JapanAxe

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1356287231' post='1908840'] Right - I want to see some pics NOW, or none of this is real! [color=#ffffff].[/color] [/quote] OK you asked for it: [attachment=125767:2012-12-23 22.27.46.jpg][attachment=125768:2012-12-23 22.27.57.jpg][attachment=125769:2012-12-23 22.28.13.jpg][attachment=125770:2012-12-23 22.28.25.jpg]

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1356292308' post='1908919'] My effects pedal has a fretless setting.... Never used it, I just play my fretless [/quote] Yes I've seen 'de-fretter' options on bass multi-fx units. I tried one once and was thoroughly unconvinced.

I set up a Hotmail account for my band, and set it to automatically sync entries into my Gmail account. Thus all the band have access, and I can look at it instantly on my Android phone. However, the drummer keeps losing the password...

At the risk of returning to the original topic, the random guitarist that wants to muscle into the band is not that different from the punter that wants to get up and sing. What they don't realise is that you've [i]earned[/i] your place on that stage (even if it's the corner of a pub between the quiz machine and the door to the toilets). You've carefully chosen your kit and paid for it (you may still be doing so), you've worked on your technique, you've practised the material at home, you've rehearsed with the band, you've hustled for gigs, you've had setbacks and let-downs, you've carted shed loads of kit into the venue (and will reverse the process after you finish), and now (to quote Martine McCutcheon), this is your moment. You [i]deserve[/i] to be on that stage playing, and people that wander up and think they can have a go? They [i]don't[/i]. I'll get off me soap-box now, before I fall off.

Instruments and recording kit jammed into a box room, books and mags in shelves on wall. Gigging kit in 'broom cupboard'. Before the kids left home, I had a curtained alcove in the 'master bedroom'!

I have done this on one gig (just to be clear - bass and harmonica, not bass and orchestral harp!), and it was very hard indeed. I was trying to 'fake' the brass lines form soul numbers like [i]Midnight Hour[/i] and [i]My Girl[/i]. It is indeed very difficult, but not impossible. Effectively you have to get one (or preferably both) of the skills up to 'auto-pilot' level, so you are not having to think too hard!

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][u]In:[/u][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Yamaha BB400S fretless[/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Sandberg California VM4[/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]TC Classic 450[/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Barefaced Compact[/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][u]Out[/u]:[/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]G&L Tribute L2000[/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=4]Ashdown ABM C115-500 combo Ashdown ABM 115-300 cab[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][u]Leaving soon:[/u][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Fender CIJ '57 RI Precision[/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Squier MIJ Jazz[/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif](because the Sandberg covers the job of both!)[/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In other words, a complete change-around![/font]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1355695701' post='1901571'] Dingwall? I actually think they make stunning instruments so I'm being tongue in cheek. [/quote] Having just spent half a day agonising over whether to buy one, 'stunning' is right.

Eat this: [b]Country Roads[/b] [b]Jambalaya[/b] [b]Speed of the Sound of Loneliness[/b] [b]Hello Mary Lou[/b] [b]Here In The Real World[/b] [b]Good Hearted Woman[/b] [b]Stars On The Water[/b] [b]Heartaches By The Number[/b] [b]He'll Have To Go[/b] [b]Once In A Very Blue Moon[/b] [b]Mama Tried[/b] [b]On The Other Hand[/b] [b]Boot Scootin' Boogie[/b] [b]Ghost Riders[/b] [b]Folsom Prison Blues[/b] [b]Gypsy Woman[/b] [b]Cowboy Rides Away ↓[/b] [b]Ring Of Fire[/b] [b]Through The Morning, Through The Night[/b] [b]Forever and Ever[/b] [b]King of the Road[/b] [b]All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down[/b] [b]When You Say Nothing At All[/b] [b]Heartbroke[/b] [b]Achy Breaky Heart ↓[/b] [b]Guitars Cadillacs[/b] [b]Stand By Your Man[/b] [b]Walkin' After Midnight[/b] [b]Singin' The Blues[/b] [b]Chasin' That Neon Rainbow[/b] [b]Always On My Mind[/b] [b]Peaceful Easy Feeling[/b] [b]I'm a Lonesome Fugitive[/b] [b]Beautiful Body[/b] [b]You're My Best Friend[/b] [b]Rhinestone Cowboy[/b] [b]Bad Moon Rising[/b] [b]Chattahoochee[/b] [b]Bye Bye Love[/b] [b]Cocaine Blues[/b] 3x45min sets plus encore

Although I've already put up a NBD post, I can't resist sharing the Sandberg love here - can't wait to take this out on Christmas Eve! [attachment=125544:VM4Front.jpg]

Some of these 'fun' basses actually have a useful gigging voice, so worth a try, especially if you can hear what it sounds like alongside other instruments,

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1355823535' post='1903065'] +1 GREAT analogy! They are superb instruments! I always think that you need to think of the MM more like a j bridge pup on steroids; it sounds like a bridge pup but much fuller and without any of the weakness sometimes associated with a j pup. I used to find I could get a pretty close approximation of a ray with a little of the p blended in (although the real " sweet spot" for me was always just on the neck side of the centre indent). The passive tone control is a useful feature too IMHO. Not only does it give you even more flexibility, but if your battery dies, you've still got a perfectly usable bass! Anyway, congrats, she's a beaut! Cracking colour too! Pretty excited too because I had word from Sandberg yesterday that they shipped my new one on Friday, so it should be here by the end of the week! [/quote] I agree, the MM pickup makes up for the fatness that's lacking in the Jazz bridge pickup. I'm not in work today, so will be spending more time with the Cali!

