Sean

[quote name='ahpook' post='1073179' date='Dec 30 2010, 09:34 PM']can you explain the Root-P4 etc part please ? (tho i feel i'm going to feel silly when you do)[/quote] Over the E chord Keith plays an E then an A then a G# and back to E, over the D chord he plays D then up a perfect fourth to G and down to the major third of the D chord, F#. It's the higher verse bass figure and provides some dynamic against the R5R5 of the main figure.

[quote name='endorka' post='1072959' date='Dec 30 2010, 06:08 PM']We are all agreed on this, at least! I've just checked some of her teaching material. While I cannot find the explicit reference to the major 3rd, there is this: "For Rock and some Pop styles of playing, the most commonly used contemporary bass notes you use for these different chords are... MAJOR - Root, 5th and 6th (also: 3rd, 4th, #4th to 5th as a run, also the 9th)... The above are basically the primary notes to use for creating patterns in all styles of music except jazz." While she does not totally proscribe the use of the 3rd in the above statement, it would seem that she views it as only applicable in the context of a run or fill, much as you describe above. - in the accompanying examples there are indeed very few major 3rds. There are some specific examples of major 10ths, but it is my impression that she views these differently as being used as part of a more "melodic" type of statement than the major 3rd. I'll keep on looking for the major 3rd reference in her work - I am sure it is there, another poster in this thread has also come across it independently :-) Whatever the case, it is a rule I have found useful. I do use the major 3rds in walking lines, but in other music I found that they have a propensity to sound corny. That's just my experience, of course. Jennifer[/quote] Carol gives the "wisdom" about major 3rds on one of her videos, she uses the word, "hokey", I'm sure, to describe how putting a third in over a major chord would sound - I think it's the video where there's all that background noise of trucks and cats crying. This has bothered me for years and though I have pretty much tried to ignore what she said, on occasion she couldn't be more right . The same day I watched the video I had worked out Keith Richards' bassline to Sympathy for the Devil, and remember thinking that Carol was plainly not 100% correct in what she was saying as Symapthy has that wonderful Root-P4-M3-R played over the E and D chords of the some of the verse and it in no way sounds "hokey". As an aside, if anyone else has seen those Carol Kaye "home videos' and wondered why one of the most recorded instrumentalists of all time failed to make a half decent job of producing tuition videos, you are not alone. I know what CK would say though: it's the content that counts etc.

I sliced the ends off a planet waves cable and put neutrik jacks on it as I was unhappy with the the PW ones wrecking the sockets but the cable is cheap and nasty anyway and nowhere near as good as Van Damme. That old bodged cable is in the gig bag as a "spare for a spare for a spare" or the first one that comes out if any strangers from other bands need to borrow a lead

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1072715' date='Dec 30 2010, 01:52 PM']The fingerboard doesn't stop at the nut on any of my Fenders - and the thicker the fingerboard the further it extends beyond the nut. Are there basses (or guitars) where it does stop at the nut? [/quote] Same for three of my Yamahas. The fingerboard stops at the nut on my Spector NS5 but that's a different build philosophy altogether. Rosewood board MMs anyone?

[quote name='endorka' post='1072232' date='Dec 29 2010, 10:37 PM']When playing over a major chord, don't use the major 3rd in the bassline - substitute the major 6th instead. Unless you are playing reggae, in which case the major 3rd is ok. From Carol Kaye - and I've found it to be true almost 100% of the time. Jennifer[/quote] I've carried this nugget of Carol's around for a few years now and it's made me feel guilty about using the Major third but I'm starting to use it more and have decided it's not as "hokey" [is that the word she used?] as she makes out. I would modify CK's advice and say, be careful when using a major 3rd over a major chord, it might sound cheesy depending on how it sits, a maj 6th is usually better. My dad told me not to argue with women or crazy people and Carol ticks at least one of those boxes so maybe I'll shut up!

1. Going through Ed Friedland's Walking Basslines book - absolutely superb primer for linear harmony (joining chords together), not just for jazz playing but any style. 2. Learning to read music - if you can't, you have no idea how useful it is. The better I get, the more I understand how useful a skill it is. 3. Ear training software - there are lots of different ones but plugging away with a good one will have you doing my next one faster... 4. Transcribe basslines by ear. Thinking about not just the notes but how they are played, in what position etc.

I see that the 5 string is available as a 34" at no extra cost. I wonder if we'll see that option migrate to the Skyline range. I know that the 35" scale puts a lot of people off.

Well done on getting a Musicman out of the USA! I've tried in the past and they said Ernie Ball don't let them export.

