leftybassman392

[quote name='paulypbass' timestamp='1329906216' post='1549300'] i;m left handed but i play left handed basses. never been that bothered with choice of basses as squier do p and j basses as so do fender and thats all i really play. [/quote] Well in that case you're invited to the Lefty Bass Bash too. Check the thread in the 'Events' forum.

[quote name='paulconnolly' timestamp='1329863709' post='1548916'] Have a great event [b]lefty[/b] but let go the negative waves man [/quote] I used to think I had a bit of a talent for humour, but I'm beginning to wonder now. Or maybe I just don't know how to use smileys.

Well we're having a Lefty Bass Bash in a few weeks, and none of you is invited! Except whynot. And yorick. And anybody else who posted on here that actually plays a conventional left handed bass, and will therefore be in a position to play the various Wals, Zons, Seis, Sandbergs, Regenerates, plus a lot of others that I can't remember now. So there!

Ouch! Certainly takes some getting used to. Whatever it is, it sure ain't no Telecaster.

I'd describe myself as a lifetime guitarist who's switched to bass around 3 or 4 years ago, and now finds a way of enjoying both on their different levels. To enter the 'origins vs. current practice' debate, whatever Leo's intention may have been the simple fact is that modern bass technique is very different from guitar technique, and modern bass equipment is very different too (the days of hooking up a Stratocaster to a Bassman are, if not gone then going). When you teach both (as I did for a number of years) you learn these facts very quickly.

[quote name='d4tux' timestamp='1329766042' post='1547026'] I'd say Guthrie Govan has to be the best guitarist I've heard in a long while. Not sure if he would be classed as modern enough to be considered a modern guitar hero though. [/quote] My current favourite quitar player (for several years now) and quite possibly the best all-round guitarist I've ever heard. If you love the electric guitar and haven't heard the 'Erotic Cakes' CD then you are truly missing out. As a taster, just type his name into the Youtube search engine. Despite all this, I wouldn't classify him as a guitar hero in the way that someone like Gilbert or Slash is. (Actually I'm not even sure he'd thank you for the moniker.) He's as good at Jazz and Blues as he is at shred.

I've been lucky enough to work with a couple of great frontmen, who both had a very natural rapport with the audience. It may be a bit of an age thing but as has already been said, if the guy with the mic can do it I've always found a little bit of banter helps warm the audience up. I'd agree there's no excuse for taking an age to do it, but guitars do sometimes go out of tune, y'know? If the OP's guitarist isn't quick enough to tune then that's an issue I guess, but sh*t happens and it's the band's job to deal with it. What's he supposed to do, play it out of tune fer chrissakes?

In defence of the guitarists brotherhood, some guitars do go out of tune: My Gibson 335 has to be retuned after every song - no idea why (yes, I have had it checked), it just does; Ditto my Heritage 175 clone (until I sold it, that is..); My '72 Tele reissue is never completely [i]in [/i]tune strictly speaking although it is pretty stable once set - I just had to teach myself to stop fiddling with it (no, it's not a problem with the guitar - they're all like that unless you swap out the 3x2 bridge saddles); The Ibanez RG470 is steady as a rock (probably why it was my main working instrument for so long) - if your guitarist is getting problems with a Floyd Rose system, then it definitely needs looking at. Or else he does... Takamine acoustic always needs slight adjustments (because I like to work it pretty hard, that's why) - it has it's own dedicated tuner clamped to the headstock. From the sound of it, your guitarist is either trying to tune by ear every time or hasn't worked out how to use an electronic tuner. If he doesn't have a tuner he needs to get one pretty sharpish. If he hasn't worked out how to use it or doesn't trust it then he probably does need a slap to be fair.

