bassninja

Tx Kiwi, informative and creative! I might even have some around here somewhere

Anyone have any idea where I might get a couple of port bungs for my SMX Trace combo? I fancy fiddling about to see if I can make it sound even sweeter. If you've used them, I'd appreciate your opinion...

Many of the bass players I enjoy improvise outside of a jazz setting (Phil Lesh, Mike Gordon, etc), and none of the bands I play in have rigid parts (if you'll pardon the expression...) I agree with the 'conversation' analogy. Its about emphasis, inference, tone, dynamics, reaction, tension and release. That's what makes it fun for me, anyway. I doesn't have to be about 'check out my flattened ninth' noodling or fretw*nking, if you have a good enough musical vocabulary.

All the best for another good 'un. Unfortunately gigging elsewhere Last year was triffic, WalMan and Silverfoxnik (among numerous others) doing a sterling job for decent causes and promoting live music too. Gigging around LA quite a bit in coming weeks, hope to catch up with you both again at some point...

Great stuff. Good goods, industrial packaging, swift, efficient and a decent fella...

[quote name='TPJ' post='859993' date='Jun 7 2010, 03:34 PM']The two I've used have always been reliable, the Database was bloody loud, both gave a decent tone.[/quote] I'm still using a DataBass. Never needed to go above 3 on the master. They do seem to have a reputation for eating speakers, which is what happened to me so I replaced it with a 500w 8ohm job for headroom. No bother since. Downward firing ports, so sometimes need to place it carefully onstage. Hates hollow stages, as you might imagine. Insanely loud, not really very flexible EQ, weighs a ton. I don't need crisp Marcus top end anyway, but this definately couldn't provide it. Owes me nothing though. I use mine flat, with a sansamp clone as front end. For all its annoying foibles, I can't seem to make myself get shot of it. The annoying relative of the bass amp world...

...and she has great hair!

Did a dep at a party at Queen drumbo Roger Taylor's sumptuous Surrey pile once where Gary Glitter did the filthiest version of Be Bop a Lula, which made me shudder at the memory when he was nicked some years later... Also, Richard O'Brien (Rocky Horror dude) said my bass playing was 'like a piano player's left hand'. Well, I took it as a compliment... And I nearly ran over Richard Thompson, his wife and son (in pushchair) in Petworth in my old Renault. My hero David Palmer from Jethro Tull (now Dee Palmer, following gender reassignment) gave me a kiss on the cheek after I sat in with her for 'Locomotive Breath'.

[quote name='lowdown' post='770495' date='Mar 10 2010, 03:04 PM']You can never turn a turd into a Strawberry. Now that would be a skill. Garry[/quote] I'm suggesting you can still stick sparklers in it and cover it in glitter so it looks less... er... turdy.

Isn't the skill in turning the 'mistake' into something musical? Isn't that right, Jimmy Page? ...and I don't necessarily mean repeat the 'honker' 3 times, louder each time in the hope that it will sound 'out there' or 'inspired'. You're only ever a semitone away from the diatonic...

[quote name='OldGit' post='750413' date='Feb 19 2010, 12:10 AM']What would you play after Greensleeves and Roots? Most audiences think any diddly is Irish anyway ...[/quote] Quite so, OG. Did you mean 'Roots' by Show of Hands? If so, good shout: it describes my feelings about our attitude to our own musical heritage pretty well, even though I find Steve K a bit annoyingly winsome at times."Its my flag too, and I want it back..." Here: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5h4PFBuzvw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5h4PFBuzvw[/url] [/back on topic]

Yeah, the rebel songs angle is always best avoided completely. We had a decidedly republican audience at a (league) football club with strong links to the 'old country' back in the late 80s. They sang all the rebel songs anyway, once the evening gets 'later', and we were packing up. Really fun gig IIRC, good natured and all that. Mind you, our erstwhile agent, who is also a very funny comedian (anyone from Pompey know him?) tells a chilling story about the night he played a Sunderland club in his new black & white suit. To... Total... Silence... So its the same all over. I do, however, regret that Crass were never afforded the opportunity to play a hunt ball.

