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With quarantine lockdown winter coming up I decided to take up an instrument so here I am I guess. I picked up a secondhand Ibanez GSR200 that everyone is throwing around and an Amplug Bass and I'm working my way through studybass.com since yesterday. Having fun so far but I'm fiddling with the volume and tone controls on both the instrument and the amplug without really remembering what the dials do so my sound always sounds kind of muffled and weird compared to what I'm expecting. I know it's cheap equipment so it'll never sound glorious but I'm sure there's a happy medium I just haven't stumbled on yet  Anyway thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
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Oct 16, 2020 18:24
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Anyone have a Player Series Mustang bass? I recently dove into acquiring some stuff to turn my Bronco into a Superbronco, and I found a bridge. Finally. But, the string spacing is wider than the stock Bronco's.Except, humorously, between the 2nd and 3rd strings. (String spacing, low to high, is 0.646", 0.754", and 0.647".*) The Bronco has wider spacing between those strings than between the 1st and 3rd and 3rd and 4th. I'm thinking the Mustang may have a wider neck. The Bronco's neck measures 2.303" at the widest part of the bridge end. It's 1.610" at the nut. So if anyone has a caliper and some spare time, I'd love to know what the widths are at those two points. I'm measuring the bottom at the absolute widest part of the neck, which is just past the 19th fret. The nut I measured at the, well, nut. * I measured this using a caliper. First, I got the width of the strings (E: 0.096", A: 0.076", etc.), then the distance between the outside of the adjacent strings (E-A: 0.733"', etc.), then I subtracted half the diameter of the adjacent strings to come up with the distance between the centers of the two strings (E-A: 0.733 - 0.048 - 0.038 = 0.647", etc.).
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Oct 16, 2020 19:27
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Martytoof posted:With quarantine lockdown winter coming up I decided to take up an instrument so here I am I guess. I picked up a secondhand Ibanez GSR200 that everyone is throwing around and an Amplug Bass and I'm working my way through studybass.com since yesterday.  Simple non-muffled tone settings: keep "Tone" and Neck Pickup Volume all the way up. Add as much bridge pickup as you want (completely off is more Precision-like, completely up is PJ/Jazz-esque). If Phat-II EQ has a detent setting keep it there, otherwise start at the bottom and add a little but if you hear some bad distorting sounds back off. On the Amplug the tone setting at 10 will be the most clear, set volume to where you need it. tarlibone posted:Anyone have a Player Series Mustang bass? The neck size between those two is going to be close enough that it doesn't matter. The two saddle bridge on the Bronco has weird spacing by design, the Mustang bridge is not going to be so much wider the strings fall off the edge of the fretboard. And the pickup is a six pole guitar pickup under the cover so you don't need to worry about directly lining up a string over a pole piece. DrChu fucked around with this message at 19:51 on Oct 16, 2020 |
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Oct 16, 2020 19:42
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DrChu posted:
Bless, thank you! This is really handy.
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Oct 16, 2020 19:58
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Yeah, I am only worried about the width of the strings vs. the neck. I already knew about the pickup, and one of the things I plan on changing is putting a humbucker in there. I'd love to get an old Telecaster Bass style monoblock-looking humbucker, all chrome with Fender script on it. Mike Kerr has a bass with that pickup in the video for "I Only Lie When I Love You," for example. But, I'll be good with a single coil size humbucker. The DiMarzio dual rail humbuckers, and the Seymour Duncan Little X series look fun. But, there are much cheaper ones available. I know you get what you pay for, but does anyone have experience running the dual rail humbuckers? I'm looking to buck the hum and increase the output, and one of these should fit the bill. Still not sure if I'm going budget on this or not; the bridge was $30 off of eBay and supposedly specific to the Mustang. (Assuming the actual Mustang doesn't just use the standard stamped steel J/P bass bridge, of course.) I love how wonderfully red this instrument is, and also it weighs 5 pounds soaking wet. Making it sound badass would be so fun.
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Oct 16, 2020 20:04
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tarlibone posted:the bridge was $30 off of eBay and supposedly specific to the Mustang. (Assuming the actual Mustang doesn't just use the standard stamped steel J/P bass bridge, of course.)
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Oct 16, 2020 22:09
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Is it normal to feel a bass is easier to play/fret/hold on a strap standing up rather than sitting on a stool with it on your knee? Because that’s definitely how I’m feeling right about now. Unless I’m holding it hopelessly wrong I’m bringing the fretboard pretty high up and letting my arm hang lower to pluck which feels really natural compared to extending my fret hand our far when the fretboard is more horizontal and crunching my plucking hand up.
