Leaderboard

I believe Scott's brother, Barry Devine, has a Youtube channel which is aimed at builders. In an hour-long special, he covers "Why do a lot of builders use a Ford Transit" with an interesting 12 minute monologue by a roofer who presents an alternate view and owns a Renault Trafic. Also he has a 15-part mini-series on the premium channel, on different types of sand.

Hey gang! I've finally joined the pre-CBS club. Never thought it would happen... Not original: refin, replaced jack, and a couple of wires. The rest is as-is. Weighs 9lbs-ish, it's resonant and has that midrange. Gigged it last night, and it's lovely.

Just bought an active J 5 string. Wife- I like the sound of the other one (P with flats)

Blimey, this all got a little heated 😟. For my two-penneth I’m sure there may well be some technical truth in the quiet G, but I personally have never had an issue with it. I have found MM quality to be superb and I’ve had a great many basses from various manufacturers (including a Wal which I loved, but I still had to take it to be shimmed due to insufficient break at the bridge). I’ve had (and still have some) a dozen EBMM basses in various guises with manufacture dates from 2004 to the new Stingray Special and they have all been top notch imho. They’re not everyones cup of tea but I think trying to label them as ‘poor quality’ is unwarranted and potentially very damaging. I’m sure there are many other manufacturers out there far more worthy of that kind of reputation.

It’s another ACG special birthday bass. The first of a new model- the Krell Kompakt. Black Limba body with ART top. Wenge and maple neck with ebony board. Multi coil pickups with Dual filter preamp. Thanks to Alan Cringean (ACG) who not only builds great basses but also takes great pictures of them!! A full build diary is in this thread if you're interested in what the process is for having a bass built from scratch.

Yeh, thats why I don't worry about stabbing people in the street here. Compared to the amount of people murdered in China and the US, its just a drop in the ocean.

This thread has managed to mesh 3 BC perennials - P vs J, Pro vs Amateur, SBL haters. just throw in Brexit & music stands and we’ll have a full house..

I've tried G and Ls and they're very nice basses - I probably haven't played them enough to form a proper view but I found the MFD pick ups very hot and the overall sound was quite Fenderish. I've heard other people sound great on them. I agree on active Fenders - I'm sure the latest are much better but back in the 80s I disliked the sound. My own personal gripe with Precisions (which were my holy grail basses as a late teen/early 20 yr old) was the playability - I remember my disappointment the first time I played one in a shop and literally the neck shape and size made it difficult to play. I hear you say, oh you should have tried one with an xyz pattern neck - wrong - you got what the shop had and even if you were super human (like some rock stars of the time) you got the one the distributor gave you. The days of ordering the one you wanted were way off!! And back then the P bass was designed for ex upright players. Ive played loads over years and find them much more playable these days (they must have altered the neck profile) - when I first played a Stingray in the late 70s the neck was perfect for my hands and playing and the sound was exactly what I wanted - so that's what hooked me. I still really like Precisions - and they are clearly an American icon. In terms of use in his videos, Scott Devine seems amazingly unaware of a whole range of iconic basses - Ibanez, Yamaha, Musicman, Warwick, Rickenbacker, Danelectro, Gibson, Alembic, Wal - there's a decent sized list! As an educator it seems to me as bad as someone teaching history and ignoring anything that doesn't match their own political or religious view. I think biased would be the description! If his focus is sixties Motown then fine but there is more to life!!

Just because a producer is narrow minded and would rather I use a P bass so they can go and smoke a joint doesn’t mean I’m going to pander to them!!

I’m a shameless Stingray fan boy, love mine, although I do admit to tampering with them, not something to post on the EBMM forum but it goes something like this; The blue one (was/is sunburst under the blue) and was pretty rough from head to toe when I got it but picked it up very cheap when I was in America. The pre amp was playing up so rather than get a genuine replacement part I went down the John East route, I can still get classic stingray tones out of it but with the added bonus of lots more of everything in all directions! While I was at it I changed the pickup for a Nordstrand BigMan. They are twice as thick as a standard one. The whole thing is very loud I’m constantly pulling it back. Loved it so much I did exactly the same thing to the cream one ! (All original parts are safely stored away just incace but as far as the blue one goes, SunBlue, it’s death do us part on that one!)

