Chris2112

Best - my Cort Rithimic. Still brings a smile to my face every day. But the Pedulla Pentabuzz I picked up last week is a close runner up. I've signed up for Jeff Berlin's new reading instruction course that starts on the first of November, which could well end up being the best purchase in the end.

[quote name='Cato' timestamp='1509372013' post='3398375'] If everyone sends me £100, I'll reveal the simple way to make a shedload of money just by typing a few words on the internet... [/quote] Hey groove-hacker! I will show you two notes that will completely overhaul how you play! Plz send PayPal...

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1509012963' post='3395981'] Worst CS i've had was Hartke. No response at all from emails or returned calls. [/quote] That is a shame. Larry Hartke is a stand-up guy and easily reachable online. He even had his phone number on a series of Hartke adverts that ran in American magazines a few years ago, inviting players to ring him direct if they needed any assistance.

There isn't enough bass guitar in music. There isn't enough real instrumentation kn music these days!

It takes a while to get going but it really kicks off around 01:20, where it turns into a nice tune. EMGtv do some good artist spots.

I'm happy with the key, the chord sequence and some notes for the arrangement. I couldn't follow tablature at a gig, nor can I read music well enough to do that for a live show. I am taking a reading course to improve on that, however.

[quote name='steantval' timestamp='1509202522' post='3397312'] Our guitarist was really lucky after purchasing a brand new PRS from a music superstore in Vegas, got really lucky on the return trip through U.K. Customs, just waved through and paid zero duty, lucky chap. [/quote] I do remember reading of customs 'getting wise' to musicians travelling to America to spend. Stories of guys leaving the UK with a Squier P bass in a hard case in hand luggage and coming back with an Alembic only to find that customs had cottoned on to their trick and they were hit with import duty. At a roadside somewhere in California, the old P bass had been dumped!

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1509188960' post='3397213'] I find some comments on these sort of topics bizarre. To measure a bass players worth on their supposed technical ability is very narrow minded. [/quote] Indeed, and that narrow minded pigeonholing is something that players like Victor Wooten will always have to contend with. For all his musical efforts over the years, his critics tend to lack the faculty to adequately critique his playing so tend to revert to leaning on the cliches such as 'he plays a million notes a second' or 'he's really fast'. I will quite happily admit that whilst there are some Wooten records I love, there are others I'm not keen on but I always base that decision on the music. Once you're over the 'wow' factor of technique, only the music remains, served by the technique in question. When it comes to bass playing, guys like Victor Wooten are part of a select few who I would say, if they can dream it, they can do it. Very few bassists will ever attain that level of excellence, but then I suppose that's not required to knock out three chord 8th note bangers whilst you preach to the poor folk about how they should be giving more money to charity.

Regardless of how good your chops are, you need to be a fit for the band on a number of levels, many of which are more important than your playing... for some bands! You meet these ego-driven sorts everywhere you go though. I remember sitting in a guitar shop years ago when someone came in with a fretless bass and plugged in nearby, and sat chatting to the shop owner. I won't say what the bass was as there won't be many in the country. This bloke started playing some absolutely dire fretless bass parts, really all over the place, as he's telling the shop owner he's considering giving up teaching. This went on for a while, before he said "but if I came across someone who I thought was the next Jaco, I would, you know, teach him what I know...". I had to stifle a laugh at the time.

I use the bridge pickup alone at least 90% of the time. If I pick up a bass guitar and the bridge pickup (running solo) doesn't sound brilliant, it's not for me.

Mike Anthony is a rock solid groove machine. He kept Van Halen locked down in a pretty impressive sense. Funnily enough, Eddie Van Halen tried to get Jeff Berlin to join at one point but Jeff refused because the band were in to some things that he wasn't (though he has never elucidated on that statement). That would have been a wild set up. Adam Clayton on the other hand has always struck me as a talentless sort. His lines could literally be ghost recorded by any pub-band bassist going and you'd never know. The fact that U2 have made themselves multi-millionaires on the back of their tuneless stadium rock is nothing to do with their unskilled musicianship, rather an indication of the general public's appetite for anodyne rubbish.

I remarked to a friend a few weeks ago, that Trujillo has been Metallica's bassist for nearly as long as Jason Newsted was, and yet I still think of him as the new guy!

I was moaning about this to my brother the other day, those damn spam PM's! They fool me into thinking I have friends.

