Kongo

First and Foremost: Les Claypool If it wasn't for him...I woulda given up bass when an absolute catastrophe happened in my life some 5 years ago. I got my second bass (a 6-string) after wanting to play Primus songs and have NEVER looked back. Others include: Stuart Hamm (I listened to him and thought, hey, is that ME tapping?) Billy Sheehan (Say what you will, but noone has more experience, style, attitude or been worshiped as a God by GUITARISTS than this guy) Ryan Martinie (Indeed, gettin back into playing some Mudvayne...how does he get that tone!?) Victor Wooten (sorry for being boring, but I find his compositions at times very interesting beyond his techneque) ...Uhm my minds gone blank, too many that have already been listed! I'm influenced by everything (guitar/keys/drums) so I jus placed a few top inspos.

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='865214' date='Jun 12 2010, 02:27 PM']Would it be just as economic to try & find a Westone Thunder Fretless II or III in decent condition rather than buy something (money) & then also pay for thre fingerboard to be done? G.[/quote] I've heard this one personally...such a SWEET Fretless!

No! I heard this too and couldn't believe it...Slipknot where and still are a huge inspiration to me, from 14 to my current age of 23... Paul Grey in some ppls eyes inst the greatest player but he just did what was needed, he was skilled outside of Slipknot but thats not the point. He was the main man behind it, and one of the 3 original members from Slipknots original phase (a funk-core band, like chilli's but heavier). Paul Grey was troubled but always happy with the fans, truly he achieved what many can only dream of...but DAMN this is a hit to the heart! Jus goes to show how much an artist inspires you when their death causes a part of you to die inside...Paul Grey will always be one of my inspirations, even if he is overshadowed as being nothing but the typical metal bassist...Constantly haunched over as he played live... I'm happy I got to front of stage last year @ Download and caught his attention...but...that was only a year ago...He cant be dead now can he? I'm afraid he is... :,-( R.I.P Paul Grey...Heroes get remembered...but Legends never die...Your memory will live on and each note I play is a tribute to you. My thoughts go to his wife Brenna and his child... 3 well known Metal Giants dead in such a short period of time...these are dark days for metal...

I recently got a Yamaha TRB6II, from a member who has posted on here I might add. Awesomely crafted, great tone, HUGE body and heavy weight add to this...not for the faint hearted (or spined for that matter, even tho I had a dodgy one). String spacing is the widest I have felt yet, maybe only outdone by Warwick broad necks. Im a devout 6er. I dont obsess on the High-C string, it's merely there when needed. I tap a lot tho, so having extra strings adds to that piano style range wise.

Bought 1998 Yamaha TRB6II off XB last week, after I made payment shipping was instant and professional. The Yammie is exactly as described and I'd flawless, it has aged well! Arrived well within 24 hours. Very impressed with the friendly AND professional service I got and couldn't recommend XB enough! Thank u so much for uniting me with a bass Ive always wanted to own! truely is the king of non custom 6ers.

Fear Factory - Mechanize

[quote name='The Goatreich' post='670043' date='Nov 30 2009, 02:49 PM']I like the sound of the 321232123 route, but it's giving me a headache I'll stick it into my warm up routine and see if it clicks.[/quote] First practice on just one note to get your fingers relatively together on this, with a metronome set to VERY slow, playing 8ths @ 60-80bpm...remember this is a new thing to your muscle memory...it's not going to be easy. I got better at it by using it in a song, only a small part first but it forced me to need to play it for gigs etc...then you can place it into more parts if it sounds good / is easier to play that way...next thing you know, goodbye 2 fingers hello perma 3! Even rocking slow 8th notes with 3 fingers going 3 2 1 2 3 2 1 2 has a nice feel to it...and it never hurts to be thorough. Have a go.

