shizznit

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1346273970' post='1787460'] Didn't one of Novoselic's basses get him back at some point? I'm sure one KO'd him when he tried to abuse it. [/quote] Yup. That was at the MTV Video Music Awards. He launched a Gibson RD Artist about 20ft above his head and attempted to catch it. That was never going to end well. That's one heck of a hefty bass!

You did that right thing for you, IMO Dave. That band sounded like a huge demand on your time and for what?? These guys sound like they can't work together anyway and its never nice having to witness quarrels and fall outs between band members. It's uncomfortable...isn't it? Most bands with good musicians should be gigging regularly after 6 months even if started from fresh and especially if rehearsing for 6hrs at a time. You made the right decision to walk. All the best with your new endeavours!

[quote name='lowdowner' timestamp='1346079611' post='1784958'] If you tried that with a Thumb, you'd strain your back and shoulder muscles so badly the first swing would be your last me thinks! [/quote] You would use a Thumb to smash the stage!

[quote name='Dave Holden' timestamp='1346014807' post='1784188'] GB Rules! Someone buy mine!! http://basschat.co.uk/topic/184983-gb-spitfire-5-string/page__p__1781138#entry1781138 [/quote] Just took a peek and all I can is wow! That's one of the biggest teases I have seen on BC for ages. My misus would pour petrol over me, light the match and stamp on my ashes if I'd bought it!

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1346021299' post='1784295'] Turned it on in time for Monkey Wrench (been out giggin) Sounds good. I love Taylor Hawkins as a rock drummer. Love playing a coupl of theirs in a band I drum for sometimes. Tonight however he seems to be trying harder than usual to destroy his kit. Settle down my man. [/quote] Taylor is the man! I took an ex-gf along to an Alanis Morissette gig for her birthday (she was the fan...not me!) and Taylor was her drummer back then. I noticed his incredible drumming way before he joined the Foo's. The rest of the band were quite ordinary, so he sticker out like a sore thumb. One one my fav drummers. Most drummers would pass out after 30mins if they played like him!

I have gone through a Boss OC-2 and OC-3, an EBS OctaBass and fiddle with the octave control on a few synth pedals and nothing has come close to the MXR Bass Ocatave Deluxe I bought last year. It has the best tracking out of all of those, great tone and the mid boost switch is a very useful feature. Looks cool too!

The only time I have played a bass with DiMarzios installed was a Sadowsky and I wasn't blown away by them. A bit too brittle for my taste. Sadowsky have them custom made to their specs, so they are different to the other stock models. I am quite bias towards Barts as I have used nothing else for about 10yrs, but as jonthebass said don't think of it as an upgrade but as a tweak in tone. DiMarzio, Barts, EMG, Nords, Seymours, Kent Armstrong, MEC, Delano etc... are all great pickups, but all have distinctive characters. Some are very colourful and others are very flat and transparent. It always come down to the player to decide what they want to achieve. DiMarzios are not a common choice for most well known bass manufacturers, so getting a chance to hear them in the flesh is quite difficult. I don't know much about them if I am honest, so I can't make a detailed comparative opinion. The Sadowsky pickups are quite grunty and sensitive. You can get some cracking jazz tones and a lovely slap tone. With the mids up and the bass cut a bit it they do plump up into a nice bluesy tone. The NY model I played had a lot of string squeak which was quite annoying. I blamed the high sensitivity of the pickups. Again, that could just be my ears and it may not bother other folks.

I had one about 16yrs ago and it was a fantastic bass. I did mod it though. I put Barts in it (kept it passive) and replaced the scratch plate with a mirrored one. Always used to turn heads. The build quality was pretty good, but the only thing I would be critical of was the balance. It did tend to neck dive a little bit. These basses are very collectible in good condition and I wish I kept hold of mine now, so if the price is right I would go for it.

I had a Hohner strat copy when I was a kid that a painted with a can of silver car touch up paint. The paint reacted with the original finish and went flaky just that this guitar. Looked awful.

