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Bleat

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Everything posted by Bleat

  1. Bleat
    I'm sure I read an interview with Steve Harris somewhere, and he mentioned that he doesn't do warm ups or practice much if at all before gigs. I'm almost certain that playing with such a light touch he doesn't feel the need to. As I have learned to play fairly standard classic/ heavy rock tunes with a much lighter touch also over the years , and combined with low string action, I too don't feel the need to do warm up exercises. Just plug and start playing. My hands and fingers have not suffered in the slightest since doing this. I guess maybe it is something that is dependant on actual playing style, bass setup, and complexity of fret board gymnastics which dictate the need to do warm up excercises.
  2. Bleat
    I take drugs and drink loads of beer to get myself in the mood* * not really.
  3. Bleat
    I guess it's now established that it is definitely a vague question to ask "what's best..." but alas one that will always get asked, and from all the given answers here, there is no quick, one sentence answer or just making a simple list of possible basses as that could just go on forever and still not give the new player a clue! Would be a good thing to come up with a *sort of* stock answer which incorporates all the important things to consider , but doesn't become a load of waffle that makes peoples eyes roll into the back of their heads. A bonus is that it shows that you are taking an interest, and engaging with them and their new found hobby which will always be appreciated. I don't really agree with the mention of learning to play a poorly setup instrument to appreciate better ones in the future. Maybe for us oldies who grew up in a different time, that could have been a thing but whether we like it or not, youngsters especially these days want more instant gratification or they quickly lose interest and move onto other things....why make it *hard* just because that's how a lot of us may have "learned".... just get a cheap bass and account for a decent setup from the outset = easier to play instrument = interest in continuing to play maintained. Just more random thoughts 🤪
  4. Bleat
    Dunlop Road Pro Bass string winder. About £9.00-ish (cheaper may be available). Easy to use, saves all that turning by hand malarkey. Digital calipers. A few quid from ebay. Great for measuring stuff e.g. pickup dimensions, nut widths, bridge size etc etc. for when swapping or looking to upgrade parts. 🎸
  5. Bleat
    Or to put it another way.... Wealthy/musician parents/ "The Elite" = Bass Direct or The Gallery. Family on a budget.. GAK or Thomann Scratters / Low life peasants = Gear4Music or Cash Converters There you go. 🤪
  6. Bleat
    Wealthy parents or parents who are already musicians are more than likely just going to throw the most amount they can at an instrument to get the best possible. The non-musical or budget conscious family with the youngster who suddenly wants to take up bass to become a future rock star are more likely to be looking to spend as little as possible at the outset, and I would say this group far outweighs the first group I mentioned.
  7. Bleat
    I picked up a little Crafter Cruiser 32" bass for £40.00 recently just to use as a stop gap. I was expecting a bit of junk but to be honest it' sounds good and plays wonderfully !
  8. Bleat
    I get that my comment possibly made me sound like I'm perfect which I most certainly am not...… but having to tread on eggshells constantly with band members is very unnerving though...With strangers, we can choose how much we want to engage with them at least!
  9. Bleat
    Which is understandable to a point, though nowhere nearly as bad as being nervous around so called *band mates*... I've been there, and there is nothing worse than constantly having to deal with fragile egos, flakey musicianship,... other misc. defects etc.
  10. Bleat
    Absolutely this also. What is the point if you are not visually attracted to the instrument in the first place. Although there *are* some practicalities to consider, for example the scale length as I mentioned, the attraction to an instrument really has to be at the top of the list. To slightly add to the point also, I remember when I went to the music shop when I wanted my first "proper" gigging bass. I already had an Aria which cost me £50.00 from the same shop a few months previously, as that is about all I could afford at the time. It had no real vibe to it and most likely had no decent setup. The moment you see "the" bass is a weird moment though. Everything else in the room just seems to disappear, a bit like eyes meeting across a crowded room. The bass for me in question was a Washburn B200. I remember the guy pulling a face as if to say, "nah you don't want that one, there are *better* (and more expensive) basses over there".. I wasn't having any of it though! I picked it up, held it ,played it, and that was it … that was the one, it played great, I did not want to put it back on it's stand and walk off from it! It also started my love affair with all things Les Paul shaped from then on. I'm sure I'm not the only player to have had such a moment, and one of the best feelings there is especially when learning to play bass is all a relatively new thing, and you are not too bogged down with comparing all the more advanced technical aspects of instruments.
