peteb

Just sold my Stingray to Gus - nice guy, easy to deal with, nae problems at all..........

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1332099924' post='1583321'] Odd that Bonham gets all the attention, given that Bill Ward was clearly no slouch. [/quote] To be fair, I don't think that Ward was really in the same class or as influential as Bonham

Both great, not too mention influential bands - LZ in particular are probably my favourite band..... Funnily enough, every decent drummer that I know seems to worship the ground that Bonham no longer walks upon!

I've had a Mesa Boogie mpulse amp for the past 10 years or so, which is certainly the best amp I've ever played thru and possibly the best that I've heard! An old all valve Ampeg Classic that a mate of mine used to own comes pretty close but I would probably slightly favour the Boogie For many years I used various old SWR cabs, which were great. These days I've got a Berg HS10, which is excellent I've also got a little Mark Bass LM3, which I use for a lot of smaller pub gigs or when I can't be bothered lugging a rack around. It's a nice bit of kit but certainly not as good as the Boogie.....

[quote name='Mark_Bass' timestamp='1331819608' post='1579403'] Nothing hardware related, its never let me down and plenty loud, but i just cant seem to find the right tone so i spend more time tweaking the parametric eq than possibly just trying to enjoy the amp. So i was looking for something simplier, im very tempted by the Genz Benz Streamliner 600. I like the notion of being able to use that and the TC RH450 at home with just a pair of headphones, i have tried the TC Rebel Heads and they've got a tonne of fantastic functionally but found the treble a smidge harsh sounding and also i dont think id every stop tweaking the dials lol [/quote] The trouble with the mpulse is that there are loads of options for tone shaping - some great sounds but if you are not careful some horrible ones! I would suggest that you look at the factory sample settings in the manual before you give up on it - I slightly tweak the 'driving rock' one, which just sounds great and should suit the stuff that you're playing A lot of the amps that you are looking at here are fine, but not a patch on the mpulse if you can find the right eq setting!

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1331762078' post='1578630'] Try locking with the hi-hat. It's more fun. [/quote] That almost sounds like you're playing jazz! Beware, it's a slippery slope.......

I would be very loathe to leave the pub in the lurch if its a good regular gig and you have a good relationship with the landlord, but 3 months is plenty of notice for the pub to rearrange the gig and get another band for the night

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1331674253' post='1577108'] Hopefully we agree there are no rules about bass and kick drum [/quote] Oh, go on then..... Well, not really, to be honest (at least not for what I play) - but the important thing is whatever works.....

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1331672582' post='1577070'] Point one for me is that it tells us that both approaches can work or not work and that you do whatever is suitable. Point two is that you are right, you have to do what suits the music. I can sit on three notes on the kick when it's necessary and it often is with one of the bands I play in. [/quote] I knew that we could agree on something.....

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1331669207' post='1576995'] I just knocked these two up to demonstrate the effect of bass strictly covering the kick, and playing around the kick. [url="http://soundcloud.com/silddx/sets/on-kick-off-kick/"]http://soundcloud.co...-kick-off-kick/[/url] [/quote] [color=#222222]Not quite sure what this tells us: after a quick listen I would say that the first example is simple but very tight and is probably what you would record under a vocal; the second track has a more developed bassline with some nice ideas but isn’t as tight (probably as you are trying not to follow the kick too closely)[/color] [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1331641679' post='1576310'] I have to say, the way you explain the set-up...it sounds a shambles and a guessimate. I am talking about the pattern going awol and you think that is ok....??? You can all go and get lost in the music..and then pull it all together when you want to get back in to the main pattern. Reading your posts, I think this would be a recipe for a disaster. but then I also get the impression that happy free-for-all train wreck suits the concept. If it happens, then ok...to be expected, if it doesn't, we have a chance of pulling of something really interesting...for the band..!! Why would I get lost in a track..? I am counting to a set pattern..I am not making things up as we go...and hoping it will be alright if we all wave and look out for each other. The way you seem to work...not sure you have a clue, tbh. which is ok if it works..upto a point. But when you have to put yourself into a mainstream situation, I doubt you'll have the tools and will be out of your depth pretty quickly....if you ignore or can't follow simple basics...or rules, if you prefer. Sorry if this offends...but jeeeeeeeeeezus..!! [/quote] I can see what JTUK is getting at here, thru I suspect that you are playing with some pretty skilled players in a genre that perhaps does not depend on a the same type of groove that you might find in funk or rock and who can make it work Having said that, [b]if[/b] you take the approach that you have been talking about playing in a decent rock band then, brother, you ain’t gonna get the gig! I did quite a lot of gigs last year in a few different bands last year, playing everywhere from Bedford to the Orkneys. Some of the guys I was playing with have a track record and are pretty decent players. I like to think that I am in demand because of my immense charm, good looks and outstanding chops! However, I am told that it is mainly because I can ‘lock in’ with a drummer and make the band sound good……

[quote name='Mog' timestamp='1331651869' post='1576580'] Happens a lot personally speaking. It can be viewed as a bad trait but I prefer to look at as a willingness to constantly improve. The thing about practice is that it will pay off in the long run. Try not to focus so much on what you can't do and practice what you feel you are best at, this can be a means to developing your own style. (Obviously you should still practice what you find difficult, otherwise practicing would be a waste of time) If I were you I'd try and find a guitarist and drummer who just want to expand their abilities a little by practicing as a group. Its amazing what you can learn from playing with others. Things like versatillity etc will come eventually as you expose yourself (giggidy) to other genres and play with other musicians. Dont get too hung up on it. [/quote] @ Townes This is good advice....