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Oct 17, 2020 17:31
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I used to feel that way, then I played a lot sitting down. Now I feel the opposite.
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Oct 17, 2020 17:41
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Playing guitar and bass feel way better to me standing up. The exception might be playing a big fuckin acoustic guitar cause it feels like the front of it is like a mile in front of me standing up.
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Oct 17, 2020 19:40
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Anyone who’s gone through the studybass.com stuff, I know he recommends buying a tuner and metronome but is there anything you guys know that would prevent me from just using my phone for both for the time being? They’re not expensive and I’ll buy these eventually just to have them, but I’m really trying to curb my impulse spending and after buying the music stand guitar headphone amp I’m just kind of looking to take it easy for now.
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Oct 18, 2020 22:37
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Martytoof posted:Anyone who’s gone through the studybass.com stuff, I know he recommends buying a tuner and metronome but is there anything you guys know that would prevent me from just using my phone for both for the time being? They’re not expensive and I’ll buy these eventually just to have them, but I’m really trying to curb my impulse spending and after buying the music stand guitar headphone amp I’m just kind of looking to take it easy for now. you can get by with your phone, but some metronome apps can be inaccurate. especially on android regarding the tuner. anything that saves you time while tuning will give you back lots of playing time over the long run. it's just a nice creature comfort
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Oct 18, 2020 23:00
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Oops well I'm not sure I did anything but my Amplug Bass just up and stopped working. All batteries replaced, nothing. Going to see if I can get my money back but I guess I bought a dud. After using it for a few days I think I'm just going to get a B1 Four, I don't think I'll mind the extra cables and I guess it gives me fun stuff to play with later down the road once I get some semblance of familiarity with the instrument. Which is funny since two posts above I mentioned trying to cut back on fun expenses, but it's only $40 more so.. Helianthus Annuus posted:you can get by with your phone, but some metronome apps can be inaccurate. especially on android Sounds good. I'll probably pick these up next time there's some kind of sale at the LMS.
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Oct 19, 2020 02:38
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Helianthus Annuus posted:you can get by with your phone, but some metronome apps can be inaccurate. especially on android yeah having my tuner at the end of my bass is just second nature. ready whenever i need it.
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Oct 19, 2020 03:07
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I've found that playing guitar and bass with a strap is much more similar to the classical guitar position resting on the left thigh which is boosted a bit. It's a much more natural position for the left hand
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Oct 19, 2020 06:29
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So not to turn this into a livejournal but I'm slowly making my way through studybass and this is some pretty good stuff. He's a clear and concise teacher and slowly things are coming to me but everything still feels hella unnatural; Muting takes so much mental effort and fretting is really imprecise but I expect both are things that just come with time and I've been at this for.. less than a week? I'm really happy with the B1four -- sounds way nicer than the amplug and the tradeoff is that I'm just tangled up in wires. I expect to use 0% of its' fun functionality in the immediate future but the fact that it has awesome rhythm AND a tuner AND aux-in built in make it super handy as a one-stop lesson "amp". I ordered a wider strap is about the only other thing I did. Definitely see why it's a thing people use.
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Oct 21, 2020 02:57
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how's the build quality on epi basses? kind of want a thunderbird but i'm not trying to procure the real deal atm. shouldn't be any huge discrepancy between their basses and their guitars right?
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Oct 21, 2020 18:51
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DOPE FIEND KILLA G posted:how's the build quality on epi basses? kind of want a thunderbird but i'm not trying to procure the real deal atm. shouldn't be any huge discrepancy between their basses and their guitars right? Pickups are generally really muddy, especially the T-bird's. And the 3-point bridge is just awful in general. And the t-bird neck dives like a son-of-a-bitch unless you relocate the strap button to the neck-plate. The Allen Woody and Jack Casady signature basses are fantastic, even despite the 3-point bridge.
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Oct 22, 2020 08:51
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Are they still making the Thunderbird Pro IV? I never played one but they always looked like a very nice take on the design. Active electonics, no 3 point bridge, probably worth looking into if you want a Thunderbird.
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Oct 24, 2020 12:29
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I notice that bassists who play 16th note fingerstyle funk (Jaco, Paul Jackson, Chuck Rainey, etc.) make use of a lot left-hand muting. I've been learning this piece from a Jerry Jemmot instructional book: http://www.vaughn-s.net/misc/Always%20On%20The%20Way.wav Does it sound like he's left-hand muting? I don't think so because you can still make out the pitch of the notes. I don't think it's palm muting either, could it be that he's just using a foam mute on the bridge of his bass?
