peteb

What are they like and are they worth the money?

I think that RHCP did have the right place / right time thing going on after the other bands had helped to create a market! Also, RHCP had a hit album / single with BSSM & 'Under The Bridge' and followed it with a great album chock full of hits (Californication). Living Color had a hit with 'Love Rears It's Ugly Head' and followed it with a 'challenging' album with no hits (and wasn't very good) and so missed their chance to go to the next level......

Does anyone know where I can get a decent replacement pickguard for my 70s Precision and how much it would be likely to cost?

[quote name='Sibob' post='677045' date='Dec 7 2009, 07:27 PM']James Crofts (Shuker Endorsee last I checked) used to play for Bon Giovi. They've done loads of Euro tours and big gigs in the UK etc. Not sure if he's on here, met him a while ago, but didn't stay in contact! Si[/quote] He still was last summer - was speaking to him after they played the Farmyard Party (big bike rally)! Nice guy and a really good band.......

I've got a 70s P that I fitted with an EMG many years ago - as everyone so far has said, a quality upgrade

[quote name='bassman2790' post='674706' date='Dec 5 2009, 07:17 AM']How do you get a gig doing Pantomimes / theatre?[/quote] you just gotta be in the wrong place at the wrong time...........

Could be worse – I play in what is basically a very loud heavy rock covers band (with a bit of nonsense thrown in) and we were asked to play at quite a large corporate gig. We tried explaining that we were the wrong type of band but they said that they wanted something different and offered us a fair amount of money, so we did it. After we won them over (by getting a few of the audience up to jam Hendrix tunes, etc) we ended up storming it and getting booked for several more! As a result we got to play a few interesting gigs (including the Café Royale, the Hilton and the Belfry among others), had a few good nights and made a few quid I would just go for it and let then worry about it not working out. If it goes well you’ve had a good night / been paid more than normal and if it doesn’t, you haven’t lost anything and it’s their fault for booking the wrong band!

The Fender Precision is undoubtedly a design classic and is THE reference electric bass sound to which all others are compared (I always think of the intro to Money from Dark Side Of The Moon as the definitive P bass sound) much beloved by record producers, guitarists and apparently many bassists who just think that is what a bass guitar should sound like! I’ve owned a few in my time and indeed still have one, thru I’ve only gigged it once over the past 12 years or so However the do have faults that many here seem to celebrate for some reason: crap bridge that needs replacing, missing fret, poor access to upper register and not to mention those ridiculous ash tray things that get in the way of your right hand and make changing a string a major chore! For some strange reason there are still some people who insist on keeping these – why??

Great looking bass!

I think that the problem is that the bass doesn't particularly lend itself to solo playing, so when bass players find themselves playing unaccompanied (especially when their peers are looking on) they tend to trot out their best slapping show piece (or tapping or whatever). I don’t of course, but if I could slap better I’m sure that I would! You can’t help but think that a lot of people here do not have a great deal of confidence in their own playing and have a massive chip on their shoulders about others ‘showing off’ – get over it boys………

I’ve actually got three rigs these days: 1. a Mesa Boogie M-Pulse in a rack with a SPX90 & a tuner with two SWR Goliath 4x10s – this is used in a band that always has a van at its disposal 2. a Markbass 3x10 combo – used for another band where I have to gig out the back of my car (thru I do prefer the boogie rig the MB is much lighter / portable and sounds great) 3. I have a Hartke 3500 that I use as a back up to the boogie also a SWR Goliath 6x10 living in a rehearsal studio at the moment – a great cab that I am sure I will use again in the not too distant future

An Essex Viking...... cool! Always thought that he sounded like a drummer playing bass - which he was! Still, a mega player who inspired a lot of people I'm not exactly the world's biggest L42 fan but can't deny that some of the singles were pretty cool...........

