peteb

Personally, I want a bass to do one thing (or maybe two) really well. I don't want to be searching for the right sound. If I get a Fender, I want it to sound and look like a Fender. A Fender P bass is a reference sound (and look for that matter) and if I've got one in my hands that is what I want it to sound like. The same goes for other iconic basses with 'reference' sounds, be it a jazz or a stingray, etc. If I want a different sound and feel, I will use a different type of bass.

My information on Beth Hart is based on an interview that she gave about her old issues. She also said that she was diagnosed with a bi-polar disorder later in life. No mention (as I remember) of the anorexia, but I'm sure that was a big factor as well. It is good to see someone recovering from such a serious condition. It is also good to see her getting to a position where she can enjoy some of the success that her undoubted talent deserves.

The girl in the video is the excellent Beth Hart. At the time she had a bad heroin habit, which I think was her primary issue rather than anorexia. She seems to have been clean for a long time and has gone on to be pretty successful (a couple of biggish albums with Joe Bonamassa among others). This is a more recent photo (a few years ago). As you can see, she looks a lot healthier.

https://www.independent.com/2014/11/19/dating-musician-i-recommend-bass-players/

This is a rough mix of a track off the new album from a band that my mate BSD has recently hooked up with. A bit progtastic, but none the worse for that. Nice in a mid period Genesis kinda way and a strong vocal performance. Dave was a member on here at one point, but didn't stick around for too long. https://www.facebook.com/thiswintermachine/videos/521674288802869

I’m not so sure about this. Of all the musos that I’ve known in bands over the years; of the three biggest womanisers, two were drummers and one a bass player. It may be that some people drawn to bass are by nature the type to hide at the back and not seek the attention (see some of the replies in the ‘Are You a Boring Bass Player?’ thread from a few weeks ago), but that was never me. I think that it is more down to what you look like and how comfortable you are talking to women.

Mr Brightside is a really good anthemic pop rock tune that has engaged many punters. Whether it is to your taste is neither here nor there, but you should be able to appreciate it for what it is. In a world of formulaic manufactured pop cr*p that has dominated the charts for the past 20 plus years, I actually find it quite encouraging that a genuine rock song heads that list. I think that is well known that Sinatra wasn’t a big fan of rock and roll in general, but to be honest I doubt that he would have been too bothered about heavy metal in particular. It is likely that HM wasn’t considered to be really the kind of entertainment that would appeal for the general clientele in Palm Springs, although times are starting to change as the old Vegas clientele die off and the late boomers rock and roll generation get older and start seeing big stage classic rock events in Vegas hotels as more appealing!

I knew four out of the top five, but only one out of the bottom five.

Sorry, but that’s complete b0110cks, just 1980s NME-esque pop music snobbery that dismisses anything that has sold more them 100,000 copies as ‘elevator music’. Mr Brightside is a half-decent pop rock anthem that people who love music (but don’t obsess about it) can sing along to. There are so many urban legends about Sinatra that it’s hard to keep track. Who knows, some of them might even be true, but it is unlikely to be this one!

Wasn't Civil War a re-write of a UK Subs song?? Great tune...

Reading the BBC article, it’s actually quite cool how chuffed he is to write a song that has stood the test of time and to have written another ‘Streets Have No Name’ or whatever. It’s one of those songs that you can shout along to after a few beers, even if you can only know some of the lyrics. As long as you remember ‘jealousy’, ‘price I pay’ and ‘Mr Brightside’, you’re good to go!

It is a great anthemic pop rock tune that stands out from all the other big hits from the same period, which tend to be very formulaic!

Great tune - I'm not sure that the Metallica version is better than the original, but they're both great. I used to be in a band that did a version of this - completely different to either Bob or Metallica's versions.

Was the GNR version called 'Civil War' (because I believe that was based on a punk cover)??

