Wil

Focus on muting with your left hand whenever you're not playing a note, then all you need to do is carry on with your right hand when you'd ordinarily stop. Start with something with a groove, like the line from Another One Bites the Dust. Ordinarily that line would have a lot of gaps, so instead of playing 1/4 notes with your right hand, play 8th notes and try and mute anything that isnt part of the main line with your left hand, rather than focusing on muting individual notes. You right hand can then dictate where the ghost notes sound. So, where x = a ghost note: G-|-------------------------------------------| D-|-------------------------------------------| A-|-------------------------------------------| x2 E-|---5-3-0-x-0-x-0-x-x-x-0-0-3-0-5-x-x|

Interesting stuff! I wonder if the switching poses any diffculties. Phasing issues - it doesnt seem to be an issue on the Big Al, but I'm guessing they've wired it up to avoid the "Strat position 2 and 4" out of phase quacking thing.

I'm not setting foot in that alligator pit!

Just watched it again. Still awesome.

After selling all my gear (including a LM II) a few years back, the lack of that certain warmth was the reason I decided not to get another Markbass head when I bought new kit. It was a lovely head but I wanted some Ampeg style grind - I tried a DHA preamp before the Markbass but it didnt quite do the trick for me, it sounded either wooly or harsh to my ears. In the end I went for a Sansamp and a poweramp - I really like the Sansamp's "colour", so maybe a BDDI or a VT bass in front of your Markbass will do the trick? Probably best to try before you buy though, tone is a subjective thing after all. Can't say I've tried the LM tube, but the sound samples I've heard reminded me of the DHA somewhat. A bit fizzy.

...is far too expensive for me to ever be able to own, well, certainly not in the forseeable future. However, I'm really starting to fall in love with the concept - the looks are great (especially in sunburst - yum!) but the most interesting thing for me is the pickup configuration. It seems to offer a musicman tinged version of all of the big three Fender derived designs. It can do a Jazz tone with the neck and bridge, a P tone with the middle, or a Stingray tone with the middle and bridge (well, the pickup placement is more Warwick Thumb than Ray but it's in that whole ballpark from what I can tell). So, my question is, are there any other basses out there that offer a similar pickup arrangement? I can't believe no one has thought of such a versatile configuration for bass before?

One of my plucking fingers (I rest my thumb on the B string or a pickup) or my left hand if I'm playing a line on the A, D or G strings.

Also, are they all as terrible as I have a feeling they are?

But fair. Blimey, I forgot about Primus!

Freakin' awesome.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1074731' date='Jan 1 2011, 08:33 PM']Easy - that'd be Eberhard Weber on Kate Bush's Mother Stands For Comfort: Not sure if he's playing fretless bass guitar or an upright on this, but gorgeous playing all the same. Jon.[/quote] I came into the thread to post this track. Outstanding feel. Does upright count? Oh, and this is great too:

Hello! If you fancy listening to my band's first EP, you can do so here: [url="http://dirtybreak.bandcamp.com/"]http://dirtybreak.bandcamp.com/[/url] Good website for hosting tracks, that, by the way

I remember listening to my dad's records and then CDs a lot as I was growing up. Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, The Beatles, Beach Boys, ELO, The Police, Bowie, Bach, Mozart, Paul Weller, Crowded House... I learned trumpet aged 7 or 8 at school, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. Eventually I asked my dad to get me a bass, aged 10 or so. It was when Oasis were at their peak and I was quite a fan, but as I'm sure you can imagine, it was the lack of a bass player in a band a few friends were forming rather than any particularly inspiring Oasis basslines that caused me to plump for the longer guitar. It was an Encore precision, and I still have it, although like Trigger's broom, the only thing about it that's the same is the body. I had no amp for the first few years, so I played through an old Hi Fi amp. Sounded awful, so most of the time I played unplugged. It was only when I started listening to Jamiroquai that I really started to take note of what the bass was capable of, and instead of being the big dull guitar that sat in the corner of my room, it was a tool on which I could make sounds and melodies that were really underpinning and adding to the music. That was the point at which I started on the path to being a musician. When I eventually do become one, I'll be well chuffed!

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1063628' date='Dec 19 2010, 03:45 PM']Pete, I'm sure you can see where I'm coming from here. In terms of discussing the tonal differences between a capable modern bass and something old skool, there really isn't a bass that sums up that farty old sound better than a P bass. I can totally understand why some people are still using P basses, because there is still a market for that (imo) horribly outdated sound. Please don't think I'm being "silly" simply because I voice a certain opinion. I've just seen someone refer to "Victors monotone, dynamically dead twang". I assume they must mean Victor Bailey, because no-one with a working pair of ears could say that with a straight face about Victor Wooten's tone, and whilst I agree that Bailey has never had the best tone I think it certainly proves it's a case of different vinegar strokes for different folks![/quote] You quite rightly say in your second paragraph that if someone were to make a ridiculous, blanket statement about a player's tone you'd probably dismiss their point of view outright, and yet you've made the exact same kind of statement about every single player who's ever wielded a P bass?

It was a massive pain in the arse, but I don't know of any modern equivalents that make the same noises. I sold it after it electrocuted me!

I owned a Deluxe Memory Man delay once. No time sync or tap tempo on that, and if you set it up wrong it would go into an oscillation loop, but those weren't amateur hour sounds. It sounded bloody incredible in fact, I almost miss it.

I have a bit of Sansamp RBI grit and that's it. I might experiment with a compressor at some point, as I like the effect on recordings the band has done recently. I used to cart a pedal bag around with a chorus, bass synth, distortion and delay but used each pedal so sporadically I just couldnt be arsed after a while.

Sad and beautiful immediately makes me think of this stunning piece of music: Quite capable of moving me to tears that. And this. When the strings come in, the lyrics and the build up of emotion... ooof.

I'd say I like the tight bottom and smooth highs Stuart Zender used to get with his Warwicks, and the midrange growl Cass Lewis got with his Stingrays and G&L basses. Do I achieve it exactly how I like it? Not quite, I'm happy with my lows and mids, but my highs are a touch harsh. Not sure if that's my bass or the rig, but I know I dont have the cash to start throwing money at it to resolve it. Who needs highs anyway, eh?

[url="http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=92916923&m=92921388"]http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.h...&m=92921388[/url] A full stream of a performance from Tom Waits' 2008 Glitter and Doom tour. Fantastic.

It's not helping my Bongo GAS at all. Not one bit. Great playing, well done

They're big boys, I'm sure they'll be able to take a bit of gentle ribbing.

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='1059684' date='Dec 15 2010, 04:11 PM']Even worse, what if the best player to suit their band is male and 27 years old, but their 28th birthday is in the next 2 months? Not really worth going for auditions if you're going to be fired a few weeks later, is it? S.P.[/quote] Even worse again, what if all the age requirements get straightened out, but then after the audition they accidently get hit in the face with a wonky frying pan, thus reneging on the "image" clause? It's a veritable minefield. Where's Ally McBeal when you need her?