Hot Tub

The way you describe your drummer friend makes him sound like more of a technician, rather than a musician. He has no concept, no imagination, of what might be played over his beat. He has no idea of groove. It's not part of his toolbox. If this is the case, then no, he won't hear/feel a "groove". We, on the other hand, are the next step up from drums (that sounds terrible, but I hope you know what I mean). We listen to a beat, and THEN we can feel the groove because we can imagine and feel what would work on top of it, and THEN we play something over it. I think most bass players, at any level, are more musician than technician, and that is I think what makes the critical difference here. Someone who knows what they're talking about will be along shortly.

In a few easy steps (bear with me, you'll see where I'm going!)... 1. Get a '62 Jazz 2. Tear the frets out and cover the mess with cheap wood filler 3. Smash it. Into several pieces. 4. Have someone glue it all back together. Add some epoxy and laminate to cover the mess. Now, let some pro's play it. Apparently, it will sound better than any instrument ever made. Fender, over the years/decades, have spent MILLIONS on research and development, trying to build the perfect instrument(s), but apparently all we have to do is smash up an old one, glue it back together, and it's the best bass EVER! It seems to "know" what notes to play! It's a miracle! Now, call me cynical, but...... do you think any of this would apply if it was YOUR instrument? This, my friends, is bass snobbery.

John McCoy. Nowt fancy, just pumping, thumping roots & a few bits & pieces, but absolutely rock solid, which is what a ROCK bassist is supposed to be. Simple and effective. And live? Sheer entertainment!

Probably not a particularly "hard" bassline, but I learned the whole of [i]Hemispheres [/i]just from listening to it. It took a loooooong time to get it right. Haven't played it for years and I don't have the album anymore, but I reckon it would come back fairly quickly if I put my mind to it.

[quote name='Buzz' post='189863' date='May 1 2008, 05:34 PM']offtopic: Hello fellow Leamingtonian![/quote] Indeed! I'm usually in the Heathcote for a couple of hours on a Friday, late afternoon.... if yer fancy a pint?

Very sad news that Regent Guitars in Leamington is no more. Read the full story [url="http://www.guitars.co.uk/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=241443"]here[/url]. I met Richard a few times and found him to be pleasant, courteous and knowledgeable. Just the type of guy you want to talk to in a music store. His attention to customers, and to the instruments and gear that he sold was in my limited experience, second to none.

If Jaco were still alive he'd possibly be in the top 100 or so, in terms of sought after and respected and accomplished bassists. Good, sure, but nothing special. He's only regarded as some sort of diety because he died tragically, and tragically young. If he was still around I doubt we'd even notice him. So to answer the original question, Jaco - for me - is the most overratted bassist of all time.

[quote name='Musky' post='187662' date='Apr 28 2008, 10:34 PM'][url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=337"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=337[/url][/quote] THANK YOU! I'll try to digest this, and probably come back with more stoopid questions! Cheers!

I'm physically cringing as I type this. Could someone please tell me what compression does? I've heard and read a lot of talk about using compression to get a particular sound, but when I try to use it the only thing that happens is that things get loud enough to make small children cry. In Norway. So, what's it about? Is it just a means of preventing damage to the input stage of an amplifier, or to a speaker, or does it actually change the sound? Sorry, I know it's a really dumb question, but it's bugging me and I can't understand much of the stuff on the net.

I was specifically looking for a UK bass forum, having been not very enamoured with TalkBass. Found Basschat, and have been bringing local property prices down ever since joining waaayyyyy back in February this year! It's what I do. :brow:

Been using various self tuition books and playing along with records/cds for (nearly 30) years - gawwwd that's scary! I'm a bit better than someone who's never picked up a bass in their life, but not much!

Thanks for the review! I'm drooling.... Must get to see them....

[quote name='The Burpster' post='179849' date='Apr 18 2008, 03:42 PM']Thats one of the funniest thngs I've read in ages! [/quote] Happy to help.

[quote name='Kleng77' post='179726' date='Apr 18 2008, 01:36 PM']Hi. Just wondering if anyone could explain what the difference between jazz and precision basses are.[/quote] Pretty straightforward really. If you play random notes, with no musical sense whatsoever, and just make a dreadful tuneless din, then that's jazz, so you'd use a Jazz bass. If on the other hand you play the right notes, in the right place, at the right time, that's playing with precision, so you'd use a Precision bass. Sorted. [size=1](As it's Friday, Astronomer is now leaving the premises to get anethsetise... aenaethesised.... aneasthsetized.... scuttered. Be back to receive my flaiming later. )[/size]

Erm... just a thought.... No one yet seems to have commented on the fact that the "letter" was received on 1st April 2008. Now, call me cynical, but.......... Hmmmmmmm......

Thanks for posting this. What an excellent letter! I will not be buying Monster cables in the future.

Have you looked at [url="http://www.behringer.com/02_products/ftsearch1.cfm?lang=ENG"]Behringer's Xenyx[/url] range? I have their little 502 for home use and find it quiet, solid, intuitive, and reliable. As an aside, I also use their BDI21 DI box/amp modeler, and it's a fantastic piece of kit!

Soul Man? The vocal's just one note, innit?

[quote name='yorks5stringer' post='177690' date='Apr 16 2008, 11:08 AM']Yep and I'm going to see them at the Sage on Saturday.[/quote] Pah, bet it's a terrible gig. You won't like it. (Me? Jealous? Nooooooooooooooooooo.... ) Any chance of a review when you get back? I'd love to see this band.

[quote name='lukeward2004' post='177475' date='Apr 15 2008, 11:30 PM']Hi All, Ive just been sat here in awe of this guy - ..... enjoy![/quote] Veri nice! Thanks for posting this. Just a litle thing, but that string bend at 2:08 blew me away. Sad, innit?

With Sharon Jones & THe Dap Kings. What can I say? Inspirational! Awesome! Brilliant! I mean, just, WOW! That's my idea of damn near perfect bass playing. Absolute magic! Thank-you. Erm... as you were.

[url="http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html"]This[/url] is what you need.

One of the best original bands I've heard! Go for it!

Thanks for all the replies! I just thought I'd share my experience in case it might strike a chord (bad pun!) with anyone else. Also, from a more selfish point of view, it's good to see that I'm not the only one. TBH, it took a while to post. But Basschat seems like a really friendly virtual place, and I bumped into a few of you at the Bash. The camaraderie and mutual respect, irrespective of ability, took me somewhat by surprise - but in a very positive way. Hence I finally felt comfortable in posting this.

Money - Pink Floyd Sunshine Of My Love (think that's what it's called - dunno who did it) Super Freak - Rick James Sommat by Chic - can't remember what it's called I'm sure there's more....