Tech

i'm looking forward to it. i remember when i was first getting into playing, i always liked the sound of the bass on the megadeth albums... long before i knew what contributed to tone or any of that - all that mattered was that it sounded good to me. ellefson isn't the most talented player on the planet (but a bloody good one all the same) - however no-one else sounds like him, and that includes J-Lo.

i'm in the fortunate position of having a mother and a band back in south wales... i can just leave my 4x10 (she uses it as a table, no harm done!) with her and I can get to cardiff and back for under a tenner with national express (as little as £6 if I choose my times well!). fairly easy trip, and assuming a gig is paying, what, £50, that's still £40 profit. of course you lose an extra 5 hours, but it's an excuse to read through a textbook or watch a couple of "legally obtained" films on my ipod. that said, i'm planning on picking up a markbass combo, or an LMII (and 1x10 cab). it might be worth you holding off for a little while on buying an amp - most practice spaces will have amps there, so you could find yourself a band first and assess your needs a little. i haven't done many gigs on bass myself here as i play guitar in my main band, so i can't help you too much there. have subbed in a couple of pub gigs and it was no problem to borrow one of the other player's amps, although i wouldn't like to do that too much - i respect having your own stuff and would think twice about letting someone else use it myself.

couldn't you just bundle all the cables going through in copper tape, making a thin and flexible conduit, rather than shielding the cavity itself? i guess it depends how tight your hole is (lol).

i was thinkin about building something like this out of a half-finished GCSE D&T project... mosly for the purposes of slinging it on my back and hopping on the motorbike. the more i think about it, the more I think I may aswell just buy one of those fancy things without an actual body. hmmm. how is the sound?

bollucks! the week before my end of years start... you're having a laugh!! i get free entry to koko too as a 'member of the press'... probably could have secured an interview. *facepalm*

if you can get to swansea, try looking out for a bloke called "andy collins" - not sure if he's still teaching but i'd imagine so. plays for a band called 'the storys', had a few radio hits - he's a great player and a nice guy. i never had him myself but a few of my mates had lessons from him and they all had nothing but good things to say.

i'm a bit of a geek and definitely started out more towards the gear side. my first encounter with guitars in general was when my old man smashed up my brothers jackson when he got in some big trouble, years and years ago (i guess i was 12). i spent a long time learning how guitars worked (and floyd roses aswell! nightmare!) and managed to get hold of a replacement body and put the parts back together for him... so i definitely started out thinking about things from the other perspective. i was playing for a few years before i realised how much the music really means to me. now i'm definitely more in the playing side of things, but i haven't lost my appreciation of a good instrument!

^^^ obligatory bass shot. (they *fought* to get me to wear a tie) ^^^ obligatory funny hat shot.

try and get hold of the 6 string ibanez prestige. i've got one and it was my first 6 string... the only 6 string i've ever been able to pick up and play without any additional effort, it just felt like it was made for me. obviously you know how tight the B is etc from your 5 string. seriously - this bass was my go-to for a long time, even when i knew i wouldn't need the low B / high C, it's just so damn easy to play anyway.

if i'm able to make the final date, i could bring a 1993 USA fender jazz 4 string and/or a mid 90s Ibanez Prestige 3006e 6 string. apologies to anyone hoping for the rick/stingray/trace elliot, i don't think i can get them down from wales.

ffs i have a deadline on the 25th and i know those few hours will be priceless.

any idea on what the resale value on these would be? looks like i'm gonna be doing a lot more corporate gigs with a jazz/pop quintet over the next year or so... the rick doesn't really suit sound wise, the 6 string is overkill most of the time, and i'm looking for something more passive and old school than the stingray. i've saved up enough cash from the last few years gigs to buy a 70s jazz, but i'm really worried about theft, damage in transportation and reliability. to be honest i'd probably never play it. so a newer jazz makes more sense - but i really dig the relic on the 70s jazzes. so this leads me to the fender road worn fellas. however i don't wanna spent some £800 on a bass that i would struggle to sell for £450 in a couple of years. so how much do you think these will depreciate?

i'm in, provided no exams/deadlines get in the way!

[attachment=39110:GetAttachment.aspx.jpg] ...this love is illogical.

[quote name='demanufacture' post='693561' date='Dec 26 2009, 12:56 AM']Hello. My name is Rafal and I'm writing from Poland I'm not native English speaker so please don't be angry for my weak English knowledge [/quote] med student? into jazz fusion...?

i guess it's all down to personal preference. i remember the best part of a decade ago when i was first getting seriously into playing, watching jaco's "modern electric bass" - how he'd talk about playing up in the 'mid range' of the bass because that's where he got the best tone. at the same time, i was really into the pocket playing of some country and western guys etc, who all swore by frets 1-5. just tailor it to who you're playing with - i find if i don't think about it, my ears tell my fingers where to go and i usually slip into the right region of the bass for the job. if you are comfortable playing all over the neck, it'll pay off on the rare occasion where you need to get really high up. but if i'm reading, i definitely cling to the first few frets

[quote name='dannybuoy' post='693492' date='Dec 25 2009, 09:11 PM']You should try and get a gig at The Good Ship in Kilburn![/quote] first thing that came to mind really dig your tracks - hits the spot for me. i think your singer uses a bit too much vibrato. but beyond that, i would go and see you guys in kilburn and bring a few mates - loving the vintage vibe.

i'm absolutely terrible... i can (or used to when i had the energy!) get quite into my playing on stage and always end up getting buckle scratches all down the back, dings where i bump into things... ugh. i take good care of my rickenbacker but she never really sees any gigs. so i tend to avoid basses that should be kept mint. i specifically bought my stingray with a deffective finish so that i wouldn't feel bad about beating it up and it was the best decision i ever made - the only thing i worry about when playing that bass is the music. of course playability is a different matter - if it's an important gig i'll still spend the time getting the action and intonation set up perfectly, polishing the frets and maybe oiling the fretboard, that kind of thing.