tauzero

[quote name='lowdown' post='291083' date='Sep 24 2008, 05:47 PM']Must be the first time i have heard the likes of Stevie wonder and Marvin Gaye cited as Mass-Produced crap....[/quote] It's a funny thing, but whenever I see Stevie Wonder lauded to the heavens, the jukebox in my head [1] starts playing "I just called to say I love you". And whenever I read about Stevie's genius and the wonder of Paul McCartney within ten minutes of each other, the jukebox in my head changes to "Ebony and Ivory". [1] We have all got one of them, haven't we? Or is it just me?

[quote name='4000' post='291149' date='Sep 24 2008, 06:51 PM']Bilbo's bang on about Jon's "impressionistic" lyrics, which are actually some of my favourites for that very reason. That's [i]art[/i], chaps. Even my mate (who doesn't really like Yes) agrees.[/quote] It isn't as if Anderson was alone in that - Bolan and Bowie wrote stuff that was almost as nonsensical. In fact, most song lyrics are pretty incomprehensible, or have some hidden meaning (apparently Radar Love is all about some dead bird, and for twenty-odd years I've thought it was about longing to get home to his missus) and the only straightforward writers I can think of off the top of my head who write straightforward unembellished non-allegorical stories set to music are Jim Steinman and me.

[quote name='Doctor J' post='290722' date='Sep 24 2008, 11:48 AM']You can pick up a Stingray, Sterling, Bongo, etc for about $800 on talkbass, add maybe $200 or so for shipping (though you can do it cheaper with USPS), maybe the guy might mark it down so you don't get hit too hard by the taxman. Either way, it makes paying £700 for one seem absurd.[/quote] Does it? $1k total, 2.5% duty and 17.5% VAT take that to $1200. That's around £685 taking an exchange rate of $1.75, which is about where it is at the moment.

[quote name='Merton' post='290754' date='Sep 24 2008, 12:15 PM']I;m bringing my Warwick Rockstand - it holds 5. But it's also going to be a raffle prize [/quote] I've found they're pretty good, unless you have certain basses which aren't so well suited to it. For example, Thumbs...

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='290737' date='Sep 24 2008, 12:00 PM']Anyone over the age of 50 has no choice but to cite The Fab Four as a massive, massive influence (even if they don't actually like them) because that's what they were ... half the music performed in the 70's and 80's had no choice but to be influenced by The Beatles, and Paul McCartney won [i]Bass Player Of The Year[/i] awards over and over again.[/quote] Let's see. I'm 50. The bands I listened to in the 70s and 80s were Focus, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Yes, Hendrix, Floyd, Sabbath. It's difficult to see much in the way of Beatles influence in that lot...

Motown. Stax. Beatles. Jamiroqui. Primus. RHCP. Not sure about Level 42, I quite like the music but MK's voice doesn't do it for me at all.

[quote name='Prosebass' post='290625' date='Sep 24 2008, 10:17 AM']I own a Hofner S7B which is probably the rarest production bass here, to my knowledge there is only 1 other still in existence. Unless anyone knows different ?[/quote] So either Hofner only made a third of a bass every year, or they were so bad that most of them got used for firewood?

We had the same situation. Same set in the same order for two years and the singer not only couldn't remember the words, he couldn't remember how they got assembled into songs either (not helped by his copious alcohol consumption). Unfortunately, none of us are confrontational (I'm the closest to it, which is not very close at all) and so we didn't resolve it until the band was on the verge of breaking up, when the singer phoned the drummer and told him he was considering packing it in, and the drummer persuaded him that he should. If any of you are able to be directly critical of him to his face, in an unambiguous fashion, then do it. It could be he's perfectly capable and needs a kick up the arse, it could be that he's sh*te, in which case you need to be rid of him.

[quote name='Galilee' post='290109' date='Sep 23 2008, 04:56 PM'][quote name='tauzero' post='289922' date='Sep 23 2008, 01:15 PM'] Also wear the wedding ring from my first marriage on my right hand[/quote] How does your current wife feel about that? [size=1](Or were you widowed?)[/size] [/quote] She's fine with it. It's the ring from my first marriage - although my first wife is now dead, we'd been divorced for years when it happened.

I must say, this new idea of having a drinks cabinet installed in the upper bout seems a great advance to me. No more faffing round with your drinks on the floor, just reach in and there it is. Just the right size for a large Scotch, to suit the sophisticated tastes of those who play Warwicks. When I eventually get a double bass, I shall have to see about having a similar modification done. That would provide considerably more scope for storage - could probably fit a small wine rack in, in fact.

