RhysP

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1330000190' post='1551062'] You have completely missed the point. I can play Chris Squire's lines, you can, but you or I could NOT have created them. If you have no musical ideas, or only naive ones, in your soul, it doesn't matter how well you can play does it? You should stop judging musicians on their psychomotor skills and get the the heart of the art. [/quote] Sometimes (just sometimes mind) you hit the nail firmly & squarely on the head.

[quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1329998799' post='1551019'] Imagine your a session player. [/quote] I am. I'm doing quite a lucrative one this afternoon actually. Never had a lesson, never learnt any theory, and certainly never paid "ridiculous amounts of money" to be told I have to sound like everyone else on the converyor belt.

Sims have got a very good reputation, and the quality of their work is superb: http://www.simscustom.com/ (They quoted me £245.00 to refinish a Jazz style body in Burgundy Mist Metallic about two years ago, never got round to getting it done though).

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1329988462' post='1550751'] I now have 2 slipped discs and shoulder problems and even my 8.5lb-9lb Rics are giving me trouble; I'm also starting to get fed up with carting my ABM500 about(35lb-ish?). [/quote] It's no fun, is it? I've got a herniated lumbar disc & I'm sat here psyching myself up ready to get my 73lb EBS combo downstairs ready for a recording session this afternoon.

[quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1329994510' post='1550895'] Someone with great time feel in a wide array of genres and can stand on their own two feet when a drummer takes off with poly rhythmic ideas. [/quote] That definition means that 99% of bass players, including all the ones regarded as "The Greats" are incompetent. Chris Squire would be f***ing useless playing jazz or latin music, just as the vast majority of gospel players wouldn't have the first idea what to do in an industrial metal band. Why do some people think bass players have to be masters of every genre or else they're rubbish? I never hear guitarists slagging off BB King because his two handed tapping is sh*t, or saying that Martin Taylor or John Etheridge are crap because they can't play a convincing Country solo.

There's no point in taking risks with your back if you already have trouble with it. If 8.5lbs is the limit for your back then it's best to keep it that way.

[quote name='Austin7' timestamp='1329956318' post='1550562'] Then I gather your taste in music might be quite different than mine. [/quote] The main problem I had with them is I just couldn't get on with Matt Bellamys voice. The vocals are always the deal maker or breaker with me, no matter how good the playing or writing is.

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1329954827' post='1550531'] Mr Crab, why don't you just say you detest Muse. It will save you many letters. [/quote] Mr ****, I was replying to what somebody had said to me actually.

[quote name='Austin7' timestamp='1329950818' post='1550428'] That's one of their weakest albums, too. For somebody listening to Muse for the first time, I'd recommend "Absolution." a far superior album to "Black Holes." [/quote] I've heard "Absolution" & "OOS" as well & I think they're bloody awful as well to be honest. I only bought "Black Holes..." because it was £2.00 in the Virgin closing down sale.

Let me have your address & I'll send you an as-new copy of their "Black Holes & Revelations" CD if you want it. I bought it because everyone was saying how great they were & I think it's f***ing terrible.

Maybe you caught a rare glimpse of a Clutterbuck in the wild.

[quote name='paul torch' timestamp='1329916066' post='1549588'] My hearing's been screwed since my eardrum burst twice as a child due to severe ear infections. 10khz was my best shot. [/quote] I had a drunk at a wedding party try to put a flower behind my left ear. He missed & the stem went straight in my ear & ripped through my ear drum.

[quote name='petercomfort' timestamp='1329918760' post='1549683'] He is asking £750 for it. [/quote] If all you want is a good Jazz bass there are far better ways of spending £750 than that IMO.

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1329920739' post='1549757'] It would have had a three bolt neck originally. Is there an extra hole under the neck plate? [/quote] Wouldn't it have the Micro Tilt adjustment too?

