itu

OK, now you are stepping to dangerous waters. You say there is good and bad art. A republican are you? 

Harsh start could be global musical styles, where the scales differ from western tempered scale. I suggest you to read this and come back to comment on "good music": 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_temperament 

See, if someone plays you music that has something else than tempered 12 notes in an octave (but instead there would be 15 - 72, and not tempered), it may sound very strange to you, as you haven't lived in such an environment. (When I was a kid, my father gathered many musical styles to his library. As an example I hate Indian music, although more than one billion people listen to it.) 

Musical scales are a learned/agreed thing. In western music even the A has been moving from say 390 Hz to something like 470 Hz. 440 Hz was recommended by a conference in 1834, but this was adopted as a standard no earlier than 1955! Oh yes, check Comma, too. 

I think your understanding of "good" music depends on the environment you have been living in. If your taste does not understand different musical styles, or music from other areas, they may sound "bad" to your ear. It still does not mean the art is "bad" per se. 

Yes, I know there are bad performances available (try F. Foster-Jenkins - Queen of the night). But is the music "bad", then? Yes, I hate B. Springsteen's voice, but after my bandmate sang Born to run, I understood the music behind Bruce's voice. 

One more: Too late for goodbyes (Julian Lennon - Valotte). 

@Grooverjr: Is Schönberg bad music, because I happen to like it or is it bad, because there are lots of others who don't? 

(By the way, I am not so keen on Bach, Pastorius, and Nirvana. But I have played or sang some of their work on gigs.) 

@Basvarken: Can't say I could play those monsters, but they do look kool! 

Just my two cents... That Jack Daniels, as well as the oak necked instruments are the best looking, because the graphics continue through all parts, including neck. I love that yellow black scheme, but how about tinting the neck, too? 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th fret, should they be black or yellow? 

Any Real/Fake book is like that. You choose when to play double tempo, or whatever during playing, or before the session. That's it. I know some songs by heart, but a Fake book library is super helpful. Now, when the books are in PDF format, I can carry thousands of songs with me in just one tablet. Very different that 30-40 years ago, when everything was on paper. My bass bags were filled with paper. And every time some paper was missing. Thanks to you, @Bilbo as well as @ChrisDev and @tomread! Your impeccable work has saved me numerous times. I can also say that MuseScore pages have usually something usable, although the bass is not the most popular instrument there - but for a head start, or chart... 

What would Kinga and Basia do together? A lame Matt Bianco reunion, or something interesting? 

15 hours ago, Rosie C said:

The scientist in me wants to test how much electricity the pencil's graphite core will conduct!  😈

Surprisingly lot. Do not try it to Live. You will be hurt. 

I had pencil that I happened to hold from the end (graphite), and for a reason I do not recall I touched a E27 lamp base. The line was ON (shouldn't have), and Live hit my fingers very painfully. 

When I was youngster doing some electrical work, my master told me that every cable may be Live. If not today, maybe tomorrow. He fell from a ladder, because he didn't follow his own instructions to check every cable. Someone had turned lines active one day without telling others. 

Beware. And love Fluke voltage detectors. 

Two songs:

Friends and strangers 

Rio funk 

I don't like his solo work, but as a sideman he plays the right notes. 

Kool. That would most likely be good for metal, too! Will the wood be seen through the colour? 

How do you tune that smörgåsbord? What's the scale length and string spacing in the bridge? 

Congratulations on a fine bass! 

I am with @Chienmortbb here, because: 

Any cable used in band context will suffer from dust, poor handling, hits, kicks, you name it. A reliable cable looks overkill in the first place, but after a few years you can see that there are cables, and cables. Your choice may be Fender or Ibanez, but definitely not mine. 

Silicone cable, colours, Neutrik, soldered, velcro for coiling and storage, cable case... I am serious about cables: the bands I am playing with are not suffering odd faults. 

That is a very cheap solution, I think Neutrik had similar units. But the signal may be on the low side. I suggest a test, maybe some booster or preamp pedal could help. 

Those big amps and speakers are tough, but a complete Hammond with Leslie is even worse. An ex-friend of mine had such a set during one tour. After that tour I have not spoken to him. And I will never speak again. 

You clean and refinish the bass, change strings, and what? This sounds different! 

If you love your 50 year young serial produced instrument, but it does not look right, what should you do? Grab a RAL-code colour leaflet. If you have a friend working as an AD or similar, ask a rendering of the new design. 

By the way, what's the name of the band? Björn again? 

But it is possible to make a bass from an upright piano! That's possibly the best future for an old acoustic, if the wood is wood, not particleboard. 

Like @BigRedX said, think about the tuning. If the piano was left without it for several years, retuning requires several times and some money. 

Now thank you @tomread for the new set! 

I have to tell you this, as this happened last Friday:

We set up a small band (3 singers, one of them playing piano, a g-word, drums and me) for a summer gig on an island. Two long sets (34 songs in total), and out of nowhere someone said during the soundcheck that we will play Born to be wild on the second set. Yes, I know the song, but... Hey, could it be on Tom's pages? 

With your transcription I played it once in that soundcheck and the second time in the gig. People went crazy. Keep up the good and very legible work! 

18 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Question for everyone:

Is a bass only "properly played" at a gig?

The original question was about gigs, and my answer was about gigs, wasn't it? I don't limit the use of a particular instrument because it is worth something, or not. 

Last weekend I was playing in a small island with my Status MM neck, J body instrument because it was the right bass for the set. I played the same bass at rehearsals, as well as at home and hotel before the gig. This week my tool is the MG Genesis 5 because of the Windmills of your mind that has been arranged to a 5 string. 

If I start fiddling with anything irrelevant over sound, I need to stop gigging. 

I use whichever bass is suitable for the gig. It may be possible a meteor destroys my bass (and me), but every instrument is meant for playing. 

17 hours ago, BlueMoon said:

Is this the guy in Finland?

Yes, he is. I bought mine directly from him. A gentleman who has been working with boats earlier. He knows wood and fibers. 

Start from the hi-Z (high impedance) sound. Then try to achieve the same with the preamp. If you love the hi-Z sound, you can tweak it with lo-Z (low impedance, "active") settings, like adding some more bass, or enhancing mids. 

Play with the settings! Mark King said in one magazine interview that he doesn't know what the adjustments do, he just turns them to the max. (Sure he knows, but the story was fun and a good reminder that do whatever you like.) 

Another reminder: 

If your amp or effects love one (hi-Z) or the other (lo-Z) output, use the one that works better. I have said it many times here that especially fuzz/OD/dist as well as some compressors work in a different way depending on the output impedance of the bass. Use your ears. 

Sometimes speaker outputs have relays, or fuses. Such a device may protect the power amp circuitry, but without schema the only chance is to look inside and try to understand the circuitry. 

I have a Status copy with a bolt-on carbon neck made by him. I modified the bass with Noll electronics. It would be nice to see all creations he has done over the years. 

These products do not seem to be suitable for your hands. If the price is right, you can buy ten instruments to cover holes in the wall.

There are very different customers out there. Although your approach is humble, everyone does not think the same way as you do. Be prepared for similar customers, and raise the price accordingly. Think that you sell service, not instruments, and you may find a functional concept.

Have you been considering some special neck shapes, light weight bodies, or something that would be your trademark?

If I was you, I would learn the offering of few companies. One very good one could be Limelight. I have tried two, and if I was into J and P, the feel and price were very, very good.

https://classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/limelight-custom-gallery/