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We had a chat...I didn't feel that he took on board what I had to say. His general attitude was "this is how I wrote the song and what the song requires" - I wasn't in agreement and didn't feel I was being listened to. Not a good sign. I've walked.

Finally managed to make myself something! I wasn't sure whether to post this in build diarys or gear porn but I've plumped for here. Anyway, it's 32"scale which I'm finding really comfortable to play. Although with drop tuning things get a bit flabby so I'm going to try a thicker guage. I was also worried the LP style might suffer from neck dive but it's not an issue at all. It has a flamed Ash top and walnut neck and I'm very pleased with it.

Show him a melody to play. Then if he responds say “oh I thought we were writing each other’s parts “

I thought id go with the two classic colours of Christmas a month or so ago...

That’s how G&R’s always sounds to me. 🦡 🔪🍒🤪

Give it a go. You've nothing to lose. You can always say thanks but no thanks if it isn't to your liking. It's only one evening out of your life.

I’ve walked away from a few bands over the years where a whiff of this has started to creep in. If you want me to play bass in your band you get my bass lines. If you don’t like them then find someone else who’s bass lines you prefer / will play what you tell them to. *Have to add that I’m playing originals for fun (playing a bass line someone else has written holds zero interest for me). Of course if I was playing for a living, I’d play whatever the person paying me wanted me to play 😐

I remain unconvinced that a B string needs to be over 34" to sound great.

Desperately sad news. He was my version of Neil Peart - i.e. the drummer who changed what you thought was possible. While being technically astonishing, he was a very musical player. What he did lifted the music, he was never just flash because he could. I was a massive Death fan back in the day and was so disappointed when it all fell to pieces, only finding out when the Chuck-less Death took to the stage before me on the ill-fated Kreator tour - the beauty of the pre-internet age. When, months later, I read an interview in Metal Forces that he was working on a new album with the best musicians he could find which would be more aggressive and more technical, I was very excited. When Human was finally released, I bought it straight away (along with Unquestionable Presence because if these Cynic guys were good enough for Chuck then they were good enough for me and I had to hear more). It is a bus journey home which I still remember vividly. Human is an album which lived in my walkman for a long, long time, largely because of the drumming. Revolutionary does not do it justice. I saw Death on the following tour in McGonagles in Dublin, after queueing for hours to ensure I would be up front. Reinert’s brief warm-up remains one of the most impressive things I have ever seen and thinking of that gig still gives me goosebumps. It showed what great musicians could do with songs I thought I knew inside-out. What they did to the old songs was mind-blowing, as well as getting to see what went into making Human so special from touching distance. I got one of his sticks at the end, still have it, and when I was threatened with a knifing by some scumbags after who moved swiftly from “Are you lookin’ ar me?” to “Give me your jacket or I’ll knife ye!”, I was thinking “How do I get out of this while keeping this stick?” When ITP came out without the Cynic guys, it took some time to get over. I like that album but never loved it. Luckily, Focus came shortly afterwards and remains a milestone in my life. As metal got replaced by the dreary nu-metal, it was one of the albums which stayed in constant rotation through the 90’s, part of the ultimate trinity with Human and Unquestionable Presence. When the internet arrived and one could check to see what happened to musicians who seemed to just vanish, I was so happy to find the likes of Portal, Gordian Knot, Aeon Spoke and Aghora. The Cynical Sphere forum (RIP) had contributions from Tony Teegarden, recalling how he lived in their rehearsal room leading up to the recording of Focus and how Reinert would relentlessly practice the songs, determined that there would be no overdubs on the album. There I also discovered that he lead with his left foot when double-bass drumming, allowing him to incorporate hi-hat, which was a massive “Ah-haaaaaaaaaaah!” moment explaining how he could perform things I couldn’t believe were not overdubs. I saw Cynic three times as they toured Traced in Air, finally able to bring mates to actually see the drummer I had raved about for so many years. He had matured and gotten even better. For my mates who accompanied me to the Dublin gig and then on to Belfast for the next gig, this has hit hard. I last saw him play as part of DTA, going full circle and see him play the songs which introduced me to his incredible skills and musical ability. For me, he was the best of the best. This one is tough to digest and 48 is no age to leave at.

I was a big fan of the Jam back in the day and appreciated the kick and rhythmic foundation Bruce Foxton brought to the band. I've been building guitar partscasters - Tels and Strats - for a few years and this is my first bass and I wanted a black and maple precision. All pre-used parts this cost less than £500. 2018 Fender Player Precision neck, 2016 MIM Precision body, USA pickguard, ebonised tru-oiled rosewood thumb rest, Seymour Duncan SPB-1 pickup with CTS pots and Bare Knuckle .22uF paper in oil cap. Gotoh 201B-4 bridge. It's got plenty of thunk and clang on tap. The Rotosound Swing Bass set are in the post, but the D'Addarios on there currently sound very good. Looks great with my early nineties Rickenbacker 330 in Fireglo (final pic).

