JamesBass

Another user here, I've just gone for premium as I've finally sorted my student discount card out and for the £4.99 a month that it is it's an absolute amazing thing! I use it to help me teach as well when I'm teaching. Check out the "Best Bass Lines Ever" started by our very own Dood and regularly added to by many off here!

Today I've worked on; Ain't No Mountain High, For Once in My Life, Bernadette, and then worked on two new arrangements for Britney Spears' Toxic and Naïve by The Kooks. Guess it's been a busy bass day!

You will not go wrong with TI's get them from [url="http://www.bassgear.co.uk/product/thomastik-infeld-jf344-jazz-bass-flat-wound-43-100/"]here[/url] for the cheapest UK price I know of, but also check the price over at [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomastik_jf344.htm"]Thomann[/url].

[quote name='2stringsmcginty' timestamp='1421108640' post='2657350'] This is something I've struggled with for quite some time, and been caringly told a few home truths about my current level of ability by the worship leader at church I've only ever played as part of a church band and often have the words with chords written over them or occasionally just have the chord progression and I'm nearly in time, but often not quite. I've never worked out how to practice this at home to work out timing and get a bit fed up and put my bass down and go play model trains. My bass isn't in the best condition and I had been looking at replacing it, but fitting flat wounds changed the feel of it and a bit of set up work has made it feel ok, but how do I go about learning one of the most important parts of playing bass? [/quote] Two things. Listening in detail and a metronome. Get a good pair of headphones or speakers and listen to the tracks religiously trying to pick out the detail of each instrument and learning what they sound like, listening specifically for the bass drum, snare, cymbals, and obviously the bass. Once you can hear these you will begin to notice how you can play in time more and more. The other aspect is a metronome, this is effectively the only and best way to practice timing. As a bass player you have two functions; to keep in time/groove, and to sound harmonically/tonally good. Also sounds like it's worth finding yourself a good teacher, where are you based out of curiosity cause if you're based local to Portsmouth/South Hampshire I'd be more than happy to take you on as student or if you're further away then I can suggest a number of sites where you can search for tutors.

So I've finally got the cash to begin setting up a small home/portable studio for myself, I've got the midi-USB keyboard, I've got good speakers and headphones, and I'm using a mid 2012 MacBook Pro with logic9. I had previously been interested in getting the MOTU 8PRE, but what else is out there? What can people recommend? Ideally I'd like to have the option to mic a full kit up, it's not necessary by any means, but it's nice to have that ability should I want it!

[quote name='Jonesthebass' timestamp='1421073756' post='2656817'] Jamesbass.... Cruise ship work get your reading skills as good as you can. Show band gets loads of charts at short notice. Jazz wise get your chops up. Work on your aural skills too. If you get used to hearing intervals and chord changes it helps massively when you're put on the spot. Pretty soon you start to notice lots if songs with the same chord progressions.....ie the old 3 chord trick. And ubit .... Yeah I know its a huge amount of songs and yes I have had to learn them and yes every now and again someone calls a song I haven't played for years but if you know roughly how it goes you can put a basic bass line into it. [/quote] Cheers Jones, the weakest point out of those you listed for me is the sight reading, I can do it, but would be unable to do an entire gig doing so, especially if the track is 16ths and lots of fills. Though I can read a lead sheet and play from that no worries, it's more the full on dots type thing I struggle with. Luckily though being a young guy with a plethora of free time reading is something I'm working on!

I should have clarified, eventually I'd look to take it past your generic pub band stuff, which obviously would mean functions, and any function band worth their salts will have charts etc. I've played in bands that have only really played original material, so my formative years were spent learning theory to write and the odd cover cause I had the time and will power to. Now though I'm at a completely different part of my "career", as well as dep work for local pub bands, I'd love to get cruise ship work, which again is very different in terms of song choice and atmosphere. So lets think of this thread/question as more of "What songs, across a wide range of genres, are the foundation songs in the set list?"

So I've been doing some dep work for friends bands over the past few months, and each band has a different set list with only a few songs that are the same, songs like; Sweet Child o'mine, another one bites the dust, Livin on a Prayer, Sex On Fire, and Use Somebody. Now cause I've enjoyed this so much and currently don't have a band of my own to speak of, I'd like to do much more in the way of dep and session work, what are the must know songs? I play most genres but no modern metal and no slap playing.

Decided I'm not gonna order a Limelight after all, have found MJT aged relics over in the States and their bodies and necks get RAVE reviews so I'm probably gonna go for a parts build now!

