HeadlessBassist

When I was teaching full time in Gloucestershire/Wiltshire (80 hours per week) I literally had no time to do any personal practice, but I was playing all the time in people's lessons. Useful for keeping your skills up! Now I'm semi retired, I'm off and at home for five days a week, so I have been literally been playing my Basses (and Cello, DB, Violin, etc) at every opportunity. These days, I usually manage about 1-2 hours a day, whether I'm working on something technical for a recording session, or gig, or just noodling and setting up instruments. I've really enjoyed learning new stuff for the Duo recently. Playing along to the backing tracks is great fun. I don't really look at the Live Multi-Tribute Show stuff, as it's all really easy and I've been playing it for seven years. Also, I learned "Dean Town" by Vulfpeck the other week - still have to read it, though. It's too random to commit fully to memory, unless you wrote it like Joe Dart & co. It reminds me of when I was playing at the peak of my ability at about 22 years old when I was principal DB in the Britten Pears Orchestra - we were all that good because we were playing for up to 15 hours a day! Practice doesn't make perfect - but it does make significantly better! 🤔

"A Music Man Stingray 5's 3-way pickup selector switch offers three distinct tonal settings for the humbucking pickup: series, parallel, and a hum-canceling single-coil mode. Series mode provides the classic, punchy Stingray sound, while parallel offers a thinner, more scooped tone, and single-coil provides a hum-canceling, brighter alternative." So you should have three distinctively different sounds there. I'd take it to your local music shop/tech and get them to have a look at it. It sounds like a simple enough fix, maybe a new blade switch is in order.

Oops. Hopefully Miss Kenworthy saw the funny side and didn't have you all arrested! It does happen. Our Jerry Lee Lewis tribute from the live show once picked up my glasses in a case and they ended up in his clothes bag after a gig. (I often wear prescription sunglasses on stage with the stage lights.) Unintentional post gig exhaustion/kleptomania!

"Excuse me gentlemen, is this the five minute argument, or the full half hour..?"

Agreed.

Not sure if anyone's mentioned them, but Italia were flavour of the month for about five minutes in the late 2000s.

I'd imagine no one mass produces a 2-string nut. For good reason. Well spotted though, Beedster.

They had a nice sound as well. Very clean. I've never heard of them, though. I am old.

I think it applies to every mainstream mass produced instrument maker. Yes, sometimes there's the odd standout 'tryhard' like Sire who really make their mark, but if you can, you should try before you buy with anything mass produced. I must admit, I've been very lucky with both Squiers and Fenders over the years. The Mexican stuff from the Ensenada factory in particular has been very impressive over the last few years.

Currently listening to Joe McMoneagle, remote viewer no.1 from Project Stargate on Area 52 on YT.

Anyone seen or played one of these? Apparently, all the money's on the E-string... https://eastwoodguitars.com/products/eastwood-the-sandman-2-string-bass?srsltid=AfmBOooeuftkRxv9OB_YanEqAVfXff4y82cr7_ZcO7ZM4XeZ3iAo9Ne9#case-fit

Definitely makes me feel like a shortarse.

Actually, he's nearly 6ft 3in.

John Mayer? Mahoosive bloke!

John: 🎶"Pino, your dinner's ready!"🎶 Pino: "Ya what..?"

Hehe, now edited with more detail and a different variety of fruit! 🤣

No, these are a completely different bass (Poplar Body, Indian Laurel Fingerboard, Ceramic Pickups) to the MIM Player II (more traditional Alder, Rosewood, Alnico 5, etc). And as for the pre 2016 American standard, you’re comparing a £550 bass to a £1700 bass. Apples and Oranges, my friend 😊

Congrats BM74 Those first gen Vinteras with the Pao Ferro fingerboard play and sound really nice. I came very close to buying the 60s one in Firemist Gold. Excellent basses for the money. Sounds like you scored a brilliant deal there.

I've never understood why people want to sound exactly like their heroes. I always took little tidbits from their techniques, like Rhino's creative use of very musical, but varied fills, Mark King's two handed semiquaver slap ideas, Victor Wooten's double thumbing and harmonics, Marcus Miller's parallel right arm slap technique, etc. But at the end of the day, I incorporated all these into my own style. I sound like me. You're never going to sound like Pino Palladino. "But if you spend £90 on our magic strings, you just might..." Yeah, right.

That's quite the evolution. Makes mine seem quite tame!

Walnut + Jazz + Kiwi's Graphite Neck?? Oh yeeeessss! Would have to be nitro glossed, though... 🤔

Eh? Eh? Whaaa..? Did somebody mention Walnut?