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Thinking about gigs i have been to and really can't remember what anyone was wearing. But i can remember some stunning arrangements and fantastic groove and playing. Its gotta depend on the genre i guess. Some genres are so stereotyped now that it must be difficult for bands breaking into it to contemplate doing something different.

Nice comments above that i echo. Both great players - Stomp and POW will always get a dance floor moving.

Lots of variables to this question. If you had said "Get changed with the drummer" the answer would be a "no" for sure. In a jam its a bit of a free for all so the answer would be sometimes yes and sometimes no. If the Keys, for example, are playing some solo stuff i would have an ear on that and try to support some of the ideas coming from the keyboard. This could be changing in timing and i might follow the keys player for a bit - maybe the drummer will follow? Keep jamming its good for you.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1343117501' post='1745318'] not threatening at all imho - it will only sound as good as the musicianship of the keyboard player using it if youre demo-ing a new product like this you seriously wouldnt pick just 'any average' keyboard player - it is a very smart choice using george duke he has always been way above most players in his ability to write bass synth lines that transcend sounding as if they come from a keyboard [/quote] +1 George Duke is a seriously great player

Theres no right or wrong answer is there? As usual it "depends". Out of the many gigs i have played only a handful have been for free. Thats my choice. I decided a long time ago that my effort was worth some reward. I have missed gigs at festivals and other places where they expect you to do it "for the soul" - sorry i find that patronising as well as the claim that its for "art". Bollox to that.

We have 2 uprights and 4 various electric basses at work

Get some midi files - there are some good ones and some rubbish ones Import them into something like Cubase, Garageband or similar Assign a synth to the chord track Assign some drums to the drum track Plug your bass in to some kind of interface and off you go Sounds long winded but its pretty quick once you get going and you can loop and jam on and on and on and on and on and on You can also record yourself - speed up or slow down the track - move it into different keys

I know what you mean - it is tempting to look at the TAB but on occassion i am glad its there because i don't have a real live person to tell me if what i am interpretting from the dots is right or wrong. A quick glance at the TAB can confirm if something is correct.

Good advice. After a layoff i have been going regularly, Mon, Wed, Fri to the gym on the way home from work. Feels good after doing a workout. The gym has a computerised system linked to all the machinery so you can keep a really good overview of what you have been doing. Weekly regime adds up to about 50km running and/or cycling, loads of stretching, 15,000 Kg of weights and the occasional swim. Only takes an hour or so to do the workout and home in time for tea

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1342982313' post='1743425'] Congratulations matey! I loved my 55-01 while I had it [/quote] +1 on that. Great basses. 1 too many strings on yours but i'd love to get the 4 string, maple neck version. Incredible range of tones.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1342981690' post='1743415'] You'd be looking at having to pay around the £330 - £350 mark in VAT & Import duty on that. It's always difficult to give an exact price as ultimately it's down to the currency conversion rate on the day that the sale is made. [/quote] Almost worth flying out and taking a bass over with you. Sell it over there and top up the funds to buy a bass of your choice. Have a little holiday and bring it back as personal luggage.

I use Cubase (warning very steep learning curve) software for recording A Focusrite USB interface I use a drum sequencer that comes with the Cubase software. Suits just fine and has done all i want it to do. I probably only use about 5% of the features in Cubase though

Hi Mike i did it for a few years back in the 90s when i had no financial obligations or kids to feed. I was lucky and got onto a pretty lucrative circuit in the Middle East playing at 5* hotels on 3/6month contracts. I ended up really not enjoying it - the money was good and it was nice to tell people i am a pro musician - but i ended up falling out of love with playing. There were times when i was waiting for a contract to happen and couldn't get involved with anything else - kind of in limbo. Looking back i probably don't realise how easy i had it but it really is different playing full-time. Its a lot more fun now, not relying on it for an income and playing what i want to play (to some degree). All that said i am glad i did it. Whatever you decided to do - good luck.

Yuk. I guess you'll be hitting the "brown" note for some time.

[quote name='umcoo' timestamp='1342776963' post='1740696'] I don't really understand Allparts UK. Everything is very expensive, and you'd actually save money by ordering from the States and paying shipping and import taxes. Plus, as you've found out, there's hardly anything in stock. Still really nice stuff though. [/quote] This - and unless its a big item you will rarely pay import tax. Its a lot quicker getting the stuff from the US too!

Great life story Shonkers. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Nabba First thing to think is "No, don't put my foot on the monitor and start thrusting - i am a bass player and therefore by definition very cool" Enjoy the site B

Learn it all then you can decide. Everything has its place.

[quote name='surfinbernard' timestamp='1342607264' post='1737661'] There is a very good bespectacled German guy who does great lessons for non-beginners (he does have some beginner lessons but I'm not sure how 'beginner' they are) which I sometimes have a look at: [media]http://youtu.be/RY0YP_7mE-o[/media] But when I started learning bass it was before the time of Youtube lessons, not by much, but by the time I discovered Youtube I was past the basics. I learned by playing along to Hendrix etc. but I was fortunate to have a trained ear to start with as bass was not my first instrument. I also had a very boring but effective boom about technique which got me off to a good start. There is such a lot of variety on Youtube and some lessons are great while others are worse than useless. I go on there for a few different instruments as well as reviews etc and find I might have to click on a few before finding a good one but they are on there. [/quote] He's Danish FFS - Marlowe is a great guy - nice lessons, he plays things slowly and the vids are of good quality - he talks slowly and clearly.

The net is a great resource but there is an equal amount of bollox as there is good stuff. Players with basses that have no fret markers may as well Foxtrot Oscar as its obvious that they are not really thinking about providing a service for a student. At the same time the student has to appreciate where they are in terms of ability and not try and run before they can walk.

I had one too - and it did weigh a ton.

Defo on the separates as there is more options on the upgrade.

Got a little kit thats called Cruz tools. In addition to whats already been mentioned it has feeler gagues, rulers, a torch, string winder. Its all in a nice case and pretty good quality. I have been using it for a couple of years and its great. I have added some other stuff like spare batteries, screws, spanner etc and its all in a nice little case. Edit: pressed space before finishing.

Hiya welcome to Basschat. Glad you like the old country despite it being broke and very wet. Liking your gear list. My mate Stu lives in LA. Do you know him? Jerry

Sounds like one of my recurring nightmares