thodrik

Problem with drop d guitarists is that sometimes the riff is only playable using Drop D tuning, and as such trying to play the same riff using DGCF becomes a pain in the hole leading to even more annoying shapes! Used to hate playing in drop D (every band seems to do it), but I've had to live with it for so long now that you just get used to the shapes and get on with it. I ended up just putting thick strings and changing just the bottom string to get lower notes so at times I'm tuned CADG, BADG, or on the one occassion, AADG. I don't need a 'tight' low B so I've never really felt that I needed a five string. Saying that, going to DGCF isn't that severe, even a medium set 105-45 would probably do the job, though 110s or 115 would probably sound better, but I suppose it depends on the string tension you want.

I've owned an all original 1978 Fender Precision for about 9 years. I got it for £390 quid and apart from a few dings it is in mint condition still. See when I got it, the late 70s fender Precisions were cheap 'players' basses in that 1970s basses were not held in high opinion. Now even 1970s Precisions are going for over a grand and are becoming more of an investment than a working bass. I absolutely love my Precision, it has so much sentimental value to me as my first proper bass. I have never played a Fender Jazz new or old from the same period that comes close to it, and it plays as well as any bass I've ever tried. Yet, sentimental and notions of 'vibe and history aside, does it come close to my Vigier and Sadowsky Metro in terms of build quality, electronics and amplified sound without the aid of a good preamp and much time spent working with the eq? Not even close! I'm tempted to stick on a new bridge and some pick ups, maybe even turn it into an active bass. However, then it loses value as an investment and loses the original 'vibe'. Tricky issue, but I'm never gonna sell it anyway, so the value isn't that important despite them being vastly superior basses the Vigier and the Sadowsky would go first, as the Fender, despite all its faults, is still a Fender.

They certainly look very nice, very Sadowskyish in terms of features. I kinda liked the humbucker on the P bass as it added a real added 'ooomph' to the sound, now its just a standard PJ bass which really doesn't excite or interest me. I might be in the minority though. Colours and body shape are a great improvement on the last/current US Deluxe line. I always hated the Black/Montego orangey combination! The move to 22 frets is a shame but maybe they needed to do that to complement the new body shape. I would have liked a 24 fret jazz bass but there you go.

Well, I watched it and apart from the inclusion of Budgie and Diamond Head bits it felt like I was watching Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, Rock Family Trees, except at the same time! Since these shows were played later on, made me hear Ian Gillan telling the same stories, but with several different hair cuts. Seriously though, a lot of the stories have been told by the same guys on so many other documentaries. Its good for what it was but it would be nice if the beeb put any interest in contemporary heavy rock/metal rather than basically pretending that heavy metal/rock music ceased to exist after about 1983, much like most 'rock' radio stations! Saying that, I though Rob Halford's contributions were brilliant, and outlining the importance of the midlands was a nice touch.

[quote name='JMT3781' post='766902' date='Mar 7 2010, 02:25 PM']the salesman came out with this jem: "The thing with sadowsky metro basses, they arn't trying to be anything special" anyone else thinks this warrants a 1500 + price tag? surely this isn't one of sadwoky's marketing slogans [/quote] I think they were probably meaning in terms of looks, in that they look very much like Fenders. They don't have any overly fancy tops or finishes or relic effect. The key to the metro basses are the pickups, the bridge and the general fit and finish which are generally great. Yes they are Japanese rather than American but they are far from being budget basses. The ones I have tried more than hold their own against the few Overwaters, Peavey Cirrus, Wals in terms of construction, pickups, sound and playability, if not in terms of having a distinct unique look or design. They are also very unfussy basses that don't require much time spent to eq etc, which makes them really great when playing gigs or recording. The sound as well is pretty unique to Sadowsky in my opinion, which some people just don't take to anyway. I find it almost impossible to dial in a 'vintage' fender sound on a Sadowsky, even with the VTC. If you want that sound, then you are probably better off getting a Fender. I think that when the four string metros were in the £1300-1500 category that was bang on. Now they have gone up again to starting at £1700, which is pushing it a bit. Suppose its a sign of the times though as the prices of NYCs have gone up as well.

