BigRedX

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1423876690' post='2690098'] I constantly wish that I was born in the 60s, or 70s because the state of the music industry and the way its using sex to sell absolutely awful records nowadays is devaluing music. Some of you will probably argue thats always been the case but I don't think it is nowhere near as hilariously bad as it is now. Its seems now that the bigger 'booty' you have and the more you shake it on your music video, the more records you sell. [/quote] It really has always been the case. You would have hated it just as much if you had been around then. There was a huge amount of mass-produced identikit pop music being produced that had little to do with the music from that era that you love. If you were lucky there was one good band on each week on TotP, The Old Grey Whistle Test was on ridiculously late at night and that was about it on the TV. Same with the radio the odd decent track during the day and a few hours each week of Peel and Freeman.

Listen to what all the other instruments are doing and play something appropriate.

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1423868913' post='2690034'] Weren't Freur originally called a squiggly symbol? In that their name was simply a squiggly symbol, not an actual word/sound? J. [/quote] The first two singles just had the squiggly logo and no actual band name on the cover, although the promo version of the first single did have the name "Freur" on the actual label and featured a "pronunciation guide" as one of the tracks on the B-Side. After that they were forced by the record company to have a proper name on the record sleeves [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1423922163' post='2690391'] That was Prince wasnt it?? [/quote] Long before Price ever thought about it. [quote name='Leon Transaxle' timestamp='1423936913' post='2690624'] That's right. I remember one of the music papers at the time referring to them as 'Elephant holding a Biscuit', or something similar. [/quote] IIRC it was Sounds who decided to call them Elephant Holding A Stick Of Rhubarb! As you can probably tell I was (and TBH still am) a bit of a fan. I loved the way everything about the band both image and sound-wise had been so carefully considered and was a complete package. And although Karl Hyde and Rick Smith went on to bigger things in the 90s many of the musical and production ideas that made Underworld stand out could be traced 10 years back to the records they made as Freur.

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1423790115' post='2689186'] I've come across more string snobbery- no one has insisted I play X brand, but some have insisted I don't turn up with more than four strings. [/quote] If someone made that request to me, I'd be turning up with my Atlansia Solitaire 1-string bass, and the Fernandes PIE-ZO very short scale travel bass with built-in amp and speaker and Hello Kitty graphics.

Just been in the attic looking at what I have boxed up. It looks as though all my old IM&RW and Beat Instrumentals have gone, but I did find some old copies of E&MM and a magazine called The Mix, as well as some issues of Home & Studio Recording. The free tabloid size newspaper/magazine was called Making Music, but can anyone remember the name of the monthly A4 size mag that proceeded it? Was that Musicians Only? Edit: Just found a copy with a review of my band of the time in it the publication was called One, Two Testing...

One from each decade that I have been interested in music: From the 70s "Parachute" by The Pretty Things. Not their best known album, but a more developed offering to their better known previous recording SF Sorrow. With Norman (Hurricane) Smith in the producer's seat and recorded at Abbey Road, one of the great overlooked albums. From the 80s "Doot-Doot" by Freur. Although two of the band went on to bigger things in the 90s this is where all their ideas stemmed from. If you want a album that showcases every production trick for synth-based pop, this one has them all. Only has actual bass guitar on 2 of the tracks but of of them is the work of Pino Paladino. From the 90s "Attack Of The Grey Lantern" by Mansun. A sort of concept album, but the concept doesn't get in the way of the fact that it's also a collection of catchy songs. From the 2000s "Give Up" by The Postal Service. A collaboration that is far greater than the sum of it parts. Indie-pop meets glitchy electronica and produces a whole album of brilliant songs with off-beat sounds. Nothing from the current decade because it's not finished yet!

What's underneath the tape? Does it reveal vero board or a proper custom PCB? Maybe there's some identification there?

The ribbon cable might look distinctive, but it's standard off-the-shelf cable that you could have bought anywhere. I bought metres of the stuff from Maplins in the 80s.

