jazzyvee

[quote name='jacko' timestamp='1391360688' post='2356177'] Surprised I've not posted on this thread up to now. Here's my babies having some fun in the garden...[attachment=153942:basses.jpg] [/quote] I'm surprised too Jacko, is 2014 gonna be the year you call Mica to spec out a custom Series bass? I don't think that year is gonna come for me anytime soon unless a good lottery win comes my way. Jazzyvee

At the moment my favourite bass is my Alembic Series II 5 string. For me it is just about the most perfect bass I could want. The build quality is outstanding, the filter based tone controls give me access to an enormous tonal pallate. It's an incredibly clean sounding bass, no noise, can be very crisp, mellow, meaty, delicate, powerful and has an evenly balanced response across the fretboard. The neck is a dream to play and not too wide and has a satin finish which makes navigation really easy. Jazzyvee

The only thing I notice about hanging guitars/ basses on the wall is that they usually need re-tuning slightly when I take them down to play. I think that's due to the temperature being slightly greater higher up in the room rather than a problem with the method of storing. Jazzyvee

You could try the Little Guitar Shop in Birmingham [url="http://www.thelittleguitarshop.com"]www.thelittleguitarshop.com[/url] They are in the Jewellery quarter .They have their own range of pickups and my experience with them is that I had some custom wound strat style guitar pickups made by them just before christmas which are great. I asked the question about repairing pickups and they do offer that service too. 0121-233-3788 Ask for Martin Jazzyvee

There was a house rig but I chose to use my own bass rack setup and used their cab. Jazzyvee

Well I have to say I was suitably impressed with the sound of the Markbass rig I managed to get a good warm, mellow tone from it which worked well for reggae. Jazzyvee

[color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1]Had a great time at our gig last night at the Jazz Cafe in London[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1]Here are a couple of clips that have already been posted on You Tube. [/size][/font][/color] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvWzBbyiVe8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvWzBbyiVe8[/url][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1] [/size][/font][/color] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkT2s8GMYmA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkT2s8GMYmA[/url] Jazzyvee

Just done sound check and it sounds fine warm and mellow.

[color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1]I've just been sent the back line spec for my gig tomorrow night at the Jazz Cafe. The back line bass rig is Markbass 106HF 6x10 cab and Markbass SD800 head. [/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1]I was planning to take my rack with alembic Pre and QSC amp and my own mesa boogie 4x10 cab. [/size][/font][/color] [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=2][color=#000000]I'd be comfortable taking my rack system because at least I know I will have a good sound out of the DI. But can anyone share any experience advice about how good the Markbass cab is as I don't really have any experience with bass rigs other than my own and some badly treated ampeg and Ashdown rigs. If it is a good cab then I can save myself some weight.[/color][/size][/font] [color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1]If you could get back to me via the email in my profile I think that would be faster as i won't be on-line this evening. [/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1]But feel free to post in the thread for future reference as well if you wish. [/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1]Thanks [/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1]Jazzyvee[/size][/font][/color]

Fantastic player, I had a chat with him after a gig he did with the Impossible Gentlemen. He's a really nice bloke too. Jazzyvee

We had a really good rehearsal for this gig last night at one of the creative arts colleges in brum with a full sized stage. It went really well. We recorded most of the set into protools and had a 4 camera video shoot of the whole thing by students on media courses. Looking forward to the gig on Sunday now. Jazzyvee

[quote name='clashcityrocker' timestamp='1390253322' post='2343272'] I got a speakon to jack adapter off eBay a while ago,very handy [/quote] I got a couple of those a while back and have them in my gig bag just in case.

The point came for me when I got an alembic. Since then nothing else I've played gives me the ability to sound the way I want to. I've tried a number of basses at various points over the past 10 years that I've been playing bass to hear if there is anything I'm missing sonically and didn't succeed. To me most of the basses I hear regardless of what they are sound like they want to be a fender bass but more fender than a fender bass and with a different badge on the headstock. Not that I think there is anything wrong with that sound or the brand or anyone playing them. It's just not for me. I sometimes do tracks played by Marcus Miller and Aston Barrett in my bands and I can get the sound I need from my bass to make the track sound authentic and that's all that I need. So now whilst I will still keep my ears open I doubt if I will divert my funds elsewhere bass wise unless I have a custom bass built, but then I don't know enough about bass to specify the right bass for me. That said, I never say never!! Time will tell Jazzyvee

