KevB

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I may have paid slightly over the odds but I was prepared for that as it happens to be in a (rare-ish) colour that matches my USA jazz and I was after something to act as a 'partner'. Cheers

Looking at a USA precision active deluxe special with the double humbucker on the bridge, appears to be in mint condition (plastic film still on scratch plate). Made around 2006. Anyone hazard a guess at value? I'm not sure they still make these, the recent ones seem to be MIM with a single jazz type PU on the bridge.

Stanley's got that knowing look on his face that says something like 'I'm just going to sit here and look cool and keep it locked together while you two w*** yourselves silly...'

[quote name='Mr Fudge' post='1043507' date='Dec 1 2010, 10:57 AM']My friend is more technical and a much softer player than me from what I have seen. I am a very aggressive finger style player, that's just the way i play, no great technique etc ... and I'm usually the first to post on here saying that tone is all in the fingers. I think for me that's definitely true. These posts are encouraging but could be expensive cheers[/quote] Aggressive fingerstyle might not be the best approach with a ric, you might have to adapt a bit. Tendency to hit the pole pieces (which on rics protrude above the body of the pickup like a metal stud) with the strings if you're not careful. Have a good tryout before you buy on this.

It'll always be slap with me. I think I should learn it, think I'm missing out not being able to do it (yet have never been in a band where it was actually required). Then I see someone actually doing it and go 'Nah...' and the whole cycle repeats itself.

I'm sure a ric was played through a marbass amp at the recent Nottm bassbash, sounded fine. I've never played mine through an all valve rig and it's always sounded immense, cuts through like nobody's business. I'd forgotten how good it sounds until I heard it from a proper distance being played by someone else at a jam session the other week.

The subject of JJF has come uip before. While I accept using varispeed tapes wasn't uncommon I'm not sure how deliberate it was in this case, especially given KR's account of how it was put together. I think it would beless likely for a band to deliberately slow down a recording. Can't see the stones listening back to JJF and saying 'Nah, it's too fast, lets slow the tape down'. If the sheet music is in B and when you hear it it's somewhere below B but not quite proper Bb either then they would have to have slowed the tape down to get that effect. Probably an artefact of bouncing layers of cassette recordings back and forth. I played along with it in Bflat at first to get the feel, then when I was happy with what I was playing I just moved it all up a fret for gigs. I've never jammed with anyone who played it in anything other than B though. Not much to it bass wise, easy enough to move it round the fretboard even for a plodder like me.

I thought I'd make a start and if it catches on an admin could make it a sticky of it over the holiday period. You know what it's like, you need to learn a few xmas tunes to throw in at the end of a gig and don't want to go trawling through web sites yourself so how about we make a list of links or post scans of sheet music of our xmas faves so we have a quick resource here on basschat? Probably my all time fave is the Slade classic so here is what looks like a pretty accurate bass tab for that one: Merry Christmas Everybody (Slade) [url="http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/s/slade/merry_christmas_everybody_ver2_btab.htm"]http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/s/slad...y_ver2_btab.htm[/url]

I've had up to 3 in a spare room used for practice. Nothing wrong with the brackets themselves but make sure it is a decent surface they are being attached to as has been mentioned already. Unfortunately The wall I had to put them on is some cheapo plasterboard job and even using proper platerboard fixers one was coming loose after a couple of months. That had to be removed and I've noticed another one is now coming away on one or two of the screws. The one that is into a solid bit where there is part of a wood frame behind it that the plasterboard has been attached to is fine.

Rich (OTPJ) has been pretty busy recently with various big band stuff as well as his teaching. He's about to start panto audition/pre rehearsal or whatever they do prior to getting the show on the road proper. He's asked me to fill in for him in the house band at the jam sessions we go to (slightly daunting, don't play anything like Rich!) from around Dec 5th which is when he'll be really inot the panto thing. If I see him on Sunday I'll tell him you were enquiring.

If the important aspect is cutting down the bulk size of the thing then it's always going to be a problem with little speakers used ambiently. How about a micro mixer with preamp in it and with 2 headphone outs (or one out with a splitter) so you and guitarist both plug into mixer and both get the same mix out into separate headphones so you both thear what the other is playing. Might look a bit geeky but you might focus more on the music and spot things you would overlook with more exterior noise from the dressing room.

Sorry for the late reply, I'm just out of traction after having FlatEric's twin neck round my neck on Sat OK it wasn't all that heavy but certainly an experience. Also liked noodling away on the '64 P bass (I was born that year too!) and the neck on that fretless pedulla was lovely. Didn't try any of the exotic multistringers but they did remind me I still have some ironing that needs doing.

Sorry, not for me. Sounds like a small group of ducks having an argument.

Having not been in a band at all last year I was just doing jam sessions to keep my hand in. Then I got taken on by a promising looking established blues rock covers pub band in April, first gig was in May. They took me on to hopefully push themselves on to a new level as I was a better backing singer than the guy who I was replacing. However it seemed all my suggestions to improve the band and get a more professional mindset in place were either ignored or met with outright resistence. I banged my head against a brick wall over the next months and a dozen gigs or so then a few weeks ago they gave me the opportunity to leave and I jumped at it even though I didn't have a new project in place. I notice from their web site they have cancelled 2 booked gigs since I left. Same old same old...

If you are playing aggressively on a ric and have too low an action it's very easy to keep smacking the pole pieces on the bridge pickup. I know he now uses customised rics without the standard PU's but he would have used one for a long time and maybe developed his high action then as a result.

I'll try to call in if I can - would a US jazz (S1 switch) and a ric be of any interest to anyone?

Thoroughly recommend GuitarPro, it has the tunes in both tab and conventional sheet music notation which should you wish to learn sight reading might ease you into it more gently. The majority of Guitarpro files are fairly accurate from my experience.

C'mon Pete, the washing up doesn't do itself you know

[quote name='Wil' post='1020379' date='Nov 11 2010, 04:48 PM']My favourite track after listening today was bizarrely the one I thought I hated, "When I'm 64". Brilliant arrangement.[/quote] I heard somewhere that Macca wrote the basic tune of When I'm 64 when he about 15 yrs old as a bit of a joke and only worked it up properly years later when in The Beatles.

Cheapest option at the moment would be to mic your current rig through the PA so at least the bass could be mixed up accordingly with the other instruments. If you mean that a 100W rig isn't loud enough for you to even hear onstage then your bandmates are probably way too loud with their backline.

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1017957' date='Nov 9 2010, 06:52 PM']I've never really gotten into them but, to be honest, I haven't tried too hard. As someone who can't get enough classic rock these days, where should I start with these guys?[/quote] Double CD compilation 'Essential Cheap Trick' has the band pretty much covered; [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Cheap-Trick/dp/B0001GAVQG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289411387&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Cheap-Tr...1387&sr=1-1[/url]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1013844' date='Nov 5 2010, 11:04 PM']Many pundits consider [i]Something [/i](Abbey Road) to be arguably the finest single bassline in a ballad.[/quote] I read somewhere that Harrison didn't like the bassline at all, too fussy, too many notes. I've always thought it a classic myself though.

I'll go against the general flow and say that although EC amd KOL were a bit dull at least it sort of washed over you. I found others on there like MIA and Bellowhead(ooh look at me I'm a weird and whacky front man) just so irritating I couldn't make it through a complete song. There is an argument that it's better to get some reaction than none at all but when that reaction is just skipping to the next act well...