Kongo

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='896449' date='Jul 16 2010, 12:22 PM']dunno bout the rickenbacker but he has lessons in how to slap, I may teach myself! [/quote] I subscribed to this guy and get about 20 new vids a week, he's a true genius!

I am what I am and that is all I am. I tried versatility but found when in Funk and Jazz situations I was a robot, playing what works but not really putting out any feel because it's not me. Nope, I found my voice, my style, my niche and have slept better and been happier performing, recording and rehearsing ever since. That being said, all the techniques and phrases I learned followed me through which is nice. So I guess "Stylist" is good for me, as I am what I am, NO imitation! That being said, I'm a "Musician" so really...now I'm confused! Is this another label like Chav and Emo perhaps?

[quote name='Doddy' post='896151' date='Jul 16 2010, 12:57 AM']Yes they were. David Nordschow designed the Goliath Cabs for SWR and later started 'Eden' with the intention of bettering what he did for them.[/quote] Sounds similar to Matamp and Orange.

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='895287' date='Jul 15 2010, 04:29 AM']I cannot believe that a post I made about what [b]I thought[/b] was a nice gesture, without prejudice towards the Metallica geezer whom I know very little of as their music is not my cuppa, has instead turned into a bash fest. Narrow minded doesn't even come close to describe some of the response seen. Long may live Jaco memory and legacy, I was lucky to see him live twice once in 1982 with Weather Report in Rome and once with his own band in Naples in 1986. What I saw with my very eyes was a musician gifted with a talent that I will probably never see gain in my lifetime. The weather in Naples was extremely hot and him playing with a wooly hat was probably not a good idea, which is maybe why he chucked it, when I caught it, it was soaked in sweat and it has since been washed of course, it's worth nothing to anyone except the memory of the occasion for me, it is not something I stole, to me it's priceless. I mean, it was Jaco's hat for god sake![/quote] I tip my hat to you! I just cant beleive how many people freely spout Jaco's name and say "he changed bass" etc etc and then they call someone for playing the way they do because it's not Jaco's way...ok, that is completely against what Jaco was doing. Most don't even have the right to spout Jaco this and Jaco that from what this thread shows. Rob owns it, Rob plays it, he didn't rip off Jaco's family or they would have it back. That's how it is folks.

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='895356' date='Jul 15 2010, 09:13 AM']The only Shine 6 string I've seen has a 34" scale.[/quote] Indeed.

I write everything I do on my Precision Bass. As I play 6-string almost exclusively these days, my logic is, If I can write and play it originally on a basic, 4-string, 20 fret bass and it sounds good and it can be played, then when it's on my fully decked out 6-string with this pup and that pre-amp etc etc blah blah it should sound and be played / expanded on 10 times better...in theory...usually works. Failing that, guitar maybe a few chords, if I didn't play them on bass first (Do love me chords). Even a drum beat can get ideas pumping so I guess...Bass mostly but kinda all instruments, whatever strikes me creativity I guess.

[quote name='grumble' post='888324' date='Jul 7 2010, 12:51 PM']I have nothing to say about this[/quote] There is one thing that could be said in an online era thats PERFECT for this situation... "Less QQ Pls" Couldn't resist! I understand the OP but tbh I've been on this site for a while now and I don't mind...I've not seen many more than 10 lines long...could be wrong but then, that jus shows how much Im bothered by it. I dunno...Not something I wish to be negative on.

[quote name='Stag' post='894268' date='Jul 13 2010, 11:07 PM']dont understand the attitude here that he's "not allowed" to own the bass... he bought it. Well done him IMO. rather a fan have it than it be stuck in a dealers. And Jaco is actually one of his heroes... and he's a pretty funky player... and he's friends with the family...?[/quote] Indeed, but I'd like to add, even if he wasn't a funky player, even if he jus played 3 notes a la 3 chord thrash, he should still be entitled to it. Come on people, broad minds in music please it's an art, not a competition. As long as the player has heart and soul and puts it into his music he's fine to be having the bass IMO. TBH I think Jaco would actually be mad at a few people for being so narrow minded. (this isn't aimed at the quoted person btw)

[quote name='EvilSmile' post='889861' date='Jul 8 2010, 09:03 PM']i like the snap that a maple FB gives too much to compromise on it.[/quote] Your not alone there!

