mcnach

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1386972950' post='2307167'] I like the look of that. I'll need to have a shot on it. ;-) are you about over Christmas? We could have a bass party! [/quote] I'm going away, but coming back on the 29th and I have another two weeks holidays after that so if you're free in early January... :-)

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1386965105' post='2307033'] That does look nice. I'm a big fan of natural finished ash and maple together! [/quote] You, Sir, have taste.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1386964974' post='2307031'] It looks great - but I think your tital about the horror is a bit misleading - I've lost count on the number of 5 strings you've had down the years! [/quote] Ha ha you're right! 1 - Cruiser soemthing or another. Two MM style pickups. Wide neck. Too wide (I thought) I sold it after maybe playing it for a total of 3 hours. 2 - Washburn PB2500. Single MM style pickup. Narrow spacing. Similar fate as the Cruiser. Ah no, rather than selling it, I traded it for an Ashdown MAG250 head and a mini 15" cab to go with it. I used the amp in teh first week more than I had used the bass in months. 3 - EBMM SUB5. Lovely. Great sound. Narrow spacing. I used this one a bit more, because at least it had the sound I liked. Still, not much use, and I wished it had a wider string spacing. 4 - G&L L2500 Tribute series. Ash natural and maple. Beast. Awesome bass. Narrow spacing. I sold the SUB5 first, then this one soon after. Eventually I got an L2000, also ash natural and maple. 5 - I sold those two when I found that a Squier deLuxe V felt much more at home. Wide neck and spacing... the pickups were not right. The bridge pickup was farther from the bridge than usual for a Jazz, bringing it nicely into a more MM-like territory... but the pickups were a bit polite and the preamp nasty... Eventually I let it go too. 6 - That Stagg Stingray copy thing... I barely got it fixed and the Lakland has shown up, so I'm not sure whether I'll give up on these two soon or what... But this time I got it right, I think. If I don't get along with the Lakland, then that's it and I'll forget about 5-string basses Edit: I also owned, briefly, a Peavey Millennium. Very very narrow spacing....

Keep an eye on eBay (set a search that warns you by email) and be ready I've seen them go for anything from £50 to £100. I bought one a month or two ago and I paid about £80, if I recall correctly. If you can wait, you can get it for less. Pretty cool octaver.

Ha ha! There's clearly some history between the parties, eh?

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1386870404' post='2305766'] We're going to recording an EP just after Christmas, and will be putting it out digitally soon after. Artwork all ready to go! My last band did the same, but the 'band leader' took care of it, so my knowledge is limited. I think he uploaded through Tunecore - seemed to be quite quick and easy, and the stuff is still up there on Amazon, iTunes, etc. Saw some of it for sale in some place in America last week! Because he dealt with it and we split up, I've go no idea how many were ever sold, and never received a penny! Has anyone on BC done this? If so, any tips on the best 'seller' to go with? They all seem to be in $. Do I assume that once you pay the fee, it's available digitally forever through the normal sites? Any tips and experience welcome. [/quote] we went through "emubands". That way we did not have to worry about anything and our CD is on iTunes, Googleplay, amazon, spotify... the lot. That's for digital copies. We also set up a Bandcamp account for physical CDs, sold directly by us. It works.

Do I play 5 string basses? No. Do I ever feel I am missing something in any of the bands I play with? Not really. Sometimes I think "ah, this would surely be a bit easier on a 5er", but that's about it. I use Hipshot Bass EXtenders to detune the E to D in a few of my basses, and other than that I'm happy with EADG. So, do I want a 5-string bass? A little. (ah, so it's not about needing) Have I tried 5-string basses before? Yup. I owned a few. They all suffered identical fate: neglect and sale. Do I really want a 5-string bass? Well, I want something quite specific. That something... came to my attention on Sunday or Monday night. I would like a 5-string if it were a Stingray, essentially. BUT, I really don't like their narrow string spacing. I have recently "improved" a 5-string Stagg Stingray copy (thank you, Ou7shined! ), which has a wide neck and wide string spacing... and it just confirmed to me just how much better wide spacing it works for me. The bass, however, it's not exactly a contender when standing next to my Stingray or SUBs. A while ago I decided that a Lakland 55-02 would probably be a decent compromise. It would not have *the* Stingray sound, unfortunately, but it sounds good, the neck seems right... and it's pretty But it had to be natural finish with a maple neck. And earlier this week, I saw such a thing advertised in this forum. It's now making its way towards Edinburgh, and I can't wait to get it in my hands!!! It looks like this: How could I possibly resist? EBMM does not want to make a 19mm spacing Stingray-5, then it's got to be Lakland to the rescue.

