purpleblob

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='812511' date='Apr 20 2010, 01:21 PM']So, do you name your basses and is there a story behind the name?[/quote] God no !

I started out on a truly awful Kay Rickenbacker 4001 copy and this was played through a Carlsboro 60w bass combo. Sometime later I got an EB3 copy which was a hell of a lot more playable than the Kay but still not great. All are long gone now.

I did get hold of a pretty good book on scales and music theory many many years ago (way before the internet existed and it took me months to get it through the library ! ) but nowadays, there are plenty of free resources on the internet which will show you the notes or intervals of loads of scales. I'd check them out if I were you if you just want the notes/intervals within particular scales.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='802911' date='Apr 11 2010, 07:07 PM']Starting to wonder if it's me![/quote] Yep it's definitely you I kid, I kid - anything involving other musicians seems to often end up being hardwork, keep trying, something will turn up. Somehow I often found problems with drummers, maybe it comes with the desire to hit things.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='800979' date='Apr 9 2010, 04:01 PM']After most gigs in my case ;-)[/quote]

[quote name='fatback' post='798732' date='Apr 7 2010, 02:24 PM']+1000000 Did it twice. Why not start writing stuff? Get yourself Cubase or protools or whatever, a bunch of plugins and fool around. have some fun. Or learn another instrument, keys can be good for a bass player imo.[/quote] Good advice. I stopped playing to a large degree for something like 20 years (I my God it was that long) but luckily I'm a hoarder, so kept all my gear so when I got "the urge" to play again I had gear ready and waiting. I'd also go along with several of the other suggestions, so keep at least your core gear (if you decide to give up), i.e. small combo and your fav. instrument(s). Have a break and see how you feel after a short break or maybe look at another instrument to spice up your musical interests or try and write some stuff just for yourself - experiment I suspect we've all gone through this period (or will go through it) to some degree.

"Do I need to get a 5 string?" Only you can tell whether you need to get one. Do you play (or intend to play) anything that needs to go below E (or dropped to a D) or do you need a high C for anything you play ? If not then why bother with a 5.

[quote name='uzzell' post='800357' date='Apr 8 2010, 11:03 PM']Tom Jenkinson is a personal favorite. Very different to the silky smooth skills of Mr. Miller. You'll need to search [u]Squarepusher.[/u][/quote] Oh yeah, I've heard Squarepusher before. I saw him do some Spanish flamenco stuff on youtube if I recall.

[quote name='uzzell' post='800322' date='Apr 8 2010, 10:35 PM']I suppose its just a stylisitc thing. At the end of the day, its all subjective and the bass players that I really rate get little to no mention on these sites. Its no big deal, its jut that MM isnt my thing.[/quote] Not wishing to derail this thread - but out of interest, which bass players are you talking about, would like to check them out ?

[quote name='uzzell' post='799844' date='Apr 8 2010, 02:43 PM']This album, like much of his stuff is over-rated. I dont doubt he is an OK bass player but his music leaves me feeling cold and bored.[/quote] Each to their own. I did find the statement that he was an OK bass player highly amusing. Makes one wonder what you have to do to be a good bass player But like I said, each to their own.

[quote name='Doddy' post='799804' date='Apr 8 2010, 01:57 PM']The new Marcus Miller live album 'A Night in Monte Carlo' is brilliant.[/quote] Oooo, thanks for the headsup. EDIT: Listening to the album now.... nice. Interesting with the orchestra.

