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[quote name='Buzz' post='425096' date='Mar 4 2009, 02:17 PM']That looks really good. Suprised the Sei Bass logo isn't a little bit bigger though, seems tiny and surrounded by the vast amount of light wood.[/quote] The Sei logo is the same size on all their basses - it is a bit small - but that's their style, as in subtle... I like it myself but maybe I'll ask Mart what the score is with the dimensions - i.e. has he ever done it bigger? Cheers man Mike

[quote name='deksawyer' post='425168' date='Mar 4 2009, 03:26 PM']Well I certainly didn't mean to spoil your party as your reply would seem to indicate I'd done. It really is a beauty! I've just this minute commissioned Alan @ ACG to build me a bass, and I'm sure (as always) his design will be liked/disliked by many.....having a bass design made for you is never going to be approved by everyone (and it shouldn't be either!). It's going to be a long wait for me though. Keeps the pics coming..... D.[/quote] Sorry I didn't mean to sound off - just stating the obvious wasn't I? No offence taken etc - I really just meant Martin and Co are very accommodating when it comes to individual style ideas and making things a little more unique for each customer - but hey I think you already know that. Cheers Mike

[quote name='ped' post='294958' date='Sep 29 2008, 09:35 PM']Couldn't be happier :0)[/quote] Me too - just waiting for my Sei J and then I'll have the full set - and yes I love my Epifani gear - I've not heard anything better (yet) and I'm so much happier with it than my EBS stuff - it just suits me better is all. M

[quote name='deksawyer' post='424999' date='Mar 4 2009, 12:59 PM']If it was to be my bass, then I'd have had the lighter bit of wood with the logo on it routed so it sat 2-3mm lower than the rest of the headstock. Still looking good though! D.[/quote] Well if it was [i]your[/i] bass all that would be possible - hence the beauty of having something made for you - still glad you like it M

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='424837' date='Mar 4 2009, 10:23 AM']OK... so what's everybody's opinions this month? Quite interested to see the Enfield and Vigier reviews. Very disappointed in the NAMM feature - it looks like nobody actually went and they just lifted a load of pictures from the manufacturers and lifted the news from Harmony Central or something. I wish they would stop with these pointless run through of available jazz basses and p basses with their spec. Again, lifted from the Fender website it would seem. Looks like filler content to me. Liked Stuart Clayton's amp review though - not had chance to see one of those in the flesh so that was quite informative. I read from Adrian's letter at the start that there is a change in editor... lets see if that brings with it any changes. Disappointed in this one... I found the ads more entertaining than the content this time round.[/quote] Hey Russ You and others will be pleased to hear that Nick Wells the new editor is totally in agreement with a lot of the criticisms you mention - and believe me there are LOADS of changes coming in the new regime - I'll be contributing more stuff but Nick's outlook is very much looking to move on from the very repetitive nature of the recent issues - i.e. page after page of bass guitars and no real design or coherent content structure. I obviously haven't seen the new design but we have lots of plans to reshape the mag and hopefully make it much more relevant in terms of features and reviews and create a much better looking and feeling end product - hopefully future issue will include articles of more substance and look far less like it was all thrown together at the last minute Hope that sounds encouraging - it's going monthly as well - so you'll get a lot more bass for your money soon as well. Cheers Mike

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='424833' date='Mar 4 2009, 10:17 AM']Not looking too shabby there. The logo sits nice in the gap... so come on, tell the truth, there wasn't quite enough wood to do the whole headstock was there? [/quote] No Martin's hardly got any wood left - to be honest I don't know how he's going to finish any of the basses he's making right now... ...only kidding. In actual fact my bass is the first to feature this kind of half-top wood half maple design on the headstock - it involved a nifty bit of jigsaw style wood working and typically Martin has done it with his usual aplomb.... in other words 'it looks ace'. M

[quote name='funkle' post='424703' date='Mar 4 2009, 01:22 AM']Hey Mike Is that ramp radiused? doesn't look like it.... Pete[/quote] Hi Pete No the ramp on the Sei is completely flat - theone on my fretless is radiused but TBH I don't think it makes a difference either way - I feel very comfortable on both basses. Hey MikeyD - lovely looking bass - I presume it's still black though? The pics make it look like it has a lovely blue tint anyway they are amazing basses and for the money and the fact they are 'off the peg' I can't say enough good things about them... Cheers Mike