I'd never liked P basses, the reason being that every cheap learner package in Argos, Toys'R'us and the like was always a P copy and I'd always associated them with looking cheap. Pathetic I know but there you go. After about twenty years of playing, and mainly because of this site I thought I'd give one a go, and not even a real one. Locally I'd seen an Aria STB Series P for sale for £40, I'd read that they had lovely necks and bought it, what's to lose? I put a 1/4 Pounder pick up in it and a set of Chromes, gave it a set up and it played lovely. Wasn't sure about the sound at home, first set of flats, first P and all that. Anyway took it to rehearsal and instantly with the band playing it was 'wow', the sound was just there, clear punchy and very audible in the mix. I gigged that bass for about six months until that band folded. I loved the simplicity, just plug it in to any PA and it just sounded how it was supposed to. It's at home now as my go to noddling/learning songs bass.

For the third year our jazz quartet played an early New Year's Eve gig yesterday (Dec 28) at a nursing home where about 75 residents/patients gathered with some family members and staff for a party to celebrate NYE. We play in a lovely big room with great acoustics and decorated with balloons and lots of other appropriate things including hats and noisemakers. We did two sets and then had the big countdown at 3:00PM(!) and the balloons came down from the ceiling nets and we launched into Auld Lang Syne as the residents toasted and cheered in the new year. It is a fun but also sad gig as many of the residents struggle with various afflictions brought on by old age or disease but the music always seems to get through to them and some dance or clap along and some sing along with us. Even most of the people with mental difficulties (dementia and others) respond to the music and at the end of the show seem to be a bit more "alive" , if I may use that term. I guess for many musicians this would be a very odd gig but we have come to look forward to it and work hard to make it a good time for everyone, including the band. A sad fact is that when we go back again many of this year's audience won't be there and as we all get older we realize how precious life is and how lucky we are to have music in our lives and that we can brighten up the day for others doing what we love to do. This gig always reminds me that life just flies by, we should try to do what we can while we are able and have fun with our music and use it to cheer up others as well, and that is not always easy as life throws stuff at us.We play in many different venues but this gig always makes me want to get moving and take what I can from whatever time I have left. OK, sermon over, time to wish everyone a great year in 2019.😀

I'm just back for the rehearsal room where I've been able to mess around with the settings and get a feel for this. Short answer is that it is absolutely incredible. It's so loud and pokey I can't imagine needing anything more than this. The first thing I did was to print off the GK 700RB manual and set the frequency centres to the same levels on this as I was finding it too toppy and that immediately made a huge difference. I didn't touch the Q setting as I need to read a bit more about what that does first. The lowest EQ setting I took down to -5dB and EQ2 to -2dB. If this was used as an out front bass amp then I would have those values higher but I want to avoid rumble on the stage and excessive noise in general Now I have those settings I can make small adjustments on the BDI21 to suit the room If it works out at the gig on NYE then expect my MB500 and One10 to be up for sale on new years morning 😛

Hi Thank you to anyone that reads. I’ve had a forced long lay off from bass playing, following going to rock bottom, after almost dying, after a long tough health battle and the recovery from being smashed by a HGV. Losing the life passion of music was unspeakably depressing. I’m coming out of hell and desperate to reignite my life passion. I can now hold a bass again through sheer determination! However, I have no bass equipment and just need something basic to get restarted. Can anyone help? Thank you for reading.

Sorry guys (and gals), this is getting boring. We have ascertained the following: a. some of us don't like Kylie (or Dannii) b. On the other hand, some of us are huge fans c. Most of us seem to agree that Kylie has paid her dues and generally deserves the Legend slot at Glasto d. (Too) many of us are enjoying dragging this topic on and on and ON with dubious, unfunny, semi-sexist banter which doesn't even stretch to offending us female members - it simply terminally bores us. Time for a lock. Thank you all.

IMO online shopping isn't all it's cracked up to be. Firstly you don't get the enjoyment from perusing in-store whether it's clothing, books, music or whatever floats your boat. Secondly, buying online can be very much a hit and miss affair. Purchases often goes missing in the post, or you don't get what you were expecting, whether something's the wrong model, size etc. Often something looks good online but when you get it the quality of manufacture can be shoddy. Also, the faff of having to wait in all day to receive something is far more hassle than having to drive into town and walk around a few stores. As for streaming, I don't quite get why there's so much faith in this technology. Often there are buffering issues or routers 'freezing up'. Sure I can get my obscure Norwegian ambient electronica albums through Discogs but if it's a new, relatively more mainstream release I don't object to the £9.99 charge for a CD in HMV. I'll be sad to see it disappear from Cheltenham town centre in the wake of several others, leaving only Badlands.

