thisnameistaken

I think you've got too many when you either: [list=1] [*]Spend more time dusting than playing. [*]Spend more time setting up / changing strings than playing. [*]Get plenty of playing time but have lots of either dusty or dead-strung basses. [*]Have more than two "special occasion" basses (that you keep around because you might need that sound one day). [/list] If I wasn't from Yorkshire and therefore tight I'd have: My Thumb because it's lovely. A fretless (just sold one, still need to replace it). A Fender with flats on (well I have a Squier, I am from Yorkshire to be fair). A decent five (preferably an early Streamer I think). An upright, or a fretless Godin Acoustibass/A4|5 strung with flats. I don't think I could justify having more than that. They'd never get played either.

Another OC-2 question: I'd like some mods, but the footswitch on mine is a bit unreliable. Could you fix that at the same time?

[quote name='Bassy' post='527859' date='Jun 29 2009, 04:16 PM']I bought an XO Micro Synth but sent it straight back. It had a big volume drop even with the volume slider full up. There were a few ok sounds, but unless there's a mod for the volume problems i would save your money.[/quote] Did you adjust the preamp gain trim pot inside it? It makes a big difference to the output volume.

Nice one, that looks like a really cool gig. I don't think I could be in a band with a foxy 'cellist, it just wouldn't work out.

[quote name='JonnyM' post='526565' date='Jun 28 2009, 10:49 AM']I'm guessing you've accumulated these over time, but I've only got a tiny crap - ie temperamental - tuner and as I said, am looking to get a good one for my board, so for a few extra quid I could get a really good one that'll cover everything.[/quote] Fair point. I originally bought the TU12 so I could also use it for acoustic instruments, it did live on my board briefly but squinting at the needle wasn't that practical...

[quote name='ahpook' post='525781' date='Jun 27 2009, 10:35 AM']what does £80 more in tune than the pitchblack sound like ?[/quote] It might be worth having for intonation adjustments, although I've got a Boss TU12 that I use for setups which is pretty cheap and it's always been perfectly good. I use a Planet Waves pedal tuner on stage because it's very visible and does the job, I don't think you need especially high accuracy on stage.

[quote name='Paul_C' post='526397' date='Jun 27 2009, 11:34 PM']In other words, if all you want to play is simple stuff, then that's fine, if all you want to listen to is music with simple bass parts that's good too, but that doesn't mean that anyone else should base their playing style on what you want, they should be free to please themselves and leave it up to every individual who might listen to what they decide to play whether they choose to enjoy it or not.[/quote] That's not the topic though. I was asking if the virtuoso bass players who approach the instrument in new ways actually advance the instrument at all, or if their efforts are basically sideshow (well, trade show) attractions and practically irrelevant. We have seen some respondents saying that some of these guys are journeyman session sidemen, which wouldn't surprise me because they're clearly great musicians, but did Marcus Miller get asked to play the melody with his thumb on those sessions? Or did Michael Manring play mostly harmonics on the sessions he did, using the switches on his bass to cope with the changes like he does on his solo stuff? Or did they both (and do they continue to) play more typical bass parts? And did either of them contribute iconic bass parts to anything in the way guys like Pino did? If someone wants to cop what they're doing in order to advance their knowledge or technique then that's great, but comparing what they do to what other skilled bass players did with fewer pyrotechnics and less fanfare (Carol Kaye, Jamerson, Herbie Flowers, Paul McCartney, Bernard Edwards, Flea, etc.) have they had much of an impact on what we do day-to-day, really? I think it's a fair question to ask, but I'm not surprised that some respondents have got immediately defensive about it.

I tried a few (USA) L2000s last summer and wasn't very impressed. I was really disappointed actually because I nearly bought one in the mid '90s and that one was a lovely bass, but the new ones... have they changed something? I didn't like them. That said I know a guy who's got an '80s one and his is mint. Maybe it's a Fender situation, you've usually got to play a few to find one that feels right.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='525855' date='Jun 27 2009, 12:11 PM']I love this sentence because in grammatical terms you've included yourself in the 'sad blokes' category. Was that intentional?[/quote] No, and reading it back I don't see how you're reading it that way? I am a 'sad bloke' in other ways and I couldn't tell you I'm not with a straight face, but I don't get all fanboy about brands, there are more interesting things to argue myself to death about.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='525743' date='Jun 27 2009, 10:00 AM']IMO the finish is the nicest thing about that bass.[/quote] Yeah but you like guitars that look like passing space aliens sh*t them in through the music shop's chimney. I'm not saying it's a bad finish, hard to tell what it really looks like in photos I bet. Just that it'd be easier to sell something more generic.