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='642276' date='Nov 1 2009, 01:16 AM']Does anyone use one on here?[/quote] I've got a Ken Smith Burner 4 string - their budget range but still a cracking bass! A guy out of a support band a while ago had a KS jazz and that was a very nice bass as well

[quote name='Shaggy' post='642385' date='Nov 1 2009, 10:42 AM']Mesa Boogie Diesel 2x15: Road-ready (flightcased) model, EV loaded, 800W, 4ohm mono or 2x8ohm stereo. Tightest sounding 2x15 I've tried, but rather surplus now I'm DI-ing. £300 if you're interested. [/quote] I think that is probably what you're after

Personally I always leave the bass eq flat and tweak the amp (warm bottom end, slight boost in the upper mids, a subtle cut in the upper mids, flat top end and slightly overdrive the front end)

[quote name='Davo-London' post='633019' date='Oct 21 2009, 11:27 PM']It's OK as long as ignorance is acceptable.[/quote] I don't think that bilbo's post that you refer to is ignorant at all - I think that he makes a valid point

[quote name='peted' post='633431' date='Oct 22 2009, 01:58 PM']I have a Badass II on my Precision. It sustains better and appears to have better harmonic content than the bent piece of tin that was on there before. I wouldn't call that much of an accolade though. I think their main popularity stems from the fact that anything is better than Fender stock bridges, and the screw holes are designed to line up perfectly so you don't have to go and drill holes in your precious bass. I much prefer the two-piece bridge on my Warwick.[/quote] +1 on every statement that you have made there mate!

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='633852' date='Oct 22 2009, 09:11 PM']I find if I don't think about any of the songs, they literally play themselves. When we play Josie I have a part midway where I play a little solo riff. I find if I think about it coming up I get panicky, and sometimes f@ck up. Weird.[/quote] It doesn't tend to happen when you're playing out a lot as long as you don't think too much - as you say the songs just play themselves I used to sometimes get that in the past where I would think too much and screw up solo bits, but not so much now - I think that I've managed to master over confidence at last!

Last Saturday night, songs I've been playing for ever - first time for a while!

Depends on how your band works, some will work the solos, etc in the rehearsal room some beforehand I play in two bands - in one the guitar player pretty much works out his solos in the room, one prepares in advance. Guess who is the best guitarist in the better band??

[quote name='henry norton' post='612332' date='Sep 29 2009, 06:54 PM']I think alot of people 'hear' what they want to hear when it comes to instrument mods. I also think the change in appearance can make people play differently, more aggressive or maybe more sensitively. Maybe making your instrument look woodier made you play in a more 'woody, mellow, warm way'. Not in a 'wooden' way by the way After all that work you'd want to 'hear' an improvement after all. I'm pretty sure taking off a thick layer of polyester will have some effect on the sound but after the strings, pickups, wood, construction and electronics have all had their say, it'll be tiny fractions.[/quote] I do take your point, but…. if anything I actually preferred the sound of the bass before I stripped the paint off! I agree with Warwickhunt, the finish definitely has an affect on the sound! My main gigging bass now is a natural (waxed) Warwick Stage 1 which sounds great on stage with a band. However, I’ve never played a Stage 1 with a paint finish but would love to be able to compare the two……

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='610473' date='Sep 28 2009, 12:04 AM']I'd probably try to avoid defining it if I could, but as you insist... ...bassier to some degree, with less tightness in the mids and highs, and perhaps a greater low-mid warmth. Mind you these things can be very difficult to describe at the best of times and it was in the mid-eighties that I did this so, although I recall finding it more 'woody' at the time, I don't now recall exactly what it sounded like. I think it would be fair to say, however, that the difference would have been small.[/quote] The reason for the thread is that I did strip the paint off a 70s Fender P a while ago and it definitely did have an effect on the sound but I have struggled to describe exactly what that difference is. ‘Woodier’ is the term that I would also use but I don’t know why! Of my other three basses, two have natural finishes and one has a solid paint job. The painted bass seems to have what I tend to think of as a ‘sweeter’ sound but possibly cuts thru less, but I’m not sure to what extent that is due to the finish.

[quote name='Tait' post='610171' date='Sep 27 2009, 06:07 PM']I GOT IN [/quote] Well done that man!! Did you get any further information about any record deal / their immediate ambitions, etc - i.e. are you gonna be posting about sold out US tours in the near future?

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='610289' date='Sep 27 2009, 08:06 PM']If the solid paint and the natural were both lacquered I don't think it would make much difference. I stripped the lacquer off a natural finish Aria once and it did sound woodier.[/quote] How would you define "woodier"?