Sean

I asked a similar question on BassWorld about the coatings but I've never had a tone issue with Elixirs and have just replaced a set that was a year old and found that remarkably the old set probably had more life yet so I've kept them as spares.

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='22105' date='Jun 22 2007, 08:06 PM']I need to add something to the above - I do not own a P at all, but do own a USA Jazz 4 string and my Stingray 5 string.

I take both to all gigs and practices, but the Stingray get the nod for a number of reasons:

1..it is a five string, whihc I need to some tunes, and can't be arsed changing basses
2..it plays like a dream, a bit better than the Jazz (although that is no slouch either)
3..being the SR5, it has a 3 position selector. In the centre position it does a reasonable J sound - not the same, but does the job. The Bridge position is classic Stingray 4, whihc is great, and the Neck position is a powerful rock sound. And the 3-band EQ gives a pretty wide variety of tones - enough for me, anyway.
4..the Ray has a tighter bottom end, whihc in the reality of most gigs, I find useful, since boominess can be tamed in the way that is not possible with the Jazz, I feel

The only thing the Ray lacks is the classic passive tones of a P or J, and at home I usually love the sound of the J bass, but in a band my Ray is the one for me, at least.

What do others reckon?

C[/quote]

I'd agree with the sentiment wholly here. I had a Stingray 5 which sounded great in the mix - it's very versatile and works superbly live. The only issue I found with it was that the string spacing was too narrow for me - just look around at the pros who use these for recommendation. The Lakland 55-02 does pretty much the same job with wider spacing and an extra pick up (compared to the standard S5).

While we're all talking Lakland - why not try the 44-02 or 55-02. You get all the versatility of a Jazz with a MM pick up at the back (splittable) which gives a array of sounds for covers. I use my 55-02 in a Blues Brothers tribute act (not very authentic, I know but as mentioned above, I can't find any rocking horse manure at the moment!) and it comes through big and fat and very suitable for that. There's not a lot they can't do. If it's J or P though - J everytime for me.

[quote name='lukeward2004' post='20797' date='Jun 20 2007, 02:56 PM']A good book aswell for improving your harmony and thus helping you to play more musically is "Fingerboard Harmony for Bass" by Gary Willis - a very good read and some excellent advice in there.[/quote]

I'd agree wholeheartedly with Luke about Gary Willis' book but would suggest a look at the walking basslines lessons on davemarks.com and also Ed Friedland's Building Walking Basslines book as a better introduction - Willis' book can prove to be a lot to take in quickly and I know a couple of people who just gave up on it.

[size=1]*I hope that doesn't sound too patronising, it wasn'tmeant to be*[/size]

[quote name='matt s.' post='20308' date='Jun 19 2007, 05:36 PM']I play my bass (mexican jazz) very regularly, and have had it for 6 years. The back of the neck has bald spots where it's been played so much. Unfortuantly my hands sweat bucket loads, even if I'm just practicing in my bedroom. This has lead to the neck being constantly sticky, and consequently, making my hands sweat and making it worse! I've tried wood polish, WD40 (!), and even rubbed talcum powder into it, but nothings working!!
Anyone have the same problem, and any advice?

matt s.[/quote]

Try using some Warwick wax on it - you'll have to do little and often but the resluts should be what you're looking for. Anyone concur?

Comfort Strapp for me on the 5 string and a green suede Levy's on the 4 string both with Warwick locks.

Have a look on ebay for an Ibanez or Yamaha - great basses and you should find something very serviceable for £100.

The Lakland DJ used to have Aero pick ups in it but the newer ones have Lakland pick ups instead. It seems odd to change the pick ups on a signature bass. I wonder if Darryl had any say in this or whether he uses one with the new Lakland pick ups?

I have Lakland pups in my 44-02 and 55-02 and coupled with the LH3 preamp they are fabulous.

Does anyone have any experience of the DJ with Lakland pups in?

Oh yes, and a 5-string Bob Glaub is what I'm gassing for too. Though I might have to take the plunge on one of the many great Ps currently in our own for sale section.

I'm in that irritating situation where there is something I want to buy but have to wait for what I'm selling on t'bay to go before I know if I can buy it. Poor old me, yes indeed!

[quote name='subaudio' post='5610' date='May 24 2007, 11:08 AM']I want a big gig rig, not sure what yet, and I want Lakland to make a 5 string P bass.[/quote]

According to Dan Lakin, they are developing a USA Bob Glaub 5-string available for late '07 and if it proves to be a success they will aim to bring out a Skyline version in '08.

