solo4652

@Mottlefeeder. Thank you - yes, I've seen that website. The Sinsonido still looks like the most promising bass, since it's full scale, and very light. I'm just not sure how it will sound through a standard head/cab gig rig. I'll have a look at YouTube - maybe something there.

I'm considering the Sinsonido as a permanent replacement to my Yamaha BB basses, rather than as a travel bass. It's the Sinsonido's lightness (2Kgs) that's the big attraction, in view of my arthritic neck. I'd play the Sinsonido as normal, through my GKMB500/Tecamp112 rig.

$11,000 Is that a typo?! I could afford £400 for a new Sinsonido, if I think it'll work for me. There's one on Preloved for £300, not too far from me. The extra £99 for a new one would probably be worth it, if it became my main bass. I'll put a wanted ad on here, maybe even ask if somebody would be so kind as to lend me one for a week.

Because of neck and arm problems, I'm researching lightweight travel basses as possible permanent replacement for my Yamaha BB basses. I'd want a full scale bass, not a shorty. The Sinsonido looks promising. 2KGs in weight! Anybody gig with them, as oppose to playing them in departure lounges? Would they cut the mustard at a pub gig, going through a GK MB500/Tecamp 12" rig?

@Wonky and @Timmo Thanks for mentioning Anti TMF. I've not come across that. I've Googled it and read what I can. I next see the spinal consultant in 4 weeks time - I'll see what he says about the relevance of it in my case. Perhaps you could PM me so I can ask you a few more questions? Thanks, Steve

Thank you to everybody who has posted advice and suggestions here. I am very grateful. My waist strap for supporting the bass' weight is working pretty well. I'll need to practise with it because the playing position has been subtly altered. In terms of the weight on my neck, I can play about 8 songs before I need a rest. The more worrying problem is the weakness and worsening coordination in my left hand. I'm also starting to get random muscle spasms in my left arm. Consequently, my fretting is slowly becoming less accurate and thus more and more frustrating. I've started to look at those lightweight travel bass thingies as a possibility. Currently, both of the bands I'm "in" are idling in neutral, so I'm getting a natural break. However, I'm holding back from approaching other bands because my confidence has taken a big knock. I am taking strong NSAID painkillers, but I don't see that as a long-term solution. I get very mixed reports regarding the effectiveness of steroid injections. The operation that cages the bulging vertebrae is described as having a 50/50 chance of relieving my arm pain, but probably wouldn't affect my neck or chest pain, or the weakness in my arm. The operation can sometimes affect your swallowing and talking for a while afterwards. Don't like the sound of that, thank you - not with those odds. For now, I'm trying to make practical lifestyle changes to get round the things I've been struggling with; upstairs [i]and[/i] downstairs hoovers, reversing camera fitted to my car, using a hosepipe rather than a heavy watering can in the garden - those sorts of things. I've been reading up about the Alexander Technique, but I'm struggling to separate the sensible bio-mechanics from the sub-Jungian psychobabble. My background as a professional Psychologist could have something to do with that! Sorry - I'm rambling here. Please do keep the suggestions coming. Thank you to the B/C community once again, Steve

Following a spell in hospital and associated MRI scans, I've just been diagnosed with Arthritis at C5 and C6 vertebrae in my neck. Nerves leading from my spinal cord are being squeezed by bulging vertebrae. I know that this is a pretty common occurence in people of a certain age. I'm struggling to play bass because of weakness and numbness in my left arm and hand. I've made myself a waist strap that takes nearly all of the weight of my basses (Yamaha BB424, BB1024) but still have a neck strap to stop the bass tilting forward. Trouble is, my left arm and hand coordination is suffering. I also get random episodes of mild dizziness and vertigo. I've had to stop playing golf and racing sailboats. I'm not especially comfortable driving. I'm trying not to panic, but this degenerative condition is having far-reaching consequences. There is no "cure", as such - just pain management so you can keep going as best you can. Painkillers, cortisone injections and a scary operation whereby vertebrae are caged and/or bolted together. I'm asking for any advice from other bassists who have this condition, please. What have you done to enable you to carry on playing? What treatments have you had that have worked for you? Is there anything I can do to help myself cope with this? I'm happy to discuss this on here, or via PM. Steve

Because of recurrent neck and shoulder problems, I've been looking for a simple two-strap system for a while. I tried the Planet Waves two-shoulder rig but it didn't work for me - the right shoulder strap kept sliding off. Then I saw this: [url="http://www.slingerstraps.com/sling-strap-guitar-strap.html"]http://www.slingerst...itar-strap.html[/url] I like the idea of a waist strap to take some weight, but can't seem to find any for sale in the UK. Don't fancy the cost of importing one, either. I managed a lash-up with a spare strap, and it seemed to work OK. So, how about making your own? Waist strap could be one of these padded work belts: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silverline-Tough-Nylon-Padded-Work-Belt-Tool-Holder-Storage-DIY-598505-/172158402181?hash=item281570be85:g:31wAAOSwOfxXBDgs"]http://www.ebay.co.u...1wAAOSwOfxXBDgs[/url] Shoulder and hip straps could be a normal webbing guitar strap cut to two lengths and stitched to the waist belt. Worth a try? PS - Another thought. If you already have a strong belt on your trousers, you could simply cut the end off a webbing guitar strap and then use some velcro to make a hip strap loop. Used in conjunction with your normal shoulder strap,

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1464175206' post='3057178'] Just join the band I started in 1996. There are now no original members. [/quote] 20 years later!?