[quote name='Linus27' post='798117' date='Apr 6 2010, 10:05 PM']Anyone else going through this or been through this?[/quote] Oh yes, I go through it nearly every single day

[quote name='alanbass1' post='798099' date='Apr 6 2010, 09:52 PM']Well, I'm over it now and won't post who the maker is - if anyone is really interested as they were thinking about getting a custom build IM me and I will divulge the maker. However, below is my 'disgruntled' review I posted up on Harmony Central back then. Features : 10 Custom made to my specs: 34" scale 4 string. Seven piece Maple/Walnut laminated through neck. Body wings wth Macassar Ebony facings (back and front) with thin maple dividers. Hipshot lightweight tuners (with D Tuner), Hipshot bridge with both top loading and through body stringing options. Two Aero soapbar pickups linked up to an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp. 3 band eq, pickup pan and volume, active bypass and passive bass switch which is effectively a treble bleed capacitor. I have to give this catagory a 10 as it was made to my exact specs. Sound : 6 Sound is good - although not spectacular and not a patch on my Alembic MK signature. Has a similar fundamental but the pre-amp is not clear and concise in the bass, like the Alembic, and a bit too thin in the treble. The pickups are very quiet for the system in place. It is farly versatile and does lots of things quite well - but none that stand out. For two grand I was expecting better. Action, Fit, & Finish : 3 Well, this is a sorry story. The woodworking and joinery was good, however I went through a number of frustrating issues. 1st up, the bass arrived and I could not get it to intonate, and the closest I got was on the G string with the the bridge saddle fully backed up to the back of the bridge. I measured from the nut to the 12th Fret and the frets were obviously cut for a 35" scale which the bridge placement would not allow. I got this checked with a local tech who confirmed this. The bass went back and got refretted. When it returned, one of the knurled metal volume kbobs had come of in the case and caused damage to the finish. This went back again for the finish to be sorted out. When the bass was returned again the finish was reapplied but now very thick and not particularly great compared to the original finish. The finish was also applied to the side ebony fingerboard the second time around and the fret ends caused this to crack and peel when it shrunk slightly. Wiring job was one of the worse I had seen with so much wire stuffed into the control cavity without being trimmed to size. This caused the bass switch cap to come lose as I had to squash the wiring in the cavity to replace the cover. The pick-up volume failed and started to cause severe volume drop (almost to nothing) when engaging both pick-ups. When returned they stuck on a centre indented potentimeter! Volume from the pickups remained too low for what I was expecting but with all the issues and bad service just gave up. Fret work completely average. I give this a three for the woodworking, which is good. Everything else is decidedly heath robinson. Reliability/Durability : 5 Well, pick up volume failed, trouble with pick-ups and lousy wiring job does not inspire confidence. Customer Support : 1 Appalling really. When I first informed them about the intonation scale length issue they wouldn't believe me. I had to pay for the bass to be shipped back to them (no refund) - and then they came out with some bull**** about the the routing template moving halfway though fret seating. They could not accept they made a schoolboy error. The other times the bass was returned it was obvious I was seen as an inconvenience and they gave no impression of standing behind their product. Yes, they got the major things fixed - but this cost me shipping everytime and I didn't bother them with the little things as it was far too much hassle and cost. After the second return I asked whether they would offer a refund but the answer was a resounding no. Overall Rating : 2 The quality of build and finishing for the price is poor. The customer service appalling. I could not recommend this bass to anyone.[/quote] Wow - it was that bad ! google is your friend in tracking down this review - I won't spoil the surprise if people search for this review Support was particularily bad. EDIT: I love the Heath Robinson comparison -

Bugger it ! Now I really need to put more effort into learning to read music - thanks for sharing.

[quote name='uzzell' post='797974' date='Apr 6 2010, 08:19 PM']A few details to play with: 5 String Jazz shape (tuned E-C) Natural Oil Ash body Maple undotted neck Decent 9v pre amp Unsure on pickups yet but likely to be Jazz variation (maybe Delano) I am aware of sites such as Warmoth etc but I have no idea on how to construct such an item. I know this request seems like one of those 'splitting hair moments' but it is a real ambition to have the Jazz I really want.[/quote] Well a fair few luthiers do the Jazz body shape. You could have a chat with Martin Peterson at Sei headquarters or several others, I'm sure, could accomodate you. EDIT: For full disclosure, I have two Sei jazz basses (fretted and fretless) neither were built for me so I cannot comment on that side of things (i.e. the custom build). I bought both from The Gallery and both are tuned E-C, the latest being a maple necked beauty. They are really lovely instruments, so would highly recommend the quality of the Sei guys work.

