Lowender

You can't play blues bass any better than Tommy Shannon. It doesn't take monstrous technique, just the right feel, tone and note choices.

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1381187538' post='2235690'] MIA. 2011 US Standard. I took it to Chandlers because they came highly recommended. Its a shame the shop I bought it from couldnt see anything wrong with it when I took it back to them [/quote] Well, the shop won;t admit there's anything wrong. It sounds like the fret dress did the trick though. A shame, since those basses tend to be pretty solid, but it's wood and anything can happen. . I bet it sound good now though!

Hmmm, first off, you can't correct a hump with a set-up. You can only adjust the overall relief of the neck, not a specific part of it. Secondly, was this a MIM or a MIA bass? Because that makes all the difference. I believe the MIA were outstanding from 2006 to 2011. The new one's are not up to snuff. And many of the MIM are junk.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381099434' post='2234451'] Yes - but they don't [i]necessarily[/i] know that they're bass players. [/quote] So what?

I don't understand when people say "the average person doesn't know bass sounds or bassists" What's the difference what the average person knows? The average person doesn't know who Jonas Salk or Herman Mellville is...how should that effect the way I think? Ask the average person on the street who Sting or Paul McCartney are. I think they'd know.

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1381098122' post='2234428'] I reckon the average concert punter wouldn`t know if you are playing a Fender or Musicman. I saw a band tonight and knew he was playing a Musicman Stingray, only because I have seen so many photos of them on here. Hardly anyone who goes to a concert would have a clue. I asked the bass player what his other bass was, and it was an Aria 2 that he had custom made in 1981. No one would really know [/quote] Yeah, and they also wouldn't know if the song is in E or Eb, but it's best that the people playing do. : )

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1381044882' post='2233604'] youtube isnt about setting the stage for a generation imho - unless of course it is a generation of shallow fickle fashion followers who know sod all about music - that whole schtick has been monopolised buy scowell and the likes to be fed relentlessy to the brain-dead proles on the other hand youtube has brought us wonderful lasting music like this [media]http://youtu.be/Cvar4ZsqsEo[/media] [/quote] YouTube is a mixed blessing. Yeah, any twerp and post anything, but in an era where there are fewer and fewer opportunities for artists, it's a place to have one's work heard and to hear some great stuff. It takes a little research.

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1381065089' post='2233883'] And when people refer to rosewood, what exactly are they talking about? Are they talking about actual rosewood, of the genus dalbergia or are they talking about those woods commonly referred to as rosewoods? People now talk about padauk and pau ferro in their own rights, but these were both woods commonly referred to as rosewoods until recent years. And where do Rickenbackers fitting into this maple/bright rosewood/warm equation? Being one of the few (if only) manufacturers that coats its "rosewood" boarded basses in lacquer, are people saying that the instruments it makes aren't commonly thought of as sounding bright? [/quote] Pau ferro feels very different than rosewood, but that's only if you're sensitive to it. I think once a fingerboard is coated ala' a Rick, wood doesn't matter. You're playing the gloss and THAT is the sound.

[quote name='bobbass4k' timestamp='1381066084' post='2233900'] Am I the only one who thinks the drums and bass actually sit pretty well together? Hell, the drums aren't even playing in a polyrhythm. [/quote] The drums are not playing with the bass but that's the idea and that's why it works. It's like setting a bass to a click track and then kicking a drum set down a flight of stairs. It isn't exactly "locked in" but it can sound pretty cool.

Since playing bass since the early 1800's , I've come to the realization that there are essentially 5 distinct bass guitar sounds -- not variables of tone, but inherent sounds to an instrument brand and which sound like nothing else. They are... A Precision. A Jazz. A Music Man (Yes, there are several versions but they all have a similar quality). Ibanez (Same deal -- many versions but all pretty much all higher end Ibbys have a distinct tonality). Rickenbacker I guess we can include semi hollowbodies in this group as well. I guess a Stein berger has a sound but does anybody still play those? Anyway... I've owned many basses over the years but a guitar player friend of mine said something that opened my eyes. He said; You never hear anyone talk about the "Fodera" sound. He's right. And the more I though about it, the more I realized that the same goes for Sadowsky, Lakeland, Warwick and others. They're basses built for bass players but they're either souped up copies of traditional sound or a unique sound (like Alembic) which nobody wants to hear! lol I have nothing against anyone using a bass because they like the way they feel. But what are your thoughts on different sounds and their practical application?

