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Showing content with the highest reputation on 30/12/18 in all areas
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Quite. The clue's in the name...or an anagram of it, at least: Fender Precision = Reinforced Penis10 points
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Pro bassists favour the Precision because it produces a pleasing sound and is visually appealing in almost every colour scheme*. The controls fall easily to hand and the instrument can be field-stripped and reassembled by an average player in under ten minutes. Most importantly: research has conclusively proved that bass players are 42% more likely to get laid if they appear onstage with a Precision than any other bass. This is because the Precision is a manly instrument which combines earthy sexual power with a sensitive vulnerability which appeals to women of all ages and social classes. Gig a Stingray or a Rick and the only date you'll be having is with Mother Thumb and her four daughters. * Excludes Antigua and International Blue9 points
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Certainly, in the US, unless you are at the Nathan East, Lee Sklar or the late Louis Johnson level you play what the client wants. Most of the top working session guys will get porterage to bring anything up to 6 basses to the studio. They will run through them and the client will choose. There are a lot of interviews with these players on youtube, and as a lot (most?) of the guys say, they'll usually end up on their late 50's, early 60's P bass with flats. A lot of the UK session guys will play Overwaters and Fenders. Ian King, for instance, plays 4 different basses on his show. Not because he wants to, but because that's what is written. If anyone in this thread thinks that bravado and "their" sound is of interest to the client, it's a good job none of you are trying to make a living in the pro session player world.9 points
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This thread highlights some interesting (not to say depressing) differences in attitude. At the extreme, attitude 1 is "I have MY sound and that's what I'm going to use. So there". Attitude 2 is "What suits this piece/song? How can I achieve that?" A number of previous posts betray some pretty sad snobbery (jibes about "playing on Nana Mouskouri records", "hired hacks", etc, etc). I'd bet that most in the attitude 1 camp are weekend warriors. It isn't just the sound of your instrument or what you play that's important. It's how it fits/blends with what else is happening and with the overall feel that the writer/arranger/producer of a piece wishes to achieve. There is an enormous difference between doing your own thing and playing for someone else. Part of being an adult is to appreciate that you and what you do are often not the centre of the universe. The sound we like when we're playing at home/with ourselves (oooer) isn't necessarily the one that works best in a given context. I love my old J bass, for example, but I'd be the first to admit that it doesn't always suit. That's OK. If someone is paying me, I try to give them what they want. It helps me make a living and lessens the likelihood that I'll have to clean toilets in order to put food on the table. I can always indulge myself/be "creative" at another time. If someone handed me a '62 L series P bass and asked me to use it, I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up at it. For certain things, they're pretty hard to beat. I guess I shouldn't say all this. After all, the more people there are with attitude 1, the greater the chance "hired hacks" like me will continue to be offered work.6 points
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Ever played a Caravan Club rally? They're like Saigon during the Tet offensive, sh*t going off everywhere. Never again.5 points
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Really? Do you think that there are crap producers and engineers working at Stax, Motown and almost every other studio in the US for the last 60 years? The pro players can use what they want when they are working on their own projects. In the studio they are at work and their job is to turn the music into what the client wants. There seems to be a lot of confusion here about this simple fact. In the studio both you and the engineer are working for the client. That can also happen on many gigs, but as has been previously pointed out, where the sound engineer isn't calling the shots he is usually working for the band, where a totally different set of rules apply. In the 70's I knew a guy who wanted the best, so they hired Herbie Flowers. When the session started the bass sound wasn't right, so they asked him to take the foam off his bass. Herbie refused because that was "his sound". Another bass payer replaced him for the rest of the recordings. Herbie's lines from that session were over dubbed. If you're the "best" sometimes you can get away with that attitude. Most session players can't. A P bass has a relatively tight range, mostly in the low-mids, and it can be easily EQ'ed in the studio where the tone stays away from the other instruments. If you turn up with "your" sound which tramples all over the other instruments you're not going to be popular and you're not getting called back. Good move if you want to make a living in the studio.5 points