Really nice Bilbo - all I can say is please post more tunes - this is the place to let off steam! This tune reminds me of something I recorded a few years ago - also in Cubase before I converted to Macdom - the Afrcan vibe really suit the fretless - and yes the Wal sounds ace. M

OK Quick update - just wanted to show you guys a new shot of the headstock as the neck has now had the first few coats of varnish applied - there are still a few more to go - before the guys start working on the matt finish - this will be on the fretboard too. Check out how lovely/amazing the spalted maple looks once the varnish goes on - the body will look incredible once it's done the round trip to the finishers and back... Also I've decided to give the Delano circuit a try - it sounds good in theory so I'll see how it works in practice - and I've also decided on using a piece of flamed bubinga for the ramp - plus I'm haing V shaped tuning pegs (including hip shot detuner) instead of the more traditional butterfly wings - just to make it more of 'modern' J bass... should look wicked There are some more spalted maple monsters on the go as well - plus another couple of cracking J basses (one for John Currie and one for Pino Palladino) on the go as well... the coming months should be interesting at Sei central. Mike

[quote name='mcgraham' post='422305' date='Mar 1 2009, 12:25 PM']+1. I can't recommend this enough. To make things stick, once I've figured something out, I rack my brains to think if there are any other songs I know of that have a similar sounding effect/progression/lick/riff etc. Then I figure out if it uses the same idea or a slight variation. That way I've learned how a certain idea evokes a certain response when played. I can then pull that out whenever I want to create that response, and I will know when others are using that idea. Mark[/quote] Exactly - so once you start to hear the similarities between progressions/licks/bass lines then the whole 'hearing' process becomes a lot quicker - afterall there are only 12 notes so the chances of stuff repeating - jazz in particular uses the sames sets of chord changes in umpteen different songs - the same is true of popular song; once you start to spot these different elements you'll be a lot more confident in how you approach creating a bass part to fit them. Obviously music is vast, getting familiar with even a few fragments of it takes years - but if you do this with focus everytime you try and learn something by ear it stands to reason that the more you do it he easier it will become. If you're still confused about intervals and various harmonic things maybe get with a teacher and getbthem to explain them and demonstrate them to you. Cheers Mike

U2 = Corporate rock at its worst And my prefered term for their lead singer; Bongo... always makes me chuckle. Love the way beeb gave them all this airtime (paid for by our license fees) and free use of their rooftop - a struggling band like U2 really need all the help they can get - especially when it took them 5 years to record the new album - and it's still a mediocre re-run of the stuff they've been playing for the last ten years. M

[quote name='Ballie' post='419546' date='Feb 25 2009, 07:50 PM']Mike, your 4 finger groove video was excellent! Found it very helpful and a lot of killer lines in there =D Keep those ramp pictures coming![/quote] Cool - glad the video was helpful - I'm planning to make a more advanced one at some point so no doubt I'll add that here when I do - and you want a ramp picture? Here's mine: Cheers Mike

Hi Mikey This sounds really interesting - are there any audio examples of this you can post? I'm certainly looking for new things to add into my playing at the moment - I'll have a look at that chart you posted in the meantime. Cheers Mike

MTDs are beautiful basses - love that one Ash - really gorgeous. They are so well proportioned too - really pleasing on the eye - as I am sure they are on the ear too... my fretless custom was based on the Tobias classic body shape and that was one of the nicest ever - but I think Mr MTD managed to update his style perfectly... great bass - I'm sure you are a very happy bunny right now. My new sei jazz has a lovely chunk of ash for the body and a maple neck... yum! How's she settling in? Mike

