EliasMooseblaster

To answer the titular question with an example, I don't think anybody needs to be "qualified" to criticise this performance: https://youtu.be/FjeMDvCdrtc

It always seems such a waste to throw out old strings. Unfortunately I can't find any recycling facilities that could reuse the metal, but I'm aware that some people on here are quite happy to use "deadened" rounds, or might be looking for a spare set or two but don't have the readies right now. I'll need to take a proper inventory of how many sets I've got, but I believe there are at least three or four to go: [b]Rotosound RS66LN, Swing Bass Nickel-plated Roundwound Strings, .045-.105, for long-scale basses[/b] They will have been variously cut for Precisions, a Thundebird or an EB-3 (SG style), so if you specify what bass you want them for, I can find a set that's most likely to fit! Happy to post anywhere in the UK.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1435826939' post='2812689'] I have no cheesemaking skills whatsoever. Does that mean if a cheesemaker hands me a piece of defective cheese I have to just chow down with a straight face and say "mmm, that's delicious"? [/quote] Well, quite. That's the last time I go for lunch at Alex bloody James' house!

As many have suggested, part of the problem with the question is the nebulous definition of "rock star." When I first started to invest serious time and effort into Cherry White, people would always ask, "ooh, so you're going to be a rock star, then?" And I always corrected them, saying "not quite; I want to be a musician." Because after all the years of hair metal and increasingly ridiculous behaviour and posturing on the part of the Axl Roses, the Dave Lee Roths, hell, even the Liam Gallaghers and Robbie Williamses of this world, it occurred to me that the term "rock star" had become dangerously synonymous with "d**khead." And of course, if we go by that definition then Mr West is a strong contender!

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1435579511' post='2810139'] When so much of their message in the early days was about not bowing down to their elders, I find it odd that I'm now expected to do so towards them. [/quote] Perhaps now would be an appropriate time to wheel out the quote: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

Bands have a habit of not necessarily doing the right/respectful thing, though, don't they? I thought that after Jon Lord's departure and passing, Deep Purple would have called it a day. Ian Paice is now, strictly speaking, the only original member of that band, and there appears to be no way the others will consider working with Blackmore again (though to be fair, [i]Rapture from the Deep [/i]was a surprisingly good album). But I digress; somehow I suspect there will be enough demand for other members (current and former) of Yes to keep playing that they'll consider it viable. And if they do, then some incarnation of Yes will go back on the road, and we'll be on here having various discussions along the lines of "I saw them last week and they were good but gosh it's not the same without Chris Squire" - much like we've been doing lately for The Who!

Based on what I've heard from others applying for various US visas, green cards, etc, I suspect your avatar may sum up how you feel by the time you've completed the application!

[quote name='tinyd' timestamp='1435315412' post='2807558'] So you've been to my gigs, then ? This is very true - I bought my BG to my last jazz gig and it was definitely 'different'.... There's something about the envelope of DB notes that lends itself better to walking bass lines IMHO, but it's subtle and can be achieved on BG with a bit of muting / EQ etc. [/quote] I believe it's the way the note 'swells' as you play the string, such that the peak volume actually arrives a little bit 'late' and gives the impression of playing behind the beat. Which is not to say you can't deliberately play behind the beat on a BG - or, indeed, get close to the effect using a fretless.

Consider also, the embarrassment one must face when booking a gig through a promoter, who tells you he's put up a link to advance tickets online. So you tell your audience, and encourage them to get in early to avoid disappointment...only to have one of your friends get in touch to say, "Erm...don't know if you've noticed, but there's actually a £1.50 booking fee on top of the ticket price. So it's actually cheaper if I take my chances and pay on the door..."

Does anybody know which year they started putting the plastic PCBs inside their guitars instead of regular pots and caps? Only, I've never looked inside the control cavity of my T-bird. Never needed to, I'm glad to say, but it is a 2011 model.

[quote name='wdejong' timestamp='1434990897' post='2804487'] I intend to swap guitars when we play that one song in drop D. No idea if/how it's going to work, as it will be the first gig I'm doing it. Is there anyone who down-tunes their guitars live on stage, mid-performance? [/quote] The best of both worlds is probably the [b]Korg Pitchblack Plus [/b](or possibly "Pitchback+" if Korg's marketing dept are reading this) - it serves as both a pedal tuner (which makes re-tuning between songs easier) and an A/B switch (if you think it would be easier just to have a second guitar to hand in a different tuning).

