chris_b

Certainly, in the US, unless you are at the Nathan East, Lee Sklar or the late Louis Johnson level you play what the client wants. Most of the top working session guys will get porterage to bring anything up to 6 basses to the studio. They will run through them and the client will choose. There are a lot of interviews with these players on youtube, and as a lot (most?) of the guys say, they'll usually end up on their late 50's, early 60's P bass with flats. A lot of the UK session guys will play Overwaters and Fenders. Ian King, for instance, plays 4 different basses on his show. Not because he wants to, but because that's what is written. If anyone in this thread thinks that bravado and "their" sound is of interest to the client, it's a good job none of you are trying to make a living in the pro session player world.

Depressing, isn't it!!!!!

Oh dear!!

Tell your friend to try to copy what Joe Dart plays. His own sound will emerge.

. . . . and don't forget Laskys.

I agree, it's not an equal comparison. My MM was maple board made in 1989. I thought he fb had an edge, but maybe my memory is playing tricks.

Go and look at the Scott Devine video I posted at the start and see what "properly" means.

Define "usual flaws" so that it's such not a meaningless term. My first 5 string bass was an MM SR5. I played it for about 4 years. It had a good punchy tone and no dead spots or "problems" that I recall. It was on the heavy side but my back problems hadn't started so I could deal with that. I didn't particularly like the fretboard, if I remember correctly, had sharp edges not rolled. I only sold it because a US Lakland 55-94 came up at a great price. Sorry MM fans, IMO the Lakland was in a different league.

Sorry, I thought you were talking about active cabs. Why would you worry about your amp? I don't see how anyone can mistreat an amp in a way that will damage it. Cabs, on the other hand, can be damaged by players not looking after them.

Unless there is a bypass I would expect the amp to be hard-wired into the driver.

It's a pretty good example of what I'm saying. He's using different techniques as appropriate. His fretting hand is moving all the time, and one thing he's not doing is stretching to reach any notes.

A new pre amp would change the OP's sound but any increase in volume would probably be marginal. It's time to upgrade.

You guys can come up with as many ways to get around developing a good technique as you like, but the best and most effective way of playing is to learn to do it properly. In the end bad habits slow you down, and unlearning bad habits is a pain! I don't know who is being held up as a top player, but all the top players I see are generally using effective and flexible techniques. If we are using driving analogies, my Dad always told me, when I was learning to drive, that you learn to do something properly first, then you adapt it.

Old school funk will pretty much consist of riffs and grooves. Jazz Funk will contain riffs and grooves but there will be more jamming and stretching out. What you do will depend on the rest of the band.

Another suggestion is don't anchor your thumb. Your thumb should not be fixed to any point at any time when you are playing. Your thumb is there to support your hand and fingers so it should be exactly where it needs to be. Move it for every note if you have to.

Yessssssss. . . . . !

I think the likes of Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Tiny Tim, get/got their fair share of detractors. I don't remember anyone being negative about Janis Joplin or Joni Mitchell's singing style. We are plagued by journalists who chose to highlight "quirky", "odd" and many other negative and irrelevant points when they write about female artists, but these "hacks" are not at the serious or intelligent end of the writing/interviewing scale.

The fretting hand of a bass payer will naturally have a wider span. Look at the span of both hands of a piano player and they will be similar.

There are a lot of youtube videos on this subject. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoEyh-1UkxM Check out Francis Rocco Prestia's technique. Not a stretch in sight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puY2_cRLMbQ Check out Steve Mackey for excellent economy of movement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzalUtqNhSg

Stretching is not the right way to play bass. Don't use one finger per fret until you are above the 8th fret at least. Use the 1,2,4 finger method. Don't stretch your fingers, just move your hand so that your fingers naturally fall over the fret yo want to play.

You buy a bass and it either works for you or it doesn't. If you bought the wrong thing, don't bother to hate it, sell it and make a better choice next time. The last mistake I made was to buy a Gibson EBO when I was 18. The sound didn't work for me at all. It was replaced by a Fender Precision which I still own.

There is an interview on Youtube where TT are saying when they decide to change the sound of the band they fire/replace someone. Even if Oteil and Tim's leaving was their own decision, TT went down in my estimation when I heard that. Still a good band. . . but. . .

For many years I had a great sounding 55-94, with the original Bartolini pickups and pre amp. You could dramatically improve the tone of your 55-02 by upgrading the pickups and/or preamp.

I saw that bass. Martin Kemp's JG with the leather scratch plate and the switch on the pickups. Maybe slightly before 2000. One of the best sounding basses I've ever heard. They wanted £1000 for it, which I thought was too much for me, as a 5 string player, to pay for a 4 string bass. Even one that good. It was gone by the next day. I mentioned it to Pete Stevens and it was bought by someone in South Wales, who had dropped it over to get Pete to look at it, on his way home. Pete thought that those basses sounded so much better because they were made before the switch to metric sized wire. The imperial size wire in the pickups made a difference to the windings and so to the sound.

This. . . I know nothing of KB's political leanings, and care even less, but if extreme political views puts you off you should also be boycotting anything made in China, Russia, the Middle East, the Far East and a lot of what is made in the US, Africa and South America. Doesn't leave much, does it? These people are actually doing nasty stuff rather than just talking about it. Most major companies are run by people you would never ask to tea, and as for politicians and presidents. . . . if you shot every dictator there would be 10 people fighting to take their place. Just appreciate good tunes. No matter where they come from.