Frank Blank

I wasn't doing the bass devotion down, I too prefer the supermarket to church. I agree wholly with your last statement. I have a very strong feeling I'm going to end up with a slightly modified Squier Jaguar as my main electric bass.

I would say it was a pseudo-religious facet of Hyperconsumerism. In lives so devoid of meaning we apply almost spiritual value to manifestly temporal items. Mind you one could argue that the physical components that go to make up a musical instrument can, when played, move one (and an audience) into a spiritual dimension. Instruments are coarse temporal tools that can, through utilization, create high art, perhaps they deserve the almost fanatical devotion we give them? But if that were the case we'd be happy with an instrument that simply did that job yet we do seem overly concerned with very subtle nuances and variations in how they sound and look. Perhaps, again, this is a bast***isation of spiritual devotion, to believe these subtle nuances really can add up a higher musical (and therefore possibly spiritual) experience, otherwise we'd be happy with the first tuneable bass we could play. Just as an aside the iPod chose One Nation Under A Groove this morning so I stuck it on repeat for the drive to work. This might be why this rumination has such a holy slant..

Quality icon MonkeyTrick.

That’s a bit Hotel California!

Sure thing.

Cheers, I have had a look and left messages on relevant posts.

Likewise with Tina Weymouth, she's superb. I don't know what the thing is with big basses, I struggled for years and just thought it was my lot to struggle because I have small hands for any instrument let alone bass, what I really meant by my boys with big basses comments was that you need to try stuff out without the burden of thinking you need big (or small for that matter), try everything without preconceptions is what I mean. When I went into my local music shop the chap who usually serves me and knows my particular tastes in instruments just pointed at the Taylor and said Tried one of these? Be careful when you pick it up, it's as addictive as crack. I did pick it up and I only put it down twenty minutes later in order to pay for it. Try everything.

So, having mused over the replies to this post, I think I would like some bass tuition. Do you know of, or are you, a bass tutor in Essex? What I'm looking to learn really are scales and some basic theory, I don't know an interval from a segue! I have some idiosyncrasies to my playing but that can be discussed but as I'm thirty years into playing I doubt I'm going to change my style. Any offers / recommendations?

Just as a comment on this, my main bass is now the Taylor Mini-e Bass, obviously it's a bit niche but it exactly what I need for my current band. The scale of this is actually 23.5 inches and, despite it being a huge change from my bigger basses it was an instant and significant improvement for me, so much so I had one of those Oh dear, I should have been playing short scale for the last thirty years! I would suggest getting to some some shops and trying differing scale length basses out but most importantly, don't be put off by the It's too small / short / looks like a toy brigade, it's a boy thing, I'm sure Freud would have an answer to why men need big basses, same reason they need fast cars I expect.. just try everything rather than thinking to yourself that's not for me. The neck on mine is tiny but it has improved my playing hugely.

Well I have the SWB Pro on order but I won't be ordering the fretless SWB-1 until I've sold my Fender Modern Player fretless on here. As soon as I have the bass I will be straight on here to let you know.

Are you still avail for tuition? I’ve emailed a couple of people in Southend but no replies.

I prefer the look of a lined fretless for some reason, good job as I couldn't manage to shift mine on here so I best get used to looking at it as it doesn't get played.

I have many more adjectives for such an event, none of which are printable here.

Second line of my CV there, currently entering a ‘futility loop’.

The good thing about your backside is that it seems to understand that all humans are different. More power to your backside Sir.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was such a mix in everything in the world?

Oh yes, I wholly agree, it would be foolish not to try all methods and see what works best for you, especially methods tried and tested by others, all I’m saying is that there won’t be one method that suits everyone.

We are all different so we should do it whichever way feels most productive, no one way is best for everyone.

Apparently so.

Toyah on OGWT. I managed to gob on her at the Rainbow on 21st February 1981, punk my ar**.

Peter Frampton on The Old Grey Whistle Test!