s_u_y_*

Me being the vain guy I am ( ) I say get a maple board if the body colour is dark, and a rosewood board if the body is light. For me, the constrast is appealing. Though I will say that black/black/rosewood combo does look pretty nice as an exception. For sunburst, both maple and rosewood work because it has both light and dark. This is just my taste, but there is logic to my madness.

[quote name='TheBrokenDoor' post='88031' date='Nov 13 2007, 07:15 PM']I am either the visionary or the follower in my bands. I like directing musicians and I like being directed as a musician, and having a driving force creatively and professionally (until a decent manager turns up) is very important. I don't mind baying to someones ego, as long as they recognise it and the band do. On stage it might look like a equal partnership, but in practise a leader is incredibly important.[/quote] I think you summed it up better than I did! [quote name='Aussiephoenix' post='88063' date='Nov 13 2007, 08:24 PM']thing is, even if we dont get to play anywhere interesting, and its just for fun, personally I feel like we still need to do our best to sound good. and its just not happening... the drums tempo oscilates, so it doesnt glue with the bass, unless I am constantly sizing up his tempo and doing my best to fit in (usually killing my groove), and if the rhythm section isnt there, then nothing else will sound good...[/quote] If gigs are hard to come by, then perhaps studio work may be more fulfilling. As for your drummer tempo problems, work using rhythm-only rehearsals, i.e. bass and drums. Working with a metronome playing through a PA works wonders at exposing a drummer's problem in time. It is a painful process for any musician, but the benefits are unstatable.

[quote name='steve' post='88382' date='Nov 14 2007, 01:19 PM']so is this the real deal then? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1965-Fender-Precision-bass-Lake-Placid-Blue-All-Orig_W0QQitemZ320181775766QQihZ011QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]ebay link[/url] not that i'm buying it, just curious[/quote] Cash on Collection only. Looks good. His name is Gabriel. If he's from Walthamstow and Italian, he's a dealer but a nice guy to deal with. I usually see him operating on Gumtree, and has beaten me to a bass or two in the past!

[quote name='dub_junkie' post='87435' date='Nov 12 2007, 05:37 PM']s_u_y I love that blueburst one you got. if you ever want a sale/trade keep me in mind cheers[/quote] Thanks! If that white Sterling had a neck H pup, I'd probably be PM-ing you right now.

I've felt that way before many-a-time. The things with bands, is they are very tempermental. I've noticed most bands on the London circuit don't get past the 1.5 year mark, simply because they can't get past their own egos. That why in a weird way I like my current band arrangement. It's bandleader led so what he says, goes. He's allowed the rest of us some creative input, but he has firmly kepy our egos in check when needs be (because it's his ego which is on show, so to speak). As a result, I've become more humble and disciplined as a musician. I actually find it easier when there is that kind of leadership... they act almost like a chairperson in a meeting, making the creative process easier and have suggested it to a project which I've tagged along with, as they are having a crisis before it's even got off the ground! That's just my experience of working with bands. I'd say it is easier to work in a band with a definite creative force embodied into a person, or a duo. It reduced the amount of egos clashing. Or as you put the "common goal" is to support the main creative force. Just to re-iterate, I'm not advocating dictatorship but rather chairmanship. And in my experience it has worked everytime. In terms of gear... get the light combo/half-stack. Every venue will have a PA, and you might as well save your back unlike you drummer hauling his 15 piece kit, or your guitarist's tri-amp system.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='87936' date='Nov 13 2007, 04:22 PM']Someone mentioned PA and placebo? Not a true placebo effect but worth recounting anyway. I arrived late to a gig due to prior committment, which the band knew about; not one single speaker was positioned and not one mic' stand erected (not only am I the bassist but I set-up and operate the whole PA as no-one has figured out after 15 years what plugs in where). I spat my dummy out! After I'd plugged in the FOH I thought 'scr*w the monitors' and simply ran cables along toward them ([b]but didn't plug in[/b]). The singer started his usual soundcheck FOH routine; bit less top (I rolled off a touch of mid), bit more bass (I rolled off a touch as it was going to be a waste of power in this particular room), can you do something with the mids (yeh right, what the feck do you know) GREAT just right! He then asked for a bit more in the monitors... I duly turned up the appropriate dial; yep, touch more, yeh that's great! Oh how I chuckled to myself. I have a particularly stubborn streak so I left the monitors unplugged for the next 6-7 weeks, not a soul noticed the lack of monitors. HOWEVER, the singer commented on the fact that we seemed to be getting a better sound these days. We were packing the gear away after a gig when the guitarist happened to comment that the monitors weren't plugged in. I feigned ignorance and said that I hadn't plugged them in, I assumed someone else was doing it. Suddenly the consensus was that the sound had been cr*p tonight and not a patch on the last dozen gigs. The devil in me had to then ask who had been plugging in the monitors since that gig where I was late...[/quote] lol... That's funny! But then again, I wonder if I would have fallen for that.

