risingson

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1328195844' post='1523448'] To be fair that is the kind of attitude that instantly makes me lose respect for a customer. You get one customer in who complains that the set-up is rubbish because the action is too high, then the next customer complains it's not high enough. As long as it's playable without any major issues, then the customer should accept that they will have to have it set-up to their personal preference AFTER they've bought it. I've spent nearly 2 hours with a customer before, knowing that they were highly unlikely to buy anything and just wanted to inform their intended purchase (whether that was with us or not) just because the guy came in and talked to me like he valued my opinion. He didn't get into dick-measuring, which a lot of customers try, but at the same time he appreciated my opinion as a fellow musician. Having that respect for me and visa-versa makes for a much better shopping experience for both customer and sales assistant. As for the 'they're there to serve you' comment, that's just idiotic. The assistants in ANY shop are there to accomodate you while you decide to purchase something. Running around and having to put up with crap from a customer just because they MIGHT buy something is just not acceptable... You wouldnt p!ss all over the toilet floors in a shopping center because there's someone there to run in and clean it up, you have the respect to appreciate that these people have to work and have the right to be respected whilst they do it... they are human beings too. But some customers feel its their right to be given the red carpet treatment DESPITE being a total arsehole to everyone in the shop. [/quote] Tell me, at what stage does it become acceptable for a shop not to take into consideration the setup of an instrument, when said instrument is priced at above a thousand pounds (or even under for that matter)? The bass in question was terribly set up. Although I'll happily account for the fact that some instruments may not be totally to my fitting, it is totally ridiculous for shops that intend to sell bass guitars at £1000+ to not take into consideration the performance of their instruments right off the shelf. Would you have told me the same thing? I don't expect to be pampered when I walk into a shop (although there are one or two stores that will offer me tea or coffee when I go in, customer service goes a long way), and am incredibly polite (if I don't say so myself!) but I do expect a level of service to be met and that includes a good knowledge of inventory, good customer relations, and if I'm paying top dollar for an instrument, care of the instruments in the store too. Is this asking too much in this day and age? And as much as you might dislike the association of a store assistant being there to serve the customer, I'd have great difficulty trying to define the job by any other means. That doesn't mean that you need to take crap from customers either, no question, but it also doesn't mean that you should get to reserve the right to be surly to customers, whether you deem them potential buyers or not, or deal them a load of misinformation. I know, I've done the job before, just under different circumstances, and I would definitely argue that there are a lot of music stores out there that need to seriously assess the way they deal with people that walk through their shop doors.

BRX, unfortunately I have literally only just seen this buy I would have definitely come down this evening if I didn't have a gig myself down the road in the O2 Academy. Mello Mello is a great venue, Liverpool music scene is really thriving right now. We start playing at 8pm so if I get out early I'll try to convince the rest of the boys to come up town to watch. If I don't see you though, have a good one.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1328192799' post='1523359'] That's the other thing. Always excuses. I want stuff, not excuses. Like the guy who wanted to buy flats I always get 'We can order them in for you' - I can order them in for myself, cheaper, but I was hoping to get it today which is why I trudged across here to find out you've got as many of them as I have. I know it's expensive to stock a guitar shop but really, if all you're going to offer is budget basses, bedroom amps and six different sets of strings then you can't grumble when you get no bass players buying anything from you. [/quote] Which is why I would guess that a large percentage of bass players who use this forum and are already internet-savvy will probably much prefer to shop for their gear online. It is a tremendous shame though because part of the excitement of buying a new instrument is playing it first, and getting inspired to save, or indeed buying right there and then. Not that the same can be said for strings for example, but it's great to actually buy a product from a real person in a shop full of nice guitars and basses or whatever.