Mmmm - I think I'll stay out of this 'The Best' debate.. it's obviously subjective and it all depends on what YOU want from your bass and what you will use it for. In a nutshell I'm a total boutique bassist myself - having played a very good 'off the peg' bass, my 1990 Thumb original, for 18 years I grew incredibly frustrated with its limitations and its inherant sound that no matter what I did to alter it with light strings and a new circuit - I just could get what I wanted. So I when I started earning a bit more I thought right now's the time to get that bloody Sei bass I've always wanted. By the time I had taken the plunge I had a really clear idea of what I wanted from every aspect of the bass, namely sound, look and feel. I've been lucky to try loads of beautiful basses - I used to run Bernie Goodfellow's website when I lived in Brighton and spent a lot of time hanging out with Bernie and even going to the Musik Messe with him three years ago. Some of his basses are utterly fantastic and I was luck to try an awful lot of them but if I'm totally honest I'm not massively keen on the big curves on the bodies and that's just me. YOu can pretty much any sound you want from them and Bernie does a brilliant job with all the fine details and the circuit is mega. However living in London for the past 5 years has meant I've been a regular customer at the Gallery and have forged a good relationship with Martin and John - and that cheeky fella Alex - and all three of them have been great at informing my knowledge of the current crop of high end basses. In the last 5 years I've seen so many truly jaw dropping basses come out of Martin's workshop - they seem to get beter and better - that I was absolutely confident in my choice when I asked him to make my bass. At the same time I've been able to compare them to the amazing stock that the Gallery carries and so have a very good idea of how good Seis are compared to a whole world of top end basses - and they really do hold their own. I played a gorgoeous F bass fretless they have in there at the moment - it's a stunner and plays and sounds amazing - but it'll cost you over 4K... I love the way Seis look, feel and sound - not every single one is to my taste in these areas but the ones that are IMO really are some of the best basses you can buy today - they aren't the best - but 'some of' the best M

Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick A real classic Er, and still trying to play the melody from Freedom Jazz Dance up to speed is a nightmare - but at least I [i]know[/i] it now, just need to get it smooth under my fingers M

I was going to be stupid and say - [b]Ocado[/b] - recommend them highly BTW But I've also had some very pleasurable shopping experiences here - so ar I've sold - all my EBS gear - but bought an Epifani 210 cab, in mint condition - and an EBS Octabass pedal - also in mint condition. Everything else I buy is via tha Gallery - just waiting for my new Sei now - edit - I also buy my strings from Stringbusters - good prices and delivered to my door saves a shed load of hassle wondering around London and NOT finding the strings I need... M

[quote name='silddx' post='417429' date='Feb 23 2009, 02:05 PM']Hello Mate, Excellent tunes. I am sure I've seen you play live, since we were actually playing the same festivals as you and in the same year. Our agent looks after Oojami and lots of world music outfits. [url="http://frusion.co.uk/"]http://frusion.co.uk/[/url] if you're looking for an agent. I am sure we'll bump into eachother at the festivals! Nice one! EDIT: Ah you are with Frusion already! We have a connection [/quote] Thanks for the nice words man - re Frusion - the dude who saw use from that agency was all "you're great, let me put you my books" and so far he's done jack for us... but that was a funny gig at some hippy fest in Donnington - we supported Oojami that day actually and I think topping the bill were... wait for it... Hawkwind! We couldn't stay for the big finale but their massive drum kit looked impressive... Oojami have rocked everytime I've seen them - good live act. We'd love some more gigs via Frusion and I think we are a much better band now - please tell them to get in touch! Cheers Mike

Hey - big ramp fan here too - I'm having one fitted to my new Sei jazz... can't live without them now... [quote name='josh3184' post='418841' date='Feb 24 2009, 10:26 PM']probably being thick here but what on earth are these techniques you're on aboot?[/quote] Regarding these techniques Gary Willis came up with his own technique when he taught himself how to play bass - it involves a highly coordinated approach that uses index, middle and ring fingers and is all about using a really light touch with the volume of the bass turned up high. This means you control all the dynamics, volume etc. with just your fingers - he sai it took him two years to master this and a lot of uncomfortable moments at band rehearsals while he was mastering it! It's a very involved approach and requires a great deal of patience to really get it down - the way I seeit is that it's a very advance way of bringing in a third finger to enhance your two finger technique. He's got his own Youtube channel now with lots of good examples - slow and clear - of how he does his various picking techniques - they are well worth checking out - but here's a good example of how his main technique works: I started trying to learn the Matthew Garrison 4 finger technique about 5 years ago and have it pretty much down now - it's a very cool technique and has many possibilities and is a great way to 'extend' regular fingerstyle - it's almost like circular breathing on a wind instrument... Here's a vid I made explaining how to do it - not the ramps on my bass and the way it allows my fingers to never slip too far below the strings - hence enabling me to keep the plucks even all the time: Hope all that helps - any questions just ask Mike

