Cat Burrito

1) How long have you been playing Bass Guitar/String Bass for or both? 20yrs of electric and 6 months of stand up bass. 2) If you don’t play string bass/bass guitar have you thought of doubling up on either to get more recognition as a bass player? N/A - I certainly get more comments after gigs with the double bass 3) Who are your favourite exponents of both string bass/bass guitar? I like Rick Danko (The Band) a lot. 4) Do you think that both the bass guitar and string bass are important as bass instruments? Yes, certainly in rock / pop music 5) What genres do you think are important for bass players to listen to? Listen to a wide range of things you like. I like everything from folk to reggae, country to rock etc etc 6) Do you think electric guitarists can learn to play bass guitar more than string bass? Yes, that's why Leo Fender designed the bass guitar. Something that gets forgotten by some bass players 7) Do you think bass can be used to solo as well as accompany other instruments? Yes but I think it's best in a supporting role 8) Do you think it is important to learn to sight read? No. It depends what you want to achieve. It's only a barrier for some session work 9) What do you think of bass guitars such as 5 string/6 string e.g. as being an add-on to the bass players role? No opinion, not for me. 10) What are your opinions on electric upright basses as a substitute for the string bass? There are some good products on the market now but personally I'm a traditionalist. 11) What is the best amp to use for bass guitar or string bass? It depends on what you hope to achieve. I have an old Bassman tube head that I run through an Ampeg SVT cab. I don't know about best but it suits me. I tend to D.I. the double bass 12) What pickups for string bass are the best for capturing the natural tone of the instrument? Again I have a Shadow pickup that works for me and doesn't colour the sound.

4.18pm, must be one hell of a hangover! So, come on, how'd it go?

I liked them in the 80s. I like Lydon a lot and think he is one of the great British characters still left in music. I must be out of touch though I didn't know they (he!) was even touring.

Sorry to hear that. I've done about 5 or 6 trades / sales through this site this year and thankfully they all went super smoothly. I hope you have more luck in the future. I do think most transactions on here end happily but there have been a couple of posts where things have been less successful. Generally though I think things tend to go better than the experiences you've had

You could say no strings attached I don't suppose for one minute this is going to stay around the £360 mark. I had a friend who found somebody with an Antiqua 70s Fender bass in immaculate condition. Not everybody plays and sometimes older basses show up. I'd lean towards this being genuine but certainly in need of a service

Obbm on here is the man in most people's view [url="http://www.bassic.co.uk/"]http://www.bassic.co.uk/[/url]

I'm sure with a tidy up it'll make him a fair bit should he decide to sell it on. I assume it must have been thrown out for a reason but could be a really quick fix. Nice one

At the time I bought it, no, but I've had my car a few years now. It's an MG ZS in black on a 51 plate (2001/2002) but in good nick. I think all my kit is probably worth more these days but the car gets me to work and back, paying the mortgage in a way that gigging never would for me.

Shame they have no feedback!

Welcome too. It might be an idea to check out the local open mic scene. You can always go down as a spectator initially and see what it's like before you go down with your bass. The other option is to be put cards in the local shops and see who is out there in your area. Best of luck with it.

[quote name='agoulding' post='688735' date='Dec 18 2009, 09:09 PM']i tend to headbang a bit, and i do alot of bobbing up and down. stomping a bit like les claypool comes into it sometimes but more...extreme, i look a right buffoon.[/quote] Why? Is it a Jazz band?

My old band in the late 90s used to cover it. I remember when Bassist magazine did an in depth article on Mo and this bassline. I thought it was a great song. I take it everybody knows Dennis Waterman "writes the theme tune, sings the theme tune"?

[quote name='thunderbird13' post='688450' date='Dec 18 2009, 03:32 PM']I pull stage shapes and most of the time I dont know I'm doing it[/quote] Love it! I think this best describes me. I spent my youth perfecting how to look good and not practicing how to play good. It's been a battle throughout my 30s to bring myself more up to speed with theory and techniques. Even with age I am a bit of a poser onstage but I think band members should be. In my punk rock youth I was forever scissorkicking and I don't think there are many shots from the mid 90s where I actually have 2 feet on the stage. I've calmed with age. Here's me in Leicester circa 1996. I also tend to swing the double bass about a bit!

Some good advice here. My main thought is just enjoy it. Other than that practice some tonight and stay relaxed. This Tuesday will be 20yrs to the day since my first gig and I still look back very fondly on that moment. Best of luck

I wouldn't say it was an amazing deal but doesn't sound like a rip off either, just going on what is on this thread. If it's in A1 condition and [u]you[/u] are happy then go for it. I'd pay more for a really early Squier or one of the VM series personally.

I saw these on the Fender website through Twitter (ahem!) earlier this week. They look ok to me but I don't think I'll be troubling the shops for one personally.

I don't know that my opinion on double bass is going to be the best as I'm fairly new to it but I took advice and got a shadow pickup. It sounds like my instrument (but amplified) and I've been really happy. [url="http://www.djmmusic.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=SH950"]http://www.djmmusic.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=SH950[/url] I'm sure others will have other opinions but it certainly suits my needs. Not cheap but very reliable. I tend to find feedback is often more because some soundmen don't know how to deal with different instruments. I play locally where the guy who sold me this pickup does the sound so he has it nailed every time. This may have coloured my view.

I own one as a back up rig (my can't be bothered to lug a head and cab set up). I like it. It's solid state so not classic ampeg tube heaven but it has portability, ease of use and is loud enough for medium sized venues (any bigger and face it the soundman will DI you anyway). I find it easy to get a good tone and it has a lot of variation. The Ashdown rig is probably more popular but I tend to favour Ampeg gear personally. As a negative the tilt back is quite sensitive so it can be tilting back more than you'd want (fixed simply by putting in front of a wall or drum riser). My cats have accidentally tested the tilt a couple of times with amusing results!

People always want the original though. I've got some heavily modified and improved (in my opinion) instruments but it's worth considering what works for the original owner might not work for the new owner. You've done well keeping the original parts though. I tend to sell pickups on through EBay but this can be false economy if selling the instrument on at a later date. Looks good btw

Great footage.

It looks good to me and especially at that price. If it plays as well as it looks it's worth going for

I wondered if you had a thing for 1978 as your kit already lists a 1978 bass? I have both a 78 bass and a 78 Bassman head and like that year as I started school in the January of that year. Personally I don't care for that mod but it seems very popular on that era. If the price was right I certainly would not be put off, I just wouldn't use that pickup! I like the look of that bass though.

Some really good advice here. I would just add tie the theory into the songs that they like to make it more interesting. Why is a player doing what he is doing? It needs to be sufficiently different from a school music lesson but you can still sneak in what they need to know and plant those seeds. Make them feel like they are running before they can walk but with a stronger foundation.

A man after my own heart there Beedster!