EliasMooseblaster

Oh, I did! There was indeed a lot of information, mostly from people saying they'd had positive results (and a few enthusiastically claiming their Ubuntu partition handled it better than Windows 7...) Thought I'd ask on here to see if anyone else had other advice - hadn't come across the issues about proprietary drivers, so thank you for flagging that one!

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1497364766' post='3317564'] I've heard good things about Toneriders, they seem like good value? [/quote] I wouldn't say I was a connoisseur, but they certainly sound good to me, and are a lot cheaper than some of the better-known manufacturers. See also Wilkinson, who are now providing the stock pickups for JHS Vintage guitars - not sure whether they have a specific vintage-type tone range, ironically enough, but cheap enough that you could take a punt on a pair. (In fact, my Frankenbass now has a Tonerider in the neck/middle position, and a Wilkinson by the bridge. Both sound pretty good, though I'm debating whether to swap one out so they're both from the same manufacturer to see if I can get a better match between their two tones.)

I notice a lot of good things being said about these Focusrite interfaces, and our guitarist has had good results from using them. Looking to upgrade my home setup myself, so just wondering whether anybody's tried getting one to work in Ubuntu/Ardour? I see that there's a lot of material online, including from the Focusrite developers' blog, suggesting that a 2i2 "could/should" work with Linux - can anyone confirm or deny these rumours?

There seems to be some not-entirely-unsubstantiated rumour that Squier are putting Tonerider pickups in their very well-regarded Classic Vibe guitars and basses. I've got a Tonerider in one of my own Frankenbasses and it's really rather good - I suspect you could get your hands on a matched pair for south of £70.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1497256176' post='3316764'] Seriously, get a Behringer XM8500. Less than £20. 99.99% of musicians will not notice the difference between it and an expensive one. They really are that good. Oh, and did I mention that they are sturdy as hell too. I use a lot of different vocal mics including expensive ones, but the one I take with me for my personal band gigs is a Behringer. Theres a lot of snobbery goes around about a lot of musical kit. [/quote] My interest is piqued...have you tried using this Behringer for any home recording? I'm hoping to improve my current setup, and you've got me wondering whether I could do so a lot more cheaply than I first thought!

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1496009826' post='3308132'] No one has mentioned Faith yet! The Neptune is a beautiful guitar! [/quote] +1 for Faith - our guitarist got one a few years ago and it's a real gem of a guitar. Can't remember what model he has but it is a beauty. Or if you wanted to go [i]really [/i]cheap, I've been playing an Epiphone AJ-100 for about 12-13 years. Remarkably good guitar compared with most other models in its price bracket, and you could always put some of the leftover cash towards a good setup!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1497233310' post='3316700'] No matter how I tweak them, when I'm gigging and engage OD the signal drops and I get a lot of harsh high end. [/quote] Do you have a tweeter running in your cab(s), and/or do you have a "bright" switch on your amp that you tend to engage? These, I've found, are a bit of a minefield with OD pedals, as they put a high shelf on your sound - this can add a nice clarity to your dry sound, but gets massively overemphasised by the OD pedal. As for loss of signal...I assume you've tried ODs with a "blend" control? Then the question really becomes what you're trying to do to your sound. If you want a fat, distorted-but-still-"in-the-pocket" sound then I'd suggest trying a bass fuzz instead of an OD. Personally I keep my OD in the chain for lead playing, and in those cases I found that most bass ODs scooped the mids too much, but a Bass Tubescreamer does the job just nicely.

Thanks for sharing, really enjoyed that - particularly [i]All Alone In Instanbul [/i] (The cover photo wasn't taken in Richmond Park by any chance, was it?)

[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1496612376' post='3312762'] Endless positive experiences since being on Basschat this last 10 years or so.. Well, except for my bank balance of course which hasn't quite enjoyed such a positive time of things! [/quote] I had sufficient positive experiences with basschatters that I was confident enough to go to and meet one for the first time in a car park, alone, dafter dark, in Slough, with an envelope full of money to buy his bass!

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1496402510' post='3311081'] I wouldn't say that P and J pickups are "mismatched" at all - but that may depend on different pickup brands too? Both mine have Entwistle PBXN and JBXN pickups, and I'm not kidding, these are the best value passive pickups out there.... I would say that I don't particularly like the sound with both the P and the J pups both turned up full (or near full) but I don't think that's mis-matching - I just don't like it myself. I tend to use the P pickup as the "dominant" one, and dial in a bit of J at a time, until the sound has a bit of Jazz "burble" to it. This varies, depending on which band I'm playing with, and what happens to my sound at the venue - which seems to vary more than most other factors... Neither bass ever sounds exactly like a Jazz- but it wouldn't, given that it would need 2 J pickups to do so. Although, I can play with the sound until I've got as much J in there as I want. Go on - get your P P/J'ed! [/quote] You'll have to excuse my choice of words - "mismatched" was chosen long before I'd had any coffee this morning! What I was trying to get across was that there's something about two well-matched jazz pickups which produce certain distinct tones - e.g., the scooped sound (both p/ups on full) and that bright, piano-like tone (bridge backed off a bit) - which I've never managed to replicate with a P/J.

