TrevorR

A '64 Jazz bass would suite me just nicely. I suspect it would suit my wife and my bank manager rather less well!

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1493856686' post='3291393'] Regarding strings, I've found the best ones for my Washburn AB20 are Elites bronze, which I think are 40-60-80-100 gauges. Seem to last a good while, and stay a bit zingy too if that's what you want. Fender bronzewounds are okay too, similar gauges I think but for me go off a bit sooner. Cheaper than the Elites though, so you pays yer money etc. [/quote] Yeah, I'd not want to go above 100s on an acoustic bass, just in case. Personal thing but you can't be too careful...

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1493118074' post='3285710'] Thin Lizzy and The Black Star Riders are pretty similar, probably due to Scott Gorham being in both. [/quote] Well to be fair, BSR is effectively the band Scott has been touring as Lizzy for some years since he and John Sykes last parted ways. IIRC they went into the studio as "Lizzy" to record the first album as a new "Lizzy" album then decided half way through that it was a bit crass and disrespectful to Phil so decided release it under an separate band name and came up with Black Star Riders.

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1491808066' post='3275418'] Fantastic. I bought the DVD of the live show and its a fantastic VID with the storyline running on large screens and occasional actors / singers coming on stage dressed as characters from the movie. I actually thought the live show storyline was far better than the movies. It was set in a different time era... [/quote] Rather it was set in the correct time era and stayed closer to the original story than either film version. The events of WotW all took place near where I live. My parents in law live a few hundred yards from where the martians landed. The bit where the journalist gets knocked into the water and separated from the Artilleryman is a short cycle down the Thames and since He gets trapped in a house by the black smoke in Upper Halliford I always imagine that was in the scary looking house round the corner from the garden centre!

Trying to remember how to play the bass line. Does anyone know the way? There's got to be a way! I'll get me coat...

Fabulous album. Saw the show when it first toured (twice!). They had Chris Spedding, Herbie, Justin Hayward and Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann's Earth Band) from the original album in the band alongside Laurie Wisefield (Wishbone Ash) and Hugh Burns (everybody!) on guitar. Quite a band. One heck of a show!

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1491632549' post='3274391'] Randy Crawford and Joe Sample worked so well together. http://youtu.be/U05sFAvKoI8 [/quote] They did a cracking version of Respect Yourself on their No Regrets album. Sadly can't find a version online.

Which begs two more questions... 1. Why don't those particular forums appear when you're not logged in? Why those and not others? 2. Why shouldn't those count towards the post count? Presumably there was a particular logic behind those two decisions, Over to you Messers Mod.

[quote name='Elfrasho' timestamp='1491383778' post='3272536'] Every musician should spend an hour or two finding isolated bass tracks of famous tunes just to gwt rhe sound and feel of how they were played. When recording alot of people hear the dry bass track and thinks it sounds awful and won't Bruce that it will work. What i do find amazing is some vocal dry tracks that don't sound great, or have serious headphone bleed... but end up alright! Studio guys are magicians sometimes! [/quote] Since I started listening to isolated tracks I've also been amazed at some of the "sloppy technique" and "bad sound" on some classic bass lines. I must confess I've also wondered whether the clanks and scratches and string noises, even though they're seemingly inaudible in the mix actuallay help the feel of the track. You know, make it seem a bit more "live" and "in the moment". Add a bit of excitement to the track and stop it sounding sterile and "studio like"? It would only be a subtle psychological effect but who knows. On a tangent, another isolated track education is listening to Karen Carpenter's singing on those familiar Carpenters hits. The vocals can slip by you a bit within the smooth production of the track. However, listening to her on isolated tracks shows what an absolutely amazing singer she was. The mixture of tone, control, precision, fluidity and emotional communication in her singing is astonishing . And she always considered voice as her "second" instrument after drums!

Pretty modest compared to a lot of the boards posted here but I'm now pretty settled on this as my board after popping the Bass Soul Food on there this week.. It's mostly used at church now, DI and amp free. So the VTDI is acting as an always on amp and speaker sim while the Bass Soul Food is just for adding a bit of hair to the sound and to smooth out/fatten the sound of the wah. The term and chorus is just to add a bit of texture now and again. All quite simple stuff. Tuner > OD > Wah > Tremolo > Chorus > Sansamp

They look pretty but what others say about fabric is true. I must admit my first thought was the jacks look cheap compared to Neutriks. You get what you pay for, I guess. Another vote for OBBM.

