BigRedX

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1426526813' post='2718901'] Just buy a synth, better sounds, better all round. [/quote] Very much this. However which synth to buy? Back in the 80s I had synths by Akai, Casio, EDP, Korg, Roland and Yamaha. Each of them did some of the classic synth bass sounds, but none was versatile to cover everything.

[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1426510213' post='2718587'] Bleep things look fun, have you seen the small/fun Teenage Engineering devices, they are about £39 eg. [url="https://www.teenageengineering.com/products/po"]https://www.teenagee...com/products/po[/url] [/quote] I started [url=http://basschat.co.uk/topic/254374-pocket-synths/]this thread[/url] about them when they were first announced but few people here seemed to be interested...

The thing is that there is no single 80s bass synth sound. Even the three examples you've listed would have probably used a whole load of synths that all sound completely different from each other to produce the bass parts. Add into that the challenge of getting a bass guitar to accurately track and trigger the envelopes, you are IME on to a bit of a loser...

Interesting regarding the scale length. Just done a quick bit of research. The modern versions/copies mostly appear to be 32" scale but the original 60s and 70s Mosrite basses seem to be between 30.5" and 32" depending on the model and when it was made.

Scale length should be 32". As much as I love Mosrite guitars and basses I can't justify the prices that either "new" models or the originals are fetching these days (HJ that was one hell of an impulse purchase!) I'd be looking at one of the copies by Hallmark (the best of the sensibly priced copies IMO).

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1426508632' post='2718568'] Depends on the amp and where the EQ is in the chain. I had a passive ABZ5 and the output was a little low to get my amp sounding how I wanted. So it was more of a preamp drive issue than an EQ issue really. For me anyway. [/quote] I'd be just turning the input gain on my amp up to compensate.

I've brought guitars (not basses) back from Japan twice. However both times I was flying business class and was able to bring it on board and store it in the suit locker. Also on one occasion was so late arriving at the check in that I only just made the flight and I doubt if anyone even noticed the guitar in its gig bag on my shoulder until I was on board. A bass is quite a bit bigger than the average guitar and if you are travelling tourist class I would be reluctant to try and fly back with it unless it was in a proper flight case (Hiscox Liteflite would be the minimum standard I'd trust). IMO you would be better off getting the shop to ship the bass back to your UK address. Japanese businesses excel at service and they should be more than capable of doing this for you. Expect shipping to be somewhere between £100 - £150 and to have to pay around 25% of the purchase price plus the shipping costs in VAT and import duty.

IMO the small section of Guitar and Bass Magazine devote to bass gear has always been superior to the majority of the content in BGM. I think the problem is that everyone wants something different from the magazine. Personally I have little interest in the theory or technique sections, and for technique in particular most people could learn more from 30 seconds of well produced YouTube video than any number of words in a magazine. My interest is mostly in the gear. I don't care what the price is so long as what's being reviewed isn't something I can easily try for myself at my local musical instrument emporium. I don't need a magazine to tell me what I can find out for myself, I want a magazine that will tell me about things I didn't know existed.

I think the problem with it looking like the VL-Tone is that you expect it to have a similar sort of price... Liking the look of the Volca range. Also for something completely left field, I'm looking at getting something from [url=http://bleeplabs.com/store/]Bleep Labs[/url].

What's wrong with the tone controls on your amp?

Never sent one, but if I did it would be like this. Two sheets or heavy duty corrugated cardboard one big enough to cover the pick guard lengthways and the other widthways (when the corrugations are at 90° to the first. Fold the first sheet in half and put the pick guard inside. Tape shut. Fold the second in half and put the package inside. Tape the edges securely. Because the corrugations run at 90° to each other it won't be possible the bend the package easily.

Like any synth this unit will live or die by its sounds and the user friendliness of the interface. Unfortunately no matter how good it is I can't help thinking of the Casio VL-Tone when I look at it...

The band I play in is called "Dick Venom & The Terrortones". The name says it all. The band was Mr Venom's idea originally, he writes all the lyrics, comes up with a fair amount of the musical and rhythmic ideas, does the vast majority of the band organisation and, as a front person, is the main reason why the band is as popular as it is. Everyone else has an input, but ultimately Mr Venom has the final say as to how the songs sound and what the band does and we accept this because nearly all the time he is actually right, and from my PoV this band is the most fun of any I've been in and the most successful in relation to the musical climate of the time. And TBH it doesn't really bother me if a musical idea I've come up doesn't get approval, because I've got a load of other ideas ready and at least one of the will be turned into a song that we'll be playing at the next gig.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1426347585' post='2717203'] There was some nonsense circulating a few years back about the extension of the E-string gave for a more even tension...no idea as to the validity of this. [/quote] No, as you thought, that's complete bollocks. No amount of extra non-speaking string length makes any difference to the tension of the string. It may change the compliance or how stiff the string feels, but IME break angles have more effect than extra string behind the nut, and since the extra long E string has a string tree in it's path most of that extra length compliance effect is negated.

Very nice! Make sure you post it on the [url=http://www.mosriteforum.com/forum/]Mosrite Forum[/url] too.

Indeed. Why not just 1? [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/Bass/AtlansiaSolitaireFretless.jpg[/IMG]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1426233545' post='2715833'] I didn't realise they were £5K... That puts these basses in exalted company, you can get a new Wal sixer for not much more than that. For me you have to be offering something pretty special to warrent spending a couple of grand more than an uber spec ACG. [/quote] Personally I can't understand how any bass that isn't some ultra-cheap copy of a Fender P or J can be a substitute for another. If all we wanted was an electric stringed instrument capable of producing low notes we'd all be playing Squiers or Haley Bentons.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1426240015' post='2715933'] Oh I'm not knocking instrumental music.. I just want vocals in my songs and sadly I'm utterly useless at coming up with anything worth singing about [/quote] Fair enough. I'm rubbish at lyrics too, which is why I all my songwriting is done in partnership with someone who can write interesting and clever words.

No having lyrics or vocals doesn't seem to have hindered the plethora of "Post Rock" bands that have sprung up in the last 15 years.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1426206891' post='2715780'] And for some musicians only the money is important, which is clearly incompatible with psychedelic rock. Man. Not sure about the hair requirement, from what I remember of the era 50% of the bassists wore woolly hats. [/quote] If you are getting paid to be in a band then IMO it's perfectly reasonable to have to follow your employers dress code. And wearing a tea-cosy on your head has never been acceptable. Not back in the 70s and certainly not now.

Good on the guitar. Not so important IMO on the bass, plus if you use roughish round-wound strings then the applicator leaves bits everywhere.

I would like to think that there's always a place for another UK based bass manufacturer provided that they can offer something unique, and aren't just producing copies of other well known instruments. I've bookmarked their site (which brings my list of UK custom bass luthiers to just under 60 and I'm sure that's not exhaustive). However I think they should do something about the intro page which is not at all user friendly if they want to get more people exploring the site fully.

I'd also post this in the "Music Business" section of the Sound On Sound forums where there are a lot of people who make a decent amount of money out library music.

We rehearse and record at JT Soar and it's great for this. Not sure I would want to play a gig there though... BTW I've not been ignoring your PM. Just haven't been able to think of anywhere suitable yet.

Looking at the musicians and compositions that you say influenced you in the past, the thing they all appear to have in common is that they each had a distinctive musical voice. That's probably what made them and the music they wrote and played so important to you. Maybe now is the time to concentrate on developing and honing your own personal music voice?