leroybasslines

Hello everyone. I fairly recently got a Squire VM Jaguar bass and I'm enjoying playing it. However, I have the urge to tinker with it and make it my own. I already have a lovely Lakland jazz style 5 string with a J-Retro installed, so the jazz pup in the Jag is pretty redundant; I just want P style tones from it with a real vintage vibe to offer me a contrast to the more hi-fi, clean sound the Lakland gives me. So, I'm thinking of taking out the stock 'Duncan Designed' pups and installing something fruity in the P position. I'll leave the J position empty as a handy storage place for loose change and biros. I also don't like the stacked tone/volume knobs that come stock, so I'll be changing them for good old fashioned separate volume and tone knob. I've got my eye on the [url="https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=bass&sub=vintage&pickup=58_split_coil&series=p_bass"]Bare Knuckle Ps[/url], but I've never tried them, only heard rave reviews from guitar playing mates who've modded their guitars using BK stuff. Anyone got any experience of them? For example, how do the '58s sound against the '65s? And they're not cheap! If anyone has any recommendations for a vintage sounding P pup that has a bit of a twist and character, fire away! Or, indeed, if you're thinking of selling something along those lines...

Thanks for your continuing tips and advice. I went for a lesson with Greg Cordez today - the first lesson I've had on either double or single bass ever - and he took me right back to basic stuff. It seems that loads of my problem comes from the set up of my bass (action, strings etc. Greg got me to play his bass and it was totally different, it just wanted to be played whereas mine needs 'persuading') and the fundamentals of how I'm playing. I'm making loads of mistakes in transferring electric bass techniques directly on to upright. He's given me some simple exercises to get into, 5/10mins a day to try and reprogramme my hands. I'm going to give them a good go, go back and see him and see how it goes. I'm pretty excited though: it's great to get some expert guidance and know that I can probably avoid this problem in future. Don't know why I didn't do it sooner!

[quote name='mtroun' timestamp='1409745923' post='2542877'] It could well be that the length of the gig, plus possibly the volume at which you were playing, was wearing you out. I personally find that anything repetitive (like riffs that would be easy on the bass guitar) can be quite fatiguing on the double bass, so I tend to try and come up with variations to use different muscles. [/quote] I think you've hit the nail on the head here! Wedding gigs are long, and the set was intense - lots of pop hooks and riffs that are very bass driven. Thanks chaps. Lots of really useful info here! I think technique has a big part to play in this: I've played electric bass all my life but only started on upright about 5 or 6 years ago. I don't have any serious problems playing electric (touch wood!) but definitely do when playing DB. When I'm concentrating and the music is more DB friendly, I can usually maintain average technique and not get too many problems. But if I'm doing a long recording session or the music is more physically demanding, I definitely feel my right (plucking) hand tightening up. It's almost as though I'm playing through the string using brute force from the hand and wrist rather than letting the weight of my arm pull my finger through. Playing in louder situations doesn't help: I definitely unconsciously play harder to try and hear myself in the mayhem. I think a lesson or two is a great place to start: I've been meaning to have a lesson from Greg for years but have never got around to it. Time to stop blagging it! If I start with looking at technique, taking more care to prepare my body for playing and perhaps get a set of weichs on to compare to mittels (xmas is coming!) I'm pretty confident all will be well. I think I'll always favour playing electric over DB (I'm definitely better at it!) and if it gets too much I'll have to put the DB to one side, but I hope it doesn't come to that for a long time! I love the variety of gigs you can get playing both... Thanks again for the advice and encouragement! The band, by the way, is called Ahbub Mahboubi (no...really it is!) and we have an album coming out soon...on vinyl; they do nothing straightforwardly! I'll post some tracks on here for anyone who's interested. And then you can hear my poor technique for yourselves!

I've never had a lesson with Greg, but I've seen him play...DEFINITELY worth a shout! Killer player.

Hi there! I did a wedding gig on Saturday. It was a pretty crazy affair: someone had heard the odd folk, jazz, gypsy kazoo-laden quartet I play DB in and decided they'd like to book us to play tunes from the contemporary hit parade. We did as we were told/paid and cracked out hits by Katy Perry, Marron 5, Justin Timberlake and the like in a fun acoustic way. It was a great laugh to be fair. However, during the gig I was nearly paralysed with intense pain in my right (plucking) wrist. I had to limp my way through the second set and couldn't really play the way I wanted to. The pain was as bad the next day and is only now starting to ease off. I'm guessing it's the dreaded tendonitis. I've been away most of the summer and not playing as often as I usually do and went into the gig cold...I'm guessing my right hand just wasn't ready and the intensity of recreating driving pop rock basslines on the double bass didn't help. I suppose I'm getting to the age where I'll have to do warm ups/downs, having got by solely on bravado, alcohol and enthusiasm as a younger man. Does anyone have any tips or exercises they'd like to share to minimise the risks and effects of tendonitis? How about set up? I play with a set of Spirocore Mittels which are pretty high tension...I love the big sound and the volume I can get from them but maybe it's time to compromise with what my body can deal with... Any recommendations for a musician-friendly physio in the Bristol area would be good too... Thanks! Liam

