luckydog

I had a very good experience from Wunjo bass recently. Went in to seek advice and buy some flatwounds. They not only stock but have a helpful opinion on about half a dozen types. Like it should be, and I was happy to buy at pretty reasonable price. OK so they won't get rich from a set of strings, but the helpful and interested attitude is genuine, and as it used to be back in the day. No affiliation ! LD

[quote name='highwayman' timestamp='1470953499' post='3109656'] What should I also be doing -along with the HL books - if I want to progress on my bass journey? [/quote] Most important is have fun: enjoy playing, esp rehearsal and learning ! Focus on timing of notes, where each note starts and stops, and how evenly you can repeat them? Always keep time, tap yer foot, doesn't matter if notes are wrong or missing, don't get behind, or let yourself slow down in places, and don't fix gaffs as you play. Slow the whole song down until you can play it evenly. Keep it simple, make it right. Play with other people. Mess about, break the rules then come back to them ! Enjoy! LD

The one in the OP should work in the vast majority of active guitar circuits. Might have noise problems picked up in the PUs I suppose, but if you check reviews or recommendations it will prob be OK. LD

As to sound quality, I think the majority of public peeps can't separate it from band quality. That is, they like or don't like the overall package. So if the band is actually good, it's worth ensuring a quality PA etc, otherwise at least some peeps still won't like it but you won't know why. If the band isn't good, the PA can't salvage it and some peeps won't like it and you still won't know why. If you think the band is any good, use a quality PA ! LD

The VAT/duty allowance is about £400 anyway, and up to about £650 duty is only a few % plus standard UK VAT. I think you can take off any US tax. Depends on how much the gear is worth you buy, but for me I was always inside the limit anyways - it helps to know what the limits are. I brought home a 70's Fender Champ valve amp hand luggage once, in the days before the world went mad. Lovely recording amp. LD

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1470695085' post='3107800']As others have said, dead air while guitar players go "ding ding dang dang" for a couple of minutes is an atmosphere killer. The answer has to be a mixture of having a spare guitar which is in the alternate tuning (and a cable with a silent switching jack - changeover should take no more than 15-20 seconds with that set up) and considering sensible grouping of songs in alternate tuning. You see bands whose set goes (tuning wise) normal, normal, drop D, normal, drop D, normal, normal, drop D, normal, drop D... with 2 or 3 minutes of "ding ding dang dang" in between each change. For most punters that's immediate "time to go to the bar - or indeed, another bar". [/quote] Well, there is practicing retuning so that it becomes like an Olympic sport - make it quick ? Guitarists should be [i]encouraged[/i] to check tuning throughout a gig, not many rehearse doing it to make it slick though! Same with pedal reconfigs. For string breaks, the rest of the band can have a good well-rehearsed groove thing that is worth listening to, and gets reeled out each time guitarist has some complication ? Thing is to make it strong, and easy to stop once guitarist is ready. It's better than radio silence, and peeps get to know what is going on and recognise it without the band saying anything in the end, seems like part of the act which it is ! LD

[quote name='only4' timestamp='1470595415' post='3106991'] I have a twin humbucker bass, it has a 3 way selector switch, each pickup has a coiltap volume control and a tone control. When the pickups are soloed the sound really nice but once they are both selected the sound isn't that great. I've checked if they are in phase with each other by doing the screwdriver and analogue meter test and can can confirm they are. Has anybody else seen this phenomenon? [/quote] Despite your test, it's still most likely that the phase is reversed in one pickup. Suggest simply rewiring so that the phase of one of them is flipped. That will be definitive, and a good chance it will sort the problem. Perhaps the test isn't right for some reason? LD

[quote name='chickencole' timestamp='1469860617' post='3101520'] Does it matter if an instrument is being offered without a bow? Will the set up be wrong for bowing? Given the fact that he has only just started would it matter? Any advice would be gratefully received. [/quote]Welcome, chickencole ! V sensible questions ! The bow can be almost as individual as the bass, and sometimes pretty expensive, so worth taking advice on the bow separately. Yes, basses can have different strings and setups for bowing, so again worth taking advice and asking those questions over on the upright bass part of the forum, you're bound to get good help. Yes, when learning any instrument I think it always matters that the instrument and setup is capable of feeling and sounding good to play, and should be set up to be physically natural and easy to make good sound. The upside of playing upright bass is that is always cool, and you'll always walk into a band. The downside is always practicality ! It not only opens doors, people open doors for you Go for and welcome again ! LD