[quote name='Ancient Mariner' timestamp='1329684459' post='1545966'] I believe Bellamy is meant to be a highly able player, but I cannot bear what muse I've heard - it breaks too many rules about what makes music enjoyable for me, and just sounds like someone trying too hard. Now back in my day.... mutter, mutter.... I'd go with Gilbert as being the last of the true heroes - just a phenomenal player, and really musical instead of merely shredding. [/quote] It's very well written modern rock music (and that's the basis of my liking of the band); but unless things have changed recently, it's very riff-driven and clearly designed to pull the listener in and give them something they can whistle to themselves on the way home. That's not what guitar heroes are supposed to do - I mean, the widdly stuff has memorable riffs too (Sweet Child o' Mine?), but a hero would use them as a jumping-off point, whereas for Muse they are pretty much the entire substance of the song. I'm sure others will beg to differ, but there it is. Now if you'll excuse me I'm overdue for my warm milk and Rusks.

Anybody seen the OP lately? Just thought I'd ask...

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1329680343' post='1545867'] (since we're playing the "how big are your forum testicles" game: I've got a PhD in musical acoustics) [/quote] [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1329681035' post='1545885'] So that sounds pretty much like the dog's bollocks. [/quote] We're going to need a bigger kennel.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1329676517' post='1545734'] In my opinion a large proportion of the people who post on basschat regularly have a smidgeon of bass guitar related aspergers in their psychological makeup. That probably includes me too. [/quote] Aha! Somebody noticed that line. At this point I'm kinda wondering if the whole thing's a giant wind-up.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1329677115' post='1545754'] (and since we're comparing qualifications, I've got a cycling proficiency certificate from school, so I think that qualifies me to have an opinion. ) [/quote] Certainly does - in this discussion it makes you an expert on cyclic motion.

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1329676479' post='1545732'] I assumed the vids were just there for the visuals, to illustrate the way that a string vibrates as a complex wave that can be broken down to a set of sine waves. Yes, what you see is actually a strobing interaction with the (constant) video capture frequency but that doesn't really matter for these purposes and it's hardly what I'd call unscientific - no-one is inferring anything about any particular frequency per se just that a string vibrates in quite a complicated pattern. If you actually know the shutter frequency and can tune it in relation to a known string fundamental frequency, you could use it to look at specific vibrational nodes etc, but that's taking it a lot further than simply introducing the topic. [/quote] ... not forgetting of course that the camera inside the body of the instrument is vibrating as the notes are played. You may not call it unscientific, but I do. Perhaps it's best if we agree to disagree on that point. There's plenty of other things going on here that are ripe for discussion.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1329673724' post='1545672'] Wow! I've got a certificate for swimming a width and the Mrs Joyful prize for rafia work. [/quote] ...which probably makes you as well qualified to talk about this stuff as anyone else hereabouts - myself included.

I don't really know where to begin with this, but would like to make the following observations:- 1. Whatever it is that the videos show, it is not an accurate, scientific representation of how a bass string (or any other string for that matter) vibrates. Please tell me that you're not attempting to pass off vid 1 as remotely scientific: there isn't enough paper on my page to describe how many ways that drivel is not scientific. As for vid 2, whilst it can at least make some claim to be scientific, it doesn't come close to replicating the way the aforementioned bass string works in practice (not least because it doesn't show any of the overtones). 2. I am alarmed at your liberal use of words like 'undoubtedly' and 'naturally' and 'obviously', as if a failure to 'understand' the following text is somehow the reader's failure to grasp the blindingly obvious. The one thing that proper scientists don't do is sprinkle words like these around when the subject matter is, well let's be kind and call it contentious. The last thing any of this is is undoubted. Nor natural. Nor obvious. This topic has been covered at great, great length in the following thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/73234-tonewoods/"]http://basschat.co.u...3234-tonewoods/[/url] And before you come up with some 'oh poor benighted soul that only sees darkness when light is all around us' gibberish, you should know that I have a Mathematics degree, (with a good understanding of how the harmonic series actually works), not to mention an 'A' level qualification in Physics and Electronics. Whatever the relationship between the various elements that make up the sound of a bass guitar, it is most certainly neither obvious nor undoubted. Ooops! Have I started an argument? Edit: I notice you have included the word 'aspergers' (referring, I assume, to medical condition that falls within the Autism spectrum) in your keywords list. Care to enlighten us?

