# The Bassist and Guitarist thread



## Drago (8 Oct 2019)

Many moons ago I was a moderately decent guitar player. Not the best by a long stretch, but I could make some pleasing sounds and did a stretch in a pub band. Paid my dues.

Things went awry when I broke my elbow 11 years ago. Initially I found it difficult to get my forearm in the correct position, and once it healed healed that resolved itself I then started to lose the feeling in my 2 outside fingers and that really did start to cause me problems with finger picking. I could still strum and pick a solo, but felt a bit emasculated and eventually gave it up in frustration, finally selling my guitars.

Well, the other day Mini D asked if I would teach her to okay guitar. I'd be glad to, and this prompted a discussion between myself and Mrs D about me returning to playing, help me fill a bit of time with something constructive. I was unsure as I'd face the same problems as before, but then Mrs D suggested that I try bass guitar. With a third less real estate for my right hand to cover, the thumb and remaining 2 properly working fingers have a fighting chance of managing.

Now, I had played a little bass way back when om bandmates instruments, but nothing serious and I'd never really got the groove or become proficient. Nevertheless, I understand the tuning and left hand finger positions so over the last day or so ive been listening to songs and pretending to use my 3 working right digits to play, and I reckon it's a goer.

So, next up is to get bass geetar and an amp, and get jiggy with it.

So, my questions - any players on here? I'm guessing that @DCBassman might be. Any guidance on a good book for someone who already has a basic grasp of the instrument and wants to progress to intermediate level? Any tips on an entry level bass that isn't a total piece of sheet? Any advice for dealing with the young groupies?


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## dan_bo (8 Oct 2019)

Can fart about on a bass and hold a rhythm but haven't owned one for a good while now. 

What I really really want next is a tenor or baritone sax. 

And a remote field to play it in.


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## Grant Fondo (8 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Many moons ago I was a moderately decent guitar player. Not the best by a long stretch, but I could make some pleasing sounds and did a stretch in a pub band. Paid my dues.
> 
> Things went awry when I broke my elbow 11 years ago. Initially I found it difficult to get my forearm in the correct position, and once it healed healed that resolved itself I then started to lose the feeling in my 2 outside fingers and that really did start to cause me problems with finger picking. I could still strum and pick a solo, but felt a bit emasculated and eventually gave it up in frustration, finally selling my guitars.
> 
> ...


Good luck with it. Had a bass when i was a student but never really got anywhere, so migrated to 6 string and still play a bit but badly. Love listening to Entwistle, Tony Levin, Mick Kahn and the like though...the backbone of any great band imo.


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## Drago (8 Oct 2019)

Martin Barre on geetar, Phil lynott om bass, John Bonham on the skins and Brad Delp on vocals.


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## Seevio (8 Oct 2019)

If you can play guitar you can play bass to an acceptable standard. It's still going to take practice to get the more complicated techniques right but that's to be expected. 

When buying a bass, make sure you actually go into a music shop and test the sound and feel for yourself. You're going to be the one playing so don't rely on other people's opinions and don't buy a BC Rich heritage classic neck-through Mockingbird off the Internet because you liked the look of it. 

A bass is longer and heavier than a guitar so it is easier to beat away the inevitable young female groupies.


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## MontyVeda (8 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> ... Any tips on an entry level bass that isn't a total piece of sheet? Any advice for dealing with the young groupies?


Just go to a shop and try a few... buy the one that you like the feel of and that you find easy to play. If none of them tickle your fancy, go to another shop until you find one you like. As for groupies, just check their ID first and make sure it isn't fake.


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## Smokin Joe (8 Oct 2019)

I started to teach myself bass last year, but following the removal of the tip of my right finger in January I have had to give up as I just can't fret. I have been thinking of trying a left hand one as strumming should be ok with the left hand.


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## Electric_Andy (8 Oct 2019)

I learned on 6 string but played Bass in a band for a while. I had quite a rubbish, passive Bass, and quite a rubbish amp but we mostly played metal so it was good enough. My advice would be get a nice active Bass and a good amp. The rest can be tweaked with pedals etc. YouTube will no doubt have 8 million really helpful tutorials.


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## Profpointy (8 Oct 2019)

Giving up guitar just because of a couple of bad fingers ? Didn't put this fella off


View: https://youtu.be/PQhTpgicdx4


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## Lee_M (8 Oct 2019)

Seevio said:


> If you can play guitar you can play bass to an acceptable standard. It's still going to take practice to get the more complicated techniques right but that's to be expected.



I never found that, I could play guitar to a reasonable standard but could never just pick up a bass and play. In fact I've still got one getting dusty that I never use as I'm a drummer mostly.

I know people say that's the case, but it never had been for me


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## MontyVeda (8 Oct 2019)

Smokin Joe said:


> I started to teach myself bass last year, but following the removal of the tip of my right finger in January I have had to give up as I just can't fret. I have been thinking of trying a left hand one as strumming should be ok with the left hand.


Toni Iomii lost the tips of several... didn't stop him from being heavy metal's most influential guitarist 

edited to add... In fact, if he hadn't lost his finger tips he wouldn't have been. He had to down tune his guitar to lower the tension on the strings... giving his riffs that low roaring metal sound we all take for granted these days.


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## gbb (8 Oct 2019)

My grandaughter (14) plays bass in the school pit band. She came along leaps and bounds once she learned to read music. She also attends a half hour weekly evening class but its probably £20 a time. 
Sadly (for me, from a selfish perspective), she's not stopping playing but stopping the evening class in favour of ballet.

Lets hope Drago doesn't follow suit


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## Salad Dodger (8 Oct 2019)

Basses come in all shapes and sizes, but they are not always the same scale length. I have inherited the bass that my daughter bought for herself some time ago, and it's a long scale bass, which makes some scales and riffs quite a stretch for me, as I only have moderate sized hands. If I were to buy a bass for myself, I would want to try at least one short scale bass to see if it's easier. But that's just me......

Definitely hunt out a decent sized music shop, and try a range of instruments to see what your hands tell you is the best for you.

Have fun!


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## vickster (8 Oct 2019)

Take a trip to Epsom...this shop is huge and stuffed with guitars!
https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/guitars/bass/

I remember it opening, by Slash no less!


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## Seevio (8 Oct 2019)

vickster said:


> Take a trip to Epsom...this shop is huge and stuffed with guitars!
> https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/guitars/bass/
> 
> I remember it opening, by Slash no less!


I don't like to click on unknown links. Does it have something to do with guitars?


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## vickster (8 Oct 2019)

Seevio said:


> I don't like to click on unknown links. Does it have something to do with guitars?


Not only 

And they actually have a few branches 
https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/stores/finder/


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## Drago (8 Oct 2019)

Interesting. Had a text from Mrs D. A work colleague has an Ibanez bass for sale that I might be interested in. She's going to fetch it in tomorrow for Mrs D to bring home and show me. Was her ex BF's, but he cleared off years ago with a younger model and left a load of his gear behind. Gotta be worth a nosey.


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## winjim (8 Oct 2019)

Bass Line


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## Drago (8 Oct 2019)

^^^ oh, tell me more Mr Jim.


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## winjim (8 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> ^^^ oh, tell me more Mr Jim.


That, my friend, is the most poorly conceived and badly executed attempt at an electronic simulation of a bass guitar that there has ever been.

Sounds like this


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## Drago (9 Oct 2019)

Well, looks like I've bought myself an Ibanez bass! Practising scales already.


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## slowmotion (9 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> So, my questions - any players on here? I'm guessing that @DCBassman might be.



Good Lord. I always assumed that @DCBassman got his name from his angling activities.


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## Grant Fondo (9 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Interesting. Had a text from Mrs D. A work colleague has an Ibanez bass for sale that I might be interested in. She's going to fetch it in tomorrow for Mrs D to bring home and show me. Was her ex BF's, but he cleared off years ago with a younger model and left a load of his gear behind. Gotta be worth a nosey.


I would love an Ibanez guitar....my Yamaha strat copy is well, a bit Datsun.


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## DCBassman (9 Oct 2019)

Erm, no...


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## Drago (10 Oct 2019)

slowmotion said:


> Good Lord. I always assumed that @DCBassman got his name from his angling activities.


I initially thought it was his love of shandy which begat his name.


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## DCBassman (10 Oct 2019)

Shandy Bass! That's a loooooong time ago!


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## Drago (11 Oct 2019)

Enjoying the bass. Learning the scales as quickly as I can, and theres enough familiarity with the positioning between guitar and bass that I'm picking it up pretty fast. Starting to learn some basslines to a few choons, so getting into it.

It's already begun....the mods, that is. I've bought this wondrous beast for 5p quid, but I'm guessing it was about £300 when new. Thats good enough to play well, but not quite good enough that all the cosmetics will be first class. And so it is with the control knobs, nickel plated things that clearly aren't top drawer material. I've ordered some clear and black Les Paul types to replace them, nicer finished and less garish.

And I've ordered a tug bar, which I'll use in the finger rest position. Though I'm doing better at fingering (fnarr!!!) 4 strings than I was 6, I'm rattling away best with a pick so that'll aid me there.

Mrs D is going to get me a pukka bass amp for Crimbo, the I'd quite like an acoustic bass...and then a Steinberger...


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## Nonethewiser (11 Oct 2019)

I learned to play guitar first and graduated to playing in a number of bands before seeing the light and switching to bass guitar, which I also played live. Technically there are sufficient similarities to make initial switching easy enough but bass, like guitar, can become very complicated! My set up is a German made Warwick Corvette 4-string played through a Trace Elliot 300 watt solid state combo, although the amp might be considered a bit old hat these days but I love it - got to watch the volume levels when played at home though. Keep at it, Drago, bass is very rewarding and well worth the effort - don't let the heretics tell you that bass is in any way secondary to the guitar!


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## Drago (11 Oct 2019)

Thank you! I do worry that I'm being lulled into a false sense of security, ready to hit a wall at some later time! But it is just similar enough with the tuning to be familiar, I can read music - albeit I'm badly out of practice - and I'm fast developing the ear, which I think may be the most important thing. I can already rack out the basslines to Rock Arouand the Clock and Bouree without much hassle, and over the weekend I'm going to have a crack at Black Dog.


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## delb0y (11 Oct 2019)

Isn't bass guitar music written in bass clef? Never could get the hang of that!



dan_bo said:


> What I really really want next is a tenor or baritone sax.



I'm currently enjoying playing a bit of tenor when I'm not picking a guitar. It's great fun and not too loud. I'm struggling to memorise stuff though. Unlike a guitar where you can get by with patterns, on the sax you have to know the notes.

Derek


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## Drago (11 Oct 2019)

Yep, mainly in the F clef. I'm rusty so having to think about it, but its still much easier for me than reading tab.


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## Seevio (11 Oct 2019)

This is Rock n Roll. Bass music is written in tab!


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## DCBassman (12 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Enjoying the bass. Learning the scales as quickly as I can, and theres enough familiarity with the positioning between guitar and bass that I'm picking it up pretty fast. Starting to learn some basslines to a few choons, so getting into it.
> 
> It's already begun....the mods, that is. I've bought this wondrous beast for 5p quid, but I'm guessing it was about £300 when new. Thats good enough to play well, but not quite good enough that all the cosmetics will be first class. And so it is with the control knobs, nickel plated things that clearly aren't top drawer material. I've ordered some clear and black Les Paul types to replace them, nicer finished and less garish.
> 
> ...


You've got GAS, gear acquisition syndrome! There's no cure. Like bikes!


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## DCBassman (12 Oct 2019)

Having said that, after 50 years of playing bass, I've stripped it all back to the bare minimum super-lightweight rig. Easier on...everything!


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## Drago (12 Oct 2019)

I've renamed the thread.


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## delb0y (12 Oct 2019)

Something to aspire to:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve37F3Ee9Ow


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## Deleted member 23692 (12 Oct 2019)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NcDoaH7KOY


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## DCBassman (12 Oct 2019)

The one thing I don't encompass is electric bass as a solo instrument. Doesn't work like that for me.


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## DCBassman (12 Oct 2019)

I use modern flatwound strings, either D'Addario Chromes or Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. These can be quite twangy with tone right up, yet very mellow with lower tone. Much easier on the fingers and frets, and if you look after them (and if you don't suffer from killer sweat), they can last years, which makes them, in the long run, much cheaper than roundwound strings.
And if any Cyclechatter wants their bass set up, and they are nearby, gimme a call!


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## Drago (12 Oct 2019)

What are they like price wise compared to conventional strings?


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## DCBassman (12 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> What are they like price wise compared to conventional strings?


Expensive. £30 to £40 a set. They might last ten years, though, which roundwounds never do. Although if you want to do slap bass, roundwounds are definitely it.
If you want really soft feeling flats, go for TI JF324 Jazz Flats, even pricier, very supple, less twangy, again very long lived if you look after them. This means a wipe down after every use.


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## Drago (12 Oct 2019)

This looks a good website.

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/strings-c1/string-sets-c865/bass-guitar-c34


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## DCBassman (12 Oct 2019)

If you have a guitar shop nearby, see what they stock. They are not likely to have a good range of bass strings unless thjey specialise, but if they have what you want, it's rarely much different in price. Stringsdirect and Stringbusters not greatly cheaper, pays to shop around.


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## AuroraSaab (12 Oct 2019)

Good call on the Ibanez, Drago. My son has an Ibanez bass which is very nice. He hasn't really persevered with learning to play yet though. He started with an Epiphone viola bass copy but it had terrible neck dive. 

Between us all we have quite a few guitars. OH has just bought a used Fender US telecaster which is awesome, we have 5 or 6 acoustics, and a couple of other electrics. As with bikes, the n plus 1 equation applies. I bought this for £50 in a charity shop earlier in the year - an as new Loar acoustic, a beautifully made copy of a pre war Gibson. It's a shame I am pretty much just a strummer.


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## Stephen Piper (12 Oct 2019)

After playing in various local bands as a drummer, and occasional guitarist, over the past 45 years, I finally find myself playing in two bands as a bassist. I have always dabbled with bass so have a few chops and years of practice behind me. I cannot read tab or the stave quickly enough to use in a live situation, but tab helps as a learning tool. I manage by memorising parts, and even if they do fade if not used regularly it takes very little to recap and bring them back to mind. YouTube is a god send for tutorials on how to play almost any bass line in the rock and soul idioms, wish it was around in the 70's when that stylus had to be reset a thousand times to work out the notes one at a time.

I have four basses, a couple of cheapo types left knocking about for practicing on (a Peavey and Epiphone), a Fender Jazz Bass for gigging and fairly recently I acquired an inexpensive revolution fretless, which is already gathering dust alongside the mandolin and lap steel which are hardly ever played either. 

I still play drums in a band and our current bass player is an inspiration as he only has two fingers on his fretting hand and plays with just an index and little finger. Sitting beside him on the drum stool I do not notice any difference in his playing compared to any previous players.


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## DCBassman (12 Oct 2019)

AuroraSaab said:


> It's a shame I am pretty much just a strummer.


Nowt wrong with just strumming! Just strumming really nice chords is one of the delights of guitar playing.


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## Drago (12 Oct 2019)

I've not got as far as bass chords yet.


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## DCBassman (12 Oct 2019)

Ah but then a bass isn't really a guitar!
<pedant mode> a bass guitar has 6 strings tuned exactly as a normal guitar, an octave down.</pedant mode>


In the early sixties, Leo spelt it out on the headstocks:
An electric bass






An electric bass guitar


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## Drago (12 Oct 2019)

Today I've added 2 more easy basslines to my repertoire, Another One Bites the Dust and Dazed and Confused. I think I'll be ready for some of the more complex scales soon.


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## DCBassman (13 Oct 2019)

If you're going to want to mess around at unsocial times, look into the Tascam GB-10 trainer. Music on SD cards, ability to slow tracks without changing pitch, or to change pitch without changing speed. Also effects, ability to loop a little part in order to nail it, etc etc. Needs full size headphones, though.


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## Drago (13 Oct 2019)

Have any of you fine people ever built your own guitar, either a kit to totally DIY?


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## winjim (13 Oct 2019)

This thread reminds me, I need to listen to more Primus.


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## DCBassman (14 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Have any of you fine people ever built your own guitar, either a kit to totally DIY?



My Precision Bass began life as a standard 2003 Mexican, bought new by me. The only original bits left are the body, bridge, and knobs! The rest is: 1994 Fender American Standard pickup, 2014 American Special Jazz bass neck, Hipshot lollipop tuners, and a custom Kiogon solderless control loom. 70s style F neckplate. Schaller straplocks.
Black/white/black 3-ply pickguard. I'll be putting a set of chrome covers back on it when I can afford it.
It's just a Precision Bass, but it's MY Precision Bass!


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## Drago (14 Oct 2019)

I'm a compulsive fiddler, and I fancy having a go at building one. I'd probably try one of the kits first, and if I didn't make a total hash of it might then have a go at sourcing the bits separately.

But today my half hour minimum practice will be spend working o. Dazed and Confused. The main part is easy of course, but the fill ins require dexterity that hasn't yet come back to me. The only cure for that is more fret time.


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## MontyVeda (14 Oct 2019)

DCBassman said:


> I use modern flatwound strings, either D'Addario Chromes or Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. These can be quite twangy with tone right up, yet very mellow with lower tone. Much easier on the fingers and frets, and if you look after them (and if you don't suffer from killer sweat), they can last years, which makes them, in the long run, much cheaper than roundwound strings.
> And if any Cyclechatter wants their bass set up, and they are nearby, gimme a call!


I recall Nile Roger's talking about the late great Barnard Edwards and his bass... another bassist was amazed by the sound of his strings and wanted to know which brand he used. Bernard had no idea, they were the same strings that were on the bass when he'd bought it over a decade previously. 

It's a personal thing. I hate the twangy sound of new strings. They sound much better six months later when they've dulled a lot (IMO, of course)


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## MontyVeda (14 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Have any of you fine people ever built your own guitar, either a kit to totally DIY?


I had a cheap fender precision copy in the 80s. I took a jigsaw to the body to customise it but it looked dreadful and the balance was gone. 30 years later and I've still got everything but the body and am planning to build one based on a telecaster, slightly oversized and chambered so it'll have a bit of unplugged volume. ...but like all my potential projects, it'll take years to get started and years to finish.

Building just a body isn't the same as building a guitar, I understand. It's all about the neck, apparently.


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## DCBassman (14 Oct 2019)

I don't practice nearly enough. I don't read, although I could possibly scrape through a page of dots in an hour or two!


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## Stephen Piper (14 Oct 2019)

45 years ago I built two solid body guitars as 6th form, A level D&T projects, but I had no way to reference the proper method of construction, nor any quality materials, so the results, though playable, were not too good. Having no work shop at home my luthering career ended when I left school. I have a friend who builds excellent guitars in his 8x6 garden shed.


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## Arjimlad (14 Oct 2019)

A little late to the party, had this since 2010. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

I play it at church & sometimes too exuberantly/loud.


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## swee'pea99 (14 Oct 2019)

Seevio said:


> A bass is longer and heavier than a guitar so it is easier to beat away the inevitable young female groupies.


Reminds me of my younger sister who, thoroughly mashed, once managed to blag her way backstage after a Ramones gig. Got talking to a very nice young chap, eventually asking him what his connection was. He looked slightly taken aback and said 'I'm with the band'. Thinking he looked like a roady or something she asked what he did with the band. This time he looked more than taken aback: 'I'm the lead singer,' he said.


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## ColinJ (14 Oct 2019)

swee'pea99 said:


> Reminds me of my younger sister who, thoroughly mashed, once managed to blag her way backstage after a Ramones gig. Got talking to a very nice young chap, eventually asking him what his connection was. He looked slightly taken aback and said 'I'm with the band'. Thinking he looked like a roady or something she asked what he did with the band. This time he looked more than taken aback: 'I'm the lead singer,' he said.


Reminds me of a mate of mine who, thoroughly mashed, ended up backstage after a gig by ... [??? - it was 45 years ago - I can't remember!]. He tried talking to someone who he _knew_ was the lead singer of the band, a band who up until that evening he was a big fan of. The very _un-_nice young chap looked up with a scowl on his face, told my mate to eff off, and threw a pint of beer over him!


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## GM (14 Oct 2019)

I know this is a bit cheeky but, my boy brought this back from America when he worked out there. He's now looking to sell it, but he's not sure of the value, he seems to think around the £500 to £600 mark, any clues!.... It's a Peavey T-40 around 1983 era.







BTW...I can play the bass line to Albatross, all 2 notes


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## PaulB (14 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Today I've added 2 more easy basslines to my repertoire, Another One Bites the Dust and Dazed and Confused. I think I'll be ready for some of the more complex scales soon.



I was doing 'Another one bites the dust' when that advert that used it was out and my grandson came running in saying, 'Grandad's playing "another one buys a Duster"' which he thinks it is called. But I find Queen's songs the easiest to play by a long way although my first full bass song was the incredibly easy 'Roxanne' by Sting out of those Police brothers.


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## DCBassman (14 Oct 2019)

GM said:


> I know this is a bit cheeky but, my boy brought this back from America when he worked out there. He's now looking to sell it, but he's not sure of the value, he seems to think around the £500 to £600 mark, any clues!.... It's a Peavey T-40 around 1983 era.
> 
> View attachment 489102
> View attachment 489103
> ...


These are great basses, but well-known to be above average weight wise. Nonetheless, they have a devoted fan base. Tell him to search the Basses for Sale section on basschat.co.uk to get an idea of what he might get.


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## DCBassman (14 Oct 2019)

MontyVeda said:


> I recall Nile Roger's talking about the late great Barnard Edwards and his bass... another bassist was amazed by the sound of his strings and wanted to know which brand he used. Bernard had no idea, they were the same strings that were on the bass when he'd bought it over a decade previously.


It gets worse...before he died, Bernard gave that bass to John Taylor, of Duran Duran. He told his tech to give it a good clean, but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES change the strings, because, of course, they'd been the strings that played on Good Times, Le Freak, you name it. The tech ignored hime, cut them through, and installed a set of John's usuals.
John not best pleased...


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## Drago (14 Oct 2019)

Dazed and Confused mastered.

Tomorrow it will be Owner of a Lonely Heart.


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## DCBassman (15 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Dazed and Confused mastered.
> 
> Tomorrow it will be Owner of a Lonely Heart.


And after that, Level 42's Dune Tune and Stanley Clarke's Lopsy Lu! Onward and upward!


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## Drago (15 Oct 2019)

Please, nothing involving slap bass - that's the work of Lucifer himself!


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## Arjimlad (15 Oct 2019)

I have found this Youtube channel very good when wanting to learn a bassline. The tabs & printed music are downloadable too. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiv_DCslaDDJPX-rxFgRCPg


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## Sixmile (15 Oct 2019)

I play mainly guitar (and have released half a dozen albums/eps over the years) but now and again I'll play some bass for the craic. I had a Schecter Gold Series which was a thing of beauty and the easiest playing bass I've ever had the pleasure of playing. I just wasn't getting the use out of it so sold it cheaply to a young mate of mine. I've a 1/2 size Yamaha bass for home use and I've borrowed a friends Fender Acoustic bass but unfortunately I've no pictures of any of these so you'll have to take my word for it!!!


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## Smokin Joe (15 Oct 2019)

A band consists of drums, bass and a couple of novelty acts.


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## Drago (15 Oct 2019)

Owner of a lonely Heart and Communication Breakdown sorted. May have a crack at Parisienne Walkways tomorrow.


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## DCBassman (15 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Please, nothing involving slap bass - that's the work of Lucifer himself!


I normally agree, but Stanley was gentle about it, and Mr King took it easier than usual too.


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## DCBassman (15 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Owner of a lonely Heart and Communication Breakdown sorted. May have a crack at Parisienne Walkways tomorrow.


Almost certainly not your thing, but check out the bass work on Carpenters stuff, and Abba. Just concentrate on the basslines, they are very good indeed. I learned a great deal listening to Joe Osborn.


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## GM (16 Oct 2019)

We went to see Vulfpeck couple of years ago, and this guy impressed me with his bass playing. Joe Dart....


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## Drago (16 Oct 2019)

And tomorrow's bassline will be Sunshine of Your Love.


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## Seevio (16 Oct 2019)

May I recommend Down in the tube station at midnight for a bassline that that sounds impressive but is not that tricky to play.


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## delb0y (17 Oct 2019)

How about some fretless? Jaco Pastorius played on this album and it's a delight from start to end. This is the classic about one of Joni's love affairs.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWUgPIQNgGo


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## Drago (17 Oct 2019)

I'm not really a Jaco fan. He was a bit of a nodder as a human being too, apparently - he used to get drunk and deliberately start fights, until the fateful night when he picked a fight with a martial arts expert and lost his life as a consequence. Technically a sublime player, just a bit too Jazz Club for my tastes.


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## delb0y (17 Oct 2019)

I never knew that's how he died. Wow.

The only album I have that he played on was the one that Coyote is from. It's a great album - but I guess it's a fair distance from hard rock.


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## Mart44 (17 Oct 2019)

I never had a bass guitar but was reasonable on 6 string acoustics in former years. I've still got the guitars but rarely play them these days. Nonetheless they hold memories and make good ornaments, so I'll keep them on show. Not unknown for me to pick one of them up and pick out a few melodic tones if I have a beer or two.


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## Drago (18 Oct 2019)

Mini D has just started guitar lessons at school. She told the teacher here favourite rock songs were Stairway to Heaven, Layla and Bell Bottom Blues. Upon hearing this her teacher played about 2 minutes of Stairway for her, which she thought was great. Strange, cos when I play it she's like, "meh".


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## Threevok (18 Oct 2019)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXlYt5JCrZw


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## Drago (18 Oct 2019)

Wayne's World is brilliant, like watching my own biography.


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## Drago (20 Oct 2019)

Today life been thrumming along to I'll Be Your Sister by Motorhead. A simple but thumpingly good bass riff.


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## DCBassman (20 Oct 2019)

Nah, no Motorhead, AoS was the only track I ever played with a pick, because, well, there's no other way with AoS, is there? But otherwise, no picks.


----------



## Drago (20 Oct 2019)

I play mainly with a pick, Dunlop Tortex 1.1mm. I make a point of doing some finger picking every time I practice, but with only 3 working digits my technique is all wrong anyway.


----------



## DCBassman (21 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> I play mainly with a pick, Dunlop Tortex 1.1mm. I make a point of doing some finger picking every time I practice, but with only 3 working digits my technique is all wrong anyway.


Given the problems, you play how you play! Does the bass produce the sound uou intend it to? Correct technique! Think Django...


----------



## Drago (21 Oct 2019)

I play ok! 6 strings was really difficult though, but I manage fine with 4. Technique is nothing like 'the book'thougn, gavi g to bring my thumb into play and covering 2 strings with my index finger. I is, however, a lot less stressful for me with a pick, doesn't need so much brain power!


----------



## Drago (21 Oct 2019)

Spent half an hour adjusting the truss rod and setting the intonation and the action. Slight fret buzz, but its inconsistent so I think more down to it being a cheap guitar and the frets not being very well dressed than anything else. It is only very slight, so I'll leave it until the next cha ge of strings, whereupon I might give it some attention. I'd pay someone, but it's not worth spending much on a 50 quid bass that was probably no more than £300 when new.


----------



## Fab Foodie (21 Oct 2019)

My favourite bassist - I may be biased!
Just back from supporting Biffy Clyro at the Digbeth Arena, Birmingham.....


----------



## Drago (21 Oct 2019)

You mean I'm not your favourite bassist?!


----------



## delb0y (21 Oct 2019)

For a variety of technical reasons I haven't been able to do any recording recently, but now I've got Windows 10 loaded I can use my old Sonar Software. So I celebrated by doing a quick instrumental using a few different cameras and some cheapo video software. Discovered it's not a good idea to have each camera set up with different frame-rates and qualities, but a bit of random jiggery pokery and I got something usable.

Not much heavy rock widdling going on here, but this is my style:


View: https://youtu.be/Ub46Z-6LiMM


Cheers
Derek


----------



## Grant Fondo (21 Oct 2019)

My Tanglewood and Yamaha alongside boxed Gatorskins. What do CC'ers think is the most interesting?


----------



## DCBassman (21 Oct 2019)

Grant Fondo said:


> My Tanglewood and Yamaha alongside boxed Gatorskins. What do CC'ers think is the most interesting?
> View attachment 490039



Tanglewood


----------



## Grant Fondo (21 Oct 2019)

DCBassman said:


> Tanglewood


Mee too


----------



## MontyVeda (21 Oct 2019)

Grant Fondo said:


> My Tanglewood and Yamaha alongside boxed Gatorskins. What do CC'ers think is the most interesting?
> View attachment 490039


always warmed to the Pacifica... probably because it's one of the few half decent lefty electrics shops bother to stock. (there nothing more annoying than going into a shop with fifty guitars and only being able to consider two or three of 'em)

@delb0y ...love what you're playing there. Far more listenable than any heavy rock. Would love to learn some of those tunes. They remind me of Appulachuh.


----------



## Drago (21 Oct 2019)

Is that a pacifica in 112? I had one in sunburst.


----------



## Grant Fondo (21 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Is that a pacifica in 112? I had one in sunburst.


Not sure tbh Pacifica is about 2010, Tanglewood 2005


----------



## Drago (21 Oct 2019)

Actually, I don't tbink it is a 112, but is very similar.

Edit, yours is a 112V, a later redesign of the original 112.


----------



## Grant Fondo (21 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Actually, I don't tbink it is a 112, but is very similar.
> 
> Edit, yours is a 112V, a later redesign of the original 112.


I play the Tanglewood 95% of the time, can't be arsed plugging the Pacifica in


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## Drago (22 Oct 2019)

I loved my Pacifica, really punched above its weight for the price, so I'll break convention and choose that over the Dangleberry.


----------



## Drago (22 Oct 2019)

Hold the Line and while Lotta Love today, the latter being ridiculously easy but very satisfying to thump along to. I think I've got bass figured out. I'm far from being a maestro, but I've a solid basic command of the instrument now.


----------



## DCBassman (23 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> I think I've got bass figured out. I'm far from being a maestro, but I've a solid basic command of the instrument now.


Oooh, not enough years Mr D, not enough years!
Bass is generally far easier to get started on than guitar, but much harder to master in the long run.
But a massively handy skill to have.
What does a bassist have that a guitarist doesn't?
A gig.


----------



## Drago (23 Oct 2019)

Yeah, I've enjoyed it so far...but I'm waiting for the fall!

I need to find an elderly singer, drummer, and geetarist, and get some gigs in. Get those groupies warmed up


----------



## DCBassman (23 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Yeah, I've enjoyed it so far...but I'm waiting for the fall!
> 
> I need to find an elderly singer, drummer, and geetarist, and get some gigs in. Get those groupies warmed up



Ha, I've just completed 12 years in a good local band, good enough to sell out a 400-seater at a tenner a pop. Nary a groupie to be seen...


----------



## Drago (23 Oct 2019)

Well, I'm keeping half an eye on the bassist wanted ads, although I expect I'll be too old for owt but pub bands and thr like, which'd be fine by me if I'm honest. 

The beauty of being retired is the 90mins to 2 hours of practice I manage daily.


----------



## DCBassman (23 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Well, I'm keeping half an eye on the bassist wanted ads, although I expect I'll be too old for owt but pub bands and thr like, which'd be fine by me if I'm honest.
> 
> The beauty of being retired is the 90mins to 2 hours of practice I manage daily.


Well, that band finished last NYE, a few days shy of my 66th birthday, so you've a way to go yet! 
And as soon as a pianist is found, I'll be out playing again.


----------



## Drago (23 Oct 2019)

Last time I played in a band was in my final year at school. We called ourselves Lawrencium, because that was the heaviest metal in the world, which we fancied ourself as. In reality we were a Black Sabbath and Deep Purple covers band who played the youth club a few times.

In the new year I'll start shopping around for a band to join. Pub band is the level I'll aim for.


----------



## Grant Fondo (23 Oct 2019)

Drago said:


> Last time I played in a band was in my final year at school. We called ourselves Lawrencium, because that was the heaviest metal in the world, which we fancied ourself as. In reality we were a Black Sabbath and Deep Purple covers band who played the youth club a few times.


Last gig i played was at Oxford University when i was 20, we were called 'Scratch 'n Sniff. We got £30.


----------



## delb0y (23 Oct 2019)

There are several gigs round these parts, in 2019, that don't pay £30. Inflation by-passed musicians.


----------



## DCBassman (23 Oct 2019)

delb0y said:


> There are several gigs round these parts, in 2019, that don't pay £30. Inflation by-passed musicians.


Ain't that the truth...


----------



## Drago (24 Oct 2019)

Just perfecting Hold the Line and browsing pedals. Fancy a little bit of compression.


----------



## Arjimlad (24 Oct 2019)

delb0y said:


> For a variety of technical reasons I haven't been able to do any recording recently, but now I've got Windows 10 loaded I can use my old Sonar Software. So I celebrated by doing a quick instrumental using a few different cameras and some cheapo video software. Discovered it's not a good idea to have each camera set up with different frame-rates and qualities, but a bit of random jiggery pokery and I got something usable.
> 
> Not much heavy rock widdling going on here, but this is my style:
> 
> ...



Excellent - loved the ending !


----------



## Drago (24 Oct 2019)

Well, I've perfected Hold the Line and treated the neighbours to numerous repeats of me playing along. What to try tomorrow?


----------



## delb0y (24 Oct 2019)

Some Iron Maiden?


----------



## Drago (24 Oct 2019)

I was thinking of something a little less rocky so I don't become a one trick pony. I was thinking some Squeeze or even Elvis, uh huh.


----------



## Alex H (25 Oct 2019)

@Drago on holiday? 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-50168017


----------



## delb0y (25 Oct 2019)

I'd always assumed Drago's dreadlocks were longer than that.


----------



## Drago (25 Oct 2019)

Not played today. Got backache. Been on the sofa with a hot water bottle. Been using the time to surf t'web for bits for my bass build in the new year.


----------



## Drago (26 Oct 2019)

Black Coffee In Bed by Squeeze today. Neighbours are our so cranked it up to 11.


----------



## Drago (27 Oct 2019)

Sheet, I think I've gone down with Gear Acquisition Syndrome. I've bought a new Jazz Bass body in Maple. I'll soon need a neck, some tuners, hotrails....

I'll aim for something like this...


----------



## Drago (29 Oct 2019)

Bit of Black Sabbath and U.F.O. today. I'm really digging it.


----------



## Pale Rider (30 Oct 2019)

I'm wary of recommending a video, but it seems the Bora Hansgrohe domestique Daniel Oss is well into his bass.

I had not heard of him, other than he's the one in the peloton with the curly perm.

This ride around London with Matt Stephens is mostly about his interest in music and the bass guitar.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYKV1yYuJ2E


----------



## Drago (30 Oct 2019)

Maple neck ordered today. May have to start making my excuses to Mrs D.


----------



## DCBassman (30 Oct 2019)

On the one in, one out basis, what will go, the Ibanez, or a bike?


----------



## Drago (30 Oct 2019)

She's pretty easy going. In fact, she's impressed wt gow quickly I've picked it up.


----------



## DCBassman (31 Oct 2019)

Just so everything is at maximum confusion levels:


----------



## Drago (2 Nov 2019)

Neck and body for my new home made bass have arrived. Both are cheap, suspected chinese in origin. The neck is surprisingly good, evenly fretted and well finished. A nice bit of what seems to be real maple with a tidy fretboard. A pleasant surprise.

The body, not so good. The ad said it was maple. My arriss it is. I suspect its Paulownia, but not being a woodologist I can't be sure. It's a decent enough Jazz copy, but needed some good rubbing down. Its had 2 coats of wiping varnish, and days of varnish and repeat lay ahead of me yet.


----------



## Drago (4 Nov 2019)

No bass practice today for the first time ever, due to not being well.


----------



## DCBassman (4 Nov 2019)

Drago said:


> No bass practice today for the first time ever, due to not being well.


Boo, get well soon! Dream of riffs to learn!


----------



## Drago (10 Nov 2019)

Today I've been practicing Thin Lizzy's Waiting For an Alibi. Cracking bass riff. Neighbours are out so I cranked up the Bryce amp and let rip.


----------



## Drago (11 Nov 2019)

Sultans of Swing today.


----------



## Drago (12 Nov 2019)

And practiced the sultans of Swing again, and lightened it up with some Paint it Black. Bill Wyman is a hard player to emulate.


----------



## delb0y (12 Nov 2019)

I wrote a new song today. If anyone's interested. There's no bass on it, Drago - so ideal to jam along to ;-)


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXMS8aG3_XM


----------



## Drago (13 Nov 2019)

A nice simple bass line founded on the root note of each chord would slip in nicely there.


----------



## Drago (13 Nov 2019)

The danish oil is going on nicely on my jazz bass body.


----------



## burndust (13 Nov 2019)

DCBassman said:


> You've got GAS, gear acquisition syndrome! There's no cure. Like bikes!


indeed i don't play as much as i used to but been gassing for one of those sire basses for a while, cant justify it though


----------



## Drago (16 Nov 2019)

After much agonising I've ordered a cream pickguard for my jazz bass project.


----------



## Drago (17 Nov 2019)

Fitted two wall hangers for my bass and the JB I'm currently building.


----------



## Drago (18 Nov 2019)

Hours practice today as usual. Had 3 or 4 goes at Sultans of Swing. John Illsley is an infernally difficult bassist to emulate.


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## DCBassman (19 Nov 2019)

Drago said:


> Hours practice today as usual. Had 3 or 4 goes at Sultans of Swing. John Illsley is an infernally difficult bassist to emulate.


Yup, nothing complex, just quite a unique style.
Similarly, listen to early James Taylor to hear the smooth, sometimes surprising lines of Leland Sklar. Does great stuff live with Phil Collins and Toto, and, to top it off, is a really nice guy.


----------



## DCBassman (19 Nov 2019)

Check out Phil Collins Behind the Lines live 1985 on Youtube. Cracking bass from Lee Sklar, and, as usual, outstanding facial hair.


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## Drago (19 Nov 2019)

A few more days to harden then I'll rub down and polish. Scratchplate due to arrive tomorrow, which is jolly exciting.







It is all evenly coloured, just the flash highlighted one corner and made it appear lighter.


----------



## Drago (20 Nov 2019)

A bit of elbow grease...


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## Drago (20 Nov 2019)

Welcome to Jazz club. Nice.


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## DCBassman (24 Nov 2019)

Me and Lee! Just found this pic, taken at the South Devon Arts Centre in Totnes in early 2015. Despite the name, it's a shed on an industrial estate...





The gig was on a Judith Owen tour, and was probably the least salubrious venue any of them had played in decades!


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## Drago (25 Nov 2019)

Going for Entwisle pickups on the Jazz build. General feeling is that they're exemplary performers for a bargain price, and you need so spend Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio money to really better them.


----------



## Drago (27 Nov 2019)




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## Drago (28 Nov 2019)

Wilkinson Tuners. Cheap, nicely finisjed, very little slop in the gears. What's not to like?


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (29 Nov 2019)

I'm about to get really annoying, not only to the good people of this thread but also my neighbours  My former neighbour (RIP Ethel) was fairly sickened of Time of your life by Greenday when I was attempting to learn 6string acoustic.

I've now bought a 4string Bass combo  just in time to learn crimbo tunes


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## Drago (29 Nov 2019)

I can heartily recommend Sunshine of Your Love as a starter bassline.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (2 Dec 2019)

got a box to play with


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## Drago (2 Dec 2019)

Presumably a bass within that box?


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (2 Dec 2019)

Yep


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## Drago (2 Dec 2019)

Ooh, a PJ. Nice.


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## ColinJ (3 Dec 2019)

Drago said:


> I can heartily recommend Sunshine of Your Love as a starter bassline.


Number 38 below - there are 99 more to have a go at!


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## Drago (3 Dec 2019)

Come on @T.M.H.N.E.T you must surely be an expert player by now?


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (3 Dec 2019)

Oh aye joined a band already, Gastric Band


----------



## Drago (4 Dec 2019)

Today is the first day since I took up the instrument that there will be no bass practice. Too busy.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (4 Dec 2019)

Suffering fret buzz (a lot of) followed vendor instructions to no joy and in the process broke D string...

No playing for me either


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## Drago (4 Dec 2019)

Manage to sneak in a few rounds of Locomotive Breath after my tea. Ordered a bronze nut and a stainless Schaller string tree for my Jazz build. Almost there now.


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (4 Dec 2019)

Ordered Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky 45-105 strings.... £23 

Hope to not break many


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (6 Dec 2019)

Strings changed and retuned, minute amount of buzz so I'm going to back off truss rod a touch and retune.

Massive difference made already


----------



## Drago (6 Dec 2019)

Had a call from Steve Lukather today. It seems his bassist was arrested and he begged me to take the stage with him to do Hold The Line.

Then I woke up


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## Drago (6 Dec 2019)

Big christmas giveaway...

https://orangeamps.com/


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (6 Dec 2019)

I don't need a Crush 100 right?


----------



## ColinJ (6 Dec 2019)

Drago said:


> Big christmas giveaway...
> 
> https://orangeamps.com/


Including an O-bass... Unfortunately, it is a facebook competition, and for that reason - _I'm out!_


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## Drago (7 Dec 2019)

If you scroll down you can enter via the website. Thats what I did, and Mrs D entered via Fartbroke.


----------



## ColinJ (7 Dec 2019)

Drago said:


> If you scroll down you can enter via the website. Thats what I did, and Mrs D entered via Fartbroke.


Ah, I missed that - thanks!

For anyone who is interested - during December Orange are waiving their £79.99 fee for online guitar lessons.


----------



## Drago (8 Dec 2019)

Done my hours practice today. All play and no work makes Drago an exciting boy.


----------



## Drago (12 Dec 2019)

Chucked a bit of My Sharona into today's bass practice.


----------



## ColinJ (12 Dec 2019)

I am not very good on a normal guitar but think more like a guitarist rather than a bassist. The few times that I have picked a bass up I try to play '_too many notes_'! The '_less is more_' thing never quite kicked in with me.

I actually quite fancy recording some simple bass lines music/FX for some puzzle games that I am writing. I don't own a bass though so I will either synthesise them from scratch, or record a guitar and process the sound of that.

If I ever make enough money from the games I will treat myself to a bass!


----------



## delb0y (12 Dec 2019)

New guitar day for me last Monday. Had to wait until today to find time to record a video:


View: https://youtu.be/VzbWJXzZ05g


----------



## Drago (14 Dec 2019)

Mrs D asked me what I wanted for my birthday in February.

"A Jethro Tull tattoo and an acoustic bass please", said I. "OK", said she.


----------



## Drago (22 Dec 2019)

Mrs D today...

"Do you like those Steinberger basses?"

Well, yes I do, they're on my list of basses to acquire. Perhaps my forthcoming birthday is looking up?


----------



## Salad Dodger (23 Dec 2019)

@Drago
You may care to Google "bass guitar show 2020" (in Manchester at the end of March).....
I couldn't copy and paste info direct into Cycle chat, but you might be interested.
But maybe leave your credit card at home!!!!!


----------



## Drago (24 Dec 2019)

Olympia flat wounds have arrived for Project Home Brew. They look and feel great.












The second pic makes it look like the strings are out of alignment with the neck. I've measured, theres less than 1mm in its, so I guess it's a trick of perspective.


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (25 Dec 2019)




----------



## Drago (26 Dec 2019)

Behringer overdrive stomp box on it's way.


----------



## Cycleops (1 Jan 2020)

Drago said:


> The danish oil is going on nicely on my jazz bass body.


You'll be playing Last Tango in Paris next


----------



## Cycleops (1 Jan 2020)

Only just discovered this thread and have been having some helpful advice from @DCBassman , thanks DC.
Played six string years ago but thought I might take up Bass. Trouble is getting the gear here, plenty of Givsons and fake Fenders but not much else and anything new is two to three times UK price. Anyway I found a old Fernandes from the nineties I think, it's a Revolver FRB-40 I've found out and it's not bad despite being rather knocked about but okay for fifty quid. Made in Japan and DC reckons they're okay.











Ordered a Blackstar Fly 3 Bass and D'Addario strings, a tuner and a few other bits which I picked up yesterday. I'll give you a run down in the next post.


----------



## Drago (1 Jan 2020)

Welcome to the treble free zone Cyclops.


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## delb0y (2 Jan 2020)

I actually worked out a bass line this morning! It's from an old jazz / pop tune called I Saw Stars and over Xmas I worked out the (simple) guitar solo and now I wanted to figure out the chords. Step one is to get the bass line and from there, with the solo I should be able to get the chords.

The version I've been using is by Dave Barbour who was once married to Peggy Lee. I only worked out the easy bass bit at the beginning, just after the piano intro.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Ru-leQiBY&feature=youtu.be


----------



## Drago (3 Jan 2020)

Good to see that you're a bass man and haven't forlorn for the 6 string clank plank.


----------



## wisdom (5 Jan 2020)

Drago said:


> Olympia flat wounds have arrived for Project Home Brew. They look and feel great.
> 
> View attachment 497706
> 
> ...


That sir is looking superb.


----------



## Drago (5 Jan 2020)

I'm just waiting for the 500k pots to arrive so i can wire it all up then its finished.


----------



## wisdom (5 Jan 2020)

I started learning guitar last year.
Telecaster was the one in the shop that suited me better.
But by heck it's hard to learn.I keep progressing a bit then several steps backwards.Lessons arent a financial viable option at the moment.So I am using andyguitar on u tube.Does anyone have any pointers please.I have been set a family challenge of 3 rock type songs for a family barbecue in July.


----------



## delb0y (6 Jan 2020)

Any rock songs in particular, Wisdom? There are plenty that aren't too difficult - although it depends on whether you want to play just the chords, or chords and riffs, or chords riffs and solos... I'd say if you're targeting July then focus on chords, and maybe simple riffs.

Telecaster is a great choice!


----------



## wisdom (6 Jan 2020)

I would welcome any suggestions.
Chords and riffs sound ideal.
Thanks for the reply.Its certainly a lot more difficult than I expected.


----------



## delb0y (7 Jan 2020)

How about Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams for a starter? Only a few simple chords. Nice song to learn because it's easy to get under your belt and then you're on your way.


----------



## Cycleops (7 Jan 2020)

wisdom said:


> I would welcome any suggestions.
> Chords and riffs sound ideal.
> Thanks for the reply.Its certainly a lot more difficult than I expected.


Beatles "Twist and Shout" is a easy one, just three chords D, G and A and easily recognisable. Simple riff intro which you can learn.

Learning is not easy, you need plenty of practice and it takes time for your finger ends to toughen up. I learnt with Bert Weedon's "Play in a Day", took me about six months .


----------



## sight-pin (7 Jan 2020)

House of the rising Sun by the Animals is fairly simple. chords are: Am, C, D, F, Am, C, E... Am, C, D, F, Am, E, Am. If you slowly down then upstroke each chord, the tune will fall into place.


----------



## AuroraSaab (7 Jan 2020)

I can recommend the Ultimate Guitar Chords and Tabs app. Great way to learn your favourite tunes. Chordify website is also good - it plays the song with the chords along the top and you play along.

On YouTube, I found JustinGuitar and MartyMusic helpful. Lots of inspiring guitarists on YouTube too, though I especially like Josh Turner Guitar. 

OH bought himself a Tele a few months ago. They have a beautiful, light tone. My best advice would be to keep your guitar and a mini amp next to the sofa - it really encourages you to play, even just for five minutes, because if it is packed away in a case in a back room or upstairs, you are far less likely to make time to practise. It's what psychologists call the Strategy of Convenience and it really works.


----------



## DCBassman (7 Jan 2020)

AuroraSaab said:


> My best advice would be to keep your guitar and a mini amp next to the sofa - it really encourages you to play, even just for five minutes, because if it is packed away in a case in a back room or upstairs, you are far less likely to make time to practise. It's what psychologists call the Strategy of Convenience and it really works.


Yes, this. Nothing worse than a guitar stuck in a cupboard!


----------



## Cycleops (7 Jan 2020)

Further to posts of @DCBassman and @AuroraSaab and the convenience of having an amp handy I recently got a the Blackstar Fly3 in the twin speaker bass configuration. This can be powered by six AA batteries alone so is perfect for this application.
It puts out 3 watts as a single but doubles up to 6 with the additional speaker. With the double unit you also get the mains PS included which I think is about £13 if bought separately.
The output of this small unit is quite staggering considering its size. You get controls for Gain, EQ, Comp and there's a sub control for deeper bass. I haven't yet discovered all the permutations you can achieve but you can get a huge variety of tones.
If you're considering one of these units for practising you won't be disappointed


----------



## wisdom (7 Jan 2020)

Thanks for all the ideas and tips.
Will try them out.Will definitely leave the amp set up as I keep putting everything away.Simple idea that I am sure will help.


----------



## Cycleops (8 Jan 2020)

Another suggestion for you @wisdom . Again instantly recognisable and you can even embellish it a bit by putting in a few phrases if you're able:


View: https://youtu.be/u1N3KUX8PdA


----------



## Dave 123 (9 Jan 2020)

I was playing my classical guitar this morning and I noticed the lights reflecting in the G,B & E strings


----------



## Drago (13 Jan 2020)

Much happening in the world of Drago bass playing.

I'm working on adding a bit of Franz Ferdinand to the repertoire, and I've bought a computer interface and I'm experimenting with practicing at home playing through the computer using an amp and effects simulator program. its easy to see how aspiring artists get obsessed by home studio recording.


----------



## Oxford Dave (14 Jan 2020)

New here, but not new to playing music. I've been playing bass guitar for 40 years or more, currently playing in a Grateful Dead tribute/cover band, lots of fun and regular gigs. I also dep with other bands as and when the chance arises. Mainly use Fender basses, have dabbled with Ibanez and Alembic, most recent purchase was a Sandberg which could well eclipse the Fenders. I'm sure some of the people here are also on similar forums for guitarists and/or bass players, wonder who I know!


----------



## DCBassman (14 Jan 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> New here, but not new to playing music. I've been playing bass guitar for 40 years or more, currently playing in a Grateful Dead tribute/cover band, lots of fun and regular gigs. I also dep with other bands as and when the chance arises. Mainly use Fender basses, have dabbled with Ibanez and Alembic, most recent purchase was a Sandberg which could well eclipse the Fenders. I'm sure some of the people here are also on similar forums for guitarists and/or bass players, wonder who I know!


Telebass from Basschat.


----------



## RMFrance (14 Jan 2020)

Interesting thread - I've been a pro and semi-pro guitar (electric and acoustic) player all my working life. Bass playing is to be highly respected, and a great bass-player is a real asset to any band (or duo). Yes, some of the shorter-scale basses are worth a try, but if you've played guitar then you might find a Fender Jazz Bass (or clone) okay to handle compared to a Precision, which has a wider neck. Check out the better Squier copies of both.
One thing I'd add is that while guitar instincts/habits are great to speed the transition, there's also the need to get your head into Bass Mode - I bet we'll all have come across 'lead bass players'... :0) 
Main thing is: good luck, have fun and keep us posted!


----------



## DCBassman (14 Jan 2020)

RMFrance said:


> might find a Fender Jazz Bass (or clone) okay to handle compared to a Precision, which has a wider neck.


Mine's a hybrid - Jazz neck on a Precision body. Job done.


----------



## Oxford Dave (14 Jan 2020)

FinnDave from Basschat  We played Tavistock Wharf last August, good venue.


----------



## Drago (14 Jan 2020)

Welcome to the Treble Free Zone Dave! You're not a gazillion miles away so maybe I'll catch your band sometime.

I'm a lurker on some bass forums, but not felt the need to sign up to any as yet.


----------



## Oxford Dave (14 Jan 2020)

Drago said:


> Welcome to the Treble Free Zone Dave! You're not a gazillion miles away so maybe I'll catch your band sometime.
> 
> I'm a lurker on some bass forums, but not felt the need to sign up to any as yet.


Be good see you at one of our shows, but most are in London at the moment - the band members are spread cross the country, from London to Yorkshire. We rehearse in Leicester - a 180 mile round trip for me - and the same or more for some of the others.


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## DCBassman (14 Jan 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> FinnDave from Basschat  We played Tavistock Wharf last August, good venue.


Howdy! Yes, a good venue I've been lucky enough to play many times, it sort of 'sponsored' us, as it were, in the early days of the Rock n Roll Outlaws.


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## Oxford Dave (14 Jan 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Howdy! Yes, a good venue I've been lucky enough to play many times, it sort of 'sponsored' us, as it were, in the early days of the Rock n Roll Outlaws.


It's an easy load in, and a good sized stage - we are a six piece with two drummers, so need a bit of space on stage!


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## DCBassman (14 Jan 2020)

First time we played it, as a trio, it was a bit agoraphobic! So much space!


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## Drago (14 Jan 2020)

In modern times I've played a working mens club and a pub, albeit a historic, globally known pub. We didn't get beaten up, so Enter the Hamster did something right. A wedding reception in March is our next gig, so I'm learning a few more modern indie numbers and a few 60s and 70s classics for that one. I'm particularly looking forward to Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?


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## RMFrance (16 Jan 2020)

I approached The Wharf a couple of years ago (and used to work in Tavistock) for a possible date, and at the time their programming was dominated by tribute bands, which is a bit endemic, even at arts centres. I know it's likely to get bums on seats, but things can stagnate.


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## DCBassman (16 Jan 2020)

RMFrance said:


> I approached The Wharf a couple of years ago (and used to work in Tavistock) for a possible date, and at the time their programming was dominated by tribute bands, which is a bit endemic, even at arts centres. I know it's likely to get bums on seats, but things can stagnate.


Still much the same; as an overgrown pub band, we did well to play so many gigs there.


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## Drago (16 Jan 2020)

My outfit is a pub band. We play, we drink beer, we go home, we do it again another day. I'm oldest being in my 50'sm keyboardist is in his 40's, drummer 30's, guitarist 20's... were all old enough that we know theres no hope of Simon Cowell throwing money at us so we play for the sheer love of playing, the beer, the occasional brown envelope, and the adoration of the groupies.


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## DCBassman (16 Jan 2020)

Drago said:


> My outfit is a pub band. We play, we drink beer, we go home, we do it again another day. I'm oldest being in my 50'sm keyboardist is in his 40's, drummer 30's, guitarist 20's... were all old enough that we know theres no hope of Simon Cowell throwing money at us so we play for the sheer love of playing, the beer, the occasional brown envelope, and the adoration of the groupies.


If you've got the adoration of the groupies, you're beyond 99% of all bands, pub or otherwise!


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## Dave7 (17 Jan 2020)

Drago said:


> My outfit is a pub band. We play, we drink beer, we go home, we do it again another day. I'm oldest being in my 50'sm keyboardist is in his 40's, drummer 30's, guitarist 20's... were all old enough that we know theres no hope of Simon Cowell throwing money at us so we play for the sheer love of playing, the beer, the occasional brown envelope, and the adoration of the groupies.


I only 'found' this thread today.....very interesting.
I was chucked out of the school choir after just one session for being tone deaf.
Some years ago I decided to learn guitar so booked some lessons.
Got through "Yellow Bird" and accepted that yes, I am tone deaf.
My son i Law is singer song writer in a group called 'Tick no Tock' and had some played on local radio so i go to some of the 'gigs' and enjoy the whole thing.
So.......
Good luck to you, a great thing to do.
Oh.... btw. Re' the young chicks, if Welshie turns you down please send her my way


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## Drago (24 Jan 2020)

A good couple of hours bass practice today. Ordered a Queen music book as Mrs D wants me to play some Queen songs.


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## delb0y (24 Jan 2020)

Latest video from me. Arpeggio studies on All Of Me:


View: https://youtu.be/0bNREA0pWW0


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## Drago (3 Feb 2020)

Well, Mrs D wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday so I've given her a list of acoustic basses.


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## DCBassman (3 Feb 2020)

Drago said:


> Well, Mrs D wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday so I've given her a list of acoustic basses.


Nice to have, useless in the real world. Unamplified bass, you want to learn to play an upright. If you have to plug it in, might just as well use a solid. And it takes up less space.
I got a Warwick The Alien free as a prize. Glorius piece of decoration. At the time, I also had a Fender Kingman acoustic bass, about a fifth the price of the Warwick. Blew the Alien into the weeds in every way. But nice as that was, there was no point, really.
And one more thing: if you've a dodgy right shoulder, having to crank your arm out over a big acoustic body can be very uncomfortable.


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## Drago (3 Feb 2020)

I want to try some acoustic folk stuff, and no matter how sensitive I am with the controls a solid bass won't cut it. They're very much a one trick pony, but I'm cool with that.

I do indeed have a dodgy shoulder and elbow (well remembered!) so I'll have to see how I do.


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## Oxford Dave (3 Feb 2020)

Drago said:


> Well, Mrs D wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday so I've given her a list of acoustic basses.


I bought an acoustic bass (guitar) about 3 years ago. Played it twice, eventually sold it as it was taking up room and gathering dust. No used at for playing along with acoustic guitars (or other non-amplified instruments) unless you plug it is, which rather defeats the object as they are cumbersome and awkard to play. If you're going to plug it in to an amp anyway, why not just use a regular electric bass? The only vaguely acoustic-is bass I've enjoyed playing was a couple of Epiphone Jack Cassidy's that passed through my hands - wish I'd kept one, to be honest.
Here's the last one I owned:


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## Drago (3 Feb 2020)

I'm confident I'll be using it quite a bit.


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## ColinJ (10 Feb 2020)

Ok, I am going to have one last try to learn to play the guitar!

I have owned classical and/or steel-strung acoustic guitars for over 50 years but got too focused on the destination (trying to become a good player) and forgot about enjoying the journey (learning).

As a teenager I set myself a stupidly ambitious set of targets which I stuck to for 3 months but then I struggled to keep up. Rather than slowing down, I carried on beyond my competence level. I ended up packing in after 6 months. Then O-levels came along, A-levels, work, booze, women, university, more work... I just never made the time to get back into it.

In the past 30 or 40 years I have only picked up a guitar a couple of times a year for about 15 minutes at a time. Barely enough time to get back to the poor level I was at 6 months prior to that!

Anyway... I was watching Stewart Copeland's series on music the other night and he was chatting to his old mate/adversary Sting. Sting described his approach to songwriting and picked up his guitar to illustrate it. I had the sudden feeling that I probably had a few songs in me and would like to have a go before it is too late. And let's face it - starting again at 64 is cutting it a bit fine! 

I also liked the mention of _Scarborough Fair_, so I will have a go at learning that. It shouldn't be too difficult. Not sure about singing it though... 



I still have my steel-strung acoustic but find that a bit hard on my fingertips. I'd rather do most of my learning on the classical guitar. The problem was that the classical guitar didn't have a full set of strings on it. The reason _why_ it didn't have a full set of strings on it is that I was annoyed by how high the action on the guitar was compared to the other guitar and couldn't be bothered to set the guitar up again. But last night I suddenly realised _why_ the action was so bad...

Years ago I lent the nylon-strung guitar to my then girlfriend's brother. I got it back 6 months later and noticed some annoying scratches on it. What I _didn't_ notice was that the bridge had been replaced and the one he had put on it was double the height that it should have been! Turns out he had gone to replace the strings but lost the original bridge after taking the old strings off. He found another one somewhere, but it was too high!

I had a very cheap 3rd guitar given to me a couple of years ago but it is falling apart. I was going to sling it but spotted that the bridge was much lower than my Yamaha's troublesome one so I just took that bridge off and put it on the Yamaha. Wow, what a difference! I confirmed that the remaining strings don't buzz so it looks like a goer. I cleaned the guitar and just went on eBay and ordered some new strings.

This time round I will concentrate on enjoying the learning process. If I do, great - it doesn't matter that I will probably never be a particularly skilled player.

I just want to get good enough that I could twiddle around and try to write some songs. Maybe, just maybe, I might be tempted to go along to a local open mic night one day...


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## DCBassman (10 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Maybe, just maybe, I might be tempted to go along to a local open mic night one day...


Once beyond a certain level, not too high, try and find someone to play along with for one song at an open mic. You can move on in leaps and bounds, confidence wise, playing with others.


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## Drago (10 Feb 2020)

Done an hour on the acoustic bass tonight. Playing the electric is easy after that. Getting used to creating the tone I'm after.


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## ColinJ (11 Feb 2020)

The strings I ordered on eBay were pretty cheap anyway at the _Buy It Now_ price but there was also a _Make An Offer_ button so I cheekily knocked 10% off and my offer was immediately accepted! If the strings are ok, I might see if I can get 15% off next time...  

The strings have arrived already, less than a day after I placed the order. They only had to come from Cheshire, but even so - that is very good service. I am just about to fit them. If I like the strings I will put a link up to the eBay dealer later.

Oh, and the envelope containing the packet of strings also included a free basic chord/scales chart, which was a nice touch.


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## ColinJ (11 Feb 2020)

The top 3 old strings seemed to be okay so I left those on and kept the new ones for spares. I suppose it would have made more sense to have put all the new strings on and kept the _old_ ones for spares but I couldn't be bothered. Since then I have actually found more spare top strings elsewhere. 

It is always the bass strings that go manky and 'dead' from sweat and dirt from the fretting fingers. I'm surprised that someone hasn't come up with an everlasting bass string yet, but the manufacturers have an obvious vested interest in not doing so as long as people keep on buying new strings! I will make sure that I wipe the strings and fretboard after use to minimise the rate of deterioration.

Well, the guitar sounds pretty nice with the new strings on, though they are still settling in so the guitar keeps going out of tune. As long as it settles down in a day or two I will be happy.

Despite not having '_played_' my guitars for months I am as good as I ever was. Unfortunately, that actually means that I am as _bad_ as I ever was!  It is a nice demonstration of 'muscle memory' though. It is though the guitar and I have been frozen in time for about 40 years...


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## Drago (11 Feb 2020)

Just done half an hour. An eclectic mix of Franz Ferdinand and Motorhead today.

I always wash my hands before playing, so my strings have never got too bad anyway. I use flat wounds - theyve not got the bite and volume of rounds, bit I like the tone, and they have the added bonus of lasting very well and being easier on the frets.


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## delb0y (11 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I'm surprised that someone hasn't come up with an everlasting bass string yet,



I'm a big fan of Elixirs. They're expensive but last a lot longer than regular strings whilst retaining their brightness. I always keep the packets after putting a set of strings on, and write down which guitar those strings are on. The other day I picked up one of the guitars that I haven't put strings on in a long time and thought wow, these are nice... checked my box of strings and sure enough it was a set of Elixirs on there.


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## ColinJ (11 Feb 2020)

delb0y said:


> I'm a big fan of Elixirs. They're expensive but last a lot longer than regular strings whilst retaining their brightness. I always keep the packets after putting a set of strings on, and write down which guitar those strings are on. The other day I picked up one of the guitars that I haven't put strings on in a long time and thought wow, these are nice... checked my box of strings and sure enough it was a set of Elixirs on there.


Interesting...

if I do get stuck in, I might consider them in the future. It wouldn't matter if they cost 2 or 3 times the price, if they lasted 2 or 3 times as long, and it would be 1/2 to 1/3 of the hasssle! Also it would be good (since I am not made of money) to spend less time putting up with dull old strings to try to save cash.


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## DCBassman (11 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I'm surprised that someone hasn't come up with an everlasting bass string yet,


So long as you like the tone and feel, they have. They're called flatwounds!


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## Oxford Dave (11 Feb 2020)

DCBassman said:


> So long as you like the tone and feel, they have. They're called flatwounds!


They're not just everlasting, they improve with age! I use both rounds and flats (not on the same bass, obviously!). I prefer rounds after a few months of playing so they loose that twangy top end. I prefer the feel of rounds, something for the fingers to grip, but have two or three basses strung with flats as well.


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## ColinJ (11 Feb 2020)

When I mentioned "_bass strings_", I meant the lower strings on an acoustic guitar, not the strings on a bass!


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## Oxford Dave (11 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> When I mentioned "_bass strings_", I meant the lower strings on an acoustic guitar, not the strings on a bass!


Just taking it one step further


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## ColinJ (11 Feb 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> Just taking it one step further


First things first!

I'll be chuffed it I do stick with it this time, but I will be peeved that I waited 53 year to learn... I got my first guitar for my 11th birthday!

PS Oh, I forgot. I'm sure it is really obvious, but how does this little scale chart work?


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## Oxford Dave (11 Feb 2020)

Looks like the blue dots are the root notes and the red ones the rest of each scale across the six strings of a standard guitar. But I'm a bass player, and have been for 45 years or more, so don't really know anything about those little guitar thingies!


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## delb0y (11 Feb 2020)

Just learn the Pentatonic Minor and you're at the same level as 99% of electric guitar players...


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## Drago (12 Feb 2020)

I never found the scales much use as such - however, slavish practice on them did teach my fingers where each note was on the fretboard, which makes it a lot easier to pick thijgs up by ear, so they did have a little inadvertant value for me. I still practice them for that reason.


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## DCBassman (12 Feb 2020)

Drago said:


> I never found the scales much use as such - however, slavish practice on them did teach my fingers where each note was on the fretboard, which makes it a lot easier to pick thijgs up by ear, so they did have a little inadvertant value for me. I still practice them for that reason.


That's their best purpose, really, you learn the fingerboard. I never did them much, but after 50 years, and recently doing some jazz, it's well-ingrained!


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## Drago (12 Feb 2020)

Now I'm a man of leisure I do between 30 mins and an hour of practice day without fail, I've found my brain has quickly learned the notes on the bass fretboard.

I can read music, a benefit of enforced piano lessons as a kid. However, I'm not brilliant and struggle even now with the timing. I cant pick up a sheet of music and churn out a tune that I've never heard before, but I can pick up a sheet for a song I know and with a bit of persistence can work through it satisfactorily. Learning the notes on the wood from practicing scales is good practice to help fill in the odd gap that I can't get my head around by looking at the page.

Btw, I'm hopeless with tab - to my eye it looms like the footprints of a one legged cat burying a turd on a frozen pond.


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## DCBassman (12 Feb 2020)

Drago said:


> Btw, I'm hopeless with tab - to my eye it looms like the footprints of a one legged cat burying a turd on a frozen pond.


I find tab ok if it's accurate, when learning something I can also listen to. It's often not accurate. If you've the dosh, get a Tascam GB-10 trainer. Makes keeping up with your set list easy, too, as you can arrange it all in a folder and just play through it. Needs reasonable phones, though.


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## Oxford Dave (12 Feb 2020)

I just listen and pick it by ear. Sometimes that's easy, sometimes it's not...


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## Drago (12 Feb 2020)

An hour of nothing but motorhead bass practice today. Damage Case is great fun to play.


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## Oxford Dave (12 Feb 2020)

Drago said:


> An hour of nothing but motorhead bass practice today. Damage Case is great fun to play.


I haven't picked up an instrument since I got in from Saturday's gig. Hopefully, my basses are still in the cases I hope I put them in when we were packing up!


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## ColinJ (12 Feb 2020)

I have hit a very unexpected problem! Well, it _wouldn't_ have been unexpected if I had thought about it, but I _hadn't_ until just now when I picked up the guitar and the issue made itself obvious. Yes, it is that damn DVT again (sorry! )...

I was just mentioning the same problem in another context elsewhere. My leg gets swollen unless I am either moving around or lying about in major slob mode. 

Practising the guitar while walking about doesn't sound like a sensible idea. It is one thing for performers on stage to play 'on the hoof' but I am not going to be able to concentrate doing that at home! As for slobbing around... it is difficult to play a guitar that is almost horizontal!

I did a little diagram the other day which illustrated what I can do for an extended period of time and what I can't... 







I am going to have to adopt a compromise posture somewhere between those extremes and only sit in it for 10 minutes at a time before getting up to move about. (My leg has been getting more swollen recently so I don't want to risk causing even more damage!)

Apart from that, it is nice having my guitar set up again. The strings haven't quite settled down yet but they are not going as far out of tune now so I could get my 10 minutes worth in and then quickly tweak the tuning before the next 10 minutes worth.

I was having a hunt around on YouTube and was amazed at how many people are doing free guitar lessons! I am most interested in fingerstyle acoustic... any recommended free online tutors/videos for that? (I found the popular JustinGuitar site. I'm not sure how good the lessons are?)


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## delb0y (12 Feb 2020)

Justin is justifiably one of the most popular - he's very good, and would be an ideal place to start. 

Fingerstyle is a broad church. I play a lot of, what I call, country-fingerstyle - think Chet Atkins / Merle Travis / Jerry Reed, and imagine a really poor version! First step is to get some basic chords under your fingers.


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## ColinJ (12 Feb 2020)

I found him Justin time then!


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## ColinJ (13 Feb 2020)

Starting at 64... Do you think I will _ever _be able to play like this?  



I agree! 

Oh well, I could always take up something less demanding like, er, being the first person to learn how to sing the British alphabet backwards...



Curses - foiled again!


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## icowden (13 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Practising the guitar while walking about doesn't sound like a sensible idea. It is one thing for performers on stage to play 'on the hoof' but I am not going to be able to concentrate doing that at home! As for slobbing around... it is difficult to play a guitar that is almost horizontal!



You could use a guitar strap and just stand when you practice. You don't have to walk about...


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## Oxford Dave (13 Feb 2020)

icowden said:


> You could use a guitar strap and just stand when you practice. You don't have to walk about...


I almost always use a strap and stand when I practice at home, otherwise the muscle memory is all wrong when I gig.


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## ColinJ (13 Feb 2020)

icowden said:


> You could use a guitar strap and just stand when you practice. You don't have to walk about...


You obviously missed this important information...


ColinJ said:


> *My leg gets swollen unless I am *either* moving* *around* or lying about in major slob mode.


I can't stand still for long or my left leg becomes very uncomfortable. (The non-return valves in my veins are damaged so the blood starts to pool in my left calf.) I suppose I could try walking about _slowly_!  

I think I may get away with my compromise posture... 

I used to adopt the classical guitarist posture of slightly raised left leg supporting the guitar, with the neck at about 45 degrees to vertical/horizontal. That is now a very big no go for me because my DVT was in my upper left thigh and the vein has a lot of 'scar tissue' in it which causes the circulation to be cut off if I sit in that posture.

What I think I may be able to get away with for 10-15 minutes at a time is to stretch the left leg out straight about 15 degrees to the left, and then sit reasonably upright with the guitar resting on my right leg. 

I have given up any notion of playing classical guitar now so not being able to use the 'proper' posture for that shouldn't be a big deal.

++++

I have watched some interesting tutorial videos today. One piece of advice that I liked was to aim every day to do...




... just _5 minutes_ of practice! It sounds a bit pathetic but I like the psychology of it. If you aim for an hour but are busy and only manage 25 minutes then you feel discouraged that you are not sticking to the plan. If you start your 5 minutes but get into it and end up doing the 25 minutes then it is encouraging to feel that you are getting stuck in.

Can't hang about here much longer because I have my 5(+) minutes of practice to get in!


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## Drago (13 Feb 2020)

For the first time in a long time I missed my practice today, just too busy. I'll make up for it tomorrow with 2 hours practice instead.


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## Drago (13 Feb 2020)

This is the correct posture for playing guitar or bass...


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## ColinJ (13 Feb 2020)

Drago said:


> For the first time in a long time I missed my practice today, just too busy. I'll make up for it tomorrow with 2 hours practice instead.


I have missed over 40 years at 1 hour a day, but if I live to 84 I can catch up by practising for an average of about 3 hours a day!  

Left-handed guitars... what are _they_ all about? 

(I am being serious, actually!) Left handed players of most other instruments just learn them as they are. A left-handed friend of mine insisted on turning his first guitar round (and swapping the strings over) even though he had never played one before but that meant he could never get on with my guitars or those of our other friends. I'm sure that I wouldn't have had a problem if guitars had all been 'left-handed' when I got my first one, though obviously it would feel incredibly odd to me now.


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## icowden (14 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> You obviously missed this important information...
> ... just _5 minutes_ of practice! It sounds a bit pathetic but I like the psychology of it.



Yep - I did miss that important bit of information. Sorry. It's just going to be awkward. 
As for the 5 minutes of practice it's also about building muscle memory and developing your brain. Interestingly you can practice your instrument fingering mentally and still continue to improve (according to studies). As you say though - it's also that you are likely to keep going for longer than 5 minutes.

There is also a learning hump. There is a point at which you appear to make little progress and want to give up. At some point you get over the hump and realise you can play what you want to play. 

Another interesting article I read a while back was about the fact that instrumental learning practices are still heavily rooted in the Victorian period. We still teach people to read the notes on a page and work out the tune from the notes. There is no particularly good reason that this is a good way to learn an instrument. The Victorians did this because it was the *only* way to learn an instrument and to hear music. We now have music everywhere thanks to technology. So listening and playing along is an equally valid way of learning an instrument. If you want to go professional then you will need to learn the dots and how pitches relate to them, but it doesn't have to be the primary focus of learning.


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## ColinJ (14 Feb 2020)

I am not sure if this has been mentioned, but I found both variations useful today when watching YouTube videos...

Some people may not be aware that if you go into the YT settings you can speed up or slow down videos without changing the pitch of the audio. I found some people who were quite interesting but speaking slowly and speeding them up saved a lot of time. When watching someone doing something complicated, the video can be slowed down to make it easier to see what they are doing.



icowden said:


> There is also a learning hump. There is a point at which you appear to make little progress and want to give up. At some point you get over the hump and realise you can play what you want to play.


That's what happened when I tried learning _half a century_ ago and I _did _give up! 

I was trying to play things that were way too complicated and ended up taking too many shortcuts. I didn't master one thing before moving on to something even harder. After a few months I was not enjoying it at all so I put the guitar away and concentrated on my schoolwork.


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## Drago (14 Feb 2020)

Some left handed folk play a regular guitar with the strings in the normal order, but simply held the other way. Some play a left handed guitar with the striings in reverse order Some right handed folk, like Paul McCartney, play left handed for some reason.


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## delb0y (14 Feb 2020)

And some just lay it down flat:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSX-viHOAoQ


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## ColinJ (14 Feb 2020)

What gets me is that I can't see that either hand has to do anything vastly more complicated than the other and dominant side strength isn't a factor so it shouldn't matter which hand you use on the fretboard as long as you stick to what you are familiar with. Since beginners are NOT familiar with either orientation, why not just stick to the conventional way when learning?

I just found this elsewhere and it echoes my thoughts... Someone named Lloyd Floyd said in the comments HERE:
_"Left-handed" guitars and basses are a scam. If you start to play left-handed you'll be stuck with it, then for the rest of your life you'll have a limited choice of instruments, AND pay more for them. Regular guitars and basses are just GUITARS and BASSES - they are not "right-handed". Look at a symphony orchestra: there are no "left-handed" violins, violas, cellos, double-basses, oboes, flutes, clarinets, bassoons, etc etc. and yet there are many left-handed players of a very high standard of musicianship. Also: all keyboard instruments go from low to high as they go from left to right. There are no "left-handed" keyboards! If you are starting out, it's tricky at first, for everybody, left or right handed. Just learn on the regular instrument, or you'll be cursing yourself for life._

If Paul McCartney does that, then that illustrates what I am saying, except that he chose to do it the other way round for some obscure reason!


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## ColinJ (14 Feb 2020)

I had been wondering why guitars are (normally) tuned the way that they are (EADGBE). Fender explain why HERE. Ah!

I have watched several tutorial videos where there was something clipped to the end of the headstock. I thought it was either a small video camera to film along the strings OR the guitarist was storing a capo when not in use. I'm now wondering if they were actually clip on guitar tuners like THIS?


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## delb0y (14 Feb 2020)

Yep, clip on-tuners. Long gone are the days of tuning up noisily between songs whilst the singer give you dirty looks!


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## ColinJ (14 Feb 2020)

delb0y said:


> Yep, clip on-tuners. Long gone are the days of tuning up noisily between songs whilst the singer give you dirty looks!


I have an old digital tuner which my niece gave me. It has a jack socket to plug electrics into, plus a built-in mic. It works but those clip-on ones look handy! (But I'm not going to chuck out something that works. I'll buy a new one if the old one ever packs up.)

I bought a cheapo drum machine from the local flea market a couple of years ago. It has drum pads on it so I thought that I would be able to record my own drum patterns, but no - I can drum along to whatever IT is playing but it has no recording function. In disgust I dumped it a box of stuff in the attic. Some of the drum patterns would be quite nice to practice to (or I could just use its metronome) so I will go up there later and retrieve it.


