Bassnut62

I played bass from '81 to about '08 and finally set up a band so I could learn guitar.....I need the enforced discipline (ooh, er, matron!). here's most recent outing a few weekends ago in Nottingham as a Disco God!....not!!

Defo a can of worms here....anyway here's my two penny's worth........ Poet by Sly Stone.....it's such a sexy groove and has some of the best lyrics ever written about being an artist IMO. I love the rising high-on-neck bass line (or maybe it's an octave down guitar) towards the end of the song. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtPZhq58nwQ[/media] In case you're wondering what he's actually saying, here are the lyrics: [center]My only weapon is my pen[/center] [center][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial][size=3]And the frame of mind I'm in.[/size][/font][/color][/center] [center][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial][size=3]I'm a songwriter, A poet.[/size][/font][/color][/center] [center][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial][size=3]I'm a songwriter, A poet.[/size][/font][/color][/center] [center][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial][size=3]And the things I flash on Everyday[/size][/font][/color][/center] [center][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial][size=3]They all reflect In what I say.[/size][/font][/color][/center] [center][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial][size=3]I'm a songwriter I'm a poet[/size][/font][/color][/center] [center][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial][size=3]I'm a songwriter, Oh yeh a poet.[/size][/font][/color][/center]

[quote name='jakenewmanbass' timestamp='1414878071' post='2594364'] Someone not mentioned here yet is Willie Weeks, check out his work on Donny Hathaway Live, to my mind one of the funkiest recordings in existence. Thing is with Willie is that his lines are super musical as well as very funky, and by all accounts he's a lovely guy too, a pal of mine has recorded with him (and Steve Jordan) [/quote] +1 for Willy Weeks...that Donny Live album is one of my faves, along with the Curtis (Mayfield) Live album recorded around the same time, and I think it might have been Willy Weeks on the Curtis album too.

[quote name='UglyDog' timestamp='1414928052' post='2594666'] For anyone who has an active bass that lives under the bed, a quick plea... Please for God's sake [b]take the battery out[/b] [/quote] I have three active basses in the loft, where they've been lying untouched for at least three years. I just legged it up there in a panic with screwdriver in hand to remove the batteries...........what a relief to find that I had already done it, presumably when I laid them down (like fine wines in a cellar...not my cellar tho) The basses are a 79 Stingray, an 89 G&L Asat Bass and an 08 Sandberg California JM4; they've not seen battle since I took up guitar. I couldn't let the Stingray go, as it was my only bass for over 20 years and we did hundreds of gigs together.

[quote name='timhiggins' timestamp='1414827863' post='2593651'] Another vote for Robbie Shakespeare here plus Family man Flabba Holt Jamerson Paul Jackson Lee sklar Pino [p bass only]....i dont kno where to stop [/quote] +1 for Paul Jackson. I met him backstage at a Headhunters gig and asked him how he gets that tone. he just showed me his fingers; there were huge deep welts through his callouses. He said I hit those f***ers as hard as hell!

I like compression as an effect as well as a tool. Just check out the heavy squich use of compression by Doug Wimbush on Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang, then compare it to Bernard Edwards sound on the original Good Times by Chic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WHelVsu9x8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTusMLs9SJE of course you could just enjoy the Sugarhill video....!

I've had a few others too and the big old tin EHX ones are nice, especially Q Tron and BassBalls. The BB is a very different animal though, being a twin filter it is unusual and can sound a bit thin if you're not careful; but I have found some great bass sounds with the dial at about 10pm and the fuzz engaged. Someone mentioned volume spookes on the Q Tron; but I think there are trim pots inside that enable you to control those for the strength of input from your instrument and possibly for the strength or stinkiness of the output signal too.

+1 for the Groove Regulator v.1 - I love it on bass, and putting fuzz and/or octave in the fx loop is loads of fun. I am now playing guitar and the GR1 still kicks arse. It is never ever far from my board and often on it. I bought it when it first came out and it is probably my longest staying pedal now. A friend has an original Lovetone Meatball too and te GR1 compares very favourably to it.

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1414430847' post='2589206'] Korg Pitchblack Poly sorts this out. It gets my vote..... £47 off Amazon when I picked one up [/quote] Aha, didn't know about those!

That doc he did about the Sound City board by Neave was great too.

I also love the LP by The Headhunters called Survival of The Fittest. There are two tracks on there that are SO tough...God Make Me Funky and If You've Got It, You'll Get It.

Yes, Thrust is good and Sunlight, and Mr Hands too; but my faves are obscure Japanese vinyl, tho they may be available on CD or as mp3s these days. They are Flood (incredible live album with best version of Chameleon) and the other is an LP called Direct Step, which has one whole side that is just the best ever version of I Thought It Was You....that's how to use a vocoder!

Paul Jackson of The Headhunters - my bass hero! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1i1RJeUw70[/media]

+ another for the TC Electronics Ploytune I used a Korg Pitch Black for years and it is still great; but the TC Polytune is better IMO. It is just as acurate as the Korg for tuning individual strings; but if you want to quickly check tuning of whole guitar, it does all six (or 4) at same time, so you can quickly zero in on which string/s are out. Also the Micro Polytune is half size of Korg, so saves valuable real estate on board. It looks sexier too, especially the arctic white one.

