Dingus

Over the years I have found that a lot of musicians are not very good verbal communicators . I have worked with many ( too many , in fact ) lead guitarists who were monosyllabic introverts , keyboard players who were men of few words and drummers who were just plain thick . I have a theory that an inability to communicate with language is a big part of why some people turn to music as a way to express themselves . Unfortunately , even the greatest guitar solos cannot substitute for a concrete arrangement to be in a certain place at a certain time to do a certain thing , and a good communicator with less musical ability can end up being preferable to an awkward virtuoso .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1359714864' post='1959099'] You're only as old as you feel. :-) Seriously though. Stop worrying about what other people think and go and try the bass and if you like it and can afford it buy it. What annoys me most about being told what I can and can't do at my age is that most of the people who seem to have a negative view about it are younger in years, but appear to have hit middle age mentally sometime in their late 20s. Mostly I feel sorry for them, because it's obvious that they have run out of the ability to have fun. [/quote] BRX , I sincerely admire your attitude and your enthusism but we all have to bow down to Old Father Time . Feeling positive about getting older is a very healthy way of looking at things , but somewhere in that you have to acknowledge that you are indeed getting older and there will be changes that come along with that . The harsh reality can sometimes be that it's not how you yourself feel about things but more how other people see you , especially younger people . There is nothing more middle aged than trying to hold on to an era of your life that is gone forever . Why do we fetish and romanticise our younger years anyway ? Is life neccesarilly any less sweet when your forty than when your twenty ? I certainly don't think so . Failing to acknowledge the changes that come with ageing is not a remedy for ageing itself . Time catches up with all of us , regardless .

A significant reason why people started making the move to flats by the late 70s was that in most situations they were easier to hear . Modern high tech bass amps are able to offer high power , high volume and levels of clarity with roundwound strings that have give them a new burst of popularity in recent years . Back in the 70s most bass players had amps that were nowhere near as good as the ones we take for granted nowadays ( unless thety were lucky enough and rich enough to have an Ampeg SVT - most people wern't ) With the common amps of the time flatwound strings were much harder to get a good audible working tone in a band situation than roundwounds that gave much more cut . Even nowadays it can be much harder to be heard with flats in a lot of situations , in my experience .

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1359671858' post='1958753'] Anthony Jackson always cites Jack Casady as bringing roundwounds into fashion, at least partially. Guess Entwhistle will have helped eventually when he did the old switcharoo as well. Most bass players and producers were too worried about them sounding too much like guitars. [/quote] If I remember correctly , Jack Cassidy was using Pyramid Flatwounds on his basses in his influential Jefferson Airplane days . Rick Turner and the crew at Alembic ( who were maintaining and modifying Cassidys' equipment in those days ) proffered these strings because of their bright sound and defined attack compared to other popular brands of flats at the time . Anthony Jackson credits Jack Cassidy with being instrumental in developing a guitaristic approach to playing the bass guitar , particulaly with a pick , but in those days it was still on flatwound strings . Anthony was also heavily under the influence of John Entwistle during this era , and was enamoured of his sound with roundwounds on a Fender bass with the Who , and it was that sound that encouraged AJ to make the move to rounds , despite the fact that his other mentor was James Jamerson who was very much in the flatwound camp .

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1359673299' post='1958787'] I think one of the main factors rounds became more popular is that they're @ 1/2 the price of flatwounds. If they were both about the same, then I think you'd see a lot more flatwound players (when was the last time you tried a bass in a shop that came with flats?). [/quote] This wasn't always the case . I remember 30 + years ago when most brands of flats cost approximately the same as rounds , give or take a quid or two .

Have you thought about practising through headphones - Korg Pandora ect ? Easy to plug in your bass and computer together and balance the sound to do playalongs ect . Not the same as playing through an amp , I know , but very convenient nevertheless .

