Doddy

I'd also be wary of any teacher -or anyone else for that matter-who says you are at Grade whatever. If you don't actually have the grade you can't realistically say you are at that grade. I've been professional for 10 years and can play and have taught grade 8 but do not actually have it, therefore I cannot and don't say that I'm 'grade 8 level'.

I think that the cool basses at the moment are Singlecuts. They seem to be what a lot of the hot players are using lately.

I use a David Gage Realist into an Aphex Bass Exciter and either a Roland Cube 100 for small or pit gigs or my Genz Benz/Bergantino rig for big gigs. I use a Boss line selector if I'm doubling on electric.

Poogie Bell is a major Groove-meister.

'Little Ghetto Boy' is Transcribed in full in this months copy of Bass Player. Donny Hathaway is essential listening. Superbly grooving all the way through,finally topped off by Willie Weeks' stunning solo on 'Voices Inside (Everything is Everything).

I'm endorsed by iGig so I'm a little biased,but they really are the best gig bags I've used. I use a Tweed G515,which has loads of storage space and great protection. The G525 has less storage and is a slightly tighter fitting case. They're both great. They're expensive but worth it.

Yeah I've done that. What happens to me most is when I'm playing a song and then suddenly think "Oh crap, I've forgotten how the bridge goes". Usually the 'muscle memory' kicks in and it's fine,but occasionally.............Look out!!

Told you they were ace.

I think all of this depends on the individual. There is a difference between the Professionals and the,for want of a better word,'Hobbyists'. If you work 9 to 5 everyday,and then rehearse a couple of times a week and gig at weekends,I can understand why your partner would be unhappy.In that case,I think it's fair to offer some kind of compromise, if the relationship means anything to you. If,however,you are a professional then things are different. The request to cut down on playing is totally unacceptable. The thing is,being a pro musician is not just a job,it's a lifestyle. I always lay this down straight away whenever I meet someone new. That way,you quickly find out if it is likely to cause any problems.

Nice one for taking up the upright. You should look into getting a few lessons on technique. DVD's are great,but you need someone to point out any mistakes you may be doing,that you would not notice(or just let slide)if you go it alone. I wouldn't bother with a powerball personally (no offence BurritoBass). If you learn correct technique from the start you shouldn't pick up any injuries. Just take it easy to begin with and if you feel any pain,stop playing and look for a teacher. I've been gigging on upright for about 10 years and never had a problem. Try and learn some basic arco technique too. It will improve your intonation no end. The Bow doesn't lie.

I thought that Nick Cave Video was wrist-slashingly dull. When ever a video of someone like Marcus comes up,the argument against it is always no soul,or emotion. One word................ Bullsh@t! Whenever someone plays,they will always portray some form of emotion. Music doesn't have to be deep and meaningful.What's wrong with making people want to dance or just listen and enjoy? It happened the other week with the vid of that Japanese fusion band. They were playing well and having fun and that emotion is passed on to the audience. That Marcus vid was grooving,the band were playing great as always and they were enjoying it. That emotion is shared between the band and passed onto the audience. Too many people (no-one in particular) have trouble seeing passed the chops,and think it's a substitute for 'soul'. But what's the point in having something to say and not having the vocabulary or technique to say it?

I couldn't get rid of my upright. I love both the instruments and gig regularly on both electric and upright. I don't think it's a good decision to totally jack in the upright-You may end up regretting it.

That video of Brain proves that a good player will still sound good on crappy gear :brow: As far as wicked drumming...Steve Gadd is the Ultimate. Dave Weckl keeps getting better. JoJo Mayer is killing it. Gene Krupa is still brilliant,as is Buddy Rich. I could go on.......................

As far as I'm aware,all a power conditioner does is isolate each output and help to prevent your gear from sudden spikes of electricity. I don't think it's an essential piece of gear-a good quality four way should be able to do a similar job. But to be honest, I'm not 100% sure what they do. I've never needed one anyway.

I use in-ears on any gig where everything goes through the PA,or when I'm singing. I try to have a good mix of everything in my monitors,and then have my Bass and vocals slightly louder than everything else. I still have to have an amp though because a- I like the sound and feel of my rig mid'ed and b- not every band or gig has or requires personal monitoring.

Bruce Thomas and Jerry Scheff also played on 99.9F Mike Visceglia is a great bass player. Check out the Bass and vocal duet of 'Left of Centre' on Suzanne Vega Live at Montreux. The whole concert is great.

If everyone knows how to set up their own stuff it doesn't take long. I've done gigs where the band has loaded in,set up-PA aswell- and started playing in around half an hour. I don't see any reason why you couldn't set up your own backline in around 10 mins. It's all about efficiency.

What Victor's doing in that clip is muting the strings with the left hand and playing a fast triplet-I think- by plucking with the index and middle fingers followed by a slap. Guy's like Victor and Marcus tend to use the right hand for muted patterns more than say, Mark King who uses a lot of left hand slaps in conjunction with the right in a more drum-istic way. Marcus does it really clearly here at around 30 seconds [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke4Gfi6hS6w"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke4Gfi6hS6w[/url]

I'm kind of sitting in the middle of both sides of the argument. I can understand why some people choose to go the custom route. I believe that the major reason is the added confidence that the player gets from the instrument. You have a nice instrument and feel more inspired to play it. But...I also think that what you do with the instrument is the most important thing. The music you make is,ultimately, the most important thing. I'd Happily take on Sibob's Bronco challenge if Bilbo won't.

If you've got your act together,you can change the entire band over,gear and all,in under 10 mins-I've done it. And when most original nights that I've done usually have about a 15 min or so change over time,there is plenty of time to change over.

[quote name='MythSte' post='625689' date='Oct 14 2009, 03:22 AM']There in lies the problem im afraid! I dont think its unreasonable for drums and bass amp to be supplied by headlining band. I think your well and truly in the minority as far as always using your own gear is concerned. Especially if your talking drums and all.[/quote] I do think that it is unreasonable for the last band on to supply the amps and drums. If you do a gig,you should have your own gear-it's pretty simple. I know guys who have supplied their backline and had it trashed. Forget that!! I don't want to even risk it. As far as drummers having to supply the kit minus 'breakables'-I disagree with that too.Every part of the kit can be classed as 'breakable'(Heads and Hardware especially). Carry your own gear and you can do what you want with it. No one should be expected to supply their gear for other bands to use. What it is ultimately down to,is lazy sound engineers who can't be bothered with the hassle of a couple of plugs.

I have a problem with gear sharing. I always carry my gear with me and expect others to do the same. There are only 2 or 3 people who I would lend my gear to. Even if I know that there is backline 'provided',I take my own amp-and usually use it. I once did a gig where,during soundcheck,a group of lads walked in and told us that they were supporting us, and where do they plug in. Apparently,the promoter had told them-and not us- that they were opening for us and could use are gear. Wrong!!! We told them to bring their stuff in,only to find out that they had only brought their guitars with them. Anyway,they went back home without playing. No one should be expected to let other bands use their stuff.I don't care if you are 'headlining' (an ego boosting way of saying on last) or whatever,if you know what you are doing it only takes a few minutes to change the stage over.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='625459' date='Oct 13 2009, 08:48 PM']Well...buying a custom bass is like making love to a beautiful woman...[/quote] So,you're going with the women analogy again then,eh? As far as basses go,buy whatever you want. What's most important is what you play on it. A good player will sound good on an 'off the shelf' bass,a bad player will still be bad on a 'custom' instrument.

Oh!!?

I got my Bergantino/Genz Benz from Mark. Top bloke selling Top gear. Must take a trip to the new shop soon.