Fat Rich

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1152714' date='Mar 7 2011, 05:36 PM']It does look good but I personally really struggle with the online format. I assume younger people get on better with it?[/quote] I've downloaded the pdf version and will probably print out the stuff I'm interested in, without the adverts it's probably not many pages.

Saved up for ages to buy a Warwick Streamer Stage II but tried several and just didn't get on with them. Ended up with my Status S1 headed 5 stringer, it still puts a big stupid grin on my face when I play it even after 18 years.

I can't say what would work for you.... I like: DR Hi Beams and Fatbeams - great for slapping but have lots of character and last for ages - but expensive and feel a little grabby under the fingers when new Ernie Ball Slinkeys - nice balanced tone, feel quite smooth, pretty inexpensive and easy to find in music shops Status Hotwires - quite bassy but with some top end zing - pretty inexpensive You might also want to try coated strings as they sound fresh for ages, buy a set and you may never need to buy any more strings again! Elixirs are very popular here. If you want a thumpier sound with less hi frequencies then try some flat wounds or half wounds, they feel smooth under your fingers but I struggle a little with the extra friction. Guages are down to personal preference. If you find the E string is a bit flappy then go for heavier strings. If you prefer a slightly twangier sound go lighter guage, a lot of people who slap seem to use lighter guages. But the only way to find out for sure what works for you is to try as many different strings as possible.

My old outboard Sadowsky preamp adds a lot of warmth to the sound, jazz basses in particular sound fantastic through it. Another route might be to try different strings, I use: DR Fat Beams when I want a fat scooped sound with lots of clang Ernie Ball Slinkys for a more balanced sound with some mids Status Hotwires for a strong bassy fundamental but still with some top end clarity

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1150383' date='Mar 5 2011, 11:03 AM']For me, this debate is not about what is or is not possible but about what is or is nnot advisable. If anyone who has recently started the bass, I would argue that the theory/reading route to be the one that wastes less time in the long run. Everyone who comes to realise this always says the same thhing: 'I wish I had done this earlier'. It is not an instead of playing the tunes you like, it is as well as. If you learn a tune based aroudna dorianm minor and know that is what it is, every other tune that is based on that scale is an open book. I also hold the view that, if you can't articulate what you know, you probably don't know it as well as you think. This is not about whether it is possible to learn without theory. Of course it is. The issue is, is it the best way. I think it isn't and my experience and connections with both theorists and the rest bears this out. Remember, groove playing, rhythm and feel are all part of the theory too and not set apart from it.[/quote] Wading straight into a lot of theory can be off-putting to beginners, it's good to get some instant gratification from learning to play an instrument. But I think once you've got past that stage it's time to start learning properly. I hear plenty of people not prepared to learn theory because they feel it'll make them sound like they've come off a production line / it's a waste of time / it doesn't necessarily make you a better player etc. and in a few cases this can be true. However I've never heard anyone say they've learned to read music, understand chords, scales and modes, harmony etc. but that it was all a waste of time and they didn't get anything out of it.

Definitely not an Empathy, they were only available with graphite necks. It's either a Series 1 or an Energy.... pretty sure it's a Series 1 as it has soapbar pickups and 4 controls. (The Energy of that time had Jazz style pickups and 3 controls). If it has a bookmatched facing then it's a Series 1 Artist and worth a little more. There have been a lot of changes to the Series 1, mine have graphite necks (1993), soon after they went to bolt on graphite rod wooden necks like this one (mid 90s), then later to wooden neck-through. Then they changed the body shape and lost the beveled edge before eventually going back to fully graphite necks. It's probably a very nice sounding and playing bass, but it won't be worth as much as a graphite necked one. The neck probably has a slightly odd profile, quite slim but with a flattish back rather than a continuous C shaped curve.... feels OK (to me anyway) to play.

The hex screws in Fender bridges are usually so long I just slacken the string and twiddle 'em with my fingers.

This guy seems to manage alright: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrrutA5u8pg&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrrutA5u8pg...feature=related[/url]

[quote name='hubrad' post='1148088' date='Mar 3 2011, 10:04 AM']Too many people in music seem to assume their instrument has 'gone off' when all it really needs is a decent setup. We once had a chap almost in tears at the difference a 30-odd quid job had made to his acoustic 12 string! [/quote] There were some very happy and amazed Basschatters at the London Bass Bash last summer after Bernie Goodfellow had done some free setups. There were results ranging from fixing enormously high action, buzzes or other problems, to making minor tweaks to basses that seemed very well set up already but had their owners muttering words like "wizard" and "some kind of god" and shaking their heads in disbelief.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1147508' date='Mar 2 2011, 07:00 PM']So it is needed then Unless you are just going to be playing the bottom note of the guitar shape with no regard to what it is or how it sounds,a basic understanding is needed. You could play a major third over a minor chord,wince,and hopefully correct it....but why not take away all the guess work when you could play the right note to begin with?[/quote] asdfiet arlurgasrd airuga girup[o arg ouargsr dgaew9ewo9t g9asejgf a=90 4op#af90aelas agpoa gao'8et9 sgl;asiga rta 'roga rtg'pao rouare ogiar gl;rdg. Fjkau kjahsdf lkasdf lksdfj pr arau a arliug aaosug l; asrokgua ;losie. [i]Edit[/i]: It's like typing by closing your eyes and randomly pressing keys until you've got roughly enough letters on screen in roughly the right places. Then going back and fixing them till they spell out what you were thinking.