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1329822048' post='1547776'] FWIW may I warn folks about what happened to me. I lived in a flat and would often get neighbour complaints about my stereo as well as personal music making activities. I invested in headphones. I was only gigging once a week on guitar plus a band practice and my day job was a quiet office-y environment, but had to go to the quack 'cos I couldn't hear other people in a busy environment and I had this permanent ringing in my ears (still got it now 20 years later). Turns out that the headphones were a lot louder than they seemed to be. I'd been using them several hours a day (well, evening) every day and that's what did the damage. [/quote] Headphones apparently will do more damage used at high volumes than playing live with loud amps. I've read that Pete Townshend & lots of others put the cause of their hearing problems down to using headphones at high volume for years in recording studios rather than playing live.

[quote name='petercomfort' timestamp='1329869647' post='1549031'] A good friend of mine is selling this lovely natural fender jazz. [/quote] You don't give an indication of how much he's asking for it, which could make a big difference to some of the replies you get here. If he's asking vintage 70's fender money for it, then you want to be sure it's all kosher. If it's not expensive then that becomes less of an issue than whether it just sounds & plays OK to you.

[quote name='Bassmanc' timestamp='1329824865' post='1547859'] Shouldn't there be a thread for this - maybe you have something that you've customised, has a freakish paint job, or was commissioned for you to your exact requirements. [/quote] Have you not seen BigRedX's "Weird & Wonderful" thread? http://basschat.co.uk/topic/5525-weird-wonderful-basses/

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1329860157' post='1548800'] He is the next Victor Wooten. [/quote] Why does he have to be labelled "The next" anything? I can appreciate they are all great players, but everything I've seen/heard of them so far just comes across a bit too much like a music college end of year concert, like an episode of "Fame" guest directed by Dream Theatre.

[quote name='q_of_doom' timestamp='1329837503' post='1548215'] He did say that he will be in my neck of the woods in a month or so if I cared to inspect the bass. If all's seems kosher, I'm tempted again. *sigh* [/quote] If you can get to try it out without the 1000 km round trip & find you like it, then why not get it? It almost certainly won't depreciate in value, though the missing serial number might put some people off should you choose to sell it at a later date

[quote name='Jam' timestamp='1329812939' post='1547616'] You have outstanding taste in music Did you know Wilson and Akerfeldt are collaborating and have put together a cd? They're calling themselves "Storm Corrosion" and it'll be out in April. Personally, I can't wait! Probably something else to make me wish I could play guitar! [/quote] I'm looking forward to that too. All I can be sure about is it won't be what I expect. Wilson & Akerfeldt are the two most interesting musicians to come along in a very long time IMO. They obviously have the same influences as me but aren't just on a nostalgia trip. Akerfeldt in particular doesn't seem bothered about losing his old death metal audience in order to make the music he wants to.

Does the winner also have to write one of those tedious monthly bass student diaries that they have in the UK Bass magazine?

I play guitar as well as bass, though bass is my main instrument & I played it for years before I picked up a guitar. I go through phases where I want to give up playing bass altogether & concentrate on guitar - I was just about to do exactly this (already sold one bass) when I unexpectedly got a call from an old drummer friend who wants me to do some playing with him so I'm a bit stuck as to what to do now. The bottom line is that I'm a much better bass player than a guitarist, but I enjoy playing guitar far more & I've spent far more money on guitar gear than bass gear over the last few years. The two bands you mention in your post are probably my favourite bands. I'd love to be able to play guitar like the Opeth guys. The Porcupine Tree stuff isn't that difficult really - it's the arrangements that make their stuff interesting.

There was some great music on that programme, though Diana Krall left me cold I have to admit Don't know who the player was, but an Alembic through an SVT rig is not a common jazz gig set up, is it?

There's a lot of snobbery over the whole lined fretless thing - some people seem to think it's not a "real" fretless if it's got lines or you're cheating, or other such tedious bollocks. Go with whatever you're comfortable with.