urb

[quote name='Eight' post='414610' date='Feb 19 2009, 07:02 PM']I don't know whether its a £££ thing, but surely it would be better to get in there, record and see what happens? Maybe the stuff will turn out great; maybe you'll decide its good enough to use but will plan to do it again later; or maybe you won't want to use it. You won't have lost anything except a few quid to find out.[/quote] totally, I did one demo in a tiny rehearsal room with no air con on a night in August a few years ago, it was pretty much hell but hey we recorded 6 tunes that had a ton of energy and for the fact it cost us about £80 to hire the room it was a good result... though I'd never do it again. I just did a nice session over in Panic Studios over in North Acton, nice big live room and great engineer, check here: [url="http://www.dancerweb.co.uk/panicmusic2/"]http://www.dancerweb.co.uk/panicmusic2/[/url] Cheers Mike

[quote name='XB26354' post='414568' date='Feb 19 2009, 06:18 PM']Something that gets me about today's "top" bass players is that they may have squeaky clean technique and be able to slap, pop, tap, double thumb and thump their way to the moon and back, but when they make their own music, why is so much of it a boring endless one chord vamp? It seems to be the fusion disease! It's also amusing in the first video Mike posted above that Victor says "expression is the key, the technique or tools you use are secondary." To me what he is saying in that short insert is that he has great time and can play one helluva lot of notes in Em/E7#9![/quote] I definitely agree with you there Mark, re the one chord vamp... to be fair sometimes people get stuck WITHOUT changes and need them to make an interesting solo, finding a multitude of chord possibilities in just one key is something I still love to hear from the best jazzers, but it can just be an excuse to w*** away with every chop you have... or not! But the vids I posted are from his new Groove Workshop DVD that is really, really good and looks at music as a whole, certainly from a bass point of view but it's really musical and not just Wooten noodling, though you get a bit of that as well Vic is one grooving mutha, and yes he can be extremly pyrotechnical but he does have all the basics down and then some and his timing and groove are stunning... listen to him with the Flecktones and he rarely puts a foot wrong, one his own stuff he can go a bit too into iondulgent slap. I'm still a fan and think his book The Music Lesson is great and I recommend it to anyone interested in music. M

Well hopefully a great bass is just a means to an end - making music... knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing leads to the kind of global financial meltdown we are in now.

[quote name='GremlinAndy' post='414276' date='Feb 19 2009, 02:10 PM']Also, the phrase "worth it" is very subjective. Someone on a low wage might find the price of a USA Fender hard to justify and *not worth it* ...but if the same guy wins the lottery the *worth* of any bass might be less dictated by the buying price and more on preference.[/quote] +1 M

And you don't always get stuff like this happening in most luthier shops (well this was actually in the Epifani workshop below Fodera) - Matt Garrison jamming with Colombian harp monster Edmar Casteneda - yes it's me making all the 'wow' noises - it was hard not to when hearing the stuff up close:

[quote name='Nick Brown' post='414056' date='Feb 19 2009, 11:34 AM']I met Vinnie and Joey at Bass Day 2000 and they were both incredibly cool guys. Having since spoken to them on numerous occasions they have never been less than courteous and helpful. I am with you on the whole judgment of their instruments, each one stands or falls on it's own merits. There is no blanket all <insert name of maker> basses are bad/good, it's very much down to personal preference. Like any other luthiers they are going to have their share of problems and instruments that don't seem to hit the mark. I think also that sometimes as a player it's possible to find a maker whose idea of the perfect instrument closely mirrors your own and in that case price wouldn't be the primary consideration in the equation. I feel the parameters of the "perfect bass" can change over time too as playing style and requirements change. Nice Sei you have btw, I commissioned the first singlecut Martin built in an attempt to obtain something like the AJ, at the time Chris was still working with Martin, it was a nice bass too. It shows how tastes can change as now I only have one of my Sei basses left and it rarely gets played these days, no reflection at all on the quality of the bass which is superb.[/quote] Indeed I've seen your remaining Sei (on TB)- probably worth hanging on to even if you don't play it - as for mine, yeah it does the job... [attachment=20538:sei_bass.jpg]

