thumperbob 2002

I always used to think it was the bass and amp but now realize ( after 30 years of playing) thats in all in your head (ears ) and fingers- good gear helps and will probably give you that extra 5% but most of it is in the fingers and the WAY you play- the head/ideas?

Learning it note for note will impress all the bass players in the audience who would just noodle along and kid themselves it sounds as good as the original- unless you are doing it on Jo Whileys show- then chnge it as much as you can!! cheers bob

Jamerson was an upright player with lazy right hand- only used one finger- didnt do him any harm. I think this guy likes to criticise to feel better about himself. Stll I think he should be given the right to reply- someone e-mail him and refer to this discussion. I think he fancies you and is trying his luck.

Im 40 mins away from Doncaster so I would be interested- plus the Thumb NT5 I bought form there needs some adjustment so two birds etc cheers bob

Ghost Town- The specials Lip up Fatty- Bad Manners special Brew- Bad Manners Enjoy Yourself- Specials Cheers Bob

[size="2"][/size]I`ll have a go- looking forward to seeing what the other guys do- should be quite interesting cheers bob

Amps: Fender Bassman 100 Ampeg V4B Peavey horrible something amp- all into Peavey 2 X 15 Ampeg Pre-amp with Marshall 500W power amp into 4 X10 and 1X 15 Fender Cabs Trace Elliot 2 X 10 Combo expensive one Trace Elliot 1 X 15 combo- cheap one - couldnt tell the difference Crate 50W pracetice amp- still got it Marshall VBA400 and Marshall 4 X 12 cab- still got this rig More rigs than these but I forgot them all. Best Looking Amp - Ampeg V4B Loudest Amp - Marshall VBA400- unbelievable Best Live Sound - ABCs rig I used in 1985- first time I used a 4 X 10- I didnt know speakers this small existed!! Best Studio Sound - Through and Ampeg pre-amp straight into the desk Most Commented Upon (positive) Live Sound from Punters -Trace Elliot rigs- probably because I was doing 28 gigs per month for three years - never again! Most Frustrating Set Up to get a sound out of - Ampeg Pre + power amp + two cabs- too much EQ- keep it simple is better My opinion after just over 30 years worth of Gigging!

Marshall VBA400 and 4 X 12 cab + warwick thumb NT 5- loud,loud,loud and warm Cheers Bob[attachment=8578:DSC01431.JPG]

I have a vba 400 valve amp and the vbc 4X12 cab. best- warmest sound I have ever had- loud- the amp is not too bad weight wise- the cab is a little on the heavy side- as I only do one- 2 gigs per month that is OK. Any more and I think this would be a little too much. I use warwick and jazz basses and this amp can do it all. The eq is not as flexible as others I`v tried but to amplify the sound of a good bass I am delighted and cannot think of anything better.

I have just got rid of an early Musicman- had it for 10 years- as usual wanted something different- made money on it which for me was surprising.

Thanks very much for your replies- I love the Fender jazz vibe- what about a Sadowsky- does that have that active growl- I realise I am a bit spoilt with my warwick Thumb NT but my what an ugly bass when propped next to my Jazz. I love the classic look.

Did a gig- late 80s- my bass fell off its stand after the first encore and I snapped a peg ( 70s Jazz ) I was so out of it ( pretty big gig ) that we played another two encores before I noticed the peg was missing - didnt even go out of tune ( as I remember it) I remember my dads pal welded it next day so it was ready for my next gig. Loved that bass ( it was nicked outside another venue- blame pissed roadies ) Suffice to say I would recognise that bass immediately- strange blue colourings on E string peg. I would pay £5K to get that one back- I still look at at at a gig I did in `87 on Youtube. Never mind. Cheers Bob

