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It was the Variax that I was thinking of (couldn't mind the name of it). Even thought about buying one a few times. The Moogs would need a load of wires to control them & couldn't half look a mess! They do a Midi MuRF but I haven't anything to link one to anymore

My bands don't do a lot of covers but when we do, they're not replicas of the original, thus still able to enjoy listening to the original songs. I do enjoy playing along to the original songs at home tho

A deep slow chorus would thicken up your sound.

[quote name='algmusic' post='1085640' date='Jan 11 2011, 03:57 PM']Back to the real question.. Covering Basslines? You have two options do it or not however, if you fail to do that you many not get called to play the gig. Also, some can play the all the notes right but lack feel, but that is still different from getting the notes wrong. I totally see both sides of this, I love to adlib and that's how I started, but now I'm older I question why I want to change it, it is because : 1) I can't be bothered, as I have far too many songs to learn in one night (we've all been there) or there's something else I'd rather do 2) I can't play it or can't translate the track, which is why some "adlib" 3) or I've learnt it note for note and but it feels like it needs more If i'm playing for someone new, I always go for note for note, then I still have room to build on that, if needed. I have to question if someone hasn't played it properly first how can you adlib?... you're actually blagging it. Also If I've hired you and you haven't learnt it, you embarrass the band. If I'm hiring a band last minute there are a few guys that I'd call because I know they will play the song note for note as we don't have time to get it wrong, once everything is in place, MAYBE there is time for adlib, but most of the time it isn't. There is great talent in playing note for note.. they're call pro's.. After that you might get asked to 'do your thing', then that's great too.. It's funny, I'm starting to see the readers vs the none readers divide again.. He he. I'm not sure you'll guess which I am :-)[/quote] Where I'd agree with you of it was a strict covers band (or tribute act/show band etc), I wouldn't if it's an originals band that throws in covers or if the entire band was collaberating on changes to the song (even just to rework the ending as opposed to a fade out). The original question was about the guitarist wanting to play the original exact & the OP doesn't. I'd ask the rest of the band if they're happy reworking the parts of the song that you want to change & if you've got a bassline you want to use as opposed to the original, then work with the band to get them locking in with you. If the band want to do every song as the original recording, then you have 2 options: A) Lump it & learn the bass parts as they should be or Start a band that let's you play how you want. I agree that random busking is amature, but playing covers just like the originals over & over can quickly lose it's fun factor.

I use the Polytune or the tuner in Guitar Toolkit apps all the time for both my bass & guitar & also for other band members to tune with (the Guitar Toolkit is good as it has tunings for a load of instruments). I don't think the iPhone is any more battery hungry than the Nokia's or Sony Ericsson's I've had. Tho I always pop my phones on to charge every 1-2 nights.

That was a good read. I was wondering about the Line6 thingy, but I guess you'll cover that under modelling? CV predates MIDI by some 15 years or so & was used by Roland, Sequential Circuits, Yamaha & many others until the early 80s saw this new phenomenon (I marvelled at this technology as a kid). You did get CV sequencers, but they was limited in a lot of ways & as more synths became polyphonic & more complex, CV wasn't up to the new tasks at hand (I still look at MIDI as a fairly new product!). I'm enjoying playing with the CV in my moogers, it gets some interesting effects. Looking forward to the next instalment.

I found the tweeter a little too bright when I first got mine. Take the VLE up to about 10 o'clock & see if that helps (that's where I found suits me best & the treble at @ 11 o'clock). When you get your pedals into action you may notice a difference there too.

If the entire band is playing the song as per the original then the bass should stay the same. But I agree with Bilbo. I believe the best thing to do is change every part, apart from a few signature melodies etc & build the song back how your band would have written it. My band consist of me on bass/guitar, vocalist on banjo/guitar/synth & a mandolinist/ukulele/percussionist (spoons or bohdran) & occasionally have guest musicians join for a song or two (such as violinists) & we cover songs like "Rockin in the free world" or "White rabbit" & rewrite them completely then fully rehearse what we've done (including any guest musicians in on this process). I do play songs note for note as it's good practice, but it's rarely used in a band situation.

I learned to read from an old book called something like "Teach Yourself Piano" & also topped up info from the inserts in blank manuscripts (I used to score write all the time, but just for myself). 20 odd years ago a blank manuscript was about £1.95, looking thru the Google shopping, I can't find the one I used to buy (it was a creamy beige colour). Any local music shop should have them.

