Stub Mandrel

A-strings is my favourite shop, because you buy a new Fender and the 'free online lessons' sticker is in the goody bag, unloved and unwanted.

I've been looking into octave violins and violas (curiosity only my violin playing is not good). Scale length seems to be almost irrelevant. https://www.sonicviolins.co.uk/electric-violin-blog/octave-violins

I bought some cheap PARs from Amazon. Aside from cheap plugs they are great, sound to light, dmx and everything. I ordered two more and they were basically remote control light bulbs. They must have sent the wrong model the first time. I have a few other bits and keep meaning to get a decent Derby. I also bought two tiny USB 'R2D2' lights from Temu for about a fiver each. I got the idea after seeing similar ones at a club. Sat at the back they cover a huge area of ceiling and back wall with gently moving patterns of rgb dots that chase through the combinations. Take 2 minutes to set up and add a lot to gigs in little venues where there's no room for proper lighting.

You are not alone. I can only keep things tidy if they have a place.

I've just been triggered by seeing a six year old bass with a manufacturer's sticker still on the scratchplate 😱

Failed at violin lessons. Chucked out of the choir audition. Found school music lessons grim. Discovered TOTP. Got into ELO and part of that was the realisation that each instrument and voice had a different rhythm and melody. Used to listen to those albums over and over focusing on different parts - so I was aware of bass. I had a 'classical' guitar I fitted bronze strings to... then a Kay 'sg copy' (I still have it) and made a couple of deadly amps from old valve record players. Went to uni and got better - used to vamp chords along to a copy of "The Beatles Compleat" as folks sang along. Got a gorgeous mid-70s Epiphone Jumbo and became moderately competent as a rhythm player on it. My best mate had a Precision that fascinated me - I had to play it whenever I saw it. In the end he leant it to me for a month on the condition I learned one finger per fret. Ended up buying a new Hohner Jazz and getting into a cover band at my second audition. then my brother gave me a B2. Then I got a Maya fretless P, followed by almost accidentally getting a Fender Performer. Two originals bands brought me to 1996 - I lived for music and mountain biking. <over 20 years of non-musicalness due to work but mostly a tough marriage> Towards the end of this I was self-employed and started playing bass to break up the monotony of working on my own - discovered I was good at playing by ear to the radio. Then I started finding my own way again (divorce incoming). Did a weekend warrior event and led to a band, Ialso did some random stuff with a local singer songwriter. Starter buying basses... Then covid... Once vaxed, moved out to look after my dad. As soon as I could, joined two bands. Met my new partner through gigging. One band never gigged so left and started another. Started going to jams and open mics, got confidence and did some depping. Got asked to join two more bands. So now I have too many basses, four bands and I do the odd dep and have an incredibly supportive partner who lives for live music. Yes I'm burning the candle at both ends but I have a lot to catch up on. And it's f£%@ing awesome to rediscover myself.

I was going to say this. I have three relatively inexpensive fivers, one 35" and two 34", two active one passive. My GRBASS at212 and even my little pjb C4* reproduce the low b convincingly, although only the GRBASS is 'thunderous'. *should point out I know the c4 is only reproducing harmonics but it sounds convincing.

That's more likely to be a lack of confidence than skill or ability.

More than a touch of krautrock there.

I've seen a LOT of people do this.

Agreed.

I looked at a website promising 'ten hard basslines'. They were all what I'd call "intermediate", but I think the point of the article was they demanded groove and feel or consistency rather than sheer speed.

I am always astounded by the huge differences in output levels between basses with different pickups. I make a lot of use of gain to get a more consistent edge of overdrive sound, with effects I use compression to achieve the same. I think low output pups are often condemned because people turn up the master volume and get a vanilla sound as a result.

But combined with the glitch in the rout for the lower horn (Fender) and the equal spacing of the scratchplate holes... (j not p)

Binding and blick markers? A J surely?

Regardless of any other considerations a simple graph of bass price versus body timber price makes it clear that the more expensive a timber is, the better its properties as a tonewood.

I've been known to double tap in a 'duet' with the guitarist. I even had someone come up to me afterwards and say how epic it was!

I saw a reddit where multiple fanbois were piling in to say a new Fender Standard obviously has to be far superior quality to a Squier CV at the same price.

Stiff (i.e. not nylon) 0.6mm. Enough to get a good clack but with a bit of givefor comfort. I want the maximum contrast with my fingerstyle sound.

If you get ones that are actually tapered, please share a link.

I should probably do that before it's too late...

Whoops: https://motomusic.co.uk/collections/bass-guitars?filter.v.price.gte=&filter.v.price.lte=&sort_by=price-descending&view=grid

If you have to run up the white flag, Moto Music have some quality reissues and 70s basses for more reasonable price tags. Or do what I did and get a Flea jazz for 90% of the experience for 10% of the price.

Wotch it Skinny... you're perilously close to being outraged by sochal meeja...

As some of you missed it (distracted?) she's selling a course on how to play the guitar: "Original Audio" "I love how you played guitar" "You rocked it" And crap or not, it's other people's music and they aren't being credited.