chris_b

IMO quieter is better, but most bands are too loud. I'm too loud, but I play loudly in loud bands and the venue's hardly ever tell us we're "too loud", so what do I know. I spent years trying to rein in noisy guitarists and drummers and failed. I was like the idiots that drive in the fast lane at the exact speed limit. I gave up that "them and me" sh*t and joined the party. My ear plugs are protecting me from any further damage so I just get on with playing in the band. Last Saturday's cover band was very loud and next Friday's Americana band will be very quiet. I love the variety. As a bass payer I get more favourable comments on my playing than I did when they couldn't hear me. The bands usually get rebooked, so the conclusion I draw is that a good sounding band is better than a bad sounding band band. . . at any volume.

I have 3 basses and they are all 5 ers. I have never seen any logic in the "the original was recorded on a 4 string, so that's what we should use" argument. Play what's comfortable and what works.

Could have been Don Ciccone. He was the 4 Seasons bass player at the time.

I had 6 months off. When I started again I excluded Off Topic.

I don't mind a player with 1000 watts or a half stack. I mind when they can't get a balance, decent sound or play [i]with [/i]other musicians.

There are many reviews on Talkbass.

It doesn't matter that matchsticks are softer. All you have to do is to make sure that the hole is filled with the wood then the pressure of the screw will be enough to hold everything together. You don''t even need glue if the filling is big enough.

Let us know what your band thinks. On my first gig with my CN212 the band were gathered around in the interval just gawping at it.

There's nothing odd, revolutionary or new about Single Cut basses. My first bass was an SC and it was made in the 60's, a Framus Star Bass, small body. [url="http://[URL=http://s293.photobucket.com/user/chris_b_photo/media/CopyofFSBme2.jpg.html][IMG]http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm45/chris_b_photo/CopyofFSBme2.jpg[/IMG][/URL]"]http://[URL=http://s293.photobucket.com/user/chris_b_photo/media/CopyofFSBme2.jpg.html][IMG]http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm45/chris_b_photo/CopyofFSBme2.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/url] Most SC basses with their lumpy, shark and big blob top horns don't look pretty to me. My ideal SC is the Rob Allen Deep and Anthony Jackson Fodera.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1453113899' post='2956384']Bear in mind with flats, they last for ages so although initial outlay may be £40 or so, it will last you at least a year [/quote] Lozz. . . my Lakland/GHS flats have been on my P bass for 4 years and I wasn't planning to replace them, ever!

You'd better do that outdoors.

As always, not nice to find out some has passed. His legacy is the music, which was great and that film. . . which dented his reputation for me forever.

On the other hand. . . . buy a decent bass amp and the pre should be every bit as good as the SansAmp.

Matt, One simple option could be to use an ordinary SS or D class (non valve) amp and put your SansAmp into the return socket. You'll be bypassing the pre on the amp and using the power section. Dad beat me to it.

A P bass is a "one trick pony". But what a trick. It's the best in the book, which is why it is still the most played and recorded bass on the planet. A 2 pickup bass, such as the Jazz, has as many "tricks" as the player has the ability to find. There is nothing special or better in an active bass. It is only duplicating the controls on the pre amp but putting them on the bass, for convenience.

Hi Matt, I'm curious to know why you've decided to take this route when you don't seem to know how or even if it will do the job for you. A power amp just makes noise. Unless you're getting into big arrays of cabs, that's about it. Bass players usually go to power amps when they need a lot of power or to run more cabs than the average bass amp. I've never had to use a power amp and I've played in arenas. When you get larger than the average pub there is usually a good PA to go through.

I bought So because of Sledgehammer. What a fantastic collection of songs and performances.

Have a look at the Bass Direct website for other makes and prices.

Bartolini, Nordstrand and Lindy Fralin make 5 string pickups. These are good makes but you'll have to check out prices. It's 30 years since I bought separate pickups.

I know guys playing rock/blues through a Hartke 115, Markbass 210's, Ampeg 115, Ampeg 410, Bergantino 212, Barefaced 112's, GB 610 and TC cabs. Basically If you're good at what you do you can make any amp and cab format work.

That would have been a completely different song if Willie Weeks was on it. The song must have been rearranged to showcase Nathan Watts.

If you want to change so much of the sound of the bass, why stay active? I'd look at replacing the pots and pickups and forget the preamp.

Oooh, an old thread. . . . . and a perennial problem. Paul, I'm assuming that the frets are level? I would expect the Squiers to have less time spent on their fretwork than, for instance Custom Shop models. There's no way around uneven frets other than a fret stone or just playing with a higher action. I've just altered the action on 2 of my basses. One went lower and one went higher. I don't measure anything. I lower each string until it starts to "choke" on the frets then I start raising the strings until all notes play cleanly. If that's too high then the frets need levelling. I then adjust the strings to the point where I'm happy playing the instrument. My Lakland had a fret level at the gallery so it plays very well but they set it up too low. I can play it but I just prefer a little more height. The lower you go the less energy you can put into playing a note.That's ok, but as has been said, the tone will also change between stroking the strings and playing them a little harder.

A defining bass line. To a certain extent Nathan Watts was lucky that his signature licks fitted right in. Maybe his style was in Stevie Wonders mind when he wrote the song.

I treat all numbers differently, but for the first 4 bars I'll usually be listening to the whole number. If I get past that point then I can focus on the rhythm, the music or the words depending on which one is strongest and catches my attention. If the words are particularly strong, as per Dylan, Chuck Berry, Joni Mitchell etc, then the music might come a distant second. In some numbers the bass line will be the only interest, in others I'll not listen to the bass at all. I'll always listen to the drummer though.