[quote name='Oscar South' post='526021' date='Jun 27 2009, 03:56 PM']I'm fed up of these threads, maybe I'm wrong but to me it just seems like self-justification for not putting any more work into your playing than you have to.[/quote] I wasn't trying to relate any of this to what I do or what you do privately with a bass, more gauge whether people believe that - through their innovative approaches - they've actually changed the way the bass is played or used, which I don't think they have to any noticeable extent. I'll never be a chops-monster but I'm OK with that, I try to make up for it by contributing to songwriting, contributing harmony vocals, and so on, I'm better at those things so that's what I do, that's my added value if you like. It means I don't spend so much time practicing my instrument in an attempt to "get better" any more, but that's because there are only so many hours in the day, rather than out of laziness. [quote name='urb' post='526174' date='Jun 27 2009, 06:56 PM']personally I've genuinely noticed the general standard of bass playing being a lot higher, albeit technically better for the most part, but I've seen a lot of accomplished bass players at all levels. This is just my personal observation but twenty years since Wooten, Manring, DiPiazza, Garrison, Feraud (and obviously Jaco and many others before them), have been heard by millions of players and listeners around the world... I think whatever outlandish or impractical approaches these advanced players have created they've undoubtedly inspired countless players to practice and push themselves that bit harder. Perhaps that's their greatest achievement..? (or not!)[/quote] Yeah that's a good point, I hadn't thought of it in that way. But I bet people like Flea (especially) have been much bigger motivators, even though most of what he does is quite simple. I can imagine more budding bassists wanted to be like Flea than like Michael Manring, for obvious reasons! [quote name='paul h' post='526177' date='Jun 27 2009, 07:01 PM']Larry Graham. 'Nuff said. A genuine advance (possibly the last one?) into new territory. Massive influence on bass playing and music. And his vocals are almost as influential as his bass playing.[/quote] I thought about mentioning him in the original post, but there were the rock n' roll upright players doing percussive stuff before him. Maybe he was following their lead or maybe he wasn't, I don't know.

Do they though? Yes there are some talented bassists about who can do loads of clever and difficult stuff, but ultimately everybody else with a bass is busy getting busy with a band, and there's no place for any of that. So has the role of the instrument been advanced at all through their innovation? Clearly a lot of bassists pay a lot of attention to people like Manring, Wooten, Marcus Miller, Jean Baudin, etc. but if nobody but bass players are listening to them, and bass players generally can't incorporate any of that stuff into what they do (which seems to be the case) then is all this boundary-testing ultimately a bit futile? Can we conclude that, while it's interesting for the individual involved at the time and other Bass Anoraks, it's pretty irrelevant for anybody else?

[quote name='liamcapleton' post='525243' date='Jun 26 2009, 07:55 PM']Like I say, just my opinion, not nonsense. I didn't think the Warwick fans would agree with me. [/quote] Sorry I wasn't meaning to have a pop at you at all. FTR I wouldn't call myself a Warwick "fan" particularly and I don't get funny about brands like most sad blokes do. I've owned two, one of them just happens to be the best bass I've ever played so I kept it. I've had a few Jazzes and I like them but funnily enough I've never owned a Precision, and I think it's because they look like much worse value. I think it's the Yorkshireman in me - why buy a No Frills bass if it costs more? I'll probably never get it.

[quote name='Kongo' post='525063' date='Jun 26 2009, 05:40 PM']Finish a bit bright but I recon folks will dig it.[/quote] It's a bit of an "Only a mother could love" finish. To be fair I've sprayed a couple of Fenders orange and made peanuts when I sold them on but the original colours were really dull. Taste is an interesting thing.

[quote name='liamcapleton' post='523938' date='Jun 25 2009, 05:56 PM']I would argue (and I think I'm about to be met with quite a bit of disagreement, but I don't mind) that the Warwicks sound like Warwicks, and are a bit of a one trick pony.[/quote] Yeah that's nonsense. Even the Thumb, which superficially [i]looks[/i] the most like a one-trick pony, is pretty versatile. It depends what you do with your picking hand - you can almost totally eliminate that "purr" characteristic you're supposed to get from a Thumb if you want to. One bit of advice for the OP though: If you're doing long sets, maybe give the Thumb a miss. I don't notice it live but in rehearsals if we're playing for 2hrs or so without a break I sometimes notice my left wrist starting to tighten up (particularly if we're bashing through songs with a wide finger spread low down the neck, over and over again...), probably because of the short top horn. The Streamer naturally doesn't have the same issue. I don't wear mine like a bib though, perhaps I'm supposed to.

Is it just me who doesn't like maple with blocks? It seems 99% of the blocked boards I see are maple, but I think rosewood + MoP looks loads nicer.