[quote name='endorka' post='667955' date='Nov 28 2009, 02:55 AM']As others have pointed out, to do this you have to find a way of staying focussed on the goals you are trying to achieve. It can sometimes be difficult to develop this, but it does feed on itself; if you manage to do it for a short time, the benefits will likely be obvious to you, and something in your mind may "click" and it will become easier to keep up with your practicing, because you know the rewards are greater than noodling. You must set goals and stick to them, even if you don't feel like doing it; professional music in this regard can be just like any job, sometimes you just don't want to do something for whatever reason, but you have to, end of story. Another way to look on it is from a monetary perspective; the more you practice, the better the gigs you get, the more money you earn. Think of the ££££££ signs when your motivation is waning. If it truly is impossible to develop the discipline yourself, then I recommend getting a tutor you really respect, and have them set goals for you, in other words to impose the disciplined approach. The humiliation from not being able to play a piece you were expected to learn in front of someone you respect can also be a powerful incentive. Jennifer[/quote] I'll set myself on the books soon! I am sick of just practising scales to warm up then just going onto something in my head which is in itself noodling. I'll have a go...I REALLY wanna expand my slap technique as it's good but not good enough so I'll start on that book. I guess I'll drop in where I find challenging and not too easy and take it to the end from there, and regularly play along to the examples until I get them comfortable, not jus swing my way though them.

[quote name='The Goatreich' post='667494' date='Nov 27 2009, 03:49 PM']Yeah I've just started to train up my ring finger as I can't get up to speed using two. I'll check that link out, cheers [/quote] The way I go is different from Sheehan etc...they go 3,2,1,3 2,1,3,2 etc etc I go: 3,2,1,2 3,2,1,2 I can't do 16ths with 3 fingers in a line as it confuses me into playing triplets so I add my middle finger again to break it up. And also rock your hand from side to side, I do this so all fingers hit the same part of the string and so that when on the lowest string they all hit against my thumb or the "Invisible string" as it were. Have a go with that...it's proper tricky at first and well confusing!

All good answeres. I don't close my mind to anything either, I have LOADS of music on my iPod...so much I bought the 160GB version (Now discontinued) so I could fit them in and still have room for vids and pics etc. I got all sorts from 80's rock, the heaviest of Metal...but I also got Miles Davis in there too! Bitches Brew to be precise but I can't listen to it for long... A lot of Jazz seems hodge podge of notes with odd structures that jus make listening boring to me. I take everything on board, I'm a bassist with an extremely open mind, I just wish that, although I pick things up real quickly, there are some barriers that stop me playing whats in my head. I'm happy with what I've got, I was just looking for help to sit down and use these books. They contain knowledge that I must have...but I have difficulty going through them without getting side tracked.

All good answeres. I don't close my mind to anything either, I have LOADS of music on my iPod...so much I bought the 160GB version (Now discontinued) so I could fit them in and still have room for vids and pics etc. I got all sorts from 80's rock, the heaviest of Metal...but I also got Miles Davis in there too! Bitches Brew to be precise but I can't listen to it for long... A lot of Jazz seems hodge podge of notes with odd structures that jus make listening boring to me. I take everything on board, I'm a bassist with an extremely open mind, I just wish that, although I pick things up real quickly, there are some barriers that stop me playing whats in my head. I'm happy with what I've got, I was just looking for help to sit down and use these books. They contain knowledge that I must have...but I have difficulty going through them without getting side tracked.