[quote name='Ashwood1985' timestamp='1355627162' post='1900769'] I agree and would never do this myself. Although saying that aren't online retailers legally obliged to offer a 7 day return policy? Not sure but I thought so. If so then I it's a stinker there's a simple solution! [/quote] Yup, the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000, Reg 11(2) '... the cancellation period ends on the expiry of the period of [b]seven [i]working days[/i][/b] beginning with the day after the day on which the consumer receives the goods.' There's a bit more to it than that - you can read the full Regs [url="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/2334/pdfs/uksi_20002334_en.pdf"]here[/url] if you're so inclined. Useful links for online buying: [url="http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice/consumer_service.htm"]Citizens Advice help for consumers[/url] [url="http://actionfraud.org.uk/"]Action fraud (scams)[/url] [url="http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/advice/problemswithgoods-sum5.cfm"]Trading Standards - consumer information[/url]

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1355529217' post='1899763'] A dead thread - great, let's indulge in some necrothreadia! I am on the verge of a likely purchase (trip to Bass Direct occurring on Monday), and looking at all those tempting delights, I wonder: passive, active, or switchable? I have owned actives, but at present all my basses are passives. To my ear, they lack nothing. Here's my thinking: First, assume I have an active bass with 2-band EQ. I set the bass control on the amp to suit the stage/room. If I then cut bass on the instrument, it will be too thin; if I boost it, it will overpower the mids that I need to stay 'fat' as I play up the neck. I could use the treble control to boost/cut, but on a passive all I do is set sufficient treble on the amp so that the sound is as bright as I need it with the tone control full up, and sweet/warm/round when backed off. Therefore I don't need a 2-band active EQ on a bass guitar. So what about 3-band? TBH I have never felt the urge to tinker with the mids in the middle of a number, or even a set. Plus there is option anxiety - volume, tone, and P/U selection (unless on P) are quite enough to be thinking about, thank you. And don't even think about sweepable mids - loads of opportunities to screw up your tone! Switchable active/passive? See above! That's just my take on it. I'm not trying to convince anyone to abandon kit that they like, but if this saves someone from thinking they [i]must[/i] have an active, then my time here has not been wasted. A final thought on EQ: A bass player of my acquaintance has a 'half-smile' on the 12-band graphic on his amp, so that 15kHz is getting the maximum boost. I can't hear above 12kHz... [/quote] I take it all back! (Apart from the 15kHz thing.) Find out why [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/194520-nbd-sandberg-vm4-in-candy-apple-red/"]here[/url].

