radiophonic

If anyone said that to m, I'd assume they were an idiot, check that they were in fact serious and examine their behaviour for other warning signs I should avoid. Aside from the fact that the Yamaha is totally of the Fender lineage and a classic Fender colour and pretty nu-prog too, the player picks their own instrument. That's a quality bass. They should be pleased. I played in a band for years where the guitar player used BC Rich Warlock. It had a Ride the Lightning paint job too. We were not a thrash metal band. He'd bought it when he was totally into metal but his tastes had broadened. I always thought it was fugly but it was his call, it was a quality build, it sounded pretty much like any other 2 HB guitar with a locking trem. His choice. Ultimately it became part of who we were and how we looked. Metalhead pointy headstock guitarist with braids. ex-Hippy bass player with beard. Disco boy on drums. Nobody had any questions once we started playing.

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1487758888' post='3242444'] Haha, folk derived music in Nottingham? We must have played together surely? I'm on drums with Headsticks [/quote] I only joined in November so maybe before my time. I'm sure we'll cross paths at some point though.

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1487674415' post='3241658'] Yeh, I'll make sure the bassist uses his electric if we ever do another. It just seems a bit silly really. If they want acoustic acts, they should book them. The promoter actually asked us to do our usual thing but use an acoustic guitar just for appearances. Weird [/quote] Welcome to my life. It happens to us regularly because we play 'folk derived' music. Promoters assume that we can just unplug for their benefit, because they are too lazy to find an actual acoustic band (rare birds) but realise that yet another acoustic duo is boring as hell for the audience. I usually take a Fretless, but there's several songs that either don't work at all or are extremely hard to nail like this and it always feels like we're playing on someone else's terms. I never have a good time doing it and it usually gets me trawling through joinmyband the following morning. In the worst case, we were booked and then told (the day before) there's no amps allowed(!). Er. How's that going to work exactly? With the bass? (Can't you bring an acoustic?) or with any brass or reed player who will drown out every acoustic stringed instrument in the room? I didn't even bother showing up and the guitar player confirmed he was totally inaudible.

[quote name='SimonEdward' timestamp='1487627840' post='3241392'] Always first on my board is my OC-2 ~ after my tuner. next, the 'Flashback' delay by TC. I also like it because it does modulation with the delay turned off (2290 MOD pre-set) and finally, a looper because they're fun. I use the '360' by EXH ~ which comes with a knob you can turn to 11! [/quote] +1 for the Flashback. I have one on my board and its a keeper. The Tape delay setting is my main 'normal' delay sound thanks to the really dark repeats, but I really like the way you can ad-hoc a quite usable chorus pedal out of it.

Touch call. Probably John Entwistle, even though I pretty much hate the Who. I've gotta hand it to the bass player though. There's other players - JJ Burnell, Stuart Morrow, Hooky - but Entwistle's isolated 'Won't Get Fooled' Ox-Cam footage is what convinced me it was possible to get that kind of super aggressive in your face sound without using a pick and without losing the low end either. That really reinforced my decision to stick to finger style and ultimately ended up sounding the way I do, for good or bad. Interestingly, the last time I saw Morrow play (does he even still play?), he'd ditched the pick and was doing the 'typewriter' style.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1487672637' post='3241631'] 4. Song length and version. It's all very well asking beforehand which version the band has based their cover on, but sometimes they are not even aware that alternative versions and edits of the songs exist. Several times I found myself still playing one part of the song while the rest of the band had moved on to another, because they played a different version, to the one they thought they'd told me to learn. [/quote] Yup: Examples in my last ill advised covers band. 'I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down'. Me; Paul Young's 80s hit (i.e. with the monster synth bass part). Them: Anne Peebles. 'The Letter' - Me: Joe Cocker (with the awesome Leon Russell arrangement), them Eva Cassidy snoozeathon. They did Brown Eyed Girl too.