NiN has always been Trent Reznor + session/jobbing musicians. Pino's like all the rest: I daresay Reznor asked him if he could play and he said yes. When NiN don't need him, the next player will be along. PP has done a brilliant job. Where he's been asked to make his mark he's done it; where he needs to be more faithful to original versions he's spot on. Also, I think Reznor has earnt the right to push things in any way he fancies; he clearly doesn't want to be limited to playing his hits in a formaldehyde atmosphere just for the hardcore fans who wish it was still 1993. He can do that when he wants; he can play about with HIS material when he wants. As a NiN fan I find it refreshing and interesting. Different, yes. But if it was the same as the first time I'd be worried and wonder what exactly the point was of him doing it all again. Reznor is definitely more Bowie than Status Quo!

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1396647672' post='2416172'] I sometimes think that Pino has one of the best jobs on the planet [/quote] Hell yes! Putting aside the fact that he's playing with The Who, John Mayer and NIN to name but a few, the variety of stuff he's doing is inspirational. And yet he always sounds like Pino, while managing to fit in with what he's doing and serve the band/tune entirely...that's what gets me. A player's player.

Loads of bits of paper with keys, chords etc written in an arcane code. But never the ones for the band I'm actually playing in.

Thanks for all your suggestions! As I feared, IEM done properly is going to be way beyond my budget/inclination-to-spend-money-on-stuff-that-isn't-an-actual-bass. The ACS system looks amazing; I'd love to experience it in a live situation. But on my budget, from what you're all saying, investing in an IEM system seems a bit of a red herring. I think that a more planned approach to my own set up on stage - amp positioning, using a stand, EQ carefully, remove sub-bass freqs etc - and my learning to deal with sound guys with more clarity on my part (and forthrightness where necessary) would be the best approach. I think I'm with TheRev on this; who can doubt the wisdom of a Bristolian in high volume acoustic situations? I'm not averse to using neck markers either. And if all else fails, I need a pair of headphones that I can stick in the PJB in an emergency. It seems that this forethought and planning is so much more crucial when playing double bass as opposed to electric bass: the same situation on electric bass would have been no hassle at all. "Preperation and planning prevents p*ss poor on-stage monitoring" shall be my new mantra.

[quote name='Jezyorkshire' timestamp='1395101689' post='2398839'] its rather impractical to play double bass at those sort of levels and expect it to sound like a double bass, how do your band members feel about it? [/quote] It was difficult for everyone. What I find is that when we're playing with other bands that have more traditional rock/pop group instrumentation, the sound guys find it really hard to switch into acoustic mode. Our line up that night had drums (he plays with brushes most of the time), accordion, acoustic guitar and electric guitar. We can play at high volumes, and when the sound man is good and sympathetic we can hear what we're playing no problem at all. This sound man clearly had the drums set out like loads of sound guys love it: loads of bass drum and not a lot else. There was monitoring for the singers, which is obviously very important, but none for me or the accordionist which meant that we were both struggling to hear anything at all. I had the bass amp as loud as I could and tried to EQ it so it wouldn't resonate my bass too much, which in turn made it sound pretty dreadful. In hindsight, we should have done what ubassman said and all leant on the sound guy more to work harder to adjust his approach...but that's hard when he's clearly pushed for time and perhaps an acoustic outfit like this is going to push him out of his comfort zone. [quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1395102574' post='2398845'] In ears sound like the answer for you sir. [/quote] [quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1395126101' post='2398878'] I've played more DB gigs where I couldn't hear myself than gigs where I could. Seriously tempted to buy some sort of budget IEM product. [/quote] Alas, I think you're right. I really don't like in ears when I've used them: I find they cut out so much of what's going on (in a bad way) and make me feel isolated from the rest of the band. But, in cases like this, I'm beginning to think there's no other option. We're the kind of band that one gig will be in a coffee shop or similar at really low levels, and then the next will be in a rock venue with massive stage levels and a sound guy who's deaf! Anyone got any suggestions for IEM kit that won't break the bank but will do a job when I need it? Is it possible to get anything usable under £100? I'll always choose not to use it if I can...but if I've got it in my kit when I need it, that might be a good thing! And Steve, it's that kind of Blitz spirit and improvisation that made this country great. I salute you!

