LukeFRC

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1360534202' post='1972055'] There is that. There's nothing more annoying than overkeen shop assistants. A lot of folk just like to be left to it. The gallery's been there a long time and must be doing something right to be still trading when a lot of guitar shops are dying out. [/quote] I used to sell high end food stuffs, and the higher end you go the less you go pushy, you smile and are friendly but you let the customer make the choice - you don't get much more high end than some of the stuff they have in the gallery.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1360533945' post='1972049'] Maybe it's me! What I forgot to say was that for most of the time, I was the only customer in the shop, which should have been more conducive to a chatty exchange between enthusiasts, but instead, because of Alex's frosty manner, just made for a really uncomfortable and awkward atmosphere. [/quote] nah if you work in a shop, especially a closed door shop like the gallery just having one customer is way way more akward - you don't want to be too pushy or sell, you don't know the person or what they are into or anything - or know what they are after - for something like basses if it were me I would be happier letting the customer have a look and strike up a convo if they wanted- expecting the poor fella to do a starbucks style 'how are you, whats your name' with every idiot who comes off the street is unfair. Yeah they could be better at the banter - but they don't trade on the banter. [quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1360533983' post='1972052'] Mixed feelings, Martin built me a SEI. Long gone in financially challenged times. Two weeks ago, emailed them re Lakland 44-51. On price match. They were advertising them at £1049, Guitar Guitar at £699. Asked Bass Gallery if they would price match as would prefer to buy from them. Reply from Alex was they had none in stock. strange as they were advertised as in stock, top of the Lakland list of in stock products! Oh, and they still are. Mind it was the day before Geddys Nose's Alembic Epic came up and the rest is history. Still, poor show from The Bass Gallery. [/quote] Hi small independent shop, one of your products was bought en mass by a major chain store competitor so they can offer it cheaper, and they've had their stock for ages to slashed the prices to try and shift it.... will you match that price by lopping off 30% off the price (ie your profit) for me? - no, you don't have any in stock, oh poor show

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1360533194' post='1972024'] I just had a look on their website. Prices are a bit ambitious [/quote] Not true in all cases, there are a few basses on there cheaper than you would find them in the basschat sales forum.... [quote name='peteb' timestamp='1360533415' post='1972035'] Last time I went there I was talking to Alex and made it quite clear that I was doing nothing more than tyre kicking (thru I did buy a cheap stand) and when I asked about a Fodera they had there he handed me a lead and said 'plug it in mate'! I've never had a problem there at all... [/quote] I got the impression that they must get a lot of idiots in (infact one came in while I was there) but chatted briefly to the guy and he warmed up a bit. Some people just don't do small chat and small talk (and for non londoners everyone seems unfriendly!) so I wouldn't hold that agianst them. I went in and asked to play something (cheaper) and genuinly think I could have asked to play anything. If you don't ask... then you don't get.

So plywood japcrap... rubbish eh? Good enough for this fella to use on a product advertisment video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXrMPRtQ7Z4

[quote name='cytania' timestamp='1360486573' post='1970977'] Thanks LukeFRC you're absolutely right about the Fender sound, it's why I keep considering one even though there are some 'difficult' aspects to them. I should really take my own advice that 'every guitar has something to teach you' and the Fender style is on my list. Maybe this year... if I still have a day job in April... The other GAS driver has been the realisation that although my Spear S2 singlecut is a Korean maker trying to 'do boutique' it is actually well above spec compared to what they make now. There's an inch of walnut top and an inch of mahogany back, now they just put a 5mm walnut cap on. The electrics were 18v now they're 9v suggesting the 'is it Aguilar?' preamp is something else. Suddenly I realise that whatever it is I won't be able to get another one easily or cheaply. Must keep an eye on it at the pub gig next week [/quote] I thought wood didn't impact on tone?

I think the bass player you heard should have turned down a bit! I think it's easier to swap gear than think abotu waht would make you/your band better musically. GAS is a funny thing - I think partly it's us wanting different things, and partly it's knowing that we havn't found what we want quite yet and playing around with it. For me it's been a fun journey of trying everything I want to try (bar two basses*) playing lots, and ending up with basses and rig I'm happy with. I think it's ok to want to get to that sort of place - but for me that has been a process of finding out what I want, and working out how to get there on a fairly methodical journey, I'll be honest I don't understand the kinda GAS that seems to want something new and often utterly different every week. More specifically to your question - I think the beauty of a lot of high end gear is it lets you control what you do better. My fingers can do things on my warwick they could never have done on the Stagg bass I first started messing with - mainly because it's a much better instrument. Likewise a great cab gives you options on shaping your tone that a cheap box of woolyness maybe wouldn't. BUT if you've all the gear an no idea it doesn't matter what you play - you need to learn how to shape your tone to the music - I don't think great tone and fitting the music are mutually exclusive - if anything they are the same thing! anyway ramble over. *a warwick thumb and a ray if anyone was interested. I'll probably build a ray myself sometime.