Another contentious discussion I have with pro musicians is the sticky topic of reading music and theory knowledge. Is it necessary? A good friend of mine is a pro guitarist and is unable to do neither...even struggles with tabs. But, he has a great touch and plays beautifully. He comes from the school of 'good feel and style' and that has been serving him well for 20yrs. We have had this discussion many times. However, I think a bit differently to him. It is important to be able to play well and have your own voice as a musician as you won't stand out enough for people to notice you, but backing yourself up with the ability to read music and have a musical theory conversation with another musician is important. I can read music, but I am awful at sight reading. I have a good understanding of music theory, but I would never get the job with The Report if they ever decide to reform! So, I guess I sit in the middle if I am honest. I work with a lot of guys that are great pianists and to be able to have a musical conversation with them and understand what they want me to do in a passage of music makes life so much easier. When you are on the spot and folks are paying for your time I think its important to avoid embarrassing situations whereby you fail to understand and apply basic theory to what you are asked to play. For example...if you are asked to move the relative major or minor in the key you are playing in and start guessing by hunting for the notes you are going to look like a prat and their confidence in you will shorten. Its embarrassing when you can't even get the basics right. Not every person I work with has a high aptitude of music theory or are able to read music, but you will work with people more than often that do. For me, its important to keep on top of that because I don't want to limit myself to music genres as a working musician and keep myself open to potential work with other song writers that will throw in a challenge that I can cope with confidence.

Looks like a skin rash...ewwwwww!!!

Cheers Charic. All things already considered. Its just bloody annoying. I may have to go away and rethink how I manage bookings and cancellations. I like the idea of introducing block bookings with payments upfront...just like driving instructors do. I have been teaching for about 6yrs and no-one has narked me off as much as this until now. I guess I have had the luck of the draw! I am a stickler for punctuality and reliability and this lad has rubbed me up the wrong way over the past few weeks. I'll call him before I go out tonight and try to get back on level terms. Sorry for the rant. I'm much calmer now. Thanks for all your comments guys.

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1345728444' post='1780952'] I don't se any reason why you shouldn't teach him again, but it shouldn't be because he just wants to learn songs for his band or he's a slow learner. We are all different and I'm sure that won't be the basis on which you cancel him. Do you not have a cancellation fee, in that he pays for the lesson if cancelled within 48 hours of the lesson starting? Studios do this, in fact so do driving instructors so theres no reason you shouldn't. I'd explain to him that if he doesn't want lessons any more then fair enough, but he has to tell you. If he does then he needs to stop pissing about. Dan [/quote] Most of the students that have come and gone have been great to teach despite of their learning aptitude or what the student wants to personally achieve from their lessons, so please don't think I am being elitist. I only remarked on his attitude because I was venting! It's hard enough to aquire students as it is and I don't want to drop him as I lose money, but I feel that I am currently losing out from the cancelations anyway.

Here's a question for those who teach... ...do you think it's right to sack your students if you feel that they are wasting your time? I have been teaching this one lad for about 4 months now and has really ticked me off today. It is now 2pm whereby he was booked in for an hour with me. At 1.40pm he texts me to cancel. Not the first time he has cancelled with such poor notice. He has cancelled every rescheduled lesson over the past three weeks. Last week really cheesed me off as I managed to squeeze in a lesson an hour before left the house to head to the Brecon Jazz Festival for a performance with little time to spare to get dressed and packed before hand and he cancelled that lesson. I was thankful I had the extra time to get ready, but I busted my balls to fit him in for a lesson that day. He's not interested learning any theory and simply just wants me to show him how to play songs in his band. Though that narks me off too, I don't mind coaching instead of teaching as I have had a few students in the past that have done that and have gone on to be regular performers on the local circuit. Though I have only been teaching him for a few months he has actually been playing for about three years. He learning rate is very slow and is quite an arrogant little swine. In a nut shell, I don't like teaching him and I am losing potential earnings. I want to can him as soon as I calm down and call him to say I won't be teaching him again. I don't want to start a reputation of being iron fisted by being selective about whom I teach, but do you think I am doing the right thing?

