Bassfinger

Fenders are alright, no more or less than any other brand to me.  I currently have two on the fleet, but have had several others over the years and finally settled on a couple that I really liked.

Most of the criticism could be aimed at numerous other brands and models, so little point ticking them off here. Suffice to say if you try one and like it then great then get one, you dont then dont.  They're often grestmin their own wsy, but so are countless other models.

Fender - sort out the consistency of your QC. Its a joke that a top line MIA can have more flaws and gaps than some of the better MIMs, and even more unfathomable that the situation can be reversed for the next randomly selected example of each.  Unless you go to a shop and eyeball each instrument individually you never know what you're getting, and in this long distance internet biying age thats a significant ballache. Sort it out!

Ive a bit of a history of cultivating strange facial hair for gigs. Foot long goatee, big droopy gunfighter moustage, and my current near near ZZTop look, but I have been forbidden on pain of divorce to even think about friendly mutton chops.

Just acquired one of these myself, albeit in the slightly-darker-than-surf-green-green.  Just fell in love with the fell of the neck. Bought it in a Thursday, re-strung it in a Friday, gigged it Saturday. Love it.

I wonder what old farts like me who have no mobile phone are expected to do. Take my laptop with me, perhaps?

Dunno about bassists, but read a piece recently about Steve Hackett who got stranded abroad during covid.  He had no gear available so his guitar tech went about bought 3 or 4 Squier strats.

Hackett was apparently blown away with how nicely they played, even more so after a change of electrics, strings and setup.  Mr Guitar Tech offered to remove the Squier logo and replace it with a more socially acceptable one but Hackett had him leave it. "Its nothing to be ashamed of!"

Well, just like me these days!

Amd the obligatory..

And...

Did someone say stickers?

Heres my lookalike.

Although it must be said thqt he has more hair atop his head than I do.

Singerists, eh?

We have a bit of fake drama where I pretend to argue with our singer, then - very carefully- throw my bass at him and tell him to be my guest if he thinks he can do better.  I then belt out House of the Rising Sun to much cheering, adulation , and knicker throwing, while he covers the bass duties.

If a gnarled old rock hound like me can do it then anyone can. It's pretty easy really. As a rule singerists are really nothing special, but most think they are, and truly exceptional ones are a rarity.

25 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

So, you play the tuba..? 

 

...

 

 

I went out with a lass who played the pink oboe.

Early sitrep - not as I expected!  I clearly move in neanderthal circles, as virtually no bandmate I've ever had reads.

For my own part I did (or was made to do) piano lessons at school and after a few years was able to parlay that into guitar lessons in my teens.  My mastery was okish, nothing special, was far from fluent. However, with retirement and more time reacquanting myself with the stuff im not bad at all now.

Cant do tab - just makes me go criss eyed!

A nice easy one this.

8 hours ago, lowdown said:

 

I don't think reading music and sight reading is a rare skill. Plenty of musicians around the world are very capable of understanding the dots.

Although, from what I have read on Basschat over the years, it may well be rare for many Basschat members. And there is nothing wrong with that. 

They probably prefer the Tab route, or, just using their ears.

 

Of course, on the other hand, there are plenty who read and use their ears to a high standard.

 

 

We could have a poll and see. I would contend that among non classical musicians us music readers are in a clear minority.

Edit - what the hell, have started a poll to see. 

Depends on the gig. If there's room to move around a bit ill show off - its difficult for someone my size to be a shrinking violet.

We occasionally act a bit as well.  We have a routine where I have a fake argument with our singer, and and up telling him "if you can do ant better then be my guest" before thrusting my bass at him - he'll then play bass while I screech out House of the Rising Sun.

No me rion of the '54 "transition" model?

Jet Harris was booted ott the Shadows for trying one too many times to play while pithed, and Tony Meehan couldn't  be arsed to get out of bed and turn up for shows and eventually quit before being pushed. 

They then joined forces and had a couple of hits of their own before booze and epic lie-ins became a problem again.

In both instances publishers, managers, random music industry figures, or the Illuminati had nothing to do with it.

55 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

Nice... I like Jazz PJ's here are my Bitsa with Kent Armstrongs and Modded Aria Pro with Entwistles...

The only thing on yours I might change are the Strat Knobs for Jazz... and wire VBT...

Entwistle P pickups sound so sexy, and are so inexpensive, I'm sure they must be illegal in some way. One of the best rock or blues P pickups for any money IMHO.

Ah, I steer clear of jam nights and the like. While I'm a decent enough technical player, and have the rare skill of being able to read music, I have the zero imagination and even less spontaneous creativity skills, so jamming is out for me.

Respect to anyone that can make it up as they go along, and sound good while doing so.

7 hours ago, FinnDave said:

I've been playing bass for about 50 years, always finger style until 2017 when a motorcycle accident meant I couldn't use my right hand fingers properly So, I switched to using a pick. Took a week or two to get used to it, but as Bassfinger says, when I listen to recordings of the same songs played with the same band, I have to check the date to know whether I was using pick or fingers. 

I found the best pick for me was a 3mm Dunlop, absolutely no chance of any flex, so it had the feel of direct contact with the strings that finger style did.

About two years ago, I was fiddling around with one of my basses and realised I was playing fingerstyle, but bending from my knuckle joint instead of the base of my finger as I had previously, until the loss of  tendon ruled that out. I don't think I have played with a plectrum since.

Still can't tell in recordings which I was using, though! 

I mainly bend from my knuckles rather than the joint up at the hand proper. 

I also have the benefit of great big hands so can play comfortably anchored almost all the time, and only need to move my thumb onto E if the song requires extended time up on G.

I do enjoy finger playing and practice it daily. Sadly all the pracrice in the world won't repair nerve damage, so when accuracy matters it's out with the Tortex triangle 1.0 mm.

53 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

I've pretty much always played with a pick, for me it's more of an attack and speed thing. 

 

You can woolly things up and sound more like a finger player easily enough.  Felt picks anyone?  Failing that, adjusting the tone controls post bass; personally I'd just leave everything open on the bass and alter things via the amp or any pre-processing. 

And attck the string with the pick angled so its more the edge stroking the string than the side plucking it.

I play both, but mainly use a pick when live playing as I can't feel all the fingers on my right hand so Im more prone to mistakes playing finger style. 

For all the talk of tone and stuff that folk trot out, I find that when I listen to recordings of my playing I cant tell which method I was using at the time.

On 18/08/2022 at 21:58, Happy Jack said:

 

In 2016, the aircon unit cost £800 plus £200 for necessary bits to install it plus £350 for the actual installation, so £1350 overall plus VAT to take it to £1620.

 

I don't imagine it's got any cheaper since then. This is an aircon rated for a small industrial unit, maybe 1500SF, installed in a space that's well below 500SF, so it's quite deliberate overkill.

 

In six years it has never missed a beat, never misbehaved, and given how much time I've spent in there I'm happy with the decision I made at the time.

 

To the very best of my knowledge, basses and amplification have no need for climate control. The only thing they respond really badly to is rapid change (in temperature or humidity or both), especially if that can lead to condensation. 

 

I, on the other hand, am a far more delicate petal ...

 

Our rhythm guitarist owns his own aircon compamy.

Just before the heatwave hit he installed 2 x Mitsubishi aircon units at Chez Bassfinger for 2 gee.  He pretty much covered his costs and worked for free, which was very generous for 8 hours work

Fear not, I've not forgotten, it's just that its been fearsomely hotmin the workshop this week so haven't done anything further.

But the imminent arrival of the relatively cooler weather will bring some more progress, taking things perilously close to being finished.