Bassfinger

On 01/03/2023 at 22:15, Duroc17 said:

Been sat playing mine all evening- just feels great - I keep looking for faults but just finding more tone - the mids are like a P on steroids 

Our rhythm guitarist uses mine to cover bass duties for Losing My Religion while I play mando and he is amazed by how nice it feels in the hands. A very tactile playing experience.  

It is a Fender killer in the sense that the P5 is around £400 (mine was £370 from Andertons because the box was damaged so could not be sold as 'new' despite the instrument being u marked) and the Player series starts at £759 and does not feel or sound any nicer, although the Player series just edges the Sire for finish although it's a close run thing. 

Even Squire Classic Vibes, of which I am a big fan and own two, don't quite match the Sire for feel or sound and theyre starting to creep well beyong £400 for many versions now. Sire have managed for find a sweet spot for price/sound/finish that seems difficult to match.

I hope the thieves drop it on their toe, get gangrene and have to have a leg amputated. Light fingered toe rags.

Last night went well. Was a private gig, 40th birthday party for o e of Mrs Bassfinger's closest friends so the band agreed mates rates for her, and then I played for free.

Good crowd, venue were most helpful which isn't always the case.

I did my mando turn for Losing my Religion and our rhythmist covered bass for that and I sang for our hard rock version of Common People, which went down well.

Only issue was I forgot my IEMs. I nearly went home to get them but decided to just man up and used the floor monitors. Wish I hadn't as my ears are ringing this morning, not good. Won't be doing that again!

And HB's usually sound fantastic too.

Is that a Wilkinson bridge as well?

Edit- its a Sung Il WB401CR, so made by the people that make the Wilkinson bridges even if it may not be badged as such. Nice.

I've a P5 and love it. The mid range punch is brilliant, making it an excellent live tool.

I just don't like them.  I also don't like McDonalds, Coca Cola, or Kit Kats either.

Taste is a peculiar thing.

Can't say I'm an enormous flea fan, being unfortunate as I am to have to play some of his basslines live, but he is a man of the bass so I shall certainly listen in with interest.

Well, and least I got to swear at them before the banned me.

The transition P bass looks like they copied Squier.

2 x basses, main and backup (backup is easier than fitting strings in the dark on stage).

Holdall containing pedal board, 2 x power supplies, extension lead (everything PAT tested), leads,  mic, mic stand, in ear wireless monitor, picks, MU liability insurance certificate, SKOL bar towel, couple bottles of San Pellegrino, multi tool.

Thanks Lefty, that's much appreciated. I spent a lot of time looking at real old basses and guitars to see the pattern of genuine wear and damage. 

I'm going to build another to sell. A bit of a self financing hobby rather than a genuine side hustle. Just getting the bits slowly together.

Some of you will have seen this one I made recently...

Currently assembling the parts to build number 2.

It is real, read an interview with him recently where he discussed this, although some people would merrily pay 5 large to keep him away.

I managed to learn it for free using good old practice and persistence. Silly me.

Planning mine live for the first time next week, and then again the week after. Losing My Religion and Maggie May respectively, so nothing too challenging, although the little widdly fills on LMR took a bit of practive with my big P bass ready hands . I'm quite looking forward to it.

How tall is Mrs DylanB, how old are the sprogs?  If Mrs DB isn't super tall and the kids aren't 17 year old England Junior rugbyists, then get the passenger seat as far forward as you can and strap the bass in its gig bag vertically to the rear of the seat.

And it's so much kinder to your back!

I have a couple of basses I favour for live indoor work to avoided the sweaty hand grabbing problem with the neck, never noticed any difference between strings personally.  I have an old Skol bar towel, doubtless highly collectable now, that I keep for wiping my hands of even the neck occasionally between songs.

On 21/02/2023 at 17:58, TheGreek said:

Aren't we all geniuses with hindsight?

Sadly I don't even manage it in hindsight! 🤣

I know its hardware and not software, but I'm a huge fan of the olde Tascam GB10 which allows music to be slowed while maintaining original pitch. Its all simple button presses to operate, no in depth menus. 

I do about 2/3 of my learning from sheet music, but where it can't be easily sourced or is of questionable accuracy (which seems to be increasingly frequent) I use the GB10 and do it by ear.  It's very handy, sometimes I'll play a track at half speed, wedge on the headphones, and listen while I'm doing chores like doing the washing up or vacuuming the house.

1 hour ago, Boodang said:

Optimum design features are why for me, BGs are not just a lump of wood. 

PS if your Sire feels great but is not the best sounding have you considered replacing the pups/preamp? That way it would be perfect.

Way ahead of you. One Mr G Butler has supplied some pickups and cured the problem.

9 hours ago, Boodang said:

Sound is not the only issue, there's also playability. My Squier jazz sounds as good as my custom, but my custom is way nicer to play. In that respect it's not just a lump of wood. 

Now if you're perfectly happy with the way your Squier plays, then you have a bargain, but I have to say the compound radius '61 spec'ed neck, smooth set neck joint and contoured body on my custom is a work of art, sublime to play, and as far from a lump of wood as it's possible to get. To call it otherwise would be an insult to the luthier and as good as the Squier CNC machine is at pumping out a very decent mass produced BGs, there's no comparison when it comes to playability. 

In my personal experience, with my skill level, with my particulary physiology, my £400 Sire is the most playable, nicest-feeling-in-the-hands bass I have ever played.  Not the best sounding, although it sounds fantastic out the box.

Playability is as much about design as it is about any other factor.  The best luthier in the world using the most exotic woods, glued together with mermaids tears, using a sub optimum design will not make as playable an instrument as a decent quality mass produced item that does have the optimum design features and touches that the luthier left off.  It's as much about what they put into it as how they put it in.

Sire Marcus Miller V5.

Fantastic feel and tone, lovely quality, bang on budget, 8.8lbs according the the review I was reading recently. Certainly my P5 is none too weighty.

I'm not really into showing off to announce my awesomeness as a bassist. On the odd occasion where I have felt the need to let them know that the bassist is in charge I slap on the overdrive and thump out the little 2 bar break in the middle of the bass solo from Damage Case. Takes about 3 seconds to play but always grabs them by the balls, even the women.

I once dated a large Americano.