Dingus

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1361786547' post='1990632'] He'd never get a deal these days, the music is far too intelligent. It's a sad endictment of how the music industry is more about industry than music. [/quote] It's amazing to think that Nik was a teen idol back in the 80s after this first record . I remember learning the bass part to Wide Boy to impress the girls at school , who were very keen on Nick at the time . Compared to teen market popstars nowadays Nik Kershaw is like Steely Dan or Weather Report - his writing skills and musical ability are in a different dimension .

I like the sound of all the basses , although the fretless was probably my least favourite , and as others have said , the fact that the boy is a very competant player really helps show what the basses can do . To me , overall it just goes to show that a good Fender or Musicman is a great sounding bass for so many styles of music .

The string alignment issue is most likely doe to the bridge being slightly misplaced . A good repairman can sort it out in 15 minutes , but you would also be within your rights to return the bass and ask for another . If for any reason you decided you wanted to keep this particular bass - and from experience , a replacement bass from Fender could have the same faults or some new ones for you to enjoy - then if the misalignment is such that if the G string is further from the edge of the fingerboard than usual then it is not really imperative to change it unless it bothers you . I f the G is closer than usual to the edge of the board then most players would find that far more of a problem and it will need to be sorted . Jim Fleeting will be able to make your bass play far better than any Fender straight from the factory , so if he did sort this bass out for you the final result would be very satisfying . Maybe you could get Fender to pay to have your tech sort it out .

[quote name='The Burpster' timestamp='1361792077' post='1990766'] For those interested (or looking for the justification of their " too costly and others can do better" opinion) I have checked with World Guitars and the GG basses will be over here from April. Cost is £2579 for 4 string & £2679 for the 5 string. I have already out my request in for a 5 string ....... :-) [/quote] Is that the full retail or the cash / best deal price , may I ask ?

Sounds like a Wal to me . ( My goodness , this record takes me back to the 80s ! )

Came across this on YT this afternoon and I think this lad does a very good job of demonstrating the various characteristic sounds of some popular models of bass . I'm sure some of you folks will be interested to see it and will have something to say about it : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKEHQdONP90

Just be sure that the screw holes are in the right places ; I seem to remember reading somewhere that the holes on some of those Lakland Skylines are in a slightly non - standard alignment . I could be wrong though , but it's worth making extra sure .

Lakland get all their pickguards from Jeanies Pickguards in California , who will cheerfully ship to the U.K . Their tort guards are just the right shade of brown - not too red and not too dark .

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1361468135' post='1986208'] Always depends on budget, but I`d go for a US Standard first, then CIJ second. Nothing wrong with Squier or MIM I might add, both very good, having had a few of them, but the US & CIJ are, in my opinion, better basses. Plus, the dreaded GAS is an awful thing, once you go down the start of that route it will be "I can upgrade to...." etc, may as well go for the better one asap. [/quote] +1 on this .

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1361547133' post='1987358'] Can someone explain the science as to why they would change your sound or sustain please? [/quote] The materials , weight , density and overall mass can have a very noticable effect on the tone of some basses . A significant part of the tone of a Fender bass comes from the fact that it uses a fairly lightweight stainless steel bridge , which generally gives a brighter sound with more open sounding harmonics in the note . Heavier bridges made of denser materials like brass give a noticibly darker tone on the whole . Bridges definately do influence the overall sound of a bass , to varying degrees .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1361544477' post='1987297'] A replacement bridge makes very little difference to the sound of a bass, IMHO. It may be the placebo effect, who knows? I'd get a replacement bridge only for cosmetic and/or aesthetic reasons. There is generally very little wrong with the stock bridge on a bass. Given the high price of some replacements, you'd be better off investing the money elsewhere. Again, IMHO. [/quote] [quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1361544799' post='1987306'] I agree. The only reason I'd replace a bridge would be for adjustability. [/quote] I agree with these two fellas to an extent in so much as most basses have adequate bridges to begin with and swapping a half decent bridge for another one won't garner much of a worthwhile or perceptible improvement in sound . I have found from personal experience however , that on Fender - style basses some alternatives to the stock BBOT bridge such as the Badass do give a bit more clarity in the upper registers of the D and G strings and a slightly more defined sound in general . It's a subtle improvement , but worthwhile , to my tastes at least . The HMV bridge on the latest American Standard Fender sounds great and looks just like a traditional Fender bridge , but I don't know if they sell them as an aftermarket item . Tracked saddles on a bridge help stop the intonation slipping , too .

I think these would be really nice basses , and I am sure that the neck joint / heel block wouldn't bother me in the slightest . I would be very interested to know the retail price - quite a lot of money , I expect .

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1361541217' post='1987213'] I have the reverse P on my Streamer, it sounds like Godzilla. I also love quite a few trad Precision players who also sound like Godzilla. Theoretically the trad P pickup design and the reverse P should sound different from eachother, the trad having deep low strings and zingy tops, the reverse P having more evenly balanced output over the strings, but in REALITY, it don't mean sh*t. [/quote] I have also found this to be the case . I can't hear a huge difference between a reversed P Pickup and a non - reversed one . However , theoretically at least , one reason for reversing the P pickup is to affect the sound of the P pickup when used in conjunction with the Jazz pickup at the bridge . By moving the P bass coils for the D and G strings further away from the Jazz pickup coils it is supposed to diminish the pinched and overly nasal sound that some PJ combinations can have due to the close proximity of the rear of the split Precision pickup to the Jazz pickup coils for those same strings . From memory , I think it was Yamaha who first got the idea of reversing the Precision pickup on the old BB series basses back in the 1970s , and their P pickups are usually very slightly further from the bridge than a traditional Fender .

That first self titled solo album aka the Brown Album is my favourite . It must rank as one of the all-time great fusion albums , and is a terriffic record not just on a muso/ bass playing level .