Took a trip up to Bass Direct today with my mate Darren (loves bass, hates frets). I also took my MIJ Squier Jazz for reference/comparison purposes. I had been GASing over a Sandberg TT4 in Creme/Torty, so that was the first bass I tried. However, it wasn't the last, as I shall now recount... [u]Sandberg TT4 in creme/Torty (passive)[/u] Liked: Colour/finish (I'm such a girl!), playability, build quality, even response, blend control. Didn't like: Although I 'got' this bass more as I played it, I actually preferred the gutsier sound of my Squier (although I should point out that it suffers from an uneven response across its range). [u]Mayones Jabba 4 (black IIRC)[/u] Didn't like: The feel of the neck, so it went straight back on the stand, end of. [u]Fender USA Jazz Deluxe in black, maple 'board[/u] Liked: Very light weight, slim neck, nice action. Didn't like: With the EQ flat, sounded no better than any cheap Jazz. No point in going further - active EQ is not turd polish. [u]Sandberg VM4 in candy apple red (active/passive)[/u] Liked: As TT4 above, plus the sounds. As a long-time Precision player, it was like coming home - but coming home after someone's kindly built you an extension and a 2-car garage, re-decorated the house, and filled your fridge with beer. The P pickup sounds very much as you would expect. Despite being nearer the bridge than on an actual MM, the M pickup does a very good imitation, especially when you boost the treble from the onboard preamp to give you that sizzle and zing. And with both pickups on and the treble backed off slightly, there is that fat sweet sound that I always hoped for from a Jazz but never got. Plus the bass control actually acts on the low mids, so it doesn't just lift the lowest notes, it also fattens fundamentals all the way up to the 12th fret on the G string. Finally, the passive mode gives you another flavour, as it were. Disliked: I'm somewhat inclined against active electronics, but this just [i]works[/i]. I hereby retract the comments I made [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/152043-active-vs-passive/page__view__findpost__p__1899763"]here[/url] [u]Fender USA Precision Deluxe 4 in blonde[/u] Liked: Nice played-in feel. Didn't like: EQ. Treble boost was tinny, mid control did bugger all. Superficially similar to the VM4, just nowhere near as good. [i][b]INTERMISSION 1[/b][/i] [i]At this point I feel the need to inspect the plumbing, and on my return Mark had pulled out a used...[/i] [u]Dingwall ABI 5 in honey amberburst (passive)[/u] This is a bass I would normally walk straight past, as (1) it has too many strings, (2) it looks too modern, and (3) fanned frets? - does not compute! However, I thought it couldn't hurt to have a go. Liked: Wow! I really 'got' this bass. Despite never having tried a 5-er before, I took straight to it, playing across the strings instead of up and down the neck. The string and note balance was superb, the sounds from the neodymium pickups via 4-way rotary were excellent, there was plenty of range on the passive EQ, and you barely notice the fanned frets whilst playing. Disliked: Way over my original budget (though nothing that the sale of some musical kit and spare internal organs wouldn't sort), and there would be a [i]bit[/i] of a learning curve... [b][i]INTERMISSION 2[/i][/b] [i]So now I have a dilemma - Sandberg VM4 or Dingwall ABI 5? One of them will be coming home with me. Darren and I retire to the cafe next door for steak sandwiches and coffee. I text Mrs Axe and she says 'Go with your heart' (what a woman!), but when we return I still haven't made up my mind.[/i] I played them both again, this time through a TC RH750, which is a bit closer to what I'm used to. In the end I plump for the Sandberg - it just makes more sense as part of my bass-playing future I guess. And here are the pics from the Bass Direct website: [attachment=125381:VM4Front.jpg][attachment=125382:VMTOP.jpg][attachment=125383:VM4Back.jpg][attachment=125384:VM4Head.jpg] Footnote: That Mark bloke can't half talk!

Thanks ikay. I did search the forum before posting but didn't find those threads.

I played in an indie covers band in which our first drummer invariably pushed the tempo the whole time. Also his understanding of anticipation (say, a quarter- half-beat 'push' into the next bar) was that this marked the start of the next bar, meaning some 4/4 bars ended up being 7/8 or 15/16. When I pointed out that this was wrong (we are talking US punk here, not King Crimson), his response was to claim that was just a technicality! He eventually improved to the point of just being 'stiff' in his playing feel. After 3 years of this, the guitarist and I managed to piss him off and he left. Hooray! It was a revelation to then play with a decent drummer...

The Royal Mail stands to do rather well out of Mr Pratt's book!

This is [b]NOT[/b] about brands, nor is it about roundwounds vs flatwound. My question is: What [b]gauge[/b] of string do you favour and [b]why[/b]? I'll start: Not long after I started playing bass, I needed to replace a set of strings, so I checked the ones on my bass and found them to be a 45-105 set. These seemed about average, so not seeing any reason to change, I got a replacement set, and have stuck with that gauge ever since. Now I can imagine that going lighter might make for an easier play, but in your experience (not just what you have heard), is this actually the case? And all other things being equal, does it affect the output? Or the tone, and if so how? How light do you have to go before the pitch is adversely affected by heavy pick/finger attack? Over to you, esteemed BCers... [size=2]PS - did I mention this is not about brands? Or the roundwound/flatwound debate?[/size]

There are two main ways to go with this:[list] [*]Loads of built-in effects → modelling amp with bells and whistles eg Line 6 Spider; [*]Valves → Harley Benton GA5, Laney LC15. [/list]

[quote name='Blademan_98' timestamp='1355535740' post='1899807'] My hand is now swollen and painful but it lasted the gig and the drive home [/quote] That's a bit worrying! Fretting hand or plucking hand? Is it ok now?

This bass line always made my fingers get knotted up (not to mention stick together!)

Like a dream come true - very cool. Kudos to you Bilbo

Provided the item was in stock (green 'coins' icon), I've never had to wait more than 5 working days.

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1355571121' post='1900015'] Got to be one of the weirdest gigs ever last night...... It was a private party for a bunch of guys that have just finished a tour in Afghanistan. They basically completely ignored us! The guys were just hanging out chatting at the bar down the far end of the pub, whilst we were in effect playing to an empty room! There was no applause, no dancing, nothing. By the time we finished the first set, we were feeling pretty down, but the landlord said we were great, and the guy who booked us said we were awesome and that all the guys were really enjoying it, despite them not showing it! He said "we don't really do dancing or anything." [/quote] I did a couple of gigs on RAF bases. Mainly a young crowd. All they wanted to do was get ratted and (in some cases) eat each other's faces. Goes with their job I suppose.