peteb

FWIW - I've never really bought into the BF thing. I really don't like the looks, unconvinced about the concept and don't see why a cab needs to be THAT light. However, I had never played thru one or really seen one used in anger, so I have always reserved judgement on them. Last weekend I saw a band with a really good bass player using a BF cab and it sounded really good. I had a brief chat with him and he said that he was generally pleased with the cab - he had a good 410 before but the BF compared well to it and he appreciated the weight! I'm still not intending to flog my Berg to get one, but I certainly wouldn't dismiss them entirely based on the looks alone...

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1386891871' post='2306242'] It's personal and probably not entirely tangible and not something everyone will agree on. I can put on Hendrix's Little Wing and feel like the guy can really just sing through his guitar, or like his guitar is a natural extension of him. I can't buy into that with Yngwie because it always sounds like he's worked too hard at being the best without ever having paid attention to making or writing a good tune. To me he's made guitar no fun. I'm totally speaking for myself here of course. [/quote] I think that he can be quite good fun at times (especially on the covers) but you have put your finger on why he is certainly no Hendrix...

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1386891239' post='2306236'] Not speaking for the person quoted and don't know if I'd describe it as bollocks, there's bits of stuff I kind of like but players like him always seem to have learnt their theory to the Nth degree and then applied it so stagnantly and without musicality. It's almost like they've made music a depressing chore or a science. I can't enjoy music that sounds like it lacks soul and for me personally, it lacks soul. That's kind of the clincher for me. [/quote] I think that Malmsteen is supremely musical and I would disagree that his guitar playing lacks soul. However, no matter how good a guitarist is, they need to be put their playing in a musical context and he is a consistently poor song writer and his ego seems to mean that he is unable to collaborate in a meaningful with anyone. To me, his most enjoyable records have been him playing covers or goofing off on tribute albums where he has superior material to work with… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cev-Sjhab_M

Astoundingly brilliant guitar player – it’s easy to get blinded by the speed and technique but profoundly musical as well. Unfortunately he can’t write a song to save his life! A bit of a kn0b by all accounts as well…

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1386857600' post='2305438'] Rainbow Rising. Just spotified it and had forgotten how good it is. Marvellous stuff! [/quote] Absolutely! When I was a kid, that was the album that made me want to be in a band - I was wanted to be part of something that could sound like that...

[quote name='Mickeyboro' timestamp='1385897299' post='2293216'] Deke Leonard of Man is quite the writer if you want sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. Though as his publisher I admit I am biased... Order through this website before Xmas, quote Basschat and deduct £2 off the price of any of his three titles. [url="http://www.northdownpublishing.co.uk/id47.html"]http://www.northdown...co.uk/id47.html[/url] Plug over! [/quote] Plus one for Deke Leonard - read it on the beech last summer, great fun... Bettye LaVette's book is a good read and Guy Pratt's is very funny (you will never look at the Womacks in the same way ever again)!

Done and good luck...

I didn't mention in the topic that he was disabled because he is a very good drummer regardless! I think that he is pretty inspiring, to say the least...

Great drummer... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxPZiNmcfq8

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1383949344' post='2271288'] Isn't it actually getting hard to find a second-hand one for sale that's not been modded in any way? (That's if it's not a bitza with no Fender parts except the logo) Isn't this part of the reason - bass players know this expectation and so they go and buy a Fender on a lemming style mission. They then try to get the sound they really wanted all along by modding. This happens because attempting to do it by changing the pups etc, is within the scope of their ability, and it's more glitzy to do this than to go all over the country trying to find amps to complete the sound. Isn't it a bit sad really? But then I may be wrong.. [/quote] Not sure why you think it is sad to mod a fender?? Bearing in mind that at many gigs you don't even get to use your amp, surely it makes sense to take a Fender and drop a set on Bartolinis in and put on a decent bridge! Job done...

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1383816873' post='2269377'] Had the album a while, got some good stuff on it and holds up well as a collection of songs. Didn't even know Kotzen could sing! [/quote] Can he ever! Check out some of his solo albums...

[quote name='skychaserhigh' timestamp='1383692835' post='2267915'] They might sound the business but not £1899 worth of business. [/quote] It depends on whether you have £1.9k spare to spend on a bass amp?? There are plenty of boutique valve guitar amps that go for that type of money! I'm not sure who they think they will sell this amp to? If I was going to spend that much on an amp, I would want it to be 400w (with a step down to 200w). I would hate to buy such a great (but expensive) amp, only to find that it wasn't loud enough...!

