bnt

[quote name='bremen' post='197975' date='May 13 2008, 02:09 PM']No, if house earth isn't veryvery close to Earth earth, there's a problem.[/quote] Sure, that too - there's no contradiction there, nor am I contradicting other advice given here e.g. use a RCD. My point is that, assuming the wiring is good, the amp is probably at house earth (because of the extension), while the garden is at garden earth, and the two might be different. Yes, I know it's weird, but it happens! I'm not saying that IS the problem here, but if you check all the earthing in the house and the amp, and the shocks still happen, this will be a possible explanation. An earth leakage detector would trip, but an RCD might not, because it detects whether there's leakage from the live wires, and in that case there isn't any. In an outdoor stage situation, everything needs to be grounded e.g. read [url="http://www.ratsound.com/cblog/archives/282-Day-402-June-29th-Munich-Show-Day-All-things-Are-Inter-Connected-or-Sometimes-Not-Part-2.html"]this[/url] for an example of when even grounding the stage and the generators wasn't enough, and a creative solution was needed.

[quote name='markyboy2106' post='197977' date='May 13 2008, 02:10 PM']To what extent does that added neck length impact on the body shape - I'd never thought of it that way before?[/quote] I'm assuming that you'd want access to those extra 4 frets, if so the cutaway will be longer, and/or the neck sit further out from the body, or other subtle shape changes. I'm not entirely sure, since I'm not one of those purists either!

The fact that you're out in the garden on an extension may also have something to do with it. Even if the bass is properly earthed, via the amp, well... it's a bit odd to explain but, basically, Earth is not necessarily Earth. The Earth point in your house might be at a different potential to the Earth you're sitting on in the garden, depending on e.g. power lines running nearby. Touching the house Earth to the local Earth could lead to a shock. If you have a multimeter, and you've verified that the amp and extensions are earthed (as noted by others), try measuring the AC voltage between the strings and the chair or ground. . But, I thought strings did not need to be earthed in an active bass? I know EMG tell you [b]not[/b] to re-attach the bridge earth wire when upgrading to their active pickups. If you were running an extension out to a shed, for example, you'd want to have a physical earth point in the ground under the shed, and not rely on the house earth...

That Fender looks similar to what Sadowsky does, or [url="http://www.mikelull.com/"]Mike Lull[/url]: I suppose a purist might object to the change in shape that the extra frets mandate.

This thread has been confusing me a little, because this "new technique" look a lot like the way I've been playing for 20 years now. My first good bass, the Hohner B2V, is a 5-string with pickups that are nearly flush with the body, and I could never rest my thumb on them. So I rested my thumb on the B string, and moved my hand to reach the higher strings. Now I have that bass tuned EADGC, and the Tune 4-string with the very long J-style pickups. When I bought that last year, there was a comment from someone here that those pickups would be a problem because they wouldn't make good thumbrests, but I didn't get it, because I haven't been resting my thumb on the pickups all along. I've just had a closer look at what I'm doing, and seem to be mixing it up: I'll stretch my fingers up 1, 2 or occasionally 3 strings for the odd note, without the thumb moving. However, if I'm staying on the higher strings, it moves up, not necessarily straight away, but sometimes at the same time as a position change on the fretting hand. The idea that some folks are keeping their fingers on the pickup/rest/ramp at all times, and stretching their fingers to reach every string, is just weird! Here's Gary Willis explaining what he does: he thinks it's a bad idea, because it leads to playing with a bent wrist, and could lead to tendon problems. In the examples, he seems to be using a floating thumb too. Edit: am I mis-interpreting what "floating thumb" means? My thumb hooks to a specific string as I move it, but I wouldn't have thought of calling it "anchored", since I don't put force on it when playing. It's a reference point for my hand position, which assists with muting too. If Todd meant that his thumb just rests on the strings, not using them as a reference, then that's something I fail to see the point of. In Todd's video that's how it looks, thumb flat: IMHO that's going a bit too far, and I prefer what Gary was doing: the ergonomic benefits from the straight wrist are there too.

[quote name='woodenshirt' post='179520' date='Apr 18 2008, 09:26 AM']2. Really long fingers - the span from tip of thumb to tip of little finger is 24cm (17cm from Index to little), so I don't really need me pinky.[/quote] Never thought to measure my hands that way before, so I got the ruler out: I'm about 1cm less than you on both measurements without stretching. Still use the pinkie a lot, though.

[quote name='ironside1966' post='195651' date='May 9 2008, 07:41 PM']a link for Joe Hubbard at Talkbass [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=346266"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=346266[/url][/quote] Thanks! Inneresting to see that he has some nice things to say about another musical hero of mine, Bill Nelson, whom I definitely recommend looking in to if you like the Weird Stuff. This is not very bass-intensive, but it's still 80s Weird: [i]Do You Dream In Colour?[/i]

[quote name='blamelouis' post='118658' date='Jan 11 2008, 05:29 PM']You should read Numans book ,slags off joe hubbard big time! Pino also took lessons off Joe Hubbard who is now a martial arts coach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :wacko: [url="http://www.p2c2e.freeserve.co.uk/sfcukx/sfcukx.html"]http://www.p2c2e.freeserve.co.uk/sfcukx/sfcukx.html[/url][/quote] Jings! It's him, alright, with no mention of music anywhere. When I saw him live around 1992, he was very handy on a Peavey 6-string, in a Fusion stylee. I dug out his [i]Vanishing Point[/i] a few months ago, reminded me a little of Jimmy Haslip or John Patitucci, if not as polished.