Its not just shops, have you tried to listen to any kind of gear demo video from NAMM only to be distracted by a "KATOWWWW CACK" noise in the background. Many of them are fairly interchangeable as well. I suppose being 23, a lot of my generation grew up on Flea. When I moved to Glasgow aged 18, I quickly learned that if you go into a music shop and find a suspicious looking guy plugging in a Stingray, then its best to have an exit stratagy, as bad slapping is likely to take place imminently. Personally I like slap bass when used alongside other techniques to create a variation in tones, textures etc, but for me it should be learned only after mastering the basics. These include: playing in time, knowing when a string is way out of tune and how to fret a note. Not that I think of myself as a guide to all other bassists but I only started slapping when I was seventeen and had been playing for about 5 years. Mind you, I grew up in an 'unfunky' environment, mainly listening to rock and blues with Flea and Les Claypool being my only slap bass heroes. A person growing up with motown and Marcus Miller might have had more of an incentive to pick the technique up more quickly. I'm sure that the bass section of the shop in Waynes World with the 'No Stairway' sign had a similar sign which said: 'No slapping and popping in the key of E'.

[quote name='bassatnight' post='766445' date='Mar 6 2010, 08:37 PM']Heres my baby![/quote] Wow, that is beyond nice! I really like the Sandbergs without the aged look, as nice as the detail is in the relic models. The natural look is stunning. I noticed you also have a Sadowsky Metro. Lucky you, I had to choose between a Metro MV4 and a 'hardcore aged' Sandberg JM4 at the tail end of last year. I ended up choosing the Sadowsky. I don't regret it, but man, I nevertheless still want a Sandberg JM4 at some point in my life! Brilliant basses.

Something that can sound old and valvey and can go down to 2 ohms? I'm biased but I would say EBS Fafner or the TD650. Although not exactly portable, both of them can do clean or dirty valve sounds, where as Eden are more known for a great 'clean' tone. Saying that I wouldn't regret buying an Eden head, the few I've tried have been great! The Bass Terror would also do a great job and is also very portable and a good price. The Mesa heads are also great too at sounding like an all tube head. You could also just get a solid state and use a tube/tube simulation pre-amp pedal a la Sansamp. Or just buy a MArshall VBA 400 and try and recruit some powerful friends to carry it for you!

The 'if you are a headliner expect to provide backline' bit kind of annoys me as in my experience a) if you are headlining there is always some guy that is totally clueless that is going to misuse your gear if you are not headling, the headlining band will be against other people using their gear, due to reason (a). I think 'if you are headlining be prepared to let people use your cab' is a better deal. People can bring their heads and change overs don't take very long. It becomes more problematic when people are using combos, but they are by definition much easier to move so change overs shouldn't really suffer. Good organisation with promoters and other bands can get you pretty far in avoiding backline duplication, but for me there is nothing more annoying than people never getting in touch/replying to messages before the gig who just turn up expecting to have an amp provided for them.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='761338' date='Mar 1 2010, 11:01 PM']Thats the thing...ive got a lot of options! I was thinking Sadowsky but if im honest, i dont want to part with £1800+ on a non-US Sadowsky. Dont get me wrong, the finish and fit is flawless on the ones I tested, but the sound wasnt what I was looking for. The rest Im definitely going to consider. Thanks[/quote] Yeah, if you weren't into the non-US Sadowsky sound I'm not sure you'd get on with a US one either. Sadowsky's have a certain sound to them that bassists either take to or they don't. You are never going to get a really vintage sound even running it passive, every one I've tried has had a certain modern 'zing' to it. I did end up buying a Metro for £1500 new. In a comparison with a Mk 1 Wal, a 1971 Fender Jazz and an Overwater Perception it was a clear winner for me, and was cheaper to boot. The stigma of it not being a 'proper' US Sadowsky was an issue at first for me, but it is the same bridge and pick up as the NYC models and they are generally finished to a high standard which is comparable to other basses in the price range. It really is a proper Sadowsky bass, except without the extra options, bells and whistles that make the NYC range a bit more special. This does make them more of a real workhorse bass than a special one of kind bass though, so you are maybe right in looking elsewhere if you want something a bit more unique. The only thing that ran the Sadowsky close was a Sandberg JM, with the pre-aged finish putting me off more than anything to do with the bass. Those were all 4 strings though and a different player would probably rank the basses in a completely different order!

