bass_dinger

After 20 years of playing only a 5 string, I am only in the past year starting to do that. I think that was because the sound of the B string on my acoustic bass was dull and thuddy, and not in keeping with the other strings. So, I tended to avoid it, and so did not develop your good habits. Well done for working out the benefits so quickly.

All songs require notes. Those notes can be found on the B string, above the 5th fret, just as much as on the other four strings. Frets 1 to 4 on the B string give new notes, but the rest of the frets on the B string give a different tone, and new ways of reaching the 5th below the root note. https://youtu.be/ZMF3nYfNo2w - here, the bassist in the Maytals using a 34" scale 5 string bass at the 5th fret, to give a short-scale sound.

Perfect! "So I spoke to the designer/company owner /design team, and suggested that they do XYZ, and they did".

Did some of the Ashdown team come from Trace Elliott? If so, that would explain why they were able to do it (but not why they wanted too!).

Following on from the thread "Things I'd like manufacturers to do...", I just now remembered a success story. I visited Hobgoblin's London store, in search of an acoustic bass. I specifically wanted a 5 string, in their Ashbury range, but they did not make them. So, I emailed the Head office asking if they had any plans to do so. No, they had not thought of it, but they were due to visit the Musikmesse Frankfurt that coming Easter, and would ask if their suppliers could make that model. By October of that year, I got an email from head office. They had made a run of five prototype 5 string basses, and one was at their London store, and would I like to pop along to try it out. I went along, liked it, and bought it. So, companies do listen, and respond.

I was in a different venue this morning. I had rather got used to my standard set up of a large room, hard walls, individual foldback mixes, and a separate room mix. So it was a real struggle to find myself in a smaller room, 45 feet high, deep, and wide. Wooden flooring made for a lot of resonance, and the drum kit in the corner was overpoweringly loud. At one point in the rehearsal, I was having to lip read the lead singer to follow the song, and this morning I was watching the pianist and guitarist's left hands more than usual. However, for all those struggles, the congregation were much more responsive than my usual "gig", and I was reminded why I play in church. This morning felt like a pub gig- hard work, raw, but happy punters. My usual gig is more akin to a rehearsal with an audienced that joins in. I probably learnt more about playing at this morning's gig, than I have over the past year.

An understandable point, politely made. Let's call it "off-brand messaging".

Not since God spoke to the serpent in the garden of Eden.... As for interesting Christmas services, our worship leader wanted the band to play along to a pre-recorded track last Christmas*. These "stem tracks" could be adjusted, to give more or less bass, or vocals, or keys, in each musician's monitor mix, and another mix could be sent to the PA. The song included 4 or 5 key changes, choirs, orchestra, band, and, for all I know, the Dagenham Girl Pipers and a team of Morris Men banging their sticks together. Over the six weeks it took to refine the many mixes, and learn it, I grew to loathe it - so much so that I can't even bring myself to remember what it was called, much less to look it up. By the end of the rehearsal, none of the core band musicians were left in the band , apart from the worship leader's own family members. There was a choir, however. When the pastor learnt that I had dropped out for that song, he asked if I could nevertheless remain on stage and mime playing the bass. "You mean lie?" He had the grace to laugh... People seemed to enjoy it. However, they enjoyed Away In A Manger just as much, which took 6 minutes (not 6 weeks) to get right. * Last Christmas was when we did it. It was not the track that we played along to....

And give the post with the most Likes a cash prize - so far, it is between me (legacy page) and @TheGreek(power button). And, uncannily, we are the two people who Liked @Buddster post! Ker-ching !

Manucturers - create and maintain a Legacy page on your website, with the history of your equipment, by model, and schematics for repairers to refer to.

I am curious. Can any basschater tell the difference between brands of strings, when they are listening to a track, or a live band? For me, I like the sound and feel of Dunlop steels, but found a £5 set that sounded similar enough when I am playing in a band setup. Certainly, nobody in the audience has ever complained or noticed the difference. As for this... ... I visited the Bass Gallery, and tried lots of basses. When I found one with strings that I liked, I asked what type they were, and bought a set. They were the Dunlop steels. I also had a basschat recommendation for an eBay seller who had some £5 sets that I tried, and they were fine.

String manufacturers. Pick a string winding colour, or ball end design, that is unique to the string and brand. That will allow string spotters to identify what type of string is on their bass, by simply referring to the inevitable Bass Chat Field Guide to bass strings. Or not....

Orange amps in other colours...

If you win the lottery this weekend, I have a special price for you.....

519 plus my 3 = 522.

https://www.hifix.co.uk/hi-fi/hi-fi-separates/cassette-decks/ TEAC appear to. Or you could look on ebay for new-old stock, of the brand and model that you are looking for.

A thread resurrection, to recommend a hi fi amplifier repair company. I discovered ARS (Amplifier Repair Services) when I wanted to fix the crackling selection knob on my Arcam Alpha 9. For £140 they removed the selector switch, gold-plated the contacts, and replaced internal components to factory specification. They now repair other items too. CYRUS ONE & TWO NAD 3020 ARCAM ALPHA 9, DELTA 290, ALPHA 7 & 8 MUSICAL FIDELITY A1, B1, MA50 A&R CAMBRIDGE A60 NAD3130 https://www.amprepairservices.com/ No financial interest, just a satisfied customer.

An update on the rattling truss rod... It was not a rattling truss rod but a low action that could not be adjusted out due to a stuck truss rod. @Andyjr1515 worked on it, and released it, although the movement was a little stiff, and did not move smoothly, and fine adjustments would take time to achieve. I also considered having more work done - conversion to a fretless bass. However, I was persuaded that a bass with position markers for a fretted bass, and a stiff truss rod, would not make a good fretless, and reduce the resale value of the converted instrument. I actually spoke to the designer of my bass, and learnt that about a dozen fretless Washburn XB500s were made for the Japanese market, so, they do exist. Right now, I have two fretted basses, and I am happy that they both work.

I am out - I needed an urgent spare bass, while my other one was being fixed. I now have two electric basses. I guess that is how it happens, with bass collections....

My latest practice routine - I humble-brag on basschat about my wonderful practice routine and detailed planning, to shame myself into actually practicing at all!

I came to the same conclusion - a pair of basses of the same model suggested that one should be converted to a fretless. However, I was persuaded that a bass with position markers for a fretted bass, and a stiff truss rod, would not make a good fretless, and reduce the resale value of the converted instrument. I actually spoke to the designer of my bass, and learnt that about a dozen of them were made for the Japanese market, so, maybe one of those will come up.... yeah, right!! In the meantime, don't you already have a rather splendid fretless!?

I have also added a page on ear training - being able to work out the chords to a song that I know. Usually, I would use a chord chart, or a playalong-sheet-music video - so ear training is necessary for me. I am also learning to sight read using playalong-sheet-music videos, and tab videos too. All of that will hopefully get me to the point where I have the dexterity and skill to play what I hear in my head - so "stretch ... and go", as below. I find that it takes a lot of practice to be able to play without practicing....

I experience something similar. I learn a song, and eventually reach peak incompetence - no matter how much more I play, I don't get any better. I then come back to it the next day and I can play it better. Perhaps my brain is processing the learning overnight, and when I next play it, has worked it out.

I recall a post on Basschat, it which someone shared that they had bought a shaker unit separately, and installed it into a home-made platform. Thus, I wondered how easy it would be to make a bassboard, if one could source a shaker unit.

Well, you (and I) have learnt that we should. And we probably know that we could. From there, it is but a small step to "we will". One day.....