risingson

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1368450897' post='2077179'] Also... I really like the Hofner violin basses. I don't think they play well... they aren't exactly the best made basses... but would would I like to have one? Hell yeah. [/quote] That's because they sound and record amazingly well whilst managing to remain utterly impractical, especially if you're not a pick player. Only played a few Spectors before and they don't do it for me, I don't like the looks or sound of them for the most part. People's opinions will differ eh!

Get the Kingbass if that's what you feel like you want. I think by the sounds of things you're wasting an incredible amount of money chasing rainbows, but it's not my money.

As Paul said. It's just moved, much better now too.

Keep your new Stingray, it looks - and indeed is from a style perspective - exactly 1,000,000 times cooler.

It's what amazed me when I picked an NYC 5'er off of the rack in the shop, so light and manageable. What a wonderful instrument, I bet you're well chuffed!

[quote name='bob_pickard' timestamp='1368191738' post='2074300'] I usually take the "if it works and it doesn't hurt then who gives a sh*t approach" [/quote] I think there are plenty of bass players throughout history that will practice unorthodox technique but it depends what your aims are as a bass player, if you're looking for injury limitation then good technique is everything and should be practiced. It would be a shame to have your bass playing days cut short by CT syndrome.

I think I understand what you're talking about. I've just picked up my bass to play that Hysteria passage and it is kind of unorthodox fretting wise. What you're describing isn't really 'correct' technique and I would work on developing your left hand dexterity by grabbing a metronome, taking it down in tempo and practicing it slow with better technique and taking it up slowly until you're more comfortable with the part. The problem with fretting with any other part of your index finger other than the tip or the pad is that your playing will become uneconomical and you risk placing too much strain on your hand and wrist when you spread out the necessary pressure of the note you're needing to fret. Barring isn't particularly practical and is probably a bad habit to pick up, especially if you happen to wear your strap low. Some things to note a.) Chris Wolstenholme has tremendous stamina and b.) he wears his bass on the floor at the best of times so I can't imagine his technique to be all that better for it. I'd say get your left hand stuff together by practicing at a reduced speed. A metronome will help.

Isn't Koa quite difficult to get hold of now? I remember reading somewhere it's now quite highly protected, going the same way as brazilian rosewood.

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1368186230' post='2074180'] I can never get my head round the CS's thinking at times, the bass looks great btw, but why 3-tone sunburst?, at least do it over 2-tone, so it looks like its been refinished over an original finish, not refinished over a refinish? Just wrong, they are running out of idea's clearly. Fender used to carry out Custom Colours over stock of sunbursts, when the need arose, but 3-tone......in '55.....really? [/quote] I agree. There's a huge lack of imagination at the CS, it's boring boring stuff and if they're going to reissue stuff then at least get period finishes right instead of it being yet another one of Fender's anachronisms.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1368189272' post='2074246'] +1 on this . A decent used USA - made bass like an EBMM 'Ray or an Am. St. Fender bought for sensible money will be a pro - quality bass that you can always get all or most of your cash back out of if you look after it . [/quote] +2 on this one, but get his dad to say it's only on the condition that he gets a band together and does his first gig somewhere. Added incentives!

Looks so unbelievably cool and I want one!

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1368141249' post='2073849'] Amazing how people can hear things differently. [/quote] Music would be incredibly boring if we didn't.

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Not a Maiden fan so I'm kind of indifferent to the second one (I can tell it's been ruined though), and the first one is really bad. The bass struggles to keep any time, let alone feel and is devoid of taste. Finally the 5/4 thing repulsed me. Not nice sounding, it's more like someone's attempt at being clever. [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Brutal honesty, but yer did ask![/font][/color]

Most people who struggle with open notes or purposefully avoid using open notes will have muting issues, something you won't struggle with when fretting because you can simply rely on your fretting hand to do all the muting. You can still mute open strings with your fretting hand but it can often be less effective than developing a decent means of fretting with your right hand. It takes work, Jamerson was excellent at using open strings (whether they were tonal or atonal) as stepping stones in order to get to places, typically playing 'through' an open string and landing on the one below as you often see upright bass players do. This makes a lot of sense as it was his background before he came to electric bass. You should be able to string passages and scales together with the option of using both fretted and unfretted notes depending on what the situation calls for. Practice out of F major as a means of getting this together to begin with, you have easy access to your major 3rd, major 6rd and your 9th on the A, D and G strings respectively.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1368098442' post='2073101'] Although I do have a bit of a soft spot for their caramel wafer things... [/quote] Aldi, dirt cheap stoopwafels, cup of Tesco gold coffee at home, job done. You'll be paying less money than Starbucks and getting a significantly better cup of coffee! Back to arguing about tax in a thread about strings.

I really like the Xotics too, great instruments.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1368034522' post='2072366'] Looks great... would have a P-bass neck rather than a J [/quote] I would have had a P pup as opposed to the neck J, but that's just me. The factory was eye opening when I visited. Nice guys, the fit and finish of the basses were unreal, the showroom was cool too. Tried every bass they had there.

Sadowsky's are nice, if you like Sadowskys. I've now gone slightly gone off them personally after wanting one for years, however the Will Lee model is really superb. That mid boost is a welcome addition to their already classic preamp. Then you've got Nordy, Xotic, Alleva Coppolo, maybe a second hand Celinder, Sei and Overwater over this side of the pond. Another left field option are Pensa NYC. I got totally blown away by a 5 string model I tried last month. Their preamp is great, 2-band EQ, nicely voiced with your standard push/pull active/passive and a really handy push/pull humbucking option that gives a really thick sound that adds a whole new dimension to the super J thing. So good in fact that I now badly want one. Currently that would be my choice.

[quote name='chardbass' timestamp='1368016236' post='2072043'] Not even that close to Prince to be fair but what he is doing is bringing performance and entertainment back to live shows- choreographed band routines etc which is a nod to Prince and his side projects and through Prince, James Brown. [/quote] Agreed on that one, that's really what I like about him as well. For us musicians it's at least a bit interesting to see him playing with a great band. I think people might be getting ahead of themselves with comparing him to Jackson though, that guy was an institution in almost all respects. Quincy Jones too.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1367953520' post='2071568'] I don't think he's that far off being a modern day MJ. [/quote] He comes way off the scale of MJ, it's not even comparable.

[quote name='daveparker123' timestamp='1367952304' post='2071541'] [url="http://www.guitarmagazine.co.uk/features/the-only-way-is-essex-the-ashdown-story/"]http://www.guitarmag...-ashdown-story/[/url] Says here they don't pay out for artist endorsements. [/quote] They might not pay artists to use their heads but I doubt it will stop them giving stuff away for free.

I like him for the most part, I think he writes a good song, although I'd wholeheartedly agree that his lyrics are sh*te - but then they've got to be, it's top 40 material so who can blame him. I don't like the fact that he's getting marketed as this new Prince/Michael Jackson-type figure though, because that he ain't.

[quote name='daveparker123' timestamp='1367951537' post='2071521'] Thanks for constructive feedback people. As far as I'm aware though, Ashdown don't offer artist endorsements. [/quote] They definitely do. They're the kind of brand that thrive on having big name endorsements, it's good business practice and nothing to be scoffed at at all either.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1367947787' post='2071459'] Always plenty of Orange bashers, and it doesn't bother me. [/quote] Fender too. And people weren't all too happy about finding out about the reality behind TC's wattage ratings and bashed them. Hasn't stopped me using either because I just don't care. It's easier not getting offended than getting offended I always think!