Doddy

Unpopular opinions? OK......

Miles Davis' electric period is better than his acoustic stuff. It's all great but beaches Brew and Tutu are better than Kind of Blue.

John Entwistle is the most overrated bass player ever. Bassist of the Millennium? Not by a long shot.

There....I said it.

Honestly, I think too much importance is placed on a clean blend. None of my favourite overdrive or fuzz pedals have them, and those that do I usually have it turned way down. 

When I first started out, the player association was important. The first bass players that I was aware of were Jaco and Marcus, so I wanted a Fender Jazz. 

Now, I wouldn't buy an instrument just because a certain player uses them but it would definitely influence me to check it out, especially if it's a brand that I'm not too aware of.

I've made a living as a musician since I left school. I've never had another job.

5 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Not sure what that means, there is no triggering as it is not a volume based on off thing (although it uses volume).

Don't think I have ever played it with a passive bass, but I have no idea why it would be any different.

I mean how quickly and smoothly the pedal reacts. There are a lot of pedals don't work quite as well with a high output active bass, as they do with a passive instrument. 

I picked one up cheap a few weeks ago.

It's a cool pedal. I haven't spent too much time playing around with it yet, but it's a far better pedal than the old Boss SYB3 & 5, and the EHX Mono Synth.

Like most pedals, I think it triggers a little better with a passive bass (especially a Precision), but it worked absolutely fine with my EMG equipped Shuker.

I know a lot of people like the C4, but the fact that to get the most of it you need to add a switcher and programme it via your phone or computer, puts me off it. It becomes expensive, and I prefer a pedal that I can easily tweak on stage.

I think you've already got the coolest octave pedal, so I'd just look for a decent envelope filter- my favourite is the Emma Discumbobulator.

I've found that all my favourite basses are in the 9-10lb range. I've never felt comfortable with super light instruments.  

The only time I had any discomfort because of weight was when I was playing 3-5 sets a night every night, but I sorted that out by buying a Gruv Gear Duo Strap (the Damien Erskine one).  I find a decent strap like the Gruv Gear, or the 3.5" Levys leather straps, take a big part of the weight and make heavier basses much more comfortable to play.

Honestly, I think the Sire preamp sounds really good and I wouldn't be in any rush to change it just because of the amount of knobs.

If you were thinking of going passive, I'd keep the preamp and just flip it in to passive mode.

5 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

 

I think it depends more on which pedals you use than how many you use. Some are much more sensitive than others. Big Muffs can get really noisy without a decent power supply. I used to need a noise suppressor with a daisy chain on just four pedals.

I haven't had any problems with a Big Muff. The only time I've noticed an issue with a daisy chain is with certain digital pedals that have a higher power draw. Standard 9v analogue pedals have always been fine.

I've never had the need to put a noise suppressor in my chain, no matter how many pedals I use. In fact, it's one of the few types of pedals that I don't own.

Most of the time, I just use a Diego power supply and daisy chain everything from that. I honestly can't say that I've ever found it any noisier than using a dedicated power supply. If you're only using 4 or 5 standard pedals, a daisy chain from a decent power supply like the Diego or One Spot should be fine. 

Leave it for a few days to let it heal, then when you go back to using your fingers try to lighten your touch. 

Until then, if you normally play with a pick, just use a pick and let your fingers rest.

That's one of the reasons why I don't have a board, and just put everything on the floor. It means I can take what I want/need, and swap pedals around depending on the gig.

41 minutes ago, ubit said:

Every pub would have live music still if they didn't have to pay the band. If the band were handing round a hat for their only income pubs would be falling over themselves to allow you to play. It's the fact that pubs are expected to pay that means they won't hire bands. They just think it's not worth it and if they are making a decent amount in bar meals alls good.

I don't know if I completely agree about bands not being worth it as long as they can sell meals. I've been putting a Jazz trio in to a few restaurants and bars, and everytime we play, the place is rammed and they make more money than they normally would on that day, despite me charging more than the average pub band. The last one I did was fully booked within a day of the gig being advertised.

These places know that it's worth it to have live music.

Eden amp aren't called David Eden.  The cabs were called the David series. 

1 hour ago, toneknob said:

 

Slightly off topic but what surprised me recently was cymbal manufacturer Paiste. Pie Stee!

It always annoyed me when drummers called them 'Paste'.

I think it's getting more and more common for bands and shows to use clicks live. A lot of bands at all levels are using tracks to enhance their sound, so it's necessary to have a click. 

I don't think that just the drummer should have the click either. There are a lot of situations where the click tracks have audible cues and it's necessary for the whole band to hear them. Of course, this means that everyone needs to go on in ears, but it makes the band tighter if everyone has the click.

It's not always about just keeping the time fixed either. I work regularly with a tribute show that uses tracks, and the clicks often shift in tempo in the same way that the original band used to. 

Over the last few years, I've only done a handful of (non-jazz) gigs that haven't used tracks.

I don't think the post that you referenced was 'toxic'. At best, it came across as an unfunny, stereotypical joke, but when the poster explained a couple of posts later that it was based on something that actually happened to him, it made more sense.

