steverickwood

[quote name='TheRev' post='1112580' date='Feb 2 2011, 04:09 PM']Sounds like you've got the SWB02 or 3 - solid wood body in a miniature double bass shape? If it's a hollow body you've got a SWB04. These basses work best with orchestral or synthetic strings. Steel core (eg, spirocores) are a bit too bright for solid body EUBs. I've used Helicore Hybrids & orchestrals and Innovation Honeys on my old SWB01 LITE. The Helicore Hybrids had good definition but the Honeys had a more double bass-like sound. Others you could try are Obligatos, Velvet Blues or Thomastik Dominants. If you keep an eye on the 'for sale' forum, second hand sets come up pretty regularly. I might even have a set of Helicores knocking around if you're interested?[/quote] Appreciate the info mate - what sort of price? Yeah got a hollow body; quite a cool bass really. Never liked the amount of dots on the steinbergers!!

Hello all; being an upright 'owner', in that I use it way less than my electric basses I have a q regarding strings. I own an electric by Aria which I got the best part of a decade ago, and I'm sure someone said strings were to be obtained from Aria for one reason or another - or this may just have been marketing... Anyhow, I need some new strings, what would possibly be most useful for this electric, played mostly pizzicato, in styles of jazz, blues, drum'n'bass, hip-hop etc. Thoughts would be useful - I've forgotton what model but its like a squashed double bass!! Best Steve r

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1082623' date='Jan 8 2011, 09:45 PM']I love my rare exotic basses...crap to sell on, but a joy to own.... my new love and GAS is this bass.. they are unfortunately..mega bucks!.. there is not that many in the world... from a source/friend in the US, he has told me they are just incredible sounding basses... John Myung used to play them... This bass does it for me.. i also love Surine and New York Bass Works basses... Sukop too let me see the rare basses you love.. pics please...we all ant to see these beauties..[/quote] I think this one was on sale in Mississipi for some time - I emailed the shop and was very close to buying it as I really love their sound and indeed they are very obscure. Kind of wish I had now!

As with many things music, it is a subjective issue I think. To cop the feel of a piece is how I generally work, especially when depping or busking a tune without rehearsal or prior learning. Other situations require absolute detail to a written score - although sometimes you have some 'artistic licence' provided you spot the unison parts! And there are situations where I feel blasphemous to even dare deviate from the original line because its so good. I don't know how others feel, but some lines (a few notable ones include Good Times, Addicted to Love and, oh loads really!) have a subtlelty within in that on the surface they are fairly straightforward, but to get CLOSE to the original requires a lot of attention to beat placement, tone, articulation et cetera - some players deviate by adding fills and skips and so forth but it does not necessarily enhance the groove it sometimes distracts and also highlights how a fill without reason can be a way of disguising a lack of focus on the groove - the tunes mentioned are so well played they don't need lots of fills/variants. Bit of a can of worms as always this, but one way to know for sure is to record and listen back. That said, play to a load of pissed people and they probably won't know/care. As long as you play Kings of Leon!

Very sad indeed; a hugely influential player.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1073870' date='Dec 31 2010, 05:39 PM']Andy Crockett in Canterbury, I think. [url="http://www.crockettguitars.com/Jazz/CROCKETTCONTACT.htm"]http://www.crockettguitars.com/Jazz/CROCKETTCONTACT.htm[/url] Give him a call. I know he makes the things..not sure if he still does set-ups, etc[/quote] Yep andy is very thorough and well worth it if you can get hold of him!

[quote name='chris_b' post='1070864' date='Dec 28 2010, 11:52 AM']I bet you can't! James Jamerson could play anything but listen to him on Boom Boom, Higher and Higher and Can I get A Witness. Anyone could play more notes but just because you can you won't be playing "better" lines. I could play more notes than Dusty Hill but that would not be right either.[/quote] True indeed. We should be playing because we love to play and not expect to be slated if we are not virtuosos. Have fun and try to play within context; lets face it, if we all followed some 'how to do bass that will please everyone' guide we would be dull and similar. Some people play lots of notes and some play few, but ultimately I reckon we are better off practicing right now to improve our craft, as opposed to talking about it and how we could do better. (guitarist and lightbulb joke?)

