Iain

Just get a Jack Bruce Thumb bass... simple solution.

Part-exchanged my Sterling 4H and ESP 5-String for a well-loved 2001 Ovangkol Thumb 5... loving it so far. Neck's going to take a fair bit of getting used to and the bass feels so solid. Polish and new strings on it and it sounds really nice - deep growly bottom end and Thumb mids...

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1409854281' post='2544036']'Dakota' by Stereophonics... Boring as they come and the only song in the covers set that I actually hate and would love to never hear again. Tiny variations but essentially just root note playing.[/quote] This song came up in a set list discussion for us recently and got heavily veto'd. Bartender and the Thief put in instead...

Age doesn't matter - I'm just a whipper-snapper @ 43 but I'm enjoying playing more now than ever and have no plans to stop. Played a fundraiser gig as a favour to a local Legion club that was struggling to fix the roof - average age of the audience was in the 70s including the 30-40something reprobates we dragged along... Turns out they loved bit of Green Day and AC/DC.

[quote name='bassman344' timestamp='1408133722' post='2527561']Go for it, buy three and keep the one you like best.[/quote] The following divorce would be more expensive than the Dingwalls! I think I'll dip my toe in with an NG2 and go from there.

[quote name='bassman344' timestamp='1408050211' post='2526714']Don't be afraid of the fan frets,[/quote] It's this that is one of the big draws to be honest - I'm a geek and I just love the smart application of technology to get the length on the B. Coupled with great looks and pretty aggressive sound it's all good.

Very nice, thanks dood. Liked it so much you had to buy it?

gingerfish - liking your band, great sound.

Thanks guys. I wonder what the Yellow looks like with the lighter fretboard though... The green's still out there as a winner for me. The AB1 would be tempting but that a big step up in price and tough to justify! My first bass was a Jazz copy and I've always had a soft spot for them so the SJ5 was tempting.

[quote name='gingerfish' timestamp='1407960440' post='2525836']Though from my digging no one has seen one in the flesh.[/quote] Yeah, not been able to find many pics of the colours barring the awesome green to get a good idea of them.

Cool, thanks for the info guys. think I'll get in touch with BD and arrange a visit.

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1407685080' post='2522982']I didn't think they were out yet ?[/quote] According to the Bass Direct site the first batch were due in June, sold out of the funky green... Some vids on youtube so they seem to be out there... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrsvm_usgf0

Hey, Been hankering for a Dingwall. Budget means it'll be a Combustion and I'm really taken with the NG-2 model. Anyone played one? Got thoughts on differences between that and the standard Combustion? I think I'm going to have to take a trip down to Bass Direct and have a look and listen but wanted some opinions from the BC community! Iain

There are a few songs in our set that benefit from using a pick - Sanctuary and Vertigo stand out. You can get close to pick attack with finger but it's always lacking a bit. Watching Adam 'Nolly' Getgood out of periphery is an object less in versatility - awesome pick work switching to two-hand tapping and back in the blink of a blinky thing. Certainly beyond my ability but a level of familiarity with the instrument that is inspiring. Google the 'headstock' cam of him playing "Make Total Destroy"...

Mostly fingers for me - the sound I usually have is pretty aggressive so sounds pickish anyway. Recently been learning some Iron Maiden tunes and fingers for sure there - can't get across the strings fast enough with a pick although the 'galloping' trademark was easier to play consistently with a pick until I'd practised 3-finger technique enough. Sometimes revert to a pick after a few hours of practice though if the blisters start to form...

Certainly doesn't look to be of the standard of the Sandbergs I tried out at Manchester Bass Lounge - then again Drew does seem a bit OCD about the quality of his merch!

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1406880680' post='2515487']I like what Julia Rusicka does with Future Of The Left. Self-indulgent 42:28 long YouTube clip follows...[/quote] Those guys are awesome. Love the aggressive bass sound too.

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1406503510' post='2512035'] It worries me the Warwick I want will be too difficult for me to obtain. I have had my head turned a little by the Sterling Ray 34 today, I must admit. I always loved Stingray slap tones but had doubts over the fingerstyle sound being a little clunky. This Ray 34, though, seems a bit smoother. It seems like quite an instrument for the money, too. Must play one and see. [/quote] You can pick up a pristine used full-fat Musicman Sterling (rather than Sterling by Musicman) for about the price of the Ray 34. Has a narrower neck than the Stingray - more Jazz bass.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1406201392' post='2509236']Active basses can vary greatly in the sounds they produce depending on the type of preamp... If your after something HiFi and punchy you can't go far wrong with a stingray to be honest.[/quote] I picked up my Sterling for £800 and it's got an incredibly versatile range and plays really nicely - can't recommend it enough, Stingray would probably be almost as good

yorks - it was the same price! The MB ears were decent value but the shipping cost more than they did! brensabre - the BB LEDs are pretty bright and the G90 has plenty of flickery bits going off when playing, bling enough for me for now!

I've been using the Sansamp Bass Driver Deluxe - it gives me 6 settings of which I tend to use 3... - Dirty dirty rock crunch - Warm, no drive, for mellow moments - Totally over the top fuzz that's only used for Song2 Saves a lot of space over multiple pedals. Tend to use the controls on the amp then just to compensate between differences in venues.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1405350175' post='2501073']No-one has ever died from playing a wrong note ![/quote] It's a damn good job! I tend to play safer in gigs that practice and also depending on how I feel on the night. If I'm feeling low-energy of nervous I simplify what I'd normally play to an extent and, as I loosen up during the set I tend to express myself more. I'm not great by any means but I go with what feels good.

I found my current bunch of reprobates on JoinMyband. Worth keeping an eye on IMO.

I ended up with a Line6 G90 wireless system rather than the cheaper G50 that I was going to pop on my pedal board. It kinds cried out to be rack mounted so I ordered some rack 'ears' for my Markbass Big Bang head and a Gator rack bag. Ears just arrived from Italia and the end result is pretty cool...