Burns-bass

BGH stencilled on the top stands for Bristol Ghost Hunters. I only checked Facebook to see that Epiphone Thunderbird but now I’m intrigued. Might get them round here to explain why half a packet of Cheddars disappeared yesterday.

David is (I understand) an incredibly respected educator. The downloaded stuff just makes sense and I watched a few videos online and they can actually be fun, too. I’d to hear your recommendations for other resources that would be useful.

I have now downloaded the book and it’s excellent. Would recommend.

I went from the HD350 to the Reidmar and I love it. 60-80 gigs a year and it never misses a beat.

I get this. One of the UKs biggest retailers makes us wait 90 days. But I pay our freelancers after 7. I have to absorb the cost but it’s worth it to keep good people around.

Nothing wrong with that. I’ve done that on outdoor gigs.

I think this expensive gear helps, but only up to a point. I've been to several vintage guitar shops and heard people trying out expensive gear and they sound dreadful. Why? Becuase they're stupid (or deluded) enough to think that an expensive instrument will make them sound good. What it will do is help you to sound as good as you can (with your current technique) but an expensive bass won't make you a better player. Only practice and experience can do that. This is the same with any hobby or interest. I went to buy a new bike and my friend who works in the shop politely told me that no new bike would have as much of an impact as losing 2kg of weight and riding the bike I had every day. The point was made politely and it's 100% true.

Epiphone Jack Cassidy bass I found is (pound for pound) the best. Made exceptionally well, look amazing and sound incredible.

This one has probably gone to one of the bedroom dealers. There’s a guy called String Theory Guitars who makes his living buying cheap from marketplaces then selling in his shop. Hardly a sustainable business model (or a particularly good one) but all power to him on these times.

No I didn’t buy it. It was just marked as sold and he never responded. I’ve had one of these before and it wasn’t something I enjoyed playing so I’m not too worried. Hope whoever bought it loves it!

I’m no puritan about this, but I guess for me constantly looking at the neck would hurt my neck and arm. I’m guessing classical players might use a line as a way to get the right key at the start of a performance they won’t be checking it as they’re playing (at least I’ve not seen that at any of the classical concerts I’ve been to). In the end, it doesn’t matter really. I just think if you’re trying to learn from scratch it’s best to have a crack at the orthodox approach.

Another exercise I was given (which has helped) is to play a drone of a note (A for example) and then try and locate all of the A notes you can in different positions. You can extend the exercise by swapping fingers. So play A on the E string with your first finger, then swap to the second and finally the fourth. . I've not used (or bought) the book below, but someone I trust has recommended it and I will be downloading today and will provide feedback. https://shop.doublebasshq.com/products/dailyexercises?pr_prod_strat=use_description&pr_rec_id=10c70b90c&pr_rec_pid=6968959107116&pr_ref_pid=6971186806828&pr_seq=uniform&_gl=1*nku7be*_ga*MTA3MDc2OTk4Mi4xNzM0MjkzMzc3*_ga_FSRR7ZM0PK*MTczNDI5MzM3Ni4xLjEuMTczNDI5MzQ4MC40MS4wLjA.

Have messaged. Just up the road from me.

I’d go: First finger (C) First finger (D) Fourth finger (E) Fourth finger (D) first finger (C) Some great players on here, see what they say!

People always try and find shortcuts but the easiest thing is simply to play a little bit every single day. I found doing ii V I exercises every day along with arpeggios and scales means I can hit the right note more often than not. We’re talking 10 minutes or less a day of proper practice.

This is a good point. I’d never buy a bass sight-unseen from someone who isn’t a player themselves as they really don’t know what they have or are selling.

This was 18 months ago. To be fair, the market does seem to have gone bonkers recently but these were always poorly made and heavy. Plus they’re not really played by anyone famous which limits value to some degree.

I was offered on for £1500. They’re not particularly desirable.

I have literally taken delivery of an 801 today and I’d thoroughly recommend it. Appreciate all the @jrixn1 help and advice narrowing the choices down.

Agreed. Despite being active in the buying and selling forums I’ve only used the same 2 basses for gigs over the last 5 years - one I’ve owned for 25 years. What’s more important than cost is the time you spend getting to know your instrument I reckon. It has taken me 4 months to finally get a sound I like from my new double bass, for example.