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## Drago (16 Feb 2020)

Did an hour of Motorhead today. I think people underestimate how good a bassist Lemmy really was.


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## Oxford Dave (16 Feb 2020)

Drago said:


> Did an hour of Motorhead today. I think people underestimate how good a bassist Lemmy really was.


I've always rated Lemmy's bass playing - ever since 'Down through the Night' on Space Ritual - beautiful melodic rolling bass that just pushes everything along.


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## Oxford Dave (16 Feb 2020)

Played a little local gig last night with a good friend of mine.


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## Drago (16 Feb 2020)

You're good friends with the Edge?!


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## Oxford Dave (16 Feb 2020)

Drago said:


> You're good friends with the Edge?!


I'm usually on the edge of the stage...


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## ColinJ (16 Feb 2020)

Drago said:


> Did an hour of Motorhead today. I think people underestimate how good a bassist Lemmy really was.





Oxford Dave said:


> I've always rated Lemmy's bass playing - ever since 'Down through the Night' on Space Ritual - beautiful melodic rolling bass that just pushes everything along.


Music to have teeth pulled to... 





Actually, I really _DO_ use Hawkwind's music to have teeth pulled out (or drilled) to! I hate going to the dentist so I blast myself with _Doremi Fasol Latido_ as a distraction from the horrors that are being done to me...


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## Drago (16 Feb 2020)

Motorhead were fantastic - pure essence of rock n roll! I even named my dog after the great man!


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## ColinJ (16 Feb 2020)

A friend is visiting. She noticed that I now have a guitar downstairs near to where she is sitting and picked it up to have a twiddle. She is not currently a player either but she seems to have already picked up a few chords from my little chord chart. No bar(re) chords though!


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## GM (16 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> 504291[/ATTACH]




Colin, you can always do what the Shadows do.......


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## ColinJ (16 Feb 2020)

GM said:


> Colin, you can always do what the Shadows do.......



I was thinking of them when I said that I didn't fancy standing up and moving around!  It would be one thing to perform standing up, but having to move about while trying to work out what to do and practise it would seem odd.

I'm feeling tempted by a clip-on guitar tuner - I could leave the chunky old mic-based tuner up in the attic room with my other guitar.


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## Asa Post (17 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I'm feeling tempted by a clip-on guitar tuner - I could leave the chunky old mic-based tuner up in the attic room with my other guitar.


Snark Super-Tight is the one to get. More expensive than most, but more reliable as well.


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## ColinJ (17 Feb 2020)

Asa Post said:


> Snark Super-Tight is the one to get. More expensive than most, but more reliable as well.


It was on my shortlist. I'm wondering why it costs double what some of the other Snark models do though.


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## GuyBoden (19 Feb 2020)

I am currently using fifth voicings, technically called Quintal harmony:

Here's the 7 basic fifth chords to keep you amused:
Each colour represents a four note fifth chord, so a bit of a stretch, but worth it.


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## MontyVeda (19 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I still have my steel-strung acoustic but find that a bit hard on my fingertips.
> ...


I put a set of electric strings on mine... it's a lot more friendly


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## ColinJ (19 Feb 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> I put a set of electric strings on mine... it's a lot more friendly


I have found a couple of sets of strings that I had forgotten buying and one of those looks a lighter gauge. I might put those on instead some time. For now I will stick to the classical guitar with its gentler nylon strings.


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## MontyVeda (19 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> ...
> Left-handed guitars... what are _they_ all about?
> 
> (I am being serious, actually!) Left handed players of most other instruments just learn them as they are. A left-handed friend of mine insisted on turning his first guitar round (and swapping the strings over) even though he had never played one before but that meant he could never get on with my guitars or those of our other friends. I'm sure that I wouldn't have had a problem if guitars had all been 'left-handed' when I got my first one, though obviously it would feel incredibly odd to me now.


I had lessons at school when i was eleven. Instinctively, I hold a guitar left handed but the teacher said that was wrong. I just couldn't get the hang of the basic chord shapes and gave up after a few weeks. Six years later, I strung the 'family' guitar left hand and everything was instantly easier for me. I'm not a good player and never will be, but I can pick up a RH guitar and play most chords upside down (the hard bit is inverting my strumming). I don't buy the quote about LH guitars being a con and learning to play LH is pointless because playing the other way is just as hard to start with... haven't they heard of Hendrix 


ColinJ said:


> ...
> 
> I'm feeling tempted by a clip-on guitar tuner - I could leave the chunky old mic-based tuner up in the attic room with my other guitar.


Get a clip on, even the cheap ones are better than the chunky old mic based tuner you've got. Tuning through vibration rather than a mic just works better


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## MontyVeda (19 Feb 2020)

delb0y said:


> Just learn the Pentatonic Minor and you're at the same level as 99% of electric guitar players...


@ColinJ This (rather bloated) video explained it in simple terms for me (hopefully it starts at the G pentatonic minor bit, if not, skip forward to 11:34ish)
What i like is it demonstrates how one simple pattern can be used for playing in any major or minor key.


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## GuyBoden (19 Feb 2020)

Here's a good video of a player, it's an Allan Holdsworth composition and very difficult to play, even for me........it's the stretches for the chords that are killer....


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7aKJaf9mWc


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## GuyBoden (19 Feb 2020)

delb0y said:


> Just learn the Pentatonic Minor and you're at the same level as 99% of electric guitar players...



Don't rush, but play songs, scales and intervals by eye and ear.........

Just learn the notes up to the 3rd fret.

Then much later, learn up to the 5th fret.

Then years after that, learn up to the 7th fret.

Then years and years after that, learn up to the 9th fret.

Then years, years and years after that, learn up to the 12th fret.

Then light years after that, learn from the 12th fret and beyond.


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## GuyBoden (19 Feb 2020)

Here's a short clip of me playing a Jazzy number about 20 years ago.

https://www.mixposure.com/guy-boden/audio/515/just-is


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## ColinJ (19 Feb 2020)

I got a bit distracted by videos like this one...



I quite fancy having a go at flamenco. I think I might do some bodge repairs to the cheapo guitar (glue it back together!) and dedicate that for flamenco practice so I don't batter the body of my nice classical guitar doing the percussive bashing with hands and nails! 



GuyBoden said:


> Don't rush, but play songs, scales and intervals by eye and ear.........
> 
> Just learn the notes up to the 3rd fret.
> 
> ...


In that case I think I can safely say that any excursions by me beyond the 7th fret will probably involve the use of a capo! Aged 64, I no longer have 20 or 30 years to spare ...


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## GuyBoden (19 Feb 2020)

It takes time, but it's definitely a journey to enjoy.......


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## ColinJ (19 Feb 2020)

Another distraction... (are you beginning to see a pattern here, and get some idea of why my gnat-like concentration span is a factor in my non-player status?  )

Interesting, but (to my eyes) _ugly _frets!



On the subject of tuning... The '_Tune bottom E, then tune others using frets 5/5/5/4/5_' method works nicely on my classical guitar but I was never happy with the result on my Tanglewood steel-strung acoustic. The top E always ended up slightly flat so I would either use the old tuner on every string or (when the battery was flat!) I'd use 5/5/5/4/5 to get it almost right, tune the top E to be perfectly 2 octaves above the bottom string, and then tweak the middle 4 strings to _sound_ good. I don't know if the frets are not positioned quite right or what...

THIS ARTICLE is quite interesting.


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## Drago (19 Feb 2020)

Tune bottom E and then tune the harmonic on the next string up, a smidge more accurate. Or download Guitar Tuna on your phone.


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## delb0y (19 Feb 2020)

GuyBoden said:


> Here's a short clip of me playing a Jazzy number about 20 years ago.
> 
> https://www.mixposure.com/guy-boden/audio/515/just-is



That's really nice, Guy!


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## ColinJ (19 Feb 2020)

Drago said:


> Tune bottom E and then tune the harmonic on the next string up, a smidge more accurate. Or download Guitar Tuna on your phone.


I have decided to buy one of the Snark tuners mentioned above by @Asa Post. I like THIS ONE because it has a frequency (Hz) readout which would enable much finer tuning (and appeals to the nerd in me!).


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## ColinJ (20 Feb 2020)

Oh - the ST-8HZ. I don't know why they have signified Hz (unit of frequency) as H.Z. on the front of the device?  

Now I am wondering what to spend £6.60 on to get free delivery... Any guitar related suggestions? I don't need more strings (yet) and have a capo (somewhere - I can't find it!).


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## GuyBoden (20 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Oh - the ST-8HZ. I don't know why they have signified Hz (unit of frequency) as H.Z. on the front of the device?
> 
> Now I am wondering what to spend £6.60 on to get free delivery... Any guitar related suggestions? I don't need more strings (yet) and have a capo (somewhere - I can't find it!).



A guitar teacher, I took lessons with when I was younger, said that Electronic Guitar Tuners had made his life much more bearable, he could now listen to his students play and sometimes they were in tune.


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## DCBassman (20 Feb 2020)

GuyBoden said:


> A guitar teacher, I took lesson with was I was younger, said that Electronic Guitar Tuners had made his life much more bearable, he could now listen to his students play and sometimes they were in tune.


Studio engineers, too...


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## ColinJ (20 Feb 2020)

All is fine with well-designed digital tuners, or tuners with batteries that aren't semi-flat...  

I am waiting for my new tuner to arrive so am temporarily still using my clunky old one. I was only half paying attention today, listening to the TV news while tuning the guitar. It eventually dawned on me that something wasn't right... I'd wound the bottom E up to about 3 semitones sharp but the tuner was _still_ showing that it was very flat. It turns out that the damn thing doesn't check its battery voltage and indicate when it is too low, it just becomes very inaccurate and carries on regardless! 👎

I found a replacement battery and all is now back to normal.

The guitar has hardly been touched for years and the tuning pegs have become very stiff to turn. They resist moving until I twist a bit harder then they slip and I overshoot the string tension that I am aiming for. I'll have to put some kind of lube on them... 

Now that I am trying to learn chords I have been reminded how difficult I find some of them. Barre chords are definitely out for now, but I even struggle on any simpler ones needing my little finger to stretch over to the bottom 3 strings. I was staring at my left hand just now and think that the little finger looks a bit _TOO_ little! It is 3.5 cm shorter than my 3rd finger - is _THAT_ 'normal'? Not that there is anything I can do about it if I have mutant hands!  There must be people with shorter fingers than mine playing full-size guitars but how they do it beats me...

[Post "_Practice Colin; LOTS of practice_" comments below!]


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## GuyBoden (20 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> All is fine with well-designed digital tuners, or tuners with batteries that aren't semi-flat...
> 
> I am waiting for my new tuner to arrive so am temporarily still using my clunky old one. I was only half paying attention today, listening to the TV news while tuning the guitar. It eventually dawned on me that something wasn't right... I'd wound the bottom E up to about 3 semitones sharp but the tuner was _still_ showing that it was very flat. It turns out that the damn thing doesn't check its battery voltage and indicate when it is too low, it just becomes very inaccurate and carries on regardless! 👎
> 
> ...



Colin, you don't need Barre chords, just the 1st, 5th and maybe 3rd, maybe 7th, maybe 4th notes of a scale.
I've never used them since my Punk Rock days.

The basics of all you need:

C Power chord C G (The 1st and 5th notes of the C Major scale.)
C Major Chord is C G E (The 1st, 5th and 3rd notes of the C Major scale.) or C E G (The 1st, 3rd,5th notes of the C Major scale.)
C minor Chord is C Eb G (The 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the C minor scale.)
C Dom Chord is C E Bb (The 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the C Mixolydian scale.)
C Sus4 Chord is C G F (The 1st, 5th and 4th notes of the C Major scale.)

(Obviously in more keys.)


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## ColinJ (20 Feb 2020)

GuyBoden said:


> Colin, you don't need Barre chords, just the 1st, 5th and maybe 3rd, maybe 7th, maybe 4th notes of a scale.
> I've never used them since my Punk Rock days.
> 
> The basics of all you need:
> ...


Interesting!

I'm going to have to take a few shortcuts since I am effectively starting at 64 and don't have decades to learn as much as I would want to if I were still young.

I have a guest about to arrive but I will try to work out later what you mean by all of that.


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## ColinJ (22 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I am waiting for my new tuner to arrive so am temporarily still using my clunky old one. I was only half paying attention today, listening to the TV news while tuning the guitar. It eventually dawned on me that something wasn't right... I'd wound the bottom E up to about 3 semitones sharp but the tuner was _still_ showing that it was very flat. It turns out that the damn thing doesn't check its battery voltage and indicate when it is too low, it just becomes very inaccurate and carries on regardless! 👎
> 
> I found a replacement battery and all is now back to normal.


And then the replacement battery went flat and I had the same problem again! 

I found a rechargeable 9V battery and gave that a full charge. The tuner is working well again. It doesn't matter much because the Snark is supposed to be delivered tomorrow, but the old one will now work upstairs for my other guitar.



ColinJ said:


> The guitar has hardly been touched for years and the tuning pegs have become very stiff to turn. They resist moving until I twist a bit harder then they slip and I overshoot the string tension that I am aiming for. I'll have to put some kind of lube on them...


I just used a few drops of chain lube on the mechanism of each peg. They are nice and smooth in operation now, but the guitar smells like a freshly lubed bike! I've wiped off the surplus lube and the smell should dissipate once the volatile parts of the lube have finished evaporating.


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## Oxford Dave (22 Feb 2020)

Played a real fun gig last night, with my old band in the pub in the village I live in. So the drive to the venue was only about one minute, makes a change from trekking to London or Yorkshire (next two gigs with my current band).
Nice to play stuff I hadn't payed for a couple of years with good friends in the band and the audience.


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## Drago (22 Feb 2020)

I've got a gig next weekend. Going over the set list with the boys later today.


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## ColinJ (22 Feb 2020)

I hope you chaps keep the volume down to a reasonable*** level? I haven't been to a live gig in years. The last couple were at the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge and they were stupidly loud. How loud was that? Well, it is a small venue which can probably hold no more than a couple of hundred people. No need for lots of power but the guitar player was so loud that I couldn't hear the drums. I was standing directly in front of the drummer and he was a beefy guy seemingly trying to smash his kit to pieces, so he must have been very loud himself, but inaudible over the guitar. Crazy loud! I reckon some of my hearing loss came from that one gig... 

The next time we went there I wore earplugs but even then the levels felt a bit on the high side. 

Oh, just remembered - I went to a pub in Hebden Bridge a few months ago on open mic night. It is open plan now but I was at the far end away from the musicians, tucked away in a cubby hole. Despite that I couldn't hear what my friends were saying less than a metre away! I think that a steel-strung acoustic guitar played hard with a plectrum shouldn't need lots of amplification in a small venue with only 30 people in it. The singers were probably loud enough too. 

Too much of levels set to 11! I have a lot of hearing loss already without speeding up my aural decline... 






*** Excitingly loud peaks but not loud enough to cause instant hearing loss!


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## MontyVeda (22 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> ...
> Now that I am trying to learn chords I have been reminded how difficult I find some of them. Barre chords are definitely out for now, but I even struggle on any simpler ones needing my little finger to stretch over to the bottom 3 strings. I was staring at my left hand just now and think that the little finger looks a bit _TOO_ little! It is 3.5 cm shorter than my 3rd finger - is _THAT_ 'normal'? Not that there is anything I can do about it if I have mutant hands!  There must be people with shorter fingers than mine playing full-size guitars but how they do it beats me...
> 
> [Post "_Practice Colin; LOTS of practice_" comments below!]


my little finger's 3.5cm shorter than the one next to it.

Simple fact is, barre chords are hard to begin with. Some players (Jimi Hendrix, David Byrne and Wilko johnson) tend to barre the bottom (E and A) strings by hooking their thumb over the top of the neck rather than using their index finger as the barre. Might be worth try. There'll be a time when you'll need to play an F major.


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## Oxford Dave (22 Feb 2020)

I've played at the Trades Club a couple of times, and will be there again in mid May. No one has suggested we have been too loud, even with two drummers in the band. The sound crew there is very good, and always want the stage volume fairly low so they can control the mix properly for the front of house sound (as do all competent sound engineers).
Last night's gig was just a pub gig, and as always I keep an eye on the bar - if the staff are struggling to hear what the customers are trying to order, then the band is too loud. We had quite a few of the people there come and dance right in front of the band, while I could see others stood at the bar having conversations without apparent difficulty.


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## ColinJ (22 Feb 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> my little finger's 3.5cm shorter than the one next to it.


Maybe my fingers are relatively 'normal' after all!  



MontyVeda said:


> Simple fact is, barre chords are hard to begin with. Some players (Jimi Hendrix, David Byrne and Wilko johnson) tend to barre the bottom (E and A) strings by hooking their thumb over the top of the neck rather than using their index finger as the barre. Might be worth try. There'll be a time when you'll need to play an F major.


That is ok on slim-necked electric guitars and probably would be on my Tanglewood acoustic which has a narrow-ish neck, but it isn't suitable for the wide neck on my classical guitar. I'll 'do a Boden' for now (see above) but learn how to do barres properly eventually.

Well, I picked up the parcel containing my Snark tuner from the Amazon lockers at Tod station. I go to that station every weekday to pick up a copy of the Metro (for its cryptic crossword) but I have never noticed the existence of the lockers. It turns out that they are hidden away round the other side of the station building, next to the car park. Anyway, it will be very handy for me in future - I can go on all-day rides and not have to worry about being in when Amazon parcels are due to be delivered.

The tuner is pleasingly tiny. I will probably leave it on the guitar at all times. (If I take it off I will probably lose it or tread on it!) 

I just tested the new tuner... It is very easy to use in its standard mode. That worked really well, except for a slight tendency for it to glitch from an indicated E to an A on the top string. I'll experiment with moving the clamp position and muting other strings to see if that makes a difference. It isn't a showstopper because I can just ignore the A glitches and tune to the E reading. 

I compared the tuning to what the old tuner indicated and it is about 3 cents flatter if I stop sharpening the strings as soon as the Snark indicates that the note is right. There is probably scope to go a little higher without the Snark showing sharp.

I had a go with 'Hz mode'. It is interesting being able to see an actual frequency value but it shouldn't really be needed and I may not bother with it most of the time. The tuner is strict about tuning order in this mode. In standard mode it just tells you what note you are playing, independent of string. In Hz mode you have to work up from the bottom string (on a bass you must work down from the top string). If you play the strings in the wrong order, it gets confused. I did that several times before noticing my mistake. Make sure that you pluck the right strings in the right order or you will have to start again.

Finally, ColinJ's mnemonics for standard guitar string frequencies:

First string. It is the most bass string and I would guess that it is around 80 Hz. In fact it should be 82.4 Hz. Remember it as 8 = 2 x 4.
Second string, second team, second eleven; the second string is frequency is higher than 82.4 Hz and begins with 11 - 110.0 Hz.
Third string, a bit higher than 110 Hz but it won't be as high 200 Hz, so it begins with a '1', and it is followed by a simple series - '4', '6', 8' - 146.8 Hz .
Fourth string is heading towards the magic 200 Hz but in fact string 4 is 4 Hz lower - 196.0 Hz.
Fifth string... 'fifth columnists' accused of undermining Trump almost 24/7; almost 247 Hz - 246.9 Hz.
Sixth string frequency is 2 octaves above first string = 2 x 2 x 82.4 = 329.6 Hz.

Alternatively... you _could _just cut out the little cardboard frequency chart supplied with the tuner and fix it to the headstock using the tuner clamp!


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## ColinJ (22 Feb 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> I've played at the Trades Club a couple of times, and will be there again in mid May. No one has suggested we have been too loud, even with two drummers in the band. The sound crew there is very good, and always want the stage volume fairly low so they can control the mix properly for the front of house sound (as do all competent sound engineers).


It was about 10 years ago so maybe things have improved. Honestly though, not being able to hear a thrashed drumkit at 10 paces!  

I felt a hand on my shoulder. A friend was trying to speak to me. I couldn't hear him. He leaned over and shouted directly into my ear. I STILL couldn't hear him. In the end he pointed at my glass, the bar, and mouthed DO - YOU - WANT - ANOTHER - DRINK?

Too loud, man! My ears were ringing for 2 days. I'd had a hearing test done 10 years before that and it was already pretty poor. There are certain frequencies in the normal audible range that I can't hear at all...



ColinJ said:


> I was working with some digital audio equipment once and created havoc in the open plan office. My gear was connected through a powerful amp to some very efficient speakers. Apparently, the audio processor had crashed and was outputting a very powerful tone beyond my range of hearing which was distressing every young pair of ears within range!
> 
> After that latter episode, I did a DIY hearing test using a tone generator and a pair of high quality headphones. I swept the tone from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and plotted the results. I saw the expected HF rolloff, but was shocked to discover that I was deaf at certain intermediate frequencies! I was paying the price for ignoring warnings about listening to music at very levels when I was a teenager.



Let us know next time you are playing at the Trades and I'll see if I can get over to watch.



Oxford Dave said:


> Last night's gig was just a pub gig, and as always I keep an eye on the bar - if the staff are struggling to hear what the customers are trying to order, then the band is too loud. We had quite a few of the people there come and dance right in front of the band, while I could see others stood at the bar having conversations without apparent difficulty.


Yes, that's how it _should _be! We couldn't even hear each other speaking a further 20 feet beyond the bar, which was between us and the musicians. I can't see why somebody singing folk songs feels the need to deafen the audience...


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## MontyVeda (22 Feb 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Maybe my fingers are relatively 'normal' after all!
> 
> 
> *That is ok on slim-necked electric guitars* and probably would be on my Tanglewood acoustic which has a narrow-ish neck, but it isn't suitable for the wide neck on my classical guitar. I'll 'do a Boden' for now (see above) but learn how to do barres properly eventually.
> ...


Thing is, I can't do the thumb over the top method at all... I have relatively large hands and my electric and acoustic both have quite thin necks... I've tried and tried and it just feels wrong to me but watching Byrne or Johnson playing that way, it looks so right (especially in the case of Wilko Johnson who's style seems to revolve around throttling the neck like that). Thought I'd mention it because not everyone gets on with playing barre chords properly... more than one way to skin a cat and all that.

Open tunings can be fun to play with too... I hardly played my acoustic until i put it in open D and it's not been in standard tuning since.


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## Oxford Dave (22 Feb 2020)

My band will be back at the Trades Club on May 16th. Lovely venue, but tricky to park nearby, especially since parking at the school opposite is now restricted at weekends.


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## delb0y (23 Feb 2020)

The last gig I went to (just a pub gig) the band was so loud most people, including me, listened from the other room. Was a good band, full of good and experienced players, they just like to belt it out.

Here's something I recorded yesterday. A cover of JJ Cale's beautiful song "Magnolia". I just recorded it directed into the laptop in my front room and layered a few tracks to build up (hopefully) a lush sound.

Magnolia

Cheers
Derek


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## ColinJ (28 Feb 2020)

I normally post competitions in the dedicated thread, but this one deserves to be _here_...

Win a Royal Antique Dual Overdrive worth £245 or a Zefiro Optical Compressor worth £160, details _HERE_. (Entries by Friday 13th March 2020.)


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## Drago (4 Mar 2020)

Today I've been doing a bit of Roxy Music, then tried to figure out the bassline to She's Not There, which is an utter bar steward to play.


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## EltonFrog (4 Mar 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Music to have teeth pulled to...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I used to play in a Hawkwind Tribute band, Assassins of Silence, we did loads of gigs where maybe five or even six people might turn up, possibly even stay.


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## ColinJ (4 Mar 2020)

Drago said:


> Today I've been doing a bit of Roxy Music, then tried to figure out the bassline to She's Not There, which is an utter bar steward to play.


Funny you should say that... I was looking for my Roxy Music CD to listen to while on the turbo trainer but I can't find it! I reckon somebody has '_borrowed_' it...

Is that _She's Not There_ as in the old Zombies song?



I always liked that song.


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## ColinJ (4 Mar 2020)

Actually... I'm wondering if I ever owned the Roxy Music CD in question! I had most of their albums on vinyl but I gave away my entire record collection when I switched to CD. I thought I had bought the first album again, but perhaps I didn't.


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## DCBassman (5 Mar 2020)

Drago said:


> Today I've been doing a bit of Roxy Music, then tried to figure out the bassline to She's Not There, which is an utter bar steward to play.


Try something apparently simple but really not - Riders On The Storm by The Doors. Then look up Ray Manzarek explaining it on YouTube!


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## delb0y (18 Mar 2020)

Latest bit of plucking. Something to pass the time as I'm on annual leave and not able to go anywhere:


View: https://youtu.be/gj2RiOX5F4Y


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## Drago (18 Mar 2020)

Had a bit of a headache, so today has been a rare day of no practice.


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## Cycleops (18 Mar 2020)

Very nice @delb0y , you just need to loose a few fingers and you could be the next Django Reinhardt


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## Cycleops (18 Mar 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Try something apparently simple but really not - Riders On The Storm by The Doors. Then look up Ray Manzarek explaining it on YouTube!


Have to try that. You can keep Van Morrison, give me Jim Morrison any day, brilliant group.


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## Grant Fondo (18 Mar 2020)

delb0y said:


> Latest bit of plucking. Something to pass the time as I'm on annual leave and not able to go anywhere:
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/gj2RiOX5F4Y



Self isolation at its finest! The two rhythm guitarists were quite good as well! 😄


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## ColinJ (19 Mar 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Very nice @delb0y , you just need to loose a few fingers and you could be the next Django Reinhardt


I think the fingers would actually have to fall off to count!


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## Drago (19 Mar 2020)

Django had all his, but he'd been badly burned in a fire so some fingers didn't work and some weren't very flexible.

I do chuckle when people cite Django as a wonderful guitar play, particularly so as he had no arms, and other such comments.


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## ColinJ (19 Mar 2020)

For some reason, I thought that a couple of fingers were missing from his left hand. I just checked and you are right!


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## Salad Dodger (23 Mar 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Maybe my fingers are relatively 'normal' after all!
> 
> 
> That is ok on slim-necked electric guitars and probably would be on my Tanglewood acoustic which has a narrow-ish neck, but it isn't suitable for the wide neck on my classical guitar. I'll 'do a Boden' for now (see above) but learn how to do barres properly eventually.
> ...


There is a YouTube video where James Taylor explains how he tunes his guitars, with all the strings either sharp or flat of "true" pitch. If I ever get a decent tuner I would be interested to have a go at his tuning method. It won't help me to play like him though!

In other tuning related news, I just bought a cheap Korg guitar tuner which is magnetic. You attach it to one of your tuner machine heads and it detects vibrations to show if you are in tune. Only works for standard guitar tuning, not chromatic tuning like a Snark, and only works for 440hz but it's a neat little thing for about a fiver, and much better than the Korg soundhole tuner that I was struggling with before...


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## MontyVeda (23 Mar 2020)

I'm currently trying to get to grips with a scale after stumbling across a YT video that explained it in terms that actually sunk in, which means i'm picking up my electric guitar at lot more often. I might even plug it in to an amp one day (with headphones of course).


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## delb0y (23 Mar 2020)

I'm using this enforced downtime to really focus on my Django Reinhardt style playing. With all gigs cancelled for the forseeable I'm able to let my normal (rock'n'roll) practicing lapse and work hard on this gypsy jazz style that I've long loved but never had the time to really work on before.


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## DCBassman (27 Mar 2020)

I _really_ ought to get the bass out...


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## Oxford Dave (28 Mar 2020)

DCBassman said:


> I _really_ ought to get the bass out...


I'm playing my bass 2-3 hours a day at the moment - I'd go stir crazy without it!


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## delb0y (28 Mar 2020)

Yes, I've been playing a couple of hours a day, too. I've come to realise that were I able to do twice this every day for several years then progress would be made. It's certainly no coincidence that a great many of my heroes practiced nine or ten hours a day for many years. Anyway, it's back to work next week so even my measly two hours will seem like a luxury. Meanwhile, this is the fruit of this week's labours:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89MHRSezx6c

Cheers
Derek


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## Oxford Dave (28 Mar 2020)

Yes, it's quite a revelation when you have to chance to play every day, just how much easier everything seems to be after a few weeks!


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## DCBassman (28 Mar 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> I'm playing my bass 2-3 hours a day at the moment - I'd go stir crazy without it!


It's a logistical thing. We live in a tiny one-bed flat, and there's no room to keep the bass out. It has to be cased and put away when not in actual play. A real pain...


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## Drago (28 Mar 2020)

Living in the Past. Best bassline ever, now practiced to death.

Bass - keeps you sane.

My basses are hung on the bedroom wall. When I get a Steinberger I'll have to make a wall hanger as I'm not sure anyone makes one.


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## delb0y (29 Mar 2020)

Oh dear. Today's guitar update:


----------



## DCBassman (29 Mar 2020)

delb0y said:


> Oh dear. Today's guitar update:
> 
> View attachment 511217


Oh carp, how'd that happen?


----------



## Stephen Piper (29 Mar 2020)

Some pva wood glue and a clamp should see it back working. It's how I glued the neck back on my SG (copy) after the kids fell on it playing chase. Not a pretty repair but it worked. I also rebuilt a headstock with a scarf joint in a similar place to that crack.


----------



## delb0y (29 Mar 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Oh carp, how'd that happen?



Gravity! I had my back turned so not quite sure how :-(


----------



## DCBassman (29 Mar 2020)

delb0y said:


> Gravity! I had my back turned so not quite sure how :-(


Damn...


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## Drago (29 Mar 2020)

Aye, wood glue and clamp should do a good structural job. Might need further work to refinish it afterwards.


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## delb0y (29 Mar 2020)

I shall take it to a professional luthier when the lockdown is over. Might as well get the job done properly as an equivalent guitar would be c£800. Likely to be six months though, based on today's news. I might have to get something else in the meantime anyway...


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## DCBassman (30 Mar 2020)

delb0y said:


> I shall take it to a professional luthier when the lockdown is over. Might as well get the job done properly as an equivalent guitar would be c£800. Likely to be six months though, based on today's news. I might have to get something else in the meantime anyway...


Luthier definitely best idea.


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## ColinJ (31 Mar 2020)

I just spotted a competition to win a guitar... It looks like entries close at midnight today so enter ASAP - HERE!


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## Drago (1 Apr 2020)

Damn and blast, missed it


----------



## MontyVeda (1 Apr 2020)

delb0y said:


> I shall take it to a professional luthier when the lockdown is over. Might as well get the job done properly as an equivalent guitar would be c£800. Likely to be six months though, based on today's news. I might have to get something else in the meantime anyway...


I'd go for the fix myself: try not to open the crack anymore, work the glue as deep into the crack as you can (using guitar strings as pushers), clamp it, wipe off any glue that squashes out (more than once), leave for a few days. Job done. You'll be playing it again by Sunday.


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## ColinJ (1 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> Damn and blast, missed it


Oh well... I would have posted it earlier but it was a last minute discovery. 

If I were to win I would probably choose a bass for my prize. I had Clubland on last night and there were several EDM tracks with interesting bass lines that were simple enough that I am sure that I could play them.


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## DCBassman (2 Apr 2020)

Dragged out the kit today. 
Amp and speaker to remind me what it looks like and how titchy it is.





That's the edge of a fairly standard coffee table to its left!





Case...And inside...




Much-modified Mexican Fender Precision Bass













With a Jazz neck on it.
Just like a project bike, modified by me, for me.
The only original bits left are the body, bridge and knobs.
And after an hour or so's playing, it's staying out of the cupboard!


----------



## DCBassman (2 Apr 2020)

Ridiculously, the bag of cables and microphones is twice the weight of the rig!


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## Drago (2 Apr 2020)

Nice PB. I'm undecided if I prefer the Jazz neck or the chunkier 42mm necks. Lots more alternating between the two required!


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## DCBassman (2 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> Nice PB. I'm undecided if I prefer the Jazz neck or the chunkier 42mm necks. Lots more alternating between the two required!


I dislike the Jazz body and pickups. I'd still have a 42mm neck if my arthritic hands could cope...
This neck is the economy version of the American Standard neck, matt finish. Still has carbon fibre reinforcement, though.


----------



## Drago (2 Apr 2020)

I got Alan Entwistle pickups on my Jazz. Meatier that a steak pie in beef gravy.


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## DCBassman (3 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> I got Alan Entwistle pickups on my Jazz. Meatier that a steak pie in beef gravy.


Good pickups. They used to do a PBXn P pickup with neodymium magnets, a total killer. But the neo got too expensive.
The trouble with a traditionally wired Jazz, with single coil pickups, is that it is prone to hum unless both pickups are set at the same volume level - they are a humbucking pair in this setting. The P Bass is fully humbucking, and meatier still as a result. Of course, you can get Jazz piackups that are individually humbucking, but this will not give a traditional Jazz tone.
You pays your money...


----------



## avecReynolds531 (3 Apr 2020)

...a long time ago, a lot of decibels and back ache later, I used to plug a Stingray (tones set flat out) into a valve amp driving 8 x 10s...


----------



## Drago (3 Apr 2020)

Aye, I use their ceramic magnet pickups on all my axes and it seems to suit well the rock music i tend to play. People pay hundreds for DiMarzio or Duncan pickups that don't actually perform any better. I'd love thr neodymium ones but your right, they're pricy, although still good value in the grand scheme.


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## DCBassman (3 Apr 2020)

If you can get them...
I've fired off an email to Entwistle to see if there's any prospect of them being made again.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (3 Apr 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Dragged out the kit today.
> Amp and speaker to remind me what it looks like and how titchy it is.
> View attachment 512073
> 
> ...


Nice idea to match the Jazz neck on a Precision & make your own project bass. 

Way back when the Romans wore sandals, I had a Musicman Stingray (2 band) and a Jazz. Preferred the Jazz neck, loved the sound of both. Tried 5 string briefly after enjoying a D tuner on a 4 string. The low notes were fantastic, the cricket bat neck not so good. 

Cue fast forward, only 1 bass now:
a customised Jazz strung with La Bella nickels - B, E, A, D. Bartolini pickups & circuit handling the output sweet & clear. Used to crate around two 4 x 10 cabs and a valve head - it made good tone & pushed a lot of air. 

Once I had a low C at the first fret, I didn't go back. It was useful for playing in Eb: for me, a normally strung 4 string struggles with an Eb note. 

Nowadays, I don't play much - would rather listen to bassists who can really play. Youtube has all the brilliant performances & concerts to last for more than a lifetime.


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## avecReynolds531 (3 Apr 2020)

and as a p.s. to the last post: 
the sound of a low C, through a valve head pushing north of 500 watts, through 8 ten" speakers is a memory I'll take into old life.


----------



## Oxford Dave (4 Apr 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Dragged out the kit today.
> Amp and speaker to remind me what it looks like and how titchy it is.
> View attachment 512073
> 
> That's the edge of a fairly standard coffee table to its left!


Trace Elf and and a BF 1x10? Superb light weight mini rig. I'm a great fan of the Barefaced cabs, I have a Super Compact (1x12) that I use at home and for most gigs, and a Super Twin (2x12) that I use about once a year. My amps are Ashdown Rootmaster 800 and ABM 600, I just mix and match depending on my mood. 
My Super Twin is the first one of the series, collected it from Alex in Brighton, serial number is S001. I played a lot of gigs with that cab before buying the Compact. If I was more sensible, I'd have started with a Compact and then bought another if I felt I needed it, but no...


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## DCBassman (4 Apr 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> Trace Elf and and a BF 1x10? Superb light weight mini rig. I'm a great fan of the Barefaced cabs, I have a Super Compact (1x12) that I use at home and for most gigs, and a Super Twin (2x12) that I use about once a year. My amps are Ashdown Rootmaster 800 and ABM 600, I just mix and match depending on my mood.
> My Super Twin is the first one of the series, collected it from Alex in Brighton, serial number is S001. I played a lot of gigs with that cab before buying the Compact. If I was more sensible, I'd have started with a Compact and then bought another if I felt I needed it, but no...


My first BF was a Super 15, what a beast! Still only 49lb. Amazing cab.


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## Oxford Dave (4 Apr 2020)

DCBassman said:


> My first BF was a Super 15, what a beast! Still only 49lb. Amazing cab.


They're all amazing! I think the first gig I played with the Super Compact instead of the Twin was Tavistock Wharf last August. We'd headlined a festival in Kent a couple of weeks earlier and I ended up using a borrowed 100w combo as my car broke down on the way and I had to use my wife's little runabout - no room for the 2x12. I was surprised at how well the little (Fender Rumble) combo did (obviously DI'd) and realised I could get away with carrying less gear on a lot of the gigs. I still prefer the 2x12 for outdoor shows, but most of the venues we play want fairly low levels of backline to make life easier for the sound folk.


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## Drago (7 Apr 2020)

I've a hankering for a Hofner violin bass. I don't know why, but G.A.S. is like that.


----------



## DCBassman (7 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> I've a hankering for a Hofner violin bass. I don't know why, but G.A.S. is like that.



Great if you have small hands - those thin, parallel necks are *tiny* compared to, say, Fender necks.
I'd like another shot at a Fender Mustang bass, they work for me.


----------



## Drago (7 Apr 2020)

I've got big hands, but seem to do quite nicely on small necks. When all this coronabeer malarkey is over I need to seek one out and give it a go.


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## DCBassman (7 Apr 2020)

Do, you'll enjoy it, the upper fret access us also amazing if you venture up there occasionally.


----------



## Oxford Dave (7 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> I've a hankering for a Hofner violin bass. I don't know why, but G.A.S. is like that.


I know someone locally (to me) who has an Epiphone violin bass that she was trying to sell, I could ask if she's managed to find a mug buyer yet...


----------



## MontyVeda (7 Apr 2020)

All this rig talk has got me hankering to expand on mine... so added a Blackstar to my Orange:


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## Cycleops (7 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> I've a hankering for a Hofner violin bass. I don't know why, but G.A.S. is like that.


Snap. I was thinking of a short scale and fancied a Mustang but was looking at a lot of Maccas stuff and came to really admire and appreciate him. I like the things he did with Wings in the early days but the later output was too much like The Ruttles for my liking. Apparently he still uses his ‘62 model for performances. Anyway I think a violin bass would be a breath of fresh air.
The Ignition might be okay but I don’t like the the way the scratchplate is screwed directly into body, cheap and nasty. The more expensive 500/1 has a central block which helps with sustain apparently. The only thing I don’t like is the rather wide neck at 42.5 mm.
When I can get over I’d like to try them both.


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## DCBassman (7 Apr 2020)

Later Beatles and most if not all Wings was played on a lefty Rickenbacker 4001S. But in later times, being of the older persuasion, he's sensibly returned to the featherweight 500/1.


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## Drago (7 Apr 2020)

Oh aye, I'd like a Ricky too.


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## Grant Fondo (7 Apr 2020)

Been tootling away on the Tanglewood as a bit bored


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## Grant Fondo (7 Apr 2020)

Grant Fondo said:


> Been tootling away on the Tanglewood as a bit bored
> View attachment 513230


Is there a "Your bike behind a stringed instrument" thread yet?


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## DCBassman (7 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> Oh aye, I'd like a Ricky too.


Love the look, but when doing work on them, found they were not the nicely crafted things they were always touted as being. So never bothered.
What I *would* spend serious cash on, uf I had any, would be a 60s Gibson EB2-D, like this:





Lovely!


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## Electric_Andy (7 Apr 2020)

I've decided to get the old guitar out this evening. I got a nice new amp for christmas and have hardly used it yet. Guitar is an Ibanez (wood/walnut colour) and it sounds really nice through my new marshall amp. 

Anyway, now that I'll be playing alone, I was looking at one of those looper pedals. Anyone have one that they'd recommend? I did some research a few months ago and by all accounts you can get a good 3-4 minute loop on a pedal for under £80. Just wondered if anyone else had a budget one they'd recommend?


----------



## DCBassman (7 Apr 2020)

Also @Drago, I asked Entwistle about the PBXn, and there will be some more along when the pandemic is over. Result!


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## Grant Fondo (7 Apr 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Love the look, but when doing work on them, found they were not the nicely crafted things they were always touted as being. So never bothered.
> What I *would* spend serious cash on, uf I had any, would be a 60s Gibson EB2-D, like this:
> View attachment 513232
> 
> ...


Not a Bootsy Collins 'Spacebass' then?


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## DCBassman (7 Apr 2020)

Erm...no.


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## MontyVeda (7 Apr 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Snap. I was thinking of a short scale and fancied a Mustang but was looking at a lot of Maccas stuff and came to really admire and appreciate him. I like the things he did with Wings in the early days but the later output was *too much like The Ruttles* for my liking. Apparently he still uses his ‘62 model for performances. Anyway I think a violin bass would be a breath of fresh air.
> The Ignition might be okay but I don’t like the the way the scratchplate is screwed directly into body, cheap and nasty. The more expensive 500/1 has a central block which helps with sustain apparently. The only thing I don’t like is the rather wide neck at 42.5 mm.
> When I can get over I’d like to try them both.


In his dreams... The Rutles (one 't') were far superior.


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## avecReynolds531 (7 Apr 2020)

Lockdown has meant a chance to listen and revisit influences & favourites...

Larry Graham with Sly and the Family Stone: 1967 to 1971 - 5 incredible years that changed music.


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## Oxford Dave (7 Apr 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Love the look, but when doing work on them, found they were not the nicely crafted things they were always touted as being. So never bothered.
> What I *would* spend serious cash on, uf I had any, would be a 60s Gibson EB2-D, like this:
> View attachment 513232
> 
> ...


That's a seriously nice looking bass. I've got several decent Fenders and very nice Sandberg, but all I've been playing these last few weeks is my Epiphone Jack Casady - the cheapest of the lot!


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## Cycleops (7 Apr 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Later Beatles and most if not all Wings was played on a lefty Rickenbacker 4001S. But in later times, being of the older persuasion, he's sensibly returned to the featherweight 500/1.


Apparently it was Elvis Costello who persuaded Macca to get out his old violin bass again for their collaboration on the "Flowers in the dirt "album.


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## clog (7 Apr 2020)

Electric_Andy said:


> I've decided to get the old guitar out this evening. I got a nice new amp for christmas and have hardly used it yet. Guitar is an Ibanez (wood/walnut colour) and it sounds really nice through my new marshall amp.
> 
> Anyway, now that I'll be playing alone, I was looking at one of those looper pedals. Anyone have one that they'd recommend? I did some research a few months ago and by all accounts you can get a good 3-4 minute loop on a pedal for under £80. Just wondered if anyone else had a budget one they'd recommend?



Even though it's a little bit over you can't really go wrong with a Boss RC-3. Have a look at the specs/reviews


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## Drago (8 Apr 2020)

@DCBassman only 4 left, so get in quick! Ordered mine. Bargain at that price.

https://www.kennysmusic.co.uk/yamaha-sessioncake-sc-01-mixing-headphone-amp-for-guitar-bass


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## ColinJ (8 Apr 2020)

I have been getting an annoying buzzing sound in my left ear. I thought that it was my headphones being faulty but can put them on back to front and the problem stays on the left. I discovered that any loud sound makes the left ear buzz. If I get an electric guitar or bass then I will have problems unless I can sort the ear out!

I think that the cause of the problem might be wax. (I hope that it is!) If it is then a good clean out might sort it.


----------



## delb0y (8 Apr 2020)

I had the free hearing test the last time I went to Specsavers. Left ear, fine. Right ear below normal levels. I notice it a lot when I turn headphones around and have become conscious when mixing my multi-tracked recordings that I might be over compensating on the right. Specsavers said it might be wax and offered a wax removal for £50. They also offered a full consultation and no doubt some hearing devices that would cost thousands. Maybe one day when funds are higher and hearing even lower.


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## ColinJ (8 Apr 2020)

I had a hearing test done about 25 years ago and the conclusion of the specialist pointing at some response curves could be summarised as "_That is normal, that is a very severe loss, and you are about halfway between the two_"!

What he didn't emphasise though were some severe notches in the response. There are certain frequencies that I pretty much can't hear at all. Fortunately, most of them are beyond the range of notes used in music. If I sweep a tone up beyond 3-4 kHz there are frequencies that apparently go silent, but then the tone comes back as the frequency continues to rise. The 2 ears have different notches. I can't hear much above 9-10 kHz now. When I was 30 I used to be really annoyed by the line output whistle on TV sets. The frequency of that is 15.625 kHz. Hearing that now would be a complete fantasy.

These days when watching tv shows/films a character will often stop talking stop mid-sentence and I know that they will fish their phone out but I am not hearing it ring. If I wind back and replay the scene, sometimes I have to add 30 dB to the signal before I can detect the sound at all. (I get a big shock if I forget to turn the sound back down before they start to speak again! )


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## Drago (8 Apr 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I have been getting an annoying buzzing sound in my left ear. I thought that it was my headphones being faulty but can put them on back to front and the problem stays on the left. I discovered that any loud sound makes the left ear buzz. If I get an electric guitar or bass then I will have problems unless I can sort the ear out!
> 
> I think that the cause of the problem might be wax. (I hope that it is!) If it is then a good clean out might sort it.


I have something similar in my right ear. Too much volume and it sounds to me like an amplifier clipping when overloaded. T'is damage from the army - I was in about 5 years before ear defenders, although they strangely gave us safety glasses to wear, even though the shell casings ejected away from a right handed shooter! Got a piffling 3 grand compo about 5 years after I left when someone sued the MoD over it, and they gave you 3 grand of you promised not to sue.


----------



## ColinJ (8 Apr 2020)

The reason that I suspect wax being the cause is that I discovered that physical manipulation of my outer ear can make the problem stop. If I pull the ear back that seems to do the trick. I'm wondering if there is some wax really close to the ear drum which makes contact if the drum moves further than normal, as it would with a loud sound? Mechanically distorting the ear could be moving the blob of wax slightly...

I meant to sort any wax out a couple of months ago but got distracted by the Covid-19 crisis. I'll put it back on the to-do list.


----------



## Drago (9 Apr 2020)

Yamaha Session Cake headphone amp due to arrive today.


----------



## Cycleops (9 Apr 2020)

I always thought ear wax removal could be dealt with by your local GP on the NHS?


----------



## delb0y (9 Apr 2020)

Cycleops said:


> I always thought ear wax removal could be dealt with by your local GP on the NHS?



That definitely used to be the case because I recall having it done. Not sure it's the case anymore, though. The boy wanted his doing recently and the GP didn't want to know. I think it might well be one of the areas in which the NHS has had to back away from in order to make ends meet. Might be a postcode thing, though.


----------



## MontyVeda (9 Apr 2020)

Doesn't olive oil soften earwax? Not tried it mind.


----------



## ColinJ (9 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> Doesn't olive oil soften earwax? Not tried it mind.


That's what I am going to try.


----------



## Drago (9 Apr 2020)

Next thing he'll be telling is he's been admitted to hospital with an olive oil bottle stick inside his ear..


----------



## delb0y (9 Apr 2020)

I think the human body is pretty clever. My right ear is closer to the speaker in my car and the amount of sh@# played on the radio these days, that ear is clearly self-isolating.


----------



## Oxford Dave (9 Apr 2020)

delb0y said:


> I think the human body is pretty clever. My right ear is closer to the speaker in my car and the amount of sh@# played on the radio these days, that ear is clearly self-isolating.


Maybe your right ear could instruct your hand to change channels, or even to turn it off? I haven't listened to the radio for years!


----------



## MontyVeda (9 Apr 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> Maybe your right ear could instruct your hand to change channels, or even to turn it off? I haven't listened to the radio for years!


i used to be forced to listen to Radio1 at work... it was torturous. No wonder so many people have a sh!t taste in music if that's the station most people listen to


----------



## Oxford Dave (9 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> i used to be forced to listen to Radio1 at work... it was torturous. No wonder so many people have a sh!t taste in music if that's the station most people listen to


The last time I listened to Radio One was the day before I moved from BBC radio to BBC TV - and that was in 1982. It was only on because the other people in the office insisted.


----------



## ColinJ (9 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> i used to be forced to listen to Radio1 at work... it was torturous. No wonder so many people have a sh!t taste in music if that's the station most people listen to


It could be worse...  



ColinJ said:


> I did a factory night shift for a year and one of my co-workers insisted on playing the entire _Bat Out Of Hell_ album 3 times a night on his huge portable stereo. Meatloaf may tell you that '_2 out of 3 aint bad_', but played loud in the middle of the night over 600 times I can assure you that it bloody well _IS_!


----------



## Drago (9 Apr 2020)

Really struggling to find anything to keep me occupied, so I've stripped the jazz bass for a repaint. That'll keep me busy off and on for a week or so.


----------



## delb0y (9 Apr 2020)

This is well worth your time:


View: https://youtu.be/q4JWqK6r6N4


----------



## Oxford Dave (9 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> Really struggling to find anything to keep me occupied, so I've stripped the jazz bass for a repaint. That'll keep me busy off and on for a week or so.


I keep busy playing the damn things - 3 hours at least per day. No time for painting them!


----------



## Drago (10 Apr 2020)

Aye, a good couple of ours a day here at the moment.


----------



## delb0y (10 Apr 2020)

Done three hours this morning already! The joy of a day off and the dog waking me up at 4:00 am.


----------



## Drago (10 Apr 2020)

JB stripped, body rubbed down. I'm going for a very light relic look, I want careworn rather than roadworn, or full on archaeological find that some folk go for. PUP covers, tuners and neck plate rubbed down with 2000 grit and soaked in a mixture of salt and vinegar, which has give a light age. Scratchplate next.


----------



## MontyVeda (10 Apr 2020)

What do you guys recommend cleaning a guitar body with... specifically a satin finish monogamy one?


----------



## ColinJ (10 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> What do you guys recommend cleaning a guitar body with... specifically a satin finish * monogamy* one?


That must be a Faith(ful) guitar?


----------



## Drago (10 Apr 2020)

A monogomy one? I couldn't really say - all mine sleep around!


----------



## MontyVeda (10 Apr 2020)

'Gordon', as i call her, is all mine


----------



## DCBassman (10 Apr 2020)

Now you've given me "Jilted John" as an earworm!
Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhh.....


----------



## MontyVeda (10 Apr 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Now you've given me "Jilted John" as an earworm!
> Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhh.....


as far as earworms go, it's good one  Had it going round my skull the other day at work: _Dang dang dangdang dang dangdang dang_... but only the one line... _I was so upset that I cried all the way to the chip shop ..._on a three hour loop.


You're welcome


----------



## ColinJ (10 Apr 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Now you've given me "Jilted John" as an earworm!
> Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhh.....


I was working in a factory at the time, not far from an irritable little machinist named Gordon. Radio 1 would be playing from 5 or 6 radios dotted round the shop floor.

Every time the Jilted John single came on, we all swivelled round, pointed at him, and sang "_Gordon is a moron_"... He didn't think it was funny!


----------



## DCBassman (10 Apr 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I was working in a factory at the time, not far from an irritable little machinist named Gordon. Radio 1 would be playing from 5 or 6 radios dotted round the shop floor.
> 
> Every time the Jilted John single came on, we all swivelled round, pointed at him, and sang "_Gordon is a moron_"... He didn't think it was funny!


Poor bugger!


----------



## ColinJ (10 Apr 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Poor bugger!


It wasn't done maliciously. If he had only laughed along with us, we would soon have got bored and stopped, but he threw a hissy fit every time...


----------



## DCBassman (10 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> as far as earworms go, it's good one  Had it going round my skull the other day at work: _Dang dang dangdang dang dangdang dang_... but only the one line... _I was so upset that I cried all the way to the chip shop ..._on a three hour loop.
> 
> 
> You're welcome


I just had to look up all the lyrics...this is over 40 years old after all!


----------



## Drago (10 Apr 2020)

Mrs D listens to Heart FM. The only two songs they ever seem to play are Don't Speak and Gangsters Paradise.


----------



## delb0y (10 Apr 2020)

I have that Jilted John record... I recall the B-Side ("Going Steady") wasn't bad. Just looked it up - and it turns out that, originally, Jilted John was the B-Side.


----------



## delb0y (11 Apr 2020)

Another morning of several hours practice - one of the very few positives to this whole mess. Never before, not since I was a kid anyway, have I had the chance to practice for hours at a time, for days at a time. Anyway, here's one of this morning's "discoveries". "The Lick" - one of the most commonly used jazzed lines:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krDxhnaKD7Q


----------



## MontyVeda (11 Apr 2020)

delb0y said:


> I have that Jilted John record... I recall the B-Side ("Going Steady") wasn't bad. Just looked it up - and it turns out that, originally, Jilted John was the B-Side.


I've got the album somewhere... I should give it a proper listen sometime.


----------



## Drago (11 Apr 2020)

Done a couple of hours practice as well. Some scales, then playing along to my special bass playlist set to shuffle.


----------



## Oxford Dave (11 Apr 2020)

Two and half hours playing along to Grateful Dead live from 1971 - knackered now!


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## delb0y (13 Apr 2020)

Back to work tomorrow (from home) so the guitar focus will reduce. But in the meantime here is the fruit of our latest remote labours:


View: https://youtu.be/kJ62U_Wbj4o


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## rogerzilla (18 Apr 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I was working in a factory at the time, not far from an irritable little machinist named Gordon. Radio 1 would be playing from 5 or 6 radios dotted round the shop floor.
> 
> Every time the Jilted John single came on, we all swivelled round, pointed at him, and sang "_Gordon is a moron_"... He didn't think it was funny!


Everyone was singing it at school when it was in the charts. Then it turned out someone's dad was called Gordon, so we sang it even more.

It would probably get banned these days; although the joke is supposed to be on John, the lyrics are rather misogynistic!


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## MontyVeda (18 Apr 2020)

if anyone's interested in what became of Gordon...
https://ilovemanchester.com/whateve...ron-the-man-who-inspired-a-punk-cult-classic/


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## Drago (18 Apr 2020)

Finish the relic job on the Jazz. Even went as far as rubbing coffee into the white paint on the control knobs to make them look grubby with age. Then celebrated with an hour's practice.


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## Drago (19 Apr 2020)

Done 90 minutes practice today. Put my bass playlist on random and played along with my headphone amp as Mrs D was having a lay in. Great fun.


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## Grant Fondo (19 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> Done 90 minutes practice today. Put my bass playlist on random and played along with my headphone amp as Mrs D was having a lay in. Great fun.


I need to do the same, find my old Boss effects box and dust the Yamaha Pacifica off, its been all acoustic recently, time for some NOIZE


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## Oxford Dave (19 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> Done 90 minutes practice today. Put my bass playlist on random and played along with my headphone amp as Mrs D was having a lay in. Great fun.


I ordered a headphone amp a week or two ago so I could play downstairs while she watches the TV. I had a text from Fed Ex last Thursday telling me they had just delivered it, which struck me as odd as I was in the house and near the front door all morning. 
The shop has been trying to chase it up, but there was a letter in yesterday's post from a couple living about 8 miles away who live in a road with a similar name to ours and the same house number….they've got my package and couldn't get in touch with FedEx to come and collect it (not surprised, I was trying to the get through to FedEx for over an hour with no luck). I phoned the people up and will collect it from them tomorrow, they sounded very decent folk who were doing their best to help the package find its way to me.
But 8 miles away and a completely different post code - bloody drivers! We used to have a great FedEx guy round here, if he saw me coming along the road and had a package for me, he'd stop and hand it over. 
Anyway, hopefully tomorrow evening I can sit here in comfort with my bass, headphones and a glass of decent whisky.


----------



## Cycleops (21 Apr 2020)

Anybody that was into the London blues scene in the sixties/seventies or any affecionados of the blues guitar might enjoy this short video of the making of John Mayall's 'Beano' album, the first British blues album I bought. The film is quite good but with an overly long intro from a couple of guitarists I'd never heard of but some interesting stuff later on. Dwells too much on Decca studio equipment for some reason.

View: https://youtu.be/VE9TzZ_DnnU


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## Oxford Dave (21 Apr 2020)

Update on my post above, I'm just taking a short break indoors before returning to the garden to continue playing along with the Grateful Dead's show in this day in 1971. Sounds great through my headphones but the neighbours can't hear a thing!


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## Cycleops (21 Apr 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> Update on my post above, I'm just taking a short break indoors before returning to the garden to continue playing along with the Grateful Dead's show in this day in 1971. Sounds great through my headphones but the neighbours can't hear a thing!


Lucky neighbours


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## Drago (21 Apr 2020)

Right, while i'm bored it's time to think of the basses I want to add to my collection. A Steinberger, a fretless Precision, a Violin (probably an Epiphone, which I think sounds nicer than the Hofner) and a Ricky 4003 in black.


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## Cycleops (21 Apr 2020)

A fairly modest selection then @Drago


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## DCBassman (21 Apr 2020)

You'll pay more than all the rest put together for a decent fretless Precision. Wish I still had mine...


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## Drago (21 Apr 2020)

Mrs D has ordered my Geddy Lee's Big Book of Bass, which will doubtless make me want more.

I'll probably build my own fretless precision.


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## DCBassman (21 Apr 2020)

Drago said:


> Mrs D has ordered my Geddy Lee's Big Book of Bass, which will doubtless make me want more.
> 
> I'll probably build my own fretless precision.


Best move. Tip: don't get a lined fretless neck, try and find one that's blank, but has the side dot markers moved into exact fret positions instead of between frets as normal. Sounds counter-intuitive, but intonation will improve quicker that way.
Edit: and use flatwound strings!


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## MontyVeda (21 Apr 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> Update on my post above, I'm just taking a short break indoors before returning to the garden to continue playing along with the Grateful Dead's show in this day in 1971. Sounds great through my headphones but the neighbours can't hear a thing!


which one did you get? Just got myself a blackstar headphone amp (for guitar) and I love it.


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## Drago (21 Apr 2020)

I got the Yamaha Session Cake. 

And I use flats on all my bases.


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## Profpointy (21 Apr 2020)

EltonFrog said:


> I used to play in a Hawkwind Tribute band, Assassins of Silence, we did loads of gigs where maybe five or even six people might turn up, possibly even stay.



We went to see actual Hawkwind themselves a few months back. Enjoyed their (presumably older) prog rocky stuff more than their more generic stuff. Anyhow as it was only a few hundred yards from the house so it was silly not to stroll down the road to see a legendary band.


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## Cycleops (21 Apr 2020)

How old are Hawkwind now? They must be getting on.


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## Oxford Dave (21 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> which one did you get? Just got myself a blackstar headphone amp (for guitar) and I love it.


Same as Drago, the oddly-named Yamaha Session Cake. Weird name but decent gear. And I've got flats on three of my basses to save me the ball ache of changing strings when I get one of my occasional urges to use them. I much prefer the feel of round wounds and although flats sound good played at home, they don't really cut through enough when I use them on stage.


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## delb0y (21 Apr 2020)

I recall going to see Hawkwind back in the 70s. All I knew about them was Silver Machine. My abiding memory of the gig was that halfway through Motorway City we decided to go for a pint - which we did. Had a pint and a good chat and wandered back into the concert and they were still playing the same song. Was a bit of a shock as in those days I 'd been listening to the Ramones a lot, and the Ramones could have played their whole album in the same amount of time. Twice. Since then, of course, I've come to appreciate long songs.


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## ColinJ (21 Apr 2020)

Cycleops said:


> How old are Hawkwind now? They must be getting on.


They _MUST _be - I was 16 when _Silver Machine_ was released and I am 64 now!


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## EltonFrog (22 Apr 2020)

Profpointy said:


> We went to see actual Hawkwind themselves a few months back. Enjoyed their (presumably older) prog rocky stuff more than their more generic stuff. Anyhow as it was only a few hundred yards from the house so it was silly not to stroll down the road to see a legendary band.





delb0y said:


> I recall going to see Hawkwind back in the 70s. All I knew about them was Silver Machine. My abiding memory of the gig was that halfway through Motorway City we decided to go for a pint - which we did. Had a pint and a good chat and wandered back into the concert and they were still playing the same song. Was a bit of a shock as in those days I 'd been listening to the Ramones a lot, and the Ramones could have played their whole album in the same amount of time. Twice. Since then, of course, I've come to appreciate long songs.



I went to see them once with the rest of tribute band, I found them a crashing bore and went to the bar after a few songs. The only band I’ve ever seen where I thought I was a better drummer.


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## MontyVeda (22 Apr 2020)

ColinJ said:


> They _MUST _be - I was 16 when _Silver Machine_ was released and I am 64 now!


I think Dave Brock was around 19 at the time of their first album in '69.... so he'll be pushing 70 I guess ...not that old really.

I think I've seen Hawkwind more times than any other band, but not in the last 25 years. They can (could) be quite amazing live... taking you on a journey through space-rock lasting half an hour. The only downside was their bloody dancers! (I'm too young to have witnessed Stacia).



EltonFrog said:


> I went to see them once with the rest of tribute band, I found them a crashing bore and went to the bar after a few songs. The only band I’ve ever seen where I thought I was a better drummer.


1979 1980?


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## MontyVeda (22 Apr 2020)

Sent my steel string away today...







...to get the saddle slot re-cut.

It's right handed and I'm left handed so the intonation is a bit all over the place. 
Should get it back in a couple of weeks. I'll report back when he returns.


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## Oxford Dave (22 Apr 2020)

The last time I saw Hawkwind was at the Roundhouse in (I think) 2018. On a good night, they're a great band. On a bad night….
Richard Chadwick's a pretty good drummer and has been with them for a long time now, if Mr Frog reckons he's better than that, then we should talk!


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## MontyVeda (22 Apr 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> The last time I saw Hawkwind was at the Roundhouse in (I think) 2018. On a good night, they're a great band. On a bad night….
> Richard Chadwick's a pretty good drummer and has been with them for a long time now, if Mr Frog reckons he's better than that, then we should talk!


How were they at the Roundhouse?

Did Chadders replace Ginger Baker in '79?

[edit]... no he didn't. Joined in '88, the first year I saw Hawkwind live.
[another edit] according to Wiki, Ginger Baker joined in 1980... could have sworn he was on Levitation and Live '79, both of which are from '79, I think... no, Levitation is 1980.


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## Cycleops (22 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> Sent my steel string away today...
> 
> View attachment 517085


I was just marvelling at your vinyl collection. Is the used to yardstick used to measure how many shelf inches you've got?


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## MontyVeda (22 Apr 2020)

Cycleops said:


> I was just marvelling at your vinyl collection. Is the yardstick used to measure how many shelf inches you've got?


LOL.. no.. that's just where my yardstick lives, otherwise i'd never find it when i need it.

But since you asked, it's 135", not including the three crates of 7" singles under the bed.


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## Cycleops (22 Apr 2020)

Okay this isn’t a bass or guitar but I thought it worth posting because this lady is just incredible. Luna plays an ancient Chinese stringed instrument called a Gayageum.
She’s done a load of stuff on YouTube, some of you may have seen her before.
These are the songs I think work the best:


View: https://youtu.be/z0QDf0xt-40



View: https://youtu.be/KFiyZB5ucgo


View: https://youtu.be/9LOHsrLWgq4


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## EltonFrog (22 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> I think Dave Brock was around 19 at the time of their first album in '69.... so he'll be pushing 70 I guess ...not that old really.
> 
> I think I've seen Hawkwind more times than any other band, but not in the last 25 years. They can (could) be quite amazing live... taking you on a journey through space-rock lasting half an hour. The only downside was their bloody dancers! (I'm too young to have witnessed Stacia).
> 
> ...



No, 2006




Oxford Dave said:


> The last time I saw Hawkwind was at the Roundhouse in (I think) 2018. On a good night, they're a great band. On a bad night….
> Richard Chadwick's a pretty good drummer and has been with them for a long time now, if Mr Frog reckons he's better than that, then we should talk!


Not better than Ginger Baker obvs, but whoever it was in 2006, all I remember was his kit, 1987 Tama Granstar.

I don’t play anymore packed it about five years ago, love playing in a band HATE gigging. It’s a dilemma.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (22 Apr 2020)

Found this the other day, I do love a wee tune with a bass intro. Nothing as heavy as Motorhead but have a listen


View: https://youtu.be/UF8SciixT_0


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## Oxford Dave (22 Apr 2020)

EltonFrog said:


> No, 2006
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That'll have been Richard Chadwick, then. Must have been an off day, he's a good drummer. 
I love gigging, it's what I'm in this for, the energy we get from the audience that inspires us to play better. When I hear recordings of the gigs, I know I can't play what I hear myself playing!


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## Drago (24 Apr 2020)

Did a couple of hours today. Dot a dicky Jack socket on the jazz but I can't be surprised to look at it.


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## Oxford Dave (24 Apr 2020)

I managed to get an hour in before breakfast this morning, playing my JCB through the headphone amp, played the first set of one of our gigs last summer, then after my bike ride and lunch, played another hour or so playing along to a GD cd using one of the Jazz basses through an amp. Not a bad day, after collecting the wife from work, I had an hour or two sitting in the sun in the back garden with a beer or three.


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## Drago (25 Apr 2020)

Started building a PB. Going for gold hardware, tru oil finish, vintage oyster pickguard. I've various pickups and bits from previous projects somit shouldn't be too expensive.


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## Oxford Dave (25 Apr 2020)

Played along to a recording of the first Grateful Dudes gig I played (Hebden Bridge, 1st April 2018). Only 2 hours 40 minutes. Used the same Fender Jazz that I played that night, so at least it knew its way around.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (25 Apr 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Found this the other day, I do love a wee tune with a bass intro. Nothing as heavy as Motorhead but have a listen
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/UF8SciixT_0




View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usz8j9qQXS8


I have work to do, and lots of learnings


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## ColinJ (26 Apr 2020)

This just popped up on YouTube for me... I am quite impressed!


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## Drago (26 Apr 2020)

Fender recently announced something not dissimilar in a semi hollow bodied electric.


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## Oxford Dave (26 Apr 2020)

I played along to a recording of our slot at the Summer of Love party 2018 this morning, 1 hr 45 mins as we had to start late as the previous band went on a bit ( as so often happens). Played my Sandberg Panther, it was last out of its case when we played in Camden early in February. It was still in tune!! It's far and away the best bass I've ever played, more natural than the Alembic I used at the festival I was listening to.


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## Cycleops (26 Apr 2020)

Just wondering if any you look at Davie504 on YouTube? He tends to put out some silly videos but is a very good bassist. Unbelievably he’s got 6.5 million subscribers.
He’s just had a new line of basses named after him by Chowny in the UK.


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## Drago (27 Apr 2020)

Oohh, discovered ash and mahogany PB bodies for sale on the gear4music website for very reasonable prices.


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## Drago (28 Apr 2020)

No bass practice today. I've had a grotty headache all day and just don't feel good for it.


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## delb0y (28 Apr 2020)

These videos are always a fortnight or so behind the times. I'm currently working on Minor Swing, but here's Avalon - the old Al Jolson classic from exactly 100 years ago. Who said I'm not hip to modern music?


View: https://youtu.be/1Qk24ma3B3I


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## Seevio (30 Apr 2020)

Being a proper bass player, I only generally change my strings when they break or when I can no longer put up with the guitarist's nagging. I do however make an effort to replace them every 5 years or so whether they need changing or not. If I wanted to restring my instrument every time the wind changes I'd have taken up guitar.

My dilemma is that while my current strings are almost new (less than 3 years old), I have taken delivery of a rather splendid looking set of strings...





Should I pimp my bass now and waste a perfectly good set of boring metal strings or should I wait for the natural replacement cycle?


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## ColinJ (30 Apr 2020)

Somewhat redundant arrows and '_Check out the color_' message... You'd be able to spot those strings from 30 metres away _in the dark_!


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## DCBassman (1 May 2020)

Seevio said:


> Being a proper bass player, I only generally change my strings when they break or when I can no longer put up with the guitarist's nagging. I do however make an effort to replace them every 5 years or so whether they need changing or not. If I wanted to restring my instrument every time the wind changes I'd have taken up guitar.
> 
> My dilemma is that while my current strings are almost new (less than 3 years old), I have taken delivery of a rather splendid looking set of strings...
> View attachment 518982
> ...


Ah, what the hell - change 'em!


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## Drago (2 May 2020)

Did you guys watch the documentary about The shadows last night? Genuinely very interesting.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (2 May 2020)

First pedal, I totally didn't need. Wee 10w amp isn't sounding too bad 😂


View: https://i.imgur.com/FR8zUU8.jpg


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## Drago (2 May 2020)

One can never have too many pedals. I've an overdrive, but chorus, flanger and compressor are all on the shopping list. And a pedal board.


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## DCBassman (2 May 2020)

Try some different basslines - Riders on The Storm (might've mentioned that before) and Axel F.
Keeps the fingers loose. they might even fall off!


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (2 May 2020)

Drago said:


> One can never have too many pedals. I've an overdrive, but chorus, flanger and compressor are all on the shopping list. And a pedal board.


Trying to strike the balance of a new amp or new guitar vs how good I am (or not 😂)

Probably put in more hours this week than I have since buying it 😯


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## Grant Fondo (2 May 2020)

I am no expert on the bass but particularly like Jimmy Jonnson on the Alan Holdsworth albums


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## GM (2 May 2020)

Drago said:


> Did you guys watch the documentary about The shadows last night? Genuinely very interesting.




Been a big Shadows fan since the year dot, I was weaned on them. My biggest regret last year was selling my Strat, arthritic left hand and carpal thumb


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## ColinJ (3 May 2020)

It's... _Win a guitar time! _


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## DCBassman (3 May 2020)

ColinJ said:


> It's... _Win a guitar time! _



Reverse headstock. Wouldn't allow it in the house...


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## Oxford Dave (3 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Reverse headstock. Wouldn't allow it in the house...


Probably less likely to get knocked out of tune when you hit random bits of furniture or other musicians with the head, though.


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## ColinJ (3 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Reverse headstock. Wouldn't allow it in the house...


Funny - I had thought that there was something odd-looking about that guitar but hadn't realised what it was!


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## ColinJ (3 May 2020)

Oxford Dave said:


> Probably less likely to get knocked out of tune when you hit random bits of furniture or other musicians with the head, though.


You have evoked a memory from the 1970s. Let me check... 

Ah, The Stranglers playing at the Locarno Ballroom in Coventry, October 1977.






Blimey... I only paid £1.60 for my ticket!!!! 

Anyway... the band were playing and the densely-packed punk audience was pogoing away in front of the stage, with the occasional pogoer spitting up at the band. (Remember those glorious pre-virus days!!) They were getting a bit peed off with it and bass player Jean-Jacques Burnel leaned forward and growled into his mic... "_Right, you can pack that f*****g gobbing in! The next f****r who gobs at me gets it!!_" Most of the punks had enough sense to believe him but one idiot pogoed to the front and gobbed straight at him. JJB immediately smacked him in the face with his bass! The ailing punk was escorted from the building by security and the band carried on with their set.



It always struck me how young JJB looked compared to the rest of them - he looked like a precocious teenager playing in his dodgy old dad's band!


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## ColinJ (4 May 2020)

Ok, just for @DCBassman, a competition to win a guitar with a non-reversed headstock - an Ibanez JS140M worth nearly £800.

Enter HERE by 11:59pm PST, May 17th, 2020. Call it 23:59 BST to be on the safe side.


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## DCBassman (4 May 2020)

Nice guitars, but not my thang...
A double-bound Telecaster, mow you're talking!


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## Drago (4 May 2020)

I've entered. If I win a clank plank I can sell and buy a steinberger.


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## rogerzilla (7 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Try some different basslines - Riders on The Storm (might've mentioned that before) and Axel F.
> Keeps the fingers loose. they might even fall off!


Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick is famously complex.


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## Drago (7 May 2020)

I found while My Guitar Gently Weeps very difficult, but it's actually 2 x basslines played simultaneously, so the best I can do is an approximation.


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## ColinJ (7 May 2020)

Drago said:


> I found while My Guitar Gently Weeps very difficult, but it's actually 2 x basslines played simultaneously, so the best I can do is an approximation.


I read that one of the reasons that _The Beatles_ stopped touring was because the screaming of the fans got so OTT that nobody could actually hear the music when they played. The other was that with the increasingly sophisticated recording techniques that they were using, their music was becoming too complex to play live, but I'm sure that an approximation would have been good enough if the teenage fans had quietened down a bit!


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## DCBassman (7 May 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick is famously complex.


But crucially, it is an electric bass line. The two mentioned were keyboard lines, and as such don't easily translate to the fingerboard. Particularly the Doors number.


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## avecReynolds531 (7 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> But crucially, it is an electric bass line. The two mentioned were keyboard lines, and as such don't easily translate to the fingerboard. Particularly the Doors number.


Norman Watt Roy's classic line is a favourite of mine: the accuracy & stamina to play 16th notes at that tempo - I'm thinking of Francis Rocco Prestia with Tower of Power. 

That's an excellent point about electric bass guitar and keyboard bass. I find a keyboard really difficult to start trying to replicate bass guitar lines. 
Used to always prefer electric bass: I think this was because the keyboard synth bass lines I was hearing didn't sound anything like a bass guitar - in rhythms or tone - & growing up in the early 80s was full of synth sounds that could melt wallpaper...

...but that all changed when I heard Living For The City. Here was a keyboard bass part that (imho) was every bit as good as, and plays like a brilliant bass guitar part. I think I fell out of my chair when I first heard the fill that introduces verse 1 (at 0.39).

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc0XEw4m-3w


Stevie Wonder would continue to record stunning synth bass lines - Please Don't Go (from the next album) springs to mind. I know Nathan Watts switches between his bass and a synth in concert. Ged Grimes did that too with Danny Wilson.

Does anyone play synth bass, or recorded synth bass, alongside bass guitar? Anyone tried the bass pedals on Hammonds?


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## avecReynolds531 (7 May 2020)

As a p.s. to the last post - Joey DeFrancesco's bass lines (either pedals or left hand) are out of this world: as evidenced here in this great blues - 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whmexUDFLsQ


When a keyboard player thinks and plays bass to that level, I might as well donate my bass to that little bonfire festival they hold on 5th November every year...


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## DCBassman (7 May 2020)

No, there's something inherent in electric bass that's different, and no-one on a keyboard can make that sound, not even with samples. Any more than a pedal can make a bass sound like a synth...Thy're different, and that's that. Both good, mind...
Or trying to emulate upright bass on anything. _There's_ a hiding to nothing.


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## avecReynolds531 (7 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> No, there's something inherent in electric bass that's different, and no-one on a keyboard can make that sound, not even with samples. Any more than a pedal can make a bass sound like a synth...Thy're different, and that's that. Both good, mind...
> Or trying to emulate upright bass on anything. _There's_ a hiding to nothing.


Yes, agree that electric bass tone is unique: I've not yet heard a keyboard that has the tone of electric bass. Also, keyboards struggle for muting, slides, hammer ons, pull offs etc. Plus, you can really dig into the strings - which a keyboard player will never be able to do.

On the other hand, Pino's fretless Stingray with octaver, in 'I'm Going To Tear Your Playhouse Down' is an interesting electric bass tone! 

I played double bass (badly) and they absolutely have their own sound. 

Leaving aside the tone of the different instruments, the main idea I was trying to get to, is that the note choices, rhythms and creativity shown in those bass performances above (by keyboard players Stevie Wonder and Joey DeFrancesco), for me, are brilliant, out of this world: maybe looking at the keys, rather than the frets & strings, gives different inspiration and approach to our wonderful instrument?

... and if I could play bass like that (and I never will), I'd be one happy person.


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## pubrunner (7 May 2020)

This is, I hope, an interesting, if unconventional tale and all the better, because it is entirely true.

There's a guy from Germany who has a home in the very small village on the other side of the hill from me - about 5 miles away. His name is Uli Jon Roth and he was in the Scorpions band.

This is the guy :


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG1leWoVXOo


There's a great story about him - a local elderly lady resident got talking to Uli in the village and asked what he did for a living (she didn't know who he was !). He replied that he was a musician, and so the resident asked if he’d like to play in an event to raise money for the local church.

Uli very kindly replied that he would !

Now just take a second to reflect on that - in a tiny village in a remote part of Wales, an old lady inadvertently bumps into Uli Jon Roth, doesn’t recognise him, finds out that “he’s a musician”, and asks him to help raise funds for the church. 

Of course, the 200 tickets for the event sold out quickly - which was actually held in the church itself. Local parishioners sat amongst fans of Uli that had travelled from all ends of the country to witness this unique event, and of course, to help with the upkeep of the historic church in Llansilin. Sadly, by the time that I heard about it, all the tickets had sold.

https://www.bordercountiesadvertize...oncert-by-world-famous-rockstar-uli-jon-roth/

I think that this ^^^ is an amazing story and all credit to Uli, for getting involved with his local community and helping to raise money for the church. Media stars and musicians are often criticised, for being aloof and for ignoring the public - this can't be said, of Uli Roth.


