SpondonBassed

[quote name='anzoid' timestamp='1504888806' post='3368125'] One from Fodera (http://www.fodera.com/imperial-mini-mg/ - Imperial Mini – MG): [/quote] I wonder if that drop tuner (E to B was quoted) takes a single ball end string. That would be useful in the real world where there is little choice in DBE low-B strings.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1504908368' post='3368308'] ...a custom designed individual string muting system - which Leo and mates brought over from the 60s Mustang bass... [/quote] I quite like that individual muting system in principle but I sometimes hear people [i]dissing[/i] it. One day I'll get to try it out.

[quote name='Mickeyboro' timestamp='1504715117' post='3366853'] If you are a semi-pro in a band with a former professional musician, how do you relate to them and vice versa? I ask as I have recently spent/wasted four months putting together a band with an ex-pro keyboardist whose musical abilities far outshine mine. I pushed him as the musical director, but he stubbornly refused to direct; instead, he'd spend hours on the phone moaning to me about the shortcomings of our bandmates, who were rotated in short order. We finally found people he could tolerate, though the complaints continued. Then the phonecalls stopped, and I now realise he was bending someone else's ear about me! Then came the email: 'It's not working, is it - everyone thinks so. I'm not the leader...' You can say that again. I now wish I'd tried to be more proactive in the rehearsal studio to fill the vacuum that so frustrated me. In future, I'll not be nearly as deferential. And I'll not be so available on the phone! Any parallel or more heartening tales? [/quote] Yes. I wasted two months. I asked the chap that runs a nearby Open Mic if I could record his set to practice with on my own and then be able to drop in at will on the quieter nights for practice. We arranged to meet at his. He assumed I wanted tuition and tried to impart a lot of stuff that was, frankly, a distraction from getting on with our aim. Okay. I can accept that I need tuition. It is quite different from wanting tuition though. I told him that I wasn't going to re-embark upon a training in classic notation but he could not grasp the concept at all. I went with it for a bit and learned a bit on the way and he started giving me exercises for home work! As tuition fees are dear and he was happy to take a mere twenty off me for two hours of his time I went along with it. One week I turned up at his for what had become the regular Thursday session and he'd bailed. Not in to a knock at the door. No answer or returned call on the 'phone. I suppose he finally got the message and binned the idea of me becoming some sort of student of his. I never got my recording. A pity. No great loss to me however and no-one fell out over it.

[quote name='Burns-bass' timestamp='1504899042' post='3368224'] If anyone is interested I interviewed Caroline Kaye about this stuff, but never published the article as I didn't get around to writing it. Anyway, can post the stuff somewhere of anyone is interested? Includes a load of her handwritten transcripts, contracts and stuff as well. [/quote] I'd read it if it were for free.

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1473066538' post='3126456'] ...I will never sell as it has so much of my time and effort invested in it... [/quote] The following would be for valuation purposes then? I'm curious as to whether you get the offered the asking price. [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1504897560' post='3368212'] This? [url="https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/1980-vantage-va-900b-twin-p-bass-neck-thru-18v-3-band-eq-/1265258068"]https://www.gumtree....-eq-/1265258068[/url] [/quote]

That's a beautiful instrument. I'm glad you posted because I rarely see anything about Vantage bass. I own one that I bought new near the end of Matsumoku's era (1986/7) but I am thinking it is a rare example today. Maybe it's not [i]cool[/i] or something. It's lovely to play so I don't care about cool. I'm trying to decide now whether I need a neck shim or whether I'll steal your idea to sink the bridge a little to allow me better action adjustment on my Pit Bull kit build. The truss rod and saddle adjustment are both max'd out and I still have about the highest action I have ever played. I always ran with low action before with my other basses but I am getting accustomed to the higher action gradually. Neck angle or bridge height modifications are tweaks I might do but I'm thinking of upgrading my neck at some point so I might leave it seeing as it currently plays well. I'm taking it out for the first time tomorrow to an Open Mic. We'll see. The maple on my neck does not have the straightest of grains so I need to observe the stability of it over a longer period before I know what, if anything, is needed. I am curious about your finish. You say you used Danish Oil but you seem to have got a high gloss. Did you use a polishing paste to finish? Danish usually gives me a satin texture. I use Teak Oil for gloss rather than Danish. You did right to reveal the laminated neck at the headstock. The overall look of the instrument is tied together well as a result. I'd have tried to get all brass/gold effect or all polished chrome hardware but I know that can lead to a large bill when it's all added up. Very nicely done chap.