[quote name='barneyg42' timestamp='1490976462' post='3269575'] Likewise Dancing in the Moonlight!! [/quote] [quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1490980980' post='3269620'] I always used a flanger for that and got the sound spot on. They're kind of the same aren't they? [/quote] [quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1490983641' post='3269658'] Yes and no. They both feature multiple swept filter notches resulting from delaying the processed signal and mixing it with the original. However, in a flanger the delay time is the same for all frequencies, whereas in a phaser the delay time is frequency-dependent, so each frequency is delayed by a different amount. Hope that helps! [/quote] And there was me thinking that Alibi was a phaser but Dancing was a chorus. Listening back now it does sound more like a phaser. Much more pronounced effect on Alibi, though. http://youtu.be/VcrY6eSViXQ http://youtu.be/gJZDyqR4JuE

Another, more permanent solution would be to swap the TRS stereo jack on your bass for one of these... https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/jack-switchcraft-14-mono-2-conductor-double-open-circuit This doesn't rely on the sleeve of the jack making the circuit between the Ring and Sleeve connectors on the socket. Rather it's a physical make on a leaf type relay which is caused by pushing the jack into the socket. Works really effectively. This is the system that Wal basses use for their active circuits.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1490731821' post='3267540'] I was a big fan of both Steve Hackett & Steve Howe & like you thought a band with both of them in would be great. How very wrong I was. Absolutely bloody awful. [/quote] Yes, the album certainly hasn't aged well... he said being charitable... in the extreme... it hadn't aged well by about 1989! Mind you it was a cracking gig at the Manchester Apollo. And they had two support acts who were amazing... 20 mins of Steve on acoustic followed by 20 minutes of t'other Steve on acoustic.

I wondered about a G&L L2000 or a Lakland Skyline 44-01 for what's been described. Was impressed with the Lakland I tried on Friday. Still hate that Bridge, though...

A little bit of Mr Spaulding in action... http://youtu.be/qOujKHcwAW4

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1490648716' post='3266805'] Been watching all the re-runs of TOTP on BBC4 (they're up to 1983) and the man popped up in Mike Oldfield's band. I know him from GTR and Toyah. [/quote] Saw him live with both Toyah (Changeling tour - a very young Simon Phillips on drums too!) and with GTR. Top player! Never worked out why he's not more well known. Ith a mysthtewy, ith a mysthterwy...

The main line from this tune isn't so complicated but man, is it funky! http://youtu.be/FnH_zwVmiuE

I'll offer both The Chain (cliché I know but still) by Fleetwood Mac and Owner Of A Lonely Heart by Yes. Oh, and Walking On The Moon by the Police (cliché I know bit still...)

[quote name='lee650' timestamp='1490547317' post='3265868'] I've been thinking of getting the VT bass DI for low gain OD with a clean blend and EQ to replace the soul food. Would that be something worth considering? [/quote] [quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1490552092' post='3265911'] Definitely, it would be like upgrading your dinner from pedigree chum to fillet steak! [/quote] Hmm... so I'll have the Soul Food at the beginning of the signal chain and the VTDI right at the end... Chum for starters, fillet steak for mains then...!

[quote name='lee650' timestamp='1490545344' post='3265853'] The EHX soul food has the clean blend and low gain drive. I'm happy enough with mine,but I'm still looking for something that does the same thing only better 😁 [/quote] Ive been looking for exactly the same thing as the OP and searching online suggested that the EHX Bass Soul Food was the one to look at. I'm really just looking to add some very light break up on rockier tunes and to add a little OD into the Morley Dual Bass Wah. Always hated fuzzy OD and distortion so most OD pedals are ringing out for me. Popped into the Camden Guitar Guitar on Friday morning and took the chance to try now out. For me the blend knob is an absolute must. Similarly the fact that with everything on 11 the pedal is way too tame for many is also a huge bonus for me too. Really enjoyed trying it out with a nice Lackland and an amp set up similar to mine. So Friday was an NPD for me. Can't wait to get it on mypedalboard and trying it out in (very well managed and subtly controlled) anger!

