NJE
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Everything posted by NJE
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I took about 2 years out a few years back, my kids were small and I just wanted to be with them and not be thinking about gigs etc. I always used to play to earn some money and that was a bit motivation to keep playing. Since starting up again I don’t worry too much about money (my job is decent and I’m not counting pennies these days), the big thing for me is getting out of the house and seeing people, having a laugh and just doing it because it helps my mental health.
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I had periods where playing gave me the adrenaline rush of playing to a crowd and getting approval, validation and praise, along with a decent financial reward. Then for a short while I did it predominantly to money and wanted to be suitably rewarded for my time to leave the house and play. I had fun and played in a good band, but it had to be financially viable. A few years back, I took about 2 years off from playing as I found it stressful and I had a young family who I would rather spend time with. I got asked to help out a friends band which the. morphed into a new band with some lovely people and good players, and before I knew it I was gigging a dozen times a year. What keeps me going is the social aspect and my mental health. I work a lot from home and noticed how isolating it can be, so practice and gigs gives me night or two away from the house and family to jus have a laugh and enjoy some music and forget about life for a few hours. Don’t get me wrong, a few ££ in my pocket is nice and I love a crowd that dances and claps an that feeling, but it’s just really helped my sanity for the most part.
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Just seen a band called Parcels do a Tiny Desk and I am a bit obsessed with the harmonies, great piano and really tasty bass playing.
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I have the Hercules, it’s great, rock solid and clamps onto the iPad really securely.
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I have found there are a lot of bands out there, and a lot of them are incredibly average and will play for very little. Often live music can be a draw for pubs but equally I have seen bands clear a room, so it’s hard for a venue to keep paying out big sums when there could be no benefit at all. A half decent solo vocalist with backing tracks is going to sound better quality than a rubbish band, cost the venue less and take up less room. Ultimately it seems like less of a gamble. In genuinely don’t believe many people care about the live music experience at a pub level (which is my level) I think a lot of the time a band just happens to be somewhere they like drinking, it’s not the reason they are there. -
I just found the specs and it says 1.685" (42.8 mm) -
Finally time to move on my Squier 40th Anniversary Precision in Lake Placid Blue. The bass is stock with gold hardwear and anodised pickguard, and in excellent condition. Hex Keys will be included as well. I bought this a couple of years ago as I was gigging more and wanted a solid backup to my Stingray at gigs, rather than take my old Harley Benton Jazz. I never needed it at a single gig and didn't even take it out of the case and put it on a stand (not enough room at gigs). I periodically take it out of the case to make sure it is in tune and working and then it goes away again, and the D'Addario strings are still in great shape. It really is a great bass, better QC than a lot of more expensive basses I have owned. I also think it is the prettiest bass I have owned, which has been verified by my wife and kids. One of the best things for me though, is that it is a really comfortable weight at 8.2lbs (according to my scales) which is an absolute joy for my ageing back. lt sounds and plays like a Precision should, but therein lies the issue for me. This is my third Precision now, I keep convincing myself I need one, and then realise I just don't get on with them. After so many years of playing Stingrays, I am just used to a certain hand position and sound, and I just need to give in an accept they are not for me. It is also such a shame to have it sitting doing nothing and I am not gigging much. I am located close to Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire for collection. I am reluctant to ship it as I don't have many packing materials to hand and I don't really want to risk couriers. I think there is a chap on here who will pick up and deliver and I do have have an old Hiscox case which would be suitable for transportation if you want to go down that route. Please send me a message if you have any questions.
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I’ve used Moo a lot, good quality print and some nice options.
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Growing up in Pembrokeshire West Wales there wasn’t a lot of choice, but my weekend pilgrimage with my best mates was to Creative Electronics in Haverfordwest. It was affectionately known as Charlie’s after the original owner and was the first place I saw a bass. In fact I went in there looking for one and was struck by a real Fender bass (these were not easy to see in real life). It was a yellow/orange mustang with competition stripe and I was told I didn’t want it 🤣. Bought a few guitars from there and still have my Yamaha jumbo acoustic I got from there. Most of the time we just hung out and bought plectrums, I remember it so well.
