Chris2112

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1504028969' post='3362239'] IMO (of course) I really wanted CA to be a great return to form, but I was disappointed. The mix is fussy, and the songs are flabby. [/quote] To my shame, I bought Clockwork Angels and gave it a run through, half-heartedly listening but with nothing really grabbing me. That said, I thought Snakes and Arrows was pretty tremendous and I'm glad I got that one when it was released. I didn't think the Rush of the 90's was up to all that much as they reflected the trend for alt-rock. Just as rock music lost it's inspiration over that period, so did Rush. That said, the string of classic albums from Signals through Hold Your Fire (with Presto and RTB being strong efforts) were unlikely to ever be matched. I can still remember being a 16 year old in the basement of Virgin Music on Northumberland Street in the Toon listening to 'Afterimage' from Grace Under Pressure on the sampler headphones and being absolutely overwhelmed. Here, finally, was a rock band with melody and song writing! I've been in love with their music ever since.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1503867703' post='3361266'] Fan service? Were they giving away music and touring for free? [/quote] They weren't, but they're made men a million times over. I doubt by the time you're in your sixties you're motivated by adding another Ferarri to your collection or another wing to your mansion. However, they have consistently pummelled out the 'hits' for years, but there were many who just wanted to hear 'Tom Sawyer' and 'Spirit of radio' again, and Rush duly obliged when most rockers would have packed in long ago. They've been tremendously dedicated to their fans.

I would really welcome Geddy and Alex carrying on making music. If they have the passion for it, great! Lord knows, they've done enough fan service touring all over the world for decades. I'd love to hear them doing something fresh. I love Rush (my favourite band by a long shot) but if they want to try something new, they should. Neil Peart owes nothing, having come back from immense personal tragedy to carry on with Rush. It seems that drumming is the most arduous of instruments to play as the years go by and good health must come first. I recall reading that Phil Collins barely plays the drums at all these days, as just a few minutes at the kit leaves him in agony with back pain from that hunched position he plays in. Similarly, you can't go full throttle in the toms for fifty years without some wear on the arms (even accounting for all the effort Neil put into learning a new grip style in the 90's).

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1503443165' post='3358369'] Couldn't be more different . 1- Michael Manring - the book of flame 2 - Steve Lawson - grace and gratitude 3 - Anthony Jackson - anything! 4 - John Patitucci - line by line 5 - Jonas Hellborg - silent life [/quote] Not a bad list. Hellborg and Manring are great, though I thought his music was better before it became all about altered tunings and millions of harmonics. Anthony Jackson, what more can I say? Pattituci also did some great work with Chick Corea. I'd say: 1) Jeff Berlin - any of his records but Pump It! is a great place to start. 2) UZEB - Between the lines 3) Stuart Hamm - Show me what you can do 4) Rush - Hold your fire 5) Jaco Pastorius - Shadows and Light

I bought my Cort Rithimic Jeff Berlin signature bass from Neil Murray, of Whitesnake and Black Sabbath fame. In a twist of fate, I later learned that Neil had played in Bill Bruford's band covering Jeff Berlin's parts! I've also since talked to Jeff about the Rithimic bass since we are in agreement thay it's an incredible instrument.

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1502918038' post='3354428'] It's funny that so many people have asked me over the years if I use 'TVR paint'. I guess that's where most people are familiar with seeing these 'flip-paints'. Maybe TVR would like to bring one or two round for a test drive so we can compare! [/quote] Yes, I first thought of a TVR, then an MG ZT and then a Nissan Micra, all seen in flip paint at one time! It's a beauty!

Great story, thanks for sharing! It's very interesting to hear a really detailed account of owning one of these instruments that have long since become part of British bass folklore. Dig the bass out and get us some pictures, we would love to see it!

Very simple for me, a Cort Rithimic running through a TC Electronic Corona chorus pedal into a Markbass Jeff Berlin CMD151P combo. Chorus typically set to a fast speed with low depth, mid level and tone. I may get a compressor one day, they're very useful for ensemble playing.

This thread feels like being stuck in a timewarp back to the internet of fifteen years ago. A bassist playing a melody, whatever next!? Threads about ERB bashing will be along in a year or two... I love bassists who take the bass away from root/fifth stuff at the first position but this just didn't grab me. The music was a bit flat and lacking in the sort of harmonic content I like. It came off as a fairly long, repetitive effort. But I could listen to a bassist blow over changes for 8 minutes to something more interesting.

Does anyone have any Coronoa toneprints they really like? I've loaded the Nathan East preset onto mine and I love it, it's very subtle and musical with a lot of depth and quality. It really brings out a different sound to the basic chorus mode. I also love the method of beaming toneprints to the pedal! Great fun.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1501924966' post='3348227'] If you are having fun and enjoying yourself..best of luck to you. It will certainly help with ear training. However, while there is no doubt that scales are important, IMO it would be more beneficial to concentrate on chord tones, as this is what the bassist plays 90% of the time. Learn how chords are derived from scales and how to harmonise the major scale. This, IMO would be better than playing modes, which are generally left until the basics are under the belt. Check out this lesson from "Studybass". https://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-chord-patterns/chord-tones-are-primary/ [/quote] I would also recommend the OP look into learning chord tones as it'll give you a full system of familiarity with the notes on the fretboard, as well as an understandable way of applying what you learn to music. Scales are great fun, but knowing how and where to apply something other than a major or minor scale can be tricky. But, most importantly, keep experimenting and find out what appeal to your ear.

