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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/05/23 in all areas
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It’s so much more than just a hobby (I hate that term), it’s a way of life. For me, playing bass, and creating art, gets me through a bad day and makes a good day better. I’ve had an awful week. It’s been very stressful, both at work and for personal reasons. I felt very low on soul coal. An hour on my Thunderbird put a smile back on my face. It’s therapy, it’s energy, it’s SO important for my mental health. I love it.17 points
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One of the best bits of musical advice I ever received: Years ago I got a gig playing with a bunch of very respected musicians who I admired greatly. I put the work in, and after the rehearsal of the first song, I was confident I’d nailed it. Drummer politely chimes up: “Let’s do it again, but this time play half the amount of notes.” Nailed it. Again. ”OK… once more, but this time lose another half again, and we should be good.” I listened back and you know what? He was bang on.14 points
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Well, not entirely new machine head day. But bits of them. I have never liked the machine head paddles on my Shuker. I am aware that I need to get out more. So I got the local luthier to fabricate some Ebony spheres which slot onto the axle of the machine heads after taking the paddles off. They have come out just as I hoped.9 points
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Nothing wrong with playing with passion and exuberance. Keep doing it...9 points
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Missed opportunity for the drummer as, having watched the full footage of the altercation, he should have added snare hits to each punch thrown.9 points
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Made in the legendary Matsumoku factory of Japan in 1983 this amazing bass features a stunning thru neck in maple with walnut stripes, rosewood fingerboard with snowflake inlays, Canadian ash body, brass nut and fully adjustable brass bridge, a plethora of tone options thanks to active/passive, dual sound, in phase/ out phase, series/parallel switches, 3 way pickup selector, and active and passive tone knobs. In excellent condition, especially for a 40 year old bass, a few blemishes to the underside of the body but nothing that affects the playability of this fabulous bass, Comes with the original fitted Westone hardcase. No offers please. Can post for an additional £208 points -
8 points
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u ok hun?8 points
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Deviating from the original is one thing. Overplaying is another. For me there is nothing worse than a nice flowing bassline with lots of space being noodled over - I saw a soul/funk band locally and the guy did that exact thing. Great player, loads of chops but ruined the songs by playing them all every time.7 points
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I never overplay. The rest of the band are underplaying.7 points
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I don't play covers myself, but with my punter hat on, I can't think of anything more dull than watching a bunch of drones churning through a cover where everything played exactly the same as the original. Seems like a totally pointless exercise to me.7 points
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Looking to trade or sell my usa Fender performer penny jazz bass for a short scale bass! Can drive and meet up comes with padded soft case and in amazing condition no marks or dints Beautiful rare colour!6 points -
Make Amps Great Again.6 points
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Overwater 5 string J Bass Prototype 5 string for sale or trade. *Final Price drop to £1400* Here we have an unique bass which is a prototype for a mid priced bass range that Overwater were exploring back around 2012. The range was to sit between the top of the range custom series and the low priced 'Overwater by Tanglewood' range. The series never came into fruition, but this prototype was one of a handful that were sold after their development. The rear of the headstock is signed by Chris May (more on that shortly). Made in England at Overwater's headquarters in Carlisle, it features a John East preamp, and Overwater's own standard J hum-cancelling pickups. The output is pretty 'hot' but not aggressive. Sounds amazing. Body wood appears to be Alder but I cannot confirm this. Neck wood is maple with a maple fretboard with inlays (possible Rosewood?) Feel of the neck is smooth and although a 35" scale neck, very easy to play. Weighs around 3.7 kgs, so not light, but definitely not heavy. Condition is really good, with only a couple of very minor light nicks. I've tried to put pics of them up, but they really are minor. As you may note, the signature and serial number look a little odd... It would appear as though a previous owner has tried to rub down the finish on the neck, then realised they were rubbing off Chris' signature, so then painted a varnish over them (hence the mild smudging). I have spoken to Chris May (Overwater owner) and