thebrig

Just because it is the "[b][i]only specialist UK bass magazine"[/i][/b], is no reason to shell out money on it, those people who find it a good read will buy it, but those people like myself, who used to subscribe to it, but now finds it totally uninteresting, will not. I will probably buy it every now and then to see whether it has improved, and if it does, then maybe I will start buying it regularly again. But I certainly don't see why I should support it, if it has nothing to offer me.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1336140226' post='1641541'] TBH I don't think that people who spend a lot of time on Basschat are BGM's target audience. We're too well informed. Also no matter what their reviewing policy is someone somewhere will be either disappointed or unimpressed. IMO they should concentrate on the less commonly found instruments, whether they be expensive or cheap, because anyone can go into a shop and try the others for themselves and make up their own minds. Lets face it no-one sensible goes out and buys a bass blind (deaf?) on the strength of only an instrument review. When I first started playing back in the 70s I bought International Musician to get my information and gear porn fix. It didn't matter what they reviewed everything was out of my price range whether it was a £30 Audition from Woolies or a £1000 Travis Bean which would have to be imported from the US. None of that bothered me. I just wanted to find out what was out there so I could dream. When I finally bought my first bass guitar, reviews had nothing to do with it. I bought the instrument that I liked the most that was in the shop at a price I could afford. You're mistake is to think of musical instrument magazines as sources of hard information when in actual fact they are mostly about entertainment and porn for gear fetishists. [/quote] I agree with most of your points, but I personally would never buy a bass, or anything for that matter on the strength of a review alone, and I think that most people are the same. Yes, most BC's are well informed, but when you are younger and not so knowledgeable, you tend to turn to reviews to see what the experts think about certain models, because even if you have tried something out in the shop and liked it, it can sometimes be reassuring that more knowledgeable musicians than yourself, also think that it is a worthwhile purchase. I can remember many years ago, I bought a guitar that I thought was great in the shop, only to find that six months down the line, it started failing on me. Being a naive teenager at the time, I didn't know what to look out for in a guitar, but maybe if I had read an honest review pointing out the poor quality of the guitar in question, I might have steered clear of it, and made a better choice. You are right again on magazines being about entertainment, but I just don't find BGM entertaining any more.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1336138864' post='1641490'] BGM [i]isn't [/i]all that. And you [i]are [/i]a grumpy old man! [/quote] Right & Right!

I've just received my final copy of Bass Guitar Magazine after subscribing for three years. When I first started reading it, I found it really informative and interesting, now I just flick through it in about 30 minutes, and don't bother to pick it up again. I love reading reviews of new basses etc, but I found that they seem to predominantly review basses, that are way out of the averages bass player's price range, so because of all these things I cancelled my subscription. When the final copy dropped through my door yesterday, I thought to myself, am I going to regret not getting it any more? but when I started reading it, I knew that I had done the right thing. Once again, it was totally uninteresting, virtually the same adverts in every single copy (I know they have to make money), but I think I have seen Geddy Lee sitting on those Orange amps far too many times now, and interviews with mainly unknown bassists from not-very-well-known bands talking about their playing styles, telling us if they use a pick, or play finger style, whether they do, or don't slap etc, Yawn!!! and of coarse, then there is the great bass guitar review for millionaires! They had a nice [b]£5,200[/b] [i]GMR Flow Out 6[/i] on review in this edition, think I'll just nip out and get me one! or I could save a bit, and get one of the [i]Enfields[/i], as they were only [b]£2,650[/b], or the [i]Yamaha TRBJP2[/i] for [b]£2,999[/b], or the [i]Dingwall Afterburner III[/i] [b]£2,845.[/b] Ok, they did also include a couple of [i]Fret-King[/i] basses at just [b]£599[/b] and [b]£629[/b]. This must be really off-putting for younger players out there, who buy the magazine for ideas and inspiration on what's on offer, only to read about high-end basses all the time. There are so many great basses below £500, but how are they to know how they play and sound, if all they get to read about, are reviews on basses that only the rich and famous can afford. Sorry, rant over! I just needed to get this off my chest, and just wondered if any other BC's have similar thoughts. If not, I will just have to accept that I am just a [b]grumpy old man![/b]

Thanks for all the advice so far. The event is open to the public, and is being organised by local Councillors, and backed by the council. It will be advertised in the local press and community news magazines, so there is no way of telling how many people will turn up. Unfortunately, the people who are organising the event, don't have much experience in this sort of thing, and are waiting for us to advise them on our requirements.

