uncle psychosis

[indent=1]I used to have a one hour lesson every three weeks. Once a fortnight would have been better but wasn't really practical.[/indent] [indent=1]The important thing is to make sure you've done sufficient practice before your lesson. 15 minutes every day is better than a 4 hour session once a week![/indent]

The problem is much more than just the smoking ban and the economic situation. Fact is that people have far more choice when it comes to entertainment than they used to. 20 years ago, what was there to do in the UK on a Saturday night? Not a great deal---stay in and watch something like the Generation Game on one of the three, four, five (not very many!) channels, go to the cinema, or go out to a pub or a gig. Nowadays, people can stay in and watch live sport on the TV, they can watch pretty much any film they want from their couch thanks to the likes of netflix, sky, etc, they have hundreds of TV channels to choose from, they have TV shows that hook you in and keep people watching week after week (X factor etc), they can socialise and chat to people online, most houses have dvd collections, etc etc. Most towns have bowling alleys, cafes that are open at night, karaoke bars, yadda yadda yadda... Live music and pubs just don't have the same market share that they used to. There's so much more choice now.

Not convinced by the red... ...but I still fancy a shot when it arrives

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1344709306' post='1768281'] You mean people like Mac, the OP, a veteran BC-er and pillar of the forum who's so happy with his new Gibbo that he's started this thread and posted pix of himself playing his cherished new baby at a gig? A gig where the bassplayer is our very own HappyJack? A gig which was attended by other BC-ers who confessed to admiration of Mac's new Gibson and took delight in the pleasure with which he cradled the innocent little Melody Maker in his arms, a look of tender, loving solicitude on his face? You can see where I'm going with this, can't you [/quote] I've seen some real horror stories about these guitars on other forums. Its great that the OP is really pleased with his, but one example of a good guitar is not representative of a whole range (nor is one bad guitar for that matter).

6 hour rehearsals? Blimey. I find 3 hours exhausting, 6 would be unbearable. I second the "you did the right thing" comments. For me, being in a band should be fun. If its not fun, it better be well paid---otherwise whats the point?

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1346278244' post='1787530'] The strings are pretty old, over a year I'm told, but it still sounded pretty good tonight at rehearsal. I will play with this on the gig on Friday [/quote] I changed them after I broke a string at a gig...I looked in our calendar and that was back in April 2011!

I can't really add much to whats been said already. I had the pleasure of reuniting Jose with his old bass. Top guy to deal with---friendly messages, no hassles. Took the bass round to his house and he kindy spent an hour and a half of his time showing me his gear, letting me try out some different strings (very much appreciated!) and generally chatting bass. I've seen (one of) his band too---well worth checking out if you get the chance!

There's no doubting that image is important to music and to musicians. I definitely think a band that has stage names and stage costumes have more chance of being noticed than a bunch of guys in jeans and tshirts. Of course, you have to have the talent as well---bands who look the part but are crap will always just be a novelty.

Wow. The artwork on that is awesome! Like you say, probably paying for the art rather than the bass though

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1346104953' post='1785452'] I plan to play my Friday gig with it. I hope I see someone looking at the headstock name and turning up their noses because it's not a Fender or something. I love my reverse snobbery, me. [/quote] haha, me too. I used to quite regularly get complements from sound guys when using that bass live---I'm led to believe thats quite rare!!

Glad you're a happy man, Jose. Was really cool to catch up with you and return your baby I love the look of the cream covers. Go for it! Blatant plug alert: If anyone wants to hear what the bass sounds like (albeit compressed and amp sim'd...) in its current incarnation I used it to record my band's "On The Fly" EP. You can hear it here: [url="http://www.supermarionation.co.uk/releases/on-the-fly"]http://www.supermarionation.co.uk/releases/on-the-fly[/url]

Thanks guys. I think I'm gonna go with the .40s and see what happens. Its weird how you get nervous about stupid little things. I used to make high power lasers for a living---a process that was far more complicated and definitely more dangerous than turning an allen key a fraction of a turn---but somehow adjusting my bass is scarier!!

