bassbloke

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='1101886' date='Jan 25 2011, 11:19 AM']Get an MXR-80+, set up your sound as close as possible on that & get them to DI out of that, plus it feeds your amp too. G.[/quote] + 1 Or something similar like a SANSAMP BAss DI

[quote name='Jam' post='1100146' date='Jan 23 2011, 09:25 PM']Pretty sure all guitarists are like this...[/quote] -1 The guitarist/singer in my new band actively seeks the opinion of the drummer and I on new material. He asks our opinion on his guitar sound and takes on board our comments. He graciously accepted loan of my mate's EQ pedal to tweak his sound. Your guitarist is a dickhead and needs taking down a peg or two.

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1098602' date='Jan 22 2011, 01:05 PM']Exactly A one of my mates introduced me to a guy down the pub, saying I was a good bassist, and this guy immediately said he could take me in a "bass-off", as he was the best bassist around. I`m not interested in saying I`m the best, mainly cos I`m not, and won`t ever be, but did feel the need to enquire: How many bands had he played in - none How many drummers had stated that they found it easy to play and lock in with his bass-playing - none Could he, without any other instruments playing, play along to one of his favourite songs in his head, and at the same time record it, 5 seperate times, and each time the total recorded time would be within 1 or 2 seconds of each other - no In the words of Yoda "His bass-off, myself, did not threaten, mmm". I didn`t state whether I could do all/any of the above, felt no need.[/quote] It's such a preposterous sequence of events that you could be forgiven for making it up, were it not for the fact that I've had countless similar conversations over the year.

My advice to any bass player that feels they are constrained by the demands of their band members and asked to keep things simple is to purchase a digital multitrack recorder or audio interface and simple editing package and write a load of bass solo tunes and fill them with double thumb slap licks, two handed tapping, harmonics and get it out of their system. Then, concentrate on producing great songs with your band by providing bass that enhances the song rather than your ego.

[url="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jaxsn"]http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jaxsn[/url] Track 3 - Can anybody show (bass solo) currently on constant rotation .

He has posted enough videos to allow people to make their own decision regarding his playing ability and demeanour. If someone sees the videos and thinks that Jaxsn's personality coupled with that level of playing ability will be an asset to his or her musical project, then good luck to them and good luck to Jaxsn. In terms of behaviour, someone like Jaxsn isn't any different to, say, Gene Simmons. There will be plenty of people outraged that someone with such limited (perceived) ability can be so self publicising and confident/arrogant, but if it gets him paid gigs and other work, then the (perceived) lack of ability is the problem of the musical director/producer/artiste.

Playing something very very slowly is often much harder than playing it fast.

I would never agree to play a charity gig at a venue of this size unless the following was agreed in advance 1) You had the support, backing and PR muscle of the intended charity 2) You clearly stated the percentage of profit going to the charity in question 3) You could prove some element of official corporate sponsorship to minimise the potential for losses 4) You had secured at least one name headline band

I'd call them. Not replying to your texts gives them an easy way out. Call them up, say you were expecting them to get in touch and is everything OK. That way, if they are playing silly buggers they have to either lie to you on the phone or tell you that despite them previously saying they were happy, they've found someone else or changed their minds.

Peavey T-Max heads were very well made but do not fetch very much on the second hand market. Peavey 410TX cabs are pretty decent for the money, but really heavy. I'd expect a significant cash adjustment to make the deal worthwhile.

The whole 'feel' argument often smacks of hypocrisy to me. The album and single charts are full of dance, rock, indie or pop by numbers songs with zero individuality and, IMHO, zero feel. What I do see though, is plenty of artists that use every interview opportunity to sell their latest release as something that took loads of blood, sweat and tears, thereby implying that it has bags of emotion and, by association, feel.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1081791' date='Jan 8 2011, 08:34 AM']I don't think of bass as a solo instrument either, but as a bassist / frontwoman, I think she can be forgiven for kicking off with a bit of showboating...?[/quote] I thought as 'showboating' went it was very restrained and if it was the first song of the set, the right kind of thing to warm up the audience. My only criticism (and I'm probably not qualified to criticise as my foray into singing and playing was pretty poor, but anyway...) is that her basslines under her vocal parts can be a bit dull and unimaginative, which means it gets bit predictable. However, she is a technically accomplished player, excellent singer, good frontwoman and very attractive, so I think, overall, she kind of comes out on top.