I like those static floor mounted fans with an angled tilt for stage use etc (I jus call em stage fans...you know the type I mean). In rehearsal tho, as these can be a tad loud, maybe it's just me but they tend to clash with certain notes. A lot of appliances seem to have a C note hum to them. Oh and fan or no, always got me ear plugs.

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='889171' date='Jul 8 2010, 01:37 AM']As for Trujillo anyone recognize this burpy barky midrangey galloping style of finger funk? [/quote] Computer says no...

[quote name='Doddy' post='888629' date='Jul 7 2010, 04:41 PM']I'm not having a go at Sheehan,I'm a huge fan of his playing and own loads of albums with him on,as well as his videos-I've even got a Yamaha Attitude.I think that he is probably the greatest rock bass player ever,but I still see him as a 'stylist'. Niacin doesn't really do it for me-they are all great players but it doesn't blow me away. As busy as he is,Sheehan is hired to be 'Billy Sheehan' and do what he does. That's cool,but it does place him as a very stylistic player. Claypool is the same-I'm a massive fan,but he is 'stylistic'. I've got no problem if a player want's to be a 'one trick pony' and develop one style,it's cool if that is what you want to do,but I couldn't do that. I like being able to play a rock gig on electric one day,a jazz gig on upright the next,and then sit in a theatre pit and read through a show. That's why I have a preference for guys like Nathan East,Will Lee,Steve Pearce etc.[/quote] That's cool, shoulda known you weren't gonna go Jazz snobby on me, I've had a lot of it recently, guess I got a tad defensive, you have my apologies if I came off a bit brash. I used to try and play everything, do session work etc but it was short lived as I found that I could play Jazz and Funk as I was schooled...that's all it was, I didn't have the natural feel and left a bit artificial...When I took a dive and went back into Metal, I brought with me my Funk and I guess a smidgen of Jazz (never been a big jazzer at best) and added it and it seems to go down well, enough to get people in awe of the bass...in a metal band! That being said tho "Metal" has MANY faces...Life is too short and from this experience I feel I'm at best, natural AND happiest in this genre, and no guitarist has ever been able to put me in the typical place for a bassist in a metal band. That being said, I only do what I feel is needed tho, no solo's here...That's for the bedroom! So in this I've decided, at least for now, to concentrate on this area, it's my Niche per se, and I'm the happiest ever with it, I feel comfortable. Sheehan and Claypool are in my heart more than others, Claypool was my 1st and Sheehan after (after I broke away from Iron Maiden etc). Claypool got me to gettin a 6-string (which is my voice indeed), and Billy keeps me playing the 4 string in my spare time...like two sides. Both are pretty much non or very little schooled and as much as I did 3 years of music academia I feel more at home playing to records than re-capping theory (it's still there if REALLY needed). I do love Sheehan's take on his basses tho, being utility, and after trying Rickenbackers and seeing other bassists with two inputs, it does spark me to be a very useful tool. It's like a two bedroom flat, each person (pickup) has it's own space...One day I may try it myself. Niacin doesn't blow my mind either, but it's a different Sheehan, and it's about as close to Jazz as I get these days. That being said Fusion is a little easier on me. It's difficult to put, I've had both sides, but if someone is to start out, I don't feel it's wrong to just play records or play in bands if that's what you want to do, and THEN if you wish to further, by all means, go to a Jazz school or get classically trained (in my experience classical and Jazz theory do NOT mix). For now, I'm jus gonna stay put...I love music so much and I'm right where I should be right now.

