chris_b

BB, good move.

Send it back to Paul Herman? I took mine to Charlie Chandler and he immediately passed it to Paul. The easier answer is. . . . stop digging in!

From 62 to 74 and Stax and Atlantic was my real Golden Age. But every year has great bass playing and the last 20 years contains some of the best bass playing yet.

The best stand for a combo is an extension cab.

I think you can get a better sound by buying a Sadowsky outboard preamp. Probably cost less as well.

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1472772718' post='3124230'] if I want that sound, what;s the best way to do it? [/quote] Sit in a darkened room until you feel normal again?

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1472749480' post='3123921'] The only Jazz I've ever owned that I got on with was a Overwater custom - [/quote] The Overwater J's sound very, very good but they all seem to be on the heavy side (around 10lbs to 12lbs on their website) so, sadly, I'll never own one.

The F1 was my least favourite amp of the last 20 years. I didn't like the tone at any volume. I got what the OP is describing with Bergs and Aguilar GS112's. I'd checkout the amp. Can you try the cab with a different amp?

For me the BB2 has too much low end. I had one and sold it. I replaced it with 2 SC's and they are just right. With a synth I'd imagine that you could use a cab that will reproduce higher frequencies? Maybe put a Super Midget on top of one of your SC's.

[quote name='civilian_project' timestamp='1472681813' post='3123336'] who does everybody believe makes the best jazz bass? I'm talking£1000-£2000 Mark New or used. [/quote] I would suggest any Mike Lull or Lakland and always buy used. My experience of these basses is very positive but I couldn't decide which is best, or if are they better than other basses in this class of instrument. At this price point you're looking at different flavours of great and personal preference would be the only deciding factor. "The jazz debate"? For me there isn't much to discuss. Since 2003 my main bass has been an active US Lakland 55-94 and it's been joined, for the last 4 years, by a passive Lull PJ5. I've bought a couple of other basses in that time (Fender Jazz and Rob Allen) and while they are good they've never made it out to more than a handful of gigs because of the competition. I've been checking out Sadowsky Jazz basses lately but it is more than likely that my next bass (if there ever is another) will be a Lull or Lakland.

I swapped the bass and guitar over in the interval on one gig. I was in the corner and it sounded terrible. The guitarist was fine, which was fortunate. I came back to that gig a couple of years later and went into the corner again. This time the sound was fine. The difference. . . . Bergantino cabs. They seem to attenuate the bass response and always worked well on difficult or boomy stages.

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1472640028' post='3122795'] Is anyone bringing a 5-string Sadowsky, NYC or Metro? I have a yearning to try one. [/quote] I'll be second in the queue.

In the pro world image is everything in many genres. I know a bass player who was fired because the new manager thought he was too ugly and a guitarist who was fired because he was "too fat". The bass player had character and the guitarist did wobble a bit in the solo's. Both were fantastic players but they failed the physical. It has been like this since forever.

All I'd say is, don't bother about "collections". One great bass will cost the same as several good basses, but will play and sound much, much better. For me it would be a toss up between a P bass, a Jazz bass and a Lakland. I'd try Fenders but I'd also be looking at all the other makes on the market and I'd be tracking the BC classifieds, because you'll get a much better deal on a better bass. Don't worry about small hands/big necks. If your technique is good then you don't have to worry about this. I would definitely check out 5 string basses and I'd leave fretless for another day.

I'm in the house band for a jam, so I hear my rig from out in the room every time. It does help to affirm (or not) my gear buying choices. Also I've seen cheap basses sound better than expensive basses, very good but busy players overplaying and not sounding as good as average simple players, and I'm always surprised how many players come to a jam and actually don't listen to what's going on around them. But the bass gear always sounds good.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1472551532' post='3121976'] FWIW, you'll not find me knocking Lakland. I've got a lot of respect for them. [/quote] I'm not pointing a finger at anyone. [quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1472551962' post='3121980'] Does anybody know if Dan has had any luck gaining a similar sort of success with D Lakin basses? [/quote] With Lakland Dan Lakin created a gap and filled it with a great product. He also had Hugh McFarland designing the basses. Two things he doesn't have now. He would probably disagree, but it seems D Lakin basses are more of a hobby for him.

I play in bands that have a band leader. A guy who has his vision and wants to lead and run his own band. Very few of them are dictatorial to the point that you can't make suggestions but somebody else does have a veto and will make the final decision. That's fine, if they can produce the goods, which is a good set, a conveyor belt of good gigs and an audience. Most of the guys I play with do all of that. I'm good at what I do, but I'm not a hustler, I need someone else to do that but they need guys like me to do what I do. The bands I play with are not a bunch of mates having fun, but we are all playing good music with good people and we're gigging and earning. All important ingredients for me as a bass player. Getting back on topic. . . . you could probably put together an ad for what I do that would be equally as prescriptive as the ones Bub5 is complaining about.

Lakland is a small operation punching way above their weight. I believe they make some 300 US basses a year and about 3000 Skylines. They have a positive reputation because they make good basses. Good to the point that top players in various genres choose to play them. It's been a few years since we had a Lakland knocking thread. . . . so one was due.

Bother. . . !

Hey Lozz.. . . . . I hope you're bringing this rig to the S E Bass Bash? Please.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1472467868' post='3121263'] A lot of time, people give up on 5s because they have the wrong mindset from the start. We tend to think too much, instead of just letting go and playing, we're looking at the bass as a 4 string with an extra string. It's not that, it's a 5 string. I play most of my lines starting at the 5th fret on the B string, so that's my low E note, low F I would play at the 6th fret etc. Bb at the 1st fret on the A string I'd play at the 6th fret on the E string. If I have to play anything high up on the G string, then it's all there under my fingers. Scale length in my opinion makes little or no difference. I gave up on 4 string basses about 20 years ago, I've since played a myriad of basses, some 34", some 35", even a friends 33" scale 6 string. Again we're thinking too much about the instrument. It just requires a slight alteration of finger pressure to adjust across the strings. One of my students has an Ibanez 6 string that cost him something like £500 brand new, it's an amazing instrument, cost doesn't really factor in to it too much. A well designed bass is just that. Ibanez and Yamaha make some amazing 'budget' instruments. We tend to be quite lazy, and also tend to play patterns, get away from playing patterns, and play notes. Know what the notes are in the lines you're playing. I bought my first 5 string on one Saturday, and used it the following Friday. I'd mentally bought it weeks previously, and had just visualised playing lines on it. It made the whole process a lot easier. Plus I was playing notes on it, not just patterns. [/quote] I wish we had a like button. This is exactly right.

I hope you all did the dance moves.

The only time I've played with an electronic kit the player didn't have proper monitoring and I was straining to hear him from the PA speakers. That was a very poor stage sound. It's left me with an ambivalence towards electric drum kits. This is one of those "if it ain't broke. . . . " subjects for me. I love the physicality of a well played traditional kit right beside me. I used to play with a very loud guitarist who insisted that my amp was equally loud. I used 6 10's and had FOH in that band. I was happy with a level coming back through the monitors, but he wanted to [i]feel[/i] the bass behind him. I've just done my first gig with the drummer to the side of the stage facing me and now I get it. The feel (the Oomph) of the bass drum pointing right at me gave a huge boost to my playing.