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## Drago (9 May 2020)

Does anyone know, did Jet Harris use a Fender VI bass or a detuned Strat or Jaguar on Diamonds? I've read both and don't know which, if either, is true.


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## DCBassman (9 May 2020)

Drago said:


> Does anyone know, did Jet Harris use a Fender VI bass or a detuned Strat or Jaguar on Diamonds? I've read both and don't know which, if either, is true.


VI I always thought, but who knows, really?


----------



## Drago (9 May 2020)

True, and hes dead now so we can't ask him.


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## ColinJ (11 May 2020)

Another [UK only] competition for you guitarists... "_Win! A set of Bare Knuckle Pickups’ PG Blues worth £245_".

Enter HERE by 28th May, 2020.


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## Drago (11 May 2020)

It's Kirk Hammet, in case anyone is thinking of entering.


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## ColinJ (11 May 2020)

Drago said:


> It's Kirk Hammet, in case anyone is thinking of entering.


Ah, yes - I forgot - I normally post answers, if I know them.

I won't be building a guitar in the near future but the pickups might come in handy for any of you who will be. (Or maybe who want to improve their current guitar?)


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## Seevio (11 May 2020)

Finally got round to restringing one of the basses. I wouldn't normally post a photo of something so trivial but they are rather splendid strings.


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## ColinJ (11 May 2020)

Seems a shame not to photograph them in better light then!


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## delb0y (12 May 2020)

Okay, next in an infrequent series of lock-down videos. The virtual band has now grown to four - only one of whom I've even spoken to! Music, eh? It's like a language all of its own!


View: https://youtu.be/IVBCbjpBWDQ


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## DCBassman (12 May 2020)

Very, very good!


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## avecReynolds531 (12 May 2020)

delb0y said:


> Okay, next in an infrequent series of lock-down videos. The virtual band has now grown to four - only one of whom I've even spoken to! Music, eh? It's like a language all of its own!
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/IVBCbjpBWDQ



Lovely & well done! I know this tune from Django firstly, and then Bireli Lagrene's stunning playing. Thanks for posting - a treat for the ears.


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## MontyVeda (13 May 2020)

The ancient Ibanez is back and is now permanently cack'd...







not sure why the wood colour looks so different, as only the saddle slot has been fettled... must the be the lighting.

The intonation is a lot better than it was, but I reckon i can improve it by cutting myself another saddle. 

The guy who did the work reckons it needs a new nut, and he's probably right as the one that's on is the old RH nut, filed out to take a LH stringing... but i wasn't prepared to pay  for a nut to be cut... I'll fit my own if i decide it needs one.

Just needs a couple of months for the string tone to dull. I've never warmed to the brightness of brand new strings.


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## ColinJ (14 May 2020)

Another guitar competition...

Fancy winning a Gretsch G5410T Electromatic Rat Rod? (See video below...)



Enter HERE before the end of this month (May 2020).


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## Seevio (14 May 2020)

I happened to be watching a youtube video on adjusting truss rods and they demonstrated on an Ibanez guitar. The chose that make because apparently the truss rod covers on Ibanez guitars just swivel open and don't need to be unscrewed. I've had an Ibanez bass (the one with the green strings) for a couple of years and I hadn't noticed this before but when I checked, there it was. You live and learn.


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## Drago (14 May 2020)

One if mine is an Ibanez and is the same. Very neat.


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## MontyVeda (18 May 2020)

Talk to me about nuts 


Plastic, bone, brass... prices ranging from a few quid to over a tenner. 

What's the difference and will i notice? 
Is there any advantage to buying a blank and cutting my own? (It's for an acoustic with electric strings, so only three wound)
Are so-called 'compensated' nuts snake oil?

...and why when looking on Ebay does the choice drop from a couple of thousand to a handful when I specify a left hand nut


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## Drago (18 May 2020)

I don't reckon the make any difference. I reckon the difference is in the quality and precision of the shape and cut. People rant on about nut materials, while missing the fact that a nut made out of dog turd would sound better than the original so long as it was precisely cut. That's my two penneth.


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## DCBassman (18 May 2020)

Drago said:


> I don't reckon the make any difference. I reckon the difference is in the quality and precision of the shape and cut. People rant on about nut materials, while missing the fact that a nut made out of dog turd would sound better than the original so long as it was precisely cut. That's my two penneth.


Yeah, pretty much. A well-cut bone nut looks nice, though. Metal nuts are a waste of time.


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## MontyVeda (18 May 2020)

That's what i began to figure, after reading a little too much on guitar specific forums and too many 'experts' were saying things like 'warmth' and 'brightness' and 'tonal qualities' in varying degrees about all the options, contradicting one another. 

It started to sound like a vinyl vs CD argument... hence coming back here and doing the decent thing: ask a cyclist


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## DCBassman (18 May 2020)

The argument for metal nuts was touted by Alembic. Basically that the string was always stopped by metal, more consistent. In reality, if you MUST have that argument, a zero fret is more logical.
Excepting in a lab, no-one could ever tell the difference. Least of all in any live setting.


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## Drago (18 May 2020)

Personally I don't buy entirely intomall this talk of tonewoods and different sounds. Certainly not on electric guitars and basses at any rate. The pickups are detecting the vibration of the strings, and couldn't give a sheet what wood they are mounted upon.


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## Cycleops (19 May 2020)

While we’re on the subject of sound and tone what’s this thing for old fender basses. I see thousands being asked for them. Do you think they might sound better/different or is it a case of the Emperor’s new (old) clothes?


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## Drago (19 May 2020)

Some of it is the way the pickups were wound on a machine but controlled by hand. Every now and again you'd get a bit of a variance, and by a fluke it might sound particularly nice.


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## MontyVeda (19 May 2020)

Drago said:


> Personally I don't buy entirely into all this talk of tonewoods and different sounds. Certainly not on electric guitars and basses at any rate. The pickups are detecting the vibration of the strings, and couldn't give a sheet what wood they are mounted upon.


I recall an acquaintance explaining to me how the curvy shape of his strat was specially designed to give it its unique sound... he got really shirty with me when i suggested they just drew a cool looking guitar, with a longer top horn to make it more balanced than a telecaster. He wouldn't even accept that the curvy body on an acoustic is solely so it rests easily on the lap... oh no... it's all been designed like that enhance the sound .


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## MontyVeda (19 May 2020)

Cycleops said:


> While we’re on the subject of sound and tone what’s this thing for* old fender basses. I see thousands being asked for them*. Do you think they might sound better/different or is it a case of the Emperor’s new (old) clothes?


Is it because there's fewer of the older models knocking about? The same way limited or misprinted vinyl is also worth a fortune.


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## Cycleops (19 May 2020)

So they are being bought by collectors?


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## MontyVeda (19 May 2020)

Cycleops said:


> So they are being bought by collectors?


or the _more money than sense_ brigade


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## DCBassman (19 May 2020)

Cycleops said:


> While we’re on the subject of sound and tone what’s this thing for old fender basses. I see thousands being asked for them. Do you think they might sound better/different or is it a case of the Emperor’s new (old) clothes?


Nostalgia marketing. there's nothing special about any vintage guitar or bass. All perception.


MontyVeda said:


> I recall an acquaintance explaining to me how the curvy shape of his strat was specially designed to give it its unique sound... he got really shirty with me when i suggested they just drew a cool looking guitar, with a longer top horn to make it more balanced than a telecaster. He wouldn't even accept that the curvy body on an acoustic is solely so it rests easily on the lap... oh no... it's all been designed like that enhance the sound .


Your acquaintance is...wrong.


Cycleops said:


> So they are being bought by collectors?


Yes.


MontyVeda said:


> or the _more money than sense_ brigade


Same thing^^^


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## MontyVeda (19 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> ...
> Your acquaintance is...wrong.
> ...


I know... I think he knew it too, but couldn't allow himself to admit it. He was an instant expert on bikes after buying one on the C2W scheme... that quickly fell into disrepair. All talk and no idea.


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## DCBassman (19 May 2020)

I will qualify my previous post a little. 
In the 60s, big corporates were buying up guitar companies to cash in on pop music. Quality did suffer somewhat as corners were cut to maximise profit. Guilty: CBS with Fender, Norlin with Gibson.
Fender eventually got out of this with new blood from Yamaha. Gibson has been on a rollercoaster ever since.


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## ColinJ (19 May 2020)

Anybody want some great microphones...?


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## ColinJ (20 May 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Anybody want some great microphones...?


Don't all rush! 

Get yourselves over to the SoundOnSound website. There are 2 tiebreaker competitions for mics running. Your chance to get creative in 30 words.

I have won 3 tiebreaker competitions in the past, including a synth workstation worth £1,800 on SOS so I am keeping my fingers crossed on these 2, but if I have to lose out it would be nice to lose to one of you!


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## avecReynolds531 (20 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> I will qualify my previous post a little.
> In the 60s, big corporates were buying up guitar companies to cash in on pop music. Quality did suffer somewhat as corners were cut to maximise profit. Guilty: CBS with Fender, Norlin with Gibson.
> Fender eventually got out of this with new blood from Yamaha. Gibson has been on a rollercoaster ever since.



As a follow up to this, there was a lot of talk & rave testimonies about pre CBS Precision & Jazz basses. 1965 suddenly had a big significance as a cut off point. I've never played a pre CBS Fender, so can't comment. 

On a broader point, what basses would be considered as absolute design classics?


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## DCBassman (20 May 2020)

avecReynolds531 said:


> As a follow up to this, there was a lot of talk & rave testimonies about pre CBS Precision & Jazz basses. 1965 suddenly had a big significance as a cut off point. I've never played a pre CBS Fender, so can't comment.
> 
> On a broader point, what basses would be considered as absolute design classics?


For me, it's Fender, and that's that, really. Precision or Mustang for preference, with Jazz a sorry third.
The only other bass I'd want to own, if I had the cash, is a 60s Gibson EB2-D, for the looks and the thump.


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## MontyVeda (20 May 2020)

avecReynolds531 said:


> ...
> On a broader point, what basses would be considered as absolute design classics?


Not everyone's cup of tea... but it's an absolute design classic


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## avecReynolds531 (20 May 2020)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=25&v=6RbqZP_OpzQ&feature=emb_logo


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## DCBassman (20 May 2020)

avecReynolds531 said:


> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=25&v=6RbqZP_OpzQ&feature=emb_logo



Even though Leo designed it, it can't touch a Precision. And anyhow, when it comes to active basses, I turn into @SkipdiverJohn .
Unnecessary nonsense. Actives were originally designed (Alembic again...) to counteract the effects of poor cables. With good cables, or better yet if you're live a lot, wireless, active is simply one more thing to go wrong.
My setup is bass->cable->tuner->cable->amp. The Boss TU-2 is a buffered pedal (True Bypass - more woo), so that drives whatever cable follows it.
If it's a really small gig, then bass->cable->amp and a clip-on tuner.
KISS principle in action, and I've played enough gigs to know it works...


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## SkipdiverJohn (20 May 2020)

Curses on you @DCBassman - you do realise I am going to have to read through the whole of this thread right from the beginning now to find out what the discussion is all about. 
I know very little about the intricacies of guitar design, only that I like the sort of sounds they produce, especially when doctored by electronic effects and amplified by valves.


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## GM (20 May 2020)

I thought this was quite entertaining. I'm on a ukulele page on FB, and while the lockdown is on members of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain are doing their own thing on YouTube..... Don't worry it's all about the bass!


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## DCBassman (20 May 2020)

Well, @SkipdiverJohn , I play a Fender Precision Bass. This is the most basic of electric instruments, a couple of coils. eight magnets, some wire and two variable resistances, all coupled to a jack socket. The rest of the magic goes on elsewhere, ie amp and speakers. As you will read, and know from the cycling world, people like to dream up solutions to which there are no problems...And an active bass is one with batteries and electronics on board. Passive has worked well since 1951 (1920s if thinking about 6-string guitars), and I profess myself a Luddite when dealing with 'active' instruments!


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## SkipdiverJohn (20 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> As you will read, and know from the cycling world, people like to dream up solutions to which there are no problems...And an active bass is one with batteries and electronics on board. Passive has worked well since 1951 (1920s if thinking about 6-string guitars), and I profess myself a Luddite when dealing with 'active' instruments!



Di2 for guitars? I've never even heard of "active" instruments until now! And now I have heard of them, I don't like the idea very much either. I've always assumed that the player generated the output alone, and all the electronic gubbins the guitar is plugged into merely doctors and amplifies that output.


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## ColinJ (21 May 2020)

Another guitar competition... (Try to!) "_Win a Kirk Hammett ESP LTD KH Demonology Guitar with Signature EMG Pickups_" HERE. 


*NB *It is a US-based competition but people from several other countries including the UK can enter. I can't see mention of possible charges... You should be aware that sometimes these are not included in the prize so you could end up with VAT and import duties to pay. I can't afford what might be a few hundred pounds so I won't enter this one.


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## avecReynolds531 (21 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Well, @SkipdiverJohn , I play a Fender Precision Bass. This is the most basic of electric instruments, a couple of coils. eight magnets, some wire and two variable resistances, all coupled to a jack socket. The rest of the magic goes on elsewhere, ie amp and speakers. As you will read, and know from the cycling world, people like to dream up solutions to which there are no problems...And an active bass is one with batteries and electronics on board. Passive has worked well since 1951 (1920s if thinking about 6-string guitars), and I profess myself a Luddite when dealing with 'active' instruments!



I love the 3 main Leo Fender designs: Jazz, Precision & Stingray. Timeless brilliance (and he did the Tele and Strat too!). I haven't tried his later G&L basses.

Agree, the simplicity of passive pickups is a good thing - one less thing to wrong. The Precision is a fantastic instrument. 

I couldn't get on with any of the Gibson basses I've tried, but I'd reckon that's my failing and not the instruments at all.

I haven't had any break down or trouble with actives, and I love hearing a (2 band) Musicman Stingray, or Marcus Miller's (active) signature Jazz tone.

Maybe it's fair to include the Hofner violin bass & Rickenbacker 4003 as design classics too, though I haven't played them.


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## DCBassman (21 May 2020)

@Drago , when you've built that fretless, here's some dibble-inspired practice...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4j-Jyb5vMA


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (22 May 2020)

View: https://youtu.be/FT4nWq3sI7s


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## Drago (22 May 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> Not everyone's cup of tea... but it's an absolute design classic
> View attachment 523663


Hell yeah. That's on my shopping list.


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## RoubaixCube (22 May 2020)

I think with regards to pickup types it really depends on the style of music you play. There are certain styles and setups where Active pickups would of course excel over passive for example high gain applications being the most common reason.

Tech wise I do think Active pickups have come a long way since EMG were the end all be all of active pickups as far as 6 strings go. Theres a lot of choices and options to pick from now like Fishman Fluence pickups that have can be split into different active modes with coil splitting and all that that jazz to suit a wider range of styles.

I think they will continue to improve.

As for me I still have a set of boutique pickups in my schecter. I got a calibrated set of Nailbombs from Bare Knuckle Pickups. Plenty of heat when rolled all the way up and nice bluesy crunch when dialed back.


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## DCBassman (23 May 2020)

RoubaixCube said:


> As for me I still have a set of boutique pickups in my schecter. I got a calibrated set of Nailbombs from Bare Knuckle Pickups. Plenty of heat when rolled all the way up and nice bluesy crunch when dialed back.


Ah, Mr Tim Mills certainly knows how to wind a pickup...best passive pickups in the world, IMHO, and from Cornwall to boot. Such a nice guy, too!


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## SkipdiverJohn (23 May 2020)

I think Motorhead could do with a few more amps. They seem to have a shortage! 😄

Standing two feet away from that lot going full blast would make your ears bleed. An old school rock'n'roll loving colleague of mine has a guitar and an ancient Vox valve amp stashed in a room at work. One weekend when we were in on overtime and had the entire place to ourselves, he gave me a little demo, and even at 15 watts or whatever the Vox produced, it was deafening in a 15ft square room with high ceilings. I wouldn't want to be in too close proximity to Motorheads array of Marshalls!


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## Drago (23 May 2020)

Lemmy was Rock n Roll. He lived it, breathed it, slept it, and it shows in his music. The raw edge, the sound, the attitude in his work can't be faked, no matter how good a musician you are. I mourned the great mans passing and named my dog in his honour.


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## SkipdiverJohn (23 May 2020)

I can never listen to Ace of Spades just the once and leave it at that, it has to be repeated two or three times. And played loud!


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## Cycleops (23 May 2020)

With all this talk about how picks ups and winding can this affect the sound? I note that people selling them make a big fuss about them being hand wound. I want to ask can this really make them sound better and are other lesser pickups which presumably are machine wound any worse? Does it really make a difference? Would they be better if they were wound on the thighs of eighteen year old virgins?


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## SkipdiverJohn (23 May 2020)

Cycleops said:


> With all this talk about how picks ups and winding can this affect the sound? I note that people selling them make a big fuss about them being hand wound. I want to ask can this really make them sound better and are other lesser pickups which presumably are machine wound any worse?



We're getting into the realms of the same sort of debate that takes place concerning hand-built lugged & brazed frames vs robotically welded ones......


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## DCBassman (23 May 2020)

Cycleops said:


> With all this talk about how picks ups and winding can this affect the sound? I note that people selling them make a big fuss about them being hand wound. I want to ask can this really make them sound better and are other lesser pickups which presumably are machine wound any worse? Does it really make a difference? Would they be better if they were wound on the thighs of eighteen year old virgins?



No pickups have been literally hand wound in decades. All use some sort of machine. The difference is whether you do it in regimented layers or what's known as 'scatterwound'.
Whether it makes a great difference, who knows?
Bareknuckles are mostly scatterwound, fir example, and they do seem rather popular!


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## RoubaixCube (23 May 2020)

Im no expert but the science behind it means handwound/scatterwound pickups tend to sound a lot better (or 'different') than machine wound due to the non uniform layering of the copper wire and thus probably affects how the magnetic response of the magnets, resulting in different tonal characteristics of the pickups.

That doesnt mean that machine made pickups are bad though. Music is always a journey of discovery and finding what you like or suits you the best. 

There is a lot of science behind it when it comes to manufacturers asking artists about what they'd like to hear from their signature set of pickups. more layers of copper, different gauges of copper wire?? or maybe a different combination of magnet?

I dont know the science I just know how to make screechy cat noises when i pickup an instrument


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (24 May 2020)

So, my amp has shuffled off to the musical graveyard. I definitely need a few more watts


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## RoubaixCube (24 May 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> So, my amp has shuffled off to the musical graveyard. I definitely need a few more watts



Things like Bluguitar are all the rage these days - They are like super portable amp heads with modeling capabilities. There are a less than a handful companies that make similar products like these as they are still kinda new to the market.

'Hotone Mojo' is another

They are getting quite popular as they are compact, sound pretty good and have a lot of features for home recording. If i had the money id go for one too.


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## DCBassman (24 May 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> So, my amp has shuffled off to the musical graveyard. I definitely need a few more watts


What was the old one? If you're flush, look at at a small Barefaced cab, they do them for guitar these days too!


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (24 May 2020)

DCBassman said:


> What was the old one? If you're flush, look at at a small Barefaced cab, they do them for guitar these days too!


Laney 10w practice jobbie 

My funding isn't stretching to either of those suggestions  I'd be looking at the Fender Rumble 25, Ashdown Studio 8 or maybe stretch to the Orange Crush 25 - all combos


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## DCBassman (24 May 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Laney 10w practice jobbie
> 
> My funding isn't stretching to either of those suggestions  I'd be looking at the Fender Rumble 25, Ashdown Studio 8 or maybe stretch to the Orange Crush 25 - all combos


Apologies, I mistook bout which instrument!
The Rumble 25 will be a revelation!


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## RoubaixCube (24 May 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Laney 10w practice jobbie
> 
> My funding isn't stretching to either of those suggestions  I'd be looking at the Fender Rumble 25, Ashdown Studio 8 or maybe stretch to the Orange Crush 25 - all combos



Joyo Firebrand or Zombie comes highly recommended. Though the Zombie sounds better and is slightly cheaper


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## DCBassman (24 May 2020)

Meanwhile, Thomann are shipping me a Behringer USB interface so I can record to the pc. Never tried this before, and need to then get comfy with a DAW of some description...


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## RoubaixCube (24 May 2020)

I tell you what. Those Harley Benton guitars are looking really really nice for the money. Of course they are no contest for the £3000 guitar they are imitating in terms of build quality but they are rivalling a lot of cheaper korean made guitars around the same price range.

Its a lot of guitar for the money.


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## Cycleops (25 May 2020)

Get all sorts turning up here and have just seen this bass branded as a Kimberly. Obviously a Musiciman knock off. Haven't been able to find much about them other than they were Japanese, possibly from the 70s. Worth buying for £80?


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## RoubaixCube (25 May 2020)

Depends if you got space for a new bass. £80 is a steal though if the condition is good. Might need a little TLC when you get it.


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## Cycleops (25 May 2020)

Thanks for the appraisal @RoubaixCube Im going to look at it so I can check out condition. No hatch on the back so I guess it’s passive. I’ll report back when I see it.
Will go well with my other Japanese made Fernandes.


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## MontyVeda (25 May 2020)

RoubaixCube said:


> I tell you what. Those Harley Benton guitars are looking really really nice for the money. *Of course they are no contest for the £3000 guitar they are imitating* in terms of build quality but they are rivalling a lot of cheaper korean made guitars around the same price range.
> 
> Its a lot of guitar for the money.


A lot of £3000 instruments aren't worth the price tag in terms of build quality... you pay at least £2000 just for the name on the headstock


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## RoubaixCube (25 May 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> A lot of £3000 instruments aren't worth the price tag in terms of build quality... you pay at least £2000 just for the name on the headstock



Thats debatable. With £3000 guitars the finishes tend to be better or have more 'variance' or 'vibrance' about them but £2000 gets you some really good finishes too. Youre not gonna get the same level of attention to detail or workmanship. but between £2000 and £3000 it can be harder to pick out. But how else are they supposed to cheat you out of £3000 for a few blocks of wood? 

It just depends if youre enough of a snob or not to own a £3000 guitar. My own PRS cost me about £600 (i think) back in the day but id rather grab something cheaper and just upgrade everything on it

Id be well happy with one of them Harley Bentons for that matter. Imagine getting that level of quality for £300-400 some 20-30 years ago. Absolutely unheard of.


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## RoubaixCube (25 May 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Thanks for the appraisal @RoubaixCube Im going to look at it so I can check out condition. No hatch on the back so I guess it’s passive. I’ll report back when I see it.
> Will go well with my other Japanese made Fernandes.



signs of wear & tear give it character. If they've flung it through a window like a tomahawk but it still plays and the neck is straight and still grooves. thats a good sign. Id be happy with that for £80.


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## Drago (25 May 2020)

Interesting day at sossity Drago.

Mini D declared she wants to play bass, just like her Dad, so today I ordered her a 3/4 size precision for her forthcoming 9th Birthday.

And then I managed to persuade Mrs D to allow me to convert the spare room into a music room so I can finally set up a proper home studio. Ding dong!

Those cheap Harley Benton Fakenbackers are selling alike hotcakes and they've had some very positive reviews. Tempted myself to get a plain wood finish version and create a Lemmy clone.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (25 May 2020)

They're very good VFM, can't decide if I want one or not


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (29 May 2020)

Amped for this delivery


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## avecReynolds531 (29 May 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Amped for this delivery
> 
> View attachment 525836


Looks good - respect for the company who created the SVT & that 8 x 10 cab!


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (29 May 2020)

RIP Little Laney


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## ColinJ (29 May 2020)

A competition clearly targeted at @Drago to win a _Butthole Burner_ guitar pedal and tickets for a virtual concert...! Enter HERE by '_on or about June 5th, 2020_'.


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## Cycleops (3 Jun 2020)

Saw a bass advertised on the local version of Gumtree and yesterday came back with this little short scale.Epiphone. Needed a bit of sorting but the action quite low and plays nicely.


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## Drago (3 Jun 2020)

That looks really, really nice.


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## Cycleops (3 Jun 2020)

It’s well made and finished and the string action is good but the strings are rubbish and the tuning heads have too much play in them but I think it can be made to play really nicely. Takes a bit of getting used to after the long scale.


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## DCBassman (3 Jun 2020)

Epiphone EB0. Big thump machine!


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## avecReynolds531 (3 Jun 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Epiphone EB0. Big thump machine!


I knew a bassist who said "I want my tone to be like a hand hitting a carpet." 
That Epiphone looks great - the bridge is beautiful.


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## ColinJ (5 Jun 2020)

Fancy winning one of these...? 



Enter HERE by 22nd June, 2020. Better to assume midnight on the 21st because I couldn't see a cut-off time.


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## delb0y (7 Jun 2020)

Latest lock-down video. I still haven't met either of these guys, but even in isolation we're enjoying this little project. Must confess there are a lot of chords here to solo over, so i was quite pleased with my effort. 


View: https://youtu.be/B77jBu8PEhc


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## Drago (7 Jun 2020)

Bridge ordered for the PB build.


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## Drago (9 Jun 2020)

Ruined EastEnders for Mrs D by playing along to Foreigner's Hot Blooded at a rather loud volume.


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## DCBassman (9 Jun 2020)

Drago said:


> Ruined EastEnders for Mrs D by playing along to Foreigner's Hot Blooded at a rather loud volume.


Good, you should discourage her by whatever means possible.


----------



## MontyVeda (9 Jun 2020)

Cycleops said:


> It’s well made and finished and the string action is good but the strings are rubbish and the tuning heads have too much play in them but I think it can be made to play really nicely. *Takes a bit of getting used to after the long scale*.


I bought a guitarlele years back and was quite obsessed with it for a few months... when i went back to a standard guitar it was almost like taking a short stroll between one fret and the next


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## SGG on a bike (9 Jun 2020)

Guitar wise, my main weapon of choice is a 2012 Gibson Midtown P90, but in reserve I have a 2010 G&L Legacy and a 2001 Yamaha SG700s. I don't tend to use any pedals, so any or all of those run through one of a selection of amps, usually my Trevinitone TT15 or TT18. I've also got a Trevinitone TT5 and TT20, which sit happily alongside Gibson GA15 and Trace Elliot Velocette. All the amps are valve powered. No pics of instruments on their own, so you'll have to put up with me being in them too.

Gibson Midtown






Gibson Midtown and Goldtone amp





G&L Legacy





Yamaha SG700s





TT15





TT15 circuit board





TT5 minus proper front panel - just for a giggle. I'm sure you can work out who's who!





Finally, me at Dereham Blues Festival last year.


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## Drago (9 Jun 2020)

Did anyone watch that documentary about Eric Clappedout the other night?


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## Cycleops (10 Jun 2020)

I know older fenders are fetching silly prices even in poor condition but this.....Don’t know what happened, maybe thei account was hacked or they uploaded the wrong picture but quite amusing.


----------



## DCBassman (10 Jun 2020)

Cycleops said:


> I know older fenders are fetching silly prices even in poor condition but this.....Don’t know what happened, maybe thei account was hacked or they uploaded the wrong picture but quite amusing.
> 
> View attachment 528880



Reliced


----------



## Cycleops (12 Jun 2020)

I wasn’t going to buy it but in the end I couldn’t resist. Kimberley, made in Japan. I’ve cleaned it up, it was filthy, and touched in the dents and chips, put some chrome control knobs on it and a set of Rotosound strings.(strung through the body). Neck is straight (42mm at the nut) and the truss rod works. Still got to sort the action and intonation. Got that classic Musicman growl. Although the electrics are old they are quiet and operate well.
Not too bad for seventy quid.







Don’t know what the fabric is for but it’s not a battery box and I don’t think it hides anything nasty. It’s very heavy so I imagine it’s mahogany.


----------



## DCBassman (12 Jun 2020)

Cycleops said:


> I wasn’t going to buy it but in the end I couldn’t resist. Kimberley, made in Japan. I’ve cleaned it up, it was filthy, and touched in the dents and chips, put some chrome control knobs on it and a set of Rotosound strings.(strung through the body). Neck is straight (42mm at the nut) and the truss rod works. Still got to sort the action and intonation. Got that classic Musicman growl. Although the electrics are old they are quiet and operate well.
> Not too bad for seventy quid.
> View attachment 529295



Very tidy for 70 squids.


----------



## Drago (12 Jun 2020)

Cycleops said:


> I wasn’t going to buy it but in the end I couldn’t resist. Kimberley, made in Japan. I’ve cleaned it up, it was filthy, and touched in the dents and chips, put some chrome control knobs on it and a set of Rotosound strings.(strung through the body). Neck is straight (42mm at the nut) and the truss rod works. Still got to sort the action and intonation. Got that classic Musicman growl. Although the electrics are old they are quiet and operate well.
> Not too bad for seventy quid.
> View attachment 529295
> 
> ...


That's a really nice Music Man copy. Could the fabric be some kind of belt buckle protector?


----------



## Cycleops (12 Jun 2020)

Drago said:


> That's a really nice Music Man copy. Could the fabric be some kind of belt buckle protector?


That's the conclusion I was drawn to. The back has virtually no marks, quite remarkable when I believe it could date back to the late seventies. Can't find much out about Kimberly other than they were made for a US distributor. Wonder if Musicman threatened to sue?


----------



## Cycleops (12 Jun 2020)

I was wondering what everyone's favourite strings were? I've tried a few now and am coming to the conclusion that D'Addario are pretty nice. Also tried some cheap Chinese strings bought here for £3 which were surprisingly good.


----------



## DCBassman (12 Jun 2020)

I only use flatwounds, either D'Addario ECB-81 Chromes or slightly lighter gauge Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. Both can be quite bright if needed, particularly the Cobalts, which actually have a round underwinding.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (12 Jun 2020)

Cycleops said:


> I was wondering what everyone's favourite strings were? I've tried a few now and am coming to the conclusion that D'Addario are pretty nice. Also tried some cheap Chinese strings bought here for £3 which were surprisingly good.


Congrats on finding the Kimberley. 
The Stingray, for me, is out of the top drawer of bass design. An ash body and maple neck strung with nickels is a great sound.
I'm a fan of nickel strings. D'Addario XL were a favourite: unfortunately started to get a couple of dud strings and tried La Bella in place. They've been great and I haven't changed since. https://www.labella.com/strings/category/4-string-set/


----------



## Drago (12 Jun 2020)

Cycleops said:


> I was wondering what everyone's favourite strings were? I've tried a few now and am coming to the conclusion that D'Addario are pretty nice. Also tried some cheap Chinese strings bought here for £3 which were surprisingly good.


I used D'Addario flats in 105. Very nice to play, very reasonably priced.


----------



## Cycleops (12 Jun 2020)

I thought you might be using these @Drago


----------



## Cycleops (12 Jun 2020)

Don’t know if any of you watch Dave‘s World of Fun Stuff (he’s a luthier) on YouTube but he says he always uses Rotosound Swing Bass because they hold their tone and last the longest.


----------



## DCBassman (12 Jun 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Don’t know if any of you watch Dave‘s World of Fun Stuff (he’s a luthier) on YouTube but he says he always uses Rotosound Swing Bass because they hold their tone and last the longest.


Let me say right now that no set of roundwounds will ever outlast a set of flats. Jamerson kept his LaBellas on until they broke with wear and rust, and they never threw him out of Motown...
No, if you like the tone of flats, then, no matter how much the outlay (eg Thomastik-Infeld TI344 Jazz Flats, bloody amazing if you like light and flexible, but havin'-a-giraffe prices*), they work out cheaper in the long run. The expensive bit with flats is trying all the different sets! Once you've settled, they're cheaper. Bit like M+ tyres...
*Made in Vienna, doncherknow...


----------



## Chromatic (12 Jun 2020)

I hope all you bass players have been lamenting the passing of Steve Priest.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/steve-priest.262769/


----------



## ColinJ (13 Jun 2020)

Another guitar competition for you... Try to win a Gibson Double Cut Les Paul Junior HERE. Entries by 30th June, 2020.

I found this video review of the guitar on YouTube...


----------



## Drago (18 Jun 2020)

Rained in today. My daily hour on the clank plank may morph into an afternoon of playing.


----------



## GM (20 Jun 2020)

There you go guy's, it's true....


----------



## Drago (24 Jun 2020)

So hot today inhaled to peel myself off the JB when I'd finished daily prayers.


----------



## DCBassman (25 Jun 2020)

GM said:


> There you go guy's, it's true....
> 
> View attachment 531148


We are far, far cooler even than Mum says.


----------



## Drago (26 Jun 2020)

Mini D's 9th birthday tomorrow and I get to watch her open her first bass.


----------



## DCBassman (26 Jun 2020)

Drago said:


> Mini D's 9th birthday tomorrow and I get to watch her open her first bass.


Exciting!


----------



## Cycleops (26 Jun 2020)

Mini D opening her mini P, You should take a pic.


----------



## DCBassman (30 Jun 2020)

Come on @Drago , how's Mini-D and her mini-P-bass? Has she blown you out of the water yet? 
I'm so out of practice now, and I've got a new band to learn the sets for!


----------



## Drago (30 Jun 2020)

I've daughter her the anatomy of the instrument and the names of the strings. Shes learning a few simple tunes, but demanded to be taught Sunshine of Your Love, so I'm busy working on teaching that to her.


----------



## DCBassman (30 Jun 2020)

Excellent choice!


----------



## Cycleops (30 Jun 2020)

Drago said:


> I've daughter her the anatomy of the instrument and the names of the strings. Shes learning a few simple tunes, but demanded to be taught Sunshine of Your Love, so I'm busy working on teaching that to her.


Another simple one she might like to try is Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes.


----------



## Drago (30 Jun 2020)

I've also selected Just What I Needed by the cars as another simple starter for her.


----------



## DCBassman (30 Jun 2020)

Drago said:


> I've also selected Just What I Needed by the cars as another simple starter for her.


Nice one!


----------



## Drago (30 Jun 2020)

It helps that it's also a great song that we both like.


----------



## DCBassman (30 Jun 2020)

Drago said:


> It helps that it's also a great song that we both like.


That it is.


----------



## Drago (4 Jul 2020)

I've had an outbreak of tourettes. The cat has brought in a live bird, which has got into my studio and crapped all over the place.


----------



## Grant Fondo (4 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> I've had an outbreak of tourettes. The cat has brought in a live bird, which has got into my studio and crapped all over the place.


Thats got the making of some good blues lyrics


----------



## Drago (6 Jul 2020)

Just ordered a very nice looking ash body for my new Precision build.


----------



## delb0y (7 Jul 2020)

It's been a while what with one thing and another, but here's our latest lock-down video, featuring someone else that I've never met (that's the theme of this project!):


View: https://youtu.be/eoHobsPC1Yg


----------



## Drago (7 Jul 2020)

Sextastic!







The photo makes it look much yellower than it really is. Just waiting for the foil tape to arrive to line the cavity then it's on with the pickguard I have on standby that is already built up in readiness with all the electrics and my DIY re-magented pickups.


----------



## DCBassman (7 Jul 2020)

If the pickup is a good one and wired correctly, there's no need to line a P-bass cavity - it's a humbucker. Jazz bass, that's a whole 'nother thang...


----------



## Drago (9 Jul 2020)

P Bass clone neck ordered. Not a bad price either. Will give it a fret dress and set up anyway.


----------



## Drago (9 Jul 2020)

More progress.






Pickups from my JB which I removed when I upgraded to Entwistle's, re-magneted with neodymium jobs - the output is absolutely thumping loud! Chinese pickguard and screws from the slow boat, very nice pots from ebay, Chinese knobs, very hefty Ash body from ebay. So far I'm about 35 quid into it.


----------



## Grant Fondo (9 Jul 2020)

Just unearthed my old boss effects box, no idea where power adapter is, see if something that fits socket will work?


----------



## Grant Fondo (9 Jul 2020)

Oh dear, flipping it over, it also takes batteries! What a mess


----------



## Drago (9 Jul 2020)

WD40, a paint brush and a rag might clean that up.


----------



## GM (9 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> More progress.
> 
> View attachment 534957
> 
> ...




A quick glance at that, and I thought you were building an 8 string bass .....nice one looking forward to see it finished!


----------



## ColinJ (9 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> WD40, a paint brush and a rag might clean that up.


@Oldfentiger gave me an old Garmin GPS, which had suffered a similar leaky-battery rot-fest. The battery terminals had corroded away completely and rendered the device unusable. To resurrect it I had to open up the case and solder in new terminals bodged from coils of wire.


----------



## Drago (11 Jul 2020)

My replica 1968 PB neck has arrived. And lovely it is too. Quite chunky and squared off compared to modern necks, but it feels great in my big hands. Its had its first coat of Danish Oil, will get a 2nd later, then repro decals tomorrow.


----------



## Smokin Joe (11 Jul 2020)

Bit of advice required. As I mentioned earlier in the thread I lost a finger tip on my fretting hand not long after starting to learn the bass. I've seen a 3/4 size left hand one in a music shop and the guy has offered me a decent trade in on my full length R/H bass. I stand just over 6', would I have any problems with the shorter length? Bear in mind I'm starting from scratch again with the hand change.


----------



## Drago (11 Jul 2020)

I'm teaching Mini d the bass. She's 9 so I brought her a J&D 3/4 sized bass. I'm 6'4" with big hands and was surprised that I found it very easy to play, not at all cramped.

I take it you've read about Tony Iommi and his similar problems?


----------



## Drago (12 Jul 2020)

Work on my '68 P bass replica continues apace.


----------



## Drago (12 Jul 2020)




----------



## Cycleops (12 Jul 2020)

That’s absolutely brilliant @delb0y lets have some more.


----------



## Cycleops (12 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> View attachment 535489


A Fender copyright hit squad are converging on Northamptonshire, better destroy it while you can.


----------



## Drago (12 Jul 2020)

Christ, if it were a Rickenbacker theres a genuine chance I'd be slapped around in a dark alley!


----------



## Drago (14 Jul 2020)

I shall be humming Spandau Ballets 'Gold' all day now.

Tuners, strings, tug bar and Schaller strap nuts are all that's left to do.


----------



## Smokin Joe (14 Jul 2020)

I managed to get a full size left hand bass yesterday, twenty quid plus my old one in PX. I'll stick the tuner on it later and give it whatever tweak it needs, but it doesn't sound too far off.


----------



## Cycleops (14 Jul 2020)

Let’s see a pic then @Smokin Joe .. Shame a bass has different tuners to a guitar, I remember we used to stick our fags on the untrimmed bits of string.


----------



## Drago (14 Jul 2020)

We need pictures - it's the law!


----------



## Smokin Joe (14 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> We need pictures - it's the law!


I'll post one later tonight.


----------



## Smokin Joe (14 Jul 2020)

Be tomorrow now, fecking Bluetooth won't connect from my phone neither will the cable


----------



## Drago (16 Jul 2020)

My gold tuners have arrived. When I get a few minutes I'll get them fitted.


----------



## Drago (16 Jul 2020)

All done.


----------



## ColinJ (16 Jul 2020)

Another 'win a guitar' competition... Enter HERE by midnight on 31st July, 2020 for your chance to win "_a stunning D'Angelico Premier Ludlow Trem in Antique White!_"

I actually think it is an odd-looking instrument, but '_beauty is in the eye of the beholder_' and all that... Anyway, I bet it is an excellent instrument to play, and that is what really counts.

*NB Open to UK residents only*


----------



## Drago (16 Jul 2020)

Cheers. Entered 5 times.


----------



## ColinJ (16 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> Cheers. Entered 5 times.


Are you checking to see if I checked the terms and conditions...? 



Terms and conditions said:


> Only the 1st entry per person will be counted.


Of course, if you entered as 5 different people...


----------



## Smokin Joe (16 Jul 2020)

The Bluetooth has decided to start working again. Here's the axe, only a cheapo but then I'm only learning to play -


----------



## Drago (16 Jul 2020)

That's a clean looking PB. You looking to put some flats on it?


----------



## Drago (16 Jul 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Are you checking to see if I checked the terms and conditions...?
> 
> 
> Of course, if you entered as 5 different people...


5 different email address, 4 of mine and Mrs D's. They don't ask your name or owt.


----------



## ColinJ (16 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> 5 different email address, 4 of mine and Mrs D's. They don't ask your name or owt.


Well, as long they aren't obviously all you...

Mighty_Drago@nonesuch.com, Huge_Drago@nonesuch.com, Titanic_Drago@nonesuch.com, Giant_Drago@nonesuch.com, Wife_of_Mighty_Drago@nonesuch.com...

... might be a bit of a giveaway!


----------



## Drago (17 Jul 2020)

Tug bar fitted in the finger position, exactly as per fenders positioning template. Also used a trimmed down cotton bud to treat all the threads in the bride and saddles with a tiny dab of graphite grease, and I've turned them all to work it all it. Set approximate intonation using a tape measure, will set it up accurately when I have some strings.


----------



## ColinJ (22 Jul 2020)

And the next guitar competition is...

"_Win! A Gordon Smith GS Deluxe Semi Solid worth £1,699. (This competition is open to United Kingdom residents only.)_"

Enter HERE by 23:59 GMT, 7 August 2020.

PS The answer is 1974!


----------



## ColinJ (22 Jul 2020)

Oh, and I just spotted another couple of competitions of interest...

"_Win! A pair of Neumann NDH 20 Studio Headphones worth £419. (This competition is open to United Kingdom residents only.)_"

Enter HERE by 23:59 GMT, 7 August 2020.

PS The answer is 1928! 



And this one from _Sound On Sound_ magazine***... 

I'm not sure how useful this podcasting system would be for musical purposes, but you'd get 4 mics and a mini-mixer recorder gadget so I reckon that you could use it for something interesting in your home studio? 

"_Your chance to win a superb podcasting bundle by RØDE, worth £1511._" 

Enter HERE by Friday, 07 August, 2020.

I don't need it so I'll pass on this one. 


*** If you enter, make the effort to do a good tiebreaker. I won a synthesiser workstation worth £1,800 in an SOS competition in the late 1990s on the strength of my tiebreaker!


----------



## Drago (23 Jul 2020)

Thanks Colin, I've entered both.

And I'm pleased to announce that my Precision build is finished, and it sounds like a beast.


----------



## Drago (23 Jul 2020)

And here it is...


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (25 Jul 2020)

Oh my!!



https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Vintage-195...029496?hash=item2f46303d78:g:Uk0AAOSwqpVe0-Mi


----------



## Cycleops (25 Jul 2020)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Oh my!!
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Vintage-195...029496?hash=item2f46303d78:g:Uk0AAOSwqpVe0-Mi


Great, for ten grand I can pretend to be Bert Weedon;

View: https://youtu.be/SVMpT4DG4G8


----------



## MntnMan62 (25 Jul 2020)

I take offense at this entire thread. Drummers don't get any love.


----------



## ColinJ (26 Jul 2020)

MntnMan62 said:


> I take offense at this entire thread. Drummers don't get any love.


Why don't you start a _Percussionists_ thread?


----------



## Drago (26 Jul 2020)

Drummers are much loved. In my band there are three musicians and a drummer


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (26 Jul 2020)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Oh my!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Or Eddie Cochran, Chet Atkins, or Brian Setzer


----------



## delb0y (26 Jul 2020)

I had a Gretsch once, though not a ten grand one. It was beautiful and for playing rhythm on Eddie Cochran tunes it had the perfect sound. But I sold it because the feedback issues on gigs was horrendous. I could usually find one point on a stage where it wouldn't feed back, and as long as I stood there and faced the right direction and didn't move it was just about all right...

Did this little one minute piece back in the day for a reason I don't recall any longer:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-MX26rOpZU


----------



## Biff600 (26 Jul 2020)

My Ibanez SR300E, lovely phat sound for banging out old disco and funk sounds


----------



## ColinJ (27 Jul 2020)

Have you got 26 minutes to spare...? I just stumbled across this wonderful video. It is hypnotic to watch such a craftsman at work!



tchiks guitars and furniture said:


> _This is my third build guitar build, handcrafted in Brussels, Belgium.
> 
> I used wood from a shelf to make the body, not only because Brian May is my hero, but mostly because the build started in mid April 2020, as Belgium was in complete lockdown and my usual lumber store was closed. Making this guitar may look tedious (or stupid) to you, but this was my own personal therapy ... _


----------



## Drago (27 Jul 2020)

Lovely. That's a nice clank plank.


----------



## MntnMan62 (27 Jul 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Have you got 26 minutes to spare...? I just stumbled across this wonderful video. It is hypnotic to watch such a craftsman at work!




Pretty cool. My son plays the bass and he recently decided to take on a project. He bought a used Fender Squier P Bass, took it all apart, cleaned up the fret board and frets, bought a new nut, new pickups, pick guard and is rewiring it himself. He stripped the paint off the body and painted it a nice yellow. Not bright yellow but a mellow yellow (don't even think of going there ). As his father who understands about "value" having worked in real estate for 35 years, I think he overpaid for the used bass. I told him to keep track of every dime he spends on it so he can see what his total investment in it will end up being. Then he can decide if it was a worthwhile expenditure of funds. We'll see. But I have to say it's looking pretty good and I give him a lot of credit for diving into such a project. One thing he had to do was fill in the little nicks and holes in the body. I'm impressed as he's never taken anything like this on before. Great learning experience.


----------



## MontyVeda (27 Jul 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Have you got 26 minutes to spare...? I just stumbled across this wonderful video. It is hypnotic to watch such a craftsman at work!



What a joyous thing... no cheesy music, just the sound of wood being carved... thank you


----------



## Drago (27 Jul 2020)

Thinking about getting one of those Harley Benton Thunderbird clones.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (28 Jul 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Have you got 26 minutes to spare...? I just stumbled across this wonderful video. It is hypnotic to watch such a craftsman at work!



Thanks, that's a lovely & inspiring film - the making of a musical instrument is a wondrous thing.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (28 Jul 2020)

With apologies to all the bass players (& guitarists) here - for introducing this music quiz question: aside from sharing brilliant bass parts, does anyone know - without looking it up! -the connection between this -:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-U1Ar4Us2g

and this?:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=335&v=kbVdRGev6r8&feature=emb_logo


----------



## Drago (30 Jul 2020)

My new Fender strap arrived to finish off the P Bass.


----------



## DCBassman (30 Jul 2020)

First rehearsal with a new band tomorrow!


----------



## Drago (30 Jul 2020)

I don't know when the Free Range Humans will be back together again


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (30 Jul 2020)

*cleans dust off it*


----------



## delb0y (30 Jul 2020)

We're working on a new remote gypsy jazz track, but no idea when we'll be playing live again. Was invited to do an outdoor, pay in advance, socially distanced gig next weekend - the pub had read all the government guidelines and were sure they could adhere to them - but the council said no. It's strange because I have seen some Facebook videos of pubs in other constituencies putting on similar. Maybe the mistake this pub made was asking for permission up front rather than forgiveness afterwards.


----------



## Drago (2 Aug 2020)

Only 4 months until christmas. Not sure what bass to ask for


----------



## DCBassman (2 Aug 2020)

DCBassman said:


> First rehearsal with a new band tomorrow!


Went well, musically. Physically? Time to hang it up, I'm afraid. My back will no longer tolerate such things. Stick to seated jazz gigs only...


----------



## Drago (2 Aug 2020)

Have you tried one of the waist strap or waist harness systems, keep the weight off your back?


----------



## DCBassman (2 Aug 2020)

Drago said:


> Have you tried one of the waist strap or waist harness systems, keep the weight off your back?



Have tried all these things at one time or another.
I've simply come to the conclusion that the music, in rock bands anyway, isn't worth the pain...


----------



## avecReynolds531 (2 Aug 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Went well, musically. Physically? Time to hang it up, I'm afraid. My back will no longer tolerate such things. Stick to seated jazz gigs only...


Sorry to hear this. It's a serious question: health comes first & some basses are horrendously weighty for 2+ hours standing. 

I reckon this wasn't considered when the classic designs were created: factor in an SVT head with 8 x 10 cab, & it means an easy route for back trouble in the future.


----------



## Drago (2 Aug 2020)

Aye, my PB weighs a ton. Never had it kn the scales, butmits a serious boat anchor. Fortunately I'm a big old lump myself and it doesn't cause me a problem, but I can see how some folk would suffer.


----------



## DCBassman (2 Aug 2020)

My bass is just under 9lb, so mo boat anchor, but not featherweight either. One P-bass I nuilt was a shade under 7lb, wish I still had that...


----------



## MntnMan62 (2 Aug 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Went well, musically. Physically? Time to hang it up, I'm afraid. My back will no longer tolerate such things. Stick to seated jazz gigs only...



Why? There's no rule that the bassist or guitarist can't sit down and play at the same time. Don't let that stop you dude.


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (2 Aug 2020)

One of my favourite live gigs the bass player is seated


----------



## avecReynolds531 (3 Aug 2020)

Anthony Jackson seems to play seated all the time - going back from year dot. 

Talkbass forum has an interesting thread about which basses are good for this - plus getting comfortable, scale length, neck dive etc: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/best-basses-for-playing-while-seated.993731/


----------



## Drago (3 Aug 2020)

Part of the reason of the offset waistline of the Jazz Bass was to make it a little comfort when seated.


----------



## DCBassman (3 Aug 2020)

MntnMan62 said:


> Why? There's no rule that the bassist or guitarist can't sit down and play at the same time. Don't let that stop you dude.


No rule, no. But in a rock band, still pretty much a no-no. No matter, a quiet, seated gig, if I can find one, will probably be better for my much abused ears also!


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (3 Aug 2020)

Stop that 😛


View: https://youtu.be/C1dXl3EOpKI


----------



## MntnMan62 (3 Aug 2020)

avecReynolds531 said:


> Anthony Jackson seems to play seated all the time - going back from year dot.
> 
> Talkbass forum has an interesting thread about which basses are good for this - plus getting comfortable, scale length, neck dive etc: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/best-basses-for-playing-while-seated.993731/



I caught Anthony Jackson about 4 or 5 years ago at the Iridium in NYC. He sat on a piano bench with a pillow the entire gig. I'm not there to see people jump around on stage and pretend to be clowns in a circus. I'm there to hear great music by the best there ever was. Nothing wrong with sitting while playing your instrument. Take it from a drummer. Sitting is the way to go.


----------



## Drago (3 Aug 2020)

MntnMan62 said:


> I caught Anthony Jackson about 4 or 5 years ago at the Iridium in NYC. He sat on a piano bench with a pillow...


Ah, the poor bloke clearly has the Nurembergs.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (3 Aug 2020)

MntnMan62 said:


> I caught Anthony Jackson about 4 or 5 years ago at the Iridium in NYC. He sat on a piano bench with a pillow the entire gig.
> I'm not there to see people jump around on stage and pretend to be clowns in a circus. I'm there to hear great music by the best there ever was.


Great quote MtnMan62 & that must've been a brilliant gig
It's a privilege to hear truly great musicians: Anthony Jackson is a pioneer & absolute master of bass. 

Concert pianists, pedal steel players & drummers know playing seated is alright.


----------



## MntnMan62 (3 Aug 2020)

Drago said:


> Ah, the poor bloke clearly has the Nurembergs.



Actually, I did a little digging. While I'm not totally certain, I think he suffered a stroke at some point and is going through rehab. Some people can come back. Pat Martino had a brain aneursym and was forced to relearn the guitar. And he's back. So, anything is possible.


----------



## ColinJ (4 Aug 2020)

You cynics... _HAVE SOME FAITH_! 




(Competition to win a Faith Nomad Series Mini-Saturn worth £479 / $599; closes in 13 days time.)


----------



## Seevio (4 Aug 2020)

I wasn't sure whether to put this in the my ride today thread but this guy is certainly sitting down to play guitar.


----------



## ColinJ (4 Aug 2020)

Seevio said:


> I wasn't sure whether to put this in the my ride today thread but this guy is certainly sitting down to play guitar.


I haven't got the pluck to try doing that!


----------



## ColinJ (7 Aug 2020)

I have just discovered Davie504's YouTube channel. It isn't my favourite style of playing... but OMG!  + Ha Ha!


----------



## Seevio (7 Aug 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I have just discovered Davie504's YouTube channel. It isn't my favourite style of playing... but OMG!  + Ha Ha!



SLAP like!


----------



## Cycleops (11 Aug 2020)

Missed it by a day. It was Leo Fender‘s birthday yesterday, the hero of bassists everywhere, born in 1909.


----------



## Cycleops (11 Aug 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I have just discovered Davie504's YouTube channel. It isn't my favourite style of playing... but OMG!  + Ha Ha!



You have to admit he’s a pretty good bassist and he has 6.5m subscribers. My twelve year old loves his channel.
Full marks to him for promoting the dancing pall bearers from here in Ghana:


View: https://youtu.be/n7UFWriNFaY


----------



## Cycleops (11 Aug 2020)




----------



## PaulB (14 Aug 2020)

Here's me proudly holding my new guitar - an Epiphone Casino which I got yesterday, this one in cherry red. Behind me is my Hofner bass which I'm more familiar with but I've decided to switch over to the guitar and will be learning new chords all weekend. (Those of you keen on the bicycle, may notice a handlebar in the bottom left. This is my indoor Bianchi Nirone C2C which I use on a turbo when the weather is inclement!)


----------



## Drago (14 Aug 2020)

Oooh, show us the Hofner!


----------



## PaulB (14 Aug 2020)

Drago said:


> Oooh, show us the Hofner!


You can see it right behind me.


----------



## Drago (14 Aug 2020)

Yeah, but Tim Metcalfe from Corrie is obscuring it!


----------



## PaulB (14 Aug 2020)

Drago said:


> Yeah, but Tim Metcalfe from Corrie is obscuring it!


Says George Clucking Fooney


----------



## Drago (14 Aug 2020)

I'm more of a Bernard Manning's body with Bernard Manning's head.


----------



## ColinJ (14 Aug 2020)

Drago said:


> I'm more of a Bernard Manning's body with Bernard Manning's head.


But (hopefully! ) a better attitude towards other people!


----------



## Drago (14 Aug 2020)

And cleaner Y fronts!


----------



## delb0y (14 Aug 2020)

PaulB said:


> I've decided to switch over to the guitar...



Good man!


----------



## Drago (14 Aug 2020)

Too many clank-plank players in here!


----------



## ColinJ (15 Aug 2020)

Another exciting competition - yay! 

Enter _HERE _by August 31st to try to win a BOSS RC-30 Loop Station pedal.

(UK residents only.)


----------



## delb0y (17 Aug 2020)

I'm sure you four string boys saw this:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/17/farewell-to-pete-way-bassist-ufo

I'm no rocker, but I did go and see UFO back in their heydey when they were briefly the best heavy rock band ever - I mean, their heydey was brief, but during it they reached heights no other heavy rock band have ever reached and I include Led Zep, and Sabbath, and Purple etc. Anyway, if you haven't listened to Strangers In The Night era UFO you have two or three album treat awaiting you.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Guqm4ufKT9Q


----------



## ColinJ (19 Aug 2020)

It's...

... _Axe Wednesday! 

"WIN! A MANSON META SERIES MBM-1 WORTH £569!" _ Enter HERE by 23:59 GMT, 4 September 2020. UK residents only.

PS I think the answer is 1992.


----------



## PaulB (20 Aug 2020)

What amazes me is the cost of good musical instruments. Amazes me in a good way BTW. When you compare the cost of a guitar against that of one of your recent bike purchases, there's a big difference, isn't there? For instance, if I'd have bought a bike at the same price I'd paid for my new (and beautiful) guitar, I'd have been shopping at the lower-spec end at Halfords or Decathlon, or gone second-hand. 

I'm finding it....different, shall we say? I'm quite proficient on the uke but of course the chords are completely different on the guitar (and the sound's better - even un-amped) so it's a bit like learning a new language. I'm re-sculpting my fingertips and riding the frustrations because I know I can do it as I've done it before. A full year of struggling with the uke and then persistence paid off and it all fell into place in one go with - of all songs - 'These Boots Are Made for Walking'. After that, no stopping me because as simple as it is, once you can play that, you're a (insert instrument) player and constantly adding new chords or techniques as you tackle new songs.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (22 Aug 2020)

Nice

Even though it's not a Gretsch
I like the custom BIgsby
Surprised that Brian Setzer's backing it though!


View: https://www.facebook.com/briansetzerofficial/photos/pcb.10160085698974167/10160085698429167/?type=3&theater


----------



## Cycleops (25 Aug 2020)




----------



## ColinJ (25 Aug 2020)

I learned 3 chords today, and tomorrow I'm going to...

Hang on, what is YouTube recommending to me? 



Where was I...? Oh, yes - tomorrow I'm going to sell my guitars and think of something else to do instead!


----------



## ColinJ (25 Aug 2020)

She's just showing off!


----------



## delb0y (25 Aug 2020)

PaulB said:


> What amazes me is the cost of good musical instruments. Amazes me in a good way BTW. When you compare the cost of a guitar against that of one of your recent bike purchases, there's a big difference, isn't there? For instance, if I'd have bought a bike at the same price I'd paid for my new (and beautiful) guitar, I'd have been shopping at the lower-spec end at Halfords or Decathlon, or gone second-hand.



I spent £500 once, on a Martin, which made me feel a little faint. But other than that I tend to inhabit the £200 to £400 range, albeit second hand. You're right, you can get great guitars for this money.


----------



## Grant Fondo (25 Aug 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I learned 3 chords today, and tomorrow I'm going to...
> 
> Hang on, what is YouTube recommending to me?
> 
> ...



Have you seen her do Arpeggios From Hell....gmpf


----------



## ColinJ (25 Aug 2020)

Grant Fondo said:


> Have you seen her do Arpeggios From Hell....gmpf


I have now...

Right, the rest of you - sell _your _guitars now too!


----------



## Chromatic (26 Aug 2020)

Don't sell your guitars or basses guys, you don't need to be the virtuosoist of virtuosos to make great music. 

Here's a little extract from a book:

'........... Kalle Freynick witnessed a four-hour performance in Augsburg in which Holger fulfilled a long-held ambition to play the same note throughout an entire show.'


----------



## Grant Fondo (26 Aug 2020)

delb0y said:


> I spent £500 once, on a Martin, which made me feel a little faint. But other than that I tend to inhabit the £200 to £400 range, albeit second hand. You're right, you can get great guitars for this money.


I think my Tanglewood was under £300, but it was a long time ago! Sounds great though


----------



## delb0y (26 Aug 2020)

Big fan of Tanglewoods here - I use a TW45 and a TW60 for most of my acoustic stuff. They're great and can usually be had for bargain prices.


----------



## ColinJ (26 Aug 2020)

Chromatic said:


> Don't sell your guitars or basses guys, you don't need to be the virtuosoist of virtuosos to make great music.


I was impressed by the playing of '_Tina S_' but it actually doesn't do anything for me! I prefer relatively simple music with more emotion to it. This kind of thing...


----------



## Chromatic (26 Aug 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I was impressed by the playing of '_Tina S_' but it actually doesn't do anything for me! I prefer relatively simple music with more emotion to it. This kind of thing...




Remember many years ago when people did compilation tapes for each other? Samba Pa Ti was on a tape someone did for me.


----------



## delb0y (26 Aug 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I was impressed by the playing of '_Tina S_' but it actually doesn't do anything for me! I prefer relatively simple music with more emotion to it. This kind of thing...



I was going to say much the same thing, but thought that it would sound like sour grapes on account of I can only play about 1 note in 16 of what she played. I only made it to the two minute mark before becoming bored. Clearly very technically adept though.


----------



## ColinJ (26 Aug 2020)

delb0y said:


> I was going to say much the same thing, but thought that it would sound like sour grapes on account of I can only play about 1 note in 16 of what she played. I only made it to the two minute mark before becoming bored. Clearly very technically adept though.


I had a friend who used to play me tracks from his jazz albums. He was really into it, but the strong feeling that I got was that the musicians were more interested in demonstrating their technical skills than in stirring my emotions.


----------



## delb0y (26 Aug 2020)

I guess it's the same in any genre. There are jazz players / albums / tunes like that. But then some of my all time favourite solos are from jazz players (not just guitar) and the ones I like tend to be slow and very melodic, and most definitely not about chops. 

One of my guilty pleasures (because I'm not a rock fan) is checking out the players on the JTC site. Here you have folks who love all that distortion and delay (which in general I don't usually go for) but some of them use it extremely well with a lot of taste. Here's a taster of one of their more bluesy offerings:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVsc-lPHv0U


and another bit more rocky:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJrwElb8qPQ


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (27 Aug 2020)

https://reverb.com/shop/official-brian-setzer


----------



## Drago (27 Aug 2020)

I wouldn't mind a browse around that.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (28 Aug 2020)

Drago said:


> I wouldn't mind a browse around that.


Me too!!
All those Gretsches & Mandolins


----------



## avecReynolds531 (28 Aug 2020)

That Brian Setzer link reminded me of last year's auction of Walter Becker's extensive collection - RIP one of the finest songwriters & musicians of our time.

Something for everyone in nearly 600 pages of guitars, basses, amps, effects, keyboards, drums, hi fi etc, with fine photos here: https://www.juliensauctions.com/auctions/2019/Walter_Becker/Walter_Becker_Flipping_Book/


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (28 Aug 2020)

View: https://www.facebook.com/briansetzerofficial/photos/a.163312269166/10160100522689167/?type=3&theater


----------



## GM (28 Aug 2020)

I know I shouldn't, but this made me laugh....
BTW ..NSFW


----------



## delb0y (31 Aug 2020)

Have to whisper this but it looks like the first post-lockdown gig is in the diary...


----------



## Drago (31 Aug 2020)

My lot haven't had a rehearsal yet, butnI don't think that'll be far off, then our first gig too.


----------



## delb0y (31 Aug 2020)

What's this rehearsal thing?


----------



## Drago (31 Aug 2020)

It's something we do somI can show the others what poor musicians they are.


----------



## ColinJ (15 Sep 2020)

It has gone quiet in here... Time for another competition! 

"_Throughout the month of September, we're giving you the chance to win TWO BOSS Compact pedals of your choice!_" 

Enter *HERE* before the end of September, 2020.


----------



## Drago (15 Sep 2020)

Im due some compensation from the governmemt for unlawful age discrimination with regards to my pension. Im idly eyeing up the Rickenbacker LK-4003...

After all, if I leave the casy laying around Mrs D will only spend it herself.


----------



## DCBassman (15 Sep 2020)

Rickenbackers...lovely looking things, very poorly built, and a truss rod system that defies all sense...
On top of that, the owner is certifiable...


----------



## Drago (15 Sep 2020)

Problem is, Motorhead is my religion and Lemmy is the Messiah.


----------



## ColinJ (15 Sep 2020)

I just spotted a couple more guitar competitions...

-------------------------------------
"*WIN! A CHARVEL PRO-MOD DK22 SSS 2PT CM WORTH OVER £1,000!*

_This exquisite SuperStrat delivers tones for all occasions – enter our competition to win one for yourself._"

Enter *HERE* by 23:59 GMT, 2 October 2020. UK residents only.

[Answer: San Dimas]
-------------------------------------



-------------------------------------
*"WIN! A SQUIER STRAT SIGNED BY LINDSAY ELL!*

_Enter our competition to win a Squier guitar signed by the Strat-toting country guitarist."_

Enter *HERE* by 23:59 GMT, 2 October 2020. UK residents only.

[Answer: Calgary]
-------------------------------------


----------



## Cycleops (15 Sep 2020)

Talking about competition there was a lot at a recent auction to get hands on Bill Wyman's Mustang bass and AC 30 amp. You've needed to be in the big league, the bass went for $384,000 beating a previous record for a Paul McCartney Hofner.
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/bi...r-most-expensive-bass-and-amp-sold-at-auction


----------



## ColinJ (17 Sep 2020)

The competitions keep on coming...

"_Celebrating the launch of our new Cream T 'Afterburner' & 'Eliminator' pickups, we are giving one lucky person the chance to WIN a PRS SE Custom 24 loaded with 'Afterburner' pickups. This is the exact guitar Tom Quayle used to demo the pickups in our latest video and is worth over £900!_" 

Enter *HERE*. Currently 18 days left to get your entry in, so let's call that 4th October, 2020 to be on the safe side. If you win from outside the UK/EU you have to pay for delivery (and possibly import taxes too?).


----------



## avecReynolds531 (17 Sep 2020)

One of the greats of the bass died earlier this month. RIP GP: https://www.npr.org/2020/09/07/9100...z-bassist-always-ahead-of-his-time-dies-at-85

Here's a beautiful trio recording: 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyntl24zkZs


----------



## Cycleops (18 Sep 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Talking about competition there was a lot at a recent auction to get hands on Bill Wyman's Mustang bass and AC 30 amp. You've needed to be in the big league, the bass went for $384,000 beating a previous record for a Paul McCartney Hofner.
> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/bi...r-most-expensive-bass-and-amp-sold-at-auction


Thought you all might like to see the video for the auction with Bill going through the items and talking about them. Very interesting. Doesn't he look old though?

View: https://youtu.be/ev6aKkBy-io


----------



## Cycleops (18 Sep 2020)

10 Greatest Metal Bass Players of All Time: 
View: https://youtu.be/4TWXqQxN7BI

@Drago will be pleased to see Lemmy has top slot but do you think he's left anybody out?


----------



## ColinJ (18 Sep 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Thought you all might like to see the video for the auction with Bill going through the items and talking about them. *Very interesting. Doesn't he look old though?*


Well, he is _*83 *_years old so I think that he has a good excuse! 

He seems to have his wits about him, which is the main thing at that age...


----------



## Cycleops (18 Sep 2020)

@ColinJ I had no idea he was that age. Apart from that he looks well. I wonder what he will do with all that money, he must be worth a fortune.


----------



## ColinJ (18 Sep 2020)

Cycleops said:


> I wonder what he will do with all that money, he must be worth a fortune.


I was wondering that too. He seemed quite attached to the stuff, so I assume that he must need the money for some reason.


----------



## Cycleops (20 Sep 2020)

Don’t think any of us could last too long at home 
with any of these.


----------



## ColinJ (20 Sep 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Don’t think any of us could last too long at home
> with any of these.
> 
> View attachment 548296


Ha ha - that reminds me of something that @colly and I encountered coming back on the Humber Bridge ride last year - *THIS*!


----------



## Cycleops (20 Sep 2020)

In know that bagpipes were near the top of the ‘ most hated’ instruments category but I didn’t realise the banjo was up there too.


----------



## DCBassman (21 Sep 2020)




----------



## Drago (21 Sep 2020)

Think I might try one of the Harley Benton Stingray copies for Christmas. Maybe a bit of 5 string action?


----------



## DCBassman (21 Sep 2020)

Drago said:


> Think I might try one of the Harley Benton Stingray copies for Christmas. Maybe a bit of 5 string action?


Why not? Although if you can pick up a s/h Yamaha BB425, they are great, with massive P-bass tone to spare. Slimmish necks too, although if you've big mitts, might actually be too slim.


----------



## DCBassman (21 Sep 2020)

Cycleops said:


> In know that bagpipes were near the top of the ‘ most hated’ instruments category


What do you call 10,000 banjos at the bottom of the ocean?







A good start...


----------



## Drago (21 Sep 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Why not? Although if you can pick up a s/h Yamaha BB425, they are great, with massive P-bass tone to spare. Slimmish necks too, although if you've big mitts, might actually be too slim.


I do have big mitts! Im plabning a Rickenbacker with the moneymive got coming from suing the givernment, maybe even a 4004LK if I can find one, but a cheap and very cheerful HB as a crimbo pressie would keep me interested.


----------



## Cycleops (21 Sep 2020)

Drago said:


> I do have big mitts! Im plabning a Rickenbacker with the moneymive got coming from suing the givernment, maybe even a 4004LK if I can find one, but a cheap and very cheerful HB as a crimbo pressie would keep me interested.



I’ve never felt the pull of a Rickenbacker but I can understand you’re drawn to it because of Lemmy. That was a smart move giving them to The Beatles, otherwise the brand might have languished in relative obscurity. I’d be interested of your take On the Harley Benton MM copy and of course the Rick when you get it.
The enhanced series is pretty good by all accounts and this Sandberg California copy may be worth a look:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_enhanced_mp_5eb_creme.htmhttps://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_enhanced_mp_5eb_creme.htm


----------



## Drago (21 Sep 2020)

A new rule for this thread. When the name Lemmy is mentioned we should say in brackets afterwrds, all hail!

For example, Lemmy (all hail!)


----------



## ColinJ (21 Sep 2020)

Drago said:


> A new rule for this thread. When the name Lemmy is mentioned we should say in brackets afterwrds, all hail!
> 
> For example, Lemmy (all hail!)


You _didn't_, the first time!


----------



## Drago (21 Sep 2020)




----------



## delb0y (21 Sep 2020)

Did a short session on local radio this evening to promote this weekend's gig (unless Boris scuppers it tomorrow). Was nice to be playing "out" again ( there were two of us). Even had a pint in a pub afterwards. It was just like the old days!


----------



## Drago (24 Sep 2020)

Ive entered this one...

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/bass-player-400th-issue-competition


----------



## ColinJ (24 Sep 2020)

Drago said:


> Ive entered this one...
> 
> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/bass-player-400th-issue-competition


Wow, that is some prize list!


----------



## DCBassman (24 Sep 2020)

Drago said:


> Ive entered this one...
> 
> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/bass-player-400th-issue-competition


Wow, me too!


----------



## ColinJ (24 Sep 2020)

When I win, I will donate one or two of the prizes to you lot! 

PS Change of mind... I will auction them off to you, and donate the proceeds to the CycleChat coffers.


----------



## ColinJ (24 Sep 2020)

Actually, I'm confused...

Is it ALL of the prizes to one person, or one of each of the prizes to different people?


----------



## Cycleops (26 Sep 2020)

If you’re looking for the ultimate ’axe’ then this must be it. Allegedly owned and by signed by Gene Simmons. On offer on Reverb for over $9k:


----------



## Drago (26 Sep 2020)

A clever businessman is Gene Simmons, but aupposedly he can be a bit of a nob offtimes.


----------



## delb0y (26 Sep 2020)

Well the gig went ahead, and thoroughly enjoyable it was too. Great reactions and a lot of fun, but bloody cold - we were in a pub garden for the last gig in the pub's short summer series. That's it, I guess, for six months. It's just too cold and windy and wet to do outdoor socially distanced gigs now. Glad I got one in, though. Forgot how much fun it is.


----------



## Drago (27 Sep 2020)

My neighbours have complained about my bass practice. They were ever so polite about it, so I knocked the session on the head. I'll either use headphones, or set it up to play through the computer and keep the amp and cab for gigging


----------



## Cycleops (27 Sep 2020)

I use this little Blackstar fly3 @Drago sounds decent enough. I’ve got the one with the additional speaker which supposedly doubles the output but I can’t tell much difference to the single unit. Should keep the neighbours happy .


----------



## delb0y (27 Sep 2020)

Have you fellow G&B players seen that Sky Arts is now free on Freeview (Channel 11). Lots of great music documentaries - many repeats from many years ago. I did notice a Grateful Dead documentary on the listing.


----------



## DCBassman (27 Sep 2020)

Drago said:


> My neighbours have complained about my bass practice. They were ever so polite about it, so I knocked the session on the head. I'll either use headphones, or set it up to play through the computer and keep the amp and cab for gigging


Get a Tascam GB-10 trainer. All problems solved.


----------



## DCBassman (27 Sep 2020)

delb0y said:


> Have you fellow G&B players seen that Sky Arts is now free on Freeview (Channel 11). Lots of great music documentaries - many repeats from many years ago. I did notice a Grateful Dead documentary on the listing.


And on Freesat also!


----------



## Drago (27 Sep 2020)

I've got a Behringer USB interface, so I can play into that, the signal mixes in the computer, and through the magic of witchraft the computer speakers play the music along with my awesome bass playing.


----------



## DCBassman (27 Sep 2020)

If that's sufficient, great. But you get pitch change, tempo change, section loop for fiddly bit learning, built-in effects, etc etc. And unlike my older one, uou can record uour efforts too. You can already do that via the Behringer and Audacity or similar, of course. I bought an interface for remote work during lockdown. Unused...


----------



## ColinJ (6 Oct 2020)

It's...



_*WIN A GUITAR TIME!!! *_

The prize is a Baretta Vintage guitar. Enter HERE by 23:59pm (BST) on 22/10/2020. UK entrants only. _"Under 18s must obtain parental consent to enter this competition and be able to demonstrate this to Total Guitar’s reasonable satisfaction." _

(Competition answer: *Richie Sambora*)


----------



## Drago (6 Oct 2020)

Duly entered! Thanks Mr J.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (8 Oct 2020)

RIP another great bassist: Francis Rocco Prestia.

From the San Francisco CBS local: _'Inspired by bassists like Motown’s James Jamerson, Prestia developed a style of playing that utilized a mix of “staccato 16th notes, ghost notes and muted left hand techniques,” according to Bass Musician Magazine. Prestia and drummer David Garibaldi became the band’s rhythmic backbone for its hard-driving funk sound....
His syncopated style would prove to be a substantial influence on other bass players during the 1970s, most prominently Jaco Pastorious, who incorporated Prestia’s approach in his own busy contrapuntal playing.'_

With David Garibaldi, an incredible rhythm section in a great band - Tower of Power.


----------



## DCBassman (13 Oct 2020)

Blast from the past: a nice Telecaster I wish I still had...


----------



## Drago (13 Oct 2020)

Im not a tele fan but that looks tidy.


----------



## Drago (13 Oct 2020)

Trying to decide which bass to add to the fleet for Crimbo.


----------



## ColinJ (13 Oct 2020)

The guitar top left looks _very _similar to my Yamaha G-245s... What is it?


----------



## avecReynolds531 (13 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Blast from the past: a nice Telecaster I wish I still had...
> View attachment 552183


Lovely guitar.

I used to struggle with Teles - heard too many set up with a treble that would shatter glass.

Hearing Robben Ford play a 1960 Telecaster completely changed that - how could it have such a fabulous tone?

It was good to get rid of that prejudice.


----------



## DCBassman (13 Oct 2020)

More from 2004:
Current bass when brand new:





Sting signature Precision bass. Really nice. With added finger rest and metalwork.


----------



## raleighnut (13 Oct 2020)

avecReynolds531 said:


> Lovely guitar.
> 
> I used to struggle with Teles - heard too many set up with a treble that would shatter glass.
> 
> ...



View: https://youtu.be/tMcMaGMtu-0

Pt 2


View: https://youtu.be/v8wsJ82wU1k


----------



## Drago (13 Oct 2020)

ColinJ said:


> The guitar top left looks _very _similar to my Yamaha G-245s... What is it?


No idea im afraid. Its Mrs D's cheapo spanosh guitar from her schooldays, kept solely for sentimental reasons.

The bass on the right is my recently completed Fauxnder ash bodied PB, which I love to bits.


----------



## DCBassman (13 Oct 2020)

The black Precision has had an interesting life. Firstly, just upgrades to the guard, originally white. Then new electrics. Around 2010, the neck, which was incredibly thin front-to-back, started to bow, and kept on going until the truss rod started to break through the back of the neck. It went through several necks: an Allparts black blocks-and-binding Jazz neck. Then a Squier VM77 white pearl blocks-and-binding neck, really lovely to play. Then a battered but best of all to play, American Special Jazz neck. Finances forced me to reassemble and sell the American Special Jazz. So when when finances turned around, I bought a brand new 2014 American Special Jazz neck for it, with lollipop Hipshot tuners, and that's how it still is today. Another that I wish I'd kept: that Squier neck got fitted to a Squier VM Precision body which originally had a fretless neck. I put a Seymour Duncan SPB-3 vintage style pickup in it. It was a real monster of a P-bass. And it weighed under 7lb. Bassists can be weight weenies too!
I'll see if I can dig out a pic...


----------



## DCBassman (13 Oct 2020)

Monochrome, but it was sunburst, with a tort guard. This was an open-air gig, and we got eaten alive by bugs. It could have been Florida, but was in fact Okehampton...


----------



## ColinJ (13 Oct 2020)

Drago said:


> No idea im afraid. Its Mrs D's cheapo spanosh guitar from her schooldays, kept solely for sentimental reasons.


Ah.

I was a bit surprised to see 40 year old Yahama G-245s guitars selling for £300-400 online - EXAMPLE.


----------



## Drago (15 Oct 2020)

Aye, people have finally got over the slightly racist prejudice of olde about Japanese gear being inferior. We know now its probably better than US or European gear for much less cash, and the vintage buyers have twigged that too.


