Russ

[quote name='jc_riffs' timestamp='1341762767' post='1723708'] Afternoon all. Just managed to get myself a Sei jazz 5 from a fellow basschatter. It has Kent Armstrong hand wound humbuckers on at the mo with east pre. Anyone got any suggestion on a suitable replacement pickup arrangement for these. Awesome bass already just after a different sound. Cheers Jc [/quote] My Sei Jazz fretless has Nordstrand MM & J pickups with a tweaked J-Retro (with MM frequencies) - the thing still astounds me with its sound. It's the best-sounding bass I own by a long shot. I'd recommend that setup to anyone.

Ol' Larry's building up quite the endorser list as of late, isn't he? I must admit, as a former user of the old Hartke gear, I wasn't a fan (sounded great, but I must have blown and replaced 6 aluminium 10" speakers over the years I had it) but I do like the more recent HyDrive stuff. They need to join the lightweight gang though... even Ampeg has now!

Great player - the late 90s and early 00s were a good time for rock and metal bass players, with Martinie, Katunich, etc showing what could be done. I think a lot of his tone is just the growly sound of a Thumb Bass, not a lot of processing to my ears, although his recorded tone changed after LD50 - it was more subby and less middy. Shame, the character of a Thumb's sound is in the mids. Maybe the producers wanted more sonic space for the guitars. Technique-wise, he owes a lot to Doug Wimbish, looks like he's stolen quite a few of his moves, but he does it very, very well.

I'm in - we'll be living back in the UK by then. Time to pop my bass bash cherry.

Endorsements are a two-way street - you get discounted (or occasionally free) gear, and the manufacturer gets publicity by having more visibility for their products. It has to be mutually beneficial. However, don't get tempted to endorse stuff you don't like, just because it might be free or cheap. A band I know scored themselves an ESP endorsement - the whole shebang, publicity, free guitars, everything. But the guys in the band actively disliked all the instruments they received (especially the bass player), so they muddled through for a while, but ended up having to give them all back. I had a short-lived endorsement with Warwick back around 2003, when MAD were running the show for Warwick in the UK. A lot of their higher-profile UK endorsers had dropped off the radar at the time (people like Stuart Zender, Glen Diani, etc) so they were looking for bands to do deals with. The band I was in at the time was doing fairly well (just put a CD out, played a big festival, done some touring, etc) so I approached them. They offered me a Streamer Jazzman 5-string at a serious discount, so I went for it. It was alright, but I just couldn't get along with it (it had that HUGE Warwick neck). So, in the end, I called it off, and sold the Streamer for pretty much what they cost in the shops, so I made a few quid on the deal too. I think it's unlikely that I'll ever be in a band again where the possibility of an endorsement might arise, but, even if I was, I'd probably give it a miss. At the end of the day, I'd rather play the gear I actually like, rather than gear that someone pays me (in kind) to like.

I'm a Sei guy (currently own 2, and have previously owned 2 others) and I love Martin's work and attention to detail. My singlecut 5-string has been my go-to bass for the past 9 years and hasn't missed a beat. It's actually got better with age too - the neck has settled, and the tone has, if anything, become growlier. Love it. I've also got to give mad props to Alan at ACG, Paul at Wal and Bernie at GB - they all make astonishingly good instruments and you won't go too far wrong with any of them.

[quote name='lxxwj' timestamp='1339695258' post='1692944'] -that guy in Korn -that guy in Avenged Sevefold -that guy in the Deftones (can't even hear him half the time) TL;DR pretty much every metal bassist besides the 2 from Tool.. [/quote] A7X's bass player is actually very good. It's just the band he's in that's s**t.

Ament, Trujillo, Grey and, to a lesser extent, Dirnt are excellent players. Not to everyone's taste, I'm sure, but worthy of a great deal of respect. Ament pretty much defined alternative rock bass in the 90s - who doesn't know the 12-string intro to "Jeremy" or the lovely fretless on "Oceans"? In that genre, he's almost peerless (with the exception of Eric Avery). And Trujillo... well, just watch this (back when he wasn't stuck playing regular 16th-note metal bass): [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob3buKk6ALc[/media]

Here's a video from Rick Wakeman's British Rock Ensemble, showing Lee doing his slappy thing (on a GB bass, no less) - there's a good close-up of him slappin' it good around the 1:50 mark: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbLMIQQUino[/media]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1339025516' post='1682739'] ... but it's all the same techniques as playing guitar not specifically bass guitar. [/quote] I'd say that slap (the thumb method, not the double bass method) is ostensibly a bass technique (although I've seen some guitarists appropriate it since, mostly acoustic players), and fingerstyle on bass is technically rather different to how it's done on guitar. It's also being done on a bigger instrument with thick strings, wider string spacing and a long scale length, which necessitates quite a different approach than someone might take on guitar. Although, obviously, both instruments are from the same family so some crossover is expected.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1339014371' post='1682548'] I thought you hated this discussion? [/quote] I've done a lot of things I hate. Several ex-girlfriends spring to mind.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1339014429' post='1682550'] I wouldn't deny that at all. I use a more classical guitar picking style for several pieces and I only play 5-string basses. What I am saying is that to get the best out of an instrument with more than 7 courses you need to be looking at techniques (both left and right hand) that are different to those most commonly used on 4 and 5 string basses. [/quote] There's some basic differences, mostly to do with muting and adapting to closer string spacing, but other than that, I can't think of any ERB-specific techniques that I've ever seen. It's all the same old fingerstyle, slap, tap, pick, etc as most people use on a bass with fewer strings. Some people might use a more classical guitar-influenced style, some might use more tapping, but it's all the same techniques.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1339012142' post='1682499'] Actually most players of these instruments seem to favour a technique that has more in common with classical guitar than traditional bass guitar. Most of the clips that get posted are of solo pieces. Anyone got some links to 9+ string being played in a band context? [/quote] The classical guitar-style technique that some ERB players use is equally applicable to players of lesser-endowed basses - I use it a lot for various things. It's one of a range of extended techniques that can be used on the bass, including slap, tapping, etc. These sorts of techniques tend to get used a lot on ERBs, mostly because the people who choose to play them are, almost by definition, more adventurous players. Nobody would call Matt Garrison any less of a bass player because he uses a classical guitar-derived thumb-and-fingers technique on the bass. I've also noticed a lot of players who use ERBs are readers - on a 7-string, you've got the entire range of a regular 4-string bass under your hand in fifth-fret position, which makes reading easier since there's no need to do big leaps up the fingerboard to get to the higher notes.