[quote name='4-string-thing' timestamp='1434978742' post='2804332'] Our guitarist uses a 12 string for a couple of songs, so we play them 3rd and 4th in the set so his guitar gets changed just twice. I use the opportunity to engage with the audience, and captivate them with my witty banter.... [/quote] Likewise, I have my 8-string on stage with increasing frequency. When we're drawing up setlists I demand that the songs requiring the 8 are adjacent, just so I don't have to keep switching back and forth throughout the set!

[quote name='FlatEric' timestamp='1434005122' post='2795765'] After trying several, some long and some medium - I went for the Ibanez Studio. A really nice bass, medium scale, active and lots of tone. The only problem I have found, when I have been to see bands using an 8 string, is the eq seems to be set up for a 4 and there is just not quite enough mids and top, to clearly pick out the octave strings. Shame [/quote] <shameless self-plug> I don't know how he did it in the end - I know he seemed quite apprehensive when I pulled the thing out of its case - but the engineer who recorded and mixed this track managed to capture the sound of my Hagstrom quite well just running it through an old Ampeg combo (possibly with some DI signal as well): [url="https://cherrywhite.bandcamp.com/track/7-days"]https://cherrywhite....om/track/7-days[/url] </shameless self-plug>

[quote name='4-string-thing' timestamp='1434016995' post='2795906'] Leave the alcohol til after the sessions are finished. I once read that a well known producer (I've forgotten who) used to have a sign on the studio wall that read "Boring people make boring records, and there is nothing more boring than someone who's drunk" And as someone who used to run a small demo studio, there is nothing worse than watching people waste time and money sitting around drinking when they should be working! Well, except bands who clearly haven't worked on the songs enough, arrangements etc (which I'm sure you have) [/quote] I'm glad to say I've never been in such a situation myself, but I do remember one recording engineer telling me a horror story about a band sent to him from Galway (if memory serves) by a reasonably large label, who had decided that these four young lads were [i]the[/i] canine male reproductive organs, and threw a large amount of money at sending them to his studio for five or six days to record two or three songs. Being treated like rock stars had obviously gone to their heads: they arrived late (of course) and within a couple of hours were huffing so much Columbian marching powder they quite literally couldn't play. Anyone who's ever tried to have a conversation with people who are coked off their heads will know what a colossal pain in the arse they can be to even talk to, let alone to organise into something requiring so much skill and coordination as playing in a group. Three or four days into the session, a label rep dropped in to see how things were coming along, and listen to the work-in-progress. The band had just about finished the drum parts. It was quite obvious that they'd be lucky to even have one song completed. As he realised he'd basically sunk a huge amount of the label's money into a complete turkey, the rep's hair allegedly turned whiter than the band's nostrils. Doesn't even answer your question, I realise, but I thought it would make for an entertaining story. Good luck with the session, and all the best to your missus and the new arrival!

I wonder whether you have the same problem I do: I can hear the melody I want to sing in my head, but I have trouble translating that to what my vocal cords do. Without monitors, it's almost as if the melody in my brain is "louder" than the signal from my ears, however with a suitably loud monitor the sound of my voice is much more prominent, so I can focus more on what I'm actually singing...if that makes sense? I, too, spent most of my life being told not to sing. Many people still tell me not too - though thankfully the ones who don't are not musicians.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1433864626' post='2794669'] Some interesting thoughts on the role of BBC Radio here: [url="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/jun/09/radio-1-apple-attack-nick-grimshaw-zane-lowe-spotify"]http://www.theguardi...ne-lowe-spotify[/url] [/quote] Very interesting - the fridge analogy is a particularly good one, I feel. And that's not a sentence I thought I'd be typing today...

