miles'tone

Not to be presumptuous about the way you play but check out this vid. Great advice regarding left hand technique. I was playing for 20 years and it still helped me iron out some issues. Maybe it can help you too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRkSsapYYsA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Hi there. I'm in similar situation as I bought an American Special Jazz neck for my ongoing P project. On paper I thought it would be what I wanted but it is very slim front to back and it gives me cramps combined with the skinny nut width. Really wish I'd got the Am Special Precision neck as I like the front to back thinness but need a wider neck. What do you find uncomfortable about your Precision? Is it's the chunky neck front to back? (I personally find the Am standards on the chunky side - I had an Am Standard jazz) If so, the American special P may suit you better due to it's slimness front to back. Is it the width of the neck giving you probs? Try an Am Standard Jazz neck for it's thin nut width but chunky depth. Sometimes a bit of girth will stop some people from cramping up as it can help keep the hand relaxed by not pinching the thumb and fingers too close together. I'd avoid the Am Special jazz in your case as that's very much like an Ibby sr. Hand cramps are a bummer for sure. I hope you get sorted soon. Edit: Mickster is right, get professional medical/physio advice pronto, as this, more than anything will help you make the right decision here. Best of luck, Si.

Not sure about "born" for bass but I'd definitely agree with "nurtured". I was born in '72 and grew up in a household where records just weren't played. Instead, the music I was exposed to was tv shows with the American shows being most notable. So my first favourite music was probably (with hindsight) Carol Kaye riding a bass heavy mix out of our old wooly analogue telly. Add to that the fact that when I was about 8, the first band I noticed on my own and got obsessed with was The Police - I wanted to be just like Sting! Additionally, the only other instruments I have been interested in learning from a very young age (and still would like to) are the piano and trombone. Both fun sounding bassy instruments kinda.

I see alot of people are put off selling an item because of the £20 fee but if you just sell the one item it's actually only a £7 fee. Innit.

Yep, awesome vid. love David Margen's basswork on the studio bit of Moonflower. His P-bass tone is great - hot and spanky here on the track Zulu. The part at around 1.40 is so rude. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBHqYRnqm8o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1371331825' post='2112742'] What's your point then? It's good because Guy got something for free? He got his bass built? I like how it looks, and it's not a bad idea, really, and it sounds pretty good too, I just don't think that's what a signature bass should be about. [/quote] Sorry there, my point is that yes with all the research and development that would have gone into his bass, Guy could have tried out many many different pickup positions and come up with a final fixed pickup model to be released to the public. But (and of course I'm assuming here) he probably has a large bass collection so he would have most things covered, so why make a bass that does what he already has? Anyway Guy Pratt is a known player that, in his work, is not known for playing a particular bass ( like Jaco or Roger Waters are for example..), he is rather a chameleon of bass as he is a session guy. Makes Perfect sense to build a chameleon of a bass for his signature when you think about it.

I'm sure Guy Pratt being a proper working bassist has a bass of every kind for every occasion in collection. So what do you give to the bassist who has everything? Warwick gave him the opportunity to design a bass so he went for it. Who can blame him? It's not like he'll have paid for it. Do I like it? Yes, it's a great idea I reckon. Would I buy one if I could afford it? No, I'd give the money to a decent luthier to build MY signature bass.

Ten off the top of my head that made me say, "I want to do that!!" Mani - Stone Roses Cait O'Riordan - The Pogues Scott Thunes - Frank Zappa Norman Watt-Roy - The Blockheads Flea J.J. Burnell Brian Ritchie - Violent Femmes Carol Kaye Jerry Scheff - The Doors' L.A.Woman Family Man But the way alot of the BC threads have been going, I'm finding 10 new favourites every week!

It's because all the bright, trebley frequencies get absorbed into walls and people whereas the bass keeps on travelling "through" everything. Therefore, the further back you are, the more bass heavy the mix is. Or something.

I once asked Jeff Berlin at the old Wapping Bass Centre how to play fast fingerstyle lines without cramping up. He said get the action down on your bass and play with a light touch, always focusing on keeping both hands relaxed and let the amp do the work. That's what it's for. Common sense but very helpful all the same. I was young at the time and quite terrified of how he would be (reputation and all), but he was really approachable and nice actually.

Bet it would be fantastic in the studio though.

I found BC at a gig my band did and the soundguy was a bassist. My modded jazz caught his eye so we had a good chat and he recommended your good selves. He said it was much friendlier than talkbass as 'everyone on there are moody buggers aren't they?' He was right. Mostly

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1371062668' post='2109419'] Didn't get them at the time, still don't now. I suppose if you're into catchy guitar riffs being spoilt by someone whining over the top of them.... [/quote] Sorry mate I think you've come to the wrong place, 'The Smiths' live a few doors down from here.

Speaking of BAD (as in good), here's Paul Jackson giving it some with Herbie's Headhunters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMcQfyuHVk8&feature=youtube_gdata_player As for the best tone I'VE ever had well that was using someone else's Ampeg rig at a gig I played at the old Barfly in Cardiff. Awesome amp, brilliant house PA with a cracking band mix through the monitors from a great sound engineer. I felt famous for the evening!

