Pete Academy

I'm looking forward to these basses. We sell Tanglewood acoustics and they are spot-on - the specs equal other makes at twice the price. I'll also post some news as and when I get it.

That's a nice looking bass.

I'm not sure about the 'play with a metronome' thing. To me, a drum machine is the same thing, but more interesting. I love jamming along to the Roland Cube Microbass RX.

It's far better than Bass Player. However, I didn't enjoy this month's too much. Anthony Jackson is a legend but I find his interviews a tad tedious. Great mag overall, though.

[quote name='Duarte' post='785838' date='Mar 25 2010, 02:00 PM']These tunes just ooze funk and groove. Class stuff. [/quote] Awesome bass sounds.

The Americans used to call it 'thumpin'

[quote name='Earbrass' post='785664' date='Mar 25 2010, 11:52 AM']Forget Miller, Wooten, King and the rest, if you want great slap... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhJQp-q1Y1s"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhJQp-q1Y1s[/url][/quote]

[quote name='Conan' post='784999' date='Mar 24 2010, 06:58 PM']Good call on "Dance on heavy weather" - just about my favourite L42 track in terms of bass sound... The comments about King's bass tone lacking balls/oomph/bottom etc may have a ring of truth about them when referring to his studio recorded sound, but believe me when they played live there was [b]plenty[/b] of low end to fill out the sound of the band! Considering the lightness of the strings he used (30-90 IIRC), its a wonder he got any tone at all!! Yes, the "machine gun" triplets and "bassist as typist" stuff in the early to mid eighties got seriously out of hand, but it was just so damned [i]exciting[/i] back then! Sure it sounds passe now, but TBH, until Wooten came along, who else had really shaken up the bass world since about 1983? Miller's tone never lacked bottom end either - just depends on what kind of speakers you listen to your music on I guess. My own personal feeling on "slap tone" (if there is one!)... You [i]can[/i] scoop out the mids (that seems to be the expectation) but you don't have to! Like any style of playing, its in the fingers (and thumb!) - with only a certain amount being contributed by the bass, strings, amp, speakers... Having said that, ever heard slap played on a Rickenbacker?! [/quote] I am a huge MK fan. I think his recorded tone is amazing, especially on the very first album. I saw him live in the 80s and wasn't impressed. All I could hear was the 'pulls'. That's 30 - 90 gauge strings for you IMO. I still think Marcus has the sound and style nailed, though. It is all in the fingers (and thumb).

This has flummoxed me, and I know my Japcrap. Looks very nice, though.

[quote name='obi 2 kenobi' post='784687' date='Mar 24 2010, 01:45 PM']Larry Graham had a great sound by first GCS record in '74. Granted before that it was arguably undefined when with Sly. Other guys in the same period (Louis Johnson, Pops, etc) also had a kind of muffled slap tone on the P basses at the time. Personally I prefer the Louis's stingray tone on Blam from '78 to the among best recorded slap tone. Which is another reason why rays > p bass IMO Other great early slap sounds are from Byron Miller (on p bass with George Duke and Roy Ayers). Also check out Abe Laboriel, esp. on Chaka Khan (Night in Tunisia) and w/ George Benson 'Give me the nIght album[/quote] Agreed. On the first Brothers Johnson album you can barely tell Louis is slapping. His tone on the Stomp break is amazing.

[quote name='Doddy' post='784690' date='Mar 24 2010, 01:48 PM']I've never been a big fan of Mark King's tone-I've always found it too treble-y. Kind of a weaker version of Stanley. Yeah,'Pops' is really underrated. I've got a great album called 'Baked Potato Super Live' by Greg Matheison, and 'Pops' plays great. Victor Bailey has a really filthy slap tone on Weather Report's 'D-Flat Waltz'. Slap tone for me,starts with Larry and then kind of branches off into Stanley and Marcus.[/quote] You kept that album a secret.

[quote name='51m0n' post='784777' date='Mar 24 2010, 03:12 PM']Cant stand that Level 42 slap tone, its got no 'meat' on its ricky-ticky bones Love Bonin' but the slap tone on that is too nasal for my liking ("mmmm my warwicks got so much wood!" - yeah, but again, no meat!) I prefer a fatter slap tone all round, like this:- Or even the first track on my myspace page (shameless plug ) which has a slap tone I was thrilled to get, all grindy and naughty, not all squeaky clean and polite....[/quote] Great track.