  11. Bleat
    Don't forget short scales for those who may struggle with a 34" + scale length due to small stature or smaller hand size. Young children will obviously grow somewhat, but a smaller adult are what they are! I like short scales and I don't have height or hand size issues, they just have a great vibe and look. The 30" Gretsch Junior Jet II is well priced, sonically versatile , looks cool, and would always be my #1 suggestion. Others may be the Squier Jag short scale, Ibanez Talman TMB 30 shortscale. Ibanez also currently sell a 32" medium scale but I can't remember what it's called! I think more importantly though, suggesting allowing a little extra money when getting any new bass for getting a setup done and quality strings fitted by a specialist at the outset will provide a great playable instrument regardless of scale, price, brand etc..
  12. Bleat
    You could always give a pre-gig Eric Morecombe style announcement... " We will be playing all the right notes... just not necessarily in the right order" Good luck with the gig, I have done plenty in the past where I was super nervous and my confidence in the whole thing was really low... They always turned out to be the best gigs! 🎸
  13. Bleat
    I fight seagulls on the streets for the discarded scraps .
  14. Bleat
    … said every member of every band I have ever joined ever
  15. Bleat
    8 fingers and 2 thumbs … cost- £00.00, bass playing value- priceless!
  16. Bleat
    " In good condition these are worth nearly £1000!.... and in this condition if it was a Fender Custom Shop , it would be worth over £3500 ! " 😀
  17. Bleat
    I am so disappointed in the way this site has gone downhill regards fret access.... 21? …. 24? I remember when all everyone talked about were the first 5 frets, with ocaisional mention of the 7th.... proper bass playing. Now even aging "rock stars" who quite obviously dye their hair too, now want to move bridges , and extend necks even further to the left, trying to get in on this "cool" new "upper access" stuff.... .. I'm off to design my own signature bass which will be mostly body with a 5 fret neck. 😒
  18. Bleat
    Stuart bought a Yamaha bass from me. Very easy guy to deal with. Payment was swift and hassle free, with clear, polite communication throughout. Awarded the official Bleatly seal of approval © 👍
  19. Bleat
    Now sold folks ! 🎸
  20. Bleat
    Yamaha Bass for sale … 4 string with active bass and treble controls. From around 2001ish possibly ? It is near mint condition. No knocks scrapes or anything else... The gold hardware is untarnished. I have set it up with new recently fitted D'Addario 40-100 Pro Steel strings. Action is adjusted low, pretty much in the intonation ballpark, its been lemon oiled, polished and Silvo'd also. Just looking to free up money again, so moving this bass on. The low end sounds huge on this! Just the bass nowt else included, may need a day or 2 to sort out the packaging. One point to consider is that although I think it might be my one and only guitar lead playing up a bit, it *may* possibly need a replacement barrel jack socket or even just a bit of resoldering. I found the sound has cut off a couple of times when I knocked the lead. Generally it seems fine though. Payment can be bank transfer or Paypal gift payment, either is ok with me. Anyway I'm Looking for £180 which will include a signed for courier service to UK Mainland only.... therefore considering this and its age and condition, I won't entertain offers of part exchanges with girlfriends/ wives / pets/ milk bottle tops or groats...or goats I have feedback also somewhere for you to check out! 🤪
  21. Bleat
    Strange as I bought a set of Elixir strings where I had pretty much the same problem on the E string on my Les Paul bass... to do with the fact of having the extra length to travel due to the 2 piece Warwick bridge... In your case it's because stringing through the body has added the extra length therefore the taper ends up on the nut.
  22. Bleat
    This isn't exactly being mistaken for someone famous as such , but at a pub gig somewhere in Birmingham years ago a rather nice drunk person wobbled their way up to me between songs and shouted "god you're an ugly fu**er, but you're a sh*t hot bass player". To someone who is a) drunk and b) probably never even seen someone play a bass guitar before, anyone playing the damn thing is going to be "sh*t hot " 🤨 At the end of the same gig while loading cars etc... we were told "you lot should of been playing Wembley f*ckin stadium not a pub"... Due to look on their face , we didn't take that as a "you should be famous" compliment but rather something to do with everything being turned up to 11 on our amps for the past 2 hours. 🤪
  23. Bleat

    BreadBin Feedback

    Bleat replied to geofio's topic in Feedback

    Brendan bought an Adam Black Gemini bass from me. Payment was prompt, with good communication. An all round hassle free sale just as it should be! James.
  24. Bleat
    ........ I don't even get the "having a wife" part, nevermind sneaking basses into the house shoved down my underpants bit. 🤪
  25. Bleat
    ........Bump
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