jonsmith

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1477174173' post='3160404'] I think you'd have to order Nectar Elements first, get the serial registered with Izotope then buy Neutron. You have to email your Nectar serial to the place you buy it from. If you buy it direct from Izotope though then you'll see the upgrade option when you log in. Either way, you'll have to get Nectar first. I'm not sure how long you have to wait between buying one then the other. I'd have though that with Izotope, it would show right away as soon as you register Nectar. If you buy from Time+Space or somewhere else they'll need to do a manual check with Izotope so you'd have a bit of time to get it registered. [/quote] Thank you.

Those of you who used Nectar elements to then trade up, did you order them both at the same time, or order and install Nectar, then do a separate purchase later? Thanks.

I played in a prog rock covers band where the singer played drums in the instrumental bits which worked quite well. If you've two competent drummers it's quite possible and very impressive at times. We only did it at gigs where there was sufficient space. There's a local originals band who use two drummers. They make it a focal point with the kits centre at the front of the stage, side on, face to face. It's quite effective.

Travelled to the west country to try out Luke's lovely Shuker J 6 string, which is now my lovely Shuker J6. It may have been for sale for almost 3 years, but it was exactly what I was after! Lost track of time as we chatted over a cup of coffee while I tried out the bass. Luke was great to deal with throughout - thoroughly recommended! Thanks again Luke. Cheers Jon

Sterling against Euro is probably not the best benchmark in this case as the Euro was also weakened by the Brexit referendum. I suspect that most international trade in musical instruments uses USD as its base currency. It's true that Sterling has been slowly weakening against USD for most of the last couple of years. GBP drifted nervously downwards against the US Dollar after the plan to hold the referendum was announced, then plummeted off the edge of the cliff when the referendum result was known. It hasn't really rallied either, though I keep seeing people saying that it has. Price rises are inevitable.

As previously stated, nothing is completely futureproof, but if you're getting something new I'd also recommend Focusrite. They seem to support their products for a while and they're good products too.

I can't believe the comments about London Calling. I don't think there's a duff track on it. Sandinista, on the other hand, could have a lot trimmed off it. Yes's Tales could lose side 3 I agree & it took me a while to enjoy sides 1 & 2.

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1455039576' post='2975318'] I have never really understood what a "concept" album was, I guess from the albums mentioned thus far, Punk and New Wave had no concept of......err, concept albums then! [/quote] Actually, there is a punk one: That's Life by Sham 69. Most of them seem to be prog though. IQ's Subterranea has recently been made into a (small budget) film. One of my bands is currently working on an album, which started out as a 'loosely thematically linked' work. One day I realised that it would actually tell a full story if we were to change the running order, so we have. Although the influence is there, we're certainly not a prog band.

Been a Yes fan since my teens, but it has taken me longer to fully appreciate The Who. Both are great bassists with their own voice on the instrument. I think Squire had a great sense of melody and counterpoint that wasn't so apparent in Entwistle's playing (to my ears at least). But Entwistle did an amazing job (I'm sure partially aided by Moon's non-stop cymbal fest) of filling out the live sound of The Who in the days when it was just the four of them on stage. I think Chris Squire would happily have acknowledged the influence that Entwistle had on his playing early on, in terms of an aggressive treble-rich sound and an upfront role for bass guitar in rock music. In fact, I'm not sure if Chris Squire would have sounded quite the way he did without Entwistle's influence, although Squire probably absorbed other things from the likes of McCartney & Bruce as well. I think the answer to your question depends on what part of your own playing you are looking to develop by listening to them.

It's even worse when it's your bass that's in the advert, which happened with my Mk1 fretted a few years ago. Photos appeared to have been lifted from when it was listed on ebay some years before (I remembered the seller's carpet) and it was also in advertised as being in Shetland in the scam ad. I've also had one of my Rickenbacker 4080s listed for sale in Canada, using photos I'd posted online a few years before when someone had asked about neck angles. It was sat in its case a few feet from me and not for sale.

There's loads of sequenced stuff on the keyboard parts. Do you think the bass is not live either?

