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Showing content with the highest reputation on 11/10/18 in all areas
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i prefer much more this.......5 points
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I really don't understand this craving for instructional videos and recommendations for lessons. I first picked up a bass in my early teens, in the 1970s. No such thing as an instructional video (pre video age!) and I've never had a bass lesson in my life. I'm still playing and not doing too bad a job. Seems to be a lack of self confidence on the part of beginners today, or a successful con trick by those who make money from providing lessons. Surely everything you need to know is in the music you listen to? Just play along until it sounds right. You can get all the theory you're like to need from a basic music theory book if you are prepared to use your brain and join few dots. Makes it much easier to remember if you've had to work things out than having it spoon fed.4 points
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The Grateful Dead covers band i joined in January has played a few gigs this year, of which the best (so far) was our headline slot at the Summer of Love party in Kent at the beginning of August. The gig was recorded and videoed with a multi-camera HD set up, and the editing has just been completed. Have to say, I'm not disappointed with the result! Recommend full screen and headphones or decent speakers.3 points
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Price drop to £850 Hi guys I'm having a bit of a clear out and consolidating some gear which doesn't get used enough. This is one of the best fretless basses I've had, but I don't play it enough - so given my current financials I have to let it go. I'll need to keep tabs on it so I can maybe buy it back one day! So here it is - a very rare series 1 Vigier Arpege fretless. Built before they started using/recording serial numbers properly but estimated to be around 1985. This is the first series made by Patrice Vigier, before they started experimenting with Carbon necks. Instead, the neck has a brass laminate running along under the fingerboard for rigidity, as well as a truss rod. Although the bass lives in a hard case in the office, my wooden necked basses occasionally need adjustment for seasonal variations - but this never does. I've literally tuned it once. Most of the hardware is Vigier's own; the bridge in particular is an interesting design. The pickups are made for Vigier by Benedetti. They're single coils and very powerful. They have an unusual 'tabletop' shape which looks great. The pre-amp is very unusual, consisting of a master vol with pull boost, series/parallel switch which actually processes some useful sounds, a boost/cut knob married to a Q filter and a passive tone. Also a pickup switch (front, middle, back) and a 'passive output' (Active output on the side of body) I'm not actually sure of the body wood but similar basses at the time were made of Walnut. It's a neck through and very comfortable. You can hear it here (wait for the fretless to cut in) where I'm suing the rear pickup only for that really tight bumpy growl, which this bass excels at. With both pickups it has a very open and warm sound. It comes without a case unfortunately but I would prefer to meet the buyer anyway at somewhere convenient. I'm in York but happy to travel to meet. The train to London is quick and easy, and/or I wan meet somewhere along the M1. My parents are in Oxford so it could be an excuse to see them, too. So I'm very flexible. Weight: 4.8kg (approx, bathroom scales!) Nut width: 41m Spacing: 15/16mm Strings: Elixir 'Super Light' Setup: Super low Strplocks: Marvel, strap side included Let me know if you have any questions or would like to try it. I'm in no rush so happy to wait for the right buyer! Cheers Chris3 points -
Do you know I'm from Montclair New Jersey where many of the Soprano scenes were shot. All the scenes of Tony dropping his kids off for school were shot at my old high school, Montclair High School. By the way, from growing up in Montclair when I first started watching The Sopranos my first reaction was: " This seems normal" Blue3 points
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Pedant alert! The word isn't 'worst' - it's 'worser', and if there really isn't anything 'worser' it then becomes the 'worstest'.3 points
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Now that i own a CS fender P bass i have to say the reason they have the potential to be better instruments is because of wood selection, good seasoned tone woods e.g quarter sawn neck blanks is where all the money is for me, I also have some custom made five strings they are good for the same reasons care in wood selection ,that when constructed with care will sound good. It is sat beside me now - if i pick it up unplugged and play "My Girl" it is a 62 P bass, that sound is there unmistakable so has to be worth what you would pay a luthier to construct any bass for you circa £3K Having owned a 77 P bass Oly white maple neck ( heavy with slight D dead spot) this is in a different league, so for me a quality controlled CS wins over say any 70's bass priced just because its getting old3 points
