chris_b

I play with a light touch and a low-ish action. I stroke the strings. I find it less tiring, gives me and extended dynamics via a better range of plucking techniques and better timing/accuracy. Dig if you want to, but for me playing hard doesn't improve anything.

I had a 3-Pro for years and it was not gutless.

Lakland always recommended not using rechargeable batteries. So I never did.

I first saw Jim Mullen playing with Vinegar Joe in the early 70's. Not my kind of music, but it's good that he's still gigging.

I believe I covered that on the first line.

Tone is like wine. some appreciate fine wine some are happy with plonk. Resonant basses have more tone than non resonant basses, but that won't matter if all you want is thump, or a low rumble, or get your tone from a pedal board. The irritating thing is when guys who aren't interested in, or can't hear, the finer points want to insist that they don't exist.

If a band's not working, from either side, call it a day and move on. I don't own any handbags and I'm never up early enough to see the dawn, so leaving on good terms is all that is left. I get a lot of gigs from guys I played with in previous bands, so doing without the drama is great for my diary.

For some reason I decided, on the first gig after I de-fretted my Framus bass, to wear sunglasses. I was 17, and should have known better! I couldn't see a thing and was far too cool to take them off. That gig was just a succession of out of tune playing and bum notes. Never wore sunglasses on a gig again.

You can't stay focussed for a whole set? I'd sell your bass gear and become a singer.

Your bothering because the Bass Player Code and your sense of professionalism demands that you get it right. It's my experience that only guitarists, keyboard players and singers wing it because they can't be bothered to learn songs. It's only verses and choruses. Three chords with extra chords chucked in at the turn around in the last verse. I love 3 chord songs.

Make use of this great opportunity to practice playing the bass without staring at the neck.

My OCD won't allow me to mix cabs from different manufacturers, but my successful mixes have been a Berg AE112/AE210, AE112/CN212 and a Mesa Boogie 115EV/210EV. I currently pair up Barefaced SC/SM and BB2/SM cabs.

I'd do both. The more you know the easier it gets and the more effective your playing becomes.

Most bass playing is about patterns. If you know your patterns it makes the lines you play easier to create and more effective.

There are some great 6-7lb basses out there, some very effective straps, some great 5lb amps, some really great 20lb cabs and some excellent folding trolleys. If all else fails checkout Mbrace guitar stands or just grab a bar stool.

My SR5 was an early one, IIRC 1989, which had a one piece maple neck/fretboard with unrounded edges. I don't recall whether there was a radius or not, or the neck being fat. Whatever it was, it didn't bother me. The edges of the fretboard finally peed me off and I replaced it with a Lakland. These are all personal opinions which may be relevant or not. I'd find a good used bass and buy it. Audition it for a few months and sell it on if you deicide you can't get on with it. In the past I've bought basses and decided I didn't mind things that I had thought were deal killers.

Get the sleeper. . . .

Apparently this is very popular. . . .

Any more singers on the base?

Why is your current singer leaving?

This was the first song I heard TS singing. . . I think it's still the best thing he's done.

David Bowie used one. It was set up for the set list and one night Bowie started the wrong song, which threw out the prompter, drummers click track and lighting engineer. Queue mad panic in the road crew.