What about my favourite combo, the Mesa Boogie Walkabout Scout 12? Removable head, loud enough especially with that passive radiator helping and that incredible Boogie sound. The EQ on it is fantastic too and it can give anything from nice and clean to utter filth with a tweak of the gain knob.

[quote name='greyparrot' post='1062557' date='Dec 18 2010, 03:29 PM'] [/quote] Nice feel. :-)

The sterling neck is deeper than most Jazz necks and has a different finish. It feels very different. The two basses have very different characters inasmuch as it's a a passive JJ set up vs an active eq single MM pickup. The Sterling is very much a plug and play instrument, it cuts through the mix, is comfy and compact, has a great gurgly punch to it whereas the Jazz has a wider tonal pallette, is more versatile and larger. I love my Sterling but I've also loved quite a few Jazz basses especially ones with a P/J config.

BB20 24X

Really nice version, Simon. I'm going to have a crack at this now; it's one of my favourite songs ever and definitely one of my "funeral songs". Just for a comparison to show how darn good this is, here's Jamerson's bass track isolated...

I have one on a Yamaha BB415 and it makes a hell of a difference - a more immediate response and much better sustain than the BBOT original. Not everyone is looking for sustain and immediate response though especially if playing reggae. A very good bridge.

Sorry, chaps. After having been packed and ready last night, something's come up and I'm going to have to bail out last minute today. Have fun and I look forward to the photos. Please could you add my Drums on Demand Vol 1 drum tracks to the raffle. I'll post it to the winner. These are gear real drum loops in 24 bit WAV format. See drumsondemand.com. They come in at around £30.

Duff's a Yam endorsee too, if that makes a difference.

Yamaha BB1024x. End of...

As an observation, the neck on the BB2024x has a similar profile to a MusicMan Sterling - it's like a J at the nut but deeper, there's more wood to get hold of.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1019123' date='Nov 10 2010, 06:22 PM']I was listening to The Jayhawks last night & admiring the tasteful playing & tone of Marc Perlman - so him for mixing a rockier influence with country music.[/quote] Good call! I love the Jayhawks! For me Mike Mills: incredibly melodic and absolutely always spot on for the song. Frequency, Living Well, Bad Day. Mills has been a hero of mine for years. Duff: simplistic genius and ultracool guy. Jeff Ament: Duff + Mills in a single package. Total mastery of taste. And PJ are the most relevant band ever. Period.

I saw them at the Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton on Monday night. I grinned from start to finish; what a fantastic band! Rick is fabulous with the audience, his gurning and gesturing is pop-rock entertainment at its best. TP's bass sound was thunderous and he looked so happy on stage all night; I don't think there are many people who wouldn't enjoy a Cheap trick show.

Please pick a category and discuss: Fish vs. Chips Rhubarb vs. Custard Morcambe vs. Wise Albumen vs. Yolk Yin vs. Yang Drums vs. Bass Sausage vs. Mash English vs. Maths Panis vs. Circenses

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='1014355' date='Nov 6 2010, 03:13 PM']Yeah, and have a look at what the anonymous person in the top banner is playing. A BB body with Attitude (DiMarzio?) Neck HB, Mid P and.. What's that?.. A [i]Bridge[/i] P? Now you're talking! As an Attitude owner, I find their tone monstrous, but they lack the ability to "sing" like the best. What they need is a bridge pick-up. Preferably either a Fender JJ or MEC JJ as used in the Precision Deluxe or Dolphin Infinity....[/quote] That's our man, Dave Lomenzo and his BB was made to his spec with that extra EB0 type pup and the bridge P. IIRC he also had them make a slightly reduced body size. I love the maple board too. I wish Yam's custom shop specials were available to Joe Blow, I'd have one of those. Absolutely no complaints with my 2024x or 2025x though. They are so good I'll probably let my Spector go soon as it just doesn't get played much If you look at the artists pictured in the BB catalogue you'll see that most of them have either prototype BBs that differ from the production ones or they have custom finished ones eg. Tony Kanal's has an old BBOT type bridge and Mad Anthony has his Chickenfoot logo on the body and that chili artwork on the fingerboard. It's interesting that Big Bad Duff is one of their stable of artists now considering he is known for playing Fenders and has his own signature model Fender.

I traded my DJ4 for a Sterling. A very detailed trade with great comms, easy all the way. The bass arrived packed in superb condition, very secure and well padded indeed. Don's a great guy to deal with - no issues whatsoever shipping basses across the channel; this is the third time I've done it and this time it left the UK Wednesday lunchtime and arrived at Don's place in Belgium by Friday lunchtime. 48 hours - very impressed. I think the Sterling took about 48 hours incoming too if you factor out the national holiday (?). Great service all round.