[quote name='lozbass' timestamp='1390152931' post='2342007'] Think you'll be pleased too with the Series (when the time is right) - may sound weird but another step-up from the already stunning Sigs. [/quote] Agreed Jazzyvee

I've only done it the odd few times and that was because the gig had some Stanley Clarke tracks which sounded better, and were easier to play, on my short scale bass. Usually it's one 4 stringer or one 5 stringer. I often wonder how much the audience appreciate the subtleties of different guitars/basses when i see them being changed multiple times on a gig. I've never been a punter at gig and thought hmm...... the bass player should be using bass X or bass Y on that song and not the one being played.

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1389892488' post='2339236'] In the bands that I see, I think it simply boils down to this... there are bassists and there are people who play the bass. One has a more inherent creativeness (this, I don't think comes with practice - it may develop over time but if it is not there in the first place it's just not there) while the other has a more "paint by numbers" approach and plays what they have to in order for there to be a bass line in the song. [/quote] Yep I go along with that although I think some who "play bass" can still exert some creativity in how they interpret the bass lines they copy.

H-Gang by Donald Fagen. I'm learning it just because I love the bass line on that track. It's one of those tracks I'd love to play on a gig but something highly unlikely to happen. Jazzyvee

Alembic's non series basses don't give you the option to output in stereo (individual outputs per pickup) as standard but their basses with anniversary electronics usually have switchable mono/stereo jack sockets. The Signature such as the SC and MK basses are normally mono, however there are some threads on their forum on how to modify the wiring t to give you individual outs for each pickup if that's what you want. I have tried a couple of the MK signature basses when I was in the states in 2012 and they sound just as you would expect from an alembic. It is worth being aware that the wood recipe for alembics can be extremely varied and the tone is affected by that so that might be something you could read up about on their web site while you suffer more GAS. [url="http://www.alembic.com/info/wood_standard.html"]http://www.alembic.c...d_standard.html[/url] Jazzyvee

Absolutely http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVMnRN2TdVw Jazzyvee

I recall reading somewhere a Chick Corea interview where he was asked about natural ability and the gist of what he responded with was that natural ability only gives you a head start and unless you practice you won't maintain that advantage. Jazzyvee

if you haven't been there yet, you could read some of the threads about the MK signature basses on the Alembic forum. You can find out just about anything you need to know about them on there both pro's and any issues that owners have found. Here is a link to the Signature bass thread there if you want to check it out. I did a lot of reading on there before getting my signature bass and the members are generally a friendly and welcoming bunch and want you to have a good experience with Alembics. http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/418.html?1389785646 Happy reading Jazzyvee

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1389618105' post='2336110'] I had a chance of 'making it' in my early 20s. As is often the case, it didn't come to anything. Since then, there haven't been any opportunities for me to work in music full-time whilst playing the kind of music I want to play, so... I haven't. [/quote] I had similar opportunities in my late teens but they never amounted to anything concrete. Although that was always a dream for me, i never really felt that I had reached the standard as a guitarist that I considered was professional regardless of the musical abilities of other musicians I saw out there who were working professionally. I had another opportunity to turn pro in my early 30's after I was hired to do a couple of USA tours with a band who were regularly touring in the USA for long stints about 4 times per year. However even though I got on fine with the band, It was for various reasons I can't go into, too much of a risk especially since I was about the 3rd guitarist they'd used in as many years plus crucially the money was not enough. Fast forwarding to the present time I am now able to have a full time job and still take on touring commitments with the bands I've been working with over the past 10 years. So now I have the best of both worlds and enjoying it immensely. There is still time to consider a full time musical life if the right opportunity comes along. But for now what I have works for me. The dream is still there but it's filtered through reality tinted glasses. Jazzyvee

I guess whether you go with 4,5 or 6 depends a lot on what you want to play and how you want your bass tone to be. One viewpoint from one of my bass influences which i guess is biassed towards his needs for reggae but it is interesting about his view on tone in respect to 6 stringers. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9erbL9j3v5M[/media] Jazzyvee

http://www.technoempire.com/lieber-clarke-spellbinder-short-scale-lead-electric-bass-guitar-rare I wonder if John East was doing the Electronics for this early model of the bass. Jazzyvee