verified with him that this is in fact his signature, and not a forgery. He took the liberty of explaining the bass origins. Comes with a Hiscox Lite flite case. The case has a crack on one corner (a different bass was in this case when it happened, and was unharmed) , though being a HIscox, is still structurally sound, and still fully useable in general use (though I'd not recommend sending it through any airlines cargo holds). It does its job and protects the contents as it should in everyday use. This is a fantastic playing and sounding bass, but its just not 'me'. Trades wise, I would consider 5 strings, something along the lines of Sei bass, Goodfellow, Shuker, etc, or maybe a Lakland or Musicman Stingray 5. Not interested in Fender or Gibson. May also consider Markbass or Vanderkley 2 x 10 cabs plus cash difference? Must all be in good condition and good working order to be considered. Pickup only from Sheffield, though I may be able to meet within reasonable distance. Sometimes I am around the Liverpool and Kendal areas too. The bass is in full working order and I have tried to describe anything that needs mentioning in as much detail as I can, however, please note this bass is sold as seen with no returns. If you wish to try the bass before to confirm all is in order, then you are welcome to contact me.5 points -
Now then, it has come to my attention that I'm particularly undisciplined when playing covers. That is, I tend to get carried away with nonexistent ghost notes, fills etc. that definitely do not feature on the originals. This is exacerbated when we are egged on by an enthusiastic crowd live (which happens every now and then). Having done a bit of self analysis it seems I like to play songs by feel or 'as I think they should be ' as opposed to 'how they are'. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever played any song the exact same way twice! I've happened upon a great many players that really obsess about covering originals to the nth degree - but am now wondering if I'm either some sort of lazy free radical ...or just a lazy sod! Hey, music is art and there are no rules and all that, however what's your thoughts on all of this?5 points
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5 points
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Zappa wasn't playing Sex On Fire down the Dog and Duck, however.5 points
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I know I was totally into his screen wife 😁5 points
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I saw a couple of guys( one on guitar and one on bass) play about 4 U2 songs at a jam, with the bassist playing slap bass like Mark King. There's overplaying.......and then there's OVERPLAYING!!!5 points
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I don't own one anymore, but sometimes I still kinda miss it. It was such a lovely workhorse, with a great neck. I never really bonded with it tonally, and never quite got it to sound right in my bands, but I always enjoyed playing it. It also had quite a spectacular finish, the rare Autumn Redburst sparkle finish. I traded it for a Status S2 Classic with Rob @Bonin-in-the boneyard and haven't looked back, that one is my main bass now and I'm still madly in love. Rob has since sold it, but bought another out of seller's remorse This SR5 was previously owned by Phil Barker of IONA. I bought it from him off eBay, and when IONA played a gig local to me he got me on the guest list to come pick it up after their gig. Awesome guy!5 points
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Put .100 GHS Boomers on the BB, stepped down from .110 flatwounds.5 points
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Pretty much as new, custom-built 5 string (E-C) Mr Tee, flame maple neck, sea foam green nitro finish. Comes with original gig bag, unused leather strap, unworn t-shirt and all documents. Weighs 3.2kg. Sounds and plays brilliantly! I have 3 of these and need to make some space, hence this one is up for sale. Can be collected from high Wycombe or possibly central London, or I can ship to mainland UK for £30. Full spec below Scale Length Short Scale 30" Number of Frets 20 Frets Body Construction Hollowbody Body Wood Alder Top Wood Same as body Color Type Opaque Opaque Sea Foam Green Body Binding Without Binding Body Finish Nitro Pickguard 3ply Cream Neck Wood Flamed Maple Neck Finish Nitro Neck Profile Modern C Nut Width 44mm Carbon Rods No Fingerboard Wood Flamed Maple Fretted / Fretless Fretted Side Dots Side Dots Fingerboard Inlays Without Inlay Fingerboard Binding Cream Fingerboard Radius 14'' Headstock Type Flamed Maple Headstock Finish Nitro Headstock Logo Silver Nut Black Pickup Combination Single Coil (SSC) Manufacturer Bassculture Pickup Finish Pickguard Color Neck Pickup Bassculture SSC 'Cream' Electronics Type Passive Passive volume, tone ToneStyler Without Hardware Color Chrome Bridge Spacing 19mm Bridge Type F-Style Knobs Type Dome-Style Tuner Type Standard Y-Style Security Locks Without Security Locks String Type Flatwound Flatwound Strings F4 Gigbag/Suitcase Nylon Gigbags Nylon Gigbags Standard4 points -