The thing I remember was a (very good) American bass player using my bass with the East pre (through my rig) at a jam session at a blues festival. He just did what he normally did with a Fender jazz and turned up the bass control to full without thinking about it and off he went. I was stood there cringing, thinking that he was going to blow my (fortunately very powerful) Berg cab out and waiting for him to finish a song so I could get to him and tell him to turn the f***ing bass control down before he; a) blew my cab out, and b) found the infamous 'brown' note and had half the audience desperately queuing for the venue's toilet facilities...!

I used to have an East j-retro on a jazz bass a few years ago and although it is a nice sounding preamp, I certainly would not have another one (I have had this discussion with @LukeFRC, who I believe still has an East installed on his Lakland and really likes it). The problem is, as you have said, the bass control isn't set at a very usable frequency and has way too much boost. It s too easy to get a very boomy bottom end, not too mention it can feel like you are going to blow your speakers out if you are not careful. There are too many bad / unusable sounds in there and as @krispn has said, setting the bass EQ at something like 70hz would be much more useful. Actually, the sweepable mids control is pretty cool - you can tune it to find the 'sweet spot' for the room, which can come in handy for venues with strange acoustics.

I have to say that I preferred my old Nash to the Limelight that I played once at a rehearsal studio.

I did have a 63 version a few years ago. Certainly had the feel and sound of the real thing. My one was possibly a bit over-relic'd, but looked authentic from a distance.

I know what you mean. At some point I am going to have to put put some work to get my chops back, even though I have done plenty of noodling in lockdown and managed to learn some things that I always meant to. But very hit and miss. Your noodling sounds fine...

Choon! Always reminds me of when I first started frequenting pubs regularly (very late 70s) - this was always on the jukebox at the Vaults Bar in Bradford!

There really is no 'right' answer here. The thing is that an old Fender Precision is the predominant ‘reference sound’ for the electric bass. If you don’t want that particular sound, then a Ken Smith or a Fodera, etc will technically be a better bass than an old Fender. In fact, you have literally hundreds of different options to choose from. However, many people do want that sound and prefer to use the real thing rather than try and get some other bass to sound as close as possible (especially when recording). There is a reason why so many session players and producers will spend a lot of money for a vintage Fender to use in the studio. There are also other factors to consider. Back in the day, everyone used to customise their 70s Fenders so that they all played / sounded slightly different and, as we all know, QC was patchy at best and there are some great 70s Fenders out there and some complete dogs (I know, I owned one of each). There is also sentiment to consider. When I was a kid, virtually every one of my favourite bass players used a P bass, so that’s what I went and got as soon as I could possibly afford it. It was quite a big thing then, almost like a statement of intent that you had ambitions to be a serious player. In those days, Fender had virtually no competition, they hadn’t diluted their brand and every one was built out in California. Soon after, they started manufacturing in Japan, the QC of the US models got even worse and suddenly there was loads of competition from other builders who were producing decent quality basses. In my subjective experience, old Fenders do tend to feel and sound slightly different (for good and band). Whether that is what you want from a bass or not will largely determine if you think that they are the Emperor’s new (old) clothes…

The Colne Blues Festival (where I work stagecrew every year), scheduled for August Bank Holiday, has just announced that it will NOT be going ahead this year.

I would take the bass to a tech to check out the truss rod

Will have a look at that later. I had a one-off lesson with Neil a few years ago - great bloke and an amazing ear...!

I’m not sure why people are arguing about this – it’s pretty clear cut. if you are playing classical or the more cerebral types of jazz then it doesn’t really matter if you dance or not. Of course, a bit of showmanship doesn’t hurt, as everyone from Mozart to Paganini to Louis Armstrong to Jaco have shown. But generally speaking, if you are not expecting the audience to dance then it doesn’t matter if you do. However, if you are playing rock / pop / funk or whatever then you had better have some sort of stage presence going on. I suppose you can get by without if you are playing the lower level of function / wedding band work, where the audience are not there to see the band but for the occasion / free bar. But if you want to people to come and see your band then you need to put on a show of some sort. This doesn’t necessarily mean running around like Angus Young, just looking comfortable onstage and acknowledging the audience will do for a start. But if you can’t engage an audience then no one will make an effort to come and see your rock / pop band.