[quote name='Nick Brown' post='413990' date='Feb 19 2009, 10:52 AM']I personally love the way Vinnie carves the necks. I've had the same experiences with a lot of other makes including Sei, F Bass, Ken Smith and Alembic. Currently have a Monarch 4 and the AJ Presentation 6. I almost made the error of selling the AJ but luckily for me the wife brought me back to my senses. [/quote] Cool Nick - I was lucky enough to go to their workshop and meet both Vinnie and Joey (for that feature in BGM some months back) and they are top guys and realise the situation they are in (supply/demand/price etc) - my opinions of their basses are not biased against them personally and I know that they can and do produce stunning instruments - it's just a shame that the demands of a mass market don't match up with a relatively small workshop style business. As Vinnie said "the wood has to age for several years and that's the equivalent of putting £15,000 on a shelf for 5 years..." and the rents in Brooklyn are going through the roof... so I do sympathise a bit with them, but hey what luthier in the world wouldn't want to be in their situation? M

[quote name='lozbass' post='413914' date='Feb 19 2009, 09:35 AM']I don't really have the time to get into detail - another busy day! However, I find this a bit of a difficult thread: there simply aren't enough Foderas around in the UK for players to get to try them and form a realistic, personal judgement. I've been fortunate enough to play a good number of very high end UK, US and European basses over the years. Among these have been a few Foderas (a couple of which have been superb instruments IMO). How do the 'good' Foderas compare with the competition?...I'd say at the top end of the bunch (but the quality at this stratospheric level is generally amazing and preferences really are a matter of personal taste). Are Foderas worth the premium price? Another difficult one and down to the individual's preferences, perceptions and desires. I think there's some hype in the equation and the exclusivity factor appears to exert a powerful influence at the level of collective and individual psyche (triggering both positive and negative reactions). However, an honest - and hopefully reasonably objective - opinion is that a good Fodera is as good as any other 'good' bass from a top luthier (with some possibly important and individual or defining characteristics, of course). Whist Fodera - as a company - doesn't need any help in justifying its prices, I can say that its basses are very complex instruments and attention to detail, build quality, jointing, timber choices and finishing is generally very high. Indeed, it's clear that a lot of thought and work goes into each (higher-end) Fodera - take a look at one if you get a chance and work out the 3D jigsaw of pieces! As to sound, I haven't found Foderas to be as 'polite' as many other boutique basses - indeed, I've been very impressed by the fat, comressed, very 'present' tone and by the ease with which an aggressive growl can be achieved. On playability - a good set-up is important - but I'm pretty sure that any Fodera can be tweaked to play superbly well. In sum, I'm pretty sure too that Foderas can match almost anything in terms of quality - it's a personal preference issue. They're not to everybody's taste (sonically, visually, aesthetically or ergonomically) but if you're attracted, try to get to play one (or a few) - it's just a real pity there aren't more around (and that the scarcity adds to the mystique and hype that we all need to move beyond).[/quote] Sorry but I have played at least 8 Foderas in my time - and yes a couple were wonderful basses - but I've also seen really bad sand-marks on the matte finnish on one, terrible mis-matched filling on the burl or another and as for the joinery on the necks I have seen better also. I was at the Musik Messe last year and there were a couple of Fodera's on the Epifani stand. One of them was a four string Monarch that had the most ridiculously wide spacing at the nut, it was almost unplayable in the low register because of that. And finally I just recently played the NYC model at the Gallery and it has one of the worst sounding circuits in that I've ever heard. All that said I've played a Sei six string with a Mike Pope circuit in that sounded just incredible and I know how wonderful some of the 'presentation' models can be - I've played a Matt G 5 string that was 'nice', and a Wooten YY which was also pretty cool, plus another 4 or 5 Monarchs (one was amazing, the rest so so) - so I think I have a pretty realistic idea of what a good Fodera represents. The main issue I feel is that the demand and prices may be uniform but the standards aren't... and that is based on my actual experience of playing them. Cheers Mike

I've played some lovely Foderas but I've also played some duff ones, to get a great one is bit of a lucky dip when ordering through a middle man, like the Groove Shoppe, but I personally think the main problem is supply and demand, in that far too many people want one for the number that they can produce. So regardless of actually how good they are the wait time is over three years now, (unless you are a top name player who benefits from a little star treatment), and at a starting price of 4K for even the most basic model, an NYC or Monarch bolt on, I just couldn't handle that. I played Gwilym's F Bass 5 string and it had to be one of the most stunning off the peg designer basses I've ever played, a steal at £1800... my Sei for my money matches the playability and sound of most Fodera's I've played, and given the same wood combinations I'm sure the tone can be matched etc... in short there are now so many great boutique basses available Fodera is just one of many options... but as XB said, $17,000 for an AJ bass anyone? M

RAWK!!!!!! That's better - now where's my Iron Maiden t-shirt and frightwig...? Sounds great man M