Bleedin' expensive it may be - but it does sound the business... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJKdG5A0tAo&feature=em-subs_digest[/media]

A lot of people buy Fenders for the look and the general vibe but they are easy to mod and some of the parts are not that great. I have a Am Std Jazz with upgraded pickups, bridge and an active circuit - it sounds great but importantly, it is still an American Fender, which is unfortunately is still much more of an important factor than it should be for many band leaders and members of the audience! IMO most people buy a Musicman for a particular sound. The pickup is great and the bridge is fine and difficult to replace anyway, so although they have their limitations, their isn't really a reason to change things around on them...

Basses are far more likely to get damaged / knicked at proper theatres with professional crews than they are at supposedly rough pubs!

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1383304544' post='2262820'] Over the period I've been playing bass, I've been fortunate enough to have had a few fairly expensive basses. 4, 5 and 6 stringers including 5 Status basses, 2 Alembics, an Fbass, 2 Vigiers, a Leduc and 2 Spectors. Going through old band photos on the PC whilst trying to free up some space, I'm either gigging with a 4 string Jazz or something with a few more strings that cost less than £150. Seems no matter what I've ever bought, I always go back to basics for playing live. What a waste of money all that turned out to be. [/quote] Can I ask why you spent so much money on so many basses if you were never going to gig them?? I agree that basses are pretty much tools and that the music should come first, but good workman always invest in quality tools that allow them to go a good job. If you had these basses sitting at home whilst you took out inferior ones to gig, then I would suggest that you were probably selling yourself cheap!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1383315384' post='2263065'] Alembics are all ugly. I have one electric bass and one double bass for everything. I have more guitars than basses (4) but play them a lot less. For me, it is and always has been about the music not the tools. The 'music' includes sound so a specific bass is defensible I guess but, for me, they all sound like basses so a decent professional sounding piece of kit works every time. The rest is just fluff. [/quote] I can't disagree with you, but it should be borne in mind that you own an old boutique bass that must be worth a pretty tidy amount of dosh these days!

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1383177211' post='2261352'] Yes i can see the appeal of a covers band as musical wallpaper but personally i don't even have a radio on as background music. If something is worth listening to then it's worth my attention. I have actually seen a lot of mediocre bands turn into decent bands over the years. I remember being not too impressed with The Stranglers when i first saw then in the mid 70s on the London pub circuit but by the end of that summer they had turned into a competent band that were worth the 50p admission! [/quote] Fair point about bands improving over time. To clarify, I am not talking about covers band being musical wallpaper - more about them providing simple entertainment, which is fine in my book...

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1383175239' post='2261327'] That's great but if i'm making the effort to go out and see a band ii'd rather see a mediocre band playing their own material than a superbly proficient band play the usual tired old songs i've heard a thousand times and often by the original band. [/quote] Personally, if I go to see an original band I expect to have to pay to get in and I expect them to be good. I have absolutely no time for a mediocre original band – if you are not good enough then don’t bother! If I am just going out for a beer with the missus or some mates then I am more than happy to go and watch a covers band. Hopefully they will mainly play songs that I recognise, but without resorting to doing all of the obvious ones that every other band does. Ideally a good covers band will also be able to provide a few surprises i.e. play a few songs that I wouldn’t expect or don’t recognise. I judge covers bands less harshly than I would an original outfit, but still expect them to be at least half decent. If I were to come across this band on such a night out, I would be delighted…

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1383174389' post='2261316'] Of course there are and those are the ones i go and see. If i want to hear classic rock i'll have a night in and listen to the real thing. [/quote] They are a very good covers band - I'm happy to just appreciate them for what they are...

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1383173441' post='2261301'] I'm really glad that i lived through a time when groups actually played their own songs, otherwise Led Zeppelin, Yes and Deep Purple would have been playing covers by the Glenn Miller Orchestra and we would never had had those classic original songs by them. [/quote] There are still bands out there gigging original material - they're just not playing the covers circuit...

I'm afraid that most of the music shops around Bradford have closed down in the past few years (like a lot of things), let alone anything to do with DB. As mentioned above, Salts Mill and the Early Music Centre (in the same complex) are worth a visit if you like that sort of thing and there is a great boozer called Fannys just up the hill from there if you fancy a cheeky pint afterwards...!

I can kinda understand why people think that a Fodera is overpriced and I wouldn't pay that much for a bass (especially when you consider that you can get a hand made Xotic for less than a third of the price). However the best bass that I have ever played was a Fodera...!