[quote name='ojplaysbass' timestamp='1329407496' post='1542040'] wasn't Matt Bellamy meant to be the modern guitar hero? [/quote] I'm a big fan of Muse and like Bellamy's guitar playing a lot. As to whether he counts as a guitar hero in the way that guys like Slash, Bettencourt, Satriani, et.al. would depends on what you actually mean by the term. For me it is at least partly to do with technique - all the other guys mentioned here were known at least partly for their technical prowess, and much as I like Bellamy's guitar work, I'm not sure that I'd call it heroic in that sense. Technically at least, I reckon he's a better piano/keyboard player than a guitarist.

Sorry to intrude on what is clearly a private conversation between consenting adults, but I just wanted to say I ordered and received mine last week and am very happy with the result. I'll leave now....

Seems to be coming along nicely folks. Patch beat me to the 6-week reminder - D'Oh! Lifts are getting organised I see. Anybody been able to sort Steve-Soar out yet? Another reminder if I may - a little while ago we had a couple of enquiries about hotel accommodation. There are actually 2 places in the immediate vicinity, and after speaking to both, it seems that we will struggle to get a group rate at either. What I'm going to do is post room rates here, and people can make up their own minds. It would help if you can PM me with your choice [b]before [/b]actually booking it, just in case we [i]can [/i]get enough for a group rate. First off: [u][b]Holiday Inn Warwick [/b][/u](Tel. 01926 483000) It's a Holiday Inn - seasoned musos will know exactly what to expect. Location - shares the site with the Porridge Pot, so you can get from place to place without actually crossing a road (which should make it a bit easier to transport your 8x12 rig ). Room rates - (bear with me on this 'cos it's a little complicated...) Saturday 31st Mar - Standard rate is £69.99, but there is a Super Saver rate of £55 (which has to be booked at least 21 days in advance and is non-refundable) Sunday 1st April - Standard Rate is 85.99, Super Saver £59 (same conditions as above) Prices include Continental Breakfast, but overnight parking is £3.00 per night. _______________________________________________ If your desire is for more luxurious accomodation you can stay across the road at .... [u][b]Hilton Warwick[/b][/u]: (Tel. 01926 499555) It's a 4-Star hotel - seasoned musos will probably have not been in one of these very often. Location - directly across the A429 from the entrance to the Porridge Pot site. Rates (I had a bit of trouble getting exact information, mainly due to the tortuous telephone menu system and the slightly sniffy Indonesian-American-English receptionist I spoke to, but as far as I could gather....) Room only: £95 per night for both nights (I think..) Room and breakfast: £105 per night Above are for a single person in the room - I think there's a £10 surcharge for a second person in the room, and a nominal car parking charge - about the same as the Holiday Inn I would say. Also, a reminder about the buffet - around £7 per head. We have time yet, but the venue will need a week's notice of numbers. If you DON'T want the buffet, can you please let me know. I'm happy to shell out up front but please make sure you have cash with you when you come. Remember that unless you ask otherwise, we'll assume you DO want the buffet. 6 weeks and counting guys. Be there or be, er, somewhere else.

This kinda sounds like one of those 'do you believe in pissing contests as a way of sorting the men from the women?' questions. I Have 2 (relatively low wattage) amps, but they're both PJB's and hence: a. Very expensive for their rated power; and b. Very high quality. In addition, both have proper DI out so for FOH I can have as much power as I need; and as a bonus both record extremely well. Power isn't everything in an amp, any more than speed is in a car. To think so is, in my humble opinion, just a little bit juvenile. (No offence intended towards the OP by the way, just answering the question). As to number of basses vs. number of amps, well I'm in the fortunate position of not having to make the choice. If I were I'd sacrifice one of the amps because to me they're just tools, whereas a choice of good basses never does any harm.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1329472599' post='1542882'] In small venues I use the pan to compensate for the fact that anyone right in front of the guitarists amp will have way more guitar in their ears already, so he is panned over to the other side, so the sound is more even across the venue. Same goes for the bass and keys on the other side. [/quote] Makes sense (sort of). It's partly a function of onstage volume vs. monitor levels of course, and as an ex-guitarist I do understand the appeal of having it nice & loud. I've always tried to encourage bands I've worked in or with to turn down a bit and use the monitors more, but it can be tricky if their average age is 17!

Well, maybe... I'll get me coat.