skankdelvar

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='653271' date='Nov 13 2009, 01:30 AM']... the instrument they've dedicated so much of their time to is actually fairly easy to play and more often than not very little is required of it.[/quote] It's really quite difficult to get [i]those[/i] sounds out of a bass - because it wasn't designed to do that job. Thus necessitating the entirely praiseworthy years of dedication and the addition of sundry bits of kit to the basic instrument. I genuinely applaud their hard work and efforts but for me - judged on that piece alone - it just doesn't seem much return for the investment - [i]in my opinion[/i]. I may be wrong. Who cares? It's just the Internet. [quote name='funkypenguin' post='653264' date='Nov 13 2009, 12:58 AM']im not sure how you come to the conclusion that that introduction is musical and what manring is playing isnt[/quote] Just personal taste. To me the harmonics sound more "musical" (whatever that means) and more subtly integrated. As ever, one's mileage may vary - but thanks for checking it out.

Well, having watched that I'm astonished. What follows is [i]just my opinion [/i]and does not seek to deny in any way the pleasure some may experience from this piece. I was under the impression I was going to see some sort of musical God and hear the voices of angels. What's delivered seems little more than that which a moderately accomplished amateur six-string guitarist might knock up in their bedroom. Turgid tune, crude and predictable use of harmonics and drop-tuners. In one word - clunky. I cringed with embarrassment as I watched a grown man go gooey-faced while delivering something he does not realise is so comprehensively underwhelming. It seems to me that the approbation he garners is down to the fact he's doing it [i]on a bass[/i]! That's sad. I'm terrified to think that brains might well explode if anyone here happened to trip over some Adrian Legg or Pierre Bensusan or Jerry Donahue. Speaking of whom - This is how to use harmonics - Start to 1:02. Not a drop tuner in sight - and [i]musical[/i].

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='652923' date='Nov 12 2009, 07:12 PM']I'm up for that.[/quote] Me too. Potential for a colossal wind-up here.

Seller says: [quote]Please note Jazz Bass pickup has been placed in the traditional sweet spot i.e. where you would normally find the bridge pickup on a Jazz Bass[/quote] I say 'Nah. Too far forward'. +1 to the Clarkster.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='652863' date='Nov 12 2009, 06:07 PM']Monet, Manet and Matisse may all look pretty safe...[/quote] Those were the sort of lads I had in mind - Frenchies to a man. Quality daubs. Yer money's safe there. Emin and Hirst are reaching the end of their first phase of celebrity. Expect a renewal of interest around 2264..

There's no absolute guarantee that prices will continue to rise - witness the collapse of the postage stamp, Victorian furniture and classic car markets. And as the bass is a tool which may be superceded, it may one day find itself alongside the kazoo, the banjo and the mandocello in 'fashionable instrument heaven'. Thus it may not have the long-term security of, say, fine art.

Sweet score, Hawkeye.

+1 - that sounds like an ideal set-up. Worry not.

I used to own an Explorer guitar. The missus used to laugh and people gave me funny looks at auditions. And very easy to bang off drum kits, singers, etc - the rear upper wing sticks out a mile. As far as the bass version goes, never owned one so can't say - but there's someone here who uses one regularly in their ZZ Top tribute band. Only complaint seems to be dive and kit-bashing, IIRC.

Think what you like about his tree-hugging, his tantric sex and his new beard - that bloke can [b]sing[/b]. And he's no spring chicken. Little bass-player [i]totally[/i] made up when Sting compliments him on his rendition of the bass part. Awwww! Thanks for posting this, wombatboter!

Warmed by the Wooten dialogue above, I return to my previous point. IMO, the current form, shape and construction of the bass guitar inhibits further development of technique much beyond: * Playing some (severely attenuated) chords * Hitting harmonics * Percussive tapping and slapping I have no problem with people attempting to extend the boundaries of the instrument - I very much enjoy Craig Martini's highly musical and integrated work. But it seems to me that this 'extension' entails a struggle with the inherent limitations of the bass guitar. This, in turn, sometimes drives players into a complex, technique-driven style of playing which some find "unmusical". Just an observation, not a value judgment.

Got together with a drummer and guitarist last night. I already know the drummer is exceptionally talented, and he, in turn, gave a thumbs-up on the six stringer. Setting up, said plank-spanker told me he'd been playing twenty years plus. "I'm pretty good, know loads of material, been in so many bands, I can't remember", quoth he with quiet confidence. You can see it coming, can't you. Full six string barre chords, muffed solos and a deep desire to play only in the key of A. Couldn't work out the three chord pass in 'All Day and All of The Night". Yep, a nice guy, but a self-deluded bedroom bandit. Waiting for [i]that [/i]call from the drummer...

