TrevorR

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1445421669' post='2891294'] I am doing a Rock Blues gig with a Wal fretless next Tuesday that is going out live on local radio. The drummer is Brendan O'Neill, ex-Rory Gallagher, and it's going to be 'kin loud Anyone who thinks Wal's are one trick ponies is a eejit. Mine has done Jazz, Latin, Rock, Funk, Blues, Pop, Big Band, pit orchestra work live, studio etc etc. I have never had a negtative comment and have had plenty of positive ones. Wals deliver. End of. [/quote] Hallelujah! Preach it, brother!

If only they were on Spotify

...and look and play and feel. In an attempt to counter the recent levels of Wal-focused negativity which has been in these 'ere parts over the last week I thought I would post up some examples of the glorious sound which these amazing basses make. As part of theWal History talk I did at the SE Bass Bash recently I put together a brief playlist of examples of Wals record. Anyway the devil makes work for idle hands so this, naturally, grew into a bit of a mixtape. So anyway, to redress the balance here is a YouTube playlist featuring some classic Wal tones and some top Wal players. Enjoy... http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGIYNBxcSZ3uo0Dv4GUoVf-4yKXu7xmKT And for some further listening pleasure a somewhat different and longer Spotify playlist to soundtrack your day... https://open.spotify.com/user/11166282603/playlist/0MOUCZomh0RzYPQjndREOU

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1445241028' post='2889748'] I'd view it as an honour. Look at some of the othe top class musicians who have been guests on the show https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZingZillas [/quote] I watch it with my little one and am always amazed at the quality of musos they have on.... Nicola Benedetti, Simon Mayor, Julian Lloyd Webber, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Michael , BJ Cole, Gossip (!) (twice!!)... To name but a few. Hardly a bunch of artists on their uppers!

There is also the question of what types of sound tend to sound pleasant to the human ear and which tend to sound unpleasant. I recall reading a fascinating article many moons ago (probably in the context of amp and speaker sims) about the effects that adding amp or effect pedal distortion has on the waveform. To my recollection it talked about how was well as clipping the wave it added numerous clipped higher harmonics - both even and odd. The combination of these caused a dissonance in the complex timbre of the note which is generally deemed unpleasant. Hence a fuzz box straight into a PA tends to sound pretty pants. However, the low fi nature of a guitar speaker, by happy accident, tends to filter out the ?odd? harmonics leaving a much more pleasant sounding set of harmonics within the wave form. It is this selective filtering which amp/speaker sims seek to emulate. I wonder whether this is also an element in what types of sound we find musical albeit perhaps in less exaggerated form than with a distorted guitar signal? I wonder how the harmonic content of a beautifully played and screechy violin note compare?

[quote name='dincz' timestamp='1445244080' post='2889781'] Slightly off track. I've often heard of different keys expressing different "moods". With the tempered scale, surely transposing from one major (or minor) key to another major (or minor) key would not affect the "mood". [/quote] Unless you transpose to D minor which, as we all know, is the saddest of all possible keys.

Well there's interesting... Finally got round to weighing my Wals (after nigh on 15-20 years of playing them!). Both were about 10.2 lb/4.6kg - neither of which have ever seemed unduly heavy or unbalanced to me provided they've got a nice wide, comfy leather strap attached. Then, I weighed my Aria SB700 (my first ever bass). It was also almost exactly the same weight. So I guess the moral of the story for me is that I've never known any different. 10 lbs is just what a bass weighs in my experience! Thank heavens for a wide leather strap and a good osteopath, though!

[quote name='DavidMcKay' timestamp='1445204280' post='2889650'] [color=#000000][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I wasn't asking for anything other than A or B.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]As my old English teacher was fond of saying to the class, "Doesn't matter how good you think you answer is if you fail to answer the question."[/font][/color] [/quote] Nope, perfectly valid answer. Which one would you go for? Neither, don't find either aesthetically pleasing and both have red flag features whether it's the single pickup on one or the maple fingerboard on the other. That counts both out for me. And in answer to the inevitable challenge - but if I said "Here, you could have either for free!" then which one would you go for? It would purely be the one with the higher resale value - and that's REALLY not the question you're trying to answer!

If it's not cleared up in a couple of months then getting it checked out is definitely a good idea.

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1445177656' post='2889293'] Neither I wouldn't give either a second glance. They do nothing for me. [/quote] +1