I don't know why Fenders are so notorious for it - my understanding is that it can happen to any bass with a headstock. I think I've recently discovered a dead spot on my Thunderbird around the 5th fret on the G! P/J...an odd beast, probably because the dominant frequencies of the pickups are quite mismatched. I'd say treat it like a P-bass with the option to add some more trebly 'bite' where you need it. Personally I've never managed to get a tone out of mine which sounded that much like a Jazz!

[quote name='Yukimajou' timestamp='1496222283' post='3309601'] I have a Doors music book for piano and the bass line there corresponds to the 12th fret E string as the start. [/quote] [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1496269530' post='3310175'] So you guys are saying this bass line is not played starting on an open E? And you've all been listening to the original recording? [/quote] I think I have the same book, which is where I learned the bassline from. Bear in mind that a lot of things in there will be "arranged for piano," e.g., [i]Been Down So Long[/i], which has no keyboard part. See also in [i]Light My Fire [/i]that the vocal melody is incorporated into the right-hand part, but there's no way Manzarek's playing that on the record. But most conclusively: note that it says "[i]8va basso[/i]" underneath the bass stave for [i]Riders[/i]. Which is to say, "play one octave lower than written." (Always good to find another Doors fan on here, by the way!)

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1496391758' post='3310965'] I've noticed some bass players using their ring fingers, when playing long slides - song's like "Give it away" by RHCP, or "Come Together" by the Beatles. This includes a couple of close Bass playing pals - they know they're doing it, but don't really think about it... Again, me being a lefty, I would always use my pinky for such slides [/quote] Another lefty-playing-righty here: really? I'm not sure I'd have that much confidence in my 4th finger over such a long slide! (Though setup and chosen string gauge may also play a part in this...) But then I've always favoured my 2nd and 3rd fingers for bends and vibrato, so perhaps they're more developed by comparison.

There's definitely a balance to be struck between "too much" and "too little," and it sounds like they're definitely erring on the side of "too little"! Could they perhaps be persuaded to make this one rehearsal a bit longer before August's gig, just so you can at least run over the set a few times and iron out what sound like very obvious creases? It does sound like you're finding the situation very frustrating - and is the limited repertoire not getting boring? I know that playing improvised jazz is often a bit of a tightrope walk, but if the band's fallen off the tightrope halfway through the first number then it's going to stop being fun pretty quickly.

Q: how can you tell when your lead singer's outside the front door? A: (s)he can't find the key, and doesn't know when to come in... Bad jokes aside, I know how frustrating this is. My old blues trio briefly had a dedicated vocalist, who began with great promise, but as time went on he became increasingly unable to remember his cue even for some really well-known covers. In his case, we later found out through mutual friends that he'd been pushing an awful lot of Columbian Marching Powder up his nose, which may have gone some way to explaining his apparent decline in musicality. Fortunately he made it easy for us by forgetting to turn up to a gig one night, but if your man's refusing to even be taught then perhaps it's time to give him the push.

[quote name='DDR' timestamp='1496153772' post='3309169'] I found myself thinking "what if one day I want the low B but I need the G for something? I would then need yet another bass! Doesn't seem right. [/quote] You could always tune in fifths...B F# C# G#, for example, though it would require a fairly extensive rethink of your way around the fretboard!

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1495880797' post='3307262'] It was very curt and aloof, and the general tone was that 'we will decide who is worthy of playing here and if you are deigned worthy you will be very honoured to be contacted by us'. At first we thought it was a wind up, it was that funny. A simple 'thanks but no thanks' would have sufficed. It reminded me of booking gigs in London in the late 80s. [/quote] "Interesting" is the word! Well, they ignored all my attempts at correspondence so you got further than me. That is a shame, it looked like a good venue and all...

Just remembered a strange little place in Soho that some others of this parish must surely have played - anyone else been to Jazz After Dark? The owner doubles up as a portrait painter, and to be fair, he's not too shabby with a paintbrush - evidence of this can be found all around this poky little venue, where the walls are covered in his paintings of famous musicians. This is a little unsettling to begin with, as you find yourself somewhat boxed in on an already small stage, hoping you don't poke the head of your bass through one of the canvasses. To make matters more unsettling, he seems to have an obsession with the late Amy Winehouse. I think she might have frequented the place back in the day, and her likeness has been painted far more than any other famous name on the wall. In fact, there's a little booth off to the side of the stage - used as a bit of backstage area in quieter periods - which is chock full of paintings of Ms Winehouse, staring down at you from every angle. A few years ago, I ended up playing there far more times than I would have liked. I think about one time in every five or six, there was a little life in the place. Not somewhere I'll be rushing back to.

