Norris

For me, to be a bass player is to play; to play is to gig. Everything else is just fluff

It was bad enough when people used to wave their phones around in your face. Now it's hulking great pad things. Next time I go to a gig I'll try to take a big flat screen television in with me and spend all night staring at it at arms length.

Last time I went in, Sheehan's had a couple of Fender Bass VI's and Music Junkie has a couple of Squiers. Both shops are in Leicester, which isn't that far from Nottingham. Sheehan's have also got a Coronado bass in stock (short scale, hollow body, still not exactly light though) [url="http://www.sheehans.com/"]http://www.sheehans.com/[/url] [url="http://www.musicjunkie.co.uk/"]http://www.musicjunkie.co.uk/[/url] Edit: I'd call them before you make a trip down though, as the VI's are not currently listed on either of their websites!

I'm jealous. The walnut looks absolutely gorgeous.

A lot of the bass players I know seem to be using R***********s, so at my last gig I dragged out the T-bird. Copy that!

Maybe it's a Squier

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1393497493' post='2380938'] Anyone know a good way of getting to the venue from Nottingham, I don't drive!? Ste [/quote] The closest railway station is Narborough and it's about an hour from Nottingham. From there it's a mile or so to the venue. For local taxis try: Snowy's Taxis (Enderby) - 0116 286 5432 Narborough Taxis - 0116 284 8444

I cut them to give at least two winds around the post - probably about 3" to 4" past the post. Then put a 90 degree bend in about 1/2" from the end. Finally tuck the bent end of the string into the centre hole and wind on to maximise the break angle i.e. press the string against the head as you wind so that each turn is below the previous one, like in Emanew's picture.

I had a play on one for a couple of hours. It was the most awkward thing to try to get a tune out of. The one I tried had 12 strings, in two sets of six. The bass side is bizarre, as the strings are strung upside down to a normal bass i.e. heaviest gauge string at the bottom; and tuned in 5ths. Also I couldn't resist wanting to 'dig in' and found my attempts at tapping to that extent were pretty poor. They are rather expensive for what they are, and if possible I'd certainly try to borrow one before buying.

Peavey Databass 1x15 450W combo, I've never had the master volume over half way, and it fits neatly in the boot of my car. Any larger gigs than the pubs we normally play would need DI, and then I'd have to turn my amp down anyway to avoid overpowering the PA.

As there are so many amps being taken I won't bring mine. If it turns out it's needed, it's a 15 minute round trip to pick it up...

The side that the guitarist doesn't stand on As he's the main singer too, he usually goes wherever the audience can get the best view of him. If that's not an issue, I usually go stage right.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1391603308' post='2359008'] ... and I've also added Norris... [/quote] Thanks (from my PC this time ) Edit: I'll also chase up my friendly restorer to see if my Aria SB-1000 will be ready in time...

Sorry, can't copy and paste on my cheapo mobile. I'll bring my Ric 4003, Gibson T-bird and Stagg EUB. And my combo amp

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1391373350' post='2356469'] If only. They were wayyyyy too expensive for me when I started out - a Kay EB-0 copy with higher action than scale length was my limits. [/quote] ^ This ^ - followed by a "Franconia" jazz copy

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1391453761' post='2357352'] Roland Rock and I visited Brockington College today ... [/quote] That's in walking distance of me! No excuses then Edit: Let me know if I can help any...

I've never been to a bash, so really ought to make an effort for one on my doorstep...

I use a power distribution block that came out of an old 19" computer rack. The power my band uses never comes close to 13 amps (so is safe on one socket), and it allows us all to plug in via an RCD adapter and guaranteed no earth loops. It's similar to these: http://www.olson.co.uk/vert_rack_units.htm

Imagine there is a fire and you can only grab 2 basses on your way out - which ones? Quick! Don't think - just grab...

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1390564886' post='2346870'] Why is recording an instrument sometimes called tracking? [/quote] Back in days of yore, a recording was usually made to magnetic tape, divided up into several tracks - typically 4, 8, 16, etc. Each track would hold a single instrument/voice, or possibly a sub-mix of several instruments. The tracks can all be recorded at once, or separately. So "tracking" is the act of recording one or more tracks onto the tape, as opposed to "mixing" which is setting the relative volumes of each track after they have been recorded. The name has carried over into the modern digital world.

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1390396218' post='2344862'] The downside of Musescore (well one of them) for me, is no VST support to play back my sample libraries, you are stuck with those horrible general MIDI sounds, and no x64 version (although that don't matter with no VST support)... [/quote] Export your midi file in Musescore, pull it straight into Reaper and Bob's your auntie. It will even split the conductor score into separate midi tracks for each instrument.

A good, cheap bass is one you'll happily part with your money for - simple as that. It's up to you to make sure it meets your requirements. There are a lot of cheap basses out there, and as Charic said (in so many words), you can get a lot of bass for not much money these days. If you really are unsure, do a few checks: Does the bass look generally well built? Look down the neck - is it straight, with a very slight curve (aka relief)? Look at the strings - are they reasonably close to the frets at the end nearest the pickup(s) (aka action)? (Unplugged) Play every string, every fret - is there any buzzing? (Plugged in) Does it sound good? Does everything work? Etc...

If you've played any musical instrument before, it will be an advantage but not a necessity. Natural aptitude is also not a necessity. The main thing that will keep you playing (and therefore improving) will be your enjoyment of it. The first few weeks will probably be the hardest - it's going to hurt your fingers until they are toughened up a bit. This is a stage you need to get through while retaining your enthusiasm, just don't over-do it and "burn out". Keep enjoying it and you will improve, whatever your natural aptitude is.

I'm looking to sell a US Jazz, but the prices are just going down all the time at the moment. I'm hanging on for as long as I don't need the cash, hoping things (i.e. second hand prices) will improve.

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1389177322' post='2330832'] I'm watching this in the office with the sound on mute and in no way do I feel I am missing out [/quote] +1 - it's great without the sound