risingson

Saw them last night in Liverpool. An amazing live act with loads of energy, the level of musicianship isn't parallel with anything I've really seen before. Just unreal. Cory Henry on keys and synth really stole the show. We all went up to bar across town where a few of our mates were already doing a gig, the Snarky Puppy lot all followed us up and jammed for about an hour over some Prince and MJ tunes, we all ended up getting mighty drunk with the lot of them. Spoke to Michael League for a while probably about nothing, but they were all so personable that we ended up having such a big laugh with the lot of them. Excellent night!

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1399849011' post='2448396'] Metal is rubbish.....again :-( seems a fairly common thread throughout the forum.....oh dear [/quote] I don't understand metal and didn't grow up with it so whilst I certainly don't hate metal, it would be more truthful to just say I don't understand or enjoy it. I still like a lot of heavy electronica which would probably rival certain types of metal in some ways! Back to the OP, I picked up guitar a bit first and then shifted to bass not because I thought it would be easier but because I honestly thought it was cooler. Everyone wanted to be a guitarist when I was 12 so for me it was way cooler to be different and play the bass. Turned out it's easier to get gigs nowadays too! So maybe approach it from that angle.

Excellent basses, I've owned one myself too.

It's stupid they've been booked and the headliners are weak but you don't go to Glastonbury knowing what's on anyway, you've got to hope for the best when you buy the ticket. There are 200+ other acts on so I'm sure those of us going who would rather take a pickaxe to the head than to see Metallica will find something different to do.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1398863429' post='2438396'] Smiths were great but Morrisey is a grade A tool. [/quote] +1. Actually, he's just amazing at the self-promotion thing. It's the people that take him too seriously that proves that he's still working his magic.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1398707856' post='2436822'] I've gone from years of using steel roundwounds to now only wanting nickel rounds and I won't go back... however, when it comes to flats, steel is just fine (I've yet to see nickel flatwounds anyway). [/quote] Thomastiks are a nickel wrap with a steel core I think.

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1398708455' post='2436830'] Spot on, and when you hear that song, it still sounds as good as when I first heard it (despite being of an era) Put that next to Sunshine of your love or Communication breakdown and I seem to find the latter two boring and hard work although I was raving over them at the time. Just part of getting old maybe? [/quote] You have to then remind yourself though that early Zeppelin led onto stuff like this later on though, which in itself is amazing [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4v-_p5dU34&feature=kp"]https://www.youtube....dU34&feature=kp[/url]

I wasn't around in the 60's and 70's unfortunately but I love those guys for the simple reason that they could write a song. I think the 'Easy Listening' label does a lot of writers a disservice because it cheapens their talent considerably. I mean, imagine writing Wichita Lineman. What an incredible song.

I own both but I'm really heavily leaning towards P's at the moment.

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1398618710' post='2435797'] Like down the local watching any pub band play Sex on fire! [/quote] Aye! Not to offend the Metallica fans of course, but to me they're so uninspiring and don't belong anywhere near that Pyramid Stage, not in any traditional Glastonbury sense. But then the whole experience was never meant to be about the headliners!

John Paul Jones covered a lot of bases with Led Zep, doesn't make him a 'better' musician, just that he played a lot more instruments than anyone else. Same might be said of Macca. But I agree with everyone else saying that it's a bit of a daft question, bands are the sum of many parts regardless of one individual's technical or theoretical level.

Emily Eavis has denied the rumours categorically which almost always means it's not going to happen. Even if they were to do it Glastonbury isn't the kind of festival you do for financial gain, at least not in an up front payment. C.D sales usually skyrocket but Liam wouldn't benefit so much from that because his name is only on about one or two of the writing credits. Metallica still slated heavily for Saturday night headline slot which I couldn't be less excited to see if I tried so I'll most likely be elsewhere watching something a lot better!

All of the above, Matt Unamov in Greenwich is worth stopping off at if you like vintage gear. Guitar Center on 14th St is also stupidly good for vintage gear, if a little pricey but you get charged a premium for just buying in the city anyway.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1397925440' post='2428724'] I can't see any problem with the advert. [/quote] I see the 'root notes only' thing if it's being used with a genuine understanding as a pretty closed off musical mind, that to me is a serious problem.

