lonestar

One other viewpoint that I picked up from my old g**tar teacher who was also a top notch luthier was that rather than spend hour fiddling to get the " perfect" set up for you is to adapt your technique and playing to suit the instrument's action and characteristics.

I blew the speaker in my mag 115 bcab years ago and replaced it with the Celestion that you mentioned. It was a vast improvement over the Ashdown Blueline (Jensen) original. Best 60 quid I ever spent. I seriously considered blowing the drivers on my 4x10 too!

I find that Fender set up specs work well for me on both my Fender Jazz and Peavey TL5, although the action on this will go a fair bit lower and still no buzzes.
Another related tip that I picked up was in a Gary Willis book oor another self-help book for bassisists.
If you fret a string and reduce your finger pressure slightly until the string starts to buzz and then press until it just plays cleanly with a good setup you'd be surprised how little pressure you need. Get used to playing like this. Makes for a lighter touch and a lot less hand fatigue. Also fret right over the fret on bass.

I've never felt the need for effects on bass with any covers band that I've played with.
It's all in the fingers maan!
Well that and playing in different right hand positions relative to the neck/bridge and the odd tweak of a tone control, switching from fingers to pick, and very occasionally using the VLE or whatever the other one is on my Markbass amp does it all for me.
Suppose I could do with an octave pedal and a compressor for Sledgehammer although no one's asked for their money back so far so I won't bother.

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' post='526076' date='Jun 27 2009, 04:59 PM']I think you've got to be one of the nicest guys in the world Barrie. Thank you- I may well take you up on that offer. The reissue Jazz sounds lovely

Nick[/quote]

+1 What a top bloke!

Mike
ps Your P bass looks lovely if only I had £560 yaddda yadda yadda

[quote name='gafbass02' post='519642' date='Jun 20 2009, 09:59 PM']The intro to disco inferno?? I swear they recorded that bit then retuned and The rest. I just cannot seem to find it![/quote]

It's an odd one. I play:

starting on the g string 8th fret Eb Eb Db Db B B Ab Ab FF EbEb C# C# Bb C

[quote name='Rich' post='518287' date='Jun 19 2009, 12:32 PM']Pretty much everything Bernard Edwards ever played. Playing the notes is easy, it's getting that irresistable groove thang going that's so difficult. Good Times is a perfect case in point... it's what he[i] doesn't [/i]play that makes the line such a classic. [size=1]If you see what I mean.[/size][/quote]

I couldn't agree more.

[quote name='ardi100' post='518173' date='Jun 19 2009, 10:48 AM']Sledgehamer, Peter Gabriel.

Should be a piece of piss but I had real trouble.[/quote]
We do that one it took me a while to get it but a lot of nailing the groove is down to the drummer.
Unless he can play like Manu Katche and you're Tony Levin, he has to play it fairly straight and leave plenty of space or it's really tricky with a busy bass line like this.
Slowing down a little helped us too.

I love playing this song.


Mike

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='517811' date='Jun 18 2009, 08:43 PM']There are certain bass parts that seem quite easy to play, but when you actually learn them they just don't sound right, no matter how long you study them. For me, a prime example is 'Sex Machine'. A few simple notes, but you try to make it sound and feel like Bootsy...impossible. Another one is Steely Dan's 'Kid Charlemagne'. I've been playing this song for 12 years, and I've studied it note for note, but I can't for the life of me get it dead right. The feel is unbelievable - funk/reggae. Chuck Rainey freely admits it's probably his finest moment.

Anyone else have an example of this phenomenom?[/quote]

I couldn't agree more on this
We recorded Kid Charlemagne as part of a little project with a guitard friend.
It wasn't too bad until the fantastic guitar solo; the bass part took me ages and was really hard, never felt that confident with the rest of the song either if I'm honest.

Go if you're anywhere near here, a Dan fan and there's gas in the car.

I've seen them 3 times at The Jazz Cafe and would probably go again sometime.

They're nice people too.

smoke a pack of whiskey and turn everything up to 11

I'm with Frank Zappa on this:
"Rock" (paraphrase with music) journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read".

[quote name='The Funk' post='506003' date='Jun 5 2009, 12:32 AM']Guys, thanks for rushing to my defence but it's not necessary. It was just a one line joke not intended to distract from the discussion.[/quote]

I thought it was funny, if a little obvious!

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='504977' date='Jun 3 2009, 07:40 PM']That's a bit harsh, Jacko.[/quote]

Yeh what he said. No need for that.

I've been listening to lot's of stuff with this guy playing.
[url="http://www.bonnieraitt.com/bio_hutch.php"]http://www.bonnieraitt.com/bio_hutch.php[/url]

My favourite bass player, for this week any way.

Anyone know any more about him?

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='502908' date='Jun 1 2009, 01:09 PM']It's also Flemish for Golden Shower.
P[/quote]

Now I bet that he's pi$$ed off or perhaps on!

Hello from another barfco Swill merchant and central scrutinizer fan here too.

[quote name='steve-soar' post='461476' date='Apr 13 2009, 07:56 PM']Makes sense to me but there are so many different intervals to use on passing notes. 6ths, minor 7ths, oh no, Jazz has just started to secreet from my pores...NURSE!!! [/quote]

Surely you mean Niiice!!!
Good point though

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='461336' date='Apr 13 2009, 05:15 PM']Not my band but good luck.
I find it quite easy now to play it in A with the 5 string. Before i had to play it differently to how it should go but now i can just transpose it down from C.

This thread has opened my eyes a bit and made me realise i was missing out on something. Ive now been making more of an effort to use the 5th string more and so far i like it.
Its been dependent on the gig though. some of them have been a bit boomy and i find playing E-A on the B string can sound a bit muffled but at some of the gigs ive had such a nice, clear and punchy sound using the higher notes has been a pleasure.[/quote]

It's been a useful discussion hasn't it?
I think that on reflection tend to use the 5th string around the bottom end fairly sparingly to to punctuate lines with 4ths or 5ths, sometimes as almost passing notes, and play root notes and bass lines from up past the 5th fret onwards if that makes any kind of sense.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='357251' date='Dec 17 2008, 08:05 PM']What? You preferred it to the Freeman's catalogue with Lulu?[/quote]

That's a good point. Of course the above and the Brian Mills catalogue figured highly in my emotional development

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='451218' date='Apr 1 2009, 09:42 AM']Build me up buttercup in A is the killer for me on 4 string.[/quote]

Small world! just learning that last night for a dep gig for a band called 208. Not your band is it Dave?

Keb Mo
Eric Bibb
Taj Mahal

500,001
Nice one Well done Chris.

[quote name='Prosebass' post='453900' date='Apr 4 2009, 10:01 AM']I'm still buying up old copies of International Musician from the 70's and 80's. Best magazine there has ever been to give a full spectrum of players , gear and the industry as it was back then.
My new years resolution was not to buy any new magazines and I must admit I don't feel like I am missing anything.[/quote]

Yep I liked that and Beat International

+1 the sad demise of Bassist and it's subsequent incororation and disappearance into Guitardist Magazine

I rarely buy music mags now but always found the American ones more player/music orientated with good stuff to learn and mess about with and the UK ones obsessed with equipment reviews but featuring yet another Deep Purple/Floyd/ Zep transcription. Yawn!