silverfoxnik

[quote name='birdy' post='175131' date='Apr 12 2008, 12:56 PM']You guys just aren't trying hard enough :-) Steve[/quote] Well said Steve! We can't have lightweights around here - this is no place for the Bass equivalents of CND supporters.. It's Basschat + GAS or nothing, ok.. Isaac? Nick? Just want to get this straight... OK!

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='174584' date='Apr 11 2008, 02:52 PM']It's not raining here for once, so I thought I'd get the Quadruplets and camera out... I must admit, I still get warm and fuzzy when I look at them. Sad, innit?[/quote] Totally brilliant and like David, yes, I'm jealous! Do they and the Mesa all go up to No.11 (he said, resorting to childish banter to cover up extreme envy..)?

[quote name='matty589' post='174501' date='Apr 11 2008, 01:10 PM']The poster about Warwicks is spot-on, which is why I am glad most circuits have a pull-passive, I prefer both of mine bypassing the circuitry. Actually a high-quality full-range passive pickup in a balanced-sounding bass is best to my ears - If you have a good even hi-fi amp you can eq to suit and the eq from a good recording setup will be far more transparent than any onboard eq. In all the basses I have played and owned the active circuit seems to add headroom at the expense of purity and variety of sound. I think it is also worth mentioning that you can get a lot more of variety of tone with your hands! I recently read a Jonas Hellborg interview in Bass Player where he was talking about his signature bass and amp. He said that onboard eq never works because it runs on 9 or 18v batteries - nowhere near powerful enough to provide the headroom and frequency response of a good mains-powered eq. New strings, changed more often, also reduce the need to play with eq so much as well. One of my favourite players is Anthony Jackson, and his bass has one full-range passive pickup wired directly to the output jack. Nothing wrong with his tone! I just have to convince someone to build something similar for less than £10K [/quote] +1 I still think this all comes down to taste and style and that neither option is superior to the other. IMHO, some of the best records ever made with some of the best bass playing and bass sounds ever committed to tape will have been made with passive basses. But as I say, that's only in my opinion. On the other hand, some people really like Flea's tone or Mark King's tone for example, but neither does anything for me. When I'm gigging, I prefer to get the changes of tone I need from the way I strike the strings with my hands, rather than through using lots of e.q, either on-board the bass or in the amp. It works for me but I doubt it would for others.. And besides, when I DI into the band's PA, they always muck my sound up anyway

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='174181' date='Apr 10 2008, 10:06 PM']+1 is it possible with a collection like that to still have GAS?[/quote] Good point! Very nice collection of basses and IMHO, the P Bass and the Ray are true 'classics'...

[quote name='Astronomer' post='173730' date='Apr 10 2008, 10:23 AM']Money - Pink Floyd Sunshine Of My Love (think that's what it's called - dunno who did it) Super Freak - Rick James Sommat by Chic - can't remember what it's called I'm sure there's more.... [/quote] Super Freak is a brilliant song and a great bassline....

[quote name='Astronomer' post='173724' date='Apr 10 2008, 10:17 AM'][i]“I used to try all different kinds of bass playing, but you’re good at one thing. You find your level and settle into that and you’re happy with that. I used to try and learn slap bass, just to be a more all-round player. You drive yourself nuts, but eventually you stick to what you’re good at.”[/i] - Geezer Butler I've "played" bass on and off since I was 16, and it's always been a source of enjoyment and frustration in equal measure. Enjoyment because it can sound really awesome, and frustration because there's so much I can't do. I've never been happy or satisfied with my playing because I always think there's something more; I've always got to push for that something extra which remains elusively just beyond my grasp. Non-satisfaction with one's own abilities is a truly terrible thing. It leads to endless self-doubt, an overwhelming sense of worthlessness, and a constant questioning of "Why can't I do what [[i]insert hero's name here[/i]] can do?" This is something I've struggled with in all aspects of life, be it bass playing, motorcycling, astronomy/astrophysics, mathematics, photography, etc., and it has either caused or been a major contributory factor to several lengthy bouts of serious depression. Suffice to say I'm lucky to still be here. Then I read the above quote from Geezer Butler in Bass Guitar Magazine, Rock Special, Issue 34, and it was like a light went on. Why try to be like someone else? Why set goals which are never going to be achievable? Why set oneself up for failure and disappointment at every opportunity? In the context of bass guitar, yes I'm always trying to learn, and I hope that I can continue to learn something every day. But I no longer try to play like someone else. Now I try to play like me. All of a sudden - and I mean that I noticed a big difference in just a couple of days! - my playing is steadier, notes come easier, fills are more relaxed and "obvious", and I can lock it down like a... erm... locked down thing. On top of all that, my confidence is growing; slowly, but it's definitely there. I've never ever played with other musicians, but I can see in the next few months perhaps getting in touch with some local folks and making some noise. Just to see what it feels like. And all because of Geezer Butler. If it's good enough for him, one of the icons of my musical history, then sure as hell it's good enough for me! [/quote] Very honest post.. must have taken a bit of courage to do that! Not sure who said it but isn't the famous quotation: "know thyself" which pretty much sums it up and ties in with what you're saying...