Welcome to the forum Chris. There is some excellent knowledge available here even if you don't find a local tutor.

Nice. A bit like Nora Batty's stockings... Um.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1504875518' post='3367957'] Sure , but can you explain why a D on guitar is an E on sax , I'm ignorant? [/quote] Sorry. I can't. I was being flippant to cover for the fact that I am no wiser than you. Yours was a question that illustrates one of the reasons I don't get involved with notation by choice. Getting concise answers on notation is a bit like nailing jellies to a wall.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1504862716' post='3367813'] I know we are going off topic but the thing I've never understood is why the sax player is always saying his key is a tone higher than the guitar key ? [/quote] This is why the horn section [i]needs[/i] its own form of TAB. [Retires to a safe distance]

[quote name='geoham' timestamp='1504870287' post='3367885'] I've only had this for a couple of weeks - There's a bit of a correlation in that it's at its worst the day after a gig or rehearsal then gets better for a day or two afterwards. I know that speaking to a doctor would be best - I think I'll get something booked soon if this doesn't go away! Cheers, George [/quote] Best of luck.

[quote name='Steve Browning' timestamp='1504862077' post='3367806'] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/242967-south-east-bass-bash-no8-surrey-saturday-1st-november-2014/page__st__210"]http://basschat.co.u...4/page__st__210[/url] This was an excellent talk at the SE Bash in 2014. I've remembered all of the exercises but must confess I haven't A-framed for a while. Well worth a look. [/quote] You have to be vigilant when A-framing wearing your Y-fronts.

[quote name='The Jaywalker' timestamp='1504869618' post='3367882'] ...I will risk hellfire from all quarters by stating that George Martin had a fair bit of input with the Beatles bass parts (he was the arranger/MD after all) and i'm told (reliably) that he wrote the Penny Lane line. Doesnt affect the music or my enjoyment of it but some folks have the Beatles pedestal thing going on... [/quote] I have a pedestal in my garden that I've seen the occasional beetle on but despite that I am sure Maccer was receptive to GM's ideas. I think he says somewhere that the fabs learned a lot from George.

[quote name='only4' timestamp='1504869174' post='3367877'] Do we know how much musical input these legendary sessions musicians had on the bass lines they played? [/quote] Where would you get that sort of information from anyway? I'd love to know too.

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1504850987' post='3367716'] No apologies needed, provided you are over 60. We can get away with anything. [/quote] With the obvious exception of flatulence. Never trust a fart if you are over fifty, a wise Scot once said.

Indeed but don't let your cat chew on any of your brand new nylon strings as it will result in a breakage under tension.

Sometimes I will write a TAB, usually to represent my five strings because there aren't a lot of five string TABs out there. This helps me to find fretboard positions that work best for my ageing finger joints. It's dead easy to read and write. The best thing is that there is no baggage. All of the marks I make are relevant to me alone and there are no squiggly distractions. Blank stave sheets lend themselves entirely to this. Other times, I will rewrite a printed tab that accompanies notation in a book because it follows the notation thing of Codas and tiny little marks and symbols to tell you where to go back and how many times to play it before putting a different ending on it. In essence I am cutting out all of that illuminatiesque stuff that trips me up. I'll work out the piece and write it as it is intended to go from start to finish without the confusing short-cuts. More sheets, less confusing though. That's just me though isn't it...?

Okay Ambient. See what you've started now? We had a neutered female that behaved like a tom. She was sweet natured but quite dominant. She'd see off dogs and other larger cats if they were on her patch. The cute story? I got one of those chipped birthday cards once with the Stevie Wonder type "happy birthday" sample poorly digitised and full of aliasing. I opened it, it made noise then she woke promptly and began to stalk it. When I put it down for her to look at she prodded it and it opened just enough to start it making a noise. She immediately attacked it with her teeth! It was a determined attack on the bit of the card where the chip was concealed. I took it off her and kept it closed. She failed to kill the device inside the card but the puncture holes she made were all in a tight group where it was bonded in. I don't think anyone likes those cards really. I shall revisit this topic the next time I feel less fluffy and moist than required. Thanks for the OP.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1504803740' post='3367472'] If TAB is better than notation then please do feel do explain this. Also, why don't serious classical instrumentalists use it? On the other hand don't. I can't be arsed to read crap. [/quote] That's a little over the top if you'll excuse me for saying. I don't think anyone in the TAB supporter's camp suggested that TAB was better.

