4 Strings

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1322253020' post='1448748'] The girl in question regarding the OP has talented parents. She has learned to play two instruments at a good standard in the space of three months, with only minutes of practice per night. My mum is a talented artist. My brother and I are good at art. There has to be a genetic link. [/quote] Or is the talent latent within all of us and your mum was successful in unlocking that (inspirational?) in you and your brother. I have two sons, one a talented bass player but has played drums in a pub band, and the other a particularly talented drummer who is currently playing bass in his present recording band, they also play guitar and never went through the buzzy plink-plink stage that most people have and both have a wonderful 'producer's' ear for music, having produced loads, mostly on keyboards. People say, 'Oh we can see where they get it from' as I'm out almost every night playing bass at something or other. However, I would not say I was talented, I can play a bit, but not like some people seem who simply fall into a much higher standard than me. Tal Wilkenfield wasn't even born when I was farting in a decrepit band van somewhere in the country. I would say indoctrination from The Who, Jamerson, Jaco, Stanley, Level 42 etc that accompanied my lads' upbringing made it quite different to my own.

Whichever one you buy, sounds like you need a bit of string for it

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1342368841' post='1733834'] nowadays it's just something to throw expendable income at ...which obviously includes those who seem completely and utterly devoid of natural ability. [/quote] Are you talking about bass playing?

Better to be prepared and nervous than to stroll in owning the place. Sounds like you're doing all the right thing. I remember hearing Robert Cray being nervous about playing with Eric Clapton until someone told him Eric chose him because of the way Robert Cray played.

[quote name='Jack' timestamp='1342341897' post='1733328'] Pleased to hear the midget coped. Why did you choose the stack? Did you consider the S12? [/quote] No, I'm not sure it was around. It all started with the £100 off a Compact offer around Christmas time, then a Midget was somehow added to that. If anything it would have been a Big Baby but this was more than I wanted to spend at the time (albeit I added a Midget!) and Alex said it would need even more Watts, I had a Harkte HA5000 with 170W a side. I'm happy with the choice of the stack as its more flexible and I'm now into the habit of taking the tine Midget to rehearsals and little gig that taking a cab of any size I now consider an inconvenience. If the S12 gave more depth to the sound I would want to be having a try out, but I understand it doesn't, and the 'T' on my Midget gets used. Both used in a stack is a pretty powerful little altar!

One step nearer the Alex Claber Fan Club here, did a 'festival' type stage yesterday, torrential rain in the morning reduced the visitors from a couple of thousand expected to a few hundred. I was sharing car with the drummer, so very little space, I knew we'd have a pa so I thought I'd experiment and risk just the Midget for a big stage. The Midget is not efficient and it needs a fat pipe flowing with Watts. In the end, my Streamliner 900 didn't have a lot to spare (its three 'volume' controls being at 12, 1 and almost 3 and I tweaked up the bass and the 200Hz to between 1 and 2) but the Midget did the job absolutely fine. The Streamliner/Midget combination sat on a flightcase (not mine) like a diminutive god in such a large context (an 8x10 fridge would have looked more balanced). I couldn't tell whether the rumble I could feel through the stage was from the Midget or the pa (prob the latter), but it was absolutely fine for me to wander forward away from the tiny Midget and still 'feel' my sound. Had to watch the volume on the bass guitar at times as the cab was nearish the keys player. This isn't the same as a large bass rig wallowing in deep bass and a huge wall of sound but to exit such a large stage with amp on one shoulder, guitar on the other, cab in one hand and hand shaking someone with the other while I chat is a welcome improvement to organising a toing and froing to the car with 2 or 3 others all humping my gear around. The pa did the wallowing part. Never put the Midget through these sort of paces before, normally take the Compact (and prob still will) but I felt quite proud of the little thing and sorry about all the coffee mug rings on its top from rehearsals.

If you really like using the Wem and you're in the luxury situation of regularly gigging with a pa able to take a bass guitar feed (mine are mostly on backline with a vocal pa) then you don't need to worry unless you can't hear it on stage. If adding another speaker gives extra woomph and solves that issue then go for that. If its not a suitable amp for you, buy one that is. If you like it and can afford to keep it as well, do so.

Great stuff. (Just this evening I screwed the G side on mine a little away from the strings, too strong.)

And Jaydee. Sort of in between string-through and top-loading. The bridge just has compression, the anchors take the shear force.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1342211286' post='1731935'] Your avatar gives me gas I'm right on the brink again of selling my pre EB to fund a classic 5! [/quote] Sell it to me.

