Burns-bass

There’s no tension between the two. You can have both, or neither. Often thise with incredible ability have no passion. Often those with limited ability have great contacts. There’s no point worrying about what could have been, just enjoy what is.

I’m not sure this is true. I understand the jazz language and what Jaco was doing, but I still think that later on in his career it was aimless plodding and pedestrian, and cliched too. When he was on fire it was magical, but too often you got the typical and cliched rapid fire Jaco licks. I guess it was the same with a lot of these incredibly talented guys who extinguished that creative flame (or threw too much fuel into the fire). His debut album is incredible, of that there is no doubt. The way he managed to make the electric bass a serious jazz instrument is important too.

There’s enough music out there for everyone... I’ve found elements I like in all genres and had my own jazz funk moment but I now find it interminable and in some cases unlistenable. But when Jaco plays tastefully it’s fantastic.

Was going to say the same thing. we use InDesign, but I appreciate he creative cloud is pretty expensive. Canva is a great little package if you’re looking for something simple, free and intuitive.

This thread has been really useful. Thanks everyone.

Will do. I’m not touting for work, but I’m more than happy to offer some advice and all that on branding and video stuff. I’m sure it’s not just me either with these skills, perhaps we could do a little guide?

The video thing is simple. My business (I won't plug it, as that's crass) would create a couple of edits (branded and unbranded) of the same video which you could use. In fact, most video production companies should, it's not particularly time-consuming to do. At the same time they should also be getting you some professional quality stills as well. One thing most bands do is focus on the product, when they should be focusing on the experience. A promo video should include feedback from those there, quick snippets from those involved, some nice pull quotes etc. You're there to make people happy so show happy people... Is your band branded well? When people spend lots of money on a band (or, more accurately what they consider is a lot of money) a good brand can really reassure them they're serious. It can be expensive (although doesn't need to be), but is a great investment that will pay off if it's done properly. Funnily enough I was speaking to an events manager who provides services for weddings yesterday, and we concluded that weddings (and business in general) is all about trust. The couple need to trust that the other person will turn up, naturally, but also that everything will come together on one day and create something special. Get the trust, you get the gig. Good luck. I love a wedding with a brilliant live band, long may they continue.

Oh, Cotswold Bass Guitars was (is?) a great place to get a reasonably priced vintage Fender. Website seems to be down, but before it went down it had the most incredible 65 LPB Fender Precision, which I wanted but couldn't afford at the time.

I know David (sort of) and there's always a deal to be done. He's also pretty fair with trade ins, although is very picky. Nice chap and very accommodating too.

Some really useful advice here, thanks. What Abersold books would you suggest checking out? A tip to accompany this is to use Real Player and programme chord changes in (unless they already are in there...), and practice 4 bar lines.

I will buy some of these books.

The second time you play the B, the note is slid into and slightly bent too. This is why when you hear pub bands that play it it can feel a bit too 'straight'. Never liked the band when I was a skinny indie boy wearing size 28 inch jeans. Now I'm fuller of waist I can reflect on it being a banging tune and an awful lot of fun to play. Fingering wise, I always used 4 - 1 - 4.

Where are you based?

I built my ultimate Jaco relic. a 1960 nitro finish jazz (absolutely smashed and previously owned by Fender expert Barry Matthews and played by John Entwistle) matched with a vintage Fender neck that had the fretboard replaced with a non-lined ebony board. All that was done for legendary session bassist Dave Markee. Added some Wizard pickups and it was amazing. Sold it for a little over £1000 I think. Still miss that.

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1509892168' post='3402346'] Slightly better bargain than this - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WEM-Watkins-original-Starfinder-4-x-12-Guitar-Cabinet-empty-like-Pink-Floyd/263288161825?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D49131%26meid%3D983b6f4e60844d5dba9b398b4f9bf886%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D362125211624&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851 - bloody hell, 1600 quid for an empty WEM cabinet, what is he smoking? [/quote] He’s delusional.

Congratulations! DB is just about the best thing. There are lots of things to consider. With an upright bass getting it set up and sounding good can be an expensive and time consuming business. There are three options: Buy a new one and hope it’s been set up well. Can work well, but it’s best to buy from a specialist. Buy a new one then pay a luthier to set it up for you. (Even better, buy one through the luthier) And, what I think is the best option, but a used one on here or from another forum that’s been set up, loved and invested in. I’ve done all 3 of these. Option 2 and 3 worked wonderfullly. When it comes to playing, I can’t offer much advice beyond getting a great teacher and checking out amazing resources like Discover Double Bass. String choice is really important too, but it’s worth checking out what you can before buying them. A new set of Spirocores is going to be 20% of your total budget for example.

[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1509762039' post='3401519'] the youth today have no sense of history, they know nothing about the past. They think Beiber invented music. [/quote] I think this is actually very far from the truth. In my youth we were part of musical tribes, ignoring anything that wasn’t cool. Now young people are much more able, and in my experience willing, to listen to and enjoy a wide variety of music. They’re not out there paying £300 for a new box set of Dark side of the moon.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1509778659' post='3401531'] It must be part of the collector's mentality to see additional value in hardware because of who owned it previously. I have no time for that. [/quote] It’s an interesting point. A few vintage Guitar dealers I know don’t mention previous owners or try and increase the price as a result of who has owned or used it in the past. Unless it’s an iconic guitar (or bass) one dealer quite righty said he can’t see why it should increase value. On the other hand, some of the London dealers will use every trick in the book to ramp up value, which is fair enough if it works.

Best was either a Yamaha SLB 100 which has simultaneously saved my bass playing and my marriage, or a brand new Bryant upright. That’s being worked on in December but I’m extremely excited at what it will become. Worst (this may be controversial) is an all original. amazing condition 64 Jazz. It’s so valuable it’s in the case and hidden away. Admittedly I do have some other valuable guitars on displays, but it’s a real shame as it plays amazingly and sounds divine.