funkypenguin

Shes an absolute stunner mate, BIG congrats!

Fair enough, but i disagree, i see/hear plenty of emotion/soul in her music, and her bands performance of it. IMO of course

Here is my transcription of Hiromi's XYZ This is transcribed from the studio version, but its very close to the live version. The main bass groove is a real mind-masher to play [attachment=88350:XYZ_Bass.pdf]

Dream Theater - Hells Kitchen, The Ytse Jam, Erotomania, The Dance of Eternity, Stream of Consciousness Liquid Tension Experiment - (CDs) Liquid Tension Experiment, Liquid Tension Experiment 2 Planet X - Quantum

You want Jazz? These are great XYZ isnt exactly conventional but the bass groove is killer (and a killer to play)

heres a couple of great tunes If you want something that breaks boundaries a little more.......look up Alien Hip Hop by Planet X

Im really really happy with the setup im running at the moment, but money no object....... My current Indie 606/Fodera Imperial II 33" 6 string/Shuker custom 33" 6 Warwick Hellborg preamp Sansamp RPM preamp Eventide Ultra harmoniser Warwick Hellborg 500W stereo power amp Warwick Hellborg 2x12 "hi cab" Warwick Hellborg 1x15 "lo cab"

If anyone is interesting in playing any of this material, im working on some bass transcriptions. ive just finished "XYZ" (see below), just need to write up "Summer Rain" and have started "Spiral" and "Old Castle, By the River, In the middle of a Forrest" note: all my transcriptions are bass clef notation NOT tablature

From my experience, Fender P should be your first port of call! The P necks ive noodled on wouldnt have been out of place in the hands of Kevin Pietersen

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1355673' date='Aug 29 2011, 08:47 PM']Its in the fingers though, we should know this by now [/quote] I'm not disputing that, i would say that 80-90% is down to the fingers, but his Fodera contrabass and his rig do play a part in him sounding the way he does

[quote name='Dubs' post='1355621' date='Aug 29 2011, 08:04 PM']I'd say it's a lot closer to being 50/50, just in my experience though.[/quote] I would agree with this. Take the Michel Camilo Trio as an example, when you listen to the recordings/live shows with Anthony Jackson on bass, you can tell its him playing because his sound is very distinctive. Some really interesting responses here

Excellent, im really looking forward to this IMO Guthrie is one of the very best guitarists around, cant wait to hear the tunes!

Something a bassist said to me last weekend while i was playing at a charity gig for Help for Heroes got me thinking... I was chatting to said bassist after my band finished our slot, and we came around to gear and sound. He mentioned he liked the sounds i was getting and said he'd never given too much though to sound/tone before. We then talked for a while about EQ, fingers, rig, effects etc. (Phil if you're on here anywhere, you were great to talk bass with, and a great player to boot!! ) Ive come across this before and have always found it somewhat strange (meaning no offence) that they wernt giving much thought to their sound, as ive always thought that sound is right up there with time and feel as part of your communication with the audience, i.e its part of your musical personality. My early musical training/education took place (and part of it continues to) as a trumpet player in a classical environment, and was taught from day one that sound is one of the most important parts of your playing. Say what you like about the classical world, but the players sound is something that i feel is central to their making music. Do you feel your sound is that important, or not? if not, why not. Discuss

Envelope filter AFAIK If you liked the material on this then 'Time Control' is the album with it all on. My personal favourite though is 'Spiral'.....i never get tired of listening to it, the title track amazes me every time i hear it. My jazz fusion trio are working on it at the moment, really looking forward to performing it when we start back to uni! heres a live performance of it

I think Vic has it spot on, if you want to play/appeal to a wider audience, Groove and time are two of the most important things a bass player needs to have nailed down Heres some great Vic groove

[quote name='chardbass' post='1353888' date='Aug 27 2011, 09:16 PM']Probably! I guess the former helps the latter to some degree. I always thought I was a bit heavy handed- I blame poor monitoring and bloody Jaco with his burpy, barky tones influencing me in my formative years. Either way- I need to get me a ramp!![/quote] His speed with freestroke is pretty incredible, I started using freestroke after i first saw him play Ramps are awesome, specially if you go by the Willis method of turning the amp up and playing with a light touch. I got one fitted and its made a world of difference to my playing

[quote name='chardbass' post='1353211' date='Aug 27 2011, 12:24 AM']Aaah Tony Grey- another bass player who makes me think that maybe I've got my RH technique all wrong!! Great stuff.[/quote] Are you referring to his use of free-stroke rather than rest-stroke right hand technique? or his sheer speed and dexterity

[quote name='eude' post='1352690' date='Aug 26 2011, 04:28 PM']That's exactly the same experience that turned me on to 33"! I was over in Boston in 2003 and was very lucky to be allowed a noodle, the bass was effortless to play, not really my kinda tone, but man it felt great! Eude[/quote] I came across one through a friend in Manchester. Original Garrison spec, with Chestnut top and heelblock and one of the most amazing sonic and playing experiences ive ever had. Been determined to have 33" scale on my custom commission ever since cant wait to commission the build, once im finished at uni!!

