Rocker

...finally met my waterloo...

Don't know about music applications but Manfrotto make wonderful camera tripods.

Best played with your fingers.

If it has an IEC connector for the mains cable, is the mains cable itself good. Try it on something else. There is a fuse in the 13 amp plugtop. This might read as a pathetic suggestion, apologies if it does, but sometimes the simplest tests are successful at getting something to work again.

Going against the grain, I like the look of the last one on the right. Very lightweight so what's not to like?

Laughingly small but the Blackstar Fly Bass is a decent sounding bit of kit. I works very well if you jam with music from your stereo. And it is not loud enough to disturb your neighbours.

'Dancing in the moonlight' by Thin Lizzy

Last year I saw a Squier P Bass in a charity shop, it absolutely reeked of curry. Even for the asking price of 80 Euro, I would have to get it home, disassemble it, clean it and fit new strings. The smell put me off. One can only speculate on the standard of hygiene in the previous owners house/flat/bedsit.

Inexpensive Epi Toby 5 string in a shop in Dublin. It looks and feels fine once you get used to the slightly wider neck on a 5 string bass but I did not get to try it out into an amp. Anyone here know about these basses or suggest a 'better' alternative for around the £200/€250 mark. Plus or minus a bit. Thanks.

As per heading, I tried an Epiphone Toby 5 string in a shop recently. Felt like a pretty good bass, not plugged in so cannot comment on the sound. Is my Markbass up to the job if I bought the Toby or any other 5 string bass? Low E works fine for the music I play, wondering where I would use the extra low notes but first I need to know if my amp would be able to cope. Thanks.

'Do you want your auld lobby washed down' by Brendan Shine. Complete and utter rubbish but still very popular with dancers.

In or about a year ago I decided to see what a bass does and what it brings to a band. I have played six string electric guitars from the early 1970s with a fifteen year break from around 1980. So to further my research I bought a cheap bass, an Aria STB. A half dozen lessons later and I discovered that I love the sound.

And there are no surprises when I list what I found out:

The vocalist is the most important member of the band.
The drummer/bass/rhythm guitar provide the rhythm and foundations of the music and support the vocalist.
The lead instruments trail in in third place. Even when the lead guitar opens the song with a solo or riff.......

My practice setup is:

[b]Pignose[/b] for six string guitar. No effects or gimmicks, played clean it shows up your shortcomings on string bends, dodgy chords etc. If you sound good through a Pignose you are 'there'

[b]Blackstar Fly Bass[/b] for bass. Like the Pignose it it an incredibly simple and very small amplifier that is ideal for use when jamming along to music on your hi-fi system. Loud enough without being a family irritant.

If used within the volume limitations, these little amps are simply perfect for home use.

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1489050911' post='3253928']

Is it just me or is this a problem in studio mixes as well? I don't know if some engineers are still trying to work an addiction to gated reverb out of their system, or something, but the drums on some modern albums seem to be brought up in the mix to the point that they're almost killing the groove. Not just on rock records, where there still seems to be a fetish for triggered samples rather than actual drum sounds - the drums on a lot of modern blues albums seem to be mixed far too high. I know a lot of blues guitarists are trying to ape Stevie Ray Vaughan still, but did nobody point out that if you look past his guitar playing, the mix of the rhythm section on some of his albums is dire?

On the other hand, I'm listening to a recent Nick Cave album this morning, where the drums have a much more modest space in the mix, but have not lost any of the drive or punch. The whole ensemble is much more pleasing on the ear.
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Good points, well made. Perhaps the reason is to try to sound good or impressive through earbuds rather than normal hi-fi (even basic level) systems. Then compress the file further and you need 'something' to keep the listeners attention so make the drums louder. No excuse in a live performance though.

I pressed something on the LH Menu and it now shows all New Content. It works so thanks guys..

Up to recently the View New Content button did exactly that - showed new content. It was likely something I did but now it shows nothing and tells me that there is nothing to show. Anyone have any suggestions as to how to fix this problem? Thanks.

My Aria bass has standard sized strap buttons fitted. A heavy strap is held on, barely, by Fender rubber retainers, so I need one large strap button (chrome). Anyone know of a supplier? Thanks

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1487776170' post='3242740']
Like it or not, image is a large part of what we do and that includes how the instrument we turn up with is perceived by the audience and the band leader. For that reason I now own a couple of fenders again.

Having said that, I would have thought that the attitude would have worked in a prog band but then what do I know...
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I disagree. The majority of punters don't know that there is a difference between bass and lead guitars, let alone the different makes and types of instruments. Looking confident and in control will get you through...

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1487592355' post='3240936']



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Thumb over the top would be interesting!

Does that price include the jar?

Apologies if this subject has been covered many times before but it is a problem for me. My practice setup is a Blackstar Fly Bass amp, bass strings are circa six months old (round wounds). My bass is an active Aria STB, not the last word in basses but good enough for my requirements. Finger noise can be excessive, clicks and buzzes that type of noise. I don't gig but I do play with friends every fortnight. On these outings I use my MB Minimark, this noise is less of a problem at volume but can rear its head now and then. Would flat wound strings help? I like a traditional bass sound, no FX or pyrotechnics. Straight down the middle bass playing, Root, Fifth & Seventh plus linking runs. I am working on string damping but still these annoying buzzes happen. Would flats be the answer and what gauge is best for the sound I am looking for. Flats (Chromes) in Ireland are around €40 a set so it could get expensive if I were to get this critical element wrong. Thanks

Another instrument I struggle with is slide guitar. Tune it to open G. Check. Major chords. Check. Nothing else seems to work or sound kinda right, like I know what I am doing. And I have a lap slide instrument. As for trying it on an ordinary guitar......

My take on practicing is that the old truism "Practice makes Perfect" does not apply. Rather it is that "Practice makes Permanent" or words to that effect. So unless what you practice is 'right', then you are practicing mistakes.

I play six string and have recently taken up bass. And I play golf. I absolutely hate practicing golf shots. I consider myself a half decent putter so I never practice any putts. My disability restricts my driving to seven woods or shorter clubs. I don't practice those either, no need as they work fine. The only golf practice I take, usually once every April, is a session with my short irons. Shots from 60 metres or less to the green. For me these are the crucial shots, I play to reach that area near the green [60 metres to 30 metres distant] so it helps if I can hit the green from that range.

So to take that strategy to a guitar or bass: [b]you need to practice what you need.[/b] This entails looking at what you play and where you fall down. There is no need to practice slap if the music you play is Country or Blues so be honest and realistic in deciding what you need to work on. Unless you are a professional musician, music is a hobby so treat it as so.

Another often neglected learning tool is listening to music. Music that is more varied and diverse than what you play or need to play. Learning how to listen is the key. Rather than listening to the bass or the lead guitar, I find it more beneficial to listen to how everything holds together. Identify what ties the music strands, listen for the space that the backing vocals fill. Decent quality headphones are an asset for this as is using high bitrate files or CDs. I hear subtleties on Christy Moore recordings, also Mick Hanly, through headphones that are totally obscured when using conventional hi-fi speakers or in-ear buds. This kind of listening is not to get excited by the music but rather to hear what is going on in the recording.

Sorry about the rambling post but this is the way I think. Hope this helps and good luck with your practice my friend.

Anyone got a link for OBMM. Thanks

Thanks Ambient for posting the music. I did not notice the chords listing. Exactly what I needed.