4 Strings

So, is it Basschat, the times or both (or neither) the reason a lot of us have more than the necessary number of basses? (I would say the necessary being one!)

[quote name='Earbrass' [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]In over 30 years of playing I have had one bass at a time apart from the last 3-4 years and now I have 5. What changed?[/size][/font][/color]timestamp='1340209988' post='1701147'] [/quote][quote name='Earbrass' [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]Member Since 19 Oct 2009[/size][/font][/color] timestamp='1340209988' post='1701147'] [/quote] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Whoops! Didn't realise I was so shallow! Not proud of that.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Right, I need to lose weight: Jazz for sale - East preamp, Di-Marzio pickups, unmarked with case and candy..![/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I can justify three basses; two, really; need one; don't want five. [/font][/color]

Just a note that you don't HAVE to use a cab with more power handling than the amp can put out, safe to, but for a long while I've used a more powerful amp than the speaker rating, still am, just don't go nuts with it. (Even when I did nothing really happened, didn't sound great so the going nuts didn't last long anyway, but the volume I need is within the capabilities of amp and cab.)

Yes, he does, and it isn't. Still, with that starting price the world is safe from anyone making a fool of themselves.

Just had a run through this thread over a coffee and I fell into the same trap, starting with short sentence on opinion followed by 'I use...' list of basses owned. Oh, how we like to type the names on our basses! Isn't multiple basses a modern thing? Years ago bass players would have but one, it would end up looking very tatty due to the songs it had delivered and practice endured. Nowadays, with the relative cost much lower, we are strangely more precious about our basses but are able to have more of them. My conjecture is that we are merely more materialistic than before. In over 30 years of playing I have had one bass at a time apart from the last 3-4 years and now I have 5. What changed?

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1340112840' post='1699256'] Female bass players have their own problems. For example: Depending on strap position, possible compression of one (or both) tumblers. [/quote] Tumblers. Tee hee!

aah, amps...!

I'm a believer that one bass is all you need, but I have 4 too many. Well, 3 too many. Precision with flats for the Motown band, perfection for this, not good for much else. Currently a 2001 Stingray for everything else and that's a luxurious place where it should stop. ...then there's a 2006 Jazz which was for everything else but should now go; anyone? a '79 Stingray which I now will very rarely use as its precious and there's the other one. My ol' Jaydee, single bass for over 25 years, never gets touched nowadays. Shame.

To be fair he doesn't say its a MM neck but one he reshaped and put a transfer on. (Whether he really reshaped or it was just the wrong shape to start with, who knows) Seems the only thing from the MM factory are the tuners. No reason why it couldn't be a nice playing and sounding bass, certainly looks funky. Rather optimistic with the start price as its really not actually worth anything, unfortunately for him, as its a collection of aftermarket parts but with an expensive shape. Could get a nice Sterling for that money.

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1340140555' post='1699958'] 1. Encore 2. Stagg 3. Dean 4. Westfield 5. Rockster 6. Benson 7. Chord 8. Shine 9. Chase 10. Kay [/quote] I think you'll find the wheels of fortune on Deans are left silver coloured.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1340109446' post='1699185'] [RANT] A sharp contrast to a £50 pub gig where five musicians have to fit into a space the size of a pool table, punters complaining before you've started because there's a drum kit where the pool table was, no free drinks whatsoever, no food...etc >>Not just pub gigs, very fancy gig in the middle of nowhere for the Motown band, organiser had no thought whatsoever for the band. We had nowhere to change, nowhere to actually be for the 3-4 hours wait between the insisted time to set up and get out the way and playing. We had to go to the pub for food and drink and change in the toilets. The bar staff and cleaners weren't treated this way. "The bottom line is if you want to make money from music you have to treat it like a business... etc. The only way this situation will change is if everyone refuses the £50 gigs. Which they won't." >>Unfortunately the bottom line is that if the pub doesn't think he'll sell more than £100 extra in beer for your £50 he won't book you. [/quote]

Since when have luthiers been our experts of grammar?

I'm thinking Chamber Music may take on a new meaning though!

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1339945654' post='1696571'] Dude, not so keen on the Neutronics stuff, but only because it's not a style I'm into, but fantastic performance and a wickid band. [/quote] Heh, this comment would make you a 'Musician' in a another thread. Agree nonetheless.

Yep, pretty clear, except the 'semi' bit. You describe an acoustic bass fitted with a pickup. Most people would attribute the 'semi' name to a body 335 type body, same as it is for guitars. Nowadays it would be virtually expected for an acoustic bass to have a pickup.

"Mazing. Music for musos? I suppose its a matter of avoidance of absolutes. For every 10 'real' bass players 8 or 9 will be playing with fingers as opposed to ALL and NONE etc.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1339919716' post='1696176'] you mean my beautiful quilted maple veneer front does absolutlely nothing at all for the sound but look purdeeee? [/quote] Heh, you'd think the nicer the grain pattern the better the sound, wouldn't you?

To their credit, Warmouth make no claims apart from weight reduction.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1339920959' post='1696183'] Ha, yes, remember playing a setlist on th hifi over and over at home for a few weeks each evening during meal, bathtimes etc, went on a car journey and my cute little girl started singing sex & drugs & rocknroll word for word all the way [/quote] That was close, singing Ian Drury songs could have been a lot worse, especially if she picked up on Noddy!

ok, non-funny one here; When I was in a recent noisy rock band the drummer didn't learn a new song for a rehearsal and so ducking toys being thrown about by the band leader he sat down for half an hour, scored the drum part and played it by sight during the rehearsal. Similarly, last night, our band accompanied a youth choir with some original and old soul tunes, turned out to be an event for the whole community with some 12-14 other acts (our sound man pulling his hair out all evening). One was a flautist who plopped the music for the piano accompaniment in front of our keyboard player. To his credit he ran through it with her and accompanied her perfectly for the performance. This thread came to mind.

A solid body electric bass that's been routed to make it lighter. Why they have to be 'precision routed' though I've no idea. (They also wrote 'Because of how we build these...')

[quote name='Nibody' timestamp='1339788067' post='1694502'] So it could be claimed that Duck Dunn was rubbish? In my book someone who plays with feel and gets in what is needed (not what makes them look good) is the better bass player than someone like Sheehan or the countless people playing Slap on Youtube or in any given music shop across the country. Just my tuppence ha'peny [/quote] 1. Be sure to listen to Paul Jone's show next week, tribute to Donald Dunn (i-player if you have to). 2. I love the idea that self-gratuitous slap occurs only in music shops and on You Tube!

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1339790818' post='1694554'] Nah, Sting in Quadrophenia [/quote] Not a mod.

On the other hand, our much missed original guitarist in our Motown band never used a pick for guitar (he was also a phenomenal bassplayer!) and he was free to use his hands and fingers in a number of ways to achieve the required and could certainly do things impossible/challenging with a pick. There are plenty of other worthy guitarists who don't use picks in the 'rock' world - Wilko Johnson, Knoppfler etc (as opposed to classical/flamenco etc). Plenty of non-pick bass players (including myself) use a variety of techniques in their set (palm muting with thumb and finger etc), there seems to be more freedom and flexibility using the bits on a bare hand than a pick. Of course there's no right and wrong in this, we all know that, but I must admit if I was teaching someone bass from scratch, unless they were particularly wanting to use a pick, I would recommend they started with their fingers.