neilp

Emperor's New Clothes? Absolutely. The differences in tone are pretty minute. The differences in feel are there, but are they worth the money? only you can say. In a recorded or live context, nobody will ever hear the difference between a decent Squier Jazz and a genuine '62 Fender, because the difference is tiny. If owning the 62 gets your motor running and you can afford it, go to it and good luck. There's no right or wrong

If anyone is interested to try Kaplans, I've just put a set of Lights on the Marketplace

When people ask this question, John Paul Jones is always the first name I think of, but that's because his playing was what grabbed me and made me a bassist all those years ago in the 70s. If you want an example of what the bass player CAN contribute to a band, look no further than Ramble On or The Lemon Song

On decent quality gear it's normally Neoprene. If you're making your own gear, it might be worth getting in touch with the local sailing/canoe/wild swimming club, see if you can pick up a wetsuit or two cheap. Lots of wetsuits these days have a fabric facing on the neoprene, which stops the foam disintegrating or sticking to the finish of the guitar. High performance dinghy sailors also use a thing called Progrip, which comes in varying thicknesses and is also pretty durable and inert

BOILED snake oil

Flexocor Original come close, but the Kaplans are much more enjoyable to play than Belcantos, which in my opinion are decent, but unexciting in every way

While I was Chairman of my local orchestra, I had a hand in commissioning a concerto for percussion and orchestra from a wonderful guy named Adriano Adewale. One of the vernacular instruments he used was the Berimbau. I loved it and still do

As I said before, Kaplans are purely arco strings. If you want sustain and brightness in your pizzicato sound, don't waste you time or money on Kaplans. I'm mainly an orchestral/chamber player, with some solo recitals occasionally (when I think I can muster an audience) and the Kaplans work beautifully with my bass (1820 ish German). I won't be bothering to try anything else now, these do it for me!

Pretty sure Bill Bailey never won Young Musician of the Year. That's a whole level or two of skill above his, much as I like him and enjoy his musical bits

If he's going to do a lot of orchestral playing, you don't really need to look past Nymans, Kolstein All Weather or Pops. If you want some variety for chamber music and solo stuff, I really Like Jade L'Opera for that. It has a clarity to it that works really well in small ensembles. I've also heard very good things about Leatherwood Amber. It's not cheap, but when you order they send two cakes, so you can have two different formulations. I haven't used it yet, but I've just ordered some, so when it arrives and I've tried it I will report back.

A friend of mine (guitarist , and therefore slippery and not to be trusted) used to regularly leave his house carrying an empty guitar case....

There are many, many worse ways to spend a redundancy cheque!

Graceland. Just pure groove, but not Western groove.... Spirit of Radio, just because....

I don't think you need to be of a particular standard to appreciate a great bow. Andrew's bows are instruments in their own right, and things of rare beauty. Just take a look at the carving of the tip. Completely stunning. If you can afford one, I say try one!

If you possibly can, always lay the bass on its back. Strap a pillow or similar under the the top bout if necessary to keep weight off the scroll or neck. If it's on its back, it is far far less likely to move around, tip over etc. If you must put it on its side, strap it thoroughly and wedge in place with blankets, pillows or whatever. That though is very much second best to having it on its back

Unfortunately for the "plucky Brits " story, there absolutely is a playbook. WHO has one that was followed by New Zealand. Anyone know what the current COVID stats are in New Zealand?

They aren't bad, but there are dozens, hundreds even, of students in music colleges up and down the country who could do better without raising a sweat. Can we make a distinction between "singers" and "vocalists" please? Because Pavarotti is the only really great singer anyone has mentioned so far... (ducks and runs)

Bozo is a Top Man. Great player, with such a lovely sound

Once a decade?????? I wear out a set of strings in 18 months at the very outside.....

If I had somewhere to keep that, it would be in the back of my car now...

I've never seen that before, but that's almost exactly how I was taught. If everything is relaxed enough, it's like flicking a loop along a skipping rope, if that makes sense? I know what I mean, anyway!!

It's a journey. I studied at the RCM, and played in the National Youth Orchestra nearly 40 years ago, and I still find tension in my bow arm and hand. Practice and mindfulness. Study how it feels, then consciously relax muscle groups, all the way from your neck to your fingers, then study how it feels again. It's more difficult with the bass than with any other string instrument, but also more worthwhile

Hive is definitely my facility of choice. Great guys, good customer service, lovely clean communal areas and really well equipped rooms

You should never support a double bass by it's neck. It's both the most fragile part AND the most difficult to repair. I'm not a fan of stands in general, my bass lives in a corner, bridge facing in, when at home. On a gig it's either in my hands or on the floor behind my stool. If it's on the floor it can't fall...