thebrig

I generally set out to learn the bass line as per the original, but I quite often change it a bit to suit the way the band plays the song.

And I agree with your point about "interpretation" and "laziness", I've come across many musicians who say that they like to put their own slant on songs, which I'm not against, but in reality, what they really mean is, they can't be bothered to learn the songs properly and are happy just to wing it.

I’ve just auditioned for two different bands in the last two weeks, and both bands sent me six songs to learn from their setlists.

Now I wouldn’t class myself as the greatest bass player around, but I do work hard and have been told that I am a very steady, and reliable player.

Anyway, I did my homework and learnt the songs note for note, structurally 100%, and to gigging standard, because they want to play the songs as close to the originals as possible, but when I turned up for the auditions, both bands were all over the place with the songs, some members in both bands got their phones out to listen to some of the songs to remind them of how the songs went, and in both bands, the two guitarists were trying to learn their parts during my audition.

This has happened to me a number of times in the past when auditioning for bands, and I find it so frustrating, is this common, or have I just been unlucky?

Just an update.

I decided to go with earlpilanz and Brian made me a lovely matt black pickguard for my Lakland P Bass.

I would highly recommend him for great service and communications, and it was less than half the price I paid TinyTone for a similar matt black pickguard for my Lakland PJ.

Thanks for all the tips everyone, although I'm not sure about rubbing my nuts on it, unless the guitarist asked to have a go on it. 😁

I think I will just try an be patient.

13 minutes ago, John Cribbin said:

I'd suggest patience ....

 

It's possible that the neck has darkened due to exposure to daylight and the wood under the tape has remained the original colour.

 

I'd be leaving it where it gets daylight and see if it blends in naturally.

That's what I was thinking John, most woods do darken when exposed to daylight.

Trouble is, I'm not a very patient person. 🤔

I've just purchased a lovely Lakland USA bass, but the previous owner put sticky tape on the side of the neck so he could see better in low lighting.

Unfortunately, after removing the tape, it has left pale patches where the tape was, so how do I go about getting the neck to look even again, will I need to take all the original finish off and refinish it, or is there something I can use to just blend the pale patches in?

I believe Lakland finish the necks with oil.

15 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

My Sharona by The Knack, but check out the awesome version by Phil X & The Drills to hear how good it really is on bass & drums.

+1 for My Sharona, especially Phil X & The Drills version, they seem to cover a song and improve it in many cases.

Thanks for the advice so far, as someone who is just starting out in guitar making, all advice is very much welcome.

I have reasonable DIY and woodworking skills but I know it will take time, and a few pink torpedo-ups along the way, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.

18 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

Not wishing to restart the tonewood wars but what do you class as a tonewood?

You just have! 😉

Seriously though, I'm no expert by any means, I just thought that any wood that can be used to make a musical instrument sound good, could be classed as a tonewood.

This is just going to be a hobby for me in my retirement, so to start off, I would be looking for the usual suspects like alder, swamp ash, mahogany etc, if I'm able to turn out some half-decent creations, then I might move on to more exotic woods.

I'm in the process of equipping my garage out with all the necessary equipment to build basses from scratch, any suggestions for good quality tonewood suppliers wood be very much appreciated. 

Sounds like the place to go 👍

I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to home recording and I'm wondering whether I should plug straight into the audio interface, or should I Di into the audio interface?

Up until now, I normally plug straight into the interface with pretty good results, but I'm wondering what you more experienced guys out there normally do.

33 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

There's a lightly used one with a Elf 200w amp, for less than the new cab, in the classifieds.

Thanks for the heads up, but I've already pulled the trigger on Barefaced ONE10t

Kyle purchased my Boss FV-500H pedal and it was a very easy and pleasant transaction.

Cheers Kyle.

Tim purchased my Markbass MB 801 from me, very easy and pleasant transaction.

Cheers.

Chris purchased a Shure SM57 from me, very easy and pleasant transaction.

Cheers.

Chris bought a Blu-Ray player from me, such an easy transaction.

