Bobo_Grimmer

[quote name='ash' timestamp='1334256562' post='1613427'] I wouldn't spend that much to import an unseen/unplayed bass - especially since you are liable to be paying unpredictable import charges. Most I've paid was £400 for a G&L several years ago and it cost me around £125 VAT, sales tax and import duty on top from the US and that's after shipping! Why not buy my lovely green 4001 and have it professionally refinished and converted - to you sir 650 quid! It may be my overly cautious nature but It's a hefty investment and remember you could get John Carling at John Birch or any number of UK luthiers to make you a lefty to your own spec for £1700. Not that I'm encouraging infringement of any copyright or anything of course. [/quote] Yeah the tax and import fee's do look scary. he has offered to declare it as $1100 to bring those charges down. I'm very cautious as i tried to get a Ric a few years back from the US and he ended up not sending it to me and i had tones of problems getting my £1500 back AND i lost some money in the process. is your green 4001 a lefty? i may be interested sir.....

Well been chatting to them and it's a Ric all right lol. It is pretty beaten up. Not sure i want to spend £1700 for it. or should i? Although it's pretty well played and gigged that could be a good thing... I'm not sure what to do.

anyone have any ideas on this lefty Ric? [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/173342-lefty-ric-oh-my/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/173342-lefty-ric-oh-my/[/url] i am looking for one and this one with what i think is quite a low price makes me a little unsure....

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1334227016' post='1612746'] I felt like that when I first saw a lefty Thunderbird.. [/quote] oh man! i love those too!

They do have a mixed response from people I've always been a fan ever since i listened to the jam when i was young and then seeing one in the wood.... After driving to Brighton a few years back to play one in a shop i was sure i needed one.

oh lame i just had a thought. What about customs fee? will it get to our border then cost me another god know what to get it to my door? ok i found this out Total customs value: [b]£1839.84[/b] - Duty: [b]£68.07[/b] - VAT: [b]£381.58[/b] Total import duty & taxes due: [b]£449.66[/b] Total landed cost: [b]£2289.50[/b][size=1][right]at USD/GBP exchange rate of 0.629[/right][/size]

why do bass guitars make me go all giggly like a wee school girl. All excited and stuff i is.

oooh really! I'm not to good at telling. If someone knows how to tell a copy that would be cool. the serial number given comes up from Ric's website as sep 1993. i might see if i can get some better pictures of it.

I know I know but i've wanted one of these for the last 7 years and have never come close to finding one. this maybe a lucky find.... Eeep! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220997047876&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_13250wt_1270"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220997047876&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_13250wt_1270[/url]

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1332797572' post='1593398'] Studying wont take away any emotion you put into your playing. What it will do is to allow you to understand what you are currently doing and even give you a greater scope for new ideas. The whole idea of studying and becoming technically proficient is so that you are able to apply ideas both musically and technically without having to worry about it. [/quote] thanks dude. yeah i understand now. i guess you can see my concern but also being where you are you can see how this benefits too. I really appreciate your feedback.

Hey, sorry for the late reply. I've had alot of gig's over the last few days and just haven't been near a pc to get on here! We'll it's funny cus i was fiddling around on the jazz again and am now playing the 4 more than ever. the 5 is sat in it's case again lol. I'm still torn. but i think i'm going to keep swapping between them both and i don't seem to struggle with the change i just have to remember to move around a bit if the normal thing i'd play is too low for the 4. As for learning a bit more i think that i may look for a teacher or maybe someone that i can go see every month or so just for ideas, some theory, and maybe a bit of guidance for my playing. I really don't want to end up as one of 'those' bass players that seem really technically proficient on their own but lack any kind of emotion or imagination when they play but i do want to be a little more confident when another muso throws me a riff or awesome oddity that baffles my brain as to where to start... if that makes sense. ^_^

[quote name='S9_S12_Bass' timestamp='1331582916' post='1575390'] That is mad! How can it run three? I can see the Trace head and an Ampeg, I take it it's a case of running them all and connecting all the amps up? Ah yea I see that it's a BFC now Even so that is a quality setup! [/quote] He he! thank you sir. well the AH1000, the old one like mine, has three power amps in it. all at 4 ohm's. So you have a low end 500W's and two 250W high's. so thats the 1000W's of power and three out puts each 4ohm's. Also it has the BFC connection for full range stereo, mono, biamp ect ect. it has a cross over section and line out put section. two stereo effects loop sections and midi. oh and three D.I's... few! so in theory i might be able to run even more cab's from the crossover and the line outs with a few trace power amps... THAT would be pure trace madness! "Mind blown" <<< thats why i HAD to own one, it's just pure awesomeness. lol ok one down side is that because of it's complexity not meny of them work... i have some faze issues that i am trying to fix right now. over the last few years i've been on the search for people that also have one that works. I only know of one other person that has a working one and i don't think he uses the BFC... might get some luck finding more AH or RAH1000 owners on here though....