[quote name='Leowasright' post='193211' date='May 6 2008, 07:20 PM']Surely you want a bass made by the firm that essentially invented the electic bass????????? [/quote] Surely you want a car made by the firm that essentially invented the car????????? However, if you buy a Mercedes-Benz today, about all it has in common with the 1886 original is that it has 4 wheels. Being the first shouldn't mean that you can just sit on your laurels and replicate past glories, which is all that Fender seems to do these days.

I have no idea whether I'm really a bass snob or not, because budget has always been a major factor. I suppose [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=18385"]my Tune[/url] is an "aspirational" instrument, since it's a cheaper copy of an expensive Japanese instrument, and I only jumped on it because it was going for half RRP (about £300). There seems to be a whole "guitar ladder" thing associated with Fenders, from Squier, through Korea, Mexico, Japan, to the USA. (I can't remember whether Japan is rated higher than Mexico these days - is it?)

Beautiful bass, and I wouldn't mind trying one out some time. Those knobs would bug me, though, my Tune had similar collet knobs, and I couldn't wait to replace them.

[quote name='mgauction' post='191994' date='May 5 2008, 02:11 AM']Damn! How do I get one of those?[/quote] Nothing on t'Bay at the mo, you could set up a watchdog. I can't help since I played the BX-5 in a shop in 1990... in Johannesburg.

I saw them here in Dublin back in 2000, an amazing gig, with Tim climbing up the walls of the Olympia Theatre. They didn't play Lullaby, though, and now I know they're doing it again, I'm doubly gutted I didn't get to see them recently:

I've been wondering about one of these too, so the [url="http://www.markbass.it/press.php?lingua=en&leggi=108"]review[/url] in Bass Guitar magazine looks encouraging. I like the idea of the basic controls, and I don't need 3-band EQ on the amp, when I have it on my bass already.

I'm reminded of an American joke I heard a while ago, which goes something like this: "This is George Washington's axe. The handle has been replaced five times, and the head has been replaced twice, but it's the real deal!"

Yep - Jim Glennie is one of my unsung bass heroes. I thoroughly recommend James' [i]Seven[/i], [i]Laid[/i], [i]Whiplash[/i] and [i]Millionaires[/i] to anyone who'll listen. Is he still playing that EBMM Sterling? edit: yes he is.

Can I undo my vote? I thought this was about [i]pickups[/i], so I voted both. If it's the whole bass you mean, I vote neither - I am a Fender-free zone.

[quote name='geilerbass' post='189600' date='May 1 2008, 11:37 AM']+1 to all this. Simone (I assume it's the same person I'm thinking of) was actually very friendly and helpful[/quote] Ah - that clears up some of the mystery for me. I've only been there a couple of times this decade, and barely recognised the shop you're all describing. Last time I was allowed to browse and try out a Peavey Cirrus without any annoyances.

[quote name='ashgeezer' post='189313' date='Apr 30 2008, 10:28 PM']Anyone know where to get a wiring diagram for a p/j pickup configuration as i"m doing a project and i fancy having a bash myself.[/quote] The pickup manufacturer is usually the first stop, otherwise: [url="http://www.guitarelectronics.com/"]http://www.guitarelectronics.com/[/url] has pretty much every type.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='188657' date='Apr 30 2008, 09:57 AM']On the other hand I keep thinking it might be a Yamaha - why?[/quote] The BX-1 is why: Those inlays are non-standard, of course. There was also a BX-5 (5-string). I wanted one when they came out.

[quote name='bremen' post='188886' date='Apr 30 2008, 03:19 PM']Did you get the Hohners because they're easy to carry on a bike? That's why I got mine :-)[/quote] I got the first partly because I couldn't afford an genuine Steinberger, partly because I wanted a 5-string. When I got the second, the one I restored to fretless (after someone fretted it), I was living in London, so public transport was my way around, . Both fit in the rifle case I used then.

For years I got by with the two Hohner headless basses, the fretless and the 5-string, which both date from the 80s. The Stick purchase in 2000 was a clear-cut case of biting off more than I could chew, and I finally sold it last month. Last year I felt that there was a good chance I would be gigging again, and could use something more modern-yet-normal, hence the Tune. Now all I need is an amp, and a car to transport it and 3 basses in, and a license that would allow me to drive a car, and lessons on how to drive...

[quote name='Phaedrus' post='188520' date='Apr 29 2008, 11:06 PM']Isn't it interesting that the ony Tune users on BC (AFAIK) are both in Dublin?[/quote] What's weird is that the only place I've actually seen them on sale is here: Walton's, a.k.a. the SX Emporium... and I bought mine from Germany. Walton's want(ed) over €800 for a TWB43, while mine was €420 + shipping.

I think there's a bit of confusion about what is meant by "overrated". To me it means a bassist that is rated, [b]by others[/b], more highly than [b]I think[/b] is justified. It doesn't mean that the bassist is bad, or that other people are delusional in rating him/her as they do, it's a difference of opinion. To use the Jaco example: I rate him very highly indeed. Just nowhere near as highly as e.g the editorial staff of Bass Player magazine, as evidenced by the way they treated the finding of his lost "Bass of Doom". He's a big name that sells magazines, after all. A counter-example is Geddy Lee, who I rate very highly for his bass playing, which is [i]broadly[/i] in line with the consensus here. However, I think he's underrated for other skills: singing, and his melody and arrangement skills, without which Rush would sound like just another Rock band. If that wasn't clear before, his solo album [i]My Favorite Headache[/i] cleared that mystery up. Now, if someone here turns it around and says "he's overrated"... it don't change a thing.