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BigRedX
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Everything posted by BigRedX
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Fair enough. I went through a phase bout 15 years ago, when I got my first decent digital compact camera, of taking lots of gig photos. I stopped doing it when I realised that even after deleting the ones that were crap I rarely looked at any of the others not matter how good they were. Also I found gigs were far more enjoyable when I didn't take my camera or phone and consequently didn't have to worry about what I was going to do with them when they weren't being used.
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And have you ever looked at or listened to the clip since?
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I'm sorry but if your kids can't manage for a few hours without needing you to text them back, then you probably shouldn't be leaving them on their own while you go to a gig.
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They don't confiscate anyones phone. If you'd read the article in the OP you'd understand how it works.
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Before I started hanging out here and becoming a lot more knowledgable about the more mainstream guitar and bass brands I'd have assumed that any Rickenbacker shaped instrument missing these features was a knock-off.
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Why do Rickenbacker even make any models that don't have the triangle inlays or binding. Surely these are essential iconic features of the brand?
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I find it far easier to simply not take my phone with me when I go to big(ger) gigs. Since I'm not obsessed with recording every concert experience, I don't really need it with me. If it don't want to leave it with my coat in the cloakroom I'll need to find somewhere in my gig-going clothes to put it and TBH there isn't anywhere where it isn't going to be either a nuisance or a liability at a gig. Besides I'm at a gig, enjoying myself. I'm not going to answer your phone call, read your messages or comment on your Facebook post so there is absolutely no point in me having my phone on my person. If anything important comes up I'll deal with afterwards when I'm back home and I've finished having fun.
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But you are forgetting that the string retainers put another kink into the path of the string (one that looks less obvious because of the plane it is in) but is adding a second point in the string path where the pull angle changes which IIRC is worse. Remember also that every string changes the angle of its path as it passes over the nut. Those designs that don't have a straight string-pull look worse (and may be worse depending on whether the nut has been cut the allow for the fact that the angle is occurring in two different planes), but it's still just a single change of direction in 3D.
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Why are the controls on the top? Sure it looks cool and retro, but it's also no longer the 1950s and we don't put our amps on the floor and stand behind them when we play any more. As soon as you stack this or use a tilt-back stand you won't be able see the controls properly. Also no weights or dimensions given. Back to the drawing board for Backstar I think.
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These days there is absolutely no reason why you can't have both elegant form (although that is completely subjective) and ergonomic function at the same time. Any manufacturer that isn't striving for both, simply isn't trying hard enough.
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I think you've misunderstood. My point in the post that you quoted was that Rickenbacker (and all the other companies making basses that aren't simply Fender copies) exist to produce something different for those of us who want something different. Also while a straight string pull over the nut is a Good Thing, IMO a properly cut nut that allows for an angled string pull is preferable to string trees and other retaining gubbins required to get a decent break angle for all the stings on a non-angled headstock. Having said all that I'm not a fan of the looks of this new Rickenbacker. They've left off the triangle fret markers and body binding - two things that in my mind are essential to the looks of the 4001/4003 design, and the headstock while being a bit of a kludge to try and get 5 machine heads in place without changing the shape, there are plenty of other basses with equally poor designs for their 5-string models (Warwick aren't much better). I'll reserve further judgement until I've seen the price these will sell for in the UK and I've had the chance to actually play one.
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+1
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IME every single MIDI guitar and bass that I've tried required so much modification of my playing technique, that I ended up learning to play synths using a keyboard instead.
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Exactly. Surely the whole point of the Rickenbacker bass is that it isn't a clone of a P or J? BTW before 1980 they'd have been playing a 4001...
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The Meteora looks a bit different. However it needs more interesting electronics than those off the world's most boring guitar (the Telecaster) and some much funkier finishes.
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The problem is that very few bassists buy the 4004 probably because it doesn't look like a classic Rickenbacker 4001/4003. And unfortunately this 5-string will suffer the same fate. Where's the binding on body and the triangle fret marker inlays? These to me are just as much the things that make a Rickenbacker bass distinctive as the body and headstock shape. However I would still like to try one out.
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Thos machine heads look like typical unbranded far-eastern Schaller/Gotoh copies with tulip heads. You should be able find something suitable either from one of the guitar parts web sites or eBay. As for strings you can't go far wrong with a D'Addario XL .010 - .046 set for standard light gauge.
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You should look at some tension charts then. For those manufacturers that supply the information (D'Addario are very good) it can quite an eye-opener.
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Overwater make 36" scale strings - that's what I used on my 36" scale Overwater after I stopped using Newtone strings. IMO the Newtones were better, but it was easier to order the Overwater strings, and I didn't have to have them made specially to order.
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Shouldn't be a problem. Owning a 36" scale bass was exactly why I switched to Newtone strings. It was only when I went back to 34" scale basses that I also discovered there was a lot more variety available if you shopped on-line.
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I swapped to custom-made Newtone strings back in the mid 90s when the only alternatives for 5-string basses were Rotosound and Elites neither of which, back then, were delivering me the consistency that I required. In fact I gave up on Rotosound when they failed to be able to supply a suitable low B string in 3 out of the 4 sets I got. For the next 10 years I had Newtone make all my bass strings for me and without exception they were excellent. Since then the availability of other makes of strings has increased substantially, and for the most part I've been perfectly happy with Warwick Red Label, which are relatively cheap and fairly easy to get if you buy on-line.
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It's hardly the worst example you could find. Anything with an Explorer-style headstock will be far more extreme. And so long as the nut has been cut properly everything will be fine.
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Because most of these gigs a multi-band affairs and you will have 30 minutes at best in which to get one band off the stage and another onto it and ready to start their set. Without a shared drum kit and some backline provided that isn't going to happen. And as a bass player unless you have no PA support the contribution your rig will make to the FoH sound is going to be minimal.
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I've managed being in bands for over 40 years now without owning a car. However I've spend most of my musical career living in a big city and playing in originals bands who, because they have had aspirations above being just a hobby, have had a dedicated band transport vehicle usually with a roadie/driver, so not owning a car has never been a problem for me. Also originals bands tend to be a lot more flexible about non-driving band members provided that they have other useful skills, such as designing and printing all the band's promotional material, providing a place to rehearse, record and store equipment for free and writing the bulk of the band's music. Conversely IME the members of most covers bands tend to be very insular outside of gigs and the occasional rehearsal, so someone who can't drive or doesn't own a vehicle big enough to take a portion of the PA and lighting rig, isn't really very suitable.
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You should have probably looked at the first link in the post you quoted... ;-)