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1346012112' post='1784151'] They'll feel very different because one set are rounds and the other set are flats. Most of the difference in feel will not be because of the difference in gauge but will be because of the difference in construction of the strings. I've never worried about or even much thought about gauges. Also, I've never used DR nor Status strings so I can't help you on the difference between them. But tweaking a truss rod is easy, there are lots of guides to doing it on youtube and elsewhere. [/quote] Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I know flats and rounds physically feel different under the fingers---what I meant was more "in terms of tension and effort to play, how different will they be?". Bah, I hate buying bass strings. For guitars I'm happy trying stuff out 'cos the strings are only £5 a pop, at £20+ a time for bass strings I'm a bit more circumspect!

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1346001143' post='1783968'] What kind of rounds, what kind of flats? Even if the round and the flat G strings are both .40 or both .45, they are unlikely to be the same tension. Gauge alone can't tell you the tension. Expect to tweak the truss rod. [/quote] The rounds are DR--- lo-riders, I think, and the flats are Status. I know its not a particularly tricky job, but it just makes me nervous and I'd prefer not to do it! I'm kind of torn between .40s and .45s anyway, not sure which to go for... how different from .45 rounds will .40 flats feel?

His autobiography is a fascinating read. Can't recommend it enough. I hadn't realised quite how many his he'd produced! Unbelievable talent.

Hey folks. My bass currently has .45 round wounds on it. Thinking about going to .40 flats - do you think this will merit a truss rod tweak? Would I be better sticking with .45?

We used Discwizards for our EP. Really pleased with the result.

Personally I would just introduce a cancellation fee. Draw up a "contract" (doesn't have to be a legal one!) that outlines what you expect from students (ie how much they need to pay you and what the cancellation fee is) and what they can expect from you (ie what they get in return for their cash). My wife was a driving instructor and I think her cancellation fee was 50% of the lesson fee for less than 48hours notice and 100% of the lesson fee for less than 24hours notice. If you introduce a cancellation fee he'll either bugger off of his own accord or will stop messing you about. Either is a win.

[quote name='derrenleepoole' timestamp='1345366348' post='1776590'] I suspect many new bassists have all fallen into the trap of buying bigger and better amps all in the quest for more power, only to realise that it's not necessarily as simple as more watts equalling more power! [/quote] You've demonstrated your own point very well there! More Watts, by definition, does equal more [i]power[/i]. The problem is that it is not straightforward to translate between power and [i]volume[/i], and it becomes even more complicated when you realise that some manufacturers quote RMS power whilst others quote Peak Power. [quote name='D.I. Joe' timestamp='1345420467' post='1777408'] Theoretically, if two identical sound waves are perfectly in phase then the amplitude of the wave doubles and [i]hence the volume is doubled[/i], so two 100w amps should feasibly produce double the volume of one. [/quote] No. Perceived volume does not work like that I'm afraid! Doubling the power output will increase the volume, but not by a factor 2. The rough rule of thumb is that you need ten times as much power to sound twice as loud to the human ear. So a 100W amp is twice as loud as a 10W amp, and a 1000W amp is twice as loud as a 100W one.

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1345198242' post='1774794'] I have tried all speeds from say 30-90 percent. It also doesnt allow me to alter the speed or EQ while the mp3 is running so I have to stop it and alter it then restart. [/quote] 90%? I don't think there's any software that will cope at anywhere near that. I typically use between 15-20%. The Tascam "slowdown" practice tools will only go up to 50% and even then I imagine they sound pretty crap at 50%.

I use audacity to slow down tunes all the time and never had problems. How much are you slowing it by?

I have used Allianz in the past, their rates were decent but never claimed from them. I keep meaning to look into New Moon to get my bass covered but I'm not gigging at the moment so the bass never leaves the house.

Just practice practice practice. You might find you get better at it. Mind you, I once spent months trying to sing and play the flute at the same time (it is possible, honest) and didn't get anywhere

[quote name='WalMan' timestamp='1343825698' post='1755820'] You did mean astronomer didn't you!? [/quote] The only difference between astrology and astronomy is that astrology makes testable predictions