See it as an opportunity to perfect any or all of the following Playing with a pick Eddie Van Halen style (i.e. holding it between thumb and middle finger) Playing using a thumb pick like the guy from the Hamsters Thumb style playing a la sting

Some of the responses to this ad are a joke and show the authors up to be, at best, naive. If you don't understand why a professional band needs to stipulate an age and desired image, then stick to playing along to albums in your bedroom, local covers bands or jam nights.

Surprised no one has posted this

If you're talking about the Hughes & Kettner head, you also have to consider that the average punters knows less than half a dozen bass amp makes - Ashdown, Fender, Peavey and, at a stretch, Trace Elliot, Hartke and Ampeg. I own a Tech Soundsystems rig and hardly anyone has heard of therm. So, a music shop will offer you a pittance for the simple reason that they'll probably struggle to sell it.

You could re-work some Republica, Sneaker Pimps and Portishead material to give it more of a driving straight rock feel. Could work well.

[quote name='Clarky' post='1054395' date='Dec 10 2010, 07:08 PM']Can I just add that the 'best' thickness of the pick and speed of playing will depend on how you pick. Guys who use strong forearm and wrist movements to pick from my observation tend to prefer thicker picks. I played in a fast metal band and a fast punk band but I get on much better with a flexible pick as I seem to use more finger and wrist movement when picking whereas a heavy gauge pick 'chokes' or jams on the strings with me. I use Alien medium/ thin picks ( the glow in the dark ones with an Alien face on them ). I also like the jointed pick that Wayne mentioned above. The only downside to a thin pick I have found is that as they heat up during a gig between your fingers they get softer and softer so I always have a fresh one in my back pocket just in case[/quote] I opted for the old trick of slightly loosening a scratchplate screw and wedging a couple of spares in the gap.

Good post. I started playing bass with a pick, switched to fingers partly because I got caught up in that whole 'proper bass players use fingerstyle' thing. I then had to start using a pick because of a nasty infection in my hand (which I still have, although its much much better). 1) If I'm playing downstrokes, I hit a lot harder because that's the effect I want. If I'm playing alternate picking, the trick is even attack on the upstroke and downstroke. 2) I use Dunlop 1mm nylon picks (black ones). I picked up some of the super grippy ones recently, but don't like them as much. They're stiff enough to produce a nice strong note, but the nylon material makes for a softer, less scratchy sound, which seems much more pronounced when using tortex picks. Theother bonus is that I use them on guitar too. Perfect. 3) The material I play is usually really fast - loads of triplets, fast 16th or even 32nd notes. To get the kind of clarity I need, I usually rest my right hand over the jazz pickup. A lot of players hold the pick really near the neck - that's fine if you want a softer sound, but you just don't get a nice clear note. If I'm playing a lot of cross string runs (alternate, hybrid or sweep picking) I'll find my hand creeping slightly forward for a more fluid sound and feel. 4) I use a hell of a lot of muting to give my picked lines more dynamics. For example, If I'm playing a nice fast pedalling riff on an open E or A, I'll mute the open string. Also, if I'm doubling fast double kick drum patterns, I need the extra control and clarity that I get from muted strings. I think pick playing is an essential skill for any self respecting bass player. I've found that I'm a far better player for adapting my parts and playing to suit a different technique. I also find that effects such as overdrive, delay and chorus suit pickstyle more, whereas filter and synth effects just work better for fingerstyle, so another opportunity to adapt your playing.