I think there are three things here... one - they are constructed differently. I think your bass has through body stringing and a stiff neck, all that is going to affect the feel - imagine it like a mountain bike's shock absorber. Your bass is a hard spring with no dampening, and a fender is a slightly softer spring with dampening. Both good but will ride differently. This analogy in basses- they will sound different as the different construction will effect the character of the attack and sustain of the note. two they (usually are passive) - if your bass is active - I'm my experience, in my opinion etc - they sound slightly differently and react to your playing technique slightly differently. If you are used to one then the other will be odd to begin with. and lastly. A lot of Fenders are crap, dull sounding rubbish. I've only found one or two new fenders that I would even think of buying- (one mexican, one Highway 1 and one american vintage) the rest have been just flaccid. A flat sounding fender isn't fun. I am aware this may just be down to the set up in shops. So they are different... but you know that sound on that record you grew up listening too? That bass tone. That was a Fender bass tone, and yeah they are different - but what they can do - no other bass design can.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1360417066' post='1970015'] Spot on, cheers Luke! That's exactly what I'm going to do. Thanks also for the heads up about Aaron Armstrong p'ups, I'm going to check those out. And a massive thanks for the offer of trying the ACG on your Warwick!! (I love BC for this sort of thing ). 'Tis only a short hop from Mancunia to Leeds as you mention, so I may well take you up on that offer mate - I have relatives over your way so could make a round trip of it. I'll let you know. [/quote] coolio

I always get stuck when picking up a drum stick, how do you hold it. Then someone shows me something to play, and I can play that well and then try and vary it and it all falls to pieces. I guess I have awful rhythm which is odd for a bassist. It's odd, I lived with a pro musician for a bit, and we would muck around with basses and guitars and so on in the house- he pointed out that I picked a guitar my timing was spot on, I strum and it goes all over the place. Really odd, I never had to work on timing or rhythm much on the bass, I could just pick it up and make it do what I could hear in my head without thinking. Other instruments - man they are hard. Drumming is a skill though, I couldn't do it. Mind you it's also one of those instruments that unless you learn to keep time well you are better off staying at home.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1359549669' post='1956375'] ^ Nice one Charic! Great ideas there mate. I have a lot of Googling to do when I get home after work this evening... Will definitely be checking out Wizard p'ups and ACG pre-amps. Thanks for the suggestions. [/quote] I emailed Aaron Armstrong about pickups a while back- didn't go with him but I would have confidence to if I did again. My recomendations pickup wise is go and play as much stuff as you can and try them yourself. I love Nordy jazz pickups but they are the opposite to what you want. The ACG EQ01 with a Bartolini PJ set is pretty nice on my warwick - just a train ride away if you want to have a try of the preamp sometime.

If you are going to stick a preamp in look for a clone of one of the early stingray preamps;

I think for a lot of people there is a specfic 'sound' that sounds right to them. For me I keep going back to a P bass type sound and though in theory I like how a jazz sounds I don't like the sound when I'm playing it. So my vote is to go looking for a good stingray.

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1360282018' post='1968195'] What happened was that he posted a video of himself and everybody was very polite about his playing but a few said that it wasn't their cup of Darjeeling. He responded to this furiously, revealing himself to be both arrogant and to have a vastly inflated opinion of his (admittedly quite good) abilities. [/quote] Funny thing was no one ever insulted him as a musician. He is a pretty skilled bloke with a bass.

good post Mcnach. this thread did make me miss the big beef chief just a little.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1360257789' post='1967608'] "I don't know what you mean by 'glory,' " Alice said. Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't—till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!' " "But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument'," Alice objected. "When [i]I[/i] use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less." "The question is," said Alice, "whether you [i]can[/i] make words mean so many different things." "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master[s] [/s]that's all." [/quote] is that from art or entertainment?

wow you are on a roll

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U2cOVgaKBM

[quote name='Antiloco' timestamp='1360247162' post='1967310'] a) It works. It works perfectly. It may not work for you but that's another story. b ) Actually no. I don't need to tell where my ideas come from. Because I don't care in the same way an amateur bass player doesn't get better than he needs to get. The main difference here is that it's not me demanding to be respected in a philosophical forum... but here all amateurs and inmstrument collectors demand their views to be respected as if they were the ultimate truth. I'm very sorry but that's not going to happen. Not until you know more than me in my field. My apologies but that's the way it is and it has nothing to do with peoples value as human beings. It's all about knowing your place....You get that point don't you? It's your urge to know were my thinking comes from so its your job. You have the tools, not me. People use math all the time without knowing the theoretical part. Does it mean they can't use math?... Please. [/quote] So if it is all about knowing your place. I'm quite happy to listen to you play, if you stop pontificating half-thought-out weak ideas about what constitutes music and avant garde and kitsch that you have no inclination to understand what you yourself think? Except life doesn't work like that, the beauty of this forum is that I can talk to folk who like jazz and folk who like punk, folk who regularly play to thousands and folk who play in front of a webcam, old folk and teenagers. What brings us together, regardless of our skill or knowledge is a love of music and our ability to talk about it from whatever level we are at. I've never played jazz - but boy do I love hearing Bilbo get excited about what gets him going. I don't really like Big red x's music, but I love his views on making music and playing even when I don't agree with them all. Bilbo could communicate why jazz is important, or explain why the coltraine piece in the OP is expressive worth listening too to a bunch of 5 year olds. Making music accessible to other people, explaining why stuff is worth listening too, making it worth listening too (entertaining even) - that's amazing, that's what basschat is all about. that's what music is all about.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1360171698' post='1966118'] Probably a decent enough reference but no payback from them.. so too much effort for little return..?? [/quote] though he's prolific enough on talk bass still! His anaylsis of the new and old power sections in the Tecamp Puma was brilliant. Made me realise I didn't want to sell mine!