M-Bass-M

Thanks for the response - it's extremely useful. I'm inclined to think although I could do with increasing the action slightly, it wouldn't be enough to sort out the overall problem. The more I think about my playing technique, the more I think I need to address the following: 1. Not plucking so hard. I've tried playing more softly and cranking up the volume, and this seems to alleviate the problem somewhat. 2. Playing with bent fingers (and hence plucking parallel, and not perpendicular). Have to admit that it feels frustrating to go "back to basics" with my technique, but I guess it will be a good opportunity to start a 3- or 4-finger technique going! I'll be sure to keep you posted - and thanks for the tips! Mark

I'm finding that when I play fingerstyle with my right hand, I press the string down in such a way that the string makes contact with the 20th fret. The result is a slight amount of fret noise before each note. I've tried changing my technique so that I pluck the string more horizontally than vertically (if you understand what I mean!), but this both seems rather ineffective, but also results in a slightly awkward wrist angle. Another thought is whether or not the string action is too low, or whether the neck needs adjusting (and if so how?). Any thoughts would be most welcome. Cheers Mark

Hi there, Just a quick "hi" to you all out there. I've been an on-off bass player for the last 15 years or so, but never got into anything serious. Work takes up a lot of my life at the moment, but I'm trying to find more and more time for my four string friend, with the hope of joining a band some time soon. My current bass is a MIA Fender Jazz 4-string, although in the past I've dabbled with some Status basses (Empathy 6, Shark 4 & 5) as well as a Bass Collection fretless. Amp-wise, I've just acquired a Shuttle 6.0, which I'm hoping to hook into a Compact some time soon. See you around soon! Mark