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I lived in Aberdeen for a while and the only thing that got me through my dull as dishwater job was walking up to Bruce Millers, looking at guitars and seeing if the new bass magazine was in.
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After years I finally invested in ACS moulded plugs and they are saving my ears and keeping me playing. I have mild tinnitus in my left ear and I can’t risk doing any more damage.
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I played a single-cut platinum 5 string at Bass Direct quite a few years ago so my brain is a little fuzzy on the details. However there are a few instruments that leave lasting impressions and that was one. Effortless to play, crazy good construction, resonant, and a modern versatile pair of pickups and preamp. I wish I had bought it, but as comfortable as it was, at the time I wasn’t the biggest fan of single-cut basses. For context I played a Japanese Sadowsky and a secondhand Alleva Coppolo that day and the Elrick was far nice than both of them in my humble uneducated opinion.
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There are 7/8 of us, we have a WhatsApp group and if an enquiry comes in it goes straight on the chat to see who is free. It works pretty effectively.
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I played what looked like the final production model at the guitar show in Birmingham. Beautifully built, set up perfectly and sounded superb. I tried the 5 string so I’m really keen to give the 4 string a go.
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This isn’t exactly what you are asking for, but I just google the lyrics and paste them into Pages on my iPad so I can format them in a way that helps me break them down and read them. When I play live I just convert them into a PDF for quick swiping.
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I don’t play 6 strings, but even I was tempted once after playing a John Patitucci JP2. Lovely basses the TRBs
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So jealous, I search daily for 1983 Stingrays. Stupidly took my time on one that Bass Bros had a while back and missed out.
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I presume they are doing this to help with vocals? Yes you just play everything as you would have but because the guitars (and potentially) bass are dropped it will just lower everything for vocals by a semitone. A few bands use Eb tuning, I used to play a few Stevie Wonder tunes and his bass player Nate Watts used to be in Eb. Playing those lines in standard tuning does make it a lot harder if there are open strings used in the basslines.
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I think the comment from matbard was in response to my thoughts on the Epiphone grabber posted earlier. I think he was saying the Epi version is contoured differently? As for the stingray, obviously it really doesn’t matter, it was just an observation. I am a terribly fussy person and like things to line up, look symmetrical etc so anything like this tends to itch my brain a bit. I love MusicMan basses, currently have a lovely Stingray and have been trying to find ways to fund a 77 Stingray this week. I am sure they are phenomenal basses.
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Yes that’s exactly what I thought, it just seems too close to the pickguard, not seen any original 70s ones that close.
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I was really interested in these until I saw the pickguard…shocking
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I don’t know if I am losing the plot and my eyes playing tricks on me, but has anyone else noticed that the control plates on the 76 Ltd edition and 70s Stingrays seem to be weirdly positioned? Most of the current and pre-EB basses I have seen have the control plate following the lower contour quite evenly/equally, I presume the plate was designed to follow the shape. However the new ones seem to tilt up to almost touch the pickguard and seem wonky. I love the spec of both but this just messes with my brain, I can’t un-see it. I know there are a billion more important things to concern myself with but I can’t see why it was done? Black one is a new 70s reissue and the Natural is a pre-EB.
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The Bass Show UK - Cranmore Park, Birmingham - March 1st and 2nd
NJE replied to Goliath_FX's topic in Events
It was a sunburst -
I had a bit of moment with a 77 Stingray yesterday, and after bit of playing I was really struck by how small/low the frets were. I don’t think it was a case of them just being ground down so did some googling and early Stingrays did apparently have smaller vintage frets. Do any of the knowledgable Stingray experts out there know when they shifted to the larger frets?
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Earplug recommendations - ACS? Or something else?
NJE replied to hiram.k.hackenbacker's topic in General Discussion
I finally had my earplug moulds done yesterday at the Guitar Show in Birmingham. It was nice to see the colour options in person and talk things through with ACS team before ordering. It was so simple, and very tranquil when your ears are full of foam/gel! Gone for some transparent sparkly grey ones, and I can’t wait to give them a spin at practice and gigs.