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I have just somehow wandered upon the Amphonic Music series of recordings by the Syd Dale Orchestra. I am grinning ear to ear. This is my weird happy place. Here’s a sample.4 points
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By the way, Sean Hurley seems like a genuinely lovely dude. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what bass you play, you won’t get much work if you’re a tw*t 🙂4 points
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I bet most cyclists play P basses too, bastards all of 'em4 points
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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..4 points
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I haven't played NYE in years through choice. It's always, without fail a nightmare. People who don't normally drink get sh!tfaced and act like d!cks, couples who don't go out very often go out and argue with each other, people who do go out all the time get territorial and act like d!cks to ones who don't go out all the time, the night never lives up to anyones expectations and it all ends up a very sad, depressing place to be. And I'm stood, sober on a stage watching it all unfold. No thanks. Merry New Year 😄4 points
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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.3 points
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Sold Aria Pro II SB1000, made in 1981 at Matsumoku, Japan. The SB1000 is a true classic with a place in bass history. It was Aria’s flagship bass, top-of-the-line during the famed Matsumoku era, being played by a number of notable players, including Jack Bruce, John Taylor, Cliff Burton, and many others. It’s very versatile for a single-pickup bass. The 6-position ‘varitone’ selector switch (essentially a stepped low pass filter) provides a fast way to access a rake of highly varied and useable tones on the fly. It allows effortless switching from the fat and dubby, through some great modern slap tones, getting honky or punchy for the fingerstyle funk, or bright and open, just by a click of the varitone. It also has a wide tone control, volume control, and battery status LED. Not least, a passive switch so you can bypass the preamp completely for a more classic tone. What these basses are best known for is their strong presence that sits so very well in the mix, punchy and solid, with a good thick low-mid-rich bottom end, massive sustain, and crystal clear harmonics. Loads of growl on tap. The dynamic range is really impressive. The body is made from Canadian ash, the neck is maple/ walnut, and the fretboard is rosewood with 24 frets. Brass bridge and nut. Aria-branded Gotoh tuners. MB1-E pickup. I’ll include a hardcase in the sale. The bass is all original, and in perfect working order. Structurally solid, and in lovely cosmetic condition. There are a few minor surface marks, and the patina of life that one should expect with a vintage instrument, but it’s in fantastic shape for its 38 years. It has been well looked after and is a thing of beauty. There are no dead spots anywhere, the frets show very little wear, the neck is straight, and the truss rod does what it should. No issues whatsoever. It’s set up very nicely, and is good to go. The bass is in Pittenweem, Fife. I’m happy to meet within reasonable distance. I’m also willing to courier at the buyers expense. I’ve posted several basses in the past without issue, and I know the importance of bomb-proof packaging.3 points -
Equipment used for learning by ear? Some ears - very useful IMO3 points
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3 points
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That's a fair point, particularly in respect of the fan sites. Moreover, Gibson have in the past been tolerant to a fault in permitting savagely critical posts on their product web site, though this may change under the bright-eyed marketing wonks who've just taken over the reins from Unhappy Hank. Thing is, every brand attracts fervent adherents, a microscopic proportion of whom appoint themselves Defenders of the Faith. I'm sure it's just the same on washing machine forums ("People who don't like Miele's new crease-free drying programme are just, you know, stupid and evil") and for years I informally attributed this blind, defensive zealotry to psychological illness. Nothing serious of course, just a case of the mental sniffles. I was forced to reassess my position when I read a paper in The Lancet which links this kind of erratic, emotional and slightly womanish behaviour with low or depleted testosterone levels such as might be encountered in both pre-pubescent and elderly males. Extensive fieldwork reveals that a small subset of sufferers have evolved a rudimentary cure, this being to self-administer oral doses of prostatic fluid milked by hand from the loins of those industrialists they have set upon a pedestal. The problem is revealed to be physiological rather than psychological; but the afflicted deserve our compassion whatever the cause. The only thing sadder than a brand fanboi shrieking at the wall is seeing an old teddy bear wired to the front of a bin lorry3 points
