gjones

Very true. Strings with lower tension (but the same gauge) can make a bass feel so much more playable too.

Turn up or stay within 3 feet of your amp.

Going to college to study music is like studying art. It's not a vocational course like an HND electronic engineering or an apprenticship in plumbing. You don't study music because you want to be able to afford a Ferrari in 10 years time you do it because you love music. I don't know of any professional musicians in my own circle of friends who own Ferraris but I do know they are happy they picked the career path that they did.

Personally the feel and playability of a bass is more important than the sound of it's pickups. Pickups can always be upgraded. I recommend heading off to your local music shop trying a few precisions then pick the one that you like the look of, plays well and is within your price range. If at a later date you wish to swop the pickups it's easy to do and not that expensive. Alternatively, if that's too much hassle you can have mine for £5000.

I had tennis elbow for a while. It's a tear in the tendon of your forearm where it attaches to your elbow and can be very painful when your arm is in certain positions. Luckily it didn't affect my bass playing. All that you can do is to rest your arm and wait for the tendon to heal (which it did after about 3 months). Websites usually mention the fact that It usually occurs after [b]'unaccustomed physical exercise by the over thirtyfives' [/b]which is spot on as I'd just bought myself some weights in a futile effort to get fit.

If you want the Jamerson sound get some foam and stick it under the strings at the bridge. The top end will go away and you'll have instant Jamerson thump on tap.

Is that a sneaky way of getting around ebay fees?

Guy Pratt 'My bass and other animals'. He's played with them all Page & Plant, Pink Floyd, Madonna etc etc

I know Kevin. He also plays with Eddie Reader and Karen Matheson, among others. I'll pass on your comment I'm sure it will be appreciated.

You're not alone [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/160627-ibanez-promethean-p5110/page__p__1455608__hl__promethean__fromsearch__1#entry1455608"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/160627-ibanez-promethean-p5110/page__p__1455608__hl__promethean__fromsearch__1#entry1455608[/url]

Charvel by Jackson were the basses no 80's metal band could be seen without. Flashy colours and spikey headstock but basically a P/J bass with really nice punchy pickups and a lovely Jazz bass type neck. I had one and it sounded and played great. You can get them now for a song.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1323386172' post='1462930'] the yen is stronger against the pound. Mainly cos our economy is more messed up than the japanese one [/quote] Hmmmm.......I heard the yen was devalued recently? Time to check out Ishibashi. [url="http://www.theweek.co.uk/world-business/35517/japan%E2%80%99s-foreign-minister-ready-devalue-yen"]http://www.theweek.co.uk/world-business/35517/japan%E2%80%99s-foreign-minister-ready-devalue-yen[/url]

[quote name='PauBass' timestamp='1323268606' post='1461290'] Who is this seller, please? I'll soon be on the market for a new Jazz neck. [/quote] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330651181073"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330651181073[/url]

A hollow bodied Jazz! What will those creative Japanese come up with next?

[quote name='sixdegrees' timestamp='1319390725' post='1413535'] Hi all, Currently using an Ashdown ABM with 210 and 115 compact cabs, and this isn't enough to cut through at the larger venues without the cones farting. Any advice most welcome. [/quote] Wow, your drummer must be a BEAST if your ABM at full blast can't keep up! If I ever hear of an earthquake in Ilford I'll know what caused it.

The best bassline to learn that uses all 4 fingers is 'Hey Joe' by Jimi Hendrix. I'm talking about the end bit which doubles with the guitar. If you play that repeatedly you will end up with full control of Mr Pinky. When I first started playing bass the book I bought to learn had Hey Joe as it's first lesson and I've never looked back.

I have left my poor old, UK built, electric blue ashdown combo in the back of my car for a year now. I use it regularly (at least once a week) at smaller gigs and it's never let me down. I would never leave my more expensive stuff out in sub zero temps like I do my ashdown but it only cost me £100 secondhand and it seems like it's bulletproof.

Just fitted the neck to my Jazz and it fits like a glove and plays great. TOTAL BARGAIN!!!!

The price of the bass is irrelevant. It's far more important to start off on an easily playable instrument with a low-ish action (the height of the strings above the fretboard). If you want pay to £1500 for a bass and can afford it that's fine but it isn't necessary to pay that much to get a nice sounding playable bass. I would recommend finding a bass you like the look/sound of and then getting the shop to set it up for maximum playability (go to a shop with an in house guitar technician who will do this for you).

I got up to play a couple of songs at a friends gig the other day and used his bass. He plays an epiphone thunderbird and the first thing I realised is how far away the neck feels compared to playing a normal shaped bass. I felt I should have had an abnormally long left arm just in order to get to the end of the neck.

I sold my amp, for the same reason, a few years ago and if I needed an amp I would rent it. But it was such a hassle that I ended up buying a small (but loud) ashdown amp secondhand for those few and far between gigs where I had to provide my own backline. I now have a car so I bought a bigger louder flashier rig (but with no blue lights unfortunately) but I still have that little loud fella as a backup and if my circumstances change I may sell the big rig but I'll hold on to the ashdown.

[quote name='henry norton' timestamp='1322923933' post='1457350'] You can't argue with 99 notes, is it new or used??? [/quote] It's new. And has a cheeky Fender decal put on it by the seller. I saw these a while ago but assumed they must be naff and built down to a price (and probably built like a bassball bat) but after being quoted £400 for a secondhand Geddy Lee neck took a punt and was surprised at it's excellent great build quality. Of course since I haven't actually fitted it yet the final verdict will have to wait but having bought quite a few necks in my time I think I know a good un when I see one.

I just bought a maple Mighty Mite neck off Ebay for £99 new and it looks great. I haven't yet fitted it yet as I need to drill some holes for the tuners etc but so far I'm VERY impressed. It's lovely and shallow and very well made. I recently bought an allparts neck for £200 which was good quality but 'chunky' and spent £300 on a actual Fender neck from a 2011 60s Classic Jazz but this neck looks like the best of the bunch. Yes, so far I'm very happy. I'll update this post once I fit but I've a feeling it will play like a dream (like the neck on my old Geddy Lee which I loved).

As long as the open string is in tune with the same string at the 12th fret (and you get them both in tune with each other by moving the saddles at the bridge back and forward until they are) then you'll be in tune. If you aren't in tune all the way up and down the fretboard then the frets must be in the wrong place. My bridge saddles aren't in a pleasing diagonal line, in fact they're all over the place, but my bass is in tune. Check out this video it makes setting intonation nice and simple [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC30nJgIAJM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC30nJgIAJM[/url]