gilmour

Perhaps saying it messes with timing isn;t quite the correct expression. I might mean more phrasing/feel - I just don't see how you can get that really funky staccato dead note feel when you rake (think Rocco Prestia). A lot of the time you'l play one properley fretted note, then the next couple will be dead notes, the minute you do this and start trying to move accross strings you gotta alternate. Once you're used to doing that why rake? When I talk about rakes I mean plying on one string with one finger, then using the same finger to play on a different string (usually descending) i.e. raking down the fretboard - is this what everyone else means - cause some of the things above make me think that I have a slightly different definition? Stylistic thing also I guess.

[quote name='Phaedrus' post='66428' date='Sep 27 2007, 02:32 PM']Just one? The ones I [i]can[/i] play are in my band's set-list . . . Can't but would dearly love to? YYZ - Geddy Teen Town - Jaco Havona - Jaco I Need More Love - Robert Randolph Band Lucretia McEvil - Blood, Sweat & Tears Mr Pink by Level 42 So many more... Mark[/quote] ahhh.... Teen Town. I spent a whole day from 10am - 10pm learning that, I can play about 30 seconds of it

[quote name='grosa' post='66254' date='Sep 27 2007, 02:32 AM']zenders mr moon had me for years until i figured it out,still nothin on the master zender[/quote] +1 on Zender - there are some awesome lines on early Jamiroquai stuff, I always find the phrasing in Virtual Insanity tricky. Worst is Jaco - I can spend hours tryng to nail his stuff

A really simple slap line is on Faith No More's 1st album, it's the first track (I think it's called Faster Disco) It's not a great song, but it is slapped, and it's quite slow, it's also in E minor (what slap songs aren't lol) meaning you don't really have to concentrateon your left hand. Like I say not onte of their better songs, but for nice slow steady first time slapping it's a winner. Also try Fly away by Lenny Krazitz, again your roght hand isn't doing much allowing you to concentrate on the slapping. If you want TAB for either of the above let me know Marcus Miller, Level 42, and Stanley Clarke all have some awesome slap lines to aspire to, but I really wouldn't advise them for someone just beginning with Slap, there are a lot of subtle and complex techniques going on with those tracks.

Sorry but I really can't agree with the advice to just rake. Just soudns like taking the easy option to me. I know that there is "no such thing as correct technique" but when you rake it not only screws up your timing but can be really detramental to your playing in the long run. You need to alternate your fingering for more complex patterns and for funky deadnotes etc. I'm not saying I'm perfect, I still find myself raking the odd notes from time to time by accident, but when I do it trips me up. Best practive is just to be really conscious that you are alternating your fingering, trying playing scales in thirds, and also try some cross string patterns but with a triplet feel.

not sure how i feel about the twisted neck bass. I'd like to try it, and can see the logic behind it. But it kinda looks like it's been run over?

I gig constatnly. The bass is a support instrument (not all of us can be wooten, marcus or stanley) and for me the fun is in playing with others, I get very bored playing at home or working on solo stuff. That said I don't know that neccesarily means 'gigs' it can be meeting up with a few friends to make music and drink some beers on a weekend or going to jam nights, the important thing is getting out of your house and making noise with others. I'd call myself a semi-pro player (proably accounts for about 20% of my income) but I still regularly go to jam nights. They are nerve racking the first few times, but the point is that they are jam nights, It doesn't matter if you don't know the numbers, someone will tell you the chords and you can just make up any old rubbish to accompany. Nothing will bring your playing on quicker thatn playing with other people.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='65336' date='Sep 25 2007, 02:13 PM']How many strings do you need to play your basslines? Can you not do without one of them until the song finishes? Alex[/quote] +1 you gotta get your fretboard knowledge up there to be able to do this. It's only playing in a different position. Stuff always breaks when you gig constantly but a screwdriver, pliers, spare strings and a role of the ever faithfull Gaffa Tape is a lot easier to lug around than an additional bass, and can fix most problems (for the duration of a gig anyway)

I really liked the jaguar bass, plays nicely, good range of tones. But for me there was a major flaw in the positioning of some of the controls, I kept dialing in tones I liked, but would then knock the switches etc. I imagine you'd get used to it tough.

