fatback

I must be getting the frustration bit right cos according to my other half the language coming out of my practice room runs the full spectrum. I maintain it's important to beat yourself up so as not to get complacent. Intonation screwups make for the most colour. Is this normal?

All the above is great advice. I wouldn't worry too much about the amp side just yet, as it may take you a little while to get the pickup / preamp thing sorted out. It seems that everything DB takes longer than you think. I know some people have found they don't need a pre at all, depending on the amp, so maybe get your pickup first and try it? If you need a preamp and can't stretch to a Fishman (or can't find one s/h), why not try a Dave Hall Amps (DHA) DI/EQ? under £70 and works well. I think he gives a discount to BCers. Have fun

From lots of comments on here (and my own limited experience), an old-ish bass can be best as the wood is stable and much less likely to split. An all-ply bass is perfectly adequate. Solid top + ply is better. All solid is great for sound but expensive and some folks suggest makes feedback problems more likely when amplified. A cheap new bass can involve you in quite a bit of expense to get it set up. Poor strings, poor end pins etc. A used bass bought from a gigging player will probably have had a lot of problems sorted out already. You might need to pay a luthier for a set up all the same though. But then again, you might be lucky. Do yourself a favour, buy one on here. ps, you will not regret the move to upright. Promise.

I've only ever owned one (a Mark1 Pro), but with that one recording was a dream. Just plug the thing in and quality. I never quite got on with the neck though, too clubby for me. But that might have been cos my previous bass was a 68 Jazz with the fastest neck I've ever played. The nearest thing I've got to GAS these days is for a fretless Wal, though.

I've got a mint Squier VMJ fretless sitting in my mum's house in Dublin. Never gigged. I kept it there as a backup, but I've never needed it. If you're interested, drop me a pm. I'll be down within a couple of weeks.

I'm not saying don't buy new, but it seems to me there's an awful lot to be said for buying second hand from a player. I only got to try one bass before I bought, but I trusted the seller as a reputable player and it worked out fine. Second hand, you should arguably get a better bass for your money and get the benefit of more stable aged woods. You'll end up spending £200-400 on setup and strings anyhow and maybe you might go for an adjustable bridge if the bass doesn't have one already. If it has, that's a bonus. As for strings, I've been using Spirocore Weichs for the same type of music as you, and the sound is excellent. At some point I'll probably try slobluesline's suggestion of a while back and bump them down, but for the moment they're fine.

Very useful review, thanks Lozz. Thinking of going this route myself.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='1320646' date='Jul 29 2011, 04:56 PM']Venereal disease, Very bad, eFfing big, Evil *astard Ports, Quite Techy Considerations. HTH. [/quote] wtf

[quote name='crez5150' post='1319798' date='Jul 28 2011, 09:51 PM']The thing with Slapping is.... you get a much better idea of how the bass sounds for that technique if you do it acoustically. You get a good idea of how the bass sounds slapped without all of the electronics/pickups adding to it. If you have a bass that sounds great slapped without being plugged in then it will sound fantastic amplified.[/quote] +1 And that goes for all techniques imo. I always try out unplugged on the principle that a/ I'm crap and would prefer to keep that fact to myself, and b/ I don't care what the shop amp sounds like and I can always change the pups if I want. It's how the bass feels that matters to me. But i never seem to buy them anyway

there should be a competition for the greatest number of acronyms (or whatever they are) in a BC thread. Vd, Vb, Fb, EBP, QTC ????

That was the big obstacle for me as well. I found Rufus Reid's book 'The Evolving bassist' a godsend. The first part of the book is all reading rhythms using open strings only, so simplifying the problem. Book plus metronome and I was sorted in a few weeks.

[quote name='TheRev' post='1252331' date='Jun 1 2011, 08:09 AM']I use a folding 'X' style keyboard stand to lift my BFM Omni 10.5 up to head height. It was about £15 from Digital Village.[/quote] Tried this at a gig on Sunday, a very cramped space on top of a loud drummer. Worked a treat. No problems at all with the Full Circle even though the speaker (Midget) was at chest rather than head height and we got pretty loud. Really helped us to hear the bass as well. So, big thanks for the suggestion.