Our band, along with another band who are friends of ours, have been invited to play at a free 'Diamond Jubilee Event' in June. Neither bands have any experience of playing outdoors, and the organisers are relying on us to state what is needed in terms of generator, PA etc, which they will hire. The audience could be anything from 200 to 1,000+ people, so can anyone give some advice on what is needed as far as power is concerned, will all the amps have to go through the PA for instance? I have read on some forums that the bass should be ok as it is, (I have a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 going through 1x12 & 2x10 cabs = 600watts), but I am a bit sceptical about whether it will just get lost. Please help, we are clueless!

Why does he think you need LEDs, is trying to say that you need help finding the right notes? If you have a spare, give him that to mess around with, and if he does a good job, then maybe get your main bass done as well, that's providing you think it's cool to have them of course.

I've just watched the video again a couple more times, not to check out the legs of course, but to see whether the song will grow on me. Unfortunately, it still does nothing for me!

I think you should put them on the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/forum/21-for-sale-other-musically-related-stuff/"]For sale: Other musically related stuff[/url] section, and watch the scramble for them!

Heard it for the first time just now, and if my band insisted on doing this, my gear would be packed up, and I would be out the door in a flash! I know it's rather shallow of me, but there's only one [b]JJ[/b] for me, and he play's great bass, mind you, she does have better legs though!

Whilst this is not the hardest song to play, I do find it difficult to follow the structure of the tune. It's [b]Soft Eyed Woman[/b] by the Dutch band [b]Alquin[/b] in 1973, and I had never heard it before until now, and I have to admit that I do find it a little bit bland, so it's hard to get it to stick in my head, when trying to learn it by ear. But hey! the band want to do it, so I was hoping that maybe someone out there, had the the music or tabs that I could have a look at. Cheers.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1328198406' post='1523507'] Good evening, thebrig... It seems that your main problem is the lack of experience in shaping the sound of your gear to obtain what you desire. Although there is a fair bit of good advice in the replies above, I suspect that a helping hand (or ear...) may be more efficient, in your case. Do you have a bass-playing chum who could guide you..? If not is there anyone reasonably local to Herts on this forum who could devote an evening or two to go through the motions (I'd love to help, but I'm in France..!). If no-one here could volunteer, maybe a local music shop could recommend a player..? Essentially, one needs to have a starting point (normally everything 'flat', then listen...), and adjust to fit the bill. One has to have had some experience to be able to identify what's 'missing' (or too much...), but once the ears have been 'locked in' to the essential points, it's not that hard (assuming decent gear, perhaps...). It doesn't sound as if the playing is any problem to you (congratulations..!); simply being able to use the knobs and buttons to adapt the sound to the event, be it at home, pub, hall or open air. I woundn't want to presume too much, but I would have thought that a knowledgable BC'er not far from you could be worth a cuppa (or pint...)? Any takers, folks..? [/quote] I do have a mate who has been playing bass for many years, although he has never been to one of my gigs yet, but I know for sure that he will be more than willing to help me out if he can, and I have just found out that our new vocalist's missus, did the sound for him during his solo singing career, so at least now, I will have someone out front advising me whether it's cutting through or not. Thanks for the help, and thanks to [u]everyone[/u] who has chipped in with advice, it's much appreciated.

