thepurpleblob

Mmm.... I hate to take the miserabilist view, but what do you expect? A full band with drummer playing in an non soundproofed building is bloody loud. You might think that your neighbour has acted unreasonably by going behind your back, but what would you have done if they had come to your door and complained about it? Do what everybody else does, either go and butter up your local pub or church hall or pay for a rehearsal room. And while I'm getting myself on the hate list.... Hey, Pentode.... I think you'll find a KT88 it a tetrode Gets coat, never to return.....

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='464664' date='Apr 17 2009, 08:17 AM']Just trying to stay in touch with the [i]zeitgeist[/i] ...[/quote] Those women in your sig are showing their breasts! What is this country coming to? Think of the children etc.

PS.... I just dug out Canteloupe Island on YouTube. I've heard that before... I just didn't know what it was called. That's a great bit of music.... I love that laid back 60s stuff. This makes me a bad person, doesn't it??

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='464700' date='Apr 17 2009, 09:26 AM']Then you have a way to go before becoming an out and out jazzer. There are, however, several riff based tunes that you could play be learning the two/four bar riffs/ostinatos that constitute the arrangement; Canteloupe Island, Watermelon Man, Sidewinder, Song For My Father, Chameleon etc. You could easily sit on on those tunes without looking like a idiot. You just start there and build. The fact that these tunes bore me beyond belief isn't your problem; it's mine. For me, if someone has the core skills; time, intonation etc, then they are welcome at jam sessions and I agree they are a great place to start. My beef is with people that come along and take up valuable 'stage' time who actually can't really string three notes together that are in tune or in time, never mind play anything genuinely worth hearing. Sadly, it is often the case that these 'non-starters' outnumber the more credible contributors and, for me, can undermine the potential of the occasion. This is not about elitism but about saying there are some basic principles that you need to deal with as a player before you go on stage in public. There is another side to that as well. Some of these people are so bad that all we are really doing is allowing them to make fools of themselves in public. X Factor auditions at a local level.[/quote] I seriously think that I would fall readily into the latter camp. The idea of turning up and "just playing" without having spent a couple of nights learning something fills me with dread - not going to happen, nope, no way. I'm used to playing songs that bore me to tears - we play Green Day songs for example I guess I'm really looking for songs that I can learn and analyse and get a different perspective from the usual rock stuff where a spot of Mixolydian mode is about as exciting as it gets (a bit unfair but I'm sure you know what I mean).

I give up.... you're all weird and I don't know what you're talking about - Canteloop?? Are you seriously suggesting that I go to a Jazz jam and ask to play? I'm a covers band player for gawds sake. I've never played a note that I haven't copied off a record in my life (no, really!!)

[quote name='dub_junkie' post='464023' date='Apr 16 2009, 03:35 PM']these basses were reviewed by Ed Friedland in this months bass player mag. theres links to the OP's scan of the review 4th post down [url="http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/37298-sterling-music-man-reviewed-bass-player-magazine.html"]http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-...r-magazine.html[/url][/quote] Copyright, what copyright. Mind you, I always take these reviews with a big pinch of salt. When did you last read, "the bass is a pile of cr*p, avoid like the plague". One might suggest that they wouldn't wish to adversely affect their advertising revenue

[quote name='karenon' post='462810' date='Apr 15 2009, 10:56 AM']A couple of years ago, I suddenly decided that the time was ripe for revisiting my youth, so I started looking for a Stingray or Sterling 4 string bass. I have had some experience in the matter, as I had a Stingray some 20 years ago, and my brother still has his, which he bought used around 1982. I have been playing since I was 13, and I turned 40 a couple of years ago, so I know something about basses. Anyway, I went to some big shops in New York during a trip there, and spent 2 days playing anything Ernie Ball. What I dicovered was this: For a make that puts a lot of weight on it being made in USA and on quality control, the variations were enourmous. Lead heavy dead bodies, pots without click points, buzzing electronics, some microphones/electronics without the musicman growl at all and necks with dead spots everywhere, and then: One or two fantastic basses with everything where it should be. I had in fact preordered a double humbucker sterling that was waiting for me, and that bass was frankly unplayable and had no real sound at all. Some months later, I had a similar experience in Toronto. On both occasions I ended up buying an item, one Stingray, which I later sold, and one Sterling, from which i am able to produce a real classic stingray tone, allthough the fretboard is rosewood. Neckwise is just a bit narrower than the stingray, and the body is lighter, so it is a more comfortable bass, a fantastic rock/slap bass with real growl, truly recommended. Back to my theme: I am not talking about ordinary individual variations as can be found in all instrument production lines, but the same kind of heavy wet wood horrible feeling You got from some early eighties Fender basses, and some electronics that does not sound musicman expensive basses at all. Does anybody else have similar experiences, or am I just being horribly over-sensitive. I have never had the same feeling of playing lotto trying out any other brands, at least not in the price range where Musicman basses live. Comments?[/quote] I've owned two - and a half. The first was a dreadful dog. It sounded ok but the paint wasn't stuck on properly and bits chipped off if you looked at it the wrong way. Strings and Things replaced the body (badly) but the replacement was exactly the same. I then got a whole new replacement which sounds significantly better and the finish is perfect and has stayed that way for several years.

