gjones

I think I know that guy 🤣

Are you having to turn gain and master to full in order to get a decent level of volume through your cabinet? The first time I owned an ABM 500, back in the day, I put it through a 1x15 cab that wasn't very efficient. This mean I couldn't get loud enough to play with a loud drummer and a loud guitarist without putting the needle way into the red (gain and master maxed). The reason was, that my cab just wasn't efficient enough (it was a TC Electronic 2x10). I ended up selling the ABM and buying a TC Electronic head. A few later I bought a Barefaced Compact 1x15 and recently I bought a secondhand ABM 500. I tried it with the Barefaced and because the cab is so efficient I no longer had the same problem. What cab are you putting your amp through?

I sold a bass to Will from BassBros a few months ago and sometimes he is very fast at replying to emails and sometimes he can take a while, but he always replies eventually. He has a lot of different plates to spin I suspect. People contact him via Whatsapp, Messenger and email.

I have a G&L L2500 tribute (which is a really versatile and great sounding bass) but I keep eyeing up L2000s, which is the 4 string version. I'm mainly a 4 string player and bought the 5 because I was playing, at the time, in a covers band which played songs in weird keys. Logically, I don't need the 4 string version because I've got the 5 string version, so why do I keep on eying up the 4 string ones? Very odd....

Frankly as we get older I feel we need to be mentally challenged, or our brains will vegetate. Interestingly, my brother in law, who is an professional electric guitarist/vocalist in his early 60s, has complained of forgetfulness and he's member of a band that is the house band at a local music venue. They play with different front men/women twice per month and he has to learn their sets. Some of those songs are standard but many are songs he's never heard before and he learns them pretty flawlessly every two weeks. I feel if he hadn't had that incentive to learn new songs, as a work out for his brain, the issue with his memory would be far worse than it is.

There is something weird going on with that bass.

I've fancied buying one of these but worried about selling it on if ever I needed to (because it's not a Jazz or P bass). I own a G&L L2500 and really love how versatile it is. I suspect the Dimension is a similar type of instrument. From the pictures it looks like the truss rod adjustment is at the heel of the neck, like a musicman, which is something I always like in a bass (my Fender Elite Precision has the same).

I do like them but the gauge is enormous. I've only got one bass where the nut slots are wide enough to fit them.

It depends on how many hours you rehearse and on the complexity of the songs you're learning. I play in a Blues band and have played that type of music for 30 years. As long as I know the key and the feel, then I don't need a rehearsal. I played in one particular Blues band for 10 years and we never ever had a rehearsal. On the other hand I've played with bands where the complexity of the songs were such that we'd need multiple rehearsals to get just one song right. But for standard cover songs I wouldn't want to rehearse more that one per hour of practice booked. Which may give you some time, at the end, to go through the songs you've (hopefully) learned.

Your average musician (who isn't a bass player) probably couldn't name the bassist in their favourite band. Bassists are invisible to everybody, other than other bassists. Sad but true

Last year I sold 3 basses but bought a John East J-retro. Does buying a guitar amp count? This year there's absolutely nothing I need bass wise. Count me in...

This... And when you're practicing playing with fingers don't bother plugging the bass into the amp. It's discouraging when you hear all the clanky noises and mistakes when you're starting off playing fingerstyle. Just get used to playing with your fingers first of all and when you start to get the hang of it, plug the bass in.

My niece has her own Indie band. She's been in the UK charts but makes very little money from selling her music (Her music has streamed ten million times on Spotify in the last 10 years but the annual income that has produced is the equivalent of the average salary of a lollipop lady). She can't play in the EU any more due to the visa restrictions and legal hurdles Brexit created, therefore she's had to apply for Irish citizenship (her grandmother was Irish) so that she can play gigs in the EU in the future (her band will have to stay at home because they only have UK passports). Making an income from original music is very difficult these days.

There was a band in Aberdeen, called Union Avenue, who used to do covers in the style of Johnny Cash.

I play a lot of venues where I'm going straight into a front of house PA. Any amp I have have onstage is just for monitoring. So I use my onboard preamp to tweak my sound before it gets to the desk. That means I have some control on how my bass sounds out front. It also means that when I'm not going through the PA I can go out front at sound check and adjust my sound from my bass, rather than have to go back to the amp to change EQ..

I've been in bands before where the female singer was not that great. But eventually it was resolved by making sure the songs were played in the right key for her range and that she could hear herself through the monitors. If the problem is that she just can't sing in tune, or sing the songs in your set because they're not suited to to her voice, then first of all get the drummer on side and break the news that the rest of the band just don't feel she is suitable for the stuff you do. It's never easy.

It really depends on the cab, as not all cabs are equal. I have an old Barefaced Compact and it is extremely loud considering it's only one 15 inch speaker. I've played cheaper 2x10 cabs and they struggled with a loud drummer. If you're economising then the more speakers the better.

I have carpal tunnel too. I had an operation on my left wrist (fretting hand)and I no longer have any symptoms. My right hand sometimes has issues but I wear a brace on my wrist and that keeps it under control. Have you considered an operation which would allow you to continue playing standard basses without pain?

A drummer with a van to lug all the gear around????

I applied a seventies style Fender decal on the headstock of a nice old eighties Mighty Mite neck. The original Mighty Mite decal was a water transfer which wore off years ago. The neck was originally fitted to a Mighty Mite body that I got rid of because it was just too bulky and heavy. I applied the decal for aesthetic reasons, as the blank headstock just didn't look right. The neck has been on a few bitsa Precisions and Jazzes over the years. It's not been applied very professionally so wouldn't fool anybody into thinking it was a real Fender neck.

I remember when Guy Pratt and John Illsley (from Dire Straits) were discussing their vintage Fenders, on Rockonteurs, and how ridiculous the prices had escalated to these days. They agreed that no musician would ever spend so much on an instrument and most of them end up with bankers, or Russian gangsters.

The G&L L2000 tributes are great basses and can get a wide range of sounds, They're within your price range secondhand. Of course there are also Sire basses and Squire contemporary basses which may fit the bill and are around your price range new.

I you might wish to sell the bass, at some point in the future and get your money back, then it's not a good price. But if you feel it's a keeper then pay what you think it's worth to you.

I recommend Mamas Gun bassist Cameron Dawson to those who like James Jamerson's style. He's a very melodic and fluid kind of player and reminds me a lot of Jamerson.

Dare I ask, what is the point of this....... thing? 🫤