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Sometimes BC feels like a support group for GAS sufferers...3 points
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We all did that! What everyone must remember is that you've all agreed in the T&Cs when you signed up that none of you can sue us! It's like the law or something.3 points
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The Daily Mirror claimed it happened at the world famous 'Caravan Club' Someone didnt proof read their story. 🙄3 points
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Well, I get your point. But that’s YouTube for you. His lessons in the academy are different for sure.3 points
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In that instance I went from a short scale narrow neck to a wide fretboard Fender P bass with one run through, before the red light came on. It was a real roast to play anything in tempo on that bass, but I did it. Sadly, they made it sound like it came from Toys R Us! But, no matter, on the strength of that session I was asked back many times. In that world, the true measure of you as a bass player is how well do you play, how accurate you are (no bum notes allowed) and how quickly you can contribute to the session. I wish I could play to that level today! I saw Nathan East at a Bass Clinic at GAK and he said the hardest thing on the LA music scene, is to be asked back. True, it isn't a hobby players world, but if you aspire to playing like your favourite player it's good to also be aware of the environment many of them work in.3 points
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A very good point there, Chris. Reminds me of a band I was in a few years back, the bassist - I was on rhythm guitar at the time - had "his sound" and wasn`t for budging. We recorded some tracks and the only way to have "his sound" not decimate the songs entiely was to have him so far down in the mix that there really was little point in him having turned up for the session. Not saying a P-bass would have saved the day, but imo in all cases the sounds should fit the band, not the individual.3 points
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Found the link your after https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2018/03/on-bass-tina-weymouth3 points
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Two of the 3 stingrays I've played have had serious issues. One had an incredibly weak G string. Mainly because it was a 4 string in BEAD. The second had 5 strings which is a serious design flaw as all bassists know. However, on a serious level, I like them. Very good instruments though I do prefer the HH versions. I guess it's something I might own one day, but that's for some other time.3 points
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Surely this is completely uncontentious (this thread having now reached its 5th page!) - most pro session bass players will keep a Precision as an option, in the same way that a pro session guitarist will keep at least a single-coil- and a humbucker-equipped guitar to cover the different sounds that may be required. Personally I don't operate at these rarefied levels, but it was a fairly interesting video. Don't forget the purpose of these videos is to generate custom for SD's lesson packages...3 points
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Yeah baby!3 points
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I'll keep my head down. I've got a P and a Rick. I've not got piles though. Or an IPhone.3 points
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We are all hopeful that there will someone who will buy HMV. It’s not over yet. In the meantime we are still trading & we’ve been told that we should remain optimistic. It’s not easy carrying on working under these circumstances but we live in hope. Please support us bass friends as we need it!3 points
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They will never be referred to as "vinyls". 😋3 points
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Yeah and I’ve still got the little pencil I nicked at the same time 🤣3 points
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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!3 points
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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.3 points
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He was famous throughout the 80s and later for Fretless playing, largely with his 79 Stingray, long before the P bass period. In his own words, he was in demand to use that sound on lots of albums and songs after the Paul Young Wherever I Lay My Hat single. A good example of the live sound can be heard on Live Aid - compare with Marcus Miller's sound on Bryan Ferry's set. Back in those days it seems producers and sound engineers had no problem dealing with other types of basses (my own experience has been they still don't). I guess it all depends what you're playing and who for.2 points
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If you can't get laid with a p bass on stage you never will do ,but I'm too old for that nonsense now,skankdevlar gives the perfect explanation 🤔2 points