Quite tempted to call Barefaced and take them up on their 1 month free trial

JakeBrownBass and Dood are spot on. Since Christmas I have done two jobs at someone else's studio...that's it. It's much more cost effective for both parties if you record your job at home and thanks to the Internet and low cost home recording software and hardware being able to work from home is a lot more easier. Fortunately, bass is pretty straight forward to record. The only draw back is that you don't have the producer/engineer or song writer watching over your shoulder to guide you and there is a little bit of pressure on you to come up with the goods in the way that they want it. So, your communication skills have to be very good to make sure that you nail it. When I finish a job and send it off it's quite an anxious moment waiting for the job owner to get to you with feedback! This industry is all about networking and though the Internet has made that easier it has also made it more competitive. Hand on heart, I have been very lucky. It really has only been in the past couple of years that I have been able to work as a pro musician. I worked for a label that a friend owns a while back and their profile has shot through the roof. They have worked with other bigger artists and labels and I also worked on those projects. A lot of my work comes to me by word of mouth from those projects, so I am pretty damn lucky. It's taken 8yrs to get here, but it was very much being at the right place at the right time for someone to notice me and were in the position where their music had high enough exposure to be able to get the referrals for me to work with other artists and producers on other labels. Sweet! But, it's very tough going. I still have to fit in time to play live for two bands and teach 4 students in my downtime to earn enough money to keep a roof over my head, put food on the table and keep my car on the road. Like Dood said, this job can be very rewarding, but with any self employed vocation you have to put the work into it and deliver. Breaking into this industry as a hired gun happens differently for different folks, but unfortunately the stigma of knowing the right people is often quite true and that comes by with a little luck no matter how skilled or professional you may be.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1345660773' post='1780232'] Is it just me who thinks it looks like Japcrap? [/quote] If you ever get a chance to play any GB bass you would change your opinion in a heart beat!

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1345675470' post='1780490'] indeed. Well, you know, someone will be selling one...somewhere....even if it happens to be a shop lol. Possibly another lining of Bass Direct tills. [/quote] I have only seen a 2nd hand Reidmar on eBay just once since EBS launched it over here last year, so they are quite sparse on the used market. I would say that the initial majority of sales of the Reidmar in the UK were sold to BC members, so keep your ear to the ground. One might pop up F/S soon.

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1345674490' post='1780477'] anyone selling one? [/quote] Haha! Yeah...nice one! In the words of Charlton Heston... “Go forth and proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof.” No...wrong quote... “from my cold, dead hands.”

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1345674418' post='1780474'] How noisy are the fans on these? [/quote] Not too bad. I use mine for recording mostly and it's pretty quiet. The fan in my EA iAmp 500 is noisier, which is surprising as that model was designed for studio use in mind. There is a detectable hum as with all amp fans, but I would say its on par with a laptop fan.

Noticed that one on the site this morning. Going to visit Mark in a couple of weeks, so I will have to check it out. I do have a soft spot for Alembics.

^ What he said! Seriously...you will be amazed.

[quote name='1976fenderhead' timestamp='1345671416' post='1780414'] I'd say the only possible reason is that in my opinion it's a very sterile- sounding amp. It's very transparent and direct, very fast attack and very focused, super clean, but it has zero organic warmth or colour. I always felt like something was missing until I added a VT Bass to it and though objectively the difference I can hear seems minimal, it increased my enjoyment of the tone massively. I'd compare it to CD vs vinyl. When I switched to CDs I couldn't quite get the same pleasure out of music and couldn't understand why. As we know, there's frequencies above 20K that though we don't 'hear' consciously, they make the music more pleasurable and they're missing from CDs. I get a similar feeling from this amp (coming from one with a valve preamp), and when I added the VT Bass it was like I put those frequencies back and it made all the difference. I'm actually liking the idea of a very sterile amp that is like a blank canvas in terms of tone that I can manipulate with pedals: I can leave it clean, I can give it a valve preamp, I can do all sorts of things. With an amp that already has a certain old school colour to it, if you add some other colour on top it just muddies the whole thing up. The VT Bass sounded like a muddy mess with my previous amp but really shines with this one. If however you like old school warm valve-like tones and want to get that from your amp and no pedals, you won't find it in the Reidmar. EDIT: Another reason why I like the idea of this amp is that almost all the other compact ones I tried (GB, MB, Aguilar, TC), had some sort of problem that I could not fix with pedals, such as muddy lows, unwanted compression or lack of power efficiency and volume. This one almost feels like a super efficient power amp with some EQ and Comp there to help but then you should warm it up with some nice organic preamp. [/quote] The Reidmar is missing one distinguishable feature that you get on the HD350/60, TD650/60 and Fafner mk1/mk2 amps is the 'Drive' control. You can either turn it up steadily to warm up the tone or crank it to have a balls to the wall tube tone. I don't use that control much so I don't miss it on the Reidmar, so if you prefer a FET tone instead of a tube tone then you will love the Reidmar. That said, the gain control seems to be a bit more dynamic than the other EBS heads and does warm up quite a bit when you crank it. It's not exactly the same as the drive control, but you can get some pretty cool results if you want to emulate a tube tone.

Anyone in the Cardiff area own a Bareface cab? I really have to hear what all the fuss is about after all of the great feedback I have read about these cabs on BC.