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Oct 26, 2020 16:26
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Seventh Arrow posted:I notice that bassists who play 16th note fingerstyle funk (Jaco, Paul Jackson, Chuck Rainey, etc.) make use of a lot left-hand muting. I've been learning this piece from a Jerry Jemmot instructional book: To me it sounds like it's a combination of left-hand muting and cutting the notes short with his fingers while sounding the notes. Very reminiscent of Rocco Prestia (RIP btw...) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekuxhIs3IdQ
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Oct 26, 2020 16:52
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GC has the 70's CV Precision Bass for $329, so I went ahead and ordered one  Since I live in an apartment, what are the current options for ampless setups? I already have a MacBook Pro with GarageBand and Ableton, good audio interface (MOTU Ultralite AVB) with a Hi-Z input, a pair of JBL 308 monitors, good headphones (Sennheiser HD6XX), and an array of guitar pedals. Genre-wise, I'm looking to play hip-hop (early A Tribe Called Quest, Outkast) and new-wave (New Order, Duran Duran) stuff.
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Oct 26, 2020 18:01
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Sansamp DI to the interface, or bass direct into the interface and run a vst amp
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Oct 26, 2020 18:03
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Dear Livejournal, today I replaced my GSR200 with a Squire 70s vintage vibe Jazz just because I like the look more. I don't know if that was a trade up/down but I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter since I'm still firmly in the process of trying to not stumble over super complex techniques such as "fretting" and "muting" and remembering which of my fingers is which, and until I learn that everything coming out of my amp sounds like an instrument that is pleading for the merciful release of death.
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Oct 26, 2020 21:27
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Martytoof posted:Dear Livejournal, today I replaced my GSR200 with a Squire 70s vintage vibe Jazz just because I like the look more. I don't know if that was a trade up/down but I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter since I'm still firmly in the process of trying to not stumble over super complex techniques such as "fretting" and "muting" and remembering which of my fingers is which, and until I learn that everything coming out of my amp sounds like an instrument that is pleading for the merciful release of death.
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Oct 26, 2020 21:33
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Spanish Manlove posted:Sansamp DI to the interface, or bass direct into the interface and run a vst amp There's also a free VST plugin based on the Sansamp so you don't even need the physical thing.
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Oct 26, 2020 21:56
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I've been really digging into The Improvisor's Bass Method and have a set of flats coming tomorrow, so if you are wondering where jazz dad is, I'm right here.
Huxley fucked around with this message at 01:37 on Oct 27, 2020 |
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Oct 27, 2020 01:09
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Scarf posted:To me it sounds like it's a combination of left-hand muting and cutting the notes short with his fingers while sounding the notes. Oh man, I had no idea that Prestia had died  thanks for the tip, though!In other news, Berklee just posted a video of Steve Bailey jamming with Francois Rabbath: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuTBjBnHz9Q
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Oct 27, 2020 03:22
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Has anyone done the bassbuzz course? I really really like the presentation of the free stuff Josh has out (like, moreso than the other sites’ free resources I have watched so far) and if you take the money out of the equation I’m wondering how the paid course stacks up against free stuff like studybass for absolute beginners.
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Oct 27, 2020 03:29
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Martytoof posted:Has anyone done the bassbuzz course? I really really like the presentation of the free stuff Josh has out (like, moreso than the other sites’ free resources I have watched so far) and if you take the money out of the equation I’m wondering how the paid course stacks up against free stuff like studybass for absolute beginners. I have it but I'm only up to module 4 of 16 (each module is 4 or 5 lessons), which is just starting to dive deeper than the free youtube videos. So far it has been proper way to pluck and fret the bass, looking at whole/half/quarter/eighth note rhythms as relating to a beat ruler, tab notation, and the order of musical notes (same explanation with the piano as in the money notes video iirc). Discussion of basic muting throughout too (as a try this if you feel you can do it type thing), and I am at the point where we're going to start assigning the note names to the frets instead of just calling it fret 1, fret 3, etc. Gentle learning curve so far and I don't regret the purchase. Music teacher humor fully intact too. I have never looked at studybass though so no idea how bassbuzz compares. Edit: there's continuity and repetition of concepts between lessons so the point does get hammered home if that's what you need. The YouTube videos are more one and done/self contained. Turbinosamente fucked around with this message at 17:54 on Oct 27, 2020 |
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Oct 27, 2020 17:47
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Hell, I have more money than sense. I'll try it. Thanks for the feedback!