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1328192265' post='1523345'] I am afraid that anything to do with healthcare is very much a political issue in the US and unfortunately, is becoming increasingly so over here [/quote] My point being that it's very much a side issue here in this thread. The video is simply drawing attention to the unfortunate and tragic situation that Chuck Rainey has found himself in, and the opportunity to extend some kind of financial support for a very influential musician.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1328190877' post='1523307'] I stopped going in guitar shops because they seem to treat everybody like that now. I don't think I've sat down with a guitar in a guitar shop since the late '90s (and that time I bought it) because it seems whenever I go in the staff are being twats to whoever's in there and I don't have the patience to be on the receiving end of their bullshit any more. [/quote] I usually take a firm approach to guitar shop staff that wish to push their superiority complexes upon me if the store is offering something I think looks reasonable. They're there to serve you after all, so it's not like you have to take any of the sh*t they will sometimes try to shovel you. A few months back I was in a shop in Liverpool that will remain unnamed. I was looking at one of the Fender Marcus Millers they had in there. The guy plugged me in to a feeble little Roland affair, and left me to play for a bit. Under a minute in and I was pretty sick at the fact that the bass hadn't been set up at all; fretbuzz all over the neck, intonation issues too. The guy's excuse for this was "we don't have time to set up every guitar and bass in the shop". I told him in no fewer words that he should probably find the time, seeing as the instrument cost over £1000 and was by far and away the most expensive thing they had on the bass guitar rack at the time. Absolute moron. On the flip side of things, I've also dealt with some great people. I phoned Bass Direct a few weeks back to enquire about an amp they had in and they couldn't have been more friendly and informative. Likewise with the Bass Gallery down in Camden last time i was there, customer service was really great.

[quote name='WHUFC BASS' timestamp='1328178202' post='1522978'] Does anyone have any idea how high medical bills are in the U.S. ? All the people saying this is B.S. should really check out and see what's wrong with him before spouting off. Medical care in the U.S. is usually covered by insurance, but these premiums can be really high and many simply can't afford the medical care we take for granted over here. It makes me sad to see the uproar at Obama's healthcare plan when really its the right thing to do. This country should be proud of the NHS and resist any attempt that Cameron and his public school cronies have of trying to dismantle it. [/quote] There's no political soapbox needed in this thread, only a charitable outlook on things if you are so inclined.

I'm very much the same. Anti-Fender folk complain that people like us are stuck in the dark ages, and that's fine, but for me the dark ages are where it's at. I've played MTD's, F-Basses, Sadowskys, Dingwalls, Seis, Overwaters, etc. etc. but I've never found anything that matches a good Jazz bass, with the exception of Sadowsky stuff. [indent=1]The one thing that gets me with Fender though unfortunately is the lack of consistency with their instruments. There are good ones, and there are terrible ones, and it has led me to look to Lakland and Sadowsky for the suitable alternatives to such a mish-mash of quality control. [/indent]

[quote name='rOB' timestamp='1328130241' post='1522477'] I was just thinking this the other day. Maybe in a few years we'll have a more distinct two tier music system. Mainstream, bankable music making money for the labels and less mainstream, underground music made by people who either don't want to or can't access the marketing budgets. [/quote] You often find what appears to be underground or independent music is actually still part of the bigger picture though, and there are very few truly independent labels in existence nowadays because they've either been acquired by the big name labels or have simply gone bust. The idea of a tier system exists currently because of the big 3 record labels are able to designate certain artists subsidiary labels that on the surface appear to be 'indie' but are in fact still kicking up their cash to Universal, Sony or Warner. Indie labels like Domino or Rough Trade just can't compete against such financial giants and it is all too common to see artists to sign deals that are more financially viable, i.e. The Arctic Monkeys for example. Those who don't adhere to the system on some level are unfortunately doomed to fail.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1328115354' post='1522089'] Good luck to her I say. She's more interesting that the vast swathes of dross that normally fills the charts. [/quote] I'm inclined to agree with this, but at the same time I can't help feeling that our increasing acceptance to settle on mediocrity is partially fueling its unstoppable rise to the forefront of popular music. The UK music industry as it stands today is in a diabolical state. There are painfully few home grown domestic talents and those that do have interesting things to show for their talents don't get any breathing space or choose to go underground.

Wow, our drummer/producer would be turning green with envy just reading this. He's off to a masterclass down there in a few weeks time, but getting to record there (with Elliott Randall!!!) is a hell of an experience. Unreal!