Hi I play a Warwick 5 Thru neck- love the sound but Im having so much fun playing my Marcus Miller 4 string that I would love a Jazz that has as good a sound as my warwick- is there any? The Warwick can sound low, thick and mean- growl to excess!! The Jazz is a little limiting- even with the pre-amp and vintage fender p-ups. Marcus`s sounds great- his fingerstyle sound is the best- listen to the "bass player tv" clinic- unbelievable. I play mostly soul and funk- some gospel so his sound would work- any ideas? I sound miles better on the Warwick so my humble finger skills on giving me a sound do work- I dont want to sound like Marcus ( though I would like to ) I just want a jazz to give me that sustain/ growl/ warmth of a good Warwick. My budget is massive by the way!! What should I buy- money no object. Help really appreciated. Cheers Bob

You will find lots of trace elliot 300W combos on ebay- reliable- good tone- bit heavy - powerful- £250 will get you sorted. If you want something better in ayear- this amp will do as a back up or you can sell it for what you paid for it- Iv just sold one on ebay- someone got a bargain at £210. I would agree that the best thing you can do is buy sepearates- valve head and speaker (s) I have a marshall vba set up- you can get sorted for £1200- but very heavy and big. Tone to die for!! Horses for courses as usual and very opinion led. Cheers Biob

[quote name='Raggy' post='143671' date='Feb 20 2008, 01:40 PM']Could it be anything to do with ohms? I think that head is switchable between 2 and 4?[/quote] Hi The head is on 4 ohms- cab is 4 ohms I played this again fro a hour and it was great!! I am flummoxed!! Cheers Bob

Hi Ive had a marshall vba 400 valve amp for a few weeks- only used this on a couple of practices- the amp is coupled with the vbc 4 X 12 cab it was designed for. After not using this for a week or two I set it up today for a low level practice- with the cab. Played OK but after a while ( 5 minutes ) it started to really distort badly. As the amp is new I thought it might be my bass- swapped bases- still distorting. I thought I might have blown a speaker- swapped cabs- the other cab. a 2X10 was fine so I thought it must be the cab. I swapped to the marshall cab again and it sounded fine. After about 10 mins again it started to distort and then stopped and sounded fine. I then played for an hour and it was fine. I wonder if I started to play the amp when the valves were not hot enough- there might have been some condensation ( amp kept in the house but it has been cold here ) in the amp. Has anyone else experienced this- I remember in the 80s the valve amps I used were always a bit inconsistent in their workings- help much appreciated. Cheers Bob

I have a wife and two children and when they are busy- I run to the living room and try to get a good 15 minutes in- either thru a small practice amp with ipod or thru the tascam cdbass trainer- stood up looking at my aging self in the mirror- I look a lot better looking with an expensive bass!! A little and often works Cheers Bob

Funny thing this post- I have been playing bass for 30 years plus- mostly fingerstyle and for some of these years used index and middle finger- thought it sounded fine. But I had an accident when I was a baby and my middle finger was a bit disfigured so my nail was ( is ) hooked like a claw ( sounds awful writing this )but I still used these fingers for years- anyway a few years back I tought myself to use my next finger- yes the one next to the pinky- and my index to play with. It was quite difficult ( and sometimes ) painful but I`v got there- have a lovely tone and control- totally ignore my middle finger now but some of the audience ( musos ) sometimes come up to me and compliment me on my three finger style! What they dont know is that that middle finger is still there but doing nothing. As long as you groove and the tone is good who cares what you use- if you tought yourself you could use your nose!! Cheers Bob

Hi I have just had a Marshall VBA 400 head delivered to go with my 412 Marshall cab. I am so happy with this rig. I have been using Trace gear for the last 20 years and was becoming a little unhappy about my tone. I use a Warwick Thumb 5 Thru neck and though the Trace was a little cold sounding. Just plugging into the Marshall has me smiling from ear to ear. EQ totally flat sounded stupendous- with a little tweaking- mids boosted slightly- this is the best sound I have ever had. So warm and pleasant but powerful and growly at the same time. Suits my style- mostly fingerstyle funk- the Warwick is not the best slapping sound anyway but its fine for that too. A Jazz would sound great. You know the sound you would like to have in your head? Well Ive now got it. I cannot wait to try this in a band setting. Will send pics of my gear soon.