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='923812' date='Aug 13 2010, 12:18 PM']We've had overrated, but awful is a difficult one. I agree that in the studio it can be fixed or ghosted. But live? If a band becomes 'well known', the bass player should have done enough gigs to play to a decent standard. If we're talking 'annoying', that cheese farmer from Blur when he appeared on Jools Holland once, playing a double bass and trying to look cool by smoking a fag.[/quote] Haha nail on the head! Strangely I saw him judging some talent thing on tv once and he was horrid to some young metal band and said they were not controversial/outrageous enough (or words to that effect) but failed to see the controversial/outrageousness in them when they proceeded to dump a bowl of pasta over his head! Out rolled the diva...

[quote name='witterth' post='923799' date='Aug 13 2010, 12:12 PM']This could get interesting this, Oh go on then, I'll chuck one that'll get hair and teeth flying, Adam Clayton (there, I've said it ) ok ok, not totally awful but a bit lucky inne?[/quote] Its true to an extent but also worth considering that him and the drummer keep the foundation perfectly for U2 - who the face of is really bono and the hedge. Were some great bassist to play for them it'd probably sound 'wrong'. For the record, I don't particuarly care for much of u2's stuff but I think that some 'average' bassists are doing the correct job. Fame isn't based on virtuosity by and large. This could be a can of worms!!

[quote name='Moos3h' post='923765' date='Aug 13 2010, 11:57 AM']The original bass player from Oasis![/quote] Yes - and to think they gave something like a 4 page feature in the uk bass mag at the time... Nothing to do with boosting sales?

Genuinely nice guys and very funny. Not a single untalented person in the group - all capable of rock with the creative ability of jazz, and a superb cross pollination of styles, and performance overall. They have done workshops at Canterbury Christchurch uni for the last few years and the odd gig throughout the UK. Thoroughly recommended.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1041230' date='Nov 29 2010, 02:49 PM']That was a couple of years earlier Steve, if I remember rightly. Didn't know your mum's house even had a basement, otherwise I probably would've left stuff there... With Abstract I had a 70s HH VS combo, which lit up green but only worked properly lying on its back (the amp, not me!), which I PX'd for a Session 410 Bass Compact (poor man's Trace-Elliot back then!) at Frenchy's in Duncan Road - which was run by a Mark Knopfler wannabe & amateur pornographer called Geoff - remember him? The GK's great - I really want a decent 2x10 to use with it now. Oh, and a band with some bloody gigs would be good too! J.[/quote] Wow - I had a carlsboro valve and 4x12 for my first amp - got it from some guy tony knew and got in my first band at 18. Yeah I remember geoff - I used to drool over the hohner headless basses in his window (and a zemicki which was uncool but I wishede I'd bought!) as a paperboy; he would get me to nick fags for him from the shop in return for cables etc...a right old fagin! And yeah I heara few stories about him chatting up schoolgirls. He also had some dodgy assitant who I realise in retrospect was a bit of a druggie as he was always offering me spares and stuff for like 10 or 15 quid. Geoff sold some trash but I last sold him a guitar I put together minus any internal electronics (as I knew he didn't check them) and that part funded my first bass!! But he woulde rip any one off - i mean I was 15!!! Talk about how to learn about the music business:) Yeah I've been using a markbass 2x10 lately. Nice and light. I have a 4x10 but don;t always need that much power when theres a pa to do it for me. Gona flog quite a few of my basses as got a CT this year and may buy a roscoe off a mate which is one of the best basses I've ever tried. And as I;'m doing less touring work etc I don't need so many damn instruments.

Oh well - shame to hear such things. Seriously, I've never had a prob with them. Some of the old denmark street gaffs on the other hand...

It's a shame the Bass Centre didn't survive as a physical shop - always fantastic stock and staff. I've used them since the mid-90s and never had a problem. If it transpires that whatever I've ordered is out of stock they always phone back immediately and let me decide if I'm happy to wait, but that has only happened once. Always found their staff knowledgable and helpful to the max.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1039540' date='Nov 28 2010, 01:44 AM']Same. My first amp in 1981, £30 out a charity shop for 50w head & matching 2x12 cab - way too quiet for the band I'd just joined, I thought it was complete crap. It's still in the drummer's mum's basement, for all I know. Jon.[/quote] It isn't. I'd have hoisted it as a teenager;) I think the bass I built was still there but we left in 1991. Unless this is another band you're talking about?! Hows the GK?

[quote name='kevbass' post='1034688' date='Nov 24 2010, 04:14 AM']Hands down, the best Tommy the cat bass cover on youtube! Love it! [/quote] Initially I was inclined to disagree...but then the vocals started and I fear you have a valid point;) Legendary.