A couple of ebay finds arrived recently. I bought the Aria before xmas but it took a while to get here from Japan. I thought it was an IGB-600 but it turns out to be an IGB-CST with a carved sen body. I can now understand where Billy Gould got that tone from, the output is outrageously high and it’s really easy to overdrive the amp. The EQ is very usable, particularly the low end. It might be the most musical low frequency control I have ever played. While waiting for the Aria to arrive and checking the tracking I saw the ESP. It desperately needs some love, particularly the frets, and it’s the only bass I’ve ever had which arrived with the truss rod completely loose. The truss rod nut doesn’t look like it has ever been touched. I’ve already stripped it, cleaned it (very badly needed), shielded it, replaced the bridge, shimmed the neck and set it up properly. I think this one has been around the block a few times and now I know why. Even with plenty of work left to do, though, it farts like an olde-time P should and I’m going to make it real nice, real nice.

Fair play to you Mick, you're a decent and reasonable guy and if you didn't sign up to be in this chap's backing band then you're right to walk if it was sold as an originals project.

I think this thread is about Juan, not yourself, with all respect. Hope he can pull through this terrible incident - monster of a player.

My Squier Vintage Modified Precision. She's been tinkered with a bit... 😁

I'm a sax player... I started playing bass 20 years ago because it was easier to get a local gig (and I also think bass is seriously cool). When I started learning bass, despite being a semi-pro sax player for years, I had zero appreciation of what a bass does and how a bassline works. Sax is a melodic instrument... bass links rhythm and harmonic structure... and possibly melody too. My first instinct would be to tell him to eff off. Otherwise... unless you can come to an understanding with him, unhappiness will result. Ironically, when I was a sax player I once had a bass player trying to tell me what to play. Each to their own. Point of information: in 20+ years of gigging with a sax, I only played one song in Bb. I just played whatever key the singer wanted.

This is worth 32 minutes of your time

Just fitted a fretless Jazz neck to my Mexican P. Wish I’d tried fretless years ago. cant stop playing along to Graceland! Listening to that album inspired me to give it a go. hopefully I’ll get the hang of it enough to take it to band practice one day. I’ll spare them the the pain for now.

Thanks for the replies, folks. To summarise: if you want to and it sounds right?

Some thoughts on listening habits in the age of streaming, and why I'm challenging myself to get through 100 albums in 2020: New Ears' Resolutions - 100 Albums in a Year?

Love mine,it's the best P bass I've had

Don't blame you. I've walked from a couple of bands for the same reason. It would help if people like him put their cards on the table right from the outset. 'Hired gun required' is a lot different to 'Anyone want to write some tunes?' I've spent a lot of time in the past learning someone's stuff on the understanding that there would be some jamming and collaboration in the future, only to find that they wanted a hired band. Onwards and upwards!

Do it, it’s like making a curry, the notes are spices. They’re diatonic, the chord tones are obviously the strongest notes, but others from the scale work fine too.

Elasticated ball loops are quite an eye opener too.

Thanks for the re-assurance guys, I think I'll go ahead and get it done 🙂 I got the bass relatively cheaply when they were out of fashion, plus it needed work. Bought it cos I was a Mick Karn fan. It was all about the sound - the future value had nothing to do with it!

Can you take his bass lines and modify them to something that you like with your take on it but still retaining some of his basic idea. I get the feeling its not intentional on his part and he probably hasn't given it much thought. He's been focused on how the song sounds in his head. Worth talking to him see what he thinks. He might value your input and help in improving the songs. Dave

This is essentially it...his songs played by the band. I've always felt that everybody has a contribution to make so let them make it. They know their instrument and how it fits the bigger picture. I don't tell the others how/what to play so let me find what I think works.

🤣

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F174169657828

Mmmmmmn, how right you are, I wonder if they will damage to order?

You were lucky to get a reply at all! Maybe arrange a meet up and 'hit him', after all he did ask for it.... This guy advertises on all the time Somerset JMB and keeps me amused: Just got my new Bon Jovi satnav, apparently I’m halfway there. I’ve been playing in a band called Duvet, we were a covers band then I joined 999Megabytes, we didn’t get a gig. So I’m back. Bass guitarist with plenty of experience and open to suggestions that are physically possible. So old I can provide bv’s in Latin. Inventive confident player with good gear and transport, obviously. Ex pro wanting to gig some more.

I moved mine to the upper bout in a 'normal' position - there is plenty of wood for the screw to bite into. I carried out some exhaustive tests first, of course, to make sure. I knocked it to see if it sounded hollow and screwed it to a bit that didn't 🤨

Lisa's let herself go?

@skelf made me this one; ticks all five of your specification

Thanks to you I've just spent fifty minutes down a rabbit hole discovering that a 'Bottom Buddy' is not what you might expect.

I haven’t got a really wide necked bass, so I use the drive.