Fat Rich

I went to the one above the Bass Centre run by Tony Muschamp, loads of really useful music theory and practical advice went in one ear and out the other :blush: Just did the Saturday 10 week course and was taught by a slightly scary guy called Silas Maitland who played bass for Geno Washington, also by Si Mulvey a couple of times. Must have been late 80s or early 90s.

Fantastic! Reminds me of when I was a teenager listening to the London pirate radio stations like JFM, Solar and LWR.... No wonder I wanted to play bass with this kind of music in my ears all day.

[quote name='Sean' post='848155' date='May 26 2010, 07:53 AM']I understand playing [i]ahead of[/i], [i]behind[/i] and [i]on [/i]the beat but if the drummer is playing [i]ahead of[/i] or [i]behind[/i] the beat, how is the beat defined? i.e. where is it? I'm guessing that it's the "natural silent click track of the universe"? And, if the drummer is ahead of or behind the beat, should I play relative to the drummer or the beat? Surely, if everyone in the band is playing (the same amount) behind the beat then it becomes [i]on the beat[/i]? I'm also guessing that we're now into the vagaries of "the pocket" and as long as it works then all's well?[/quote] Taking a simple 8th note beat for example, the basic time is defined by the ride cymbal or the hats. Then some drummers will play the snare bang on but lay back a tiny bit on the bass drum, other drummers will play the bass drum in time and lay back on the snare. Or any combination of pushing / playing on time / laying back on either the snare, bass drum or both. Add in many drummers have their own personal feeling of swing and that's why no two drummers will sound the same even playing the simplest of grooves. A great drummer will do all this with confidence and consistency and with a feel for what the song requires, an ordinary drummer will usually change their feel slightly depending on what the rest of the band is doing, his mood etc. With a great drummer you probably won't have to think about where you place your notes, if you start thinking about pushing / laying back you might end up doing it too much. With an ordinary drummer it might not be worth even thinking about, just try and keep everything together safe in the knowledge that no one in the crowd will notice the difference!

[quote name='clauster' post='847520' date='May 25 2010, 02:17 PM']But have they all been headless? I don't ask to stir things up, but because I'm in a similar position to the OP. Genuinely considering a status neck for the P-bass of my dreams.[/quote] Mine are both headed, no deadspots..

I had a wife I didn't tell my basses about. Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing her around for a while

[quote name='lojo' post='845146' date='May 22 2010, 03:49 PM'].... Bit of a pain really, but they asked for it, they also have a no 5 string bass rule, which is fine as I don't own one anyway, and in my other projects the singer sticks to std keys so lines can be replicated on a 4 string[/quote] Do they have a no 6 string rule?!

[quote name='Shaggy' post='846328' date='May 24 2010, 10:47 AM']Any info on the long-term stability of graphite? Most plastics ultimately get brittle with age. (not that it'll worry me, but my sons will be inheriting an assortment of manky old gear, including the aforementioned Ovation Magnum 1 )[/quote] Plenty of old Status basses from the early 80s that look and play like they were built yesterday. My '93 series 1s are as perfectly straight as they were when I bought them despite having no truss rod, they have low action whatever guage strings you put on them.... no adjustment necessary. Graphite basses should last forever, but unfortunately my '90s wood necked Fenders haven't lasted quite so well... playable but not as good as they used to be. But there's no way you're going to get a graphite neck to sound like a wooden bass and vice versa, so I reckon you need one of each. Or several of each!

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='845236' date='May 22 2010, 05:47 PM']Warwick SS I basses have the P reversed and logic does dictate that it would tighten the E & A strings but you have to ask why old Leo did the way that he did in the first place? [/quote] Probably to get the pickup closer to the control cavity to save an inch of wire! These things were designed to be as cheap as possible, it was partly down to luck that they sounded so good.

Is it the wiring for a 3 pickup / 3 vol? [quote name='7string' post='844739' date='May 21 2010, 11:32 PM']Try [url="http://www.guitarelectronics.com"]the Guitar Electronics website.[/url] There's loads of wiring diagrams on there including some for 3 pickups.[/quote] Thanks for the link, I had a look at the 3 vol + 3 way switch, I reckon with the switch in the middle position then the output from each vol is effectively connected together so hope fully this means I can do it. I guess the next thing to do is to try it (and probably burn myself in the process!) I'm also thinking that the two existing single coils work as humbuckers when both are turned up, if I add a third single coil it may produce double the hum with one of the existing pickups.... maybe I'd be better off adding a humbucker instead.