----------



## ColinJ (15 Oct 2020)

Competition time again...

"_This month, we're giving away a Line 6 Helix Stomp to one lucky winner..._"

"_Only those who sign up between 05/10/20 and 30/10/20 will be entered into the draw. Winners will be selected at random and will be informed via email.

Competitions are open to all except employees of GUITARGUITAR Ltd, the companies or organisations with whom the competition is being run, their agents or anyone directly connected with the competition. Competition only open to entrants in the UK. Prizes are as stated only and no cash alternatives will be given; our standard liability Terms & Conditions will apply too._"

Enter *HERE*.


----------



## DCBassman (16 Oct 2020)

Tip: don't use Brave browser for this comp, it won't show the entry point! I used Edge.


----------



## ColinJ (16 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Tip: don't use Brave browser for this comp, it won't show the entry point! I used Edge.


It amazes me that there are still incompatibilities between certain sites and certain browsers. Somebody recommended *rawpixel.com* to me for stock images. When I open the home page in Chrome version 86.0.4240.75 (Windows) it won't let me access the links at the bottom of the page. Every time I go to click on one the page scrolls up and fills with more images... Weird and annoying behaviour***!

**** Could somebody else running that version of Chrome see if the same thing happens to them. I don't think that the problem is with my setup, but if nobody else has the problem I will try to find out what is going wrong.*


----------



## Drago (16 Oct 2020)

Works fine on chrome on my tab.


----------



## ColinJ (16 Oct 2020)

Drago said:


> Works fine on chrome on my tab.


It works well on my Android phone too.

Windows/Chrome anybody...?


----------



## MontyVeda (16 Oct 2020)

ColinJ said:


> It works well on my Android phone too.
> 
> Windows/Chrome anybody...?


Windows/Chrome here... I can only get to the bottom of the page by dragging the scroller bar all the way down; the links in the footer aren't live, then the page loads more images and I'm no longer at the bottom of the page 

Looks like a good image site though 

I reckon what's happening with the links is a shoddy build at their end... it's up to them to make sure everything works on all the major browsers.

[edit]... only seems to happen on the index page. click on a keyword and use the search and the footer works properly


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## ColinJ (16 Oct 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> Windows/Chrome here... I can only get to the bottom of the page by dragging the scroller bar all the way down; the links in the footer aren't live, then the page loads more images and I'm no longer at the bottom of the page
> 
> Looks like a good image site though
> 
> I reckon what's happening with the links is a shoddy build at their end... it's up to them to make sure everything works on all the major browsers.


Right, that is exactly what happens with me.

It _does _look like a good site otherwise. I have emailed them to tell them about the problem.


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## MontyVeda (16 Oct 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Right, that is exactly what happens with me.
> 
> It _does _look like a good site otherwise. I might get in touch and remind them to check other browsers!


I edited to add that it's only on their home/index page... keyword searches deliver a page that isn't infinitely adding more and more images as you scroll down


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## ColinJ (16 Oct 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> I edited to add that it's only on their home/index page... keyword searches deliver a page that isn't infinitely adding more and more images as you scroll down


Yes, I discovered that just now when I went to the contact page! I have asked them to sort it out, and to test more thoroughly in future.


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## Salad Dodger (18 Oct 2020)

Attention of any bass players on this forum.....
Apologies if anyone has already mentioned this, but Leland Sklar has started his own YouTube channel in lock down. There are a couple of videos where he talks about gear, but mostly each video consists of him talking about a record that he played on, then playing live over the recording. Which just makes me want to give up and burn my bass! 
But he did mention on one video that he has played on over 2600 albums, so I guess he has the right to be good at his job! 
He also seems to be an engaging character. In one episode he was talking about Linda Ronstadt and what a great singer, and a lovely person she is. "I think I will give her a call when I have finished here, just to see how she is doing". How many people can just casually ring Linda? 
The videos are slow paced and a bit wordy at times, but the bass playing is sublime...


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## DCBassman (18 Oct 2020)

I've met the guy. He's great.





Totnes, March 2015, at a Judith Owen gig.


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## ColinJ (18 Oct 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Yes, I discovered that just now when I went to the contact page! I have asked them to sort it out, and to test more thoroughly in future.


I've had a reply already... Customer support thanked me for telling them about the problem and are letting their web developers know about it.


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## Dave7 (19 Oct 2020)

@Drago .....as someone who can't play a note your chosen thread title always makes me wonder....... Bassist and Guitarist. Is a bassist not a guitarist or are they viewed differently ??


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## DCBassman (19 Oct 2020)

Dave7 said:


> @Drago .....as someone who can't play a note your chosen thread title always makes me wonder....... Bassist and Guitarist. Is a bassist not a guitarist or are they viewed differently ??


A bass is a bass, no matter its appearance. A guitar is a guitar. A "bass guitar" has 6 strings tuned the same as a guitar but an octave lower. The standard 4-string electric bass is explicitly a reworking of a double bass, not a redesign of a guitar.
The original Fender Jazz bass had "Electric Bass" on the headstock, the Fender VI had "Electric Bass Guitar" to make the point.


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## DCBassman (19 Oct 2020)

Original Jazz Bass:





Original VI:


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## DCBassman (19 Oct 2020)

Ampeg, renowned for bass amplification, also used to make electric double basses. When they began to make Fender-like basses (at the time, Fender bass became a generic, like Hoover for vacuum cleaners), they also refused to call it a guitar, terming it a "horizontal bass". Bit of a mouthful, though. 
As much as anything, reading through the history of Fender's development of basses, 'bass guitar' tended to be the way the Patent Office wanted to describe it, not the manufacturer.


----------



## delb0y (19 Oct 2020)

Dave7 said:


> @Drago .....as someone who can't play a note your chosen thread title always makes me wonder....... Bassist and Guitarist. Is a bassist not a guitarist or are they viewed differently ??



Dave7, not a great deal of difference - as the saying goes, what do you call someone who hangs around with musicians? A bassist.


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## MontyVeda (19 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> A bass is a bass, no matter its appearance. A guitar is a guitar. A "bass guitar" has 6 strings tuned the same as a guitar but an octave lower. The standard 4-string electric bass is explicitly a reworking of a double bass, not a redesign of a guitar.
> The original Fender Jazz bass had "Electric Bass" on the headstock, the Fender VI had "Electric Bass Guitar" to make the point.


Well you learn something new every day. 

Intrigued by the Fender Bass VI and looked it up on Wikipedia and chuckled at this entry in the 'notable users' section:

Nigel Tufnel, in the film _This Is Spinal Tap_, owns a Fender Bass VI which he refuses to play, or even allow others to look at


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## Drago (19 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> A bass is a bass, no matter its appearance. A guitar is a guitar. A "bass guitar" has 6 strings tuned the same as a guitar but an octave lower. The standard 4-string electric bass is explicitly a reworking of a double bass, not a redesign of a guitar.
> The original Fender Jazz bass had "Electric Bass" on the headstock, the Fender VI had "Electric Bass Guitar" to make the point.


Although just to muddy the waters, the bass is also considered the lowest playing member of the guitar family. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar

You can also get baritone guitars, but they're few and far between. The problem is, new instruments can straddle more than one category. The electric bass was around long before Leo fender got in on the act, so he didn't get to name the phenomenon, only his own product.

I take no real position on the matter. I tend to say bass but don't get sniffy when someone says bass guitar because it isn't technically incorrect.


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## DCBassman (19 Oct 2020)

Drago said:


> Although just to muddy the waters, the bass is also considered the lowest playing member of the guitar family.


That's exactly the wrong information. It ain't a guitar. And the earlier pre-Fender forerunner wasn't called a guitar either. Baritone guitars and the Fender VI (and several others, Danelectro for example) just muddy the waters - they are the transitional instruments, if you like.


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## DCBassman (19 Oct 2020)

Even the likes of Anthony Jackson, renowned for his use of a six-string bass (tuned BEADGC), seem to think that Leo was thinking about guitars. He always said the bass should have had 6 strings from the off. But why would it? A bass has four string EADG. It's not a guitar.


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## Drago (19 Oct 2020)

Ive just looked in a paper book (Colliers encyclopaedia, 1990 - you can tellmim at the cutting edge!) and that also descrives it as a member of the guitar family.

Just to confuse things even more, Paul Tutmarc, the inventor of the electric bass, described them as both electric bass and electric bass guitar in his catalogues.

I call it a bass, but dont get het up if someone says bass guitar because a) I know excatly what they mean, and b) I'm enough of a saddo as it is without getting hung up on that. Just so long as when i ask for my bass I don't get passed a set of drumsticks then I'm not bothered either way.

Oh, and you can also get 4 string guitars in ADGB and DGBE - The number of strings does not signify the class of instrument. I cant really see the point of that myself, but some people do and they are out there.


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## avecReynolds531 (19 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Even the likes of Anthony Jackson, renowned for his use of a six-string bass (tuned BEADGC), seem to think that Leo was thinking about guitars. He always said the bass should have had 6 strings from the off. But why would it? A bass has four string EADG. It's not a guitar.


'But during 1975 Jackson began persuading luthier Carl Thompson to build him his first contrabass guitar – a 6-string bass with a low B and a high C string. Anthony was a firm believer that the bass guitar was a member of the guitar family and not, as Leo Fender saw it, an electric version of a double bass:
"My feeling is: Why is 4 the standard and not 6? As the lowest-pitched instrument of the guitar family, the bass should have had 6-strings from the beginning. The only reason it had four was because Leo Fender was thinking in application terms of an upright bass."
Anthony Jackson


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## DCBassman (19 Oct 2020)

avecReynolds531 said:


> 'But during 1975 Jackson began persuading luthier Carl Thompson to build him his first contrabass guitar – a 6-string bass with a low B and a high C string. Anthony was a firm believer that the bass guitar was a member of the guitar family and not, as Leo Fender saw it, an electric version of a double bass:
> "My feeling is: Why is 4 the standard and not 6? As the lowest-pitched instrument of the guitar family, the bass should have had 6-strings from the beginning. The only reason it had four was because Leo Fender was thinking in application terms of an upright bass."
> Anthony Jackson


Exactly so. It was a bass, not a guitar. And never intended to be anything else. Despite his prominence, Jackson's spin on this is nonsense. The instrument Jackson plays has evolved from this, he had a hand in that himself. Hooray! But don't criticise the guy who started it and say he got it wrong. He got it EXACTLY right, just as he'd done with the Telecaster guitar three years earlier...


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## DCBassman (19 Oct 2020)

As it is in no sense a guitar, but is played in that position, perhaps guitar-bass rather than bass guitar. But it sure doesn't roll off the tongue so easily...


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## MontyVeda (19 Oct 2020)

I'm going to always say (and type) _bass-guitar_ from this day forth... gotta feed the pedants 

Edit... will my yet to be made chambered/acoustic tele-bass be a bass-guitar? It's bassed on a telecaster shape, which is definitely a guitar


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## Drago (19 Oct 2020)

My personal take on the debate is thst people have too much time on their hands. Things evolve, new things are created that don't neatly fit into any established category, and that causes arguments. 

Musically it is indeed closer to a double bass, but by structure and construction it is closer to an electric guitar. Thats why i'm cool with either - while guitar isn't strictly correct, it isn't completely wrong either. Look on the bright side - we're the coolest musicians on the stage, and just so long as the groupies remember that i'm not bothered what they call the clank plank im playing 

Lemmy, as always, had the right idea. It's foolish to waste time and energy categorising stuff when you could simply be enjoying it instead.


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## MontyVeda (19 Oct 2020)

Dave7 said:


> @Drago .....as someone who can't play a note your chosen thread title always makes me wonder....... Bassist and Guitarist. Is a bassist not a guitarist or are they viewed differently ??



Now look what you've started. I think we can all learn from this 

Next week on the _Bass-Guitarist and (proper) Guitarist_ thread, we'll be discussing the subtle differences between the totally different musical styles of black-metal and dark-metal


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## delb0y (19 Oct 2020)

Any of the bass players here play a double-bass? Sometimes I could do with a simple double-bass line on my recordings... although I haven't written any songs for quite some time.


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## Drago (19 Oct 2020)

I've just realised this thread is over a year old!


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## raleighnut (19 Oct 2020)

Bass Guitars generally have a 34" scale length whereas an upright 'Double Bass' has a 43.3" scale length.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_length_(string_instruments)


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## DCBassman (20 Oct 2020)

delb0y said:


> Any of the bass players here play a double-bass? Sometimes I could do with a simple double-bass line on my recordings... although I haven't written any songs for quite some time.


Not any more, no space...


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## DCBassman (20 Oct 2020)

raleighnut said:


> Bass Guitars generally have a 34" scale length whereas an upright 'Double Bass' has a 43.3" scale length.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_length_(string_instruments)


Double basses have scale lengths all over the shop depending on what 'size' they are. My 1/2 size was about 39.5", for example. Longest full size up to 44".
Electric basses are scaled generally between 30 and 36 inches, 34 being the 'standard' simply because the Precision Bass of 1951 was that scale.


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## DCBassman (20 Oct 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> I'm going to always say (and type) _bass-guitar_ from this day forth... gotta feed the pedants


While @Drago is entirely correct really that it doesn't matter, the pedantry tends to begin with people saying you've two strings missing, or do you play that because you're not good enough to handle 6 strings...
Truth is it IS easier to pick up a bass and get started, because it's physically easier than learning, say, barre chords. But mastery of bass playing is every bit as difficult as a guitar. And I'm not including 'slap' bass...which for the most part is simply an unpleasant aural assault.


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## raleighnut (20 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Double basses have scale lengths all over the shop depending on what 'size' they are. My 1/2 size was about 39.5", for example. Longest full size up to 44".
> Electric basses are scaled generally between 30 and 36 inches, 34 being the 'standard' simply because the Precision Bass of 1951 was that scale.


Yep that's what it says in the 'wiki' article I posted


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## avecReynolds531 (20 Oct 2020)

I don't have any trouble with what people call the instrument. My ears have always liked low notes - _whatever the instrument _- & I've previously posted about keyboard players playing fantastic bass lines. I've heard the sousaphone & tuba as the bass in funk bands & well fine they are too!

There may be a case to say that any instrument that reads bass clef is some kind of 'bass'. Bass clarinet, bass trombone, bass saxophone being a few examples of bass instruments within musical families.

Leo Fender was undoubtedly a genius: the early classic designs (Precision, Jazz, Tele & Strat) were brilliant from the start and still endure in absolute relevance today.

Not having a low D or C (as keyboard players do) for some songs felt like missing out, and I started using a Hipshot D tuner on my E A D G strung bass. It struggled to hold a low C, but the D sounded fabulous. 
For many years now, my four string has (La Bella) B E A D strings. You lose five semitones up at the dusty end of the neck but as a bass instrument, for me, those notes aren't important. The five notes you gain (Eb, D, Db, C and open B) make the world go round.

Most people who've experienced the bass notes of a cathedral pipe organ will never forget it. All without amps, speakers and a PA.😊
I also love the extra bass notes of the Imperial pianos: 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldfry-qNsS4


What we all love though, regardless of opinions & tastes, is one of the greatest things in life - being able to share & make music.


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## DCBassman (20 Oct 2020)

If I ever acquire another bass - it will almost certainly be another Precision - I will consider stringing it BEAD.


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## Dave7 (20 Oct 2020)

So........help me out here.
Give me some famous groups** and maybe members that played.......
Bass
Bass guitar
**names I would recognise


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## mythste (20 Oct 2020)

Heh. This takes me back - havnt read the whole thread because it's massive.

My claims to fame are that I played at Glastobury in 2008, and T in the Park in 2009. Bass Guitar in both instances. A few UK and European tours. All over by the time I was 21.

Now I spend my weekends on bicycles. Lord only knows.


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## MontyVeda (20 Oct 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Not any more, no space...


As an interesting aside... if you sample the word 'space' and chop off the 's' sound at the beginning, the resulting word is 'bass' rather than 'pace'


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## PeteXXX (20 Oct 2020)

Sad news for bassists everywhere.. Gordon Haskell, one of these bassists with King Crimson, has died.


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## RoubaixCube (27 Oct 2020)

On another sad note - I dug out my PRS Santana SE to discover it had some fret buzz. Tried to fix it but im not quite sure what to do now. Ive tried playing with the floating trem and i did fix the problem but then the other problem i created was that the action was too high and the saddles are already at their lowest height.

My last thought was adjusting the truss rod but i dont even have the tool to adjust it  Ive spent some 20 years playing the things but never had to adjust anything or visit a guitar tech for a proper setup.

Maybe i was lucky or maybe i didnt play hard enough 

Looks like I need to take her down the shop for a setup.


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## raleighnut (27 Oct 2020)

RoubaixCube said:


> On another sad note - I dug out my PRS Santana SE to discover it had some fret buzz. Tried to fix it but im not quite sure what to do now. Ive tried playing with the floating trem and i did fix the problem but then the other problem i created was that the action was too high and the saddles are already at their lowest height.
> 
> My last thought was adjusting the truss rod but i dont even have the tool to adjust it  Ive spent some 20 years playing the things but never had to adjust anything or visit a guitar tech for a proper setup.
> 
> ...


TBH it could be anything from the neck warping to frets actually coming loose and lifting up, my Luthier found 4 frets on my Telecaster had lifted but it had spent nearly 4 years in a sealed off window display (50th anniversary of Fender)


View: https://youtu.be/eupR7KilNAI


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## RoubaixCube (27 Oct 2020)

Im crossing my fingers its not a warped neck because that would mean an end to the guitar - its a thru-neck. (im not aware if there is any way to correct a warped neck if that is really what the problem is)

Thanks for your input, I'll be sure to give the frets an inspection after dinner.


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## raleighnut (27 Oct 2020)

RoubaixCube said:


> Im crossing my fingers its not a warped neck because that would mean an end to the guitar - its a thru-neck. (im not aware if there is any way to correct a warped neck if that is really what the problem is)
> 
> Thanks for your input, I'll be sure to give the frets an inspection after dinner.


A good Luthier could fix a warped neck even if it meant taking the frets out and 'shooting' the fretboard straight/level before refretting but TBH I wouldn't expect a PRS to do that.


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## PaulB (27 Oct 2020)

I've tinkered around on instruments for some time now but a few of them have been a bit neglected. I don't play either of my banjos any more and my four-string ukes have been left behind although the 8-string still gets played regularly. A bit of a shock has been the bass which has been untouched for some time now as I focus on the guitar. I'm following the same pattern on that as I did learning the uke Kim Kardashian the bloody F is what's doing me. A huge number of songs use that chord and I am having the same trouble with getting into it and then from it to any other chord, it's doing my head in. I had the same problem with the D on the uke so I'd use my thumb until endless practice showed me the way to do it. The F on the uke is simplicity itself but the F on a guitar! Anyone any tips?


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## raleighnut (27 Oct 2020)

PaulB said:


> I've tinkered around on instruments for some time now but a few of them have been a bit neglected. I don't play either of my banjos any more and my four-string ukes have been left behind although the 8-string still gets played regularly. A bit of a shock has been the bass which has been untouched for some time now as I focus on the guitar. I'm following the same pattern on that as I did learning the uke Kim Kardashian the bloody F is what's doing me. A huge number of songs use that chord and I am having the same trouble with getting into it and then from it to any other chord, it's doing my head in. I had the same problem with the D on the uke so I'd use my thumb until endless practice showed me the way to do it. The F on the uke is simplicity itself but the F on a guitar! Anyone any tips?
> View attachment 554873


Learn the Barred E then play it on the first fret.


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## Drago (27 Oct 2020)

Thinking of getting a fretless for the fleet.


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## RoubaixCube (27 Oct 2020)

raleighnut said:


> A good Luthier could fix a warped neck even if it meant taking the frets out and 'shooting' the fretboard straight/level before refretting but TBH I wouldn't expect a PRS to do that.



Well, dinner has come and gone and so has my attempt at trying to set up my PRS. Ive inspected the frets and they all seem fine but I gave them a gentle tap with a wooden mallet just to be sure. Ive even used an old I.D card to make sure all the frets are level (which they are...)

Played around more with the saddle height and ive managed to get rid of the 12th fret buzz.... Only to have it migrate up to the 16th fret though only for the G & B string. G might also be experiencing a slight dead spot too. More noticeable when i try to do some vibrato or string bends.

I think i'll just take it into a shop for a basic setup. I gave it a good college try but this is beyond me


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## RoubaixCube (27 Oct 2020)

Drago said:


> Thinking of getting a fretless for the fleet.



maybe a mini bass?


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## PaulB (27 Oct 2020)

raleighnut said:


> Learn the Barred E then play it on the first fret.


But that's exactly the same. That's like saying 'learn to drive a double decker bus then I'll let you drive my car.' Are there any cheats or time-savers?


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## raleighnut (27 Oct 2020)

PaulB said:


> But that's exactly the same. That's like saying 'learn to drive a double decker bus then I'll let you drive my car.' Are there any cheats or time-savers?


Some of the first Chords I learnt were the Barre E and A and their variants (minor and 7th) once you have them in 'muscle memory' it's easy the ones I struggle with are the 'Cowboy Chords', C was a right pain and yet I found the 2 finger Barre A shape the easiest to play and to transition from the Barre E shape in a 12 bar, the trick is to play the chord down the neck first (the stretch is less) then transition it further up I found.


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## raleighnut (27 Oct 2020)

View: https://youtu.be/ZSWjFvcGVJQ


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## PaulB (28 Oct 2020)

raleighnut said:


> Some of the first Chords I learnt were the Barre E and A and their variants (minor and 7th) once you have them in 'muscle memory' it's easy the ones I struggle with are the 'Cowboy Chords', C was a right pain and yet I found the 2 finger Barre A shape the easiest to play and to transition from the Barre E shape in a 12 bar, the trick is to play the chord down the neck first (the stretch is less) then transition it further up I found.


Do I need an operation to add a chunk of muscle between my middle and ring finger to increase flexibility?


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## DCBassman (28 Oct 2020)

Drago said:


> Thinking of getting a fretless for the fleet.


Unlined. Looks so much better.


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## Drago (31 Oct 2020)

I quite like them lined, but can't say im especially fussed either way.


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## raleighnut (1 Nov 2020)

Drago said:


> I quite like them lined, but can't say im especially fussed either way.


Let's face it once the strings have been on for a few years who can tell.


View: https://youtu.be/vmmvtX0IUHU


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## Drago (8 Nov 2020)

Thumping away with a bit of Dio era Black Sabbath today. By 'eck, Geezer Butler can play.


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## ColinJ (18 Nov 2020)

Win a guitar time again...!



Blurb said:


> *Enter to win an all-new Taylor GTe Urban Ash*
> *Be among the first to play and own this compact, playful new Taylor body shape!*
> 
> One (1) winner from the United States and Canada and one (1) winner from Germany, France, the Netherlands, or the United Kingdom, will each receive a new Taylor GTe Urban Ash acoustic-electric guitar, an approximate retail value of:
> ...


Enter *HERE* by *30 November 2020 21:00 CET.

NB *I think that you may have to pay import duty/VAT (whatever) on the prize?


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## Drago (25 Nov 2020)

NBD!!!







Flawless finish, superbly set up, feels fantastic in the hands and sounds lubberly! Makes Squiers in the £400 range look like a shoddily finished sick joke.

All hail Harley Benton.


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## DCBassman (25 Nov 2020)

Nice!


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## Drago (25 Nov 2020)

Im loving it. It just _feels_ great in the hands. Im still trying to get my head around how HB sell basses for £118 delivered that would cost £500 from any other brand name.


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## avecReynolds531 (25 Nov 2020)

DCBassman said:


> Nice!


+ 1 
(from a Stingray fan)


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## ColinJ (25 Nov 2020)

Drago said:


> Im loving it. It just _feels_ great in the hands. Im still trying to get my head around how HB sell basses for £118 delivered that would cost £500 from any other brand name.


Blimey - I've just had a look on Thomann - incredible prices ... Some interesting-looking basses for less than £100 including delivery!

I'll be sensible though and wait until I start getting my state pension (early 2022) and have a bit more spending money. I'll treat myself to something then.


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## Drago (25 Nov 2020)

Next on my list is a violin bass and a Steinberger. And a Thunderbird.


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (25 Nov 2020)

Should have updated a few weeks back. I'm now the proud owner of a budget* acoustic bass, it lives in work and I spend a couple hours of each night shift tinkering away.



* £100 ebay nonamed item, could do with decent strings but it holds tuning


----------



## Drago (25 Nov 2020)

Ive got a Bryce acoustic bass. Nothing flash, but brilliant when I have 5 minutes and just want to practice without fannying about withbthe amp and cables.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (25 Nov 2020)

Drago said:


> Ive got a Bryce acoustic bass. Nothing flash, but brilliant when I have 5 minutes and just want to practice without fannying about withbthe amp and cables.


That was my thinking too, although it's got a preamp I never thought of trying it for a bit plugged in


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## ColinJ (27 Nov 2020)

Gibson SG, anyone? 

_"Finally, the good news we've all been waiting for in 2020: beloved Aussie rockers AC/DC have a blinding new album, Power Up, due for release on November 13. 

But that's not where the good news ends. To celebrate the release of the album, we've teamed up with Gibson and AC/DC's label Sony to offer you the chance to win a Gibson SG guitar, signed by Angus Young himself."_

UK entrants aged 18+ only. Enter *HERE* by December 6th, 2020.


----------



## DCBassman (1 Dec 2020)

Gratuitous shot of my 51RI Precision taken at the Tavistock Wharf, January 2010


----------



## macp (1 Dec 2020)

Buggered about with bass & drums for years but never got serious. Really liked a 6 string I had for the low B.

Im very much into jazz & funk. People like Jaco Pastorious but love Mark King with his flying thumb


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## Drago (5 Dec 2020)

Jaco was a diletente. Lemmy is a real bassist.


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## delb0y (5 Dec 2020)

Jaco's playing on Joni's Mitchell's Hejira (partly) made that album. There again, Lemmy's playing on many a Motorhead song, makes those songs... Both great in their respective genres. How about Victor Wooten? Any fans?


----------



## Drago (6 Dec 2020)

Much love here for both Ian Anderson and Mike Oldfield as bassists. Ian did most of the bass work on the Stormwatch album because regular bassist John Glascock was ill (and soonafter died) and Anderson's playing has one hell of a groove. Oldfield did most of his own bass playing on his esrly albums, and he also has a serious dose of finger funk - there are a few films of him playing bass on pooptube and he is proper good.


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## DCBassman (6 Dec 2020)

Other similar cases: Prince recordings are all him.
A lot of Hendrix stuff is all Hendrix, although personally I don't like his style, eg Watchtower.


----------



## ColinJ (17 Dec 2020)

I have been posting a lot of guitar competitions in this thread. Many of them are UK based, but some are based in the USA but allow entries from the UK. I just looked up what the rules are for receiving such a prize here.

It appears that we would currently have to pay a 2% import levy, plus 20% VAT on the value of the prize PLUS shipping and insurance. Safe to say that would be ~25% total. So, winning a guitar worth $1,500 could cost UK members about £275 at today's exchange rate. If you have the cash, that would be a very good deal. I _don't_, so I would have to borrow the money and then sell the prize to pay it back! 

It may be that some competition organisers would cover those extra costs, but I would assume that they would NOT so as not to get a nasty shock, should you be lucky enough to win.


----------



## delb0y (27 Dec 2020)

Heard that the great Tony Rice passed away on Christmas Day. Superb flat-picker and great vocalist. Sad loss.


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## Drago (9 Jan 2021)

Been getting to grips with the Tascam GB-10 guitar and bass trainer. Now I'm used to it i have found it to be a brilliant, easy to use piece of kit. Well worth laying your hands on if you haben't got one.


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## DCBassman (9 Jan 2021)

Drago said:


> Been getting to grips with the Tascam GB-10 guitar and bass trainer. Now I'm used to it i have found it to be a brilliant, easy to use piece of kit. Well worth laying your hands on if you haben't got one.


I have the older mp-bt1 trainer, very good. Will need replacing soon, the GB-10 is the one to get, for sure.


----------



## Oldhippy (12 Jan 2021)

Some of you guitar bods might an answer, in my days of working for Gibson in Japan I had these made for staff at the time. I am sorting out stuff to keep or not. Collectable or not?


----------



## Salad Dodger (12 Jan 2021)

I am not a Gibson devotee (unless anyone has a J45 or a J200 laying about that they would like to give a good home to), but I should have thought that someone in USA would give you a good price for it......


----------



## Oldhippy (12 Jan 2021)

Beautiful guitars both of them. I only ever had one of each in the Japanese showroom/office. Highly sought after always.


----------



## ColinJ (12 Jan 2021)

As has been the story of my (guitar playing) life, I picked up the guitar regularly for a few weeks, got distracted, and stopped...

Something unexpected happened though... I have been getting regular visits from my Covid 'bubble pal' and she noticed that I had my guitar out of storage and decided to have a go. She thinks that she is making little progress, but I have listening to her over the months and she is _definitely _improving. Slow, steady progress. She hasn't _completely _nailed 'F' yet but I reckon that she soon will.

I saw that she was tilting the top of the guitar towards her to get a better look at the fretboard but that meant a big bend of the left wrist. I persuaded her to keep the guitar upright and lean forward more - that really helped her.

She said something which rings true... She enjoys practising so she practises. She thinks that I am more interested in being able to play and get frustrated that I can't, and so I don't enjoy the journey. I think she is right - I need to relax and enjoy the steps along the way.

To illustrate the problem... I have had guitars for 55 years and I can tell you _exactly _how many tunes/songs that I have tried to learn in that time. If you had to guess, you might say 1,000? 500? 250? Nope, the answer is ZERO! Nought! None! Not a single one. Endless twiddly little things that never got joined together with anything else to make a coherent whole. I don't like to hear myself playing badly, so I just don't play.

I'll probably crack it about 10 minutes before the Grim Reaper calls!


----------



## Drago (12 Jan 2021)

I keep track - I learned 44 new songs in 2020.


----------



## houblon (12 Jan 2021)

I was talking to my vicar about how I became a guitarist.

"I was in this shop in Edinburgh, goes by the name of Scales*. Sells fishing tackle and musical instruments. Well I only went in for a pound of maggots, but there was this beautiful guitar hanging up. An SG. I just had to have it! I suddenly realised that what I wanted to do with my life was to play guitar! It was a, it was like a, er..."
"An epiphany?"
"No, it was a real Gibson"

*True, that bit. Don't know if it's still there.


----------



## DCBassman (12 Jan 2021)

houblon said:


> I was talking to my vicar about how I became a guitarist.
> 
> "I was in this shop in Edinburgh, goes by the name of Scales*. Sells fishing tackle and musical instruments. Well I only went in for a pound of maggots, but there was this beautiful guitar hanging up. An SG. I just had to have it! I suddenly realised that what I wanted to do with my life was to play guitar! It was a, it was like a, er..."
> "An epiphany?"
> ...


*groan*


----------



## ColinJ (20 Jan 2021)

_Guitar competition time again!_

"*WIN! AN EPIPHONE CASINO IN WORN BLUE DENIM WORTH £399!*" 

UK residents aged 18+ only. Enter *HERE* by 23:59 GMT, 5 February 2021.


----------



## rogerzilla (27 Jan 2021)

Judge: You stand accused of beating your husband to death with a guitar. How do you plead?
Woman: Guilty, Your Honour.
Judge: Before I pass sentence, I need to know of any mitigating circunstances. First offender?
Woman: No! First a Gibson, then the Fender.


----------



## ColinJ (27 Jan 2021)

My teenage sister... Annoy, annoy, annoy, niggle, niggle, niggle, wind up, wind up, wind up...

Teen me: _Pack it in - you're irritating me!_

Sister... Annoy, annoy, annoy, niggle, niggle, niggle, wind up, wind up, wind up...

Me: _Stop it!_

Sister... Annoy, annoy, annoy, niggle, niggle, niggle, wind up, wind up, wind up...

Me: _Last warning!_

Sister... Annoy, annoy, annoy, niggle, niggle, niggle, wind up, wind up, wind up...

Me (swinging acoustic guitar at her)...: Thwack! Crack! (Crap, I broke my guitar! )

Sister, running off... _Mum, Colin hit me with his guitar!

_


----------



## MontyVeda (5 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> As has been the story of my (guitar playing) life, I picked up the guitar regularly for a few weeks, got distracted, and stopped...
> 
> Something unexpected happened though... I have been getting regular visits from my Covid 'bubble pal' and she noticed that I had my guitar out of storage and decided to have a go. She thinks that she is making little progress, but I have listening to her over the months and she is _definitely _improving. Slow, steady progress. She hasn't _completely _nailed 'F' yet but I reckon that she soon will.
> 
> ...


I'm much the same... i blame it on having too many hobbies.

I'm not bothered that i'm still a crap player after 30 years though... performing in front of people doesn't interest me one little bit. I just enjoy the sounds i can get out of my guitars; picking or playing bass lines on the classical, picking in open D on the acoustic, strumming the (unplugged) electric. 

I'm planning on building a bass body, which is more about the woodwork than the need for a bass. I've got the neck, machinery and pick-ups from a cheap bass i did a disastrous cut-job on decades ago, which I hope to get started soonish.


----------



## ColinJ (5 Feb 2021)

Speaking of D strings... The one on my classical guitar snapped recently while the guitar was resting in its stand, trying to tempt me to walk across the room and pick it up for a change.

And no - I haven't been whacking my bubble pal with that guitar, before any wag asks! She did accidentally clatter the side of the guitar against an empty mug on an adjacent coffee table at the weekend. It turned out that no harm done, but I glared at her and pointed out that it is quite a nice guitar and should be treated with respect... I'm going to ask her to go 50-50 on new strings for my 2 guitars. She plays them about 10 times as much as I do so I think that is more than fair!


----------



## MontyVeda (7 Feb 2021)

so this is the plan for my bass...

I buy a hardwood chopping board and cut the shape out:







How's it looking so far?


----------



## DCBassman (8 Feb 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> so this is the plan for my bass...
> 
> I buy a hardwood chopping board and cut the shape out:
> 
> ...


Excellent, but unless it's a shortie, you'll have severe neck-dive problems.


----------



## Oldhippy (8 Feb 2021)

I have known guys go to a good timber yard and buy a quality off cut of hardwood. Maybe an option perhaps.


----------



## MontyVeda (8 Feb 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Excellent, but unless it's a shortie, you'll have severe neck-dive problems.


It's not a shortie... but I'm gonna mount the saddle right at the back of the body to make it as short as possible.

This is my layout... (it's a lefty, BTW)






The yard stick shows 33" at the nut, but it's measuring from the front edge of the saddle rather than where the strings will sit. It will have a 34" scale because that's the neck i've got.
I have considered neck dive* but I'll only play it on my lap, so shouldn't be much of an issue... and being only 10cm longer than a telecaster guitar i think it'll be OK(ish) and not look like some freaky bass giraffe.



Oldhippy said:


> I have known guys go to a good timber yard and buy a quality off cut of hardwood. Maybe an option perhaps.


I can buy a two piece hardwood body blank for not much more than the hardwood chopping board, but this is going to be hollow!
It seems a shame to buy a chunk of nice hardwood and route most of it out leaving pretty much just the back and sides... it's gonna have a (possibly) cedar top, so the blocky appearance will only be on the back and sides, which might look quite nice/unusual.

*neck dive... I have a back up plan if it is an issue; a lead weight concealed in the body


----------



## ColinJ (8 Feb 2021)

'_Neck dive_' - I'd never heard that description before. I just looked up what it means... That must be a really irritating problem!


----------



## Drago (8 Feb 2021)

It doesn't matter how busy I am, or what else I'm up to, I always do at least an hour a day.

Gear4Music sell very nicely finished ash and mahogany P nass bpies for less than 45 quid. I build my 69 precision replica using the ash version and can higly recommend it. I'm sure the pricing is an error, but their loss, and all that.


----------



## MontyVeda (8 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> '_Neck dive_' - I'd never heard that description before. I just looked up what it means... That must be a really irritating problem!


I believe it's the reason the Stratocaster has horns.


----------



## Oldhippy (8 Feb 2021)

Likewise the Gibson SG models, bass and six string


----------



## Drago (8 Feb 2021)

I never suffer, but im a hefty chap with broad shoulders so the geometry eith the straps works well in my favour.


----------



## MontyVeda (8 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> It doesn't matter how busy I am, or what else I'm up to, I always do at least an hour a day.
> 
> Gear4Music sell very nicely finished ash and mahogany P nass bpies for less than 45 quid. I build my 69 precision replica using the ash version and can higly recommend it. I'm sure the pricing is an error, but their loss, and all that.


That is a bargain! ...but for me there's no fun in buying a ready made body with all the shaping and routing done. This is more about the woodwork than anything else. Lots of doodling, making router jigs, entering unknown territory.... I've been pondering it for years: a tele-shaped bass, with as much air inside it as I can get away with, and a solid top but no _f_ hole... I believe the term is 'chambered' rather than acoustic. I'm hoping it'll sound nice unplugged, but that remains to be seen heard


----------



## MontyVeda (8 Feb 2021)

I've ordered the chopping board (walnut), the top (cedar), pickups, pots, knobs, tuners... current cost £122.14p, plus the cost of the cheap copy p-bass i bought and fecked up 30 years ago... £40. It might take me a year or three to put it all together... so don't hold your breaths


----------



## Oldhippy (8 Feb 2021)

Pictures as you go would be good.


----------



## MontyVeda (9 Feb 2021)

That means tidying up


----------



## Oldhippy (9 Feb 2021)

A messy work shop is an industrious one.


----------



## MontyVeda (9 Feb 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> A messy work shop kitchen is an industrious one.


FTFY


----------



## Drago (9 Feb 2021)

Been conversing today with a chap in the village who wants me as bassist in a new band he's setting up.


----------



## MontyVeda (9 Feb 2021)

Did the village people have a bassist?


----------



## Drago (9 Feb 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> Did the village people have a bassist?


Yes, a guy in lycra with a big moustache and a carbon framed bike!

Its been 6 weeks since I last acquired a bass, and im now getting a strange hankering for a Hofner Shorty. When the lockdown ends ill be down at my Dad's for 2 days a month, so itd make a good travelling companion,


----------



## Oldhippy (9 Feb 2021)

My dad played a Fender fretless five string and a double bass.


----------



## MontyVeda (10 Feb 2021)

The chopping board arrived...






I hope they've done a decent job of bonding it together


----------



## DCBassman (10 Feb 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> The chopping board arrived...
> View attachment 573218
> 
> 
> I hope they've done a decent job of bonding it together


Looks mighty nice, and mighty thick! Are you adding the top to the full thickness?


----------



## MontyVeda (10 Feb 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Looks mighty nice, and mighty thick! Are you adding the top to the full thickness?


it is thick! and heavy!

I'm chuffed that one of the blocks (4th from left) runs full length so it'll have a single solid block from the saddle to the neck pocket 

It'll be 65mm (maybe a tad less) including the top... which is about the same as those acoustic telecasters i reckon






There is one thing i wanted to ask you @DCBassman ...the truss nut is at the body side of the neck and I don't want to cut an access slot in the soundboard as it'll look naff. It'll be a faff having to remove the neck should I need to adjust the truss (possibly having to remove, adjust and refit several times before it's right)... So the question is, _is leaving no access to the truss nut unless the neck is removed_, a completely daft idea?


----------



## Oldhippy (10 Feb 2021)

Looking like it will be heavier than a Les Paul!


----------



## MontyVeda (10 Feb 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> Looking like it will be heavier than a Les Paul!


it'll be hollow.


----------



## Drago (10 Feb 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> So the question is, _is leaving no access to the truss nut unless the neck is removed_, a completely daft idea?


Its not ideal, but there are plenty of guitars and basses out there that do just this, including some Fenders. Once its set up and everything is settled down then it should be fine if you stick to the same gauge and type of strings and are careful with storage.


----------



## MontyVeda (10 Feb 2021)

Cheers Drago... I did mean to @ you too in that question 

I'll probably be like Bernard Edwards with my approach to strings


----------



## Lostagain (10 Feb 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> My dad played a Fender fretless five string and a double bass.


I play a four string Yamaha fretless; thinking about buying a double bass


----------



## Drago (10 Feb 2021)

Ive often loosly thought about getti g an electric double bass.


----------



## Oldhippy (10 Feb 2021)

When Gibson bought Steinburger in the 90's the electric double bass we had in the showroom was interesting.


----------



## Oldhippy (10 Feb 2021)

How popular were they here? In Japan we had little uptake trying to endorse them with artists.


----------



## DCBassman (11 Feb 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> it is thick! and heavy!
> 
> I'm chuffed that one of the blocks (4th from left) runs full length so it'll have a single solid block from the saddle to the neck pocket
> 
> ...





Drago said:


> Its not ideal, but there are plenty of guitars and basses out there that do just this, including some Fenders. Once its set up and everything is settled down then it should be fine if you stick to the same gauge and type of strings and are careful with storage.


As @Drago said, plenty leave it hidden away. I'd have a slot, personally, unless the adjuster is the old slotted type. If a hex head, I'd go for a slot.
Just my personal thing, though.


----------



## MontyVeda (11 Feb 2021)

DCBassman said:


> As @Drago said, plenty leave it hidden away. I'd have a slot, personally, unless the adjuster is the old slotted type. If a hex head, I'd go for a slot.
> Just my personal thing, though.


I think I'm gonna go for no slot... I'll always be looking at the slot but how often would i use it? (I've not touched the truss on my electric in the 15 years I've owned it) ...saying that, I know it'll need some initial fettling as the neck I've got hasn't held strings for 30 years.

In other news...

More toys arrived today






I'm somewhat ignorant when it comes to the electrics... but in recent days I've looked at loads of wiring diagrams and am confident I'll be able to put it all together. It was nice of the guy from Warman to throw in three capacitors and a bit of an explanation regarding the values, although I've no idea what 'PRS' is. But if the .47 is common and the .66 cuts a lot of treble, then I'm guessing the .33 will be quite trebly??? As a listener, I do like the fat bass sound which leans me towards the .66 ...but it's probably more sensible to just put in the common one.

The tone pot is 500K linear... not sure if that makes any difference to capacitor choice. Any advice would be appreciated


----------



## Drago (11 Feb 2021)

Those Warman pickups are great but are very hot - be prepared to have them screwed well down away from the strings.


----------



## rogerzilla (11 Feb 2021)

I remember wiring my Warmoth Telecaster (an actual Fender one would have been cheaper!) years ago. A solder gun is what you really need for the pots - even a 40W iron wasn't really fast enough for the heat soak.


----------



## raleighnut (11 Feb 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> I believe it's the reason the Stratocaster has horns.


I've heard that but i've also heard that the design had the twin cutaways to give better access to the lower frets and that combined with the 'comfort' carves led to the opposite problem of neck rise so they had to add that ugly dod of wood to the headstock to get it to balance.


----------



## raleighnut (11 Feb 2021)

This one is very well balanced,


View: https://youtu.be/bUPMW-z6ViA


----------



## MontyVeda (11 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> Those Warman pickups are great but are very hot - be prepared to have them screwed well down away from the strings.


I'm now a little concerned that the heat might be so great it'll have an adverse effect on the wood


----------



## Oldhippy (11 Feb 2021)

They'll be fine.


----------



## Drago (11 Feb 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> I'm now a little concerned that the heat might be so great it'll have an adverse effect on the wood


Sorry Monty, my bad. Not temperature hot - they're passive pickups and are at ambient temperature. I mean the output is very high.


----------



## MontyVeda (11 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> Sorry Monty, my bad. Not temperature hot - they're passive pickups and are at ambient temperature. I mean the output is very high.


LOL... you muso types with your hip talk 😎

It took me a while to work out what 'pups' were on the telecaster forum.

I told you electrics wasn't my strong point


----------



## Oldhippy (11 Feb 2021)

Also probably worth mentioning what ever you fit in the body you may need to remove at some point in the future so leave enough space to manoeuvre. Soldered wires will increase the space a little bit and you don't want to risk breaking soldered connections when fitting or removing. Sorry if I'm stating the obvious but thought it worth a mention.


----------



## ColinJ (12 Feb 2021)

It's _Strat time... _

"_Win a stunning Fender American Performer Strat!_"

Enter *HERE* by _28/02/21._ (UK entrants only.)


----------



## Drago (12 Feb 2021)

Thanks Colin. Entered 6 times


----------



## MontyVeda (12 Feb 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> ...
> It was nice of the guy from Warman to throw in three capacitors and a bit of an explanation regarding the values, although I've no idea what 'PRS' is. But if the .47 is common and the .66 cuts a lot of treble, then I'm guessing the .33 will be quite trebly??? As a listener, I do like the fat bass sound which leans me towards the .66 ...but it's probably more sensible to just put in the common one.
> 
> The tone pot is 500K linear... not sure if that makes any difference to capacitor choice. Any advice would be appreciated



I've just been watching a few YT vids comparing different capacitors and they all sound more or less exactly the same to me... so I'll put one in the bass and two in the bin 

The cedar soundboard arrived today... it smells like cedar


----------



## ColinJ (12 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> Thanks Colin. Entered 6 times


Sooner or later one of us will win one of these guitars (, effects units, amps, whatever)! 

I enter lots of competitions and find most of them on *Loquax*. I copy details of any guitar-related ones here.

Years ago when I still did postal entries, a colleague saw me posting 10 coming entries. I got the "_It's all a scam. Nobody ever wins anything OR They give the prizes to their families and friends..._" spiel. Ha - I won 2 or 3 prizes from those entries!

It has been a while now, but I won £1,000 last year and £2,000 a couple of years before that.


----------



## rogerzilla (13 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> It's _Strat time... _
> 
> "_Win a stunning Fender American Performer Strat!_"
> 
> Enter *HERE* by _28/02/21._ (UK entrants only.)


Don't like the colour scheme!


----------



## ColinJ (13 Feb 2021)

rogerzilla said:


> Don't like the colour scheme!


Some people are never satisfied! 

White isn't the most exciting colour I can think of for a guitar, but I'd rather win a white one than pay for one in a more interesting colour...


----------



## ColinJ (13 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Sooner or later one of us will win one of these guitars (, effects units, amps, whatever)!


Speaking of competitions to win effects units, amps, whatever... 

Enter *HERE* to try to win "_an ID:Core 40 v3, a PB1 power bank and a TRRS cable_". UK entrants, 18 and older only. "_The winner will be randomly chosen on the 1st March 2021._"


----------



## PaulB (15 Feb 2021)

I've ordered an acoustic round-back guitar from Thomann and got quite excited this morning when they emailed to say it was on its way - until I realised it is on its way from Germany. You know what importing goods are like now so by the time it arrives, I'll probably have forgotten I ordered it and should have bought from Britain. But it did look such a very good deal.


----------



## delb0y (15 Feb 2021)

Round back acoustic? Superb! You'll now be eligible to play the following:


View: https://youtu.be/gd4uVwxsSHk


Alternatively, some John Denver.

Derek


----------



## raleighnut (15 Feb 2021)

aye but John Martyn


View: https://youtu.be/LOi_wxypeGc


----------



## raleighnut (15 Feb 2021)

BTW he was an absoute nutter


View: https://youtu.be/q0DVynJD4jE


but so talented


----------



## Oldhippy (15 Feb 2021)

He had a lot of mental illness and multiple addictions. Truly exceptional talent.


----------



## MontyVeda (15 Feb 2021)

delb0y said:


> Round back acoustic? Superb! You'll now be eligible to play the following:
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/gd4uVwxsSHk
> ...



I remember blagging an Adrian Legg instructional video about 15 years ago in exchange for writing a review of it


----------



## delb0y (15 Feb 2021)

I've never being able to bend strings down there on the second fret - and he does it so easily!


----------



## Drago (15 Feb 2021)

Big hands and long fingers, so I've a pretty good string bending technique.


----------



## ColinJ (15 Feb 2021)

PaulB said:


> I've ordered an acoustic round-back guitar from Thomann and got quite excited this morning when they emailed to say it was on its way - until I realised it is on its way from Germany. You know what importing goods are like now so by the time it arrives, I'll probably have forgotten I ordered it and should have bought from Britain. But it did look such a very good deal.


I'll be interested to see if you get hit for extra import duties etc. I hope to buy something nice from them to celebrate becoming an OAP at the end of next winter!



raleighnut said:


> aye but John Martyn





raleighnut said:


> BTW he was an absoute nutter





raleighnut said:


> but so talented





Oldhippy said:


> He had a lot of mental illness and multiple addictions. Truly exceptional talent.


I saw him play a couple of times. Yes - very good.

A friend of mine spotted him in a pub in Coventry. He was reading a paper, smoking a cigarette, and knocking back a few pre-gig drinks. My pal was a fan and walked over to JM's table...

Pal: "_Hi John. I'm a huge fan of yours. I absolutely *LOVE *Solid Air..._"

JM: "_*F**k O*F!!!*_"

He was not the friendliest of musicians! 

(TBH, I wouldn't like random people coming up to me in a pub either, but I think that is the price you pay for fame and fortune?)


----------



## PaulB (15 Feb 2021)

raleighnut said:


> BTW he was an absoute nutter
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/q0DVynJD4jE
> ...



He worked with the person I regard as the greatest living musician, Lee Scratch Perry and together they worked on 'Big Muff'. A truly GREAT song.


----------



## the snail (15 Feb 2021)

raleighnut said:


> BTW he was an absoute nutter
> 
> 
> but so talented


A friend was in his band for a while, apparently he used to have some lines of nose candy on his amp for refreshment during a gig. One night some wag replaced them with polyfiller. Reportedly, he got a 200k advance to make an album, and it all went up his nose. Talented guy, but he did sort of copy Nick Drake's style.


----------



## raleighnut (15 Feb 2021)

the snail said:


> A friend was in his band for a while, apparently he used to have some lines of nose candy on his amp for refreshment during a gig. One night some wag replaced them with polyfiller. Reportedly, he got a 200k advance to make an album, and it all went up his nose. Talented guy, but he did sort of copy Nick Drake's style.


Aye he was a 'friend' of Nick, used to take the 'mickey' out of him and was shocked when he died, hence 'Solid air'


----------



## raleighnut (15 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I'll be interested to see if you get hit for extra import duties etc. I hope to buy something nice from them to celebrate becoming an OAP at the end of next winter!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Aye Jackie could be just the same, I knew him well and he used a photograph I'd given him on an album.they both shared something in common though, neither of em used their real names.

View: https://youtu.be/3pcJw_Zjf94


----------



## Drago (15 Feb 2021)

PaulB said:


> He worked with the person I regard as the greatest living musician, Lee Scratch Perry...


You pronounce "Ian Anderson" ina very strange manner


----------



## raleighnut (15 Feb 2021)

Mind I only met Debbie once


View: https://youtu.be/VshDBN93zZc


----------



## raleighnut (15 Feb 2021)

PaulB said:


> He worked with the person I regard as the greatest living musician, Lee Scratch Perry and together they worked on 'Big Muff'. A truly GREAT song.


The 'Big Muff' is an effect pedal, I've got one


View: https://youtu.be/JUChwzzO71s


----------



## raleighnut (15 Feb 2021)

BTW I've got the big one on the left..


View: https://youtu.be/9OaLT-wVspk


----------



## houblon (16 Feb 2021)

Lostagain said:


> I play a four string Yamaha fretless; thinking about buying a double bass


I have one for sale. Where do you live?


----------



## raleighnut (16 Feb 2021)

Dunno where to post this but this thread is a bit obscure so enjoy


View: https://youtu.be/ARr2l4TLDsE


----------



## Drago (16 Feb 2021)

It doesnt play for me Mr Nut. It tells me the video is private


----------



## the snail (16 Feb 2021)

PaulB said:


> I've ordered an acoustic round-back guitar from Thomann and got quite excited this morning when they emailed to say it was on its way - until I realised it is on its way from Germany. You know what importing goods are like now so by the time it arrives, I'll probably have forgotten I ordered it and should have bought from Britain. But it did look such a very good deal.


Don't get too excited, I've ordered one from them twice now this year, both times made it to Dortmund, then went to 'return to sender' on the tracking page and I got a refund


----------



## raleighnut (16 Feb 2021)

raleighnut said:


> Dunno where to post this but this thread is a bit obscure so enjoy
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/ARr2l4TLDsE



Aye it does for me too.


----------



## PaulB (16 Feb 2021)

the snail said:


> Don't get too excited, I've ordered one from them twice now this year, both times made it to Dortmund, then went to 'return to sender' on the tracking page and I got a refund


Thanks for helping me build my hopes up!


----------



## Salad Dodger (16 Feb 2021)

@Drago Have you looked at Thomann for a short scale bass? Their Harley Benton instruments seem pretty decent for the money...


----------



## ColinJ (16 Feb 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> @Drago Have you looked at Thomann for a short scale bass? *Their Harley Benton instruments seem pretty decent for the money...*


I think he has already noticed...


Drago said:


> Interesting day at sossity Drago.
> 
> Mini D declared she wants to play bass, just like her Dad, so today I ordered her a 3/4 size precision for her forthcoming 9th Birthday.
> 
> ...





Drago said:


> Thinking about getting one of those Harley Benton Thunderbird clones.





Drago said:


> Think I might try one of the Harley Benton Stingray copies for Christmas. Maybe a bit of 5 string action?





Drago said:


> NBD!!!
> 
> View attachment 560091
> 
> ...


----------



## Drago (17 Feb 2021)

I really do fancy a Hofner Shorty. I van see me impulsively ordering one very soon and then trying to sneak it into the studio, and in 3 months when Mrs D finally notices it ill pretend ive had it for ages...


----------



## Lostagain (18 Feb 2021)

houblon said:


> I have one for sale. Where do you live?


Ashford, Kent. I might not be able to play it anymore after a chainsaw accident


----------



## delb0y (18 Feb 2021)

Lostagain said:


> Ashford, Kent. I might not be able to play it anymore after a chainsaw accident



eek! Hope you are all right!


----------



## PaulB (19 Feb 2021)

My guitar arrived this morning, a week earlier than the last email promised so well done to Thomann for under-promising and over-delivering! 

I did have a full day's worked planned but after that knock on the door and my unveil...sorry, unwrapping of my new joy-bringer, you're lucky I've found time to write this!


----------



## Oldhippy (19 Feb 2021)

😎


----------



## ColinJ (19 Feb 2021)

PaulB said:


> My guitar arrived this morning, a week earlier than the last email promised so well done to Thomann for under-promising and over-delivering!


Did you get hit with any extra charges or did you just pay what was shown on the website?

I stopped doing US guitar competitions because I realised that I wouldn't be able to afford VAT and import duties on any prizes won.


----------



## PaulB (19 Feb 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Did you get hit with any extra charges or did you just pay what was shown on the website?
> 
> I stopped doing US guitar competitions because I realised that I wouldn't be able to afford VAT and import duties on any prizes won.


Nope, nothing at all. I got an excellent deal with the guitar, a strap and spare strings all for under £100! I had my eye on one in my local second-hand shop that I'd have gone for if this one had gone astray but that was dearer than the one I got. It sounds superb as well.


----------



## Drago (19 Feb 2021)

What did you get in the end?


----------



## ColinJ (19 Feb 2021)

I needed a new string for my classical guitar but it isn't worth trying to buy just one so I went online to order a full set.

I thought I'd have a look on ebay and see what I could find. I found a company doing a set for £2.99, and free p&p [*HERE*]. At that price it is worth a punt. They may turn out to be rubbish, but if they are any good at all, that is an absolute bargain. Then I spotted the '_make an offer_' button... I offered £5 for two sets of strings and the offer was accepted. 

Once I have put the new strings on, I promise that I will get back into practising!


----------



## houblon (21 Feb 2021)

Lostagain said:


> Ashford, Kent. I might not be able to play it anymore after a chainsaw accident



Well, if they manage to sew it back on, you know where to find me...


----------



## Lostagain (22 Feb 2021)

delb0y said:


> eek! Hope you are all right!


Just an immobilised finger that's going to take some time to get right. Frustratingly we are having good weather and I daren't risk riding my bike in case I come off and damage the finger.


----------



## ColinJ (22 Feb 2021)

Lostagain said:


> Just an immobilised finger that's going to take some time to get right. Frustratingly we are having good weather and I daren't risk riding my bike in case I come off and damage the finger.


Sounds like your chainsaw-juggling career came to a premature finish...!


----------



## Drago (22 Feb 2021)

Watching a cheap Shorty bass on ebay. If anyone bids on it I'll go round their house and stamp on their toys.


----------



## DCBassman (22 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> Watching a cheap Shorty bass on ebay. If anyone bids on it I'll go round their house and stamp on their toys.


Do it properly and get a Mustang bass!


----------



## Drago (24 Feb 2021)

Hofner Shorty bass ordered. The end of lockdown is on the horizon so I'll be travelling down to my Dad's more often. Shorty bass, Tascam bass trainer, headphones, sorted.


----------



## Cycleops (24 Feb 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> . So the question is, _is leaving no access to the truss nut unless the neck is removed_, a completely daft idea?


Not according to Fender.


----------



## Drago (24 Feb 2021)

Some Fenders had a hole in the scrstchplate into which an L shaped tool could be insetedmto make the adjustment, However, most did not.


----------



## DCBassman (24 Feb 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Not according to Fender.
> 
> View attachment 575514


The reasoning is simple enough. Leo, ever the get-it-done-with-the-least-materials kind of guy, had the truss rod adjust that end so he didn't need a separate angled headstock with the traditional cover plate. The very first examples of what would be the Telecaster has no truss rod at all - Leo thought the rock maple would withstand the strings on its own. His failure was to not understand that wood moves, slowly, but it moves. As saleman Don Randall's samples gradually became unplayable, he relented, and the skunk stripe was born.


----------



## Xipe Totec (24 Feb 2021)

Meanwhile, in Japan...






Which is fine until the little gearbox breaks and you're reduced to removing the neck & grubbing around with a 10mm spanner to try & adjust it.


----------



## raleighnut (24 Feb 2021)

Xipe Totec said:


> Meanwhile, in Japan...
> 
> View attachment 575546
> 
> ...


My 'Tele' has the micro adjust for neck angle there, no need to muck about with shims if the neck angle needs resetting. Not only that the grubscrew pressing against the metal plate in the neck is meant to give better contact and improve sustain


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## Xipe Totec (24 Feb 2021)

raleighnut said:


> My 'Tele' has the micro adjust for neck angle there, no need to muck about with shims if the neck angle needs resetting. Not only that the grubscrew pressing against the metal plate in the neck is meant to give better contact and improve sustain


This is quite a different thing. The truss rod adjusts through the hole with an allen key. I think Gretsch/Baldwin used a similar system at one point.






It'll end up with a 10mm nut on that thread one day!


----------



## Drago (24 Feb 2021)

DCBassman said:


> The reasoning is simple enough. Leo, ever the get-it-done-with-the-least-materials kind of guy, had the truss rod adjust that end so he didn't need a separate angled headstock with the traditional cover plate. The very first examples of what would be the Telecaster has no truss rod at all - Leo thought the rock maple would withstand the strings on its own. His failure was to not understand that wood moves, slowly, but it moves. As saleman Don Randall's samples gradually became unplayable, he relented, and the skunk stripe was born.


Leo was famously tight. When Fender started to expand he moved to bigger premises, and he took the lino from the old workshop floor with him. He then used it to make the dot inlays on many instruments!


----------



## MontyVeda (6 Mar 2021)

Question for the bass players (@Drago @DCBassman @Cycleops) 

new nut and string tree arrived today... but the slots don't line up






I could file out the D & E slots in the tree to give a straight run to the machine head (cutting it fine on the D)... or just cut myself a nut that matches the string tree's spacing of 9mm (same as the old nut) ???


----------



## Cycleops (6 Mar 2021)

I don't think it's critical is it? It's only there to pull the strings down before it goes through the nut.


----------



## MontyVeda (6 Mar 2021)

Cycleops said:


> *I don't think it's critical is it?* It's only there to pull the strings down before it goes through the nut.


I'm not entirely sure... but from an aesthetic point of view it might look a bit odd having the E and D string nipped in towards the A


----------



## DCBassman (6 Mar 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> Question for the bass players (@Drago @DCBassman @Cycleops)
> 
> new nut and string tree arrived today... but the slots don't line up
> 
> ...


If it's a flat Fender-style headstock, why not put in a Fender style disc tree?


----------



## MontyVeda (6 Mar 2021)

DCBassman said:


> If it's a flat Fender-style headstock, why not put in a Fender style disc tree?


It's a RH neck and I'm a lefty, and I figured it'd look funky with one tuner on the top and three on the bottom, so I chopped the end off it 30 years ago redrilled the hole for the E tuner in completely the wrong place and basically made a pig's ear of it... so I'm left with an ugly headstock (photos to come) that needs all its holes plugging, reshaping and drilling out and not being an expert, I think the new positions of the tuners (which is still one top, three bottom on an inverted tele-esque head) needs a three string string tree, instead of the two string button... if that makes sense 

the other option is a bar across all four... but i quite liked the look of the three string tree, and it's all about aesthetics, mostly


----------



## DCBassman (6 Mar 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> It's a RH neck and I'm a lefty, and I figured it'd look funky with one tuner on the top and three on the bottom, so I chopped the end off it 30 years ago redrilled the hole for the E tuner in completely the wrong place and basically made a pig's ear of it... so I'm left with an ugly headstock (photos to come) that needs all its holes plugging, reshaping and drilling out and not being an expert, I think the new positions of the tuners (which is still one top, three bottom on an inverted tele-esque head) needs a three string string tree, instead of the two string button... if that makes sense
> 
> the other option is a bar across all four... but i quite liked the look of the three string tree, and it's all about aesthetics, mostly


Ok, that works too!


----------



## Drago (6 Mar 2021)

You want the strings going as straight as possible from the nut to the tuners - loom at a Precision bass headstock to see how it should be, and an EB3 headstock to see how it should not be done.


----------



## Drago (6 Mar 2021)

Any of you good folks use Bandlab?


----------



## Xipe Totec (8 Mar 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> Question for the bass players (@Drago @DCBassman @Cycleops)
> 
> new nut and string tree arrived today... but the slots don't line up
> 
> ...


I'd be inclined to put the strings on, get some tension on them & see if there's a place on the headstock where the strings will pass under the tree without fouling it too much. Looking at a selection of basses I have lying around, most of them don't have dead parallel strings after they pass over the nut & the 4-a-side Fender types all tend to narrow a bit.

I've got the same sort of string tree on a Sire V7 Jazz and it does squeeze the A & D together very slightly, but you really have to look to notice it.


----------



## delb0y (8 Mar 2021)

Improvisation... Discovering that my mind is slower than my fingers. I'll get there, but it's so frustrating! Played a lot of rock'n'roll and country and blues over the years, but have been that typical guitar player - couple of blues boxes and Bob Sherunkle. But trying to do it properly is another matter altogether.


----------



## MontyVeda (8 Mar 2021)

Xipe Totec said:


> I'd be inclined to put the strings on, get some tension on them & see if there's a place on the headstock where the strings will pass under the tree without fouling it too much. Looking at a selection of basses I have lying around, most of them don't have dead parallel strings after they pass over the nut & the 4-a-side Fender types all tend to narrow a bit.
> 
> I've got the same sort of string tree on a Sire V7 Jazz and it does squeeze the A & D together very slightly, but you really have to look to notice it.


I decided to cut a new nut as fitting the black graphite one would have meant butchering the neck a tad (it currently has a slot about 3mm, which would need changing to a shoulder type fitting). I used a RH brass nut as a guide and considering it's my 1st one, it's looking good. Of course I need to put the some strings on and fettle it some more... but I need to make the body first, so it might be some time


----------



## ColinJ (9 Mar 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I needed a new string for my classical guitar but it isn't worth trying to buy just one so I went online to order a full set.
> 
> I thought I'd have a look on ebay and see what I could find. I found a company doing a set for £2.99, and free p&p [*HERE*]. At that price it is worth a punt. They may turn out to be rubbish, but if they are any good at all, that is an absolute bargain. Then I spotted the '_make an offer_' button... I offered £5 for two sets of strings and the offer was accepted.
> 
> Once I have put the new strings on, I promise that I will get back into practising!


My guitar-learning bubble pal was coming over so I decided to show her how to put the new string on. She wasn't actually that interested so I fitted it for her but tried getting her to tune it. She didn't have a clue about that either. It turns out that she has never really attempted to tune a guitar.

I tune the classical guitar down here in the living room so that is normally left in tune or pretty close. 

My steel-strung acoustic is up in the attic bedroom which she sleeps in. I can hear her when she is practising up there but not really make out what notes she is playing. It dawned on me that this second guitar was probably not in tune so I went up to check it and it was terrible! The guitar strings were on average over a semitone flat but individual strings varied by a quarter tone or more sharp or flat of that. It sounded awful. There is an electronic guitar tuner in the room next to where the guitar is kept so I had assumed that she would have been keeping the instrument tuned.

That surprised me, but I was actually shocked when I discovered that she couldn't really tell whether the guitar was properly tuned or not - very strange!

My hearing isn't brilliant and I don't have perfect pitch, but I can easily hear gross tuning errors. I don't understand how anyone cannot tell the difference between 2 E strings being 2 octaves apart, and them being 2 octaves plus a quarter tone apart...


----------



## Drago (9 Mar 2021)

Laying down a bass track on Bandlab this morning. The new band havent played together yet and may not do so for a while, sho we are each donating a track to the Foo Fighter's Learn To Fly to get a feel for how each other plays, and przctice collaborating on Bandlab. Big sigh of relief for me because thats mainly very easy root note stuff about 3 notes in all - I could quite literally read a book while playing it (and i mean actually literally, not figuratively).

The new computer set up very easily and being quad something or other and having solid state valves in its brain means its lightning fast, so it should be an all round pleasurable experience.


----------



## Cycleops (10 Mar 2021)

Buying a bass here is not easy, or should I say buying one that's not a fake or a heap of rubbish. Also five strings are more popular so you hardly see four, so I grabbed this Rockjam when it came up on the equivalent of Gumtree.





They are less than $100 on Amazon. Body is real wood and is nicely finished. Fret edges not the best but usable. These days it seems budget instruments are good quality. The neck was like a banana and filthy dirty but all that was fixed. I got a new set of D'Addario strings and managed to get a nice low action.
Being a bit of a fiddler I thought I'd change out the pickup. I wanted a EMG Geezer Butler but was out of stock for some while so I ordered another model. When it came it was active, not noted on the Gear4Music site. It's a solder less job with everything plugging in. Good quality pots and Jack socket supplied. Battery sits under the pots secured with a bit of silicone.
Sound is now much more powerful and has transformed the instrument. Recommended if you want to mod your P.


----------



## DCBassman (10 Mar 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Recommended if you want to mod your P.


Nah, P also stands for passive! A battery-powered circuit is just one more thing to go wrong, IMHO. I'm afraid I'm very @SkipdiverJohn about these things when it comes to basses!


----------



## Drago (10 Mar 2021)

Spent this evening using Bandlab to lay down my bass tracks to the mix of Learn to fly and The Importance of Being Idle for the new band I've joined. The guitarist has some chops and is good with the mixing, laid down multiple guitar partsmin very short order. Our vocalist (remember when they were just called singers?) Is laying down the vocals at the weekend.

The lockdown and the like has been a real ballache, but the ability to collaborate remotely and so effectively has been a real boon.


----------



## ColinJ (12 Mar 2021)

@Drago - I thought you might like this, which just popped up on my YouTube feed...


----------



## Drago (13 Mar 2021)

Anyone on here fancy collaborating on Bandlab?


----------



## DCBassman (13 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> Anyone on here fancy collaborating on Bandlab?


OK, I've signed up!


----------



## Drago (13 Mar 2021)

PM incoming.


----------



## raleighnut (14 Mar 2021)

DCBassman said:


> OK, I've signed up!


Just what we need, 2 Bass players


----------



## ColinJ (14 Mar 2021)

raleighnut said:


> Just what we need, 2 Bass players


Have you never heard of double bass players...?


----------



## Drago (14 Mar 2021)

It'll be fun comparing notes and techniques. Im a mainly pick player because of the lack of feeling in my fingers, and Bassy is a fingerstyle player, so it'll be an interesting exercise.


----------



## Xipe Totec (14 Mar 2021)

I'm expecting a cover of Spinal Tap's Big Bottom, at the very least.


----------



## Drago (16 Mar 2021)

A busy morning in the home studio.


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## DCBassman (16 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> A busy morning in the home studio.
> View attachment 578918


What are you using to interface your instruments?


----------



## Drago (16 Mar 2021)

Behringer UM2. Very basic, but I omly input one instrument. I have astudio mic for acoustic cqpture, and that has its own tiny interface built into the lead.


----------



## DCBassman (16 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> Behringer UM2. Very basic, but I omly input one instrument. I have astudio mic for acoustic cqpture, and that has its own tiny interface built into the lead.


UMC22 for me, purely because it was on offer as B stock. Only slighly less basic than the UM2. Haven't done much with it, to be honest. Using Audacity as DAW, but don't know much about that either! Lots of learning to do. Any recommendations and tips gratefully received!


----------



## Drago (16 Mar 2021)

I record onto Audacity and then import the tracks into Bandlab. I get a bit of latency on Bandlab, and it can be a little glitchy, so I don't us it much for work or recording, only for sharing with the band and for receiving the tracks that they've done - for that its really good. Once im done in audacity I use Bandlab for final tweaks, adding and effects, and setting the timing with respect to the other tracks.

Still getting used to Audacity myself Im afraid, but it does seem a simple and effective program.


----------



## Xipe Totec (16 Mar 2021)

Was going to ask if anyone did home recording! I've been recording my own nonsense for years, starting with a Fostex cassette-based 4-track & preset drum box back in the 80s. After a long & messy separation from hardware multitrackers, I've fairly recently started using a PC-based system, now running Reaper.

Considering I've been using computers for everything else in the world for over 25 years, I still remain baffled as to why it's taken so long to move my musical endeavours across. Still yet to produce anything approximating a finished track - but the experiments are promising!


----------



## ColinJ (16 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> Still getting used to Audacity myself Im afraid, but it does seem a simple and effective program.


I play about with it to knock up temporary sound effects for the game that I am writing. I use the laptop's onboard mic to capture the audio.

I recorded some '_hummmmm_', '_whoooooooosh_', '_click_', '_clack_' and '_Uh-Oh_' (You lose/Out of moves/Out of time/Wrong answer)*** sounds which are okay for now. 

One clip that I really like started off as an attempt at human beatbox EDM but it was pretty bad so I thought I would play with it to see what Audacity could do to it. I clipped it, reversed it, shifted it down in pitch, applied EQ and reverb and then an envelope to fade it in and out. It sounds like a demented bison on drugs in a cave! 

I'm still thinking that I might buy a cheap bass and record that for some ethereal game music. I have a few games on my phone which have very simple but interesting background music - not technically difficult, but in keeping with the simplicity of those games.



*** A bit like this _Family Fortunes_ sound effect...


----------



## DCBassman (16 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> I record onto Audacity and then import the tracks into Bandlab. I get a bit of latency on Bandlab, and it can be a little glitchy, so I don't us it much for work or recording, only for sharing with the band and for receiving the tracks that they've done - for that its really good. Once im done in audacity I use Bandlab for final tweaks, adding and effects, and setting the timing with respect to the other tracks.
> 
> Still getting used to Audacity myself Im afraid, but it does seem a simple and effective program.


Cool, I just need to knuckle down and get some time in. What sort of grunt does your PC have to work all this? The one I'm typing on could do music several times over in its sleep, but might not use that for music.


----------



## Drago (16 Mar 2021)

Its a brand new fairly hi spec Hewlett Packard with built in solid state valves and quad earths core, or something. I keep as much as possible on an external SSD anyway. It absolutely flies.


----------



## Cycleops (16 Mar 2021)

Thought I'd give you all a laugh. I found this 'new style' Fender Precision bass on the local equivalent of Gumtree. I think the fakers got their Stingrays and Fenders mixed up.


----------



## DCBassman (16 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> Its a brand new fairly hi spec Hewlett Packard with built in solid state cales and quad earths core, or something. I keep as much as possible on an external SSD anyway. It absolutely flies.


I built this one, components are not new, but it's many times the power I could ever use. And a Core i5-3470 with 8GB ram as a backup, so no shortage of horsepower. The i5 is probably more than enough. Two displays would be a bonus, but, alas, no space.


----------



## DCBassman (16 Mar 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Thought I'd give you all a laugh. I found this 'new style' Fender Precision bass on the local equivalent of Gumtree. I think the fakers got their Stingrays and Fenders mixed up.
> 
> View attachment 578956
> 
> ...


That looks suspiciously like a standard 1.625" neck with 5 strings crammed on. There's previous for that, Wilkinson used to make a converter bridge to do it. However, ALL Precisions have the bridge at the end of the body, and NONE of them have 24 frets...


----------



## Drago (16 Mar 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Thought I'd give you all a laugh. I found this 'new style' Fender Precision bass on the local equivalent of Gumtree. I think the fakers got their Stingrays and Fenders mixed up.
> 
> View attachment 578956
> 
> ...


Christ, when I built my Fakender I at least went to some effort to make an accurate copy.


----------



## Cycleops (16 Mar 2021)

@Drago & @DCBassman . Yours for the princely sum of £100.


----------



## Drago (16 Mar 2021)

Id give you a hundred quid to burn it. Even John Entwistle would refuse to smash that up on stage.


----------



## MontyVeda (16 Mar 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Thought I'd give you all a laugh. I found this 'new style' Fender Precision bass on the local equivalent of Gumtree. I think the fakers got their Stingrays and Fenders mixed up.
> 
> View attachment 578956
> 
> ...


is that a short scale neck? ...or just the angle??


----------



## Xipe Totec (16 Mar 2021)

Don't think it looks 34", considering that appears to be a 24 fret neck stuck on a standard P type body. Anyway I quite like it, but I have previous for Basses Done Wrong. Most unnecessary thing is the shonky Fender sticker, otherwise it's quite an interesting take on an intrinsically dull bass - I like the finish too, reminds me of my old Aria Pro RSB. If I saw that at the local car boot for £30, it'd be coming home with me.


----------



## Drago (16 Mar 2021)

Even the shape of the body is wrong. The outline is a bit chubbier than the real deal, a bit like the early 80's Encores.

Now here's a thing - in the 80's no one wanted an Encore, they were seen as cheap sheet. Now they they are a bit colletible and go for moderately decent money. What gives?


----------



## MontyVeda (16 Mar 2021)

My latest project (which is moving along very slowly)... is to make a body for the bass neck i've had for 30 years. But I'm thinking about making a prototype of the body out of ply before cutting into the walnut... which means I'll then have a neckless body 

And that got me thinking about a short scale 5 string on a telecaster body...and that find by @cyclops is a cheap enough way to get the neck and metalwork for the _hollowcaster mk_II


----------



## raleighnut (16 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> Even the shape of the body is wrong. The outline is a bit chubbier than the real deal, a bit like the early 80's Encores.
> 
> Now here's a thing - in the 80's no one wanted an Encore, they were seen as cheap sheet. Now they they are a bit colletible and go for moderately decent money. What gives?


Do you mean the Squier models, the Japanese built ones were reckoned to be better than the Fender ones, a bit like the Tokai 'Strats'


----------



## Xipe Totec (16 Mar 2021)

Squier JVs (the earliest ones from '82/3) can go for properly silly money now, often 4 figures or over.

Get me started on old Japanese guitars & I am likely to bore you to the point of a ban request - but Fender Japan was set up specifically because the replica-standard Greco Strat copies were demonstrably superior to the CBS-era Fender stuff of the time, and Fender realised they couldn't beat Japanese manufacturers on quality or price. The company which owns Greco actually ended up being a partner in Fender Japan, and anecdotally the very first JV Squiers started life as part of a Greco production run.

There is a connection between Encore Fender copies & Fender but I am very aware of how crushingly dull all this stuff is...


----------



## Drago (16 Mar 2021)

Nah, I meant the Encores, cheap clones from (I think) Korea.

Some of the Squiers in the earlier days were punted out by Japanese firms like Tokai, who had indeed been making superb quality clones. Unsurprisingly, they were adept at making high quality instruments to a keen price point, and they did indeed embarass the USA based Fender factories.

In general, I dont buy into this idead that MIM Fenders etc are lesser quality than the US built ones. First of all, a millimetre in Mexicomis the same as the one used a few hundred miles North. And secondly, its not as if "made in America" is a byline for high quality engineering in other fields, such as cars, electronics or the 737 Max. That being the case, I don't understand why people get moist over USA Fenders when the foreign built ones are often their equal or even better.