[quote name='Merton' post='760643' date='Mar 1 2010, 12:42 PM']Careful with your history... Gibson took over after the GP12X preamp, not the SMX preamp, that wa sa Kaman era and widely regarded as the last "good" Trace. Pedantic, I? [/quote] That is good to know though, just bought a 12 band 300SMX on ebay! Should do well for a backup. I do like my trace elliots, though if you have the furry amps and cabs, your pet cat will consider them useful as scratching posts.

Well I didn't sell it but I gave my brother my 1974 Gibson EB3 as I hadn't gigged it for years. Yet everytime I hear Cream or Free, I just really want to get the sound of an old school Gibson bass. Then I remember that it was neck-heavy, heavy in general, had a poor bridge design, poor intonation past the 12th fret no matter how many adjustments were made, and couldn't really be used for anything downtuned due to the shortened neck length and poor intonation. What a tone though! Whatever they are, they are unique.

Top end 5 string jazzes with a £2500 budget, so much choice! Since it is a long way way off you could try a few models to see which bass feels like 'your' bass. Any combination of Sandberg, Nordstrand, Sadowsky, (the metro range is around the £2000 mark anyway). Overwater as well are known for making great 5 strings as well. I don't know the pricing of the US Laklands, Alleva Coppollo or the Fodera NYC range, but they are also in the same bracket of high quality Fender J-style basses. You could also try Fender as well, you just never know you try one that for some reason plays like a dream! For the 'wildcard' I would suggest trying out a Vigier Excess five string that is coming out in a few months. Not vintage at all and some people don't like the lack of a truss rod, but if its like my four string it will pack on hell of a punch and will be built like a tank! With any of the listed brands in this thread though, quality control should not really be an issue. Happy hunting!

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='759186' date='Feb 27 2010, 03:30 PM']I went for a first jam with a band last December that started out fairly positive but by the end of the night the guitarist was showing me what he wanted me to play and telling me what sort of bass sound he wanted, and despite telling me in emails that he was into a lot of the same music as me, all his sounds came out like country rock or Oasis. Drummer was ace, but looked as bored as I did. Wish I'd got the drummer's number but it would've looked conspicuous![/quote] That has happened to me a lot as well. The amount of times I've gone to a rehearsal for a 'really heavy rock/stoner band with hardcore elements' which has turned out to be Biffy Clyro/Silverchair/Foo Fighters pop-rock. It gets bloody annoying not because I dislike that kind of music but that its not what I want to play, or expected to play when I replied to the ad. Its all fine and well to say you like band X, but if it has no relation whatsoever to the kind of music you are making, why bother? It just pisses people off that reply to the ad solely on the basis of band X. Like the guy who said he loved Tool and Mastadon, but on first rehearsal basically said he wanted to acoustic singer-songwriter stuff a la Elton John. Or the guy that said he loved Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails, but then it turns out he wanted a Motown vibe to everything. Actually the last one was quite a lot of fun for a while!

I generally find that in most gig situations, the bassist is generally the least likely to bring any gear, so bassists that are really into their gear have to suffer for the laziness of others/ Generally if it is organised beforehand I don't have a problem with providing cabs or on some occassions an amp/combo, especially if annother band is bringing a kick drum, guitar cab etc, it seems only fair. But generally once you are gigging with bands that are supposed to making a go of being a 'proper' band, I would expect bands to at least bring their own heads, drum breakables, snare drum, guitars and drum sticks. I have no problem with bands/bassists I know and trust using my cabs and even my head at a push. But there are unfortuantely so many bassists that are so clueless about gain and the issues of clipping that handing them a valve preamp is about as safe as handing them a shotgun... It can get annoying, if you spend your money/make yourself broke by buying a really nice amp, but at a gig bands show up with nothing and essectially say that they have to use your amp or else the gig can't happen! Everybody else gets the benefit of using your nice amp, without having to spend any money whatsoever. Generally with planning and organisation you can try to avoid it, but it does happen quite a lot in my experience. My most annoying parts of gigging are this though 1. Being asked to provide a backline for all the other bands except the headliner on a 4 band bill, but your band are on first before anybody arrives. 2. When you are headlining, a support band will turn up, use your gear and then leave without so much of a thank you or staying to at least hear you play. 3. People not bringing their own gear, but feel the need to complain about your gear 4. People saying that they have no transport and thus couldn't bring their own gear even though they live round the corner and could fit it in a taxi, much in the way that you had to fit your 1x15 combo into the back of taxi, but had to pay £10 as you live further away. 5. Other bassists getting their girlfriends to ask me if they (the boyfriend) can use my gear, on the basis presumably that I will be so smitten with the girl that of course I will say yes they can use my amp!