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Maybe that TV show you were in. They're probably a bit nervous.3 points
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My home from home studio for 7 days while working in Weston 👌 going to get a lot of work done on sessions, tracks & articles 🤞I hope!!3 points
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Hi. My late husband was a great bass player and member of this forum. He sadly died in May 2017 at the age of 50 and I have a few items of bass equipment that I now feel it is time to sell. His bass guitars have been inherited by our children and nephew as we couldn't bear not to see his basses around the house. I am hoping our nephew (only 5 at the moment) will go on to play it one day as every time he came over he asked if Uncle Jerry would teach him one day. The stuff I want to sell includes a bass head, dual band compressor, tuner and preamp. It is all in very good condition and in the original boxes with user manual/instructions. It looks it great condition and he did look after all his stuff really well. But I don't know where to start? I don't want to post stuff if that can be helped so would want to sell collection only (Bournemouth). The equipment has just been sitting in its boxes in his bass bag since his last gig in October 2016 before he got too ill to play. I know he would want it to go to a good home and be used again but I just find this all a bit daunting. How do I go about posting items for sale (I have taken some photos) on the forum please? And there is little point in people asking me technical questions because I won't know the answer. Any help/suggestions much appreciated. Thank you.2 points
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Want!!! I am however sadly unable to afford to buy this at the moment 😩. Unless of course you'd be prepared to accept a weekly payment of £1.50 over the next 634 weeks? (that actually adds up to £951 so in just a little over 12 years you could make yourself the tidy additional sum of £1 on your asking price). Just something to consider... 🤔2 points -
Me too - I have felt thus about EBMM (and MM before it) and S and T since my first new Stingray purchase around 1979. Thanks for the pointer and it's nice to see your enthusiasm about the free gifts - for those who don't know each instrument has the attached card in the case:- I do have to take issue with Luke FRC's description of the pre 2018 Stingray as 'agricultural' - those of us with these instruments (or many of them in some cases like Rodney72a, Hiram K and myself), this feels quite insulting. They have always been high quality instruments and capable of absolutely top rate bass sound of varying styles. See below - even Roger Sadowsky says so 😏 Now there are basses which are or can be rather agricultural in feel etc - sometimes of a name beginning with F. My experience is its sometime the players rather than the basses which fall into the 'a' category...😬2 points
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So I just popped into PMT Leeds to try a bass out and ended up trying four! They have the dark glitter finish, single pickup with a roasted neck in... and I got to try it... and it’s a pretty lovely thing - such a nice neck, lightweight and really really lovely instrument. It feel less agricultural than the traditional stingrays - which is a good thing. tone wise - no idea as I was going through their orange bass terror so not what I was used too at all- sounded a bit like a stingray! You could hear the treble point was a bit different as it didn’t have that stingray ‘click’ going on. So yes, nice instruments! I also tried a fender USA Jazz bass (meh- not great), a custom shop relic P bass (nicer than the jazz, fun to play) the stingray and a sandberg J/MM thing (really nice feeling but a bit underwhelming sonically after the ray)2 points
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We started out 5 years ago as an originals punk band made up of three late forties/early 50s guys, no idea where it would take us, but pretty much convinced it would be Tuesday night gigs to other bands and the occasional mate or two. Since then we`ve literally only played Fri/Sat gigs, played festivals, released three albums, played on the bill with some great well-known bands, toured overseas in Europe, and done gigs where we fly in to a city, do the gig, then fly home - was in Munich at the weekend doing this. Am not bigging myself up in any way here, what I`m saying is, go out and do it, I`m not sure what the metal scene is like any more but the punk scene is thriving, people still want to hear live noisy guitar music. You just need someone within your band that is focused and dedicated to get the gigs etc, that person is the one that will take your band as far as you`re capable. We all thought it would be a laugh to play some noisy original music whilst we still had a bit of life left in us, it`s been a blast, still going strong, wouldn`t change it for the world (touring Germany next week). Originals bands rock!!2 points
