51m0n

I use three, with a floaty thumb technique on the 5 string. Been that way for a while. I don't think there is any real speed advantage for a lot of things, it just feels right (and I strictly alternate too). Guess I'm weird!

Excellent!

Dont muck about. Give the amp an yourself a chance to derive all the power from the amp in the most straightforward way possible. A second 4x10 is definitely the right way to go.

chicken neckin' like a loon apparently. Cant help meself. That and gurning take up all the available mental resources after playing, so I dont move a lot (although I have been known to break out in beserk pogo-ing alledgedly (in a funkier track), no recollection of it myself though...

Know your material inside out. Being able to play it 'blindfolded, on your own (ie no clues from anyone else, just your memory) several times, start to finish without a mistake' good. If you can do that you wont have any reason for nerves If you cant, run the set in your head without your bass when you dont have it with you, this kind of memorisation is used by pro sports people and performers a lot to help them negotiate complex procedures under pressure - it definitely works for pub musicians too! Then there is the fact that you need to understand that as long as you play in time, [i]most[/i] punters cant tell a wrong note in the bass (other than a semitone out) from a punch in the face, especially after a couple of drinks... Check all your kit the night before, stock up on batteries, picks (even a couple for your guitarists isnt a bad idea), spare strings (pre-fitted, then removed so a string change is very quick if you really need to do it), spare bass if you have one, check your set up and intonation too if you have time. Get there with [b]plenty[/b] of time, chill as best you can, get your gear set up with plenty of time to spare. Keep your bass(es) in a hard case (if you have one) until you need to put one on. Dont drink/smoke anything you shouldnt - it wont help. Do check the set list, run through it one more time (esp anything you arent 100% about). Chill out some more. Eat. Before going on stage - take a leak! Understand that the first song to song and a half are the hardest part. After that it should be an adrenalin ride all the way. Try not to rush the tempos, and groooooooooovvveeeee..... WHEN you make a mistake (this is almost certain to occur) dont gurn, goof, puke, or stop, just keep on going, most punters wont notice. Lastly enjoy it!

[quote name='molan' post='688322' date='Dec 18 2009, 01:22 PM']I've been listening to Betty Davis solidly since I first spotted this! Just found this nice little analysis of how to play it as well: There's some great playing on the first album & the bass is just so well produced on some of the songs. This is an 'extra' that didn't even make it on the original release! I'm assuming it's Larry G on bass but Doug Rauch is also credited on the extended album.[/quote] Nice one mate! Must bother to really learn Anti-Love Song. It certainly sounds like Larry on that one to me. Fantastic example of propery [b]funky[/b] slap bass IMO. WHo says you need to play a bazzilion notes when you are slapping. Glad I've 'hooked' someone else on Betty D too, was starting to feel lonely

Bloody well done mate

[quote name='razze06' post='687429' date='Dec 17 2009, 03:48 PM']I just want to dip my toe in the world of J basses, and I don't want to spend much money at all. What I'm looking for is something that sounds and looks approximately like a jazz. I am not looking for any subtleties or finesse. Are some makes better than others? Is it just a matter of being lucky with a cheaply built copy? Is there any point in looking at older oriental versions of a jazz bass? I reckon that second hand is probably best, but the question still remains: what is worth looking out for? Is anyone likely to ever want to sell a VM squier Jazz? [/quote] They do go in the For Sale section reasonably regularly. Great basses for the money (S/H) too IMO.

See Q.9 here:- [url="http://www.fretlessbass.com/LevinTonyInterview-01.html"]http://www.fretlessbass.com/LevinTonyInterview-01.html[/url]

Its a very very compressed fretless IIRC

[quote name='mildmanofrock' post='685611' date='Dec 15 2009, 07:42 PM']That's true. Although some things seem to escape criticism on here - Aguilar, Epifani and Bergantino spring to mind. Are they as perfect as the reviews suggest or has anyone tried and not liked?[/quote] IME Berg is perfect. May not be for you, but for me, definitely. Cant speak for the rest of your list.

[quote name='stevie' post='685694' date='Dec 15 2009, 08:47 PM']I wouldn't be seen dead with a cab called Aguilar, Epifani and Bergantino. They sound like they were designed for guys in dresses.[/quote] Absolutely, mine's from Laura Ashley and has a lovely floral print, it sounds wonderful too.... Let me guess, you got yourself a Crate "'cos it sounds dead 'ard" Or are you saving for nice shiny new Big One too?

[quote name='sk8' post='685299' date='Dec 15 2009, 03:33 PM']this is true bit if you've got compact no.1 its nowhere near as good fit an finish wise as they are now and yet you paid essetilly the same amount.[/quote] Well thats called product development and as an on going thing it even affects owners of Berg gear. You buy it having checked it out AT THAT TIME, and nobody out there guarantees to keep your version up to date with yet to be released changes that are purely cosmetic, not even Berg (although Jim comes about as close as anyone I've ever heard of).