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1331588402' post='1575547'] Ah, I thought you wanted bass not on the kick creating a groove. I'll sort summat out. [/quote] Reminds me of a few jam sessions where we used to try to drop into reggae bits in the middle of a song - trying to get guys who were used to playing rock or blues to not play on the '1' was almost impossible....!

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1331580626' post='1575316'] OK, a very very crude recording here but it gives you the impression. I could not program EZdrummer to play exactly the drum beat so here it is playing a standard 4/4 bass/snare/bass/snare with the hi-hat playing 4's over it. In reality it would be bass/hi-hat/bass/snare with the bass guitar playing the root on the hi-hit and snare part. I so with I could think of the songs that use this beat. If I do I will link it up. [url="http://soundcloud.com/michael-boylan/offbeat"]http://soundcloud.co...-boylan/offbeat[/url] [/quote] Thanks for making the effort to put that up, nicely played if I may say so! I do kinda see what you’re getting at but it’s not how I would normally approach playing a groove (maybe a middle 8) I do think that we all may be getting a bit carried away with ourselves here. I waded into this thread because Doddy said that Billy Sheehan was wrong to say that a bass player should lock in with the bass drum – basically I thought that Doddy was wrong! I am then backed into a corner and end up saying that the bass should always cover every bass drum beat, which of course is the general rule but as we all know musical rules are there to be broken whenever the fancy takes us! I’ve just been listening to a Steve Lukather CD in the car and as a result of this thread found myself listening to the rhythm section rather than just the songs / vocals / guitar playing. As you might expect, exemplary playing and a variety of different grooves – but every bass drum hit is covered by a bass guitar note……….!

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1331554761' post='1574563'] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpSMaY2XAbM[/media] [/quote] Brilliant piece of music but hardly a backbeat (which is what we were talking about).....

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1331553223' post='1574527'] Sorry but this is not true. You can play an offbeat note, playing a single bass note on the snare leaving the bass drum beat free of any bass guitar note in the same way a reggae rhythm guitar part is played. This creates a driving offbeat feel especially if the drummer plays 4s on the hi-hat. [/quote] OK...... I am happy to stand corrected on this point but would like to hear some recorded examples of how this works first! Certainly an unusual way of way of doing things and dunno if it would work but I would certainly like to hear what it sounds like!

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1331512240' post='1574110'] It might be worth noting that there will be little to none actual benefit of fitting a BA bridge ... unless of course you are addressing a known issue of spacing or alignment for example. Therefore a basic no-name alternative (equally high mass bridges are available for £10-15) will afford you a better budget for the more essential items - neck, pups, strings etc. [/quote] Won't cost me a penny - I have an old Badass bridge in my spares box!!

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1331506955' post='1574054'] It's entirely possible to put together a playable bitsa for well under a hundred quid. The components will be a bit iffy but it can be done. Thereafter, you can progress up the scale until you realise you've become your own 'custom shop'. If you don't want to get into refinishing, you need no more than a soldering iron, a couple of screwdrivers, a drill and a suitable allen key. You won't make your money back compared to buying the CIJ, but it's more fun. [/quote] I have put a low offer in for the CIJ - if I get it (a bit unlikely but you never know) I will upgrade it with a Badass bridge and some black schaller hardware I have hanging around and buy an EMG & a tort scratchplate, which should leave me with change from £350 for a giggable bass! Assuming I don't get it then I'll start searching thru ebay for a decent body and maybe a Warmouth neck (no rush) - it's got to be giggable, so I'm afraid £100 ain't really gonna cut it but I'm certainly not going to put a fortune into it Of course, there is always the problem that I might be creating a rod for my own back - turn up for a gig with a Fender P and certain band leaders are then not going to want to hear anything else, no matter how good my other basses are, such is the power and appeal of the image of the P bass ...!!

Dunno if it’s nostalgia or just getting old but I find myself thinking about getting a Fender ‘P’ bass again, years after selling the last of the ones that I used to own and swearing blind that I would never buy another one! This could partly be because the leader of the last band I was in seemed to continually want me to get my really nice ‘super jazz’ bass to sound like a precision or because they just look so cool but I have been thinking about putting a lowball offer on a CIJ precision on eBay or putting together a bitsa ‘P’ bass To my way if thinking, it has to look like an old Fender; i.e. sunburst or natural wood, with a tort scratchplate and preferably looking a bit knocked about ! Of course, I would put a badass bridge (or similar) and an EMG on it, just like I always used to do whenever I’ve had a Fender P bass in the past….. Has anyone got any ideas about how to put together a ‘bitsa’ P bass and how much it would cost? Unfortunately I’ve spent a small fortune on gear in the last couple of years, so I would want to put together a bass that looks, plays and sounds like Fender (preferably better), but not cost a fortune Any advice / ideas??