project_c

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1454801190' post='2973190'] You never went to the Treble Clef or the Bass Clef? [/quote] No, that's possibly before my time, what were they like? (I was living in Brighton in the 90s, way before i picked up the bass). I kind of mean the East London 'scene' that has been evolving in that area for the past 10 or 15 years. Jazz funk was considered deeply uncool amongst the shoreditch lot as far as i knew.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1454781889' post='2972978'] Well fun has been known to break out among young people.... I remember it distinctly. [/quote] I know, but jazz-funk? That's been a dirty word amongst youth in East London for decades. Just quite surprised to see people in their 20s getting down to it.

What with all the moaning about the state of music, I thought this might cheer everyone up. I went to a bar in Shoreditch last night, expecting a quick drink with friends at a place called Troy Bar, which was hosting a jazz/funk jam night (on a friday night??). Turns out the place is HEAVING full of people, mostly in their early / mid 20s, all cheering and dancing and participating and generally getting down to some 70's jazz / funk (Herbie Hancock etc, but not even the well known stuff). The house band was great, everyone took long solos, all proper musicians - and the crowd was not bored by any of it, loads of cheering, clapping after solos etc. We had to catch a tube so we didn't wait around until other musicians joined in, but I was astonished, I don't think I've seen anything like it before, and certainly not amongst hipsters in East London. Perhaps just a one-off, but it may be the sign of a cultural shift...

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1454409031' post='2969372'] Ads on Photobucket? Not with an ad-blocker. Then the site works just fine. [/quote] Try from a phone, it's slow, really badly designed and the navigation behaves like it was designed by someone on ketamine.

I see nothing wrong with this, these basses look great. The price is correct for the current state of things. I bought a new Deluxe Jazz in 2012 after testing some USA standard jazzes and a couple of vintage ones too. I also sold a Sadowsky which I wasn't happy with tone-wise and I replaced it with the Fender Deluxe, and that bass has been going strong since that time, it's had 1 setup, the graphite rods hold everything together nicely, it just sounds like a solid Fender Jazz, the passive tone is 100% fine, and the mid boost in active mode makes a big difference to me. So in terms of finding a great bass and not wasting any more money since that time, it was fully worth spending a bit extra. And that was with the N3 pickups, I'm sure these new ones are even better.

Or just use a less annoying and poorly designed site. No idea why people still use that terrible broken ad-ridden site. postimg.org is great for single images, maybe flickr for whole albums?

I had a massive stress-out about someone off gumtree buying my furniture the other day, there was something weird about their text manners as well, just short snappy replies, bit unfriendly, got a bad feeling in my gut about them. So I hid in my car and waited for them to turn up so I could see who they were before letting them in my house. They were just a standard couple in their 30s so I ended up feeling a bit stupid in the end. You hear so much bad stuff about gumtree these days it's hard not to get paranoid and o.t.t about it all. Still if it wasn't furniture I would have chosen a public place to meet for sure.

Looking for recommendations for a stand for about 5 or so basses, must fit into a small space between a wall and my desk, so they can't lean at much of an angle. Anyone know of anything like this? thanks

I recommend Custom Shop 62's for a nice balanced vintage precision tone. Wasn't sure what I thought of them at first because I was used to SD Quarter Pounders, which have a beautiful heavy thump to them - if you're after some weight and presence, those are awesome - but the 62's are perhaps a bit more refined, and versatile. I love both though, I have the qp's in my fretted and the 62s in my fretless.

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1453387171' post='2959026'] So they went for a PJ and a P in a J and P type bodys... where have i seen that? From the close ups i was hoping that they would look more like the Sabre basses, in body shape. [/quote] Would be so much nicer if they used that body shape, the Sabre shape looks so good, but the tone is always a bit weird, it would be a perfect starting point for a P or PJ tho.

Just put these on my fretted Precision and been playing with them for an hour or so, they feel really good, snappy and responsive, not rough on the fingers at all. They sound clear, balanced and confident, no harshness, lots of clarity, can't really fault them in any way. They're really fun to play. I'm going to wear them in a bit and then they're going on the fretless for band practice, really looking forward to trying them at the rehearsal room.

I'll be playing a fretless Fender Precision with my jazz group next week, I normally use XL Nylon Tapewounds but would love to test these if it's not too late.

Anyone see this? I never use distortion personally but the EQ section on this thing sounds very good for those who like a clean tone. http://youtu.be/eFPCg9a5_mo

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1452617694' post='2951734'] ....and now a video :-) http://youtu.be/xizgyr2KOm8 [/quote] Sounds real good to me.

Those endorsements will help sales to new people picking up the instrument more than seasoned players, at least when it comes to current Fender. I doubt many veterans will bother buying a Clayton Jazz bass, partly because they probably already own a j, and partly because he isn't much of an inspiration to that many seasoned players. U2 fans tend to be older and will be more likely to afford a USA jazz even if they're just starting out. And the various Squier and Mex endorsements are also aimed at the Rock guys who are new to bass and need a reliable / recognisable point of entry. The Marcus bass is different, but like the Geddy it isn't a new phenomenon and is from a very different era. Endorsements that sell basses will only work as long as there are new emerging artists that appeal to a wider audience beyond bass players I think. Mark King was a pop star with wider appeal beyond bass, and had an undeniable influence on bass and probably continues to help sell stuff, but very few people under 45 know who he is now. For those endorsements to work, the word needs new Mark Kings. (not literally as that would be terrifying). Whether new musical virtuoso icons are even a possibility in a dying music culture and industry remains to be seen, but it might be at the root of the problem. Mainstream appeal or at least underground coolness is the key, and there's almost nobody new there who is visible on bass at the moment.