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='685287' date='Dec 15 2009, 03:25 PM']Fairly sure music playing is not the way to bed them in, too compressed and inclined to be very loud without really pushing the speakers. A 20hz sine in audacity and putting that through will make not much sound and need not much power to push it to xmax (as the speakers are unloaded that low) which is where tyou want is worn in to. Claber cab probably tell you exactly how many volts/watts that will take, although dunno how you'll find out if you are putting that into it.[/quote] Download foobar2000 Install it file ->add location In the input field that comes up input:- tone://20,6000 And it will add to the playlist an item called Tone 20 Hz Double click that and it will play a 20Hz sine wave for one hour! You can even set up a playlist of differing tones and play through them on playlist repeat. Sweet!

I think it should be noted that The Big One at some £675 is significantly cheaper (and way lighter) than the big Berg lightweight single cab (the ae410) at over £1100. And the comparable 2 x ae112 stack comes in at more than that. So a proper price for a proper cab yes. As much? Err no. I've played both, proper loud but not on a gig, A/B'ed them for a couple of days, and the Big One has a massive sound, certainly full range enough for a real band experience for all but the most clickety clacket of slappers. I honestly prefer the sound of my ae410, but I'd be happy to have got a Big One if I'd not already got the ae410. I agree that the aesthetics of the Berg stuff is just superb (can a cab really be beautiful? Berg ae series are as close to beautiful as any IMO, thats for sure), and clearly better than the Barefaced gear, but with each tweak Alex makes the Barefaced stuff looks more and more pro. As for how tough it is, well the one I got my mitts on seemed to be excellently put together, and the fact is that properly looked after I think it would last perfectly well, same as any other cab. It certainly doesnt flex when played at the highest volume I could get out of my sa450 with a lot of bass boost! As Shockwave recounts he had all the bad luck imaginable wrt his sales process. Obvioulsy thats fgoing to really be difficult to get over. I hope for his sake he finds the tone moves where he needs it to as the cab gets played in more, if he chooses to keep it. I played the other Vintage that was at the Brighton Bass bash (no tweeter) and it was snarling with mid grunt (especially when I slapped the Roscoe through it) but underneath that was properly trouser flapping bass too.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='684414' date='Dec 14 2009, 08:12 PM']Volume is not measured in watts. It's measured in Lux.[/quote] You are kidding aren't you???

Some of you may know I tend to buy very rarely and keep for a long time. My old bass (the Vester) has about 3 tiny dings on it, over 15 years of use. Apart from those, and the wear from my popping fingers just below the g string in front of the neck pup and a lot of fret ware its immaculate. My Roscoe is just slightly polished where my forearm rests against it, and I've polished the back of the neck from a very fast satin smooth to a ver much slower gloss with my LH thumb already . Other than that it is (and will stay if I can possibly help it) pristine. I hate dings! Same with my cab (currently immaculate) and rack!

That looks top. Must be killing you watching it come together this slowly (its bloody well killing me )

Sweet, Phoenix rocks!

+1 I was thinking the bass tone is utterly gorgeous on that one!

[quote name='munkonthehill' post='680823' date='Dec 10 2009, 11:33 PM']unfortunatly he is a monster on guitar, I mean MONSTER.[/quote] No he isnt. Oh he may play amazingly well and pick up new stuff very quickly, but real monsters on guitar do not need or wish to drown everyone else out. They are team players first and foremost. When you've had the pleasure of playing with a guitarist like this playing with one who doesnt get it is just not an option anymore. The fact that he drowns everyone out, doesnt understand the nature of frequency mixing the guitar bass and drums to make tones that sit well and complement each other rather than fight each other are bad enough, but worse still is he is not listening to what you are saying either. He is not a team player, and therefore not a good musician. He is only interested in his voews, his sound, his instrument etc etc. WHich means he's NOT listening to you guys. My advice, let him turn all the way up at the next rehearsal. Record it, then you play a semitone flat in the choruses. If he doesnt notice, then tell him he's useless cos he aint listening, cos he's too loud, and play him the recording to prove it. Failing that get out of the band or be his lacky forever.

Read the Talkbass fart thread.....

Nice one! I love cheap videos done by bands, they are often really bonkers (I'm thinking of We've Got A Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It all sat on a moped, properly dead cheap and weird as!) Its a great track too, very boppable - ace stuff!

[quote name='OldGit' post='680064' date='Dec 10 2009, 11:35 AM']Price should make Beedster feel better [/quote] LOL!!!

EBS_Freak please explain to me what you would have in the place of specs then, to help people make an informed decision about what they should go and test for themselves? Or do you really think people should test everything? Right now forums like this exist largely because we do actually have to test everything, or ask people of their real world experiences, in order to help us make an opinion. The trouble is that one man's "it totally slayed up against my two guitarists' half stacks and my rottweiler drummer" is another man's "it barely covered the room playing jazz at the local cafe" - well maybe not that bad, but you know what I'm saying. I, again, say I agree that marketing driven unvalidated and unverifiable specs (as we have now) are useless, and there should be an industry standard set of tests done independanty for a piece of kit (amp, cab whatever) such that the manufacturer is then able to publish specs, if only to protect the customer. But were such an enforcement body in place, and were they rigorous, would you have any argument against the particular spec that Alex is mentioning here? And if so please justify why it, in your opinion, is so worthless, given that it would be alongside accurate frequency, dB, wattage, blah blah blah specs too. I am honestly trying to understand your point of view, and am failing to miserably right now...