Conan

Those two tribs are really good quality, professional packages. But they just leave me cold. To me, seeing a great band is due to some form of hero-worship/respect thing. I want to look up on that stage and see Roger Waters/Steve Hackett/Eric Clapton/Mick Jagger etc - not some dull nobody pretending to be them. That was a bit harsh. I think tribute bands have their role and their place - but I just don't think that it is playing large arenas at £30+ a ticket. On the other hand, if they can fill the places at that price and there are enough punters that enjoy the performance - good luck to them!

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1328534483' post='1528551']I'm interested to know if the MT will tighten up my bottom somewhat [/quote] That's asking a lot!

No idea! To me there is little difference between a P-bass and a J-bass on the neck pickup.... No idea what a Fernandes would sound like. The bass is also a bit low in the mix to make out clearly. Good track though! If I were to guess I would say it was one of the Js.... er, the Squier CV???

Lovely! Very tight string-spacing on that bass...

Back to Percy Jones. This is hilarious! Watch this video, and select the captions CC on the bottom of the window). Select the "Transcribe Audio" option. Sit back and enjoy!! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCBrSAcrm0M[/media]

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1328278471' post='1524856'] Surely if you cant play fast enough with two then you should practice more instead of taking the easy way out? I also don't think that the third finger ever quite manages to get the right sound or control in the playing ive heard. It always sounds weaker and compromises dynamic control. [/quote] How is that "taking the easy way out"? That being the case, maybe we should all stop using two fingers, because more practice and dedication could lead to us playing everything with one super-speed finger. I've practiced using my third finger for years and I don't notice any loss of control or dynamic range when I do so. Why make life more difficult just for the sake of it? Many players resort to a pick if they can't play fast enough with their fingers. Is this "wrong" too?

This is fascinating! I had never heard of this device before, and I would be very interested to try one. Increasing the efficiency of our speaker cabinets by getting them to concentrate on only the useful frequencies seems like a very simple but very intelligent idea!

Not much to add to what has already been said! Be aware though, that the learning process is not linear. There will be times when you feel like you are improving in leaps and bounds, and then times when you seem to get stuck and bogged down. It has probably happened to all of us at some time....

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1328172909' post='1522854'] I don't really have much knowledge of tone shaping etc.. other than just plugging in and twiddling around a bit[/quote] That IS tone shaping! As others have said, there are times when the quest for the tonal Holy Grail is inherently flawed. The tone you quest for may not be achievable - for many reasons. I am not familiar with the ibanez models you own, but my impression is that they have a rather "modern" and "bright" sound? That being the case, you will struggle to get the classic P-bass "thump" that many classic rock recordings feature. If that is what you want - buy a P-bass!* I also agree that pedals will not improve your sound. They may change it, but those changes may be negative as well as positive. The more items you place between your bass and your amp, the more signal you will lose - meaning that more of the original tone of the guitar is lost. Yes, you can alter this tone by using the pedals, but that seems like a double-negative to me! A lot of people forget about the humdrum elements of the gear chain. Decent strings and cables can make a big difference (for the better) to your sound. I would start there. It's also a hell of a lot cheaper! I recently upgraded my strings from D'Addarios to DRs and to my ears the difference was clear. Everyone's ears are different though. EDIT: I see you already have a P-bass!

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1327593721' post='1513940']There are some guys here that use £100 basses and sound great.[/quote] That's me!! Well, the first bit anyway...

Does Brian Johnson of AC/DC count? Unbelievably, he actually wanted to sing with us in the second set! He knew our singer was having a hard time with a throat infection and as we were playing typical pub blues stuff Brian knew the material... He was too polite to ask and we were too gobsmacked to suggest it! A lovely guy who always gets together with his family for a meal when he is back home, which is how he happened to be in the pub we were playing as it is round the corner from the Indian restaurant where he had just eaten! The night I nearly backed Brian Johnson...

Some of the best examples of sparkling dry white wines are made outside the French region of Champagne. They are, therefore, not "Champagne" and not allowed to call themselves such. Doesn't stop them being better and more pleasurable than the "original" though! Does that make sense?

Hi Stuart! I visit Edinburgh regularly and stay at my in-laws place in the New Town. I could be up for a bash up there too! Welcome to the forum!

Great stuff! Love the Gus too!

I've heard some very positive opinions about Vintage guitars. Never played one myself though, but people whose opinions I trust rate them highly.

Some great advice here. Isn't BassChat wonderful?!

[quote name='FrederikVanDuuren' timestamp='1326365377' post='1495967'] I would never buy a Squier:So if you combine your technique with a cheap/bad instrument from starters, it will obviously sound bad Hope this helps... [/quote] Sorry, but I disagree! Most of us would agree that Squiers are variable in quality but if you get a good one they can be very good. I've been playing for thirty years and have had a few good basses. My current favourite to play is a Squier Affinity P bass - which also happens to be the cheapest bass I have ever bought!! Shop around and try individual basses out is the only way to guarantee that you get a decent instrument. I do agree though that it is much harded learning on a poor quality bass - especially if the neck is poor. That said, I think that the general quality of cheap basses now is far better than it was when I started playing.

[quote name='louisthebass' timestamp='1326357177' post='1495778']Judging by the fact you like Myung & Harris, there wouldn't be a lot of point exploring things like Harmonic / Melodic Minor or Whole Tone scales unless you feel the need to.. [/quote] Isn't that slightly prejudiced? Are you implying that rock bassists need less theoretical knowledge than players of other styles of music?

[quote name='Russ' timestamp='1326329386' post='1495696']You can make the right sounds, but you'll only understand what they mean if you learn theory. Music is a language too. [/quote] I think the concept of "understanding" is somewhat over-rated. What exactly do you mean by "understand" in this context? If one can play a tasteful, counter-harmonic bassline under a certain chord progression just because it sounds and feels nice, does one need to understand WHY is sounds and feels nice? I would say, in most situations, that one doesn't.