It's always been the best therapy, but now I appreciate is twice as much. I had a small stroke, out of the blue a few weeks ago, and for a little while my left arm basically withered and died, leaving me with a useless claw. Luckily, over the next couple of hours my brain rewired itself, giving me some control back, and apart from the odd strange sensation it's pretty much normal now. I'm playing like a man possessed at the moment. You never fully understand the value of something until it's gone.4 points
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I've been downsizing from this: to this:4 points
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If you're playing covers you have more licence to add your own embellishments than if you were in a tribute band where you'd be looking to stick as closely to the original as possible.4 points
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Frank Zappa made it a point of pride that his live solos were never just copies of the record and he wrote the things! Go nuts and enjoy yourself.4 points
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Yeah that was a nice stingray I actually swapped it for a 6 string Warwick streamer I did regret it after and came across another4 points
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I guess it’s like collecting teaspoons, wedgwood figurines or loving musical theatre. Lot’s of folks are into it but I just don’t get it.4 points
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I made an online tool to practice by making loops in YouTube videos. Heavily inspired by ASD but you can just paste in a youtube link and do it in the browser. I also worked on the team who made Riffstation mentioned above Working on an improved v2 of LoopTube at the moment. Hope you find it useful LoopTube https://www.looptube.xyz/4 points
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For sale is my Musicman 25th Anniversary 4 string bass with dual humbuckers. It’s in excellent condition with just a few very minor wear marks in the usual playing areas. Ash body with mahogany tone block, quilted maple top in Venetian redburst, cream binding, maple neck with satin finish, rosewood fretboard, matching headstock. Frets are in excellent condition and have been finished flawlessly. The preamp and pickup switching options give this bass a huge palette of tones. Neck is a C shape with a 41mm compensated nut. Weight is 4.4kg and the bass comes in its original Musicman 25th Anniversary case, with cleaning cloth and warranty card. Collection preferred from my home in South London, but can post at cost. Thanks for looking. Please ask if you have any questions. 25th_bass_controls_hh.pdf3 points -
Amazing looking and playing 62 Epiphone Rivoli, has been refinished and relic'd in gold (with lots of interesting craquelure) by a well-established pro refinisher in Yorkshire, I was told their name but I've forgotten! Bought from Rich Tone Music, their original advert is here: https://richtonemusic.co.uk/epiphone-rivoli-bass-1962-refinished-gold-top-hard-case-2nd-hand/ In really good condition, frets are great and I think all the electronics are original. Has had strap locks fitted and a modern repro scratchplate but other than that and the finish, I think it's all original. Plays and sounds incredible, and hard to find, certainly for this price. Much more versatile than most people give them credit for and supremely cool. Selling for what I paid for it, I just need the space and already have an EB2... 4.2kg Comes with modern Epiphone case. Can be collected from high Wycombe or possibly central London, or I can post to mainland UK for £30. More pics available, having trouble uploading just now.3 points -
3 points
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I never said they were great in practice but bi laminate necks made by a machine was still groundbreaking, also the way they used antimatter in it so it was heavy enough to bend space time3 points
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Great input folks...I'm genuinely surprised at the amount of support for 'adding some seasoning to the recipe' Brilliant 😍3 points
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All power to you pal, make every day count.3 points
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It's definitely a mood improver for me too. When I was in the depths of depression a few years ago one of the signs of how bad things were was that I didn't want to pick up a bass. Thankfully those days seem to be behind me for now.3 points
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I have some low moods and, when I was working, sometimes I’d not notice, just putting it down to being a miserable git. Then, during one episode, I noticed that I hadn’t picked up my basses for some time. This, of course, made me pick them up and bingo, mood started to improve. These days, I try to pick them up everyday.3 points
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True enough. It has to be 'the song' in a recognisable form (unless jazz - niiiiiiice!) and, as you say key bass parts need to be there - imagine 'The Chain' without McVie's bass part. There's a whole new thread there: songs containing bass parts, without which, they would not work.3 points
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Go for it. If I want to hear the exact bass line from anything recorded, I'll listen to the recording thank you very much.3 points