I am old enough to remember hearing this song aged 6 on the radio when it first came out - I'm 36 now - I just remember loving the idea of a 'rhythm stick' - whatever that was - I had no real idea about bass, drums or whatever - I just loved the way Ian Dury sang the song. Definitely a personal fave. But... I've never bothered to try and play the bassline - even though I've heard it a ton of times and could hear the general idea of it - i.e. fast 8th notes. I dig Marlowe's playing too and I just copied the line from the video and had it within a few views/listens - it's such a satisfying b-line to play - but hard work for sure. My tip with any kind of bass line like this where you have to keep that constant groove going is to relax into it - and play lighter rather than dig in - you can accent notes better that way as well. Try and stay focused on the drums/beat - and while I would obviously try and cop what the might Norman does I would also feel free to improvise a little within the groove - like Marlowe does on the breakdown in the middle. An Awesome Bass Line. End Of Mike

[quote name='bluesparky' post='418083' date='Feb 24 2009, 06:30 AM']Also, whilst walking to the Bass gallery (great place with helpful people) - play a quick game of: How many people will ask if I "WANT SOME SKUNK WEED MON"?...... I usually get into double figures... [/quote] No that's when you walk over Camden Lock - however the last time I went I had to side-step a massive pool of vomit, dodge a couple of zombie looking bag ladies, and wade through the bloody crowds around the bus stops - plus a million teenagers enjoying their last weekend of half term - I swear most of them are stoned hence they move at the speed of a retarded snail on morphine... - I've been going to camden on a regular basis for far more years than I care to remember and it is now one of my [i]least [/i]favourite places in London - though the Gallery is an oasis in the desert of grunge.... Yes duck down that little alley by the canal and save yourself 2mins walk - it's a lovely spot on a sunny day too M

Hi Harry, My local jam in Brixton is excellent, it happens every Sunday, all details on link below, it starts around 8.30pm with a set from the house band then there's a jam for a hour from 9.30, the standards pretty high but enthusiastic newbies are welcome, the atmosphere is very frinedly and lots of decent players show up (including me once in a while ) [url="http://www.timeout.com/london/music/event/128554/lauren-dalrymple-quartet.html"]http://www.timeout.com/london/music/event/...le-quartet.html[/url] Hope that helps Mike

Hey chaps 'n' chapesses, thought I'd post my Rock 'n' Rai band Ludomix's latest three tunes, recorded two weeks ago and freshly mixed, as this is very funky stuff with an African/Arabic feel. The lyrics are all in Arabic so I don't know exactly what they mean, but our new lead singer Bashir has a great voice and really lifts the melodies and can really holler... as they say. I used the Sei on all tracks and got a really nice finger style tone, we actually ran it through a big ole SVT Ampeg but it was DIed as well. All the music, bar a few guitar and percussion overdubs was recorded live in the same room, with the vocals done properly afterwards, though we did a 'scratch' vocal first. Few notes on the tracks: [b]'Sahara'[/b] is kind of our 'theme tune' and is perhaps the strongest track here, we just made it a bit more funky but it has some tasty changes of groove throughout, three in fact, and it's super tight here. [b]'Be In Love' [/b](terrible name for a song that we WILL change soon I promise) is the new one which I used my EBS Wah One pedal on the start, and near the end for some wah wah wigouts, the pedal recorded really well and I've used it live with similarly good results, as bass wah's go it's the best one I've used. Lastly[b] 'River' i[/b]s in 6/8 and has a nice spaced out funk b line. I think the Sei great as ever but then I am biased Listen here: [b][url="http://www.myspace.com/ludomix"]http://www.myspace.com/ludomix[/url][/b] thanks again for listening, there will be no more music from me for a while here so let me know what you think, Cheers people Mike

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='416372' date='Feb 21 2009, 09:04 PM']I hope they'll be around for years, don't suppose my bank manager feels the same way though !. [/quote] That's why I bank online... (First Direct that is)

I heart the Gallery, I don't think I could live without them! Er, and any comments along the lines of "they won't be around for more than a couple of years" are massively out of place, I was in there today and I've genuinely never seen it busier, within ten minutes Alex had sold a bass for approx £1200, sold a strap, some pedal connectors to me and had another two guys queueing up... I think the Gallery will be here for many years to come sir, M