ok so i guess there's a mixed response to my question so far. I understand all the points that have come up so far and i am kind of stuck in the middle... not in a bad way though. Something said here about right and wrong or should i say in key or not, is that i don't see anything you play as being bad. i'm quite happy to groove on a totally 'wrong note because in my mind at that point of a jam i'm feeling it so much that when i eventually move to the 'right' note it is just incredible and satisfying. One thing i enjoy most about myself and music is i don't ever consider anything to be weird or not right all i am thinking is maybe one way i can help with the self loathing is to try to lean and understand a bit more about the 'science' of music but keep in mind the freedom that we start off with and alot of people seem to loose the more they lean... if that makes any kind of sense... i'm trying to stay positive about this as, because of the way i am, i can sometimes read into things a bit to much and end up never playing again lol. Nah i really appreciate all your comments guys. it really gives me good substance to think on and stuff... last night we had a normal jam and i have to say this post was so in the for-front of my mind i couldn't play very well. That said today i've felt quite positive about my playing.... madness!

[quote name='sprocket123' timestamp='1331518088' post='1574156'] It must kick some buts right!lol [/quote] Yep! [quote name='S9_S12_Bass' timestamp='1331538256' post='1574203'] I bet that makes a fair bit of noise! Two 8x10s! [/quote] It can run three 8x10's if i had them! In that picture though it's one 8x10 and one BFC. ^_^

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1331485020' post='1573517'] I'm just going to take these two quotes for now. It's possible to play a G major scale on a 4 string with only one position shift-although you do have to use extended fingering. How do scales get used in a bassline? Do you know anything about chord tones and arpeggios? All major diatonic (in key) harmony is basically derived from a major scale....for example in the key of G major,the basic diatonic chords are G,Am,Bm,C,D,Em,F#mb5 . All the notes within each of these chords can all be found within the G major scale. So if you understand how arpeggios work (1,3,5 of each chord),you can begin to move away from the root and play more interesting lines. [/quote] i know nothing of any of that. BUT i do understand. I guess that means that in the past the notes that i've stumbled across or notes i just feel are right must be those notes that allow you to move away from the root? so up to now in my playing i've just been lucky to play anything right i spose...ok right is the wrong word, in key maybe.

[quote name='Bassdriver' timestamp='1331484460' post='1573501'] Your ears and your heart are part of it just as much as your fingers. If confidence is an issue it'd probably help to have a few lessons, just so you can have someone who knows show you where you're strengths are. That way you'll have something more positive to focus on than where you feel your lacking. Just play as much as you can and allow yourself to make mistakes. That's how you learn. It's good to be critical of your playing but a mistake to use it as an excuse to beat yourself up. :-) [/quote] Awesome! that's what i've always tried to keep in mind. I am very emotionally attached to music and feel it in my heart. i find myself smiling uncontrollable when we play live these days. ^_^

Ha ha yeah. some people think i like it from behind..... [size=1]maybe i should have said that.. [/size] i move about to much that they normally give up trying to take them of me.

She wasn't working for a while but she's back baby! so very happy to be playing through the trace again. i thought i'd share some new pictures of her. [attachment=102212:IMG_2308.JPG][attachment=102211:IMG_2388.JPG][attachment=102210:IMG_2401.JPG][attachment=102209:IMG_2400.JPG][attachment=102208:IMG_2399.JPG][attachment=102207:IMG_2398.JPG]

Here's some more recent ones of me. Makes me giggle to look at. seems like i'm some kind of goth hippy cripple... ^_^ [attachment=102201:sow case thingy.jpg] [attachment=102206:before the tat.jpg] ok this is an old one.... [attachment=102205:chrimbo.jpg] [attachment=102204:funny hat.jpg] ok this is also an old one but it made me giggle [attachment=102203:kent.jpg] doh! this is last year too... [attachment=102202:sound gay 1.jpg]

[quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1331473527' post='1573272'] There's nothing wrong with self-criticism, just means you want to improve what you do. Nowt wrong with that. Just be careful you don't take it too far. Perfectionism is actually quite a negative trait. You spend so much time looking for the negative that you can loose sight of the positive. So you end up having a bad time all the time. We all make mistakes. Allow them to happen. Learn from them and move on. [/quote] that make me feel better about what i'm doing. Thank you sir. [quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1331476438' post='1573320'] How well do you know the fingerboard? I only ask because a two octave scale is no different on a four string than it is on a five string(or six string).I'm guessing that you are approaching the scales more as patterns rather than the actual notes,which for me is where the problem starts. If you know what notes are in what scales and where the notes are on the fingerboard you should be able to play them over the whole instrument on 1,2,3,4 or 5 strings. If you're playing in drop D a lot,the adjustment shouldn't be too difficult. [/quote] Arrrh yes well thats probably part of my problem. i know where some of the note are just through having played the instrument for years but no i don't know my fingerboard very well at all. If i sit down and think about it i can, after a few min's, work out what the notes are that i'm playing but right now i only really see the scales as shapes. Hence why i see two different shapes on the two basses. Say on the 4 string i play a 2 octave G major scale. i see the shape and remember that shape. (i use a 3 note per string kind of shape, well thats what i've found/sounds right) On the 5 string, because of the low B, i can play the same 2 octave scale but only move once. To me, at the moment, i see it as a different shape. so i then have 2 shapes to remember for that scale. what i'm finding is thats cool i can deal with it but at the same time i can't see how that is going to help me get better... this may sound very bad to say but i can't find how that shape i'm trying to remember is going to be used in a song/bass line. i guess because i don't know what those notes are i'm playing..... up till now i only really play with the drummer. i follow what he does and jiggle along with him. i ask/look at what the guitars are doing so i can roughly play some root notes and then just bop out the groove from there. I'd love to actually know what the notes are and actually be in key, understand why things work or don't. i'm lost as to where to start...

[quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1331470132' post='1573193'] I'll bet you are actually a better learner than you think you are. You talk about switching between 4 and 5 strings and drop D tuning. That all had to be learnt and you've done it. There is a question that is asked by some people; How do you get to the Albert Hall? Practice, practice, practice. Unfortunaely there is no easy way round it. The French call it repetition and that's all it takes. Keep practicing the same thing over and over and eventually it sinks in without you knowing it. Don't force it. So I say keep playing both. Find what suits the music you are playing. If that turns out to be fivers then that's what is needed. [/quote] Thanks BassBus. i guess your right. i'll really try this year to practice and make it regular. I think maybe i'm going through a faze of self criticism... I have some good gear and that does make me feel a little worried at gig's. i guess i think that maybe other bassists or band people may be expecting me to be much more advanced than i am... [quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1331470145' post='1573194'] Interesting questions.) What bassis your favourite? How much stuff do you play other than EADG? What find with 5string, is that just by practicing "normal" songs in EADG , they can sometimes be played on the higher part of the neck without realising you are using the b string subtlety. I bought a 5string a few years back , and hadn't the confidence to gig with it. This was probably because only a couple of songs were alternate tuning. Some people play only a four, and have a spare for different tuning because they can't get on with a 5. Have you seen a teacher,or thought about doing so? [/quote] Well i mainly play in drop D as most of what's written is in that tuning. i play that tuning on the 5 string too because i just can't play those songs if i don't. It does make however scales and some stuff very difficult to play. i love my jazz bass and it's awesome for plying chords, slap and harmonic stuff. But I love the 5 string 's too, the fretless is great and swells lovely and the fretted is my main bass of late. i have not ever seen a teacher but i have been thinking about it since the new year. i've thought that maybe if i'm paying to learn more about bas and music theory that it might go in and stay in there then become useful to me but i'm not sure....

Hey, i need a bit of advice. I've been playing bass now for about 7 years and really starting to feel that my playing doesn't seem to be as good as i want. i'm feeling down hearted about my playing and generally a bit low about my dexterity and over all playing style. I have 4 string basses and 5 string basses and i've always swapped between the two different types regularly but now i'm finally looking into learning something about music i'm at a bit of a cross roads. I play the 5 string more because a lot of what we as a band have written i just can't play on the 4's and even with the 5 string some times i have to drop D it. i've started looking a 2 octavet major scales as a starting point and i've found that on a 4 string it's very different from the 5. That's in standard tuning as i found, so far, that with a drop D tuning the scales are really quite hard to pull off. (the 4 i'm moving up the neck more and it's kind of a 3 note per string shape. where on the 5 string i only really need to move once for the 2 octaves, when in standard tuning) Should i lock my 4 string basses away and concentrate on learning on my main work horse of a bass, the 5 string, rather than flipping between them and just confusing and frustrating myself? i am a terrible learner and i find it hard to retain information about this stuff.