[quote name='geoham' timestamp='1504799121' post='3367432'] I've been having a bit of lower back pain recently, and suspect playing bass may be responsible. I've been gigging with my Lakland 55-01 recently. I don't know how much it weighs, but it's definitely heavier than both my Fenders. I took my Fender J to a rehearsal this week and will gig with it on Saturday just to see if it has any impact. (I've been gigging and rehearsing every week with the 55-01 for the past while) I love the bass, but I suspect it may have to go if I can rid myself of backache using my four string basses. I really hope this not to be the case, since I love this bass! So, to get to my point... is anyone aware of a modern, versitile, lightweight five string bass? I really quite missed the B string the other night! Another caveat is that I like the 35 inch scale and wide string spacing. (I realise I may be asking too much!) [/quote] Is it pain or a bad ache? Could it be your body adjusting to a slightly different posture with the recent change of bass? Sometimes a period of adjustment is required during which there may be discomfort. If it's actual pain, seek medical advice. It would seem unfair on yourself if you let go of the Lakland over a mere physical adjustment issue.

[quote name='Mickeyboro' timestamp='1504775924' post='3367188'] Is this something you do regularly, and if so how do you use it to improve the music? It follows on from my thread 'Playing with Pros'. The ex-pro I recently worked with recorded everything, then sent me the tracks over the internet. I found it interesting, but it led to more heat than light in the end. I'm just trying to work out if it's a concept I should try in the future, never having done it before. Views most welcome... [/quote] It's never been easier to record yourself. If you want studio quality it's something that you have to work at but still a lot easier than when I first did it. We recorded all of our jams and rehearsals in the mid eighties on four-track cassette. We regarded that as being so easy that it would be a waste of jam time if we didn't. Quality was not great but sufficient to work with. We then had a reference for discussions about improvements and changes in what we were playing. It was also useful for catching those golden moments when something unexpected but good happened in the session. Nowadays it's even easier to record so [i]why not[/i] do it? It can help you to focus on your practice time and make better use of it. I don't have a band now but I found it so easy to video myself with a 'phone cam that I often record what I'm working on and when I have a quiet moment I'll look for ways of improving my technique, stance, tone etc. Give it a go to see if you can get something out of it for yourself. It can only help if you have a project that requires you to exchange recordings further down the line.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1504799450' post='3367437'] Isn't the answer to this whole discussion simply, It's horses for courses" ? If what you do is play chord tones and, I guess, work with "shapes" in a covers band and it works that's cool. Again I guess if you work in a cruise-ship jazz band with the play list changing every night, or as a session player, and need to communicate scores with a sax player, I would imagine that would bring a demand for different skills. If what you do works for you, that's cool. [/quote] Very gracious of you. Heeheehee

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1504796060' post='3367397'] ...I've delivered music projects to those with Autism, or physical handicaps; I've presented clinics to staff members for using music as a communicative device and I've worked with sufferers of Dementia. We developed a program in conjunction with the education department of a very famous concert hall establishment. The latter not feeling like work, but a very emotional journey and understanding of the effects of a range of mental health diseases, which had a huge impact on me... [/quote] Very cool. The way music is tied to emotional response is why I've always needed it around me as a sort of regulator. Better than drugs.

Welcome Nelson. Nice basses.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1504723937' post='3366924'] She's a very determined Siamese. I do spend a very long time each day playing, I suppose I ought to spare her more time . She jumps up on to my desk, then steps on to my knee, from there she's able to get under the neck of the bass, then between to and me. She then starts howling at me until I relent and lie the bass down on my lap. Then she goes to sleep . [attachment=253029:20637977_746880238853573_7475737249451581024_n.jpg][attachment=253030:20914628_752131321661798_9147661950633448162_n.jpg] [/quote] Aw bless. Every cat I've had has been jealous of things that get my attention. They'd try and usurp my attention to the object in ways like you've described. I could never get annoyed by it even when it was a proper inconvenience sometimes. Yours has a lovely face.