I may have given some misgivings in the original post, of which I will clarify now 1) Not in college, passed all 3 years! Got distinctions in Music Theory (Grade A in GCSE), although a lot of it has taken a back seat it is still there, jus used more naturally rather than over thought. I am currently in my band, my love and my dream...and it's coming on so well! It may not be in bass guitars hottest genre but that's not to say it can't be...with an open mind one can do wonders! 2) I've got Wooten albums and even his book but I too feel his stuff is unusable...I just feel the double thump technique needs moving on...Everyone that uses it sounds like a Wooten clone...yet all that use fingers do not sound like a Jaco clone...odd eh? That's cause no ones bothered to put it into other uses...I have the know how in my brain...but my hands won't go to that extent just yet...Practice will! 3) I have a 4-string but my hands are far more comfortable on the broad neck of a 6-string...I may be a young adult but dodgy joints exist in my family and my hands are temperamental. They cramp up on a 4-string neck, which is why my 2nd bass was a 6-string...my hands feel good! HOWEVER I DO learn books for 4-string and I DO play as is so if I absolutely HAD to, I COULD play that piece on a 4-string. 4) I have a few books on J.S.Bach pieces and I love em! Just (not so) simple finger played melody lines...Sonata #1 in G Minor (Presto) is my favourite and I also love and take an interest of classical music (forgive me, Bach is Baroque). Please don't see me as a hot shot only technique bassist...I learn many techniques so my hands can keep up with my brain...a problem I have in many things which is why I cant write properly...I can't get the words down quick enough...no where nearly as quick as I type this! I LOVE music and my bass and everything in with it...6-string bass is great because you can make music with it better because chord voices are clearer...Wootens techs are just showey and lead nowhere but with the right mind can be reworked into something new, something guitar does faster than bass, it evolves. Music is in my head and also, these books but the technique used to do them...does mean you play 1 million notes it just means you hit that note or harmonic and you hit it well... But these books contain examples of chord uses and accents you could use and also teach musical approaches. Hope that clears things up a bit. And so...I leave you with this...an example of technique used in music, can't play this with theory alone and this is what I am trying to say: [quote name='XB26354' post='666609' date='Nov 26 2009, 07:18 PM']There are fabulous musicians out there that don't read music and don't know theory, but that is a different argument imho[/quote] You have no idea the amount of inspirations that are like that...I shall not say names lest it become misleading but there are LOADS!

[quote name='markdavid' post='665924' date='Nov 26 2009, 09:14 AM']I would be interested to hear peoples thoughts on how the finish of the wood affects tone , it seems a lot of basses seem to have a finish half an inch thick , surely this has an affect on tone, sustain etc . Edit: And if an unfinshed wood does sound better, how much of that is due to the fact that the manafacturer cannot get away with using shoddy wood like they could do with a painted finish ?[/quote] It definatly does. I often think finish when choosing a bass and yes, the cheaper woods that are covered in paint (mostly to hide the unmatched grain and glue joins) do too...They always sound denser to me and unfinished woods sound like the breathe more...The wood seems to vibrate more freely and unplugged sustain seems longer whereas finished basses seem opposite...not bad but it does affect tone I think. These finishes that allow wood to breathe? I dunno...I don't own one. I chop and change...once I went off finished and prefered natural wood...now I like finished cause some woods are great but too bright...If you wear dark colours on stage and wear a mostly maple bass like I do...well it certainly stands out but hey, never mind. But I'm not too keen on paint...I think stain finishes are nice...one thing Warwick's speak to me with, I don't own one but I love how they foucs on stain finished more than paint, that you can get both most are stained....at least from what I've seen. I'd love to stain my Ibanez BTB556MP but as 2 wood colours show...what would you stain it as?

[quote name='The Goatreich' post='666699' date='Nov 26 2009, 08:36 PM']What an unbelievable bass player Alex Webster is as far as extreme metal goes. So solid and fast as hell with finger picking. I would love to be able to drop the pick and play like him.[/quote] Then do it! I've always been a finger player but it's he and Sheehan that got me into advanced finger picking. You will never learn until you start...so do so! As well as canibal corpse listen to "Blotted Science" his instrumental band...here's an example...this song got me to buy the album actually! HEAVY as hell!!! Listen further in for a few of his licks and breaks!

Not blown up but sound checks at my local are a gag and a half...My new Trace Elliot rig trips the electricity off! Nothing wrong with my amp, works fine at home, at rehearsal, in recording studio's...just the stage at The Shed in Leicester...I spose plugging it into a 4 gang that comes off of a 4 gang that ALSO is plugged into a 4 gang MAY have something to do with it...Jury rigging...LOL! I find that I get better results by turning the lights on the front panel OFF, then turning it on, then dialing the lights in... It IS annoying though and should someone want to borrow it (If they bringing the drums and can't fit the bass rig in), the amp always gets the blame...It's brand new and does this nowhere else LOL!

Sorry but this is just too funny...How would they even get wind of Gibson using illegal wood? A copper bought an SG and though...hey! This wood looks like it hasn't been paid for... LOL!!! Someone has TOO much spare time! But it IS a funny story...seized guitars to check for smuggled wood...HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!? LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!