Doddy

I really like Mike Gordon's tone with Phish. It's full and fat but still has definition.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='787994' date='Mar 27 2010, 05:48 PM']There have been a few past threads on this subject. Opinions seem quite divided. Personally, I like the more expensive stuff.[/quote] Is that why,despite owning an Alembic,Steinberger,Tobias,and currently a Roscoe, you say that your Jazz is the best purchase ever?

.....and makes me think I should look in Cash Converters more often

[quote name='lojo' post='788539' date='Mar 28 2010, 02:43 PM']So although I have had some fun, I have always been limited and felt fake Would taking lessons now improve me, or are my bad habits to ingrained and would take to long to undo Also I am worried finding out how bad I really am technically would spoil the fun I am currently having gigging covers Equally I do not wish to miss out on what I could discover if I took lessons?[/quote] If you have always felt limited then yes,taking lessons would be a good idea. Lessons will always improve you but only if you work on it and practice.If you do this,bad habits can be rectified pretty quickly. Finding out that you are doing something 'wrong' should not spoil any fun. You shouldn't be thinking about it on gigs. If you study and practice correctly,it will work its way into your playing naturally. If you feel that you are missing out on things then that answers your question. Lessons are always a good idea. Even though I do this bass lark for a living,I still take lessons a few times a year.

Bear in mind that as soon as you fret a note it makes absolutely no difference what the nut is made.

[quote name='Jerry_B' post='788361' date='Mar 28 2010, 10:40 AM']After all, it's not impossible to be a versatile musician and still learn and play by ear.[/quote] You can,but a if you can both read and busk you can easily step into any situation and do the gig,whereas with 'just' an ear player you will probably require a rehearsal or at the very least an advance copy of the set so you can learn it. The versatility of someone who can read will always be greater than one who can't.

I think everyone knows my opinion on gear sharing by now. I don't like it or do it. If there are other bands playing aswell,what I would do of I were you, is use your amp and then get it shifted as soon as you are done. As it's a combo it'll only takes a few secs to get of stage. There is no way I'd buy a shiny new amp and let other bands use it.

[quote name='Jerry_B' post='788026' date='Mar 27 2010, 06:13 PM']If you can get the job done by playing by ear, stick with that.[/quote] Or you could learn to read and become a more versatile musician. Why would you not want to improve your musicianship? You don't have to do one or the other-you can do both. [quote name='Oggy' post='788127' date='Mar 27 2010, 08:29 PM']I hear stories of professional musicians working to 'click tracks' what's that about?[/quote] Yes a lot of people do use click tracks. They are used in studios alot as it makes it easier to overdub and edit tracks when they are in strict time. It also makes it easier to dance to. You would be surprised at the number of tracks that have been recorded to a click. Live they are mostly used when there is a sequence or sample to be played. The band need to have the time spot on or the sequence will be out of sync. They are not used because the players have bad time. [quote name='Jerry_B' post='788254' date='Mar 27 2010, 11:37 PM']At the end of the day it really depends on what you want to play and who you're playing with.[/quote] But why limit what you can do and who you can play with? The more you know and the more you can do, the wider the range of gigs that are available to you.

Advise on getting a Marshall amp? Don't Seriously though,Ive never really liked their bass amps.

As much as I love my 'fancy' basses,my Jazz is still my 'go to' bass. It's done so many gigs and it's getting a little battered but it's all been done on gigs that I've done. It's like wearing a comfy jumper.

If you go in to a shop with a grand in your pocket,you don't have to spend it. If it was the choice between a 'nice' £1000 instrument or a 'great' £300 one I know which I'd go for.

Larry Graham always calls it 'Thumpin' and Pluckin''. I kind of like that term more than 'Slapping'

However,there are some manufacturers who don't believe that true bypass is all it's made out to be and prefer to use buffers.

I think that is mostly confined to the orchestral world. Although most classical soloist have played the piece so often you pretty much never see them with the parts. I have done am-dram's where some members of the band cannot busk or play by ear,but these are usually people who are peripatetic teachers who only play out once or twice a year,by doing these shows. I'm not generalising or trying to offend anyone,but this is what I've noticed around my way.

I like that 5 string Jazz

[quote name='essexbasscat' post='787679' date='Mar 27 2010, 09:59 AM']If you're doing the covers thing and you have a good ear, you will never have to read music at all to play year in, year out. What's more, if you are doing the covers thing with a good ear, you are streets ahead of anyone that needs to read to play.[/quote] Depends. One of the cover band that I do a lot of work with has everything fully charted for every instrument. It means that deps can come in easily and it saves so much rehearsing-any new songs are presented as charts.You can move off the charts once you know them,but initially they are great to have as it saved a lot of time. Every other cover band is a case of listen and copy.So it's essential that I can play by ear and read. Incidentally,when you say that in a cover band you will be 'streets ahead' of a reader,what are you refering to? The fact that the vast majority of these players don't read and that pretty much all of them will require you to learn by ear?

It's off the Standing in the Shadows of Motown film.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='787480' date='Mar 26 2010, 10:06 PM']It's Friday night, I guess everyone is out gigging. We've had other Friday night TV threads that have really gone mad.[/quote] Either that or no one is watching Comedy Rocks. mmmmmmm.....Jo Brand and Scouting for Girls? For some reason I think the name of the show is wrong...........

You weren't saying that a couple of weeks ago.... I love Jazz Basses.

[quote name='HoweDy' post='787436' date='Mar 26 2010, 08:44 PM']only claypool could pull that off![/quote] ...and still sound like Claypool.

I put all my effects in one of the loops of a Boss LS2. That seems to do the trick as I'm effectively taking the pedals out of the chain when I bypass the loop.

According to Forrest White,who was a Fender executive and friend of Leo Fender "Strings for the prototype electric basses did not exist,because there were no instruments to put them on. Simple enough? Leo had to take gut strings and wrap them with small-gauge iron wire for his first units.He said this was a heck of a job. After the bass proved successful,he had V.C. Squier make the strings for him. He had been buying all of his guitar strings from Squier........." Take from the October 2001 issue of Bass Player magazine.

I never tried to memorise an entire solo that I've transcribed. Generally,I may come across an idea in the solo that I really like,and then I'll move it around and try it in other keys and things like that. It may just be a one bar thing that catches my attention and inspires me to practice it. It's great to be able to play the entire solo,but I like taking one fragment of it and use that as a step to other ideas. That way,if you use that idea in a solo of your own you won't sound like you are blatantly copying Miles or Coltrane or whoeve,but the influence will be there.