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='464006' date='Apr 16 2009, 03:16 PM']AND... The Sterling "Sterling" has a Basswood body- Not that that holds the MM Bongo back AND... The Sterling Ray 35 doesn't do single coil- it has two Series modes; 1 with a filter, 1 without. £600? on a good day you'll get the real McCoy on here for that or maybe even less! Just follow the fashion trends![/quote] Well for one thing they're nearer £700, but I would like to think that the price would settle down to something more sensible once some stock builds up. Anyway, at the moment you'd just get a G&L Tribute if you wanted that sort of thing and you had any sense (buying new I mean).

[quote name='yorick' post='463997' date='Apr 16 2009, 03:05 PM']No mention of where they're made though, or have i missed it? [/quote] The word on the web seems to be far east (Korea and/or Indonesia)... although that's not a bad thing unless you are snobby about it.

Mind you..... That's quite pretty if it's any good.

[quote name='~tl' post='463981' date='Apr 16 2009, 02:53 PM']I believe they are EBMM's replacement for the OLP/SUB models. [b]Edit:[/b] Eeek, just looked at the price... maybe not then... [b]Edit 2:[/b] Here's the site... [url="http://www.sterlingbymusicman.com/"]http://www.sterlingbymusicman.com/[/url][/quote] ...which would explain why they are not to be found on the main EB site.

I'm possibly behind the times on this but I have just spotted the existence of a new range from MusicMan - Ray 34s and Ray 35s.. e.g (at a well know Geordie store)... [url="http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Music-Man-Ray-34,-Natural~ID~11411.asp"]http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~M...al~ID~11411.asp[/url] Any experiences, thoughts?

[quote name='caruso' post='462777' date='Apr 15 2009, 10:24 AM']Why is learning on a 4string the gospel and then taking up a 5 ot 6 string a graduation. Don't misunderstand me i learned on a 4 string and feel it is the best way. But hey, do guitar players have a choice? They have to accept their 6 strings. Same goes to fretless. Ask any violin player if he/she had the choice to buy a fretted instrument. Regarding ''strange'' basses as flying v forms/explorers etc. i sincerely advise beginners not to buy one even if they want to play harder musicstyles. Learning on a bass you can play only standing up (flying v form) is a pain and takes away concentration from learning the music. One last thought: we are in a lucky position to have the choice between lots of different makers/brands/colours which is nice. But what about people like Jamerson, Montgomery, Fielder, Felder, Jermott? It was either Precison, maybe some Gibson or even a Rick. What i want to say is that if you see a bass you like, it feels good sitting and standing up, sounds decent, doesn't smell funny (some paintjobs gave me a headache) and has acceptable hardware buy it and learn it inside out. In the end it is a tool and the music is what counts.[/quote] I started on a five string so didn't really know any different. Having developed a bit of skill I then got a four string and found it a revelation in playability. It's only recently that I've started drifting back towards a five now that I fully appreciate the finer points of muting etc.. It's true what you say, in some ways learning on a five was easier as I could play more in position (always an issue for a beginner). I think with the benefit of hindsight that I would advocate starting on a four though. It's like learning to drive automatics only - you never know when you'll be stuck because you can't drive a manual.

[quote name='Delberthot' post='460591' date='Apr 12 2009, 02:54 PM']Yes, we're very conservative [/quote] Now if I put a gun to your head.... would you say that is a *conservative* Fender Precision or an *outrageous* Metal-flake-gold bass? In the dark it sounds like......