I think the trick with new Marshall models is to wait about a year till they've managed to shake any bugs out, viz the notorious VBA. Reasonable amps for silly money. Put it another way, they must presumably be keepers because you see so few f/s on here...

[quote name='Buzz' post='650757' date='Nov 10 2009, 03:39 PM']I think this thread has gone on a tangent from the OP who was asking about what is better for the bass to focus on: the bass carrying the music or the music carrying the technique to whether the bass can/is an expressive instrument.[/quote] IMO, the bass carries the music. Unless an audience is well prepped for the idea of a bass solo, in my little world they usually seem choose that moment to go get another beer. Clearly, this doesn't mean the bass [i]shouldn't[/i] step forward during a set or push boundaries. Just give the average punters plenty of warning.

[quote name='Doddy' post='650309' date='Nov 10 2009, 02:13 AM']I don't think that the Bass does have 'limited value as a chordal and melodic instrument'-Especially as a melodic instrument. The Bass isn't melodic-it's the player. The only limitations are with the player and with pre-conceived notions of the instruments role.[/quote] I believe I wrote that the bass guitar is limited [i]in comparison to the piano, guitar or sax[/i] as 'a chordal or melodic instrument'. The first two have the capability to deliver chord stacks that the bass cannot, and the ability to simultaneously play a melody over those chords. The sax, by contrast, can deliver a level of expression that is denied to the bass. Now I'm sure there's a Kazoo forum out there where they're having a similar discussion, but the fact remains - by comparison to other instruments, the bass has inherent limitations. No amount of frantic fretboard moves, false harmonics, two-handed tapping and the like is going to change the essential form of the bass guitar. By comparison to a guitar, a piano or a sax, it's a clunker when it comes to solo or lead performance. Lead and Rhythm bass. I am reminded of the great Stanley Clarke and his piccolo bass. Now that makes sense - tune it up a bit and suddenly chords and higher notes are within reach. Tune it up some more, add a couple of strings and you've got a guitar. Whoops.

[quote name='Tinman' post='649910' date='Nov 9 2009, 06:14 PM']HAHAHAHAHAH. Gee you're funny (I had to get the Missus to figure that comment out)[/quote] Ooops, sorry. So how did it get like that?

[quote name='bubinga5' post='650253' date='Nov 9 2009, 11:24 PM']does our bass playing fall on deaf ears?[/quote] Possibly. But then again, I'm aiming at their feet, so I'm genuinely not too bothered whether they're actively listening. In fact, I'd prefer they didn't even notice the bass lines. Compared to a piano or a guitar or a sax, the bass guitar is of limited value as a chordal or melodic instrument. Hence the effort required to push the boundaries. It's nice that people try, but, IMO, it's like trying to bang in a screw with a hammer. Wrong tool for the job.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='650162' date='Nov 9 2009, 10:01 PM']You are allowed to disagree (how big of me) but that's what I think.[/quote] No point in disagreeing, Bilbo. You're entitled to your opinion. Thanks for taking so much time and trouble to list stuff you don't like.

[quote name='Tinman' post='649873' date='Nov 9 2009, 05:36 PM']Mine cost £375 brand new! I've know idea how he thinks it's worth £500.[/quote] To be fair, [i]his[/i] headstock hasn't been used to start a bonfire.

So he's a real person! That's quite reassuring, in a weird way.

I sympathize with your plight. I used to have to trade Debenhams vouchers at face value, less a tenner off the top. Is there no-one in work who'd take up an offer? As for Selfridges, it's probably more to do with it's size vs the colossal cost of Central London square footage.

I'd be curious to know the purpose of the additional hole in the scratchplate between the tone pot and the jack socket... ... and a touch too much mojo for my taste, partic on the headstock, but hey...

I think we're sufficiently into this admirably laudatory thread for it to be noted that the appropriate response to the question "Got a match?" is " Yes - my arse and your face."

Indeed, it's a Tribute. Cunning way to get the word Fender into a G&L item title, though they make it fairly clear it's a TRib in the description.

[quote name='Mr Fudge' post='648494' date='Nov 8 2009, 01:29 AM']Im 41 next week and 3 weeks later can end up in tears at the drop of a hat.[/quote] Been there 8 years ago. I was still having 'no warning' weepy fits six months later. Slightly embarrassing when you're down the pub. It's a life-changing experience - affects different people in different and (sometimes) unexpected ways. Fine now, but probably should have signed up for bereavement counselling, rather than trying to tough it out. Could have saved a lot of time.