thisnameistaken

[quote name='acidbass' post='542811' date='Jul 17 2009, 12:37 AM']A few years back now, but if you haven't checked them out in detail, you're missing out a hell of a lot of good basslines in Jamiroquai's music![/quote] I was more a fan of Galliano during the Acid Jazz years, but again they were around when I was 17/18. I don't need to start threads to find out what was good music when I was a kid - I know all about it already. [quote name='Mr Fudge' post='542813' date='Jul 17 2009, 12:40 AM']I love Dave Meros from Spocks Beard ... They are a contemporary band that play prog that sounds 30 years old.[/quote] All "prog" sounds 30 years old, because it is. It should be re-named "regressive rock" now. I should reiterate that I'm looking more for accessible pop music with interesting bass parts. Prog rock and mathcore don't really fit. Anybody who's playing something more than the average bass player, something more melodic/interesting/daring - someone who's not just plugging away at root notes, someone who is contributing as much as the guitarist, like in the examples I gave before. I think actually Alex James might be the last person I remember doing something really clever and useful with their bass on rock/pop records. There must've been lots of people since him.

[quote name='jmstone' post='542747' date='Jul 16 2009, 11:19 PM']Sonic Youth (if they count as modern)[/quote] Any band that had records out before 2005 I don't think count. I've probably heard them. I certainly was a big fan of Sonic Youth (and Pixies, and Dinosaur Jr, and Buffalo Tom, and Swervedriver, and Neds, and ...) when I was 16, I'm 35 now, they definitely don't count!

[quote name='Col' post='542763' date='Jul 16 2009, 11:32 PM'][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K9aoCg29bc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K9aoCg29bc[/url][/quote] Age 39, so that's about right, looks like he moved to Denmark and decided 5 strings was plenty.

[quote name='Mr Fudge' post='542758' date='Jul 16 2009, 11:27 PM']Sometimes I dig out albums that I listened to 25 years ago and still love ( usually Rush ) Then work out all the bass lines I loved before I played bass.[/quote] Actually yeah listening to some old Jam stuff today I noticed things Bruce Foxton did that I never noticed when I was a teenager. It was pretty inspiring. Makes you realise that you can probably get away with more than you think, without it sounding like anything's wrong in the bass department.

Do you have a sequencer / hard-disk recorder available? Program a simple drum loop, record the first thing that comes into your head on bass - the "typical" comfortable groove you're so tired of playing. Then stick the quantise snap on, shift the bass part a semiquaver in either direction and play it back. Ooh, interesting new groove! Try chopping bits up and putting them in different places. Ooh! Like, yeah.

[quote name='bubinga5' post='542706' date='Jul 16 2009, 10:36 PM']PRIMUS[/quote] They were about when I was a teenager, which was a bloody long time ago. [quote name='Tait' post='542731' date='Jul 16 2009, 11:09 PM']muse are the obvious choice[/quote] I suppose. Too obvious though. [quote name='Musicman20' post='542732' date='Jul 16 2009, 11:09 PM']Killers (Hot Fuss era)....The Strokes, Kings of Leon, A Wilhelm Scream,[/quote] I've got Hot Fuss and never really listened to it, bought it on the strength of Mr Brightside but it never grabbed me. Always assumed Kings of Leon were a bit American for me, but I'll give all those a go. Ta.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='542645' date='Jul 16 2009, 09:49 PM']Why these days?[/quote] Because that's what I'm interested in - who's doing interesting bass playing [i]now[/i], in rock/pop bands. I've heard old bands, I'm interested in hearing young bands. I'm not looking for stuff to play along with, that's just what got me curious.

I just sat down with a bass and a pick and decided to plough along with some records. Started out with some Joe Jackson, then a bit of Elvis Costello, then some Jam. There's cool bass playing in tham thar records. Which rock bands have bass parts worth having these days? I'm sure they must be out there, I'd like to hear them please.

