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52 minutes ago, Sibob said:

Just to be clear, people are complaining at paying around £12 per video lesson with Gary Willis, on top of the the same again (around £11) per month for full access to all the other content in the academy.
I'm not saying you shouldn't complain, affordability and worth is totally subjective to an individual, but I do think it's important to break down the costs as opposed to simply getting angry at larger numbers!

Si

I hear you, and I agree that in the grand scheme of things it’s not expensive. It is however not £12 for a personalised, one-on-one lesson, but for (correct me if I am wrong) a pre-recorded “masterclass”. Nothing wrong with that, but with someone who is quite “niche” like Gary, maybe the £70 or so he charges for a private lesson may be money better spent? And as it would be with him, maybe that would focus the mind to actually get something worthwhile out of it. There are plenty of GW videos about teaching and playing on YT already, and as others have said, his original 90’s video plus the Fingerboard Harmony for Bass book (and his website!) cover much of his approach.

9 hours ago, ped said:

Basses of that calibre hold their value (unlike many custom builds) and if you can afford the price of admission (second hand) you rarely lose money buying and selling them unless you’re in a massive rush. It seems that most people aren’t, but eager to try the next one along when the opportunity arises. Good clean fun if you ask me. 

Not if it’s a Warwick 😁

The important point here is that you can pay up to be a lifetime member, but this course costs a significant amount on top of that subscription fee. I think this highlights the inevitable business model he has to follow. The target audience is small, and so what do you do to generate more income when most of your target audience has likely already signed up as a yearly or lifetime member?

I imagine the site would be good for someone with the time, dedication (and money) to learn everything there is to be had, but  (as Michael League says in one of the free videos), the real lessons to be had are in going out and playing with musicians that are much better than you, and learning how to develop groove and feel. That said, if I wanted to learn to play fretless bass better, Gary would be someone I’d seek lessons with, because his touch, tone and intonation are impeccable.

 Skankdelvar summed it up perfectly with “90% of musicians/bands are numpties”.

It seems to be a sad fact that someone (anyone) can take up an instrument, bang out a few songs and suddenly they’re a subject matter expert on their instrument. They’re really not! In my experience, this level of delusion about ability goes hand in hand with an inability to listen to other band members, both their opinions when talking about the music, and when playing together, and a big dollop of pride and arrogance to boot. Two of the rarest and most prized attributes for a musician are the ability to listen, and to be open to compromise.

I’ve played with musicians who were clearly head and shoulders above me in all departments so I kept quiet and learned (even when they were wrong). I’ve also been in auditions where the band hasn’t got a clue, and they’re tough because there may be just enough reasons to persist with the band, but you just know all of the reasons above will irritate the hell out of you!

When I played professionally, the higher up the job (e.g. recording sessions, touring, theatre pit work), the more likely you’d find less (or even none) of the above. The erosion of this work is why I gave up playing live - I didn’t want to schlep to auditions with all of the above anymore

As to timing/tone - I agree with others that there’s a time, place and way to criticise. Just because someone appears a bit unwilling to listen at audition, doesn’t mean they’ll be like that once you get to know them. Being in a band is teamwork and like a job - if you can’t get on with other people and compromise it isn’t going to work out. Equally if the same applies to a band you are established with, then consider whether it’s time to move on. Life is too short, and all that...

Me too, I’m getting a Virgin spam ad pop up on first browse to Basschat on mobile. No, not down to my browsing tastes!

I think the only crumb of comfort the OP should take is that they admitted they posted it down the wrong chute. That may be enough to get some leverage from them.

Goods sent by a courier can range from no value to very expensive. Couriers have a basic level of cover but this should not be considered to be insurance unless it covers the value of what you are sending. For example, Special Delivery covers up to £500 (I believe) by default; if you send something more expensive than that you can take out enhanced cover. ParcelForce offers £25 standard cover - make of that what you will as to the cate and attention they take with your parcel! Anything above the basic level of cover relies on their goodwill - and I’ve not seen much of that in the transit goods industry.