I learned this line to try and impress the girls I was at school with (turned out they liked John Taylor for other reasons). I almost always played with fingers and this line was no exception - and it was possible. This performance is from around the same time and JT appears to be using fingers here: http://youtu.be/T4dKTblXrF4 I'm pretty sure it's JT, even if it gets scrappy towards the end. Most of these isolated bass parts reveal scrappy or out of time playing - even the ones from the likes of Geddy Lee. That's part of where the energy in performance comes from in my opinion (as opposed to the trend amongst some to quantise everything until it loses all sense of feeling). When deciding to go with a take, you'd listen in context with the other instruments (drums especially) rather than how the bassline sat on its own. The fact that so many untidy performances both in sound and execution have ended up on very successful recordings demonstrates that the part doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to fit in a pleasing way.

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1451944581' post='2944961'] @Jonsmith: "Singer: Initial message: "You guys seem really nice. My last band was awful, the drummer found God and the bass player went insane". On day of audition: "I've crashed my bike into a swimming pool and cracked some ribs. I think I'll just go back to my last band, I'll be happy with them." I laughed out loud at that! Thanks for posting it. Can't stop coughing now. [/quote] We laugh about it now. At the time, I was less than impressed.

Had loads of these of these over the years. Here are some I can remember. [b]Drummers: [/b] Initial message: "Love your stuff, listened online, really want to join". After receiving short list of audition songs: "I don't really like that sort of music" Initial message: "Really eager to get out playing again, can I audition?". After being consulted over suitable audition date: "Oh, I'm far too busy with work to join a band" Initial message: "Would love to try out for you guys, but I'm in Ashford, probably a bit far away". After being informed that our singer was in Ashford, so we use somewhere in between and they could carshare: "Err, actually I don't live in Ashford". "Sorry, my husband has decided I shouldn't be playing in bands" (felt sorry for that one, although I saw a video of her later and she wasn't very good). Had the drummer who wondered if he'd need a drum kit too. [b]Singer:[/b] Initial message: "You guys seem really nice. My last band was awful, the drummer found God and the bass player went insane". On day of audition: "I've crashed my bike into a swimming pool and cracked some ribs. I think I'll just go back to my last band, I'll be happy with them."

With the 4004, you get contoured body, no nasty pickup cover/razor sharp surround & what many would consider a superior bridge (although I've never had a problem with the 4001/3 bridge). I bought mine (Cheyenne) from a fellow BCer, in perfect condition. It's a maple top with the most beautiful wood. It does have a darker yet more 'modern' sound than a 4001/3. However, with the way I play, I can still get the sound I desire with a slight EQ tweak. It does seem lighter than my other Rickenbackers. It's a beautiful bass that I've used on several recordings, although strangely I don't use it live very often - I don't know why. It's a bass that addresses many of the perceived 'issues' that some people had with the 4001/3, yet it doesn't seem to have ever become that popular. I'd say anyone who is interested in Ricks should try one.

I'd recommend trying out the GL US Jazz, it really is a great bass. I was recording at the weekend and had 3 basses with me (including one of my favourites, a 4001CS), but ended up playing the Jazz on everything. I think the neck is still thinner than the standard (but don't have one to compare), though it's nowhere near as thin as the Japanese one. The neck has the satin finish which feels very 'fast'.

Yes. I always use it, both live and in the studio. I'm often a bit over-aggressive with my right hand and I like the way this makes the string sing, but I'm less keen on the massive initial spike of sound I sometimes get when I do this, so I use compression to shave those peaks off. I've still got plenty of dynamics - it's all about how you set things. I do a bit of recording/mixing in my spare time and have found that almost everything benefits from a little compression, providing it is set appropriately. My recordings still sound open and dynamic though - I'm not squashing everything within an inch of its life, unless it's someone else's band & that's what they want.

You say that the problem occurs when you use other cabs, yet seems to be coming from the cabs mechanically rather than directly from the signal from the amp. Would seem very odd that three different cabs would all exhibit the same fault with a clean signal. What does it sound like through headphones?

Deko six string Progressive arrived at weekend. Absolutely perfect except for over-zealous nut filing resulting in some fret buzz on a couple of open strings. Pity as I could have done with it for a dep slot I've got on Saturday. OK, not a high end bass by any means, but flawless at full price I'd say it's a quite lot for the money. New nut on the way...

[quote name='afterimage' timestamp='1444252026' post='2881675'] What a nice story guys did you get hit for taxes and import duty I have two fenders USA both jazz a 74. With a u profile neck and deluxe jazz both have lovely necks too [/quote] By the time Air Transat had finished with the case, it didn't look brand new ;-).

[quote name='cana.dan' timestamp='1443200036' post='2873096'] Out of curiosity was it at Long & McQuade or Tom Lee? [/quote] It was L&M. I should point out that the sales person wasn't aware that I was still a UK resident (just in case there are any Fender restrictions on sale).