The offset shape of the Jazz is a pretty good conceptual solution to the problem of neck dive, as it has a long top horn and weight distributed to maximise the leverage to balance the neck. The Precision solution is simply to be heavy. However, rather than just using the concept and coming up with their own variant of the shape, a large number of high-end builders simply copy the Jazz shape, and then stick a Jazz control plate on. They show little originality of thought (or perhaps they're catering to a market that shows little originality of thought). The original thinkers address the balance problem by doing something about the basis of the problem, going to a 2+2 headstock (NS, Warwick), lightening it as well (Kubicki, Bass Collection) or dispensing with it altogether (Steinberger, Status). I keep trying to like singlecuts but the aesthetics jar with me. Which is a bit odd, because I've always liked the looks of Les Pauls.

I've always worn my wedding ring (when I've been married) to play. Current ring is the biggest so far, an 8mm barrel, but poses no problems. Also wear the wedding ring from my first marriage on my right hand, and that doesn't cause any problems either.

I did have a supply of Grolsch washers - not sure if I've got any left, nor where they are if I have. And the Roadhouse isn't giving performers free beer of a Thursday any more, so my stock will not be getting replenished...

[quote name='OldGit' post='289703' date='Sep 23 2008, 09:55 AM']"Cracking P p'up? That's an oxymoron, like 'military intelligence', or 'Microsoft Works' - the pickup is what makes the P so awful" I think you'll find that is a [i]subjective [/i]criticism .....[/quote] The truth is an absolute defence against accusations of subjectivity...

[quote name='redd' post='289065' date='Sep 22 2008, 11:53 AM']ps. anyone interested in a 5 string Ned Steinberger EUB? going cheap!![/quote] Do you a straight swap for an NS WAV-4 in the rare amberburst colour...

Covers band - [url="http://www.break-away.org.uk/"]Breakaway[/url]. Three-and-a-half piece band, 60s, 70s, 80s ish. Ceilidh band - [url="http://www.newcoronaband.co.uk/"]New Corona Band[/url]. Four of us plus caller (who is Mrs Zero). Some toons on the "Dances and Music" page, which are a little iffy on the quality front. Acoustic duo - [url="http://secondtimeround.org.uk/"]Second Time Round[/url]. Me and Mrs Zero (I play guitar and a little bass and keyboards). Some live songs on [url="http://www.myspace.com/secondtimerounduk"]our Myspace page[/url].

I think he was trying to point to the Prosebass sub-sub-forum in the Basschat Affiliates sub-forum.

[quote name='spike' post='288808' date='Sep 21 2008, 09:59 PM']Our singer was really nervous because it was the first time she had sung on her own ( she usually sings sings with two other singers in the soul band ). Unfortunately she had a little too much dutch courage beforehand and was pretty tipsy by the second set which resulted in our carefully rehearsed arrangements being abandoned and the rest of us having to guess what she was going to do next.[/quote] Make sure you have a word with her about that so she doesn't do it again. We had a singer who was like that every gig - the band was close to splitting after two years of that. Fortunately he left, and the guitarist took the singing over again.

Mustang Sally.

Twin-neck 5-string fretted and fretless, headless, body shape like a Sei Flamboyant, necks the same as my Tsai 5-string. EMG pickups and a top like on my Tsai 7-string and third Tsai 5-string.

Stick the ebay photos in the Gear Porn section and see everyone slavering over the great mojo and lovely Fender bass... TBH, it's the most interesting sh*te old Fender I've seen for ages. I do have a certain affection for sh*te old Fenders but I do think they're vastly overrated. If I had £250 to spare, and space for another bass, I'd consider putting a bid in for it.

Indeed it was me that had one (ta to AT for the heads-up). If I didn't have a Tsai 6-string in about-to-be-put-together state (I know I have to put the hardware on to it, but at the price I paid it was well worth it) and had some spare money, I'd be tempted by this. It was certainly well playable, the only weak point was the electrics - I think there was some distortion in the preamp, although I have an ear like an old boot (© my old music master Dr Roy Massey) and so I might be wrong.

[quote name='Jamesemt' post='284785' date='Sep 16 2008, 09:44 AM']Do I need a limiter?[/quote] No, just a Superfly editor, a computer, and a USB lead... You can set compression attack with the editor, so you could experiment with that and see if you can get it limiting the peaks a bit better.

That tortoiseshell one looks lovely... Actually, I think you should look for a nicer tortoiseshell. Black is just so boring. Or try using some [url="http://www.mutr.co.uk/index.php?cPath=6_414"]interesting new materials[/url] to cover the scratchplate with.

I've got Schallers on the Warwicks and Bostons on everything else. I keep a strap with every bass so I've never bothered getting the buttons on their own, though I've definitely seen them on their own somewhere. The Bostons have the advantage of having two nuts holding the locking bit to the strap, so if you actually tighten them up properly and not just with your fingers and an ill-fitting pair of pliers, the nuts will lock together and not come undone without spannery persuasion. Which reminds me, I must get round to tightening mine up with something other than my fingers and an ill-fitting pair of pliers.