KahunaNui

6 hours ago, MNY said:

 he could be in his 60’s now I reckon. 

Definitely.  He was older than me, and I turned 59 the week before last.

11 minutes ago, casapete said:

Quite probably! Used to go to Carlsbro in Mansfield when they made the amps in the buildings at the back I think. Bought a few guitars there as well as amps. Great shops and the staff were always good too. Sheffield branch was at the top of a long hill if I remember correctly? Coming from Hull, we got used to doing the music shops in Sheffield, Doncaster, Leeds etc.

Yeah, 720 City Road.  I was the annoying chocolate starfish with long curly hair.

Ok, I love the profanity filter 😁

Sorry, I've got to see what it changes this to...

nasty pasty

1 hour ago, casapete said:

That’s right, it was Sudbury Music! Situated somewhere on London Rd IIRC, funny little double fronted shop. I actually bought a Gibson Firebird initially, but when I told the shop I wasn’t getting on with it they said I could swap it for the Les Paul if I could wait a week or two. After a while I rang them to see what was going on, and they said they now had the Les Paul ( maybe a repossession job?) but it was missing a machine head so had to order a spare from Gibson which at the time meant going via their distributors in Holland I think. I eventually got it though, playing it in a few bands. 

Sounds like you were going in there about the same time I worked at Carlsbro.

@casapete I think Steve bought his first actual Gibson Les Paul from Sudbury music on Heeley Bottom.  I went in with Rick when he went to pay for a pair of Hi Hats that they'd been hassling him to pay for - he paid with a bag of 5p pieces.  We practically got chased out of the shop.

On 07/03/2021 at 08:48, casapete said:

 Couple of years later I got a loan for £400 from the Yorkshire Bank and bought a Gibson Les Paul from a shop in Sheffield. It wasn’t brand new but had been owned briefly by a new up and coming local band, Dep Leppard.

 

I bought Steve's Ibanez Les Paul off him, the one he recorded the Rocks Off EP with. IIRC it cost me £125 - it was just after they got their record deal. 

Like a pillock, I traded it in for a brand new Gibson The Paul. 

Wish I still had both. 

1 hour ago, MNY said:

He was also in Simply Red for a while. Great bass player. 

Yeah, lost touch with him just after that, although I bumped into him a few times later on.  I think I sold him one of the first Steinberger fretless basses.

Aye.

5 hours ago, Doddy said:

As far as I'm concerned, finger exercises to improve your playing is mostly bogus. You don't need that much strength in your hands to fret a note or slap a string, and accuracy really only comes when you've got the instrument in your hands.

I'm sure if you've got hand problems or injuries then doing exercises can and will help with your mobility and dexterity but assuming that you're relatively healthy, I don't think it makes any difference to you're bass playing.

It isn't necessarily strength or accuracy (even that's what I said above).  There are a few guitar exercises which aid finger independence, and others which build muscle memory for certain techniques.  I can't imagine these won't help with any stringed instrument, and even if they don't they certainly can't hurt in moderation.

Shaun said he used to slap his keyring to keep his wrist supple, and help build speed. 

Many years ago, I had a friend called Shaun Ward, who was a mean bassist.  When he didn't have a bass in his hands, I never saw him without a set of car keys with a leather key fob.  He'd hold the keys in his right hand, and rotate his arm & slap his thumb against the key fob as fast as he could.

I've collected a lot of finger exercises for guitar that I can do while I'm at work, but can anyone suggest any for bass?  Either right/left hand/finger strength, slapping accuracy/speed, or anything else.

Sorry for the delay folks, but she's here!  I couldn't be happier.  The most playable bass I've owned, and easily the best sounding.  The closest I've had was an Aria Pro with a through neck back in about '84 (might have been an SB1000).

Anyway...

Motorhead - Sheffield City Hall - 1979

Spent most of the night with my head in a bass bin.  Couldn't hear for days.

13 minutes ago, ezbass said:

 

The @KahunaNui household on Monday...

 

I'm actually having it delivered to work.  Thanks to Covid, I've practically got a 5 storey building to myself.  

Doctor: "My computer doesn't work"

Me: "Switch it off and back on again...bye"

47 minutes ago, naxos10 said:

Don't forget to let us know how you get on with it😁

Absolutely!
 

Sire M2 in Death Metal Black ordered from Andertons for delivery Monday morning.

Thanks for all the advice, and for tolerating my stupid questions and indecision 🙂

1 hour ago, DarkHeart said:

No mention of fan fret 5 string yet or should I give it time? 😂😂

On reflection, that was a stupid idea.

Les Claypool doesn't play a 5 string.

12 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Right you have me completely stumped now! 😂

I just had this insane thought like "hang on, I'm looking at 4 string basses, but I play guitar, so why shouldn't I buy a 5 string...hang on, I'll try and get this lot to get me back on track" 

Now please tell me why I shouldn't buy a 5 string...

Ok, so I've rationalised it like this:

Both have 24 frets, slim necks, humbuckers, and active pickups.

The Ibanez wins on bridge-chunkiness, however...

The Sire has a parametric mid control and a passive option

The Sire looks a bit more metal than I'd like, but it's got to be the sensible choice I think.  

What's everyone's thoughts on string gauges?  100 to 40 too light?  I play with .008's on ALL my guitars.

11 hours ago, TheGreek said:

Welcome sir...

cut your cheese

Dude, I'm 59, I don't need any help with that...

28 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Good evening, KN, and ...

Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Oh I've definitely got a LOT to learn. 

OK, I've been Googling hardware replacement on Sire basses, and there seems to be an awful lot of unhappy people. The consensus seems to be that the hardware isn't very sturdy, and poor quality. 

I'm talking myself into the Ibanez, aren't I! 

1 minute ago, yorks5stringer said:

 the tone which is supposedly down to the woods......(runs for cover)!

Dude!  You had to go there!

Also, the version 2 of the Sire is out now, with a rolled fingerboard, so that's another point in its favour.  I suppose I could always drop a heavy bridge on it, despite there being no direct replacements.  So long as the existing holes didn't show, all I'd be missing is the through-body string option, which isn't a deal killer for me.

Somebody please tell me I'm an idiot for worrying about the bridge.

1 minute ago, Adee said:

Hi did you watch the Andertons shoot out ? 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ef9GYkbA9Kc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Yeah, but it didn't really go into much detail on the hardware, or reach any conclusions other than "They're both about the same, buy this one or that one.  Whatever"

I've always loved Ibanez, but I'm worried this might be their really cheap range.  I like the look of the Sire, but that bent steel bridge is nagging at me.

Hi folks.

I'm about to order a bass (I'm a guitarist) just to noodle on, and maybe do a bit of home recording, so I need something versatile, but I'm not planning on spending more than £300.  Style and tone wise, I'd like to cover everything if possible, and I've narrowed it down to 3 possibles - I'll be shopping at Andertons.

The two most likely are the Sire M2 and the Ibanez SR300 - I've looked at the Sire V3, but I'd like humbuckers and 24 frets.  I don't use an amp, and only play through a Focusrite interface into TH-U and Amplitube 5.

I've been leaning more towards the Sire M2, but the only thing that's giving me pause is the flimsy looking bridge compared to the Ibanez.

Can anyone offer any advice regarding these particular basses, and whether or not the bridge will even be an issue.

Thanks