Barking Spiders

So then people, friends come round to you gaff and see you bass sitting on its stand. They ask you to play something. Running off a Geddy Lee line probably won't do the job so what would you play, usually something most regular folk would probably know.

I saw some of this this on iplayer not long ago. To me it was utterly flat and lifeless. Never heard Laura Mvula before and won't be checking her out any time soon. Not impressed with this bloke Paul Buchnanan, half mumbling half sleeping

So of those peeps who love playing music there are those whose ambition is to crack it as a musician -but not necessarily to be a rock star - and those happy enough to have regular job while dabbling on the side. Speaking for myself I've never had that single mindedness needed to be a successful one and I've a low boredom threshold. I've not been here long, so who are the pros and who are hobbyists?

Yup, for about five months I saved up about £700 for a five stringer. Once I got the dosh I went to Bass Direct, Richards Guitars in Stratford and a few other places having seen some tasty looking bits of kit on their websites. After spending about three hours trying out a good dozen or so I gave up, realising I just don't like them mainly cos of the closeness of the strings making them harder to slap n pop and double thumb. Disappointing or what. The spent half the money on a Sterling SUB stringer instead. Much more satisfying.

Yup, I'd say that non-musician punters mostly want to hear familiar tunes they like and see a band with energy who entertain. Sound quality comes a distant third and fancy chops a long way back.

For me Mark King's the mutts nuts basswise. Adam Clayton's no worse than a million other root note merchants like the blokes in The Cult, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Status Quo, Manics, Saxon, Coldplay etc. The problem for them is to come up with interesting lines when the music they play is undemanding. And as for AC' s band mates none of them are any great shakes.

The main way I've taught myself bass is from listening to loads of disco tunes. I agree with all of the noms so far. Not sure if some would call this disco but anyway Forget Me Nots - Patrice Rushen [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2XhhuM9GZo"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2XhhuM9GZo[/url]

Ah but the thread title uses the word 'bassist' to also include upright and Chapman stick players, and not the word 'bass' which could include tuba, church organ, Bryn Terfel..

ha ha, I advise you to stay well clear of Ladbrokes. Not only far from not being single I've four kids to boot.

Saw the very fine Afro Celt Sound System at Folk At The Oak at Hatfield House a couple of weekends ago. They sure had a whole load of people on stage..but no bass player, although they've never really had apart from the odd guest spot on the albums. Instead they use bass programming and what with all sorts of drums, fiddles, pipes etc going on you didn't really notice ! This may be sacrilege here but are there any proper bands - not duos like The White Stripes, Black Keys etc - that managed just fine without one or could they've been much better with a bass player. The Doors first come to mind. Cant stand them meself and am not convinced the keyboard bass lines sufficiently compensated.

Cheers for your comments folks. At the weekend I went into a guitar shop and in looking for something with a beefy slap tone I played around with a few basses including an Indonesian made S.U.B with basswood body in natural finish. When slapped it packed one hell of a mighty thump and I was sold. Very nicely crafted and a high quality grain to the maple neck. Considering the low £319 price tag it's a steal. I'll still hold out for a decent used Stingray below £1k but they're hard to find.

Ha yes , single cut. Gotta be top of the fugly tree for me too. Eve though they play nice I can't get to love the fanned frets of Dingwalls. And as a rule I don't like the thick necks of 6+ stringers, and the shapes of the strap button parts on Warwicks, Pedullas and Mayones. As for all those Metal looks, no way Jose. Colour wise I only go for natural finishes, cherry and deeper blues. Best looker of all is the GB Rumour though I cant a photo up

As far as bass playing goes, funk is by far my fave genre - and Louis Johnson my fave player - and if I had dosh to fritter I'd shell out the £1.5k or so or so you'd expect to pay for an EBMM Stingray. So, as I haven't I'm weighing up the Sterling Ray 34 vs the S.U.B Ray4, the 34 being more than twice what you' d pay for the Ray 4. So, where does the 34 score so much more highly than the Ray 4? And while on the topic how much better is the real deal than the 34? cheers

Aye, that's what I was thinking when looking at ads recently on joinymyband. Nary a funk combo or dub collective to be found.