£1000 is going to get you pretty far, new or second hand. Never discount Fender, for every few duds, there will be a few that will be amazing. Sandberg make seem really cool J style basses, if you were going down the active route. Don't be afraid of the lack of face dots, you don't need them really. They generally sound and play great too, but all I see in shops are those pre-relic type finishes which is the only thing that turns me off about them. I have not tried a Lakland yet, but I would assume that they be really good. For me though the 'new' prices are getting a bit too steep given the massive increases over a short period of time. You could maybe get a second hand Sadowsky metro for that price as well, if you find anyone willing to sell. But I would recommend trying one before buying, not for build quality issues (they are usually top notch) but some people just don't get on with the Sadowsky sound. I love it though!

All my basses have maple fingerboards, but its not so much a preference as so much they just happened to have maple necks. They all sound and feel completely different as well, which makes it difficult for me to say 'maple fingerboards sound like X' as there is a lot of variation within the types of maple, like how old it is, where it is from etc. I do think that the general consensus is more right than wrong though, that maple fingerboards tend to be a bit more bright and more 'attacky', for lack of a better word. But with eq, playing technique etc the difference will often be minimal really. Though for many bassists this 'minimal' bit is often of utmost importance. So just pick the one you think looks the best and would be most comfortable playing. However, I think the notion that you 'need' an ash body with a maple neck for slap and an alder body with rosewood fingerboard for fingerstyle or rock is a load of rubbish. Although I think it is possible to work out the difference between say a jazz and a precision in the mix, but to claim you can tell the difference between certain types of fingerboard just by listening without looking? I really have my doubts! I would love to try an ebony fingerboard though, they just look stunning, especially on a bass without any blocks or dots on the board. I should just stop looking on the bloody Sadowsky site!

Hi there. You might just be adding to much bottom end which is overpowering everything else. Start with everything flat or with the bass at about one or two o'clock. Then start messing around with the tube gain. If you are tuning down, it might have nothing to do with your amp and more to do with your strings. If you are tuning down to around C with light to medium strings, you are not going to get a crunchy tone, as your strings will have lost a lot tension, to the point that you may start losing definition in your notes. My advice would be to use thicker strings if you are tuning down lower than drop d. You shouldn't really be straying too far from a good tone using a Precision bass through an Ampeg rig. Good luck

Hmmmmm, its a tough one. If I had money to burn (which I dont) and I had complete control over every detail of the bass, I could maybe possibly see the point, but I'm not so fussy that I would be unable find a bass for less than half that I would be totally blown away by. I think I would maybe stretch in the future for a Vigier Arpege or NYC Sadowsky, Alleva Coppolo, Mike Lull etc, but I don't think they would even be 5 grand. Also, although I have done loads of types of music over the years, I ultimately want to be in some kind of stoner/psychedelic band (With each passing year in Glasgow though, this goal seems to be getting less and less achievable.). I really wouldn't feel comfortable playing an ultra boutique coffee table bass. In fact, I just feel that I am too ordinary looking to play an ultra wacky bass design, as I just look too bland in comparison! If people want it they will pay. I had the chance to buy a Mach III Wal for just under two grand but I didn't think it was worth it. Six months later I bought a Sadowsky Metro for a bit less than that. Yet some people are so into their Wals that they would find a way to pay £5350 and some people just don't like the Sadowsky vibe and wouldn't buy one even if it was the same price as a US Fender Deluxes. It pretty much turns into the old Fodera debate or if you really want it then you have to have one! I used to think that I would spend loads on a vintage jazz bass, but for me a lot of times you are paying X amounts of money on a bass that might play like a dog, so you have to be ultra careful. Still though, I have nothing against bass builders trying out strange designs and charging large sums of money for them, its just that they are not for me. Sorry, long reply. Its been a long day though...

