uncle psychosis

All a sound is is a superposition of periodic waves. Patenting or copywriting such a thing would be insane (you'd be patenting entire fields of maths and physics). Sounds have been around for so long that it would probably fall foul of the "obviousness" criteria for starters. Its also nigh-on impossible to define the "tone" of an amp. How would you do it? Some of them have dozens of controls and thats even before you consider the effect of the input signal (what you plug in has a massive effect) or the output path (whats it being plugged in to?), or the non-linear nature of sound. There are, essentially, an infinite number of sounds available from any amplifier. What you *can* patent is a unique way of making such a sound. So you can try and protect the IP of your circuitry or your bass design. But if someone else can make the same sound by completely different means then thats completely fair game.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1348135221' post='1809704'] For me they are all equal. We are no longer stuck in the 60s or 70s where there were a limited number of quality instrument manufacturers and unless you were a fan of one of their designs the chances were you would have to compromise on at least one attribute. These days there are thousands of luthiers and manufacturers each with their own ideas as to what makes the perfect bass and somewhere there is the bass for you which has everything right. There is no longer any need to put up with an ugly bass because it has the right sound or playability and conversely you don't need to struggle to overcome the physical limitations of an instrument that looks cool. [/quote] +567,890,345,672. Unless you are buying at the real budget end of the market there is absolutely no need to compromise on looks, sound, or playability anymore. As a firm believer that image is an important part of being in a band, I do believe that some basses look wrong when used for some genres. Its not necessarily to do with cost, either. A Gus bass would work great for a punk band but an ornately carved single cut would probably look completely out of place. Similarly someone playing a pointy BC Rich rock machine in a jazz trio would look a bit odd. Personally speaking, I prefer understated basses with classic designs. Thats just an aesthetic choice though, nothing to do with whether or not I'm a "fancy" player. Even if I had the chops of a master you wouldn't catch me playing a coffee table bass!

Remember you're auditioning them as much as they're auditioning you!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1347965038' post='1807164'] It ain't 'Paradise Lost', is it? [/quote] Yeah, because lyrical content is the only way to judge a song's musical worth. Just think of all that throwaway crap that John Coltrane wrote---he didn't even have [i]any[/i] lyrics, what a charlatan

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1347911345' post='1806601'] I don't dig much funk, but I love reggae and dub. The fact is, they are often not executed well by the average musician. Reggae is incredibly difficult to get feeling right, and funk seems to have become a medium for technical blowouts that contain not a shred of funk. They are both very very difficult... [/quote] +1,000,000. (although I do dig funk). Reggae in particular is done really badly by most people who attempt it. Myself included.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1347904434' post='1806474'] Trouble is the limes in funk and reggae can have an appeal but the content can be seriously lame. Good Times is a great example; intersting line, a little challenging etc but the tune is throwaway nonsense so whyt bother Reggae can be very repetitive and samey etc. It's not all about the bass. [/quote] If you get bored playing reggae then you're doing it wrong. ...and "Good Times"---throwaway? Wow.

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1347830320' post='1805634'] Ok... As in "I Love Squire! Even if it was broken,I still would?" Wow...I really don't get some of these internet acronyms [/quote] As in "I love squire! Even if this post gets removed, its still true". Used to see it alongside the "Sharon loves Billy" grafitti on school desks...

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1347592601' post='1802866'] I hated Latin in high school... .[/quote] But.... quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1347388690' post='1800166'] Well, my modified trace would work: [/quote] I know thats just a trace but I think it looks much better with that creamy/white pickguard....

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1347113650' post='1797109'] I think the extended pickguard looks more "balanced". [/quote] I don't like the extended pickguard at all---the stock version is much better... ...but then, its not my bass

I like it

[indent=1]I used to have a one hour lesson every three weeks. Once a fortnight would have been better but wasn't really practical.[/indent] [indent=1]The important thing is to make sure you've done sufficient practice before your lesson. 15 minutes every day is better than a 4 hour session once a week![/indent]

The problem is much more than just the smoking ban and the economic situation. Fact is that people have far more choice when it comes to entertainment than they used to. 20 years ago, what was there to do in the UK on a Saturday night? Not a great deal---stay in and watch something like the Generation Game on one of the three, four, five (not very many!) channels, go to the cinema, or go out to a pub or a gig. Nowadays, people can stay in and watch live sport on the TV, they can watch pretty much any film they want from their couch thanks to the likes of netflix, sky, etc, they have hundreds of TV channels to choose from, they have TV shows that hook you in and keep people watching week after week (X factor etc), they can socialise and chat to people online, most houses have dvd collections, etc etc. Most towns have bowling alleys, cafes that are open at night, karaoke bars, yadda yadda yadda... Live music and pubs just don't have the same market share that they used to. There's so much more choice now.

Not convinced by the red... ...but I still fancy a shot when it arrives

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1344709306' post='1768281'] You mean people like Mac, the OP, a veteran BC-er and pillar of the forum who's so happy with his new Gibbo that he's started this thread and posted pix of himself playing his cherished new baby at a gig? A gig where the bassplayer is our very own HappyJack? A gig which was attended by other BC-ers who confessed to admiration of Mac's new Gibson and took delight in the pleasure with which he cradled the innocent little Melody Maker in his arms, a look of tender, loving solicitude on his face? You can see where I'm going with this, can't you [/quote] I've seen some real horror stories about these guitars on other forums. Its great that the OP is really pleased with his, but one example of a good guitar is not representative of a whole range (nor is one bad guitar for that matter).

6 hour rehearsals? Blimey. I find 3 hours exhausting, 6 would be unbearable. I second the "you did the right thing" comments. For me, being in a band should be fun. If its not fun, it better be well paid---otherwise whats the point?

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1346278244' post='1787530'] The strings are pretty old, over a year I'm told, but it still sounded pretty good tonight at rehearsal. I will play with this on the gig on Friday [/quote] I changed them after I broke a string at a gig...I looked in our calendar and that was back in April 2011!

I can't really add much to whats been said already. I had the pleasure of reuniting Jose with his old bass. Top guy to deal with---friendly messages, no hassles. Took the bass round to his house and he kindy spent an hour and a half of his time showing me his gear, letting me try out some different strings (very much appreciated!) and generally chatting bass. I've seen (one of) his band too---well worth checking out if you get the chance!

There's no doubting that image is important to music and to musicians. I definitely think a band that has stage names and stage costumes have more chance of being noticed than a bunch of guys in jeans and tshirts. Of course, you have to have the talent as well---bands who look the part but are crap will always just be a novelty.

Wow. The artwork on that is awesome! Like you say, probably paying for the art rather than the bass though

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1346104953' post='1785452'] I plan to play my Friday gig with it. I hope I see someone looking at the headstock name and turning up their noses because it's not a Fender or something. I love my reverse snobbery, me. [/quote] haha, me too. I used to quite regularly get complements from sound guys when using that bass live---I'm led to believe thats quite rare!!

Glad you're a happy man, Jose. Was really cool to catch up with you and return your baby I love the look of the cream covers. Go for it! Blatant plug alert: If anyone wants to hear what the bass sounds like (albeit compressed and amp sim'd...) in its current incarnation I used it to record my band's "On The Fly" EP. You can hear it here: [url="http://www.supermarionation.co.uk/releases/on-the-fly"]http://www.supermarionation.co.uk/releases/on-the-fly[/url]

Thanks guys. I think I'm gonna go with the .40s and see what happens. Its weird how you get nervous about stupid little things. I used to make high power lasers for a living---a process that was far more complicated and definitely more dangerous than turning an allen key a fraction of a turn---but somehow adjusting my bass is scarier!!