BigRedX

Collection only from the middle of nowhere. That's why it's so cheap.

If there's a musical instrument to hand I will play every day even if it's only for a few minutes while I run through my latest new musical idea/song to make sure that I haven't forgotten how it goes. I haven't really practiced in the conventional sense since I mastered the ability to string a series of chords together on the guitar without needing to pause to get my fingers in the right place some time in 1974. These days it's simply a question of training my fingers to do things that my brain has come up with when I'm working on a new song. I find that doing this for a few minutes on and off during the day generally get me there fairly quickly. I also think that there is benefit to running through songs that I already know. I'm a great believer in the saying that you should practice not until you get something right, but until you can't get it wrong. I don't believe that I'll ever completely reach the second state, but every time I play through a song it gets me a little bit closer.

If he's not happy with the amp tell him to bring it back for a refund. IME most of the time when this happens it's chancers hoping to get some extra discount. I find that if the choice is keeping the item at the price they paid or having to return it, they always end up keeping it and I never hear from them again.

So other than the stack knob controls what makes this Jazz bass so special?

Tascam TD-M4000 40-channel digital mixing desk. Should have been £7000, but Tascam were doing a deal where you could get it for half price if you also bought 3 of their 8-track digital tape machines to go with it. I had a friend working for a pro-audio dealer who knew he could sell the tape machines separately so I was able to get the mixer on its own for £3500. It worked fine for about 12 years although many of the promised software functions were never implemented and the automation never worked reliably. Then one day it wouldn't boot up anymore - just coming up with a "fatal error" code on the display and nothing more. Contacted Tascam who said that it would cost £150 for them just to look at it, but the chances were that the problem wasn't fixable because they no longer had any parts for it. Also discovered that due to the size and weight it would cost another £150 just to ship it back to Tascam. Ended up selling it for less than £300 for parts.

Or buy a blue one.

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1467200154' post='3081833'] Nothing anyone tells you on this forum is going to make your decision. get to a shop and try things out. [/quote] This.

I realise that the OP is not entirely serious but... The vast majority of drummers I have played with have been perfectly normal people (as far as musicians go) and several of them have been by far the most organised as well as being the most technically and musically adept members in the band. On a more serious note, if you are playing with any seriously flakey musician. Stop. By doing nothing you are as much part of the problem as they are. Either they will be reduced to being bedroom players where they are no longer being anyone else problem, or they will wise up and actually do something constructive about it so that they can continue to be in a band.

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1467138165' post='3081464'] I don't doubt you are right BigRedX but some times there just isn't room on some of the stages we play for an extra keyboard and stand, hence the attraction of a pedal. I suppose I could use my V-Accordion as a Midi controller but the image wouldn't fit! [/quote] I'd normally agree, but having seen the size of the average pedal board used to produce synth type sounds from a guitar or bass, I'd say that anything but the largest keyboard would probably take up less room. I'd could look at a small 3-4 octave synth or controller keyboard that could be attached to a mic stand with suitable mounting brackets.

[quote name='rmorris' timestamp='1467112880' post='3081229'] Out of interest what 'special size' is require for a Badass II ? [/quote] Being US-made it will require an Imperial sized key. Best therefore to get a set of 10 metric and 10 Imperial allen keys. Still only about £10 and you'll never need to buy another allen key in your life.

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1466872555' post='3079504'] I wonder if any of these bands are still active? It's four years since the last post. [/quote] When I posted about my band [url=http://www.dickvenom.com]Dick Venom & The Terrortones[/url], we were less than a year old, although we were already on our second guitarist. At that point we were in the middle of recording our debut single and producing the video to go with it. We were also building a reputation for putting on a great live show and as a result we were starting to get some decent gigs all over the country. 5 years, 6 guitarists and 3 drummers later, we've released 2 singles, a 5-track EP (on cassette) and a full-length LP on Vinyl, CD and download. Here's a track and video from it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd3DHTwbkJA

[quote name='Tuco' timestamp='1467095171' post='3081069'] Fair comment, I have a Minitaur and indeed it does do everything and more , your right. BUT it's not as much fun as plugging my bass into OC2 - Mastotron - Oxide - MF102 & MF101 controlled with an MP201 then into a CEB3 - TC flashback One love x [/quote] Having spent most of the 80s putting synths through distortion pedals to try and make them sound like guitars and then in the 90s putting bass and guitars through filters and envelope shapers to try and get synth-like sounds out of them, I'm very much of the opinion that it's a question of using the right tools to do the job, and nowadays that for me means if I want synths sounds it's always quicker and easier and the results are more consistent if I use a synth. Besides you can get all sorts of great synths with decent interfaces for not very much money if you go second-hand.

Buy a keyboard synth and spend a week learning some rudimentary keyboard skills. Does everything you can do with a bass and a load of pedals, quicker and more accurately.