[quote name='kennyrodg' timestamp='1370981659' post='2108338'] Ever heard...... This https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDsHJW5E1zk [/quote] Nope, but thanks alot as that is BAD (as in good).

Today is my first real opportunity to get back into some focused shedding since our baby no.2 arrived and I have mostly been learning that the super skinny Am jazz special neck that I bought for my custom P project is far too super skinny for my shovel-like hands and it's giving me hand cramps . Geddy Lee I am not! (in many many ways ) Beyond this I've been learning Jerry Scheff's kickin' bassline to L.A. Woman.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1370869701' post='2106574'] According to older musos who were around at the time , Clive Charman ( along with Alan Spenner ) was considered by many to be the best bass player on the scene in London in the early 1970's . After he was in the Jeff Beck Group he ended up playing in a band called Hummingbird , with the truly great Bernard Purdie on drums and Bobby Tench on guitar : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8yxyYor-w8 Pretty sure this track features Clive on bass . , too : [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BY4i9ZTm0s&list=PL15CC90C3001C47E3[/media] Clive Charman was also a kind of mentor to Neil Murray ( Whitesnake ect .) when Neil first became a pro player in the early 70's . He used to dep for Clive in Cozy Powell's Hammer , and I think he replaced him in a band called Hanson . Last I heard , Clive was living a quiet life in Florida . [/quote] Hey thanks for the heads up there regarding Hummingbird dingus. I love Bernard 'pretty' Purdie, one of my fave drummers! Chaman and Purdie sound fantastic together on that track. That's another three albums on the shopping list! As is 'Blow By Blow'. I've heard of that album forever so about time I gave it a whirl. (So many albums, so little time) Cheers everyone.

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1370789768' post='2105523'] Went on Friday, massive SR fan here, saw them 3 times in '89, twice in '95, and was sadly present at Reading too in '96. Thought they were excellent, great sound, and a real groove about them. Better than Heaton park, although the fact it was their reunion meant that Heaton was a much bigger 'event' than Finsbury. Ian Brown is Ian Brown, his legendary status means he can behave how he likes on stage I guess, he was always like that anyway, and his voice is far better than it was. Saw the MoS film too while in London, good documentary, with some new footage (For a change), although could have included more band interviews imo. Always good to see Roses related stuff though. This is a shameless excuse to show my Mani-a-like 4005 too; [/quote] Great stuff! I remember seeing your build diary thread for the 'Rickenmani' when I first joined BC. Outstanding sir! Really impressed. I always wanted a 4005 too but you know how much they go for of course. Ended up getting a 4001 instead but that bloody thing was a dog, awful thing. All sharp edges and no balls. A tech removed a resistor for me and that did beef things up but I had to literally fight yhe thing to play it. I obviously had a bad un but it's put me off them for life really. Now if Rickenbacker reissued the 4005 I would be in for one of them for sure. I'd find a way somehow! Mani's getting great tones from his Epi Jack Casady's these days isn't he. I hope they make a habit of these weekender gigs as if they do a couple next summer I'll be at everyone to make up for missing out this year. Hopefully next time we'll hear some new songs too!

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1370865307' post='2106466'] Never really 'got' them I'm afraid, along with other bands if their ilk. My usual rule of thumb is if the late Tony Wilson had any involvement with a band they'd usually be wildly over hyped and extremely underwhleming. I do have a 'best of' compilation somewhere but I don't think I've ever made it through the full track list. I was asked to learn one of theirs for a recent gig but we didn't play it in the end. [/quote] The only involvement Tony Wilson had with the Roses was to openly put them down as they didn't sign to his Factory label. Inevitably when they started making waves of their own doing and couldn't be ignored any longer, they performed on the Other Side Of Midnight programme which he presented. To me they stood apart from the other bands of the 'Madchester' scene as the music went deeper than any of the others, as did the very inspiring interviews they gave in the music rags of the day. The others just came across as wreck-heads on their jollies really. Imho and all that.

Bugger, I was so excited I forgot to paste the link! Sorry about that. Anyway the link provided kindly here by Redstriper is in colour whereas mine was in black and white so cheers for that!

Today I was Facebooked this live studio set by a mate. Never really heard much of Jeff Beck apart from checking out some youtube links when Tal popped up on our collective radar. This band sounds fantastic! Clive Chaman on bass and Cozy Powell on drums. Not come across Clive Chaman before but what a player! Awesome tone from his P-bass too. Anyone know if this was a steady band for Jeff Beck or was this a one off kinda affair? Either way they've got 'it' here... Enjoy!

Today it's... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXrwFBG7-7s&feature=youtube_gdata_player Tomorrow...?

Lesson learned: Don't take your Wal to the pub.

[quote name='kevin_lindsay' timestamp='1370720446' post='2104892'] Johnny Marr playing in May this year, with Andy Rourke as a special guest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zeQIscpBSk&feature=youtube_gdata_player [/quote] Nice one Kevin, really enjoyed that!