Chris2112

My old Thumb bolt on was very light too and balanced well, not a chore to play whatsoever.

I don't have a tab for this one but I do remember playing it (I'm a huge Big Country fan though, and I do regularly play a lot of their earlier songs). If memory serves, the main riff follows the pattern of: G------------------ D------------------ A------3----5----3 E---3-------------- From that progression you can work out the little flourishes and fills...it's very simple for Big Country really! Just remember your palm mutes!

[quote name='thebrig' post='1053765' date='Dec 10 2010, 09:53 AM']What do they sound like, are they up there with standard Precisions?[/quote] No, they don't sound anywhere near that bad. For a start, they have a humbucker at the bridge so they're useable in a band situation where you actually want to be heard! As for the Steinbergers, they feel solid and well made but not heavy. Certainly not like, a Bubinga Corvette say!

I remember having a look at one in Guitar Guitar and thinking it looked a bit naff. Ibanez have always made the best guitars going, but their basses often leave something to be desired. It's a neat idea but certainly not for me, and not for most people I would think, though I do applaud their bravery.

Get an old 80's Steinberger!

I have to say, I did play a Sadowsky Metro the other day that struck me as being really good for a jazz bass.

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='1052654' date='Dec 9 2010, 12:44 PM']This one? That's now mine, so it should be there... assuming this bloody snow's shifted by February. [/quote] That bass is awesome! And there's my ACG in the background!

I do remember when I first turned up to buy the bass and Peter opened the case, I went - you just couldn't capture the orange hue in photographs, or the rich gold colour of the back. That said, the majority of Fenders I find extremely sub par in terms of looks, sound and feel, so I suppose it's all just a question of what you want and what you're willing to settle for.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1052454' date='Dec 9 2010, 09:46 AM']Im sure your right, they definitely radiate quality, even from the pics but still, paying that sort of money and compromising on looks means i probably still wouldnt want one.[/quote] Probably best you stick to Fenders then! As for the colour issue, just look at what Alan can get for you if you ask, woods as colourful as you like! My bass has an incredible orange hue to it...

Ah, I was playing my Thumb through a Trace Elliot 4x10" with no tweeter, I suspect things may be a bit "harsher" though my Ashdown MK500!

[quote name='mcgraham' post='1051463' date='Dec 8 2010, 10:58 AM']I don't agree with this - just 'trusting' you'll find the right technique for you and that you'll do it correctly is nonsense.[/quote] It worked for me...I realised one day I could do both styles and I'd never gave it any concious though. However, judging by the amount of mugs who play their basses round their ankles, perhaps it takes someone with common sense to benefit from this "natural development" approach.

Anyone interested in reading about ACG basses, please see the link in my signature, I've done a fairly in depth review of the Harlot singlecut I bought this year. If I had to sum up ACG I'd say they are quite simply the best basses being made in the UK today. And with Wal and Status Graphite here that's a good effort! I recall reading recently that the bloke from Luthier's Access Group in the US had ordered an ACG to see what they were all about and he thought it was excellent. That's a good effort too, saying as the LAG has had some amazing basses there.

[quote name='lojo' post='1037367' date='Nov 26 2010, 08:39 AM']Where is the line between a buying guitar whilst on holiday visiting a musical tourist spot in the states as a souvenir, much like you might buy a bongo drum in africa, and importing[/quote] As soon as they smell some money to be made from it they'll sink their teeth in, even if it is just some piece of sh*t SX bass you're smuggling in!

I remember the walls of the stairway leading into Howards in Newcastle were thick with adverts back when the shop was open! Those were the days...

"Bliss Factor Part II" by Guitar Prasanna with Victor Wooten playing the bass...the end has one of his most incredible grooves of all time. Savage.

I have always tended to use a variable of both techniques, and I have developed both to the point where changing between them is as fluid as possible. In fact, I actually had to picture the bass in my head to work out how I do it as it's not something that I think about! I probably rely more on having my thumb in a "transitional achor" technique, where it's resting on the string above the one I'm playing as it can really help you to get a nice even, powerful pluck on funky 16th note passages. In the end though, I don't think too much time should be spent working on the technique if it does not feel immediately "natural" to you. I could probably play everything I do with both styles, and I think there are much more important things to focus on. I certainly never dedicated any time to these techniques specifically, unlike I did with say; slap or four finger plucking. In the end, if you're meant to be using a certain right hand plucking technique it will probably develop itself (unless you're thinking of something wild like Billy Sheehan's three finger "rolling" style!)

I'd say a lot of of this pain may be caused by the angle your wrist is at. Is your wrist straight or is the joint at an angle when you're picking? I always say that picking comes from fractionally small movements of the elbow modulated by the wrist. It should not be about swinging the wrist or flexing the fingers. If there is an angle in the joint of your wrist (IE there is not a straight line between your elbow and your hand) you could be compressing the inner workings of the wrist. Blood vessels, nerves and tendons will not react well to being squashed. For some people, they can get away with playing with their bass round their knees and their wrist bent like a fish hook. For others, they get a lot of pain quickly. My advice would be to try raising your bass up if you wear it low. I find that, if you were to draw a horizontal line over your body where your elbow naturally hangs when standing, optimum picking is achieved by keeping your picking hand on or above this line. Hold the pick lightly to avoid muscle craps in your hands and take it slow. As has been said, never play through the pain as you could due more serious damage. It may well be worth investing time in a good warm up routine prior to playing, as adivsed by the likes of Stuart Hamm and Billy Sheehan.

What about the days when you used to put up an advert just inside the door of the guitar shop?

I'd to take this opportunity to once again mention how much I like my ACG; I was playing a friend's Ken Smith today and while it was very nice, I have to say the ACG was quite considerably better. It's quite a shame that I'm missing this event, as I know a lot of people there will have never played an ACG before and I'm sure they'd quite enjoy my Harlot singlecut along with the other ACG basses there!