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Max Normal

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Everything posted by Max Normal

  1. Max Normal
    Signed up to Mark Smith today as Scott's website is down for maintenance (I'm on strike so a good time to work on my music!). Seems pretty good, gone back to basics and found lots of bad habits already so it's already worth it. I'm completely self taught up till now but for slap watching an expert seems pretty important. Hopefully there'll be a lesson that helps you keep your rhythm while distracted by shaking booties!
  2. Max Normal
    Lol, I know, sometimes slap bassists can be a bit like guitar "shredders" who just widdle up and down arpeggios at lightning speed, but having played lots of different fingerstyle stuff for years, getting good at slap I will be a more rounded bassist and musician, I don't need to try and impress anyone at all it's about the music. Besides, I love music from the grunge and funk-rock era and driving slap basslines from the likes of Flea really work. I want to play good slap basslines, posing with flashy slap solos is not of interest to me. Slap seems to require a level of control and dsicpline that some other techniques don't have too, so it can only be good for timing and timbre in general. My lifetime goal is to be able to play absolutely anything on the bass. I know I'll never really get there, none of us will, but decent slap eludes me right now, and this is an annoyance.
  3. Max Normal
    Some great info here to keep me busy, thanks a lot
  4. Max Normal
    Didn't realise! I'll sign up thanks!
  5. Max Normal
    @Spondon, there are actually a few pay to view slap courses out there as i mentioned, but they are expensive so I was interested in people's opinions of them before I took the plunge. And I'm the one who will be doing the slapping
  6. Max Normal
    Thanks Barking Spiders, I like Scott's videos but I find the Youtube ones pretty low on content as they are really ads for his bass academy. I really want a complete course that I can work through over several weeks. It's a bit of a gamble to sign up for the academy for the slap content alone, but feedback from any subscribers would be of interest.
  7. Max Normal
    Brilliant, thanks guys i'll check them out
  8. Max Normal
    A little advice from anyone in the know would be appreciated. I'm by no means a beginner, I have been performing fingerstyle for decades and I'm pretty proficient at most types of bassline. I can play a bit of slap too, slaps, snaps, left-hand slaps etc. But I never got really good at it, I'd probably rate myself at intermediate. I have the basics down and I can make basslines that work. So I'm looking for an online course that runs in steps all the way from intermediate to advanced without just getting dribs and drabs from Youtube etc so that I can really progress. I have had a look at Scotts Bass Lessons and The Bass Wizard slap course but not signed up yet as they are both expensive and I want to know which would be the best. Any experiences of these (with regards to slap only), or any other suggestions? Cheers!
  9. Max Normal
    Thanks for the replies, I can buy with confidence
  10. Max Normal
    @jimmy23cricket Well to be fair, I had a few problems with my Ampeg soon after I bought it. I took it to an amp tech who corrected all the crappy solders and I have not had a problem for 5 years. If it really sounds that good and is so cheap, might have been worth doing the same.
  11. Max Normal
    Has anyone had experience of these? I have an Ampeg SVT3Pro which has a valve preamp stage and a mosfet power amp stage, so I'm interested in some preamp valves. here are various replacement preamp valve kits on Watford Valves at a variety of prices and a variety of different claimed tonal qualities. Do they really reliably make the huge difference in sound as described in each kit description, and do you think it's a real improvement on the standard valves? And do the higher prices reflect the actual quality of the improvement in sound, or just the availability of the particular valves. It's a bit of a shot in the dark to drop £80.00 - £200.00 when you can't hear them before you buy.
  12. Max Normal
    Thanks for your suggestions guys. I'm checking out video reviews for those pedals right now. Also looking at the MXR M89 which looks good bang for the buck and has a blend knob.
  13. Max Normal
    I have been using an EHX Big muff Pi Bass and I don't find it a very good pedal at all. It's too fuzzy and you lose the low end and it doesn't sit well in the mix. The GF has given me permission to replace it so I need some help! I'd like maybe to split the signal and have both a clean and dirty sound if this is the best solution? I'm not a particular Billy Sheehan fanatic, and I don't need to play many bass solos in my current outfit, but it looks like a good pedal. Mainly, I'm playing things like Zep, ZZ top, Rory Gallagher etc right now, and I need some nice tonally sounding dirt that cuts through the mix without sounding like a chainsaw (especially for the early ZZ top stuff). To give you an idea of my sound, current setup is: Sterling SB14 bass (soon to be an EBMM Stingray). Ampeg SVT 3 pro head Ampeg SVT classic 4x10 EBS Multicomp (and some other stuff on the board that is not on all the time so not relevent here). Any advice appreciated!