http://youtu.be/kQFKtI6gn9Y

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1445190991' post='2889489'] As to the many complaints about feeling detached etc it seems to me that there is an element of perseverance involved to allow the wearing of plugs to become the norm... ...When we change any other technique (changing picking style, thumb round vs thumb behind, finger style to slap whatever) we just have to work through the "but it feels awkward" phase until it feels more natural. I'm sure that the same sort of principle applies with plugs. It certainly did for me and now they just feel natural for me (just quieter). [/quote] I'd be interested to know whether others who have preserved with plugs found that they adjusted over time and found the detachment to be less of an issue. That was my experience but I wonder how many others found the same.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1445168926' post='2889218'] If you've got to the point of considering ear plugs you're probably well into damaged hearing territory. If you want to keep playing in a loud environment then earplugs are your only solution. It doesn't matter how much sound or tone you miss by wearing them, if you don't use plugs then what you will end up with is no definition at all in your (diminished) hearing. Get moulded plugs with proper filters, I use ACS and my compromised hearing has remained pretty much stable for the last 8 years. It doesn't matter what they sound like. It's a very easy choice, learn to love them or stop playing. This is as good as it gets and with anything less you'll be missing a significant part of your ability to hear before your much older. [/quote] [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1445169075' post='2889219'] I don't get the good ear bad ear stuff. If you played in a band for any length of time you've got a bad ear and a worse ear. [/quote] [quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1445174869' post='2889268'] Go see a professional audiologist and get a hearing test in a sound proof booth with properly calibrated equipment. I would recommend the expense of custom moulded plugs, I have some ACS ER26 which is the strongest removable filter, and normal conversation is quite possible when wearing them, they really do reduce the incoming volume enormously while retaining clarity and are much more comfortable to wear than generic foam or silicon mushroom plugs. [/quote] I think that nails it for me. I've tried a wide range of plugs - cheap foam(pointless, not much money but still a waste of it). Etymotic, Docs Pro Plugs, Alpine Music Safe Pro. Of the aftermarket ones it was the Alpines which I stuck with for the longest and found the most useful. I liked the ability to change the attenuation level with different inserts. However, when I got my UE in ears done I also got a set of plugs with swappable DBS filters. Really were a step above the aftermarket ones. Full range reduction but so much more usable/clearer than the cheaper ones. As to the many complaints about feeling detached etc it seems to me that there is an element of perseverance involved to allow the wearing of plugs to become the norm. I see a lot of guys wear them for two songs and then pull one out. I'm convinced that if one keeps on doing that they will always feel really unnatural. As others have said. It's a choice - make it work, suffer even more serious hearing loss or stops playing altogether. When we change any other technique (changing picking style, thumb round vs thumb behind, finger style to slap whatever) we just have to work through the "but it feels awkward" phase until it feels more natural. I'm sure that the same sort of principle applies with plugs. It certainly did for me and now they just feel natural for me (just quieter). And, hey, if I look a bit Mutt and Jeff and say, "Pardon?" a bit while wearing them in th e10 mins before a set (I always do this to give more pre-set acclimatisation time) it's a small price to pay to protect my hearing...

And it's the AwakenWal... https://open.spotify.com/track/4DQ2LaCYTlmoQwJApaXIHU http://youtu.be/HaTrjZBzuKE

I am absolutely sure that it IS Sting's own bass and I am absolutely sure that it was delivered to his management's office by Fender the day before he flew to Norway! 4 hours to go and £2600...

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1445088901' post='2888722'] I am so out of my depth here that it's not even funny, but I am genuinely enjoying trying to follow all this. [/quote] Those who have studied these things properly will cringe at this as is is very much a paraphrase rather than an academic treatise (it annoys the heck out of my nephew who studied music at Goldsmiths). But for the average muso you could do worse than the explanation of Pythagorean theory and tempering in scales in Howard Goodall's Big Bangs. A nicely simplified and populist explanation... http://youtu.be/41g2fSYZ4Sc Apologies to those who have looked at this properly...

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1445098933' post='2888804'] Secondhand Squier VMJ (or maybe a £40 Harley Benton Deko Jazz, if one came up), a loud amp that works, and a lead to connect the two. Oh, and a strap. Jon. [/quote] I'd add a headstock clip tuner but that's about it for need. But what's the fun in need?

Yup, French style... More like "TAWM-bruh" but with a slightly guttural sound at the back of the throat on the "r" http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/english/timbre I'd go for the UK pronunciation for preference myself...

+1 My first port f call for strings and bits...

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1445086932' post='2888713'] Not showing up any more. Let me guess, it was the Great Wal of China. Hadrian's Wal would be next and then the comparatively lightweight Berlin Wal, although Jeff wasn't entirely happy with the neck profile and traded it in [/quote] I'm guessing it might be this beastie...

All off at once, clean-oil-polish the fingerboard, relubricate all the bits the strings pass over and then restring from E up to G. Usually every 6 months or so - but then I'm not playing as much as I used to, don't punish the strings too much with my playing and have pretty dry hands when I'm playing so strings have always lasted pretty well for me. Been using Picato stainless steel rounds 45-105 recently which seem like very nice strings.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1444984599' post='2887803'] Is that a Wal? I thought it was a Stingray. Perhaps I should post the link on the 'I hate Wals' thread. [/quote] Yeah, he forsook his beloved Ricky's and Stingray for a short while used a Wal for a few years while he was playing with Elton... Heh heh heh... that would be naughty... You shouldn't tease!

I wonder if it will sound as good as this fine Kay guitar from the 1970s (ass advertised in the Gratton catologue)... [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/turquoisemoleeater/guitars/KayLPFX.jpg[/IMG]

[quote name='DavidMcKay' timestamp='1444988778' post='2887860'] Rob - you just had to go and do the W thing didn't you! [/quote] Mummy! Mummy! Rob said a rude word! He said "W**"!

Hey there, welcome to Basschat. I'm not IN Truro but WAS many long moons ago til I moved over the border. Sure you'll find lots of really great advice here.