Oh my...

[quote name='trevthebass' post='87032' date='Nov 11 2007, 08:24 PM']hi there my name is trevor and i live in the south east london area and i am very interested in the band i and love the motown thing, jamerson e.t.c. my number is 07828-333-256 if you like please give me a call and perhaps we can sort something out many thanks trevor.[/quote] You might be better off PM-ing them or emailling them. This was his only post, so I doubt he'll be back to check. Good luck.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/95-Ernie-Ball-Stingray-Bass-Guitar-w-Dark-Star-Pickup_W0QQitemZ290180139233QQihZ019QQcategoryZ4713QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem"][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/95-Ernie-Ball-Stingr...VQQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/95-Ernie-Ball-Stingr...VQQcmdZViewItem[/url][/url] Heads up! From the US of A, but an astonishing price even with custom bills. He's definately interested in shipping abroad too.

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='86737' date='Nov 11 2007, 01:18 AM']dont sell that man. I have a feeling that its one of thoses things that it will take one band (ie big band on the tv or summit) to use one and suddenly the value will shoot up. what does it sound like?[/quote] Yeah... I thought the same too. I can see a new rave indie band sporting one of these and them suddenly being "in". If I was in one, I'd be!

Had a gig at The Miller, London Bridge with the Jamie West Band. Gig went great, and we had a good turnout. We had to bring a good crowd because we hadn't worked with this promoter in a while. They had changed staff and had no idea who we were. Thankfully, we brought the most people there so it looks set to play in the venue we originally wanted, Spice of Life, Soho. Also, got a contact who works at the BBC and is interested in making a music video for us. I even got an offer from one of the acts to join them! All in all it was a crucial gig that went well. But on the flip-side of things, I now have a neckache from moving around on stage and also caught a chill which I still haven't recovered from.

Yeah... I can testify that Stringray prices are down at the moment. (We should have an instrument stock market... hehe). Unfortunately I was selling at the time. For me, I'm really preferring the thinner string spacing nowadays. As result, my remaining Stingray doesn't get much of a look in. But she's a really well made bass and is really beautiful with the birds eye maple neck made in the transition era after Ernie Ball acquired Musicman. If you do get one, I suggest you find one of these. Though they are sought after by some individuals for their necks and pre-amps, they aren't more expensive in the market. For me, the combine the higher quality control when Ernie Ball took over, and some of the pre-EB classic designs, i.e. larger bridge. Here's my one as an example:

[quote name='elom' post='84667' date='Nov 6 2007, 11:15 PM']That's a nice looking bass. Someone on here used to have one of their butterfly basses didn't they?[/quote] I think Paul_C has one for sale, though I'm not sure. I know one day, I'm gonna get one of those butterfly Daisy Rocks. They look cool, in a quirky way.

Hi there... welcome! After going throught the same problem, I've gone with and so far stuck with a Mark Bass Little Mark II => Epifani-UL110. For me, transportability via public transport is also key. That alone is only 13kg. But if it is just the weight for lifting out of your car, I'd add an Epifani-UL112 to that combo. About 500W through both speakers.

You could try local voluntary organisations. They may be happy to take this off your hands.

Oh thanks for this. I found this website a while back and lost it again. I dare say it, but I think last time I looked they're even cheaper than thomann.de!

MarkBass Little Mark II => Epifani UL-110 (or for slightly more meat UL-112) This was my lightweight solution. Although I tend to use my EBS MicroBass as my preamp, the Mark Bass head is really good, and I love the ideas of filters. Very useable. The Epifani is great for such a small thing, obviously slight lacking in lows but can really fill up a rehearsal room. It is more than enough in a pure backline role. I can carry this setup + bass on the London Underground during rush hour.

Those are some awesome shots... they really capture you having fun, and capture what a stunner that bass is! You must be a happy monkey.