OutToPlayJazz

Last time I was at the Moo's pad in London, I played his two early S2000's. They really are fantastic basses to play. On the lookout for a really good one myself, or perhaps I'll wait for the reissue model...

I just took my 09 Am.Std Jazz on tour to Belgium for a week, mainly as it's the cheapest bass I own at the moment, but it performed amazingly. I was only using it passively through the bass cube as well, but it really sang out and was a pleasure to play. Again, bringing Sadowsky into the argument, when it's running through the Sadowsky outboard preamp, you have the ultimate hifi-jazz bass, but I was really impressed last week. Currently running on DR Marcus Miller FatBeam 40-100's. Highly recommended.

I've had the vintage modified maple affair & that was a really good bass, if lacking in a little output & sophistication in the hardware dept. But more recently I tried one of the newer Classic Vibe jazzes, in the white with tort guard. What a bass! Just plugged into a cheap Peavey combo, it just oozed "that" jazz sound - The one you've always looked for! Hardware is much improved on the CVJ as well. Go try one. Rich.

Haha! Cheers Grahame

Hi guys, back from an extended hiatus... Well, Todd's new custom KingBass Mk-II headless looks stunning, doesn't it?! Quite the creation. I know Rob's been building that one in his "spare" time as a bit of a prototype project. Can't wait to hear it in some soundclips. As for the original Streamline being "girly"... I love the one I have with the LED's - It's practically the last original shape one apart from Alex's. It's so good that I always play it over and in preference to my walnut S2-Classic - And that's saying something. Girly? I ask you... *Wanders off to kick something*...

Some nice gear there, but more to the point, it's a great marketing ploy by the store manager.

Sandberg California PM5 - The range topping "extreme" model is a stunner.

*Gives* Jake the BC "SUPER-TEACHER" medal! <GRIN> Well done, Jake - Seems you're making a big impact down there in the south

Last time I was sacked, it was for being too good - The band said they all felt musically incompetent against me - Sorry! But in your case I'd say you're better off without them - I liked the comment about "going onto the next level" - Where's that, then? Bigger social clubs?? You're better off without them!

The Matrix were basically the first headed Status basses - They all had the single block bridge and 2-band eq like the one in that video. I had a pupil who had one & it was a fantastic bass. The Empathy came later & used the first 3-band eq on a Status & used multi-laminate exotic hardwoods.

It's either an SII Matrix or an Eclipse Artist 5. I'm thinking more Eclipse, as the controls are in the wrong place for an SII.

As far as I know they're direct from Sadowsky only. I've never seen anyone advertising them here, but by all means correct me if I'm wrong, people

The new Gibson SG basses retail at about £900 new. So deduct what you will according to age and condition

lpasea has one on order - I'm sure she'd be happy to talk to you about it when she's had a chance to road test it

[quote]It would be wow! if I could play it. Four strings is about two too many for me[/quote] I'm sure I can find a lovely 4-string bass to swap for it!

The Classic Vibe Jazz is excellent. Buy a Sadowsky preamp/di pedal with a little of the money you save

[quote]Rich (and any other upright and electric bassist), what are your thoughts on the application of upright bass technique to electric bass? Mark[/quote] The use of upright technique on electric definitely works. As I was saying in an earlier post, the compact left hand (only spanning a tone or three frets) allows for greater flexibility, economy of movement & speed. Yes, there are times when the left hand expands to reach the 'next note', but below the 7th fret the 1-2-4 method of fingering works extremely well - The gaps between the frets are much larger at this end of the neck, anyway. It's common sense Above the 7th, I tend to revert to one finger per fret, which is almost exactly what would happen on a double bass (perhaps a little higher for the third finger & thumb position). Economy within the fingers is a good idea as well. I see a lot of people wasting a lot of energy by hopping from finger to finger, when they could be operating so much better by actually keeping fingers on - For instance, when playing a fourth finger note, try using all four fingers. And when you want to move from a first finger note to a fourth finger note, try just adding three fingers, instead of taking one finger off to replace it with another. This gives you one move as opposed to two! The other classic is when people take all their fingers off the board to change strings. Try keeping a finger (or fingers) in reserve on the previous string. It really does save a lot of energy. Rich.

Wow. Just wow!

I followed the other thread, mate. Looks great & I'm glad you really like it - Is it really better than your Sadowsky?

Sounds like every Precision I've heard or played. Why pay more?

The general pecking order is Affinity, Standard, Vintage Modified, Classic Vibe. Deluxe fits in there somewhere as well! For bass/£ equations, you've really got to look at the Affinity for true value, but for the price, those classic vibes can't be beaten. They trounce most MIM Fenders.

[quote name='7string' post='494176' date='May 21 2009, 01:00 PM']I think that there has to be a degree of latitude when applying double bass technique to bass guitar. The 1-2-4 technique in the lower registers might not suit everyone and could even be painful.[/quote] I really don't think you've thought this through, have you? Actually, playing 1-2-4 fingering in the lower registers is less likely to induce any form of pain compared with playing one finger per fret down there. When playing 1-2-4 fingering, the hand is only covering three frets and therefore much more compact and therefore expending less energy. Those who use the third finger below the 7th are risking RSI and tendon problems. Of course, this is all dependant on the position of the thumb, which should stay behind the neck, opposite the middle finger.

Many people misunderstand the idea of going to a teacher. Whether you go and get some lessons or do it yourself, the principal is that you'll only get out of things what you put into them. I teach people technique & reading, but at the end of the day, it's only 10% me (telling the pupil what to do & how to go about it) and 90% the pupil, who should be going away and developing the ideas I give them. If you go to a teacher and expect to be spoon fed, it's not going to work Someone mentioned that the bass isn't an orchestral instrument. Actually, if you approach it like it's close cousin, the double bass & use all the double bass techniques for the left hand, it gives you more flexibility, economy and speed. Rich.

Electro in Doncaster have had a couple of these in stock. They're actually really nice. They're imported by a guy in Liverpool who hand picks them & will add personalised logos to the headstock if you want. Yes, they do come with the case - All in all it's a great deal if you want a non-branded bass of nice quality, especially at TMK's price! I might go down and have a look at one during half term next week. I've been to the Music King before and they're really nice people. Rich.

Electro Music in Doncaster recently had a lovely custom made Warwick Corvette/Streamer (don't recall which!) 8-string recently. They may still have it. 01302 369999