chris_b

I suspect you're right but the competition is greater in the London area.

Here's another. . . great Tim Drummond bass line.

Obviously electric bass was in use from 1935 onwards and well into general use before Macca picked one up. I'm reading Blue's comments to mean that Macca was the first bass player to put the bass lines up front as an integral part of the melody of the song. Which he was. PS Please don't mention Diamonds by Jet Harris. That's not the same thing!!

Then I think QJ is even more of an derrière. It's QJ's job to spend the time and make the effort get the best out of Ringo, not replace him because he wan't technically correct.

I've played in some crap bands over the years but I've never made myself gigless by quitting one with work in the diary. More than once I've had a band leader see me playing in a terrible band and offer me a gig in a better band, so keep gigging and plan the next step.

I'm not getting into the Beatles or Ringo argument, but if QJ hired Ringo to play drums then he should have understood more about Ringo's strengths and weaknesses. You hire a "Ringo Starr" because you want Ringo Starr. You don't want him playing like Steve Gadd, Ed Greene or even Ronnie Verrell, so if Ringo wasn't doing what QJ wanted on the track QJ should have hired the right guy in the first place. IMO that's a Quincy Jones fail. If you watch the Steely Dan film about the recording of Aja you'll see the cream of US session players being "dumped" because Walter and Donald thought they didn't suite the track.

I might be proved wrong but I don't think there is a sound difference between J pickups. The difference is size and its position on the bass. Even less chance of hearing a difference if you have have a pre amp or a pan pot to balance the signal between the two pickups. If they'll fit I would use them.

Have a listen to the wonderful Hutch Hutchinson playing a beautiful, sparse and effective bass line for Keb Mo. Also an example of a good bassist using sustain effectively. Also, how a 5 string bass should be played to enhance the song.

Put a good cushion on your chair.

This. You're on your way out when you start bad mouthing people you work with and for. Why hire QJ and have him spout his subjective and negative comments and crap all over your project right afterwards.

Fire the drummer. Replace him with someone good. Get the buzz back in the band with a new repertoire. If you can't do any of these things, find another band, then quit.

My basses are never left "lying around" so nobody sees them. It's not a hobby for me so I'm never in the situation of playing for or impressing "people" at home.

Bruno Mars could have been a star in any era. You think Marvin Gaye wasn't trying his hardest to be Jackie Wilson and Nat King Cole? In the past you could get a few bum notes, but at least they were singing. Now so many are auto-tuned we have no idea if they can sing or not.

Taking Overwater as an example, if your design goals are to produce a Precision or Jazz shaped bass then you need a unique head stock to differentiate your instrument from the others. If your bass has a unique body shape then the design of the headstock isn't as important. Overwater are a quality act and the headstocks look fine to me. They are recognisable at a distance, which is what they were designed to do.

Jeez! He's not going to sell many amps or cabs at those prices!!

Too late. . . he already is.

+1 I have some fantastic basses but the last thing I'd do would be to hang them on the wall! Dad's idea is the best and most sensible and most practical.

Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. As long as I can get a good sound out of it then, for me, any instrument is up for consideration. On the other hand, head stocks I don't rate are the Kubicki Factor 5, or the extended B string design that Fodera occasionally use and for practical reasons the nice looking angled back Gibson head stocks are a bad design. If the best sounding bass in the world was the ugliest and I could afford it, I'm sure I'd own at least one.

No one becomes mega successful in the entertainment business by accident or without ability and talent. You're doing that thing again. . . confusing what you like with what is good, or in this case a job well done.

Michael Jackson said the inspiration for Billie Jean was hearing the Hall and Oates song I Can't Go For That. That Ed Sheeran thing again!! Don't confuse what you like with what is good.

If you are under time pressure to learn a song, firstly decide if the part you're struggling over is important to the song or not. If it isn't then you can either work on what's troubling you or play something else in its place. If you're short on time, get the song in shape so that you can play it in the band. Then go back and look at what is stopping you from playing the bit you changed. It's a "hole" in your technique so work out why it's a problem. Is it speed, fingers, right hand, left hand? Fix it at your own pace and add it to the song when you are comfortable. Slow the line down and break it into smaller sections, even down to a bar, and when you understand it play slowly putting it all back together again. For immigrant Song, work out the framework but I doubt if JPJ played it the same every gig, so don't try to lean every note in the sections where he's jamming. As a starter just simplify it down to the basic feel, slow it down, then build up playing the root notes in tempo until you get used to playing it for 5 mins at that intensity. When you can do that start to extend and expand what you are playing.

Well if he ever retells those stories about us I'm tearing his page out of my address book.

+1

How close does it have to be? I've learnt stuff (from a link sent by the guitarist) then discovered that he had his own version!

The Bergantino website has a number for direct sales.