I do practise a lot, usually at least 2/3 hours each day, and as I've been off work for the past 3 months following an operation, I am now spending nearly all day on the bass. I do work at it, because being a 'late starter', I know I have a lot of catching up to do. [i][b]I know that I will never be up there with the best[/b][/i], but three of the guys in my current band, have been playing for an average of [i][b]35 years each[/b][/i], at pro and semi-pro level, and they have complimented me on my playing, so I can't be too bad! although I certainly wont get complacent, because I know I could get better. I totally agree with the comments about practising more, and as Gary Player once said, "the more I practise, the better, or 'luckier' you get". One thing puzzles me though, some people are saying you don't need pedals etc., but there are thousands of threads on hear singing the praises of compressors, pre-amps/EQ's and all sorts of accessories, so are we all just being sucked in to believing they will help improve the sound. Yes, I know that great players will sound good on just about any old bass and amp, and I'm sure there are some great bass players hear on BassChat. If you are one of those top level players, the chances are, you will be playing top-notch venues for decent money, and will have sound engineers and bass technicians to advise you. But there are also quite a few like myself, who play to a reasonable standard, at local venues purely for fun and enjoyment, but don't have the expertise to get the most from our gear, and we normally have to set up everything ourselves, and then ask the missus what we sound like. Thanks for input so far BC'ers

Maybe I should have said in my OP, that I have only been playing seriously for around three or four years, and the reason I have so many, is because I had a big interest in guitars/basses, so started collecting them rather than playing them. I could play a few chords, but I never thought that I would be good enough to actually play in a band. That was, until I was asked to make up the numbers in a one-off band, to entertain friends and family for fun, and it just took off from there. Since then, I have spent two years gigging with a function band, but I left them six months ago to put together a rock/blues band which is now complete. I don't really have much knowledge of tone shaping etc.. other than just plugging in and twiddling around a bit, I think that maybe my biggest problem is that I can get the sound I want at home at low volume, but when gigging/rehearsing, I don't seem to cut through the mix as well as I would like. I have had over thirty instruments in the last ten years, but I have whittled it down now, and I might get rid of a few more and just concentrate on playing. The [b]Ibanez SR1200[/b] is a very versatile bass, that plays beautifully, and I know the [b]Genz Benz[/b] is up to it too, so I think it's just my inexperience/inability to tweak everything correctly.

Should I whittle down my bass collection, and spend the proceeds on perfecting my sound? Just take a look at my gear list, and you can see that I have far too much stuff, and although they are all very nice basses, I could sell a few, and have a fair bit to spend on accessories etc, to improve the sound with the basses that I do actually gig with. The one I use all the time is my [b]Ibanez SR1200 Premium[/b], and the [b]Ibanez SR500[/b] is very similar to play, so it makes a great back-up bass. The [b]'DarkeHorse' Precision[/b], [b]Jazz[/b] and [b]Black Satin[/b], are my own creations and will probably stay with me forever. I never use the [b]Ibanez SR 505[/b], and the [b]Warwick Corvette[/b] is too heavy for my ailing back, even though it is a fantastic bass to play, and it sounds amazing. I also have loads of effect pedals that have hardly been out of the house, because despite all the hype, they are virtually useless IMO. I reckon I could get between £800 and £1,000 for the two basses, which are both in [b]'as new'[/b] condition, plus whatever I could pick up for all the accessories I have, but never use. If I do go down this route, I have it in mind to buy an [b]Sadowsky outboard bass preamp [/b]to start with, so can you guys out there in 'BC land', give me some advice on what else I can do to improve my sound? I know sound and tone is very subjective, and is a personal thing, but what I'm after it a very tight 'thumpy' sound with plenty of bottom, as we play a lot of classic/modern rock. I know the Genz Benz is a great rig, because I have heard other players using it to great affect, but I have always struggled to get the sound I want, regardless of the equipment I use, maybe it's just me, but any advice would be welcome. Cheers.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1327582307' post='1513656'] I think they'll be getting a bit past it by now... [/quote] So are most of the punters we play to, so I'm sure they wont mind!............