----------



## Xipe Totec (16 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> Nah, I meant the Encores, cheap clones from (I think) Korea.
> 
> Some of the Squiers in the earlier days were punted out by Japanese firms like Tokai, who had indeed been making superb quality clones. Unsurprisingly, they were adept at making high quality instruments to a keen price point, and they did indeed embarass the USA based Fender factories.



Tokai was involved with Fender Japan but not until much later - late 90s, I think. Up until that point they were exclusively made by Fujigen Gakki, best known for Ibanez & the aforementioned Greco. Basically any Fender or Squier marked 'Made In Japan' is a Fujigen, subsequent 'Crafted In Japan' instruments are Tokai or Dyna Gakki. Makes no difference in terms of quality - just the pedantry... 

The Fender/Encore connection is that some 90s Encores appear to be identical to Fender-licensed Sunn Mustang Strats & Precisions, and from the same factory in India. I've had a few Indian-made Sunn Strats and (apart from some cheap hardware) they're excellent. This might be why Encores are appreciating, or it could just be that there are mugs who will pay through the nose for any old tat.


----------



## Seevio (17 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> Anyone on here fancy collaborating on Bandlab?


I would but I suspect you already have a surfeit of bassists. I suppose I could stretch to drums if you're not looking for a Neil Peart replacement. Or maybe rhythm guitar. I could also wing keyboards for a recording but the bottom of the barrel will be starting to look a bit worn.


----------



## Drago (17 Mar 2021)

@Seevio bring it on! The band ive just joined needs a drummer - while you cant do the pubs with us ut would be great to have a drumer laying down some sounds for our tracks.


----------



## ColinJ (27 Mar 2021)

It's competition time again...

"_WIN! A WALRUS AUDIO MAKO SERIES R1** WORTH £319!_"

Enter *HERE* by 23:59 GMT, 2 April 2021. (ColinJ: Why not BST? ). Only open to UK entrants aged 18 and over.

*PS I think the answer is 2020!*

** stereo reverb stompbox


----------



## Drago (27 Mar 2021)

My Presonus reference speakers have arrived.







You gotta love what you do.


----------



## ColinJ (2 Apr 2021)

"_Win £800 worth of Fender pedals_". Enter *HERE* before the end of April, 2021. 

"_This competition is open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding employees of the promoters, their families and anyone else professionally connected with this promotion._"


----------



## Grant Fondo (2 Apr 2021)

Can't get enough Joe past few weeks, found out he taught Steve Vai to play too 

View: https://youtu.be/zDfy67my2So


----------



## Grant Fondo (2 Apr 2021)

ColinJ said:


> "_Win £800 worth of Fender pedals_". Enter *HERE* before the end of April, 2021.
> 
> "_This competition is open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding employees of the promoters, their families and anyone else professionally connected with this promotion._"


Will give that a go, my Boss multi died a while back


----------



## ColinJ (2 Apr 2021)

Grant Fondo said:


> Will give that a go, my Boss multi died a while back


Good luck!


----------



## Cycleops (9 Apr 2021)

Just found another basket case on the local sales site.





The scrawling is acrylic paint. I managed to remove most of it with alcohol. My customisation said the seller. It's an old SX. Paid fifty quid, probably too much.

Can anyone spot the fault? I didn't at first shouldn't be too hard to fix.
Machine heads are rubbish but Ive got some on the way together with strings from Gear4music.


----------



## DCBassman (9 Apr 2021)

Enlighten us!


----------



## Cycleops (9 Apr 2021)

I’m surprised nobody can see it. I’ll leave it up until tomorrow to see if anyone spots it.


----------



## ColinJ (9 Apr 2021)

Cycleops said:


> I’m surprised nobody can see it. I’ll leave it up until tomorrow to see if anyone spots it.


The strings don't line up properly with the pickups?


----------



## Seevio (9 Apr 2021)

Has it got an input jack on the front AND on the edge? Image isn't high enough resolution to tell.


----------



## ColinJ (9 Apr 2021)

I had an electrician in yesterday to do the electrical safety checks***. He turned out to be a keen guitarist. He spotted my guitars and asked me embarrassing questions such as "_How long have you been playing?_" (Ans: Owned guitars for 54 year but still can't play!) and "_What kind of music do you play?_" (Ans: See previous answer!) 

He gave me his tips on how to go about it... 







*** New regulations which came in last summer for private rental properties in England require this to be done every 5 years. Details *HERE*.


----------



## Cycleops (9 Apr 2021)

ColinJ said:


> The strings don't line up properly with the pickups?


Oou, nearly!


----------



## ColinJ (9 Apr 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Ouu, nearly!


They do seem to be diverging quite rapidly...

Are the strings actually bent over the top of the bottom pickup?


----------



## Cycleops (9 Apr 2021)

Im sure @Drago will spot it.


----------



## Drago (9 Apr 2021)

Nope, sorry, it's eluding old Unkie Drago.


----------



## Cycleops (9 Apr 2021)

Okay, it’s the bridge. It’s about 1cm too far to the right. If you look you’ll see the RH side is just about in line with the right side of bridge pick up.
Poor QC.


----------



## raleighnut (10 Apr 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Just found another basket case on the local sales site.
> View attachment 583078
> 
> 
> ...


the neck has been put on skewif


----------



## MontyVeda (10 Apr 2021)

Drago said:


> ... I don't understand why people get moist over USA Fenders when the foreign built ones are often their equal or even better.


Many years ago i had a brief play on a friend's USA built left handed Stratocaster. I was really excited until it was on my lap... then I wasn't taken by it at all. Despite it looking like the bees knees, it just didn't feel right. 

Around the same time a battered old Gordon Smith GS1 was knocking about. The manufacturer meant nothing to me. The single pink-up underwhelmed and its thin body made it look like it'd been made from a cheap plank... all in all, a very basic looking guitar. But it felt so nice.

When I could afford a decent electric, I went for the GS1


----------



## Salad Dodger (10 Apr 2021)

Maybe SX guitars have improved their quality control over the years. 
My SX telecopy, bought new about 3 years ago, is surprisingly capable for a £99 (with gig bag) guitar. 
In a perfect world, some better pickups or maybe even tone cap would be handy, but I only play it occasionally so I am not inclined to invest in changing it.....


----------



## Drago (10 Apr 2021)

Far too much needless snobbishness in the guitar/bass world with instruments, much like in the shooting world with shotguns. Know nothings say stuff like, "save your money and get a Squier", when in actual fact the Harley Benton is almost always a better finished, better playing, better sounding instrument.

Remember the 70's when people were slagging off - the greatly superior built, better driving, more economical - Japanese cars? How wrong did they turn out to be! It's bad enough that people never learn, but when there is a neat, convenient and very well known historic precedent and people still choose not to learn it beggars belief.


----------



## MontyVeda (10 Apr 2021)

just stumbled across a short documentary about Gordon Smith guitars... and my love for mine has just increased ten-fold.

I always assumed the Gordon Smith factory would be a sizable place with lots of staff and a big production line* (a bit like the Martin Guitar factory i toured a decade ago)... but no.



*Turns out it kind of is these days... John and Chris retired in 2015 and flogged their brand to Auden guitars, but as far as i can tell from the GS facebook group, the quality is still top notch.


----------



## Drago (10 Apr 2021)

My next bass will be a violin bass of some sort. As a bassist you need one of everyrhing, and as a Beatles fan you gotta have one for obvious reasons.

The Hofner looks fantastic, particularly the Cavern model with the 2 pickups close to the neck.

But the Epiphone Viola is better made, has proper bass tuners, a through neck, sounds great, but still really looks the part.

Im inclined towards the Epiphone, but what do my fellow Brothers in Bass reckon?


----------



## Cycleops (10 Apr 2021)

Difficult decision. You should also look at the Harley Benton Beat Bass. I think under £300 including a case which is more or less essential.

Edit: Went to check and it's an incredible £166 with the case at Thomann


----------



## Drago (10 Apr 2021)

Bloody hell, forgot about that. Supposed to be a tidy player too.

Edit - currently £119 from Thomann UK, albeit not in stock for 6 or 7 weeks.


----------



## ColinJ (10 Apr 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Went to check and it's an incredible £166 with the case at Thomann


I was wondering what the post-Brexit situation is with Thomann orders so I looked it up...



Thomann said:


> *Special Rules for our UK Customers*
> With the new trade agreement between the EU and the UK, new regulations have been applied to all commercial transactions between the two distinct markets.
> 
> As of 01.01.2021 all *current prices* shown on our UK website *do not include VAT 20%* (Value Added Tax).
> ...


----------



## Cycleops (10 Apr 2021)

Here's Abraham Lincoln playing one:


View: https://youtu.be/PstQCZiVt5Q


----------



## Drago (10 Apr 2021)

Hhhmmm, less than 135 quid si,mif im reading that right, vety cheap indeed.


----------



## Cycleops (10 Apr 2021)

There's a few Hofners on Gumtree.

Vintage also do one:
https://www.jhs.co.uk/products/vintage-violin-bass-reissued


----------



## Salad Dodger (10 Apr 2021)

Attention bass players everywhere:
Flat wound bass strings are usually pretty pricey. I saw that "Adagio" flatwound bass strings can be bought on ebay for about £17 per set, and as I have had great success with their acoustic guitar strings, I bought a set for my Crafter (cheapo) bass. They are fab! 
I have no connection to the company or the ebay sellers. I am just a happy bass player....


----------



## the snail (10 Apr 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I was wondering what the post-Brexit situation is with Thomann orders so I looked it up...


I never got my guitar from Thomann - ordered twice, both times made it to a courier, then returned to sender. I think others have had more luck though. Be aware there are pitfalls though, e.g. if you return the instrument, it's not a zero cost option - you can get stung for customs fees, postage etc. Someone got stung for vat because a repaired item wasn't marked as such, and customs charged vat....
I gave up in the end, and had to buy a more expensive guitar from the UK instead


----------



## MontyVeda (11 Apr 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> Attention bass players everywhere:
> Flat wound bass strings are usually pretty pricey. I saw that "Adagio" flatwound bass strings can be bought on ebay for about £17 per set, and as I have had great success with their acoustic guitar strings, I bought a set for my Crafter (cheapo) bass. They are fab!
> I have no connection to the company or the ebay sellers. I am just a happy bass player....


apart from not squeaking like roundwound do... what's the difference in sound between flat and round?

Personally I like a fatter, duller sound from my guitar strings. To me they sound best when they've been on for a few months... new strings are just too bright.


----------



## Drago (11 Apr 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> Attention bass players everywhere:
> Flat wound bass strings are usually pretty pricey. I saw that "Adagio" flatwound bass strings can be bought on ebay for about £17 per set, and as I have had great success with their acoustic guitar strings, I bought a set for my Crafter (cheapo) bass. They are fab!
> I have no connection to the company or the ebay sellers. I am just a happy bass player....


Im a big fan of Adagio nickel flat wounds.

Flats give a less clangy, more controlled tone for those of us who like the bassy 'whump' sound, albeit with a little less sustain. Some hardcore rockers who really dig in while playing prefer rounds, but flats generally seem the prevail.


----------



## MontyVeda (11 Apr 2021)

Worth a punt at £15.99 including postage. Thanks @Salad Dodger and @Drago 

Now all have to do is build that bass to put them on


----------



## Drago (11 Apr 2021)

Those cheap Olympia flats are ok, but do take a good bit of playing in before they stop sounding a little muddy on the E. The Adagio nickel flats are better for the same price.


----------



## Cycleops (13 Apr 2021)

You might recall I bought this SX bass cheaply and I've replaced the machine heads and corrected the bridge position.
The problem is the strings don't line up on the neck. I suspect the neck is slightly off caused I think by poorly routed neck pocket. @raleighnut said the neck had been put on skewiff, good spot.
Anybody concur?


----------



## DCBassman (13 Apr 2021)

If the neck pocket is good and tight, it's a problem. If not, slacken enough to move it, then retighten. Other alternative is to move the bridge yet again.


----------



## Cycleops (13 Apr 2021)

Thanks DC. It is tight. I think I might just get another body. This one is extremely heavy, think it must be some sort of mahogany.


----------



## Xipe Totec (13 Apr 2021)

Interesting. Neck pickup's out of alignment too but bridge pickup isn't. Not sure how that happens, these things will be CNC'd out in their thousands.

Looks like you might have gone slightly too far the other way realigning the bridge - try using each side of the neck to mark guide lines, by running a straight-edge down to the bridge position.

I've found wooden cocktail sticks, superglue & a Stanley knife blade an effective toolkit for bodging filling before re-drilling errant screwholes!


----------



## DCBassman (13 Apr 2021)

Xipe Totec said:


> Looks like you might have gone slightly too far the other way realigning the bridge - try using each side of the neck to mark guide lines, by running a straight-edge down to the bridge position.



Easier still, use the slack outer strings. Even spacing over the neck, mark to fit bridge to match.


----------



## Drago (13 Apr 2021)

Use a ling straight edge and draw a line out of each edge down to the brisge, then mount the bridge centrally between the 2 lines. If the pockeys for the pups have been cut out off centre its an eyesore but shouldnt affdct the sound.


----------



## Drago (17 Apr 2021)

Its that day of the month again...


----------



## Cycleops (26 Apr 2021)

An easy mistake to make:


----------



## Drago (26 Apr 2021)

The best drummers are on drugs.


----------



## Xipe Totec (26 Apr 2021)

Drago said:


> The best drummers are on drugs.


Nah. The best drummers are on 9v DC.


----------



## Drago (26 Apr 2021)

Change of theme. Ive been using Presomus StudioOne recently. It is very versatile, _but..._it's very complicated, and a but flaky. It regularly forgets the drivers and stuff for my Behringer interface. Its been so annoying I've gone back to Audacity, which isn't as capable (but is more than enough for my needs) but is rock solid stable and very simple to use.


----------



## ColinJ (26 Apr 2021)

I have been playing about with Audacity again recently. It's a bit daft using that when I have a (legitimate!) *FL Studio All-plugins* installation, but I have not yet spent enough time getting my head round how that works to be able to use it.

I discovered that the game engine I am using has its own audio processing system built in. I had been processing my audio clips in Audacity and adding reverb, chorus etc there. The trouble is, that can make the files quite big. If my game imported 'dry' sound files they would probably only be about 10% of the size and I could get the game engine to liven them up.


----------



## Drago (29 Apr 2021)

Decided to refinish my G&L jazz. Its had a poor DIY paintjob in the past, and goes beyond relic into the realms of past apocalyptic.

Bass stripped, now rubbing down the body. Will also rewire and replace the pots. The pickups are really nice Alan Entwistle jobs, so they're staying.


----------



## Drago (30 Apr 2021)

G&L stripped, dings filled, and rubbed down. Primer ordered. Decided im going for a cherry red, but can't decide between a black or dark grey tort pickguard.


----------



## delb0y (1 May 2021)

Turned down a gig for next weekend. There are a couple in the diary for July onwards, but for some reason next weekend just feels too soon. Reports from the venue (an outdoor beer garden, playing in a marquee) was that last weekend was very busy, but with few masks and little social distancing. I just didn't feel the love, so trusted my instincts.


----------



## Drago (1 May 2021)

I saw our lead guitairist wihile walking the dog this morning. We agreed that once Mrs D and myself have had our 2nd jabs then we can start rehearshing together, so hopefully 2 or 3 weeks. No bookings yet, but I don't think thatll be a problem.


----------



## ColinJ (8 May 2021)

Right you lot, I have found a great creative musical challenge for you, but you will have to hurry - *entries must be in by 17th May, 2021*. 

The task is to write an advertising jingle for _Vision Direct, _maximum length 30 seconds. It must be entirely your original work, the rights to which you will transfer to Vision Direct if you win. Winners will not only get the pleasure of irritating radio and TV audiences all over Europe with their catchy earworm, they will also receive a payment of... (drum roll)...




_*£10,000! *_

Full details *HERE*. (There is mention of a recording session at Abbey Road studios. That sounds like you might be invited to record the production version of the jingle, but I couldn't see any confirmation of that?!)

Good luck!


----------



## Drago (8 May 2021)

Ive sent in my entry, which must be sung to the tune of the On The Buses theme...

_"Vision direct,
I don't know what they do,
But I want ten grand for 30 seconds work,
So habe to say theyre f#@$ing bloody brilliant,
Buy their product,
I'm sure it will be good,
Though I'm still not sure what it is,
But it might be something to do with telescopes"_

I reckon the ten gees is as good as mine.


----------



## ColinJ (8 May 2021)

D'oh!!!!!! I am _very _embarrassed to admit this, but it has to be done... 

I have 2 guitars - a nylon-strung Yamaha classical guitar, and a steel-strung Tanglewood acoustic. I am used to replacing strings on the Yamaha but I never actually got round to replacing the strings on the Tanglewood, despite having owned it for years. The strings do _need _replacing, but given that I barely touch the guitars, it's not really been a big issue. 

The important fact is that I am used to tying nylon strings to my classical guitar bridge and NOT used to attaching steel strings to my other guitar using those little bridge pegs.

When I first bought the Tanglewood, I tuned it. Yeah, I know, a bit of a revolutionary concept, but you never know - I might actually decide to try and play it! Anyway, there I was, day #1, over 20 years ago, guitar tuned. I strummed a couple of chords. Mmm, they sound pretty nice - loud, and bright compared to the more subtle tones of the Yamaha. Then I did a bit of finger-pickery stuff on the top few strings. Still good. Now pick out a tune on all the strings... picky, picky, picky, picky, picky, pwwwwicky! Huh? Try again... picky, picky, picky, picky, picky, pwwwwicky! WTF was that? Picky, picky, picky, picky, picky, pwwwwicky! The bottom E string sounded '_flabby_'. One string at a time from the top: clean, clean, clean, clean, clean, _MUCKY_!

My new guitar was crap! What a waste of money. I got in a strop and put it to one side for a while. Eventually picked it back up. Nope - bloody grotty bottom E. Over the following couple of decades this process was repeated many times. It never actually occurred to me to try to work out _WHY _the string sounded so flabby... 

Anyway, today I picked up the guitar again to try out some ideas for my Vision Direct jingle (see my previous post above). Picky, picky, picky, picky, picky, pwwwwicky! Oh, of course, that foul bass string. 

Hmm, it had taken over 20 years for me to get curious about it but exactly _why _did the damn string not sound as good as the others? I mean it is a pretty simple construction. The woodwork of the guitar is immaculate. There's just this little peg to hold the string in place... absent-mindedly presses peg... did I imagine it, or did the peg _move _ever-so-slightly? Presses it firmly this time; no more movement.

I felt a bang-my-head-against-a-wall moment coming on... Test the guitar: Picky, picky, picky, picky, picky, picky! No more mister flabby E - bloody PICKY PICKY!! 

Well, there goes my excuse for not playing that guitar!


----------



## delb0y (10 May 2021)

Turns out that the Environmental Health folks have pulled the plug on all the live music at that place I mentioned a few posts back, due to much breaking of Covid restriction rules. Turns out my instinct was right...


----------



## DCBassman (10 May 2021)

delb0y said:


> Turns out that the Environmental Health folks have pulled the plug on all the live music at that place I mentioned a few posts back, due to much breaking of Covid restriction rules. Turns out my instinct was right...


Bummer. In more positive news, I have just been asked by an old guitarist friend (who is frighteningly good) to do some REM for a laugh.


----------



## Drago (10 May 2021)

We've got a new drummer. Not met him yet, but apparently our vocalist knows him and gives him the thumbs up. Hes older than the rest of us, and apparently did some sessions with Free in the 70's.

So hes joined a pub band where the vocalist has played live a band.
Neither guitarist has played live in a band.
The bassist has played in a band, but that was over 25 years ago and on guitar.

What could possibly go wrong?


----------



## DCBassman (10 May 2021)

The frighteningly good guitarist and I were in a band together from 2004 to 2006. He was just 18 then, I was 50-odd...
He's the kind of bloke who can change tuning on the fly, and not get lost. Think of what Michael Manring does on bass, but using a Strat...
If you've never seen what Michael Manring does on bass, your head might just explode!


----------



## DCBassman (10 May 2021)

Scary stuff...


----------



## Cycleops (11 May 2021)

Thought this might strike a chord somewhere:


----------



## Drago (11 May 2021)

Hes very skilled, but like Jaco hes just a diletente, does nothing for me.

Right, weve got 2 hours studio time booked for next week.


----------



## FishFright (11 May 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Scary stuff...



That's stunning . It's great to hear the bass being used as a full fledged instrument.


----------



## Xipe Totec (11 May 2021)

Drago said:


> Hes very skilled, but like Jaco hes just a diletente, does nothing for me.


Agreed, some very nice technique & meticulously rehearsed, particularly the use of multiple drop tuners. At least it's identifiable as a piece of music, unlike much of the frenetic stunt-bass nonsense that passes as 'good' playing!


----------



## ColinJ (11 May 2021)

Drago said:


> Hes very skilled, but like Jaco hes just a diletente, does nothing for me.


I feel the same. A colleague of mine was really into jazz - the cleverer and more showy it was, the better. It left me cold...

It always strikes me as "_Look at how brilliant I am_" rather than "_I hope that you enjoy this great tune/song_"!

2 examples on piano...

"_I am a brilliant pianist!_"


"_This is a lovely piece of music..._"


Less is more!

PS I suppose if the Ligeti études are only for advanced practice, that is fine. I certainly wouldn't pay to watch somebody play them.


----------



## Drago (11 May 2021)

Jaco. Technically superb, but has the soul and groove of a paving slab.

McCartney. Technically unsophisticated, barely even reads music, but he has the knack of writing some superb songs and bringing them to life in a way that will be talked about for centuries.

I know who I'd tather be listening to on the 8 track.


----------



## Cycleops (11 May 2021)

I'd rather listen to this guy than Jaco:

View: https://youtu.be/RZDyTWGKZwQ


----------



## raleighnut (11 May 2021)

I'll just leave this here,



View: https://youtu.be/jdYJf_ybyVo


----------



## DCBassman (13 May 2021)

DCBassman said:


> In more positive news, I have just been asked by an old guitarist friend (who is frighteningly good) to do some REM for a laugh.


Band is now fully populated, first physical meeting, for a beer, next Monday. I smell gigs!


----------



## Drago (13 May 2021)

Aue, we got oir fitst session on Wednesday at some studio or other in Milton Keynes. I think its gigs ahoy!


----------



## ColinJ (13 May 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Right you lot, I have found a great creative musical challenge for you, but you will have to hurry - *entries must be in by 17th May, 2021*.
> 
> The task is to write an advertising jingle for _Vision Direct, _maximum length 30 seconds. It must be entirely your original work, the rights to which you will transfer to Vision Direct if you win. Winners will not only get the pleasure of irritating radio and TV audiences all over Europe with their catchy earworm, they will also receive a payment of... (drum roll)...
> 
> ...


Vision Direct have just extended the deadline by a week - closing date is now the 24th.


----------



## raleighnut (14 May 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Vision Direct have just extended the deadline by a week - closing date is now the 24th.


Yep nobody has topped this yet



View: https://youtu.be/Q0iqg2UanEc


----------



## Drago (14 May 2021)

I can see clearly now my piles have gone,
No more plummy veins in my way,
I can see clearly now my piles have gone,
Its gonna be a bright, bright, pain free day.


----------



## Drago (14 May 2021)

Right, Ive entered the Planet Rock competition. At 5pm I will be £100k richer, and will spend it all on basses.


----------



## ColinJ (14 May 2021)

Drago said:


> Right, Ive entered the Planet Rock competition. At 5pm I will be £100k richer, and will spend it all on basses.


One day they will make a scary movie about you, called _Bassist Instinct_!


----------



## ColinJ (18 May 2021)

There doesn't seem to be much interest in the Vision Direct jingle competition!

I contacted them to ask for clarification on some details. This was the reply...



Vision Direct said:


> _Hi Colin,
> 
> Thank you for your interest in the competition.
> 
> ...



Win £10k, annoy the world with your jingle, and direct a recording session at a major studio... Sounds good!


----------



## Drago (19 May 2021)

Met up with the band at a studio in MK for 2 hours of practice. We were pretty tight right from the off, and it went well.

When I got home I rewarded myself by ordering a Squier 50's classic vibe 50's precision bass in blonde. Well, it would have been rude not to.


----------



## delb0y (20 May 2021)

Sunday morning for our first get-together. We've been granted use of a theatre for the rehearsal, so social distancing will be easy.


----------



## Cycleops (20 May 2021)

Drago said:


> When I got home I rewarded myself by ordering a Squier 50's classic vibe 50's precision bass in blonde. Well, it would have been rude not to.


Shame, I could have saved you a few Bob on that:
https://www.richtonemusic.co.uk/pro...ass-50s-white-blonde-2nd-hand--ysquier107061/
Excellent condition. Maybe someone else is interested?


----------



## iandg (20 May 2021)

I got a 60th birthday present from the wife and kids (back in March) - Ibanez Artcore


----------



## Cycleops (20 May 2021)

That looks very nice @iandg How do you like it? I was considering a semi hollow.
From that facial expression were you a punk in your younger days?


----------



## ColinJ (20 May 2021)

Not a guitar/bass thing, but some of you might be interested...

I was a big fan of the original Doctor Who as a child. I was scared of the theme music, but really liked it so I wrote a letter to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. I was thrilled to get back a package with a letter in it, some unreleased recordings, photographs of the studio and the equipment that they used and so on. Anyway... I just noticed that BBC4 is showing a documentary tonight at midnight about Delia Derbyshire, one of the pioneers at the workshop. Oh, and available *HERE *for the next 11 months on iPlayer. It should be fascinating. I'll watch it later.


----------



## ColinJ (20 May 2021)

Competition time again...

You have 11 days left to enter *HERE* to try to ... "_WIN a Faith Natural Venus Electro/Acoustic Guitar & Udo Roesner Da Capo 75 Acoustic Amp worth over £1800!!!_"


----------



## Drago (20 May 2021)

Cycleops said:


> That looks very nice @iandg How do you like it? I was considering a semi...


----------



## Drago (20 May 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Shame, I could have saved you a few Bob on that:
> https://www.richtonemusic.co.uk/pro...ass-50s-white-blonde-2nd-hand--ysquier107061/
> Excellent condition. Maybe someone else is interested?


I got it brand new for £302, free delivery on the day if my choice. 34 extra sheets from a brand new instrument,warranty intact, delivered to my door on the day I want it, is pretty good value.

Thomann are doing them new for about £260, but there are the import duty issues etc.


----------



## Cycleops (20 May 2021)

That’s understandable @Drago plus you have a guarante being new.

Perhaps you can let us know the differences between it and your P bass.


----------



## iandg (20 May 2021)

Cycleops said:


> That looks very nice @iandg How do you like it? I was considering a semi hollow.
> From that facial expression were you a punk in your younger days?



It's nice, really enjoying playing bass again (I was in my 20s when I last owned one and used to borrow my eldest's until he left home). Good tone (but I'm not using an amp) and short neck's comfortable.

I was an angry teenager, would probably have been a punk if I wasn't so keen on bike racing at the time


----------



## Cycleops (22 May 2021)

I think Donald 'Duck' Dunn of Blues Brothers fame is a much underated bassist. This popped up on my Facebook feed and this guy goes through his techniques on 'Sweet Home Chicago' from the film. Not a lesson on how to play.
I'm a great blues fan so find it very interesting, maybe some of you might too.

View: https://youtu.be/ty6J45fNM8E


----------



## raleighnut (22 May 2021)

Cycleops said:


> I think Donald 'Duck' Dunn of Blues Brothers fame is a much underated bassist. This popped up on my Facebook feed and this guy goes through his techniques on 'Sweet Home Chicago' from the film. Not a lesson on how to play.
> I'm a great blues fan so find it very interesting, maybe some of you might too.
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/ty6J45fNM8E



He was famous in the 60's when he was with Booker T & the MG's


View: https://youtu.be/2OeYXkIcXXU


----------



## Cycleops (22 May 2021)

The band on Blue Brothers is essentially the same with the addition of a few horns but minus Booker.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (23 May 2021)

For unknown reasons, I haven't been receiving CC notifications from the excellent Bassist and Guitarist thread. Good to catch up with all the new instruments, music, competitions & projects.

This year is the 50th anniversary of What's Going On: there have been some fine radio documentaries about the album's creation, recording and legacy.

I've had the bass transcription for the beautiful title track for years & years- but it was always too difficult to read (for me). 

Here is James Jamerson's brilliant part isolated: (Precision & flatwounds): 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqtELR5GyfI


----------



## avecReynolds531 (23 May 2021)

+ 1 for Donald Duck Dunn appreciation - the bassline on She Caught The Katy is fantastic.


----------



## Cycleops (23 May 2021)

Here it is again for any not familiar with it:

View: https://youtu.be/o5xexv-dMrM


For info the Katy is or rather was the nickname of Missouri Kansas Texas railroad or MKT.
Here is the isolated bass line. Never knew it was so complex.

View: https://youtu.be/peE8olAnWc0


----------



## Drago (24 May 2021)

It's NBD! 

Meet Charlene


----------



## DCBassman (24 May 2021)

Drago said:


> It's NBD!
> 
> Meet Charlene
> 
> View attachment 590339


Cool! I do like my 50s Precisions/Telecaster basses to be pure slabs though, just square edges.


----------



## DCBassman (24 May 2021)

Like this one:





1996 51RI Precision.


----------



## Drago (24 May 2021)

Its a copy of a 54/54, which did indeed have the countours. The only thing that isn't an exact copy is the bridge.


----------



## DCBassman (24 May 2021)

Or these two, pictured with my current bass wearing its original neck:


----------



## Cycleops (24 May 2021)

Very nice. What's it like compared to your P?
Hope you remember to take to take the free lessons


----------



## Drago (24 May 2021)

Slightly lighter than my other P. Neck feels similar. The finish is nicer on the Squier, the only flaw I can find are slight rough spots around the edge of the pickguard. Has more of a vintage tone, and the alnico pickup is noticeably lower output.


----------



## DCBassman (26 May 2021)

Drago said:


> Slightly lighter than my other P. Neck feels similar. The finish is nicer on the Squier, the only flaw I can find are slight rough spots around the edge of the pickguard. Has more of a vintage tone, and the alnico pickup is noticeably lower output.


Single-coil pickup tone! Nonetheless, I prefer the meatiness of the split-coil post-57 style. But I do miss my slabs!
First rehearsal tonight!


----------



## Drago (26 May 2021)

Im thinking of swapping the pickup for a Seymour Duncan quarter pounder, or maybe a scatterwound pickup with a bit more output.


----------



## MontyVeda (26 May 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Here it is again for any not familiar with it:
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/o5xexv-dMrM
> 
> ...



I've had that bassline going round and round in my head all week... love it! Keep trying to play it on my classical with varying degrees of success 

[edit]... i always thought they were singing '_she com-pli-cay-did_'


----------



## Profpointy (26 May 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I feel the same. A colleague of mine was really into jazz - the cleverer and more showy it was, the better. It left me cold...
> 
> It always strikes me as "_Look at how brilliant I am_" rather than "_I hope that you enjoy this great tune/song_"!
> 
> ...




I like both ! I didn't know that Ligetti piece before but loved it at first listen. I have a boxed set of Ligetti's orchestral stuff. Admittedly it isn't as accessible as say
Mozart, but I still find it exciting and moving to listen to, not
merely be impressed by the playing. Whilst it may sound slightly like pretension, I think you do have to listen and love what's gone before in order for "modern" music
to make sense. I recall listening to Rite of Spring as a teenager, and thinking it was just a cacophony, then a a few years later as a slightly older teenager hearing something on the radio thinking "wow, what is this?". Sure enough, Rite of Spring (the stamping movement. Just a year or two of exploring the repertoire had opened my ears to something a bit more challenging

The simplicity yet amazingness of Gnossienne no1 has been a long-time favourite of mine 

Here's some rather different Ligeti


View: https://youtu.be/-iVYu5lyX5M


and his stuff used by Kubrik for 2001. Aparently he had to sue Kubrik for his royalty money


View: https://youtu.be/cW_o-T1CVrY


----------



## DCBassman (26 May 2021)

Drago said:


> Im thinking of swapping the pickup for a Seymour Duncan quarter pounder, or maybe a scatterwound pickup with a bit more output.


You could also once get a split-coil version, think SD did it originally for Sting's 55P.


----------



## DCBassman (26 May 2021)

1st rehearsal - fun!


----------



## Drago (27 May 2021)

Aye, we had our 2nd yesterday and it was super smashing lovely.

First gig booked for July. Its in Roade, the next village along, so only 2 miles to hump all my gear.

I'm looking at a nice Orange bass combo for live work,


----------



## Drago (29 May 2021)

Orange Crush 100 bass combo ordered. Ka-boom!


----------



## Cycleops (29 May 2021)

What does the playlist for the new band look like @Drago ?


----------



## Drago (29 May 2021)

A mix of rock and indie. Stuff like...

Sunshine of your love.
Don't look back in anger.
Whiskey jn the jar.
Weezer's buddy Holly.
Learn to fly by the Foos.
Smell like teen spirit.
Good riddance.
Stand by me.
That sort of thing.

Im a rock man myself, but we gotta play what drunk punters will listen to so i tolerate the the more poppy indie stuff.


----------



## Seevio (6 Jun 2021)

Do you like bass?
Do you like The Beatles?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHVCDPxClFg


----------



## Drago (7 Jun 2021)

Ive been using the Hofner shorty a lot of late. Its nice and easy to lug about the rehearsals, although ill stick to the precision for live playing.


----------



## DCBassman (7 Jun 2021)

2nd rehearsal this Wednesday for the REM tribute!


----------



## Drago (7 Jun 2021)

Were rehearsing again on Turdsday.


----------



## ColinJ (7 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> Were rehearsing again on Turdsday.


"Were" _last_ Turdsday, or "we're" _next_ Turdsday?


----------



## Drago (8 Jun 2021)

Sorry, Android never agrees with what I want to type. "We're" rehearsing again next Turdsday, Audioworks Studio in Northampton.


----------



## ColinJ (8 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> Sorry, Android never agrees with what I want to type. "We're" rehearsing again next Turdsday, Audioworks Studio in Northampton.


Hang on... That was a sneaky test, wasn't it? 

I was halfway up a testing ramp on my singlespeed bike this evening when it suddenly struck me -_ The Mighty Drago_ doesn't do tech-sheep smartphones! Drago, he use 17 year old Nokia dumbphone, unfazed by its deeply scratched screen, worn-blank button tops, and 2 hour 17 minutes clapped-out battery life!


----------



## Drago (12 Jun 2021)

Ah ha! Thought you had me! My main internet access is anp Samsung tablet, all ruggesdised and waterproof for a ruffty sort like me. wiffy at home, 4G when away  I thinkmits an Active Tab 2, and can actually be used as a phone but I never do.


----------



## Drago (18 Jun 2021)

Last night we had 3 hours booked at a studio in Northampton. Arrived to find the the owner is a copper I know who'd retired a few years before me. This got us tea and biscuits, which was nice.


----------



## Badger_Boom (18 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> Last night we had 3 hours booked at a studio in Northampton. Arrived to find the the owner is a copper I know who'd retired a few years before me. This got us tea and biscuits, which was nice.


Rock and Fig-Roll!


----------



## Drago (18 Jun 2021)

At least it was tea and not cocoa. Im 52 and im not the oldest member of King Pigeon, so cocoa would probably count as a stimulant drink for us!


----------



## MontyVeda (18 Jun 2021)

Question for bassists... What am I missing here?

one of these bridges is for a left hand bass, the other for right hand...








they both look the same to me


----------



## raleighnut (18 Jun 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> Question for bassists... What am I missing here?
> 
> one of these bridges is for a left hand bass, the other for right hand...
> 
> ...


The thicker a gauge of string the longer it needs to be, if you look closely tou'll see those bridges are 'mirror images' of each other regarding how far forward or back the saddles are.


----------



## MontyVeda (18 Jun 2021)

raleighnut said:


> The thicker a gauge of string the longer it needs to be, if you look closely tou'll see those bridges are 'mirror images' of each other regarding how far forward or back the saddles are.


yeah but, the saddles move forwards and backwards, all four of them.


----------



## raleighnut (19 Jun 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> yeah but, the saddles move forwards and backwards, all four of them.


yep but don't tell the 'lefties' that.


----------



## Drago (19 Jun 2021)

Good bridges those Wilkinsons. Got one on my G&L.

I do think the only difference is how far they set the saddles at the factory.


----------



## MontyVeda (19 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> Good bridges those Wilkinsons. Got one on my G&L.
> 
> I do think the only difference is how far they set the saddles at the factory.


I doubt they do much in the way of factory setting... and looking at the prices, sellers increase them by 40-50% if they call it LH.

The only thing i don't like about those Wilkinson bridges is this






if they didn't have 'wilkinson' so clearly branded on the plate, I'd have bought one


----------



## Drago (19 Jun 2021)

But those with the knowlesge know who Trevor Wilkinson is. A bit like is nemesis, Alan Entwistle.


----------



## raleighnut (19 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> But those with the knowlesge know who Trevor Wilkinson is. A bit like is nemesis, Alan Entwistle.


A bit like people who don't know who G&L are, a mate of mine has one of their 'Strats' and he reckons he's lost count of the people who say it's a copy or ask him why he doesn't play a 'genuine Fender' (Andy has been a 'semi pro' guitarist for 45 years although if you count his teaching and Luthier work he's been fully pro for the past 15)


----------



## Cycleops (19 Jun 2021)

raleighnut said:


> A bit like people who don't know who G&L are, a mate of mine has one of their 'Strats' and he reckons he's lost count of the people who say it's a copy or ask him why he doesn't play a 'genuine Fender' (Andy has been a 'semi pro' guitarist for 45 years although if you count his teaching and Luthier work he's been fully pro for the past 15)


Philistines !!


----------



## ColinJ (19 Jun 2021)

raleighnut said:


> A bit like people who don't know who G&L are...


*You learn something new every day!*


----------



## Xipe Totec (19 Jun 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> Question for bassists... What am I missing here?
> 
> one of these bridges is for a left hand bass, the other for right hand...
> 
> ...


The E &A string screws are slightly shorter. So you can convert a r/h bridge to l/h by swapping the screws. Or buy a lefty one if you're too lazy.

Do they cost the same?


----------



## Badger_Boom (19 Jun 2021)

raleighnut said:


> A bit like people who don't know who G&L are, a mate of mine has one of their 'Strats' and he reckons he's lost count of the people who say it's a copy or ask him why he doesn't play a 'genuine Fender' (Andy has been a 'semi pro' guitarist for 45 years although if you count his teaching and Luthier work he's been fully pro for the past 15)


I have to admit to only discovering G&L relatively recently, but then I’ve been out of the guitar world for a couple of decades and was never particularly adventurous in the first place.


----------



## Drago (19 Jun 2021)

I'd sooner my G&L jazz over a Fender one, which is ironic as the L in G&L stands for 'Leo' Fender.


----------



## MontyVeda (19 Jun 2021)

Xipe Totec said:


> The E &A string screws are slightly shorter. So you can convert a r/h bridge to l/h by swapping the screws. Or buy a lefty one if you're too lazy.
> 
> *Do they cost the same?*


absolutely not!

I ended up buying a RH one (not Wilkos, but same style) for £12. The same seller had LH ones for £18


----------



## raleighnut (20 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> I'd sooner my G&L jazz over a Fender one, which is ironic as the L in G&L stands for 'Leo' Fender.


Yep and the G is for George Fullerton

_Leo Fender__ invited Fullerton to join his company and Fullerton became a full-time Fender employee on February 28, 1948. He is credited with design innovations that allowed Fender to mass-produce its first solid body electric guitar, known today as the Telecaster, which the company introduced in 1949.[3] After leaving Fender in 1970, he continued to work with Leo Fender at Music Man and later co-founded G&L Musical Instruments along with Fender and longtime Fender salesman Dale Hyatt.[4][5] Fullerton returned to Fender as a consultant in the company's custom shop in 2007.[6] In November 2007, the company unveiled the limited edition George Fullerton 50th anniversary 1957 Stratocaster guitar and Pro Junior amplifier.[7]__[8]_


----------



## DCBassman (20 Jun 2021)

G&L started as George & Leo, but eventually was, awkwardly, Guitars by Leo after Fullerton was pushed out.
Very good stuff, no question, but I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Fender guy...


----------



## Drago (20 Jun 2021)

And then Leo moved on and helped to form Music Man, arguably even better still.


----------



## DCBassman (20 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> And then Leo moved on and helped to form Music Man, arguably even better still.


No, MM came between Fender and G&L. That also suffered from disagreements centred around George Fullerton, and Ernie Ball stepped in to pick up the going concern before it became completely extinct.


----------



## delb0y (20 Jun 2021)

Been a while since I shared any picking. Here's a song a wrote a few weeks back about some of the times my dad and I shared. He died back in April, and Father's Day seems like a good day to share this with you good folks.


View: https://youtu.be/CBzOtO7uRlE


----------



## Cycleops (20 Jun 2021)

Nice tribute @delb0y Damn these onions.


----------



## carpiste (20 Jun 2021)

Wonderful


----------



## raggydoll (22 Jun 2021)

delb0y said:


> Been a while since I shared any picking. Here's a song a wrote a few weeks back about some of the times my dad and I shared. He died back in April, and Father's Day seems like a good day to share this with you good folks.



Made him proud!


----------



## Cycleops (26 Jun 2021)




----------



## Drago (26 Jun 2021)

Done an hour and a half on the '69 Precision replica today, about half the band's set. It sounds fantastic but is just too heavy to wear for 3 hours.

Sooo, after much deliberation ive plumped on the Harley Benton MM and the Ibanez PJ as my live tools. The both sound brilliant, and are fairly light. The Squier '54 precison is a touch heavier but still wearable for a gig, but it looks so gorgeous im frigh4terened to mar the finish, and when the cheap basses sound so great and are so nice to play I have no reason to risk it.


----------



## raggydoll (27 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> Done an hour and a half on the '69 Precision replica today, about half the band's set. It sounds fantastic but is just too heavy to wear for 3 hours.
> 
> Sooo, after much deliberation ive plumped on the Harley Benton MM and the Ibanez PJ as my live tools. The both sound brilliant, and are fairly light. The Squier '54 precison is a touch heavier but still wearable for a gig, but it looks so gorgeous im frigh4terened to mar the finish, and when the cheap basses sound so great and are so nice to play I have no reason to risk it.



Good decision. Keep the good ones good! 👍
Your gear will quickly get dinged up playing live.


----------



## DCBassman (28 Jun 2021)

raggydoll said:


> Good decision. Keep the good ones good! 👍
> Your gear will quickly get dinged up playing live.


A good stand helps, I'm a big Hercules fan. Heavy and expensive, but worth it.


----------



## Xipe Totec (28 Jun 2021)

DCBassman said:


> A good stand helps, I'm a big Hercules fan. Heavy and expensive, but worth it.


They're great - right up until the plastic goes sticky & disintegrates! I did get a replacement from them for mine about 5 years back, but not sure if they still do that, there was a thread over on BassChat with a few folk disappointed, if I remember.


----------



## DCBassman (28 Jun 2021)

Xipe Totec said:


> They're great - right up until the plastic goes sticky & disintegrates! I did get a replacement from them for mine about 5 years back, but not sure if they still do that, there was a thread over on BassChat with a few folk disappointed, if I remember.


I've had replacements for both the stickiness and for failures in said sticky plastic. At one point, they were so keen, I built a second stand out of the excess bits they sent me! It must be said that I've not had one that hasn't had a problem, but this was in very heavy gigging use over twelve years. Given the choice they are still what I would buy.


----------



## Drago (28 Jun 2021)

Trying to learn Make Me Smile. Up and down the scales like Micharl Jackson up and down a zoo animal.


----------



## Cycleops (28 Jun 2021)

Just a thought for John Entwhistle who died this day 2002. Truly innovative bassis, one of the greats.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (1 Jul 2021)

I was in York yesterday, whilst daughter had a Hospital appointment, & went into the music shop on Lendal (Banks)

I almost bought a guitar, but it was the wrong colour
It was in the 'gold-dust', I could have gone with the 'riviera blue'
Although, I do know if I had bought it, I'd have had to take it back, after phoning Senior Management to tell her I almost did



Oddly. I thought I'd be praised for showing the strength of will to *not* buy it


Now, if they'd had one of these in stock, I might have risked the wrath


----------



## Drago (1 Jul 2021)

Trying to think how I can persuade Mrs D that I need Rickenbacker 4003S mahogany in my life.


----------



## Cycleops (2 Jul 2021)

Never seen the appeal of Rickenbackers but I’m sure the pull of Lemmy might account for @Drago ’s need


----------



## DCBassman (2 Jul 2021)

Rickys are overpriced and not that well-made. Nice to look at, though.


----------



## GuyBoden (2 Jul 2021)

I've played guitar since my school days, I played double bass for years too, beautiful instrument.

Here's a bit of my improv.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gcfE2Vkplo


----------



## Drago (2 Jul 2021)

See, I've lost the feeling in fingers 3 and 4 so switched to bass as theres less real estate to cover. I pick play, but can't finger pick any more other then very slowly and carefully while intently watching my right hand, which just doesn't work. 

Been told by more than one musician that the resulting style ive developed is vrry reminiscent of Phil Lynott, which worries me not one bit.


----------



## MontyVeda (2 Jul 2021)

Thought I'd give you an update on my lockdown project (which still is a long way from completion)...

it started with a cheap P-style neck:




...that I butchered years ago and drilled a new tuner hole in completely the wrong place. 

I've had various ideas regarding reshaping it over the years, evident by the marker and pencil lines.
Finally settled on a shape, plugged up the holes and redrilled for a smaller set of tuners...





and got to this...






I'm gonna put a veneer on it but having bought a selection of random veneers, I can't make my mind up which one 

Next came the chopping board...





...which I threw to one side and got some MDF out to make a template with.











screwed the template to chopping board and started drilling...






A band saw would have come in handy but i don't have one, so after god knows how many holes, time to play dot-to-dot with the jigsaw...






and back to the sander to grind off all the nobbly bits.






...and repeatedly back to the sander with finer papers to get it more or less to its final shape. But here's a picture of my bike instead.






Next step is to join my two sheets of cedar for the top, make yet another template for positioning the bridge, pickup slot and neck pocket, cut those, then hollow out the chambers...I'll report back in god knows how long with some more photies.


----------



## Cycleops (2 Jul 2021)

You're a very brave man Monty, full respect.


----------



## MontyVeda (2 Jul 2021)

Cycleops said:


> You're a very brave man Monty ...


especially with my uncanny knack of being able to measure twice and cut once... in the wrong place .

Once I've cut the neck pocket (hopefully in the right place)... it should be plain sailing (and an awful lot of fine sanding).


----------



## Drago (2 Jul 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Never seen the appeal of Rickenbackers but I’m sure the pull of Lemmy might account for @Drago ’s need


Indeed. If its good enough for God, it's good enough for me.


----------



## Cycleops (2 Jul 2021)

Did you get the idea from here @MontyVeda ?


----------



## MontyVeda (4 Jul 2021)

DCBassman said:


> As @Drago said, plenty leave it [the truss nut] hidden away. I'd have a slot, personally, unless the adjuster is the old slotted type. If a hex head, I'd go for a slot.
> Just my personal thing, though.


I found this little widget that solves the 'to slot or not to slot' the soundboard (lid) quandary...






a truss rod wheel adaptor!

Only problem is, the hex on the nut is 5mm and the hex on the wheel is 4mm, so i figured I'd just buy a new nut with a 4mm hex.

But the thread on my trussrod is M6 and all the nuts i can find with a 4mm hex are M5.

And I'm struggling to find a truss nut with the wheel in M6... so am now reluctantly toying with possibly gluing the two together 

Epoxy is the obvious guess since there's a good half mm gap to fill between the hex fitting and socket... but I'm open to suggestions.






The nut, when just engaging with the truss is flush, so I'm supposing I'll have to make/leave a little playroom for the wheel... but how much? I've never really touched any of my truss rods but I'm guessing I won't ever need more than a couple of turns on that nut??

Q: does the nut even wind in at all, or is the rod being pulled through it??


edit... instead of glue, i'm gonna try this:





an M6 threaded connector that's 25mm long and 9mm dia. (same as my current truss nut) with a hex screw in the end. 

initially i thought an M6 grub screw glued into the cylinder would work, but they have a 3mm hex... and cap screws have 5mm but luckily countersunk M6 screws have a 4mm hex, albeit a shallow looking one. Can't see why it won't work... but i am making it up as i go


----------



## Drago (4 Jul 2021)

Been here before...heart says Hofner violin bass (Cavern or Ignition), but head says the better made, better equipped Epiphone Viola is the one to go for.


----------



## MontyVeda (4 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> Been here before...heart says Hofner violin bass (Cavern or Ignition), but head says the better made, better equipped Epiphone Viola is the one to go for.


But can you cope with bemused Beatles fans saying "yeah but Paul played the Hofner."


----------



## Xipe Totec (4 Jul 2021)

Or save £150 and buy the Harley Benton version off Thomann. Looks a ringer for the Epi:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_beatbass.htm

Chances are they're all out of the same factory anyway.


----------



## DCBassman (4 Jul 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> I found this little widget that solves the 'to slot or not to slot' the soundboard (lid) quandary...
> 
> View attachment 597257
> 
> ...


Frankly, i think it will fail. That kind of torsional strain will crack the epoxy easily. Just cut a slot...


----------



## MontyVeda (4 Jul 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Frankly, i think it will fail. That kind of torsional strain will crack the epoxy easily. Just cut a slot...


it'll need a slot to accommodate the wheel... but the wheel fills the slot and deals with my OCD. ...and I've concocted a truss nut that avoids epoxy... which should work (with a bit of fettling).


----------



## Cycleops (4 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> Been here before...heart says Hofner violin bass (Cavern or Ignition), but head says the better made, better equipped Epiphone Viola is the one to go for.


I don't think Lemmy would have approved of either


----------



## Drago (4 Jul 2021)

The good Lord, our saviour Lemmy Kilmister, may his immortal soul rock the ages, was a massive Beatles fan.


----------



## raleighnut (5 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> The good Lord, our saviour Lemmy Kilmister, may his immortal soul rock the ages, was a massive Beatles fan.


Yep, I've seen the video where he was buying the 'mono' box set saying it sounded far better


----------



## Drago (5 Jul 2021)

Ive seen that. The lass at the record shop counter could barely believe that a God had descended from heaven to walk amongst the customers of her shop.


----------



## MontyVeda (5 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> Ive seen that. The lass at the record shop counter could barely believe that a God had descended from heaven to walk amongst the customers of her shop.


is that the one where she'd just sold the last one and Lemmy went and blagged it out of the hands of the purchaser?


----------



## raleighnut (5 Jul 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> is that the one where she'd just sold the last one and Lemmy went and blagged it out of the hands of the purchaser?


Yep but to be fair she decided to allow him to purchase it, it wasn't like he even asked the woman who I think actually worked there


----------



## Drago (5 Jul 2021)

God can blag whatever he wants, or smite those that displease him.

I quite like the unbound 4003S eith normal dot inlays. Very similar to one McCartney was using during the Wings era.


----------



## Drago (11 Jul 2021)

Im thinking along these lines...

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_beatbass_vs_vintage_ser_bundle.htm

The model gets some great reviews, its has proper bass tuners jnstead3 of the godawful guitar tuners on the Hofner, I have first hand experience of the superb HB quality and playability, and its superb value with the hardcase, flats and VAT + fees included in the price.


----------



## MontyVeda (11 Jul 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> ... instead of glue, i'm gonna try this:
> View attachment 597321
> 
> 
> ...


Typically, the M6 connector was actually 10mm dia when it arrived, which wouldn't fit in the hole on the neck.

For a truss-rod nut, it doesn't look at all promising...







...but I put my thinking head on, mounted the connector on a bolt, put it in the pillar drill and began filing it down to 9mm...






I also countersunk one end of the connector so the screw would fit further into it, then ground the screw head down to the same diameter as the cylinder.

Quite chuffed with my bodged truss-rob nut


----------



## Drago (13 Jul 2021)

Back in the studio on Thursday. Ive been tasked with creating heavier arrangents to Viva la Vida and I Want to Hold Your Hand, which will be fun.


----------



## MontyVeda (13 Jul 2021)

Ugly guitar alert!






When i first saw the Ovation Deacon, I thought (quite rightly) what the flipping nelly is that? What the feck were they thinking??

It's ugly to say the least 💩

However then i saw it being played; perched on the lap it's fugly shape all of a sudden makes perfect sense...

and now it's growing on me. I kinda want one 

I'd never be able to play it like this though.


----------



## Cycleops (13 Jul 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> Ugly guitar alert!
> 
> It's ugly so say the least 💩
> 
> ...


Rather like this headless bass I discovered recently. I always thought they were ugly but since I found this Bootlegger Ace I’m beginning to change my mind.
https://bootleggerguitar.com/ace-bass/






Like you say when perched on your knee, which is how I play, makes perfect sense. Price is very reasonable.


----------



## Drago (13 Jul 2021)

See, I more often than not play standing up.


----------



## DCBassman (14 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> See, I more often than not play standing up.


I'd love to, but can't anymore...


----------



## Drago (14 Jul 2021)

I do as much as I can so I remain used to playing that way live. Only the '69 precision replica is so heavy that it limits my endurance, all the others are fine. Im going to use the Harley Benton MB4 and thr Ibanez live, they both sound great and are light.

Wierdly, the Hofner shorty is great standing up. It is prone to neck dive, even across my wide shoulders, but the point at which I rest my forearm balances it perfectly and its great to play that way. I revently discovered they do a violin bass version of the shorty, with the pickup much closer to the neck. I nearly suffered spontaneous structural failure of the Y fronts when I first saw one,


----------



## Xipe Totec (14 Jul 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Rather like this headless bass I discovered recently. I always thought they were ugly but since I found this Bootlegger Ace I’m beginning to change my mind.
> https://bootleggerguitar.com/ace-bass/
> 
> View attachment 599007
> ...


That's interesting - seen these pop up on Ebay a few times & it never clicked the body shape's a more angular take on the Deacon/Breadwinner. Quite like it in a wonky/wrong-looking sort of way.

I'm a sucker for a nice headless - my most recent bassy acquisition is a Riverhead Unicorn (had GAS for one since I tried one in the Bass Centre in 1980-something), needs a fret dress but otherwise in great, original condition for a 35-odd year old bass.







I've also got an original Hohner B2A, (which I've had from new & bought because I couldn't afford the Riverhead!) and a Cort B2 Space, from the same era & which has the same licensed Steinberger hardware as the Hohner.

Possibly the best thing about headless basses is how little room they take up!


----------



## DCBassman (14 Jul 2021)

I did briefly play around with a Washburn Status copy. It was rather nice!


----------



## Cycleops (15 Jul 2021)

Don't know if this is available in the UK but if it is I'm sure you'll all be rushing out to buy it, that is unless you've already got one sitting in your bathroom.
Someone on Facebook has posted this amusing response to the product after noticing an inconsistency.


----------



## delb0y (16 Jul 2021)

I had the Hohner headless guitar once, way back:






Was probably the easiest / fastest guitar to play that I've owned, and bending string was just too easy. Access to the high frets was incredible, too. And it was so small you could almost get it in your pocket. But I got fed up with always having to buy special strings and I never thought that it looked very rock'n'roll, either.


----------



## raleighnut (16 Jul 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Don't know if this is available in the UK but if it is I'm sure you'll all be rushing out to buy it, that is unless you've already got one sitting in your bathroom.
> Someone on Facebook has posted this amusing response to the product after noticing an inconsistency.
> 
> View attachment 599269


Geddy Lee anyone.


View: https://youtu.be/QmU8kmwYrCg


----------



## Oldhippy (16 Jul 2021)

My daughter is getting a guitar for her birthday. She wants to play like Stevie Ray Vaughan! I'm investing in a good starter set up.


----------



## Drago (16 Jul 2021)

raleighnut said:


> Geddy Lee anyone.
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/QmU8kmwYrCg



Ah, one of the greats. My next scheduled tattoo will be the Rush Starman.


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## Oldhippy (16 Jul 2021)

Easily one of the greatest bands ever.


----------



## Drago (16 Jul 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> Easily one of the greatest bands ever.


No disagreement from me there Bro.


----------



## Cycleops (16 Jul 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> My daughter is getting a guitar for her birthday. She wants to play like Stevie Ray Vaughan! I'm investing in a good starter set up.


These stater sets are very good quality now. Can’t speak for the amp but my Rockjam bass which came in a set off Amazon is very good quality for the price, fit and finish is excellent and there are no sharp fret ends. I’d recommend one of the Harley Benton sets which get good reviews from Thomann in Germany. You might have to pay tax though post brexit. One of those from Gear4music in the U.K. would be a good alternative.
Impress on your daughter that it will take perseverance and sore fingers to learn. Don’t know how you’d learn these days, I learnt from Bert Weedon’s ‘Play in a Day’ book, took me about six months before I could strum a tune . I guess you learn online now?


----------



## Oldhippy (16 Jul 2021)

I'm very lucky that I used to work for Gibson so know my way around guitars but stupidly never learned to play. Maybe it will encourage me to have a go.


----------



## ColinJ (16 Jul 2021)

Cycleops said:


> I’d recommend one of the Harley Benton sets which get good reviews from Thomann in Germany. You might have to pay tax though post brexit.


I was wondering about that, but it is all taken care of...






Sounds good! I might treat myself to one of those HB sets when I get my state pension in the NY.


----------



## Xipe Totec (16 Jul 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> Easily one of the greatest bands ever.


Followed them religiously since 1980, and for years would have considered them my favourite band, & still my single biggest musical inspiration. I can't deny that Old Bignose himself is my single biggest influence as a bassist, and try as I might to play it down, he's all over my own playing!

Re the Old Spice skit, Geddy's always been more of a team player & never really played solos, apart from things like the little breaks in YYZ & La Villa. Probably Rush fit that old description of The Who, though - three soloists playing at the same time!


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## Drago (16 Jul 2021)

I needed cheering up so ive ordered the Harley Benton violin hass and hard case set.


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## Cycleops (16 Jul 2021)

Good for you @Drago .Please report back when you receive it


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## Drago (16 Jul 2021)

With pleasure Mr Lops, with pleasure.


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## Badger_Boom (16 Jul 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Don’t know how you’d learn these days, I learnt from Bert Weedon’s ‘Play in a Day’ book, took me about six months before I could strum a tune . I guess you learn online now?


I've recently bought a cheap second hand guitar and started 'playing' again after a break of nearly 30 years. The one difference I've noticed is how much easier it must be to learn now thanks to the internet. You can find lessons and tuition on YouTube, there are websites full of transcribed songs by almost anyone you can think of, and I can even tune my guitar using my phone.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (17 Jul 2021)

I've just added this to _'The Chain'_. but I think he's absolutely & definitely worthy of inclusion here

Jerry Reed, his version of The _Devil Went Down To Georgia_
He's added a verse, & changed a few words to suit a guitar-player, rather than a fiddle
Just listen to how fluidic that guitar is!



There's one particular clip on YouTube, where he's playing with Chet Atkins, & Chet seems to be looking at him & thinking "_How the heck can you play that damned good"_

Don't forget, that he wrote (& thus got the big money for)
_A Thing Called Love_ as covered by Johnny Cash
_Guitar Man _he also played on Presleys version


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## Richard A Thackeray (17 Jul 2021)

I'm surprised than Brian Setzers not been mentioned much here, even by me

To all intents & purposes, he (& the other 2 Cats) were really instrumental (ha!) in reintroducing Rockabilly as a musical genre
Then,,, he did it again for Swing/Big Band, with the _Brian Setzer Orchestra_

He was the first artist, since Chet Atkins to have a signature range created by Gretsch
Atkins range was created in 1955, the Setzer introduced in (I think 1990?)


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u3p-7h8zYs


https://gretschguitars.com/artists/brian-setzer-profile
https://americanhistory.si.edu/ar/press/releases/smithsonian-receives-brian-setzer’s-gretsch-guitar


He even played Eddie Cochrane, one of his heroes in the biopic about Ritchie Valens;_ La Bamba_


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixOAZDUX7wE


----------



## Drago (21 Jul 2021)

I adore my Hofner Shorty, but the damn thing won't stay in turn for 6p seconds (intonation is spot on) so Ive decided to ditch the small guitar type turners as they ain't up the the job of hefting mighty bass strings. Found a set of Grovers at a sensible price, so theyre now winging their way yo me.


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## Drago (22 Jul 2021)

It's NBD!


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## Xipe Totec (22 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> It's NBD!


Pics or it didn't happen, obviously.


----------



## Drago (22 Jul 2021)

Goodness gracious me!


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## Drago (22 Jul 2021)

First impressions...a huge sound from something so small!

Set up was poor out the box, but no matter as virtually no one, including me, uses the original barbed wire that passes for strings on new instruments. On went a set of Rotosound flatties, action was good and needed no adjust,ent, neck relief was also bang on target, intonation surprisingly easy to set fairly well despite the floating bridge.

The finish isn't as hard edged as, say, a Yamaha, but theres not a flaw anywhere. Flet job is reasonable, end finishing decent enough that i need my reading glasses to see any marks. These come out of the same factory as the Epiphone Viola, so its little surprise that there is little to criticise on the firpt and finish.

Great fun to play and that enormous sound makes it a real giggle. Not bad at all for £199 with the hard case. Thats not the first Harley Benton on the fleet, and I don't think it'll be the last.

However, before I buy any more basses im planning to embark on a programme of pickup, turner and electronic upgrades right across the fleet.


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## Oldhippy (22 Jul 2021)

Recommended learning books for a 13 year old just getting her beginner guitar set up. I can tech it all but way out of touch with what people use to learn these days. She sees you tube a lot.


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## Drago (22 Jul 2021)

Tricky, I had guitar lessons and I was younger and eas a fairly confident guitarist before making the switch to bass, so i already had the fundamentals. I cqn read music, not brilliantly, but good enough that ifmi take my time im aleays learning new stuff. I read Bass Player mag for technique tios, and pooptube is an amazing respirce, but lord knows i couldnt recommend a book for a young un im afraid,


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## Oldhippy (22 Jul 2021)

Cheers Drago, she has rhythm, grandad was a professional bass player and has me who knows the technical bits but never learned. She also has a great taste in music.


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## Drago (22 Jul 2021)

I was chatting to our lead guitarists 12 year old lad the other day. Hes quite a handy drummer, so I asked him who his hero was.

I was expecting him to say Dave grohl, or even Neal Peart if he had a prog bent, or even John Bonham if he was a rocker, but you could have knocked me down with a feather when he said, "Ginger Baker."


----------



## Oldhippy (22 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> I was chatting to our lead guitarists 12 year old lad the other day. Hes quite a handy drummer, so I asked him who his hero was.
> 
> I was expecting him to say Dave grohl, or even Neal Peart if he had a prog bent, or even John Bonham if he was a rocker, but you could have knocked me down with a feather when he said, "Ginger Baker."


I love that some kids still like quality musicians, mainly thanks to paerents I guess. I went to a record fair with my daughter around 10 years old and as she walked in she commented that the BB King album playing was one of her favourite albums. The stall holders was impressed.


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## Drago (22 Jul 2021)

Mini D, who is 10, reduced me to tears of Fatherly pride the other day. There was a Clapton documentary on Sky arts, andnwhen the got to the Derek and the Dominoes period she was word perfect on the lyrics to both Layla and Bell Bottom Blues. Thqts my girl.

Indeed, if there had ever been a 5th Mini D she would have been called Layla.


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## DCBassman (22 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> "Ginger Baker."


There, you see? I only ever rated Clapton in Cream. Never liked Bruce's bass and thought Ginger's drumming was utter cack. Ah well...


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## delb0y (23 Jul 2021)

Was never into Cream. Never really into Clapton, if truth be told, although somehow I ended up with a half of dozen of his albums. But iIdo think he's good when with others. I was watching a documentary on The Band (how good were they!) the other day and Clapton's playing on Further On Up The Road was great. If i was a drummer, I think my favourite drummer might well be Richie Hayward out of Little Feat.


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## Drago (23 Jul 2021)

Im not especially a Clapton fan, but love Cream. Im just an old fart.

Clapton himself always struck me as a bit of an Arse, stealing his best friends wife, and spending a whole decade pithed. Now hes refusing to play any shows where any kind of proof of vaccination is required to access the venue.


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## Oldhippy (23 Jul 2021)

As with many brilliant artists, musicians, painters and so on they often seem to have awkward personalities.


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## Drago (23 Jul 2021)

40 minutes done on the violin. Its great fun to play.

However, not very comfortable sitting down. Ive been spoiled with deep cutaways and comfort countours, and the sharp edges and abrupt waistline design are not terribly comfortable.

It ought to be much better with a strap, so new strap ordered.


----------



## Badger_Boom (23 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> Im not especially a Clapton fan, but love Cream. Im just an old fart.
> 
> Clapton himself always struck me as a bit of an Arse, stealing his best friends wife, and spending a whole decade pithed. Now hes refusing to play any shows where any kind of proof of vaccination is required to access the venue.


He's gone down again in my estimation because of the vaccine thing, but some of the rest can be explained to a degree by his seriosuly weird childhood. I also get the impression that these days he also regrets spending a decade or more off his chump on booze and coke.

Edited to add: I'm also more of a Cream fan than of his solo stuff. It all started when my dad bought me a copy of Wheels of Fire as an off the cuff 18th birthday present.


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## Drago (23 Jul 2021)

Its just a shame that Derek and the Dominoes only last one album. But boy, what an album.


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## Oldhippy (23 Jul 2021)

The big six in no particular order, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Green, BB King and Carlos Santana have between them probably influenced every band out there in one way or another playing style wise.


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## Drago (23 Jul 2021)

Reminds me of this...


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## MontyVeda (23 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> Reminds me of this...
> 
> View attachment 600611


awesome that Steve Hillage is included... he's one of our unsung greats. The huge atmospheric intro to Motivation Radio is pure class. I was only listening to it yesterday. Shame his lyrics are bit cheesy but they do make me smile. and today on BBC 6 music they played a bit of System 7... the age old hippie not only reinvented himself, but pretty much became the godfather of ambient-house.


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## Drago (23 Jul 2021)

Hillage is an unsung great, but Martin Lancelot Barre is _the _great.


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## MontyVeda (23 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> Hillage is an unsung great, but Martin Lancelot Barre is _the _great.


can we kick Mike Oldfield off the table and put someone else in his place?


----------



## carpiste (24 Jul 2021)

It`s funny how most of "the greats" are 60`s, 70`s stars. I wonder if it`s a generational thing? There are a myriad of guitarists out there who, on some tracks/ albums are phenomenal! Francis Dunnery springs to mind (It Bites/ solo)
We always seem to think of great guitarists but for me, the greats are songwriters/musicians. So Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) would be up there alongside Lennon/ McCartney, Bowie, Elton John. The list goes on. None would be said to be "Great" guitarists, pianists but my Dog did they give us some great tunes!
Mike Oldfield? Why not? Jeff Lynne? I`ll have to stop now or I`ll run out of space


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## Drago (24 Jul 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> can we kick Mike Oldfield off the table and put someone else in his place?


I cant say im a huge oldfueld fan, but when he's on form he's peerless. Five Miles Out, his heavy rock inspired album, was in a class of its own at the time. The Tubular Bells stuff might be better now, but its poncy and far from his best work.


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wn1mVl2NHaw


----------



## Badger_Boom (24 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> I cant say im a huge oldfueld fan, but when he's on form he's peerless. Five Miles Out, his heavy rock inspired album, was in a class of its own at the time. The Tubular Bells stuff might be better now, but its poncy and far from his best work.
> 
> 
> View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wn1mVl2NHaw



I haven’t heard that in years. I’ve got a picture disc of it in store somewhere. Don’t think I was a particular fan of his playing but I did like the tone and he’s one of the reasons I bought a (cheap copy) SG.


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## MontyVeda (24 Jul 2021)

carpiste said:


> ...
> *We always seem to think of great guitarists but for me, the greats are songwriters/musicians.*
> ...


in the thread titled 'the bassist and guitarist thread'... following a post about the 13 greatest progressive _guitar_ players... it's not that surprising that we're not really focused on songwriters and pianists or keyboarderers

As for Oldfield... he bores me senseless and I've heard a lot more than just TB (he was even in Gong for a while, when they were at their worst). Yes, stick Jeff Lyne in his place


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## raleighnut (24 Jul 2021)

No mention of Robbie yet


View: https://youtu.be/q-w9OclUnns


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## raleighnut (24 Jul 2021)

Or the greatest ever 'Telecaster' player Roy Buchanan



View: https://youtu.be/deeBQZ8Aklc


View: https://youtu.be/dSz5KQOWDAk


----------



## raleighnut (24 Jul 2021)

Longest intro ever?


View: https://youtu.be/UtNIdyzdJ9Y

Derek Trucks playing with the band


View: https://youtu.be/Rx_UaQx5eZQ


----------



## carpiste (24 Jul 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> in the thread titled 'the bassist and guitarist thread'... following a post about the 13 greatest progressive _guitar_ players... it's not that surprising that we're not really focused on songwriters and pianists or keyboarderers
> 
> As for Oldfield... he bores me senseless and I've heard a lot more than just TB (he was even in Gong for a while, when they were at their worst). Yes, stick Jeff Lyne in his place


I understand that. I love guitarists as much as the next man I was just adding a different take on it. Sorry!


----------



## Drago (24 Jul 2021)

Our band have made a democratic decision - which everyone but myself voted for - to add Sweet Caroline to the setlist as an end of the evening singalong. If you think it's boring to listen to then you ain't seen nothing yet, cost its 10 times as boring to play on bass.


----------



## Cycleops (24 Jul 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> can we kick Mike Oldfield off the table and put someone else in his place?


Talking about boring Tubular Bells gets my vote for the most boring album of all time.


----------



## Cycleops (24 Jul 2021)

Someone who I don’t think has been mentioned before in these pages is Ry Cooder. One of my favourite guitarists.

And Dick Dale doesn’t get much love, another one of my faves. Sadly passed away the year before last.


----------



## Cycleops (24 Jul 2021)

carpiste said:


> It`s funny how most of "the greats" are 60`s, 70`s stars. I wonder if it`s a generational thing? There are a myriad of guitarists out there who, on some tracks/ albums are phenomenal! Francis Dunnery springs to mind (It Bites/ solo)
> We always seem to think of great guitarists but for me, the greats are songwriters/musicians. So Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) would be up there alongside Lennon/ McCartney, Bowie, Elton John. The list goes on. None would be said to be "Great" guitarists, pianists but my Dog did they give us some great tunes!
> Mike Oldfield? Why not? Jeff Lynne? I`ll have to stop now or I`ll run out of space


If your dog says so then they must be good.


----------



## MontyVeda (25 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> Our band have made a democratic decision - which everyone but myself voted for - to add Sweet Caroline to the setlist as an end of the evening singalong. If you think it's boring to listen to then you ain't seen nothing yet, cost its 10 times as boring to play on bass.


Cracklin' Rose would be a better choice... dunno about the bassline but it's a love song about a bottle of wine. What's not to like!


----------



## raleighnut (25 Jul 2021)

Right.................................enough of these boring songs, Neil Diamond FFS

I present the magistry of Frank with 'Ship Ahoy'




View: https://youtu.be/SFTJ8V2T0nM


----------



## raleighnut (25 Jul 2021)

Or Alex

View: https://youtu.be/I17uCPXDj_M?list=RDMM

Edit- click on the link


----------



## Drago (25 Jul 2021)

Not to mention just about any axeman who has played with Thin Lizzy. Brian Robertson, Scott Gorham, Gary Moore, but in particular the hugely underrated and breathtakingly talented Eric Bell.

And holding down the low end they had this maestro...


----------



## delb0y (25 Jul 2021)

Derek Trucks - oh man, he's probably playing better solos than anyone (based on You Tube at least) at the moment. The guy just has soul deep down into his bones. I have listened to that live version of Midnight in Harlem so many times. It's just sublime. And Ry Cooder, too, up there with one of my favourite solos of all time - a live version of How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? Again, played on slide, which may something about me (I also love Duane Allman and Lowell George) or about how a slide can add all those tiny micro-tones in.

These days there are so many incredible technical players that it's great that some people haven't forgotten it's about touching people's hearts.

Derek


----------



## MontyVeda (25 Jul 2021)

Just spent what feels like that last 24 hours listening to this guy...


----------



## GM (25 Jul 2021)

Here's a couple of good guitarists with the amazing stunning slide queen Megan....


----------



## raleighnut (25 Jul 2021)

Drago said:


> Not to mention just about any axeman who has played with Thin Lizzy. Brian Robertson, Scott Gorham, Gary Moore, but in particular the hugely underrated and breathtakingly talented Eric Bell.
> 
> And holding down the low end they had this maestro...
> 
> View attachment 600831



View: https://youtu.be/-jEUq3hEjus


----------



## raleighnut (25 Jul 2021)

No mention of Rory yet though.with possibly the best drummer ever the immense Ted McKenna


View: https://youtu.be/go9J9REtfdA


----------



## Cycleops (25 Jul 2021)

Now that’s what you call a proper reliced and customised Fender.


raleighnut said:


> View: https://youtu.be/-jEUq3hEjus


----------



## raleighnut (25 Jul 2021)

View: https://youtu.be/odV11kuiWT4

EDIT only 21 frets.......................No problem
Playing 'one handed' 


View: https://youtu.be/BdxZs2sCugE?list=RDodV11kuiWT4


----------



## Badger_Boom (25 Jul 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Now that’s what you call a proper reliced and customised Fender.


Reliced, or an actual relic?


----------



## DCBassman (26 Jul 2021)

Gallagher's Strat got like that through natural wear and tear. Fender had a pretty difficult job replicating it!


----------



## raleighnut (26 Jul 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Gallagher's Strat got like that through natural wear and tear. Fender had a pretty difficult job replicating it!


Yep, getting chucked in a ditch after it was stolen didn't help much either.


----------



## Badger_Boom (26 Jul 2021)

raleighnut said:


> Yep, getting chucked in a ditch after it was stolen didn't help much either.


Not quite as extreme as what happenned to Peter Frampton's Les Paul, although even post-plane crash/pre-restoration pictures don't look as battered as Rory's Strat.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (26 Jul 2021)

From about 3:50

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RROeZ8cIKfU


----------



## DCBassman (28 Jul 2021)

ZZ Top's Dusty Hill has passed away.


----------



## Drago (28 Jul 2021)

Thinking of a new pickup for the Shorty, give it some kick. Seymour Duncan and EMG about the same price, so I'm torn.


----------



## Salad Dodger (28 Jul 2021)

I came back from uke band practice tonight, and saw the news about Dusty Hill. What a shock.


----------



## Grant Fondo (28 Jul 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> I came back from uke band practice tonight, and saw the news about Dusty Hill. What a shock.


Yeah sad news. What a dude.


----------



## Cycleops (3 Aug 2021)

I know roasted maple is in vogue now as well as relicing but how about this effort on Gumtree;


----------



## DCBassman (3 Aug 2021)

Cycleops said:


> I know roasted maple is in vogue now as well as relicing but how about this effort on Gumtree;
> 
> View attachment 602494



Actually might be worth that for the neck alone, depending on what it is!


----------



## Cycleops (3 Aug 2021)

Thought you all might like another laugh. This "Fodera" is being offered on the local marketplace for about £360. 









Come down and grab a bargain.


----------



## the snail (4 Aug 2021)

raleighnut said:


> Right.................................enough of these boring songs, Neil Diamond FFS
> 
> I present the magistry of Frank with 'Ship Ahoy'
> 
> ...



Love that track.. I believe it's a mu-tron pedal he's using there?


----------



## raleighnut (4 Aug 2021)

the snail said:


> Love that track.. I believe it's a mu-tron pedal he's using there?


I'd heard 'dynaflanger' used with a 'wah' but you may be right.


View: https://youtu.be/Rvok4jEH4hE


Dweezil goes for the sound towards the end of this (28 and a bit mins and at 34:30) a lot of the sound is simply the guitar and pedal (s) left to their own devices


----------



## avecReynolds531 (5 Aug 2021)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BLof0G2sSw


One great segue. 

RIP Dusty Hill.


