Doddy

Will Lee, Nathan East, Sean Hurley, Chris Chaney, Jimmie Lee Sloas, Steve Pearce.......to name a few. All of them have played on more big selling albums than John Taylor. Or do they not count because they are first call session players rather than band guys?

Define success? I'm sure there are a load of bassists who have played on more big selling albums over the last year. I would class them as being more successful than John Taylor.

As a massive pedal user, don't look at pedals as a way to fill gaps. A couple of people have already mentioned tone, and this is where you need to start. You want a good sound that is full and clear, and fills out the low end without sounding muddy and undefined. Next, look at how you approach playing under the solo. I find that it can often sound better to play a solid, simpler part that sounds full, than to try and be busy. Of course, you can go full Jack Bruce if you want but you need to be comfortable with the harmony and with reacting to the soloist, otherwise it becomes busy for the sake of bring busy. One thing that is often over looked is what register you are playing in. If the guitar goes up the octave for his solo and you stay down in the lower positions, there can be a gap of 2 or 3 octaves between the two of you and it sounds empty in the midrange. In these cases it can sound better if you play more around the middle of neck, especially when you have a good tone.

I'm down to 17 basses(I think). I've been selling off a few of my midrange instruments to buy some more higher end gear instead. I've reached a point where I'd rather have a few quality basses than loads of alright ones. I could probably cut everything down to just my Fender Jazz and Precision, F Bass BN5, Clifton EUB, and Moog Sub25, and I'd be able to cover anything.

Cables can make a big difference to your sound. Cheap cables can add noise and lose high end, and often have cheap moulded jacks that are more likely to fail and are difficult to replace. I think it's always worth investing in decent cables. I've used nothing but Spectraflex for the last 15 or 16 years and have never had an issue, even when they have been thrown in a rucksack or suitcase.

It's for a touring theatre show that pays £2-250 each a night with 100+ shows booked. So, decent pay and conditions.

I totally agree with playing along to the radio- it's a great practice exercise to get your ear together. If you don't know the chords, I would stay away from the minor 7. It won't work over any chord. There's a couple of ways to approach jammimg. One is to just have an extensive repertoire, and know loads of tunes. Otherwise it comes down to having a good ear and/or knowing common chord progressions. With ear training, learn to recognise at least major, minor and their 7 chords, and know what notes are in them. If you know common progressions like I,IV, V, I,iv,ii,V, I,vi,IV,V etc, it can be a massive help, because you'll know what's coming.

They used to do a passive version of the Precision Deluxe too, which is very nice and also has a Jazz neck.

I'm sure they will be the deciding factor, but why would they waste time auditioning someone who can't even read the advert properly? It shows them that you can't be trusted to read all the supplied information, and could end up missing important details down the line. It doesn’t matter if you can play like Pino if you miss your emails and turn up late for soundcheck.

Let's put the post in context. That advert is not for a pub band that gets together for the odd gig. It's for a touring theatre show with a lot of work which will earn you about £20-25K. If someone can't read and reply to the ad properly, you're not going to expect them to read the gig details and itinerary correctly either are you? The guy running the show seems to have is act together, as far as I'm concerned.

I saw that ad on Facebook too. I didn't think that part of the post was a big deal. You see a lot of posts asking for people to email, and the comments are filled with comments saying they've PM'd or quoting their interest. It's an easy way to weed out people who don't read the info properly. Kind of like the Van Halen M&M thing.

I'm guessing it's either sold on to another manufacturer, or used in either a cheaper line or for solid finishes.

Switch the order around and see how they affect each other. You'll get a reaction different depending on their position in your signal chain, so play around and see which you like best.

Joe Cleveland is all over the place at the minute. He's tearing it up with so many artists. Check out his pkaying on Mac Millers Tiny Desk Concert- everyone talks about Thundercats playing on 'Whats the Use', but Joe nails the rest of the set.

I think having improved parts and materials are completely worth the extra money. I'm not against the idea that cheaper instruments can get the job done. I've got a Sire V7 that I've played on a bunch of shows, and I think it holds up very nicely against most new basses in the sub £800 range, but when compared to my high end instruments the difference is night and day. It just doesn't have the finesse in playability or tone. I could take the Sire and spend more than it cost on new hardware and pickups and stuff, but it wouldn't up the value of the bass. It would still be a £400 Sire that has now cost £7-800. When you start looking around that price, you are getting to a point where you can buy a higher quality used bass that is arguably a better instrument at every point. I really think it's worth spending a bit more and getting a bass that is made of decent wood, has quality hardware and electronics, and better attention to detail.