Cheers!

1 hour ago, bassbiscuits said:

Probably safe in MIA territory then. 

Yes that's what I'm thinking, I especially liked the feel of the necks on the American Standard series

Just to clarify, my preference is for either a satin or nitro finish, a 9.5 radius, not too chunky, and medium jumbo frets.

11 hours ago, Delberthot said:

Are we talking about necks fitted to MIM Fenders or the Fender necks that you can buy on their own?

 

If it's ones that come fitted then there are lots of choice - modern C, Mid-60s C, 70s C, thin C. 12", 7.25" or 9" radius with vintage or medium jumbo frets

 

I think most of these are available on their own as well

 

The Player plus series have rolled edges and satin finish, the Flea has road worn nitro, the 75th anniversary has a satin finish as does the standard Player series. It only seems to be the Vintera and Geddy Lee models that have the gloss finish on the back of the neck

 

I've just got this from the Fender website

Thanks, that's really helpful.

Judging by both your comments, it would seem that I would not get on with the MIM necks, I do love a nice smooth finish, I definitely don't like gloss, and nice rolled edges are a must for me. 

I really like the feel and playability of Fender USA jazzes, but I've never played a MIM jazz bass, so I'm wondering how the necks play and feel compared to the USA necks? 

I know we all have different opinions, but it would be interesting to know your thoughts. 

13 hours ago, Quatschmacher said:

@thebrig guessing this doesn't fit your needs, despite the camouflaged J pickup.

I'm afraid not, I had a USA Bob Glaub not so long ago, and whilst it was absolutely fantastic to play, I really wanted a straight P bass with no J pickup.

Yours looks like a lovely bass, and there's no doubt that Lakland basses are right up there with the best.

GLWTS

1 hour ago, Phil Starr said:

 

As you know there is a limit to what you can reasonably expect of a single 10. There's only so much sound a 10" speaker can shift and you can reach this limit with less than 200W. There are tweaks to squeeze a little more out of a driver but in the end you hit physical limits and the design trade-offs tend to cancel each other out. In the end if you want more sound you need to have a bigger piston.  Higher rated 10" drivers are likely to be designed for specialist use in multi-way systems. 2-300W is about it for power handling but of course it isn't/shouldn't be a problem to  just turn the volume down. 

 

Anyway here is the 10" cab design. I've used it successfully at rehearsals and small gigs and just as a stage monitor. You could just leave out the horn and crossover but it sounds so good with it I don't know why you would, unless funds are tight.

 

 

Thanks Phil, I read the thread with great interest, and have come to the conclusion that although I think I might have the skills to build a pretty decent cab, I don't think I have enough understanding of the physics involved to get the best from whatever I attempt to build, so I've decided to get a Barefaced ONE10t with the tweeter.

Boss FV-500H Volume Pedal

Now SOLD!

I purchased this about 18 month's ago and has never been used, it has just sat in the box all this time and is therefore in "as new" condition.

It cost me £95 at the time, so this is a real bargain for anyone who wants one.

Here's the spec:

Boss FV-500H Volume Pedal

These tank-tough diecast pedals are designed to meet the needs of the most demanding customers. The pedals offer a new stylish design, a road-tough build, and a comfortable, smooth action. Both models also provide an Expression output for use with expression-compatible amps, effects, and even synthesizers.

Features

·       FV-500H: mono, high-impedance, inst. level

·       Heavy-duty aluminium die casting body

·       Ultra-smooth pedal movement for the utmost in comfort and control

·       Pedal rubber is for comfortable play and non-slip action

·       Expression pedal function

·       Convenient tuner-output jack

·       Adjustable pedal feel (torque)

Specs
 

·       Control: MINIMUM VOLUME knob

·       Connectors: INPUT jack, OUTPUT jack, EXP (Expression) jack, TUNER OUT jack

Size and Weight:

·       Width: 110 mm, 4-3/8 inches

·       Depth: 289 mm, 11-7/16 inches

·       Height: 72 mm, 2-7/8 inches