4-string-thing

[quote name='bumnote' post='652521' date='Nov 12 2009, 12:15 PM']This craigs list ad on the bottom line sums it all up for me Bass player needed for working folk-rock group gigging 5+ dates per month. MUST have the following: 1. Technically brilliant on the bass 2. Must have own transportation 3. Must own a PA system adequate for rooms up to 400 persons 4. Must transport PA to all gigs (see # 2) and set up and take down while the rest of the band schmoozes fans 5. Must provide 2,3 and 4 at no additional cost to the band 6. Must be capable of lead and harmony singing at perfect pitch 7. Must be willing to serve as booking and business manager for the band. Bass player is expected to secure most of the band's gigs. 8. Must be able to supply subsidized housing for band members. 9. Must be willing to buy instruments for band members (accordion, bagpipes, hand percussion etc.) so that the band can expand the sound 10. Must own field recording rig so live shows can be recorded and archived The band will conduct auditions and interviews. Please bring an inventory of the equipment we require to the audition and interview so we can determine if your gear will satisify our requirements. Successful candidate will earn an equal band share of gig payment, typically $50 minimum per 4 hour show. We have a gig Friday and another Sunday and 3 more beyond that in November, so move fast if you want this opportunity of a lifetime![/quote] Ha ha, I'd swear blind this is my old band if it wasn't for the pay being in dollars and more than I ever earned when I was with them!

[quote name='maxrossell' post='656578' date='Nov 16 2009, 11:55 PM']I suppose I'll be bucking some trends here, but honestly in my opinion anything other than a Fender Jazz or P-Bass is a waste of time. I also don't get having more than four strings. The lower B just gives you five extra notes that most people never have a need for at the expense of a reasonable-sized neck, and the higher strings on those gigantic six or sevens just sound piddly and weak. Again, just my opinion, but whenever I see a bass player with more than four strings on his bass I expect either some seriously boring overindulgent widdling, or just a shoddy performance by someone who hopes that people will assume he's really good because he has extra strings. I really, really dislike the look of these overdesigned luthier basses that are made of sixteen different types of contrasting wood, all of which would be better suited to veneering a French dresser, and they all have fourteen strings and fanned frets and weird body shapes and pickups at funny angles and generally look a bit like someone nailed a ladder to a goldfish. And you never actually see anyone playing them live, presumably because there aren't many bands out there where the guitarists have twelve-neck guitars and the drummers have a 400-piece kit. After having spent some serious time in studios recently, I don't actually see the need for bass amp heads. Speakers, sure. But every time we tracked bass, we'd go through the gear we had to find a match, and every time without fail we passed over Ampeg, Markbass, Peavey and Mesa bass heads in favour of an old Marshall guitar head. And you tend to pay a little bit more for bass amps ayway, and they're usually overdesigned to the point where if something goes wrong it's out of commission for ten weeks. I don't get bass effects, either. Put it this way: A bass player with a load of effects on the floor is either doing something radically new and different, or he's just forgotten what the bass is for in music. Usually it's the latter.[/quote] I'd second most of that, though I would also say that, I have just bought a Warwick and I love it almost as much as my Fender P. But I doubt it is any better than, or does anything a Jazz doesn't do. Also, you should try an Acoustic bass head!

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='656283' date='Nov 16 2009, 07:27 PM']Indeed, according to this thread I have bought all the wrong stuff but the right stuff hasn't been made yet.[/quote] You're right, you know what they say "you can't please all of the people, all of the time" Lets face it, it would be a pretty boring world if we all liked the same things.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='655600' date='Nov 16 2009, 12:39 AM']Acoustic amps suck....[/quote] Ah, but not as much as Ampeg and Ashdown apparently!

My 220 is almost 30 years old and still going strong, never once let me down. I bought the non-working 120 a couple of years ago with a 2x15 cab for a massive 52 quid. I hope to get it fixed soon to use as a back-up. I'll only stop using them when either it, or my back, gives up the ghost!

It's official.....I own the best amp in the world， 34 pages and not one person has slagged of Acoustic amps! Thats the answer folks, sell all your expensive modern gear and scour ebay for cheap powerful 70's Acoustics!

The Ampeg SVT450 through 2 MarkBass 4x10's in the rehearsal studio that we use. Not loud enough and no decent bottom end! The Markbass head they used to have with a 1x15 and 4x10 was pretty good though.

I had one of these when I was a teenager, before I bought my Precision, so would be around 77 or 78. It was a red sunburst, and as I recall was a pretty good bass, just sounded a bit too thin through the Marshall superlead head I was using at the time (oh how I wish I had kept that!) But I reckon you got yourself a bargain. Do it up and keep it as a spare.

you mean you can polish a bass.....

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='654400' date='Nov 14 2009, 12:20 PM']While there's no doubting the band had talent, on a more personal level, Level 42 represented everything that was bad musically about the 80s. It was a really terrible, terrible time if you were a fan of good old guitar based rock or punk. And remember punk was only a few years old. I remember one bloke saying to me [at the time] that they were just easy listening rock for stock market traders. Slappidity dappitdy slappidity. Yawn. Twenty plus years on, the opening bars of any Level 42 track will still have me reaching for the remote control or changing the radio station. Sorry! P[/quote] I agree, while there is no doubting Kings talent, IMO it's just showboating for showboating's sake, sickly tunes and rubbish lyrics!

Yamaha used to sell a bracket for mounting their small mixers onto a mic stand. This could easily be adapted. I bought one from Germany (probably Thomann) for a few quid, not sure if they still do it though.

