mcnach

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1357736967' post='1927458'] Not so much the bassline as tone - a snippet of the 80's hit 'party fears 2' or whatever it was called came up on the radio this morning. I'd forgotten hown strongly the bass cuts through in that song and what a great tone it is (sounds very P bass to me but could have been something different) Edit : Now I've found it I realise it's actually a good bassline as well, forget the histrionic singing though! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPsdRUHiCAE[/media] [/quote] not for me, I don't like the bass tone at all, too boomy and poorly defined. But I was probably predisposed to dislike it after hearing that voice... urgh!!!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1357816676' post='1928774'] 1) Other band members' problems aren't your problems. Harsh, but you want to play bass, not be a carer. 2) If you haven't gigged after six months, it's unlikely you ever will. I know this from experience! 3) If you procrastinate your initial enthusiasm for being in a band and playing the bass will be compromised. 4) If a band is interested in YOU then you really should at least give them a chance to see what you're about. 5) Playing original material is a lot more fun and is more challenging and rewarding than playing covers (IMHO). 6) Playing in a band you think are way ahead of you skill-wise is excellent - you will play up to their level and improve quickly. 7) A band is prepared to be supportive and allow you to develop your own basslines? [color=#ffffff]7)[/color] If this is indeed the case, then go for it, quick! [/quote] I agree with this man. If you feel bad about leaving a group of people who have become friends in the lurch, maybe you can stay in that band and also do something else in another band. It sounds like the original band won't be very demanding anyway... Don't be afraid to play in more than one band. It keeps it interesting!

[quote name='Jimryan' timestamp='1357772144' post='1928334'] I was using DR Black Beauties and got on quite well with them. Recently moved on to Rotosound Nexus and won't be changing back. The Nexus' are fantastic, perfect sound and feel for me. They also for my bass' colour scheme which is ways a plus. [/quote] I was into coated coloured strings a while ago, and like you used Black Beauties until I discovered the Nexus. Really nice strings! Hmmm... I might still have an old pair stored somewhere!

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1357747136' post='1927734'] Just curious to see what preferences people have for strings out there. I started on Rotosounds SM66 but found they lost their brightness fairly quickly and felt horrible on the fingers, very rough sort of wind on them. Moved on to D'Addario's EXL170s quite a light gauge just like the SM66s but a much nicer feel and I've found a better life span. I did try their EPS170s and they were quite nice, a lot more twang to them I thought. So what do you guys use and what do you hate? [/quote] another fan of EXL170 here. When I don't have any other particular string in mind, those are my default. Often I try others... and I end up removing them and going back to these. They are a bit brighter than I'd like initially, but not crazy bright - it can be tamed. Within a month of use they are just perfect for me and I keep them on for several months.

I think there's a problem still when adding attachments (the way you'd upload a picture directly from your hard drive). The best way, always, is to host the images elsewhere (flickr and similar services allow you to do that for free, you just have to set up an account) and then display them here using the image link you describe, where you insert the URL. Try that. If you have problems with that, PM me, I'll give you my email address and you can just mail me the pictures, I will host them for you and give you the links to use as you please. edit: ah, I got there too late, I see

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1357682336' post='1926820'] Interesting thread. I have a Qsiure too! [/quote] someone had to... if not you, I would have!!! [size=1]It's SQUIER, damn it![/size]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1357668054' post='1926389'] This is the USA made SUB: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/194883-usa-made-musicman-sub-in-teal/page__p__1914100__hl__sub__fromsearch__1#entry1914100"]http://basschat.co.u..._1#entry1914100[/url] Not much more money, but used. [/quote] oooh! sexy! and I really like it in that colour too! If I were remotely after another Stingray, I'd take it off your hands so fast!!! I know what you mean about the neck looking not so neat. My current 4 string SUB is ok, but I had a SUB5 previously and looked worse than yours. It's just easy to mark, and flash photography make it look worse than it is, mostly you don't feel it at all. There are some gouges where the black finish is gone, same as my SUB5... again, in mine it was not a big deal. In any case, it is very easy to remove the black finish and leave a beautiful naked maple neck. Just oil it, and you are done. Simple and beautiful. I'd but this over a Sterling By MusicMan any day, despite the SBMM being nice and good looking... these original SUBs are amazing basses.

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1357671014' post='1926456'] Ah, there you go - I did look at the top horn and wonder, as it's more angular than the Eagle. You and me too, McNach! I'd love to find another one, but I think most are locked down with very happy owners. I do remain curious about the Greg Week's signature Eagle, but it's anything [i]but[/i] vintage BC Rich. If you're ever in York you're welcome to drop in and have a try. [/quote] I would only take you up on your offer if you first set it up badly, really badly, so that I lose interest. I keep looking at it and thinking "that's one sexy bass!!!". Of course, my girlfriend reminded me that owning a bass like that means nothing if I don't play like him... dang, she is right! I hate it when that happens!