[quote name='Metalmoore' post='740554' date='Feb 10 2010, 01:48 AM']Seen Megadeth the last 2 (maybe 3) times they have been in glasgow with my mum (shes liked em since their 1st album) and i gotta say they are everything i was expecting and more. Always preferred dave tbh.[/quote] I'm the same though it was my brother rather than my mum. Very impressed but yeah for me both Daves have to be in the band for it to truly be Megadeth! Lomenzo is very much a hired hand, though a very good player. I just get annoyed with the way he had to change his entire wardrobe each time he got a gig. Saw him with Black Label and you could swear he was a born and bred biker, six months later in the same venue he rocking out in faded jeans and thrash metal gear. I know image plays a part in music but Lomenzo never seems to stamp his identity on a band, but rather blends in seemlessly to the point you don't recognise him! This is in contrast to Rob Trujillo who until recently was the another big metal bassist for hire, but always well...looked and played like Rob Trujillo!

Pino, great player no doubt, nobody can replace the Ox but, well...they tried and got a great session player. Nothing wrong but just that the Who songs never quite sound the same without the original guy. I just can't be bothered that much with the Who, the people that made the band interesting for me are dead. That statement sounds a bit harsh but Townsend and Daltrey don't do a lot for me. I have no problem with people continuing to like the band and the music, but they are one of my least-favourite bands from that era. For a half-time superbowl thing, it wasn't bad for what it was, seeing as half-time at superbowl is becoming more dad-rock than a 10 minute MTV music awards ceremony.

[quote name='silddx' post='735498' date='Feb 4 2010, 08:42 PM']So get a POD and save your money and your lumbar region for drinking and dancing! Also, the space your amp used to take and the money you have saved makes a sports car much more viable [/quote] Well, I had a POD and it didn't do EBS Fafner! I used a POD once at a gig and had a few issues, I'm just more comfortable with an amp and cab set-up, plus some of the smaller venues have minimal if any decent PA set up, so I need some kind of amp anyway for a pod to go through. Given I'm happy with my amp, the POD or a sansamp are an extra expense I don't need. If I ever hit the big time though I'm pretty sure it would lead to me running through a pod with in-ear monitors with a stacks of empty speaker cabs behind me! Just now I'm content with being told to turn down. Also, lugging the stuff about is pretty much my only exercise... Given the way I drive a sports car might not be the best plan. I've been told that my driving is somehow even worse than my dancing. My drinking though is pretty good!

Fender makes some good and bad in every era, you just have to play and see. Dodgy wiring aside when I got it (previous owner issues I think), my '78 Precision plays as good (or should it be well?) as any other bass I've ever played. I bought it for 380 quid in 1999. Before Christmas I tried a 1971 Jazz that was supposedly worth 2 and half grand. It played and sounded horrible and the Sandberg sitting next to it for half the price was a far superior instrument. For me that is semi-vintage Fender in a nutshell!

Must say I've enjoyed reading this read. However it has confused me to the point that I'm not sure what 'core tone' is anymore! I prefer to think that tone is in your brain more than it is in your fingers as your brain controls your fingers (alcohol sometimes has a role too). That said I have three basses, all with maple fingerboards, which all sound vastly different acoustically and even more different when plugged in. No matter how hard I try, I can't really make my P-bass sound like a Vigier. I still sound like me when playing both of these basses. So I guess 'core tone' is provided by the player in a way. each bass I tend to get a get a sound I can work with and leave it at that. I don't really change settings between songs, mostly because I'm lazy, partly because I'm happy with the sound I have and partly because I don't think anybody would care if bumped the mids at 500Hz for a certain song or used a pod to change my amp from a GK to an Ampeg! Most people at a gig would probably notice that the basses looked different before they would notice that they sound different. In fact most people probably wouldn't care or notice at all. I must say I've never been that bothered by digital processing, plug ins and the like. I have used them before and will again but there really is no substitute for a good amp, good cab and somebody that knows how to mic things up properly in a studio. This does take time though and for a quick recording a pod or ampeg plug-in thing is pretty cool. We could all get by ditching our amps and just gig with DI boxes and in-ear monitors. I just think that too much technology ends up taking some of the fun out of playing and recording music, at least for me. I just want to get a good bass, a good amp and play loud. I probably completely missed the point of the thread and for that I'm sorry!