How To Clean The Footswitch In Your Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer

[rocknrolldork]

I actually bought a cheap bass to use as a callouse and hand strength tool. It worked well in that regard but then when some friends found out I played bass I got recruited in their band as the bass player. I can relate to not being in shape for a seriouse long night of playing bass. I have really strong hands now. I have a friend who is a physical therapist and he had one of those calibrated hand sqeezers that measures how strong a person's grip is. Everyone was playing around with it and then I grabbed it and maxed it out. Nobody else could do it. They were amazed and I just said I play bass. I don't think people really get how much hand strength it requires until they actually do it.

Agreed on the hand strength for bass. I started playing bass in 1998 or so. Primarily because I wanted to play out more and everyone in town was looking for a bass player. My left hand is far stronger now than it was prior. Playing bass has been a love/hate thing for me. It's given me a better sense of timing and how everything should truly intertwine, but it has reduced some of the speed I had as a guitarist. It also made me a bass player around town when I am a much better guitarist than bassist. But I get to gig so that is good. Like I said... love/hate with it.

[jhale667]

LOL. I worked for an hour a little while ago trying to nail a bass track to a high-energy punk-rock song I am re-mixing. My wrists finally told me to stop or they would die. Oh and my fingertips are pretty much ok now. I am not a bassist. I am just some guy who can play bass. I am not in physical shape to be a bassist, though if I were to play bass all the time, that would change. Talk about physically demanding!

Also, always keep in mind something my first teacher told me - unless it's a scenario where it's mid-song mid-gig and you literally CAN'T - if you're ever in pain, STOP PLAYING for a few minutes. To continue to do so seriously damages the muscles in your wrists and hands, sometimes permanently!

[Diamondjimi]

For sure. Bass can have that effect if your strength and endurance aren't up...
My old bass player bailed before we (my band) began tracking our latest opus. I ended up taking on bass duties.
I found myself having to give myself breaks to let the muscles in my hands relax. I put my "bass player" hat on and got the job done.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Subsequent (bass position hopefuls) have commended me on my bass abilities.
Guess I did a good job!

[jhale667]

For sure. Bass can have that effect if your strength and endurance aren't up...
My old bass player bailed before we (my band) began tracking our latest opus. I ended up taking on bass duties.
I found myself having to give myself breaks to let the muscles in my hands relax. I put my "bass player" hat on and got the job done.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Subsequent (bass position hopefuls) have commended me on my bass abilities.
Guess I did a good job!

Every once in a while I'll borrow a friend's bass to track guide parts on my tunes...people like you have complimented my note-selection, but to my own ears I sound like a guitar player on bass... I only want whoever re-does them to keep the basic ideas rhythmically and any unison lines I've tracked with the guitar parts, but there's really only one tune I'd want someone to replay nearly verbatim...which happened to be the last one you complimented me on the bass track for....lol. THAT one I like! But yeah, I have to take breaks between tracks to give my hands a breather since I don't practice on bass regularly.


Speaking of pedal repairs, though - think I need to take a look at my Vox Wah...either the output jack has a slight short in it, or it's become a direct line to Satan's talk-radio station... I hear (really demonic sounding if the overdrive is on!) voices over it when engaged...fortunately the voices SHUT UP when I start playing (at least they're polite demons)... Voice-volume gets louder or softer if I rotate the plug on the connector cable...switch out the cables, same thing...

[Diamondjimi]

Every once in a while I'll borrow a friend's bass to track guide parts on my tunes...people like you have complimented my note-selection, but to my own ears I sound like a guitar player on bass... I only want whoever re-does them to keep the basic ideas rhythmically and any unison lines I've tracked with the guitar parts, but there's really only one tune I'd want someone to replay nearly verbatim...which happened to be the last one you complimented me on the bass track for....lol. THAT one I like! But yeah, I have to take breaks between tracks to give my hands a breather since I don't practice on bass regularly.

One thing I did have going for me was that the drums had been laid down and I had a good kick drum to follow and work with. While doing the tracking I threw out virtually all of my "guitarist" instincts and transformed my mentality into that of a bassist. (Insert bass player joke ______ < here! ) LOL!

[jhale667]

One thing I did have going for me was that the drums had been laid down and I had a good kick drum to follow and work with. While doing the tracking I threw out virtually all of my "guitarist" instincts and transformed my mentality into that of a bassist. (Insert bass player joke ______ < here! ) LOL!

Yeah, in my case w/o the drums tracked yet, I just turn up the click track REALLY LOUD...lol

[Diamondjimi]

[Hardrock69]