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The optimum height of a pickup will depend on lots of different things including but not limited to: The strength of the magnets The gauge of the strings How high/low your actions is set How hard you play How far up the neck you play Where the pickup is situated in relation to the string length It's best to dispense with the ruler and use your ears to hear when they are the right distance.3 points
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No harm in adding some of your own flavour but, if the rest of the band start doing this too, it usually sounds like a mess and takes a crap on the song. Remember you're playing a song and be sympathetic to that, be musical, rather than a space filler.3 points
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The same forces who are instructing you to be angry at whatever is termed "woke" this week are the same as the ones who have just passed a law prohibiting your right to protest against perceived injustice. The free speech card isn't one you have in your deck I'm afraid.3 points
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I like to think of the original as the starting point. As has been said above, if someone wants to hear the original version, note perfect, the studio recording is the place to go. Even the bands I like play their own songs differently live to their original studio versions. If there are essential elements that make the song special, then consideration should be made to play those parts correctly but for the most part I think there is merit in bringing something new to the cover version. If that version is rubbish, punters will vote with their feet. If it adds something to the song, then to me that's what playing live music is all about. The caveat is, of course, tribute acts. If the tribute band is about bringing the original to the audience, then there is a requirement to play it as the original band played it. I've played in tribute bands and haven't enjoyed the restrictions it places on me, although I understand and accept them. But by far the most enjoyable for me is playing in a band where there is a certain amount of freedom to develop a character or style in which the band plays it's set.3 points
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I’d rather see a band play the song as it was recorded. Fair play adding in flourishes, runs etc, that does make for more interesting but I’ve seen some bands where the guitarist played a solo far more intricate than what was recorded, however this detracted from the song as the solo was a major feature of it. To me that is like singing different words in a different melody. I think we’re quite fortunate, as are drummers that we can add a few bits here & there without it being noticeably changed.3 points
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Nice work. Ebony is a good choice. I can imagine the R&D process being quite drawn out when the Black Olive and Malteser prototypes failed...3 points
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Completely agree with the above points, keep playing the songs as you think appropriate.3 points
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Certainly not in the past with record label funding. However if you look at the crowd funding proposal link in the OP you'll see that Stuart Hamm is only asking for $1,500 for a publicist for this project. Also these days the money's not in recording and releasing albums, but in tour and merchandise sales. The album is generally a promotional tool for the things that can generate an income. When the Terrortones released our first single we put up £2k (£500 each) plus 150 copies of the single for promotion. Some of it was money well spent and some pretty much useless, but what it did do was to get us was a foot in the door of the publicity machine, so that when we released our second single our promotion which much cheaper because we were able to target it so much more effectively. Also we made back our "investment" by playing gigs and selling T-shirts and CDs, so from that point onwards the band was pretty much self-funding. This is why I'm always so sceptical of crowd funding. The artists who need it most are those who are working on their first musical project and who are unlikely to have built up a sufficiently large enough audience to make it viable. Once you've made you first release the sales and other musical income of the back of that should fund the next, and so-on. If they don't then maybe you should be doing something different, or put up your own money and accept that it is simply a vanity project.3 points
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Shaving All My Love For You - Whitney Houston3 points
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Aye, it appears history has tortoise nothing...3 points
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Oh, go easy on Greavsey there. Can't be easy what with all those WokeyDokeys cancelling everything, rewriting history and locking you up for saying that you're English. Can't even have a nice, calming pint of Bigot's Best in the Hung Golly any more. Dunno what the world's coming to.3 points
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