[quote name='Soliloquy' post='797615' date='Apr 6 2010, 02:50 PM']If you want truly custom then that narrows the field somewhat.[/quote] Good point - If you're wanting to design the whole bass yourself, i.e. the shape etc. then you'll need to discard a fair few of the "custom" builders. Wal, Jaydee, I think Sei for example do their own shapes and tend to stick to those and it's more a case of you being able to choose from a lot of options as opposed to creating everything from scratch.

There was a similar thread - not strictly a "recommended custom bass builders" but nevertheless a list of custom builders - hope this helps. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=22419"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=22419[/url] EDIT: Oh and here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26654"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26654[/url]

Welcome. Take heart as today's crappy basses are a damn site better than the crappy basses I played as a kid Listen if it's playable and keeps you learning, practising and enjoying yourself then it's a good bass. Anyway, welcome.

[quote name='Wolverinebass' post='796256' date='Apr 5 2010, 09:14 AM']Anyone got any thoughts? Anyone? If it's total pants, please feel free to say.[/quote] Okay, here goes. The vocals are, to my ears, lost in the mix. For example the opening vocal on "Nothing to lose" seem to be lost under the guitar. They sound better when you get to the "they have nothing to lose" bits where they're slightly more shouty. Music sounds good and well recorded. Is the 8 string being used on all tracks ? You have a nice full sound on Nothing to lose. Also, again on the vocals, I like the doubling of vocals midway through but again they (for me) are a little lost in the mix. With regards "Sweet Angeline", I actually think it would sound better jumping straight into the song as opposed to the guitar intro (again a personal opinion). Sound pretty good generally, again for me the vocals get a little lost - i.e. they just don't stand out from the rest of the mix. Other than my moan about the vocals in the mix I think they're a very good couple of recordings. EDIT: I wish I could be more constructive about how to get the vocals to stand out, but I haven't recorded in years and forgotten most of the tricks

[quote name='dhp' post='794656' date='Apr 2 2010, 09:28 PM']Hi, thanks for the welcome, i've got 8 tracks on myspace,reverbnation,and soundclick, just pump in, dave,or david pearson, my tracks should come up, let me know what you think, thanks again, dave.[/quote] Welcome to Basschat. This is you I believe [url="http://www.myspace.com/jibberingwillop"]http://www.myspace.com/jibberingwillop[/url]

Oh, have we had this one ? or Also love the Incognito version with the fab. Jocelyn Brown. I won't embed this, but just found a relatively recent live performance from Ronnie Laws at [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vyf4wxNsqQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vyf4wxNsqQ[/url] I had the pleasure of seeing this guy live. Absolutely fantastic. Oh, what the hell - whilst I'm on the Ronnie Laws kick check out [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmDBDcvPcEM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmDBDcvPcEM[/url] and great laid back groove.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='795218' date='Apr 3 2010, 07:22 PM']This a clip of Stanley, Victor and Marcus being interviewed and playing the SMV track 'Thunder'. Yes, I'm expecting the usual 'fretw***ing' comments, but you can't deny the sheer musicianship, groove, and the fact that you don't notice there isn't a drummer. This is three musicians at the absolute top of their game, and testament to how great the bass guitar really is. In my opinion, of course.[/quote] Ah yes, saw this a few weeks back. Three of my all time fav. musicians (let alone bassists). Stanley Clarke pretty much opened my mind to the idea of the bass being so much more than just an instrument holding down the root note (and give credit where it's due Geddy Lee did the same). Marcus showed me how you could make some of the coolest sounds and grooves with a bass and Victor is just amazing - often people comment on his technique etc. because obviously this does stand out, but the guy can really groove as well. Fantastic stuff. EDIT: As for B5's comment "but i cant help thinking there are to many basses playing". I tend to agree. I have the album which is pretty good and I enjoy listening to it. But it's an acquired taste in a way. As a one off, I love it, but I doubt I'd want too many albums like it