[quote name='ahpook' post='173565' date='Apr 10 2008, 12:53 AM']our gig went amazingly well. our first gig...and we lost count of the number of people who came up to us after and told us how much they enjoyed it. got paid, got another gig off the back of it [b][size=4]and someone told me i was an amazing bass player[/size][/b] [/quote] That's priceless, that last bit! A good night then...

Here's a few more.. Fever - Peggy lee You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - Righteous Brothers Let's get It On - Marvin Gaye Good Times - Chic Billie Jean - Michael Jackson Go Wild In The Country - Bow Wow Wow Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood You're The One That I Want - from Grease Can't think of any more modern ones because I'm too much of an old g*t

[quote name='pete.young' post='172922' date='Apr 9 2008, 10:42 AM']If the live show was anything to go by, you might want to wait until next week! That was the worst line-up I've ever seen on Later, even worse than last weeks. I wouldn't want to listen to it more than once. Bring back Estelle![/quote] +1 It was dire wasn't it! I love Goldfrapp's first few albums, 'Felt Mountain' in particular, but they were very disappointing.. And the less said about The Kooks and their singer the better.. He's another one of the modern crop of 'indie stars' who's obviously been given a personality bypass the day he signed his recording contract! Totally uninspiring...

[quote name='Mike' post='172708' date='Apr 8 2008, 10:59 PM']More of the Smith - it's been well used! And the Jazz, when it had a J-retro in it: [/quote] They look even better close up!

[quote name='WalMan' post='172596' date='Apr 8 2008, 09:07 PM']....the source of much discussion too & from the bash We all need cunning plans now & then[/quote] True enough Al! Like.. How would I sneak in an SWR Triad past Mrs Silverfoxnik Plots within plots within plots.... If only I had something better to do with my life Nik

[quote name='Merton' post='171748' date='Apr 7 2008, 08:47 PM']Almost scuppered when the dude called me whilst I was with Nic. "Who was that? What are you arranging tomorrow - I thought you were doing band stuff?" Oh crap. "Er, yeah. Chris is a guy I met at the bassbash, he lives near Cengiz in Richmond [i]([b]editor's note:[/b] well, Tottenham is close on a galactic scale)[/i] and I'm going to pop round to his quickly after the band stuff. He's off to live in America you see, and he has very similar amp set up to me but I want to play on his nice P bass which he didn't take to the bash." "Oh I see. Why the f*8k does he want to live in America?" And as for the Sunday itself, well the snow almost ruined everything when a. Sophie wanted to throw snowballs at me all day and b. I couldn't get off Nic's driveway because of it being a steep slope towards the house. That was hairy. Then Chris told me the wrong house number so i was hammering on an empty house for half an hour before he came to find me. Fun fun. The cab is bloody great tho Oh, there are pics of the Crow's Nest gig on facebook btw [/quote] Hi Mert Sounds like it was a close call!! Glad to hear it had a happy ending though.. Seems as though you had to be at your most 'creative' to make it all come together.. Not even the crappy, unpredictable British weather can come between a determined bass player and new gear !! Will have to check out Facebook immediately

+1 They all look good but that 75 Jazz looks fantastic, as does the Ken Smith! You must be a very happy man...

+1 for Chic, Stevie Wonder and Sly & The Family Stone.. And for the Ian Dury mention because of Norman! Surprised no one's mentioned any of The Beatles albums yet for examples of McCartney's brilliant musicality, sometimes making a great song even better with beautiful, understated melodic bass playing.. And not forgetting 'Who's Next' for John Entwhistle 'School's Out' for some brilliant bass playing by Dennis Dunnaway There's some great 80's basslines on the Frankie Goes To Hollywood stuff too... Good thread this by the way

Cheers Guys! Good to meet you all and thanks for making the effort... Mert - I'm looking forward to hearing more about the cab story Hopefully, it all went well? Clauster - the 'toasting punter' was pretty good I thought! I love it when things like that happen at gigs... Nik

[quote name='thylacine23' post='170739' date='Apr 6 2008, 03:42 PM']Heres my fav lady, Maggy the magnum, plus assistants,[/quote] Fabulous looking bass! What does it sound like?