risingson

[quote name='Platypus' timestamp='1386010564' post='2294601'] I have insured an expensive bass to go from UL to Findland using an insurance broker that catered for musical instruments. It was a couple of years back, though will try to find details for you later. [/quote] Cheers, this is what I'd be looking at if I could get the details. Is it notably tricky business splitting insurance and courier?

Just bought a new bass but I'd like to ensure the delivery of it privately (i.e. not through the courier) because of it's high value, does anyone have any experience doing this and if so who would be your recommendations? Any help on this would be hugely appreciated!

Youtube is just one major factor that I can think of that goes in part to help answer the OP's question. It's easier to evolve a virtuosic style if you have peers and people to compete against or aspire to be and Youtube has really opened the door to the visual aspect of bass playing, which in turn I've noticed has propelled a lot of musicians on to really push themselves hard. The fact that we can access Youtube easily will have also brought to our general attention an abundance of virtuosic musicians who were previously unnoticed, which is possibly to say that maybe there aren't more virtuosic bass players than before, it's simply much easier for them to be seen. Realistically though I think the role of the bass has remained the same. What's enjoyable now as bass players is that we can afford to be retrospective and nostalgic about how we play or really push the boundaries. Technological advances in recording and a lack of bias against what is deemed 'acceptable' within the confines of the instrument mean that no longer to bass players have to fill the stereotypical role in a band. I personally have my preferences on how I like bass to sound and be played but I also like keeping my ears firmly open as well.

I'd struggle to put my finger on why a Sandberg doesn't sound like a Stingray but it doesn't. Both are great basses, if you want a Stingray sound though then buy a Stingray. Me personally if I were to get a Sandberg it would likely be the JM5 they do as they sound excellent.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1385238735' post='2286064'] im loving those Pensa's. what was the neck like Ris.? ive heard they are Pbass big.? [/quote] It's been about 7 or so months but as my memory serves me the necks were perfectly manageable, flat in profile maybe for the 5? The 4 I tried was was not quite as thick as the '71 Jazz I'm used to, let alone my '78 P which is pretty beefy so I'd say they were fairly normal J profile. Their preamp is really impressive. I always find Sadowsky preamps overpowering but the Pensa was very musical. Push/pull for series wiring too which sounded awesome, nice substitute for a lack of mid control.

It really is a masterful piece of bass guitar playing, one of my all time favourite bass lines in fact.

I like the '75 although it fits the profile of a custom colour late 60's/early 70's Jazz a lot more. I'd be interested to know if the bridge pickup was 70's position too, if not it's a really late 60's looking Jazz. Still really nice though!

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1385092308' post='2284431'] Nah, I'm good. I know human nature. As Mark Twain said: "Make people think they're thinking and they'll love you, but really make them think and they'll hate you." I get message boards.. It's a mob mentality. No one is going to speak up for the guy who's getting piled on. And no one likes to be proven wrong. I was just being straightforward. If someone helped me and was a little gruff I'd say THANK YOU. But it seems some people are more concerned with whether it's done to their liking. Well, I have no time for that and sure as hell am not going to worry about it. And yes, Abm7 has a Eb and Gb, pedantically speaking. : ) [/quote] You're a bit of a lost cause then. As a few people even pointed out your advice was at best inaccurate as there are no sharps in flat keys so why you're so smug I'm not sure. Maybe it's worth starting a thread in 'theory and technique' to see if you can get this misunderstanding ironed out before you go offering anymore advice. I'm out too.

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1385079502' post='2284381'] Eh, I think some of you are just looking for a reason to pile on. My point to the OP was that if he needs help, it'd make sense to be as clear as possible. I never heard the song so i had to do a bit of deciphering from his post to find out how to explain it. Not everyone may go to the same lengths. And, un, yeah, you're welcome. And even when my point of a B triad being the same as a Abm7, STILL, it isn't good enough. Geez, everyone is so sensitive. Maybe it's a Gen Y thing. They can't take criticism without crying and demanding an apology. You can all go on about how rude I am -- it gives everyone a free shot to insult me. That's fine. But you may not want to reconsider being a musician if you can't take the slightest bit of direction. [/quote] Surely a pattern can be noted by now, your replies often evoke a less than charitable reply from the rest of us. It's maybe worth assessing your attempts at help because on this occasion your reply on the face of things appeared belittling and condescending where no such attitude was required. The fact that it has been noted by more than a few people is not a coincidence and it's very possible you're getting a kick from it, but if this is a fact that is to pass you by blindly then the one thing to take away from this is to maybe look at how you choose to word stuff to other people. It's a friendly forum by and large, your reply was far from friendly.

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1385076117' post='2284336'] Next time, instead of trying for the snarky come-back, try listening. You might learn something. [/quote] [quote name='molan' timestamp='1384731608' post='2280187'] You could listen to the appropriate part of the song for a few seconds and answer the OP's question quickly and efficiently [b]without condescension[/b]. [/quote]

I'm a massive fan of the original tune but love Amy's version of it. You can look on it as a blatant robbery or you can look at it as her ode to a classic era of 20th century music, I think for her it was definitely about the latter.

A lot of people who think they know about instruments often hear with their eyes. I've had a lot of compliments about a 90's MIJ Squier P that I own that I've taken abroad with me to gig for fear of taking one of my more expensive instruments, even though I value its sound just the same.