[quote name='Salt on your Bass?' timestamp='1357647651' post='1925846'] I'd go to the second highest bidder on this one - sounds like he could be a pain in the backside, and should arrange his own courier as you clearly stated your postage terms. No way should the onus be on you to go and get quotes for him to approve, and 2 mins before an item closes is taking the mick! Best of luck with it! [/quote] this. you stated collection only, so you should be able to ignore the highest bidder -seems like a pain to deal with, I suspect you might have problems in the future with him too- and go with the second guy.

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1357608319' post='1925421'] Ah, I love this video. I've not yet managed to see it and not think about the gulf between what BC Rich [i]was[/i], and what it is now. I'm not sure how far off my Eagle is in terms of kit and construction from the old vintage models. MIne has DiMarzios, again with those lovely cream covers, and it sounds superb. Lorne would know! Going back to that thread about the tone being in the fingers, there's some superb playing (to my ears, subjectivity fans!) in this video. [/quote] I just finished watching it (still on holiday until Thursday! ) loved it. It's funny, there's a thread around about ugly basses, and I did not participate, but my first thought was BC Rich!!!. I now have an automatic search on eBay for BC Rich Mockingbird bass edit: and Eagle!!! I agree about the "superb playing" comment. It's just so... right! And his tone is just lovely. Great definition, but not harsh or annoyingly nasal... fat but not boomy. Just... right. It's stuff like this that makes me pick my bass and play along, and remember why I started playing bass in the first place.

[quote name='marcus bell' timestamp='1357586917' post='1924975'] Yeah the new ones with the 2 band eq and sub written on the head [/quote] But the old ones also were 2EQ (well, some were passive), and also said SUB on the headstock. old: were an Ernie Ball MusicMan product, made in USA. new: are a Sterling by MusicMan product, made in Indonesia I believe. There are many other differences, but that one above is the clearest one, as it's stated clearly on the headstock. So, a bit like Fender and "Squier by Fender"... if Squier were already a model of Fender, to confuse things nicely. Imagine Fender license their designs to another company which gets called Stratocaster by Fender. Then you could buy a Stratocaster by Fender Jazz bass... crazy.

It's a terrible affliction. I tried to limit it by using a multiguitar stand... multiple, but finite. The problem is... I can still buy more stands

[url="http://youtu.be/OWoQpzdB5gs"]http://youtu.be/OWoQpzdB5gs[/url]

[url="http://youtu.be/dsRmL9mgxCU"]http://youtu.be/dsRmL9mgxCU[/url] I love that bass. It's making me want -badly- a bass with a P type pickup closer to the bridge than usual... or even a twin P. Enjoy the video!

I feel like a bit of a fraud Today we had the very first meeting, tentative jam, to see whether we start a new funk band. Guitar, vocals and myself. We have a great drummer's interest, but we wanted to get together the three of us first, as we'd probably be the "creative centre". So... what bass should I take? Well, after talking so proudly of this Precision, and since I was playing it non stop whilst listening to The Meters etc... you'd expect me to take the Precision, right? Wrong. I took the MusicMan SUB instead. Well, it's the one I feel most at home with, and in these situations you never know what you will end up playing, so... But, hey... there was still some Precision content this evening. We listened to some maceo Parker stuff... and I just love the bass. Twin P style pickups. Have a listen: [url="http://youtu.be/JawQn7gKdJo"]http://youtu.be/JawQn7gKdJo[/url] Now, I want a P-type pickup closer to the bridge!!! Oh, and yes, it was promising... we already have two song ideas and it felt really good. A new band is born!!!

You mean the Sterling by MusicMan SUB, right? The MusicMan Sterling SUB was another bass: [url="http://www.music-man.com/specs/instruments_substerling.html"]http://www.music-man.com/specs/instruments_substerling.html[/url] which has not been available new for some time, and it would have been about £600. Because life was not complicated enough already...

I love the look of it! But I never had the chance to try it.