[quote name='Muppet' post='8018' date='May 28 2007, 12:06 PM']on Ampeg SVT ... Definitive in terms of image more than sound I reckon. A lot of these are rented mate, and chosen for the image rather than the sound. I've known one big festival to use the same bass rig for four bands - wheeled off at the end of each set only to be wheeled back on again for the next band.[/quote] I've come late to this discussion, and unlike most I have a foot in the Solid State camp. Most of my experince with valve amps is dep. gigs, festivals etc. where the backilne is provided by the promoter and invariably there will always be one of those Ampeg SVT's of some kind or another lurking at the back of the stage waiting to belch out some muddy midrange guff. I really, really don't get on with them, they always cut out on me and sound muddy and unprecise. Most of the time your amp is only for onstage sound anyway, I prefer to DI to the desk straight from the bass I think it gives the engineer more control over the sound. And if your amp is only for onstage monitoring then all I want is a nice clean straightforward sound. With this said i am only talking about my experince with Ampegs. On one or two lucky occasions I've had an SWR (which I think I'm right in saying has a valve pre amp) and that has a warmth without the muddiness, they are beatiful sounding amps. My own amp is an old Solid State Trace Elliot form the ealry 90's but it doesn't get used that much and is on it's last legs, I'm thinking about a markbass little mark, then I can take it on flights and use it instead of the Ampeg! Any one know how these compare to Trace?

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='63718' date='Sep 21 2007, 05:36 PM']I haven't broken a string in 20+ years, last time I did it was like Alex said at the bridge saddles on a copy bass! More problematic for me over the years has been dodgy jack sockets. I've never had one fail completely in one go but I have to admit it's sickening when you are mid-song/set and you get that sudden total loss of bass as the socket momentarily shorts out! In those rare and sickening moments the thought has flashed past, 'why the fook don't I bring a spare'! A quick extra wrap around the strap to jam the jack in a convenient working position and then I then replace the offending article with a Switchcraft and forget about it till my next bass fails. Oh yes that does indeed mean that the only real issue that I have with Warwick basses is/was the quality of their barrel jacks.[/quote] Yes broken barrel jacks is a really big problem. I find that I have to replace mine once every couple of years. I don;t think it's exclusive to Warwicks, they go on both my Spector and Yamaha, It's active basses where it's a real problem (i think), a couple of my students who play active find exactly the same problem. There seems to be very liitle choice when it comes to the quality of the Barrel Jack you buy. At the moment I use slightly oversized Jack Leads, but it's not ideal as it only prolongs the agony and knackers your pedal's socket as well.

[quote name='Waldo' post='64956' date='Sep 24 2007, 07:02 PM']Every song on BSSM was recorded with a Wal apart from Funky Monks and The Righteous And The Wicked in which he used a Stingray Five (as the low B is used in this song).[/quote] Yes Wal, that sounds right, I remember the videos - it was called funky monks, the making of BSSM you can probably get it on amazon or something. It's ironic that loadsa people spend masses of money trying to emulate that Flea tone, buying Stingrays and Gallien Kruger Amps. And that's not what he recorded his most iconic work with.