So unless you are supernaturally patient or have found the cure for GAS you will have to talk to that nice man, John Shuker.

I use a Korg Pandora too - it's the PX4B and also have sets of AAA batteries on charge at all times. The beauty of the Pandora is the fact that it's an effects board and drum machine in your pocket. I take this to work with me so I can play during my lunchbreak. It is the best gadget I have ever bought and wouldn't be without it - I use it everyday and have recorded and gigged with it and find that it is superb. Can't recommend them highly enough. The Aux In socket is useful too, you can run your iPod or whatever into it so you can jam along.

It's pretty robust and can be clipped on to your strap thoughmy clip is long gone. It's the best £99 you can spend. I've had mine over 2 years and would replace immediatelyif something nasty happend to it.

He was on the short list to replace Bill Wyman in the Stones but Charlie wanted Darryl and what Charlie wants, Charlie gets apparently. I used to listen to SRV a lot but after he died I lost interest a bit. TS is a great bass player though, some really solid boogie lines going on.

Hopefully this August Bank Holiday won't be a wash out and the sun will smile down on us all.

The gigs are:

[b]Fri 24th Aug: The White Hart, Caldicot - 9.30pm[/b]
[b]Sun 26th Aug: The Bridge Inn Chepstow (Outdoor Gig) - 5pm[/b] Barbecue and Outdoor Bar
[b]Mon 27th Aug: Caldicot Castle (Outdoor Gig) - 3pm[/b] - Family Day with stalls, ice cream, candy floss, burgers, hot dogs, chips, bar etc.


All gigs are free entry.

I use an Evo 500 head through an Ashdown 4 x (be) 10 cab and when I went shopping for a combo my first choice was another Ashdown or even a Trace as I had previously had one but after testing different makes the Gallien Krueger came out tops with me. It' great for warm overdriven tones and stupidly loud, it has wheels and the EQ is great and makes sense. It's worth looking into.

Best thing in world under a grand. Best value for money Jazz around.

The string spacing on those Ibanez SRs is very close - I looked at one a couple of years ago and though it was built beautifully the strings were too close for me and I thought it lacked any character of it's own sound-wise. Saying that they are certainly very versatile and undeniably pretty.

Both shocking. They look like bad cloning experiments gone wrong.

As far as pick ups for a P, I put a Lindy Fralin in a P + J bass I used to have and it was perfect. I've tried different P pups and the Fralin just leaves everything else in the shade. Lakland put Fralins on their Bob Glaub and Duck Dunn models - there can't be much more recommendation than that! Fralins are expensive but for me they are worth every penny.

At Tyn y Bryn Park in Tonyrefail, Glamorgan Classic Car Clubs Annual event is combined with lots of additional family fun, including funfair rides, craft and food stalls, live music, birds of prey and much more


Free entry - 11am-5pm - for more info call Events Team 01443 424123

The Brothers Blue - A Tribute to Jake & Elwood will take the stage at 3pm

This is a great day out for all the family and entry is absoutely free.

www.thebrothersblue.co.uk

I had one exactly like that and put a Badass on it - fabulous bass but just not me! It's very blinging!

You'd also have to get a second job to save money to buy a transit van to carry the rig in! :wacko:

I'd advise really looking at how big a rig you really need for whjat you're doing. Many of us go for big rigs to later realise that they are impractical for the kind of gigs we play. I have two and it's the smaller 2 x 10 Gallien Kruger combo that sees the most action as it's loud enough for most venues, fits in the boot of my Peugeot 406 saloon and has wheels whereas my Ashdown needs quite a bit of manhandling. If we are playing a large venue or an out door venue I use a DI to the PA.

How about getting a job with less hours and striking a balance between the the two options?

We've had the smoking ban in Wales for two months now and I've seen a difference. My eyes don't sting after a long gig and the gear doesn't stink. Some nights I leave a lot of the gear in my car when I get home for unloading in the morning and it's when you open the car door early in the morning that you notice the stink the most. Also it's nice to get home and not have earache because you stink.

I imported two Laklands from Bass Central in Florida. Very easy and shipped UPS it cleared customes like a dream with no dreaded (this is very unusual). They worked out £1500 for the pair shipped to my door including proper hard cases.