Yes.

some more feedback on how this G&L plays and sounds....this is from Andy, rather than myself, as I won't get my hands on the guitar for another fortnight.... [i][color=#444444][font=Calibri, sans-serif][size=4]....plugged in she sounds exactly as an S500 should, which is awesome. I don't hear any of the supposed "Darker" sound, but it's definitely not a vintage sounding instrument like the legacy / strat, though with a little tweaking those sounds are there. What always impresses me most about S500's is their option to have just the neck and bridge or all 3 pups together. Some really nice rhythm sounds available there, from Tele type jangle to full sounding beef! Also, if you roll the bass off on the PTB system you even start getting an almost acoustic vibe. I'm not saying its an exact acoustic sound (that would be scientifically impossible) but it's pretty damn good considering there's not a piezo in sight.[/size][/font][/color][/i] I found myself in a dilemma about which neck options to choose on this guitar, between old school [size=4]7.25" [/size][size=3]board [/size][size=3]radius [/size][size=4]with vintage frets or the standard 12" radius with medium jumbo frets; this was especially as I play more funk rhythm guitar than searing solos. In the end I chose standard 12" with medium jumbos, as that's what Leo chose for it and I am not trying to recreat a vintage Strat. Here's what Andy says about the neck option I chose.....[/size] [i][color=#444444][font=Calibri, sans-serif][size=4]Something really weird has happened to me concerning the neck profile. I think as I've played quite a few #1 necks (i.e. 12" radius) over the last year or so, I've gotten quite used to them (this is coming from a relatively small handed person), so it's not an issue for me anymore.[/size][/font][/color][/i][color=#444444][font=Calibri, sans-serif][size=4] [i]I think that vintage frets would have been wrong on this radius / neck. Medium jumbos are just right (for this particular combo) - you may have a little bit of readjustment to make, but I reckon you'll be in the groove in no time at all.[/i][/size][/font][/color][color=#444444][font=Calibri, sans-serif][size=4] [i]As for funky chops and rhythm picking - well, I'm not really a funk player so hard to say, but I see no reason why not.[/i][/size][/font][/color]

Hi all I have just ordered a USA G&L S500 (Strat) from an English dealer for just £795 (inc customs and shipping). The guitar is totally built to my requirements and choices and takes 8-12 weeks to arrive. Check out the story under my post 'Ordered a G&L' in Guitars section of this very forum. The dealer can get USA G&L basses too. If you order by end of Nov you get a 5% discount too. This is an opportunity nobody should miss, if you want a top end American Fender that is way better than Fender ever was for the price of a second-hand USA Fender.

OK...first pics.... and another pic from the warehouse...this guitar looks different under different lighting.... Also, Andy says yes, he can order basses too

Andy (the dealer) has now had a chance to test my S500 unplugged.....this is what he said: [color=#444444][font=Calibri, sans-serif][size=4]I know I'm biased, and that I love S500's in particular, but wow, what an axe![/size][/font][/color] [color=#444444][font=Calibri, sans-serif][size=4]I've not done any photos yet, but I have sat down and had a play and I swear I've never played a guitar with such amazing resonance as it has. If I didnt know better I'd almost swear it was semi hollow. You can feel it singing against your body. To top it all off, the rosewood board is beautifully dark, but still has flecks of lighter wood in it. It contrasts with the white so nicely.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#444444][font=Calibri, sans-serif][size=4]And I've not even plugged her in yet!![/size][/font][/color] [color=#444444][font=Calibri, sans-serif][size=4]I really question why anyone would buy a Fender? These G&L's are sublime. The difference is like driving home in a brand new Mercedes (not that I'd actually know what that's like....) against buying a battered old banger and chugging that home.....[/size][/font][/color] [color=#444444][font=Calibri, sans-serif][size=4]Lucky boy [/size][/font][/color] As it happens I have owned a couple of nice old high spec E-class Merc coupes (bought at bottom of their value depreciation) and I can totally relate to what Andy says above about the sublime difference of sheer quality....especially as I now drive a 12year old Korean box with battle scars! He's hoping to get some pics to me later and test plugged in too at first opporunity, so I'll feedback more then. ....not sure I will be able to wait until 7 or 8 nov to collect it......

[quote name='Bassnut62' timestamp='1410964648' post='2555128'] Apparently G&L have a 15% sale on in USA until November too and this dealer is passing on full discount. If anyone wants to know where, just drop me a PM. [/quote] Oops, it's 5% discount, not 15% and runs til end of Nov, so you might want to get your orders in soon. Also delivery is usually 8 weeks from order, but safer to say 12 weeks and get nicely surprised. The dealer in US who is the UK dealer's partner has a special arrangement with G&L that takes his orders straight to top of list!

The S500 has cleared customs and is now with Andy (dealer) in St Albans. I am going to collect it on 7 or 8 Nov, when I am going that way anyway. Andy is going to send me pics and try it out later to make sure A is OK. Will report back tomorrow. throwoff - I am sure he would get you a bass too; but make sure you do it soon to get 15% discount that G&L are running to end of Nov.

Played The Approach In Nottingham last night, the place was rammed and we had them dancing from the off. Seems playing Disco and more recent dance classics goes down well every time! The night was rounded off with a fight between four women in their forties, leaving one of them out cold. Unbelievable. Do people really never learn to grow up?