[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1490272265' post='3263790'] They can and do all sound slightly different to my ear. I have owned quite a few They can range from very warm and woody to harsh and brittle. Depends what you like and what you are going for. The unmistakeable P sound is in ther tho. [/quote] [quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1490274234' post='3263818'] I can absolutely tell the difference between the Squire and the '75 here. Is one better than the other? No, they're simply different, the '75 had a bit more depth, bit more low end to my ears. Is someone going to hear the difference at a gig....through a PA....behind a band? Probably not. Really it depends which plays best in your hands. [/quote] [quote name='Dazed' timestamp='1490277023' post='3263863'] It's my humble opinion no two *insert model/brand here* of anything sound identical. Wood is an organic material and each piece is unique which will have some impact on its resonance and sound producing properties. Throw in electrics, strings, paint or finish, amp, build quality and then the player. That's a huge recipe of minor differences that all add up to a slightly varying end product. Now, how about a nice non Fender P? [/quote] [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1490277306' post='3263869'] So many variables, but essentially they will all sound like a Precision, as Tim says, subtle differences, but still Precision-like. The only one I`ve had that was radically different was a 78 ash/maple Precision. It was so aggressive, for the older Basschatters out there, the easiest way to describe it is it was like Rev Ian Paisley, it barked at you. [/quote] There are many who'd say "All basses sound the same, they just go 'Bom bom bom bom...', don't they?" Personally I'm with the guys above. A core tone with nuances caused by the innumerable variations in wood, construction, hardware and how they're played. Haven't we all had that guitar shop moment where we play three ostensibly identical basses of the same model hanging next to each other only to find one dog, one that's OK and one that sings to you. I'll leave the last word to Lozz though... http://youtu.be/Giu3-wVhAwU http://youtu.be/51F3S4NVLmQ http://basschat.co.uk/topic/238458-herts-bash-2-the-precision-test/page__view__findpost__p__2494670

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1490436095' post='3265103'] Luckily my hands don't get sweaty when gigging, which means I don't have to change my strings very often, or scrape muck off my fretboard. But my brother-in-law has toxic, acid dripping off his fingers. I let him play my bass for 5 mins and when I got it back the strings felt like they've been covered with a mix of treacle and sand.......disgusting! [/quote] My wife is the same. I went over to Elixirs on our acoustic guitars because it was just too dispiriting to change our strings, put nice shiny pros bronze strings on and watch as she picked it up, played one G chord and put the guitar down with dull brown marks across the strings in a perfect neck grab and G chord position...

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1490370477' post='3264701'] It is turgid, but for some reason, and I have no idea why, people seem to love it. So for that reason, I don't really complain about it. [/quote] As is Dakota. Dull dull dull... but the punters seem to go crazy for it. Never been able to get why.

[quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1490343789' post='3264380'] I'm not a brilliant musician. I can learn to play a song and I can play a set list well but I can't improvise well. I've tried to learn but maybe at 40+ I started a bit late. I had an audition. I asked for some sort of a set list so I could prepare myslf. I told the main man that I didn't do on the spot chord charts. The few songs that I'd even heard of (this guy played stuff from before even my time) turned out to be entirely different songs to the ones I'd learnt. We spoke on the phone several times and each time I stressed that I didn't do chord charts. I really don't know why I bothered turning up. Chord chart followed chord chart and it became more and more embarrassing for me and the other band members. We went for a pint afterwards but I didn't even bother asking about the chances of me getting a slot in the band. I really didn't want that burden. [/quote] Just as an off topic encouragement... learning to play (get along well enough) basic lines from a chord chart is actually a pretty straightforward skill to learn if you know how to approach it right. I don't ascribe to the "too old to learn" school of thought. A chord sheet is only a high level outline of the basic structure of the song with anchor points/way marks/guide posts. Have you learned any movable major/minor scales? If you learn the fingering shapes for major, minor, major pentatonic and minor pentatonic you have the building blocks for some easy baseline building. Know the root note of the scale and the notes on the frets on the neck and you can play those scales in any key or to any chord. Then it's straightforward to start applying the notes and scales to simple chord progressions. A good place to start is country rock ballads by bands like The Eagles. lying eyes, peaceful easy feeling, best of my love. Because the pace is medium paced, the chord changes aren't rapid and the chords are pretty straightforward. Download some chord charts for the songs and try playing along using just the roots a couple of times. That's just learning to follow the chart. Then start throwing in some melodies, lines and runs based on the scale for that particular chord, without necessarily trying to emulate the recorded bass line. You'll quickly start to see how the chord chart, scales and music fit together.