I'd get a Pensa NYC over both of them, certainly wouldn't spend that much on a new Fender if resale price were an issue for the buyer. The problem I've noticed is that the super Jazz style models of anything do seem to be depreciating more than they ever were, although I'd guess that the current market for second hand instruments on the whole is not good at the moment which is the major factor for this. I'm not convinced by the overall look of the Suhr but having played quite a few of the NYC based Pensa instruments I would say that of all the preamps available on the super Jazz style market, the Pensa has sounded to my ears to be the best. A Sadowsky would be great too but I'm fairly convinced I can't get on with the sound of them anymore, that's purely my preference though. I'd look at Mike Lull too. I'm pretty certain I've played the bass in this clip below, if it wasn't then it was an identical instrument that sounded as good [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgmYcaDJqIU[/media]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1384605641' post='2278595'] Originality is not celebrated. Anything 'original' and different is usually slated too isn't it. There's plenty of 'original' music out there. All music draws from the past as well as the present. [/quote] I agree, it's just that this is only drawing from the past and isn't furthering anything. It's nostalgia for the sake of it. If I wanted to listen to Joy Division then I'd put on Joy Division, whereas if I wanted to listen to a band that have taken Joy Division as an influence and melded it with their own music then I'd listen to Radiohead.

[quote name='marcus bell' timestamp='1384470016' post='2277221'] Doesn't bother me too much. You can all say what you want, at least me and my old man share an interest and get on really well, that means me to me than all the bass guitars on the planet. [/quote] Nice one Marcus, enjoy your new bass. Hold on to it too, if it's your dream one then getting rid of it will be a decision you'll always regret.

Don't understand lifting the Joy Division blueprint and reapplying it 34 years later really, in fact I find it kind of depressing that originality in music is becoming something that no longer has to apply.

The reason I'd always use a 5 if I were doing musical theatre gigs all the time is that you don't have to worry about position playing, whereas with a drop D or C you'd constantly be adjusting unnaturally to the lower string. For me personally the practicality of the low string would be lost on the fact that my position playing had been thrown. It would be difficult if you were reading away only to encounter a run that would find you jumping up and down the first 5 frets of your instrument. My advice would be to seek out a new instrument if you're not keen on your Lakland DJ, it's a 35" scale so if it feels at all too long then maybe look to picking up a Sadowsky 5 or alike that use 34" scale. Either way I'd be sticking with 5.

I count myself incredibly fortunate that all of the musicians I play with are aware of the power that the bass can hold over the rest of an ensemble. It's not an ego thing, they respect me as much as I respect the fact that I can be made to sound good by what they all play on their respective instruments. As a bass player, I'll always need a band to sound great and I get a kick out of supporting other musicians.

The fretless sounded just fine this evening mate! Great job, nice and prominent out front, not overpowering at all either.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1384101869' post='2272756'] What we also can't be sure of is if a bass made today will change in in the same way as the old ones did. Pickups are made differently today. So the break-down in the materials will be different. So it's very possible a bass made today will sound exactly the same in 50 years as it does today. So, sorry guys, but if you're looking at keeping your new Fender for 50 years it may well totally fail as an investment. [/quote] All true apart from if the functionality of the instrument becomes a redundant feature to a collector, which is entirely possible. The inherent value of the instrument to someone like me on the other hand would be zero as I'd never own an instrument that I wouldn't play.

I've not played enough vintage examples of Fender guitars (played plenty of basses) to really have any idea of whether this is true or not, although some of my guitarist friends have vintage Fender guitars and to be honest I can't hear the difference when they play live. My opinion as a vintage Fender fan isn't that it's so much that the sound gets 'better' over time, rather I love the feel, appearance and comfort of a well used Fender bass guitar. It fascinates me, I love it. I do think the sound of Fender basses change over time, this is something I have no honest or scientific explanation for but something I've just noted having used and played both new and old Fenders before. The crux of the sound is always the same though, and there are more variables involved than just age in it.

The first one is a mime job obviously. I don't think fans would have been overly picky about the parts not being live. The second one appears more live and Jermaine could certainly play, although props should go to Stevie Wonder for writing the tune and for Nate Watts's insanely good slap part on the original record. Monstrous playing.

[quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1384027227' post='2272154'] I find DR Sunbeams to be far better than D'Addario's, but they are twice the price. They are lower tension, smoother, and if like me, you like the sound of a played-in string (which I suspect you don't if you change strings every two gigs), they just stay in that sweet spot for ages before dying. I seem to get a bit more punch from my amp when I use them. I usually only use Sunbeams, Fender Nickels, or D'Addario Nickels depending on how desperately I need them and how skint I am. I have just bought a set of the balanced tension nickel D'Addario's that I'm looking forward to trying- the floppy E-string problem is no more I hope! I heard Fender Nickels and D'Addario's are basically the same string? The local music shop tells me both are made on the same production line in the same factory. No idea if it's true, but would be interesting considering some on the thread seem to like D'Addario and not Fender. I've always found them to sound fairly similar. I once bought a set of Stagg strings because I was desperate, and took them off after one rehearsal- I could hear and feel the core rattling around inside the winding. Never again. [/quote] Cool, I'll give Sunbeams a punt! It was mentioned earlier in the thread that D'Addario make Fender strings but they aren't just repackaged D'Addario strings. I bought a set of the new Fender strings over the summer and the difference was there for someone who's been a longtime D'Addario user. I guess if you are too you might find the same. Still not terrible strings by any stretch of the imagination, just not the same IMO.