fatback

Just accept it. Poverty is God's punishment for playing jazz

I tried a jazz V in a shop the other day and had the same surprise as you. I also tried an OLP fiver and it was much narrower and more comfortable. Interestingly, I found the string spacing was fine for me, when i expected it to be too tight. Skint or I would have bought it. Worth thinking OLP I would say, if you can find one.

[quote name='didle' post='818373' date='Apr 25 2010, 07:44 PM']I've been using my Fusion 550 for almost a month now. It sounds great - so much punch it's hard to believe. The two channels are fantastic, having two different sounds available for pick and finger style. I know most heads these days come with a tuning mute but that's also a godsend. I running it through an old Hartke 4x10 Transporter and it sounds incredible. I've got 1x15 and 2x10 NEO cabs on order from the Bass Center so once those arrived I'll be GK'd to the max :-) My only complaint is that the stuff is so hard to come by here. The distributor had the 1x15 in stock but I have to wait for the 2x10 to be shipped from the US. I managed to find 2 Fusion 550s in the whole country when I was ready to buy - crazy! Cheers, Doug[/quote] Does the 550 have parametric EQ? I see the spec is [quote]Variable Contour with Mid Frequency select[/quote], but no more detail.

[quote name='Bilbo' post='815146' date='Apr 22 2010, 04:22 PM']I am a member of a closed jazz research forum that features many of the world's leading jazz journalists and they have been recently talking about the issue of how few jazz musicians are able to make a living from only playing jazz (i.e. thay have to teach etc). With very few exceptions (Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny etc), most musicians limp from one festival season to the next taking any gig they can in order to pay the rent. Many of them have commercial outlets and some of them are consciously making money from a commercial gig in order to fund their jazz activities. Its real world stuff. We all like the concept of the uncompromising artist who suffers for their art but, in reality, why should the greatest players in the world live like tramps in order to produce an art product that is, at best, a minority interest. Its another romantic fantasy that doesn't hold up to close inspection. Early in his career, Joe Lovano earned less thna his wife, Judy Silvano. She was the hat check girl at the Village Vanguard. One top saxophone player (top 5 in the jazz world) was once asked whether he thought it had been worth it. His response? 'No'. He went onto describe how he had had to watch his kids grow up without many of the benefits that come from a secure income: decent schools, health benefits etc. As they get older many of these guys (in the US) get ill and can't get the help they need because they have little or no medical cover and no chips to cash in (no house to sell, no insurance policies etc). A great and influential cd from 1994 is not going to get you a heart bypass. These guys are just balancing the need to make a living with the need to make good music. In truth, if you have played heavy jazz to small audiences for years, it can be a real buzz to pay dance music for a stadium full. Money aside, its good to see people get off on what you do.[/quote] As good a description as I've ever read of what an artistic vocation can really mean. 'Real world' is right.

Thanks guys. Had the board refinished lately, so I guess I'm being overprotective. Think I'll give the groundwounds a whirl, though.

I've never had a problem with strings gouging the rosewood neck on my old fretless yamaha BB, but I always used Elixir coated. I fancy a change, but i don't want to damage the board. Any ideas? I know steel is bad, and I'm not sure about the sound of flats for my current band. Thanks for your thoughts.

[quote name='Stag' post='812936' date='Apr 20 2010, 07:48 PM']If only (in my case) there was an equation Amount of Hair x Geek Tshirt = Bass playing ability[/quote] Ah, but it's [i]what[/i] you might play that gets worrying...

Best to judge the overall mix, not your own instrument in isolation. A good engineer will be EQing so the bass comes through and doesn't get interfered with by the bass drum, keys etc. Also, remember that in the studio, you'll be listening through monitors designed not to colour the sound. That can come across pretty harsh. Nice track btw, and good bass. I'm inclined to agree with Jennifer that it could cut through more. as I say, judge it in the mix (and listening through a lot of different speakers).

Does the preset memory recall everything? I mean including the compression settings? I'm looking at the TC as an alternative to a 2-channel amp for using with electric and upright and wouldn't want compression on the upright. Has anyone got experience of using the RH 450 with an upright? Does it colour much?

[quote name='chris_b' post='807731' date='Apr 15 2010, 10:13 PM']Get networking.[/quote] +100 DON'T QUIT! Just don't. I quit twice and it was the dumbest thing I ever did. Think of all that trouble you went to to rewire your brain. It'll just unravel. AND you'll be hell to live with.

omg that is the coolest bass I have ever seen

[quote name='JackieMoon' post='806211' date='Apr 14 2010, 04:27 PM']Yeah it is lined, will be picking up the Squier VM Fretless Jazz for my first.[/quote] With a new bass, it may be worth checking that the neck relief is pretty flat. It really needs to be to get that mwaah thing going. You may know all about that stuff already, but in any case it's no big deal. You'll find a load of posts here about setup. +1 on playing it like a fretted. When I joined my current wee band, the drummer was hassling me to get a fretted, but i didn't have the spondoolies. So i played it all the time like a fretted and eventually he forgot he didn't like fretless. Helped my playing a lot, I'm sure of it. Have loads of fun. Soon, you'll find playing fretted annoys you. All that clanking and extra work.