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1495652832' post='3305670'] wasn't the Billy by any chance [/quote] [quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1495692513' post='3305830'] Yes it was. A pity, because it's a good venue. [/quote] I've heard it's under new management as of a couple of weeks ago - has anyone been in since they changed hands?

[quote name='monkey_dancer' timestamp='1495542162' post='3304567'] Yeah I've enquired about the Tony Franklin because it's beautiful. Keeping my eyes on the marketplace in general while I look, you never know when something cool will show up. [/quote] I can't recommend the Franklin highly enough - it's an absolute dream to play and sounds amazing... [quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1495613630' post='3305214'] Ahem. I have this one for sale. I would be surprised if you could find better for the money. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/301547-custom-built-fretless-precision-very-black/"]http://basschat.co.u...ion-very-black/[/url] [/quote] ...but this is a fraction of the price, of course. I'd have been tempted myself if I didn't already have a Franklin.

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1495554940' post='3304758'] £3k? Wow, that's high. You could get a refinished one for much less than a regular asking price too. That'd help scratch the itch. What's your budget? [/quote] Anyone care to assess how close the Squier CV '70s Jazz gets to "that" tone? I've been impressed with the ones I've tried, but I've never had the pleasure of playing an original '70s Jazz (though one guy did bravely lend me his original '60s Jazz for a gig in Berlin a couple of years ago...)

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1495543603' post='3304591'] On the other hand some more notice/confirmation of the situation than on the day of the gig would have been nice. [/quote] This is the crux of it really, isn't it? Everyone who's played more than half a dozen gigs will have an implicit understanding of "standard practice," but if you don't think to check in advance then you surely risk coming a-cropper. Especially if you've already gone to the lengths of crossing the Atlantic to do the gig in the first place...

Last December I got a chance to compare an LB30 and a B-15 against each other - not a perfect A/B as we didn't have the right cables to connect them both to the same cab, but I felt like I was able to get a comparable tone out of both of them. The Ashdown was a bit darker-sounding; the engineer who was recording it mentioned that it was producing a lot of subs, and I have indeed found that you can make them sound a bit "woolly" if you push the lows too hard. Back off the bass frequencies a bit and you're on to a winner. (Longer and more waffly review here, if you want to read yet another one: https://thecrowfrombelow.wordpress.com/2015/08/03/gear-review-6-ashdown-little-bastard-30/ )

[quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1494593740' post='3297219'] The multi band thing is pretty common if you're playing originals in London, and the easiest way to get gigs at decent venues when you're starting out. ... personally I'll do my best to hang around and watch the rest of the bands - I'm with those who think it's a bit rude not to: you'd prefer to have the other bands sticking around to watch you too, plus you make friends and connections and find out which other bands you're a fit for. My old bands have had and made gig offers from/to bands we've got to know like that. However, you really don't want to be on last - getting the tube home is always going to top sticking around to check out a new band. [/quote] ^ This does seem to be more of an issue in London. Possibly because the bulk of originals gigs (or at least, the "Camden Toilet Circuit") is controlled by a dozen or so promoters who will throw together bands you've never heard of and may never hear from again! Sure, it probably shouldn't be the responsibility of the other bands to help maintain the atmosphere in the venue, but if a genuinely good band has driven 100 miles to try and get their first foot in the door in London, I'd feel bad for them if we all just buggered off to the bar when they came on. (What are they supposed to do, bus down a bunch of mates who've already seen them play plenty of times back home?) I can't say I'd extend that to all the bands we've shared a bill with - some of them have been genuinely abysmal! But there's been at least a couple of bands who it was worth sticking around for and striking up a rapport with for future gigs. Unfortunately you do have to sift a huge amount of chaff to get the wheat out of that circuit.

[quote name='Burrito' timestamp='1494349111' post='3295250'] Banter can have it's place (I love a laugh and a joke with my friends) but banter can often be a polite phrase for bullying too. That's not the same thing. ...The difference is that Billy is taking ownership of his own condition and I agree that is the best of what Brits do. Laughing at easy targets though isn't (not that I'm suggesting that is what YOU are saying but I think this is where some tend to get it slightly wrong). [/quote] This is it: there's an unwritten rule to the effect that good comedy "punches upwards." The rich and powerful are considered fair game, because at least in the worst case they have their wealth and power to insulate them from our mockery. On the other hand, someone with learning difficulties probably gets enough grief in a school playground as it is, so taking this p!$$ out of them is at best lazy, and at worst quite mean-spirited. Still, by that logic, lead guitarists typically draw more recognition and attention than we do, so let the p!$$-taking continue!