[quote name='luckman67' timestamp='1420540951' post='2650351'] Hopefully next week I should be the owner of a brand new American standard Precision bass. This is my question I'm thinking of putting flatwounds on it still in the same gauge 45-105, could I just put them straight on or would I have to redo the truss rod due to the tension of the flatwounds? Thanks in advance [/quote] What flats? If you want a pretty much guarantee no setup then use TI's the tension is akin to rounds.

On the recording it's Nathan East playing one of his 5 string Yamaha's I do believe, but not a damn clue what the bass is in the video!

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1420400537' post='2648969'] I'm still searching for the right spec Jazz neck for one of them, and the other was for a '66 slab precision, and had to be a maple-cap neck, which are very scarce, so i had to get that from a Roger Waters signature reissue. Good, vintage correct necks are surprisingly hard to get hold of!?! [/quote] Tell me about it! I'm looking to get one for a P from musikraft who even offer Brazilian Rosewood as a fingerboard option but currently researching if that's ok to bring to the UK! http://musikraft.com

Cheers Rick! Just out of curiosity where do you go for your necks?

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1420312929' post='2648017'] MJT, in my opinion, do the best relic paintjobs around. Genuine checking, unlike anything i've seen elsewhere or currently available. I've bought 2 in the past, both exceptional. [/quote] Is that 2 bodies or 2 full builds?

[quote name='sammybee' timestamp='1420309368' post='2647942'] I want to try some flats on my 'Ray (a'la Bernard Edwards). Any recommendations for which brand? I used to have a set of Rotosound flats on one of my Jazzes but found the tension quite high and the strings felt as if they were about to snap the neck at any moment. Something I'd like to avoid on my 'Ray. [/quote] Although they are pricey, Thomastik Infeld flats are low tension, comparable to D'addario EXL170 rounds in terms of tension. Tonally TI's are mid prominent but so very very organic, I'd say they sound somewhat similar to a double bass, there's lots of thump and bass but everything is clear and articulate, the best way to describe them is that they are musical.

So after contacting Mark at Limelight and him not able to do what I want I've been faced with a decision, the decision being that I needed to find either an alternative colour or a completely different route to what I want. During my research I found MJT over in the States and while I haven't spoken to these guys yet they have a positive review from those over on TalkBass, which can be a great sign in itself! Looking at MJT's website I'm really impressed with the paint jobs so a body or full bass might well be on order from there soon! http://mjtagedfinishes.com/default.html

I THINK I'm gonna go with eith blue ice metallic or lake placid blue with rosewood and tort, but there are a few colours I want to rule out still! Damn this is hard!!!

[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1420202630' post='2646612'] Can he do a 'stripped' relic I wonder? It's a bit of a shame he has to relic at all. Big shout for Capri orange - just bought one from Ishibashi. [/quote] Sadly only able to offer a VERY heavy relic currently! I'll drop you and email/text soon Steve and arrange another catch up, I'll show you just how relic'd I mean then!

[quote name='bumnote' timestamp='1420130514' post='2645908'] Im curious, Did he say why, he can do a 3TS but only in extreme? Is that because he already has one in stock? [/quote] Due to the paint he has and how convicing it can look

Already have a maple necked Oly white P with black SP, so looking for something else colour wise. Like I said I did want a 3TSB but sadly that's not possible if I get a Limelight! Other than limelights, what's out there that does that 60s vibe really well?

Been in contact with Mark from LimeLight the past few days and saldy he's unable to make me a 60s P with light relicing in 3TS, though he does offer it in what I'd call EXTREME relic levels! So I'm now having to decide on an alternative colour or go for an alternative bass. So help me out here BassChat!

Been trying to get on this for the past few days and finally succeeded this morning, all be it extremely briefly, and it seems most of the basses have "disappeared"?! Anyone else had trouble with their website? I know it's not an issue my end as I can get on everywhere else just fine!

Dial your tone up and give the bridge pickup a more favourable level. Also where on the bass are you playing? And are you Palm muting your strings?

Does anyone know if Mark offers 3TS?

I've been the organiser and the MD and Band leader and still want to retain that with my original projects, but right now I've had my fill of being a full time band leader and MD, I now need to join an experienced bunch of guys who are committed as much as I am. Agencies are my next call and I'm busy setting up my own personal website, directed at showing a sample repitoire and advertising me as a session/dep player, original musician, and teacher, so I'm fairly full on and really don't want the hassle of being responsible for organising the band etc. I go to jam nights but find there are some large egos or a very run of the mill musical style, covers often played note for note and no real musicianship has gone in to things, I guess I'm looking for a band that can change songs up a bit and don't do a note for note cover of Sex on Fire every weekend!