[quote name='Sharkfinger' timestamp='1507281626' post='3384420'] A guitarist who I think is almost criminally overlooked is Alex Lifeson from Rush. Maybe because his band-mates tower over most of their peers, Alex is not recognised as towering over most of his. Or maybe that although an amazingly articulate and melodic player, he's not as showy and widdly as some. His playing on Hemispheres in particular comes to mind. [/quote] Exactly my thoughts. I'd also nominate Michel Cusson of UZEB. His phrasing and tone are superb. Again, I think Michel is overshadowed at least in reputation by Alain Caron, who is known for his exceptional ability. However, as a unit they are quite incredible.

Those P basses sound absolutely dreadful. He's been playing nothing but P basses for a couple of weeks now. You're right in saying he has gone 'full YouTube'. It seems like his channel is focused more and more on naff rubbish. A definite attempt to 'dumb down'. I used to really enjoy his output.

I bought a Pedulla Pentabuzz from Lukasz which came yesterday. A top class seller. Everything went smoothly (my first time using PayPal too). Having done plenty of deals and trades over Basschat, I can confidently say that this is how I like them done. Thanks, Lukasz!

[quote name='geoham' timestamp='1507232970' post='3384170'] I think this is the kind of response I was hoping for! The Squier VM gets a lot of love, but I can’t help but feel it isn’t worth double the HB. Then again... it always is a game of diminishing returns with music gear! [/quote] I used to have a Squier VM fretless and I thought it was very good for a budget instrument. It had a level of fit and finish that other manufacturer's around that price point just can't compete with. I had a Classic Vibe jazz after the VM and that was even better. There are proper Fender basses that could have done with the CV bridge! That said, shortly after owning the Squier I ended up with a Fender Jaco Pastorius fretless jazz which was on another level entirely.

The heaviest I've ever had was a Thumb 5 string Broad Neck. That was a heavy old beast that could tire the shoulder. By comparison, I've owned a Thumb BO 4 and played plenty of BO 5's and depsite being heavy, the ergonomics work well to hide the weight when standing. I used to hear a lot of talk about neck diving Thumbs but when held properly (on a strap, with the bass held above the belt line) they balance really well.

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1506871991' post='3381652'] Tony McAlpine. These days he's Vai's rythym guitarist. [/quote] T-Mac is on tour with his band at the moment, he has just released a new record. He hasn't played with Vai in a while but he was a serious addition to that band. Not only is he a wizard on the keys, but his immense talent on the guitar was always exciting to watch, especially when he traded licks with Steve. I agree though, many people at Vai's live shows might not have realised he is regarded as a master in guitar circles. Alex Lifeson is one I would nominate. He always vied with Neil and Geddy for accolades but was criminally overlooked. I suppose that, Neil's drumming was so far ahead of anyone else in the rock field that he was almost playing like a fusion drummer at times. Geddy brought the bass to the forefront of a rockband like never before, furthering what Chris Squire started. Hell, Geddy even won an award from a keyboard magazine for being the most improved player. Meanwhile, Alex continued being the best band player in rock and missing out on all the magazine awards. However, he is instantly identifiable and brought so much to Rush. My favourite Lifeson stuff is from the 80's, when he was using loads of chords to add colour and doing beautiful solos.

I'd rather be the worst player in a great band than the best player in a crap band. It's no good being brilliant if everyone else is dump. The music is a team effort, after all. If I got sacked and replaced, well, at least I would have tried.

I've always felt as though the whole thing has been on borrowed time since the late 90's when Neil's wife and daughter died. Neil was effectively done then and the band were forced to confront the reality that Rush could have been finished. Luckily, that wasn't the case and Neil came back after a period of personal healing and carried on, but I always had the sense after that that the end of Rush would be signalled by Neil calling it a day. They made some great music afterwards and I was able to see them live twice, on the Snakes and Arrows and Time Machine tours.

Bass Direct do alright for getting some stunning used SR's through the door. I bought my SR3006ESOL from them in 2015. It was the realisation of a longstanding dream of mine. I had picked up the Ibanez catalogue as a young lad in 2003 and dreamed of owning one. It was the top spec SR bass of it's year and my heart ached with longing. It's a very special instrument to me now.

It's not cheaper, but the Modulus Flea bass is the ultimate iteration of the Stingray, for my tastes. It's like a Stingray+.

I've always thought of them as the nicest guys in rock. I suppose being great friends is what has allowed them to go on so long, and all work together to write the music.