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No thanks, I didn’t like the taste and it repeated on me2 points
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I agree. As a retired military, I understand this concept well. Especially if I had been hired by Wilson Pickett or Stevie Winwood. I can be the best of cogs in a big machine and take direction well. However, this was a tiny sum gig with a guitarist-leader not blessed with look-at-me talent nor basic ability in arranging (deer in the lights look for the final chord?). No written music, chord charts or audio samples for the new BP. Poor BP... And he's telling me to play swampier. Everything had to sound swampy. I guess I was ejected from the swamp. He was a constant pot-head, but I never held that against him. Perhaps even mild drugs can cloud the mind, I don't know. The set-list I had practiced to, stated the wrong keys and artist versions from what was sprung on me at rehearsal. Now I know why they spent the last year chasing BP's, but they always fall back on some "a pro" that he knows who never stays. A marvelous female singer, though, which is what kept me in for three weeks. I'm not at all mad. Actually I feel relieved. You see, I always maintain a self-consciousness and situational awareness and examine my words and actions before and afterwards. It's a part of my social perception. But I can never truly understand how so many people cruise through life blind, unaware of the stage and the part they play. I'm glad to be searching for a new band, though. I learned 31 new songs that I'd never have learned on my own and walk away richer for that. They can fire you, which is pretentious to say the least, but they can never take away your talent. And you only get better as time moves on. (Where else could I speak my mind on BP firings...?)2 points
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I owned one of these once.. http://www.andybaxterbass.com/details.php?id=1130 There were only 100 made. Sounded ok. There was nothing special about it apart from CS logo on the back.A gap in the neck pocket I might add.. Ive played MIJ's that were just as good.. One of these now be north of £3000 easily. The MIJ 1975 RI non export was just as good.Cost me £600. Think I traded the CS for a Sadowsky RV5 in the end. Im sure there are a lot of great Fender Custom Shop's out there out there. Its been said a thousand times before, there are makers that do the Jazz and P better than Fender, and consistently better. .2 points
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Thank you very much. Ped has kindly been in touch as is helping me get things rolling. Thank you for the condolences. Happy bass playing. I sure do miss hearing that sound.2 points
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If there's anyone in the region that would be willing to take this on and manage it (for instance, move the items out, getting them sold, then hand over proceeds, or similar...), that could lift the burden, maybe..? A PM (to Ped, perhaps..?) would be a way to get such a ball rolling. Just an idea; hope this helps. (I'm obviously too far away, so can only offer my sincere condolences...)2 points
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I play "Living on a prayer" on a 5 strings and still that open "E" rules.2 points
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2 points
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The whole CS thing has become a huge cash cow for Fender and I'm sure a huge number of them never get played. I've played a couple of CS Precisions and found both very disappointing with woolly sound and flat spots on the neck. The best sounding 'Precision' I've owned is my 84 Tokai which knocks both of the afore-mentioned CS's for 6.2 points
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One of the first orders for our new guitar was placed by a high-profile member of this forum, who specified it to be built using Rocklite. This innovative material is a very recent development that's already being used for fret-boards as a rosewood replacement. As far as we know, we're the first to use it to use it for the body as well. As these pics grabbed in our workshop show, it's turning out rather well. http:// http:// http://2 points
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I may have missed it but don't think anyone has yet mentioned Andy Fraser's work with Free. Well up in the mix and extremely tasteful playing.2 points
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Of course, she is a pro bass player. In my experience, pro bass players are quite happy to keep down the low end and play the root note all night, if that is what is required. In my experience, diddly widdly bass players don't get much pro work. The guy I saw the other day at a jam, who slapped and popped his way through a segue of 3 U2 songs (I kid you not), spends most of the day waiting by his phone that never rings.2 points
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I think after 4 years he may have come to a conclusion. 🤔😉2 points
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I'd like to be able to claim I've got a couple of strumpets in my pocket...2 points