[quote name='solo4652' post='1312472' date='Jul 22 2011, 10:42 AM']Is there something cheap 'n' cheerful that does what an Auralex GRAMMA pad does, but without the bulk, weight and cost? Maybe a roll-up mat or something? How about: [url="http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/site/froogle/sn/DRA30743"]http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/site...gle/sn/DRA30743[/url] Maybe I'm just being stingy. Steve[/quote] looks as if it should work. I've been using a pair of Auralex strips about 3"X1" cross section to lift the cab off the floor, and it works perfectly. Got them from Alex Claber at Barefaced, but I don't know if he sells the stuff separately from his cabs. I slip them between the front and back of my micro amp and the laptop carry case as extra padding. Works a treat.

[quote name='TimR' post='1308789' date='Jul 19 2011, 08:59 AM']I've said it before and I'll say it again. Every originals band that is serious about it needs a manager and a producer, AND needs to listen to them. There's a lot of misguided talent out there, it's a shame.[/quote] This. btw the OP doesn't mention how good the songs are. If they're very, very good maybe that changes things a bit. Otherwise... not.

Maybe not relevant, but in sport, cramps are more likely if you're dehydrated or lack potassium. Bananas can sort the minerals problem. Getting the same symptom in both hands is more easily explained if the cause is systemic rather than just plain old overuse. I'm not a medic btw, so take with pinch of potassium.

[quote name='slobluesine' post='1307609' date='Jul 18 2011, 11:20 AM']bump the Spiros down, i bump Spiro A&D down to E&A and use D&G Lamberts, great low tension and the E is not too heavy, havn't had a blister in yonks[/quote] Do you find that gives a decently solid E? I'm finding the normally tuned Spiro Weich E a bit weedy.

[quote name='Phil Starr' post='1303710' date='Jul 14 2011, 04:29 PM']Bill is right. Funnily enough I was driving home today listening to Lou Reed's 'Walk on the Wild Side' and I thought If anyone asks this question they should listen to this. The Bass sounds amazingly deep because it is played on an upright, even though the bottom frequencies are no lower than a four string the different mix of harmonics gives it a rich deep sound. There are loads of signal generators online and if you are deeply boring (like me)it is quite interesting to listen to a 40Hz (roughly bottom E) pure tone and realise just how low that is. If your speakers can go that low of course.[/quote] Presumably it's the longer scale length that's allowing for the different harmonics? How does that work?

Gorgeous! Erm, necessary research.

[quote name='TPJ' post='1305491' date='Jul 16 2011, 09:25 AM']I prefer watching/listening to Esperanza Spalding [/quote] Banned in my house

[quote name='neilb' post='1305027' date='Jul 15 2011, 07:23 PM']Sorry, but if I was his neighbour, I'd be banging on his bloody wall by now!![/quote] Can't say he's not having fun. And he still sings better than I can even when I'm not playing. But that left hand is awesome.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKZghKZSvNY&playnext=1&list=PLEDB157DB91A7D599"]Gajdos[/url] I can't even breathe and play at the same time omg the left hand and how to do it...

[quote name='ZMech' post='1294575' date='Jul 6 2011, 12:04 PM']Well my google+ now has a jazz news feed, which kicked out this gem: [/quote] Oh I do like that

Where online in Europe, preferably UK, can I get Rabbath's Art of the Left Hand? I can find only US sources. Pricey, but looks just the biz.

A Full Circle got me the sound I was after straight into the amp and is amazingly feedback resistant. But it's all about the combination of elements, and it would probably be different for you. I've got a Kent Armstrong mag pickup mounted as well, and I put one pickup into each channel of the EA Doubler. I haven't had to select the KA at all yet, but i love to know it's there as my get-out-of-jail-free card if the feedback monster wakes up. I don't need a preamp with the Doubler, but i've been carrying a DHA EQ/DI box just in case of amp troubles. These things are a bargain - a nice parametric for £70.