----------



## Cycleops (5 Aug 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Actually might be worth that for the neck alone, depending on what it is!


I was looking for a neck for a SX jazz that I bought recently. A decent one was around £100 plus shipping so I thought I might as well get complete Harley Benton for a few quid more.

Perhaps you could tell me what's going on here. The Allen bolt is missing so I'm assuming it's had it?


----------



## Oldhippy (5 Aug 2021)

You should be able to find another.


----------



## raleighnut (5 Aug 2021)

Cycleops said:


> I was looking for a neck for a SX jazz that I bought recently. A decent one was around £100 plus shipping so I thought I might as well get complete Harley Benton for a few quid more.
> 
> Perhaps you could tell me what's going on here. The Allen bolt is missing so I'm assuming it's had it?
> View attachment 602813


There doesn't appear to be a truss rod either


----------



## Oldhippy (5 Aug 2021)

Loosen the strings up while you investigate.


----------



## Cycleops (5 Aug 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> Loosen the strings up while you investigate.


Okay, thanks. Might not be easy to spot but there is a what appears to be a thread inset there, you can just see it. Would the truss rod screw into that?


----------



## Oldhippy (5 Aug 2021)

Yes. Thin snake torch may prove useful. With strings loose and preferably removed for a few hours in even temp room look up the guitar from the bridge in a horizontal plane and look for any twist in the neck. It isn't necessarily the end of the world with a new truss screw. Decent Luthier should be able to sort for you.


----------



## Cycleops (5 Aug 2021)

So that's a screw that passes all the way down into the neck and located in a threaded billet? 
The truss rod is missing then?

There's no twist in the neck but it's obviously bowed forward.


----------



## DCBassman (5 Aug 2021)

Before anything else, I have to ask a possibly obvious question, so apologies, it's not meant to sound bad. Is this possibly the OTHER end of the truss rod? Is there a butt-end adjuster, and maybe the wood fillet meant to cover the headstock end is missing? There's no way to remove a truss rod through either end without damage, normally have to remove fingerboard and/or skunk stripe.


----------



## DCBassman (5 Aug 2021)

And if I'm wrong about that, are you certain that there's no hex flats in there somewhere? Some need a deepish key.


----------



## Cycleops (5 Aug 2021)

No adjuster on the other end. I had the neck off before but I'll check again.There is definitely a threaded inset there but might be difficult to see in my pic. It's a real mystery.


----------



## raleighnut (5 Aug 2021)

Cycleops said:


> No adjuster on the other end. I had the neck off before but I'll check again.There is definitely a threaded inset there but might be difficult to see in my pic. It's a real mystery.


The 'truss rod' could be a tube but I've never seen one (but then I've not seen many of those Basses apart)

My guess is someone snapped the truss rod trying to adjust it 'under string tension' so I'd fit another neck.


----------



## MontyVeda (16 Aug 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> Thought I'd give you an update on my lockdown project (which still is a long way from completion)...
> 
> it started with a cheap P-style neck:
> View attachment 596960
> ...


another small update on the hollowcaster bass build...

I wasn't happy with the first template i cut for routing out the chambers, so made another one which I am happy with. It'll also be used for cutting the slot for the pickups in the soundboard...







In other news... I made a shooting board for getting the glued edges of the soundboard perfectly straight...






Which was a lot easier than I'd expected  (getting the join perfect, not making the shooting board)

I think the time spent restoring my plane was time well spent... it's never run so smooth, or been so sharp.

After fitting a nice new chunk of ply to the top of my tatty old bench, i got ready to glue up said soundboard...






There's lots of ways of doing this, some with ridiculous degrees of complexity. I went for the simplest looking method; a baton to raise the inner edges about 5mm off the bench, a row of nails down the outer edges... apply glue to inner edge, remove baton and the two halves should be held tightly together whilst the glue does its job. (and not forgetting some baking paper to stop me from gluing it to the bench!)

...pile loads of crap on top and leave over night.






It's gonna be a scary moment tomorrow when i check if it's worked


----------



## DCBassman (16 Aug 2021)

Well, today I must, technically, leave this thread.
I've given up on the REM tribute and the longstanding quest for a pianist for the jazz trio and called it a day with playing bass.
Just too much pain and aggro.
I'm grateful, so far, that I can still cycle, but it's getting more difficult.
Bummer.


----------



## MontyVeda (16 Aug 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Well, today I must, technically, leave this thread.
> I've given up on the REM tribute and the longstanding quest for a pianist for the jazz trio and called it a day with playing bass.
> Just too much pain and aggro.
> I'm grateful, so far, that I can still cycle, but it's getting more difficult.
> Bummer.


I'm neither a bassist nor a guitarist*... so you have more rights to be here than i do 

*I posses guitars but can't really play them.


----------



## MontyVeda (17 Aug 2021)

the two halves appear to be one and soundboard is coming up lovely... for cedar, which is a bit non descript grain wise.






Great fun watching (and listening to) the plane removing just dust from the high points of the rough sawn faces, then biting and taking small shavings here and there, that get longer and longer until they're the full length of the board.

Next job... back to mother's to start cutting the chambers in that chopping board.


----------



## Cycleops (19 Aug 2021)

If you want to grab a piece of Rolling Stones history an acoustic guitar which had a gunshot hole put in it by Keith Richard after an argument in a Memphis hotel room with Ronnie Wood is being put up for auction:
https://guitar.com/news/music-news/the-guitar-keith-richards-shot-a-hole-in-is-going-up-for-auction/


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (19 Aug 2021)

This cropped up on the YouTube homepage, when I opened it
He's one hellacious picker 


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8kvLYLoAKA


----------



## raleighnut (20 Aug 2021)

Cycleops said:


> If you want to grab a piece of Rolling Stones history an acoustic guitar which had a gunshot hole put in it by Keith Richard after an argument in a Memphis hotel room with Ronnie Wood is being put up for auction:
> https://guitar.com/news/music-news/the-guitar-keith-richards-shot-a-hole-in-is-going-up-for-auction/
> 
> View attachment 605077


Only a bullet hole,



View: https://youtu.be/PtNKfhUQB9w


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (20 Aug 2021)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> This cropped up on the YouTube homepage, when I opened it
> He's one hellacious picker
> 
> 
> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8kvLYLoAKA




He also reviewed Brian Setzer,& I think, phrased it as "_Brians playing will melt your face off"_
(I'd like to see him review Dave Edmunds)


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (20 Aug 2021)

Ricky Skaggs
Another good picker 
(seen him live, in the early 80's)


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi_O75SGMBk


----------



## Cycleops (20 Aug 2021)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Ricky Skaggs
> Another good picker
> (seen him live, in the early 80's)
> 
> ...



I love Ricky . He’s also a very accomplished banjo player too but I remember him once saying that after listening to Earl Scruggs (of Scruggs & Flatt fame) he wanted to smash up his banjo and throw it away.


----------



## Drago (21 Aug 2021)

We're playing The Cock in Roade on the 17th September, if any Poshshire or MK CC'ers want to come and throw their knickers at the stage.


----------



## raleighnut (22 Aug 2021)

Drago said:


> We're playing The Cock in Roade on the 17th September, if any Poshshire or MK CC'ers want to come and throw their Y fronts at the stage.


FTFY


----------



## Drago (22 Aug 2021)

Geddy Lee signature jazz bass ahoy!


----------



## Cycleops (24 Aug 2021)

Thought this might amuse some of us


----------



## Drago (24 Aug 2021)

In the studio with the band tonight. A nice outing for the Harley benton MB4.


----------



## GM (24 Aug 2021)

I was thinking of getting this T shirt, I don't think many people will get it!


----------



## DCBassman (24 Aug 2021)

GM said:


> I was thinking of getting this T shirt, I don't think many people will get it!
> 
> View attachment 605832


You're right, not many!


----------



## ColinJ (24 Aug 2021)

DCBassman said:


> You're right, not many!


If you are struggling - click *HERE*!


----------



## Cycleops (24 Aug 2021)

GM said:


> I was thinking of getting this T shirt, I don't think many people will get it!
> 
> View attachment 605832


They'd have more chance of getting this:


----------



## Drago (24 Aug 2021)

Cycleops said:


> They'd have more chance of getting this:
> View attachment 605872


I have a similar one with the same slogan.


----------



## Drago (25 Aug 2021)

By the power of Greyskull!






Geddy Lee signature Jazz has arrived. Music Radar reckon it's the best bass anywhere for a grand, and it certainly feels svelte. Just waiting for the flats I've ordered to arrive.


----------



## DCBassman (25 Aug 2021)

Drago said:


> By the power of Greyskull!
> 
> View attachment 605962
> 
> ...


Very nice! Beware of heavy flats, though, as these have very skinny (front-to-back) necks. I killed the original neck on my Precision doing that...


----------



## Drago (25 Aug 2021)

Aye, ive gone down from 105s to 100s, regular tension, so shouldn't suffer. Ive not taken a tape measure too it but it doesnt feel any slimmer than my G&L Jazz.


----------



## DCBassman (25 Aug 2021)

Drago said:


> Aye, ive gone down from 105s to 100s, regular tension, so shouldn't suffer. Ive not taken a tape measure too it but it doesnt feel any slimmer than my G&L Jazz.


Good move. The G&Ls have very strong necks, although they don't do the Bi-Cut style that Leo originally designed for them.
Edit: it's actually the G string that hits the neck hardest, so I try always to get 40-100s rather than 45s.


----------



## ColinJ (25 Aug 2021)

Drago said:


> By the power of Greyskull!
> 
> View attachment 605962
> 
> ...


It looks very nice, but haven't you already got 80+ basses?


----------



## Drago (25 Aug 2021)

Mrs D tutted and asked me how many basses I can play at once.

"Nine", was my immediate reply.


----------



## Oldhippy (25 Aug 2021)

Drago said:


> Mrs D tutted and asked me how many basses I can play at once.
> 
> "Nine", was my immediate reply.


Roland Kirk did the 3 sax thing so why not.😁


----------



## delb0y (25 Aug 2021)

He not only did it (Roland Kirk) but he did it so well - it was far from being a gimmick.


----------



## MontyVeda (26 Aug 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> another small update on the hollowcaster bass build...
> 
> I wasn't happy with the first template i cut for routing out the chambers, so made another one which I am happy with. It'll also be used for cutting the slot for the pickups in the soundboard...
> 
> ...


Another few days of (slow) progress...

I dug out a set of forstner bits to remove the bulk of the chambers. They weren't cutting very well so after an hour or two of them jamming and the drill-press getting a bit too hot, I gave up, went home, watched a YT video about sharpening forstner bits, returned the next day, sharpened a couple of the bits but being a cheap set, they weren't keeping their edge for very long and the drill's motor was still getting a bit too hot for comfort.







The last thing i wanted was to wreck the drill-press so decided the best thing to do was leave it half done and order a quality forstner bit (from Fisch).

I did have a play with my template and one of the (relatively) expensive guided router bits...






...and what a difference spending £25 on a single bit makes (previously I've spent no more than half that on a full set). Cuts like a knife through butter, not a single burn mark and a nice smooth finish 

When the Fisch forstner bit arrived, I finished off removing the bulk in a quarter of the time i spent using the sh!t bits; no jamming, no worrying amount of heat coming from the drill press... again, what a difference spending a lot extra on quality cutters makes!

Went in with the other expensive router bit to finish off and...






I've only gone down 27mm so far. Since this is a small body with a long bass neck, it don't want it to get too light otherwise that neck will dive... I put the body on the scales and it currently weighs 8.4lbs! I don't think that neck'll be diving so will probably take the chambers down another 5 or 10mm as 8lbs is probably a bit on the heavy side ( @Drago or @DCBassman might be able to advise me here  )


----------



## Drago (26 Aug 2021)

Being a big, wide mofo I never pay too much attention to weight and never suffer neck dive issues unless playing seated. 

I would suggest that 8lbs is perhaps on the lighter side of middling.


----------



## DCBassman (26 Aug 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> 8lbs is probably a bit on the heavy side


8lbs for the bare body is on the heavy side of heavy! If you only sit to play it, no biggie, but trying to stand and play for any length of time will not be pleasant, unless you're the size of @Drago...
My lightest Precision, complete, was a tad under 7lb, neck dived a little but not a problem.


----------



## MontyVeda (26 Aug 2021)

DCBassman said:


> 8lbs for the bare body is on the heavy side of heavy! If you only sit to play it, no biggie, but trying to stand and play for any length of time will not be pleasant, unless you're the size of @Drago...
> My lightest Precision, complete, was a tad under 7lb, neck dived a little but not a problem.


I might be the height of @Drago, and a lot more handsomerer, but I'm not that fat... i mean err... broad .

The section between the saddle block and neck still needs to come out (plus the neck pocket itself) and taking the chambers down another 10mm might get it down to around 7.5lbs (currently 8.4! ).

My initial idea was to remove as much wood as i dare from the chambers... but having learned a little about how acoustic instruments work, the amount of air inside isn't gonna make any difference, so i may as well focus on making sure it stays balanced.


----------



## Drago (26 Aug 2021)

Doing a bit of maintenance on the P bass I built last year.

Its having Warman pickups and a new pickguard, so old items removed. 

Tuners and bushes removed and will be cleaned and lubed prior to refitting. Headstock being re varnished. 

Done a little bit of work on the nut slots.

A week to 10 days for bits to arrive and stuff and itll be ready for gig-iddly-igging again.


----------



## MontyVeda (26 Aug 2021)

Careful with those Warman pickups @Drago... they're really hot, so oven gloves might be needed.


----------



## Drago (26 Aug 2021)

I like hot!


----------



## Drago (27 Aug 2021)

Precision upgrades are going well.


----------



## Badger_Boom (27 Aug 2021)

Good to see you're using an appropriately sized tapper.


----------



## Drago (27 Aug 2021)

Precision tools!


----------



## ColinJ (27 Aug 2021)

It will have to wait until next spring, but any suggestions for the best sub-£150 (preferably sub-£125) bass for me to potter about on?

Thomann look hard to beat for deals...


----------



## DCBassman (27 Aug 2021)

ColinJ said:


> It will have to wait until next spring, but any suggestions for the best sub-£150 (preferably sub-£125) bass for me to potter about on?
> 
> Thomann look hard to beat for deals...


As you say, Thomann, the find someone to check it over and set it up if need be. Always remember it will have roundwound strings on, so if you like the idea of smooth flatwounds, you'll need to budget for that. They are not cheap. But, particularly if you're just a home noodler, they will last _*decades*_ if you keep them clean!


----------



## ColinJ (27 Aug 2021)

DCBassman said:


> As you say, Thomann, the find someone to check it over and set it up if need be.


*Jack's Guitars* in Hebden Bridge would be handy for that...



DCBassman said:


> Always remember it will have roundwound strings on, so if you like the idea of smooth flatwounds, you'll need to budget for that. They are not cheap. But, particularly if you're just a home noodler, they will last _*decades*_ if you keep them clean!


_*DECADES?*_ They would probably outlast _*ME! *_

I would almost certainly be no more than a home noodler, unless I were to discover some real unsuspected musical talent.


----------



## Drago (27 Aug 2021)

ColinJ said:


> It will have to wait until next spring, but any suggestions for the best sub-£150 (preferably sub-£125) bass for me to potter about on?
> 
> Thomann look hard to beat for deals...


Harley Benton MB4, or one of the HB Precisions.


----------



## Badger_Boom (28 Aug 2021)

Drago said:


> Harley Benton MB4, or one of the HB Precisions.


I don’t play bass but I still regret not buying a bargain basement Gear 4 Music precision in gold sparkle that was in the junk shop down the road last year. I doubt it would have been the best but it would have done me for a spot of noodling.


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## Drago (28 Aug 2021)

G4M have a reasonable rep. Perhaps not as glowing as Thomann and Harley Benton, but considering the measly prices few people have anything bad tomsay about them.


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## MontyVeda (28 Aug 2021)

DCBassman said:


> As you say, Thomann, the find someone to check it over and set it up if need be. Always remember it will have roundwound strings on, so if you like the idea of smooth flatwounds, you'll need to budget for that. They are not cheap. But, particularly if you're just a home noodler, they will last _*decades*_ if you keep them clean!


I got a set of Adagio flatwounds for £16 off Ebay... certainly not expensive at that (link).


----------



## Drago (28 Aug 2021)

The Adagio nickel flats are actually ok, certainly wouldnt have been upset to habe paid £30 for them, never mind £16.

The cheap Olympia stainless flats are crap though. Really dull and muddy sounding and take an age to play in.


----------



## Salad Dodger (28 Aug 2021)

I was just about to jump in and recommend the Adagio flatwounds, but a couple of you got there before me!

I am using them on my cheapo Crafter bass, and have no complaints at all.....

On a separate issue, does anyone here have experience of using a short scale bass, compared to a regular scale one? It's not the shorter distance between frets that I am seeking. It's something much lighter to stand and play than the slab of the Crafter.

I keep looking at the Harley Benton short scale P Bass for about £83 delivered, but I can't quite get up the courage to pull the trigger on one. It must be cheap: I can't justify spending a lot when bass is not my main instrument. 

Apart from the physical difference in size and weight, is the sound likely to be much different? (I am basically an acoustic guitarist that has been drafted in to play basic bass root note accompaniment for a singing group.)


----------



## MontyVeda (28 Aug 2021)

TBH i know nowt about bass strings either... went for flats because the squeal from round wounds does my nut in and went for Adagio because of the price. I was half expecting the actual bass players to say they're sh!t... so thanks for the endorsements 

@Salad Dodger ...for £83 i reckon it's worth a punt. One could easily spend that on a night out


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## Drago (28 Aug 2021)

Yes, ive a Hofner Shorty and a HB Violin Bass.

The sound is hard to define, but is different. Still low and boomy though. The loose strings annoy me a bit so personally I wouldn't play short acale alone, but plenty do.


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## DCBassman (28 Aug 2021)

As to the Adagios, never 'eard of 'em...


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## Drago (28 Aug 2021)

Adagio aren't a new firm, been going since the 80's that i know of. The company are British but I imagine the strings are made in the far east.

There ebay shop has over 100,000 positive feedback score, so dolk seem happy enough with them.


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## ColinJ (28 Aug 2021)

Drago said:


> Adagio aren't a new firm, been going since the 80's that i know of. The company are British but I imagine the strings are made in the far east.
> 
> There ebay shop has over 100,000 positive feedback score, so dolk seem happy enough with them.


I bought *THESE* Adagio classical guitar strings last year. They accepted 50p off the asking price too... Very good value for money!


----------



## ColinJ (29 Aug 2021)

PS... 

If you follow @MontyVeda's ebay link above, you end up on a page selling all the different types of Adagio strings at fixed prices. If you search for Adagio... Let me do it - *CLICK HERE* - you can find pages for each type of string separately and those are open to offers. As I mentioned in my previous post, it is worth trying an offer of slightly less than they are asking for.

AND/OR... if you buy before September 13th, use the code ADAGIOSAVER to get 10% off.


----------



## Drago (2 Sep 2021)

Added the alchemy-amalgamation symbol to my Geddy Lee for extra authenticity.


----------



## raleighnut (3 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> Added the alchemy-amalgamation symbol to my Geddy Lee for extra authenticity.
> 
> View attachment 607327


Now you've gotta lose 10 stone and have a nose extension, being Jewish already you probably don't need any further 'mods'


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## Drago (3 Sep 2021)

Im quite lucky in not having the beak. The only giveaways are that I drive a Volvo and put "already" at the end of each sentence, already.


----------



## Xipe Totec (3 Sep 2021)

raleighnut said:


> Now you've gotta lose 10 stone and have a nose extension, being Jewish already you probably don't need any further 'mods'


And can we have the YYZ playalong sorted for next week?

Here's your backing track... 


View: https://youtu.be/PH2ChUiZgyM


----------



## Cycleops (4 Sep 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> I was just about to jump in and recommend the Adagio flatwounds, but a couple of you got there before me!
> 
> I am using them on my cheapo Crafter bass, and have no complaints at all.....
> 
> ...


I have a Epiphone EBO SS which I love. Lower string tension means it’s easier to bend notes plus I like the 38mm nut. Body is significantly smaller than a P but still quite hefty as it’s mahogany I think. Definitely easier to play than a 34”. Recommended. Sound is a little different, you don’t get quite the sustain. The problem with these cheap basses is the tuning keys but I replaced them with some Gotohs off another bass.


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## Drago (4 Sep 2021)

See, Ive 2 short scale basses, and they do have their advantages. But I love that tight, deep 34" tone.


----------



## DCBassman (5 Sep 2021)

Had a Mustang for a bit, very good to play, and didn't sound much different from the P.


----------



## MontyVeda (8 Sep 2021)

DCBassman said:


> 8lbs for the bare body is on the heavy side of heavy! If you only sit to play it, no biggie, but trying to stand and play for any length of time will not be pleasant, unless you're the size of @Drago...
> My lightest Precision, complete, was a tad under 7lb, neck dived a little but not a problem.


Bit more routing, got it down to 7.5 and could probably get it down to maybe a little less than 7lbs. 

No idea what the neck and all the metal gubbins will add to it... not a great deal i don't think so I'm guessing it'll end up not much more than 7.5lbs. 

Does that sound about right? 

At the end of the day it weighs what it weighs


----------



## Drago (8 Sep 2021)

Just spent a pleasant evening in the studio with the band and some beer. Final rehearsal is next wednesday, and first post lockdown gig is next Friday.


----------



## Saluki (9 Sep 2021)

Having been without a guitar for a while, my wrist issues frustrated any improvement so I stopped playing as was so depressed about it.
Yesterday I accidentally bought a second hand ESP M-50, for fifty quid, along with cables, bag, strap (not great stuff, defo cheap end of the market) and a little Orange Micro Crush amp.

I decided to go back to basics, entirely and kind of relearn with the limitations of the wrist to find work-arounds,
I have forgotten all my scales!

The seller of said guitar, was a lad who said ‘learning was hard’. He got as far as failing to master a D chord then put the guitar and biddy-baby amp in the cupboard under the stairs where it’s been for a year or so. It doesn’t have the feel of my old Strat but I feel less daunted by it. Having anxiety issues, I felt that I needed to live up to playing properly. I know that this is ridiculous, but when your your own brain isn’t on your side sometimes, these stupid thoughts try to take root and flourish.
Also, there is nobody judgy in my life, which is helpful and long may it continue.

Edited to correct the prediction text.


----------



## Drago (9 Sep 2021)

Thats a well specced bit of kit for 50 sheets, and with a decent little amp too.


----------



## Saluki (9 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> Thats a well specced bit of kit for 50 sheets, and with a decent little amp too.


The amps are just shy of £40 on their own so I am deeply happy.
The colour is Titanium Satin. Kind of dark grey with a hint of blue.

D is not difficult


----------



## Drago (10 Sep 2021)

Just done an hour. I think the next weeks worth of practice will be confined to the set list foe Fridays gig. First one ina while and don't want to be the one to muff up.


----------



## GuyBoden (11 Sep 2021)

Saluki said:


> Having been without a guitar for a while, my wrist issues frustrated any improvement so I stopped playing as was so depressed about it.



I've started getting wrist issues in recent years, mostly when I play for more than a few hours, I'm not surprised as I've played guitar since being at school and was practicing 5-8 hours a day for many years when I was younger.


----------



## Drago (11 Sep 2021)

I'm getting a little aching in my hands and fingers and do wonder if it might be the first signs of arthritis, which I already have in the toes of one foot. It's not impeding my playing...yet...but first sign of worsening its to the docs I go.


----------



## GM (11 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> I'm getting a little aching in my hands and fingers and do wonder if it might be the first signs of arthritis, which I already have in the toes of one foot. It's not impeding my playing...yet...but first sign of worsening its to the docs I go.



I had to give up when getting arthritis in my left hand, five minutes of playing and it was murder. Broke my heart to sell my beautiful American Strat, I thought of keeping it just to hang on the wall but sold it to buy another Brompton.


----------



## Drago (11 Sep 2021)

If I have to resort tomusing my teeth and balls to play I won't be giving up.


----------



## Saluki (11 Sep 2021)

I took a pic. I am stupidly enamored with it 
Practice time is currently limited by fingers not retaining their toughness after a long layoff


----------



## Drago (11 Sep 2021)

Thats a lot of axe for very little money.


----------



## Badger_Boom (11 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> Thats a lot of axe for very little money.


True. I googled it and was surprised. The kid must have found learning _really_ hard.


----------



## Saluki (11 Sep 2021)

Badger_Boom said:


> True. I googled it and was surprised. The kid must have found learning _really_ hard.


He couldn’t do a D chord. He said his ‘fingers didn’t fit on the strings’. After a week he couldn’t or daren’t progress to a A chord as he assumed it would be harder.
I am a bad person as I didn’t disillusion him. Just handed over the money. When I first learned, it took me a bit to get that D chord tidy but never looked back after. I still, sometimes have to think with a D minor.

I have forgotten my scales but remembered the first couple of bars of Cliffs of Dover. First few bars of Evil Eye too.

Very glad that the lad had no stickability. I really love that little amp he sold it with too. It’s really rather good.


----------



## Cycleops (14 Sep 2021)

That’s rather nice @Saluki ESP are not very popular so maybe why it was cheap?
But why oh why do some manufacturers put the tuners on the wrong side like that, in the name of looking cool I guess? Must be hell to tune.
Good luck with it and the D


----------



## Cycleops (14 Sep 2021)

All you groupies be careful out there:


----------



## Saluki (14 Sep 2021)

Cycleops said:


> That’s rather nice @Saluki ESP are not very popular so maybe why it was cheap?
> But why oh why do some manufacturers put the tuners on the wrong side like that, in the name of looking cool I guess? Must be hell to tune.
> Good luck with it and the D


Hi.
Its fine to tune, even I can count to 6 - a rarity in Norfolk as we dont all have that many fingers.
The resale value on them seems a fair bit more than I paid. It sounds nice, feels nice and I like the colour.
I need to tweak the neck humbucker as it sits a bit high but, apart from that, it’s very nice. I think that I have a bit of a bargain.


----------



## Drago (14 Sep 2021)

The tuners may be on the wrong side, but theyre actually easier to operste down there.


----------



## Cycleops (14 Sep 2021)

You guys have got to see this bassist Daria Shorr, just amazing:


View: https://youtu.be/umP2icG0f90


----------



## delb0y (18 Sep 2021)

Managed to find a new country/folk song inside my old Tanglewood this week, if anyone cares to listen:

Wherever That Might Be

Cheers
Derek


----------



## Drago (18 Sep 2021)

First post lockdown gig went well.

The pub, The Cock at Roade, have put some vids on their Faceberk page if anyone with FB fancies a nosey.


----------



## Cycleops (18 Sep 2021)

I wonder if some of you might be able to help me to decide on a new bass. I'm torn between several options. I was favouring a Cort B plus in one of its flavours.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/cort_b4_plus_as_tbk.htm
Also thought of Ibanez which has a nice slim neck.
https://www.ibanez.com/usa/products/detail/sr400eqm_02.html

I'm fairly traditional and I love my cheap Amazon P bass copy in which I've put a EMG pickup so was considering a better built G&L version.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/gl_lb_100_3_tsb_tribute.htm

I'd also considered a Spector as I liked another bass I had with a PJ set up.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/spector_legend_standard_4_blsg.htm

I have a Epiphone EB0 SS which I like for its easy playability so was considering a SS Sterling Stingray or a G&L Fallout SS
https://www.thomann.de/gb/gl_tribute_fallout_shortscale_sfg.htm

https://www.thomann.de/gb/sterling_by_music_man_stingray_ss4_mn_daphne_blue.htm

Danelectro has a wierd kind of appeal too.

I can't get Fender, Squire, Epiphone, Jackson or Yamaha here as UK retailers are prohibited from sending them here.


----------



## purpan (18 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> First post lockdown gig went well.
> 
> The pub, The Cock at Roade, have put some vids on their Faceberk page if anyone with FB fancies a nosey.


Curious as I am, there’s no way I’m typing « Cock » into a Facebook search!


----------



## Cycleops (18 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> First post lockdown gig went well.
> 
> The pub, The Cock at Roade, have put some vids on their Faceberk page if anyone with FB fancies a nosey.


Can't see anything on their FB page apart from the dubiously named 'Cockfest' video with band that are just babies.


----------



## Drago (19 Sep 2021)

Im a bit underwhelmed by my G&L jazz. My Fender Geddly Lee kicks it in the nuts and strals its lunch money in every level. That said, perhaps the P is a cut above?

I'd be inclined for the Ibanez, with the MM Sterling a close second. With Ibanez you're pretty much guaranteed decent quality, nice sound, good balance. Then the G&L P in turd place.

I too like the Danelectro and wouldnt mind one myself, but thats more of a one trick pony, the sort of thing youd buy to top off a collection rather than as an all rounder.


----------



## Drago (19 Sep 2021)

I hqve to learn the bass to Plug in Baby by Wednesday night. Great. I think.


----------



## ColinJ (19 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> I hqve to learn the bass to Plug in Baby by Wednesday night. Great. I think.


If you have time, could you explain the lyrics...? 


Plug In Baby lyrics said:


> _I've exposed your lies, baby
> The underneath no big surprise
> Now it's time for changing
> And cleansing everything
> ...


----------



## Drago (23 Sep 2021)

Joined the MU today.


----------



## Badger_Boom (23 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> Joined the MU today.


Will you be adding this to your set list?


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdOCWUgwiWs


----------



## ColinJ (23 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> Joined the MU today.


There's a coincidence... I was just reading *THIS*!


----------



## Drago (23 Sep 2021)

I was more interested in the liability insurance.


----------



## ColinJ (23 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> I was more interested in the liability insurance.


Hah - wait until they stream your second single 917,456,234 times but you only make £2.78!!!


----------



## Oldhippy (23 Sep 2021)

I was wondering only the other day if the MU was still going. Remember the big window stickers. Had one on the bike screen and used to make sure one was displayed on the Marquee booking office window.


----------



## DCBassman (24 Sep 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> I was wondering only the other day if the MU was still going.


Reasonably well, all things considered...


----------



## MontyVeda (24 Sep 2021)

I left the MU when they refused to call a national strike after I'd been replaced by a drum machine


----------



## Badger_Boom (24 Sep 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> I left the MU when they refused to call a national strike after I'd been replaced by a drum machine


Was that because they only needed to punch the rhythm into the machine once?


----------



## Drago (25 Sep 2021)

Looks like our next gig will be the 5th November at the local Conservative Club. That'll please the usual NACA suspects! 

We don't know any Billy Bragg, so the Labour club weren't interested.


----------



## ColinJ (25 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> We don't know any Billy Bragg, so the Labour club weren't interested.


You could make _Greensleeves _sound like a Billy Bragg song if you wanted to! 

Actually, that could be quite a fun gig - '_traditional songs, sung in the style of..._'


----------



## Drago (25 Sep 2021)

Billy Bragg sings Queen. Marvel at the virtuosity of his version of Bohemian Rhapsody!


----------



## Badger_Boom (26 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> Billy Bragg sings Queen. Marvel at the virtuosity of his version of Bohemian Rhapsody!


Bugger. Now in my head I’m hearing the “I’m just a poor boy, nobody loves me” bit sung by Bragg to the opening bit of Between the Wars.


----------



## raleighnut (26 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> Looks like our next gig will be the 5th November at the local Conservative Club. That'll please the usual NACA suspects!
> 
> We don't know any Billy Bragg, so the Labour club weren't interested.


Just slip a Dylan song into the set


View: https://youtu.be/sV6kcT3g-NQ


----------



## Drago (26 Sep 2021)

We'll have a bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd on the go, which should enrage the Neil young loving NACA crew even more.


----------



## DCBassman (27 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> We'll have a bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd on the go, which should enrage the Neil young loving NACA crew even more.


Do some of each, really screws 'em up.


----------



## Arjimlad (27 Sep 2021)

Just checking in here to mark the fact that I played the bass for the first time since March 2020 in the church worship group on Sunday. It was great to be back on the bottom line! 

Despite having little practice I think it went OK - well no-one walked out or grimaced at me, and I seemed to keep up with the drummer & guitarists.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (27 Sep 2021)

We were in ASDA (Glasshoughton) yesterday, & whilst being sent off to find something I stopped at the magazines

_Guitar Player_ (I think that's the actual title) caught my eye, so had a read
There was a several page article interviewing Brian Setzer


----------



## Drago (4 Oct 2021)

We've got another gig on the 11th December, so well be ablemto claim weve been on tour! 

Thats 2 x gigs at 250 quid each time, the bands new PA paid for.


----------



## Drago (5 Oct 2021)

Fitted a Wilkinson pickup tomthe Hofner shorty. Givesmit a bit more bottom end, a bit more punch.


----------



## Drago (6 Oct 2021)

Oph dear, our singer has Covid


----------



## MontyVeda (6 Oct 2021)

Drago said:


> We'll have a bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd on the go, which should enrage the Neil young loving NACA crew even more.





DCBassman said:


> Do some of each, really screws 'em up.


a segue of Southern Man, into Sweet Home Alabama and back to Southern Man


----------



## Badger_Boom (6 Oct 2021)

Drago said:


> Oph dear, our singer has Covid


Sorry, I don't know that one. If you hum it I'll try to pick it up.


----------



## Drago (6 Oct 2021)

New PA ordered by the band, thats us £850 lighter.


----------



## Drago (8 Oct 2021)

Well, rehearsals last night without our singer, who has covid. Therefore, we each took in in turns to caterwaul through the songs so at least we had something to play along to.

Rather a surprise to me, but the lads reckon I can not only sing, but possess a wide vocal range - im a low tenor normally, but can extend well either side.

Anyway, these tone deaf muppets reckon I'm realy good, and henceforth i'll be singing Teenage Dirtbag and Johnny Cash's Hurt


----------



## MontyVeda (10 Oct 2021)

soldered up the pots and socket t'other day...







...but I seem to have a problem 

All i have is a very basic continuity tester; it beeps when a circuit is made. Testing between the tabs and sweeper on the volume knob (top), works... but I'm getting nothing through the tone pot (with the capacitor on).

My soldering skills do leave a lot to be desired, but I'd be surprised if I've cooked the pot whilst soldering onto the back of it as it went on quite quickly and easily... Am i testing it correctly? Do i just need to order a new pot??

Any advice greatly appreciated.


----------



## Drago (11 Oct 2021)

And today I'll be ,aying down the vocals to Hurt and uploading them to BandLab.


----------



## MontyVeda (11 Oct 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> soldered up the pots and socket t'other day...
> 
> View attachment 612832
> 
> ...


I think i might have been testing it incorrectly (beyond soldering speakers and leads, I know nothing about electrics)... with the tone pot swung all the way in one direction, i do get a beep from the tab and the sweeper, and swinging the knob all the way the opposite way, I get a beep from the other tab... but nothing in between (no idea if i should on a tone pot???).

I think it might be working but won't really know until I mount it in the body and wire in the pickup.


----------



## DCBassman (12 Oct 2021)

Probably OK. Your tester sees the resistance as open circuit, need a proper meter, really.


----------



## the snail (13 Oct 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> I think i might have been testing it incorrectly (beyond soldering speakers and leads, I know nothing about electrics)... with the tone pot swung all the way in one direction, i do get a beep from the tab and the sweeper, and swinging the knob all the way the opposite way, I get a beep from the other tab... but nothing in between (no idea if i should on a tone pot???).
> 
> I think it might be working but won't really know until I mount it in the body and wire in the pickup.


I think you might be trying to test continuity through the capacitor? A capacitor won't conduct dc current.


----------



## MontyVeda (14 Oct 2021)

the snail said:


> I think you might be trying to test continuity through the capacitor? A capacitor won't conduct dc current.


I knew that i'd not get owt through the cap... i just didn't think to swing the pot all the way to either side when testing


----------



## DCBassman (14 Oct 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> I knew that i'd not get owt through the cap... i just didn't think to swing the pot all the way to either side when testing


Most pure continuity testers are looking at 40 ohms or less, so a 250kohm pot will register as open circuit. Even a £10 super-cheapie analogue multi-meter would do a good job with this.


----------



## Cycleops (14 Oct 2021)

At the risk of making this thread like Hello magazine.
So has fabled bass player and Pink Floyd co founder Roger Waters finally got it right?
At the age of seventy eight he's married his fifth wife Kamilah in New York. The rocker said to be worth over £300m said: 'Im so happy, finally a keeper'.







Gotta admit he looks pretty good for his age, not like a lot of bass players.


----------



## Drago (14 Oct 2021)

I suspect that like Rupwrt Murdoch and Jerri Hall, they both got what rhey want out of this deal. And why not?


----------



## Jim Cardiff (14 Oct 2021)

I play (rather badly) 6 string (classical) acoustic, and for a bit of light relief, 5 string bluegrass banjo. The latter involves only the thumb, index and middle fingers of the R hand whilst wearing metal or plastic picks on each one. Most banjo sheet music is in tab only, which means it's easier when switching from normal musical notation on the guitar without getting in a mess with the hands on autopilot.
For those of you about to let rip with all the banjo jokes, I'm not listening bla bla bla bla bla


----------



## raleighnut (15 Oct 2021)

Cycleops said:


> At the risk of making this thread like Hello magazine.
> So has fabled bass player and Pink Floyd co founder Roger Waters finally got it right?
> At the age of seventy eight he's married his fifth wife Kamilah in New York. The rocker said to be worth over £300m said: 'Im so happy, finally a keeper'.
> 
> ...


Better looking now than he was in the 70s


----------



## DCBassman (15 Oct 2021)

Jim Cardiff said:


> I play (rather badly) 6 string (classical) acoustic, and for a bit of light relief, 5 string bluegrass banjo. The latter involves only the thumb, index and middle fingers of the R hand whilst wearing metal or plastic picks on each one. Most banjo sheet music is in tab only, which means it's easier when switching from normal musical notation on the guitar without getting in a mess with the hands on autopilot.
> For those of you about to let rip with all the banjo jokes, I'm not listening bla bla bla bla bla








Sorry, couldn't resist!


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (15 Oct 2021)

Setzer’s on another magazine cover

Only he could get away with a Gretsch that colour!


----------



## Jim Cardiff (15 Oct 2021)

DCBassman said:


> View attachment 613667
> 
> 
> Sorry, couldn't resist!


Nice one! Haven't seen that one before.
If you let me have your address I'll sit just out of bucket of water range and serenade you during the early hours.


----------



## MontyVeda (15 Oct 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Most pure continuity testers are looking at 40 ohms or less, so a 250kohm pot will register as open circuit. Even a £10 super-cheapie analogue multi-meter would do a good job with this.


I don't really feel the need for a multimeter... just more tat that'll seldom be used.


----------



## Drago (15 Oct 2021)

Do any of you chaps have any experience of EUB's?


----------



## MontyVeda (15 Oct 2021)

Electric Underpant Batteries?


----------



## ColinJ (15 Oct 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> Electric Underpant Batteries?


*Electric Upright Basses*?


----------



## DCBassman (15 Oct 2021)

Nope, acoustic only, I'm afraid...


----------



## Drago (22 Oct 2021)

In the studio last night. Our heavy metal versions of Jolene and Beggin' are sounding tidy.


----------



## Drago (24 Oct 2021)

Ordered an aged red tort pickguard for the Squier '54 CV. The white looks a bit stark, not really in keeping with the vintage design.

Also considering a split coil pup for it


----------



## Cycleops (24 Oct 2021)

I know it's ten years ago but some of you might enjoy this disparate trio:


View: https://youtu.be/ydOKY3azOCc


----------



## Drago (24 Oct 2021)

Im thinking once again of getting an olde bass from somewhere and doing a fretless mod.


----------



## Jim Cardiff (25 Oct 2021)

Having abandoned all ideas of becoming a rock deity, can anyone advise the best place to advertise my (rather pricey) Gibson ES for sale? I don't use social media and rather wary of Ebay, so does that mean a magazine or a card in an accommodating music shop? All ideas welcome.


----------



## Cycleops (25 Oct 2021)

You could try your local music shop or why not put it on Reverb. Bear in mind you’ll need to pack it properly for shipping. eBay works in a similar way Reverb so why not put it there?


----------



## Jim Cardiff (25 Oct 2021)

Thanks Cycleops. I'll have a look at Reverb.


----------



## Badger_Boom (25 Oct 2021)

Cycleops said:


> You could try your local music shop or why not put it on Reverb. Bear in mind you’ll need to pack it properly for shipping. eBay works in a similar way Reverb so why not put it there?


Or through the classifieds on a guitar discussion site like Fretboard.


----------



## Salad Dodger (1 Nov 2021)

Oh, the joys of juggling several music projects at once! I play bass for a fledgling band, and they are suggesting playing at an open mic session at a local pub one Wednesday night. But Wednesday is my ukulele band night, and we are rehearsing for a couple of gigs in late november/early December. As I do all the lead fills on electric uke it's pretty important for me to be there... 
Meanwhile, I play guitar for a group of singers down the pub on Monday nights, but I may miss it tonight in favour of a once a month folk sing around at another pub, where I will play acoustic guitar and warble inaccurately. 
Why does the life of an amateur musician have to be so complicated?


----------



## raleighnut (1 Nov 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> Oh, the joys of juggling several music projects at once! I play bass for a fledgling band, and they are suggesting playing at an open mic session at a local pub one Wednesday night. But Wednesday is my ukulele band night, and we are rehearsing for a couple of gigs in late november/early December. As I do all the lead fills on electric uke it's pretty important for me to be there...
> Meanwhile, I play guitar for a group of singers down the pub on Monday nights, but I may miss it tonight in favour of a once a month folk sing around at another pub, where I will play acoustic guitar and warble inaccurately.
> Why does the life of an amateur musician have to be so complicated?



View: https://youtu.be/_NiZa3Ar31o


----------



## MontyVeda (1 Nov 2021)

Salad Dodger said:


> Oh, the joys of juggling several music projects at once! I play bass for a fledgling band, and they are suggesting playing at an open mic session at a local pub one Wednesday night. But Wednesday is my ukulele band night, and we are rehearsing for a couple of gigs in late november/early December. As I do all the lead fills on electric uke it's pretty important for me to be there...
> Meanwhile, I play guitar for a group of singers down the pub on Monday nights, but I may miss it tonight in favour of a once a month folk sing around at another pub, where I will play acoustic guitar and warble inaccurately.
> Why does the life of an amateur musician have to be so complicated?


You should move up here. Everyone who's in a band is also in another two at least, and drummers must be thin on the ground as they seem to be in about five different bands


----------



## Drago (1 Nov 2021)

Ive not been in multiple bands simultaneously but ive been in serial bea ds without a break, sometimes ending with one and being in another by nightfall. Guitarists and vocallists are two-a-penny, but decent bassists are a rarer commidity. I think decent drummists are also harder to find.


----------



## Cycleops (2 Nov 2021)

Just discovered this band The Dead South who I think are fantastic:


View: https://youtu.be/B9FzVhw8_bY


Does anyone know what he’s playing, is that a 3/4 upright bass or a viola? Sorry about the banjo @DCBassman but @Jim Cardiff might enjoy. Never understood the hate for the instrument, I rather enjoy it.


----------



## MontyVeda (2 Nov 2021)

Excellent band. Missed a chance to see them a couple of years ago


----------



## Jim Cardiff (2 Nov 2021)

Or you could combine your bassist tendencies with this ...


----------



## Drago (2 Nov 2021)

Done my practice for today. Im away tomorrow, then in the studio thursday night for a final run through the setlist before our tour starts in Friday.


----------



## Drago (9 Nov 2021)

Rather expensive Lindy Fralin pickup and new tort pickguard fitted to the Squier 50's Classic Vibe. Now it really does look like it fell through a time warp from 1954, and sounds punchy yet somehow slightly mellow all at once. Tres pleasant.

The new late 50's Classic Vibe precision has also caught my eye. I'm not a turdburst fan, but one of those with the gold anodised pickguard does look rather saucy, and the typic nickel finihsed CV hardware always causes a swelling in the Y front region.

https://www.kennysmusic.co.uk/squier-fsr-classic-vibe-late-50s-precision-bass-maple-fingerboard-gold-anodized-pickguard-2-color-sunburst-p425/s425?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=squier-fsr-classic-vibe-late-apos-50s-precision-bass-maple-fingerboard-gold-anodized-pickguard-2-color-sunburst-393435&utm_campaign=product+listing+ads&cid=GBP&gclid=CjwKCAjwz5iMBhAEEiwAMEAwGE1orSM2cWFCYZHm8IHTMtt5XdTXjyjMkJZNqMBM8mEACcdeZV1PYhoCY_kQAvD_BwE


----------



## Cycleops (9 Nov 2021)

Very nice @Drago . I wouldn't mind a Squire or a Fender but they won't send them down here .
Won't send Jackson, Charvel, Yamaha, Gibson or Epiphone either.
The thing about Fender is that they cover such a wide range of colours and styles you're always bound to find something that suits you.


----------



## Cycleops (9 Nov 2021)

Anyone into Bluegrass?
Just discovered this band on YouTube called Steve 'n' Seagulls. They're Finnish. Great instrumentalists. They do a few heavy metal covers which are really good. In this case AC/DC and Guns & Roses.


View: https://youtu.be/e4Ao-iNPPUc




View: https://youtu.be/GaJZQWB7kzA

And Gimme all your Lovin' in front of a flock of sheep 


View: https://youtu.be/Z5mIO5OHCrk


----------



## Drago (9 Nov 2021)

Seen them before. I think theyre from Finland(?) of all places?


----------



## Jim Cardiff (9 Nov 2021)

Little by little, banjos are taking over the world .... yeah!!


----------



## Cycleops (9 Nov 2021)

Jim Cardiff said:


> Little by little, banjos are taking over the world .... yeah!!


Almost makes me want to go out and buy a banjo. Don't tell @DCBassman


----------



## raleighnut (10 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Anyone into Bluegrass?
> Just discovered this band on YouTube called Steve 'n' Seagulls. They're Finnish. Great instrumentalists. They do a few heavy metal covers which are really good. In this case AC/DC and Guns & Roses.
> 
> 
> ...




View: https://youtu.be/cYJUywl7CFw


----------



## DCBassman (10 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Almost makes me want to go out and buy a banjo. Don't tell @DCBassman


Noooooooooo.....


----------



## Badger_Boom (10 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Almost makes me want to go out and buy a banjo. Don't tell @DCBassman


A few years ago a musicial friend was given a battered old banjo by a relative. He did some research while fixing it up and was mind boggled to discover that it was described in a contemporary advert as an ideal instrument to take to the trenches. One can only wonder at the reaction from his fellow soldiers when the original owner offered to cheer them up with a tune mid-barrage.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (10 Nov 2021)




----------



## Jim Cardiff (10 Nov 2021)

*"A true gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo ... but chooses not to" (Mark Twain)*


----------



## DCBassman (10 Nov 2021)

Jim Cardiff said:


> *"A true gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo ... but chooses not to" (Mark Twain)*


Absolutely!


----------



## Willd (10 Nov 2021)

Banjos rock 


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ2ucr74YNk


----------



## delb0y (10 Nov 2021)

Rory and Bela:


View: https://youtu.be/56I99aacFkg


----------



## Drago (12 Nov 2021)

Mrs D just asked me what I wanted from Crimbo, and I said a Steinberger bass. She said "ok"!


----------



## carpiste (12 Nov 2021)

Talking Banjos.....
Steve Martin.... Actor, comedian, all round nice guy and....
Renowned Banjoist! 
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pMJxraw6KVM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>


----------



## Drago (24 Nov 2021)

Next gig being advertised locally.


----------



## Cycleops (26 Nov 2021)

Nile Rodgers is auctioning off his collection of guitars to help fund his foundation that helps talented kids.






https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-59333291

I wonder if he’ll be selling his legendary Fender Strat ‘the hitmaker’?






Here he he is talking about it and his work with David Bowie:


View: https://youtu.be/NlDCPCwVNUw

I believe Stevie Ray Vaughan played it on the record.
Carmine Rojas was on bass.


----------



## Badger_Boom (26 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Nile Rodgers is auctioning off his collection of guitars to help fund his foundation that helps talented kids.
> 
> View attachment 619422
> 
> ...



Apparently he's not going full Gilmour and is keeping the Hitmaker but including a replica.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (26 Nov 2021)

Just seen the Nils Rogers article on BBC website

Coincidentally, I've been reading about him this morning, in Stuart Maconies book '_Cider With Roadies_', in the section where he writes about working for the NME
Rogers is trying out a new Gretsch as he arrives


----------



## GuyBoden (26 Nov 2021)

Drago said:


> Mrs D just asked me what I wanted from Crimbo, and I said a Steinberger bass. She said "ok"!


I saw one recently on BassChat for £150, but it's not an original early Steinberger, obviously.
https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/457597-steinberger-spirit-xt-2db-£150/


----------



## MontyVeda (26 Nov 2021)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Just seen the Nils Rogers article on BBC website
> 
> Coincidentally, I've been reading about him this morning, in Stuart Maconies book '_Cider With Roadies_', in the section where he writes about working for the NME
> Rogers is trying out a new Gretsch as he arrives


I like the part where he's on the road with Napalm Death


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (26 Nov 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> I like the part where he's on the road with Napalm Death


Especially where he shatters their CDs


Plus his fixation with Declan McManus, like him l still like Aztec Camera


----------



## delb0y (26 Nov 2021)

GuyBoden said:


> I saw one recently on BassChat for £150, but it's not an original early Steinberger, obviously.
> https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/457597-steinberger-spirit-xt-2db-£150/



A Hohner licenced version coming up in an auction in a week or so:

https://auctions.gardinerhoulgate.c...ion-online-only-two-day-sale-includi-lot-306/


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (26 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Anyone into Bluegrass?


I am, but primarily the more 'traditional' style, eg; Roy Acuff





raleighnut said:


> View: https://youtu.be/cYJUywl7CFw




_Senior Management _& myself went to see them at Holmfirth Picturedrome, last Saturday
To my surprise, she said she'd go see them again, on the next tour!!

Which is quite surprising, as the first track of theirs that she heard (or paid attention to) was '_She Was Skinny When I Met Her', _on the 'random play of the CDs in the Octavia 
(at some point last year)


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (27 Nov 2021)

Been told l can buy a guitar!!

That said, is it a trick statement? 

Like the phrase *"Do what you want! *
Does it mean, "That's Fine!", or..... 'Do it, & you're dead!'


----------



## Cycleops (27 Nov 2021)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Been told l can buy a guitar!!
> 
> That said, is it a trick statement?


So what sort?


----------



## Drago (27 Nov 2021)

Mrs T clearly mean to say "bass". And then "7 or 8".



delb0y said:


> A Hohner licenced version coming up in an auction in a week or so:
> 
> https://auctions.gardinerhoulgate.c...ion-online-only-two-day-sale-includi-lot-306/



The Hohner models aren't all thst different to the XT-2, they even come from the same factory. They did a version with jazz bass pickups that was a bit J. Arthur Rank, but they also did a few with some very nice wood finishes.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (27 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> So what sort?


Gretsch 

Or. I could just buy a Mandolin. fancied one almost as long as I've wanted a Gretsch, & treat her to something with the money saved?

I'm fairly certain, I'll not be allowed a _G6120 'Setzer_'!?
https://www.gretschguitars.com/gear...e-hollow-body-59-smoke-with-bigsby/2401210812

Sadly, no _'Vintage Orange_' in this range, so it'd have to be the _Riviera Blue'_
https://www.gretschguitars.com/gear...treamliner-hollow-body-with-bigsby/2804600502


----------



## Drago (27 Nov 2021)

You want an LK edition Rickenbacker bass.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (27 Nov 2021)

Drago said:


> You want an LK edition Rickenbacker bass.



This!!


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (28 Nov 2021)

Or this….


----------



## Cycleops (29 Nov 2021)

With all the talk about banjos on here and there being a few bass players too I thought I would share this video of Foggy Mountain Breakdown played on a bass. Quite incredible piece of playing.


View: https://youtu.be/HUIsiou0gj4


----------



## Jim Cardiff (29 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> With all the talk about banjos on here and there being a few bass players too I thought I would share this video of Foggy Mountain Breakdown played on a bass. Quite incredible piece of playing.
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/HUIsiou0gj4



I was at the Pizza Express jazz club in Soho a couple of years back when the band called up Yolanda Charles from the audience and she and the drummer did an incredible improvisation (during which the drummer lost a shoe and cut his hand!) She usually plays a 5 string bass. Quite a player. - see eg 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChgDcuOJuHA

No banjo though!


----------



## Drago (29 Nov 2021)

She had a piece in Bass Player recently.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (4 Dec 2021)

*IF*,I do risk my interpretation of _Senior Management_ saying _*"Do What You Want"*_ being correct about buying a guitar, which do I buy/order?

_Orange Stain_ G4320






OR.....................

_Riviera Blue_ G2420?


----------



## Cycleops (5 Dec 2021)

I’d go for the orange @Richard A Thackeray 

Why is it Gretsch don’t seem to be so popular these days?


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (5 Dec 2021)

Cycleops said:


> I’d go for the orange @Richard A Thackeray
> 
> Why is it Gretsch don’t seem to be so popular these days?


@Cycleops
It probably would be the orange, as l’ve liked the colour since first seeing colourised pictures of Eddie Cochran playing one, & of course, Brian Setzer too

Popularity?
Can’t say, unless it looks too ‘old fashioned’
They have a fair stable of signature artists though!
Setzer, in the 90s, was the first since Chet Atkins, in the 60s!

Another lesser known Gretsch devotee was Poison Ivy, of The Cramps
I thought I ought to use a more 'prim' photograph of her..................







*EDIT @ 11:13*
Four pages; https://gretschguitars.com/artists


----------



## MontyVeda (5 Dec 2021)

Saluki said:


> He couldn’t do a D chord. He said his ‘fingers didn’t fit on the strings’. *After a week he couldn’t or daren’t progress to a A chord as he assumed it would be harder.*
> I am a bad person as I didn’t disillusion him. Just handed over the money. When I first learned, it took me a bit to get that D chord tidy but never looked back after. I still, sometimes have to think with a D minor.
> 
> I have forgotten my scales but remembered the first couple of bars of Cliffs of Dover. First few bars of Evil Eye too.
> ...


I find open A a bit of a squash in its standard position, and tend to play it up at the 5th instead, shown in the bottom image...


----------



## Saluki (5 Dec 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> I find open A a bit of a squash in its standard position, and tend to play it up at the 5th instead, shown in the bottom image...
> View attachment 620650


I like that. Thank you. I have little girly hands so an A isn’t a big issue for me.
I mostly have problems changing chords quickly, but practicing that a lot now. Going from Em to D is a doddle, then hopping to a C is tricky for me. I could just stop playing Eleanor Rigby but of course, but it’s the only bit that still catches me out.

Really enjoying re-engaging with guitar. I have the Justin-guitar app. With that and a metronome, it’s slowly coming along. Some days, my annoying hands, just say that playing isn’t happening. I do try to just do a couple of finger exercise, on those days, just to get them moving. My job is brain numbing so learning again, as well as my Dutch language app, keeps my brain from shrivelling up from lack of use.


----------



## Badger_Boom (6 Dec 2021)

As a badly self-tought strummer I've always taken the cavalier one finger approach to playing an open A, but I too have always suffered with the speed of changes problem These days I just play slower stuff.


----------



## carpiste (7 Dec 2021)

Badger_Boom said:


> As a badly self-tought strummer I've always taken the cavalier one finger approach to playing an open A, but I too have always suffered with the speed of changes problem These days I just play slower stuff.


I just go down the open tuning route and barre everything. Easy and no or little stress on the fingers/ brain 
Even better I mostly play 3 string GDG or DAD


----------



## Drago (7 Dec 2021)

Christmas gig on Saturday, so a solid morning spent at practice ahoy.


----------



## Drago (10 Dec 2021)

Last practice all done ready for Christmas gig tomorrow.


----------



## DCBassman (10 Dec 2021)

Drago said:


> Last practice all done ready for Christmas gig tomorrow.


Knock 'em dead!


----------



## CanucksTraveller (10 Dec 2021)

I'm currently learning to play blues rhythm and lead, I had a crack some ten years ago now but then a baby came along and that rather stymied the practice time so I just stuck to pub cheese classics for a decade. Now my daughter is ten and is learning guitar herself, so I thought it was time I got back to learning something new. 
It's lovely getting into to 12 bar and whacky 12/8 timings and triplets all of a sudden! Here's my main guitar, it's a Epiphone Sheraton from about 1996. I've also got a S+P acoustic which is 25 years old now, and also a Squier P bass.


----------



## CanucksTraveller (10 Dec 2021)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> *IF*,I do risk my interpretation of _Senior Management_ saying _*"Do What You Want"*_ being correct about buying a guitar, which do I buy/order?
> 
> _Orange Stain_ G4320
> 
> ...


The orange one is gorgeous, that one all day long. Plus that orange (and cherry red, and white) are very "Gretsch" colours. I like blue, but it doesn't scream "Gretsch" somehow.


----------



## Cycleops (10 Dec 2021)

CanucksTraveller said:


> I'm currently learning to play blues rhythm and lead, I had a crack some ten years ago now but then a baby came along and that rather stymied the practice time so I just stuck to pub cheese classics for a decade. Now my daughter is ten and is learning guitar herself, so I thought it was time I got back to learning something new.
> It's lovely getting into to 12 bar and whacky 12/8 rhythms all of a sudden! Here's my main guitar, it's a Epiphone Sheraton from about 1996. I've also got a S+P acoustic which is 25 years old now, and also a Squier P bass.
> 
> View attachment 621449


You kept that very quiet Canucks


----------



## Cycleops (10 Dec 2021)

@Richard A Thackeray Mike Nesmith played a Gretsch.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (10 Dec 2021)

Cycleops said:


> @Richard A Thackeray Mike Nesmith played a Gretsch.


Keep forgetting about him



CanucksTraveller said:


> The orange one is gorgeous, that one all day long. Plus that orange (and cherry red, and white) are very "Gretsch" colours. I like blue, but it doesn't scream "Gretsch" somehow.


Yes
So reminscent of Cochran, & Setzers '59, that he still plays


----------



## CanucksTraveller (10 Dec 2021)

Cycleops said:


> You kept that very quiet Canucks


Oh it's nothing to shout about. I'm a basic guitar strummer who knows about a dozen chords and can manage to play rhythm on some of the well known "easy" songs. But I've now been doing that since I was early 20s and that's why I'm looking to stretch myself a bit. It's really fun to be learning something new and a bit more challenging. 

One of the nice parts is that the course makes you listen to, and study blues standards to get the feel, so I get to sit with my headphones on listening to Big Bill Broonzy, T Bone Walker, and Buddy Guy while drinking beer, all under the guise of "learning". 

Oh and good luck and have fun tomorrow @Drago ! Break a leg, but don't break a string.


----------



## DCBassman (11 Dec 2021)

CanucksTraveller said:


> Squier P bass.


That's the important one!


----------



## delb0y (11 Dec 2021)

Had a punt at a metal bodied resonator guitar on the auction previously linked here that was held in Corsham on Wednesday. Alas my bid of £360 was dwarfed by the winning bid of £600. The strange thing is that you have to pay 26% fees on top of hammer price, so £600 + 26% puts the guitar in question way above the new price, and as they are available right now new, I don't understand why someone would buy used at that price. Hey ho. Trouble is I now have GAS for a resonator...


----------



## Drago (11 Dec 2021)

activate Noddy Holder voice program *IT'S CHRISTMAS* gig day*! *cancel Noddy Holder voice program.


----------



## avecReynolds531 (11 Dec 2021)

1930 National Duolian

Edit: Duane Allman used to play a Duolian. Here's his beautiful duet composition (the 3 harmonics at 1.13 make the world go round).

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngyk7wE0Peg


----------



## Drago (11 Dec 2021)

Right, rather than carry spare strings I take 2 basses to gigs. tonight its the turn of my modded Harley Benton MB4 and my Geddy Lee Jazz. 4 sets, 2 sets each alternating, starting the the HB.

How HB do it for the money is incredible, but I'm glad they do. Binning off wholesalers and distributors saves 2 tiers of profit opportunity that us buyer get to keep.


----------



## delb0y (11 Dec 2021)

avecReynolds531 said:


> View attachment 621479
> 
> 
> 1930 National Duolian
> ...




Oh yes, Little Martha is beautiful. I have a bash at it now and then, but it's a world apart from Duane & Dickie.


----------



## Badger_Boom (11 Dec 2021)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Keep forgetting about him
> 
> 
> Yes
> So reminscent of Cochran, & Setzers '59, that he still plays


@Richard A Thackeray, any of these up your street?


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (11 Dec 2021)

@Badger_Boom

The second, the '59 copy, certainly is


----------



## MontyVeda (11 Dec 2021)

delb0y said:


> Oh yes, Little Martha is beautiful. I have a bash at it now and then, but it's a world apart from Duane & Dickie.


I had a bash at that too when i was getting into open tunings (is it in D?)... looks easy enough to play but is actually a lot harder than it looks


----------



## delb0y (11 Dec 2021)

Yes, in open D. Leo Kottke does a nice version, too.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (11 Dec 2021)

CanucksTraveller said:


> The orange one is gorgeous, that one all day long. Plus that orange (and cherry red, and white) are very "Gretsch" colours. I like blue, but it doesn't scream "Gretsch" somehow.


The Setzer signatures are rather vibrant!!
https://gretschguitars.com/gear/bui...re-hot-rod-hollow-body-with-bigsby/2401206856
https://gretschguitars.com/artists/brian-setzer-profile
https://gretschguitars.com/gear/bui...e-hollow-body-59-smoke-with-bigsby/2401210812


----------



## CanucksTraveller (11 Dec 2021)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> The Setzer signatures are rather vibrant!!
> https://gretschguitars.com/gear/bui...re-hot-rod-hollow-body-with-bigsby/2401206856
> https://gretschguitars.com/artists/brian-setzer-profile
> https://gretschguitars.com/gear/bui...e-hollow-body-59-smoke-with-bigsby/2401210812


Wow! They are vibrant. I'm not against bold colour ways on guitars, being an Epiphone fan I've always wanted a Casino in this very nice "sea foam" below, but I do think there are certain guitars that look best or their most iconic in a particular colour, like an ES 355 in natural wood, or a Les Paul in sunburst, or a strat in just simple red or black. 
I think I just identify Gretsch with orange, cherry or white, so I'd not pine for one in lime green like I would for a white one!


----------



## Salad Dodger (12 Dec 2021)

Tonight is the last folk singaround session of the year down at the local pub. I shall be going, taking along my Yamaha Transacoustic, newly strung with 13s, which have totally transformed it.
I shall also take my tenor guitar, for a bit of sonic variety.
Now, all I have to do is come up with some songs on tonight's theme "old or new".....


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (12 Dec 2021)

CanucksTraveller said:


> Wow! They are vibrant. I'm not against bold colour ways on guitars, being an Epiphone fan I've always wanted a Casino in this very nice "sea foam" below
> 
> but I do think there are certain guitars that look best or their most iconic in a particular colour, like an ES 355 in natural wood,


Nice in the 'sea-foam'

I like the look of the E355 Dot, as played by Dave Edmunds

I still have my vinyl, including this great LP


----------



## Drago (12 Dec 2021)

Last nights gig went well. That's me in the Motorhead T shirt.






Next booking is for the 29th January. That's fine by me, once every month or 6 weeks is about right. Its chuffing hard work, and I wouldn't want to do it daily on tour like some of the big rock acts. Having said that, having roadies, sound engineers and bass techs means all they have to do is turn up and play.


----------



## raleighnut (13 Dec 2021)

The best guitar is a Telecaster.............................Roy


View: https://youtu.be/deeBQZ8Aklc


----------



## raleighnut (13 Dec 2021)

Best guitar player you've never heard of 


View: https://youtu.be/kKDEHT3mqSs


----------



## raleighnut (13 Dec 2021)

View: https://youtu.be/FMcjPZgK9GM


View: https://youtu.be/swX9oq6TVAU


----------



## raleighnut (13 Dec 2021)

View: https://youtu.be/X_LpaioIhn4


----------



## delb0y (13 Dec 2021)

Bit of fingerpicking from my lunch-hour (benefit of working from home!):


View: https://youtu.be/ZFGUThhXfR4


----------



## ColinJ (13 Dec 2021)

delb0y said:


> Bit of fingerpicking from my lunch-hour (benefit of working from home!):
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/ZFGUThhXfR4



I like it!

I suggest giving the levels a boost next time though. (My laptop volume was turned full up but the video was still a bit quiet. The device is capable of kicking out quite a bit of sound if fed a strong enough signal by YouTube.)


----------



## ColinJ (14 Dec 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I suggest giving the levels a boost next time though. (My laptop volume was turned full up but the video was still a bit quiet. The device is capable of kicking out quite a bit of sound if fed a strong enough signal by YouTube.)


Alternatively, I could try remembering that I have been away and watching Netflix on headphones, and had therefore _actually _turned the sound down to half what it normally is set to ... 

Carry on - the levels sound okay _now_!


----------



## delb0y (15 Dec 2021)

We mentioned Little Martha a few posts back and I couldn't resist! I purposely didn't go and dig out the original otherwise I'd have felt too intimidated.


View: https://youtu.be/WyiaJV_sW7E


Cheers
Derek


----------



## MontyVeda (15 Dec 2021)

You make it look so easy


----------



## ColinJ (15 Dec 2021)

I am getting some money for Christmas and my birthday which I am going to put towards a bass.

I'll have a look in the local guitar shop to see if they have a used one which I like for under £100. If not, I will probably order a *Harley Benton MB-4 SB* for £107 (incl delivery) once the Christmas/New Year madness is over.


----------



## delb0y (15 Dec 2021)

I'm GASing, too. More and more I fancy a steel bodied resonator. I blame the one I didn't win at that auction for setting a seed that' s growing rapidly. I shall wait until after Christmas, too, and see how the land lies.


----------



## Cycleops (16 Dec 2021)

Another from the 70/80s gone.
Phil Chen who worked with Jeff Beck, Robby Kreiger and Rod Stewart among others:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Chen


----------



## Cycleops (16 Dec 2021)

ColinJ said:


> I am getting some money for Christmas and my birthday which I am going to put towards a bass.
> 
> I'll have a look in the local guitar shop to see if they have a used one which I like for under £100. If not, I will probably order a *Harley Benton MB-4 SB* for £107 (incl delivery) once the Christmas/New Year madness is over.


I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I think @Drago has one.
Budget guitars have improved immeasurable over the last few years.
I've got a Rockjam bass I bought secondhand down here which is a sub £100 instrument which came off Amazon. It's really very good for the price with no real complaints.
Are you starting off?


----------



## ColinJ (16 Dec 2021)

Cycleops said:


> I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I think @Drago has one.
> 
> Budget guitars have improved immeasurable over the last few years.
> 
> I've got a Rockjam bass I bought secondhand down here which is a sub £100 instrument which came off Amazon. It's really very good for the price with no real complaints.


Yes, it was Drago's praise that led me in that direction.



Cycleops said:


> Are you starting off?


I will be. I very strongly doubt that I would ever play with anybody else or in public - it will be just for noodling about on at home. I was playing about making some drum loops on my laptop yesterday and I fancied playing a simple bass line to them. I could easily put in a synthetic one on the computer but it would be nice to do it '_for real_'.



ColinJ said:


> I'll have a look in the local guitar shop to see if they have a used one which I like for under £100.


The shop was closed when I walked by today but I did spot a used bass on display on a wall inside the shop. I couldn't see what it was, or a price for it. I'll go in tomorrow if the shop is open when I walk by. If the bass is under £100 and I like it, I'll go for that. If not, I'll order a new instrument from Thomann in a couple of weeks time.


----------



## Salad Dodger (17 Dec 2021)

Last night, I took my Yamaha Transacoustic to a singaround/Xmas gathering at a local venue. We meet once a month, and it's normally "unplugged". But last night we each took turns to get up on stage, with mics and spotlights and everything. It was the first time I have heard the guitar through a proper sound system, and it sounded really nice.

Shame about the singer........ 🎶


----------



## ColinJ (17 Dec 2021)

I noticed that the Harley Benton that I am thinking of buying is made of '_basswood_'. I assumed that it was a tradename but actually it is a common name for _*Tilia americana*_... How appropriate!


----------



## CanucksTraveller (18 Dec 2021)

I decided that seeing as my daughter has got on so well with her initial lessons, she should probably have her own guitar now. She can play "Zombie" all the way throught on my guitar after all, plus all the basic root chords. So I've just got her her first "own" axe. 
Here it is! Shush, don't tell her. It's the pink Squier Strat one there.


----------



## Cycleops (18 Dec 2021)

Here’s a bass player you might not of heard of before:


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (18 Dec 2021)

Recommended apps/websites for playalong tab? I've been using Ultimate Guitar but the pricing structure has increased dramatically from £25 to £65 and I don't believe I will be paying that!


----------



## Cycleops (18 Dec 2021)

Always use the free ones on YouTube.
Can't recommend as I play bass and assume you're six string guitar.
One that does both however is Cifra Club, they're very good but it's in Portuguese.


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (18 Dec 2021)

Bass


----------



## Cycleops (18 Dec 2021)

In that case Florain Bass, Cover Solutions and Fotis Nikol Creations are worth looking at.
Otherwise Dan Hawkins, BassBuzz and that guy with the very bushy eyebrows whose name I can't think of now offer some lessons and tips.


----------



## Saluki (18 Dec 2021)

Um. I accidentally went to the local guitar shop, while out walking. Anyway, there was this little Tanglewood and it was all alone and being given the stink eye from really expensive, very shiny and lacquered £2k + guitars.
Feeling sorry for it (and myself, I had a horrible afternoon), I asked the nice man in the shop if I could have a bit of a strum. Then fidgeted about in my wallet for a pick, there is generally one in there for I am a ‘pick pixie’ and find them everywhere, when out walking, and rescue them. I happened to have such a rescue, in my purse. A tonedeafmusic promo one. 0.46mm
The Tanglewood and I had a quick canter through Hotel California, Wish You Were Here and Everybody Hurts and we decided that, although it was early days, that we were made for each other and that we would cohabit immediately.
He is so loud! He sounds really full and rich. I know that tone is very subjective but he sounds like a guitar costing many times more expensive. I did have a quick strum on a slightly more expensive Epiphone too, but that Tanglewood just blew it into the weeds. Also, the Epiphone was blue, lacquered and looked a bit weird.

Back up to 2 guitars then. That didn’t take long.
Apologies for the bookshelf with way too much clutter.


----------



## Saluki (19 Dec 2021)

We shall try this again. Tanglewood Yada yada, all lonely etc blah.
Man in shop took him and boxed him up, brought home etc. Wrong guitar. Pictured is the ‘Whisky Barrel’ shape. Not the little Dreadnaught that wanted to come home with. I thought he looked different but carried away with new guitar euphoria, and thought that playing on the sofa instead on nice guitar stool made it awkward. I thought that I had made the shape mistake, even though, I knew that I hadn’t. I realise that I have admitted to a particularly special brand of idiocy.
Called the shop this morning and said that chap had boxed a Whisky Barrel style, not the Dreadnaught. He said pop on over and we will sort it. The Dreadnaught was in his box, at the back of the shop. Identical boxes and the nice guitar chap had picked up the wrong box. I now have the right guitar. I also bought him a new gig bag and bought a new headphone cable as my old one is frayed beyond redemption.

Today has mostly been spent remembering and practicing my Stuck 3rd and 4th chords. AKA The Wonderwall Chords. My fingers hurt a little.


----------



## DCBassman (19 Dec 2021)

Saluki said:


> Um. I accidentally went to the local guitar shop, while out walking. Anyway, there was this little Tanglewood and it was all alone and being given the stink eye from really expensive, very shiny and lacquered £2k + guitars.
> Feeling sorry for it (and myself, I had a horrible afternoon), I asked the nice man in the shop if I could have a bit of a strum. Then fidgeted about in my wallet for a pick, there is generally one in there for I am a ‘pick pixie’ and find them everywhere, when out walking, and rescue them. I happened to have such a rescue, in my purse. A tonedeafmusic promo one. 0.46mm
> The Tanglewood and I had a quick canter through Hotel California, Wish You Were Here and Everybody Hurts and we decided that, although it was early days, that we were made for each other and that we would cohabit immediately.
> He is so loud! He sounds really full and rich. I know that tone is very subjective but he sounds like a guitar costing many times more expensive. I did have a quick strum on a slightly more expensive Epiphone too, but that Tanglewood just blew it into the weeds. Also, the Epiphone was blue, lacquered and looked a bit weird.
> ...



Lovely! And a well-filled bookshelf is NEVER cluttered, just 'interesting'.


----------



## Saluki (19 Dec 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Lovely! And a well-filled bookshelf is NEVER cluttered, just 'interesting'.


It’s quite eclectic. Many books from the local book swapping schemes. Some books that I love so much that they have been read to tatters. Few DVDs. I miss my wall to wall bookcases, hundreds of books, mostly read. Sadly, when I decanted, quickly and secretly, from the life of an ex BF, I couldn’t take them all. I did get a couple of cardboard boxes full though. Hence a battered copy of Flanagan’s Run, school copy of I am David and only having 1 Pratchett in there. All my university books are long left behind. If I had a TARDIS, or Bill & Ted’s phone box, I would go back for them all.


----------



## DCBassman (19 Dec 2021)

The left hand one is filled to the floor, but in general far less books mow than in the past. To comply with the thread, there are many books on the bottom shelf detailing my nerdy love of all things Fender, particularly those with four strings...


----------



## ColinJ (24 Dec 2021)

Santa Bass has come to town! 

I will report back shortly...


----------



## ColinJ (24 Dec 2021)

My bass and sundries were dropped by the owner of the local guitar shop, wearing a Santa Claus hat!

Anyway, this lot is what I ended up with...






I had decided to start with a cheap beginner's short scale bass. If I get stuck in, I may well treat myself to a better quality full size bass at a future date, but this will be easier for me to start on. It is a familiar length of fretboard. I don't have long fingers, so this will be less of a stretch for me. I am happy to have the slacker strings too.

I mentioned that I had been looking at the Harley Benton basses at Thomann and the shop owner agreed that they were very good for the price. The shop had an Encore beginner's bass kit in stock and said that he thought the quality matched HB. What he _actually _said was that some of the Encore guitars and basses in the past were 'crap' but the quality had now greatly improved. I said I'd take a look...

He whipped the bass out and plugged it into a big chunky combo amp. I was very pleasantly surprised by how good it sounded. I took a closer look at the bass... The neck was nice and straight. The frets were 99% finished off properly - I found a couple with just a hint of a sharp edge but I could get rid of that in seconds if it ever bothered me. The back of the neck was smooth apart from one tiny imperfection which again I could clean off in seconds. I played every note on every string and there was no buzzing going on. The action was low enough for me. I thought it looked very good. I am seriously impressed at what Chinese factories are churning out these days!

I quickly decided that I was interested... 

We agreed a deal to take a few things out of the kit (tiny combo amp, strap, tuner) and replace them with a better amp - a used Vox Pathfinder 10 Bass for the same overall price. (I already have a tuner and strap.)

Obviously, the Vox doesn't match the big combo for deep bass, volume and effects, but it is less than 1/5 the size and 1/5 the price! It is definitely more than 1/5 the quality... It will be fine for practising on at home.

Anyway - Let me have a quick go. [Time passes...] Well, _that _was fun! Maybe I will actually stick with the bass a bit longer than I stuck with my 6-string guitars...? 

(I'm hoping that the bass will be a kind of '_gateway drug_' back to those guitars and/or the piano. Have fun recording myself playing simple bass lines, and then try to learn harder stuff to go with those?)

Happy Christmas, y'all!


----------



## Salad Dodger (24 Dec 2021)

ColinJ said:


> My bass and sundries were dropped by the owner of the local guitar shop, wearing a Santa Claus hat!
> 
> Anyway, this lot is what I ended up with...
> 
> ...



Congrats on your new purchases!
When I got seconded as bass player into my mates band this Spring, not having played bass before, YouTube was my friend for some beginner lessons. (I play guitar and ukulele but had never tried to play bass properly).
Enjoy!


----------



## CanucksTraveller (24 Dec 2021)

ColinJ said:


> My bass and sundries were dropped by the owner of the local guitar shop, wearing a Santa Claus hat!
> 
> Anyway, this lot is what I ended up with...
> 
> ...


That little Vox 10 looks a little bundle of fun! Nice practice amp. 

