Happy Jack

1 Owen 2 TPJ 3 Clarky 4 PTB 5 Hector 6 lowlandtrees 7 keeponehandloose 8 ChrisF 9 Happy Jack

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1401556989' post='2464742'] Speculum, as a band name, says it all really! [/quote] Allegedly: [color=#333333][font=Georgia,]Inspired by the David Cronenberg film, DEAD RINGERS. "I'm going to insert the speculum now"[/font][/color]

As always with these threads, the quality of the advice you'll get is directly proportionate to the amount of information you provide us with. Are you 17 or 70? Do you play like Jaco or like Les Dawson? Are you keen on bebop or punk? I'm sure you get the idea ...

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1401547245' post='2464624'] Remember the mic stand mounted wedge won't deal with your drummers sizzle! [/quote] Troo dat.

In-ears can be a bloody nuisance though (depends on the band, the gig, and the musician) and wearing any form of headphones on stage just looks weird. I use this: http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/pa-live/detail.asp?stock=11060815213512 Stick it on a mic-stand in front of you (even if you don't sing). Plug your bass into the WPM1 and then run your lead from the WPM1 to your rig. You WON'T hear the sound of your bass rig, but you'll certainly hear what you're playing! You can also take a feed from the PA and run it into the WPM1 if you need a mix.

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1401494451' post='2464321'] There is a difference between a copy and a counterfeit. The thing is that counterfeits aren't actually that cheap. They are pretending to be the real thing and tend to sell for a good price for the real thing. Eg an SM58 might be £90, and a counterfeit £65 I.e. "a bargain" if you think yo're buying the real thing, but you're not! Copies are up front that they are not an actual Shure (or whatever), and might sell for around £30 - 40. You pay your money for brand 'X', and get brand X. No deception, no problem. [/quote] Fair comment - I'm happy to agree with you.

Finally got a chance to watch that clip - dreadful, tabloid TV masquerading as something serious. My heart really goes out to all those bands playing 100,000-seater stadia who bought a cheap copy on eBay. As you do. Flyfisher is bang-on with his comments about the "scientific testing" (pah!), and of course the article carefully steered clear of the real issue ... money. Why do people buy cheap copies on eBay? Erm ... because they're cheaper than the real thing. So why not tell us the price of a real SM58 and the typical price of a fake one? Whichever way you look at it, that's a key part of the "rip-off" equation, perhaps THE key part. Shure have been making a fortune out of the SM58 for years, which is absolutely fine with me - it's a great product, even if I prefer my (totally genuine) Beta 57A (which I bought new from an authorised dealer and paid full price for). But if you're clever enough or lucky enough to have a product become the industry standard, there's no point being surprised if the market floods with copies, especially when the price of your genuine product remains stubbornly high. Shure's actual response seems not to have been to make silly TV programs but to sharply reduce their prices, e.g. http://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Shure-SM58-with-Boom-Mic-Stand-and-6m-Cable/C39 Hats off to them. That's the right way to deal with fakes - make them uneconomical.

Bought a nice strap from Dave, he was very patient with my fumbled attempts to sort out the dosh, and the strap arrived in 'as new' condition.

Ahem ... it doesn't help that the first two fretless basses you tried were a Wal Mk.II and a Veillette! That's set the bar a bit on the high side, I fear. Ebanol doesn't sound the same as ebony, but it's a pretty good sound in its own right. If you didn't like the VM I doubt it was the sound of the board that was putting you off. Rounds give far more mwah, and plenty of beginners prefer them simply because of that - it's easier to make it "sound like a fretless". To my ears, a fretless sounds far better with flats on but half-rounds or groundwounds really do offer a decent compromise. The set-up is also key, since the difference between low and high action is (IMHO) accentuated on a fretless bass. One final point - you need to play with the right line-up to really enjoy fretless. If you play with other instruments which can also involve dodgy intonation (slide guitar, violin, etc.) then the potential for appalling discord is always there.

I tried writing stuff on my bass guitar too, but a nitro finish is a bugger for ball-point pen.

He's allowed to be in more than one band, as are we all.

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1401193396' post='2460958'] Status Graphite is the obvious choice there, either a whole bass or one one of their necks to retro-fit [/quote] Or maybe an old Modulus? In truth, when I play fretless I don't actually [i][b]think [/b][/i]of it as "playing fretless" ... I'm just playing bass. I'm really not a good bassist in a technical sense, and I don't play in a different way because I happen to be playing a bass without frets. The fact that the sound/tone/mwah/whatever is different from playing a fretted bass doesn't really grab me, since I have several different types of fretted bass and they all have a different sound/tone/mwah/whatever too.

[quote name='Bassman Sam' timestamp='1401145456' post='2460632'] I thought that this was going to be about Quasimodo. Oh well. [/quote] Me too. [URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Just%20Stuff/Sundry/hunchback_zps3419e442.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Just%20Stuff/Sundry/hunchback_zps3419e442.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Musical-Instrument-/231231870982?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Outboards_Effects_MJ&hash=item35d67e5806

In preparation, but likely to be rather later in the year than previously.

[quote name='bengreen49' timestamp='1400230943' post='2452004'] Being a bit harsh aren't you? Just a bunch of young lads. [/quote] [color=#666666][font=verdana, arial, sans-serif][size=3]London metal band DIREVARGS are seeking a lead guitarist and bass player! We are a dedicated and proactive band looking to launch ourselves to an international audience (and beyond) in this coming year. [/size][/font][/color] [font=verdana, arial, sans-serif][size=3]So they're a dedicated and proactive band that just don't have two key personnel. Make that a very small bunch of young lads then ...[/size][/font]

http://www.gumtree.com/p/community/metal-band-seeks-lead-guitarist-bass-player/1062603235

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1400147465' post='2451130'] And you think my thoughts and comments partial..? [/quote] I feel sure that your comments are complete.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1400075579' post='2450482'] Call me a cynic (I know that I am...I question everything) but I wouldn't personally place much weight in a standard music mag review. [/quote] But that's exactly why they rate Barefaced so highly, don't you see? Barefaced don't place much weight.

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1400072164' post='2450435'] Says they're wonderfully well made and sound great...and that's the Gen2 cabs not the new ones. (I don't own a BF cab btw) [url="http://www.guitar-bass.net/gear/barefaced-midget-t-review/"]http://www.guitar-ba...idget-t-review/[/url] [/quote] Bah! They only give the Super12 a 94% rating and the Midget T a 97% rating. Pathetic review. Completely fails to complain about finish, handles or feet. Doesn't mention how much better all the competition is. Manages to avoid using words like [i]fanboi [/i]or cheerleader. Instead, they have the temerity to write a genuinely impartial review based on the quality of these bass cabs when used as bass cabs. Hopeless. Call that journalism?

[color=#a52a2a][i][font=Arial, sans-serif, Verdana][size=3]The bass was imported from Japan last year, directly from Fujigen, it's has never been played and 100% mint, it's like the Rolls Royce of Bass guitars. [/size][/font] [font=Arial, sans-serif, Verdana][size=3]The bass itself retails at the price of £1,999.00 so a real bargain is to be had here.[/size][/font][/i][/color] [color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif, Verdana][size=3]So no hint of hype or over-selling there then ...[/size][/font][/color]

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1400049994' post='2450124'] Drums are unidirectional ... [/quote] I'm guessing that was supposed to be "omnidirectional"?