I've no intention of replacing my P with anything, just like that thick lower mid tone that cuts through the mix

Yup sad times, but as others have said, times have changed. I remember as a teenager in the 90s going up town to browse CDs with my mates and make one or two prized purchases. Music was a more valuable commodity back in those days, you'd read all the album reviews (Metal Hammer, Kerrang!!!) and chose carefully. Albums were listened to from start to finish and you'd pore over every detail in the sleeve. Its got to the point where I'm considering getting rid of my 300+ collection of CDs. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing. Having instant access to pretty much a worlds worth of recorded music is awesome, but on the other hand it's made it a bit more like fast food where you just play the things that give instant satisfaction rather than working through a whole album and appreciating the whole piece.

I could have just pressed the backpage button and walked away from this thread but is there any reason why anyone has to defend or deride these basses? They are what they are - a tool for us bass players to use. There are many tools out there, it's just a matter of picking the right one and if it doesn't suit then either modify it or try another. I have 2 overrated basses that I enjoy. Neither were perfect for me initially but I made small, reversible modifications and now they suit me and my style of playing. I said that I didn't like Foderas or Alembics but there's no need to defend these basses. The companies wouldn't be in existence if everyone thought the same way that I do. This isn't directed at anyone, just a general observation.

muiscmen aNd rikerbakers an fendr all suk big leage best bas giutar evr is sqire afinnity percizion i got one it so good my brther Cody keeep steelig an hide IT in his room I get back is all out tune I tell mom but she not lssning jus drink mor beer I say Cody yu wait til Dad gt back from deployment he kik yor butt. Fuk U, logo Nzis.

Interesting interview with Douglas Castro... Discussion on octaver and chorus from about 8mins in.

P Bass, it’s a yes from me. I don’t get why so many people on here hate Scott’s videos. If you watched one and it whizzed you off, don’t watch another one. It is that simple. On the other hand, I bet a lot of people hating Scott would swap their job for his in a blink of an eye. And then, it doesn’t matter that they have to make a 12 minute video to put up on YT, hell, they’d probably make two!

My tickets booked as well , saw them at The O2 Indigo a few years ago and they were brilliant .

You must mean P morgan

I'm confused now - do we ask you, or not?

I'll say either £50 or £2000. The maker might have gone for the "cheap shite" look

See most of the music I grew up listening to was punk, and Paul Simenon, JJ Burrell, Bruce Foxton to name a few really brought bass, especially the Precision to front of the mix. And as said, John Deacon with Queen also had the bass - again a Precision - very up there. Def not inaudible imo, but I suppose it depends on era of music. Those of us who went through the 70s and 80s got some pretty good up front in the mix bass, and more often than not ‘‘twas the humble P-bass.

That's sacrilege - I have a VW Golf and most definitely think the Precision bass is the world's most overrated and boring instrument - the Stingray has completely overshadowed it since the 70s IMHO of course!! The Precision is more of your basic Ford with rubber mats in place of carpets - reliable but highly boring and many other makes will run rings around it. For those old enough to remember - a Ford from 1957 would have vacuum operated windscreen wipers which stopped when you went uphill - they still sold millions of them!!! Why do so many pros use them - they certainly seem to be flavour of the month but I also know that Fender spend a great deal of time and effort (and money) placing their instruments with people. They were probably the best you could get in the 60s but there again if you claimed a bass guitar was a real musical instrument in the 60s you would have been threatened with corporal punishment by serious musicians (upright players) It is quite interesting that the Precison being ubiquitous coincides with music with either inaudible or ill defined bass - not sure if that's down to the players, the producers or the instrument - probably a bit of all of them!! Otherwise they're great!

Come join us in the IEM thread!

I picked up my bass guitar last night after a break of about 10 days. It played itself. I rarely have a session during which I make no mistakes at all, but this was one of them. It's as if both my brain and my fingers had quietly digested all I have learned and practiced in the last few weeks or even months, and were just ready and waiting. Good stuff.

Or anything that is hyped on here. If your technique isn't up to scratch, you'll never sound good no matter how expensive the gear is.

This is why I stopped watching his videos, you get to the halfway stage and he's still waffling on about something completely irrelevant and uninteresting.

Another job off the list, other than the dots (I've put luminlay as an option to the customer, @TheGreek - thanks for the suggestion) and the tru-oil, I've done the knobs Same method as on @Len_derby 's: Drilled a hole in some thicknessed ash: Without moving the drill or wood positions, then used a forstner for the nut relief: Then a plug cutter to cut it out: Drilled a grub-screw access hole and pressed the insert in, with grub-screw lined up with that small hole and also used the plug cutter to cut out a disc of top wood: Then, adding a disc of veneer between the two, glued and clamped it together: Finally sanded to shape: So just the dots to add once I've had an answer of luminlay or MoP

Those who were at the SE Bass Bash will testify that it's surprising how much 'listening' is done with the eyes.