Hi guys, I've been playing upright for about 5 years now having been exclusively electric before that. I play it in a wide range of musical settings - jazz, soul, folk, country etc - and often struggle to hear myself on stage but by and large manage to get through ok. Last night I did a gig with a band that I play regularly with. It's a kind of Americana, nu-folk vibe. We often do quite raucous gigs but last night, as often seems to happen, the venue's sound man insisted on mixing us more a like a rock band - loads of bass drum, v high stage levels etc. I had a word with him and told him that I couldn't hear anything of my bass and that I couldn't get my amp higher without suffering terrible feedback (I already felt like I was wrestling a rubber crocodile to stop my bass resonating and exploding into a million matchsticks!). He said he'd drop things a bit and stick some of the bass through a nearby wedge monitor, but it was still nowhere near a level that I could hear a note that I played. So I spent the gig trying to gauge what I was playing from the indistinct rumble coming from front-of-house and the vibration of the bass under my hands. To be fair to the sound guy, it was an evening with about 5 bands and a very tight schedule; not a lot of time available to be making nuanced tweaks. However, this has happened enough times now for me to want to do something to help myself out on stage. My technique is nowhere near good enough to trust that I'm playing with correct intonation (as I said, I'm an electric player bluffing it really) and I haven't got the budget for a decent in-ear monitoring system. Do any of you guys have tips or tricks that might help? I generally use my PJB Suitcase as an amp in smaller venues or as a monitor at larger gigs. My bass has a David Gage Realist pickup that most soundmen use via the Suitcase's DI. Any advice at all would be most appreciated! Thanks!

Michael League is a fabulous player!

Needed a new pickguard for an old Jap P copy; in my misguided youth I had doodled on the original and basically wrecked it. Howard made a copy for me from the original and it fits perfectly. Excellent work at a very reasonable price! Liam

I've got a Lakland 55-60 with a J Retro on. It's a perfect union! I love it. One tip - when I installed as described in East's clear instructions, it initially sounded terrible and nothing worked as it should. I emailed John East - the legends of his amazing customer service and replying personally to all enquiries are all true! He sorted me out immediately: Lakland wire their pickups the other way around from standard Fender instruments (as you can probably tell, I have no clue what I'm talking about here). All I had to do was swap the wires the opposite way around from the way given in the instructions. As the preamp has solder-free installation, it was easy to do and it works perfectly. Why not get it direct from East? Unless you can get a used one - I've seen them occasionally on here. Put a shout out on the Items Wanted forum - you might get lucky!

My dad is a scouser and a fine guitarist. He played in the whole Merseybeat thing in the 60s (he was in a band called the Mafia!). Like most scousers at the time, he was well into American music - anything that seemed exotic and hip. When I was growing up, it was to a sonic backdrop of Little Feat (I'm sure that is was Feat that put the groove in my heart), Steely Dan, Captain Beefheart, Ry Cooder etc. Of course, we had the Beatles as a staple. For some reason, he hated the Stones though...never could figure that one out. As a kid, I thought it was all great - to be honest, I thought it was what everyone listened to! He also tolerated my teenage flirtations with extreme Death Metal and the like. Fair play.

Great 'tache to accompany the bass face from the Hives there too. A moustache most definitely adds some brown to your tone.

I'm not a Ric kind of a guy, but when I think of Ric kind of guys, I think of this guy: http://youtu.be/x4Hfw5X4XjY

This very day I bought a Squire VM Jaguar from Rob. He got in touch after I'd put a feeler out for one on BC. He's been very patient with my constant uhm-ing and ah-ing and was very accommodating when I went down to a very wet Somerset today to try it out. The bass is in perfect condition and at a very fair price. I thoroughly recommend him!

Apologies for linking to F****book, but this is worth a gander: [url="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=652656048113523"]https://www.facebook...652656048113523[/url] Love it!

I'd be happy to add to the Lakland love on here so far: they're fantastic instruments.

[quote name='tony_m' timestamp='1390050826' post='2340876'] Only one there for me, but as it starts with "R" and ends with "r" I won't be touching it! [/quote] You are 1? Fair play...I didn't even start playing till I was 7 or 8... ;-)

[quote name='Jah Wibble' timestamp='1390155731' post='2342070'] You can support Vulfpeck on Kickstarter. I did and got a fly Joe Dart T shirt and wicked 45 of Beastly. [/quote] Good skills man! Proper jealous - I remember the campaign for the 45 of Beastly was was stoney broke at the time. Are they still available?

And while I'm here, Joe Dart and Jack Stratton did a couple of videos with an outfit called Groove Spoon. Different vibe, but great stuff. Again, it's recorded live with Stratton on drums (he's a really great drummer - I'd love to play with him!) and Dart on bass. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh_dm8m92Kk

He's a proper player isn't he. I think my fave track of Vulfpeck's is 'Outro'...some absolutely audacious bass playing on there! I love how he's so in the pocket and loving being the rhythm section, and then he just blows it all apart with a stunning fill. He's so spontaneous too; it doesn't feel too technical or cerebral...just spur of the moment, warts-and-all feel. Of course, all their tracks are recorded almost completely live: Jack Stratton is a real old-school recording nerd! http://youtu.be/XftabV9S2z0