past, I've generally tried to find something else that I can suggest which I think shares some aspects of the song I don't like, but I would be prepared to play. So with the general feel of the bass, the kinda subdued verses, the slightly more punchy chorus, the widdly-wah guitar bits... I'd probably offer Metallica - The Outlaw Torn, as it's what the AIC track instantly reminded me of, but I much prefer it and I'd assume there's a greater (although admittedly still not great) chance of it being known. We're an originals band that throws a cover in every now and then, so we don't feel we have to be as mindful of everybody knowing a song as long as it fits musically; if you know it then great, but if you don't and it fits well then it's as good as another original that you also didn't know. Tends to be stuff with fun guitar work that we gravitate towards, though.. Rising Force, Killing the Dragon, Tornado of Souls.. that kind of thing, so I'm not often faced with a dirge.

At home, a Tech21 RBI or RPM straight into the mixer and out via a decent pair of cans is ‘me’. Live, though, it’s a Markbass head with the EQ flat (well.. all dials at noon) and the filters turned off that has become my thing. I’ve found LM2, LM3, F1, LM800, Nano300 and Nano2 all equally acceptable.

Phil Kennemore. Believe I only ever saw him playing a Jazz.

Fair play.. that’s my little DIY rehearsal board! You could absolutely play a gig with them.