So a lot of pros play a P bass, slow news day?

Aspiring session players care, so it's probably sound advice for people looking to work in that specific environment. As a window on working practices in one part of the music scene what they're saying makes perfect sense, but it shouldn't be taken as a commandment for all bassists.

Now to clarify. When we talk about a P bass, are we talking about pickup configuration, i.e, any manufacturer or self builder can make a P bass. Or is it generally accepted that we would be talking about a Fender. Because if we're talking about pickup configuration, then yeah I'd happily have a P bass. If we're talking strictly Fender then no I'll probably never own one. But then again I'm far from a pro. I just find Fenders overpriced and generally uglier than the elephant man's ugly sister. I realize beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but then tone is in the ear of the be-hearer? (Let's go with listener). The P bass is definitely "That" sound. No doubt. It's been around forever and had to be the most recorded bass in history. Therefore if you are looking to recreate "that" sound then you absolutely need to have one. Personally I'm nowhere near the level where the difference in sound between say a P and a J would make any difference whatsoever to anyone listening, or even to me. As long as I get something which sounds OK I really don't care. In fact I do own a PJ bass and I find myself almost always rolling the P pickup down or all the way off.

Famous top gear commentator stated "if we were all sensible we'd all drive VW golfs" the p bass is the VW golf of basses end of story

Who cares what session players do anyway? What are the bassists in the world's top bands playing? I suspect you'll find just as many J bass players as P bass players.

Because it is a fact that a lot of producers / band leaders prefer their bass players to use a Precision. Let's not pretend that a lot to do with that isn't to do with familiarity, both in terms of sound and image, but it is a thing. Whether you like that or not is something else, but if you are a pro freelance jobbing bass player then it is a good idea to have a P bass in your armoury.

No you haven't misunderstood at all. Full blown, tongue in cheek, misogynistic tripe. As the first line of the original post is about finding Danni a hundred times sexier than her sister I thought maybe the eternally offended wouldn't be following this thread with any great interest, but you've caught me out. I'll still stand by my statement though, but will elaborate even though it will detract from it's original comedic intention. If Danni, Kylie and myself were all single and willing and no one else would be hurt or upset by the act, I could see myself being physically attracted to them. Obviously with myself being married with kids and the Minogues possibly being in relationships this won't ever actually be happening. It doesn't quite have the punch of the original line but there you, you can't have everything. 🙂

Marc frigging Almond !!!!!!!

This, really... I don’t play them myself but love the sound on loads of albums. Nuff said!

You've got balls of steel mate! 😂

I've had to do a bit of research about these things over the last few years, and obviously a lot of variables come in to play, but I don't think it's necessarily doomed, more rather changing in to something different. People will still want to congregate somewhere, it's in our nature, and that place may well be in the void left on the high street. Food, drink and especially entertainment will always be a big draw, regardless of what some people say about kids these days not wanting to congregate in the pub at a weekend to watch middle aged men rock out. The merits and pitfalls of digital media has been discussed numerous times on this forum. These days you just don't need to browse a physical shelf for a ripe desk lamp or particularly succulent foreign holiday. Showrooms for goods may replace stores, and when you've made a judicious choice for the perfect shade of green for your new pantaloons, you mightn't have to wait for it to be delivered from some foreign sweatshop either. Light industrial processes could be making a comeback on the high street! Butcher, baker and the proverbial candlestick maker. Just in time deliveries (probably by drone) of materials mean large warehouses full of cloth or wood or anything don't need to be bolted on to the back of a workspace. You might arrange an appointment to watch robots lovingly hand craft your new bycycle/washing machine/whatever, right before your very eyes, and it doesn't need to be done on an industrial estate on the edge of town. More and more people will find themselves shopping for a particular design or designer. I've made it all sound a bit rosey I know, and my sympathies are with the retail workers who are caught up in this horrible situation.

... and some 'jazz cigarettes', and a zoot-suit! Do it, do it! 🎻 🚬

You could go into a record shop to "buy some vinyl", as you could drive to ATS to get new rubber for your car, it makes you sound like a knob but it's OK. But buying 'vinyls' or 'rubbers' is just wrong and I won't allow it 😋 Feel for you @Normski, it's a horrible position to be in.

Fopp? I don’t use Fopp. I’m a Dapper Dan man.

I think that just means you don’t like them. Not that they are over rated. Good click bait though.