uncle psychosis

[quote name='largo' timestamp='1428390007' post='2740719'] I don't get it. What can you do on a 4 string that you can't on a 5? [/quote] Buy cheaper strings (and typically from a wider selection), worry less about muting unwanted notes, have a smaller neck on your bass, and choose from a wider selection of instruments. And four strings weigh less than the equivalent five string. Only little things, admittedly, but they are real! Five string basses are all well and good but only if you actually need that fifth string.When I owned a five string bass I found that the only time I touched the B string was to mute it. Being able to play two octaves in a single position is useful, but I didn't ever need to do that. Four strings are perfectly usable for massive swathes of music and not all of us are interested in the stuff that needs more. I get really bored of this whole "debate" to be honest. The "who needs five strings, four is enough" people are just as tedious and predictable as the "five strings are like four strings but much much better and everyone should get one" people. Fours work for some people, fives for others. Just buy what works for you and let other people do what works for them!

Cool bass, glad you like it. I'd be a bit careful about the venues I gigged it in though - could well be a magnet for idiots to hassle you.

It might take a while but eventually the world will realise that the price of something does not necessarily need to correlate with the cost of the parts and labour used to create it.

Interesting buy. I know Behringer don't have a great rep quality wise but I've never had anything Behringer fail on me whereas yesterday a Hartke HA3500 failed on me during a recording session!

Of those two burgundy, but if it were me it would be shell pink or sonic blue.

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1428132596' post='2738278'] Wasn't aware of that. ? cheers Dave [/quote] Clarity card is excellent for any kind of foreign currency transaction. You can even use it to withdraw cash from an atm whilst on holiday without incurring fees. Other banks also so similar things, I think moneysupermarket has a guide.

Beginning of the signal chain is where the signal starts - at your bass.

I've gigged with one of those quite a few times and I'm amazed at how high you have the bass control, especially with the sub-harmonic control maxed out too. Try turning the bass down and adjust from there.

Set the amp up for the output from the passive bass and then turn the volume down on the active one so the levels match?

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1428044232' post='2737297'] the exchange rate or using your Visa card will mean additional costs that they don't cover. Keep that in mind when buying from Europe. [/quote] Only if you use the wrong payment method. Not all Visa cards charge you and not all banks sting you on the exchange rate. I've got a Halifax Clarity Card. No fees on foreign currency transactions, get the bank exchange rate. About as good as it gets for foreign currency purchases.

I only ever accept cash on collection on Gumtree. If I was going to accept PayPal or trust the thing to a courier I'd sell on eBay to a wider market.

A few years ago one of my ears got blocked up with wax and it was a few weeks before a Doctor managed to syringe it out. Losing hearing was absolutely terrifiying. I wore earplugs before that incident but it really rammed it home to me how important it was. I've got some er-20s which are nice but I keep thinking about splashing out for customs.

They don't have to like your music but they have to understand it.

I pretty much always tap my feet. It really helps me keep time. Flute is my first instrument and so head nodding was never really an option!

Never "got" the stones. I suspect that being born long after their heyday doesn't help. Its hard to see a band as a revolutionary when the revolution was twenty-five years before you were aware of rock n' roll! They've always been part of the musical establishment for me! Hope you enjoy it though, Blue. Seeing your idols is always special

I get my RAT fix using a standard Proco RAT and a Boss LS-2. Sounds awesome. Sound guys love it because the bass doesn't disappear, and if you buy second hand the pair of pedals can be had for about the same as one of the Boutique RAT types, but with the added bonus of having an LS-2 which is useful for lots of things.

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1427829802' post='2734854'] Why do people buy signature basses and change the bridge and pickups? I thought the whole point was you got the same bass. Does it devalue it if you change bits? [/quote] You're assuming that people buy a signature bass because they want to sound exactly like the artist or have an exact replica of their instrument. Loads of people buy signatures just the same as they buy non-signature models. They're just a bass with a spec they like.

If you think about it, (nearly) all that a "good" bass is is a collection of good parts that have had some care and attention applied to them. Now, you can either have these good parts and attention to detail applied in the factory, or you can apply them yourself. The main problem with doing the latter, so long as you have the correct technical skills to do the work properly, is that the resale is (generally) terrible. Of course, some people will (probably rightly) argue that you get a better instrument if you aim for the best right from the beginning of its life but for lots of the simpler basses---fender styles, for example---there's no reason why you can't get[i] most of the way[/i] to "top" instrument status by `pimping' it.

[quote name='UglyDog' timestamp='1426696630' post='2720949'] While the first bit may be true, the second & third bits are entirely subjective really. 100 people would tell you 100 different things. [/quote] Ask 100 bass players what the best bass ever is and you'll get 200 different answers!

Sounds like Ken Smith but cheaper? Buy one of my new asian knock offs. I'm trading under the name Ben Fifth.

Maybe I'm weird but I just can't be bothered owning lots and lots of different instruments. Maybe its a hangover from being a classical musician---just having one really good flute and not worrying about anything other than that. I like to have a main one and maybe a backup and just play them. Changing between instruments all the time is irritating (to me) and I don't like having stuff lying around not being regularly used. Don't get me wrong, I love looking at pictures of shiny new basses as much as the next guy but I don't think I'll ever own more than 2 or 3 at once.

I've never used it on bass. On guitar, I found that it did help strings last longer but I didn't like how it made them feel.

Flute is my first instrument. Nearly went to music college as a flautist but didn't want to risk becoming a music teacher! Ewi are cool but I don't know that I'd recommend one as a starting point. There are loads of amateur bands and orchestras to play in if you play a more conventional instrument and in my experience that's the best way to learn. The "easiest" wind instruments to learn are the alto sax and the Bb clarinet. I'd recommend flute though, it's a great instrument.

Looks great. I'm beginning to gas for jazz basses again. Oh dear.