EntropicLqd

I started out on a 4 string, but loved the idea of a 5 (more strings has to better eh?). Eventually I wound up with a Hohner B-Bass V. It has quite a thin neck and the string spacing is narrow compared to a lot of 5's I've tried but I loved it. I basically dumped my 4 string in preference for it immediately. The fact that it was a vastly superior instrument to my 4 string helped, but also at the time a lot of the songs I was playing were in Eb so having the 4th Fret on the B was a god-send. Now I really struggle when I go back to a 4 string; because it doesn't have those lovely low notes.

[quote name='tom1946' post='1144134' date='Feb 28 2011, 07:48 AM']I play in a church band, I'm told I'll reap my reward in the land of glory [/quote] lol. Me too. I love to play and I'm a Christian so it's a no brainer (although some of the songs really are dreadful). Having to improvise bass lines to chords and transpose songs on the fly has improved my technical ability well beyond what I would have achieved playing in the covers band I'm in I think. Which is nice.

I'd never describe myself as a Jazz fan; but in the end the Jazz radio channel on GTA-IV was the one I typically tuned to. No idea what/who the songs/artists are, but there's some good music in there.

[quote name='Paul_C' post='903839' date='Jul 24 2010, 10:43 AM']here's a lefty bass player who I guess learned to play on a bass strung right handed :[/quote] There's a few of us lurking on the forum [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=25096&view=findpost&p=574578"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=574578[/url]

[quote name='OldGit' post='884358' date='Jul 2 2010, 09:20 PM']You'll be needing a Shuker JJB P bass too then [/quote] I got to play one of those briefly when I picked up my Shuker a few years ago. They happened to be in for a re-fret. Forget steel frets, JJ needs titanium ones; the fret wear was something else.

I've got to the point where as long as I can hear myself, the dummer, and the vocalist I'm not bothered about the "sound" as I hear it. I take on faith that the gear I've got and the PA is producing the sound/tone that I've got set up. If the FOH sounds great then the punters will have a good time. Which is the important bit. I've played gigs where I've not been able to hear myself at all (they are never fun) but have had people tell me that I sounded great afterwards.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='853879' date='Jun 1 2010, 05:54 PM']Gaffa Tape. Over the whole fretboard up to the 7th fret.[/quote] - That would probably work thinking about it. Hmmm. Maybe I'll play everything above the 7th fret in practice sessions for the next 6 months. It'll probably have the added bonus of really annoying the keyboard player & guitarist - Win!

Dear Bass Agony Aunt. I appear to be completely incapable of learning any of the notes above the 7th fret on any string on my bass (except the 12th fret). I've been trying to overcome this proplem for a couple of years without success. What can I do to stamp the knowledge I seek indelibly into my brain? Yours, Lost for notes.

Nope, not a failed guitar player here either. I tried guitar but never really got on with it. It wasn't that I couldn't do it. It was more a case that I didn't find it particularly compelling. But picking up a bass for the first time just felt "right". Playing it was immediately satisfying in a way that guitar wasn't. I've never looked back since. I've got a nice 12 string semi-acoustic that I tinker on from time to time (or if I'm trying to pass on a bit of bass knowledge to a couple of younger bass players I know); but that's as far as the guitar and I go.

I love my 5 string bass That low B really comes in useful. Thanks for the you tube link though. I'd pretty much got it all right except in a couple of places (where I'd stopped paying attention I suspect) .

It might be worth giving some steel flat-wounds a go. I've never seen any non-black nylons.

I'm left handed, and when I got my fist bass (a right-handed one) I simply played it upside down as it felt much more natural to do so. My daughter is right-handed, but when she tinkers with my old right-handed bass she also plays it upside down. Her only reason is that "it feels wrong" to play the right handed bass the right way round. I'm hoping she'll get into playing in a big way at some point becase at least then I'll know my current bass will have a good home.

[quote name='4 candles' post='631750' date='Oct 20 2009, 08:19 PM']...If your wife(a non musician) gave you an ultimatum. Stop doing your gigs or we will have to part company. what would your answer be?...[/quote] "What do you hope to achieve by me stopping gigging?" In this hypothetical situation, she's obviously annoyed/unhappy about something. Maybe try to figure out what it is. I bet it's not really got that much to do with the gigs. Luckily for me, my wife loves watching TV; which is something I can't abide. So even if I didn't gig/practice we wouldn't actually spend any more time together than we do at the moment. She'd be watching TV and I'd be playing games on my PC.