It’s also far better to buy directly from the courier rather than use an intermediary like Interparcel - your legal contract is with a different company, and not the one who lost your parcel. My experience in this situation is that they just don’t want to know, UNLESS you have taken out cover to the appropriate amount. I ALWAYS insure goods via courier to their full value and won’t post if that level of cover is not available. Think of 3rd party motor insurance - it is basic cover and some think that means you’re “covered”, but if you smash your car up you’re not covered, that’s why fully comp exists. 

Pedulla first for me. That tone would work nicely in most pop and rock and would cut like a knife with a pic. 2nd place to the Stingray (who’d have thought?) and the MTD Super. 

2 hours ago, thebigyin said:

True but this been a Bass Forum i'm pretty sure it would be about his Bass playing but I could be wrong....I don't doubt his talent as a musician I just don't like him or the Beatles, I think there are far better Bassists around but I am very biased 

Define “better”? Or are they (as in the other bass players you mentioned) better because you “can’t stand him or the Beatles”? Would any of them made the Beatles music “better”?

Edit: thought I remember your previous comments! Can’t help but thinking that this makes you a bit unbelievable.

Whether anyone on here considers him to be terrible, or conversely the god of modern pop bass, it makes not one jot of difference. The music is there as is the evolution of bass playing and has been captured for posterity. These “Is [insert player name here] over-rated” threads smack of boredom to me. 

Also based on previous experience I would always buy full insurance for the goods as certain light-fingered staff know when something has basic cover and such items often mysteriously “vanish”!

34 minutes ago, la bam said:

They have quoted a price to you to deliver that parcel and by paying you have agreed to that contract.

If they then don't do what you've paid for in my eyes they are accountable and broken that contract.

This insurance farce is appalling.

It may pay to read what the contract actually says, regardless of what you may think about it. I absolutely agree that they SHOULD accept liability, but it’s a legal contract and depends on wording. It’s transit cover and comes into play if an item is lost, stolen or damaged. The fact that they are saying it’s out of their hands doesn’t bode well; hopefully they’ll do the right thing. 

Its also worth pointing out that the OP paid Interparcel to deliver the goods, not Parcelforce.

If you haven’t added insurance to value of goods then you’ll only get back what the standard cover included. Whether it is entirely their fault or not that is what they will pay out on. Personally I would not send anything with them, but obviously you are where you are. I’d do my best to put pressure on them to cough up as it was their mistake - but I wouldn’t hold out much hope

Setting aside ability (or lack of), the fact is that many musicians believe they’re a great when they’re not, and have an equal amount of arrogance and pride preventing them from seeing the truth. Many players also fail to practice enough to be able execute what they’re trying to play. And if you’re not listening and playing for the music then it’ll sound crap, and one player like this in a band makes for awful music. 

As to needing time to get used to another musician - the better they are (and you are!), the quicker the groove starts working. The best drummer I ever played with was on a recording session - we did one run-through then recorded the whole track in one take - and (imho!) it sounded great. I can clearly remember that it took about 2 minutes to adjust to his playing - and from then on it was just perfect.

I was a pro many moons ago and made a decent living, gigging, touring, doing studio work and teaching. I gave up on a career about 15-odd years ago and now don’t gig, and rarely play. I can easily say I’ve “called it a day” but I still really enjoy playing bass for my own pleasure.

I wouldn’t look at things in such a black-and-white way - I find playing bass a great stress-buster and any playing you do on any instrument makes you a more rounded musician. Keep playing - even if it’s only occasional

I have an early 2000s SR3006e with USA passive Bartolini pickups and the stock varimid eq. This bass sounds fabulous on neck, mixed or bridge. I’ve also owned a good few basses with both Bart pickups and preamp and don’t ever remember them sounding sterile. Funnily enough this is exactly what has put me off Dingwall basses in the past - try as I might I’ve never been able to get on with the tone, and I’ve played an ABZ, AB1, AB2, Z3 and Prima Artist (and the nicest one of the lot was the cheapest ABZ!). Maybe it’s the pickup selector, but I found the basic tone didn’t speak to me at all, flat and uninspiring. I also found that despite the very long B string, although it feels very tight and the sound is very clear, it just doesn’t sound “right” as a package. Maybe I just need to find the right one. YMMV etc...