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1327566749' post='1513315'] You will go mad trying to get the studio sound, in the early days he had the amps loud when recording. Even JJ never [i]quite[/i] got that original sound again. Listen to a few live recordings too but dont underestimate the wonderful 'dirty' sound of his bass. Even though he digs in the playing is always fast and very clean. [/quote] That's a great suggestion! So I searched for a live version and started listening intently, but after a couple minutes I couldn't concentrate properly, any ideas why this happened? Here's the video I watched: Edit: I've now listened to lot's of 'live' versions, and I think that I am probably closer the the 'studio' sound, than what JJ gets when he is playing live. All I need to do now, is to do that great 'riff' justice!!! Anyone know where I can hire those dancers for when we do eventually play it live?

Thanks for all the tips so far, not sure about the pitchfork and kicking in the cones on my lovely Genz Benz though!

I have finally persuaded my band to do Nice 'n' Sleazy, I know how to play it, but I am struggling to get JJ's tone right. Normally, I'm not too worried about perfecting tones when doing covers, but for this one, I feel I need to get as close to it as possible, to do it justice. I have a [b]Darkehorse precision[/b] with a [b]maple board[/b] and[b] Thumper [/b]pup, a [b]Warwick Corvette[/b] and a Ibanez [b]SR1200[/b] to choose from in the way of basses. For the amp, I have a [b]Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0[/b] going through [b]Genz Benz 1x12 & 2x10 cabs[/b]. As far as effects go, I have the following: [b]Line6 Pod X3 Live[/b] [b]Ashdown Lomenzo Bass Hyper-Drive[/b] [b]Dodd Stereo Flanger[/b] [b]Digitech Bass Multi Voice Chorus[/b] [b]Boss Super Octave OC-3[/b] [b]Boss Compression/Sustainer CS-3[/b] [b]Marshall Guv'nor GV-2[/b] [b]Zoom B2 Multi-Effects[/b] All tips and advice would be very welcome! Cheers in advance.

[quote name='Mylkinut' timestamp='1327416062' post='1510851'] Always wondered about these - when you guys say they're better than you'd expect for £60, how good actually are they? I can live without 'Fender' on the headstock if I can have ten Ryders for the same money One for every room in the house, some more in the car (front and back seats) and one in the garden [/quote][quote name='Mylkinut' timestamp='1327416062' post='1510851'] Always wondered about these - when you guys say they're better than you'd expect for £60, how good actually are they? I can live without 'Fender' on the headstock if I can have ten Ryders for the same money One for every room in the house, some more in the car (front and back seats) and one in the garden [/quote] All I will say is, that the bass player was tucked away at the back of the stage, behind guitarists etc, so it was a while before I actually saw it, and I can honestly say that it sounded great to me, before I realised it was "only" a £60 bass. I asked him about it, and told him that lots of people were snapping them up on BassChat, especially with a view to modding them, but he said his was straight out of the box, and played brilliantly, with a very good neck.

[quote name='MB1' timestamp='1327414018' post='1510791'] MB1. I've seen Sue Ryder P before! she's always leaving the door open! Coat Collected! [/quote][quote name='MB1' timestamp='1327414018' post='1510791'] MB1. I've seen Sue Ryder P before! she's always leaving the door open! Coat Collected! [/quote]

After reading all about Sue Ryder basses on here, I finally got to see and hear one live last night! It was at the weekly jam night that I often go to, and usually, the house band's bass player normally has a Fender Precision, but last night he had a different Precision, and from a distance, I was not sure what it was, but then I spotted the 'R' on the scratch plate, and realised that it was a Sue Ryder Precision. I have to say that it sounded really good, far better than you expect of a bass costing £60. I asked him about it, and he said he loved it, and that it plays and sounds great, and if it does get damaged when passing it around amongst the the jammers who don't bring their own basses along, then at least it is only £60 worth of bass, rather than a £1000+ one that has been knocked up. It was an un-modded, straight-out-of-the-box bass. Definitely worth considering as a back-up bass!