Interesting. I've always played it as either: A string fret 5 then 7 D string fret 5 then 7 G string fret 5 then 7 or A string fret 5 then 8 D string fret 5 then 7 G string fret 5 then 7 I like to drop in the 6th fret on the D string sometimes as well.

A mod might want to remove the email address before Lee gets spammed to death when his email address gets scraped by forum-searching email-address extracting bots.

I never bothered with a left-handed bass. I just flipped the righty over and learnt to play it "upside down". I didn't even bother re-stringing it. I've got a custom built bass that has righty strings on a lefty body now, and it's great. The thought of learning to play a proper lefty or a proper righty leaves me cold. There must be better things you can do with your time.

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='589783' date='Sep 4 2009, 03:58 PM']This pre has gone. No longer on offer 4/9/09. G.[/quote] Bummer. I really should check this site while I'm at work. Ah well, it's probably gone to a better home as I almost never used the pre-amp in it anyway as I liked the passive sound a lot.

Bah to the whole "Not our thing" thing. Learn it, make it your own, and try it out at a gig. If it gets punters up and bouncing keep it. If it doesn't work live then bin it. I recently had to learn Baby Fratelli. I can't stand any versions of the the song I've got, but when we play it as a band it rocks along so nicely I do enjoy playing it. Give it a bash .. you might find your band's arrangement of it will work better than you think.

I played a Hohner Professional B Bass V (5 string) for years. It was a great bass (cost me about £350 new in the early 1990's (maybe 1992)) and I've got no plans to get rid of it anytime soon (although it's retired now because I bought a custom Shuker). Just for reference the serial number on mine is C100628. It has both active and passive pick-up modes although some active feedback at a gig fried the pre-amp. However, all of that probable isn't that much help to you as it's probably not the bass you have

These guys seem pretty cheap/decent. [url="http://www.t-machine.co.uk/"]http://www.t-machine.co.uk/[/url] I've never used them before, but am planning on ordering a 1-off (bass related design) T-Shirt soon though because they are pretty decent value for money. Other places I've looked want a set-up fee for a design before you've even bought anything. From browsing around their web-site it seems like they are printing directly onto the T-Shirt; which means the quality should be great.

I was drinking rum in Leeds (or at least, that's where I woke up). Don't think it was me.

It won't matter. No-one ever videos the bass player in my experience except in passing shots.

I always wanted to play guitar and spent ages fooling around on my brothers semi-acoustic; but never really got on with it. One day I was fiddling around on the guitar and a friend stuck his head round the door and said, "You are playing that guitar like a bass.". I mulled it over and bought myself a bass a couple of weeks later to try it out. Never looked back etc etc.

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='574718' date='Aug 19 2009, 08:48 PM']I'm going to change the pups in mine soon - possibly to EMGs - which models are yours and how are they in a Shuker bass? Jon's recommended a 40CS and a 40P5 for mine. That's assuming they fit the holes left by the departing Nordstrand DCs.[/quote] ...looks both ways... <whisper>I actually don't know; I've never been able to notice the difference between pups.</whisper> They are passive EMG HZ pickups; but I don't know what specific model they are (maybe Jon would know if you asked him). However I can confirm that they sound great. Be aware though that I simply run my front and back pups on full volume all the time (unless I'm using an ebow) and use my pedal board to get the sound I'm after. However, for passive pickups they put out plenty of signal. And based one what I can do with that signal there is plenty of both bass and treble to play with.

[quote name='Veils' post='573778' date='Aug 19 2009, 08:40 AM']I remember a build thread by EntropicLqd (I think that was his username) and he had a lefty Shuker built. Probably the nicest build I have ever seen! Where is he?!?![/quote] I lurk a lot. Don't really have much to say for myself. Here's some pics (just taken). Hopefully they've come out OK. The front of the bass is Bimblebox and the back is Coolibah. Jon didn't have enough Bimblebox to do both the front and the back and the Coolibah was the closest match to it we could find. The fretboard is Snakewood. [attachment=31186:Front.jpg] [attachment=31188:Body_Closeup.jpg] [attachment=31187:Back.jpg] [attachment=31189:Back_Closeup.jpg]