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Oct 27, 2020 18:09
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Martytoof posted:Hell, I have more money than sense. I'll try it. Thanks for the feedback! Glad it helped! I found out studybass existed after getting bassbuzz, but I don't feel the need to go back and search out studybass. All I really need to do is sit down and do the course more regularly, which is a me problem and not bassbuzz.
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Oct 27, 2020 18:13
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I appreciate that BassBuzz has a schedule for you to attempt. I know this is an easy problem to solve for other sites/methods by just.. doing lessons on a timetable, but I am someone who learns best in a semi rigid framework so this looks right up my alley.
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Oct 27, 2020 18:18
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Hi friends. All my strings are anywhere from 3 1/2 to 4mm off the frets by the 5th fret. Is this normal or high? It SOUNDS a little high to me but I’m not sure. My guitar comes with free setup if I want it so I might go back to the store and ask them to take a look if it’s excessive. AFAIK it’s just whatever Fender set it to at the factory in Indonesia.
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Oct 28, 2020 01:08
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That sounds awful high... Fender spec is about 2.4mm bass side and 2.0mm treble side at the 17th fret. If you are pushing 4mm at the fifth fret, that's... excessive.
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Oct 28, 2020 01:27
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Let me see what we have at the 17th: G @ 17  E @ 17  This is without me depressing anything at the 1st fret, I’m not sure if I’m supposed to or not. I’ll go take it to the shop tomorrow. If for no other reason than I get to touch more music stuff while I’m talking to the tech. some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 02:02 on Oct 28, 2020 |
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Oct 28, 2020 01:57
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Martytoof posted:I’ll go take it to the shop tomorrow. If for no other reason than I get to touch more music stuff while I’m talking to the tech. Stupid covid. I miss going to the local guitar shops and fondling things I never intend to buy (unless I win the lotto that I don't play) Also, that's super high
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Oct 28, 2020 02:15
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I sneaked into GC mid-week a while back to pick up something and was all excited to fiddle, but they were wiping down everything that came off the wall before putting it back up. Causing that much busywork for them when I wasn't in danger of buying more than a pack of strings made me feel like a jerk.
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Oct 28, 2020 02:21
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Yeah, I try not to linger at my LMS but I have gone in a fair few times over the past two weeks. Masks and all and it’s never really crowded but I do feel kind of weird about it at times. Thanks for the sanity check. I’ll give them a call tomorrow to make sure their tech is in and take it in for a setup. I could try to do it myself but I think maybe this is one of those things I learn a little later when I’m not already trying to learn five things about playing bass. Don’t need to accidentally snap my neck in the process. When I went in to trade up my GSR for the Squier the guys were super happy to sit with me and give me all the attention. I talked to them for a bit and it sounds like while our area isn’t a hotspot people are still staying away or doing curbside pickup so they’re sort of craving human interaction too 
some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 02:34 on Oct 28, 2020 |
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Oct 28, 2020 02:32
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Huxley posted:I sneaked into GC mid-week a while back to pick up something and was all excited to fiddle, but they were wiping down everything that came off the wall before putting it back up. Absolutely. I feel a little guilty when I even go grab takeout at this point because of this whole thing meaning someone's doing a crapton of extra work just so I don't have to cook. I miss the old days of a great weekend consisting of going to GC to screw around, hitting the sketchiest Chinese buffet (the older and rattier the better, it's just better food), and then going to see a lousy band playing their hearts out in a college bar. Those were fantastic times.
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Oct 28, 2020 02:36
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All the techs are quoting me like 5-6 weeks for a guitar setup which is probably realistically much shorter but I’m still going to roll up my sleeves and fix the high action myself. Picked up a set of feeler gauges, a long 4mm hex for the truss rod, a bunch of capos to help in measuring neck bow. I’m not going to mess with the nut because I don’t want to gently caress anything up irreversibly. At this point unless I destroy the truss rod anything I mess up should be fixable by someone with actual skill. I hadn’t planned on replacing the strings but on the chance that I absolutely mess it up and need to, what is a “standard” safe gauge to pick? I have no idea what the Squier Jazz came strung with and have very little preference being very new. I guess something that won’t stunt my growth by being too difficult to fret but also not something that will be deceivingly easy. Are nickel wound 45-100s a decent bet? I’m not worried about getting the “perfect” string for my sound because I have none, I just want to avoid getting something completely unsuitable for a beginner. some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 15:04 on Oct 31, 2020 |
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Oct 31, 2020 15:01
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