highwayman

I'm keen to have a try of some fat plectrums, but before shelling out I thought I'd see what my fellow BCers recommend? The ones with indentations in them look appealing, and I like a point - along the lines of my current choice, the dark pink Dunlop .96 mm. Suggestions please?

I don't mind not having an arm contour - maybe playing a plectrum makes it less of an issue for me than if I played finger-style? I don't have a belly so maybe I'm not missing the back contour either! Does the slab body 'sound' better due to the extra timber?

Anybody playing bass with a thumbpick? I like the idea of #1: not dropping a plectrum #2: a plectrum not becoming slippery with sweat & #3: being able to mix in some finger playing during a song. I bought a Dunlop ultex one but couldn't get on with it as I found it too pointy - it would snag the strings on an upstroke; trying to trim it to a more rounded profile using nail clippers, predictably, provided no solution! Which ones work for you?

"stand up and play it and find out..." I don't have a contoured 'Ray to compare it with...

I'm absolutely delighted with my "new" Classic string-through Stingray 4 but am wondering how it compares when playing stood up with the contoured 'Ray?

Further great replies thanks - as a beginner bassist I now feel happy to continue down the plectrum route (which suits me), but to give fingers a try too & see how I find it - with no pressure. I'll also be checking out Bobby Vega!

ahpook: "I've never come across it except in Internet forums" - being a new bassist that's the only place I've heard it too, but on BC & elsewhere when plectrums are mentioned there's a fair amount of snobbery - do a search yourselves if in doubt - though happily not from the respondents to this thread.

My plectrum preference is a Dunlop .96mm - sort of a magenta shade.

Cool answers - love the cartoon too. I do intend to learn how to play with fingers - btw one of my favourite guitarists, Richie Kotzen, plays only that way these days - so it's a two way street... Personally I find that the using the plectrum lends a certain "attack" to my bass, though do I favour playing riffs & licks over conventional basslines.

I've been playing bass for a couple of months now & am really enjoying it; I have a decent selection of songs to practice thanks to my fine tutor & am getting to grips with the neck layout & theory. I've found that the bass riffs that I want to learn sound great when played with a plectrum, and coming from the guitar it feels natural - so why is there (not necessarily from the fine members of BC) so much snobbery about using them?

Thanks fellas - nickel or stainless strings? I play (so far) with a pick, post punk & 'hair' metal...

[URL=http://s511.photobucket.com/user/rockstarczar/media/DSCF1741_zpssn6shjus.jpg.html][IMG]http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s359/rockstarczar/DSCF1741_zpssn6shjus.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Please can someone advise me as to the purpose of the adjustable pads on the bridge of my Stingray? Also, being relatively new to playing, I'm wondering what scale of strings to buy for this as it has a string through bridge?

Thanks Bilbo - the piano would look odd if the keys were alternate all the way across... Just to give you an idea of how far I've come in just a few weeks: I was put off about asking my tutor to show me songs with alternate tuning as I was worried that I'd get 'lost' whilst adjusting the machine-heads at home - now I'm happily going from E to C# and A to F# as I have some knowledge of where they exist in relation to one another. Elementary stuff but I'm still pleased.

My first bass - 2EQ 'Ray on a Heavy Leather NYC strap: I love this instrument!

Thanks for the app tip - just bought it!

Thanks for that Joe! As I said to my tutor yesterday, the fact that I'm even asking these questions now means that I'm trying to get my head around music theory - six weeks ago I just wanted to be shown some cool bass-lines.

Thanks for the helpful replies everyone. Ariane, thank you for the link - I've just watched it & shall be putting the exercises to practice. I really think one aspect of learning is to appreciate that if we were where we wanted to be then the journey would be without value; so six weeks in I should accept that some challenging concepts are natural & that it's part of the learning process. One thing Ariane (& with respect to my current teacher) - California has the weather but please consider relocating to Manchester as the lesson commute's a bit far...

Thank you gentlemen, I'm going to raise this with my teacher next week; in fairness I'm happy with the fact that he's empowered me to play along with a song of my choosing within weeks and he's also shown me the arpeggio shape. I guess an hour a week tuition isn't enough to ask all of the questions that might arise - thankfully I have Basschat! Stickman, thanks for the exercise link; that one is for a six string bass, do you have one four four strings please? Can someone answer this please, why are there no B# & E# - their omission makes it harder to learn the sequence?

So I'm about six weeks into my bass journey & I'm enjoying myself; I've had four lessons so far and can play along pretty much to one song that I asked my teacher to show me and bits of two others, I can also do a hammer-on and string muting. So far all of the tracks I've taken to him have been plectrum-specific but I intend to learn a finger-only number next. So far so good, but so I don't just become good at copying what I've been shown, I want to learn/understand the theory of my chosen instrument and this is the bit I'm finding tricky. Starting at the nut I can just about name the frets up until the 12th on each string, but only in order & very slowly - it just seems a mystery! I've bought 'Music Theory for the Bass Player' by Ariane Cap, but I think it's a bit advanced for a complete beginner, though I intend to keep it. I've always been far more 'right brained' than left, with a lifelong well of creativity; while beyond (good) personal accounting, I've always struggled with mathematical concepts - which may explain my need for help in this area. Any suggestions of beautifully simple methods/resources for grasping the basics and advancing please?

Yes it is! You'd have thought that due to me admiring it so long I'd have seen it, thanks. B0579**

My first bass - a stunning 2eq MM Stingray, black with a very attractive maple neck; I bought it from a fellow BCer who bought it nearly new from another BCer who did buy it new in 2015 so I suspect it's no more than two years old at the most. My question is, where's the serial number? It's not on the back of the headstock and nor is it on the neck plate either. I'm sure someone will have the answer...

Update, I'm now in possession of a gorgeous 2eq black Stingray with a stunning maple neck - I love it! Although I think the black pick guard looks superb I've also bought a mirrored one, however I'll wait until I have a degree of competency before I fit it...

Thanks again all - settled on a Roland Cube 20XL bass.

Sorry but I must have clicked "post" twice & repeated this thread - can someone please delete it?

Coming from messing with the guitar (but finding the bass is much more "me"!), I get the impression that Marshall's not much of a player when it comes to the low end? Blackstar too?