[quote name='Doddy' post='885434' date='Jul 4 2010, 01:11 PM']The thing with players like Claypool,Harris and Sheehan,is that they are very much 'stylists'- they do what they do very well,but that's it(although Claypool did have some basic 'formal' training).So for me,that argument doesn't work because the players I prefer have all studied music to some degree,and are more versatile. It really all depends what you want from music. Every player listens to others and initially copies what they like to hear,but few go beyond it. I don't get why a player wouldn't want to get as much information about what they do as possible,but there are a lot of people who don't. The best and busiest players that I know have all studied music both formally and informally.[/quote] You disappoint me, I usually like ur posts of wise words. Harris is indeed a one trick pony but Sheehan is so misunderstood. I suggest you listen to some Niacin, see how "Shred bassist Billy Sheehan" as all seems he is known for, does well in his 3 peice blues fusion band. OMG yes thats right, Jazz influence...I see you all flocking there now! Sheehan professes in rock, and almost being 60 years old he does it better than a lot of young players, but he's a genius in terms knowledge and lets not forget his gig experience...I wish I had over 4000 gigs to help me perfect my tone and play style...I do REALLY wish those days were alive but alas, venues are few and far between. So as for busiest he's up there, his original bass is all natural wear, hardly something you see hence why Fender "Relic" instruments. I get your point but in turn, ask you take mine, why does someone have to learn it all? Can't they just enjoy music in it's primitive form of art and enjoyment rather than science? My Audience would have no clue if I started talking theory with them...but they do know that that song they love sounded awesome! And lets not forget, there's loads of excellent muso's in the world who stack shelves, it makes them no less of a musician that they are not famous or paid regularly for gigs. Claypool is a little different, but only a little. I find nothing wrong with not being formally trained. I have had 3 years of being trained also but I by far prefere the experience I get from playing. Especially when rock and metal are often looked down upon...we can all Jazz and Funk but do we HAVE to? Hell no! If I'm to become a "One trick pony" I think I could be happy with that. I don't enjoy Jazz much, I have albums I like, such as Bitches Brew, but it's more background to me. It doesn't speak to me, my heart and mind don't go wild like they do when I hear something decent, be it any genre. I do try, but I also wish others would accept musicians as they are. I've made a fair few people I've performed in front of happy, and they speak to me asking this and that and I love to talk to them, to me that's all I could ask for as being a performer, never mind how I was taught. Music is an art form, lets not forget this...please, I'm done with Maths, I just like to have fun, so does the audience.

A hat would be cool, but it would last all of 5 seconds on my head.

It's similar in design to Hamm's first Urge, the short scale version (Not Urge II)...but it's not right. Not enough Frets for a start!

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='886950' date='Jul 6 2010, 01:52 AM']While different I also see a lot of similarities between Jaco and Rob. And not just the hair for example both are very aggressive players who brought a large amount of funk into a style that wasn't always so funky. Both upfront lead players when they get the chance. I'd guess Jaco would be proud to know Rob has his old bass and is playing it.[/quote] Indeed, after all Jazz aside, Jaco was a Pioneer...are we forgetting his lesson to us so quickly? About revolutionising and changing music whilst we snuff anything that we dont agree with, or do we but use his name in vane? If so, we don't deserve to hold him high, cause he's not a happy bunny. I think this is a great story, a great turnout...and it's kinda like when in movies or RPG's, when a Knight gains the legendary "Excalibur" or whatever have you... You follow yes? I'm exited about this, it's great for music. Jaco lives on, NOT in the past...but in the present and future in the hands of a great bassist.

[quote name='teen t-shirt' post='887984' date='Jul 7 2010, 12:27 AM']+1 to this i've learned difficult riffs and licks before at full speed but then when i slow it down to try and show it to some one to learn i completely balls it up almost instantly... its stupid how by slowing something difficult down can f*** with our heads so much... [/quote] That's because it is USING your head, and not muscle memory. I practice by this factor a lot, breaking things apart to rebuild them, like a car engine but on bass playing instead. On my Sheehan DVD I got recently (In My Honest Opinion is the title), he takes some age old licks, slows them down and messes up a note or two and jokes about it, then turning it into a lesson.

[quote name='Paul_C' post='887926' date='Jul 6 2010, 11:24 PM']So if you wanted to nail a busy bass line you could slow it down to give you more chance of picking out the right notes.[/quote] Indeed, and the biggest challenge of em all is taking your fast lick, and playing it slow flawless...It's so hard! Cause you got used to playing it fast you don't really register what it is...slow it down and it's a whole different ball game.

