Rayman

One of my favourite players Yolanda Charles swears by her Blade Jazz, not sure of the model, but having had a quick go on it I can confirm it's beautiful. I really don't know much about Blade basses, but I'd love to know more.

I'm kind of wishing I'd gone too. I saw them at the King Georges Hall in Blackburn a handful of years back and it was awful, mainly because of the terrible venue to be honest, but I ended up leaving and going for a kebab after an hour or so. I was on the front row to the far right hand end, but because the stage was so high, I couldn't see a damn thing, all I could see was the PA and whoever came to the front and centre of the stage, useless. The band themselves seemed to be lacking some sparkle on that occasion too, MK just didn't look like he was enjoying it at all. Maybe I'll try and catch them later on this tour.

Hmmm thanks for that. I think I'll go for a darker colour than the current white for sure.

So I bought an Ibanez Gary Willis Fretless from here a while back. As usual before a purchase I did lots of research on it first, and quite a few people mentioned electronic upgrades etc, but since I got mine I've loved the tone from it straight away, no problem there. My issue is with the white fretlines. They're obviously some kind of plastic strips glued into the fret slots, but the problem is quite a few of them keep popping up slightly, maybe only .5mm or so, but just enough to give me unwanted buzz. You can push them back down and the bass is perfect again, but slowly they start to come back up again over time, bloody annoying to say the least. Now I really love this bass a lot, and it aint going anywhere, so I need to sort this out. I'll be getting a tech to do it, but I wondered how hard a job it is to pull them out and replace them with resin instead?

Looks smart, but why change the pups? My Alpine white Epi TB had a monstrous tone totally stock. I like you intended to upgrade the pups on mine before I even bought it, until a friend told me to leave it and gig it a couple of times first, he assured me the stock pickups were more than up to the job. He was right. I never did upgrade a single thing on that bass, it was just fantastic as it was out of the box. Beautiful fretboard too. In fact I preferred it to a Gibson TB I tried a while later.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='965342' date='Sep 23 2010, 10:18 AM']Ive flirted with Lakland, Warwick, tried a few Sadowsky Metros, tried a Rickenbacker 4003, and yet I still go ‘this isnt right, for me’.[/quote] Yep, I've been there I can tell you, and I tend to agree that when you find a make or model of bass you really love, it's always a good idea to stick with it. I've made the mistake of finding basses I love then moving them on just for a change. I've played a handful of Bongos, and I like them a lot, homerplaysbass had a couple of absolute corkers a while back. I don't know what it is about a Sterling that doesn't do it for me, I can't put my finger on it. I've had a couple of Stingrays, and when given a Sterling to try I just couldn't get it to work for me at all. Me, I'd go Bongo, but only my opinion of course.

I just assumed he changed his gear so often because he came on here all the time. I've been away from the site for two weeks, and have been blissfully GAS free in tha time. After just 10 minutes on here I'm drooling over the for sale section again. So I'm off, for another two weeks.

I've always used TI flats. They were great on a Jazz bass for both rock and jazz stuff because you can get a great click and punch from them, plus they're nice and soft and quite low tension so they're nice to play. I found LaBellas a bit darker and rounder sounding. Never tried D'Addario.

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='954282' date='Sep 13 2010, 04:43 AM']Going slightly off topic Russ - it's worth you coming to see Mark and his band The Big Figures - look [url="http://www.bigfigures.co.uk/Gigs.html"]here[/url]. He's a really nice down to earth bloke, you'd be able to have a beer and a chat and his band's brilliant. Been to see 'em a couple of times now, our own Cameron (wayne58) plays bass for him.[/quote] Yeah I was wondering about Cameron while watching the programme. They're playing in Manc with Wilco Johnson on 20th Nov, but we've got a gig the same night . Maybe Holmfirth a few nights earlier, I could get up there.

[quote name='chris_b' post='956048' date='Sep 14 2010, 02:33 PM']The arena and stadium gigs (if they're full) are unique for the noise an audience makes when the stage lights go up, and then you realise, it's for you!! You can't get that feeling any where else![/quote] That's what I'm missing from my life, just once, a screeming adoring crowd, big stage.....wow, it must be a magic moment.