Oh, just remembered a good example you can hear. Talas did a song called Shy Boy, Dave Lee Roth covered this & whilst it's recognisable as the same song, it's different & sounds like his song rather than a cover. Billy Sheehan plays bass on both versions & both basslines are different. I spent ages learning Shy Boy note for note & other than at home, never played it to anyone. Canny mind most of it now as it's been years since I last played it.

I know a few others have said "creative" also, but when I say it, I do not mean busking or winging it as there is often little creativity there unless the musician knows the song inside out. A cover (as any song) should be well rehearsed before playing in public & if it's to be played in your own style then the same amount of effort should go into rewriting as would be done in an original song. I still don't see why you'd want to play a load of songs the same as the original version was unless you're in a tribute or function band.

I think that if an originals band takes a song to cover what is the point in playing it the same as any covers band would? Even if you're a covers band & not a tribute band, then I think that the band should put their stamp on it. I'm not saying play a completely different bassline & some songs you cannot get away with changing certain parts, but where you can, play it with your own style regardless of how good or rubbish you are at playing. It's about how you interpret the song. An example is "Use Me" by Bill Withers. When my band first got together we decided to cover this, I'd never heard it before but from listening to what they was playing I created my own bassline for the song. I later on had a listen to the actual song & our version sounded very unlike the original but my bassline surprisingly wasn't far away from the original. I now play both basslines whenever we do this song (mainly as a texture thing). I wish I had a recording of it to let y'all hear, get some criticism on the good & bad in it.

I think learning the actual bassline to songs is a good staring point. However, I don't believe a cover should be played just like the original & think it shows a lack of creativity (unless it's a tribute band). In my opinion a cover would be your take on how the song would be had you written it. We cover songs that I've never heard before & just get told what the chords are & make it up on the spot (we only do 2-3 covers in a set, max). Most known acts that I've been to see don't play their songs like they are on the albums & the majority of punters still enjoy the gig.

[quote name='bartelby' post='1080900' date='Jan 7 2011, 11:52 AM']Great finishes on some of them, but the only person who could get away with playing any of them is Prince...[/quote] Funny you say that, Prince's bassist Josh Dunham helped design the Cora (not sure if he actually uses it tho ) & you lot, get your eyes off my Roya!

There was a Roya & a Jupiter for sale on here last week.

Doesn't the Greatful Dead's bassist play a Jupiter?

I'm on their website just about every week having a drool The Roya with the 9500year old Bog Oak body has been there for a few months. It has my name on it & I'm trying to save up for it but so far I only have 34p. I've been considering stripping the chipped to bits body of my ibby & laquering it (been contemplating this for a couple of years & used to be a signwriter by trade) & after seeing the Grainflake finish have been tempted to do something similar.

£101.74 is a much cheaper price than I was expecting (though I suppose an ABS box is cheaper to manufacture than metal) & I'd be interested if I never had the Moog. The Motion Sensor looks like a cool idea, can you use an expression pedal with the unit?

[quote name='cheddatom' post='1080111' date='Jan 6 2011, 04:56 PM']Heh, maybe!?! I think i've just fallen into the classic trap of recommending one's own set-up without considering the reasoning behind it. Sorry OP!![/quote] But if you have that gear to hand (Bass gear & guitar gear), then why not put it to good use My opinion was only if you don't have the gear to hand & are buying.

Good point, but unless you was borrowing the guitar combo, would the cost of 2 cheaper combos not be far away from 1 decent bass combo?

[quote name='cheddatom' post='1079479' date='Jan 6 2011, 08:33 AM']I think if you have a lot of high mids and top end in your sound, then amps are going to sound fairly different. Have you thought about buying a guitar amp to run your effects through? It's a bitch to carry extra stuff, but if you have a 1 x 15" bass combo (or similar) and a 1 or 2 x 12" guitar combo, your effects will sound great![/quote] Doesn't most modern SS amps have all the top end clarity you'd get from a guitar amp? I don't see the point in carrying 2 separate rigs when 1 will do it better. I put my semi acoustic through my MB combo all the time & sounds more faithful than putting it through any of the guitarists rigs (to me, bass gear is more similar to decent PA).

I was a combophobic until I got one!

He's good at that!

Some tasty & unusual basses in here. Here's my Ibanez SR-1000 complete with Black Cat attachment...

Fuel prices and VAT going up have affected transporting goods, thus putting the prices of most goods up by considerably more than 2.5%. Greed is the other major factor that I can think of.