neepheid

[quote name='nick@ibassmag' timestamp='1395740656' post='2405590'] [font=Helvetica][size=3]Hi all...[/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3]Our Special Issue - 100 Bass Guitars to Play Before You Die - is half price on the Apple newsstand for the next 24 hours, but if you can guess which basses made it into the top ten (email your answer to [email protected]) we'll send you a voucher code to get it for free.. ;-)[/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3]Nick[/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3][url="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ibass-magazine-bass-guitar/id571010369?mt=8"]https://itunes.apple...d571010369?mt=8[/url][/size][/font] [/quote] Are there alternative ways to access this publication?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1395786969' post='2406425'] It does look nice, and it makes a change to see a 5-string Gibson. Pity they couldn't be bothered to match the neck finish to the body though. [/quote] I heard they made this especially for you. I also heard they also nearly called it the Gibson BRX, but someone in Sales vetoed it. Bet you feel bad for griping about the neck finish now, don't you?

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1395850001' post='2407137'] Just out of interest, do you think this bass would be better with a matching sunburst headstock, or do you mean it should have a 'burst finish on the [i]back[/i] of the neck as well ? [/quote] BRX means matching finish on the back of the neck. Which I think would look pretty preposterous on my Bullion Gold EB and would definitely not welcome, but never mind. [quote] These do indeed look like nice basses, but to my own tastes, they don't look right with Music Man - style pickups with the big exposed pole pieces, If they sound like MM pickups that would be wrong, too, but I doubt that they do . It would be much more apt for this bass to have traditional Gibson-style humbuckers with chrome covers. That is the classic Gibson look. Overall though, I expect these would be very useful basses at a very reasonable price for a decent quality American-made bass. [/quote] Given the variety of Gibson's bass output since the first Gibson Electric Bass (renamed EB-1), I'd struggle to define a "classic Gibson look" if I'm honest. The only common theme running through all of them is the logo and the fact that none of them sell in numbers that give Fender any sleepless nights

Well, it's a start towards airlines being prevented from acting like total dicks in response to anything that isn't bag shaped.

Keep this coming folks, a nice list of basses for me to avoid - I need room for my sausage fingers to blunder their way around the strings.

Never. When the dials on my Red Sub claim to be flat, the sound is so mid heavy it sounds awful. I always, ALWAYS use the Contour control to scoop them out to a degree, the Contour is usually around half way round just to sound "normal" to me. Then I have the graphic EQ putting selected mids back in for flavour. And the Starcaster always needs a bit extra high end help, bless its old school thumpy cotton socks Short answer: no, I never play with "flat" EQ.

[quote name='ToneStyler UK' timestamp='1395761630' post='2405925'] Yes, we've been making ToneStylers for years with D-flat shafts for set-screws and with "fine" 24-spline shafts for USA push-on knobs, which are very successful, but they do not fit "coarse" 18-spline knobs. It's true what you say: that players will change their knobs, but we think that we might be losing a number of sales to Epiphone and other owners who are not prepared to "spoil" their instrument by changing its original 18-spline knobs. We're trying to estimate what that number is, to determine whether to make the pots with coarse shafts or not, and, if so, in what proportions. [/quote] Ahh, I get what you're up to now (now that I've actually taken the time to look on your site instead of making assumptions), you're selling single pot replacements, not entire gubbins replacements. Of course that makes sense that people would want the original knob. D'oh! Carry on! I don't have much to offer beyond your rough generalisation (which is on the whole pretty sound from what I gather).

Here's what my BB450 sounds like recorded direct via USB into Audacity with no tricks, attached to a ham fisted buffoon trying to play I Got You (I Feel Good) http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/mp3/BB450%20soundclips/

It's only vague, "if it comes up for a song" type GAS, but if any of these were to come up at the right price... Yamaha SBV-J2 Greco mad 3 pickup Les Paul bass:

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1395742006' post='2405608'] Don't want to make it too easy for you! [/quote] Shame, because given your current basses my mind instantly went to a Gibson G-3 as well. I'm out

[quote name='theyellowcar' timestamp='1395647765' post='2404574'] Welcome to the club. You will never leave. [/quote] I signed in as a guest a couple of times. Both times I got stared/glared at as soon as I went in the door, bought a beer, played the club puggie a few times, didn't win anything, then left when the stares from the local yokels started to burn uncomfortable holes in my body.

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1395741391' post='2405597'] Caveats: I don't do Ricks, Gibsons or Stingrays or clones thereof... [/quote] Well, that's most of the "high quality" suggestions out the window - you are a tough bugger to please

In the aftermath of band breakups, I've found a few months off beneficial - no matter how amicable it is it takes time to brush it off and dust yourself down. I've not rushed back into the first thing that comes up just so I can play - if something's not right, be it the music or the people then I've passed on it. I took some lessons in the downtime and it really opened up my eyes (or at least gave names to things I already did but didn't know why).

