Rocker

The authors of well known songs must crumple up like the dandelion on the spray weed killer advert on TV whenever I try to play one of his songs on guitar. That might sound bad enough but I once played a button accordion...."

Alnico on theFretboard website sent me a clip on tuner. It is a great device and gets lots of use.

Thanks guys, I had not considered a 4*10. And I could use my Minimark to power it. That would be a result!

Budget: a couple of hundred Euro. Give or take. Markbass might be on the expensive side. There are quite a number of 4*12s in music shops fairly close to me. These are probably old guitar speakers, would they work for bass? Weight is relative, a 4*12 is heavy but on castors it can be moved. The amp head itself is the problem unless it is a Class D job. Anyway if I cannot buy what I need, I might be able to hire, borrow or steal a rig for the day

For occasional gigs, my MB Minimark is a bit lightweight volume wise but great sound nonetheless. Could you suggest an amp plus cab that sounds similar to the MB but goes a fair bit louder. 4*12 cabs are fairly cheap - would one give me the sound I need? Powered by a class D bass amp? All suggestions appreciated, thanks.

If you drink real ale, a Bud or Heineken or similar tastes awful. If you want your instrument tuned properly, get yourself a decent tuner. You only buy a tuner every half dozen or more years so it's real cost is negligible and you can depend on it.

For the last five months, I have played bass with a few friends every other week. One of my friends has a music room in his house, it is there that we play. Very casual and good fun. Without really trying, we got a gig! Exciting as it is 38 years since I last played in public (the reason why I stopped gigging in 1979 was that a life changing event happened after the gig I had finished playing at). And that was lead guitar in a country band. Details of the 2017 event here: [url="http://thomastownroyalcanal.net/family-fun-day-2017/"]http://thomastownroy...y-fun-day-2017/[/url] [color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]It is now Tuesday, two days after the gig. Feel absolutely knackered today as I did yesterday! We played non stop all afternoon from 2:00 to 6:00. The crowd certainly liked us. One of our old friends called up the 'Golden Oldies' [/font][/color][color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]. I am amazed at the amount of equipment needed for a gig. It took over ½ hour to setup, another ¼ hour for sound check and over ½ hour to dismantle everything and get it into our cars.[/font][/color] [color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]It was some experience though, seeing people react to the songs we played. Perhaps surprisingly, I don't want to gig very often. Once a year is often enough for me. We are booked for next years Family Fun Day.[/font][/color] [color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]We had a great day all told, the sun shone and the crowds turned out. And they stayed. The organizing committee put a lot of effort in, it is amazing how much thought is needed for such a day. First Aid, Security, Car Parking, Stewards to direct traffic not to mention the fact that it was held beside a canal. AFAIK nobody actually fell in![/font][/color] [color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]As I said above, playing live is a great experience. Everyone who plays music ought to try it at least once. So if you get the chance, go for it.[/font][/color]

I too don't get this 'famous player' increasing the value of an instrument thing. If a guitar/bass is good, it is good. Does it really matter who played it before you got your hands on it? If funding were not a problem, I would get a top notch guitar and a similar bass. The guitar could be a '59 Les Paul or an R9 built recently. The only requirements being it is a good guitar, nice player and not too heavy. And absolutely not neck heavy!!!! If it were the '59 LP, it is a fact that several owners/players had it since then. A good instrument is a good instrument.

Thanks guys. I must try it with the speaker switch set to on. I don't have a 4*12 cab but the 12" Eminence Alpha speaker I connected the Minimark to sounded peaky and far removed from the sound of the Minimark's speakers. I just wanted more of the Minimark sound. Hopefully the DI to the PA will give that.

My Minimark has a speaker out jack. Labelled 8 Ohms. Plugging in an external speaker switches off the internal speakers. Daft, utterly daft. Lucky the Minimark has a DI out, this can go to the PA but an extra speaker would be useful if it worked in conjunction with the internal speakers

I think it looks awful. Reminds me of a Scully painting I saw somewhere......

For some slow country songs, I like picking the chord root and octave together. The guys in the band like the sound of the combination. Not a chord but full sounding. Evolution rather than innovation. It works.

Oh, I just noticed that it is withdrawn. Sorry for building up your hopes.

[url="http://www.adverts.ie/electric-basses/1962-fender-precision-bass/1207994"]http://www.adverts.i...on-bass/1207994[/url] Sigh......

Remember to wear a nose/mouth mask when cutting or drilling mdf.

Contact Grammar School Records in Rye, East Sussex. Google for contact details.

The maths argument in the video makes no sense to me. It is of no relevance to a musician as string tunings are relative to a standard, whatever it is. If I were to build a synth, the maths might come into consideration but apart from that, totally irrelevant. Even the rotation of the earth around the Sun is not a whole number......

That is actually a [b]spade[/b] that he used. But I enjoyed watching the video. Thanks for posting.

Most of my bass playing is on the low 3 strings. The G is almost unused. I say almost as I tune it every time I pickup the bass. Now a four string instrument tuned BEAD sounds the biz....

[color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]Played bass for a few hours with my friends last night. This morning I was crippled and sick with a sore back. Lower back area. My bass is heavy, as are all basses, so is there a strap that goes around ones waist - a strap that pulls the guitar in close to the body to minimize the leaning over that is necessary to see the fretboard? Hard to describe what I am looking for but some waist strap that works in conjunction with a shoulder strap is what I need.[/font][/color] [color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]I cannot be the only person who suffers from back pain after playing the bass. What solutions are out there to solve this problem? Thanks.[/font][/color]

Always remember that he who pays the piper calls the tune. Or something like that. If your band is booked to play in a pub, you play what the audience wants to hear. You are not expected to like the songs, only to look like you are enjoying playing them.

Looked at one in a shop recently. Shop willing to negotiate if I wanted to trade in an electric guitar! The bass seems to be well made, did not get a chance to plug it in but it felt good in my hands. The online reviews are mainly positive. Anyone here with any experiences of this bass. Thanks.

My experience with Bass and Guitar instruction book is not good. My eyesight is poor and trying to read tab is difficult. I get round this by scanning the book to a file which I can enlarge on the screen. Like golf, I think it is difficult to learn how to play bass from a book. If one exists, I have not found it yet...

Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty. Also a number of songs from The Carpenters.