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I used a Squier body, no name neck (but decent - nice flamed maple with a good rosewood board. Had to file/smooth the fret ends and level a couple, but simple enough to do. Plenty on eBay), Grover tuners, Gotoh bridge (not high mass), Seymour Duncan regular P p/u (not the high output version and don't bother with the Antiquity, because the spec's are identical to the cheaper regular one), CTS pots, orange drop cap, Switchcraft socket, that 'vintage' cloth wound cable and silver solder (tried to make everything absolutely bog-standard P bass). It worked a treat and cost me les than £250. Oh, and I put a 'Dinky Toys' decal on the headstock (you can get them off eBay). None of that using a Fender one 😊2 points
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Somebody groped my wife at a gig and SHE beat the crap out of them and threw them clean out of the front door. I know my place 😄2 points
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Most engineers that I know will favour a Precision style bass, simply because of the quick turnaround times between acts at festivals etc; it’s a sound that works and doesn’t require too much monkey business to get it to sound good in the mix.2 points
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I'm sorry if I've upset anyone - I wasn't intending to slag off any pro musicians in this and in my youth I was interested broadly in any recorded or performed bass parts - including those on Nana Mouskouri or even the Singing Nun records - still do I guess. However it was the Andy Fraser/Jack Bruce et al that inspired me to actually start playing in the first place - rock music - that was the point I was making. Interesting to hear session still exist - clearly nothing like the 60s or 70s (93 commercial studios in London down to less than 10 I believe - if that). Now if you focus on dance and pop music you'll find some stonking bass parts around even now - I'm sure they're not all played on Precisions - even bass guitars though!!2 points
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I don't even like it, looks like a £500 bass like most P basses do to me.2 points
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The Vanderkley 212LNT is brilliant. I love it. Am so glad of the upgrade as the Markbass cabs just aren't anywhere near as good. It's like a blanket has been lifted off my sound. Love it.2 points
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You'll probably appreciate this one then. Its one of Aimee's best lessons so far:2 points
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I hear it's a bit moreish2 points
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You and Maude could lobby Coreen Bailey Rae to change her lyrics: "Girl, put your polyvinyl chloride pressings on, tell me your favorite song, just go ahead, let your hair down". 👍2 points
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I'm just glad you didn't say I struggle to see my knob nowadays 😁2 points
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Four things: a) HMV was paying business rates of £15 million a year. That's a lot of council tax. b) Hilco its "vulture fund" owner appears to have taken out £30 MILLION of cash from the business between 2013 and 2016 by way of "fees" c) HMV still managed to have sales of nearly £280 million in 2018 d) The Sunday Times describes HMV as a "DVD and vinyl chain". Ok that settles the matter, records are officially "vinyl" and in future all tyres should be referred to as "rubbers"2 points
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Similar to the RIC forum. Venture the mild opinion that some replacement parts are priced a bit on the high side (specifically: £200+ for the 'R' guitar tailpiece - known for snapping) and you could get nibbled to death by rabid fanbois and / or forcefully ejected by one of the Hall clan. The Balls and the Halls. They're such bastards.2 points
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That was another thing that turned me off the Musicman line of basses. The sheer vitriol on that forum of any criticism of their products which to me, smacked of a level of insecurity that was bordering on the hysterical. I happened to mention (quite civilly) that I was having problems sound-wise with the second EBMM Stingray that I owned and was rounded upon as some sort of heretic and subsequently threatened with being banned. Now I don't know about you, but when the owner of the company is guilty of this vitriol to any criticism would just turn any prospective owner to think twice before purchasing.2 points
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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.2 points
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Buying physical music will never go away. I have kept all my albums I've burnt onto my iPhone. Why? If my hard drive goes t!ts up, I have a backup. Streaming as well. I hate streaming. When you lose signal out and about, no music. When you lose wi-fi connection, no music. When you can't afford £9.99 every month, no music. Burning all my albums onto my iPhone negates all these issues. It's my music, that I own and can listen to no matter where I am.2 points
