Steve Rickwood

Haha! for part of my degree I had to learn drums to a basic extent. My friend said, "The face you pull whilst playing drums is the face you pull whilst having sex." Since then I have never been able to see him in the same light when we gig together.

Hmmm - I've not seen the clip, but I'm not sure we should slate someone for their expressions! If Jaco, Mark King or any bass 'guru' is allowed to then we should leave alone. If you watch people like Steve Vai (we are discussing PERFORMANCE here, not bass...) or Adrian Belew you can witness their expression with the music - they let their instrument speak. Countless others do too, this is obviously a can of worms in the making. Of course, if it IS as ridiculous as everyone says then I take it all back! Maybe I'm just paranoid cos I pull a lot of faces when I play!

Hooray!

Well, simply put, I've never been comfortable with music shops as there are so many that give 'advice' with commision attached to their motive. And to be fair, it's business. But The Bass Centre have always been quality with advice and response, as were Mansons. I can't say much more than that. I have used the bass centre exclusively since the late 90s, altho I don't get up there much now as I live by the coast. I still order my elites from there tho! Yeah - top marks, thats all!

I'm a lefty, as so to speak. But I don't know if I count as I copied my brother holding a guitar when I started and consequntly I play right-handed. Maybe I'm a freak?

[The Bass Centre have been good to me for the last 10 years, and Mansons were also very good.

Actually, yeah - Stu Hamm and Alex Sklarveski did some pretty decent tuition vids, altho it helps to see a good tutor. The biggest lesson I learnt was hammer-on dead notes with the fretting hand - after that it made a lot more sense. And someone pointed out about miller and flea clones...yeah - I watched Claypool and he was the only player who made me want to slap as he approached from a more interesting angle. Rob trujillo (now Metallica fame...) was also a bit of a demon, esp when combined with performance - dont forget the performance aspect. Musos are boring to watch. Work at both concepts. good luck dude.

With regard to technique it depends on what you are playing; much of the level 42 stuff requires the thumb to be 'bouncing' and almost letting the string do the work. The angle of your thumb is less important than a clean execution (altho I've not seen the vid) - I graze the string with the edge of my thumb and bounce through to the string below as a resting place (the body if after the g or C string). But whether I'm playing thru the string or returning my thumb to strike again (its all in the wrist action as they say...) I try no avoid the heel of my hand catching the string and causing unessecary muting/harmonics. Unless, you require that! Fleas technique is largely governed by the height of which he wears the bass and utilises a different approach - ultimately, you need to be comfortable and relaxed, in order to sound comfortable and relaxed! And yeah, the proverbial slow practice etc is useful. It can only be sped up accurately once it has been controlled. I reckon you should find a local tutor who has a good rep (not a guitarist doing bass on the side...) and solve the problem before you have to unlearn and relearn bad habits, which is like someone teaching you to ride a bike again from scratch! Bit easier than reading all this!

Oh really? No truss rod...how bizarre... Cheers for advice, will take that into consideration.

Haha! Thank you for feedback. Design is cool btw. I'm gona pester the guy/girl to put strings on it - would be concerned if neck was twisted or warped. Cheers.

Hi. for me, the sansamp pedal is the best £180 I ever spent. I think I liked it cos Doug Wimbish used one in Living Colour...can't remember. Anyway, I have used it in several ways: 1)as a pre-amp/DI which I have on numerous oocasions used thru a big pa at London gigs and had a monitor for my sound - this allowed a good sound without having to take an amp. 2) In studio - tone is very flexible esp as the controls are active, meaning that if you boost bass and treble, the mids will cut, and vice versa. All possibilities here coupled with the blend between the sound of your instrument and the sound of the sansamp allow a lot of possibilities. It also seems to saturate and create a tube-like sound too which is cool. 3) It is a mean fuzz pedal!!! A lot of bass distortions wimp out on the bottom end but on this you have a lot of control. I'm no fan of line 6 pods etc and 'all in one' simulators, but if you work with sansamp you can get a lot of useable variety - it sounds good in the mix, not just the shop. However, some may disagree!

What would that cost new mate? Is his/her price on ebay reasonable? And is there a place in uk that stocks them?

Pete Trewavas (Marillion), Tony Butler (Big Country), ewan Vernal (Deacon Blue)...it goes on. All those guys were really melodic.

Hi there - I'm available for deps anywhere depending on the situation. I'm based in Kent but frequently gig all over - for more info/or my email contact goto www.steverickwood.com Thanks.

I saw Primus opening for Rush's 1992 Roll the Bones tour...'What the hell is this crap', we all pondered. However, compelling the bass playing was, so I bought Seas of cheese for the bass parts if nothing else. AMAZING!!! I had no interest in slap bass prior to that because people sound like cheap marcus millers all too often, but this dude made it sound fun and aggresive. Yeah! Lets not neglect the surrounding talent of the band either. Also, they manages to subliminally affect most of the world into hearing their music via South Park - respect!

Hi there, my name is Steve Rickwood and I'm a freelance bass guitarist and I also find time to teach. I'm based in east Kent but cover other areas such as Canterbury, Medway and Maidstone. If you would like more information my advert is on www.kentgigs.com under teachers section, or visit www.steverickwood.com and email me direct. Likewise for any dep work. Thanks.[attachment=866:steve_marqueesmall.jpg]