For now, I've picked up a secondhand Pike Vulcan. I like the blend options but I doubt I'll be turning the colour very far to the right. It gets its first live outing this weekend, so we'll see what all the fuss is about. I'm actually not convinced it's better than a Crayon paired with an LS2, but we'll see...

Compressor. If that were built in to the amp, a Phaser - esp if I'm fretless. I'm doing a fretless gig next week and I'll probably just take the comp and an MXR 90.

I think a lot of players have problems due to poor adjustment rather than the strap itself. About 25 years ago, I asked a guy to make me a strap, a simple wide piece of good quality leather, cut to the exact length for optimum playing comfort on my main (and still main) bass. Years of sweat, leather conditioner and weight have bent it to the shape of my body* and I still use it every time I play. I have never had back ache from playing since I've owned it - and I'm pretty slight build for a bass player. What's odd is that even compared to an off the shelf strap adjusted to the same length, it feels more comfortable and when playing my Jazz, I have to shorten a standard Fender strap to get it to feel right. I'm guessing the weight distribution and slippage are different. * admittedly, gaining a few pounds in middle age meant that it all went a bit Mark King for a while. I quite like that 'waistband' one Steve Albini uses -although that's more about not crashing your instrument into the mic stand.

And this lot. No bass player for the last couple of LPs though. The Ex just never settle down. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPWcf3U4oHs[/media]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1487333766' post='3239039'] Difficult to beat Hanoi Rocks, Tim, good call. Mike Monroes current material is also really good. [/quote] There's a name I haven't heard in a long while. I saw them live, supporting (unbelievably) Wishbone Ash (who had Trevor Bolder on Bass at the time). After the initial shock realisation that the singer was male, 95% of the audience just sat down with their backs to them. They lasted about 4 songs, which just goes to show.

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1487332441' post='3239017'] I was always a huge fan of the Monochrome Set with the great Andy Warren on bass... Shame they never made it big - they're still playing small pub venues! [MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jSqLJsDJgw[/MEDIA] [/quote] Great although some of it was lyrically rather 'dodgy'. I was pretty surprised to hear Mark Riley play Ici Les Enfants on 6Music last year.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1487330350' post='3238987'] Is this the "I can think of a more obscure band than you competition?" Apologies, couldnt resist. I loved The Saw Doctors back in the 90s and have seen them 6 or 7 times. Irish Folk/Punk. They still record and tour. If you want a great night out go and see them. [/quote] Judging by other threads on this site, its more the 'not everyone listens to the same half a dozen classic rock bands from the 70s' thread. A few from the 90s who failed to gain much traction at the time. Bark Psychosis [media] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsxhfYC3nWg [/media] Dark Star [media] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVNCgOBhjHk [/media] God Machine [media] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdpnmUxVaTo [/media] Everyone has heard of Slint by now, right? [media] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-o3l8uKloM [/media]

The main problem I have with flats is that they don't sound like rounds! In their own way they are fine and I really like the thumpy double bass type tone I can get, but swapping basses mid set (fretless) means a big change in sound. Even Cobalts - which are supposed to be bright - don't really cut it. I may have to suck it up and put rounds on the fretless. I should possibly get a cheaper fretless though. Not sure I want to carve up the Jazz.

[quote name='grahamd' timestamp='1487280730' post='3238676'] Cardiacs [media]http://youtu.be/sUNKO9QQ2Co[/media] [/quote] + Approx one million. Massive bonus that they decided to record this before Bic left the band. Also a big fan of Levitation / Dark Star (only one LP alas, but Bic, however briefly, finally got his own spotlight). Tremendous bass playing from Lawrence O'Keefe too.

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1487260035' post='3238459'] I wondered if I was being a bit harsh in my post above but on reflection, I stand by it! Even the little discussion here shows that the brand made it's name not only with quality, but also distinctive, quirky design and often multi-necked, coursed instruments. To genericise the brand like this isn't likely to do the name much good in the long run. Perhaps a 12/8 double neck wouldn't shift so many units, but if that's the goal there are plenty of ways to market A N Other brand of variations on a winning theme. Just seems a cynical use of a venerable brand with no nod to the spirit of it's history. The headstock isn't even in keeping, so it's just a name and a body shape with the usual tweaks to Fender design found across the board. *Edit* I don't even know why it irks me, really, but it does! [/quote] Although to be fair, I doubt they sold more double necks than Rickenbacker. Those were always pretty niche. I agree with the broader point though. Where's the 12 string Masquerader (take my money now)? That's what I want to know.