I hate these sorts of discussions. For me, it's pretty cut and dried. A 9-string bass is a bass because, a) it shares a very similar scale length and form factor with the regular bass guitar, b ) it's played with the same techniques, c) they feature similarly voiced electronics, and d) they're primarily played by bass players who have graduated from the 4-string instrument and are hence played with the sensibilities of a bass player.

I know Lee from years back, when he worked in Rockbottom in Croydon and played in a band called Moondigger (who actually sounded a lot like It Bites). He was stupidly talented even back then, 20-odd years back, and, as for his little bit of slapping with Grace Jones, this is a man who I've seen play Mr. Pink at double speed, left handed and upside down - it's something to behold. I'm glad he's gone on and done well - he deserves it. Local boy made good and all that.

Roland Handsonic + keyboard amp = awesome.

Been back and forth to the US with basses many times. Never had a problem. Then again, my cases are all a little roadworn, so they hardly look like new instruments! One thing to consider, if the Status is a headless, it might fit in a guitar gig bag, which means you should be able to take it into the cabin instead of checking it! Tom/thisnameistaken - We lived in NJ for quite some time, we're in PA now, and we're heading home to the UK in July. The US was fun for a while, but we've both had enough!

I saw a David King bass for sale in Notting Hill Music Exchange years ago - interesting beast. Nice wood, lots of clever carving, and it had a funky built-in tuner. They only wanted £600 for it too. Not really my thing though - not a fan of headless basses.

I've been wanting one of these for a while, but I heard about the reliability issues shortly after they came out. It's a shame to see they haven't resolved them yet. So I think I'm going to pony up the difference and get the SVT-7 instead.

[quote name='Immo' timestamp='1332071213' post='1582716'] Anyway, I like the computer games, it's not the way of wasting time (like: '[i]I really need to do something or I'll die of boredom[/i]' or something like that). I really enjoy it and see no problem with it as I usually go to bed on time. The fatigue and stress comes out of this unstable job situation. And that situation itself is another reason for me to quit - if within a month I'd had an job offer from the city located far away, I couldn't take it because of the band in which I don't feel good? Those guys dropped out of school to [i]play rock and roll[/i]. They're dedicated. I'm not. I'm not a complete wreck of a person I'm glad that the weather's changed and now we have a springtime in Poland - I can finally take my bike for a ride! [/quote] The games business is notorious for burning people out - I worked in it for about 5 years, and, despite the work being interesting and quite fulfilling, the hours required (especially when approaching the launch date - the dreaded "crunch") took its toll on me. I can't understand how people in the games business manage to have normal lives outside of work, since there's a huge amount of pressure to do 12+ hour days and to work weekends. Back then, I was young, free and single, and I can't imagine doing that job now that I'm married with a kid. It also leaves you no energy to put into anything else, especially something like music that requires time, effort and creativity. I'd say find a new job - the EU's a wonderful thing when it comes to jobhunting, since you can work anywhere. Take a look at http://www.change-job.com or http://jobs.next-gen.biz. There's always lots of games jobs in the UK. And you might score a job with one of the few games companies who believe in work/life balance, and you'll have enough creative energy left over for music!

Oh, and yes, I'm another lefty playing righty.

[quote name='paulconnolly' timestamp='1329853057' post='1548617'] Hey guys sorry for the thread revival but I saw Lee Pomeroy with Steve Hackett's band last night. A great gig and Mr. P. looked to be enjoying himself immensely especially on the old Genesis tracks. Great sound from the Rick too! [/quote] Lee's a real sucker for all that old prog stuff. His technique is astonishing - ever seen someone play Mr. Pink (faster than the original) upside down and the wrong way around?

[quote name='Austin7' timestamp='1328202542' post='1523628'] Your posts such as this one and the one that follows it are excellent. Anyone who wants to know what is really going on in the U.S. would do well to read carefully and consider what you've stated. [/quote] Thank you. It works both ways - many people in Britain have no idea how the healthcare system in the US really works. If they did, there'd be a hell of a lot less moaning about the NHS and there would be full-on riots happening over Lansley's reforms (although, with the amount of people who are against it now, seriously, this could end up being Cambot's poll tax). Also, hardly anybody I've ever spoken to here in the US has any idea about how medical systems work elsewhere. The range of reactions I've seen from Americans when I tell them about how the NHS works (no bills, no insurance payments, no co-pays, all prescriptions cost the same, subsidised dentistry and optometry, etc) range from disbelief and suspicion to outright hostility. So many people have been brainwashed about the so-called evils of "socialised medicine" through the likes of Fox News, even many of the more left-leaning of the people I know.