uncle psychosis

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1386790621' post='2304667'] As an antidote to iPods, last year I took a deep breath and dived into the smartphone world. I went for an HTC One+ or some such name. Anyway the upside is 64GB solid state memory most of which is free to use. Better than most of them at the time, but that was a whole year ago so I'm guessing things have moved on... [/quote] That's still pretty huge in smartphone terms. Personally I prefer having separate smartphone and mp3 player. My 30 GB mp3 is full now, so I have been looking at the ipod classics. They're really expensive when you compare them to just putting a huge memory card in a phone though :-(

[quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1386200032' post='2297264'] I managed to find an Amazon dealer doing 4 string sets for £31 thankfully, but the cheapest i can find the 4 string sets anywhere else is £38, though i need a bus ride on top of that to the shop to get them (After calling them to place an order so they can get them in) so it still ends up being over 40 quid. Liam [/quote] You might find it cheaper to import them from the USA. Even with tax and duty they often work out cheaper. And stuff does occasionally slip through the net.

I really want to not like that. Natural wood finishes with burls and stuff just aren't my thing. But thats lovely! Good work.

[quote name='Horizontalste' timestamp='1386770185' post='2304250'] I saw the Nile Rogers one, might buy his book on the strength of it. [/quote] Get it. Its one of the best musical autobiographies I've ever had the pleasure of reading. He's very honest and a great storyteller.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1385328009' post='2287035'] He isn't really going for a specific tone but is after something with the inherent qualities of the JCM or fender twin. Features galore is not a must and hopefully lightish. [/quote] Those two amps couldn't be much further removed from each other! I'm no expert on guitar amps, but you might want to check out the Peavey Classic 30 (you'd need to go second hand).

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1386501181' post='2300680'] Uncle - will you be posting a link to Guitarchat on their site too? [/quote] If I get the chance to, yes. In the past I've regularly posted links to basschat from there (or at least from its predecessor, Musicradar).

Not tried the Mono straps but I do have a Neotech Mega Bass Strap which I believe is very similar. Its fantastic.

I love the feel of flats, but I can't *quite* get on with the sound. I'm hoping that pressurewounds will be a halfway house.

I've got it on DVD, its quite an interesting watch and if anyone is wondering, no you don't need to be a fuzz obsessive to enjoy it. Its more of an effects pedal documentary than a fuzz-specific one.

[size=5][sup]For the benefit of anyone looking in future---I've had a couple of pre-Wilkinson Vintage instruments (not a Les Paul, though) and they were both really good (for the cash). The hardware isn't as good as the Wilkinson stuff and I'd want to try before I bought, but they're worth checking out at least.[/sup][/size]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1385725416' post='2291515'] Black and gold looks awesome - [/quote] Cool Yammy. What model is it? I can't work it out...

If you're also interested in PJ configs I'd definitely check out the Yamaha BB range.

I've got no gigs planned but I'd try to head along to an Edinburgh based handover/gig (McNach??) if I was available. He's too nice to plug his band himself but Sea Bass Kid are really good, we should make a basschat event of it if possible!

Only broken a string once. The E string, on the first note of the first song. Thankfully a kind member of another band saw my predicament and handed me his bass without any prompting whatsoever. A true gent

Do you actually need an amp when you're in NZ? Could you make do with an excellent preamp/DI type solution?

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1386256397' post='2297801'] I've always been from the former type of bands, but both the guitarists are strictly from the latter. I told them that I can get us gigs & they're both giving it "we should learn this & that to cover" etc, which me nor the drummer agrees with. [/quote] [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1386266228' post='2298032'] I was hoping to get the entire band to write as a collective, but I'm starting to wonder if that'll work? I've done a good bit of songwriting over the years, but as I'm not a singer, I don't do much in the way of lyrics. It's usually been me & the vocalist that have written all the songs. I think the drummer's the only other band member who's ever written a song. The singer is new to the band & bands in general, but he can sing & is willing to pull his weight. [/quote] It sounds to me like you're not all on the same page when it comes to how the band is going to work. Originals bands are hard enough without a definite direction for everyone to pull in. It doesn't really matter whether one person writes all the songs or whether its done collectively, but in order for it to work everyone has to buy into the process. My first band started as just some mates making a racket in a practice room, playing whatever covers we fancied. We had no intention of gigging, but eventually we did it. Then one of us started writing his own songs, the rest of us liked them, and we became an originals band with one guy writing all the songs and the rest of us having input into our own parts. My second band is again one songwriter, but the rest of us have a bit of input. Its all just a matter of what works with the guys you've got.

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1386387394' post='2299646'] As for LaFaro, he's a freak and the fact that he reinvented the instrument that he played for just a few years shows he was a genius among geniuses. But it also negates the notion that no one gets good unless they start very young or play for X amount of years. It comes down to talent, desire and commitment. [/quote] Scott LaFaro started playing [i]music[/i] young though. He picked up bass when he was entering music college---he was already a very keen (and good) musician. I don't disagree with the point you're making, just that you've picked an example that doesn't best illustrate it.

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1386262649' post='2297925'] I am another of those who played in his youth then put down the bass for decades only to rekindle an interest/love in later life. I am forty seven now and play much better than I did in my youth probably because I listen to different music now and not just punk The whole ten thousand hours thing used to dismay me a fair bit but now I just play for the enjoyment and dont worry about how I should be progressing too much. [/quote] I totally agree. The other thing to remember is that the original 10,000 hours thing was made in the context of Olympic athletes, world famous concert violinists, and sporting megastars like Tiger Woods. One of the beautiful things about music is that you can be making, writing, and performing some beautiful stuff without needing to be technically amazing. You don't need to reach the pinnacle of technical proficiency to enjoy it. :-)

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1386207695' post='2297322'] They say nobody gets great unless they start playing at a very young age. They say you can't be great until you surpass playing for 10,000 hours. [/quote] "They" don't say that, though, do they? The 10,000 hours thing comes from a Malcolm Gladwell book and like all of sociology's "rules" there are exceptions. I don't think its ever been stated in black and white that there are no exceptions to the rule. As a general guide its not a bad estimator though. Sure, if you're an absolute genius then you will reach the top quicker. But most of us aren't geniuses. Scott LaFaro is an interesting example to pick. He picked up the bass very, very quickly but he'd been playing other instruments for a long time. He had a bit of a head start

Get some D'addario EXL in 9s. Thats about as standard as it gets.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1386151124' post='2296331'] I've been thinking more about this and I'm going to do the same. I'm planning to end up with a pair of Marleaux 5 strings. So my 4 strings and my Dingwall ABZ5 will be going. It will be a bit odd, but the Marleaux gets all my attention anyway. The others just sit there and look pretty! [/quote] I'll believe it when I see it!

Personally I think that the PRS "bling" looks a lot better in bass form than guitar form. That green one on their website is beautiful. They're (re)entering the market at a very, very tough price point though. Will be interesting to see how they do.

[quote name='nugget' timestamp='1385913398' post='2293522'] Are there any other UK dedicated guitar forums worth trying to sell on? [/quote] [url="http://www.thefretboard.co.uk"]www.thefretboard.co.uk[/url] Its a very good forum and the marketplace moves at a high speed...

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1386085098' post='2295512'] Think I'll try that. Can't do any harm, can it? Cheers [/quote] I had an identical problem with a Japanese telecaster---An "S" series that was clearly newer than a 94/95. They were able to tell me what it was.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1386081442' post='2295440'] So is there any way I can find out when it was made? Not that it is earth-shatteringly important, but it would be nice to know! [/quote] Email Fender with the serial number. They'll probably be able to help you out. Sam