[quote name='endorka' post='1024365' date='Nov 15 2010, 10:30 AM']I did indeed play YYZ, with drummer, guitarist and keys player for the middle section. A real buzz for all concerned :-) Jennifer[/quote] Yep -always a blast to play this sort of stuff; muso but not TOO muso, if you get me. I think I didn't trust the keyboard player when I last played this and just whacked a load of chorus on my bass and played the chords whilst pedalling the A - a 'homage' to Mr Lee I guess! I take it the assesment went well then?

My thoughts exactly - he played some lush lines on 'family business', 'cliche' and all the tracks he played on actually:) Sweet tone, vibrato and feel.

Bit late entering discussion here! I always remember learning this in my first band and it was frustrating because the bass didn't seem to have a direction. For many years I dismissed it as a sloppy quite unremarkable bass part. Of course, in retrospect, the song would not be the same without that part! And what a fantastic song:)

[quote name='lojo' post='1016840' date='Nov 8 2010, 08:03 PM']This truly is a great piece of work, really fantastic It maybe to much to ask, but id love to see a video cutting to you playing various basses and parts throughout[/quote] Not 'pointless' then?!! Hmm - you see I'm not a techno whizz and don't even own a vid camera as I'm not into filming my every move and facebooking it! So I didn't record any of the takes. Maybe if I get the quartet together with my uni students, then someone may film it. That said, I really have forgotton how to play it!! So a bit of practice will be in order. Thanks for the comment though:)

[quote name='JMT3781' post='1015617' date='Nov 7 2010, 07:54 PM']you made my night[/quote] Thank you mate - your comment made mine. However, someone else topped even your comment by posting 'pointless' on youtube, before removing it!! I did suggest in my posting of this that critisism yes, fair play, but if its constructive. Fair to say 'pointless' is a pointless comment. As for transcribing a piece of music, arranging it for other instrumentalists in order to be performed, and simply doing SOMETHING that involes preparation and hopefully a greater understanding of a composition, is that REALLY pointless? Maybe thats why said person removed the comment:)

[quote name='BassBod' post='1016065' date='Nov 8 2010, 09:52 AM']You realize, of course, that we need to see pictures. I've never seen a CT in the UK, although there are rumours......[/quote] I'll hassle him! You can just see one I'm holding in The Bass Orchestra play Star Wars (see youtube, and look up steve rickwood)

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1015355' date='Nov 7 2010, 03:41 PM']Very, very quiet gig-wise unfortunately but the band's still practising weekly. Kind of schizoid at the moment as we have two drummers playing two different sets! Basically our long-term drummer Mark has a lot of other commitments, what with being a new dad & playing in a traditional folky band that actually pays him, so we're working with another guy on our most recent material which Mark hasn't really had time to learn. Not exactly sure how this is going to pan out... J.[/quote] Hmmm, I know what you mean. As far as my favourite band to play with goes, its my old funk/acid jazz/prog/whatever band Raiders of the Lost Groove and we had an 8 year hiatus (ie we split up and didn't talk!) but tenatively reformed at the start of the year that bit wiser and not all living together any more etc But, the guitarist/singer now has 3 kids, the drummer lives in Medway and I'm "In France" (apparantly!) and we all have fairly hectic schedules. Which is a drag cos we have all written a zillion crazy ideas with the view that we would reform and write purely for our 3 selves, not to impress and friends, pubs, record people, radio people etc so we could be as true to ourselves as poss. Brilliant, we have all this stuff and no time to arrange it!! But hopefully in the New Year we'll get on the case. The plan is to write a 20 minute piece and just record it live (apart from acoustic overdubs and switches to double bass etc) The drummer text me a while back remembering the days we would meet at Rainham station on a saturday morning and walk 40 minutes to his place and just play all day. (Until Deanwood Drive petitioned to the council to stop the band...) Too easy to take that time for granted hey?

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1015332' date='Nov 7 2010, 03:13 PM']That is awesome! So many different sounds, and so many layers![/quote] Thank you Chris - the different sounds I considered essential to having any chance of mixing so many basses. Looking at your page here, record of the moment - Hold Your Fire was the first gig I ever saw, and probably the reason I took up bass; man, that album is permanently engraved with me! And what a stunning record sleeve!

[quote name='GarethFlatlands' post='1015144' date='Nov 7 2010, 12:15 PM']Very good. Shame about the cat that wandered into the recording room at the 29 second mark but at least he's in time [/quote] Haha - quality!! I presume thats my 'muted trumpet' part!! Genius;)