Inspired by The Grand Wazoo's 3 pickup Big Al5 bass, I'm thinking about adding another jazz type single coil to one of my old basses.... Can I just wire up a volume control to each pickup (3 vols in total) with no problems? And then run the resulting mix to the original active tone control, which currently receives it's signal from a blend pot? I've vague recollection that it's not as simple as that but it's a long time since I fired up the soldering iron.... I'd prefer not to use switches as one of my favourite sounds on this bass is 100% bridge pup with about 60% neck pup mixed in. It'd be great to be able to experiment with different amounts of each pickup. Cheers

[quote name='Musicman20' post='843653' date='May 20 2010, 10:57 PM']Thats what happened to me...listen to the youtube demos and you will be addicted![/quote] You're not kidding! I'm thinking 3 pickups is the way forward, maybe I'll take a router to my old Status and see if I can get some new sounds out of it...

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='843544' date='May 20 2010, 08:58 PM']Here is what does what: [/quote] Ah well, all pretty simple then And the more I look at this bass the more I love it....

Looked nice before. Now it looks stunning!

You'd have to be a dummy to buy that.

Maybe you should advertise your services like this guy: Good luck with your new band!

For some reason it reminds me of the wonky perspective and retro '50s look of Ren & Stimpy [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ZlO76-BpA&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ZlO76-BpA...feature=related[/url] Very nice bass.

When I first saw buckeye burl I wanted some on a bass, but I seem to be going off it.... it's so in your face and hardly looks like wood. I'm sure it's one of those woods that photos can't do justice to, and I haven't seen any close up but I think I prefer something a bit more subtle. Bet it's a fantastic bass though!

If you play with your fingers experiment with the tension in your finger joints... curl your picking fingers for a punchier tone, relax them for a warmer tone with the fleshier part of your fingertips. I sometimes pick with two fingers at once as it loses most of the overtones but that's probably the opposite of what you're trying to achieve. Adjusting where you pick the string will make a massive difference too, I used to only pluck over the bridge pickup but I'm finding I'm moving around a lot more to get the right tone for the song, or sometimes just for the phrase. Sometimes right up to 22nd fret with my picking hand. Spend some time seeing what different sounds you can just get out of your fingers, you might be surprised. Also, try some different strings. Some have a strong fundamental and few overtones, some sound like a toddler bashing a grand piano.

Yup, Legend... If you've ever thumbed a bass he should be in your list of influences!

A pricey but convenient way of doing it is to use a Boss Loopstation or similar.... I plug the bass into the instrument input, iPod into the AUX input and use either headphones or amp output. It has loads of drum patterns to play along to plus I can easily record what I'm learning just by stomping on the record pedal and hear what I'm doing wrong. Plus you can use it for what it's intended for too... record a bassline and jam over it. Edit: And you can record a track from any external source and then slow down the tempo to help you work out the notes.

Thank you! Looking forward to it.

Room for a small one? Well, not so small actually...... Should be able to get along on the 27th as Frien Barnet is just round the corner. Could bring a couple of Status basses from the early 90s and maybe a Jap Fender or two from the late 80s? (but not for the raffle!) Only if you promise not to laugh at my lamentable bass playing skills.

[quote name='dave.c' post='834363' date='May 11 2010, 04:22 PM']15 kHz is fine, 16 kHz, is a lot quieter but I can hear it then nothing at all. I'm 48, going to try it on my wife and 3 year old son later see how they do.[/quote] If you can't hear your wife and son then you're really in trouble...

[quote name='OldGit' post='834299' date='May 11 2010, 03:16 PM']and then one day .... [/quote] Yngwie Malmsteen shows how it should be done... (check it out even if you're not a fan!) [url="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2135125716316460991&hl=en#"]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=21...0991&hl=en#[/url]

[quote name='steve-soar' post='834298' date='May 11 2010, 03:15 PM']Oh good God. 12 KHz, then nothing.[/quote] Don't panic, a lot of soundcards or speakers aren't capable of reproducing some of the higher (or lower) frequencies...