NJE

Amazing, I have played the vast majority of those with various soul/disco bands too and they are all top tunes for getting people moving. I just noticed you said second set, how long do you guys play for?? I have known one of the bands I play with only need that many songs for 2x45 min sets 😄. Mind you we do tend to extend some classic short soul songs, another chorus here and there.

Try any soul/Motown stuff in Eb. I used my 5 string more for a big soul/disco band than any other genre, purely because the band moved the keys around so much. I could really use the B string then to give the songs some oomph in the lower keys.

There was a mega-thread on these over on talkbass and loads of modifications and pickups etc. I remember one guy swapping the pickup out for a Nordstrand and he then swapped it back because it made no massive difference, so I would suggest leaving the pickup alone but get some decent pots and wiring. I had one in white and miss it like mad but I never seem to find them secondhand in decent condition. I planned modifications but never bothered as I just liked it the way it was, big wide strap sorted the slight neck dive and I just put some trusty Elixirs on it. I think I had a 125 or 130 on the B string, not heavy by any means and it sounded good. I would say don’t expect miracles from the B string, it’s a P bass at the end of the day, it’s never going to be super defined and tight, just enjoy it for that P bass sound.

God I bought them a decade ago, I want to say 15 or 20db.

I guess it depends what you want to achieve as to whether they work or not. I hate the ringing I used to get after seeing bands or practicing with a loud drummer. I also used to get headaches after prolonged practices at full volume, which then made me feel awful the following day. I started using earplugs with a certain level of dB reduction and all that went away, so I guess for what I wanted to achieve they work wonders.

I watched the video and there were no major signs of ‘snake oil’ for me, perhaps I wasn’t listening very well. I thought the knob thing made sense, perhaps the plastic knobs insulating the circuit etc. It’s an 18v circuit perhaps they had some issues getting it really quiet? I have played some seriously expensive basses with some well know preamps that made a ton of noise, so maybe there is something to it. Its still nowhere near the level of some of the complete b*llocks I have read on here.

A mate of mine (drummer) was working for a really nice couple and it came up that the wife sang and did music. My friend makes all the right noises “good for her” etc. and then proceeds to chat about his band and gigs and says he’s busy at the moment and out playing a lot. later on he was chatting to the husband who was a lovely guy by all accounts, and he asks “so does your wife sing in bands and get out playing much”. He says “yeah she’s done some bits in Europe and America”. My friend asks “so who does she sing with then” to which the husband replies “have you ever heard of Sade?......my wife is Sade”.

This looks interesting, roasted maple neck, PJ pickups with concentric pots and not the usual Jazz neck profile you normally get on PJ offerings: https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/fender-limited-edition-american-pro-precision-bass-daphne-blue

A proper Sting signatures 50s precision, roadworn like his with contours not slab body, but without the stupid block inlay signature. Make that in Mexico for about a grand Fender and you have sold one straight away.

Well I don’t know about anyone else but all I have ever really wanted from Fender is decent build quality and some interesting colours, not just black and sh*t-burst.....so on that note, well done Fender and yes please to this....

Yup he has used a whole host of stuff in the studio, he used to use a modified classic vibe precision with J pickup, he uses another blue classic vibe precision in a recent video, numerous sterlings and stingrays in the studio as well as the old cheap Carlo Robelli? Musicman-esque bass. there was an interview somewhere where he said he only owned one bass, the fender jazz he plays live, and that jack Stratton in Vulfpeck struggled mixing it which is why he recorded with jacks basses and anything else around.

Over the years I have found that people have two attitudes to rehearsals. Some people think that rehearsals are there for everyone to learn the parts, fiddle with sounds, go over structures etc and generally learn it at practice. luckily my attitude as well as the other folks in my better bands have always Been that rehearsals are to sort out intros and endings and vocal harmonies etc. It might be worth having some kind of chat to make sure you all have the same concept of what rehearsals are for, basically learn the chords, structures, solos and get your sounds sorted at home because only a small amount of fiddling around at rehearsal will be tolerated. There is a more blunt solution too...if you get to a song that the keys player hasn’t got a sound for it or doesn’t know the parts for it, give it one go through and just say “not everyone’s got that one, that’s homework let’s move on to the next one”. A little bit of subtle shaming works well sometimes.

Of all the cases bags I have had, for a rigid case I would go SKB and for a decent protective gig bag it has to be a Mono

This is just down the road and I knew about it far too late to organise childcare 😫. I love the fact that Andrew Levy was playing a Squier, I really wanted one of those PJ Squiers so this has convinced me they must be a decent buy.

I’m not normally opinionated, but I would avoid that like the plague.

Looks like an old Yamaha RBX170. My first bass was a Yamaha RBX260 very similar but with just a P pickup. Superb bass for the money but was only a budget instrument and not worth big money secondhand. If it plays well and sounds good I would suggest she doesn’t sell the bass and just saves a bit longer for the new one, as I doubt she would get £100 for the bass. Rough guess £120 for the bass and amp if she cleaned the bass and took the stickers off.

I only just discovered that, she’s had some great guests. The house bass player gets a great sound from his Sire bass too. My life mostly revolves around kids tv and kids books these days.

“BIRD!” It’s about the only thing my son watches that I gladly sit and watch as well. There’s nearly always something in there for the grown ups.

I seem to remember reading that Carey kept the pickup and bass guitar sides of the businesses separate by using the different names. I know he has effectively stopped building basses but perhaps he still wants to distinguish these from the pickup business? His new pedals are under another name as well, Rocket Surgeon.

I could be wrong but I thought a lot of the sound was down to it being on fretless.

I’m sure there are loads of folks out there that are far more organised or dedicated than me, but when my son was born 2 years ago, I just naturally gave up most of my playing anyway. It doesn’t help that my wife works nights a lot of the time in the NHS and I obviously need to be around. I just found I would rather be with him or getting sleep than in a smelly rehearsal room or playing loads of shitty pop/rock/blues music to drunk people in the local watering hole for £50 a night, life is too short and they are only young once. I just felt like my band/music life was like a cross between Phoenix nights and a musical equivalent of the office.

What strings are you using? I find certain brands very rough and unpleasant to play. I have been playing for 20 years and I don’t have hard skin or calluses on my fingers. I used to think that this is what you needed to play for long periods but it really isn’t. like others have said, it’s sounds like you playing too hard and it’s hard to change that overnight. I found turning my amp up louder than I needed it made me play so much softer and then it just became part of my technique.

Sounds like you just have a duff string, it happens sometimes. I would just contact Rotosound and explain and I am sure they will send you another.

Yeah I had it too, obviously no second run.