Headphones aren't necessary. The key to that is to NOT listen to the drummer. Set the groove. The drummer is going to go off but when it comes time to hit a downbeat, he'll be listening to the bass.

They're odd. They feel solid, but stiff.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1381013147' post='2233501'] Rosewood is harder/denser than maple. If it's density/hardness that's causing brightness then ebony boards must absolutely zing! There are factors at work here several orders of magnitude more influential than what kind of wood the fingerboard is. I personally don't worry about it and treat it purely as an aesthetic choice. [/quote] Actually maple is the more dense wood. Look at the grain. Rosewood has tiny spaces in it whereas maple has big solid grain. That's part of the reason maple is a little "snappier." Sound travels slower through a looser grain, which is why rosewood sounds warmer. Though the difference is minimal and probably only apparent to the player.

I don't think there's any new ground to be broken... BUT,,, there will always be creative people and it would take someone in an enormously popular band who has personality to be considered a superstar innovator, even if he's just a good player. (Think Flea). BUT... ...because the music industry is dead and music is so assessable, I don't see that happening. Name ONE band that set the stage for a generation since the popularity of YouTube. I can't think of any.

The first 150 are the toughest. : ) I'm sure many songs you can get thorough by ear. And in a typical wedding band performance you play maybe 50 songs tops so I doubt they change their repertoire that often. Get in the band, then learn the rest along the way.

The first album was raw and amateurish. RTL had some good stuff. MOP was their peak, and the last good record they made.

That was the beginning of the end of Miles. There's some very cool stuff but it misses more than it hits and the years have not been kind. Miles loved Sly and the Family Stone and wanted to do a funky, atmospheric psychedelic thing with jazz improvisation. One of the bass players on the album is Harvey Brook who worked with The Doors. It sorts worked in spots. But as Miles continued in that direction it became a lot of meandering, noisy w***ing.

Specialty guitar makers aren't really luthiers. They're essentially carpenters. And ALL guitars are a combination of machine work and hand building. Everything From a Fodera is a Squier. So there's a little bit of snob appeal here and it's significance is quite overrated.

Different heights for different basses and different styles. That's why I use a cloth/adjustable strap.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1380576821' post='2227483'] Yeah but for the people who are broke, it still brings life back to dead strings. its not a new set and wont last forever, but give the idea a break. anyone would think reviving old strings was a really bad idea. Lowender while reading your techno babble, a little life went from my strings. jeez but seriously sometimes i cant get strings in time, so a quick refresh for a rehearsal is just what i need. [/quote] Sorry to upset you with useful information. Carry on.

I learned that lesson long ago. Why anyone would pay top dollar and wait endlessly for what is essentially a gamble is beyond me.

Ha! A bit of a trick. When you remove a string it regains a touch of resiliance (for about 2 minutes) Also, the area where it's been " fret worn" is different when the string are removed (or loosened completely so where it touches the fret is a little fresher. But the string has still changed it's molecular structure from vibrating thousands of times so what is old cannot be new. It'll just be revived for short time and go dead by the end of a set.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1380465179' post='2225643'] The one that really bends my brain is the "Duncan Designed" pickups in Squiers. These are pretty much copies of Fender pickups, so it appears that Fender is paying a royalty to Duncan for making a Fender style pickup. [/quote] I think it's the other way around. SD agrees to make lower priced pups for Fender to sell.

For me... Foam plugs are muffling and block out too much sound making it hard to hear myself. Rubber plugs (the kind with a metal cylinder in them) make everythign sound thin, making it hard to hear myself. I use soft tissue paper rolled up into a tight ball. It makes blocks out some of the highs an lows. Some people will say they don't block out enough DB's but try having it in only one ear and play a set. You'll notice a huge difference.

Ibbys have a unique sound , which makes them preferable to all the Fender copies out there.