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1452323609' post='2948826'] What a horrible little person you must be, doubt I'll get an apology. [/quote] Not sure what your problem is with me personally, but whatever. I don't see what point you're making with the above, nobody said anything derogatory about any famous musician here apart from you.

Did anyone actually question Hendrix's relevance in this thread? Why be so angry about it here? His relevance - or the Beatles' - has nothing to do with the subject. If you think all new music is sh!te, then just say that. But keep in mind middle-aged people have been saying similar things to young people for generations.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1452253920' post='2948053'] True, for example, I cant believe some of the nonsensical inaccurate remarks regarding Jimi Hendrix from young people. Jimi is no longer relevant, I get that. But I also say to them keep your mouth shut, you weren't there and you don't know what your talking about. Is that fair? Blue [/quote] Haha yeah, it's entirely fair. They won't care though.. I just think it's unavoidable, as you get older you live through stuff and gather knowledge, and try to pass some of that down if you can, but naivety and over confidence in young people always has the louder voice. It's just the way it is, I was the same when I was 21.. luckily at least there's room for everyone to express themselves musically now, and music history is there to explore for anyone who cares.

I like this more than any of their other basses. There must be a market for it otherwise they wouldn't have made it. 4K isn't that much money to a lot of people these days, it's all relative. If you live in Manhattan, drive a nice car and have a decent wage, this is an ok price. It's like buying furniture. The divide between people's wealth, and the difference in what people consider to be normal is staggering these days. To me it's too much but I'm not the target audience.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1452248072' post='2947950'] Are they picking up the bass as a result of hearing him? Listening to the tracks posted if I really liked the music, I might be inspired to be a synth player or a producer, but not a bass player. [/quote] Yeah they are - he is known as a bass guy. It's a 'produced' sound for sure, but it allows him to fit into genres that rely on other heavily processed elements and instruments. It's really hard to get a raw bass tone (which a lot of bassists tend to like) to fit with beats made with an MPC, for example. The bass just sounds weak in comparison. Whether you or I personally like an over-produced sound or not is one thing, but it doesn't matter to new people picking up the instrument, they will just see a cool person playing bass, which will then inspire them to pick it up themselves. I personally play jazz on a p-bass with tapewounds, so I hate an over produced sound for what I'm doing - but I'm not the new generation. Almost all current musical trends in popular musical forms involve heavy production and processing. It makes things loud and dance-able, which means you can listen to the tunes in a club, which then opens the music up to normal people having fun at house parties etc. It's a good thing.

[quote name='JwK94' timestamp='1452223951' post='2947825'] Yeah we get it you really like Thundercat, doesn't mean everyone else has to though. Yeah the guy is pretty damn funky and can write a song, but I don't feel like he's anywhere near as revolutionary or inspirational as you make out, quite niche too. [/quote] Nothing to do with me liking him, I don't listen to his music but I know young people do, and they are picking up the bass because of him more than any other contemporary musician I can think of, which is whar this thread is about. I agree it's not revolutionary.

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1452200541' post='2947623'] ...and Thundercat. [/quote] lol. I dread to think what kind of 'funk' you're 'laying down' if that's what you reckon… but let's see some examples from you then, what have you got to add to this other than your incredible wit? [quote name='blue' timestamp='1452205044' post='2947706'] I think age has something to do with it. I'm 62 and a 70s guy, so for an older guy like me, I'm not hearing what I call funk. This must be the New funk. Unfortunately when it comes to funk, I'm stuck in the 70s. Blue [/quote] Well that's down to interpretation for sure. I think any number of things can be funky, whether it's Paul Jackson, or a synth bass over a sampled drum break from Apache. But the point is Thundercat is a good bassist, with roots firmly in bass culture, making bass-centric music that young people are into. People like him are way more likely to inspire new people to pick up the bass than Michael Manring or any other technically proficient over 50's musicians. Who inspired you to pick up the bass when you were a kid? Most likely someone making pop music, or funk, or rock and roll, but in any case it would have been someone who was able to communicate to an audience beyond bassists. Even James Jamerson - If he hadn't played on chart hits - pop music - none of us would ever know who he was. We didn't get to know him for his jazz chops did we? Also - no offence meant by this - but as a 62 year old, your musical tastes are not relevant to new people picking up the bass. Same applies to me too - I'm in my early 40s and even my music taste and references are a total mystery to 99% of people under 35. If you want young people to get into playing bass, you need to give them stuff that's accessible, which will lead onto the rest. I think part of the reason for kids losing interest in bands is because they perceive a lot of it as 'dad music'.

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1452189685' post='2947473'] Yawn. Next! [/quote] Showing your age a bit there perhaps. (i'm assuming you're not in your teens). Whether you like it or not, ultimately its guys like these that are moving this stuff forward. Nobody outside the obsessive compulsive world of bass-players listens to the likes of Janek, Hadrien and the rest of those guys. Those people are amazing, but their audience is made up of a small circle of bass obsessives who nobody cares about. I teach 20-22 year olds at university, and most of them know who Thundercat is, because the music is accessible, and you can dance to it.