OK - thank you to everybody for helping me to think this through. Much appreciated. Rather than push on with my new-band enthusiasm, I'm going to back off and see how things develop. I fully realise that this is a difficult time for the female singer, her husband and their good friend, the guitarist. I don't want to add to pressures by being impatient and pushy. I'll be available as and when needed. The overall picture is complicated further by the guitarist's wife expecting their first child any day now. I'm keen to get going with an active band, so I'll look for an additional crew, as sensibly suggested by the Basschat collective wisdom.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1464103014' post='3056576'] Have you got another band lined up ready to join? If not look for another band. In the mean time I'd suggest to them to take a break until the singer is ready. There's no point in half rehearsing a band. [/quote] My other band folded three weeks ago!

@countbassie, post #11 Thank you - I think this summarises my feelings. I have true sympathy for the female singer and her medical difficulties, and I genuinely wish her the best for her future. I've been in bands before that have waited for somebody to recover from illness and that's not a problem for me, within reason. My concern is that her husband appears to be positioning himself to take over the lead singing role permanently if his wife is unable to commit to the band. I'm fairly sure he's trying to be helpful, but I just don't think he's a good enough singer to do that. At what point do I say that? Another thing - both singers and the guitarist are good friends, and work together in the same office.

I'm meeting up with the guitarist this coming weekend to run through some of the songs. He knows both singers pretty well. I'll see what more he can tell me about whether she has a history of no-shows, and whether he knows anything more about her illness and prognosis. I'll also say that, in my opinion, her husband isn't a good enough singer to take over the lead singer role. See what guitarist says. In the meantime, I'll start checking the Bassist Wanted ads. Again.

The problem is not to do with her throat or voice at all - it's a gastro-intestinal issue. No gigs are booked because the band has been out of action for quite a while without a bass player.

Six weeks a go I joined a new band. Two things particularly attracted me; - Lots of promises that songs would be agreed and people would learn their parts before rehearsals. - Lead singer is/was a very good vocalist with a degree in popular music, loads of band experience. YouTube videos of her singing with bands were impressive. I like female-fronted bands. I'm in. Important point; female lead singer lives with male backing singer/band frontman. I [i]think[/i] they're married, but I'm not certain. Turns out that female singer isn't too well, bless her. She hasn't made it to any rehearsals yet, so I haven't met her. Apparently, she needs a couple of operations. Could be quite a lengthy process. Her partner - the band's backing singer and frontman/MC - is starting to suggest songs that he could sing lead to. In my opinion, he isn't a good enough singer to take over the lead role. A good frontman, yes - a good lead singer, no. The female lead singer may be OK in a month. She might not. Nobody knows, but early signs are not promising and I'm concerned that her husband appoints himself as lead singer in her absence. Am I being too impatient? Wouldn't be the first time.

Delusional singers who can't sing. Testosterone-fueled blokiness Too much volume and, my pet hate - people not learning their parts at home before rehearsal. That old one.

Funnily enough, Status half-rounds have been my favourite strings for many years. Because of the supply problems at Status, I decided on a change, and bought the Brite-Flats. Dannybouy is right - the Brite Flats aren't quite as smooth as the Hotwires, but I could live with either.

Thanks for your replies. I think I may have sorted it out. I bought two packs of GHS brite flats from the same supplier at the same time and assumed they'd be the same. One set went onto the 424, the other onto the 1024. I've spent the last two hours swapping strings around all my basses (the third is a BB1200) and I think one of the new sets may be duff because, no matter what bass I put it on, that bass is quieter than the others.

I have a BB424 and a BB1024. With exactly the same strings of the same age on both basses, the 1024 is noticeably quieter, to the extent that I'm almost at max volume on bass and amp (GK MB500 + Tecamp 112 cab) at rehearsal. With the 424, I'm on half volume on bass and amp. I've raised the pickups on the 1024 as much as I can but it doesn't seem to alter the pickup output much. Pots work properly, pickup selector switch is fine, jack socket seems secure. Any thoughts, please?

[color=#282828]@RolandRock. I can definitely hear the similarities between Steam and the Bamboos' Step it up. The Bamboos are another contemporary soul-funk band that I really like. The band's line-up seems a bit, errr, fluid, with quite a few different lead singers. Alice Russel, to me, is the stand-out best. Here's my favourite track with her:[/color] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77R3ErvQ9F4

Thank you! Is Stevie playing that bassline on a synth?

Yep - Laura Vane's a fine funk-soul-blues singer. The Vipertones are mainly dutch, I think. I played for a short while with a fledgling funk band that wanted to play Steam. I couldn't find chords or tabs online so I had to come up with something myself. It was my first ever attempt at writing a bassline tab from scratch. Playing it now, my effort doesn't accurately reflect the original, but it does fit the groove. Sort of. Laura and crew play funk-pop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYyLvG_b1pE and soul-blues (be aware - long guitar solo...): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=805vcPvFw4o Edited to seperate the Laura Vane stuff from Bamboos.

Good for you! I remember my first gig - Whitefield WMC in Lancashire. The main thing that got me through was knowing that I'd put in the hours to learn my parts beforehand. Train hard, fight easy.