VoodooChilli

Fair enough. Cheers for the pointers.

I was thinking about a Stingray and if I had the money I'd love a Bongo 6. I'm totally clueless ampwise though.

I suppose in terms of that it's just a case of trying out instruments and amp combo's in stores? And mates gear etc if they have it. Cheers for the advice though.

I've been in a similar situation (emphasis was on the girlfriend in our case). It's best just to discuss it with your band mates, and then attempt the diplomatic approach, don't try to have some kind of intervention set up. Tell him nicely that if his commitments lie elsewhere then he can leave the band, if he's not cool with that then tell him he needs to make practices etc. If he isn't happy with that I guess he's not commited enough to the band, in which case find a new guitarist. In our case we kept the guitarist, and he's still with his missus. I guess the kick up the arse just did him some good, and he worked out a compromise which kept everyone happy. Maybe I just got a happy ending out of it, but I think our way of dealing with it was fairly sound.

I'm far too new to know if you're trolling the balls of me or not. But no matter, I shall develop a feel for such things

Hi guys I'm new Been playing a couple of years. Got a cheap Cort Curbow which I do like, but I'd like something with a bit more punch (and something that doesn't eat 9V batteries), and a nearly completely dead 100W Carlsbro Viper (got it second hand for 50 quid a year back, but I think it's about to pack in alltogether) I also muck about with an ME-50B multi effects board I got fairly cheap which is still in good nick, can't discredit it's reliablity given some of the beatings and beer spills it's taken. I'm looking to get some new gear in and really start taking my playing seriously. Any advice with instrument and amps (and effects pedals maybe)? I've been saving for a while for nothing inparticular (but I've come to love my bass playing and want to put the cash towards that), and have a budget of £1000. In terms of sound, I'm hoping to develop my own style but my influences include (but aren't limited to) Claypool, Bootsy and Louis Johnson. Curious about good practice routines and such to. I do practice daily, but tend just to pick my bass up and play for an hour or so, with no real structure. Thanks in advance folks, and apologise for the brackets (I like brackets) Peace.

Hi folks, names Al, and I'm a yorkshireman. I've been playing bass for 2 years now. I played guitar for 9 years previously, but very casually, occaisionally picking it up and did rythym for a few bands. A mate of mine needed a bassist, and I borrowed his old knackered, very poorly cared for thunderbird to practice some of the songs, and played a few gigs with them. I bought myself a nice cheap Cort Curbow and managed to get hold of an old Carlsboro Viper and have practiced for 30 minutes up to 2 hours with a fairly unstructured routine just about every day for the last year. I like to think I'm reasonably competent, I've always tried to get the basics right, straight wrists, I don't wear my bass by my kneecaps etc (I'm a stickler for technique with just about everything, but being self/youtube taught I don't doubt I'm doing something wrong). Got a reasonable slap technique (I think) and can even manage a little bit of 2 hand tapping, but not well. Music wise I like (and [i]try [/i]to play) Classic Rock, Motown, Soul, Funk, Blues, a little metal, and Primus. I've never been able to get into Jazz though. I completeley idolise Bootsy Collins and Les Claypool as bassists. Also play a spot of Harmonica and Piano, and did some backing vocals for a band. I've not been in a band for a year now, but am looking to put something together, my amp was a bit crappy when I got it and is finally giving up the ghost, and I'm thinking about a new bass too. I'm hoping to get some advice on practice routines, gear, and technique. I shant ask all of them here as it will just get messy and unordered but I hope to learn a few bits and pieces, develop my own style and get myself into a decent band with what I learn. Looking forward to some excellent discussions, and eventually knowing what I'm talking about when it comes to bass. Peace.