GarethFlatlands

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1445776504' post='2894015'] I'm gonna go against the grain a little and say I actually thought the Darkglass pedals actually lost a fair bit of the weight, heft and punch of the dry tone (have to agree with others here though that these are some very sexy clean tones) and on the last 'Jaco-ish' section I'd even go so far as to say I thought they sounded really quite boxey. [/quote] I was underwhelmed by the B3K but it looks like we're in the minority! Out of interest, does anyone know if you can get a similar sound as the Spark Boost with the mini version?

I went for the end too on the basis it was a DI and amp sim so it just made sense to have it last, but I can see merit to the after dirt but before everything else position in your case. As said above, try both!

The Microtubes wins it for me across the levels of dirt but I was pleasantly surprised at the sound of the EHX at low gain levels and how well the Spark Boost added a nice depth, although again only at low drive.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1444509635' post='2883806'] Only if you don't use it properly . [/quote] Guilty! I very rarely use the low B but I miss it when it's not there for the thumb rest reason. I'm sure there's plenty of valid reasons to play a 5 but I've never played in a band where I felt like I really needed it, I just threw it in every so often because it was there. As with most things, each to their own.

Why play a 5? A thumb rest that's a whole string long!

If I knew I actually had the skill to make it happen, the body would already be ordered!

Very nice but damn you for linking to that site! I'm now considering a new Jazzmaster body to do in a dark stain finish like the Elvis Costello model which I love the look of but in no way need.

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1444090246' post='2880262'] I picked up one of these a few months back and they are lovely instruments. Very light and well balanced so good for your back, and they sound really nice. One thing I especially love about mine is the slap sound - it just has the most fantastic percussive 'click' to the sound that I've yet to find on any other bass. Hard to explain but no doubt you'll know what I mean the second you try your new one. Anyhow, congrats on the new bass! [/quote] Just got it home after it was stuck at work for a few days until I could get a parking space to retrieve it. Had a quick mess around through Reaper, there seems to be a nice level of tweakability from the active controls and it has a nice tone, although there's not a huge variety of sounds and it's a little noisy it should do me fine. I see what you mean about the slap sound, it's zero effort to get a nice sharp click out of the thumb hits. It's also really light which I really needed. Very happy with it, not sure I could have done much better for the cash!

Guten tag und wilkommen! Your bass/drum duo sounds very interesting, do you have anything online to listen to?

It's been a long day and I didn't read the other replies so sorry if this has been covered. I'd go for the basics which I guess you already know, like scales and chord theory, and work out how those apply to guitar with those pesky extra strings. If you want to play with a pick and aren't used to it then get that down as well. I always warm up with a chromatic exercise and a cross string picking one as far as single notes go. Thinking about it, I never practice chord picking as it's most of what you do anyway on guitar, it should just come naturally but I guess there's no harm in working on it if you feel you need it, eg fast down strokes if you're a big metal fan, finger picking, arpeggios etc. Other than that, the only other piece of advice I can give is a bit of a no brainer; learn to play songs you like at first to keep you motivated, then learn everything. Every Guitar World song tab I didn't know, I'd raid my parents record collection to see if they had it just to learn it (this was pre-internet). If you know theory, you should some insight into how songs are constructed on guitar which is never a bad thing, even if you don't like the song. You'll pick up a lot from this too, interesting chord voicings etc which you might not get if you just stuck to things you like.

Thanks for the feedback, they seem to be well thought of as far as cheaper basses go apart from a few people with bad experiences. Now the long wait until Thursday....

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1439981837' post='2847193'] I love Strats. Despite their huge popularity, I grew up with many guitarists who didn't use them, as they weren't cool or didn't sound heavy enough. [/quote] Young me thought this but I was sold as soon as I tried a good one and I soon realised young me was an idiot. My humble MIM strat is still my favourite guitar out of the many I've owned. As for the OP, bridge for most things, neck for smooth/fat tones and bridge/middle for that thin funky sound on the rare occasions I need it.

Just ordered an Ibanez SR300 that was on Ebay for nice and cheap (£160). I do have a fondness for my Vintage V950B but the output on it is low enough to cause headaches and noise at gigs. Also, it weighs a ton, and as I injured my back mildly recently I really needed something lighter. These seemed highly thought as far as budget instruments go of by people I asked and forums I checked so fingers crossed it's a good one and not a Friday afternoon at the factory job. 2nd hand so a few dings but everything important looked OK from the pictures. Should arrive on Thursday!

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1442239469' post='2865385'] I wasn't aware of it either to be honest, it was just one of those lucky finds on Ebay. [/quote] Oops, mine is CIJ and not MIJ so I'm probably thinking of the 3 colour options I remember from back when I bought it.

Got a pair of Mojo Jazzmaster pickups after a chat with the owner via email. Nice guy who seems to know his offset guitars very well and the pickups are great too.

Played in a David Bowie tribute band for a friends wedding. Really enjoyed it even though the nerves (not played live in since last April) got to me at a couple of points, as well as not being able to feel my fingers after the 2nd song due to the cold and having to switch to pick instead. This was the best photo I've found of the gig. Bloody singers hogging all the lens space!

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1439497716' post='2843441'] A MIJ Fender Jazzmaster in Burgundy Mist. Which I have just bought..... [url="http://s86.photobucket.com/user/RhysP/media/Burgundy%20Mist%20Jazzmaster_zpshypwrmvx.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] Nice! Rick McCollum of the Afghan Whigs was the inspiration for my Jazzmaster purchase ('98 Sunburst MIJ) and he played a burgundy mist but I didn't know the MIJ models came in that colour. Have to say I didn't like the stock pickups at all, either very low output or a bit squelchy at higher volumes but I replaced them with a pair of Mojo's and am really happy with the sound now.

[quote name='GazWills' timestamp='1431256673' post='2769235'] had to post this, even though it's not in my grubby mitts yet, as it just looks immense Sterling Malory ("Duchess") Archer Knightfall [/quote] Has it helped with your.... "phrasing"?

[quote name='cana.dan' timestamp='1429643139' post='2753613'] Praise the Sun? [/quote] Correct!

Finally remembered Tom was holding this for me (funny how these things slip your mind when you're not playing regulalry) and picked it up earlier this week. Stock TK-421 so nothing special inside, badly painted by me. +10 points if you get the artwork reference without looking it up.

One of the advantages of Apple's hardware standardisation I guess. Shame, but thank you for letting me know the answer and the reasons why.

[quote name='NOIISE' timestamp='1420026217' post='2644906'] Hi all, Nick from NOIISE here [the devs of [url="http://bit.ly/flux_fx"]FLUX:FX[/url]] - just trawling the webs for reviews/mentions etc. We would be very interested to hear how you got along with the app! We did quite some testing with the app on bass, using an Ibanez SRX700, an ESP 5string fretless and a Landscape EUB 'swing'. Suffice to say it performs awesomely on bass, but that easy for me to say Any questions let me know! [/quote] Any plans for an Android version?

[quote name='Mark_88MPH' timestamp='1420223853' post='2646915'] I've been eyeing up one of these in red to fulfil my love for Back To The Future and Marty McFly! [/quote] BttF set in 1955. Gibson ES 335 released in 1958! Looks like a nice instrument, and that was a really cool thing to buy it for a friend.