Learning something about production on computer is a good way to get into this imo. Cubase, Logic or whatever. You get to play with structures and instrumentation, plus attending to the frequency spectrum in terms of interest, interference and so on. Hard to get to fool around with those things in a band setting unless you've got a lot of knowledge and authority.

I get close-ish on a passive yamaha BB fretless, if I pluck over the neck and use the side of my index finger rather than my usual rh technique. The fact that my strings are eligible for a bus pass probably helps.

[quote]Also try vomits for ability to shift into and out of thumb position.[/quote] Was wondering about this myself. I was pretty apprehensive about taking up db before. Now I'm really nervous...

Hugely informative post, funkle. Big thanks. makes me sad i'm a/ too old, b/ too poor and c/ too married to do it. Inspired to maybe start transcribing though. hmm.

[quote name='BoomBass' post='804240' date='Apr 12 2010, 09:47 PM']I've got the F500, which I prefer greatly over the F1. Flat, they sound identical, but I just really need those semi-parametric mids to tame my double bass... I never use the mute - still unplugs by habit. But overall, amazing sounds - I just can't beleive that it's only 2 kg![/quote] Been looking at that very beast today. Is the semi-parametric basically a sweepable notch filter, rather than a proper parametrric with Q? Not that it matter if it works ok for taming feedback. What do you think? Alernative seems to be the EA Doubler.

[quote name='Wil' post='797073' date='Apr 5 2010, 11:28 PM']I'm in the process of teaching myself to read music again, but for keys this time. Everything I learned for cello seems to have dropped from my brain, couldn't remember a single note on the staff. However, I found this handy tool and so far it's been very useful indeed - my treble cleff is pretty good now and the bass cleff is coming on slowly (no idea why I'm finding treble cleff easier to remember!). [url="http://www.emusictheory.com/practice/pianoKeys.html"]http://www.emusictheory.com/practice/pianoKeys.html[/url] It basically flashes up a note, and you then have to click the corresponding piano key. On the same website there are similar tools that omit the keyboard and replace with note names, in case you're not familiar with the notes on the piano.[/quote] Nice one. Thanks

[quote name='Johngh' post='798304' date='Apr 7 2010, 08:06 AM']The worst thing you can do is sell your stuff, DON'T DO IT !!![/quote] +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 name='Bilbo' post='793502' date='Apr 1 2010, 05:07 PM']Neither. They are an established shorthand that require you to have considerable knowledge and experience to draw upon in order to use them properly. If you take a rock guitarist and put him in front of a jazz band with a chord chart saying C maj 7, Dmin7, Emin7, he will probably sound like a git, just the same as if you put a classical bassist in front of a rock band and counted her/im in. It requires more than the ability to read the chord chart i.e. recognise the chord names, but a profound understanding of chord voicings, genre traditions, groove types, harmonic theory, voice leading etc. It is not part of the hierarchy of reading at all per se but an alternative means of communicating. On their own, they are of limited value. Tied in with an experienced player, they can be a great way of making music.[/quote] I see what you're saying. seems to me that when you do know a genre, they're a great way of getting a lot of the advantages of reading, like efficient rehearsals, but with a lot of freedom. Especially useful for original material where you mightn't have parts worked out. I haven't read the dots since I was a kid playing trumpet, but now I'm thinking of taking up double bass, looks like I might have to if I'm to be able to use the tutorial material that's out there. Big challenge.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='792501' date='Mar 31 2010, 09:22 PM']Very neatly put, Bilbo.[/quote] What about chord charts then? A useful half way house or the lazy man's read?

[quote name='discreet' post='791961' date='Mar 31 2010, 02:31 PM']Wow! Do you do 'Western' as well? [/quote] LOL

I'm playing in a new country band atm. If anyone had told me a few years ago I'd be playing country I'd have shot myself. but i'm really enjoying it and learning loads. i find it stretches my playing by making me learn a whole new idiom rather than doing what i always do. And yes you can bring something new to it (eventually). It really is true that there;'s no such thing as a bad genre, only bad songs. If the tunes are quality, then there's every reason to play them.

[quote name='gillento' post='790864' date='Mar 30 2010, 05:56 PM']My vote goes to the MarkBass LMK. The programmable TC RH450 might be your ticket as well.[/quote] I'd be lucky to find an rh450 second hand, I guess. Am I right that the LMK doesn't have a true sweepable parametric?

[quote name='walbassist' post='790595' date='Mar 30 2010, 01:59 PM']These are 550 watts at 4ohms, 350 at 8, and there is one for sale right here on BC as we speak.[/quote] Sounds just right. Alas, won't have the cash for a month or so.