Conan

Yup, it's looking pretty tough Eddie! By the sound of things, you just don't have much to offer a working covers band! No offence meant of course, but you've got to be able to get to gigs/rehearsals and ideally have your own backline that is powerful enough to cope with some fairly large rooms without PA assisitance. I'm not saying that you've got no chance - but you are narrowing your options down massively unless you can get some "own gear and transport" sorted. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news mate! :wacko:

You can't go wrong with this one!! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=85542"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=85542[/url]

Yuck. Can basses get cancer? Serious question for the vintage brigade - when the finish is as different to the original as this one, would a decent clean-up and even a re-finish cause the guitar to lose value? Is is worth more in this awful state?!

[quote name='silddx' post='816370' date='Apr 23 2010, 03:53 PM']...jazz makes me all jumpy and nervous, or in the case of being at the Ealing Jazz festival listening to trad jazz, just angry [/quote] Brilliant! I thought that was just me!!

That's a pretty awesome selection of biscuits there guys! Something for everyone. You lot certainly know your gear! Impressive!

[quote name='keving' post='816084' date='Apr 23 2010, 12:35 PM']I think everyone can benefit from playing outside their comfort zone every once in a while.[/quote] Absolutely! But I think the difference in this thread is when we are talking about professional musicians. If someone is a pro in a certain genre of music, does that preclude them from playing (or more particularly, getting [b]paid[/b][i][/i] for playing) a different genre? Some people would seem to think so. To me, its all music - and if you make your living playing music it's your choice what you choose to get involved in. Most pro bass players do not seem to be in the privileged position of being able to be choosy though!

[quote name='MB1' post='815121' date='Apr 22 2010, 04:08 PM']....Keep your eye on the Basses for sale Section. And Buy LOCALLY! wherever possible! [/quote] Great advice! In this price bracket you can get some genuine bargains as well as some horrific, almost unplayable wrecks! By shopping locally you can try each individual bass, as quality control at this end of the market is notoriously variable! Depending on where you are, there may even be a friendly basschatter who would come with you to check out second-hand basses in your area! If you try one and don't get on with it, walk away. Good luck!

[quote name='Faithless' post='815921' date='Apr 23 2010, 10:54 AM']People always find a chance to express their opinions towards something, even it is not asked/discussed in the main theme.. Cheers,Faith[/quote] Such is the nature of internet forums/fora.

Garrison only got the WH gig because I told her I was too busy with my free-form Jazz Odyssey project.... Seriously though, who would turn down the chance to be Whitney's touring bassist?! FFS. Or is it better to play in no-longer-smoky jazz clubs to 50 cool cats who are too far up their own arses to even appreciate what you are doing? :wacko: Hmmmm. Sorry. That turned into a bit of a rant didn't it? :blush:

I would have thought that if you use lighter strings, the tension will not change that much? So the pull on the neck should be about the same?

Er.... isn't that "the Iommi"?

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='814626' date='Apr 22 2010, 08:46 AM']If you're great then you'll sound great, if you're crap then you'll sound crap.[/quote] Absolutely no point me getting one then!

Too many bloody cynics on here! Sometimes people are actually being truthful - especially when they advertise on here, because the level of BS detection is so high! Which is a good thing of course...

Hiya Rich! Your comments about Status/Slap/L42 made me giggle! Enjoy.

I can't play "floating thumb" style, so with no pick-ups where do I put my thumb?!

There was an extremely light Prosebass custon job for sale on here a few months ago.... I don't know what happened to it? Good price too if I remember correctly. EDIT: here's the link. Sold, I'm afraid but it shows what is possible! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=79935"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=79935[/url]

[quote name='ben_hoggard' post='808717' date='Apr 16 2010, 06:00 PM']I'm in two minds about the Markbass gear. I had my heart set on a cmd 102p, went to the shop to play about with it and it wasn't right for me at all. I did try the Little Mark 250 and was very impressed though...[/quote] Which just goes to reinforce the importance of trying gear out before you buy! Even reviews can be misleading as we all hear tone somewhat differently.... I feel your pain though about the distance of decent music shops. Oh for a BassDirect in the North!

I think that the "quest for the perfect tone" is the Holy Grail of bass playing. I'm not sure I've ever achieved it. There is always something not-quite-right... But if the band sounds good and the audience are responsive in a positive way - what the hell difference does it make? I use a range of tones for a range of different applications. Some I like better than others, but I'm not sure that I have one, overall favourite sound that I strive for. I like it simple - just bass and amp. Occasionally a bit of chorus or delay but that's about it. I'm not sure what I'm saying here, and whether I'm agreeing or disagreeing with the OP.... but just my thoughts on the matter! The end justifies the means.

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='812511' date='Apr 20 2010, 01:21 PM']So, do you name your basses and is there a story behind the name?[/quote] No. And, er, obviously no. Damn - I feel really boring now!

[quote name='SteveK' post='812424' date='Apr 20 2010, 12:10 PM']BTW there are many bands/FOH enginners that actually favour the [i]wall of sound[/i] approach.[/quote] True. And there are many musicians (including bass players!) who are far more bothered about what [i]they[/i] can hear of themselves (i.e. on-stage sound), than what the punters can hear! It's nice to enjoy your own sound, but surely it's more about the sound of the band as a whole and the experience of the audience?

[quote name='El Bajo' post='812266' date='Apr 20 2010, 09:43 AM']I find if I EQ my Markbass CMD 121H to how I like my bass to sound it just doesn't cut through, yet if I adjust it while the band is playing during sound check to get the levels right its sounds really good. However when I play the adjusted EQ without the band it sounds terrible on its own. Strange.[/quote] That's fairly common. Often the "sound in our head" works at low volume, but bring in other instruments and more volume and it just doesn't work. There is probably some very technical reason for this, to do with the way speakers work or how we perceive sound.... A good example of using different EQ frequencies can be found in some of Stanley Clarke's recorded material. He usually plays the "solo" bass with a very "middly" sound while someone else (live) plays the "bass" line with a much more scooped tone. Both instruments can be clearly heard because they are not competing with each other in the same frequency band... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccI8WgmcDLA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccI8WgmcDLA[/url]

Great advice from OG ^^^ A lot of sound guys are not musicians [i]per se[/i], so knowing the techno-geek stuff and talking to them in such terms can help with some of them. But yes - get to know them!

[quote name='theosd' post='812244' date='Apr 20 2010, 09:24 AM']I get the impression that EBMM basses... can be a bit too mid and top heavy to be really defined in the bottom end. IME they share a lot of frequencies with both the electric and acoustic guitars, and so their famous 'midrange punch', ultimately, was for nowt![/quote] That's interesting! My impression of the MM sound is that it is quite scooped in the mid-range, which might account for the bass players on that bill being a bit indistinct in a full-band mix? Just shows that everyone's ears are slightly different!