FWIW I am constantly surprised by the tone my 33" Sei produces - just recorded with it again the other day and hit quite few low Ds on the B string and they sounded way fat, rounded and full of lovely warm tone. Personally speaking I wanted MY bass t be as comfortable as possible and not have to fight it for any note on the finger board. I've tried longer/larger scale basses - i.e 35 ane 36" scale - and I just don't like them - nothing against them - they just aren't for me. Having said that I love 34" and my fretless is a 26 fret position neck so I have the best of both worlds Back to what you want in your bass - not what everyone's opinion of various scale lengths are - there are loads of great luthiers about in the UK (you are spoilt for choice) obviously I'm biased and would recommend [url="http://www.seibass.com"]Sei basses[/url] but this forum has loads of examples of different styles - why not check them out and see what looks good for you. Things to consider are where you are based in relation to the location of the luthier (maybe that's just a personal thing for me) but obviously price, options - do they offer what YOU want - and of course that all important build time... Any questions just ask. M [quote name='EBS_freak' post='411302' date='Feb 16 2009, 04:41 PM']My opinion on the biggest mumbo jumbo out there? Pickups. Any particular brand? Nordstrand. Woo. Nordstrand. I had Nordstrands. Sounded pants. But again, that's just my opinion.[/quote] I have Nordy's and they sound great - just from what I have experienced with my bass - I have heard them on another bass as well and they sounded wicked on there too - but hey it's just my opinion. M

Yes indeedee, great service, bought an EBS pedal from Julian and it arrived the next day and was in top condition, it was basically mint and works great. Great guy to deal with and is to be trusted etc. Nice one Mike

I just added a video version of this tune and used Logic to record the audio, I'm finally getting the hang of it, as the piece is still slightly improvised it's different to the recorded version... I'm still working on it so pardon the odd fluffed bit Cheers Mike

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='407903' date='Feb 12 2009, 06:59 PM']That's looking really, really nice. I don't suppose you saw any sign of a 6 string offset flamboyant with an Amboina top while you were there did you ?.[/quote] Sadly not dude, there's a gorgeous looking Millennium, a series 2 single cut, a 9-string, a thru neck Jazz, but there are bunch that have finish on tucked away in gig bags plus there are a few at the finishers so gawd knows where it is, don't worry I'm sure it's safe M

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='407870' date='Feb 12 2009, 06:29 PM']Hi Mike, I've been talking to Neil about preamps of late (you met him - he's getting a singlecut in buckeye built) and have come across some interesting examples that are a bit different. There are a few preamps that I am very interested in at the moment - maybe you want to give them a look too. Question is what sort of pre are you looking for? A 2 band, 3 band..? First up, the new Delano Sonar 3MS - [url="http://www.delano.de/products.html?&cHash=236709b1ff&tx_smtdelano_pi1"]http://www.delano.de/products.html?&cH...x_smtdelano_pi1[/url][cat]=2&tx_smtdelano_pi1[series]=11&tx_smtdelano_pi1[strings]=69&tx_smtdelano_pi1[system]=95 It's got your typical 2 band active jazz layout but it's also got a switchable mid frequency. Quite cool if you are into tweaking. Next, Glockenklang which are now being fitted to Dingwall basses. [url="http://www.bestbassgear.com/glockenklang-bass-preamps.htm"]http://www.bestbassgear.com/glockenklang-bass-preamps.htm[/url] And also this little gem - [url="http://www.beebasses.com/html/bee_pre.html"]http://www.beebasses.com/html/bee_pre.html[/url] - a bit different eh?[/quote] Hey Russ Funnily enough Martin mentioned both the Delano and the Glock - they both look interesting and I'm looking for a 3-band me thinks - just for extra tweakage... I'm hoping the fundamental tone from the bass will be killing but I do dig active stuff so something flexable and just a little powerful would be ideal - I like the look of the Delano. the good thing is I can always try one and if it's not right try something else - but I am happy with my Demeter but definitely want to try something new on this bass. I'll keep you posted - thanks for the cool commenst everyone M

Hey Peeps Popped into Sei central today and John was quite literally working on the neck when I stopped by - and I couldn't resist taking a few snaps of the body and neck together - check out the inlayed 'wave' of spalt on the headstock - a really classy touch from Martin (I asked him to add it BTW): The body is off the finishers soon - but Pino's P-bass is being varnished in the shop and the spalt comes out quite a bit darker than it is here - which will contrast beautifully with that lovely Birdseye board. I'm going to a matte finish on the neck which the guys will do in the workshop - and I ordered some Nordy JSE4s - they sound great. I'm still not decided on the circuit yet - any hints or ideas appreciated - Martin was saying how he liked the new MEC circuit so I might give that a go - I don't want anything too agressive. I know there aren't many Sei threads here but believe me there are some real crackers in production right now - Martin and John are busy with a load of orders - but thankfully mine's progressing well. I reckon it could be ready around July - so hopefully not too long to go Cheers for now - so many Seis so little time! Mike

