The Bass Player's Lexicon

[Billy Apple]

Heft:

The torque of an amp. It is generally accepted that large transformer valve amps posses the greatest heft, although the word is more often used in relation to class D's. Underlying power as opposed to volume
'Can't believe the heft of my new Satsuma 3000, if it wasn't for the fact that it weights 8oz I'd be convinced it could pull a trailer up Knack-Barrow Hill like my old USA SVT did.

Punch:

The ability for a bass to be felt or 'cut through the mix' like a kick in the guts all the way to the back of the hall.
'Since I've got my new Gramma Pad my Selmer Flap-O-Rama cuts like an NVT 610. You wouldn't think it's Croxley 12 would have that amount of punch.'

Tone;

That to which we all aspire.

[paul h]

Fingers:

Magical appendages that can simulate the sound of anything from a p bass through an overdriven ampeg to a super jazz through an swr. The result being that all bass players play exactly the same equipment while sounding wildly different.

[Zenitram]

Or play wildly different equipment but all pretty much sound the same.

[TheGreek]

Space: The thing that Bass players leave to add feel and groove which guitarists then feel they need to fill COS IT'S THERE!!

Edited February 10, 2016 by TheGreek

[NickD]

Tapping.

A technique designed to emulate a 4 year old, completely off his tits on Calpol, plonking away on a cheap toy piano.

[paul h]

Entwistling:

The act of becoming a famous and well respected bass playing despite sounding like the above ^^^

Edited February 10, 2016 by paul h

[RhysP]

Mojo: A vulgar Americanism now popular in the UK that is used to describe basses & guitars that have suffered catastrophic damage that, for some reason, makes them even more desirable to players of a certain mindset.

[RhysP]

[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1455119375' post='2976130']
Damn...too slow ^^^+1
[/quote]

Moved it for you.

[Japhet]

Reliced - a perfectly good instrument that has been left in the outside lane of the M25 for a couple of days to make it appear that it, and its' handler, have got plenty of miles on the clock.

[NickD]

[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1455119342' post='2976128']
Entwistling:

The act becoming a famous and well respected bass playing despite sounding like the above ^^^
[/quote]

Hard to argue with that. His Calpol consumption was through the roof.

[NickD]

Fender Copy.

A derogatory term used widely in the 70s and 80s for knockoffs of Fender body shapes/pickup configurations, that is no longer in common use despite it applying to around 95% of all basses produced. Manufacturers realised in the early 90s that they could circumvent this obvious truth being applied to their product by making slight variations to headstock shape, then charging at least a grand.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='NickD' timestamp='1455119833' post='2976138']
Hard to argue with that. His Calpol consumption was through the roof.
[/quote]

I thought it was their guitarist who always had calpol to hand?

[NickD]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1455120371' post='2976144']


I thought it was their guitarist who always had calpol to hand?
[/quote]

*Allegedly*

[Mykesbass]

Matsumoku - Legendary Japanese Nirvana a bit like the bass and guitar version of the Big Rock Candy Mountain, where every guitar built between 1965 and 1999 were done so to legendary standards, by just three master craftsmen, and they were all better than everything else we've ever owned (but we sold them all years ago).

[paul h]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1455119570' post='2976135']
Moved it for you.
[/quote]

Ta

[Bassassin]

MIJ - see "Matsumoku", but substituting "The Ibanez Factory" or "Fender's Japanese Plant" as applicable.

[Stylon Pilson]

Pocket - when two bassists perform with excellent timing, but one of them does it while also bobbing his head funkily, he is said to be "in the pocket". Conversely, you would describe the other as being "in a tatty handbag" and it is customary to throw medium-sized rodents at him until he wets himself.

S.P.

[Billy Apple]

High end.

A coffee table with bits to get in the way of the biscuits.

[TheGreek]

Rare - production numbers were low because of poor sales due to the item being cheap and nasty and generally crap. Due to the lack of interest in the item first time round the seller means to convince you that this is a good thing and you should pay a premium.

[phil.c60]

Vintage: As above only old. There's not many left because most of them were thrown away years ago.

[phil.c60]

Solid: A player who.....no wait a minute, didn't we do this a while ago!

[Mykesbass]

My beloved... a piece of old tut that I'm desperate to get rid of.

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1455127276' post='2976254']
High end.

A coffee table with bits to get in the way of the biscuits.
[/quote]

[leftybassman392]

Wireless:

Something to listen to the Light Progamme on.

[drTStingray]

Rare colour - something that looked a good idea on a colour swatch but on a bass looked like a form of human excretion - and thus sold very badly OR

was quite nice but sold badly as it was brought to market just at a time when playing anything other than an instrument in sunburst with a tort scratch plate (or black instrument with a black sp) was frowned upon by most forum commentators as liable to frighten off any prospective employer (be they studio, MD or local semi pro band) AND were released when no one had any money cos the bankers knicked it all ........ 😉😬

Mindless noodling - any bass part composed with more than one note variation per four bars, and definitely when played by an acclaimed genius........ 😀

Headroom - the height available to pass under a road bridge.

Growl - haven't a clue (but I've heard it used to describe at least three entirely different things, one of which applies to Fender Precision basses and which many sound people try to EQ out by using a smiley face EQ setting).

Edited February 10, 2016 by drTStingray