As for 'banter', I can't remember doing a single gig in 25 years where there hasn't been at least a bit of p!ss taking. In fact, the better the mates,the harder (and more insulting) it often becomes.

On 09/03/2022 at 02:27, dangoose said:

Something in the back of my mind though keeps reminding me that I would be buying a Peavey class d amp badged as a Trace Elliot for a premium price tag. 

I wouldn't worry about that. People were still buying Genz Benz and SWR without thinking they were just a premium badged Fender amp.

22 hours ago, Russ said:

 

It's built by the people at Peavey, but the actual Class D amplifier is going to be the same type of off-the-shelf Chinese item that is in pretty much all Class D amps, regardless of manufacturer, or place of manufacture. 

 

A lot of companies use the ICE Power class D amp module but I believe that Peavey actually produce their own (or at least they used to, unless they've changed recently).

I had more problems with my big old heads than I have with my class D stuff. 

I love big amps but I can get exactly the sound I want with my Ashdown Retroglide,and it fits in a small case.

18 hours ago, steantval said:

Make sure you are not the only one in the band who organises everything, chasing gigs, arranging rehearsals, contacting local press, emailing posters, emailing/texting other band members etc.

 

Its a lesson I still haven’t learnt.

I'd much rather it be that way. I think it's better to have a solid bandleader running the band than have everyone chipping in. That way venues and clients (and musicians) all have one solid point of contact. That's why the bandleader takes more money.

A couple of things that I'd say are....

Only have bottled water on stage. You don't want to risk any spillages on your gear, or cause a slip hazard.

Don't wear the same clothes on stage that you wear to set up and tear down.  Get changed before you play.

Taking a few teabags and making a sandwich for the journey can save you a good chunk of money and help keep you awake on the ride home.

Agree your fee and know how much money you are getting paid well before the gig.

I don't particularly get nervous, but I do get a little bit edgy if I'm doing an unfamiliar gig for the first time. Not really because of any perfomance doubt but because I know that I'm going to be hyper aware of what everyone else is like, both onstage and off.

A few years ago, I split a gig with a well known UK session player and I was nervous about that. I was chatting with the MD before the show and I mentioned that I was a bit nervous because I was a fan of the player (I've got his book and video), and he responded "Why? You're doing the same gig that he is." That instantly chilled me out, and I had a great time.

16 hours ago, la bam said:

Just one thing so far .... I've opened up the first real page and it's just notes on a page, but I cant read. I think I remember that EGBDF are the lines and FACE inbetween at school (30 years ago) is this the same for bass notation? 

That's right for treble clef. Bass clef is GBDFA on the lines, and ACEG in the spaces.

16 hours ago, la bam said:

Also the first lesson - whole notes on the E string - starts with a note under the lines with a line through it, and the number 0 underneath, the next note just under the line with a 1 underneath it, and the next note on the lowest line with a 3 underneath it. I really dont know what they mean. Am I missing something obvious?

 

The note under the stave on the first ledger line is a low E- the open E on your bass. The next note under the stave is an F (E string, first fret), and the note on the lowest line is a G (E string, third fret).

I would assume that the numbers underneath are the fingers to fret with, with 1 being the index finger and 3 being the ring finger.

9 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

I'll stand by this - when I was looking closely at this with a marketing head on, I still say Mark King is the only person that can shift basses. If Status Rob and Mark announced a new King bass, there would be a load of people who would order one there and then, sight unseen.

I think (at the moment, at least), that you could say the same thing about Joe Dart. As soon as a new signature Musicman is announced, all the fans rush out and buy them all in minutes. I don't think he'll have the longevity of Mark King though, who still sells tons of expensive instruments to the bass playing 'Blues Lawyers'.

21 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

Thing is, unlike most bass players, Nathan East is a multi-millionaire, so I guess he doesn't really give a hoot about such things... and he doesn't strike me as a musician with an ego that feels that he should go out and force such arrangements with manufacturers to somehow elevate their standing.

With a player like Nathan East, it's more about tour support than just promoting gear. He needs companies behind him who he knows can supply him with quality gear wherever he goes.

I like to use delay set to a dotted crotchet when I'm playing more dance style music. It gives a different feel to just play the first note and let the delay fill in the rest of the bar, than attacking every note.

I don't use tremolo a lot, but have a listen at how guys like Juan Alderete and Tim Lefebvre use it to add some choppiness to the sound. 

11 hours ago, itu said:

You tell us that bigger parts of instrument quality woods cost as much as smaller. I don't think so. Those big chunks of usable wood are rare, and expensive, than let's say a fretboard. Try to find a one piece body of some hardwood and you may be amazed of the price.

I never said anything about the price of big pieces of wood being the same as smaller pieces. I don't know where you got that from.

11 hours ago, itu said:

This bolt-on vs. NT and those irrational comments about sustain and "punch" are just funny. Without real world blind tests the words are meaningless. And as woods are not as consistent as many man-made materials, the same design sounds very different from unit to another. Tonewoods, constructional differencies, no more of this, please.

Sorry, but I'm going to take advise from the various luthiers I've spoken to, and from my own playing experiences, and say that there is nothing irrational about talk of woods or construction. They all make a difference to the sound of an instrument, no matter how subtle.