4 Strings

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1337438000' post='1660008'] That's a very good point, but where that falls is when promotors, especially round here say "guitarists bring your own amps, everyone one else shares". Why should the guitarists have that luxury? Drum kits are understandable but we do get told that every one but guitarists have to share, bass players have to share and if a bassist turns up with an amp they're often met with "so your providing the bass amp". Dan [/quote] Only a luxury if you have the transport etc to do so, this is where most youngsters have problems. I think there's a perception that guitarists are very particular about their sound but that people don't worry too much about the bass sound. Also the bass is more likely to be DI'd and so perhaps considered semi permanent.

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1337431168' post='1659813'] I think it means 'awfy good'. [/quote] from Wiki, so it must be right, "...an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_arts"]fine arts[/url], at [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing"]singing[/url] or playing a [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_instrument"]musical instrument[/url]." In this case I would go for soloing types. Not the groove, there are plenty of those we celebrate all the time, the unusual ones who solo on a Precision.

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1337434290' post='1659905'] Haha I just remembered that anti Napster video with Lars Ulrich in it. Thought the tag line would be appropriate to this thread... Sharing's only fun when it's not your stuff! [/quote] I remember promising when I got married, 'All I have is yours and all you have is yours'

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1337433345' post='1659876'] but dones't the resonance get reduced by increasing stiffness? [/quote] Not sure whether the sandwich increases stiffness but it breaks a single resonant point due to there being several individual pieces of wood. Not an expert in this, just my understanding. I have one Fender with the graphite insertion things in the neck. No obvious dead spots, the most ringy Fender neck I've ever owned. Might be be down to the the rods or not, would love to try some others.

Mine's an electric instrument. Anyway, this is going off course, I was wondering whether an apparent increase figuring in maple used for necks means it is of less quality.

Bringing amps to gigs is not about whether the bass player owns one or not, its about the arrangements for backline. Fine for nice big venues with space for the bands to set the backline up in front of the next band on but I can't remember the last pub/club type gig with I've been to where each band used a different backline and it was changed between each band. Where does all this stuff get stored during the gig? Does it get changed for each band during the sound check too? Must make for a very long evening with such long changeovers.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1337426683' post='1659722'] Hey, this is quite interesting, can you explain this a bit more? I was thinking about the difference between flat sawn and quarter sawn wood the other day, a website I was looking at had the option of both- quarter sawn was shown as an 'upgrade' but your vintage fenders/G&L's and copes etc seem to just use flat sawn- and it's rare you see quarter sawn- even when it's a high end bass where it would be affordable. What effect would quarter sawn have? What would it sound like? And then I guess, why do some manufactures/builder use a 3 piece maple neck, I had just presumed that that was for stiffness? Or my warwick which has a neck made of 3 pieces of maple with wenge strips too... Again isn't that for stiffness? Or is it just more what type of sound you want it to make? interested [/quote] I understand sandwich type construction is to reduce resonance and avoid flat spots.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1337426064' post='1659697'] Strange statement! Do you build basses? [/quote] No, but it saps string vibration. Any fender with a 'dead-spot' you can feel the the body resonate against your tummy as the note is quickly killed. Lack of resonation for other notes and they sustain. Its why electric instruments are made rigidly. A loud unplugged sound generally means poor sustain. I know this is opposite to what most people say.

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1337423695' post='1659656'] Billy Sheehan? Like his style or not, he really is a virtuoso player! And his main bass was a Precision which toured the world with him for 20+ years [/quote] See, I didn't know that. [attachment=108276:BillySheehansFenderPrecisionBass.jpg]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1337421463' post='1659604'] Francis Rocco Prestia! Maybe not a soloist, but virtuoso imo [/quote] We're liking the Tower on here!

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1337421725' post='1659609'] [url="http://youtu.be/EaIZjqQHPAk"]http://youtu.be/EaIZjqQHPAk[/url] [/quote] And that's the Precision sound! Very funky, great ad to go out and buy a P! Was this his main instrument? Certainly justifies pick playing, if it needed it.

[quote name='jdizzle' timestamp='1337421345' post='1659602'] Stephen 'Thundercat' Bruner likes to bust out a p on occasion. Saw him recently in London and it was very, very good. [media]http://youtu.be/jxhMI8Y3Pyg[/media] [/quote] Good one, not come across him before. Great sound, flats? Sounds detuned too.

