chris_b

On the last recording I did I used my Lull PJ5+foam into an Aguilar TH500 into Logic Pro. The project didn't get past the basic tracks but the bass sounded very good.

I liked the band, and thought the drums and bass worked well together, although the bass had to stand back due to the intricate drum lines. I'd put that band in the "Good for my CV" category.

. . . . . . and I'd be listening to Percy Grainger, Russ Conway and Miki and Griff. They are on YouTube, if you want to see how close I came to musical beigeness! Thank goodness the Beatles came along and rescued us. Oh yes, and I'd have been an accountant (shudder!!), with apologies to those who didn't escape the accountancy net. When you have kids you are invaded by an alien race. My parents had no idea what had happened or was going on. My only advice is to make sure the kids have a very wide circle of friends. These will be the people who will be the main influence in their lives. To the OP, sorry, doesn't help much with the play list!

I seem to recall that Pete wasn't very well. It would have been easy for him to just walk away, so good on him to stay focussed on the integrity of the brand in those difficult times.

When my kids were 5 the theme tune for Dogtanian was a favourite, and Star Trekkin. I'd suggest sing-along tapes designed for that age group rather than trying to merge 2 totally different musical requirements. Even today, we all sing along to Star Trekkin if it comes on the radio.

I play with guitarist who is a mad keen PG fan. We regularly play Black Magic Woman, Long Grey Mare, Oh Well, Need Your Love So Bad, Green Manalishi and Albatross. God, how I hate Albatross!!

Is it one of the great sounding pre-CBS Precisions? The problem is you now own a bass which is an appreciating asset. Do you play it or put it away and watch the value increase day by day. I'd keep it safe and just take it out for special gigs.

We have a possible gig. It's a nice outdoors setting. A sit down and drink and eat in the sunshine Sunday afternoon and we get to the playing area from the road. SD is maintained and I'm relaxed about doing it. The nervousness is rising now because the band leader wants to rehearse. I'm still isolating and right now I'm not sure I want to be cooped up in a small room with a bunch of guys I haven't seen for 6 months. This might be my only gig for the rest of the year so I'd rather not cancel. . . . . . . . it's a dilemma.

This. I get that these basses are very special, but, as an ex owner of Wal mk2 and mk3 5 strings (bought second hand), when it comes to the gig they are just another bass. They have to feel right and sound right. They are a lot of money and a very long wait only to find out you really wanted something else. I'd buy a second hand Wal to work out what playing one on a regular basis is like. After 6 months you might change your mind about some important bits. Then look at your need to drop a small fortune on a new one.

I'll take your word for that (I haven't wasted my time trying to follow the bickering). These "xyz basses aren't worth the price tag" posts are pretty pointless. Mostly they are framed as questions when in reality they are just making statements about personal preferences. Why is the AC headstock any more ugly than any other bass? Is it? Doesn't bother me, it's just a shape. Fender headstocks aren't pretty, either. No one else can use Fender's, so pick a shape. As a Sadowsky and Mike Lull owner I can tell anyone, who hears with their eyes, that while these basses resemble Fenders they are not copies at all. They are made to a much higher spec than the originals they are based on, which adds an extra dimension to the way they play and the way they sound. Their success is what prompted Fender to cash in by setting up the Custom Shop, a move that actually copies manufacturers like Sadowsky, AC and many others. Arguing over how much anything costs is a waste of time. Why is a Ferrari more expensive than a Ford Focus when they do exactly the same job? The answer is, of course, they don't do the same job! Same with basses.

Very sad news. In various bands Peter Green was a major part of the sound track to my youth.

Having a famous Dad always generates interest, but you have to deliver or else the talking stops pretty quickly. From the little I've seen he looks like a good player.

Did you sound like him when he holds it?

Everyone has bad days. Thankfully I don't get mine rehashed every 10 years. How can anyone criticise bass manufacturers for making their own versions of Precision and Jazz basses. That's all most bloody bass players want to buy! Even Fender can't make anything else without having to discontinue it after a couple of years because no one is interested enough to buy it. Anyway, any bass that's good enough for Nate Watts and Paul Turner would be good enough for me.

In this case it's probably a design decision, but several years ago when Fodera started the BE+ADG system, the idea was to lengthen the B and E strings. I didn't follow the reasoning too closely but I believe it had something to do with string length and tension.

Ann Peebles, the amazing Tina Turner and Gladys Knight.

+1 for Mavis Staples, Also Bonnie Raitt and the amazing Aretha Franklin.

If the proposition is that musical training and knowledge restricts creative talent, that doesn't stack up. There are very few examples of musically uneducated creative types, who are successful, and everyone of those guys will have an association with one or more people with extensive musical knowledge, to fill in the gaps. Unless you can afford to hire a full time arranger, work at understanding your instrument and the ways in which you can improve playing it and you'll produce far better music than any uneducated "creative" types you're likely to meet. You can't teach real creativity but you can be creative if you know how your instrument and music works. Most musicians are nowhere near as "creative" as they like to believe and most know less about their instrument than they think.

Didn't hurt Mozart.

That would work. I'd put something between the case and the amp to protect the amp. Is 1U enough? What would you keep in the box?

I think that's the issue for me. So far I've found that cheaper basses are not light enough and light basses are not cheap enough. If this hypothetical bass isn't light enough I can't gig it and if it's not cheap enough I may as well stick with my current bass, which is what I'll probably end up doing. It's an interesting project though, so I'll keep looking.

I've heard of them, but have never seen one in the flesh. I'll add it to the list.

I have 3 restrictions; I want to stick with "Fender" style basses, they have to be 5 strings and I don't want to build my own basses. I'm still looking.

That's basically what I did. I had some lessons with Ian King. The first lessons in my life, and I just asked him to get me out of this rut. He explained different shapes, patterns, techniques and ideas and, after showing me these new options, gave me a list of songs that used this information to expand my abilities and creative thinking. I'm probably still in the rut, but it's a lot wider now and some days I can't even see the sides. I'll happily tackle stuff now that I would have left alone in the past. Ian took what I asked and turned it into a set of suggestions that made me make myself a better player. I'd never have done that with a book or sitting at home on my own.

I would be very interested in a Squier or Sire, but I spent a very unproductive morning in Anderton's checking their basses and they were all too heavy for me. I did the same (several times) at Guitar Guitar in Epsom. . . . same result, and some of them would have required upgrades in the sound department. I would like to release funds from my gear over the next few years, so this subject is of interest, but lower cost basses still have to compete for their place and right now, my current Jazz and P bass are a better fit, ie lighter and sound better. Those are my observations, yours may be different, but until I can find the right bass I'll have to stick with my current, more expensive, instruments.