[quote name='Eight' post='460546' date='Apr 12 2009, 01:38 PM']Having said that, a thread posted here recently pointed to a Dean limited edition custom jobbie which they only needed around a dozen people to buy (at around the £600 mark) to make it possible. So it is possible...[/quote] Yes, but, for a Dean at 600 quid a dozen might actually be ambitious. Would you fork out 600 notes for a Dean bass? Honestly? I though so

[quote name='BigRedX' post='460538' date='Apr 12 2009, 01:15 PM']Places like GAK simply don't see that side of the bass buying market. If you are interested in instruments that aren't simply Fenders or their clones then I learned a long, long time ago that shops like GAK simply didn't stock the things I wanted to try. It used to be worth popping in every month or so to see if they had picked up anything unusual in p/x but now eBay has killed that off.[/quote] I'm guessing they know what sells and doesn't stay hanging on the wall for years. It's a similar argument to "why are they closing my school/railway station etc.". Because you didn't use it!!

[quote name='Spoombung' post='460502' date='Apr 12 2009, 12:23 PM']As some of you may know I've got a [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=38531"]bass build[/url] going on at the moment and I've quite naturally been fantasizing in my own self-deluded way about a nation of bass players all enjoying the benefits a mass-produced version of the [i]Spoombung[/i] bass might bring. Yesterday I was in Brighton ( on a little Easter break) and in the GAK store I overhead a conversation between the shop assistant in the bass section and a customer. The customer was looking for some unusual bass (couldn't quite catch the model) which was obviously issued some years ago. The shop assistant replied "Yes, that was a wonderful bass but just too unusual for our customers who tend to want the same old stuff year in, year out. We couldn't sell them. Bass players are [b]VERY conservative[/b] in their requirements and unfortunately we have to cater for their [b]conservative outlook[/b]". That seems rather worrying for anybody with a new bass design... if you know what I mean. So my question to you is; is it worth spending thousands designing a bass (that looks like an upside down octupus) for mass production given [b]bass players appear to be VERY, VERY, VERY CONSERVATIVE?[/b][/quote] Look at all these high end bass manufacturers... what do they do? They copy the Fender Jazz. Borrrrring!! If they don't copy the Jazz they copy Warwicks. Leo Fender was one of the very few people doing anything inventive and only then because he had the clout to get away with it.

[quote name='ARGH' post='460375' date='Apr 12 2009, 09:53 AM']Bizarre morning... Im 31....Ive played for aeons (ok...18 years) Ive read tons of mags,drooled at gear,gone deaf from my own and other noise....Ive gawped at millions of players,from the beginner to the total pro.... This morning,I had a conversation with William Roland Sheehan....2 days ago I discussed custom strings,for myself,with C3......discussed the best way for a small child to capture a Leprachaun with Carey Nordstrand (Find a rainbow,Tranq gun,wear green...hide in bushes). Chatted about ERBs and playing and life in general,with many many players. Though,nothing Ive ever talked about is ground breaking beyond my own questions and reverse...(and yes Ive had to stop myself from being a gushing idiot,or I often just BLANK..and ALL the questions Ive ever wanted to ask,just book a holiday into the ether) But isnt the internet amazing.[/quote] After a year or so of gross scepticism, I was cajoled into trying twitter last week. Hooked. Damn.... even less work done.

As I'm sure I've said before I used to manage a shop that sold car audio gear, so I'm used to the customer trying to get a discount scenario. For obvious reasons the shop doesn't want to give you a discount but a *good* shop will want you to go away feeling you have got a good deal so you come back. Repeat business and word of mouth recommendation is vital for small shops. The first advice I can give is not to start spouting prices from outlets that the shop clearly can't compete with - if Costco or some huge internet vendor have it for much less and that's where you are happy to shop then off you go and place your order. Your local shop can provide services that the internet vendors can't that aren't just hard cash discounts. It's easier for them, and better for you, to do something like a free setup (to suit you) in with the deal and/or a free tuner/strap/lead etc.. Asking politely if they can do a deal with some free stuff will go down better than demanding a huge discount. Having said all that, never be afraid to ask "is that your best price on that?" but be an arse and don't be surprised to be asked to leave (done it many times!).

[quote name='RhysP' post='459642' date='Apr 10 2009, 09:47 PM']Tune Bass Maniac.[/quote] If that isn't the best name for a bass guitar ever then I don't know what is

What is Miss Natasha "Bat for Lashes" Kahn playing in this picture.... any offers?

That's about it really. I hate gig bags... they are all floppy and you get there with the bass an octave out of tune. However, they fit in the boot of my car unlike a flight case. Can anybody recommend any really good gig bags? I'm thinking ones that are reasonably solid.