I'll be looking at the new Pro Series Star Bass with interest. I think the MiK instruments were discontinued because they were too good compared with the MiG instruments, but had too high a price point compared with other basses made in Korea (IMO they only became good VFM when Thomann started discounting them by 50% or more). As for overall quality my MiK Star Bass is a far more playable (for me) instrument than either of the MiG Star Bass that I had previously tried (and IMO it looks better).

No prices for the Pro Series Star Basses yet. I fancy a spare for my MiK version if the price is right.

You missed out: Music pubs near me have never been better and it's never been easier to get a gig. I think in the four and a half years that The Terrortones have been going I've probably played more and on the whole better gigs than I did in the whole of the 30 years before that.

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1423515123' post='2685861'] It looks like a great replacement indeed, however I don't see any particular improvement of the Hipshot supertone. Very expensive too. [/quote] IMO it looks better. Not that it's difficult compared to the Supertone.

Yes that was my fretless Original. Now in the very capable hands of Basschat's Doctor Of The Bass. Looking forward to seeing your take on the shape.

I thought the music was credited at the end of the time-lapse videos, but looking at the examples you posted it doesn't appear to be. Perhaps it was in the threads when Alan originally posted them in the Affiliates section?

I would suggest that you go back to the original intention of the body shape and create your own version of it without exactly copying Overwaters. Looking at by Overwater Original bass the body shape is essentially the back part of a Thunderbird and the horns/cutaways of a Jazz, so I'd start by tracing both shapes and then combine them smoothing out the curves in the transition area until you have an overall shape that you find aesthetically pleasing.

I use whichever of my basses is the most appropriate in terms of looks, sound and playability for the gig. The name on the headstock and the price are irrelevant.

Even more pedantic... Both the lead you use for your kettle and the lead for you amplifier are IEC leads. The one you need for your amplifier is the IEC 60320 C13. This one will not work with kettles because it does not fit. The one you need for your kettle is the IEC 60320 C15. The connector has a slot cut into the plug so that you cannot substitute the C13 lead. The C15 connector is also rated for higher temperatures up to 155°C whereas the C13 connector is only rated to 70°C. If you want a flexible mains lead for your amplifier simply buy some appropriate 13A cable and fit your own connectors to it.

If you are going to get into re-amping you don't need a dedicated re-amp box. A standard passive DI wired in reverse (send from the desk into the XLR socket, instrument input to the amp - you might need to make up a special lead for the XLR as it will be working in reverse) will work just as well.

If you've got a basic sound that you use most of the time but just want to add some tonal variations in places, then I'd look at getting a Pod. I have a basic sound that is the starting point as one of my presets and then a couple of drive variations to thicken up the overall sound as required in the guitar solos, and finally a few completely different sounds that are used on specific songs. Each patch is just a footswitch press away and I never had to worry about my EQ settings. I plug it in and there's my sound.

Could almost make me contemplate playing a 4-string bass.

Just a MiK MTD Bass. Looks a bit different mainly because it's LH.

Depends on what sort of sound and music she plays. Most electric violin players I know go straight into the PA at rehearsals and gigs. I she definitely needs an amp then something full-range like a keyboard one should do the trick. On the other hand I know of people who use guitar amps simply because they like a little bit of dirt in their sound.

Only 800 notes? That's not even two of our songs! I would hope any bass would last a bit longer than that ;-)

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1423162594' post='2681682'] Look at the pics carefully, kids - this is exactly the kind of unplayable crap that would have been available to you in the 1970s if you couldn't afford a Fender or a Gibson! There were no decent affordable basses [i]at all[/i]. I don't know - you tell the young people of today and they won't believe you. [/quote] Actually that's not quite true IME. There were decent basses available provided you bought second hand and didn't want something that looked like a Fender, Gibson or Rickenbacker. I got my Burns in 1981 for £60 including the original hard case. A few years earlier I could have bought either a Microfrets or Hayman bass for about £80.

I considered this when I first started playing 5-string in the late 80s. However on those occasions when I do need the G string I find myself also playing high up on the neck so in the end it was a bit of a non-starter for me, and I concentrated on finding a really good 5-string instead.