I can understand why adverts like this are considered condescending towards bass players, but I think it's even more simple than that. It betrays the advertiser as a total amateur who probably can't be trusted to make real musical decisions or have any kind of musical mind of his own.

[quote name='Raggy' timestamp='1397724033' post='2426737'] Cracking basses, nice one, looks better without the pick guard i think [/quote] Thanks! Yeh I think the no pick guard was a good shout.

I must say I've also had the same hit/miss Sadowsky ratio whether it be with NYC's or Metros. Some I've enjoyed, others not so much, regardless of the place of manufacture.

This was kind of impulsive and not in equal measure! I've been after a hollowbody for a while and after being seriously disappointed with Fender's new Starcaster reissue I decided that I'd revert to the best best I'd previously tried out in a similar price bracket. I already knew these were good so it didn't really take me long at all to make a decision about buying the Epiphone Jack Casady model. It's still strung with rounds, it'll end up with La Bella flats on in the next day or two. I'm still so impressed by how focused it sounds for a hollow body, there's a clarity and punch to the note that means it's open to all kinds of playing and music. I'll mostly be using it as a replacement for my recently sold '78 P-Bass. The hardware isn't terrible either. Bits and pieces betray its price and quality of manufacturing with regards to the little details (and the pick guard has come straight off, I can live without it) but nothing that sacrifices the overall look and playability of the bass. It sounds terrific in fact! I'm incredibly impressed. Quick pic [attachment=160423:photo.JPG]

I had a wonderful time in the Sadowsky NYC showroom, lovely bunch of guys but I left feeling a bit disheartened. Their preamp is what you're essentially paying for, and the premium charged for the NYC models then becomes (IMO) a purely aesthetic thing, plus perhaps the chambering if weight is an issue. That isn't to detract from the quality of their manufacturing process either, I think they're well made but I've never found one to be overly 'special' sounding. The only notable exception would be the Will Lee model which seriously benefits from an adjustable mid toggle switch to give you a kick in the desired mid region, but to be honest almost every Sadowsky I've played would benefit from more control over mids. My tastes have changed over the part few years too, nowadays I find their standard 2-band EQ just too clinical. I personally had better luck with Pensa basses, which sounded a lot nicer than about 7 or 8 of the NYC basses I tried out when I was over in New York last. Only 2-band EQs in their instruments too but more musical sounding to my ears at least, with options to set the pickups up in series too which sounded amazing.

Yes! Excellent instrument, sadly the money has paid off other things. She came to Sweden and Switzerland with me. The neck profile is so chunky but something I'll be looking for in my next P-Bass purchase, works for me just great. Enjoy having it back, I'll really miss her.

I got the chance to chat with Simon Phillips after a Hiromi show in New York. Such a top guy, he was pretty delighted when I mentioned I was a fan of the PSP stuff as a lot of people just chat Toto with him. Pino's playing is so dynamic, his feel is basically out there in a league of its own.

I learnt scales and intervals instinctively, luckily I have a good ear but I had no interest in learning theory straight away until I started to take music more seriously. People talk about scales like you'll need them all the time. They're useful in so many ways, mainly in developing a strong ear and an understanding for music, but a peripheral awareness for scales usually gets people by in the majority of musical settings. Improvisation is the same, I don't like (I hate, in fact) to solo on bass but practicing improvisation helps develop a stronger musical vocabulary. It's about having the facility to play without saying too much in one go, which is where true musicianship comes into play IMO.

I really like the late 70's Mocha finishes, maple board. Played on in this config in NYC last year, best Ray I think I've tried. You might want to speak to Andy Baxter, he deals in vintage Fender/Musicman etc. and is usually well stocked, if he doesn't have what you want in then you can ask him to hunt it down. Pricey I guess but worth checking out anyway http://www.andybaxterbass.com/guitars.php?pc=1&cat=6

Just sold Lozz's 78 P-Bass back to him, I bought it nearly a year ago and I was delighted to return it to him. Excellent buyer, I'd happily recommend him. Liam