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Yup! Sadly even on my final music college exam. Now I got top marks, mind, but after that experience, I sold my accordion...2 points
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A “strumpet”?2 points
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Aw, now you’ve give and left us all on a cliffhanger! So what’s up? Is it... Option A - I’ve received £75 worth of gear for registering 2 basses and it’s because I’ve posted about it (as I thought others might want to know and do the same) Option B - Because I’ve registered my basses for extended warrantee Option C - because Music Man set up the scheme Have a good day Rodney.2 points
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Personally, Living Colour should get a mention for CD bass-alongs, specifically this number which blew my little early bass-playing mind (specifically from the 0:27 mark)2 points
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Only days with a 'Y' in them...2 points
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That was the general sound I got from my B3K whenever I turned it on2 points
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Now that the telebass is virtually done my attention is going to be back on this build, I'm going to order the 5 string neck next week hopefully they don't put it on a really slow boat from China!!2 points
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Also Saling the seas of cheese from Primus. It’s not to everyone’s taste though... 🤨2 points
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Stop making sense...Talking heads Tin Drum... Japan( thanks @jazzmanb) Sensimilla...Sly & Robbie Handsworth Revolution - Steel Pulse Groove Spoon...2 points
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I can still remember visiting a shop in Doncaster (that shall remain nameless) in the late eighties looking for a new US Jazz. The guy in the shop was absolutely desperate to sell me one of the, must have been 10-15, 'roadworn' 1970s Jazz or P basses. I tried each and every one of them and all were, to put it kindly, thrown together by gibbons in a dark room using bear skins and stone knives. It still amazes me how much some of these sad examples (I totally accept that some examples however are sublime and would love the cash for Gary Mac's example which is currently on sale) now fetch but I suspect it's the image rather than the sound/construction that appeals in many of these cases.2 points
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Exactly. For me it is difficult to see what benefit having your Fender assembled by custom shop luthier brings, especially when the design of the component parts is no different to the standard production-line models. None of those classic, and now very valuable, instruments from the early days of production (pre-CBS) got any special treatment during the manufacturing process, and if anything modern production methods are far superior to what could be achieved with the 1940s technology that was originally used, so a modern Fender instrument off the production line should be a superior instrument. Make you wonder if Fender are deliberately holding back on the quality of their other instruments, so that something out of the Custom Shop can be guaranteed to be better?2 points
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My favourite at the moment is 'Caribe' from the Michel Camilo Big Band. Anthony Jackson in total control.2 points
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I find this an interesting thread... I'm not really a Fender kind of guy but I recognise their solid place in the history of the electric bass. That said, for whatever reason, I ended up gassing for Jazz Basses a few years back. Went into GuitarGuitar in Glasgow because they had a limited run CS 64 Jazz bass in Dakota red with a Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard. It *looked* terrific. the very helpful guy brought me a selection of Jazzes to try - the CS, Sadowsky, Lakland Darell Jones, and Squier VM. The Custom Shop Jazz was a huge disappointment - clumsy, woolly sounding and generally unresponsive. It wasn't helped by a terrible setup which actually made it feel as if the bass had genuinely been lying around unloved since 1964 but I can usually see through those issues if the instrument shows promise. The Sadowsky was obviously good but a bit soul-less. There were two winners - the Lakland and the Squier and honestly, whilst they were different, they were both a joy to play and hear and I would have played either of them in any situation happily. And this brings us to the nub of the matter. Leo Fender designed his instruments to be easily assembled by a largely unskilled labour force. An amalgamation of identically shaped parts of similar materials is as likely to be good or bad whether it is done in a factory in Indonesia or a (Custom Shop) factory in the US. And make no mistake - the sheer numbers of Fender Custom Shop instruments which are flooding into the UK (Multiply by all of Fender's other international markets) makes it obvious that this is not the