Yep, count me in![list] [*][b]Have you tried Elixir strings before?[/b] [*]Yes, not sure which exact set as they came already fitted when I bought the bass they were on. [*][b]What other brands are you familiar with?[/b] [*]Rotosound (RS66 'Swing Bass' are my usual choice of RW string), D'Addario, Ernie Ball, Martin, Dean Markley [*][b]What bass(es) will you try the new strings on?[/b] [*]Depending on how many sets they'd be prepared to send me: Gibson Thunderbird, Schecter Model T, Epiphone EB-3, Precision kit bass (w/ Fender '62 RI pickup), a 'Frankenbass' (Tonerider J-bass pickup), and possibly a Warwick-Rockbass Corvette Fretless [*][b]What sort of environment will you be playing them in (e.g studio, gigging, practicing)[/b] [*]Gigging and rehearsals, probably a few jam nights as well [*][b]Why do you think you'll be a good candidate to test the strings?[/b] [*]I play with a rather distinctive "lead bass" style which lends itself to a bright, prominent tone, and which also tends to wear out conventional roundwound strings rather quickly! (Have a gander at http://cherrywhite.bandcamp.com/album/staring-at-the-sun by way of example.) You could say I'm very familiar with the loss of "freshness" and clarity with uncoated strings, so I expect to be able to hear a significant difference. [*][b]Links to any blogs/reviews you may have already posted (not essential but interesting)[/b] [*]https://thecrowfrombelow.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/gear-review-4-hagstrm-hb-8/ [*]https://thecrowfrombelow.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/gear-review-gibson-thunderbird/ [*]https://thecrowfrombelow.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/gear-review-2-schecter-model-t/ [*]https://thecrowfrombelow.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/gear-review-1-ibanez-bass-tube-screamer/ [*][b][s]Your bank account details and online banking log in for ped[/s][/b] [*]Hang on a minute... [/list]

...aaaand in case you enjoyed that first single, the rest of the EP is released today! The whole thing is up at [url="http://cherrywhite.bandcamp.com/album/staring-at-the-sun"]http://cherrywhite.bandcamp.com/album/staring-at-the-sun[/url] and I'd love to know what you all think of it. Cheers!

Fantastic! We'll be on hiatus for June as our singer's away, but from July onwards I'll be looking to get us busy again - PM on its way!

Hi folks - very sorry, but it looks like I shall have to pull out of this one. I've had a job interview sprung on me for the day after, which is going to require me to fly out on the evening of the 14th. I'll be sure to try and get along to whichever bash occurs next within reach of London transport - hope y'all have a good one!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1433509815' post='2791704'] Jaco is barely a Jazz player at all. He does make a contribution to Jazz on one level but is nowhere near hardcore and it would be wrong to call him a pioneer in Jazz. Fusion, yes absolutely. Funk maybe. 'Electric bass' definitely. In Jazz terms, however, he is certainly not a pioneer in any real sense. You would need to look at double bass players for that. The received wisdom says guys like John Kirby (first band leading bassist), Walter Page/Wellman Braud (started 'walking' with Ellington), Slam Stewart (early bowing solos), Jimmy Blanton (first 'soloist' in a mainstream band), Ray Brown, Oscar Pettiford, \\\\\\\red Callender, Charles Mingus, Paul Chambers then guys like Gary Peacock, Scott LaFaro, Charlile Haden (Free Jazz). Jazz bass without Jaco wouldn't look much different whilst pop without Jamerson would be unrecognisable. [/quote] Does Jazz have a pioneering electric bassist? My obvious suggestion would be Monk Montgomery, but then I really can't think of very many bass guitarists who play 'true' Jazz! (i.e., as opposed to some flavour of Jazz-influenced Fusion/Funk)

Good stuff, I enjoyed those! Really nice groove on 'What Kind of Woman...' (Are Black & Blue looking to start gigging in the next few months? I'm really keen to bring Cherry White up to Manchester so it'd be really useful to know some bands in a similar vein to our own. Don't suppose I can interest you in collaborating on a show some time?)

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1433341541' post='2790268'] What a fantastic song though. Never got the hang of 8-strings. I had a Shergold double 4/8 (search around basschat enough, you'll see it a few times) and found it difficult to play. The set up was EeAaDdGg, octave strings in the lower (physically speaking) position. [/quote] I've often wondered if this arrangement makes more sense if you play fingerstyle. I think the logic behind the other setup (eE aA dD gG) was that if you played with a pick, you'd strike the octave strings first on the downstroke - so if you played with your fingers, you'd strike the bass strings first. On the other hand, it's probably easier to fret the octave strings if you can see them on top of the bass strings!

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1433318929' post='2789953'] Hmm! How are they strung? Is it Ee Aa Dd Gg?? [/quote] Typically, yes - well, actually eE aA dD gG if I were to be pedantic, as they're normally strung with the octave string towards the bass side! (I think Rickenbacker made some with the stringing reversed.) Not to say that you can't experiment with the tunings: I'm led to believe Chris Squire experimented with octaves on the E and A sets, and open fifths on the D and G.