Deep Thought

At an otherwise highly successful pre-gig rehearsal today, I found my beloved 07 S-1 P-bass had only the top (D and G string) section of the pickup working. The E and A strings were quiet and muted whilst the D and G were loud and clear as usual. I'm dropping it round to my local emporium in the morning, to hopefully get it fixed before we gig on Saturday night. I suspect wiring, I particularly suspect something to do with the useless S-1 switching, which stopped working months ago, but I didn't care because I never used it. Sound feasible?

[quote name='cd_david' post='250486' date='Jul 29 2008, 02:58 PM']Knew id seen one before, Model 4003S/SPC Blackstar from ric forum[/quote] Oh strewth don't show me that, that only makes it worse! Is that a limited thing, or can one still get one off the shelf as it were?

Very nice and a hell of a steal-well played that man! For a bloke supposedly happy and GAS-free with his P-bass, I'm getting more and more itchy for a Rick. Never used to like 'em when Foxton was using one, but a bloke in a local band has one and it sounds cracking, plus I like the '50's styling. I have an urge for a JetGlo, but I don't get on too well with the white scratchplate. Is there a reason why I've never seen a JetGlo with a black scratchplate? This is a purely theoretical question as the chances of me actually getting a Rick are currently virtually zero, but you never know!

I normally don't like Warwicks at all (sorry!), but that does look rather nice. Showing my ignorance again, how does one play a bass like that? Does one pluck two strings at once, 12-string guitar style? How's it sound?

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='231961' date='Jul 3 2008, 01:20 PM']They look awesome but imagian a black scratchplate on the Jazz and a wihite scratchplate on the P.[/quote] Under no circumstances let a white scratchplate anywhere near that gorgeous P! I'm delighted with my Black/black '07 P, I've very little desire for much else, but if there's one thing I still lust after, it's a 70's P like that.

It is just possible that there's a nice bass under all that crap. I'm not paying £900 to find out though! (Even if I had £900!)

Strangely he doesn't appear to have been knocked down in the rush!

[quote name='steve-soar' post='245809' date='Jul 23 2008, 12:31 AM']Just come back from the Liverpool arena, Stranglers and Blondie. JJ was using his Shuker through a Mark King head into a Classic neo ABM 4X10 AND 1X15, he had two stacks but only one amp was switched on, his front of house sound was terrible. It was massively compressed and lacked any definition. I haven't seen them play since Hugh left as I thought they may have become a Stranglers tribute band, tonight my fears were comnfirmed. Blondie's bassist was using an SVT and 8x10 and he had a sweet sound but obviously a different approach and style. The last time I saw the M.I.B. JJ was using his Trace gear with his black Precision and that totally cut through, snarling, wicked sounding bass. Maybe the engineer tonight was an idiot, who knows. The L'pool arena is a sh*t hole, too many pissed idiots kicking off, nothing like any Stranglers gig I have been to before, where fans would be lively at the front but everyone else would be cool and having a good time. The meat head security were being very agressive and unecessarily violent. I suppose you can't go and see this kind of band and be forced to stay in your place but be allowed to drink enough beer to make people nasty. People were being total pigs and coming back from the bars with arms full of beer, then going back again. This country is in a bad way, very disturbing scenes my wife and I witnessed.[/quote] Shame you didn't have a good night-I didn't see them for 15 years having seen them 7 times during the Hugh years. Just couldn't get on with Paul Roberts at all and totally lost interest. Decided to check them out again when I found they were playing at Helston in October '06, at the time I didn't realise Paul Roberts had left. I was blown away, totally impressed with Baz Warne, it was almost like seeing the old band again-in fact it was better, the last time I'd seen them with Hugh, on the 10 tour they were bloody awful (not the first time, sadly, that JJ has had poor FOH sound). I really felt as though the new lineup had completely rejuvenated them. Saw them again last year in Exeter, fantastic again, took my mate who was also greatly impressed. Hopefully it was more to do with the venue than the band, all the gigs I've been to have been cool as you describe-guess I'll find out myself in October.

[quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='245262' date='Jul 22 2008, 12:15 PM']For some reason I think singer/bassists look really douchey. I don't know why that is.[/quote] Grrrrrrr!

Sonny Boy Williamson-Don't Start Me Talking.

Anybody see Dragon's Den last night? I didn't myself but I gather from GMTV this morning that one of them has 'invested' in a band. They were on this morning, seemed OK, but nothing special I thought. Lead singer plays bass (Yamaha RBX-shape job). Virtually inaudible brass section. Lyrically pretty good. Wonder if this will do them some good or be the kiss of death. Thoughts?

[quote name='steve-soar' post='244967' date='Jul 22 2008, 12:19 AM']I'm going to see them tomorrow night, so I shall tell you what he is using. Versitron Series F.[/quote] Liverpool Summer Pops, eh? Lucky you-I have to wait 'til October at Exeter. Be interested to hear if Jet Black is with them-he's missed some shows through ill health again lately. Actually I know JJ has an array of cabs that he mixes and matches according to venue, so I don't think there's a definitive setup. On the Roundhouse DVD I'm sure I can see a Trace something or other amongst the Ashdown stuff-would like to know if I'm right. Enjoy.