[quote name='Geddys nose' timestamp='1386859363' post='2305493'] I'd prefer the guitars being played and banged than sitting in a air con case TBH. Alcatrazz was a great band with Bonnet & Malmsteen- he never sounded better than on 'No Parole' really and Bonnet was a great singer very up and down vocal wise, when he could find them notes he was unmatched . Soundtrack of my youth. [/quote] ah, Bonnet... The Alcatrazz album and Michael Schenker Group "Assault Attack"... incredible!

Yup, post #13 by Lowender sums it up, I also think. I loved his first solo album, and his playing in Alcatrazz. "No parole for Rock and roll" by Alcatrazz was a great album (was that from 1981 or 1983? I can't recall). Graham Bonnet's vocals are awesome, and Yngwie plays a lot and plays fast, but there is a lot of melody there and it seems that the solos do have a point and are part of the song. It's one of my all time favourite albums. The first Rising Force album was recorded at around the same time, and finished just a bit later, and it showed a -to me- very interesting guitar player. It can get a bit widdly widdly at times, but the compositions are more sensible than what he did a few years later and until now. It was also quite different from what anybody else seemed to be doing. That album made an impact on me and I still play it regularly. Only two tracks had vocals, so I treat it as a guitar instrumental album, and for me it's stil unsurpassed. I listened to and liked a lot of stuff by Tony MacAlpine, Vai, Satriani... there's great stuff from all of them, but that first solo album by Malmsteen remains fresh and awe-inspiring to me. The second album is not bad, but it starts getting into widdle-festing too much. The Third, Trilogy, is incredibly dated... you hear a bit of it and immediately you know it was a product of the mid 80s... That's when he turned into "commercial" (he admits in his biography that it's the way he wanted to go, he did not like guitar instrumental albums and did not want to do anything like on the first album)... and then Odyssey arrived. There's some cool stuff in there too, but I think the Malmsteen formula was already well established: every song ever after appears to have teh same kind of tonality and structure, and they're vehicles for excessive soloing in the middle, where each solo appears to be identical to the others, cramming every single note and scale into every single one of them. Yawn. Physically admirable. Musically sterile. And live... he seems to do that only faster, and he destroys the solos that sounded like actual compositions by giving in to the urge of adding a few thousand extra notes per minute. It gets boring really fast. But the guy knows what he wants, worked hard, and got it. He does come across as a little bit arrogant... I never met him personally, so I don't know. I imagine he has to deal with a LOT of bullshit nearly everyday, and I can easily imagine I could sound a lot like him if I had to endure the same kind of crap constantly for years. What frustrates me is that he has the ability and ear to create something truly beautiful... but he just does not seem interested anymore. Of course, beauty is subjective. Still, even his detractors have to admit he has a vibrato to die for. I love his guitar sound and vibrato and general expressivity... when he calms down for a second and lets it flow freely. Yum.

[quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1386611861' post='2302175'] Hmmm...reminds me of the time when I guy at a multi gig asked if he could use my Status Streamline because he didn't have time to tune up (!). I politely declined as he was clearly arseholed. [/quote] I would have not been able to suppress a very lout bout of laughter. Seriously? No time to tune?

[quote name='Mottlefeeder' timestamp='1386590429' post='2301757'] Thanks - I remember reading this and another thread earlier in the year. I'm aiming more for a hand-carry system - The pubs I go to are old Victorian ones, with steps up to the door, which opens outwards. Getting in with a bass on my back is bad enough, but a bass and a trolley and steps is something I am trying to avoid. Also, to take up less space in the pub, I would prefer a rig that I can sit on. David [/quote] It looks bigger than it is! When I received it I was like "what? is this it? they sent me the baby version or what?" Look at the bass body for size. The bass is not resting on the floor, by the way. Although it's made as a trolley, I *never* wheel it. In fact, I don't even use its handle, but grab it from the "trolley frame" at the back. It's tiny and very light. While I might not want to walk like that for 5-6 miles, trips from car to venue are a breeze. I often used a trolley type travel bag, just for protection (in case it rains) and because I could carry the amp, a box of CDs to sell, a jacket for when it gets cold, a couple of FX pedals etc... so when busking in town and moving from one place to another it was easy to just dump everything in one bag. But if you just want to carry the amp, it's very comfortable to carry in your hand. It's too small and light to wheel it around anyway, and all the vibrations... I don't like that. Anyway, I don't get commision for sales, so I'll shut up now I just wanted to clarify the bulk/weight issue. When I got it I thought maybe I should have gone for the slightly bigger 12" version... but I'm glad I did not, as this is powerful enough and very compact.

