Gramski

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. I did loiter on the forums for a long while before posting and got a huge amount of useful information to get me started. I'm sure I'll succumb to GAS sooner rather than later but I'm still learning so much in terms of getting different tones out of a bass and amp whether by tweaking the EQ or plucking \ fretting hand articulations that anything else at the moment will just distract me from playing and practicing.

The SBL Accelerator courses run outside of and at additional cost to the SBL subscription - you get a small discount on the accelerator course if you do also subscribe to SBL. Enrollment is generally open for the accelerator courses every 12 months or so depending on the course. It is a little frsutrating that the accelerator courses are at additional cost and going forward I'd consider dropping the SBL subscription and just choosing a standalone accelerator course when it is available. The accelerator courses tend to be a cut above the subscription courses in terms of organisation and structure although you could probably dig out the same information from across a number of the SBL subscription courses and You Tube videos. Of course, "Accelerator" is really just SBL marketing jargon. All they really provide is the structure to allow someone to progress in a more structured and organised way and hence potentially progress more quickly .... if they put the practice in. Are they worth it? Each individuals mileage will vary but they do come with a 30 day money back guarantee to allow you to at least test the water (not that you cover much in the first 30 days). I've found them useful in terms of organising my practice which might say more about me than the course ...

I'd agree with BillyBass with regards to the technique accelerator; it is well thought out and structured and the exercises are extensible to a certain extent so that less experienced bass players might just do exercises 1, 2 and 3 while more experienced bass players would have additional exercises which incorporate faster tempos or more complex articulations. It is certainly a big step up from the standard SBL courses in terms of organisation and structure. The harmonic layer course is also very good although the production is somewhat dated. I'd love to see this with more examples of how to apply the theory in the real world but google usually provides additional assistance when I need it.

As others have said SCAN is certainly a reputable company. I've dealt with them for years ... you might get unlucky if something goes wrong but in general they are very reliable. Sadly it looks like they've sold out though. Andertons now have it at £349 - https://www.andertons.co.uk/boss-waza-air-bass-headphones-wazaair-bass So please buy up the stock before I succumb to GAS ... I really don't need to walk around the house playing bass ....

At the ripe young age of 55, I picked up an instrument for the first time and have spent the last 9 months improving from rank beginner to slightly less rank beginner. Learning is a long and slow journey but I'm in no rush. I picked up a trusty Yamaha BB434 and an ampeg rocket bass and that keeps me out of mischief for the most part. I have occcassional moments of GAS when I read through the forum but I spent far too long at a computer when I was working so I'm happy to keep it simple and learn how to get the most of a bass and an amp before I start dabbling in any darker arts with pedals and effects. Have a great Christmas and New Year everyone!

For paid courses; I've used SBL and TalkBass. SBL has lots of material, most of which are very good but there isn't much structure to the courses. There are range of presenters so it isn't all Scott showing off which tends to happen on his You Tube videos. Talk Bass is much more structured but very dry and academic. I've actually liked it more than SBL but your mileage may vary. You can get a feel for Marks courses from his free You Tube videos which are very similar in style. I've seen a lot of positive comments about Ariane Cap and her courses that I saw on SBL are very good. All of the above provide some sort of money back guarantee - 30 days \ 7 days \ 14 days and I would expect them all to be good to their word on this. So perhaps try one and see if it works for you and if not move onto the next. For freebie stuff; I like the style of Luke the Bassist and also BassBuzz though the latter is more for beginners. Good Luck ...