mimbassman

Just bought a Crafter BA-400EQ Fretless Electro Acoustic off Andy... very painless experience! Took a little while due to me sending cheque but he kept me informed via pm of every step of the process... good communication and honest with the description. Thoroughly nice chap and a pleasure to do business with.

I think this is one of those questions that depend on which analytical technique you use... ‘Objective’ or ‘Subjective’...? Visa-vi the answers that are on here! In my experience I have thus far found that the older one gets the more the more objective one’s view of a piece of music and approach seems to have become. In short... less idealistic and more conceptual... although I will admit that ‘discipline’ in anything has never been a particular strong point of mine! Subjectively of course it also depends on how mechanical you want to play (or how mechanical your ‘over sensitive guitarist/songwriter’ wants you to play), what your drummer does, or doesn’t do to aid and abet your bass lines etc. What the dynamics of a piece of music are... is there scope / room to play what you want etc. But this is all dependant upon being in a situation where you are playing with other musicians as part of a band to achieve a specific goal or collective end result. I can however understand someone wanting to be ‘the best’ in a particular way, and to that end there are some fantastic solo bassists, ‘slappers’ and fingers’ out there making the rest of us look like total amateurs! A natural aptitude toward a particular instrument or ‘style’ is also a very important factor as is motivation and dedication, a lot of my mates who started playing instruments in bands in the 1970s primary motivation was that it helped to ‘pull the birds’, however some of them have gone on to become very fine musicians... and some of them are now accountants! Personally I buy into the concept of playing ‘philosophically’ which requires a good (holistic) listening ear and a creative streak that isn’t over egotistical...! I think the ‘discipline’ of learning and employing one technique or other can be counter productive creatively if you are not versatile enough to play what the song / tune demands! For me I guess the discipline comes from necessity in this respect. Having said that it’s very much a case of using a mixture of techniques, including a bit of ‘popping’ and ‘tapping’ here and there, I’m basically a ‘finger’ player, but if I feel that a piece demands different I want to be able to produce the goods. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to ‘upgrade’ your bass skills, in any direction, all I’m saying is that there is more to it than just getting those stubborn little digits on the ends of your arms to do the dirty work...

[quote name='Len_derby' post='1374672' date='Sep 15 2011, 05:16 PM']We're all looking foward to hearing about the 'dodgy stuff'. [/quote] Sorry... I might not be spiritually cleansed... but I certainly am memory cleansed...!!! I blame the dodgy stuff! Good to be plugged in here though! ...don't worryI'll make up what I can't remember...! and I'll deny all knowledge of what I can remember...!!!

What better way to say hello than ‘hello’! (...without trying to sound like I'm introducing myself at the local AA meet...) I’m Mark (aka Frank), originally from a Welsh family, breed & bled in Leicester / Loughborough... now living in Lowestoft on the sunrise coast! Started playing bout 1974-75,... first bass was a cheepo Fender copy, probably a ‘K’ or similar, ...I even had to hide it from my dad, he didn’t approve of the music business... can’t think why? ...or maybe just can't remember why? Early influences include: Can, Gong, Steve Hillage, Kraftwerk (...Krautrock generally!), Pink Floyd, Santana, Hawkwind, Canned Heat, The Who, Stanley Clarke, Uriah Heep (specifically Gary Thain)... a few early Metal bands, the odd pop outfit, Slade (specifically Jim Lea), etc. A few of the early punk bands, Pistols, Clash, Stranglers etc. Nowdays pretty much listen to anything of substance that doesn't have 'the biz' up it's jacksie!!!! Became a bit of a hippy playing bass in an experimental self-indulgent rock band called White Island, but we did play the last Free Glastonbury in 1978!!! After the band split in 1979, couldn’t find a guitarist I wanted to (was prepared to) work with so took up ‘the position’ myself (...this is a confessional isn’t it?). Somehow managed to find myself married in ‘84, which effectively killed off my career for the best part of 20 years (...13 years longer than the marriage!). I did however keep playing at home to keep my hand in! Started playing again bout 93-94 with a mate’s band, then ended up in Siberia for a year, then moved to Lowestoft (??? ....me too???). Played for a year in a Who tribute band, getting to grips with those Entwistle licks! Presently playing bass in a hard working yee-ha folk-rock outfit, with punk, funk, and rootsy blues influences, called ‘Murphy’s Lore’, and loving every minute of it! Currently playing a 'Hohner B2ADB (Steinberger Drop E) Headless Bass' ...had it from new since Jan 2011 ...and now wouldn't part with it! I also have an Epiphone Nikki Sixx Blackbird ...as a back up bass, but am looking to trade for something a little more ‘Jazzy’. My Favourite bass owned (apart from the one I’m now using) has to be an old 1970’s Fender Musicmaster, which I had for about 18 years, and had to sell due to big financial problems at the time! Yes there was a tear shed for this one, it was a lovely instrument to play, and an old friend to boot! ...I'll write another book later!!! (...there's loads of dodgy stuff I deliberately missed out here?).