We have a St Pat's night gig most years, and we have a bunch of songs we trot out once a year in its (his) honour. We always make it clear that we're a band that does [i]some[/i] Irish-y music, but that the guv'nor shouldn't expect a full nights' diddly (as it were). On the other hand, the band in question this year is a jammy/bluegrassy outfit (see my sig) that does quite a lot of pickin' on tunes that are often the Transatlantic counterpart of the Irish/Scottish/English (not so often Welsh) originals. Most times, the audience don't seem bothered at the ethnomusicological inconsistency, though. This has come about after 20 odd years of random to-ing and fro-ing in various bands, to the point where now its fairly straightforward. Since its only once a year, I've never thought to ask how other people how they approach the Great Day (or great Guinness promotion, depending on your point of view)*. * no offence, I hope, to our Irish friends. Including the group who 'persuaded' us not to play any further Irish tunes at a gig in Lewisham, since we aren't from Ireland and therefore clearly don't have the right to do so. I now understand this fully, and am very sorry. *muses*[i]I wonder how Rory Gallagher got on in Chicago...[/i]

I have a 300w powered Trace sub from one of their acoustic PAs, all good if you can get enough level into it (preamp, mixer, channel strip or similar) Also I rehearse (albeit at low/acoustic volume) with a Behringer SansAmp clone>powered 1x12" + horn cab (LabTech? dunno exactly) and I'm seriously thinking it might sound good with a mic on it as part of a recording setup, for a bit of air/room. I've often wondered how both would sound with a crossover to send the right freqs to he right cabs... Have also gone Behringer doodah>Bose L2. Mwa,ha haaaaaa! Great coverage, sounds entirely consistent anywhere in the room, from standing right on top of it to right at the back of the (biggish) room. Doesn't need to be loud to reach everywhere, due to the vertical array and sub unit. If I had the bunts, I'd get one like a shot with an SWR Marcus pre.

I watched some vid of Pino playing his P with John Mayer the other week and dusted off my 73 P with EMG P/Js for a jammy gig instead of my Thumb V thru neck the same weekend. I love the Warwick, but the P is like comfy slippers...

[quote name='Doddy' post='727590' date='Jan 28 2010, 01:47 PM']Other cool Jam Bands to check out are Phish...........The Best of the lot IMO Widespread Panic Spin Doctors (especially live stuff) Dave Matthews Band Umphreys McGee Greatful Dead (obviously) There are loads of great bands in this Genre.[/quote] +1s, also: String Cheese Incident, Phil Lesh and friends, Gov't Mule (with Allen Woody and Dave Schools esp), North Mississippi Allstars and Galactic. The Bonnaroo 2002 DVD, as well as many of the bands from this post, has an epic version of King Crimson's "Thela Hun Ginjeet" by Captain Claypool's Fabulous Flying Frog Brigade: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHH7KB4Tcug"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHH7KB4Tcug[/url] Phish are me own personal faves, mind...

I'd recommend it. I've used it as a DI for live work & recording and it has been fine. Probably the best £35 odd quid I've spent on bass tackle. It would be nice to have some mid control, but the blend control lets you dial in a bit of dry signal, which helps. Build quality is not great; if you need to turn it on & off from a great height with your entire bodyweight, as some people evidently do, I'd go for a more sturdy alternative. For myself, I set it and forget it for the most part. However, if you want a 'makes me sound better' flexibility box that won't get lots of physical abuse (maybe to sit out of the way on top of your amp), its def worth a punt for the price of a decent set of strings.

A mate of mine who was in the army in Germany returned home on a weekend pass and suggested we go to see Motorhead at Guildford Civic. He was very much into Venom and all that hairspray metal bollocks. Not my usual cuppa, but why not? I was more yer whimsical acoustic type then, and thought it would be a bit... uncouth. However, I did enjoy a drink at the time, he had the tickets and had offered to drive. But bugger I down dead, they were superb. Deafening (in a good way), F U attitude, debauched, fantastic. And Lem just radiates cool. Seen them again since, and would do again. \m/

By concentrating very hard and eating a good diet, you could grow another finger. It worked for me. Or maybe its living under that pylon...

RUN AWAY!!! FLEEEEE!!!

+ dozens to 'It makes no difference'. Also 'The Weight' with The Staples Singers, that 'Crazy Chester followed me...' verse. The Last Waltz has been on heavy rotation for years at Bassninja Towers.

Decent response, tip o' the hat to Andertons. I wonder if they became aware of this thread, though..?

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='628942' date='Oct 17 2009, 07:03 PM']Indeed, best wishes for your operation. FWIW, I've heard some [i]interesting[/i] stories about Andertons' amp repairs as well.[/quote] +1 to both Their amp guy repaired my Trace, which failed on the first gig out with the same problem. On enquiry, they were unwilling to break down the bill, except to give me their hourly rate. And got shirty that I even had the temerity to ask... That said, I've also had some nice deals there. I wish I still had that Status Shark