Enjoy. 😊


----------



## ColinJ (25 Dec 2021)

CanucksTraveller said:


> That little Vox 10 looks a little bundle of fun! Nice practice amp.
> 
> Enjoy. 😊


Yes - I had seen it at the shop after watching this video. It's not a brilliant video, but it gives the idea. The Vox is fine for home use.



I have a cheap pair of headphones which don't sound brilliant on music because their treble response is a bit lacking, but it turns out they work really well for bass through the Vox. No problem practising late at night then.


----------



## Drago (26 Dec 2021)

I got a Steinberger for crimbo.


----------



## delb0y (27 Dec 2021)

I got a bottleneck.


----------



## Drago (27 Dec 2021)

Ah, a slide boy.


----------



## Drago (27 Dec 2021)

In my Christmas stocking was a new MM type humbucker for my Harley Benton. Its a Warman 10% overwound, and the magnets must be depleted uranium because I swear it was quivering in my hand with pent up power. I also received some Wilkinson tuners for the same bass, so spent a bitmof time this avo fitting them.

The HB, an MM4 BLK, was a very decent instrument beforehand, and for £96 an unbelivable bargain, but with these new trinkets its a snarling, deep chested rottweiler of a bass. Fanbloodytastic!


----------



## Drago (30 Dec 2021)

Now got the bass to She's Not There down pat. What a bloody brilliant song it is too.


----------



## ColinJ (30 Dec 2021)

Drago said:


> Now got the bass to She's Not There down pat. What a bloody brilliant song it is too.


_The Zombies_? My sister used to have the single - I liked that. 57 years since - blimey, where did the time go!


----------



## Gunk (30 Dec 2021)

My parents had the single, I played it so much that I wore it out


----------



## raleighnut (30 Dec 2021)

View: https://youtu.be/mg-T8CGMbZQ


----------



## Drago (30 Dec 2021)

The Santana version is a brave effort, but the original is a masterpiece.


----------



## Gunk (30 Dec 2021)

Both are brilliant, moonflower is a great Album


----------



## Drago (5 Jan 2022)

Another gig booked for February!

Me and 2 of my band mates have been half heartedly talking about opening our rehearsal studio, and today the talk seemed a little more serious.


----------



## CanucksTraveller (5 Jan 2022)

I had a heart stopping moment last weekend, my daughter was playing my Epiphone unplugged and after a while she hands me a nut and a washer.... "Sorry Dad, this bit was loose, I tried to tighten it up and it fell off". 

"This bit" was the retaining nut for the jack output socket, and the socket itself had fallen well into the body of the guitar! Not good news on a semi hollow body with no real access. 

Thanks to an excellent YouTube video by a kind American man (and a couple of pieces of wire threaded through the F hole and jack hole), I managed to poke / fish the jack socket back into position and secure it again. Boy that was fiddly, but I'm relieved it didn't need a visit to a workshop. That is a small hole! I need some thread lock I think.


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## Salad Dodger (5 Jan 2022)

Well done for sorting it!

I had to "electrify" a ukulele, and fit a jack socket, without being able to get my hand into the soundhole. A length of wire and some gaffer tape were very useful.....


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## Badger_Boom (6 Jan 2022)

CanucksTraveller said:


> I decided that seeing as my daughter has got on so well with her initial lessons, she should probably have her own guitar now. She can play "Zombie" all the way throught on my guitar after all, plus all the basic root chords. So I've just got her her first "own" axe.
> Here it is! Shush, don't tell her. It's the pink Squier Strat one there.
> View attachment 622649


Nice! I think that’s ‘burgundy mist’.


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## delb0y (6 Jan 2022)

We just cancelled the two gigs in the diary for 2022 - Covid has massively hit ticket sales, and one of the theatres is still adhering to reduced seating as per last year's rules. It's simply not cost effective to keep these gigs. So for the first time in about 45 years I have no gigs in the diary. It may even be the end of the current band as it's been hanging by a thread these last few years.


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## delb0y (6 Jan 2022)

To make up for the lack of gigs I did a quick jam over an eight bar blues with the new bottleneck I had off Santa:


View: https://youtu.be/U2eYauqlTGE


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## Deafie (13 Jan 2022)

RIP Burke Shelley
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/burke-shelley-budgie-dies-71/
Budgie were a big influence on my early life as a, erm, drummer. Love that band


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## Cycleops (13 Jan 2022)

Just got a Harley Benton beat bass from Thomann in Germany.
But disappointed after playing it but luckily also ordered some Pyramid Gold flatwounds and after fitting them sounds great.
Sure it's a bit cheap and cheerful but I wanted to find out what they were like. Serious neck dive but will playing sitting down.
No binding on the body like the more expensive Hofners,. It's painted on. I paid £108 for a return as the regular stock was a 7 week delivery. Despite the write ups that said you couldn't get the intonation right with the floating bridge I found I could get it pitch perfect.
Neck needed a tweak and lowered the bridge. The saddles were poorly spaced but soon sorted.
I can recommend them , especially for the price.


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## PaulB (13 Jan 2022)

CanucksTraveller said:


> I had a heart stopping moment last weekend, my daughter was playing my Epiphone unplugged and after a while she hands me a nut and a washer.... "Sorry Dad, this bit was loose, I tried to tighten it up and it fell off".
> 
> "This bit" was the retaining nut for the jack output socket, and the socket itself had fallen well into the body of the guitar! Not good news on a semi hollow body with no real access.
> 
> ...


I've got an Epiphone. It's a Casino, in scarlet, I really love it but scared to play it because all the neighbours will hear just how bad I am! As it's semi-acoustic, I play it quietly so really haven't heard what it can actually do yet. Haven't really put it through its paces.


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## Cycleops (13 Jan 2022)

PaulB said:


> I've got an Epiphone. It's a Casino, in scarlet, I really love it but scared to play it because all the neighbours will hear just how bad I am! As it's semi-acoustic, I play it quietly so really haven't heard what it can actually do yet. Haven't really put it through its paces.


That’s what The Beatles used back when. Quite sought after now I believe.


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## Drago (13 Jan 2022)

Another booking for Platinum Jubilee weekend.


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## CanucksTraveller (13 Jan 2022)

PaulB said:


> I've got an Epiphone. It's a Casino, in scarlet, I really love it but scared to play it because all the neighbours will hear just how bad I am! As it's semi-acoustic, I play it quietly so really haven't heard what it can actually do yet. Haven't really put it through its paces.


What year is it, is it a new one or older? Pics please! 

I do like a Casino, I think all Epiphone archtops sound nice especially with the twin humbuckers. Plug it in! 
I run my Sheraton through a Boss BD2 blues driver pedal and it just sounds fantastic when the tone is just cracking that tiny bit. I was just playing my two most recent favourites last night, "Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and "Sweet Home Chicago". Bags of fun.


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## PaulB (13 Jan 2022)

CanucksTraveller said:


> What year is it, is it a new one or older? Pics please!
> 
> I do like a Casino, I think all Epiphone archtops sound nice especially with the twin humbuckers. Plug it in!
> I run my Sheraton through a Boss BD2 blues driver pedal and it just sounds fantastic when the tone is just cracking that tiny bit. I was just playing my two most recent favourites last night, "Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and "Sweet Home Chicago". Bags of fun.









This is me holding it the day I got it (Via Thomann) last August. I have done a few songs on it but I'm mainly playing acoustic now.


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## ColinJ (13 Jan 2022)

Drago said:


> Another booking for Platinum Jubilee weekend.


Is Prince Andrew on the guest list...?


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## Badger_Boom (14 Jan 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Is Prince Andrew on the guest list...?


That’s Mr Windsor to you. 😐


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## ColinJ (14 Jan 2022)

Badger_Boom said:


> That’s Mr Windsor to you. 😐


I think that he is still 'Prince' but not HRH?


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## PaulB (14 Jan 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I think that he is still 'Prince' but not HRH?


The r-sole formerly known as Prince.


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## CanucksTraveller (14 Jan 2022)

Question about amps, for the knowledgeable! I've got a Marshall MG30 that's been stored in an outdoor garage for ten years, great little amp but I just didn't have a use for it since I was using a smaller 20 amp Fender practice amp indoors. Anyway my daughter has now nicked the Fender so I've brought the Marshall in and tried it. It does work still, but intermittently with quite a broken signal at times. I suspect mice might have been at the wires as there is mice damage on the trim. Possibly it's just damp, I'm not sure. 
Are these worth being looked at by someone? I sort of doubt the economics of it as they're only 150 retail new, and I'm guessing a repair might be getting on for that. 

If all else fails I have my eye on an Orange Crush 20 as my new practice amp, and I have a suspicion that might be the cheapest way ahead anyway at 100 notes. 
Thoughts?


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## DCBassman (15 Jan 2022)

Unless it 'dries out' a bit, probably the Orange. Have you given all the controls some vigorous back-and-forth treatment? If that improves things, invest in a can of Servisol contact cleaner and squirt into the pots with more vigorous turning, assuming that you can access them without too much trouble.


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## Drago (15 Jan 2022)

I use the Orange Crush 50 live for small venues where there isn't room for the PA. Brilliant bit of kit. 

The Otange amps are old school, all wiring snd transistors. Without microprocessors the sound is much more authentic. 

Anyway, mine is faily new but theres a place over in Wolverton that does amp and instrument repairs and servicing so ill take it there every few years for a service. Theres probably somewhere similar local to you that could give you Marshall a seeing too.


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## CanucksTraveller (15 Jan 2022)

Thanks both!


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## Drago (15 Jan 2022)

Just bought a cherished plate, BA55 XXX (the XXX being my initials - my real initials, im not Xander Cage).

I've been offered a nice wedge of cash for G16OLO, so that'll pay for the new one and a nice tasty sum left over.


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## ColinJ (15 Jan 2022)

I'm starting to wonder what a typical action height is for a bass guitar?

I had a quick hunt around online and it seems to be a personal thing. Some players said that they like it (what seems to me) crazy low - around 2 mm. Others suggested 3 - 4 mm. Some even said 6+ mm.

My cheapo bass is about 5 mm from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the E string, down to 4 mm for the G string.

I don't know any better at this point, but so far that seems ok. Maybe I will experiment with the action when I know what I am doing!


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## DRM (15 Jan 2022)

I’ve just started on learning an acoustic guitar, having borrowed a Tanglewood Crossroads, just getting to grips with the A & D chords, and changing between the two, so far so good progress wise, but blimey it makes your fingertips hurt!


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## CanucksTraveller (15 Jan 2022)

DRM said:


> I’ve just started on learning an acoustic guitar, having borrowed a Tanglewood Crossroads, just getting to grips with the A & D chords, and changing between the two, so far so good progress wise, but blimey it makes your fingertips hurt!


It does hurt for a bit to start with, but after a couple of weeks your fingertips will develop little thick callouses which will protect them and give you a little badge of honour. Guitarist fingertips! 
Well done on your learning so far! Stick at it. 

Stevie Ray Vaughan's fingertip callouses apparently used to split regularly on tour because of the strain of his extra heavy gauge strings, but he just squeezed a bit of superglue in the cracks, and carried on. 
We suffer for our art I think is the message there. 

Bon courage!


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## raleighnut (16 Jan 2022)

DRM said:


> I’ve just started on learning an acoustic guitar, having borrowed a Tanglewood Crossroads, just getting to grips with the A & D chords, and changing between the two, so far so good progress wise, but blimey it makes your fingertips hurt!


Try going for a lighter guage stringset, a lot of acoustic guitars have very heavy strings on them (for volume) you probably can't go really light without running into intonation problems but most acoustics can tolerate 10's* without issues.It will also lower the 'action' as they don't need to be as tight to come up to pitch as heavier strings do. Have a word with your mate as to what strings are on it now but i'd bet it's 12's*

* the number refers to top or high E, the thinnest string which is conversly at the bottom of the neck, you can get all kinds of string gauges, Billy Gibbons and Frank Zappa famously used 7's on their (electric) Guitars whilst SRV used 13's on his Oh and BTW don't worry about breaking a string, they're not meant to last forever (despite what Bass players think)
I use 9's on my Telecaster and in 17 years of ownership have yet to break one although I do put a fresh set on every 2-3 months.


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## Drago (16 Jan 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I'm starting to wonder what a typical action height is for a bass guitar?
> 
> I had a quick hunt around online and it seems to be a personal thing. Some players said that they like it (what seems to me) crazy low - around 2 mm. Others suggested 3 - 4 mm. Some even said 6+ mm.
> 
> ...


Some folk have it stupidly low, but the tone sounds all wrong and it makes hammer-on's and pull-off's harder to execute.

It depends on neck relief, but I prefer a medium-to-low set up, maybe 3-4mm at rhe 12th fret.


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## MontyVeda (16 Jan 2022)

DRM said:


> I’ve just started on learning an acoustic guitar, having borrowed a Tanglewood Crossroads, just getting to grips with the A & D chords, and changing between the two, so far so good progress wise, *but blimey it makes your fingertips hurt!*


That's why i put a standard set of electric guitar strings on my steel string acoustic... lighter gauge = less tension = less pain  ...and beside all that, I think they sound nicer.


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## DRM (16 Jan 2022)

Thanks for the replies, according to the manufacturer website it’s fitted with bronze light strings
https://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/product/twcrd/
This is a whole new learning curve, the strings are metal (steel?) and I’m guessing as in electrical wire the smaller the gauge number, the thinner it is, I think when they’re due for replacement I’ll get the lighter type, so how do you know when the strings have seen better days, are they difficult to tune, or is there some other indicator?
having looked I’ve seen on strings direct that Fender & D’addorio brands are around £6.00 a set, but what would be considered a decent make of strings?


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## Cycleops (16 Jan 2022)

Old strings tend to sound duller with age and don't quite have the 'snap' of new ones.
I use D'Addario almost exclusively on my guitar and bass, they are quality items. But so are Rotosound (British made), Ernie Ball and many other front line makes, not so sure about Fender.


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## DRM (16 Jan 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Old strings tend to sound duller with age and don't quite have the 'snap' of new ones.
> I use D'Addario almost exclusively on my guitar and bass, they are quality items. But so are Rotosound (British made), Ernie Ball and many other front line makes, not so sure about Fender.


Cheers for that, I suppose with my cloth ears it’s going to take a while for me to realise, they seem to be around £7.00 a pack so it’s not exactly going to break the bank to swap them for new ones


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## DCBassman (16 Jan 2022)

When I worked in a guitar shop, we would frequently restring acoustics with 11-gauge bronzewound strings. That bit lighter, still lots of oomph.


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## CanucksTraveller (16 Jan 2022)

As well as sounding dull, older strings will look grubby and dirty so when they're looking and sounding dull then it's probably time to change them. New strings are lovely and bright and they'll improve the sound of an acoustic. 

On my acoustic I tend to use Martin or D'Addario. Ernie Ball, John Pearse and Rotosound have a good reputation too.


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## Drago (16 Jan 2022)

CanucksTraveller said:


> As well as sounding dull, older strings will look grubby and dirty...


Just how I like my women! 👍


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## MontyVeda (16 Jan 2022)

Personally I love the sound of old strings, especially on my classical.

On the very rare occasion I put new strings on... I literally sneer at the overtly 'bright' sound for a good few months until they've bedded in.

It's all down to what you like


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## ColinJ (16 Jan 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> Personally I love the sound of old strings, especially on my classical.
> 
> On the very rare occasion I put new strings on... I literally sneer at the overtly 'bright' sound for a good few months until they've bedded in.
> 
> It's all down to what you like


Hmm... I like new strings on my classical guitar, but the roundwound strings on my beginner's bass are too bright-sounding for my taste. I am getting round that by turning the tone control fully anti-clockwise. I'll get my money's worth out of these strings but replace them with flatwound at some future date.

*PS I just discovered that is a 3rd type of bass string - tapewound. What does the team think of them?*


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## ColinJ (16 Jan 2022)

While hunting around reading about strings, I found this video. I enjoyed it. Nice to see how the RotoSound company was started...



(Their YouTube channel has a lot of other videos which look like they might be interesting, but I have not watched any of those yet.)


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## Drago (16 Jan 2022)

Im not a tapewound man, except on my acoustic bass.


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## CanucksTraveller (16 Jan 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> Personally I love the sound of old strings, especially on my classical.
> 
> On the very rare occasion I put new strings on... I literally sneer at the overtly 'bright' sound for a good few months until they've bedded in.
> 
> It's all down to what you like



_Months? _
Is that especially a nylon/ classical thing? 
I do think you have a point on new strings being maybe a little _too_ bright out of the packet but on phosphour bronze strings I think that softens in no more than about a week of play and they sound great. Strings need to bed in, absolutely. 
As you say, it's all personal preference, but when I can literally see muck and skin debris on the E string and it's dark grey rather than bronze, and when I can't place when I last changed them, it's time to get a new set on. With me it's usually 4-6 months or so, can be less, can be more, depending on use.


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## CanucksTraveller (16 Jan 2022)

Drago said:


> Im not a tapewound man, except on my acoustic bass.


An acoustic bass? Pics please! 😊


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## raleighnut (16 Jan 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> Personally I love the sound of old strings, especially on my classical.
> 
> On the very rare occasion I put new strings on... I literally sneer at the overtly 'bright' sound for a good few months until they've bedded in.
> 
> It's all down to what you like


Nick Drake was a fan of 'Old' strings, gave a more 'mellow' sound to his guitar he thought.


View: https://youtu.be/0zcDkzdoA0E


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## raleighnut (17 Jan 2022)

DRM said:


> Thanks for the replies, according to the manufacturer website it’s fitted with bronze light strings
> https://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/product/twcrd/
> This is a whole new learning curve, the strings are metal (steel?) and I’m guessing as in electrical wire the smaller the gauge number, the thinner it is, I think when they’re due for replacement I’ll get the lighter type, so how do you know when the strings have seen better days, are they difficult to tune, or is there some other indicator?
> having looked I’ve seen on strings direct that Fender & D’addorio brands are around £6.00 a set, but what would be considered a decent make of strings?


With strings they're actually measured in thousanths of an inch so a 10 is 10 thou thick, as for brands I rate D'Adario and Ernie Ball very highly, not sure about Rotosound but when I did use them on my old 'Kay' guitar (cheap crap electric) the spare 'top E came in useful as I broke it quite often not something that occured on my first decent Guitar (Japanese Squier Telecaster) or the Fender Telecaster that replaced it after the Squier was stolen so I chipped in a bit more cash over the insurance payout to have a genuine Fender made in Corona California, (a 2000 model that had been a 50th anniversary display in a local shop so was heavily discounted)


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## Salad Dodger (19 Jan 2022)

Brands of string like Ernie Ball and Daddario are very good. But beware of counterfeit strings: buy from a reputable source.

I used to use Elixir (coated, expensive) strings for a long time, but received several sets that were, shall we say, of dubious quality, so I have gone back to uncoated Daddarios.

If you just want to try out different types of strings, I suggest Adagio strings which are available off eBay. They are Chinese in origin, but of decent quality, and work out about half the price of, say, uncoated Ernie Ball or Daddario. I don't use them now, only because they don't make the really thick gauge strings that my new guitar needs.

Presevere with your playing. A few minutes each day is better than, say, one hour once a week.


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## Drago (19 Jan 2022)

+1 for Adagio nickel flatwounds. They dirt cheap, but the real deal, very decent performers.


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## ColinJ (19 Jan 2022)

Drago said:


> +1 for Adagio nickel flatwounds. They dirt cheap, but the real deal, very decent performers.


I was thinking of buying some of them but...






*Flatwound Electric Bass Guitar Strings

NOT FOR SHORT SCALE*! These strings are designed for regular Long Scale 34" Bass Guitars (e.g. Precision Bass) and will not fit irregular Short Scale such as Hofner / Violin style bass guitars
RRP Per Pack:* £29.99*
No. Of Strings Per Pack: *4 Strings*
String Gauge: *45-100 Regular Tension*

Do short scale basses _normally _require different strings to full scale basses?


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## Cycleops (19 Jan 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Do short scale basses _normally _require different strings to full scale basses?


Not normally as in the case of my SS Epiphone EB0 but where Hofner violin basses and others are concerned they use what are essentially guitar machine tuners and are required to take the tapered head leads of strings like Pyramid Gold, LaBella and D'Addario,( I think) strings. Non tapered strings simply won't go through the smaller holes.


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## ColinJ (19 Jan 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Not normally as in the case of my SS Epiphone EB0 but where Hofner violin basses and others are concerned they use what are essentially guitar machine tuners and are required to take the tapered head leads of strings like Pyramid Gold, LaBella and D'Addario,( I think) strings. Non tapered strings simply won't go through the smaller holes.


I hadn't actually looked at how the strings are attached on mine!

[Checks...] Ah, the string go into slots. The strings are wrapped in some red material at the ends which I imagine is to provide friction so the strings slip less when being tuned?


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## Cycleops (19 Jan 2022)

Don't make the mistake of putting the end of the string across the slot as I've seen done before. The end is pushed into the centre hole and then wound. When fully wound make sure the string emerges from the bottom of the post 
Don't think the red feathering makes one jot of difference and only helps to identify the maker.


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## DRM (19 Jan 2022)

Salad Dodger said:


> Brands of string like Ernie Ball and Daddario are very good. But beware of counterfeit strings: buy from a reputable source.
> 
> I used to use Elixir (coated, expensive) strings for a long time, but received several sets that were, shall we say, of dubious quality, so I have gone back to uncoated Daddarios.
> 
> ...


I’ll look into those when the time arises, you’re right about a few minutes practice, I’ve left the guitar out so it’s easy to grab it and to do 5 or 10 minutes, for 2 to 3 times a day, where as it’s much harder to set aside 30 minutes in one go, so now we are on chord No 3, the E, and the pain in my finger tips is reducing now, things are going well.


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## DCBassman (19 Jan 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Do short scale basses _normally _require different strings to full scale basses?


Yes indeed, that's what the difference is between short and standard aka long scale is. Short scale is 30", sometimes less. Standard or long scale is 34", a considerable difference. The very reason they are called short scale is they are...a different scale length!
Sorry, I'm not meaning to come across all-knowing, but this is inherent in the name, otherwise it simply would not have a different name...
To elucidate:
Less than 30" = baritone guitar, some old Danelectro basses.
30" = Hofners, Framus basses, Fender Mustang and VI, other random basses too numerous to mention.
32" = medium scale, quite rare, Fender Japan made 32" versions of Precision and Jazz.
34" = the scale wot Leo Fender came up with as the compromise between guitars and upright basses. Almost all "full-scale" basses are this length, except Rickenbackers, which just HAD to be different at 33.5"!

Then there's extended range basses, otherwise known as 5-and 6 string basses. 6-string basses ranging from B to C are sometimes kn own as contrabasses, see Anthony Jackson. He it was was who thought that Fender's 'bass guitar' should have had 6 strings from the start, but, maestro or not, he was talking out of his fundament. Leo was always and only thinking in terms of a fretted double bass. A 'bass guitar' has six strings tuned an octave down on a regular guitar, for example the Fender VI, erroneously called the Bass VI. He even made sure the headstocks said so...
As always, Fender also screwed this up somewhat by releasing a 5-string Bass V tuned E-C.

OK people, bass lesson over...
Sorry to go on so...


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## ColinJ (19 Jan 2022)

DCBassman said:


> Yes indeed, that's what the difference is between short and standard aka long scale is. Short scale is 30", sometimes less. Standard or long scale is 34", a considerable difference. The very reason they are called short scale is they are...a different scale length!
> Sorry, I'm not meaning to come across all-knowing, but this is inherent in the name, otherwise it simply would not have a different name...


Yes, I _DID _realise that the length was different. 

I wondered if a standard string could be used and just have a few inches of spare at the end. Then I started thinking about that material at the end of the string - that would be in the wrong place. I also wondered if the strings would be thicker to avoid them having to be incredibly slack to get the same pitch as the longer length.

Okay then... What flat wound strings for a 30" short scale bass? (Preferably under £25, but given that flat wounds are supposed to last a very long time, the price is not _THAT _important.)


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## Drago (19 Jan 2022)

Problem is that if you cut a long scale string to the correct length to line up with the tuners on a short scale theres a good chance the winding will unravel from the core and the string will be ruined.


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## DCBassman (19 Jan 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Okay then... What flat wound strings for a 30" short scale bass? (Preferably under £25, but given that flat wounds are supposed to last a very long time, the price is not _THAT _important.)


Depends. If you want standard-ish feel, the go for D'Addario Chromes, ecb 81S. If you want a lovely soft feel, buy the Thomastik Infeld strings for a Hofner Violin bass. The price will make your wallet howl, but they will last a long time. They may still be a bit long, however. For example, they are too long for a Mustang bass. The d'Addarios are probably your best bet, and cheaper.
Don't stint on strings, they are what help make your instrument sound good.
I'm inspired to go get my bass out for the first time in a year or more...


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## Drago (19 Jan 2022)

hofner do short scale flats that are inexpensive and ok'ish. Measure the bridge to nut just to be sure of the scale though.


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## ColinJ (19 Jan 2022)

Drago said:


> hofner do short scale flats that are inexpensive and ok'ish. Measure the bridge to nut just to be sure of the scale though.


About 30-1/3"


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## Drago (19 Jan 2022)

Cool, thats standard short scale.

Just a thought. Hofner violin bass strings are a touch longer than standard short scale because of the 2 piece bridge-tailpiece design.


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## DCBassman (19 Jan 2022)

Drago said:


> Cool, thats standard short scale.
> 
> Just a thought. Hofner violin bass strings are a touch longer than standard short scale because of the 2 piece bridge-tailpiece design.


Which is why they're sometimes too long for other SS basses.


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## Salad Dodger (19 Jan 2022)

Do Thomann (Harley Benton) sell own brand strings for short scale basses? Their own brand 6 string guitar strings are cheap, but of course there is postage to add.


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## DRM (20 Jan 2022)

So, we are getting to the point of being able to change chords between A,D & E without looking too often and with a lot less buzzing, the pain in the fingers is better, and I think at first the main problem was a vice like grip, as I saw on a YouTube video, so I’ve tried relaxing the grip on the fretboard as there’s no need to have to strangle the living daylights out of it.
it seems that guitars are like bikes, in as much as the N+1 rule seems to apply here too, been looking at various websites and it seems in real terms there’s now some good gear for not much money, Thomann seem to have some cracking bargains available for example.


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## Seevio (21 Jan 2022)

DRM said:


> it seems that guitars are like bikes


You can get carbon fibre guitars too.


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## delb0y (21 Jan 2022)

DRM said:


> it seems that guitars are like bikes, in as much as the N+1 rule seems to apply here too, been looking at various websites and it seems in real terms there’s now some good gear for not much money, Thomann seem to have some cracking bargains available for example.


Yes, there are some very nice sounding and looking guitars, that are also very playable, for quite reasonable money these days. Of course, you can go as high as you want, but I think modern technology has done wonders for low priced guitars.

As regards n+1, I'm currently thinking of something new. N currently = 9. Whereas 10 feels like a nice round number...


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## delb0y (21 Jan 2022)

This week's country blues tune is by Mississippi John Hurt. The Tanglewood guitar was £175 off eBay, with a case, tuner, and a stand.


View: https://youtu.be/dU2YO3aakgM


Cheers
Derek


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## MontyVeda (21 Jan 2022)

Some friends used to have a band called _Carrot on the Floor_ ...they sounded nothing like that though.


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## delb0y (21 Jan 2022)

Superb documentary about a guy who gave up a successful job at Disney to build bass guitars. Well worth your time:


View: https://youtu.be/hNACNx5UlR8


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## DRM (4 Feb 2022)

So I’ve been doing the Justin guitar online course, I’ve been doing the Peter Gunn theme as I find it’s a good exercise for stretching the fingers of my fretting hand, as is the riff from Seven nation army, doing one minute chord changes, and bought the corresponding beginners songbook, meaning that I’m currently murdering Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, and treated myself to one of these,
https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-a...uitar-and-SubZero-V15G-Amp-Pack-Sunburst/19QL
looks the business in the flesh, but I’m definitely getting better


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## ColinJ (4 Feb 2022)

I had never given much thought to it, but seeing that guitar now makes me wonder...

How '_acoustic_' is a semi-acoustic, and how '_electric_'? What do you get from a semi-acoustic that you don't get from an electric? (Obviously, I can see what you get from a semi-acoustic that you don't get from an acoustic!)


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## Badger_Boom (4 Feb 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I had never given much thought to it, but seeing that guitar now makes me wonder...
> 
> How '_acoustic_' is a semi-acoustic, and how '_electric_'? What do you get from a semi-acoustic that you don't get from an electric? (Obviously, I can see what you get from a semi-acoustic that you don't get from an acoustic!)


Given all you read about how the wood used to make a solid body electric guitar can affect its tone, having a much lighter echoey vibrating structure must also do something to it.


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## DCBassman (5 Feb 2022)

Badger_Boom said:


> Given all you read about how the wood used to make a solid body electric guitar can affect its tone,


Don't believe everything you read...


----------



## raleighnut (5 Feb 2022)

Greeny playing a 6 string Bass


View: https://youtu.be/HJHKzKyLxqE

From 5:35 on


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## MontyVeda (5 Feb 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I had never given much thought to it, but seeing that guitar now makes me wonder...
> 
> How '_acoustic_' is a semi-acoustic, and how '_electric_'? ...


a semi-acoustic is an acoustic with the usual acoustic properties of an acoustic guitar... but they have a pick-up or two added so you can plug it into an amp if you want.


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## MontyVeda (5 Feb 2022)

DCBassman said:


> Don't believe everything you read...


there's a great YT video about a guy who made a concrete Strat. It was exactly the same as his usual Strat, apart from being concrete and weighed an absolute ton. All the way through the build he was looking forward to hearing it... would it sound heavier? would sound terrible? ...no. It sounded exactly the same as his usual Strat which told him an awful lot about so-called 'tone woods'... not that that video's going to stop any arguments on the guitar forums


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## CanucksTraveller (5 Feb 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I had never given much thought to it, but seeing that guitar now makes me wonder...
> 
> How '_acoustic_' is a semi-acoustic, and how '_electric_'? What do you get from a semi-acoustic that you don't get from an electric? (Obviously, I can see what you get from a semi-acoustic that you don't get from an acoustic!)


Semi acoustic is a bit of a catch all phrase, so in that bracket you've got fully hollow body guitars, some of which have really quite a deep body and can be getting _somewhat_ close to an acoustic in terms of unplugged volume. Epiphone's Emperor for example. Then at the other end there are a lot of slim bodied "semi acoustic" guitars that have quite a big solid block running through the middle of the body and aren't really that much more "acoustic" than a solid body electric. Play those unplugged and they sound pretty similar to an unplugged electric. 

The real polint of hollow body / semi acoustics though is that they do have a different resonance to a solid electric due to the hollow spaces, and when plugged in they can start to feed back quite readily. Some players value that for a particular sound, they can naturally produce quite a bluesy, vintage rock sound that you _might_ need an effects pedal to replicate on a solid body electric. 

Here's quite a good little video which explains why the Beatles used the Casino to get that sound, it illustrates the characteristics of a semi acoustic well. 

View: https://youtu.be/-_FF834WJ58


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## DCBassman (6 Feb 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> there's a great YT video about a guy who made a concrete Strat. It was exactly the same as his usual Strat, apart from being concrete and weighed an absolute ton. All the way through the build he was looking forward to hearing it... would it sound heavier? would sound terrible? ...no. It sounded exactly the same as his usual Strat which told him an awful lot about so-called 'tone woods'... not that that video's going to stop any arguments on the guitar forums


I briefly had a plexiglass Precision Bass. Sounded exactly as it should. But 14lbs! I'll post up the pics later. I played one one-hour live set with it, but soooo heavy, it hurt.


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## MontyVeda (6 Feb 2022)

That's even heavier than my walnut chopping board!


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## DRM (6 Feb 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I had never given much thought to it, but seeing that guitar now makes me wonder...
> 
> How '_acoustic_' is a semi-acoustic, and how '_electric_'? What do you get from a semi-acoustic that you don't get from an electric? (Obviously, I can see what you get from a semi-acoustic that you don't get from an acoustic!)


It's a full hollow body, you could play without the amp, but it's not at all like an acoustic, it seems it's more to do with the tone through the amp, and that if you overdrive it (think that's the correct term) for a "rock" sound it's able to totally overdo it and feed back a lot more than a typical solid electric will


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## MontyVeda (6 Feb 2022)

DRM said:


> It's a full hollow body, you could play without the amp, but it's not at all like an acoustic ...


a 'full hollow body' semi acoustic will sound the same as an acoustic guitar with the same 'full hollow body'.







Unplugged, the guitar on the left will sound the same as the one on the right.


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## ColinJ (6 Feb 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> a 'full hollow body' semi acoustic will sound the same as an acoustic guitar with the same 'full hollow body'.
> 
> View attachment 629851
> 
> ...


I have a Tanglewood like that. I have only plugged it in once to check that the pickup and preamp worked, but the option is there to use the pickup in the future. 

I am going to have to sit down and plan how I am going to learn guitar and bass. I have spent 55 years NOT learning so I am rapidly running out of time (and hearing!)... I just don't seem to be one of those people who gets stuck in spontaneously. 

Face to face lessons would probably cost me all the spare money I have so that is not going to happen. I have seen some very good free/cheapish lessons on YouTube. Maybe I should go that route.


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## MontyVeda (6 Feb 2022)

I tend to find a tune I'd like to play (eg, Blackbird), find the TAB or a YT tutorial... fail to play it properly even after many hours of practice, but I like some of the chord shapes and use those in a different (easier) order to play something i can call my own.

The shapes from Blackbird are simple and versatile.





forget the intro and that big slide from 2 to 10, forget trying to swap from 3/4 to 4/4 to 2/4, forget playing the shapes in the right order... focus on what you can play rather than the bits you can't and eventually you might find a ditty.

I also couldn't do the fifth bar... that switch in finger shapes was too hard for me, but big hands allowed me to stretch and play the same notes on the 2nd string instead of the 1st like this...





The way i see it is... no one wants to hear me play Blackbird badly, but playing something they don't recognise, using the easier chord shapes repurposed from Blackbird is lot more palatable n their ears, and slightly impressive when they ask what you're playing and you say "_i've not given it a title yet_" 

Not that i play the guitar in front of anyone, ever!


Same with Basslines. I can play the bass intro from (eg) Jethro Tull's _Living in the Past_, but what's the point? I'm not going to join a JT tribute band. But play the same notes in a different order and you got your own bass line to play


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## DRM (6 Feb 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> a 'full hollow body' semi acoustic will sound the same as an acoustic guitar with the same 'full hollow body'.
> 
> View attachment 629851
> 
> ...


But it’s not an acoustic, it’s similar in design to a Gretsch, and is primarily an electric guitar, it‘s louder than a solid electric (eg Les Paul, Strat etc) when not plugged in, but no where near as loud as an acoustic


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## DCBassman (6 Feb 2022)

'Yer tiz...


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## DRM (6 Feb 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I have a Tanglewood like that. I have only plugged it in once to check that the pickup and preamp worked, but the option is there to use the pickup in the future.
> 
> I am going to have to sit down and plan how I am going to learn guitar and bass. I have spent 55 years NOT learning so I am rapidly running out of time (and hearing!)... I just don't seem to be one of those people who gets stuck in spontaneously.
> 
> Face to face lessons would probably cost me all the spare money I have so that is not going to happen. I have seen some very good free/cheapish lessons on YouTube. Maybe I should go that route.


https://www.justinguitar.com/
Have a go with the above website, from the beginner module 1, it’s what I did the lessons are very good and easily followed and best of all it’s free, with tools to help you sort out practice sessions, the only cost so far was for the beginner song book,I didn’t have a clue what to do with my sons acoustic and now I’ve learned 5 chords and having a go at learning some songs, they sound shocking at the moment but the improvement is definitely there.


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## delb0y (6 Feb 2022)

Here's a great video in which the marvellous player Jim Gill investigate where the sound actually comes from in a full electric - remarkable conclusion, although probably not unexpected.


View: https://youtu.be/n02tImce3AE


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## MontyVeda (6 Feb 2022)

DRM said:


> But it’s not an acoustic, it’s similar in design to a Gretsch, and is primarily an electric guitar, it‘s louder than a solid electric (eg Les Paul, Strat etc) when not plugged in, but no where near as loud as an acoustic


I think we're at cross purposes here. the question was about semi-acoustic guitars in general, not a specific model. 



DCBassman said:


> 'Yer tiz...
> 
> View attachment 629916



Didn't Bernie Edwards use one of those in a Chic video to match Nile's transparent Strat?


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## DCBassman (6 Feb 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> a 'full hollow body' semi acoustic will sound the same as an acoustic guitar with the same 'full hollow body'.
> 
> View attachment 629851
> 
> ...


Neither of these is a 'semi-acousic; one has a pickup, the other does not. A semi is totally different to a flat-top. 
An example of a true "semi-acoustic" a Gibson ES175. And examples of what should be better called a hollowbody - Gibson ES335, with solid centre block, or Epiphone Casino, without.


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## DCBassman (6 Feb 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> I think we're at cross purposes here. the question was about semi-acoustic guitars in general, not a specific model.
> 
> 
> 
> Didn't Bernie Edwards use one of those in a Chic video to match Nile's transparent Strat?


Honestly, no idea, but quite possible for certain things. Otherwise Nile used the Hitmaker and Bernard his Stingray.


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## DRM (6 Feb 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> I think we're at cross purposes here. the question was about semi-acoustic guitars in general, not a specific model.
> 
> 
> 
> Didn't Bernie Edwards use one of those in a Chic video to match Nile's transparent Strat?


I think @ColinJ had seen the link I added to my late Xmas pressie, perhaps it’s the terminology, mine is similar to a Gretsch with F holes and has 2x humbuckers, I was practicing with it and when playing an E chord it’s got a lovely growl tone when played clean, not an expensive thing, was in a starter pack from Gear4Music with an amp, gig bag, tuner, truss rod Allen key a couple of picks and spare strings


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## CanucksTraveller (6 Feb 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Face to face lessons would probably cost me all the spare money I have so that is not going to happen. I have seen some very good free/cheapish lessons on YouTube. Maybe I should go that route.


I think most of us started without any formal lessons, you can teach yourself to play 3 or 4 chord crowd pleasers with a simple beginners book, (most of us started like that I'd imagine). Google "easy guitar songs" and you'll spot at least one that you like and that you can probably emulate in just a few weeks. And yes some of the YouTube tutorials these days are good. 

I eventually had a handful of lessons when I'd got bored of many years (probably 15+) of the same old rythm stuff, and it worked in so far as it tipped me in a new direction and got me learning new stuff, so professional lessons have their place for sure. But you don't need them necessarily, there's so many other resources now for beginners.


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## delb0y (7 Feb 2022)

I recall when I first started learning to play the guitar, after a few lessons, the teacher gave us the chords to Oh Boy. At the time I knew nothing about 12 bar blues or rock'n'roll or anything, but I was quite excited because Mud or Showaddywaddy had not long released a single of that tune. But of course just strumming the chords sounded nothing like the record. 

It was a lesson learned, mostly about this being a very long road. I think if one is a singer then playing those easy two or three chord tunes is great because the simple guitar part is a fine accompaniment to your voice, but if you're not a singer then you need to be prepared for some frustration in that period between starting and reaching a level where playing on your own, just guitar, is rewarding. I mean, there's nothing nicer than the sound of a gently strummed acoustic on nice chord sequences. But it takes a while to get there. 

The other important lesson is to understand that the same song can be played in any key, and your favourite version may not be in the same key as you've been taught. But once this is understood, and you have enough chords beneath your fingers to be able to play the same tune in different keys, at least then you can find the key that your preferred version is in and simply strum along. There's a good deal of satisfaction in that, too. You can then pretend to be in The Beatles or Metallica or whomever.


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## Hebe (7 Feb 2022)

Delurking… I’m mainly a sax player (tenor) but lockdown necessitated a quieter instrument so I ended up spending more time on guitar. Still not very good but really enjoy the ability to play chords and confuse myself trying to sing at the same time. I play a Taylor GS mini (my inter-lockdown extravagance) and have a cheap and cheerful Daisy Rock Bangles electric. My daughter is the main player - learning bass on a short scale Ibanez Talman and playing a 3/4 size electric and a vey sparkly little acoustic that I play while she’s out. Anyway looking forward to reading through this thread and learning.


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## delb0y (7 Feb 2022)

I'm almost the opposite, Hebe. I've been playing the guitar for 40+ years but my lockdown project was the clarinet. Amazingly, it's been a year and 9 months and I've kept at it. Just starting to reap some if the rewards now, with the ability to stumble through a few blues:

https://soundclick.com/r/s8kayf


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## Hebe (8 Feb 2022)

delb0y said:


> I'm almost the opposite, Hebe. I've been playing the guitar for 40+ years but my lockdown project was the clarinet. Amazingly, it's been a year and 9 months and I've kept at it. Just starting to reap some if the rewards now, with the ability to stumble through a few blues:
> 
> https://soundclick.com/r/s8kayf


You have a beautifully understated tone, that's great work for 21 months! 
Nice recording too. I bought an audio interface and microphone at Christmas so I can start biting the bullet and actually recording as part of my practice. I play with a 3 or 4 piece jazz/blues group.


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## GuyBoden (12 Feb 2022)

I've always felt that good ears are more important than knowledge, when it comes to playing music. Playing the simplest things well was my initial aim, but that got forgotten, it needs to return, so maybe back to basics.


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## CanucksTraveller (13 Feb 2022)

Got a new little practice amp today, an Orange Crush 20. It sounds huge and vintage, great tone!


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## ColinJ (13 Feb 2022)

I liked that. 

Manchester ship canal?


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## DRM (13 Feb 2022)

To date I’ve learned the A,D,E,G,Em,Am chords, been having a go at playing Buddy Holly’s Heartbeat, Elvis’s That’s alright mamma & Hound dog, Bob Marley’s 3 Little birds, and a simplified version of the Tommy James & the chandells/Joan Jett’s Crimson & Clover, all a bit iffy at the moment, but getting better and recognisable as a song, feeling quite chuffed with it all to be honest


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## delb0y (15 Feb 2022)

It's NGD for me today :-) A Michael Messer Lightning. Been hankering after a resonator for a while and with the cost of livinggoing crazy I figured it was now or never!


View: https://youtu.be/4R4_AXnqdsM


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## DRM (18 Feb 2022)

Yesterdays project to replace the strings on the acoustic I’ve borrowed from my son, I went for some D’Addario Bronze extra light 10-47, watched a couple you tube videos, and took my time and got them fitted with no issues, blimey what a difference, even I can tell the sound is vastly improved and it’s easier to play now too with them being a lighter gauge than it came with, and also found a tutorial for Neil Young song Rockin‘ in the free world, so been having a go at that on the electric.


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## GuyBoden (19 Feb 2022)

Duck Pond.

Another seemingly simplistic piece, it's using all 7 notes from the Ionian scale simultaneously as a harmonic collage (Chords). The melody (riff) uses mainly fourth intervals, which are a bit of a stretch (6 frets) on the guitar from B to E and then E to A.

Ducks in Tatton Park.


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## kayakerles (19 Feb 2022)

I can’t play an instrument to save my life, but stumbled across this duet from 1970. Jack & Jorma of Hot Tuna, formerly of Jefferson Airplane. Saw them live. The bass was always the best.

View: https://youtu.be/mjfhsLuOEWI
.


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## CanucksTraveller (19 Feb 2022)

GuyBoden said:


> Another seemingly simplistic piece, it's using all 7 notes from the Ionian scale simultaneously as a harmonic collage (Chords). The melody (riff) uses mainly fourth intervals, which are a bit of a stretch (6 frets) on the guitar from B to E and then E to A.



That was nice. And please forgive me, but from your description I was half expecting you to say you'd named that piece "Lick my love pump".


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## Cycleops (20 Feb 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> That's even heavier than my walnut chopping board!


Yes, what happened to that? I was looking forward to the unfolding story or did I miss something?


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## MontyVeda (20 Feb 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Yes, what happened to that? I was looking forward to the unfolding story or did I miss something?


all was going well until a bout of pneumonia knocked me off my feet over xmas and new year... then the weather's been putting me off cycling over to where my workshop is and it's cold in there so 

This is how i left it just before xmas... 



...needs a neck pocket, lid, pick-up slot and a cover for the hole in the back,
then it's just assembly and a bit of spit and polish... I'm aiming for May


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## MontyVeda (6 Mar 2022)

stumbled across this video which i thought would be handy in a tonewood debate...


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## ColinJ (6 Mar 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> stumbled across this video which i thought would be handy in a tonewood debate...



Didn't we see that earlier in this thread? 

I saw it posted _somewhere _a few weeks back.


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## FishFright (7 Mar 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> stumbled across this video which i thought would be handy in a tonewood debate...





That's quite funny and about typical of youtubers trying to convince the gullible that they have found the "THE TRUTH"


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## delb0y (7 Mar 2022)

He's some guitar player, though, Jim Lill.


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## MontyVeda (7 Mar 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Didn't we see that earlier in this thread?
> 
> I saw it posted _somewhere _a few weeks back.


so it was. must've missed that post because I was too busy being told off about semi/acoustics 

in other news. I've made a walnut plug to fill the gap in my backside. I'll post photo's in a few days


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## Cycleops (9 Mar 2022)

View: https://fb.watch/bEHSraHvkd/


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## Cycleops (14 Mar 2022)

This might be of interest to quite a few of you. You might already be aware but just in case you missed it. Desert Island Discs with Robert Plant:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00159xd


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## MontyVeda (15 Mar 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> ...
> in other news. I've made a walnut plug to fill the gap in my backside. I'll post photo's in a few days



I've probably spent more time thinking about this little cover than I had when shaping and routing the body. I don't want any strap buttons on the bass, but want some close at hand should I change my mind, so have mounted a couple of brass grommets in the body and the strap buttons will live inside the bass on the back of the cavity cover, along with the tools for the bridge, p-ups and truss rod.





There's a myriad of tiny magnets hidden beneath the little slots and button holes to hold everything in place. The cover is also held on with magnets and pressing one side flips it out


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## DCBassman (17 Mar 2022)

Well, for the first time in ages, I thought about playing my bass. Cue sorting out the Tascam bass trainer, so I can noodle along with headphones, as I never use amp and speakers at home. Trainer is complete toast. Much depression. Fired up Basschat, and consulted the hive mind, and discovered there was a little box called a Sessioncake (I kid you not), and after a quick trawl through ebay, found one new for under 25 squids delivered. Happy days!


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## Cycleops (17 Mar 2022)

DCBassman said:


> Well, for the first time in ages, I thought about playing my bass. Cue sorting out the Tascam bass trainer, so I can noodle along with headphones, as I never use amp and speakers at home. Trainer is complete toast. Much depression. Fired up Basschat, and consulted the hive mind, and discovered there was a little box called a Sessioncake (I kid you not), and after a quick trawl through ebay, found one new for under 25 squids delivered. Happy days!


I use a small Blackstar Fly 3 with the two speaker set up. No chance of annoying the neighbors but gives a satisfying sound.


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## ColinJ (17 Mar 2022)

I have decided to practice standing up. I could have sworn that I had a strap somewhere but if I did, I don't know where I put it. I am going to nip out to buy one shortly. 

I heard through the grapevine that a friend of a friend is having a clear out. That includes guitar kit. I may be able to pick up some of it cheap or even free. I am waiting to hear back...


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## Salad Dodger (17 Mar 2022)

It's my birthday in a few days. My "main" ukulele, which I bought for about £40 secondhand around 10 years ago is now quite knackered, having done 100+ gigs with our uke band, plus many practice sessions and club nights.
So, I got the go-ahead to order a new uke for my birthday. Delivery hopefully early next week. I will post pictures in due course.

Wish me good weather on Saturday lunchtime: our club is busking at the local shopping centre to raise funds for D.E.C. aid to Ukraine. I'm in charge. What can possibly go wrong????


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## MontyVeda (17 Mar 2022)

DCBassman said:


> Well, for the first time in ages, I thought about playing my bass. Cue sorting out the Tascam bass trainer, so I can noodle along with headphones, as I never use amp and speakers at home. Trainer is complete toast. Much depression. Fired up Basschat, and consulted the hive mind, and discovered there was *a little box called a Sessioncake* (I kid you not), and after a quick trawl through ebay, found one new for under 25 squids delivered. Happy days!


is that just a headphone amp?


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## delb0y (17 Mar 2022)

I have one of these (the AC30 one)

https://voxamps.com/en-gb/product/amplug-2/

It's great!


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## MontyVeda (17 Mar 2022)

delb0y said:


> I have one of these (the AC30 one)
> 
> https://voxamps.com/en-gb/product/amplug-2/
> 
> It's great!


Recently purchased the Vox Bass one for when my bass is finished, and have the Blackstar version for my electric. I love the simplicity of them. Far easier than faffing about with my multi effects pedal unit thing (which isn't a good one).


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## DRM (17 Mar 2022)

This is the one I got, 
View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Valeton-Chargable-Portable-Headphone-Multi-Effects/dp/B07W3K92ZM

USB rechargeable with lots of effects, saves family & the neighbours having to hear the bum notes etc


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## DCBassman (17 Mar 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> is that just a headphone amp?


Basically yes, with line in, mic in, and ability for more than one headphone out. Will review once it arrives.


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## winjim (18 Mar 2022)

After about two decades away I've decided to pick my guitar up again. I was never that good anyway so I'm starting from scratch with a beginner's course. I seem to be able to remember most of my chord shapes so I reckon I'll rattle through the first few lessons pretty quickly. I've bought a cheap rubbish practice amp and with headphones I should be able to manage half an hour or so each evening when the family's in bed and maybe get up to a decent standard in a few months.

Fingers are bloody hurting though...


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## Cycleops (18 Mar 2022)

winjim said:


> After about two decades away I've decided to pick my guitar up again. I was never that good anyway so I'm starting from scratch with a beginner's course. I seem to be able to remember most of my chord shapes so I reckon I'll rattle through the first few lessons pretty quickly. I've bought a cheap rubbish practice amp and with headphones I should be able to manage half an hour or so each evening when the family's in bed and maybe get up to a decent standard in a few months.
> 
> Fingers are bloody hurting though...


Good for you. Those fingers ought to be bloody.


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## winjim (18 Mar 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Good for you. Those fingers ought to be bloody.


It's like having a sore arse when I first got back into cycling. I'll toughen up soon enough.


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## DRM (18 Mar 2022)

winjim said:


> After about two decades away I've decided to pick my guitar up again. I was never that good anyway so I'm starting from scratch with a beginner's course. I seem to be able to remember most of my chord shapes so I reckon I'll rattle through the first few lessons pretty quickly. I've bought a cheap rubbish practice amp and with headphones I should be able to manage half an hour or so each evening when the family's in bed and maybe get up to a decent standard in a few months.
> 
> Fingers are bloody hurting though...


Your fingers have my deepest sympathies, as mine have gone through this in the last few weeks, the high E is like a flaming cheese wire!


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## winjim (18 Mar 2022)

DRM said:


> Your fingers have my deepest sympathies, as mine have gone through this in the last few weeks, the high E is like a flaming cheese wire!


The good news is that we'll soon be able to carry hot dishes straight from the oven without using oven gloves.


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## MontyVeda (18 Mar 2022)

DRM said:


> ... the high E is like a flaming cheese wire!


this is why i put electric guitar strings on my acoustic guitar.


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## DRM (18 Mar 2022)

winjim said:


> The good news is that we'll soon be able to carry hot dishes straight from the oven without using oven gloves.


That’s one benefit, my morning porridge burns my right fingers, left ones are more heat resistant now


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## DRM (18 Mar 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> this is why i put electric guitar strings on my acoustic guitar.


The electric is a lot easier in that respect


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## Salad Dodger (19 Mar 2022)

My new ukulele.
Ordered on eBay in the early hours of Thursday morning, delivered by Post Office on Friday mid morning, even though I only paid for "standard" mailing.
Today I am using it to lead members of the uke club as we busk to raise funds for Red Cross Ukraine fundraiser.


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## DCBassman (19 Mar 2022)

The Sessioncake is here! Will give it some more.play and report back.


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## DRM (25 Mar 2022)

This is what I bought back in January, I noticed that when played sometimes it sounded slightly out of tune, despite being in tune, sounds weird, but also possibly down to me, but it’s not an expensive instrument so my gut feeling is, like a bike some careful upgrades may help, so with this in mind I’ve swapped the strings for some Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky’s, 9-46 gauge, blimey what a difference the weird tuning issue has gone, and the tone is better, the thicker low E really sounds well with this design of guitar, and whilst the strings were off it’s had some lemon oil on the fretboard and a clean up, it’s amazing how much dirt came off after only a couple of months use, next maybe some decent tuning machines as I think this will be an area where savings were made in manufacture.


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## Badger_Boom (3 Apr 2022)

DRM said:


> View attachment 637029
> 
> This is what I bought back in January, I noticed that when played sometimes it sounded slightly out of tune, despite being in tune, sounds weird, but also possibly down to me, but it’s not an expensive instrument so my gut feeling is, like a bike some careful upgrades may help, so with this in mind I’ve swapped the strings for some Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky’s, 9-46 gauge, blimey what a difference the weird tuning issue has gone, and the tone is better, the thicker low E really sounds well with this design of guitar, and whilst the strings were off it’s had some lemon oil on the fretboard and a clean up, it’s amazing how much dirt came off after only a couple of months use, next maybe some decent tuning machines as I think this will be an area where savings were made in manufacture.


The out of tune but in tune issue might just mean you need to tweak the intonation at the bridge, but if a change of strings has sorted it it might have been pretty close already.


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## GuyBoden (3 Apr 2022)

Badger_Boom said:


> The out of tune but in tune issue might just mean you need to tweak the intonation at the bridge, but if a change of strings has sorted it it might have been pretty close already.


II agree, but extremely accurate intonation on a guitar is very difficult. The guitar is inherently out of tune by a small fraction due to the frets.

That's why you see these extreme solutions:


----------



## Cycleops (3 Apr 2022)

DRM said:


> View attachment 637029
> 
> ..





DRM said:


> ...next maybe some decent tuning machines as I think this will be an area where savings were made in manufacture.


That's the next best upgrade for sure. 
How's the action? Have a look down the neck to see if it's straight or there's some reflex. 
If you want take things to next stage look at some of the videos on YouTube to see how to level the frets and set it up properly. You can do it without specialist tools.


----------



## DRM (4 Apr 2022)

Badger_Boom said:


> The out of tune but in tune issue might just mean you need to tweak the intonation at the bridge, but if a change of strings has sorted it it might have been pretty close already.


I did set the intonation up after swapping/stretching the strings, to be honest it wasn’t that far out, but it’s a new skill I’ve picked up


----------



## DRM (4 Apr 2022)

Cycleops said:


> That's the next best upgrade for sure.
> How's the action? Have a look down the neck to see if it's straight or there's some reflex.
> If you want take things to next stage look at some of the videos on YouTube to see how to level the frets and set it up properly. You can do it without specialist tools.


Whilst not having measured the action, it’s not too bad feel wise, however I’ve ordered a straight edge, fret rocker, file and polishing stone along with an action gauge, initially for another project but I will check it when I get a spare moment


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## winjim (5 Apr 2022)

So I have the opportunity to buy the guitar I wanted as a teenager, for a pretty low price but... apparently the action's really high and is at the limit of adjustment. It might not be any good to play higher up the neck. Still, I'm going to look at it on Saturday and I'm sure I'll get something if not that one. I've just got to make sure I don't let my heart rule my head and come home with an unplayable lump of firewood (or helicopter rotor blade in this case).


----------



## Cycleops (5 Apr 2022)

You should be able to sort it out @winjim . Just make sure the truss rod is not seized or broken and the neck is not twisted, I bought a bass with a twisted neck and it really was useless.
If it’s a Fender or a lookalike it’s possible to buy a replacement neck.


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2022)

Cycleops said:


> You should be able to sort it out @winjim . Just make sure the truss rod is not seized or broken and the neck is not twisted, I bought a bass with a twisted neck and it really was useless.
> If it’s a Fender or a lookalike it’s possible to buy a replacement neck.


It's an Ovation electro acoustic. The shop say they've adjusted it as much as they can so I assume they've removed the shims from under the bridge which is how Ovations are adjusted. The other option might be to get the neck reset but for the cost of that I could probably buy one which didn't need any work doing.

For the price it might be worth a punt but I won't be heartbroken if I have to get something else instead, I just want a small bodied electro acoustic with a fast neck.


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## winjim (5 Apr 2022)

There's a video on YouTube of a guy taking a belt sander and a Dremel to a brand new Ovation in order to lower the action but I'm not gonna do that.


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## MontyVeda (5 Apr 2022)

one would think that an Ovation can have the action adjusted right down to the fretboard. Has its neck bowed forwards? ...which should be easily fettled by tightening the truss, or is it just ***ked? Is it in a music shop or a charity shop?


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## winjim (5 Apr 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> one would think that an Ovation can have the action adjusted right down to the fretboard. Has its neck bowed forwards? ...which should be easily fettled by tightening the truss, or is it just ***ked? Is it in a music shop or a charity shop?


Proper music shop. They say they've adjusted it as much as they can so I assume they've checked the truss rod. It's a fairly old guitar, so I guess the neck will have pulled forward over time?

Condition otherwise is described as 'very good'.


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## MontyVeda (5 Apr 2022)

winjim said:


> Proper music shop. They say they've adjusted it as much as they can so I assume they've checked the truss rod. It's a fairly old guitar, e?*so I guess the neck will have pulled forward over time?*
> 
> Condition otherwise is described as 'very good'.


The truss rod stops that from happening, and if it does, adjusting it should pull it back.

my acoustic Ibanez must be 35 years old at least... neck's as straight* as a die

*with a little relief

There is of course a slight chance that some music shops are like some local bike shops, and could be staffed by people who haven't got a clue what they're doing.


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## winjim (5 Apr 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> The truss rod stops that from happening, and if it does, adjusting it should pull it back.
> 
> my acoustic Ibanez must be 35 years old at least... neck's as straight* as a die
> 
> ...


I meant pulled forward at the heel rather than bowed. Truss rod adjustment won't fix that, it needs a neck reset.

I'm gonna have to go look at it and see if I think it's worth taking a chance. If the shop don't know what they're doing and, say, haven't even removed the shims or something then happy days. But it's kind of difficult to ask them to their face whether they think they're competent or not.


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## MontyVeda (5 Apr 2022)

winjim said:


> I meant pulled forward at the heel rather than bowed. Truss rod adjustment won't fix that, it needs a neck reset.
> 
> ...


Fair enough. But if it is pulled at the heel, I'd probably not bother. Guitar repairs can be pricey so would potentially cost at least another £100


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## winjim (5 Apr 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> Fair enough. But if it is pulled at the heel, I'd probably not bother. Guitar repairs can be pricey so would potentially cost at least another £100


Yeah I know. For the additional price of the repair I could get one that plays alright straight off. I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell just by looking and playing it though. I'm hardly even a decent guitar player, let alone luthier.


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## GuyBoden (5 Apr 2022)

I had an Ovation Electric Legend in the 1980's, beautiful built necks, one of the best necks I've played on an acoustic. The round body was a pain, slipping off your knee all the time when playing sitting down, even with a strap.


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## Cycleops (6 Apr 2022)

Nice one in Sheffield with hard case @winjim : https://richtonemusic.co.uk/ovation-celebrity-cc67-electro-acoustic-natural-w-hard-case-2nd-hand/


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## winjim (6 Apr 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Nice one in Sheffield with hard case @winjim : https://richtonemusic.co.uk/ovation-celebrity-cc67-electro-acoustic-natural-w-hard-case-2nd-hand/


That might well be the one I come away with if this one doesn't work out.

https://richtonemusic.co.uk/ovation-mik-1528-electro-acoustic-sunburst-2nd-hand-collection-only/


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## GuyBoden (6 Apr 2022)

You probably know this, but the Celebrity is not really an Ovation guitar.

It was a much cheaper version, made somewhere else.


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## winjim (6 Apr 2022)

GuyBoden said:


> You probably know this, but the Celebrity is not really an Ovation guitar.
> 
> It was a much cheaper version, made somewhere else.


For the level I'm at, a good manufacturer's budget line is fine. I only need it to be half decent and playable. It's going to be in a house with two small children so it might get a few knocks anyway.

The choice will be, an Ovation with high action, a Celebrity that's a bit more playable, or whatever else they've got in the shop on Saturday.

The Ovation is a Korean model.


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## MontyVeda (6 Apr 2022)

winjim said:


> ...
> The Ovation is a Korean model.


if it's the one in your link it looks like it's been sold.


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## winjim (6 Apr 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> if it's the one in your link it looks like it's been sold.


It's been reserved. By me, pending a trip to go and check it out this weekend.


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## winjim (8 Apr 2022)

OK, to throw a spanner in the works, I've noticed that the shop have a couple of Ovation Applause models (bottom of the range, below Celebrity) with a fair discount. So the choice now might be the original Ovation, which I really like but might be unplayable, a used Celebrity which I'm sure is fine but is not really pulling me in aesthetically, or a brand new Applause.

Or is it all too complicated, not worth it for the cheapo versions and should I sack them all off and just get an Epiphone? It does look nice and would do what I want.


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## Cycleops (8 Apr 2022)

What Epiphone?


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## winjim (8 Apr 2022)

Cycleops said:


> What Epiphone?


This one. I sort of feel like Epiphone are a reliable brand so I kind of trust it to be OK.

https://richtonemusic.co.uk/epiphone-aj-220sce-solid-top-electro-acoustic-guitar-ebony/

Of course they'll have more guitars in the shop but a lot of the ones on the website seem to have already been reserved or sold by the looks of it. I'm open to coming out with something completely different.


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## Cycleops (8 Apr 2022)

That's interesting, I have the same style and colour but a Yamaha.

Back when I started guitar in the late sixties Epiphone was a premium brand and well thought of. Bit different now it's owned by Gibson. I have a Epiphone EB0 short scale bass, made in China but it's a lovely instrument and quality is good. Never had to touch the neck.
I should just have a session on the ones you like and see which one speaks to you. Be careful as they might have a 'No stairway' policy 
I follow the Richtone site as my cousin lives in Sheffield and they have some decent second hand stuff which I could pick up when I visit or get her to collect for me.


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## CanucksTraveller (8 Apr 2022)

Epiphone are solid overall, they've gone through phases where depending on the period and the factory they've ranged from phenomenal, through good, down to some bang average models, but they're never terrible. The guys in my local music shop say the new ones are back to something approaching their better quality in terms of production after something of a dodgy period a few years ago in a factory that's now closed. If it's a new Epiphone it should be nice to play, if you're buying used you might just want to research that model and year a bit.


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## winjim (8 Apr 2022)

Not really knowing that much about them I've always considered Epiphone to be a budget version of Gibson but still reasonable quality. The one on the website is new I think anyway.

As for having a session on them in the shop, it's just going to consist of strumming a few chords really. I've only been back playing a few weeks after all. I've spent the last week learning the chords to Let It Go and Surface Pressure so I can play them for my daughter, that's the sort of level I'm at.


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## CanucksTraveller (8 Apr 2022)

winjim said:


> Not really knowing that much about them I've always considered Epiphone to be a budget version of Gibson but still reasonable quality. The one on the website is new I think anyway.
> 
> As for having a session on them in the shop, it's just going to consist of strumming a few chords really. I've only been back playing a few weeks after all. I've spent the last week learning the chords to Let It Go and Surface Pressure so I can play them for my daughter, that's the sort of level I'm at.


Yes, sort of. Gibson bought Epiphone when they were a direct competitor, albeit at a stage when Epiphone were struggling a little. Originally, Epiphone made totally separate designs to Gibson. Gibson did eventually use the Epiphone name on _some_ of the more affordable lines of their own guitars (the Les Paul is probably the best example) although it's not quite as simple as that and there are still unique designs to both lines. Some vintage Epiphones (especially Korean made) are highly sought after. 

The Squier line made by Fender is more true to your analogy of the "budget line" model where the designs are always identical and the materials and place of manufacture are the main difference. 

I quite like the look of that one you posted, and yes it's new. Should be a nice guitar to play for years to come, good on you!


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## winjim (9 Apr 2022)

I've just got out of the shop. Looked at the Ovation and the action is pretty high and the saddle's already super low. Guy at the shop agreed it needs a neck reset which for me isn't worth the hassle. I also decided that cheap Ovations are a bit try-hard really. With something like that, get a proper one or don't bother.

So I tried the Epiphone, liked it and bought it. I think it'll be a good dependable instrument, just what I need. And I do like the aesthetics, black with a tortoiseshell pickguard, I don't like the look of regular acoustics. So yeah, I'm pretty happy overall. Just need to find a way to stop the kids trashing it.


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## Cycleops (9 Apr 2022)

You made the right choice. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.


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## GuyBoden (9 Apr 2022)

winjim said:


> I've just got out of the shop. Looked at the Ovation and the action is pretty high and the saddle's already super low. Guy at the shop agreed it needs a neck reset which for me isn't worth the hassle. I also decided that cheap Ovations are a bit try-hard really. With something like that, get a proper one or don't bother.
> 
> So I tried the Epiphone, liked it and bought it. I think it'll be a good dependable instrument, just what I need. And I do like the aesthetics, black with a tortoiseshell pickguard, I don't like the look of regular acoustics. So yeah, I'm pretty happy overall. Just need to find a way to stop the kids trashing it.


Good choice, the Ovation bowl backs were a pain for playing seated like I previously stated.


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## winjim (10 Apr 2022)

Daughter is now well chuffed because she managed to play Let It Go and Surface Pressure. At least she strummed them while I did the chord fingering. Will have to ask her what she wants me to learn next. I will point out that the 'traditional metal E' on the pickguard is just a very rubbish sticker which came off as soon as I removed the protective film but that's no surprise really.

Definitely the right choice.


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## MontyVeda (10 Apr 2022)

The E just looked like a rubbish drawing of a bum anyway.


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## Cycleops (27 Apr 2022)




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## Xipe Totec (28 Apr 2022)

Cycleops said:


> View attachment 642025



"A gentleman is a man who can play slap bass. And doesn't."


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (7 May 2022)

https://www.guitarworld.com/features/brian-setzer-gotta-have-the-rumble


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## ColinJ (7 May 2022)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/brian-setzer-gotta-have-the-rumble



And...?


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## Cycleops (7 May 2022)

ColinJ said:


> And...?


I think he wanted us to know that some rockabilly with help from a bit of surgery can help you look young.


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## ColinJ (7 May 2022)

Cycleops said:


> I think he wanted us to know that some rockabilly with help from a bit of surgery can help you look young.





When unaccompanied links are posted, it always seems like there was supposed to be a comment but it was accidentally omitted!

For example, in this case: "_Protect those ears, folks!_"


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## DRM (7 May 2022)

Love the sound of the Gretsch 6120, there’s something special about the tone and growl from them


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## Richard A Thackeray (7 May 2022)

Okay guys, you caught me out
He does, however, mention the tinnitus that plagues him when recording
Johnny Walker (Radio 2 DJ has the same issues when listening to records he wants to feature on his shows


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## DRM (7 May 2022)

ColinJ said:


> When unaccompanied links are posted, it always seems like there was supposed to be a comment but it was accidentally omitted!
> 
> For example, in this case: "_Protect those ears, folks!_"



Yes definitely look after yer lug oles, as Bob Seger sang in ”Turn the page “
Later in the evening when you lie awake in bed
with the echoes of the amplifiers ringing in your head

View: https://youtu.be/8_Lb7imIq7Y
Metallica also did an excellent cover of that song too

View: https://youtu.be/qPOTEs_yTJo


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## DRM (7 May 2022)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReMastered:_Devil_at_the_Crossroads
Watched this the other day, definitely worth seeing, the whole myth that Robert Johnson was a mediocre guitar player, who went down to the crossroads and sold his soul to the devil to be the best blues player of his time, actually had such resonance with every genre of music from blues, to rock and roll to heavy metal being described as the devils music, by ignorant people, Robert Johnson lived the rock and roll lifestyle in the ‘20’s and 30’s, a man before his time, if only he’d not died so young, one of the first members of the 27 club, and had the fame he deserved


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## Cycleops (7 May 2022)

DRM said:


> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReMastered:_Devil_at_the_Crossroads
> Watched this the other day, definitely worth seeing, the whole myth that Robert Johnson was a mediocre guitar player, who went down to the crossroads and sold his soul to the devil to be the best blues player of his time, actually had such resonance with every genre of music from blues, to rock and roll to heavy metal being described as the devils music, by ignorant people, Robert Johnson lived the rock and roll lifestyle in the ‘20’s and 30’s, a man before his time, if only he’d not died so young, one of the first members of the 27 club, and had the fame he deserved


Bit like how Cannondale techs sold their souls to the devil in return for the press fit bottom bracket.


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## DRM (7 May 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Bit like how Cannondale techs sold their souls to the devil in return for the press fit bottom bracket.



True, except Cannondale have to answer to Hambini!


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## ColinJ (7 May 2022)

I damaged my hearing as a young man by playing records way too loud, way too often. I did a few _REALLY_ stupid things which probably resulted in the total hearing loss that I have at certain frequencies. Things like this...



ColinJ said:


> I was a complete idiot when I was young... Coming back from the pub and putting my headphones on and fulling asleep with music blasting me at crazily high volume. That kind of thing...
> 
> The most stupid thing I did was to stagger to the stage at one gig and put my head into the flared horn of a massive bass bin while the band were playing _*LOUD*_!
> 
> There are certain frequencies that I can't hear at at all now. I'm not talking about the usual loss of high frequencies with age - frequencies below and above which I can still hear.


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## Hornchurch (8 May 2022)

winjim said:


> OK, to throw a spanner in the works, I've noticed that the shop have a couple of Ovation Applause models (bottom of the range, below Celebrity) with a fair discount. So the choice now might be the original Ovation, which I really like but might be unplayable, a used Celebrity which I'm sure is fine but is not really pulling me in aesthetically, or a brand new Applause.





GuyBoden said:


> I had an Ovation Electric Legend in the 1980's, beautiful built necks, one of the best necks I've played on an acoustic. The round body was a pain, slipping off your knee all the time when playing sitting down, even with a strap.




Typical me, a month 'late into the thread' (arrival, me being a 'newb') & that part of the thread is already "done/dusted" !

Been reading those (prev') pages with interest as although since the late 1970's I've always played electric, I also have two accoustics

Bought a crazy-cheap, but lovely *Ovation L.777 'Legend'* (Made in U.S.A Conneticut), back in early 2006

It blew me away as to just how "nice" the neck was AND playing it was comprable to my five U.S.A Stratocasters, in quality !

It's a "mid-bowl" rather than deep-bowl & I didn't find mine to be too bad when sitting down - (hunched on the couch !)

It came from 'Peach Guitars' in Essex & was originally around £2,000+ Then plummeted to £1,600, then £1,200, then £800 (over time)

Being left-handed (L.777), meant it had become "wall decoration", so I ended-up getting it for a paltry £499 - (by comparison what it was)

They 'mugged me off' with a $hit (beaten/used) Ovation case, which I sold on E-bay & got £36.00 for.

As luck would have it, within four-months, I won a bankrupt-stock B.N.I.B mint-condition case, highest-quality for that L.777 available (£65)

Some lads on here tho' might be FAR more interested in the "cheap" accoustic that my Mother bought me back in 1977


It was an *Eros Model 606 Dakota* -(I still have it today)- & was in the shop-window, in North St., Romford, for *£39.00* (& Rosetti soft-case)

Back then I wuz a hardcore Led Zeppelin fan, but had ZERO idea that Jimmy Page had used one, during the Led Zepplin.II album !

Apparently that EXACT same make/model ('606' Dakota), was used on "Thank You" & more importantly, "Ramble On" !!!!!

Wasn't keen on the former-track, but, went ballistic as regards the latter - Also another track, which my band played, 'Live'

We were pretty good back then (as a group) & did Joe Walsh, Thin Lizzy, Eagles & Led Zeppelin tracks, on stage, in front of hundreds.

Most of our gigs (& main useage) were providing large London churches of around 350+ with live backing (& 2,500 @ Westminster)

My fave track off "Zep.II" was the immortal, "What Is & What Should Never Be" & I LOVED playing it live (thru a 1974 'Twin-Reverb' valve-amp

Back then, I only had my (then, new), 1977 CBS Era Fender Telecaster & for softer stuff, this Eros Model 606 Dakota - (not knowing !)

Wasn't until about 7-8 years ago, that several websites showed Page, in the studio (L.Z.II), with that same 'unknown' guitar.

Folks are still rather vague (or mostly unaware) of the Fuselli Bros' & the importers, "Rosetti" (who back then imported Gibson, IIRC ?

Anyways - I'll sandwich a link, below, showing Jimmy Page using it & the website it came from - (now, Italian, but was also in English)

Fuselli Bros & the Eros Model 606 Dakota used by Page in the studio, during the making of Led Zep' II

Subject came up again for me this last week, as my son bought me a 'brand-new' *Vinyl "Led Zeppelin.II" L.P*, on Atlantic Records (sealed)

Not bad for a £39.00 guitar my Mother bought from Romford, which (606 type) was also at the Morgan studios, for those sessions.

Another Article - Mine Has The Black Celluloid Headstock, rather than these, shown


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## DCBassman (8 May 2022)

Hornchurch said:


> who back then imported Gibson, IIRC ?


Selmer for Gibson back then, although I think Rosetti had a stab at it at some point...


----------



## MontyVeda (8 May 2022)

Little bit more progress on the hollocaster this week.

Pick-up slot cut


...and the dreaded neck pocket, which is a very good fit, maybe a little too good.


Just needs a bit of shaping around the neck, then the top can go on and it's pretty much finished.


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## MontyVeda (11 May 2022)

I've only gone and decided to rethink how I'm going to connect the neck to the body, which means another ten* weeks of procrastination!

*give or take nine weeks


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## Seevio (12 May 2022)

Seems I have an audition coming up. Have a bunch of songs to learn but the bass isn't clear on youtube audio and google can't find bass tab.
Interesting times...


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## DRM (12 Jun 2022)

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/alec-john-such-bon-jovi-bassist-dead-obit-1363317/

Just stumbled across this, Alec John Such former Bon Jovi bassist has died aged 70, he credited with bringing the members of Bon Jovi together, don’t know how I missed it


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## Seevio (13 Jun 2022)

Seevio said:


> Seems I have an audition coming up. Have a bunch of songs to learn but the bass isn't clear on youtube audio and google can't find bass tab.
> Interesting times...



Well, it was last week but what happened was...

So, I thought I need to impress so I want the best sound possible, right? That means new strings.

I go to change strings. 

Not that I notice at the time but the old strings may have been slightly bigger than the slots in the string nut. As I undo the strings they stick in the nut and pull it away from the neck. I didn't notice this until I went to put in new strings and noticed that there was a gap at the top of the neck. Cue much searching around the floor of my "fun" room. Eventually I give up looking and find out that the nut is still attached to the old strings. All good. I have no glue handy but hope that string tension will hold it in place. After tightening the E string, on one turn the loose end pinged round and removed the nut to somewhere. Probably Narnia. I still haven't found it. I have a brass replacement on order.

Time had run out so I had to dig out my Mockingbird bass. It sounds (and looks) fantastic but is a nightmare to play,

As to the actual audition, I had a great time. I realised how much I miss playing with other people. Sadly I didn't get the place but it was worth it.


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## MontyVeda (22 Jun 2022)

After Colin mentioned his bass humming in another thread... it's dawned on me that i might need to shield my bass





question is:
Do i need to cover the entire cavity and underside of the lid with foil and ground it? 
or...
Can i just do the pick-up slot and the area around the access panel where the pots and jack will be located? (linked and grounded, obvs)
or...
just shield all the wires?


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## ColinJ (22 Jun 2022)

Why not just do it all to be sure? If you don't and you have problems with it then you would probably be annoyed with yourself!


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## MontyVeda (22 Jun 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Why not just do it all to be sure? If you don't and you have problems with it then you would probably be annoyed with yourself!



if i can just shield the wires it'd save a lot of messing about sticking foil around all those curves


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## DCBassman (22 Jun 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> After Colin mentioned his bass humming in another thread... it's dawned on me that i might need to shield my bass
> 
> View attachment 650058
> 
> ...


If it's a proper humbucking P-style pickup, it doesn't need shielding. Just be sure it's wired up correctly.