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1386598233' post='2301936'] Custom made job courtesy of the Bass Doc on these very pages. [/quote] Aha, not surprised it looks good... he's made two or three for me in the past.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1386588252' post='2301724'] I've got no gigs planned but I'd try to head along to an Edinburgh based handover/gig (McNach??) if I was available. He's too nice to plug his band himself but Sea Bass Kid are really good, we should make a basschat event of it if possible! [/quote] Aw, thanks! We're playing this Sunday at Whistle Binkies, at 9.30, if you're around...

I like the way this is shaping! I'll be back from Southern Territories late on the 29th, so I don't have a lot of time to travel anywhere to pick the bass unfortunately. If Martin (Beer of the Bass) were able to get it by then, I could retrieve it on the 30th, use it for my gig, and then give it back for his Jen & The Gents gig...

I'm based in Edinburgh but I'll be playing in Glasgow on the 14th, at Stereo... If the bass could be up in Glasgow by then maybe we can sort something out? I have another gig in Edinburgh on the 15th... but that'll be my last of the year as I'm taking a break for Xmas, until the 30th.

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1386519431' post='2300947'] Well I bought one to use as a back up bass and it now appears to be replacing my main Fender. Yeah, bassy sounding but I wanted that old school tone. Killer neck, well balanced, a good player. I was planning to upgrade the pickup but this was before I heard it - and it doesn't need any mods. As you can see I added the ashtrays, flipped the thumbrest and pickguard but all purely cosmetic changes. Just a really cool bass. [url="http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Tim_73/media/Squier2_zps383a17ce.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] Hmmm, tasty! I'd love a white pickguard like that for mine. Where did you get it? It's a great bass. With roundwounds it can be very bright and has a surprisingly good slap tone! I have flats on it at the moment and I really like this bass. I'm considering putting a stingray preamp in there 'though, I am used to them and I miss the controls.

By the way, we ended up with three Roland Micro Cube amplifiers for the guitars, so they could get much louder than acoustics, and my amp coped perfectly with them and a strip down kit, plus trumpet and sax.

Last summer I needed something portable for busking and I ended up with a battery operated "miniPA system". It cost me under £150 and it worked beautifully. I never needed to crank it above 11am or so (if you imagine a clock face on the volume knob). You can find more info on this thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/212137-portable-solution-for-busking-on-bass-new-amp-or-batteryinverter/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/212137-portable-solution-for-busking-on-bass-new-amp-or-batteryinverter/[/url]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1386328186' post='2298760'] I wish I could say that my life is so exciting that after a gig, that I could be spending my time in better ways. Skinny dipping with groupies at the aftershow party, playing Go with Howard Marks, helping at the local animal shelter, or perhaps learning to read music. Alas, at that time of night, the choice tends to be stay and watch the bands, or go home, knock the telly on whilst browsing basschat, then bed Perhaps I'm using 'cameraderie' and 'politeness' as an excuse for a sad and empty life :-D [/quote] and in case my girlfriend is reading this: no, there is absolutely no shenanigans with groupies, those stories are grossly exaggerated

[quote name='timo' timestamp='1386334331' post='2298885'] I'm very happy with my G30 and have been to the back (bar) of a 30m-ish marquee with it, gets pretty impossible to play anywhere too far from stage without in ears as the sound delay is huuuge. [/quote] Yes, playing far from teh source can be challenging... but that delay is purely due to the speed of sound in air. It becomes very noticeable after 20m or so (whether using wireless or cable)...

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1386326306' post='2298732'] If you're not an artist, then I'd suggest you're a clown whore ;-) :-D :-D [/quote] ah, that brings me back sweet memories