I was very glad I kept the basses, less so the amp as there have been big advances in amp and cab design. Ditto my effects box (Peavey Bassfex) as it went on fire when I switched it on again!

Could be your callouses are harder on one finger? Also try experimenting the tension in the first joint in the finger (the joint nearest the nail) you'd be surprise how much difference it can make to your tone.

You could print this out and give it to him: Major = Minor = Sounds like it'd double his musical knowledge!

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1147107' date='Mar 2 2011, 01:51 PM']Despite all manner of aggravation and a very irritating guitarsehole, I seem to still be in my band. Doesn't make much of a story, does it?[/quote] Bah, there's always one who has to be different

[quote name='Linus27' post='1147147' date='Mar 2 2011, 02:28 PM']To be honest, I've noticed a big difference in quality over the MIA stuff and the CIJ stuff. The MIA just seemed better finished and nicer.[/quote] I guess it's all down to personal preference, apologies if anyone thinks I'm knocking their choice of MIA or MIM Fenders. I've ended up keeping my MIJ Fenders and selling on the US ones purely based on the way they feel and sound, I've just never felt attached to a US one. As for build quality, I've seen some terrible MIA (and MIM) Fenders, bad neck joints, poor fitting control panels and pickup misalignment mostly. The quality control on the MIJ / CIJ seems a bit less variable, I've not seen as many really dodgy ones. Maybe I've just been lucky. I may pick up a US Fender one day and fall in love with it, but it hasn't happened yet!

[quote name='silddx' post='1146624' date='Mar 2 2011, 12:16 AM']I tell you what lads, it feels like sitting in front of a roaring log fire you built yourself from cherry wood, sipping a glass of the finest warm, rich and smoky single malt, and telling your queen you caught a 68lb common carp of the Donald Leney strain from Redmire Pool today, while she smiles at you with deep, lustrous shining eyes. That's what it feels like.[/quote] I am honestly baffled as to why anyone would pay big money for a US Fender when the Japanese ones are often much better (except maybe an old 60s vintage one).

Or you could use ABM monorails [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/abm_3710c_single_bass_bridge.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/abm_3710c_single_bass_bridge.htm[/url] You can vary the string spacing from about 15mm to infinity, but there's little lateral adjustment when they're fitted plus it's difficult to drill the body and get all six lined up perfectly. I prefer the sound of a single piece high mass bridge over monorails, they maybe lack a bit of punch but they bring out the sound of the bass more, and are available with piezos too.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1145678' date='Mar 1 2011, 01:18 PM']How shyte is this guys tone and technique... especially the last 20 seconds. [/quote] I like the way the sound is in time with the cat in your avatar

Sorry , late to this thread! There's a great app available for iPhone / iPod touch called "Bass Clef" that's a more sophisticated version of this quiz. Basically, instead of clicking on boxes with the note names, you have a bass fingerboard on the screen (4, 5 or 6 strings, left / right handed) and as the notation appears in a box you tap the note on the fingerboard. It also covers sharps and flats. Very useful! [url="http://www.frodis.com/bassclef/index.html"]http://www.frodis.com/bassclef/index.html[/url]

Just round the corner from The Gallery: [url="http://www.jazzcafe.co.uk/"]http://www.jazzcafe.co.uk/[/url]

8 1/4 inch (which is 210mm or about 43 fluid ounces) I'll play anything (badly) but prefer Jazz necks or Status 5 stringers which are pretty slim. It takes me a few minutes to adjust to a Precision or a Stingray but I can go back to a slimmer neck with no adjustment.

It's amazing how many bass players don't actually know what they sound like because they don't record themselves very often. I've lost count of the number of times I've played something with great dynamics, great feel and lots of soul. And then listened back and none of it has come across in the recording and it sounds really ordinary. Maybe that's part of the reason top session players sound so good, they're always listening back to what they played and improving it.

I have a bass with flats and a couple with halfwounds / groundwounds but I find it difficult to judge the tone of a bass with flats on as the strings influence the tone more than the bass does (to my ears anyway!) I think with fairly fresh roundwounds you get the full tone of the instrument which is important if you're choosing a new bass and don't want to end up with a dull toneless plank.

Thanks for the link, will definitely be checking out more of his videos!

Maybe go to a few shops and try some different 5 stringers and see if you like them more than yours, if not then maybe you're just not into 5 strings generally. I'd be tempted to put the 4 string away for a few weeks and force yourself to play the 5 and see if it grows on you... that way you're less likely to sell it and regret it later.