gjones

I played the same bass for 25 years. It was a 1970s Mighty Mite P/J with a Maple neck and a Mahogany body that I bought 2nd hand. I've literally played 1,000 plus gigs with it. The electronics gave up the ghost so I retired it for a few years. But recently I transferred the neck to a Precision body I had, fitted the P bass pickup, installed new pots and I now play it regularly along with my Jazz. The neck is fantastic with rolled edges and very little wear to it. The frets still have loads of life left in them too and have never been changed. The body is in good nick as well but because it's mahogany is very heavy. I'm much happier with the P bass body I have attached to the neck now. I've seen other people 1970's basses which are in a right state. I think some people just have acidic sweat or something. My brother in law's 70s strat is a horrible looking manky thing. This is it. It was still looking good for a 35 year old bass until I ditched the body for a P bass one. [attachment=155211:604134_10151614251932292_1280382304_n.jpg]

A bit of Rock 'N' Roll for you from the Dana Dixon band on a visit to Belfast last year. http://youtu.be/315wYuPyjLA

Sold a Mighty Might neck to Bryan. Instant payment and good communication. Thoroughly recommended.

Freshman get good reviews. Inexpensive but good quality. By the way £100 will only buy you a dog of an acoustic that will rip your hands to shreds. You'd have to spend another £100 to get it set up and make playable. here's a link http://www.freshmanguitars.net/reviews/

If it's good enough for Flea it's good enough for you. Give Hirsty a call, and tell him I sent you. http://www.designboom.com/design/damien-hirst-flea-from-red-hot-chili-peppers-spun-bass-guitars/

Your conundrum reminds me of this cartoon. [attachment=155076:youre-hired1.jpg]

There's also a Fender pawn shop version http://youtu.be/jpbmoi-BUKs

Try a Mustang. They're small bodied, short scale basses, with a good Precision type tone which would be good for blues. Check out ebay for secondhand ones. http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/Squier_Vintage_Modified_Mustang_Bass_Guitar,_Black/FEN-032-8402-506?CAWELAID=1830895141&catargetid=1821941091&cadevice=c&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CLbB5_nyybwCFXGWtAodQVQAPw

Look up James Jamerson. He was the bass player for the Motown House band in the 60s and 70s. His index finger was called 'The Hook' and he was a great (some say the greatest) bass player. This is a guy playing a Jamerson bassline with just his index finger like James. Although personally, most people find it easier to use two fingers. So if I were you I'd persevere [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW6j4668IpU[/media]

When ever I hear this, I have a chuckle at how they managed to crowbar the words 'Kilimanjaro' and 'Serengeti' in there.

Fender 7250 roundwounds are the strings all Fender basses are fitted with. They're pretty good. Not too expensive either.

Having played bass with, original, covers and blues bands. I've become used to being ignored by the general public (I'm sure you all know where I'm coming from). But recently, a guitarist I play with in another band, asked me to form a Ska/Reggae outfit with him. And all of a sudden, I've had the pleasure of people coming up to me, after every show, and shaking my hand to congratulate me on my playing and tell how much they enjoyed the gig. I can only assume that because ska and reggae are so bass orientated, that they are focusing on the bass guitar in preference to the other instruments. I'm not complaining. I kinda like the attention. I think It's time I got a pay rise

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1392138976' post='2365227'] I beg to differ actually. People only tend to notice when we do go wrong [/quote] Yes or stop playing

I walked into Guitar Guitar intent on buying a £150 Affinity Strat. And walked out with a, sonic blue, £650 Classic player. They're evil........they knew I was weak.......they should have talked me out of it I can't even play guitar.

I'm not a fan of the unbalanced playing position but I do like the sound of Epiphone Thunderbirds. They have a round, deep sound, like a P bass on steroids. Which sounds like your kind of thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUarfFlNqqA

I think that a bit of chat gets the audience on the band's side. I remember seeing Ryan Adams in Glasgow. He stepped up to the mic and said 'Hello London!', then turned his back to the audience and didn't say a word until he said goodbye, after he'd played the last song. I said to myself, 'that guys a bit of a knob'.

That is definitely a player's bass. I can't see this being displayed on an accountants office wall, gathering dust.

I think Louis Armstrong once said something along the lines of, 'if you need me to explain how to swing, you'll never be able to swing'. Swing and funk is all about playing behind and in front of the beat. A lot of great bassists and drummers don't even know they're doing it. A typical one bar funk riff, will start behind the beat at the beginning of the bar, and then have to get ahead of the beat at the end of the bar so it can finish before the 'one' of the next bar. Listen to the bass riff in James Brown sex machine which is a typical example.

In a live situation I tend to play a compromise of what is easiest to play and what sounds best. Open strings can sometimes be easier to play, and allow you to stretch less, but give you less control over muting and feel. I notice a lot of guitarists tend to play open strings a lot when they play bass, as the difference in sound between open and fretted notes are more noticeable on a guitar than a bass, and that's how they're used to playing.

Good choice! Those Korean Squiers are supposed to be very well made.

I had an ABM 1x15 and I wasn't too keen on it. On the other hand, a local venue I play at, swopped their MAG 410 for an an Ampeg SVT classic 410 and the sound improved phenomenally. It's one of these. http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/Ampeg_SVT-410HLF_Bass_Speaker_Cab/AMPEG-SVT410HLF?CAWELAID=1830893008&catargetid=1873944471&cadevice=c&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CMuYzY2VwLwCFYUIwwodnn8AUA

Over the course of 4 years I've bought and sold about 9 basses (Yamaha, Stingray, Charvel lots of Jazzes and Ps). It allowed me to figure out want I want from a bass. And I've really enjoyed the journey. I've now culled the herd down to a great Precision and a great Jazz. When you find the bass that suits you, you'll stick with it.

Yes Ki0gon and excellent they are too. Click here http://basschat.co.uk/user/7835-kiogon/

The Silver Squier Jazz and Precision basses were made in Japan in between 92 and 94. Great build and sound. Go for about £250 these days on ebay. Was yours made in Japan or Korea?

A big influence on my bass playing was Phil Chen. He played for a long time with Rod Stewart (but don't hold that against him). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeD8KbBYLgM