ambient

I think I was meant to own this bass. I originally tried it back in December last year. I really liked it, loved the sound and feel of it, but couldn't decide whether to make a fretless my only bass. So I ended up buying a different bass. Fast forward 3 months, the other bass has gone, and this is now with me 😊. It's now string with a set of TI flats, and if anything it's actually better than I remember it being. Probably my favourite bassist is Steve Lawson, this gets me his trademark fretless sound that I love.

If you were a guitarist then I guess I can see the logic. As a bassist then it's not something I'd do, the rest of the strings would be tuned in 4ths, then you'd have this odd major 3rd. I play guitar too, but just mentally adjust when it comes to playing notes on the B string.

The best budget is without doubt the Ibanez Gary Willis bass.

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1458651648' post='3009411'] Libraries were indeed great places but time have changed and there are now better, faster and more convenient ways to access the font of human knowledge. Forget politics and austerity, it's the internet that has caused problems for libraries as we used to know and love them. [/quote] But remember not everyone has access to the Internet, or the abilities to use it. A lot of people rely on computers in the library to access the Internet.

What do you want to know exactly ? I've tried possibly every conceivable string since starting to play 6 string about 8 years ago.

I get mine from Amazon. You can just type in whatever you're looking for on there and include 6 string set. Bass direct have 6 string sets listed separately. I tend to just make my own set using singles off amazon. Just start with whatever 4 string set and then add a single B and C string. That usually works out cheaper than buying an actual 6 string set. You can also then build your own custom set.

I don't usually use a system at all. I've been experimenting with using the above, simply because I have to compose a piece that shows clear and structured planning as part of my course.

In 2 of my bands, I'm the youngest by well over 30 years, I'm 38. The eldest guy who's a jazz guitarist is 84, but he only plays occasionally, but when he does he's amazing.

You don't like Bartok ?

This was composed using the Fibonacci series. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNw_2auj1RQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNw_2auj1RQ[/url] An amazing piece of music.

I've been experimenting using magic number cubes and the Fibonacci sequence. Which is something we've been looking at on my uni course.

Yoga, and eat sensibly. Drink just water when gigging.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1458638044' post='3009219'] What a beautifully musical player. [/quote] That's what a lot of people miss though. They maybe see his 7 string bass and don't get past that. Who cares how many strings an instrument has? It's what's played on it.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1458505478' post='3008193'] In my opinion, there's one element that is missing from many (or all..?) of the methods and books out there: patience. It is impossible to learn all of it, all at once, in one go. While one is learning one aspect (any aspect...), it is obvious, really, that the other (many...) aspects will, as yet, be unknown. One has to take it on trust that the conceptor of the book or lesson has this in mind, and that the rest will, i time, be revealed. Meanwhile, patience is required; one risks going too far too fast, and not absorbing the 'meat' of the book (or lesson...). If true understanding is not the goal, then, of course, skipping through will give what it gives, but if more insight is the objective, one should put in the effort and trust that all will be well. Often, a different, complementary book can help, as there can be useful overlap between the systems. No instrument, and even less a whole subject such as Music, can be absorbed rapidly. As has been mentioned above, running is not as fast as walking and crawling can be the best way forward, quite often. Take your time; enjoy the journey. You'll get where you want to go all the quicker. Just my tuppence-worth. [/quote] Patience is a virtue, and vital in learning an instrument. It's also something totally lacking sometimes nowadays.

[quote name='Horizontalste' timestamp='1458486333' post='3007952'] If I were starting over again from scratch I'd concentrate mostly on ear training. Start simple with intervals & build on from there, music theory knowledge is necessary to some degree but not the be all and end all. If you have a good ear you can pretty much play whatever you hear in your mind with little theoretical knowledge & if it sounds good then who cares why it works. [/quote] What if it doesn't sound good ? If you know what you're playing, and what you're playing over then it should sound good. You should have a good all-round knowledge of harmony, and a 'good ear'. That's what makes a good all rounded musician. In my opinion of course.

A tutor at my old uni introduced me to him when he found out I liked ERB, I love his 7 string playing.

You can try too hard.

I hate it too, but I hate most pop songs. Just tell him you hate it, and suggest something less crap in its place. After all, why are you doing it ?

All the background stuff here is my 6 string bass played using an ebow. [url="https://soundcloud.com/an-ending-ascend/14a"]https://soundcloud.com/an-ending-ascend/14a[/url]

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1458243534' post='3005983'] A few years ago I bought a Phil Jones cab from them which turned out to be many pounds heavier than given on their website. When I brought this up there was not a great deal of concern and no offer of redress. I sold it on soon after with a significant loss. Most of the time deals go through ok, but that's business. Would they let me have a £5k bass to gig on appro? Probably not, but the that's service. [/quote] I would always get that sort of information from the manufacturer. You could've sent it back though, especially given that the advertised weight was wrong.

Nice. I will definitely come and watch you some day. I think I saw you're playing at Sonik in June ? If so then so am I.

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1458081960' post='3004642'] Bizarrely enough, I was looking at Fractal Axe-FX the other day, if they have anything Bass-centric, they're certainly doing a good job of not advertising it. To m knowledge, none of the high end processors cater for the bass player. I think Multi FX for bass are very limited, so it really depends on what you want to use the unit for, will it be for amp modelling and some effects, or purely as an effects processor? How about the Line6 M9 / M13 effects modellers for pure effects processors? The Boss GT6B & GT10B are more reknown for their effects rather than amp modelling, where the B3 packs effects and amp models. There's always the Line6 HD500 / Firehawk options, though you may need to add the Bass Expansion pack to them, or you could track down a POD x3 which has both guitar & bass model's already loaded. [/quote] I've personally found that most guitar effects, though sometimes requiring a little bit of tweaking, actually work fine with bass. The Lexicon MPX G2 for instance, is a guitar effects unit that Steve Lawson has used for years, and sounds incredible. Don't get too hung up on the fact they're marketed at guitarists, try them and see.