[quote name='njr911' timestamp='1487245487' post='3238306'] Yep, he was playing it at the Brudenell in Leeds when I saw them last year and it sounded immense. Made me want a TB but the prices are pretty exclusive. They are an amazing band though, I've seen them a few times since 1994 and they are really worth going to see on the rare times they tour. [/quote] To be fair, Bob does run 2 x 400W Crown mono power amps into 15" Dietz cabs, seemingly irrespective of the venue size. He claims it's all about headroom. I've stood directly in front of his rig at a few shows. It's a big sound.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1487201517' post='3238083'] Well, it's not very rock and roll is it. Depends what kind of cases though... I used to play in a band where the drummer turned up with his kit in bin bags. [/quote] Pretty sure I recall Neil Peart saying he showed up for his Rush audition with his drums in plastic trash cans. No wonder they thought he was 'nowhere near cool enough for this band' (Lifeson)

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1487234703' post='3238173'] ...mister benn quick change special effect... [/quote] That's so Prog. And I mean it in a good way. I'd love a Shergold 12 string. I have a Baldwin, so same lineage, but it's too fragile to gig regularly)

I see a couple of nice examples posted in the Shergold thread. Now [i]those [/i]were double necks... Best of all, one of these modular monsters: http://www.shergold.co.uk/beat77.html

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1487098948' post='3237110'] Radiophonic says: [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The Nate Mendel seems particularly pointless - just an annoying amount of fake damage that you only notice if you look a bit? I'd still have one, but I'd want the body sprayed black! [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]And thats what I have done. I was sick of the red colour, so I sprayed it satin black as I was looking for a black P bass. It sounds much better as well [/font][/color] [/quote] I just wish Fender would offer that neck profile as an option on other P-basses.

Didn't Mick Karn play one for years (pre-Wal)? I know that Bob from Shellac uses one and it sounds like thunder. The post-Hardcore/ post-Rock scene were big buyers of these and prices went sky high, so I'd definitely be looking at an EGC as an alternative. I think there's a waiting list though.

A Wal Mk 1 I had around 89/90. It was immaculate. It was too heavy even when I was young, but if I still had it I would be able to sell it for about 7 - 8 times what I got for it then!

It's odd. I'm super careful with my Jazz (flawless), although partly because I may sell it so don't want any dings, but ta the same time I know I will never truly love it until it has a few marks. The neck just looks too clean! I have 35 year old Stingray that even now is only lightly marked (owned from new) - a few dents to the bottom where I used to prop it up on a concrete floor without a stand, light scratches to the finish and no buckle rash (those oversize, long sleeve tee-shirts we wore in the 90s did have a function after all!). However, I'm not overly careful with it and would never think twice about gigging wherever. I've even had the same cut-to-length leather strap since 1991. It's like an old pair of shoes. I'd be quite happy buying a bass with a load of wear to it (there's a J/P hybrid in the classifieds with no paint to the bottom of the body and that wouldn't bother me at all if I had the money) but not a new bass with fake wear. That's like buying pre-ripped jeans. The Nate Mendel seems particularly pointless - just an annoying amount of fake damage that you only notice if you look a bit? I'd still have one, but I'd want the body sprayed black!

[quote name='ChunkyMunky' timestamp='1487022206' post='3236376'] Each to their own but definitely not a fan of it. A lot of it seems unnatural and aimed incorrectly for starters. On the upper horn, how is that even possible to do that naturally? [/quote] This guy managed it. http://iconicaxes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/rory-gallaghers-1961-fender-stratocaster.html