skej21

I hate X factor, Strictly etc so I would never spend my Saturday evening watching 'Saturday night tv'... However, I find it equally frustrating when I go out to see live music with my friends in an attempt to watch/support a band (original or covers) in an intimate venue, only for them to turn up with a stadium-ready PA and play so excessively loud that we can't chat and enjoy the music together and all go home with ringing ears (or I have to take my earplugs, which isn't very sociable either!). So instead of chatting to your friends/family, being sociable and chatting about how great the band are, you instead spend the beginning of the night attempting to shout at each before realising it's futile and retreat to the beer garden or the other end of the pub in attempt to resume being sociable away from the excessive volume levels of the music. Funnily enough, wedding bands rarely seem to have this issue...

[quote name='Spaced' timestamp='1472824468' post='3124564'] Surely then it's a golden age for technology and the availability of music rather than bass itself? For my part I'm a big fan of the late 70s/ early 80s. New Wave was great for basslines. Indie had a few good ones in the early 2000s which are worth a mention. [/quote] Maybe missed explaining my point properly. There's access to bass lines in music that may only have 400 listens on youtube that I would never have even discovered/fallen in love with (and taken influence from) in a time when music was not so accessible!

I can take my phone out, plug my headphones in and turn on Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music and queue up high quality tracks with bass lines from Jack Bruce followed by Matt Freeman, followed by Michael Jackson, followed by Dirty Loops, followed by Young Blood Brass band. Rock, Punk, Synth, virtuoso and bass lines played by Tuba players... The possibilities are endless. I could listen to all of the above in a 30 minute listening session at the touch of a button. When I first started listening to music, I had a tape Walkman and the options of what you could listen to were restricted by what you could afford to have and store! 'Now' would be the time for me.

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1472396819' post='3120789'] Mustangs are seriously small basses, especially if you come from the P or J camps. The headstock looks bigger on them as Fender use conventional machine heads, so cannot really shrink them any smaller. I've not played a Mustang for a while, but I remember that it felt very much like a 4 string guitar, because most shortscale basses I've tried have been semi-hollow and had huge bodies. [/quote] I think the headstock/tuners isn't noticed as much with mustangs normally. I think the combination of a full headstock and full size pickup set (rather than the standard smaller spilt coil) on this specific model make the body look like its shrunken and throws the visual proportions quite a lot!

It's a shame they aren't doing that nice "Olive" colour for the mustang bass or I'd have one in a heartbeat!

I think string spacing is like many other things. If you have the ability to adapt and pick up the change quickly it'll not be a problem. I used to think I had issues with tighter spacing or P bass width necks but after a week of working in Music retail and regularly switching between a strat, a Martin acoustic, an upright, a ukulele, a Precision, an Ibanez etc you develop a level of adaptability. Now, I can see why these issues seem huge to people but seem trivial to me when I read about them, as it doesn't really affect me personally anymore. However, I can also see that whilst it appears to be a pretty big issue for some, I don't believe it's something that you can't get past by putting in a little bit of time :-)

Current set up but got a second S112 coming in the next week or so!

How long before someone asks why RHCP have replaced Flea with Adam Clayton? ;-)

[quote name='BobTheBassist' timestamp='1471725436' post='3115418'] Thank you for everyone's advice and help. As I have little or no self control I went ahead and bought the 1800, and I can honestly say i could not be happier. It plays beautifully, sounds fantastic (lovely growly sound when you dig in, smooth as butter when you don't) and looks stunning. It's also light weight and really well balanced, and the neck is [i]seriously [/i]fast. [attachment=225931:BASS.JPG] I did have a play on the 1805, and it was a close run thing - but the four just ticked the boxes. [/quote] Looks lovely. Great grain on the top! The SR serious are really fabulous basses.

I have a few bits that I like playing if people ask (bit of Janek Gwizdala, Jaco or Stu Hamm stuff) but the only one that non-musicians seem to like is this: http://youtu.be/uJpR-xinwCI It is groovy as hell though!