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='244096' date='Jul 20 2008, 10:24 PM']Absolutely - he uses an 8x10 according to the Ashdown website so he does not mix his drivers.[/quote] I've not seen him use an 8X10. I know he uses 2 ABM 4X10's and two (?)1X18's. He certainly is on the 'Rattus at the Roundhouse' DVD, recorded in November 07. Woolly it is not.

I tried some Skull strings, which my local shop sells, a while ago. They have some sort of coating (not like the Elixirs, which I had on my Ibanez SR500 and which I didn't like at all-the plastic stuff started wearing off and going all stringy), but a micro-coating of sorts which makes them more resistant to corrosion and last longer. I really liked the sound, and they did seem to last longer too.

Some will be aghast at me for suggesting this, but if you really don't want to do it any more, don't do it. If it's pissing you off that much, and the urge to do it has gone, go and do something else. I was a diver for 18 years. I was [i]heavily [/i] into it-I ate, breathed, pissed, sh*t and farted diving for years. Then for a number of reasons the urge to do it just went-I found myself 30M underwater, on a wreck, thinking 'what the bloody hell am I doing here? I don't want to do this any more.' I hung on for another year, trying to kid myself it was just a phase, throwing money at it in the hope that nice new kit would fire up my enthusiasm again, hoping for that fantastic dive that would get me back into it. It never came, and I finally admitted defeat and sold all my kit. First I bought a motorbike, then I started another band. Now the band is my all-consuming passion and I have not the slightest urge to go back underwater again. Other things take over. Glad I did it, don't want to do it any more. If that's how you really feel, go find something else to get your heart pounding again. Perhaps you'll come back to it one day, perhaps a new thing will take over-do what you feel, don't do it if it's making you miserable.

Give it some welly-it will sound far better if you give it b*ll*cks than if you're all weedy about it. Practice in the car where you can give it some without the worry of being overheard. Half the battle with singing is about confidence-I know you're all nervous about it, but it really isn't that big a deal, especially not on backing vocals where you can get away with a multitude of sins. You'll be fine-it's just a case of getting used to it-our guitarist is having the same troubles at the moment-it'll soon come to you.

That would be nice if it didn't have that gold scratchplate-I don't think they look good on [i]anything[/i], at least not the horrible thick gold slab of plastic Fender use. I was going to say that I didn't like the writing on it either, but I think I'm right in saying that's just on the clear protective peel-off coat.

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='242714' date='Jul 18 2008, 01:59 PM']Plus, didn't he wear monkey boots when all around were Docs'...? And maybe I'll look at Mags. Ta Deep. Or should that be Mr Thought?[/quote] Well actually it was the other way around. Hugh Cornwell was the Monkey Boot man. JJ has always been the Docs wearer, which is why I always wear them on stage, in tribute to both JJ and my other favourite bass player and Docs wearer, Norman Watt-Roy. There you go see, that's what you get for encouraging me. Mr.Thought? LOL. The name is the biggest misnomer in history anyway, deep thinking is the last thing I do. I've still got the MAG, I prefer the Trace though-the MAG never seemed to have enough wallop for me, so when the Trace came up here, I decided to take a chance. Glad I did. It's the same wattage, but I swear the Trace is louder, and definitely cooler.

See, there y'go-funny how tastes differ isn't it? Perhaps it appeals to me as I don't really like Musicman (men?)-I hate that oval pickguard and I've never forgiven them for that silly logo they used to have with the M being made up with little men's legs (shallow I know but that's the way it is). And don't get me started on the Bongo! This actually looks pretty nice to me, I thought it would to lovers of their stuff also, but apparently not! Funny old game, innit? And yes, I agree this stuff is pretty pricey-I don't think he's worried if he sells the gear in this section or not, if somebody comes along who likes it enough to pay that sort of money, fine, but otherwise I think the shop does fine anyway.

Yeehar! Result! I love a happy ending, me.

Just found this after a casual glance at one of our local emporia's website, which I do from time to time. Now I am no fan of Musicman basses (sorry, they just don't do it for me!), but even I thought this was nice. Andy certainly does get some nice stuff-check out some of his previous sales! [url="http://www.modernmusic.co.uk/collectibles_and_rarities/musicman_redwood_stingray_bass.php"]http://www.modernmusic.co.uk/collectibles_...ingray_bass.php[/url]

I think the 'wooliness' is generally associated with the ABM series Ashdowns-I also have an Ashdown MAG 300 4X10 which is not at all woolly, and I recall others here saying similar. That having been said, to return to the gent we were discussing earlier, JJ Burnel (sorry to keep banging on about him) now uses ABM stuff, and I don't think his sound can be accused of being woolly!

It's generally accepted that, certainly in the early days, his distinctive sound came from using a guitar amp (a HiWatt I believe) with a cab that had torn speakers.

Already seen in the 'How was your gig..' thread, but here's my lot, the Steely-Eyed Missile Men, at the Sandsifter at Gwithian last Thursday-a good time had by all. The hat has been replaced, BTW.