Heh, was hoping someone would mention him (Colin Hodgkinson), I couldn't think of his name. Virtuoso indeed! Would love to see him play.

The likes of Victor Wooten, Manring etc use bespoke basses, others, like Stanley, use basses we can all buy, albeit from the elite, top end. There's something gratifying about a virtuoso player using (pretty much) standard basses. We have virtuosos on; Jazz (Jaco, Geddy, Miller etc); Ric (well, Squire), even (the dreadful in my opinion) Gibson EBO type (Jack Bruce and Andy Fraser - okay maybe not virtuoso but what a great sound he got from his!) But what about the good ol' Precision? Plenty of great Precision bass players, the recently lost Donald Dunn, Jamerson himself and countless others with fabulous feel and groove we envy but I can't think of any virtuoso players, apart from early Entwhistle. Who plays solos on a Precision? Which virtuosos get their fluid hands around the long frets of a Precision?

Anyone see Jools tonight? See the guy playing drums and bass at the same time, using the headstock on the hihat?

So much aggression and protection over amps and cabs. For my own gigs there are rarely other bands but if they needed they could use my rig if needed. Both my lads play in bands (one a drummer, the other bass) who play in pubs and I've been to dozens of other gig where gear sharing is almost always essential due to space and time. Its sorted out beforehand which band is taking what, mostly the last band on take gear, drummers bring their own snare, cymbals and pedals. That's the way it is. The lad sometimes takes amp/cab/both/neither to suit each gig and depending on what transport he can get. Never been a problem. I'm sure problems occur but this is just the accepted way things are. I don't know where everyone else gigs where they can be so sure about exclusive use of their gear and no-one elses.

I thought the roasted thing was just a way of 'ageing' or drying the wood quicker to reduce the cost and time involved in creating wood suitable for a guitar neck.

I'm sure Fender never used quarter sawn maple, they've always been designed for mass production. Swamp ash etc would have been for the body, and resonance is something to be avoided in electric guitars as it merely saps string vibration reducing sustain. I found this showing a mineral streak: [attachment=108231:Mineral Streak.jpg] This isn't what I've found on necks, more figuring like this: [attachment=108232:maple-lg.jpg]

I'm interested to hear the S12 sounds like the Midget, I was expecting the extra volume to add depth. I no longer regret not buying one. If this is not be gained with the S12 and the OP can afford the stack option then I think this is the way to go. I have a Midget T/Compact set up, playing mainly Motown, soul etc. The Compact sounds best for this, but A-Bing between the two shows there's actually not a great deal of difference between them when playing with a band. But if I'm not using a bass with flats the Compact is perfect. I'm finding the Midget will cope with almost everything I do on its own. I still take the Compact to Motown gigs (sound) and to big places (for example a 250 seat theatre on Sunday) but the portability of the Midget is compelling and a one way ticket from the big stuff. Rehearsals are transformed from major huffting sessions to just picking up all my stuff in one go. Definitely get the T version of the Midget if you can, gives you the option. (I only ever use both cabs together for a funk/disco band which rehearses very loudly and I want the T turned on for the slap but I'm not brave enough to just take the Midget, despite proving to myself that it will be fine on its own!)

Is it the sanding at the back of the neck? Or different lacquer. MM used a matt sort of lacquer (maybe still do) for the business part of the back of the neck. I'm not denying that there might be something other than aesthetic differences, just asking what they are. No, never tried one, I suppose I don't get to try out many basses anyway, never had the opportunity to play a Roadworn. Would certainly like to!

I'm not a wood expert by any chalk. But, maple necks on basses seem to have changed and I wonder if its to do with slipping standards in the quality of wood. The necks of my old P and on my bitsa are Fenders from the '70s. Very difficult to see any grain in them, seems an almost homogeneous cream. Same for my '79 'Ray. More recent Fenders, and guitars of other makes, I've had a good go at seem to have much more grain pattern. Perhaps 3 or 4 here. Is this because its nearer the outside of the trunk? Was this wood not used for necks years ago? Is the more homogeneous wood more dense? More springy? Or is this all nonsense and to do with my ridiculously small sample?

You certainly have to listen to someone with a name like that. 'irresponsible or unjust' I think are the key words here. Its for us to discern that.

Why don't they do whatever to all their guitars? If rolled edges to a fret board improves the playability, why not do that to others? Oh, they do. On the videos from the factory the roadworn process appears to be about little chips etc. The Fender ones certainly don't look as bad as the sander mad stressers.