I remember seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Reading festival in 1994. At the time I was in bands playing Metallica and Sisters of Mercy covers. I'd never heard them before and I was like "wow - you can play bass like that?" The next day I bought Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic and the TAB book and spent 6 months learning it note for note. Irronically I hardly play like that at all any more, I got sick of people telling me I was a good bassist because I sounded just like Flea! lol It was still there best album, everything since has been poor in comparison

[quote name='lwtait' post='64834' date='Sep 24 2007, 04:21 PM']and flea played the stingray before his modulus didn't he? not the sterling?[/quote] yup - playecd one for years although i have a feeling he recorded parts of blood, sugar, sex, magic with an alembic not sure how I know that, i may have seen it on a documentary about them

[quote name='cheddatom' post='64644' date='Sep 24 2007, 10:31 AM']I like the bass balls, but, not really for funky sounds, more for making strange noises and stuff. I quite like the boss AW-3 with a bit of OD after it.[/quote] Yeah at rehersal last night I had my envelope filter on, and accidentally had my overdrive on too - sounded phat EDIT: i use a really really subtle overdrive, just to make the sound a litle more brittle

[quote name='Russ' post='64589' date='Sep 24 2007, 04:23 AM']Also, the SUB 5 was a lot more like a proper 5-string version of the 4-string Stingray than the official Stingray 5 is. I actually preferred it in some ways to the official Stingray 5 - the SUB 5 has the same body shape as the SR4, the smaller, round scratchplate and the metal control plate, plus the original Stingray 2-band EQ. Plus, it actually sounds like a 4-string Stingray, just with an extra string.[/quote] Yup, I hear that. There was a really nice example of a SUB 5 for sale here a little while ago, that had been refinished to look more retro, Beatifull example, now owned bu one (I suspect) happy bass chatter! I dunno how to post the link, but it was in the for sale section about three or four weeks ago.

[quote name='7string' post='63598' date='Sep 21 2007, 01:51 PM']Maybe someone liked the basses so much that they bought the company.......[/quote] Hi I'm Victor Kiam......

I've got a Spector and a Warwick - If I could only have one it would be the Spector, it's just ... I dunno, I just prefer it.

Remingotn Steele Isn't that a razor? Sry. I am quite taken with the picolo and I don't usually like headless - What's happening to me?

Yeah nice, not sure about the headstock though, but the through necks looks like ones of those basses that begs you to pick it up and play it. THis thread is no good for GAS, I've already spent a lot of money this year on a bass I never use, but now I'm thinking maybe I do need that ........(insert name here)... after all. I'm sure my partner can put up with one more unused instrument in the house. lol

[quote name='gypsymoth' post='63245' date='Sep 20 2007, 06:43 PM']"plaAYING TOO AGGRESSIVELY" well, that would be a matter of opinion - maybe if you are not breaking them, it means you (and me currently) are playing like a wuss! [/quote] Hmmm I dunno - I find I get a much bigger and Bassier sound when I don't dig in as much - if you play to aggresivley you get loads of attack but it's all top end and sustains a lot less.

[quote name='TheBrokenDoor' post='63238' date='Sep 20 2007, 06:38 PM']I've frequently found when I have an attack of GAS, its not me wanting a new bass, but me wanting something new musically. If you're suffering, hire a room, invite a few friends over and have a jam. Creating something new is always more preferable to just spending more money. Dan[/quote] +1

I never ever bother taking a back up bass to a gig, I used to but it's too much effort - instead I take a spare set of strings (usually old ones so that if I do break a string they don't sound to bright next to the others) It only takes like a minute to whack a string on really quickly. If you are breaking strings regularly you should look at the reason why, It could be your bridge, poorly made strings or that you are just playing to aggresively. Bass strings really shouldn't break very often. I know players that only do a restring once every 18 months or so because they like the sound of really dead strings. The only time I've ever broken a string was about 5 years ago, it was my first gig with some rock band I was playing with, it was a showcase somwhere in London, I broke the E string, which was tuned down to D flat! I can only assume it because I was a little over excited and hamering the string, or that I was constantly changing the tuning of it. I think the reason we take a spare is to show off the fact that we own more than one, maybe? I can understand it if you switch between fretless and fretted. I hope I haven't cursed myself now!

[quote name='charic' post='63053' date='Sep 20 2007, 12:36 PM']I find it easier to tap with very heavy gauge strings and high action... but then again im weird [/quote] wow really - you are weird