product of a nice, cosy workshop with a few talented luthiers hand crafting impeccable instruments, but rather a large volume, mass production facility. I'm not saying that Fender don't employ some truly excellent luthiers - they have a history of doing so - but the emphasis of effort in the Custom Shop is focused on finish and appearance. You're paying a lot of cash to have someone lovingly beat up your new guitar so that it looks old. My Jazz Bass gas was fulfilled three times over at a fraction of the cost of a Fender Custom Shop instrument so I'm likely to be Custom Shop free for the foreseeable future - I just don't see the value in them - but of course people are attracted to instruments for many and varied reasons and make the choices that are right for them. And of course the appearance of some CS instruments can be very compelling...2 points
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Must be the iPad but she’s going to make me a what..?2 points
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Ah, Ashdown amps, a conundrum if ever there was one. They really don`t get the kudos they deserve imo. Sound great in the mix, are easy to get a variety of great sounds from, and are very reasonably priced new, let alone second hand. Ok, some of the amps/cabs/combos are heavy in relation to some of the other modern gear that`s about, but when you hear the sound in the mix, well that weight is worth it, certainly to me. And they`re not stupidly heavy anyway.2 points
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Big thanks to Strings and Things (UK EBMM distributor) once again... A couple of months back I posted that they sent me a free EB tool kit when I registered my Old Smoothie online for extended warrantee (via the official EBMM website). . Today I received the free gift below for registering my Stingray Special2 points
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It's ironic that paying for a service means you're more likely to commit to doing it. We could all write an hour practice schedule of technique, reading, transcription and improvisation to do every day for six months, and we would all be materially better bassists and musicians... but we wont. We'll moan about it on Basschat instead... mocked by our own procrastination... I disgust me.2 points
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So long as he's happy, but that just looks fugly to me2 points
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Bestial Cluster by Mick Karn1 point
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Not like a real bass player, no 🙂1 point
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Only skimmed through it as I'm short on time but it looks great fun to watch!1 point
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I love all my gear but for different reasons, but I'm down to six basses now and hope to reduce that further. I suppose the question here should be rephrased as you're bound to get people going, 'Oh, my Ritter,' or 'Oh, my Fodera,' comments of which are primarily made out of how much the instrument actually cost or how old it is, not because they're best. As Gary put it, personal choice has to come down to looks, feel etc. and we all know that tastes shift with time. Right now, and it really hurts me to say this given the money spent elsewhere, but my go to bass and the one I love the most is the mashed up ratty old Aria Pro II Primary bass. It cost me next to nothing, it owes me about £120 for a new pickup, bridge and pots. It plays dreamily and sounds gnarly. On the last gig I did with the old band I threw it across the stage and it just went, 'Is that the best you got?' The new recordings I've been doing are all on it. The only downside is that it's Precision-shaped and I'm really not a fan of Fenders.1 point
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Our band went into a junior school and played for the kids. They were invited to come up and talk to us at the end. I was the only one who was totally ignored. It didn't surprise me. Sir Isaac Newton was singer or a lead guitarist. He's the guy everyone remembers, he got all the glory, but Robert Hooke was the guy who discovered and invented so much stuff and many of the experiments and equipment that proved the Science. Newton was the poster boy but it was Hooke who made the Royal Society work. Robert Hooke (not a Sir) was definitely a bass player. (Google is your friend!) We are the unsung heroes, the guys running in the power stations, keeping the lights on, working in labs inventing a cure for the nastiest diseases, maintaining the buses, trains, planes computers and telephone systems. Do we need a pat on the back or are we satisfied just knowing that everything turns to stinky poo without us? We are the calm, witty and intelligent members of the band. We know we tie the band members together, ensuring they sound good. We know that we are the heart-beat and soul of the band. We know that and the band knows that. It's nice to get recognition from an audience but we can be satisfied by the simple fact that we know just how important we are.1 point
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