Headroom - not sounding loud is all about headroom. Clarity and low distortion means usually go large on power but operate it at average levels well inside its rating. Ironically, clear sound is perceived as less loud, and to get there needs sometimes stupid amounts of headroom. LD

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1470438367' post='3106082'] It's like getting to Carnegie Hall... practice. And practice, and practice. It comes eventually but there ain't no shortcuts. The one thing I still can't do is [i]talk[/i] whilst playing. Sing, yes. Talk? no chance. [/quote] ^ what he says. Also, there's a temptation to think that bvs don't have to be great - but they do ! Like anything in a band you can hear, it has to make the grade. Not just pitch with bvs but sounding good, blended sounds and emotive content. It can take someone objective to tell us I reckon, and I know I can't do it well simply because I can't sing that well - plus enough people tell me ! A big clue is when the band don't ask the soundman for a mic ! So I just mime, saves all that hard practice LD

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1470329605' post='3105215'] Ah, the lie all bands tell deps/newbies [/quote]That's funny ! Along with 'don't worry, we've got the pad', 'all in standard keys' 'as written' 'just follow me' etc etc I stood in live for an Americana band recently, which really isn't my thing, but I thought 'hey, even a chimp could play this' - wrong! It was a good band, but I fell at every hurdle - my heart and instincts couldn't ever be in it and couldn't wait for the gig to end. For me the prime motivator is enjoying the music the band plays, and without that it just doesn't work ! I still shudder thinking about it - did I really do that ? LD LD

End with 'I predict a riot' - it's just rude not to ! LD

I think it's up to the bassist to always demonstrate the obvious contribution that's available. Keyboard bass sounds exactly like keyboard bass, though there are some mighty talented keyboard players who handle it well. Nevertheless, like everything, you can't beat the real thing. There are good guitar/drums duos, but always one ends up thinking about the chromatic contribution a bass could make IME. LD

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1470303781' post='3104863']I have come across..."regularly" serviced. [/quote] Meaning "regularly failed, had to keep getting it fixed". What a cynic I am LD

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1470264173' post='3104692']Take my LM3 as an example - it has quite a few scratches, accumulated over several hundred gigs - [/quote]To me, that is a very positive thing: if someone loved it enough to use it heavily, it must have had something going for it I figure. LD

I'm curious how it might work. If analog, guess it must be FM on a carrier, that at least might work ! LD

Gear does get knocked about but mostly through transportation IME, esp if not flight cased. If it is flight cased, it's yer shins and arms and inside of the car that get knocked about instead ! But transport to/from rehearsals is just as wearing. So unless the gear has never been out of the house................?! LD

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1470220673' post='3104144'] Apparently so. The mixing was a labour of love. [/quote]Yup, must have been a performance in itself. Suppose it always was in the days before automation, but this is something else ! I suppose they must have bounced the outcome onto two tracks before the final mixdown, but even so ! LD

I take that to mean 'had a fault which was repaired', so would enquire as to what was repaired and try to gauge how well any work might have done. LD

Is it true that the special choir was made by recording separate notes on each tape track, each note being many layers of voices singing the same note? Then playing chords on the mixing desk by moving faders. All in the days before fader automation.............?! LD

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1470143139' post='3103547'] Yes, I've often wondered why XLR connectors have not been more popular for guitar leads. [/quote]I think it's because, from the early days, amp inputs were single ended. As we know 99.9% of the time this is fine...... LD

For me looks, as in condition, totally doesn't matter so long as it plays and sounds well. My basses might look like they have been run over by a truck, but I wouldn't swap them out. There are no butt ugly classic basses in reality - those that have stood the test of time I think? Colours, on the other hand.............. but even then playability and sound trump [i]most [/i]colours/paintjobs ! LD

I think it's good that you were initially mostly focussed on material from one era, that's better than spamming the decades IMO. Have you thought of going further and doing the whole of Spiders, or Hunky Dory or Aladdin Sane? They each hang together so well and each makes pretty much a complete set ? LD

Foolish me, but what is wrong with my trusty old cable ? Luddite yoda is......... ! LD

Yup, go for it Aidan ! You've certainly posted helpful and practical advice here. All the best. LD