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1360971037' post='1979397'] I have two, the first is Kit, from the first EP of two years ago, and it came very quickly. I had a crap iPhone recording from Kit of her singing and playing piano with the drummer on a leccy kit. This was the second part of the audition, to write bass lines for four songs. Kit told me she wanted staccato in the verses and long notes in the bridge and chorus. I had it done in a few hours, recorded and mixed it and sent it to her, she and the drummer loved them all, but this is my favourite for its lyrical nature and use of space and texture. They especially liked the trick low note in the middle section. This was the EP version I recorded at home over the studio mix for the EP which 51m0n later mixed and mastered beautifully for the EP. I love my tone, Warwick Corvette $$ into a POD X3 LIVE direct to desk. [url="http://kitrichardson.bandcamp.com/track/you-always-did"]http://kitrichardson.../you-always-did[/url] My other is the one I did for the Basschat composition challenge last December. I had great fun composing it, and what I heard in my head pushed my playing technique to my limits. I really like the composition, the madness of the middle sections and the sensitivity of the final sections, I played to the story and I've never had so much fun with the bass, and guitar keys and drum programming, I had an absolute blast doing this [url="https://soundcloud.com/silddx/you-cant-touch-me-now-or-the"]https://soundcloud.c...h-me-now-or-the[/url] [/quote] I can see no reason why I wouldn't hear that Kit Richardson track just as it is on Radio 2 and similar stations alongside other established artists . Very professional sounding production . The solo track is a bit of a t[i]our de force[/i] too . Great work . You ought to be doing this for a living .

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1360971047' post='1979398'] Here you are Nigel. My meagre submission recorded 10 years ago in Austin. [url="http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=25231875&ac=now"]http://www.myspace.c...25231875&ac=now[/url] Although many of the tracks were roughly tried here in the UK the parts really only came together in the studio. Nothing very technical or exciting but that's not my style. I reckon the bass drives the song along nicely with a nice bit of tension from the use of 3rds in the verses. Stingray 5 through a Sansamp straight into the desk. There's a bit of fret rattle as the actioned had changed following the transatlantic flight. When I was playing for Micky this was always a popular song - the alternative title is "Die You Bitch". [/quote] There's something about feel on this song that reminds me of Nick Lowe / Rockpile , and I mean that as high praise indeed .

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1360969994' post='1979377'] Can I be proud of a made up bass line in a paternally related way? This is the lad playing bass, the first track is the one submitted here. Better than anything I can do, I love them as they are so imaginative (and, of course, I'm biased). [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQZUizsC1tY[/media] [/quote] Your lad is a player , that's for sure . Some really nice creative ideas in that bass part . It may well be that I am out of touch with fashions for young people and all that , but why is he dressed like a Ghanain rug salesman ?

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1360969451' post='1979371'] I'm only as proud of the bass line that I've put down on a track as I am of the track itself. I've played far more 'complicated' bass parts on records we have made, but the three notes that I played on this tune are all I ever felt that it required for it to be a song that I'm very proud of. The rest of the bass is synth bass (which I also played ) [url="https://soundcloud.com/54321band/everest"]https://soundcloud.c...321band/everest[/url] [/quote] I really like this track . It sounds like the finished article , and very commercial . The vocals are fantastic , and is it just me that finds some of the vocal melody at the beginning reminiscent of Cry Me A River by Justin Timberlake ?

What would you say your maximimum budget would be Milty ? £200- £300 is what I am guessing . If I was starting out again today I would be nagging my dad for one of these : [url="http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Yamaha-BB424-Bass-Guitar-Tobacco-Brown-Sunburst/D9P"]http://www.gear4musi...wn-Sunburst/D9P[/url] Just a bit more than your budget probably , but not so expensive as to be out of the question . A Squier would be my other choice .

John Shuker in the Sheffield area has got a reputation for top quality work .

I would say Yamaha . They are widely available and are usually excellent for the money at whatever price point .

There is lots of different kinds of "good " playing , depending on the context and the intent of the music , and not least of all the aesthetic qualities of the final result . I enjoy a lot of players who are not " choppy " players but who I think are extremely capable and crafty musicians , and I like a few chops - orientated players too , but not neccesarilly for their chops . Sometimes less is more , but in some circumstances more is better , too . There is a trend nowadays towards the less -is - more school of thought , but I would say that I have heard as much poor and nondescript minimalist playing as I have heard ill -judged overplaying . Economy is not justification in itself any more than elaboration is ; the final result is what matters . If you[i] really [/i]want to get into how people identify and evaluate what is good bass playing then I would have to say the psychological processes of perception , cognition and empathy are what define how human beings assess and classify any art , including music . We asess how other players are dealing with things we have found difficult ourselves , how much the exceed our own imagination and how much they recognise our own emotions . I would also say that , if you keep an open mind , you can find some very impressive bass playing in some unlikely places . For example , one of the best constructed and most effective bass parts I have ever heard on a record is on Through The Barricades by Spandau Ballet .

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1360871804' post='1977781'] I've thought about replacing the strings with a set of DR Lo-rider lites - 40-60-80-100-120 - anybody tried these?? [/quote] I've used Lo Riders in the past and found them [u]very [/u]stiff feeling . If you like a more elastic feel then I would go for some round core DRs such as Hi Beams or Sunbeams .

Rob Slutwalk And The Femidoms .

Regarding the playability of your beautiful new Roscoe , your five string has got a 35 inch scale and so whatever strings you put on there will feel about as taut as a guage heavier on a 34 inch scale bass , so if you like and are used to a slacker tension with relatively light gauge strings on a 34 inch scale bass that would account for the perceived lack of responsiveness on your new bass . If you try some slightly lighter gauge strings it may feel a bit more familiar .