Oh dear ! When I light - heartedly suggested on here that these basses should be for people under 30 years old I was met with a stream of - well , I couldn't really call it abuse - certainly protestation that I was talking bollocks . Tread carefully my friend , there are a lot of folks who are a bit touchy on this subject ! Bottom line is , you can only please one person so please yourself . If you really want one and you can afford it then buy one . I like them too , but somehow they're not quite " me " . And as others have pointed out , nobody else really cares or notices what bass you are playing . Within reason ...

Inspired by Toneknobs ' Al Di Meola pick , I'm going to go a bit off-road here and leap forward to 1982 . Plenty of Moog though , and an excellent fusion album in my opinion : [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YCw_7P3YJ4[/media] Al , Steve Gadd , Jan Hammer and the formiddable Anthony Jackson on bass .

Any of Freddie Hubbards albums that he made between 1970 and 1980 are worth checking out . I'm not sure all of them would qualify as fusion - more hard bop on earlier albums such as Red Clay and Straight Life but these are well worth checking out of you like Miles Davis - but he certainly gets into that territory as the decade progresses . From 1972 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91utPXs3SWw

Billy Cobham - Spectrum Stanley Clarke - Stanley Clarke ( a.k.a the one with the brown cover ) Not British , but essential fusion albums nevertheless . Both highly recommended . [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aw2rM0w-pc[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtyzeBsZe4A[/media]

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1359482237' post='1955435'] Did you see that Wal 5 string with the Noll electronics? Sacrilege! Why, oh why would you remove Wal electronics and replace them with some inferior product? [/quote] It looks like this company specialises in pointless vandalism of perfectly good instruments .

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1359408359' post='1954421'] So, the 58 comes with the mutes under the bridge cover. Did I hear that correctly at 1.28? [/quote] That's what I hear , too .

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1359396239' post='1954137'] But that's the point, their design is further developed in the MM and G&Ls and everyone who owns one of those seems to agree they are better made and better sounding, but are outsold 10:1 by Fenders, hence the original question. (Don't have a G&L but my MM gets used way, way more often than my Fenders) [/quote] I take your point , but whatever good qualities those two brands may have ( and in my opinion they have many ) , they don't sound like a Fender Precision Bass or a Fender Jazz Bass and that's the sound that most musicians want to hear . A Music Man will always sound like a Music Man , and is all the better for that , but it wont sustitute for a Fender if you want that Fender sound . Neither will a G&L , unless you get one of the Fender - style ones , of course .

[quote name='N64Lover' timestamp='1359398770' post='1954215'] Hi all. I have been let down a bit lately by the tone from my jazz bass. The output is a bit low and with the bridge pickup soloed it is sounding a little bit thin. I was thinking that an onboard preamp could solve my problems. I have been thinking about the Bartolini NTBT, the Aguilar OBP-2 and the East J-Retro. Does anyone have experience with any of these? My bass currently has Bartolini 9Js, and I am mostly happy with the tone except what I mentioned above. [/quote] Are you sure the pickups are wired up and installed properly ? A decent Jazz Bass with Bartolini pickups should sound a bit more robust than you describe , even without a preamp . I would recommend sorting out the passive sound before adding a preamp .

[quote name='paul j h' timestamp='1359395079' post='1954116'] Hi I don't play in a band, six string fretless playing along to yourself/CD's is;nt going anywhere. I am going to buy an acoustic gu**ar and learn all the songs from my youth etc i am even going to take lessons. Cheers Paul. [/quote] Thought about getting a fretted four string and joining a band for fun ?

Playing the bass is like joining the Mafia . Once you're in, that's it . If you are serious enough to already own a pair of Roscoes and an SWR rig then you will most likely want to get back to it sooner than you think . Don't do anything hasty .

If you are open to other brands of pickup then I would also recommend the DiMarzio Super Jazz as a slightly "hotter " and more agressive ( in a good way ) sounding alternative to the vintage style Fralins . You could try changing the pickups and then see if you thought a preamp was still neccesary . Another powerful sounding Jazz pickup to consider is the Aero Type 1 . Both that and the DiMarzio have a big bold sound with high output .