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## MontyVeda (23 Jun 2022)

DCBassman said:


> If it's a proper humbucking P-style pickup, it doesn't need shielding. Just be sure it's wired up correctly.



the blurb says it is a humbucking one, but whether that means it's a 'proper' humbucking one, I don't really know.


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## ColinJ (23 Jun 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> the blurb says it is a humbucking one, but whether that means it's a 'proper' humbucking one, I don't really know.



Plug it in and see if it bucks the hum!


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## MontyVeda (27 Jun 2022)

The chopping board bass build continues.

I wasn't really taken with the blocky heel section where the neck meets the body...





...so decided to spend a few weeks procrastinating and came up with this...






...which looks and feels far far nicer.

Just finessing the sanding around those curves before gluing down the top and making this...





...look telecaster shaped 


I might get it finished before Xmas


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## MontyVeda (6 Jul 2022)

one step forward, two steps back.

I inadvertently put a lot of little scratches in the finished top whilst shaping it, and sanding those back left it looking patchy. 
I'm currently completely sanding the tru-oil finish off...







...only to put it all back on again


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## ColinJ (6 Jul 2022)

Don't people pay a lot more for pre-'distressed' stuff these days?


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## DRM (7 Jul 2022)

So I’ve been practicing the various versions of the F chord, the barre version is getting clearer, but wow it’s hard getting the stretch, it doesn’t help that my first finger has a weird bend in it whilst barring the first fret, still practice makes it better!


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## DRM (7 Jul 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> one step forward, two steps back.
> 
> I inadvertently put a lot of little scratches in the finished top whilst shaping it, and sanding those back left it looking patchy.
> I'm currently completely sanding the tru-oil finish off...
> ...



That is looking really good, what finish are you thinking of?


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## CanucksTraveller (7 Jul 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Don't people pay a lot more for pre-'distressed' stuff these days?



It's crazy isn't it, I've seen some "Fender Custom Shop" axes recently that are basically just new guitars attacked with a belt sander. I get the desire for a 30 or 40 year old guitar with patina, but that's proper patina, subtle dings and scratches and maybe a very mildly worn area near the pickguard, but not sanded away in stupid places. 
No age of guitar looks like that! 





"Here you go mate. Custom shop. That means we've attacked it with a sander in unrealistic places, then added 5 grand to the price. You're welcome."


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## CanucksTraveller (7 Jul 2022)

In comparison here's my 25 year old Epi Sheraton. It has dings and scratches and the gold metalwork has faded, it's been gigged over many years, but spot the difference. 

Thats right, it hasnt been sanded down by a maniac. 😖


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## DCBassman (7 Jul 2022)

CanucksTraveller said:


> No age of guitar looks like that!


Erm...


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## Salad Dodger (7 Jul 2022)

I can't abide deliberately distressed guitars.
My cheap telecaster copy was bought brand new, but has since been knocked over once at a pub, putting some dings in the side of it. If genuine accidents happen, then so be it. But not carving lumps out of one on purpose...
What's the old country song? " It breaks my heart to see those stars, smashing perfectly good guitars...."


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## Salad Dodger (7 Jul 2022)

DRM said:


> So I’ve been practicing the various versions of the F chord, the barre version is getting clearer, but wow it’s hard getting the stretch, it doesn’t help that my first finger has a weird bend in it whilst barring the first fret, still practice makes it better!



You might try getting hold of either a squash ball, or a stress ball, and spend a couple of minutes a day squeezing the ball with your fretting hand and also stretching out the fingers of your fretting hand.....


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## MontyVeda (7 Jul 2022)

DRM said:


> That is looking really good, what finish are you thinking of?



tru oil again i think, which will look like this, again, I think...






i did briefly consider briwax, which shouldn't give it quite so much colour, but it's not as hard either, so won't give it quite so much protection.


as for your F chord. I found it really hard on steel string acoustics (F# is distinctly easier coz you're not quite so close to the nut). One of two solutions might help...

if the action is high, you're pressing down a lot more than you need to. Look at lowering the nut. 
if your action is OK, try lighter gauge strings. I put standard electric strings on my acoustic. What you lose in volume is gained in playability and i prefer the mellower sound they give.


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## DRM (8 Jul 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> tru oil again i think, which will look like this, again, I think...
> 
> View attachment 651885
> 
> ...



Funnily enough it’s the acoustic that is more of a struggle, I’ve recently got use of a Tanglewood Les Paul copy, which I’ve fitted Ernie Ball strings, (9-42 iirc) and set up a lot better than it was, the truss rod was at maximum tightness and the action was high, I found some spec’s for the Gibson/Epiphone Les Pauls and copied that, it’s much easier to play now, you don’t have to press as hard on the strings.
Looking forward to seeing your project finished, I quite fancy having a go at one of the Harley Benton kits


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## GuyBoden (8 Jul 2022)

CanucksTraveller said:


> In comparison here's my 25 year old Epi Sheraton. It has dings and scratches and the gold metalwork has faded, it's been gigged over many years, but spot the difference.
> 
> Thats right, it hasnt been sanded down by a maniac. 😖
> 
> View attachment 651872



My 1949 Gibson L4 looks good too, only 73 years old.

I bought it in the USA over 20 years ago.


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## winjim (8 Jul 2022)

DRM said:


> Funnily enough it’s the acoustic that is more of a struggle, I’ve recently got use of a Tanglewood Les Paul copy, which I’ve fitted Ernie Ball strings, (9-42 iirc) and set up a lot better than it was, the truss rod was at maximum tightness and the action was high, I found some spec’s for the Gibson/Epiphone Les Pauls and copied that, it’s much easier to play now, you don’t have to press as hard on the strings.
> Looking forward to seeing your project finished, I quite fancy having a go at one of the Harley Benton kits



Oh great, why did you tell me those exist? Now I need to build my own guitar.


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## SkipdiverJohn (8 Jul 2022)

CanucksTraveller said:


> It's crazy isn't it, I've seen some "Fender Custom Shop" axes recently that are basically just new guitars attacked with a belt sander. I get the desire for a 30 or 40 year old guitar with patina, but that's proper patina, subtle dings and scratches and maybe a very mildly worn area near the pickguard, but not sanded away in stupid places.



This sort of stuff is probably bought by the same kind of numpty that will pay extra for a new pair of jeans where someone has slashed the knees a few times. I must be missing a trick here, I should be flogging all my old worn out knackered stuff not cutting it up for cleaning rags!


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## DCBassman (9 Jul 2022)

GuyBoden said:


> My 1949 Gibson L4 looks good too, only 73 years old.
> 
> I bought it in the USA over 20 years ago.
> View attachment 651913


That is just _glorious_!


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## DRM (9 Jul 2022)

DCBassman said:


> That is just _glorious_!



Yes, that is beautiful, a gorgeous instrument


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## MontyVeda (20 Jul 2022)

Some guitar players just make me wanna put the guitar down whilst others just make me want to pick the guitar up.

I've just been inspired to pick up the guitar...



question for the actual guitar players... is she playing in an open tuning or dropped D or something?


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## Badger_Boom (21 Jul 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> question for the actual guitar players... is she playing in an open tuning or dropped D or something?



I've no idea but I get the impression she has spent a lot of time listening to Nick Drake and has far more patience than I to learn to play that well.


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## Salad Dodger (21 Jul 2022)

Perhaps DADGAD......


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## winjim (22 Jul 2022)

DRM said:


> Looking forward to seeing your project finished, I quite fancy having a go at one of the Harley Benton kits





winjim said:


> Oh great, why did you tell me those exist? Now I need to build my own guitar.



Right. Summer holidays coming up so I think one of these kits might make a nice rainy day project in case we're stuck in the house. I reckon a telecaster would be ideal, firstly because they're nice and flat with a big surface for painting, secondly because everybody's first guitar should be a tele. Get my daughter to paint it however she wants, then I can lacquer and sand it, and we can build it together. Or I'll just finish it off if she loses interest, which she will. Hopefully by the end of summer we'll have a working guitar which she might show an interest in and which I'd be more comfortable having her try out than my nice strat or my acoustic.

So my question is, they come sealed and ready for painting but what paints would be best to use on it? Suitable for a 7yo using a brush and probably being quite scruffy. And what type of lacquer or varnish should I use to give a decent tough finish?


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## MontyVeda (22 Jul 2022)

if it belongs to a 7 year old, it will get bashed and dinked and nothing will protect it from that... however, any finish can be sanded down and refinished, so my advice is build the guitar, paint the guitar, have fun with the guitar and don't worry about the finish... just get on with it 

Please post pictures


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## winjim (22 Jul 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> if it belongs to a 7 year old, it will get bashed and dinked and nothing will protect it from that... however, any finish can be sanded down and refinished, so my advice is build the guitar, paint the guitar, have fun with the guitar and don't worry about the finish... just get on with it
> 
> Please post pictures



Oh yeah, it's a cheapo guitar that's going to get bashed around. I'm certainly not going to spend a fortune on fancy paint and expect it to be perfect but I don't think that the kids' poster paints are quite going be up to the job.

I have romantic notions about father daughter bonding, and teaching her how stringed instruments work, and electromagnetism and construction techniques and all that but I don't think that's quite going to be the reality.


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## DRM (22 Jul 2022)

https://www.youtube.com/c/HighlineGuitars

This guy explains how to do it properly, with lots of how to videos, I suppose it depends how far you want to go with it, I’ve been leaning towards one of Harley Benton’s Jazzmaster look a likes, or the PRS look a like, with a tremelo, I think it may be the latter, but I can’t make up my mind.


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## DRM (22 Jul 2022)

https://d2zap0z9ahyacn.cloudfront.n...sImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn0sInNoYXJwZW4iOnRydWV9fQ==
This is the effect I’d like to achieve, but with the JA kit you’d need to cut the headstock to resemble a Fender


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## winjim (22 Jul 2022)

Oh yeah, I'll be taking a jigsaw to that headstock. Annoyingly my Dremel has just packed up though which would be handy.

One thing it's not going to be is 'done properly', that's for sure. If I had the time I wouldn't mind having a proper go at one, I might be tempted towards one of the more expensive kits although I think there's value in making a really cheap one as good as you possibly can. It's probably a better use of my time to actually spend it practing playing the thing though. I'm the same with bikes, I'm as happy or even happier fiddling around fixing or building them as I am riding.


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## DRM (22 Jul 2022)

I’ve watched a few of the videos in the link, what he does explain is what products are needed to give a good finish, and more importantly what not to use, I suppose you could sand it down, use some sanding sealer and then paint it, but one tip was to use boiled linseed on the neck after sanding it smooth, to give a silky smooth finish, but not to use linseed oil as it just does not dry


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## winjim (22 Jul 2022)

DRM said:


> I’ve watched a few of the videos in the link, what he does explain is what products are needed to give a good finish, and more importantly what not to use, I suppose you could sand it down, use some sanding sealer and then paint it, but one tip was to use boiled linseed on the neck after sanding it smooth, to give a silky smooth finish, but not to use linseed oil as it just does not dry



#diykitchallenge or this year's #diykitchallenge22 on YouTube if you want to see people going nuts with them.


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## Hornchurch (23 Jul 2022)

winjim said:


> *Annoyingly my Dremel has just packed up*
> 
> One thing it's not going to be is 'done properly', that's for sure. If I had the time I wouldn't mind having a proper go at one, I might be tempted towards one of the more expensive kits although I think there's value in making a really cheap one as good as you possibly can. It's probably a better use of my time to actually spend it practing playing the thing though. I'm the same with bikes, I'm as happy or even happier fiddling around fixing or building them as I am riding.





Modern day Dremels are basically just a pile of W.A.N.K

I had TWO - Both bought 'brand-new' & THEY were (both) the more expensive versions - i.e, "not low rent" (price-wise)

Both packed-up, whilst relatively new - Both with barely any useage - I've had a "Challenge" one (earlier) outlasted BOTH.

The latter of the two 'higfh-end' Dremels packed-up (motor), whilst cleaning "guano" from a Parrot's perch

I mean, F.F.S - I'd even soaked the Parrot's perches in disinfectant BEFORE using Dremel to 'defragment' the softened "guano"

"Wimp motor", "Pile of W.A.N.K" & many other more choice expletives were uttered on the 13-month olf Dremel.

I'd only used the B'strd thing about SEVEN times, never once under any stress or duress.

The latter one also came with a "Bent Plug" - I mean, Jesus, it takes SOME FORCE to bend a 3-pin plug from new !!!!!

It was like that, from the first three seconds that I opened it's plush Blue zip case - (couldn't be arsed to send it back)

After that "Pile of W.A.N.K" Dremel gave-up the Ghost (after only SEVEN uses from new), I searched for a decent replacement

I found it, found one, off the internet (E-Bay UK), from a company called "VON HAUS"

The "VON HAUS" equivalent is a proper "man's tool" (calm yourselves, no-pun intended).....

........& actually IS NOT "Mickey Mouse" like that/those pair of brand-new $hite-as-$hite-can-get Dremels !!!!!

The motors work, they NEVER pack up (unlike the earlier aforementioned lightweight shoot Dremel(s)

The only thing they might need (in about one or two decades time, is perhaps a set of carbon brushes....

Did I mention that I F^^K^^G HATE DREMELS ?

As for guitars, I've got a few (14) that I've collected over the years & decades, majoritively U.S.A built stuff.

I admire your drive for building a "kit" guitar...

But what with the quality of guitars (low-end), having risen in recent years, I'd be inclined to buy a used Squire**

**(to save pi$$ing about, building it, but then hey-ho, I'm a Lazy B'strd by nature !)

WinJim ; I saw your original post, re-the kit-build.....

I heard & saw you mention "The Tele"(caster) as ideal.

My first ever 'serious' Electric, was a (then, brand-new) CBS era 1977 Ash-Blonde Olympic-White Telecaster

It cost me even more money than my first car (a sports-coupe-fastback) & seemed hideously expensive to me, back then.

May not sound much, now, but it was £285.00 - (it was Left-Handed) & that figure was WITHOUT the additional £85.00 Tolex case !!!!

I owned it for just over 23-years & used it for gigging & recording - (Mostly Christian stuff, as I wuz involved in Church, back then)

Eventually, I P/X'd it for a brand-new Olympic-White Stratocaster, again, another U.S.A "Corona" model (T'was more expensive)

I have VERY fond memories of that Fender USA Telecaster, which I kept standard except for a "Di-Marzio" bridge pick-up


However, one thing I wanted to add - (seeing your comments) Playing a Telecaster, whilst standing up, is never an issue

But most kids (& some adults, laughs, like me), start-off, or end-up, playing AND "practising" in their bedroom, or lounge

One thing that just NEVER, never gets a mention, is....

The 'Jack Lead' sticks-out like a Porcupine's dick (at the lower-back)

I always found (whilst practising J.Page's riffs at home, that the damn thing WOULD "dig" into the bed, or chair !!!!!!

As I noted earlier, you said you also had a Stratocaster - *No such prob's there, with it's LOVELY "Angled-Jack_Socket"*

Yeah, ok, it's a minor & trivial point....

But a seven year old girl is most probably going to exaperience just that (what I mentioned), when "Plugged-In"

When I played at the Church (in front of our 76-Parishioners), I used to sit on our '74 "Twin Reverb" instead.

Made for playing on a VERY warm a$$, once the valves had warmed-up - Church paid only £100.00 for that amp'

Vicar/Pastor/Reverend had never ever HEARD of Fender - (which made me roar w/laughter, as a teen, back then)

Jammy blighter, but he bought the amp' for us - (the youngsters, providing the music, as there were only three of us)

I'd be inclined to let your Daughter "Paint" the Tele's body with Natural Varnish, as you can easy sand it off, later.

Start her "off" with 008's or 009's for the sake of her li'l fingers - (We all started with Nylon strings, accoustics)

But being ALL Led Zeppelin & Schenker "U.F.O" fans, the "Nylons" got ditched for "REAL" guitars, hence the Tele' 

.


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## DCBassman (23 Jul 2022)

Hornchurch said:


> Squire


Sir! It's Squier!


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## winjim (23 Jul 2022)

The Dremels appear to have an issue with the coil wire on the stator. It's a fairly easy fix but hopefully mine will be covered under warranty. It's just a PITA having to sort it out.

I'll let her go to town with the paint job, that's the bit she's most likely to be interested in.


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## Hornchurch (23 Jul 2022)

winjim said:


> *The Dremels appear to have an issue with the coil wire on the stator. *





winjim said:


> It's a fairly easy fix but hopefully mine will be covered under warranty. It's just a PITA having to sort it out.





I never would've wanted to've split my//our Dremel apart, simply because I'd only used it seven-times

Back when MINE (both) went "tits-up", I was furious, as they BOTH had such little use AND had been 'mollycoddled' too (from 'new')

No-one (back then) paid £70.00 (to Argos), expecting them to "break" (pack-up) during only their 7th use

Cleaning "wet bird guano" ($hit) off of a Parrots perch is hardly a demanding-task for a 'new' (newish) machine.

As I'd used it SO sparingly, by the time the 7th useage//task had arrived, the B'strd was just ONE MONTH out of warranty !!!!!

Frustrated to hell, that night, I went onto various D.i.Y forums & MOST were slagging-off Dremel in general, over those tools.

General concensus was...... "Dremel ARE (were, then) Trading on their earlier well-formed reputation"

I got the impression that the whole caboodle//operation had moved to the Far-East (cheaper) & "gone downhill".

If the one that I bought NEW from Argos was anything to go by (Q.C wise), then I could see why they were slating it.

Never could fathom "HOW" a factory-sealed boxed job (one) could turn-up with it's three-pin-UK plug bent, from new.

As it came (new, from sealed box), the plug would NOT go into any wall-socket - the bend (bent pin) had been bent THAT much !

I was able to live with that, but, when the (w.a.n.k) motor just gave-up, pathetically, I was incensed !

The (now, two), "VON HAUS" dremels (for want of a better description) are nothing short of "fantastic" & "phenominal"




DCBassman said:


> Sir! It's Squier!




Sorry D.C.B - You're dead-right & so, my apologies !

I've even got TWO Squires, soz, I mean "Squier"s myself.

One's an Indonesian "Squier" Stratocaster (1998//1999 model), which surprised me just how GOOD it was**

**(minus of course the fairly rubbish 'chrome hardware' such as tuners)

The other is (again, same vintage, bought 'new'), a "Squier" P-Bass Special

Being Left-Handed of course, I didn't get a choice of colours (unlike some !) back then

It was...... "Would Sir like Sunburst, Sunburst, Sunburst, Sunburst, or maybe perhaps, Sunburst ?"

(Me) ; "Erm, yeah, Erm, RIGHT - I guess I'll just have to put up with Sunburst AGAIN then, please (Yawns politely)

The Indonesian Strat' is at least a TWO tone Sunburst, rather than a THREE

As for the Bass - It wuz my first Bass ever - Liked the 'Precision' shaped body, but with more choice of Pickups.

I later went on to buy TWO more basses (although I'm NOT a Bass-player), one Mexican & one Japanese (Fender)

.


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## MontyVeda (23 Jul 2022)

DRM said:


> I’ve watched a few of the videos in the link, what he does explain is what products are needed to give a good finish, and more importantly what not to use, I suppose you could sand it down, use some sanding sealer and then paint it, but one tip was to use boiled linseed on the neck after sanding it smooth, to give a silky smooth finish, but not to use linseed oil as it just does not dry



After sanding all the glossy varnish off my bass neck, I put some satin finish furniture wax on it that i picked up from Aldi... it's got a lovely finish now


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## winjim (23 Jul 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> After sanding all the glossy varnish off my bass neck, I put some satin finish furniture wax on it that i picked up from Aldi... it's got a lovely finish now



I've got various waxes and oils left over from when we had a real wooden worktop and were trying to protect it from water damage, so there are options.


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## Badger_Boom (25 Jul 2022)

I understand that so-called 'relic' finishes are all the rage these days so maybe there's no need to be too concerned about quality and consistency.


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## winjim (25 Jul 2022)

Badger_Boom said:


> I understand that so-called 'relic' finishes are all the rage these days so maybe there's no need to be too concerned about quality and consistency.



When I was looking at those kit guitars I read one review that said they're great for getting a 'relic' finish because the wood's so soft that the slightest knock gives you a massive dent in it.


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## MontyVeda (25 Jul 2022)

winjim said:


> When I was looking at those kit guitars I read one review that said they're great for getting a 'relic' finish because the wood's so soft that the slightest knock gives you a massive dent in it.



Even proper hardwood is easy to damage when it's untreated and being worked on. You've just got to be careful, use a blanket, have infinite patience and be prepared to find scratches and dings where there weren't any five minutes ago, and spend an age sanding them all out... only to find another. Don't ask me how i know this


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## Badger_Boom (25 Jul 2022)

winjim said:


> When I was looking at those kit guitars I read one review that said they're great for getting a 'relic' finish because the wood's so soft that the slightest knock gives you a massive dent in it.





MontyVeda said:


> Even proper hardwood is easy to damage when it's untreated and being worked on. You've just got to be careful, use a blanket, have infinite patience and be prepared to find scratches and dings where there weren't any five minutes ago, and spend an age sanding them all out... only to find another. Don't ask me how i know this


My current instrument is a super cheap Squier Stratocaster. The body seems to be made of balsawood and has a couple of deep dings from where it’s been less than gently treated. The finish seems to be pretty sensitive to anything but the lightest of touches.


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## Cycleops (26 Jul 2022)

Some of the very cheap instruments are not even ‘real’ wood but seem to be made some sort of compressed compound. I don’t subscribe to the tonewood thing and believe sound is down to the pickups and strings.


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## winjim (27 Jul 2022)

I spent last night online trying to find a short scale guitar kit as that might be more appropriate for a kid, and if she doesn't want it then fun for me. Couldn't find anything, StewMac do a really tiny 16.5" scale Strat, Tele or Les Paul but I'd have to get it shipped from the US.

So, despite my earlier post I haven't gone for the Tele kit, I've ordered the Harley Benton CST which is the PRS copy. No scratchplate so it's a nice big surface if she wants to paint it, sensible shaped headstock so no jigsawing needed, single volume and tone knobs so still easy to wire up and explain to a kid and I figured that cheap humbuckers are probably better sounding and less hummy than cheap single coils. And it's got a slightly shorter scale length which might help if she wants to play it but TBH if she does show a proper interest then I'll probably end up getting her a cheap short scale.

Anyway, that's our rainy day summer holiday project sorted, just need to wait for it to arrive.


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## DCBassman (28 Jul 2022)

After my Tascam MP-BT1 bass trainer dies last year, I was unable to afford anything comparable, so after some research, came up with a cheap, usable, but clunky solution using a Yamaha Sessioncake. Then, a few days ago, completely out of the blue, a Basschat member messaged me to say he'd got a no-longer-used MP-BT1 just sitting in the cupboard. He sent it to me completely free of charge. Including an unused PSU, too.
A very generous man!


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## Salad Dodger (29 Jul 2022)

winjim said:


> I spent last night online trying to find a short scale guitar kit as that might be more appropriate for a kid, and if she doesn't want it then fun for me. Couldn't find anything, StewMac do a really tiny 16.5" scale Strat, Tele or Les Paul but I'd have to get it shipped from the US.
> 
> So, despite my earlier post I haven't gone for the Tele kit, I've ordered the Harley Benton CST which is the PRS copy. No scratchplate so it's a nice big surface if she wants to paint it, sensible shaped headstock so no jigsawing needed, single volume and tone knobs so still easy to wire up and explain to a kid and I figured that cheap humbuckers are probably better sounding and less hummy than cheap single coils. And it's got a slightly shorter scale length which might help if she wants to play it but TBH if she does show a proper interest then I'll probably end up getting her a cheap short scale.
> 
> Anyway, that's our rainy day summer holiday project sorted, just need to wait for it to arrive.



Funnily enough, a Harley Benton and appeared on my Facebook this morning, and I liked the look of the PRS lookalike, mainly because the headstock is pre cut.
But, since I have just shelled out £180 on a new solid electric ukulele, I won't be buying a guitar kit any time soon! (The uke is to replace my current one, on which the electrics are getting temperamental, and the first four frets are worn very nearly down to the fingerboard.....) 
The new one won't get here in time for Saturday's band gig, but it should be here by the next one on Wednesday week.🤞


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## winjim (29 Jul 2022)

Salad Dodger said:


> Funnily enough, a Harley Benton and appeared on my Facebook this morning, and I liked the look of the PRS lookalike, mainly because the headstock is pre cut.
> But, since I have just shelled out £180 on a new solid electric ukulele, I won't be buying a guitar kit any time soon! (The uke is to replace my current one, on which the electrics are getting temperamental, and the first four frets are worn very nearly down to the fingerboard.....)
> The new one won't get here in time for Saturday's band gig, but it should be here by the next one on Wednesday week.🤞



I like the way HB advertise those Tele, Strat and Jag uncut headstocks as a selling point. 'What’s really cool is that you can shape the headstock to suit your own personal style'. Yeah, like we can't all see why you've done that guys...

Obviously I'll be throwing this kit together with a 7yo rather than taking any time and care but I'll let you know if I think it's worth it. From reviews I think there are some QC issues but we'll see. I didn't go for the trem version because that's asking for trouble. I also might end up buying a cheap ukulele for the 3yo if he starts complaining that he didn't get to build anything or if the 7yo gets possessive about it.


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## DRM (30 Jul 2022)

I’ve decided to get the Harley Benton Jazzmaster kit, ordered it this morning, I’m now contemplating what shade of stain to use that’ll match the tortoiseshell pick guard, I’m thinking the neck in a caramel shade and the body in a darker reddish brown, decisions, decisions, it may change if I see some thing else suitable


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## winjim (31 Jul 2022)

DRM said:


> I’ve decided to get the Harley Benton Jazzmaster kit, ordered it this morning, I’m now contemplating what shade of stain to use that’ll match the tortoiseshell pick guard, I’m thinking the neck in a caramel shade and the body in a darker reddish brown, decisions, decisions, it may change if I see some thing else suitable



I quite like the baby blue ones. Are you sanding and staining, or painting it? And what's your 'personal style' for the headstock?

I've also been considering a valve amp kit because I like to go ridiculously all in on things, but I see the valves are made in Russia so that's out of the question.


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## DRM (31 Jul 2022)

winjim said:


> I quite like the baby blue ones. Are you sanding and staining, or painting it? And what's your 'personal style' for the headstock?
> 
> I've also been considering a valve amp kit because I like to go ridiculously all in on things, but I see the valves are made in Russia so that's out of the question.



I’ll do a copy of the Fender version I think, as I can get a coping saw for just a few pounds, I’ve already got a Dremel style tool to flat and smooth the the edges, as for the finish I may sand the whole thing, use some black stain first, sand it back again to accent the grain, then put the final colour stain over that, then lacquer it, not sure what colour yet, but I like the caramel colour for the neck and headstock though, it’s just a case of choosing a colour that suits the pickguard, but things may change, the surf green paint finish looks good too


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## Cycleops (3 Aug 2022)

For all you P bass and Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn fans out here ( I count myself among them), here’s a video you might find interesting :


View: https://youtu.be/23nupCWfeyw

Donald’s son Jeff goes through all of his father’s basses. Lots of interesting stuff.


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## Salad Dodger (3 Aug 2022)

Move over, green uke. There's a new kid in town!
After 5 years and a lot of gigs and rehearsals, my green ukulele is showing its age. There are some electrical gremlins, and the first 4 frets are really badly worn. I could get it all fixed up ( and I might eventually do so) but with some important gigs coming up I have treated myself to the black uke. It arrived yesterday. I did a bit of fettling to improve intonation and will give it a try out at rehearsal tonight. All being well, it will make its first gig appearance a week from today......


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## winjim (3 Aug 2022)

Salad Dodger said:


> Move over, green uke. There's a new kid in town!
> After 5 years and a lot of gigs and rehearsals, my green ukulele is showing its age. There are some electrical gremlins, and the first 4 frets are really badly worn. I could get it all fixed up ( and I might eventually do so) but with some important gigs coming up I have treated myself to the black uke. It arrived yesterday. I did a bit of fettling to improve intonation and will give it a try out at rehearsal tonight. All being well, it will make its first gig appearance a week from today......



Oh now those are cute.


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## winjim (3 Aug 2022)

Exciting box has arrived so I'm taking everything out for a quick once over.




Body: actually a bit disappointing. I've seen people building these straight out of the box but if you want it to look any good at all then the body is definitely going to need some attention. Whatever filler / sealant they've put on is pretty uneven and there are a couple of minor dents. The routing is pretty scruffy and needs tidying up really. As a bare minimum you'd want to sand it back and get an even coat of sealant on there. As childcare commitments have got the better of me I'm probably going to eschew the paint job for now and just throw the thing together but it would be nice if it was a little more presentable straight away.











Neck: A bit tidier with a more even finish. I wouldn't feel the need to do anything to the wood. Nice to run your hand up and down and the frets don't feel too jagged at the edges but not quite perfect. Lots of dust on the fretboard and the frets do feel rough, they'll want a clean at least, if not a polish. I'm also a bit concerned about that nut, it looks very low down to me with rather shallow grooves.













Heel / neck joint: Laminated wood here on the neck. Fits in to the body with a tiny bit of play, I was hoping for it to be snugger and I think ideally you might shim it but I'll probably just screw it and hope for the best.


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## winjim (3 Aug 2022)

Hardware: As you'd expect, pretty cheap feeling but looks like it's all there. The bridge is clearly made of cheese. I've seen one guitar where the bridge pins were loose in the body so I tried them and they look like they'll knock in OK. Got a few hex keys and a cheap and nasty lead. Set of horrible strings which I'll probably throw in the bin.







Electrics: Again, pretty cheap feeling, nothing special. Can't see any model number or marking on the pickups. Looks like all the connectors are there so should be easy, although I've seen one which was wired up wrongly so I'm going to check it prior to the build.



Overall, you get what you pay for and this is a cheap guitar. I think for my purposes, which is as a learning tool for building with a 7yo and a cheapo guitar to get thrashed around, not looked after it's fine, even if I wish the finish on the body was better out of the box. If I was building one for myself and wanted to make it good, I'd probably buy the body and neck, maybe even a better quality set, and then spec the hardware and electrics myself. It would end up costing quite a bit more than £75 but you'd get a properly personalised guitar.

I've got next Weds and Thurs scheduled for the build so I've got till then to get some prep work done. Clean up the fretboard and polish the frets, check the wiring, maybe see if I've got time to tidy the body up at all. Read through the instructions and make sure I've got all the tools I need so there are no surprises although it looks fairly simple. Hopefully by the end of next week my daughter will be making a racket with it.


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## MontyVeda (4 Aug 2022)

The nut does look low but the grooves can be shallow. The only way to fettle that would be to replace it, i think.


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## winjim (4 Aug 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> The nut does look low but the grooves can be shallow. The only way to fettle that would be to replace it, i think.



See what it's like when it's strung I guess. It might be that I can sort it out with neck relief and a high action. I'm not expecting the frets to be level so a low action's probably not going to be possible anyway.


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## MontyVeda (4 Aug 2022)

winjim said:


> See what it's like when it's strung I guess. It might be that I can sort it out with neck relief and a high action. *I'm not expecting the frets to be level* so a low action's probably not going to be possible anyway.



I was gonna mention that too... kits tend to be thrown together with a view that the buyer will do all the finishing ...but i figured you knew that


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## winjim (4 Aug 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> I was gonna mention that too... kits tend to be thrown together with a view that the buyer will do all the finishing ...but i figured you knew that



Yeah there might come a point in the future where I take the thing apart and rebuild it all properly or it might just get trashed. Right now I just need it to make a noise. It's not like I'm gonna be teaching the 7yo anything more complicated than power chords. Her favourite band at the moment is IDLES which is all simple bass riffing so if I can get her doing some of that we're onto a winner.


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## Cycleops (4 Aug 2022)

Playing an instrument is not only satisfying but actually good for your brain you'll be glad to know.


View: https://youtu.be/R0JKCYZ8hng


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## DRM (4 Aug 2022)

winjim said:


> Yeah there might come a point in the future where I take the thing apart and rebuild it all properly or it might just get trashed. Right now I just need it to make a noise. It's not like I'm gonna be teaching the 7yo anything more complicated than power chords. Her favourite band at the moment is IDLES which is all simple bass riffing so if I can get her doing some of that we're onto a winner.



Mine should be here soon, had the email that DHL have picked it up


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## winjim (4 Aug 2022)

DRM said:


> Mine should be here soon, had the email that DHL have picked it up



Nice. It'll be interesting to compare them.


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## DRM (4 Aug 2022)

Yes, I’m not rushing it though, would like to get a good finish on it, and set it up properly, it’ll be interesting to see how it compares in the flesh so to speak, didn’t expect the strings to be much cop so I ordered some Ernie Balls (9-42) for it, I’ll use the supplied ones for set up purposes, I’ve decided on a Surf Green painted body and a caramel neck, hopefully it’ll be here tomorrow or Saturday


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## MontyVeda (4 Aug 2022)

winjim said:


> ...
> Body: actually a bit disappointing. I've seen people building these straight out of the box but if you want it to look any good at all then the body is definitely going to need some attention. Whatever filler / sealant they've put on is pretty uneven and* there are a couple of minor dents*. ...



I managed to put a little yet noticeable scrape in the back of my bass  the screwdriver slipped when giving the neck a trial fitting  ...however, a drop of water in the dent brought it up from being about 0.5mm deep to something barely noticeable (it takes a bit of time to soak in and swell the fibres). Another drop of water in it yesterday and I can't see it at all today


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## winjim (4 Aug 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> I managed to put a little yet noticeable scrape in the back of my bass  the screwdriver slipped when giving the neck a trial fitting  ...however, a drop of water in the dent brought it up from being about 0.5mm deep to something barely noticeable (it takes a bit of time to soak in and swell the fibres). Another drop of water in it yesterday and I can't see it at all today



That's lucky. I've heard about that method but never used it. Fortunately I'm not too bothered about tiny dents.

First major problem though, I'm just tidying up the rough edges of the routing and drilling on the body and thought I'd better check it. The routing for the neck pickup isn't quite deep enough so the adjustment screws are bottoming out. I need to drill the wood out just a couple of mm. Annoyingly my Dremel is bust so I'll have to use my crappy Black and Decker cordless. Also the channel for the wiring is a bit ragged so the connector won't quite fit through it and I'll have to drill it out a bit. A rat's tail file would do the job so maybe I'll pick one up tomorrow. Screw holes don't line up on the back cover which doesn't matter but I do hope the important ones are in the right place.


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## MontyVeda (4 Aug 2022)

winjim said:


> That's lucky. I've heard about that method but never used it. Fortunately I'm not too bothered about tiny dents.
> 
> ...



It works for big scratches too. I first came across this trick of the trade with four humungous scratches from the wheels of a piano on a wood floor; we'd sanded the boards over three days, put the piano back where it belonged, I gasped, the owners gasped, the tradesman didn't gasp. He got a mug of water and a paint brush and filled the scratches with water. Next day they were pretty much gone


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## Cycleops (5 Aug 2022)

Fender in California has laid off around 300 of its employees.
Maybe sales are going so well? Or is it to with automation.

https://guitar.com/news/industry-news/fender-reportedly-lays-off-hundreds-california-employees/


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## DCBassman (5 Aug 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Fender in California has laid off around 300 of its employees.
> Maybe sales are going so well? Or is it to with automation.
> 
> https://guitar.com/news/industry-news/fender-reportedly-lays-off-hundreds-california-employees/


Carp. Not good...


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## winjim (7 Aug 2022)

Spent a pleasant evening cleaning and polishing the frets and they've gone from this





to this




They're feeling much smoother under the fingers now, that's a job that definitely needed doing. Also put a straight edge along them and couldn't see any obviously badly levelled frets so I'm feeling optimistic.


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## DRM (8 Aug 2022)

winjim said:


> Spent a pleasant evening cleaning and polishing the frets and they've gone from this
> 
> View attachment 656261
> 
> ...



I’ve been doing the same, no pictures, but like you found them level, but just a bit sharp, I’ve also sanded it and treated with boiled linseed oil, and cut the headstock as well.


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## winjim (10 Aug 2022)

Breaking for lunch so here's what we've got so far.




A few things to note. Firstly I decided I couldn't live with the finish on the body so I've sanded it down and given it an oil and a wax. It's not gonna be the most durable but whatever, it looks alright for now. I shimmed the neck joint with a bit of old cereal packet so that's nice and snug now. The bridge posts are sitting about a millimetre proud of the body, ideally I think the post holes need drilling slightly deeper but I don't have the time or the inclination. Likewise, don't look at the pots too closely, they don't sit nicely against the body but that's no surprise.







I have drilled out the channel for the pickup connecters and deepened the routing for where the pickups sit so that should all fit now.


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## winjim (10 Aug 2022)

It lives...


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## ColinJ (10 Aug 2022)

winjim said:


> *It lives...*
> 
> View attachment 656624



But not for long if you store it like that when you aren't playing it!


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## DCBassman (10 Aug 2022)

Yup, instant Bender Snapocaster!
Id advise a nice Hercules stand, but it'd be worth more than the guitar!


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## winjim (10 Aug 2022)

I literally built it to get kicked around by children.

My Brandoni lives in a case behind the sofa and my acoustic in a gig bag on top of the wardrobe so I have to make a special effort if I want to play them. This one I can leave out and grab any time or let the kids loose on it and it doesn't matter.


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## MontyVeda (10 Aug 2022)

winjim said:


> It lives...
> 
> View attachment 656624



Looking nice. I like how the binding stops at the cutaways.


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## winjim (10 Aug 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> Looking nice. I like how the binding stops at the cutaways.



The binding actually sets it off quite nicely and stood up surprisingly well to the aggressive sanding which was needed to take the sealant off. It plays really nicely too which was a pleasant surprise. It's light so it's not going to win any prizes for sustain but that means it's good to throw around and give to a kid. The tuners are terrible but the action and intonation are good. Switches pots all do their job with no noise and I managed to get a nice bright tone out of it which I quite liked but it took a bit of fiddling with the gain on the amp. I expect I'll need to adjust the pickups although I haven't had adjustable pole pieces before so that'll be interesting.


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## DCBassman (11 Aug 2022)

Sounds like it's worked out well! Were I to build another parts Precision, a blocks-and-binding Jazz neck would be my aim.


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## Cycleops (12 Aug 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Fender in California has laid off around 300 of its employees.
> Maybe sales are going so well? Or is it to with automation.
> 
> https://guitar.com/news/industry-news/fender-reportedly-lays-off-hundreds-california-employees/


Further to this Fender have been hit by a class-action law suit by an British group alleging that Fender buyers payed over the odds for guitars between 2013-2019. This follows an earlier action when Fender had to pay millions due to price fixing. So if the action is successful, which is highly likely due to the previous action, you could be due compensation if you bought one of their guitars during this period. Dig out those receipts.
Whether the redundancies are related to this or a downturn in sales I dont know.
Hers a video with some more details.


View: https://youtu.be/5MxlqUZM9Co


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## winjim (20 Aug 2022)

I've been meaning to do a fuller post on how I've been getting on with the Harley Benton but I just want to post a warning. DO NOT TRY TO ADJUST THE PICKUP POLE PIECES ON THESE KIT GUITARS. I thought I'd have a go, successfully adjusted the pickup height but when it came to the pole pieces the threads wouldn't properly engage so even the lightest pressure pushes them further into the body of the pickup. I ended up having to take the entire pickup out and then push them through from the back. You can see how the screw thread doesn't engage and they end up just pushing out. DO NOT TRY TO ADJUST THEM.


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## DRM (20 Aug 2022)

Thanks for the heads up, mine has P90 type pickups, I’ve just adjusted the height with the mounting screws to try and balance the volume, just so there’s a change in tone between the neck & bridge pickups, the volume staying about the same.


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## winjim (20 Aug 2022)

DRM said:


> Thanks for the heads up, mine has P90 type pickups, I’ve just adjusted the height with the mounting screws to try and balance the volume, just so there’s a change in tone between the neck & bridge pickups, the volume staying about the same.



Obviously the pickups are different on yours but to be on the safe side I'd leave them. Personally I like a bit of a difference between pickups so I can switch between them and whack up the gain.


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## DRM (20 Aug 2022)

Here’s the beast in all it’s glory


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## winjim (20 Aug 2022)

DRM said:


> View attachment 658146
> 
> Here’s the beast in all it’s glory



Nice. How are you finding it? Aside from the obvious cheapness of the hardware mine is really nice to play. In fact it's probably set up better than my Brandoni which is making me wonder if I shouldn't maybe buy some better woodwork and transfer my nice hardware and pickups across.


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## Cycleops (20 Aug 2022)

I was toying with the idea of getting one of these kits but I found a cheap Rockjam bass here. It sells for around $100 on Amazon so about the cost of a DIY. The finish though is better than I could ever hope to achieve.
I changed the pickup and electrics for a EMG set (as much the bass) and it's really very good. I was going to change out the tuners but they hold tune fine so I didn't bother.


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## DRM (20 Aug 2022)

winjim said:


> Nice. How are you finding it? Aside from the obvious cheapness of the hardware mine is really nice to play. In fact it's probably set up better than my Brandoni which is making me wonder if I shouldn't maybe buy some better woodwork and transfer my nice hardware and pickups across.



It plays really well, it sustains well, as you say some of the hardware is a bit cheap, but really all I had to do was check the neck relief, which is pan flat, set the action up, intonated it, adjust the pickup height, cleaned up/polished the frets and oiled the fretboard, the neck didn’t even need shimming, there’s no buzzing, the pickups sound really good too, as I’m under no illusion that they’re top quality, but it sounds great, but I suppose a few upgrades won’t break the bank, it holds tune well too, I’ve removed the supplied strings and fitted some Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42‘s now I’m happy it’s working correctly, for the money I think you can’t go wrong really.


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## DRM (4 Sep 2022)

So far one of the tabs I’ve been having a go at is Jefferson Airplanes White Rabbit, as I’d been struggling to get an F chord to sound cleanly, there was a cheat where you don’t barre the first fret fully, just the first 2 strings at the first fret, then position fingers 2,3&4 as you would normally, which had been good whilst having a go at Bon Jovi’s Dead or Alive, but on the tab for White Rabbit it’s an F# which is one fret up the neck, which has proved easier to play, so by practicing this song I had managed to get F# to ring cleanly, and by doing this that bl**dy F has now been cracked, the main problem being the amount of stretch in my fingers, or lack of stretch, hence the next problem, and revelation, so on White Rabbit, you play strums of F# then a G, the changeover between the 2 being slow due to the difficulty with getting my fingers where I want them going back from G to F#, which gets to the revelation bit, whilst messing about I discovered the sliding the whole Barre Chord shape for F# one fret up gives you a G, which makes things so much easier, and doing this further up the neck has produced some sounds that should never be made, and some that are obviously the same as open chords,I feel like this sticking point, has in reality proved to be quite a jump forward, as they say every day is a school day


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## MontyVeda (4 Sep 2022)

If barring an F is a struggle, your nut slots may be in need of going down a bit.


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## Cycleops (4 Sep 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> If barring an F is a struggle, your nut slots may be in need of going down a bit.


Not necessarily, you just have to develop more strength in your first finger. Similar in bass where you have to do the same with your pinkie .


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## DRM (4 Sep 2022)

It’s been easier on the electric to get the hang of it, on the acoustic I can now do it, but it was nigh on impossible to start with, but going up one fret for F# has enabled me to pick up the shape, and get the hang of it, I think plenty of practice will help with the required stretch from now on


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## winjim (4 Sep 2022)

DRM said:


> It’s been easier on the electric to get the hang of it, on the acoustic I can now do it, but it was nigh on impossible to start with, but going up one fret for F# has enabled me to pick up the shape, and get the hang of it, I think plenty of practice will help with the required stretch from now on



Do you do any exercises or do you just play songs? If you don't already it might be worth starting your practice with a few warm up and stretching exercises to build up the strength and dexterity in your fingers.

Regarding basic barre chord shapes and moving them up the neck, just forget what your first finger is doing. It's just acting as a new nut position or moveable capo, if you like. Your other fingers are basically making the shape of an open E or A.


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## DRM (4 Sep 2022)

No I don’t particularly do anything that will stretch or strengthen my fingers, I think I will have to look up some sort of exercises to help with that, but it shows that if you persevere, you get there eventually


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## ColinJ (4 Sep 2022)

I just watched a rather interesting and amusing video on YouTube - _This Janet Jackson BASSLINE breaks laptops... 



_


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## DRM (4 Sep 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> If barring an F is a struggle, your nut slots may be in need of going down a bit.



It’s not too bad on the electric guitar, but on the acoustic it was nigh on impossible to begin with, but I believe that it’s always much easier on an electric due to the lighter strings and lower action, in fact some of the online instructors are saying to get an electric guitar to begin with, rather than an acoustic as it’s easier to start learning on.
the other thing I’ve noticed was sometimes open chords sounded out of tune, this has turned out to be technique on my part, namely pressing down far too hard and pulling the strings out of tune, so I’m now trying to use as light a touch as possible, but all in all I think it’s pretty decent progress in the 10 months or so of learning


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## Cycleops (4 Sep 2022)

If your fingers aren't bleeding you're not trying hard enough 🤣


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## DRM (4 Sep 2022)

Cycleops said:


> If your fingers aren't bleeding you're not trying hard enough 🤣



According to Mrs DRM I’m very trying


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## winjim (4 Sep 2022)

DRM said:


> It’s not too bad on the electric guitar, but on the acoustic it was nigh on impossible to begin with, but I believe that it’s always much easier on an electric due to the lighter strings and lower action, in fact some of the online instructors are saying to get an electric guitar to begin with, rather than an acoustic as it’s easier to start learning on.
> the other thing I’ve noticed was sometimes open chords sounded out of tune, this has turned out to be technique on my part, namely pressing down far too hard and pulling the strings out of tune, so I’m now trying to use as light a touch as possible, but all in all I think it’s pretty decent progress in the 10 months or so of learning



I put 8s on my kit guitar and I only need to look at the strings for them to go sharp. My cheap Jim Dunlop capo is useless although my nice Keyser seems to fare better. I'm trying to use it as an exercise in playing a bit more delicately, it takes a surprisingly light touch even compared to my other electric with 9s on it.


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## DCBassman (4 Sep 2022)

Dammit, time to play some bass!


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## Cycleops (4 Sep 2022)

No real reason to post this but maybe one day we might be able to play like Dick Dale. 
Here he is talking about his association with Leo Fender and playing.
Sadly passed on now.


View: https://youtu.be/yDSKOqxTrq8


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## MontyVeda (8 Sep 2022)

always impresses me to see LH players play with the strings inverted


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## Seevio (12 Sep 2022)

I recently found the Kiesel custom guitar builder website and next time I have a few grand that I have no other use for, I know what I'm buying.
Here's one I prepared earlier...










Edit: spelling


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## Cycleops (12 Sep 2022)

Those headless designs just look odd to me. I'll bet it doesn't play any better than a Harley Benton


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## winjim (12 Sep 2022)

On the subject of Kiesel, how about David Maxim Micic's nylon stringed fretless electric guitar? Looks beautiful and wrong at the same time.


View: https://twitter.com/davidmaximmicic/status/1415553052073996295?t=I23FZY6Sx2v1u3g9bS5KAw&s=19


What with the new Polyphia stuff, is everyone playing nylon these days?


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## Cycleops (13 Sep 2022)

winjim said:


> On the subject of Kiesel, how about David Maxim Micic's nylon stringed fretless electric guitar? Looks beautiful and wrong at the same time.
> 
> 
> View: https://twitter.com/davidmaximmicic/status/1415553052073996295?t=I23FZY6Sx2v1u3g9bS5KAw&s=19
> ...



Puts me in mind of that Beatles song ‘Isn’t it good Norwegian wood’. 70’s? When that look was the all the rage.


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## winjim (13 Sep 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Puts me in mind of that Beatles song ‘Isn’t it good Norwegian wood’. 70’s? When that look was the all the rage.



I like the comment in the thread, it's like looking at a person with no eyes. With the grain on the fingerboard and no frets it just looks somehow wrong. But yeah, also like interior wood panelling.

There's a video on twitter of him playing it with a bow. That's progressive metal for you.


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## Cycleops (13 Sep 2022)

One thing you can’t deny is that it’s beautifully made and a work of art.


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## GuyBoden (13 Sep 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Those headless designs just look odd to me. I'll bet it doesn't play any better than a Harley Benton



I've played Kiesel guitars, the Allan Holdsworth model, one of the best necks I've played, the setup can be very, very low, less than 1mm at the 24th fret. It has a Flat radius fretboard, which I like too.

The Kiesel AH guitar is a great guitar to play, very well balanced, due to no headstock. The body is chambered, so very, very light too.


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## Cycleops (13 Sep 2022)

I’m sure they are wonderful to play but at that price they should be.


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## DCBassman (13 Sep 2022)

The trouble is, not all custom guitars are equal. Early 2000s, and I was playing a Fender Precision Bass Sting model, crafted in Japan. Glorious, wish I still had it. Went to the Fender stand at the London Guitar Show and was given a Custom Shop 55 Time Machine NOS, a reproduction of a new instrument, none of this relic nonsense. It was a dog compared to the Sting.


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## DCBassman (13 Sep 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Those headless designs just look odd to me. I'll bet it doesn't play any better than a Harley Benton


Played a Status headless bass. Fabu. And it fit in a standard guitar gig bag!


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## Cycleops (13 Sep 2022)

DCBassman said:


> The trouble is, not all custom guitars are equal. Early 2000s, and I was playing a Fender Precision Bass Sting model, crafted in Japan. Glorious, wish I still had it. Went to the Fender stand at the London Guitar Show and was given a Custom Shop 55 Time Machine NOS, a reproduction of a new instrument, none of this relic nonsense. It was a dog compared to the Sting.


Well, sting was pretty 


DCBassman said:


> Played a Status headless bass. Fabu. And it fit in a standard guitar gig bag!


Sorry, I was just trying to get a rise.


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## Cycleops (22 Sep 2022)

As we get older:


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## winjim (25 Sep 2022)

Hilariously the house is now full of grownups shouting 'Hee hee!' at the top of their voices as I've learned the chords to Billie Jean, leading to two annoyed and rather bemused children who have absolutely no idea who Michael Jackson is or how he sang, and don't believe us when we say that's how the song actually goes.


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## Cycleops (25 Sep 2022)

...but the question is can you sing it like Michael Jackson?


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## winjim (25 Sep 2022)

Cycleops said:


> ...but the question is can you sing it like Michael Jackson?



As he is now.


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## DRM (2 Oct 2022)

winjim said:


> Do you do any exercises or do you just play songs? If you don't already it might be worth starting your practice with a few warm up and stretching exercises to build up the strength and dexterity in your fingers.
> 
> Regarding basic barre chord shapes and moving them up the neck, just forget what your first finger is doing. It's just acting as a new nut position or moveable capo, if you like. Your other fingers are basically making the shape of an open E or A.



So one month on from this, I found some stretches on t’interweb, which basically are gently pulling each finger back to feel the stretch, same at the fingertip knuckle, then stretch the fingers sideways by gently pulling them apart, it does seem to have had the desired effect as the difference in how much spread I can get between my fingers on the left hand, compared to the right hand is astounding, I’ve also gone back to revisit a song on the Justin Guitar website which just using the open chords was down as a beginner level 1 song, namely Black by Pearl Jam, which uses E, A, D, C & Em, but there was an intro which at the time was just impossible using Barre E & A from the 7th fret, well last night I cracked it, I’m really pleased with the progress made in about 11 months or so, I can’t believe how far I’ve come, I only wish I could have done it sooner.


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## winjim (5 Oct 2022)

Cycleops said:


> ...but the question is can you sing it like Michael Jackson?



Having nailed Jacko, I think I've figured out a passable acoustic version of Queen of the Reich, so now I need to be able to sing like Geoff Tate.

I should learn some songs with more boring vocals...


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## Cycleops (10 Oct 2022)

I've just posted this on another thread but I thought a few here might be interested. Nice bit of guitar (Dubro?) Playing and The Spoon Lady is just fantastic.


View: https://youtu.be/_nLmM9kcBKs


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## MontyVeda (12 Oct 2022)

After getting ranty about LH guitar parts costing more than the RH equivalent when they're essentially the exact same thing...


MontyVeda said:


> ...
> I ended up buying a RH one (not Wilkos, but same style) for £12. The same seller had LH ones for £18



Today I am eating my words 

Whilst many saddles look like this on the back end...




...with four equal sized holes for the strings to thread through.

The one I bought for 2/3rds of the price of a LH saddle has smaller holes for the G and D strings and larger holes for E and A, which I can't really drill out because they're right on the corner of the fold.

So another new saddle on the way. Anyone want a RH Pbass saddle for £10 plus P&P? 


On the upside... I did notice before mounting it on my never ending bass build.


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## avecReynolds531 (13 Oct 2022)

Revisiting classics from younger days - Berry Oakley's great playing throughout the Fillmore East concert: flatwound strings, played with a pick, a Jazz bass with a Guild/ Hagstrom pickup in the neck position & both jazz pickups moved to the bridge. 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7jhLV22VUk


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## avecReynolds531 (13 Oct 2022)




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## DCBassman (14 Oct 2022)

avecReynolds531 said:


> View attachment 664460


The Tractor


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## DRM (13 Nov 2022)

On Father’s Day I was given a really excellent leather guitar strap, but I always felt it was liable to slip off the strap pins due to the thickness of the leather, so yesterday I fitted some Schaller strap locks to it and put the pins on the Jazzmaster style kit, what a brilliant piece of kit, there’s no way the strap can come off now


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## DRM (13 Nov 2022)

Latest tune to have a go at is Metallica’s Mothing Else Matters, it’s a really hard song to get right , been at it for a week and a half and managed to slowly get the first few bars of the intro , what do people think is it good to push yourself into a difficult song? There’s lots of new techniques for me in this one, even the deceptively easy, yet hard to get my head round finger picking bit right at the beginning, still get the fingers in a muddle occasionally


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## winjim (13 Nov 2022)

DRM said:


> On Father’s Day I was given a really excellent leather guitar strap, but I always felt it was liable to slip off the strap pins due to the thickness of the leather, so yesterday I fitted some Schaller strap locks to it and put the pins on the Jazzmaster style kit, what a brilliant piece of kit, there’s no way the strap can come off now



Excellent. I've got mine held on with old Grolsch cap seals, but I can't find those bottles for sale in any of my local off licences to do my new guitars with.


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## Cycleops (13 Nov 2022)

That’s one of my faves on bass @DRM .Great song with many covers, this one might interest you:


View: https://youtu.be/3JFb_aOn6rc


Love the accordion player arriving just in time by boat.


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## Cycleops (13 Nov 2022)

Bit of humour never goes amiss:


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## winjim (13 Nov 2022)

DRM said:


> Latest tune to have a go at is Metallica’s Mothing Else Matters, it’s a really hard song to get right , been at it for a week and a half and managed to slowly get the first few bars of the intro , what do people think is it good to push yourself into a difficult song? There’s lots of new techniques for me in this one, even the deceptively easy, yet hard to get my head round finger picking bit right at the beginning, still get the fingers in a muddle occasionally



I honestly think it's a case of simply sitting down and practising slowly and methodically until you get it right, then it's muscle memory. I've got a bunch of songs that I can play through with simple strumming but they all have different embellishments or picking patterns, little melodic lines that can be thrown in. So every time I learn a bit I can go on to making it a little bit more complicated.

What I need to do is have enough discipline to learn them properly and improve them to that complicated stage without getting distracted by wanting to learn new stuff.


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## Cycleops (13 Nov 2022)

YouTube is useful in that you can slow things down to sort out the notes.


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## winjim (13 Nov 2022)

Cycleops said:


> YouTube is useful in that you can slow things down to sort out the notes.



I have found the most annoying YouTube video for learning a song and it's this one which is a nice guitar version of a synthpop classic but the fretboard is just in and out of shot...


View: https://youtu.be/-MNFh3vuUnA


Is that D/F#? I think it might be but I can't quite be sure...


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## DRM (13 Nov 2022)

I’ve just broken it down into manageable sections and I’ve had to slow down the playback on YouTube to see exactly what’s going on in some bits, there’s also a lot of intricate bits between the tune and having to learn, properly finger picking, hammer on & flick off’s and a shocker of a stretch too, it’s definitely going to be a long time to get this down


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## Salad Dodger (14 Nov 2022)

@winjim 
I cut some small pieces of an old cycle inner tube and made a small hole in the middle with a bradawl.

I don't know if I would trust one of them to hold a heavy guitar, especially if I was leaping about, but they have worked pretty well on solid electric uke and an acoustic guitar.

I know you can buy rubber washers (Fender branded?), but I am a bit tight fisted!


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## Badger_Boom (14 Nov 2022)

winjim said:


> I have found the most annoying YouTube video for learning a song and it's this one which is a nice guitar version of a synthpop classic but the fretboard is just in and out of shot...
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/-MNFh3vuUnA
> ...




I've loved Propaganda for years but it never occurred to me to try and play it on guitar. I found him hard to follow too but I did manage to find some online tabs so I'll have a bash at those.


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## winjim (14 Nov 2022)

Badger_Boom said:


> I've loved Propaganda for years but it never occurred to me to try and play it on guitar. I found him hard to follow too but I did manage to find some online tabs so I'll have a bash at those.



I've seen two versions, one which just uses D - DAug for the first part of the verse and a more complex one with a capo on the first fret. He's doing a version of that one but without the capo.

So it goes C - EAug - Am/C - EAug but the EAug's a bit tricky barring the G and B strings while not hitting the top E and leaving your little finger available for the trill thing. And the Am/C I think you need to mute the D string, again because you basically run out of fingers if you want to add in the little embellishment.

And I think for the chorus he's using D/F# - G/B - C - G but you could use a plain D and G.


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## bluenotebob (21 Nov 2022)

I loved the "Young Jazz Musician of the Year" (or whatever it was called) on BBC4 last night - two hours of excellent music. 

I was delighted that the Scottish bassist - I think his name is Ewan Hastie - won it. There have been very few good UK jazz bassists in the 50-odd years that I've been listening to jazz .. Dave Holland is the obvious one, Barry Guy too, Danny Thompson in his earlier years - plus more recently a guy from Brum - Daniel Casimir. But that's really not many in half a century - so good luck to Ewan Hastie .. long may he play lots of good music. 

But the sound quality from his bass was shockingly poor - I could see what he was playing and I should have been bouncing all over the room .. but it sounded just like a guy twanging a rubber band. 

Anyone else see it? anyone else disappointed by the poor miking? 

A separate question .. am I the only jazzer on CC? ... hopefully not..


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## DCBassman (21 Nov 2022)

bluenotebob said:


> A separate question .. am I the only jazzer on CC? ... hopefully not..


Pretty sure not. I've dabbled, very lightly, but most of my playing has been rock and pop.


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## delb0y (22 Nov 2022)

I missed the Young Jazz Musician show - was out-voted in the "what shall we watch" poll.

I've never been able to figure out how to play jazz, @bluenotebob, so any tips will be welcome. I listen to a lot of jazz (about a third of my listening is jazz, a third finger-picking guitar, and a third acoustic singer-songwriters). My preferred jazz is pre-bebop swing, gypsy jazz, and sixties blue-note. I've transcribed many a Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian (etc) solo and now and again manage to fumble my way through an All Of Me or an I Can't Give You Anything But Love, but my brain doesn't seem to be able to work quickly enough to get any fluency.

Currently working my way through the absolutely wonderful 7cd set of Paul Desmond and Ed Bickert - The Complete 1975 Toronto sessions. Two of my favourite players and the music is stunning!

I keep trying though, and one day I'm sure I'll suddenly get it.

Derek


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## bluenotebob (22 Nov 2022)

A shame @delb0y .. you missed two hours of splendid jazz. It's heartening to know that there's a wealth of young talent in the UK at the moment. Perhaps BBC4 will show it again - or perhaps it's available on the i-Player (I can't access that as I'm outside the UK). 

I'm not a musician - just a huge fan - so sorry, I can't give you any tips on playing jazz. 

I lived in SW London in the early 1970s and I spent a lot of time in small, boozy and smoky folk clubs listening to the likes of Davy Graham, John Martyn, Michael Chapman, John James (does anyone remember him?), Stefan Grossman, Gordon Giltrap (before he went prog rock) and many others. I was also lucky enough to see John Fahey play live once - my God, what a guitarist he was. I'm currently downloading some of his late 1950s Fonotone recordings - reissued by Dust To Digital as a 5-CD box. 

I also have a decent collection of music by William Ackerman, Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges, Norman Blake and Robbie Basho - so we share some non-jazz musical enthusiasms. 

If you like Gypsy jazz, have you listened to Martin Taylor's music? 

As you'll have guessed from my username, I'm a Blue Note fan too - and I listen to everything they released up to around 1969 (and a few bits and pieces after that). As for jazz guitar on Blue Note, Grant Green's been a personal favourite for many years now.

I have some Paul Desmond recordings - mostly with Brubeck - but he's a bit too "cool" for my tastes (I prefer a bit of anger in my jazz). I've just had a look and found "Pure Desmond" (from 1974) with Ed Bickert on guitar .. I've forgotten all about it. Thanks for the nudge - I'll give it another listen later this morning. 

I'm sure if you keep practicing then you'll find more fluency playing jazz guitar. Good luck !


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## MontyVeda (22 Nov 2022)

delb0y said:


> ...
> I've never been able to figure out how to play jazz ...



it's just all the wrong notes


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## Seevio (22 Nov 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> it's just all the wrong notes



But in the right order!


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## MontyVeda (22 Nov 2022)

not necessarily


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## delb0y (22 Nov 2022)

@bluenotebob, you've just listed a whole slew of my favourite artists :-)

Out of all the hundreds of players I've listened to and learned from Stefan Grossman is probably the most influential (partly because he's such a great teacher and partly because his music, though brilliant, is at least accessible). Only this morning I've been transferring his four CD set "Live at the BBC" onto my iPod. He, along with Leo Kottke, was responsible for taking me down a lifelong route of great music when I first heard their music at the age of around 16. I can safely say I never really listened to rock or pop music in any great sense since. Before then I was listening to Bachman Turner Overdrive and Status Quo...

John Fahey is responsible for my favourite ever acoustic guitar tune (and one of my top tunes with any instrumentation) - Jaya Shiva Shankara. It's a tremendous duet with the recently departed Woody Mann. I have loads of Fahey CDs and enjoy getting "lost" in his music.

John James - oh yes, a great ragtime player. He was recently selling a guitar online and I wished I bought it, if only for the excuse to meet him :-)

Many years ago, in the days of cassettes, I bought a Blue Note sampler and that led me to Kenny Burrell, Lou Donaldson, Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock etc etc. The best 99p I ever spent!


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## bluenotebob (22 Nov 2022)

@delb0y ... that's a nice read! 

I'm very pleased to know that John James is still alive - and hopefully still playing music. I had a couple of his Transatlantic LPs once upon a time but they're long gone. He was living in the Kingston/Teddington area in the early 1970s - possibly on a houseboat - but he moved away and I lost track of him. Yes - he is/was an excellent ragtime guitarist. 

Samplers were a great and cheap intro into "other" music - and as for that Blue Note sampler you mention, once you've heard Lee Morgan and the rest, how could you not want to hear more? 

Grossman as a teacher - yes, I also seem to recall that free transcriptions were supplied along with his LPs back in the day. 

Of the hundreds of guitarists that I've listened to over the years, if pushed into a 'Desert Island' situation I'd have to choose some Fahey recordings and probably two early John McLaughlin albums ("Extrapolation" and "My Goal's Beyond") if that was all I was allowed.

Have you listened to any acoustic Larry Coryell music? He's a maddening artist - a lot of indifferent music alongside some classics. "Spaces" and "The Restful Mind" are probably two of his best - if you've not heard him. 

I too stopped listening to rock/pop decades ago. There's so much more interesting and engaging music out there - and you can spend several lifetimes tracking it all down.


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## Grant Fondo (22 Nov 2022)

bluenotebob said:


> I too stopped listening to rock/pop decades ago



Really? I couldn't survive without a bit of Beck or Clapton now and again, though blues-rock I guess. Really like Roy Buchanan at the moment, but Wes and Joe Pass also getting decent airplay.


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## bluenotebob (22 Nov 2022)

Grant Fondo said:


> Really? I couldn't survive without a bit of Beck or Clapton now and again, though blues-rock I guess. Really like Roy Buchanan at the moment, but Wes and Joe Pass also getting decent airplay.



Good to know you're listening to Wes M and Joe Pass. Someone mentioned Joe Pass on a CC thread the other day which brought a smile to my lips - perhaps it was you.

I've listened to quite a lot of blues-rock over the years but I find it so predictable that it's hard to stay connected with the music. I quite like to listen to some Deborah Coleman or Joe Louis Walker occasionally - otherwise I'm happy to ignore most of it. 

Perhaps it's just me but, whilst I think Roy Buchanan is a technically gifted guitarist, his music seems utterly lacking in feel or soul. 

But .... each to their own - and if the music moves you then that's what's important.


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## winjim (22 Nov 2022)

It's not rock or pop, but a lot of progressive and djent metal is basically jazz. Or 'djazz' I suppose.


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## Grant Fondo (22 Nov 2022)

bluenotebob said:


> Someone mentioned Joe Pass on a CC thread the other day which brought a smile to my lips - perhaps it was you.



I think it may have been? More recently been listening to him in the Oscar Peterson trio's .... fabulous!


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## GuyBoden (22 Nov 2022)

bluenotebob said:


> A separate question .. am I the only jazzer on CC? ... hopefully not..



I'm a big Jazz fan, but my listening has moved towards more modern Jazz.

I did play Jazz standards in small groups and big bands for too many years.

I prefer more harmonically adventurous players, like John Stowell.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G7eE2JgJgI

I have a nice 1949 Gibson L4, but I mainly play headless guitar nowadays.


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## Grant Fondo (22 Nov 2022)

bluenotebob said:


> am I the only jazzer on CC? ... hopefully not..



Certainly not. And I think there are a few of us around? Took me a long time to really appreciate the 'standards' but finally got there. A Derek Bailey gig years ago hooked me onto the interesting stuff.


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## bluenotebob (22 Nov 2022)

Grant Fondo said:


> A Derek Bailey gig years ago hooked me onto the interesting stuff.



Derek Bailey ? ... oh, wow. I thought I was the only person left alive who knew about him. He was light years ahead of everyone in terms of technical modifications to his guitars and what he played. I also liked that he was perfectly happy to perform his gig even if no-one turned up to listen.

He used to play a lot around Stockwell and the Elephant & Castle. Was that where you saw him? 

I do have a couple of his LPs - one solo and one with Evan Parker .. on the (probably) long-forgotten Incus label. If memory serves (and it is wobbly these days) I don't think Incus could afford record sleeves and they sold their LPs in plastic wraps.. 

Pleased that I'm not the only jazzer on CC - and delighted that someone else knows about Derek Bailey and his music.


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## Grant Fondo (23 Nov 2022)

bluenotebob said:


> He used to play a lot around Stockwell and the Elephant & Castle. Was that where you saw him?



No, I think it was a pub in north London, maybe Islington? Not many there, 15 or so?


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## bluenotebob (23 Nov 2022)

Grant Fondo said:


> Not many there, 15 or so?



Yes - sounds about right. If you'd gone back to see him somewhere else a few days later, it would probably have been the same 15 people..

I don't know when you saw him - early/mid 70s, perhaps? I went to lots of small jazz gigs in London at that time - can't remember all the locations now - but definitely a pub at the Seven Dials, one near Cavendish Square and one near the Roundhouse in Camden, the ICA in the Mall - and it was almost always the same 15/20-odd people who came. The London jazz scene probably had more musicians than audiences - different if say, Keith Jarrett was playing the QEH - hundreds would turn out for that .. but otherwise very few people would turn up. I think the Arts Council subsidised at lot of those pub gigs (directly or indirectly).

Anyway, seeing Derek Bailey - and appreciating what he was doing - would have been a life-changing moment musically for you. As a non-musician, I'm a tad envious.


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## Grant Fondo (23 Nov 2022)

bluenotebob said:


> I don't know when you saw him - early/mid 70s, perhaps?



It would have been later than that '83/'84?
Another good venue was the Bass Clef in Hoxton, once saw Alan Holdsworth there, but rammed unlike the DB gig, you literally could hardly get in the door.


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## MontyVeda (23 Nov 2022)

I went to see a jazz trio last year at Lancaster Music Festival. It was Sunday lunch time so was never going to be busy, but at one point there were more people in the band than the audience, then it transpired that the other member of the audience was the band's driver, so it was just me


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## Grant Fondo (23 Nov 2022)

I always loved seeing jazz in new york. You could stroll down to east or west village after a few ales and catch a late set at 1 or 2am, usually pretty busy as well.


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## GuyBoden (23 Nov 2022)

Grant Fondo said:


> It would have been later than that '83/'84?
> Another good venue was the Bass Clef in Hoxton, once saw Alan Holdsworth there, but rammed unlike the DB gig, you literally could hardly get in the door.



Allan Holdsworth was probably the most advanced guitarist on the planet IMHO, his harmonic concepts are still beyond the majority of players, his improvised solos were never the same twice. A truly original talent, one of my all time favourite musicians. RIP.

This old video shows his unique harmonic concepts for guitar and musicality.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8VDBdukFmM


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## Cycleops (24 Nov 2022)

I'm no fan of slap but this guy is just so good:


View: https://youtu.be/pXNJS4HiVck


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## delb0y (25 Nov 2022)

Stefan Grossman got a mention just a few days ago in this thread, so I thought I'd have a bash at one of his compositions "Struttin' Rag"


View: https://youtu.be/lQF91KsF-qo


Cheers
Derek


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## DCBassman (25 Nov 2022)

I don't like a lot of modern jazz. To me, however dexterous it might be, it always seems to be about, "How can I do lots of stuff without necessarily breaking too many musical rules, and without it sounding completely random?" Pure pretentiousness, IMHO.
The DB stuff is " I'm making whatever noise I want, according to my own or no rules". I got roped into a free jazz jam once (perils of living in a small community and being the only one with a bass). Horrific nonsense. Sorry, but there it is. You might like it as music, but it sure as little apples isn't musical...


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## MontyVeda (25 Nov 2022)

Spinal Tap's take on it...


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## winjim (25 Nov 2022)

I think when you realise you're never going to be young and cool enough to be able to jump up and down on stage making a racket with nothing but power chords, you've no choice but to retreat into the comfort and safety of good technique and complex musical theory.


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## ColinJ (25 Nov 2022)

winjim said:


> I think when you realise you're never going to be young and cool enough to be able to jump up and down on stage making a racket with nothing but power chords, you've no choice but to retreat into the comfort and safety of good technique and complex musical theory.


I have taken that to the logical conclusion - I sit across the room from my guitars and keyboards and just glare at them!


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## DCBassman (26 Nov 2022)

winjim said:


> good technique


Although I didn't even like the John Stowell clip above, his technique and fretboard mastery is a lovely thing in itself. Just doesn't necessarily sound as good as it looks.


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## Cycleops (26 Nov 2022)

The octobass of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. It typically plays one octave below the double bass. This rare bowed strong instrument was first built around 1850 in Paris by the French luthier, Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. Because of the extreme fingerboard length and string thickness, the musician plays it using a system of levers and pedals. The levers serve to engage metal clamps that are positioned above the neck at specific positions. These clamps act as fretting devices when the performer presses the levers. In addition to the Paris instrument, octobasses exist in the collections of the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. In October 2016, the Quebec company Canimex donated the octobass shown here to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, which is now the only orchestra in the world to own one.


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## DCBassman (26 Nov 2022)

Bugger to tune!


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## Grant Fondo (28 Nov 2022)

Not a lad you would often credit, but he could play ...

View: https://youtu.be/UIUcrpgXATw


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## Cycleops (29 Nov 2022)

Heartening story of a guy that suffered setbacks and turned to drink took to building guitars and got his life back:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...0-i-quit-drinking-and-learned-to-make-guitars


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## Cycleops (30 Nov 2022)

Happy 89th birthday to blues legend John Mayall.


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## Grant Fondo (30 Nov 2022)

I love this album!


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## delb0y (30 Nov 2022)

I'll see your Beano album and raise you a Stumble! Always preferred Peter Green to Slowhand, although after his strange disappearance Green was never the same again.


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## Grant Fondo (30 Nov 2022)

delb0y said:


> I'll see your Beano album and raise you a Stumble! Always preferred Peter Green to Slowhand, although after his strange disappearance Green was never the same again.
> 
> View attachment 669666



Big Greeno fan as well ... what a band!


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## MontyVeda (1 Dec 2022)

got this given yesterday...





it's ugly... I'll give it that


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## winjim (1 Dec 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> got this given yesterday...
> 
> View attachment 669728
> 
> ...



You can probably sort that out with a jigsaw and some sanding.


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## delb0y (1 Dec 2022)

Time to listen to some Larkin Poe, not quite the same, but any excuse is worthy:


View: https://youtu.be/FQg1z3mKqHE


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## MontyVeda (1 Dec 2022)

winjim said:


> You can probably sort that out with a jigsaw and some sanding.



or some kindling and a match


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## winjim (1 Dec 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> or some kindling and a match


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## Cycleops (1 Dec 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> got this given yesterday...
> 
> View attachment 669728
> 
> ...


You'll soon be playing like Doug


View: https://youtu.be/5YdHqxTcBfI


Love steel guitar


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## MontyVeda (1 Dec 2022)

Cycleops said:


> ...
> Love steel guitar



me too, but i think you need a really good ear to play one.


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## ColinJ (1 Dec 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> me too, but i think you need a really good ear to play one.


Nah - it works much better to do it the conventional way, using your hands!


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## Grant Fondo (1 Dec 2022)

ColinJ said:


> Nah - it works much better to do it the conventional way, using your hands!



You beat me to it!


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## Grant Fondo (1 Dec 2022)

Daft question coming up ... you can get fretless basses, what about standard guitars?
I seem to remember seeing one but it might have been an acoustic bass.


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## DCBassman (2 Dec 2022)

There have occasionally been fretless electric guitars, but almost without exception, custom one-offs.


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## MontyVeda (2 Dec 2022)

Grant Fondo said:


> Daft question coming up ... you can get fretless basses, what about standard guitars?
> I seem to remember seeing one but it might have been an acoustic bass.


Steve Vai has been known to play one...






...the bottom one is the fretless


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## delb0y (8 Dec 2022)

Been channeling my inner Albert Lee this afternoon. A chap I used to play in a rockabilly band with back in the day is putting a few songs together for a project and has been looking for some "twang". Haven't played the electric in a while, but it's been fun. Hardest thing is trying to come up with something that fits. Hopefully be able to post it here sometime if my parts pass muster.


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## DCBassman (8 Dec 2022)

delb0y said:


> Been channeling my inner Albert Lee this afternoon. A chap I used to play in a rockabilly band with back in the day is putting a few songs together for a project and has been looking for some "twang". Haven't played the electric in a while, but it's been fun. Hardest thing is trying to come up with something that fits. Hopefully be able to post it here sometime if my parts pass muster.


Which guitar will you be using for that?


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## delb0y (8 Dec 2022)

On the rough track I did this afternoon I used a Strat, but assuming we eventually do it properly then I'll likely use my Tele. It's just at the back of the cupboard at the moment, and I have so much junk in front of it, it was impractical to get it out.


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## iandg (14 Dec 2022)

Got guitar storage sorted in the man-cave at the new place today


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## DRM (17 Dec 2022)

I had a delivery this morning of a Behringer FX600 Multi Effects pedal, so I’ve been having a play with that this evening 




It was a B Stock item from Thomann, not that you can tell, it’s immaculate and works perfectly, for £31 it was a no brainer, along with some other bits and pieces so that the postage wasn’t too bad, it sounds really good for the money, along with the Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini the kids got me for my birthday, makes such a difference to the tones out of the amp


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## Cycleops (18 Dec 2022)

Just hope the volume knob in your anp goes to 11. Watch out for the environment health people sent by your neighbours.


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## DRM (18 Dec 2022)

Cycleops said:


> Just hope the volume knob in your anp goes to 11. Watch out for the environment health people sent by your neighbours.



I just wait while I’ve seen them get into the taxi to go to the pub, then it’s just SWMBO who needs ear defenders!


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## GuyBoden (Friday at 16:46)

A Steady Path.

I've been busy stacking multiple delays and panning effects.

132 effects and then my DSP ran out.


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