Daft Punk use a ton of stuff to get their sounds. Moogs, the ARP 2600, Juno 106's, Roland SH101's but to name a fraction of their outboard synth gear. The Microkorg is a decent place to start off, although I find after a time both the Microkorg and its older brother the R3 are lacking something big in terms of big fat analog sounding synths. If you fancy spending a bit more, I would recommend looking at the Moog Little Phatty.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1328035120' post='1520699'] I don't know and haven't heard Lana Del Ray but a big plus one on listening to Nancy Sinatra - especially the stuff recorded with Lee Hazlewood. [/quote] Nancy Sinatra was amazing and very much of her time. She also had the good fortune to have had some great backing from L.A's finest songwriters and musicians like Lee Hazlewood, which just made her music so great. They say that music is largely cyclical nowadays. That's fine, and musicians should have every right to draw influence from their peers and contemporaries, but there needs to be something groundbreaking or indeed very special for the end product to hold any worth and importance. At the moment there is just too much music getting backing from labels that smacks of just backing sure-winners and derivative acts. This is Lana Del Ray all over. She has an impressive voice, but she's repeating what has already been heard. Music can't hope to move forward with these kinds of artists being sold as seminal and groundbreaking.

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1328026566' post='1520514'] I wasn't comenting on musicality or longevity, just that a lot of people liked the idea that this was something "grass roots" (do you know what I mean by that? like sprung out of no where by the sheer power of the internet and good-looking youthful music fans) and when they found out it wasn't as genuine, they didn't like it as much... They weren't judging the music, they were judging the story [/quote] Yeh, I do get what you mean and the Arctic Monkeys on the surface seemed to be the perfect blueprint for this kind of rise to fame. But the whole grass root thing is totally fabricated. I'm not saying it doesn't apply to some degree, and the power of viral marketing and video footage of new up and comin acts can't be denied, but it is obviously quite dishonest for labels to be suggesting that people like Lana Del Ray owe their discovery due to Youtube popularity or whatever.

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1328025534' post='1520492'] The Artic Monkeys seemed to suffer a bit of the same thing. They were trumpeted as a success of myspace or social networking in general - a "real grass roots" thing. It turned out someone had chucked some money at them, and (at least for the people I know) this seemed to destroy some of that charm. [/quote] The one thing about the Arctic Monkeys is that they were 'of their time'. They had a definite sound and Alex Turner had the lyrics that spoke to large amounts of people right across the board, and their first album will be remembered for a long time because it sold in ridiculous numbers. A cliche perhaps, but they were like the 21st century Oasis, probably with a lot more substance about them. Lana Del ray is just a carbon copy of things done a million times over, without sticking strongly in the public conscience. She's not bad, but there just isn't enough interesting about her for the comparison to hold up.

Music journalism is fadish, it has been for years, and the music business is just a game of 'it's not what you know, it's who you know' nowadays. Frankly it doesn't really matter whose money is behind you. She'd hardly be the first person to have used nepotism to her advantage to make her way to the top and I doubt she'll be the last. All I care about is the end product, which with Lana Del Ray is a resounding 'meh'. She ticks all the right boxes; at first glance she's alternative and a bit jazzy, plus she fits neatly into the 'female solo artist with husky voice' category that is so definitely flavour of the month right now. But let's face it, she's doing nothing new. If I want to listen to Nancy Sinatra, I'd listen to Nancy Sinatra. She hasn't got any lasting power, and I do believe she'll melt away and be forgotten in a year or two unless she does something drastic. And let's face it... Nancy Sinatra had better songs too.

Midnight Star - Midas Touch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeOIvkW4HjE

I actually think I owe quite a lot to Chuck Rainey. I've spent pretty much my whole life listening to him, being inspired by him, both directly as a bass player and by the music that he has contributed to. He's not only been a tremendous musician that enjoy listening to, but he's also been an absolutely huge influence on my development as a bass player. In fact, I would directly credit him for making me a better musician. And as a full time working musician, i.e. someone that makes their money solely from the music I perform, that means that financial aid is quite literally the least I can do for an old man who has sadly been taken ill and is no longer able to play music and make money for himself. I'm very much indebted to him. And there are some truly miserable people on this site.

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1327529503' post='1513080'] Ah, but she is. As you have said in your second paragraph. [/quote] I meant technically, cos she ain't.... but you're quite right, there's more to it than that of course.

