crazydancer

On the talc subject, as my hands were just 'clammy/nervous' and not 'rock-star dripping' then it worked well, just a sprinkle and wiped over fingers. Silky dry hands...... If you are going to get rock-star sweaty then I guess you just embrace it and keep everything lubricated. It's the 'sticky' stage between the two that's problematic!

LOL well thanks for all the helpful hints!! The gig went really well, I took a small 'travel size' baby talc and dusted my hands from time to time and that worked well. Also wrapped a 'buff' round my forearm which stopped that sticking to the body. Still buzzing......

LOL I'm thinking the headband might not really be my 'look' but can rock the wristband!! Thanks, that will help to mop the forehead as well if it's warm (which I'm thinking in a small pub this evening it will be VERY warm!!). I'll need the talc too, it's a bit more that my hands get 'sticky' rather than trickly sweat. I think we have some fans coming with the gear tonight too, although mainly for our drummer as she's type 1 diabetic with some other health challenges so our first concern is keeping her cool.

I'll start with the usual 'I'm very much a beginner' disclaimer.... We rehearse in a nice, usually air-conditioned room (although it broke down on Friday .... not good) and have played a handful of gigs. The last time it was very warm, and combined with nerves, I had sweaty hands, which led to 'sticking' on the strings with my plucking hand. That affected the sound, and by the end I'd build up some nice blisters as well. Any suggestions on what might help please? Thanks!

I've used it once for a gig and it was fine, we don't do a lot of gigs and only small ones, we have 1 open air one in June so I'll see how it gets on. The gig we did I still had plenty left in hand, (in fact had to turn down!!) the Rumbles seem to deliver more than their size and wattage would suggest from what I've heard...... For what we do, it seems fine for now.

LOL I think 30W is fine for a guitar amp, he knows nothing about bass amps. I bought a Fender Rumble 100W. Doing a great job so far.

Hi, welcome from another newbie, also 56!! And a recent bass player too.

Thanks! Up until recently I had nothing for comparison!! As I'm only 5'2" and female, I liked the short scale as it's just a bit easier to hold/reach etc. But having played a friends bass and also tried a Mustang (that was one of my forum questions!) I realise the sound could be better. I did look into getting a few modifications done to the Bronco, but not something I could do myself, so think I'll play safe and just try a few out and buy another. The Ashbury is long scale, and so was my friend's bass, and now I'm more used to playing I didn't find it as difficult as I thought I would. That's me with the Bronco in my little profile pic with our drummer.

Hi! I've already posted a few questions and noticed this section, so here's my intro! Still a very basic bass player, really just root note stuff with a few fill-in notes for now but working on pulling in 5ths/octave notes, fretting hand's ok with that but the other hand needs some work! (Happy for recommendations for good Youtube channels to check out for lessons!!) Started playing almost by accident, was doing a bit of backing singing/percussion as part of DAMM (Dorset Amateur Music Makers) just to get involved in music. The other guys had already noticed I'd got a strong sense of rhythm, and when the bass player was absent one week I was given a bass and muddled through some 12-bar blues, and was hooked! Bought a little short scale Fender Squier Bronco, and some of the group members formed a little band 'Morgan the Dog' named after the guitarist's dog. We've done a few small gigs, mostly charity events, and we have a happy little band of 6 of us, we don't have a specific 'style', bit of blues, jazz, 80's stuff, a real mixture. I've just bought my first amp, a Fender Rumble 100, and now looking at a new bass as I've played a few others now. I've also got an Ashbury semi-acoustic as a 'freebie' that a friend bought as unplayable from a charity shop, and I had a tech set it up for £10. You guys all seem way more advanced in your playing and technical knowledge, I've been reading posts here and don't even know what half the stuff is about!! But I'm happy to learn, I love my band time and the friends I've made through music. Thanks for all the advice I've had so far!

We're a really relaxed 'just for fun and charity' band, cover stuff, our style is just whatever we like doing! Female singer does a nice line in stuff like Summertime, Ain't No Sunshine, Landslide.... she shares singing duties with a sax player so of course we do Baker Street, and he sings stuff like Heroes, Come up and see me (make me smile) Sultans of Swing, Friday I'm in Love..... We try and include slightly less obvious things, Crawling up a Hill, (more like Katie Melua version) Stripes (Brandy Clark) Feels Like Rain (John Hyatt) Overkill (men at work).

Just an update to this post - I bought a Fender Rumble, only 100w but really portable. The band liked the sound in the rehearsal room, and the final test was at the weekend when we had a gig. Typical set up for us, birthday party, and I was really happy with it, plenty enough power to be honest. I can see it would have limitations if we were a rock band in a bigger venue, but for what I need it for, it's perfect.

Great question - and interesting answer!!!