Like many of my "projects", this advanced very very slowly. As in... zero for several months and suddenly a tiny baby step. But it's moving! I decided against the ash body. I have it. I may use it in the future. Or not. But for the fretless, I'm going with the original idea. And today I tested it briefly. I decided to spray a little bit of Capri Orange on the back of the bass, without even prior sanding, as it seems in pretty good condition. The results are promising. It was a little tricky at first to produce a thin even coat, so I got a bit of overpainting giving a couple of small runs... but I think once you get the hang of it it's not that hard. It dries fast, which is nice, and what's even nicer is that once dried, it flattens very nicely, giving a pretty uniform shiny surface: the runs, unless very big, get disguised. I can see how after a few coats the result will not be bad at all, so I'm optimistic that I can produce something that will not be horrible. The paint sticks to the poly body, no doubt about that. It wont flake easily. Nice. The only negative point is... spraying directly over shoreline gold does not give me a very bright orange. So I have decided I should spray it with white primer first. I just ordered a can of primer, so hopefully I'll get to that soon. That will allow me to get the bright orange finish I'm after. It's not going to be a professional finish, but it's not going to look as terrible as I was fearing.

[quote name='MarkG' timestamp='1357507088' post='1923828'] Hi, Just flicked through your progress with the Vantage as I've got a white one. You do seem to have been unlucky with the bridge p/u routing as it's a very snug fit on mine. Anyway, it's kept you busy! [/quote] That's what David at ProBass said, that it was unusual for me to have that issue... so I guess I was the lucky one... Strange, as I'd have imagined these basses were routed using the very same jigs! Anyway, yes, it's kept me busy. Part of me still wants a blue or a white one... greedy, I know! Nah, I think I will stay with the one. I already have more basses than I need. (as if that could stop me! )

[quote name='apa' timestamp='1357501611' post='1923701'] why dont you pad the underside of the case so the poles are flush. Damn site easier than grinding magnets!! A [/quote] you misunderstood me. I didn't mean grinding the polepieces, they don't bother me "physically". I meant grounding them, as in connecting them to ground. That's as simple as running a strip of copper foil on the underside of the pickups, touching the bottom of each polepiece, and connecting that to ground with a wire. That way I will not get a buzz when I touch them (even if I rarely touch them!).

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1357498590' post='1923605'] Funny thing is I have had much fiestier rows with folk on here without that kind of thing, mcnach, TimR and a good few others have enjoyed a good debate with me but now get along well with me, maybe me and Inti will become pals? [/quote] yup, I'm sure that's the way things will be. Probably best to just nod to everything and walk casually away, towards the clowns but away from the circus. It was funny for a minute, now it's just boooooring. Edit: seriously, I just saw another charming and intilligent one liner, and it disappeared straight away. It smells of psychological problems. I'm staying out from now on.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1357497889' post='1923595'] So inti just removed his own offensive posts (not aimed at me btw) then private messages me a threatening message asking if I am harassing him! Classic [/quote] make sure you close your windows at night!

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1357397040' post='1922048'] Ok, what about their very slick changes during this entirely spontaneous jam? There's never somebody on stage going "Oh f***, we aren't playing in E-minor at 120bpm anymore?". It's just too clean to ever make me think that it's anything other than pre-arranged. [/quote] Maybe some of those "jams" indeed have some deeper level of prearrangement... That is entirely possible. What I'm saying is that good musicians that play together a lot, especially jamming together a lot, are able to play stuff without getting lost, and when they get caught out they can react so quickly to one another that most people would not know it. In my band, we are not 1% of the musicians those guys are, and we get away with a lot. So many times we just burst in laughter as we play because... somehow, unexpectedly, we knew where we were going, and we anticipated a change and worked seamlessly. Not every time, of course, not even once every ten times... But it happens. If we jammed together for 20, 30 years... I think we could

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1357406882' post='1922263'] Right, but that doesn't mean you don't know any theory. Everyone, [i]everyone[/i] knows some theory. See here: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A13_QGMtlRE[/media] [/quote] That's brilliant!!! Thanks for posting that.

I like fretless because it sounds different, and it's a sound I like... that's about it. Those typical fretless slides can get tiring pretty fast, but -like slap- if not overdone, they add another level of expression on bass. And when using an octave pedal, or some kind of synth, the fretless can be extremely cool. You can play it like a fretted bass... "with extras". Lined fretless are extremely easy to get used to, in my experience, but unlined is easier than it seems. The side dots are enough to help with navigation when jumping abot the fretboard a bit. The thing is that, if you have played bass already for some time, your hands know where the notes are better than you probably realise. Of course, on fretless you need to be pretty accurate or it sounds terribly off, but it doesn't take too long to be able to play it "alright". You quickly get used to "cheating", like adding a bit of vibrato immediately if you fall short or overshoot a sustained note, and if in doubt aim short and "microslide" up to the correct note. etc. To get to play like Pino... yeah, that's going to take a while and a lot of dedication... but you can play alright without as much effort as many think. Of course, it's not instant either... Another cool thing of the fretless, in some situations, is that you are less likely to get asked "can I play your bass, mate?"