Bassfinger

I'm no mathematician, but The Shadows were formed in 1958,this year is 2020, and the intervening 62 years is not, erm, 60.

Jaco Pastorious. Just puttin' it out there.

I don't think there's a universally correct answer. In my case with a boisterous dog and an 8 year old, not have a spare room to devote to music, then hanging on the bedroom wall is the best combination of safety and accessibility for me. For those with more or less space then different options might be more suitable.

Even Hannibal Lecter would feel queasy looking at that.

I'd rewire it. If you're not especially technical a fully loaded control plate is cheap enough, and leaves only 3 wires to attach. I prefer the 3 knob setup myself, but one means caviar is another mans big mac.

It wouldn't worry me one iota as an owner, but as a buyer that must surely be worth a few quid off?

Got the old ones off no problem. I'm planning on using a smear of Sikaflex to attach the new ones, simply, because I've got loads of the stuff.

Modernish, punchy, a really solid mid would be nice. Nothing too modern or too clangy, but nothing too subdued and vintage either. Jeez, I'm an awkward cuss! The power of Google reveals neo magnets in exactly the same size as standard ones for less than 6 quid the pair. Not super cheap, bit not bank busting either.

I'm looking to build another bass - I've finally succumbed stuck at home boredom. Anyway, to save the shekels I'm looking to use parts from my box of shite, and that includes the ok looking but feeble performing PB pickup. I've been googling how to pep them up a bit, and it seems that discarding the feeble standard magnets and replacing them with meatier neodymium jobs is an easy and very cheap way of feeding them steroids and beefing up the tone. Anyone done this sort of thing? How did it go?

Well, it gives you something to open your beer bottles I guess.

Well, if a band doesn't pick him up he can make a living as a gurning champion.

Holy Mary Mother of Boris - what's that all about?

When the pubs, clubs and wedding venues open again. That's that's only sensible answer I can give. Were not practicing together or even online at the moment, but the band hasn't been together long anyway and we're all competent musicians and it didn't take us long to gel in the first place, and will take even less time to get the groove back. We ain't the London Philharmonic, so the lack of group practice doesn't seem liable to hurt us.

Played these today, about 45 minutes worth as it happens... Doctor doctor - UFO Sunshine of your love - Cream Roll over lay down - Status Quo Hold the line - Toto Just what I needed - the cars Burn the witch - QOTSA Love is the drug- Roxy Music Come on home - Franz Ferdinand Damage Case - Motorhead My Sharona - The Knack While my guitar gently weeps - George Harrison, Clapton, and a couple of random losers. That's where I'm at. No interest in trying to be the next Jaco, just want to be a competent and accomplished bassist playing rock choons.

Oh, and meant to mention, I'm another Tortex Triangle man. I recall watching a programme with Brian May and he's very much of your school of thought. He uses a coin (a shilling?) as a pick, and the same as you he likes all the flexibility to be in the way he holds it.

Well, indeed. What works well for me might make Mark King turn pale with shock, but that's my personal preference. In my defence, I can cite many examples where a just a little flexibility helps the operator feel what is going on, from car tyre sidewalls through to the soles of running shoes.

1mm seems ideal for me. Stiff enough to be able to attack the strings hard, but just enough flexibility to give me some feel. That's my two penneth. I use 100's BTW.

Apple stuff is really great, eh...? Plugged it into my none to flashy work Android tough tablet it worked first go.

I'm a big fan of Entiwstle pickups. Shows what a fosters take certain big name manufacturers do with their pricing when Entwistle can knock out such brilliant performers so cheaply. I love their ceramic jobs, suits my rock style but still warm and smooth enough to turn their hand to more subtle work.

A good friend of mine knew Tremvor well and took me took meet him on the island. Nice chap, but he made a sheet cup of tea.

I chose his version of Charles Aznavour's 'She' to walk the current Mrs Bassfinger up the aisle, but only because I couldn't remember where I'd put my Tenacuous D CD with 'F*** Her gently" on it.

I an ad is overpriced I leave them to it, and go and buy elsewhere. Wheres thenprofit or benefit to me of emailing them?

No inspiration here. A guitairst of 40 years standing, I broke my elbow badly, suffered nerve damage, lost feeling in 2 fingers and partial loss of feeling in my thumb. I can still play, but not at the level I used to. Switched to bass on the basis that it's a third less real estate to cover with a set of digits that don't work as they should, and I do manage better. As a guitarist and music reader (although not the worlds best reader by any stretch) the change was relatively painless, and I do imdeed manage better on 4 stings than 6 - the disability is less of an impediment. This has enthused me again, and over the last year I've thrown myself back into practice with gusto. I still play guitar a little, but I'm simply physically more capable on the bass so that's when most of my interest and practice lies now.

The only answer to your woes is practice, practice, practice - hours under your belt is what it takes. With time, experience and muscle memory your pick will find the strings every time. There are no shortcuts. Good news is that once you're adept the pick is a very versatile medium and can be gentle or hard, flat or oblique, direct or stroked, and can give a much wider palette than fingers alone, so even if you mainly use fingers it's still worth mastering. You may also need to experiment to find a pick that suits your hands, style and tastes. I'm a Dunlop Tortex Triangle 1.0 man myself - ideal for my bag hands so can get a secure grip, and just enough give that it bestows some additional feel and feedback, but stiff enough for a good, solid attack.

I'm self banned from Facebook, never having bothered to join it in first place. Give me a week and I might work myself up enough to be not at all bothered about what I'm supposedly missing.