[quote name='jmstone' post='540907' date='Jul 15 2009, 02:02 AM']Is band image that important[/quote] Yes of course. But bear in mind that looking "smart" might make you look like you usually play weddings. Not a good look for an originals band. [quote name='jmstone' post='540907' date='Jul 15 2009, 02:02 AM']or is it OK to just look scruffy?[/quote] If that's what everybody in the band looks like - reasonably consistently scruffy anyway - then yeah.

[quote name='OldGit' post='540426' date='Jul 14 2009, 04:09 PM'][/quote] Is it the law that all Americans must have that style of beard?

My second bass was a Yamaha RBX, my third was a BB. Yamaha make great value beginner instruments. To be honest I would avoid that iffy BB414, it sounds like it hasn't been especially well cared for, and the obvious problems might not be the only ones it's got.

Do they have sequences running? I thought they had that geezer out of Senseless Things as their spare pair of hands these days? Anyway I like the fact that they play stadiums and still have a sense of humour, unlike most.

He's ace. Most slap doesn't sound that musical. I'm still jealous of everybody I see with a Pedulla.

A P-bass is mostly top n' bottom whereas a Jazz gives you the option of putting some mid-range honk up-front. That's basically all there is to it. Bear in mind the necks are very different too. You might like one and not the other.

[quote name='OldGit' post='539888' date='Jul 13 2009, 11:25 PM']If you don't keep receipts and records of everything - and I too mean everything - the tax man can assume you got paid for thousands of gigs more than you are declaring and YOU have to prove you didn't ...[/quote] The inland revenue wouldn't legally be able to demand tax from you based on "assumed" earnings unless there was some evidence of the money coming in - bank deposits, records of spending, testimony of people who've paid you for your services, etc. They can't just send you a demand for some impossible figure and insist that you prove you don't owe it.

It'll be right. People like that suck though.

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='539044' date='Jul 13 2009, 01:20 AM']Conversely, if you want to play Raining Blood with fingers I would say go 3 fingers- it will take a bit longer to get it accurate but for metal it works IMO and IME.[/quote] That is pretty fast (I'd never heard it before, just looked it up). Personally I'd probably get tired after a couple of minutes but I'd pick it with two fingers. I don't really play stuff like that, I'd probably be OK if I did. I remember when I was a teenager I got called by a metal guitarist friend of mine whose bassist had just recorded a "galloping"-type bass part like that picking with three fingers but it was terribly sloppy, so he had me come down and re-record it while his bassist wasn't there (I probably picked alternate index/ring fingers - my middle finger is really long so that's what I usually do). I suppose that's why I was suggesting learn to pick cleanly and articulately with two fingers first. While a part like that sort-of makes sense to pick with three fingers I think it would be difficult to make it sound as good as picking it with two.

TBH when you play bass beyond a certain speed it just sounds like a series of clicking noises, useful if you want to play trade shows or mate with a few species of insect but not for anything else. If you do have a talent for playing insanely quickly and accurately, have a band or (more likely) a sponsor that actually wants you to do it, and you find that two fingers can't keep up with how awesome you are, then learn to pick with more.

[quote name='Delberthot' post='538244' date='Jul 12 2009, 03:25 AM']I'm a show-off. Why else would I have a sparkly gold bass?[/quote] You're not a proper show-off unless you've got LEDs in the neck.

Probably about £650-700 tops. Unlined fretless basses don't have so many potential buyers, and regardless of how unique that colour is, Stingrays are ten a penny. I recently sold mine for over £800 but that was to a buyer in Europe, and it worked out at closer to £750 once I'd paid to ship it.

[quote name='51m0n' post='538633' date='Jul 12 2009, 05:30 PM']Speak for yourself mate [quote name='crez5150' post='538637' date='Jul 12 2009, 05:35 PM'] +1 here [quote name='bubinga5' post='538666' date='Jul 12 2009, 06:06 PM'] +1 also... i can make it sound good erm...IMHO...[/quote][/quote][/quote] Clearly I haven't spent enough time playing bass alone.

TBH I don't think I'd slap a bass unless someone else in the band asked me to. And even then I'd ask them if they were taking the piss first. Very few bassists can make it sound good. I'm definitely not one of them, and I can imagine most of you aren't either.