TimR

Not to mention to get hold of the recording you had to go to a shop and buy it. Recording songs off the radio was a case of waiting a week and recording the whole of the chart show on Sunday night.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1390482679' post='2345867'] Oh yes, and drummers. And guitarists, come to think of it. Less really is more. When we write a new song, by the end of the process there's always about 50% less of everything than when we started. Should be 99% of course, but that's just my opinion... [/quote] That's exactly how Booker T and the MGs (Duck Dunn) wrote. Record a day jamming, go away and listen to the recordings and strip the songs right back down to basics.

You can never have enough cowbell. Discussions about keyboard sounds in my old band used to go round in circles with the drummer complaining that they weren't exactly like the original. In the end we came to a compromise that we'd stick with the best of the sounds on the keyboard and make the songs slightly different sounding to the original. This worked quite well, using piano, Hammond, and strings only. However, the drummer still made passing remarks about the keys player buying a new keyboard with better sounds. Until, we did Honky Tonk Woman, when the tables were turned. "You need to buy a different cowbell, that's not what it sounds like on the record..." Then the bell at the beginning of baggy trousers... Ha!

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1390344983' post='2344456'] See, he can play. Why not have more good basslines? Adam Clayton has more good basslines than he does! [/quote] You don't think he writes his own lines? That's what I would call plodding but then the drummer and guitarist are plodding too. The whole song is a standard rock song.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1390343953' post='2344434'] I'd never said that they're all straight 8 basslines, it's bands that have the poor bassist as a filler & provide a simple bassline that sits in & doesn't do much else. Fine if you're getting paid to provide those basslines, but to play them all night for a beer? Another fine example is a band that I really like, REM. Poor Mr Mills is a great bassist, but how many of us on here have you heard say they want to play just like him? Duck Dunn & Pino Palladino are 2 examples of bassists that have provided basslines that are just what the song requires. Do they plod? [/quote] I've played REM's Losing My Religion that's not particularly 'ploddy', it moves quite a bit. The problem is the more instruments you add the simpler the arrangement tends to be to avoid treading on each other's lines. If the bass is going to wander off and do something interesting it has to fit wig what others are playing (harmony, counter part, unison etc) and some other instrument needs to be solid if the bass isn't taking a traditional approach. We've all heard bands where everyone seems to be playing a different song. Duck Dunn will more often than not have strong rhythm guitar somewhere.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1390338567' post='2344306'] They can be fun & there's a lot of ways to play a straight 8, but what if every song in your set list was so simple to play that there was no challenge (that's regardless of your ability)? Don't you think by the end of the set you'd be plodding rather than playing? ... [/quote] But, as I posted further up thread, not even ZZTop, Stereophonics, Muse, Status Quo, Rush, U2 etc, have setlists entirely of songs with straight 8 bass lines. Is Rocking in the Free World straight 8s? I've certainly heard some bass players murder it by plodding. I'm sure I don't play straight 8 roots.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1390324135' post='2344081'] Ask on basschat , it will only be opinions anyhow though [/quote] That's what the op did. Just worded it badly.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1390309163' post='2343791'] Simple it has Yamaha, Squier, Ibanez or Vintage on the headstock. (OK I missed a few) Successful brands are successful for a reason. [/quote] I'm not sure it's that simple. How do you know which brands are good and which are just names. Personally I would try as many basses as possible working up the range of each manufacturer until you can't tell the difference in quality between two basses in different price ranges. Then drop back down until you can't equate the step up in price with the step up in quality. When I bought my last bass I got up to £3200 before I couldn't tell the difference. I dropped back down to £800 as I couldn't justify spending the difference. Ie the £800 did and felt what I thought it was worth to me. Then I found a bass for £400 that was better quality than the £800. Unfortunately you just have to learn these things. Some learn by buying and selling, I learned by just holding out until I was sure. About 7 years between deciding I needed a new bass and actually buying one. Currently 11 years on my present bass.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1390305067' post='2343718'] Im confused what this thread is about , but if it is indeed about budget basses being sold in shops, then my views are there are plenty of budget basses around that are perfectly good gigging basses , I had a VMJ , lovely player, you could pick fault with the pickups if you where being picky , but very picky you'd be. Sorry if this was about bananas though. [/quote] How can you tell the difference between sub £200 basses so that you get the most for your money and don't end up with a beginner bass.

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1390222636' post='2342711'] ... Of course trying stuff out is great, but again you can only try what they have and shops tend to be fronts for a particular brand, whether or not it's any good, and because they are shops you are likely worse off in terms of value for money. [/quote] Shops aren't 'fronts' for a certain brand 'whether or not it's any good' When someone stocks their shop they are often given a minimum level for their account. So someone who wants to sell Yamaha basses for example might have to spend £10k a year with Yamaha in order for Yamaha to agree to open an account and supply instruments. It is obviously more attractive to stock equipment from companies like fender, Yamaha and Warwick who make basses and amps than companies that only make basses. £10k is just a figure I've plucked out of the air, I suspect it's a lot higher and different for each manufacturer. In essence you can't go to fender and open an account and just ask for a red Jazz and a black P, then go to Ibanez and ask for an SR200 in blue.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1390153901' post='2342024'] So who would wear the T shirt, the singer or guitarist need to only if they wish to boast, the drummer is happily married and doesn't need to , the bass player to advertise his availability or the keyboard player to stand up for the cause ? [/quote] Clearly the bass player to indicate his self effacing sense of humour and only interest in women who have been initiated (or willingness to be initiated) in the ways of the bass Once initiated they never go back. In my experience

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1390157748' post='2342114'] It`s the increased "fullness/depth" that you get when adding in another cab. Try it by connecting up your amp head and one of your cabs, start playing, then plug the other in, the "size" of the sound should be much bigger, but without any rise in volume. [/quote] You get a doubling of volume below the frequency whose wavelength is four times the distance between the drivers. Or something... Bass frequency coupling.