That's some change. Should be loads easier to play but you'll probably lose some beefiness.

The whole origin of slap bass is strange because Louis Johnson had apparently never heard of Graham when he started using the style. The ironic thing also is that Johnson always credits Jamerson as his main influence, yet it was slap playing that killed Jamerson's career. If you want to hear some killer tones, check out Bernard Wright's 'Nard' album, featuring Marcus and 'Sonjon'. A real classic.

[quote name='JTUK' post='784369' date='Mar 24 2010, 09:05 AM']Just about everything that came out of NY had MM or a MM clone on it. Tom Barney built his early career depping the MM sound. Just the same way that Sanborn became THE alto part that people started getting work by using his 'sound'. MM's slap sound also evolved because he needed/wanted it to be heard of radio's and the bass was often buried. Nice story... I like to use something else these days, and never really had that sound until relatively recently but his sound was all over the product at one time, which is why and how he became a producer of so many. His tone, was as defintive as anyones .. it may not be to everyones taste, but he pretty well wrote the book, IMO. I've said this before.. Louis J was a very influencial player and played on MJ's work at the time but it is really heavy and ragged stripped down. Popwell just has a great groove on his modded P-bass. Ditto Freddie Washington. I really like Berlin as he really has it down...and it is something different. But then he NAILS everything anyway..[/quote] Here's an example of Popwell's playing and tone: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOJDGXaFxSk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOJDGXaFxSk[/url]

It's a funny old forum, isn't it? I get an official warning for starting a joke thread, yet someone can freely call someone else a c***. Admins, feel free to explain.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='784219' date='Mar 24 2010, 12:06 AM']When the geezer is arguing Marcus Miller's sound I think it's relevant. If he was actually Jimmy Cliff then maybe it would be unfair. And you're a thick c***. Sorry is name-calling only allowed as part of a pun?[/quote] Thanks for that...much appreciated. Perhaps a better name would be 'paranoid', as I get the distinct feeling you enjoy irritating me. Or am I just being a thick c***? At least my name-call was an attempt at being clever.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='784052' date='Mar 23 2010, 09:59 PM']So which song did he slap on that everybody knows? See above. Incidentally is that a pork pie hat in your avatar?[/quote] Sorry mate, but you're coming on as the 'pork pie twat'.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='784116' date='Mar 23 2010, 10:52 PM']It's easy because it's true.[/quote] Change that name to 'thisnameismistaken'

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='784052' date='Mar 23 2010, 09:59 PM']So which song did he slap on that everybody knows? See above. Incidentally is that a pork pie hat in your avatar?[/quote] That's rather hattist, I must say.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='784019' date='Mar 23 2010, 09:30 PM']Weak low end, constant crash cymbal highs, and no mids. Why did you describe that as "Full range"? And it can't be the definitive slap tone unless it's been used on records that people have heard. I hate listening to his bass, he sounds nearly as bad as John Entwistle to me. That's "rich John Entwistle" - he sounded good until he could afford to ruin his sound in extreme ways.[/quote] Err...you haven't really endeared yourself to Entwistle fans there.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='784019' date='Mar 23 2010, 09:30 PM']Weak low end, constant crash cymbal highs, and no mids. Why did you describe that as "Full range"? And it can't be the definitive slap tone unless it's been used on records that people have heard. I hate listening to his bass, he sounds nearly as bad as John Entwistle to me. That's "rich John Entwistle" - he sounded good until he could afford to ruin his sound in extreme ways.[/quote] Are we listening to the same Marcus?

[quote name='Doddy' post='784013' date='Mar 23 2010, 09:22 PM']I think the same about your opinion in this case. Marcus' tone is the definitive slap tone- full range with a fat low end and crisp, clean highs. You won't get the classic Marcus tone on a stock '70's Jazz. His tone came together with the inclusion of a Bartolini preamp.Although his sound was almost there before,but not quite. The Seinfeld theme was played by Jonathon Wolfe on synth bass. Good choice of players there Pete.[/quote] Agreed. If you listen to early Marcus, you'll see that his sound was indeed evolving. For me, 'Run For Cover' is the ultimate sound.

Sounds like the music my Yugoslav dad was into. Love it!