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='407440' date='Feb 12 2009, 11:27 AM']It's from a Radio One session I did for Tommy Vance's Friday Rock Show in 1981. I was 17 and playing an Aria SB700 through a Frunt amp - with a pick![/quote] Wicked - shame it's a bit on the fuzzy side - good memories though huh? Miss old Tommy V - RIP you old rocker...I used to listen to him in the 1980s when I was a young metaller myself... yes I loved that sh*t back in the day M

There are far too many good bassists out there - in all genres of music - to possibly name just one overall - but if I had to pick one guy that is bugging the hell out of my right now and making me scratcjh my head in wonder it has to be Linely Marthe - he's just doing some of wildest and weirdest stuff on a 4 sting Jazz that I have ever heard... it's coming from a very deep place and he doesn't even practice (fact!) M

Definitely - but my fave stuff f late is all his Joni Mitchell stuff - the live double album Shadows and Light is outstanding - he's just rules the whole gig from the bass... it's astonishing playing, even when it's a 'simple' bass line, every note is perfectly played. But Hejira is by far my favourite Jaco/Joni album - but I'm still in awe of much of his playing on his solo debut - he was 24 when he did most of that - and there was quite iterally NOTHING like it before he recorded it. He really turned the whole role of the bass - and its various possibilities within music - on its head. [b]I wrote an article - with quotes from interviews I did with Mike Brecker, John Scofield and Pat Metheny - which summarises his impact on jazz and with wider musical world you can ead it here: [url="http://www.munkio.com/words/jaco_feature.html"]http://www.munkio.com/words/jaco_feature.html[/url] [/b] Cheers Mike

Sounds great and the site looks very cool as well - good work dude. M

[quote name='biro' post='403275' date='Feb 8 2009, 11:21 AM']hi mike, your playing is awesome. as usual, i dare say! anyhow, thanks for plugging your bass in logic. the sound is way cleaner than in your previous vids - which I still dig a lot. however, I've got a couple of dumb questions for you: firstly, haow did you manage to get a stereo sound on a youtube video? that's something astonishing, I even tried to watch the video in low quality on the tube, and it's keeping a really wide stereo image. that's surprising! Can I ask you how you made it? did you use the FLV conversion trick? moreover, did you use any effects on your bass? it sounds like your bass is a bit widened. reverb and slight panned delay - perhaps with different time values for each side (to me, it sounds somehow similar to the effect you applied to the fretted bass track in "sing your own anthem" - by the way: I'm still wondering how you managed to get such a kickass sound)? thanks![/quote] Very kind of you Biro I appreciate your comments a lot. Re the questions on the sound there are a couple of plugins that I like, one is called 'Stereo Spread' and it's sort of like a stereo imaging tool, the default setting does a really nice job of sending a mono track to both left and right channels, and it really does sound great. I'm pleased the audio is so good on this video too and it's something that is way overdue, it's actually easy to match up the audio track with the video in Logic as you can import the video clip and then save the new audio track to the video clip, not sure how I achieved such good stereo... but I edited it using iMovie09 and you can export the whole thing straight to Youtube, so it keeps everything perfectly intact, the file is an MV4. Re Sing Your Own Anthem, the fast fretted bass line is done with a Phaser with a slow pan effect on it... hope all that explains things. thanks again Mike

Hey guys - just made another one - and plugged the bass into Logic to get much better sounnd, the fretless records really well - it's another Miles favourite; [b]Someday My Prince Will Come [/b] cheers for watching Mike

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='397041' date='Feb 1 2009, 05:39 PM']I've done a session with that trio, too. They speak very highly of you! All done in the best possible taste (with the worst possible phrasing) [/quote] Hey Rob Great aren't they! - I use them a lot - and they work for free too... I'll take that as a compliment and if you don't mind me saying I really enjoyed your take on it as well - lovely swinging vibe to the whole thing - better than mine. If anyone else wants a pop - post your version of Solar too - it's all good. Nice one and thanks for watching. Cheers Mike

'Ay Up Peeps Just made a little fretless vid (first one in ages) - it's an old standard fave of mine 'Solar' by Miles - hope you dig it (try the HQ setting as the quality is pretty sweet ) Cheers Mike