Not speaking for George, but in my case it was a factor, which I acknowledge probably seems quite sad really. There now follows a lengthy explanation as to how I have ended up with 3 signature basses, two of which are in my top 4 'go to' basses. I'm happy with my purchases and don't feel I need to justify them to myself, but I understand that many will be bemused or maybe even horrified that I allowed myself to be influenced by a squiggle on a headstock or scratch plate. Years ago, I played in a Rush tribute. I already had a Rick and over time, as we incorporated more 80s stuff in the repertoire, I found myself wanting a Wal as the Rick didn't sit quite right in some of those songs, so I bought one. Having become geeky enough to use the correct instruments on most of the 70s & 80s stuff (yes, I even got a couple of Rick double necks for a few songs), I got a Japanese GL signature too. As time went on, I had become more sensitive to certain songs that the Rick was passable on, but had featured a Jazz on the original recording, so it seemed to make sense at the time. I was pretty happy with the Japanese Jazz, but it sounded a little thin and although everyone else raved about the neck, I found it just slightly too narrow at the nut end. Not enough to stop me using it, but not my preference outside of the songs I felt it sounded best on. Fast forward a few years and I stopped doing the Rush stuff, but all the basses saw action with my other bands when I felt they were appropriate. By this time I had also picked up a Chris Squire signature Rick. So many people had tried this particular bass (the very one I now own I mean) and raved about it and as I have always had a soft spot for Ricks, I thought I'd try it and move it on if I didn't think it was right for me. It played beautifully and saw a few years service in a couple of prog bands I was in, where it just seemed to sit perfectly in the mix, so I kept it. I was now a very 'sad' person with two signature basses, both from bassists I have been influenced by. Actually I was very happy as I liked both basses a lot, even if there were a couple of niggles about the GL. So this year I was in Vancouver when Rush played there in July. I went up to a nearby music shop with the intention of trying one of the latest Ricks as I was curious about the walnut ones and thought I could get one cheaper in Canada. They didn't have one and none of the Ricks they had on the wall screamed 'try me'. However I spotted the US GL and was curious to try it (I had seen Rush less than 48 hours earlier, which probably didn't help). I had read a few very positive comments about this bass and was considering trying it out in the UK, as it sounded like it would address the two things that weren't quite right for me on the Japanese one. So I asked if I could have a play while I chatted with the sales guy. He was a very pleasant person who had toured the UK a few times, recently with Devin Townsend. While we sat talking, I became aware that I really liked the feel of the bass and while I couldn't be certain through a different amp, the tone seemed to have the solidity that I missed in the Japanese version. Given the exchange rate, I decided to buy it and I'm really glad I did as it has exceeded my expectations from that positive impression I gained in the shop.

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1442345796' post='2866311'] I'd be willing to bet that Jon's "Why not?" was, more precisely, "Why wouldn't you want the audience at a local pub gig to have the best possible version of you playing live to them as well?" It's a sentiment which also rings true to me. [/quote] Exactly. I want to present myself in the best way possible, every time, wherever it is and however I choose to do it. It seems the only answer that will be accepted is that I'm some sort of "gear poser", but I can categorically state that this is not what's driving my choice. How would this work if - as has been suggested - no one in the pub knows or cares what I'm playing?

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1442342154' post='2866256'] You mean why don't the audience at the Washboard & Fiddle give specific instruments as much scrutiny as somebody who buys and album and devotes time to listen to it? Because they're different audiences. They want different things. The people in the local pub aren't interested in how much a bass costs, or what kind of music it's tone suits. They want to hear the classics that every band plays there every weekend, so they can stumble around, singing the wrong lyrics completely out of tune, and have a blast doing it. [/quote] I don't think most of the record buying public are that interested in what specific instruments are played on a recording or how much they cost either. Most will know when it sounds good though & although many pub audiences will put up with poor sound because it's what they are often confronted with, is there something wrong with trying to give them something better if you can? Edit to add: Not everyone in my pub audiences wants to stumble around singing the wrong lyrics out of tune to "the classics" - some of them are quite discerning. One of my bands only plays one cover and it sure isn't one of the "classics".

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1442333156' post='2866136'] Different things require different gear. Recording is about the best possible sound, and the best possible version of you playing. People can and will pick your parts out of the mix and listen to them intensely. The same problem isn't faced in a local pub cover band. [/quote] Why not?