Apart from the 'pearls' looks ok. can all be stripped and cleaned up ok, needs tuners of course. Should it be separated from its body anyway?

Is there much of a price difference between a Pre-EB and a Classic at the moment? I know which I'd go for.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1342130456' post='1730307'] Personally, if you have roadies and flight cases, I wouldn't be buying cabs based on weight. I'd just get an Aguilar DB412 and leave it at that haha! [/quote] +1 Roqsolid covers here, I think you'd have to be pretty aggressive to damage the cab with one of those on. They're pretty strong, Alex threw a Compact from the first floor to see what would happen, it damaged a corner a bit but all still worked. Reckon yours will get that sort of treatment? Nothing like a flightcase but the extra size and weight seems to detract from one of its main (for me) selling points.

Unfortunately brands like Tanglewood and Laney are as worthy as any other but don't ever seem to crack it from being unfashionable, try as they may.

I suppose I'm failing to recommend specific albums here, but one should also never forget NatWest: http://youtu.be/tXE26otm0VI And also, as I mentioned one of my faves, Abraham Laboriel, who has one of the most impressive session cvs in the world, heres a vid of some joy: http://youtu.be/jnXKm-Pqqpo

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1342174695' post='1730748'] Also featuring Will Lee, Marcus Miller, Anthony Jackson and Chuck Rainey. Does it get any better than that?! [/quote] ermm, don't see my name there....

They look nicely engineered, certainly look nicer than BBOT. (I suppose if you consider the BBOT to work fine then over-engineered).

Ian Anderson manages this on a flute!

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1342112775' post='1729846'] imo high mass bridges are a marketing ploy.. just like string through bodies etc. [/quote] Yes and no really. I think in terms of tone only if there is a difference with string-through its going to be subtle nd lost next to a drum kit anyway. Engineering wise though, its much better as there's no shear force on the bridge from string tension, just compression from the strings over the bridge. The mounting screws just maintain the correct location of the bridge. The force on the body is also in compression, with which wood is also perfectly happy. Look at a Gibson EBO bridge, with the two screws adjusting up and down and doing their best to avoid the moment cause by string tension trying to drag them out their sockets. Often the bridge can be seen to tip towards the neck under the force.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1342111495' post='1729815'] The MM bridge is thicker and larger, this in itself is the dictionary term for more mass! Also it has solid machined saddles and two enormous mounting points too boot, the G&L is even more extreme as it one of the chunkiest bridges out there, to suggest Leo did not feel a need to improve this area is madness [/quote] Everything on a Stingray is better than a Fender (except the bassist when its in my hands). And 'proper' Rays are string-through so makes no odds.

Why is the BBOT outdated? Has it stopped working? I'm afraid I'm in the camp that cannot hear any difference and if its a string through (like US basses have been for a long time now) its mass is irrelevant. Fender may be putting higher mass bridges but, in my opinion, its only to suit the market expectancy. Also Leo didn't move away from the BBOT, my MM basses have the same, albeit with a curved lip at the top. I think its slightly thicker steel. Fender could countersink the screws for the neck joint too but a square metal plate does an equal job more cheaply. Probably has the same effect on the tone too. Part of the appeal to me of Fender basses is their crudity.

[quote name='Thunderthumbs' timestamp='1342048081' post='1728894'] Nightfly.....Fantastic album all round, and great bass playing on every track. An album [b]everybody[/b] should have a copy of. [/quote] Abraham Laboriel on most, if I remember correctly. Definitely a player for the collection, also for his live performances if you want to see pure joy as a change from gloom and deth, youtube's a good start. (Any bass player used by fagen is going to be worth listening to).

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1342046906' post='1728866'] Aston Family Man Barrett [/quote] Thanks, I think he's amazing. Listening to him proves to me that I don't really understand reggae, can learn a lot from him.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1341929544' post='1726368'] Or John Giblin. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) is no slouch either. 'Motown' tracks will almost certainly have great bass playing on them - James Jamerson, Carol Kaye, Bob Babbit etc... [/quote] Earth Wind and Fire has Verdine White, learnt a lot from him. Depends what you're into, really, but you should certainly be familiar with Mark King, Jaco, Stanley Clarke, Pino, Entwhistle, Jamerson etc. even if you're not really into those genres. 'Nard Edwards is one of the easily missed sleepers, along with Norman W-R, and, though I can't think of his name, the bass player in Bob Marley's Wailers. Be interested to know which Motown tracks Carol played on.

One band I play in uses a Peavey, 600W a side plus plenty of other outputs, 2 separate monitor mixes and parametrics. Don't know the model etc, can have a look if you want, simple to use and reliable.