The OCD in me cannot get past the horizontal grain in the body vs the vertical grain on the headstock 😀

Although they’re not the only company, one of Dingwall’s greatest achievements is to make well-balanced and very light instruments that still sound great. If you step back 20 years or so it was almost unheard-of to find a 5- or 6-string bass weighing less than 4.5-5Kg. I’ve not owned one but played a few, and although I haven’t found one that I liked enough to buy, they sure felt great to wear and play, and if my Ibby SR3006e needs any company, Dingwall would be very close to the top of the list.

How about the fretless Precision Bass. Oxymoron?

Yes, despite ringing Parcelscrap and them confirming that they have a note on my account NOT to leave parcels at the door they still bring it to the door, knock, leave it on the doorstep (in full view of the road) and immediately drive off without even waiting for me to answer. When I check online it says signed for by me. Every other courier - DPD, MyHermes, DHL etc - either hide the parcel out of sight behind the bins, or take it back to the depot. I vote with my feet and never send anything with them, but sometimes don’t have a choice with receiving goods. I’ve also confronted a driver writing the missed delivery card sitting in his van whilst I was watching him from my lounge. “I did knock” says he. “No you didn’t, I watched you pull up and write the card sitting in your van” says I (after getting the parcel!)

It’s pure laziness and a complete lack of consideration for the receipients of their awful service.

A tapered B helps with intonation, clarity and feel - even the fat .135 in the black label set is easy enough to play. I don’t believe tension is the whole story - the mass for each string is different, and a big fat string made of (more of) the same material as a thinner string doesn’t necessarily “feel” like it has less tension, because the extra mass counteracts it - see what happens to the tension when you tune, say, and A string right down to low B - much,much floppier than a B at the same tuning, right?

I agree that if a cheap bass has a great B then it’s likely to be by accident rather than design as a better quality of construction (and better materials and design) seem to affect the quality of the B on all the basses I’ve played.

I’ve used basses with a low B for over 30 years. In that time These have been my observations:

1. Good, defined angle at each end of the string (nut and bridge). Warwick basses always have a super tight B, even with different woods, neck construction etc, and I put it down to the angled headstock and separate bridge/tailpiece. Ensuring a proper bend in the string at both ends helps, too

2. Whilst a neck through bass can give a “big” sound, every bass I’ve played that has a really tight B had a bolt-on neck. I think This was Michael Tobias’ motivation in switching from neck-through to bolt-on at MTD

3. Strings make a huge difference, and a taper-wound B is essential for a tight (and easier to tune and intonate) string

4. A laminated (hardwood) neck seems to create a tighter sound. It’s not always the case, but I’ve never played a single piece maple neck/maple fingerboard bass with a great B.

5. The best B string tends to be on a bass designed with a B string in mind, rather than upscaled 4-string models.

Oh... and I use Warwick Black Label - .135 taperwound B sounds great, and they’re cheap!

I’ve not played the very latest model, apart from briefly in a store, but I don’t rate them. The B is poor compared to most other 5’s, even on the newest one and for me the offset body just doesn’t feel right scaled up. I had a Montego Black deluxe V, bought blind, which looked lovely and that’s about it!  Agreed that the late 90s five tuners in a row are the poorest of the lot. The only convincing Fender V I’ve tried is the Roscoe Beck.

That’s simply hideous.

I’ve never owner a straight 4-string passive P or J - played plenty and liked a couple (one did have to be vintage and over £3K!), but never enough to buy one. I had a couple of jazz 5 deluxe models from different eras and both ended up being deeply disappointing. Personally the body shape and tone of a Precision would be my preference.

I’ve never got on with the jazz bass neck - too narrow and thick, also I find the offset body to be uncomfortable. A precision has always felt right - although I appreciate both models have had a variety of different nut and neck widths. Personally speaking it think I comes down to how long your fingers are from tip to first joint - if you have fairly small hands then a wide precision neck can feel like a real stretch. If however you have longer fingers then a jazz can feel cramped. I agree that tastes change over time - I used to like wide spaced 5- and 6- strings but are now much happier with a narrower bridge spacing and regular nut width (e.g. Ibanez).