I've got a pair of HH PA speakers, that I was given. Only rated at 100w with a single 12" driver, but really loud and clear, I reckon they would easily take double the power. Only trouble is the weight, boy, they are heavy! I also have a McGregor power amp, and I was told that the guy who designed it used to work for HH. This is also a great bit of British eighties kit.

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='629386' date='Oct 18 2009, 12:25 PM']That's cool that you've owned your bass for the last 30 years. Must be a good un.[/quote] Er, yeah, I'm 47 now, and I remember I couldn't drive when I bought it, so would have been 17 or less! As for it being a good one, I don't remember ever playing another one to compare it to!

[quote name='budget bassist' post='629144' date='Oct 17 2009, 11:06 PM']is it not just a really sort of bleached vintage white? really cool rig, loving the vintage vibe, especially with the acoustic stuff, can't beat a corvette either [/quote] It's never really been a white, more of a cream colour, it seems to be getting darker as it gets older, especially where my forearm rests while playing. The corvette is nice, only had it a few weeks, will sound really nice when the strings get played in a bit! (about 5-10 years, lol)

[quote name='wesfinn' post='628957' date='Oct 17 2009, 07:18 PM']yeah could be anything between 79 and 82 as this serial number was for all of these years. i had a sienna burst one in better condition than this. looks lovely though. i reckon the guys just mis-typed.[/quote] My 70's (77 or 78) precision has a rosewood fingerboard, but no "skunk stripe" cos the truss rod went in from the front. Did this change later on? Or has the neck been replaced?

[quote name='BassAgent' post='628919' date='Oct 17 2009, 06:31 PM']I dig it! What year is the Precision from? My guess is '77?[/quote] Not sure, either '77 or '78. I bought it S/H in 1979 or 1980 for £240. Btw, I'd be interested to know what the colour is? I've never really liked it, its a sort of custard yellow.

Almost finished rebuilding my 2x10, so I thought I'd take a couple of pics of my main gear. Trouble is, I've not posted pics on here before and am not sure how to go about it.... D'oh! [attachment=34614:PHTO0097.JPG] Oops...seems like I do know, after all...

ok, here's my two 'penneth for what its worth! I wanted a cheap bass a couple of years ago (after playing an outdoor gig in November!) that I could leave lying around at toilet venues etc, and not worry too much about. I came across the black violin bass by Le Marquis, and at the time it was about £85 plus a bit extra for the case. My girlfriend bought me one for christmas. Delivery was quick, and painless from Sono music supplies in Germany. I have to say, for the money, it is a very good bass. Much better than I expected, well built, nice to play, nicely finished and sounds pretty good through my Acoustic 220. I would be quite upset should it get damaged or stolen. Even though I am not playing toilets anymore, I will be hanging on to it. Whether I would want to pay todays price for it though, is another matter. Contrast this with my experience with Squier products. About 8 years ago I bought a Squier "Fat" telecaster, cost: £240. This thing was bobbins from the start. Bad neck, which I could never get straight, no matter how much I tweaked the truss rod. The paint finish was ok, but the hardware was rubbish, the machine heads were sloppy, and the pup selector was hit and miss, sometimes killing the sound altogether, when selecting the neck pup, requiring a bit of fiddling til it made contact with something! I managed to sell the thing for just over £100 in the end, despite being barely played and in "as new" condition. However, my girlfriends son also owned a £90 Squier strat, which was pretty good, certainly better than my tele. Horses for courses really, of course, it's always better to try before you buy, but I have had no problems with my Le Marquis violin bass or Sono MS.

Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull used them in the 80's. If they're good enough for him, then I would have no qualms about using one! I think they were a Canadian company?

Hello All, Operation Rock 'n' Roll will be debuting their own brand of sleazy, punked up, seventies rock at this years Whitwick Music Festival, in Deepest Leicestershire on Bank Holiday Sunday (august 30th) at around 2pm. There are usually around a dozen bands on at this event, it's a fiver to get in and all proceeds go the the air ambulance. If any BC'ers come along, come and say hello and I'll buy you a pint! Cheers, Mark Kinton.

Hi, thanks for the suggestions! I did have a look at the Squier active Jazz, and 51 precision, but as I already own a 78 precision, I think I may want an alternative to a Fender. The Ibanez didn't really do it for me, looks wise, sorry guys! Nobody has mentioned the Cort, so I am still thinking Yamaha or Warwick/Rockbass. Keep 'em coming though, Mark.

I'm looking for a versatile, modern looking (maybe) small bodied, lightweight, slim necked bass, for under £400. I'm thinking maybe a s/h Warwick Corvette, a Cort Curbow or a Yamaha RBX4 A2. I must admit, I have never played any of these, so have no idea what they play or sound like, I'm just going on looks at the mo. I play in a sleazy, punky rock 'n' roll band, so need something that suits that kind of thing. If anyone has tried or owned anything that fits the bill, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Cheers, Mark Kinton.

Easy....buy an old Acoustic head on ebay and spend the remaining £1350 on a week in the sun!

Oh lordy, I knew this would happen..... I love the look of the sunburst modified vintage, fretless, but think it looks a bit odd with the chrome control plate but no pickguard. And they do the deluxe in the same colour, no control plate, but fretted only. (stick with me, I think I have that right so far) So I'm thinking my ideal beast would be the deluxe, defretted and with the actives removed for the true "jazz" sound! Hmmm, not very likely to find one then!

In a few weeks I'll be looking to buy myself another bass. I was thinking about a Squier classic vibe 51 precision, but as already own a 78 USA P bass, I'm now thinking about a Squier Jazz. Does anyone own, or have you tried either the Vintage modified fretless, or the Deluxe active IV? Are they any good? If so, which would you buy? Cheers!