thisnameistaken

I don't like to pay more than about £7-800 for a bass, so I was hoping to get something either common as muck or used. I didn't mean to slight your Jazz 24 it's just all the anecdotal stuff I've read on the internets was saying they weren't that great. Sounds like yours is a good one, but it's still that classic Fender scenario of having to hunt for the good one.

I like Jazz basses, but I want a bound and blocked rosewood board and - tricky bit - a 24-fret neck with good access to the dusty end. So I suppose that means a shorter Jazz body (which would suit me anyway because I'm scrawny, and big bass bodies look silly on me). And I might want it to be a 5. I haven't quite decided. I've seen Fender sell a 24-fret Jazz but from what I can gather they're Korean and not very good. Does anyone else make one or am I looking at a custom bass?

Hartke LH500. Portable enough in a 2U rack, cheap, loud, sounds great. Transparent sound, you get out what you put in, so if your sound is good to begin with it will do the job. Downside: Three-band tone stack EQ and that's it. But again, if your basses sound good it won't be a big issue.

If you can hear yourself it'll be fine. If you can't hear yourself, you're completely and utterly screwed. Good luck! Oh and don't get wasted.

I think the trickiest one I've had to do lately is [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP2-5__wpkY"]Sweet & Dandy[/url], singing the high harmony part. The way the third and fourth lines of each verse wrap over the bar line were tricky at first. Plus most of it is in my head range, and it's generally not an easy vocal part at all! Beautiful song though. More African-sounding than most old ska tunes.

I sing harmony in both the bands I'm doing at the moment, so yeah I sing and play almost all the time. I've been singing back-up for about as long as I've been playing though, so I can't really remember not doing it. Sometimes there are parts which are a bit tricky, but honestly once you've got the syncopation down I find the only problem is avoiding letting your concentration slip too much either towards the bass part or the vocal part, and forgetting to do the other one!

The only thing that puts me off the Carbon Copy is the reports of poor reliability. Seems quite a few people broke them in very little time at all. Stomp gently! I think a couple of delays is all my board's missing at the moment. Then I'm going to start taking it to open mic nights without a bass and see how long I can attack people with it before they turn me off.

I think it depends how you use them. I switch on effects mostly to replace my bass sound, rather than augment it. If you still need to sound like a bass guitar, that's when you run into problems.

[quote name='Bass_In_Yer_Face' post='464572' date='Apr 16 2009, 11:50 PM']I posted a similar post some time ago as modern pop music is utter utter crap. Where is the new Led Zep/Clash/Smiths/Specials/New Order/Stone Roses/Depeche Mode..etc.etc.... How anyone can come on here and tell me Franz Ferdinand/Killers/Artic Monkeys etc are fit to wipe the arse of the bands above is beyond me.[/quote] I was teenage from the late '80s to early '90s. And I had an older brother who was teenage during the late '70s early '80s, so really all the post-punk stuff and the "T-shirt band" stuff is the music I grew up with (and the big band stuff my mum listened to, which I still really like). I first heard Arctic Monkeys when I changed a CD driving through Leeds and When The Sun Goes Down happened to be on the radio. First time in forever that I waited until the song ended before sticking another CD in. I hadn't heard any of the hype that had gone before, had no clue who they were, and went home and looked them up. Found more tunes, was equally impressed, amazed that they were kids. Disappointed that the album wasn't out yet. Bought it on the day of release. IMO they deserved all the attention they got.

[quote name='jmstone' post='464092' date='Apr 16 2009, 04:34 PM']I probably preferred other less (now) famous bands like Pavement, Field Mice and The Wedding Present..[/quote] Bless The Wedding Present. I was never a big fan but if it wasn't for them, Cud never would have put any records out, and Cud's old stuff on Imaginary was brilliant.

[quote name='The Funk' post='463984' date='Apr 16 2009, 02:57 PM']Yes. There's no money to be made from music now, which should be liberating artistically, except everyone's desperate to be as big as Elvis and The Beatles. Those days are gone. Just write a good tune FFS and consider it a bonus if just one person who's not shagging you or related to you likes your music. And get a real job. Music is not an excuse to waste your life doing f*** all.[/quote] Hmm. Well... I do agree that fame is something separate. A lack of it wouldn't (and doesn't!) stop me wanting to make music. Money is a similar story - it doesn't necessarily follow that people should give me money for doing it, so I don't mind if I don't get any. I'm more interested in making something and showing it to people and having them tell me it's rubbish. Telling me it's good would be nice too, but you can't have everything. I think some musicians are of the opinion that they should be globally celebrated purely on the merits of their instrumental prowess. The fact is if you're not an engaging raconteur, or gorgeous, or preferably both, it's probably not going to happen. And that's been the case since the 1950s at least.

[quote name='ARGH' post='463633' date='Apr 16 2009, 08:28 AM']Words spoken from someone that knows f***all about Metal there.[/quote] Well, those bands do exist in large enough numbers for me (someone who doesn't listen to any metal at all) to be aware of them, so there must be enough truth to it. While we're here discussing how shallow the music biz has got, can anyone name a successful band with an ugly singer from any other era? Off the top of my head I've got Thom Yorke, Ian Brown and Tom Hingley. And I'm not sure that the Carpets can be classed as successful anyway. Oh Ian Anderson, we'll have him too. Now let's hear the list of the bands with good-looking singers...