Some great posts there chaps. I guess it's not even fame and fortune with me anymore, I guess like in the OP it's just the chance to walk out onto the stage of a big venue in front of a big audience of people who have come to see you play, rather than a pub or party where people aren't bothered as long as you play something they know. A good gig, at a decent pub, that goes down well, is a great feeling, and it's funny, we did a gig recently that went down a real storm, a great crowd reaction, everybody up dancing, and we launched into "Mr Brightside" by the Killers for the last song. They went [i]mental[/i], and I couldn't help but close my eyes, as a middle aged bloke playing bass in a covers band, in a pub, and wonder, is this what it's like to be actually [i]in[/i] the Killers? and for a few seconds in my imagination I had a taste of what it must be like to play to an adoring crowd, and like others have pointed out, I could then go home to my bed rather than the back of a van for the night. Not so bad I guess. Yep, sad I know. I think as musicians were are largely creative people, and a bit of imagination and escapism from the drudgeries of life isn't a bad thing. Maybe things turned out the way they did for a reason, and I'm better off where I am. Fame?? Who needs it?

You see that's what I would've like to do, session work etc, just making a decent living making music that's all, nothing flash. Actually that's cobblers, I want to punch the air in front of 20,000 people at Maddison Square Garden.

Do any of the older guys know of anyone who made it? I've known hundreds of musicians over the last 30 years, good ones too, but I can't think of a single one that made it thier career, not one, let alone became "famous". I used to spend hours at school, staring out of the window dreaming of being a famous rock star. Here I am now, staring out of the window of my company car, on my way to some bloody factory somewhere still dreaming. Oh well, I've got a couple of Kasabian songs to learn for the next gig, at some boozer in Stoke.

I just watched one of the "First Love" programmes, where celebs go back to thier roots and learn to play the instrument they played as a kid, and perform in public. The one I just watched was the one where Mark Radcliffe had to learn a Rufus Wainright track and perform it on the drums live on stage with him at the Manchester Apollo. All the way through Mark is misty eyed while remembering his youth, playing in bands with mates, and wishing he'd "made it" as a professional drummer rather than being the DJ he is now. Watching him walk up the stairs to the dressing rooms in the Apollo, it was like watching a starry eyed fan living a dream, and the feelings Mark had were the exact same ones I would have too. I had tears streaming down my face as he walked out onto the stage and perform the song brilliantly with Rufus. I felt like I was watching myself. I too feel I've missed the boat at 45 to live the dream, and that I'll never walk out onto the Apollo stage with a band, a place where I've been in the audience a hundred times. I don't know where I'm going with this. I'll never "retire" from music, I'll be in some pub somewhere when I'm 70, with a Precision, playing some old songs to a handful of people, but I do feel great sadness that I never tasted success as a musician. The closest I came was a Radio 1 session in the 80s at Maida Vale, and a couple of brief stints with a couple of "name" musicians. The younger players on here have got it all ahead of them, so they won't get what I'm on about, but you older guys will know [i]exactly[/i] what I mean. Ah well, back to work tomorrow.

OOH I played a really stunning Roadworn Jazz at PMT in Salford, a red one, beautiful it was, and played like a dream. I was very surprised.

No I would not, even if I was able to. There isn't a bass in existence worth [i]half[/i] that much, it's ridiculous.

I've had a few Preicions, a nice '78 springs to mind, but the best ones were a MIM with a QP in it, and an old MIJ Squier. You don't have to spend a bomb to find a great Precision. Yes, I guess trying a load out first is the way to go. When I'm old and knackered (even more than I already am), my plan is to settle down with an old Jazz or Precision at home and play along to CDs. I personally will be after a bog standard Fender rather than some posh bespoke jobbie.

Villex

I was watching that one too, good score, it looks like a cracker. I had an Antoria Jazzstar guitar, it was really nice. If I was replacing the pickguard, it'd have to be another black one.

Oh yeah, that's a beaut.

Didn't know that, and I was listening to it yesterday. I assume it was Paul who actually played it though?

[quote name='munkonthehill' post='952290' date='Sep 10 2010, 10:16 PM']the blockheads or the wilko band???[/quote] Blockheads, Sat 16th Oct.

I'm looking forward to seeing them in Sale in October.

The Ibanez GWB35 is a cracking bass, I really love mine. The only issue is the white fretlines have a tendancy to pop up slightly and cause a bit of buzz, and I'm thinking of having them removed and filled with epoxy resin instead. Other than that, the tone and playability is outstanding.