mcgraham

I've got the mastotron and love it - infinitely tweakable for guitar and bass. Well worth a look (I got mine 45 quid used!) I've not used the micro fuzz but have a few SFX products and am sure that would be amazing as well. I'm sure you can't go wrong with either.

Pick, I've always found your contributions to be incredibly helpful - I for one am very grateful for your website and efforts that you share... let alone for no financial reward.

That looks [i]amazing[/i]! I can't wait to check it out in the flesh so to speak.

[quote]I have witnessed musicians that are geniuses of theory that can't play in time or improvise.[/quote] So have I However, that shows they are not geniuses of music theory, as they lack rhythm skills, and the skills to apply whatever intellectual knowledge they may have acquired. It's like uni students who have all the books and can recite things from books and equations verbatim, but as soon as someone asks them to use that info to solve a problem. they get stuck on the first line. It's not the theory that is at fault, it's the player's lack of ability to use it. Theory is just a tool at the end of the day. Those who say they know loads about theory but can't play should not discourage people from learning theory.

[quote]I have witnessed musicians that are geniuses of theory that can't play in time or improvise.[/quote] So have I However, that shows they are not geniuses of music theory, as they lack rhythm skills, and the skills to apply whatever intellectual knowledge they may have acquired. It's like uni students who have all the books and can recite things from books and equations verbatim, but as soon as someone asks them to use that info to solve a problem. they get stuck on the first line. It's not the theory that is at fault, it's the player's lack of ability to use it. Theory is just a tool at the end of the day. Those who say they know loads about theory but can't play should not discourage people from learning theory.

[quote]Lock in with the drummer, and make sure the groove is there. The audience will love you.[/quote] [quote]Sorry, but I disagree. How can it be impossible to groove without theory? Play one note, in time, with a groove, and you have the audience hooked.[/quote] Theory encompasses harmony, melody, and [b][i]rhythm[/i][/b] as well. Whether or not you were explicitly taught by a teacher what to do to lock in with a rhythm or groove, you are still using fundamental principles from established music theory. As such, any music is based on some theory, whether or not the musician playing it knows or acknowledges it.

This old chestnut? I would say the two are not mutually exclusive - I'd even say that theory includes education about groove (though perhaps not the less tangible 'feeling' of groove). Theory helps me with creating grooves, understanding groove, and improves my feeling for grooves in songs. Likewise, just coming at things from a 'groove first' point of view helps me to find useful application of acquired theory, teaches me to keep things simple and serve the song first and foremost. Groove is so important for bass, but you can't divorce it from theory (IMO).

Right, decided on the HD 500. That way I'm guaranteed to always be able to do anything I want with it.

I just watched the video. Great review! I found that it was very informative and you discussed both positive and negative points. Your review makes me want to go out and get one (probably the i2m as I can see using it for guitar a bit more I would for bass). Oh and your English is excellent!

Commendable attitude Shep! Give me a bell if you need anyone to talk things out with, e.g. if you need someone to convince you you don't need something, persuade you your stuff is great, etc. Working on technique is a great way to forget about acquiring gear. Writing stuff too.

Quality! I love the inlay. Is that a Bee bass?

Tried the Pod HD 300 today (for guitar though). Tele into Pod into headphones - beautiful sounds to be had in there. I'm sold on it, but I need to decide whether to go for the 300 or 500.

I should be able to make it. I'll bring my Wood&tronics Klimt and Zoid fretless.

One rig, Berg IP112 + EX112, but I can use just the IP on it's own for practices and small gigs.

I almost got to go see him and his band in Paris a few months back. We opted for Gregory Privat (w/ Hadrien Feraud) instead. Very energetic. I've never really listened to Sanborn. My Dad hates him. Supposely Sanborn did a soundtrack for a movie and my Dad said all he could hear throughout it was some 'bloody sax wailing crap over the dialogue'... hence the hatred.

Amen to keyboard players with a heavy/busy left hand. As has been pointed out already, it comes down to the keyboard player listening to the whole ensemble and finding something that works. Sadly, not everyone who plays an instrument listen to the sound of the band as a whole. In particular, bass is often an afterthought to a number of musicians, and others have to stop and consciously listen out for bass in order to hear it. I was playing with a piano player recently, who was very left-hand heavy but was skipping some changes in a particular song (perhaps he felt they were too short to be worth bothering with) which meant that at some points I was playing a low E, and he was playing an F a half-step above. We were both coming out of the bass bin so all you got was the horrific half-step low-end beating... we got through several repetitions of this part of the song before I put down my bass, walked calmly over to him, and gave him some advice (genuinely, we're on good terms ). FYI I wasn't band leader in this situation so didn't want to step on any toes, but as no-one else picked up on this at all, it just goes to show how other musicians often just don't listen to the low end in a piece... Mark

What exactly is a bass ukelele?

I live on the third floor, so no.

Cool idea. I'm thinking about getting my Berg IP rig recovered in some interesting coloured tolex.

While they are different instruments, I am a single musician, and so I want to (in a sense) draw all my instruments together to be more physically similar than different. While they may sound different (and I welcome that), and I'll approach each one slightly differently, I like the idea that consistency and unity of the instruments are conducive towards 'my voice' on them.

Sure, I can understand your sentiments overall. I just like to be able to feel the fretboard as much as possible as I play hence the mandolin frets. It makes me feel like I have a stronger connection to the instrument. Hence another reason I love fretless.