There are numerous preamps on the market nowadays , but I honestly don't think you have to look much further than the East J Retro for your Jazz Bass . It's the best preamp for a Fender -style bass I have ever heard - much better than the Audere to my taste - and easy to fit as well . The passive switching is good on it too , so it seems to tick all the4 boxes you require . Partner that preamp with some Fralins and you should have a pretty epic sounding Jazz Bass ! You could spend a long time looking at alternatives , the the East is difficult to better , in my opinion . Nicely made with great after - sales service too..

Playing along to records in my bedroom was the hugely important part of me learning to play the bass , and one of the most enjoyable . I still love playing along to records at home and working out the bass part , or making up my own . Is that supposed to be wrong now ? I too have picked up plenty of stuff to help my playing from the internet , and I think it's just as valid a source of information as any other . I could do without seeing another Flea or Victor Wooten wannabe , but that's just my own personal prejudice and I can always choose to watch something else . Amongst the dross you can find some really thought - provoking and inspiring stuff on YouTube , and it's hard to imagine the world without it nowadays , to be honest .

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1359280178' post='1952319'] That's not gonna be cheap! Wonder how it sounds? Wonder what it's for? Wonder if Anthony Jackson will be able to get his arms around it? Is there a role for such a beast between an electric, EUB and an acoustic? [/quote] If you can get your arms around the pile of cash neccesary to buy one of these then you will probably be able to get them around the bass !

I too get the impression that there is less exciting new gear this year . The only explanation I can think of is the recession . People are beginning to realise that it's going to be a[i] very [/i]long haul to get back to anything like normal . I think these will get a few people excited, though : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESz0DAVYh9I

I too like a lot of the high quality Japanese basses I have played . I really like the design ethic that a lot of Japanese instrument makers seem to have and , without wishing to deal in stereotypes or generalisations , they seem to be a culture that demands and enjoys top quality goods . of all kinds . I played an Atlansia bass briefly about twenty years ago and I remember it had a very big and round neck . The neck profile was so different to any normal bass that it had obviously been designed like that deliberately , but what that reason was I couldn't work out . I called back in the same shop around ten years later and the bass was still unsold I would be intrested in high end Japanese basses , but I think retailers would face a residual reluctance from the buying public to paying large amounts of money for Far Eastern basses . Not many punters in the UK ( or indeed in the States ) would hand over their cash for Bossa or Moon bass when you could get a Wal or Sadowsky or similar Western brand for the same money . Another aspect to this is that the Japanese manufacturers may not seek to exploit the export market . The brands you mention will , I expect , be relatively small concerns who might be able to sell their full production without agressively seeking out foreign distribution .

[quote name='ikay' timestamp='1359231424' post='1952035'] The Fodera Hollowbody caught my attention [attachment=126080:Fodera Hollowbody.jpg] [/quote] Wow ! It's like a big cake made out of bass !

[quote name='Cairobill' timestamp='1359217973' post='1951776'] Yes, I lurked for a long while checking the weights and bought it second hand. VERY nice basses... [/quote] Those figured necks look amazing , and the colours are nice too . If I could guarantee a light one I would already have bought one . I know it's a very minor and petty thing , but Stingrays just don't look right to me with that new bridge on - at least the Classic has got the old - style bridge with the mutes ect .

[quote name='Cairobill' timestamp='1359217469' post='1951763'] I own a Stingray classic in ivory which weighs 8.8lbs so they do exist. It alsoi has no neck dive thanks to the design. They are extremely good. I had a thing about getting a sabre for the neck profile but the Stingray classic necks are just so perfect (skinny compared to a modern 'ray) that my gas has gone... [/quote] I have seen one or two light Classics but I think ordering one would be pot luck and the odds of getting a light one would be stacked against me , I'm afraid .