  14. Max Normal
    Yes I am stupid! Found it with your help, WooHoo! Thanks again for all your help chaps.
  15. Max Normal
    Nope, still can't see it. Am I being stupid or have they changed their site?
  16. Max Normal
    Thankyou!
  17. Max Normal
    I looked for it on their website but I couldn't see one. These seem quite hard to find.....
  18. Max Normal
    Thanks guys, some really helpful replies. I'll check out A-strings. Also, I have always liked Stingrays, but like a Jazz profile so I'll check out the SLO special too.
  19. Max Normal
    I swapped for a Sterling SB14 on here a couple of years back and to be honest even though it's a mid-range bass, I like it a lot. It plays beautifully with its slimline neck profile and Jazz nut width, just right for me. I was happy to pass on my two USA precisions and my Lakland Bob Glaub once I had got it. It sounds great through my SVT rig too, very punchy and with some of the "Stingray" tone, but maybe a little honky when DI'd or recorded. The finish and fretboard is overall very good, but there is just a hint of "Fenderitis" on the frets where the neck joins the body. I have done many gigs with it with no problems, it plays fast and cuts through the mix nicely. However, I read that the USA Sterling 4H is a much better bass, and now I have had this one, i want to buy the real thing. Strangely though, all the UK dealers seem happy to sell USA Stingrays, but no USA Sterlings, although they have loads of mid-range and learner copies of the Sterling like the SUB series. I played a SUB in a music shop and the neck had a thick, slow vintage feel to compared to the SB14 it and it didn't work well for me at all. I'm confident that the USA Sterling will sound good, and I have listened to Demos online, but before I splash out nearly £2K for the a USA Sterling, I want to play it so I can feel what the neck is like. Does anyone know somewhere that sells USA Sterlings? If not, has anybody played one and can you tell me what the neck feels like? The Jazz nut is a given, but how chunky is the neck profile? Thanks!
  20. Max Normal
    Sold!
  21. Max Normal
    Sold to MuckedUpFunkies pending.....
  22. Max Normal
    For sale is my wine-red 2011 Highway One P-bass. £500.00 no trades. modifications include: Hipshot detuner. Wizard Thumper pickups. Removal of the greasebucket tone circuit and replacement with a classic P-bass tone circuit with a sprague tone cap. Black pickguard. The bass is of course fitted with a BadAss II bridge. Body: Alder. Neck: Maple. Fingerboard: Rosewood. Finish: Nitro It's a nice lightweight body with lots of natural acoustic resonance. The Wizard pickups sound way better than the original Fender ones, and coupled with the improved tone circuit and the high mass bridge, this is a very toneful bass indeed and quite versatile. The tone circuit really works, and you can get everything from a zingy punky clang to a sweet thump that still has the overtones to cut through. Condition: There are no physical dents or marks on this bass at all except that the red nitro lacquer on the body has strangely pinged off in a few tiny, tiny little circles here and there of it's own accord, so although I have treated it with great care, this bass obviously aspires to looking road-worn one day. Comes with a gig bag. Genuine reason for sale, even though I love the bass, my band has stopped touring around and it's not being used anymore. [url="http://s1223.photobucket.com/user/maxnorma1/media/2014-01-07230618.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1223.photobucket.com/user/maxnorma1/media/2014-01-07230843.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1223.photobucket.com/user/maxnorma1/media/2014-01-07230446.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1223.photobucket.com/user/maxnorma1/media/2014-01-07230508.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1223.photobucket.com/user/maxnorma1/media/2014-01-07230534.jpg.html"][/url]
  23. Max Normal
    Sorry I'm a bit late with this, but this seems like a very good deal at the moment: http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Belcat-ABS-520-Dual-Input-A-B-Box-True-Bypass/FY4 Just bought one. Not sure how good it is (or if it's passive), but I'll let anyone who is interested know.
  24. Max Normal
    Sold now, thanks!
  25. Max Normal
    Absolute bargain. I have one of these, the lack of true bypass makes *no difference whatsoever* to my tone. Anyway I have it on all the time. I couldn't live without my multicomp, it really gives your tone a boost.
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