[quote name='eude' post='1351972' date='Aug 26 2011, 07:58 AM']Lovely sounding spec mate 33"er too, it's the way forward for sure! Eude[/quote] Cheers! im after something that sounds really deep and warm. I love the sound of my main bass with the EQ flat through my trace rig, but id like the top end to sound a little sweeter, hence the different preamp to the EMG 3band i use at the moment. i like the amount of bite than i can dial in with the EMG pre though so il have a chat with John when i take the plunge and see what he recommends 33" really is the way forward! ive been set on having it since i played a Fodera Garrison Imperial last year, ive never had such an effortless playing experience!

[quote name='eude' post='1351004' date='Aug 25 2011, 08:54 AM']Thanks dude, makes me think wonder the combo of that bloodwood board and amboyna top from the shuker might have looked like, maybe once I've managed to learn how to save money, however I was thinking more along the lines of a Koa top for the next one, hmmm... So you're thinking of going for a custom? Would be keen to hear the specs As far as Ebony vs Rosewood goes, I don't think there'll be much in it as they're both very very hard woods. Rosewood tends to not get used for fretless as it has a slightly more open grain which means it wears out quicker. If anything, I guess the ebony will have a slightly more pronounced high end, what with the tighter grain and it being ever so slightly harder, maybe a little more aggressive sounding perhaps? All guess work to be honest, as I've never had an ebony fingerboard before, I just went with it this time for a change Eude[/quote] sure, if you're interested and dont mind me going OT somewhat its a tentative spec and still subject to change, since it will be a while before i place my order (once ive graduated most likely) 6 string Shuker Uberhorn elite 5 piece maple/wenge thru neck 33" scale ebony/rosewood fingerboard 26 frets (small) Ash body Poplar burl/Chestnut burl top 17.5mm string spacing Brass nut Gotoh 707 ultralite tuners EMG DC pickups Fully adjustable ramps/thru fingerboard Shuker/Fodera/East 3 band preamp Its based on my main bass (the customised Indie 606) with a few detailed alterations (shorter scale, more frets, striking top wood and different preamp) yeah, thats what ive heard people say before i love the look of ebony boards, but ive seen some stunning rosewood boards too so im still not too sure which to go for. cant wait to see your bass come to life!

[quote name='davebass66' post='1351085' date='Aug 25 2011, 10:42 AM']Lovely bass solo at about 7mins 30..... really nice musical phrases.... is Tony Grey the bass player? I haven't heard/seen him before.....it's nice. D[/quote] Yup, Tony's the bass player one of my very favourite bass players, and (alongside john patitucci) the most lyrical/melodic bass soloist i know there are a few more lovely bass solos in there too, 28:48 and 39:20 for example

[quote name='eude' post='1350724' date='Aug 24 2011, 08:57 PM']I should really add, the choice of woods really isn't "my skill", it's really down to the luthiers who build these basses interpreting the nonsense folks like me come out with. I reckon I'm more lucky than skilled Eude[/quote] OK, you've gotten some beautiful wood put on your basses the bloodwood fingerboard on your 5 and the top on your shuker 6 come to mind the only top wood ive liked more than that is the top wood on that Uberhorn, so il be asking for something similar from Jon when i get around to ordering something special Out of interest, how does Ebony compare to rosewood playing and sound wise?

[quote name='paul h' post='1350767' date='Aug 24 2011, 09:32 PM']To be totally honest? Weakest of the three. Great technique and chops etc. but no real magic. Nothing to make you sit up and take notice.* Steve Smith on the other hand was AMAZING. He did a great solo and has got some mighty fine stick tricks up his sleeves but his playing all night was spot on. Incredibly musical and tasteful and a great stage presence too. It is an expensive night out. Made cheaper by the fact we blagged free tickets and a free hotel for the night too! *Still a million times better than me. [/quote] Fair play lucky for some! my favourite Hiromi records/videos are the ones with the original trio, specially around the time Spiral came out. Thats my favourite jazz/fusion CD

I have 3 basses, 2 of them active....i love the flexibility, clarity, fast attack and extra punch that my active basses have, but i love the warmth of my passive spector, specially for playing soul and motown

You've certainly an eye for picking lovely pieces of wood!! Your shuker was my favourite bass that Jon's produced, till the 5 string uberhorn thats on his homepage came along Looking forward to seeing this develop!