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1395651998' post='2404614'] Does the world need another Jazz bass clone maker? [/quote] Doesn't need it, but probably wants it. World at large shows no signs of getting tired of them.

I put the hottest strat lipstick pickup I could get in a Bronco once. Sounded pretty good and looked ace.

I enjoy playing and even just looking at my Jack Casady. Sounds like the start of a beautiful friendship for you as well. Enjoy!

[quote name='dazza14' timestamp='1395399584' post='2401974'] Good advice here, thank you very much. I think the 'worry' comes from the fact that the other members can pick up a new song almost instantly, the drummer does his thing, the singer sings and plays rhythm so his part is quite easy musically, the lead guitarist I've noticed will simply pick the individual notes from the chord leaving me to fill in the space but I have bad habits that I stick to, like scales, arpeggios and changing from finger to pick to thumb to get differing sounds, but his comment about being on the root note bugged me because it's something i'm sensitive about. I could chuck in some needless showy bits but I want to compliment the song and not ruin it by showing off... I leave that to the drummer and lead guitarist. [/quote] In my early playing days, whenever a new song was tried for the first time, I would have to ask what the chords were and write that down. I would then plonk out some root notes, go home, come up with something better then bring that to next band practice. Over time, the more I did that, the quicker I could do it until I was able to start coming up with stuff in the same band practice. The confidence just grew over time, there was no lightbulb moment. I am astonished when I look back at how far I've come along.

I'm a Lego brick bassist - most of my lines are born out of a few simple building blocks - arpeggiating the chords, pentatonic/blues scale, octaves, and I don't think anyone ever got shot for throwing a cheeky seventh in there. I don't consider what I'm doing to be clever, but it at least adds some flavour where appropriate. I don't think I've ever come up with what I would consider a timeless or classic riff - don't worry about it Also sometimes the root is just fine. Interesting things can come from modifying how you play those root notes, either in terms of technique or rhythm. Got a subdued section in one of our songs and I just thud out the root notes with my thumb while palm muting. Two chords from the end I move my right hand into the normal fingerstyle position and play those last 8 notes normally with some vigour to signify that the subdued section is coming to an end (so the drummer knows "insert fill here"). I'm no expert (Been playing (properly) for about 6 years and I have had a few lessons) but I'm pretty happy with what I'm coming up with.

Are you making an aftermarket modification for basses? If so, just use whichever pots you like because people who are into modding (or custom building) will likely customise the knobs as well? Also if you want to use concentric pots then I suspect it's solid shaft or nothing.

[quote name='EmmettC' timestamp='1395183728' post='2399649'] I have 3 spaces, so could potentially have 3 switches, which would be enough for a 2 x series/parallel switches, and 1 switch to coil tap both pickups. Or would it be more sensible to have a seperate coil tap for each pickup and not bother with series/parallel switches? This would also make it easier to switch the tone pot out for a stacked 2 band preamp in the future. Are there any other options I'm not thinking of? I don't want to drill or route the body, but I could make a new cover for the rear cavity and fit sliding switches..... All ideas welcome. [/quote] The Gibson EB has this exact arrangement - 2x volumes with push/pull for tuned coil split (when you go single coil, a capacitor is also switched in, dumps off some top end to ground so you [i]perceive[/i] less volume drop or lack of bottom end) and 1 master tone (which could easily be a 2 band stacked EQ like an EMG-BTC)

I can tell you almost exactly (memory allowing as I don't record this detail) but it's 25-23 in favour of using my own gear. Own gear tends to get used at weird venues (out in the country, private parties, hotels, marquees) and most of the venues I've played at which favour original music tend to have house gear, or I've been fortunate enough to be the beneficiary of a gear share agreement. But I don't really care about the minute details of "my sound" in a live environment nor the amount of use/value for money my rig represents. It's there if I need it, I can bring the noise if I have to, but I also look forward to a nice easy town gig where I can just turn up with a bass and a bag o' bits, play my tunes then have a few beers, toddle off home on foot/in a taxi. As long as I can hear myself on stage, I'm a happy bass player. Some of the times when I've used my own gear, the sound engineer has plonked a DI box between my bass and amp anyway and handled FOH sound his or herself. So it's "my sound" on stage, but it's in their hands from the audience's point of view. C'est la vie, I just want to get some playing done and get some people bobbing along.

One day, it'll be Gibson. Perhaps not in my lifetime

Some of them were fretless, right? Go me!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_60320#C13 Yes, I know citing Wikipedia is not academically sound, but I think they've summarised it well here.