When I was younger I went down the ads road but nowt ever worked out. Finding the right band was more difficult than finding the right girl . I only now ever play with peeps I know,

I nipped into Bass Direct at the weekend and got me a Soundblox Orbital Modulator for £130. Not bad for a unit that gives you phase, flange, chorus and tremolo. Anyway, I had a good gander over all the high end basses and TBH I cant say I liked the look of the Pedullas, G & Ls, Mayones, Vigiers.... The nicest looking bit of kit was a Pavel Tzack fretless. Similar to an Alembic, my fave bass in terms of looks, it also had the sweetest tone. Sure, tone, playabilty etc are more important in terms of music making but if you want to have a bass on a stand in your home shouldn't it also look pretty?

Deffo one of my top ten all time fave players and between he and Pino the reason I took up fretless. While I could never quite get my ears round David Sylvian's sub Bowieisms, it was MK's bass that got me listening to Japan albums

The UK in the 80s was goldmine for great basslines.This is one of my faves, My Spine Is The Bassline played by ex Gang of Four-er Dave Allen. I've been trying to get that loose elastic tone but I'm still at a loss. Any ideas? [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrpzPKANbMA"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrpzPKANbMA[/url]

Sulk is one of the best bass albums I've ever heard. Also checkout the mental line to Skipping. Michael Dempsey had very distinctive style, Stuart Morrow in his New Model Army days being the only other player I've heard with a similar approach

Agree with Wham. Don't care for the music but the bassline on the awful Club Tropicana is excellent. Also of that time, Sade. The music is a snooze but there's nice fretless work on Smooth Operator and Paradise. I'm certainly no fan of Rush either but I do like basslines on New World Man, Fly By Night and The Big Money

Other than a friend's function band I stopped bothering with being in a gigging band, playing pubs, festival etc,long ago. Replying to musician wanted ads never worked for me. For me, it's most important I'm mates with other band members. I'm also much more into electronic stuff whereby a couple of you is enough.

Some more I'd briefly forgotten Paul Webb from Talk Talk -well tasty basslines across all the albums - check out Today from the debut album Horace Panter from The Specials- check out the first album esp Nite Club David Steele -The Beat and Fine Young Cannibals - check out Mirror In The Bathroom Mick Anker from the Blow Monkeys - anything from the debut album David Allen from Gang of Four and Shriekback - a great tone like no other I've heard My Spine Is The Bassline by Shriekback Paul Denman - Sade. Nice fretless work Derek Forbes - Simple Minds when they were good. New Gold Dream I chocka with cracking lines Big Tony Fisher - leader of the great Go-Go band Trouble Funk Neil Jason - top class sessioner and multi-instrumentalist. For me his best stuff was with jazz funkers The Brecker Brothers

These always come to mind when I see question Stuart Morrow on the first two New Model Army albums. Imagine a far more talented Peter Hook Deon Estus - made Wham's music half tolerable Michael Dempsey- ex Cure but it's his stuff with The Associates that's the biz esp on Sulk Julian Crampton - this bloke is seriously good. Check him out with jazzy soul funkers Incognito, Down To The Bone and Joey Negro's Sunburst Band. Also worked with M People, The Pasadenas, Paul Young Leigh Gorman - with Bow Wow Wow Armand Sabal Lecco and Bill Dickins - I can't abide jazz-fusion but make the effort to deal with it to hear these monster players

This is the nub. If I was properly minted I'd get an Alembic, Jaydee, Roscoe, MTD or Ken Smith. As I'm no Stanley Clarke I'd somehow feel 'wrong' owning such gear.

Another thread here prompted me to post this. I've never paid over £500 for a newbass. Come to think of it, make that £400. Stuff I've got includes an Aria Pro II Integra (about 20 years old), a Peavey Cirrus BXP, and Cort B4 fretted and fretless models. As I only play part-time in function bands I've never felt justified in having anything more expensive though I wouldn't say no to a Musicman Stingray if it came my way for a bargain. Thing is a bass at £1500 more than three times better than what I've got, if you get my drift? I know that most this price and more are handcrafted but does the price truly reflect greater quality?