Don't pigeonhole your bass choices for what you 'think' a genre demands, especially if you're basing that decision on looks. Country in particular is massive in the US and consequently attracts some top class players with top class gear, so even something boutique will fit the bill if it performs adequately.

'Bass drum' is a bloody misnomer. I like bass drums that are small and sound tight and poppy, they should 'thud' with a very quick decay rather than 'boom' in the dreadful, floppy sounding way so many do now. Live sound is often dreadful for a variety of reasons, but sadly I get the impression that a lot of sound engineers create a bad mix and then try to mask the dreadful tone by banging the volume right up until you end up with an ear-splitting mush. That's what I got when I saw Big Country at the O2 in Newcastle a couple of years ago. Deafeningly loud; a dreadful mess of booming bass and drums and piercing high end. Mike Peters' vocal mix was awful too, and he was frequently howling out of tune because the mix was so poor. Sad to see such a great band struggling with a crap mix like that. Half the time, if you didn't know the songs, you wouldn't have known what the bloody hell was going on.

[quote name='The59Sound' timestamp='1492416792' post='3279973'] I would definitely say it's for the 'new school' breed of bass players. No Fenders, no Ampegs/Oranges. [/quote] You can get that old crap anywhere! I bought a used TC Electronic Corona from BD last week. Arrived the next day, great service. I had tried to contact them by phone over Thursday lunchtime but they must have been out to lunch. I would love to go to the shop one day but it's a bloody long trip!

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1501679550' post='3346503'] A generically weak front pickup should have been fixed a long time ago ( it's not like it's a cosmetic change) on an instrument as premium priced as this [/quote] But it hasn't been fixed... because character.

I have owned Trace Gear in the past and played a lot of their old range. I had a 7-band head and a 4x10" cab. Jesus wept, that thing would go bloody loud. In the end I shifted it for an Ashdown MK500. I read that when Mark went to Ashdown, he asked them to recreate the sound of his old TE kit. How true that is, I don't know but the MK500 had all the cut and sizzle of the TE but it was less than half the weight. The world has moved on from giant green Trace rigs to a trend for smaller, lighter stuff. Given that everyone seems to use bass amps for monitors and DI to the board when playing live so there is no need for the blowaway power of a Trace Elliot rig nowadays.

Getting a good sound for the room is more important than slavishly replicating the sound of the original record IMO, because the average punter won't really notice if you use a Jazz bass when the original was recorded on a Precision but they'll surely notice if your sound doesn't suit the room. Imagine covering a motown gig in a room where a P bass is just giving a floppy, droning 'boom' instead of the tight, middy punch of the original record. The professional musician must think on their feet and adapt to the room. Play closer the bridge, cut back some low frequencies, whatever it takes. I'd focus less on the tone you're seeking to replicate and spend that same energy making sure the performance is nailed-on brilliant.

It's a bit of a funny one. Warwick's grasp and domination of the professional market continues to expand. They seem to have a new endorser every day. I'm sure they offer a decent compensation package to the artists which is where the appeal is. There are some artists that moved to Warwick and their tone took a serious dive. I watched the video of JC playing a Warwick (the Aenima one) and the tone was pretty dump but I appreciate it was recorded with a small microphone and probably no real mix or mastering. On the other hand, JC's playing is great but his Wal tone is nothing special and I've long maintained that it doesn't even sound much like the Wals we know and love. It's so buried in effects and pick noise that it could be almost any humbuckered bass one the record is played back, and i say this as a huge Tool fan and a tone-enthusiast.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1500125718' post='3335781'] As curiosity, what is YouTube doing that others aren't? [/quote] It has an absolutely massive reach and huge advertising clout that Soundcloud could not even dream of. However, even Youtube has issues with disappointing returns on advertising investment. I feel as though the internet is absolutely saturated with sh*t adverts.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1499891209' post='3334398'] Fair enough. It was a genuine thought as I have seen it mentioned on some pre-owned stock. [/quote] Yes, I have seen them mention that some preowned basses come with new strings. The fact they advertise it as a selling point on some instruments tells me that not every instrument gets this treatment. I expect the customer pays for it on SOR guitars.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1499778345' post='3333532'] Does the £30 not include a re-string? I've seen that mentioned in their ad's before. If that is the case, then it's probably not that unreasonable. Is it? [/quote] Definitely not, I bought my Ibanez SR3006 from them as a used bass and the strings it came with were sh*t and completely knackered. Fantastic bass though, can't grumble too much.

In fairness, the end of the cash-in-hand economy would benefit us all as there would be a fair tax paid on everything (much like every time we do the shopping, fill up the car, buy a record). Landlords are already reluctant to pay for bands. I don't suppose those who really value live music will change their tune if they can't pay cash in hand. Similarly, as long as musicians are prepared to play by the rules, they'll still find places to play.