[quote name='BRANCINI' timestamp='1327506252' post='1512532'] If it pays well, you do what the punters want..agreed, Bit within reason. 99% of covers is OK, thats one thing, but you aint gonna lose out much by there being a few songs that you dont do. If you aint enjoying it, and it aint making you A LOT of dough, why do it ? and that goes for everything. Day job, type of music you play, sexual preferences, whatever... [/quote] If the money's not right I won't do cover gigs, as I have my own original music to be working on and playing out live, but if the money is right then I'll play whatever. I used to be of a similar mindset that I won't play this or that (and I will end up putting my foot down on certain songs that I really have had enough of playing), but largely for me at least it's a means to an end. I don't anticipate I'll be playing covers forever, but for now if there's one or two tunes that are hits with the audiences that I'll hate, I'll just grit my teeth and go to my happy place.

[quote name='BRANCINI' timestamp='1327501132' post='1512398'] By people do you mean Musos or Punters ? i last played it around 1975, by which time I hated it with a venegance. Started playing covers again in the early 90s and was amazed that people still wanted to play it, and wanted to hear it. I have had so much stick over the years cos I wont play it, that I hate it more than ever. all sorts from a singer telling the audience that the guitard hadnt had time to teach me it (Hoho, what a wag) to the usual guitard question, cant you play the solo then - To which I used to reply by playing not just the bass part, but a version the guitar solo on me Bass as well. Glad I dont play rock covers these days, theres just so much that was good in its day, but is past its best, that I hate.and everybody seems to want to do. [/quote] 'Musos' want to play the music 99% of people don't want to hear, the punters will want to hear the 99% of repertoire that your band don't want to play. You do what you get paid to do in a covers band, and if you can derive some sort of enjoyment from doing it then you should. I hate the song, but it only lasts for 3 or 4 minutes. A 9 till 5 job lasts from 9 to 5, and I know which one I'd prefer to do.

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1327498280' post='1512304'] Bully for them, the song is utter drivel dadrock posturing hoary old bollocks. I`m constantly amazed that bands seem to think they have to play it. It`s 42 years old ffs. Best play something more modern sounding like "The Seige of Mafeking" [/quote] People absolutely love it unfortunately.

I never get these kinds of arguments. The reason companies that do well exist is because there is demand for their product, so the people who buy the product obviously think said product is worth it. There's nothing wrong with having faith in a company that provides good quality products. Brands that fail to provide quality of service and quality of product deserve to fail as businesses, that I take issue with. But I don't think Fodera falls under this category. They're incredibly specialist, and if people want to invest in a bass from Fodera, I don't see an issue. Don't buy one if you're loosing sleep over it, it can't possibly be simpler.

I must admit, the footage I've seen of her she's by no means great. But as part of a larger group though she obviously fits in and has a driving influence within Beyonce's band. Being a musician in those kinds of situations has much more to do with just being able to be a wizard on your instrument. It's about the sum of the parts and if you're MD'ing, your ability to lead. She also visually looks the part as well.

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1327443768' post='1511468'] Is it true that although the scales themselves are the same irrespective of instrument, there are some fingerings that work better on one instrument than another? EG classical guitar scales often are organised to that they can be played "in position", which means the player can find a bass note and a melody note within reach, whereas the strictly 3 notes per string scales the rock widdlers use require at least one position shift and cover 2 octaves and a fourth. Does a bass player use "stretch fingering" on the lower frets to play a 3-note-per string scale? I think you'd need big hands to do that. So wouldn't the question be about fingerings suitable for basses being not necessarily the same fingerings you'd use on a guitar? [/quote] The space in between frets on the bass guitar does mean that beginners learning scales will be subject to an unnatural amount of stretching in the hand, but initially this should be compensated by choosing to learn finger-per-fret patterns higher up the neck, say on the 8th fret of your E string (C) to avoid wrist pain and then to creep down the neck as the hand begins to adapt. I find that position playing from both bass and guitar are easily transferrable as concepts, but the approach to touch with each instrument should be compensated for with good technique. I would argue there are more subtleties dynamically to be had from playing electric guitar than bass, depending on what music you're playing. But bass and guitar's close relation to each other means that the underlying concepts of position playing remain very similar, until you run up against the major 3rd interval that gets thrown up with the G and the B on guitar.