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='887424' date='Jul 6 2010, 03:37 PM']As long as it's OK on frets 1-5 I'll be fine.[/quote] Nashville bassist huh? [quote name='OldGit' post='887108' date='Jul 6 2010, 11:12 AM']So where do all the old strings go? I know some charities make jewelry out of celebrity players' old strings and sell them to raise funds but what else can we do? We should have a string re-cycling thread. There must be hundreds of people on here who'd be very glad have a set of one month old strings for free or postage rather than them going in the re-cycling. There was a charity taking them to Africa (where guitarist often use bike cables and fence wire as strings, I kid you not) but they ran into problems with the governments and transport from the city to the bush where they are needed most.[/quote] I recently chucked boxes of old ones away...I had stashed them with an idea of weighing them in, being steel and all...but didn't go ahead with trying...Can you weigh in bass strings? Other than that, making your own bass-string ball would be legend...

[quote name='Kongo' post='869611' date='Jun 17 2010, 02:02 AM']Refreshed my memory on "Invaders" by Iron Maiden and am continuing my work on "Scarified" by Racer X. Got my P-bass playing sweet again and what better to play than some good 80's metal!? Got my friend with his pink pickuped RG550 (ogh...) to learn it also and were gonna blast it out on Friday...thats 2 days to nail it...Mmm a worthy challenge![/quote] Forgot about this thread...Ah yes it was an interesting one. We got about 1/4 of the way nailed and it was real fun...I ain't practiced it since but lets say, the 2 days to nail it wasn't going to happen...I'm not used to the style their bassist uses in his solo's etc and it was completely alien to me to fit it in my style...needs a lot of practise.

[quote name='OldGit' post='886827' date='Jul 5 2010, 11:03 PM']Was that the orginal Elixirs? They were horrible but the second version - the Nano's are much less like plastic tubes. There was a post on the cleaning tube in one of the "boiling strings" threads. Can't find it now.. [url="http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/how_to_clean_bass_strings.html"]This site[/url] is good on the subject including [url="http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/bass_string_cleaning_tube.html"]The Tube[/url][/quote] They came on my Ibanez BTB665mp a few years ago, Nanoweb. Dunno if they changed them but they just felt...well...tubey. That's just me tho, I'm used to raw steel I guess, shame, cause they could save me a LOT of money, I may try some again, come to think of it, I ain't tried em on my Yamaha TRB yet...being a much better bass the tone and feel could work well...It also slightly rejects my usual D'addario Pro Steels something fierce, so I'm on the lookout. And YES! That site does indeed illustrate and list my ideas in full! Awesome so it has been made and it DOES work! "denatured alcohol" That's the one...Hmmm gonna have to build one of these when I can now, although for it to work you can't use Elixirs, defeats the object. My guess is tho that maybe you'd wanna take em off in 2 weeks time to clean them depending how long you've played the strings, as a month could have corrosion set in, and no alcohol is gonna sort that.

[quote name='dood' post='884139' date='Jul 2 2010, 04:49 PM']I haven't put any Nexus strings on my bassses yet as Rotosound don't do a 'high C' string (yet) - however, I bought a set of guitar (electric) strings to put on my widdley-fest guitar. The perceived lower tension works pretty well so far and they look rather cool. Thewound strings are black and the other three are gold in colour - which looks sweet against the gold harware and black text on the instrument. I will see how they get on - but it won't be a fair test as this guitar doesn't get gigged, I only use it for writing with.[/quote] The strings themselves are coloured?

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='886871' date='Jul 5 2010, 11:39 PM']Well as I said in my last post on this thread, I've got an endorsement offer from GK now, so I'll take the endorsement and keep my gear. Or upgrade my gear, but keep the GK Artist series theme so it's just the same but bigger. I'll email Warwick once the GK deal's final and see if they want to offer me an instrument endorsement, but I'm happy with my GK for an amp. Our drummer just got an endorsement by SJC, he's getting a custom made snare to his exact specs for not a lot of money. We're quite lucky too in that I work at a small shop that "endorses" us, so anything they can get, the band can have at cost, which includes all the little bits, plus some bigger stuff too (musicman and G&L basses for example).[/quote] Wow that's great news mate! a Win / Win situation indeed. Enjoy.

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient!!! Funny album but damn, some tasty riffs, licks and the drums flow very well!