Will, thanks so much, that's such a kind offer!!! Unfortunately I'm in Dorset, right on the south coast...... having said that, I do from time to time have to visit customers for work, so it's not out of the question that I might be your way but nothing booked for the next month or so. That sounds like a fabulous collection of short scales. Thanks for the info on the strings too, that's not something I'd looked into, I still have the original stings on mine and having received info on this thread earlier I had done a bit of reading on the subject.

@ikay that looks great, can I ask, the name on the headstock says Musicmaster? Did you change that? Or have I missed something? Mine is a Squier Bronco. Making notes on the suggestions for the mods and going to talk to someone about it at the weekend, it's not something I could tackle. Thanks for all the advice!!

LOL that's why a short scale works for me, I'm only 5'2" I'm checking out plan A, mod the Bronco, and if not, go to plan B, buy a Mustang. GAK have one in the colour I like with a gig bag included for £50 less than my local store. I'd prefer to buy local but hey, that's £50 towards a pair of those decent ear plug things, too many Motorhead/Sabbath/AC/DC concerts in my yoof means I've already got buzzy ears.

Thanks! That was interesting reading about the strings, never occurred to me but of course is total sense. So if I was to look at making a few tweaks to the Bronco, that might be an easy solution for now. I can do a bit more research then before I take the plunge and buy a new bass. I'll search other threads on here, I'm guessing I'll find some useful info but if you have anything to suggest tat would be helpful. Cheers!

I'm still playing the little Bronco I bought as a complete beginner to see how I'd get on, and 2 years down the line I'm still playing, and decided I need to upgrade. Shortscale is a must for me, just so much easier. I had a quick try of a Mustang PJ and liked it, and a Gretch (no sure what model but felt heavier than the Mustang) at my local store. I'm not doing anything amazing or challenging, very basic player, and play in a small band but mainly just for fun. Any advice on other shortscales around the same price £500-£600 ish that I should consider before heading down he store and handing over my cash? If I was to pick my ideal colour it would be a duck egg blue, the Mustang they have is Sonic Blue but it's so pale you can hardy tell the difference from the white one! Thanks

Thanks Chris. 😊 Having browsed the site a bit more and found posts by people who seem close to my level, I'm feeling a little less intimidated!! So from memory, I have the gain set around 4 - 5 and volume around 7 - 8. Any more on the gain just seems to give a buzz, and also sets the drum snare resonating. I keep the volume on my bass about at an 8 (if it was calibrated) so I have a bit to turn up quickly for a couple of the tunes that need a bit extra. The 4 dials for bass/mid-low/mid-high/treble I have tended to keep central/neutral, but had a friend drop in last week who cranked the bass right up and we decided that sounded good, and took a bit off the volume in that case. I've been very tentative in the past as I'm very much the inexperienced member in the band and didn't want any errors really standing out. I'm a lot more confident now, so starting to play around with things. Without having people to ask, it is just trial and error!

Guys, thanks so much for the advice! I feel a bit of a fake in here asking questions, I'm such a basic player, and have never bothered to find out anything about kit. I do know the amp in our rehearsal room is a TC head and cab. The local shop has the Fender Rumble, and I know a friend uses that in his rehearsal room. Now you've thrown a few prices in there, then I'd say up to £400 is do-able, if I can get 2nd hand for less then even better. I had ~£300 as an idea, give or take. I can't stress enough though that your idea of a gig, and our reality, are probably worlds apart!! 😂 We'd probably be the only band who'd be asked to turn it up..... having said that, one of our charity gigs will be an open-air, so may need a bit extra in the bag for that.

Thanks Chris - so far, no idea on budget as I don't really know what the cost would be for what I need. Already seems I had duff info from our guitarist who told me 30W would be fine..... believe me, I doubt I will need to sound bigger, we are only doing small gigs in pubs, and generally volume levels are such that you could still have a conversation! ETA: What are the differences between a combo, and a cab and head, in terms of use and performance? Or it just personal preference?

Hi! Just found the forum as I was hoping to find some info on bass amps, but looking through here, there's too much! 😳 Just to set the scene - I'm still very much a beginner in the world of bass playing, started a year or two back with a Fender Squier short scale, have been learning 'on the job' as it were, in a band, just plugging away with root note stuff and now starting to add a bit more in. We have done some local gigs, very low-key, and up until now they just plugged me into the PA. (Which was rubbish) We have a couple of gigs booked this year and I'd really like to have an amp, but I have no idea where to start, I don't know the first thing about amps. I just use the one in our rehersal room, but that's too big. I'm no spring chicken, female and a short-@rse. So I can't lug anything huge around, and we're not a loud band! Are there any key things to look for, I know some amps are aimed at practice rather than performance (and I do have a very old 2nd hand practice amp at home) so is there a minimum wattage you'd recommend, anything else to consider? I'm a bit nervous even posting this as I'm aware this is a really basic question, but would appreciate some gentle pointers in the right direction...... 😊