[quote name='AM1' post='463558' date='Apr 16 2009, 12:20 AM']I have not seen one guitarist on youtube who can nail the solo in The Rover with that perfect phrasing on the original.[/quote] Could this thread be summarised as simply "The kids don't understand that metal is better than what they listen to because it's harder to play"? Metal does itself no favours image-wise, with all the stupid songs about dragons and satan and pixies and hobbits or whatever. It's only ever going to appeal to people who read fantasy novels and attend sci-fi conventions.

[quote name='AM1' post='463445' date='Apr 15 2009, 10:05 PM']All the bands I liked as a teenager are what I'm still listening to![/quote] You'll probably find that people from all previous generations are doing the same thing, and complaining that modern music is rubbish. It isn't, of course, it's just that you're old.

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='463416' date='Apr 15 2009, 09:32 PM']90% of the general population only buy music that record companies give them because of how good looking the singer is. ... Real bands are always going to struggle[/quote] There is an obvious solution to all this of course: Get a really hot singer.

[quote name='AM1' post='463379' date='Apr 15 2009, 08:46 PM']Online downloading just seems to have killed off bands making money and even touring bands are not exactly rolling in it. ... The music scene is SO commercialised now,[/quote] Damn those commercialised people stopping us from... making money. I'm not sure I followed your post, really.

[quote name='bumfrog' post='462484' date='Apr 14 2009, 09:01 PM']I've just had a quick look at the listings for the main places and to be honest, you'd be better off going to Ye olde Starre inne on the thursday night for the open mic acoustic night. Most of the people in the best (original) bands in york tend to shufty down there on a thursday night, so you'll see some fantastic, and drunk stuff! [/quote] Every time I'm in there it's that impossibly pretentious hairy boy from Idle Jack and his cronies. He brought a theremin along last time. [quote name='bumfrog' post='462484' date='Apr 14 2009, 09:01 PM']Also worth a mention is the rather excellent city screen basement bar. Not the best layout for a venue, but incredibly intimate and they have some fantastic acts on there from out of town.[/quote] Yeah City Screen's often got good stuff on.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='461616' date='Apr 13 2009, 09:54 PM']Off to York on Wednesday and Thursday, so can anyone recommend a pub that has live bands on in York centre?[/quote] Fibbers has got a BOTB on Wednesday, [url="http://www.myspace.com/andsoiwatchyoufromafar"]these guys[/url] on Thursday. There's nothing on at Speakeasy either Wednesday or Thursday. Er... Duchess has got [url="http://www.testtubebabies.co.uk/"]these[/url] on Thursday, nothing Wednesday. You could try the Roman Bath but it's usually straight-ahead rock in there. [quote name='warwickhunt' post='461616' date='Apr 13 2009, 09:54 PM']As an aside I'll be looking for somewhere to stop off for a pub lunch on the way into York (from the North) so anywhere that does decent grub?[/quote] I don't know if there's anywhere particularly good for a pub lunch on the way into York, sadly. There are a few pubs that do good food inside the walls (Guy Fawkes, Old White Swan, Royal Oak - Guy Fawkes has the best ale of those three), but I'm not sure if they only do lunch on Sundays... Swan's probably the most likely, to be honest. It's on Goodramgate. Actually yeah Fibbers do pub lunches.

Finally an excuse to go back to Wakefield! Where is this place - Smythe Street? Is it in the old Unity House or something? Must go attempt to round up old mates... Just to be absolutely clear: This is The Blockheads, not "The Blackheads" or or "The Smackheads" or some other band pretending to be The Blockheads?

[quote name='lushuk' post='460944' date='Apr 13 2009, 01:44 AM']Now ive had the same problem, are you sure its hitting the poles? ala Steve Harris clanking, I thought I was as well but then realised it was slapping back onto the frets which gave it that sound and not the poles.[/quote] Yeah I doubt you're hitting the poles on a Stingray with 105-45s on your bass. You could hit the strings with a hammer and not manage that. Don't raise the action or pick nearer the bridge - you need to learn to play lighter before you knacker your hand. Turn up would be my advise, you'll probably pick softer if you can hear yourself better. Works for me anyway.

[quote name='silddx' post='460946' date='Apr 13 2009, 01:51 AM'][b]What [/b]made you the bassist you are today?[/quote] Not spending enough time practicing. [quote name='silddx' post='460946' date='Apr 13 2009, 01:51 AM'][b]Who [/b]do you think had the biggest influences on how you play now?[/quote] My employers demanding long hours, girlfriends demanding attention, my own laziness. [quote name='silddx' post='460946' date='Apr 13 2009, 01:51 AM'][b]Where [/b]do you think you want to go from here?[/quote] Guitar or drums? A promotion is a promotion, I'm not fussy. [quote name='silddx' post='460946' date='Apr 13 2009, 01:51 AM'][b]Why [/b]do you think you want to go there?[/quote] I can't find a drummer. [quote name='silddx' post='460946' date='Apr 13 2009, 01:51 AM'][b]Do you believe[/b] you have a "personality" on the bass?[/quote] I used to, back when people would have me anyway. These days I'm happy if I can sneak into a band without anybody noticing, so I try to play a bit more generic. [quote name='silddx' post='460946' date='Apr 13 2009, 01:51 AM'][b]Specialist question:[/b] [i][b]What [/b]is it you love about that 1971 P-Bass?[/i][/quote] I've never had a P-bass. They always looked a bit ropey to me. I had a couple of Jazzes and they were ropey enough to put me off the P.

[quote name='acidbass' post='460673' date='Apr 12 2009, 05:56 PM']I know a lot of famous artists go through an intense physical workout before going on tour,[/quote] Well, I can imagine Madonna does. Dave Gilmour not so much.

You definitely need to learn how to drink and take drugs, there won't be much else to do.