Surely you just give your customers a time limited wi-fi code that only lasts 30mins when they buy their coffee. I thought that if you break something in a shop the shop keeper can demand you pay the cost value of the item.

30p for a coffee in London sounds like a deal. Don't we already pay for the overheads when we buy a bass anyway. Isn't Saturday afternoon noodling all part of a good music shop atmosphere?

Under the distance selling act, wouldn't people just order online and send them back. How would it work if you want to try 10 basses in the shop? Do you only get the £1 off the bass you buy? You even try wine in a restaurant before you buy it.

Yes. I've been in that situation. Do a googlemap. Think that's ok, only to find traffic makes it a nightmare at that time of evening. Just tell them traffic was more of an issue than you realised and you couldn't commit to regular travel.

We play 'Just Got Paid' by ZZTop. There are a few bars of driven sixteenths where you have to be right on top of the beat or the song drags. Then there are huge sections of unison and close harmony. It's a pig of a song! Just listened to Rush's Counterparts album last night. Again some sections of some songs are sixteenth notes. From Geddy!!!!???

[quote name='blamelouis' timestamp='1389823179' post='2338419'] Part of the reason Sting got The Police back together for the reunion tour was to make amends to Andy and Stewart. The original fee was £150 million split three ways for the reunion BUT when the tour was extended they got an extra £20 million each. So the boys did reportedly did all right . [/quote] You've totally lost me there. What has that got to do with squirrels?

[quote name='Ziphoblat' timestamp='1389818029' post='2338338'] Nail on the head right here. It always amuses me to see people get so fiery about "playing for the song" as if there's no place for having a bit of fun with your instrument. Reeks of insecurity to me. Each to their own though, I suppose everyone has their own goals and objectives with their playing. [/quote] I'm kind of in both camps. It's certainly a well overused phrase. Most bass lines write themselves though. Traditionally, once the melody is written you've got very few options; root, root-fifth, unison, counterpoint, then you've got approach notes to chords. It's why we're bass players and you can spot a guitar player playing bass, we usually pick lines automatically without thinking. Try coming up with an original line that fits a song without using one of the above. It's hard. Well, it is for me

[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1389783291' post='2337770'] Do you think someone decided to film him having previously heard of his antics, or do you think he asked his girlfriend to do it? [/quote] Girlfriend?!

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1389778394' post='2337698'] That's part of what I was trying to find out. How many of us enjoy playing a simple dum dum dum dum for every song & not having anything melodic to play? I don't, but I don't expect everyone to be the same. I have a lot of songs in my repertoire that are simple straight 8, no frills bass parts & I enjoy playing them, but it would bore me to do it in every song. Now I know I mentioned U2 as one of the bands, but Adam does have some very melodic simple basslines that are fun to play too. [/quote] Not in every song. But as mentioned above, hardly any songs are just Dum, Dum, Dum, Dum. If you don't play them right you'll lose the drive and energy. Listen to a computer playing a midi song that hasn't been groove quantised (or whatever they're calling it now). Besides if you're just playing roots it gives you a chance to do other stuff, move around, look at the audience more, sing bv.

Depends whether you're plodding or driving.

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1389698054' post='2336939'] I have a theory that we have limited perceptive bandwidth and so we hear things fundamentally different when were playing and when were are not, and when playing I find that my perception of what I'm playing and my sound is affected by things like if I'm looking at my hands or looking at the speaker cab. As human beings we tend to dramatically over estimate their own ability to objectively perceive and reason. I suggest checking out some of the resources below. ... [/quote] You're right. That's a prime example of why its a waste of time spending hours getting tunes 'exactly like the original'. The audience have already decided what they're going to hear. Many gigs I've not enjoyed and thought I could have played better but everyone else has had a great time. Usually I can trace them back to something that happened previous to the gig. I think the comment above about being able to 'switch it on' is more about being able to zone out all the other rubbish happening in your life and focus on the job you're doing. Many times I've been thinking about what curry to have after the show while playing Mustang Sally. I think they call that phoning it in. Lol.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1389636857' post='2336403'] We are the only species with a financial system [i]at present[/i]. My experiment with squirrels is showing great potential. ... [/quote] That's just nuts!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1389600568' post='2335858'] ... [size=6][i]"Here man.. what are yaz airl gannin' on aboot? Wharraloada bollicks!"[/i][/size] [/quote] It's just the usual BC stuff about how life is so unfair. Seems to have spilled out of OT for some reason though.