[quote name='cybertect' timestamp='1466663360' post='3077605'] If a crap band plays in a forest and there is no-one there to hear them, do they still sound like crap? [/quote] ...but they will probably be better at their next gig because of the extra practice.

[quote name='thegummy' timestamp='1466640410' post='3077564'] Are there people who would claim to be able to hear 2 recordings of one of each fretboard type and be able to tell which is which? [/quote] I'm sure there are. However there are so many variables that how can anyone be sure that the difference in the sound is simply down to the fingerboard material?

[quote name='Kip Kersey' timestamp='1466623328' post='3077386'] Thanks for your thoughts. The only issue in getting a better flight case is the fact that it's such an unusual shape being a Violin Bass. I'll be honest the flight case doesn't look particularly sturdy, having said that i was assured buy the previous owner that the aesthetic damage to the case was caused by British Airways which obviously suggests it's been in the hold of an Airplane at least once. That said, I purchased it from Bob Geldof"s bass player just after said tour but hey I'm just a normal dude flying by a cheap airline. Thanks again. [/quote] The shape of the bass isn't an issue at all. Just get a proper rectangular shaped flight case and have the shape of the bass cut out of the foam lining.

[quote name='AlpherMako5' timestamp='1466621013' post='3077359'] This is great guys, thank you . My next question is this. What difference does the fingerboard make? Maple or Rosewood? This isn't a wind up by the way, I'm genuinely interested [/quote] Sound-wise very little, and IMO any difference in sound between the two is far more to do with the differences in construction and finish of the two types of neck than the material of the fingerboard itself.

At the moment the standard practice is that what is allowed into the cabin is entirely at the discretion of the check-in/cabin crew at the time of the flight. Anything that you may have been told in advance by the airline has absolutely no bearing on what might happen on the day at the check in. If you look well-presented, are polite and your bass is in a gig bag there is a possibility that your bass may be allowed into one of the cabin lockers provided that they aren't already taken up by other things. You will also have an increased chance of getting your bass in the cabin if you are flying business class or better. My advice is as always - don't risk it. Assume the bass will be going in the hold and get a proper flight case for it.

[quote name='eddiehoffmann' timestamp='1466505841' post='3076274'] Anyway... That's besides the point of the topic. He's asking about Jazz or Precision. In my opinion and in my personal experience you can cover any scenario with either of the basses. Just go out and try different ones and get the one you lie best. Or get both! [/quote] I'll settle for neither: [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/Dick%20Venom%20In%20The%20Studio/DSC00829_zpsjwjn0abu.jpg[/IMG] This is what I took to my last recording session. The Warwick and the red Gus got the most use.

[quote name='eddiehoffmann' timestamp='1466505606' post='3076270'] Even Daryl Jones borrowed a P Bass to audition for the Stones. I have a feeling he wouldn't have impressed Keith Richards very much if he took some esoteric 6 string out of the gig bag. Even if it sounded amazing. [/quote] I have no idea why he should feel the necessity to do this considering that his predecessor favoured a wide variety of unusual short scale basses. AFAICS the closest Bill Wyman ever got to a P-Bass was the Musicmaster he used for a short while.

[quote name='eddiehoffmann' timestamp='1466459619' post='3076061'] There are better engineered and far better built basses for sure and I even tried some myself. But then you get to a recording session and try everything and what sounds best to everyone is your old reliable P. I guess it's because that's the sound people in general, including producers, engineers and the other band members are used to listen to and associate with the bass guitar. There must be a reason why after so many new designs came over the years still today what you hear in most records is a J or a P or some slight variation of one of the two. [/quote] What a load of bollocks! When recording you should use the bass that you are the most comfortable with. Any decent engineer and producer will be able to get a great sound in the context of the band mix in a matter of minutes, and if they can't you should be sacking them off and getting in someone who can actually do their job.

Not really a fan myself - apart from "How Soon Is Now" which is a fantastic song IMO. What I do with a band that has a back catalogue like The Smiths is to start with their Singles/Best of Compilation and work from there.

What do you find lacking with the current pickups?

Neither suit me. If this was the only choice I'd swap to guitar or synth.

Why do you want to switch? I'm pretty much a Logic user and have been for 20 years now. However my reason for sticking with it has much to do with familiarity rather than feature set. I've dabbled with over DAWs - mostly Cubase - and find that the biggest stumbling block is working out how to do things in an unfamiliar environment. IMO all modern DAWs are much the same when it comes to features and once you've learnt the workflow for one why would you want to go through that process again. The only compelling reason I can see for moving away from Cubase is to get rid of the IMO unprofessional iLock dongle. Otherwise unless there is a particular feature in Logic that you have to have which is missing from Cubase, I'd advise sticking with what you know.