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1471091967' post='3110472'] The price rise is across the board on virtually all products, especially imported products. Boss pedals had a normal price and then a further rise....after Brexit. Not to bring politics into it, but the price rises are due to our 'decision' to leave the EU. [/quote] Partially true. Having worked in Music Retail for a number of years, almost all of the manufacturers have an annual price-hike regardless and Fender are no exception. I very much doubt that the Brexit decision will have had much of an influence on their decision to continue with their incremental price increases but it will obviously affect us additionally because of the Brexit decision. Just for context, one of the reps from one of the big brands we stock told us that the American Guitar Centre stores sell more of their instruments in a year than ALL of the European retailers - Thomann, GuitarGuitar, Gak etc all combined (and as a result, they get first dibs on almost everything). This is also the reason why some companies like Ibanez have models that are available in the US only (like the Buckeye Burl SC Ibanez model. We only get the Poplar Burl option) . It's not because we can't have it but because the brand and it's distributors often think the volume of sales wont be large enough to justify it. Europe isn't that big a deal to these companies. Gibson instruments in Europe only make up about 10% of their global market. I imagine bigger brands like Fender are the same.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1470681983' post='3107642'] If you dent a relic bass, does it improve the finish? [/quote] Yup. It's like Benjamin Button. You just keeping relicing until you go full circle and it's back to new.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1471007338' post='3109951'] Early retiree on BBC pension, supplemented by income from gigs, no idea what that makes me except bloody lucky! [/quote] Sorry, for clarity for those of us under 30, what's a pension lol?

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1470581059' post='3106860'] He was going to use his but the control plate fell off back stage, I suppose that's to be expected on a budget one thousand pound bass?! Ha. [/quote] They are all battered and broken... and it's supposed to be a new bass too!

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1470557290' post='3106637'] Basschat Heresy! Those are not fashionable brands! Current fashion rating is directly proportional to sound quality. [/quote] I'm suprised he didn't sound dreadful without a Flea bass in hand ;-)

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1470563835' post='3106693'] Last night, instead of using the Flea both sets, I used it 1st set and returned to my beloved FSR P/J for the second set. Was quite shocked how much more powerful the Flea pups are . I had to significantly turn up the gain and volume to get back to the sound level I'd had with the Flea in the 1st set. I really was rather surprised. [/quote] So when you sell it on Wednesday, which bass will be used in the first set next Saturday?! ;-)

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1469920690' post='3102076'] I just don't buy this " it's all in there fingers thing". If thats the case all the brilliant bassists in the world would be playing the same bass.Of course they have there own style.but Individual tone is down to electronics. I think there is alot of confusion between how a certain artist plays, and/or the tone they get. Marcus Miller might sound like Marcus on a Hofner or a Ricky because of his style,and the way he plays. but he's not going to have that sound [/quote] I'm sort of with you on this. When people talk about songs that feature slap playing, Flea/RHCP are one of the first names out of the hat and Flea's slap technique is absolutely dreadful! Point is, he gets the tone he has from that awful technique and that is what makes his tone/style distinctive. So whilst players like Mark King, Marcus Miller, Les Claypool etc all have immaculate technique, it think it is 'all in the fingers' but you don't have to have amazing technique to have a distinctive slap style!

Any help? https://www.amazon.com/Player-Magazine-November-Hippest-Palladino/dp/B0036MRK52

Bit of perspective. It might be music you personally dislike but isn't it great to get paid to play music in a band that someone has chosen specifically to entertain their guests at the biggest day of their lives?! Can't hurt to make other people happy and pick up a bit of money at the same time, right?

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1469478423' post='3098703'] Two Barefaced BB2 and a Genz Benz Streamliner 900. Well, thankfully there's a very effective volume knob, because this can make some noise! They're great cabs, and so is the amp... but ever since I found the TKS S112 cabs, it's pretty much all I use. They're small, light, and sound fantastic. And I haven't really needed more than what they can do. Those two and a MarkBass LM3, with the Stingray or the Precision... I've never been happier with my sound. Someone more logical would say "great, then you can sell the BB2 cabs and free a bunch of new gear tokens! - keep the amp as backup"... but I can't bring myself to do that. Not yet anyway. How much stuff do we keep that we don't really need, "just in case"? I'm pretty bad at that.. [/quote] My practice rig is 1 x TKS S112, LMIII and a precision. Gig rig is the same with an extra S112. Like you say, it's an unbeatable tone in a small, gig-stairs-friendly package. Couldn't be happier with mine either!

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1468949301' post='3094603'] Man, you might regret it! Andertons have announced USA products are rising in price. [/quote] Fender have as many annual price hikes as the Queen has birthdays! Nowt new there :-)

It would appear the Flea sig is the new Maruszcyk!

This should be entitled "People still discussing relic'd/Road worn instruments - really?"