geilerbass

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='168941' date='Apr 3 2008, 11:04 AM']No problem. One thing that strikes me though is that apart form the Gallery i cant think of anywhere i can actually get to try out "nice bass kit", not that i buy it that often. I work all week, dont drive and gig at the weekends so im pretty much stuck with the west end, the Gallery and the internet. My only problem with the Gallery is they don't take Amex and i use that for all my big spends. I remember when i went looking for a 5 string and went to the BS, Dan was very good and patient with me. I spent about two hours trying different 5 strings, went back later and spent another hour just playing a Sandberg and two Laklands before getting my 55-01. He even offered to put new strings on the Sandberg and set it up. he pointed out the slightly twisted neck and dropped the price a bit (not enough IMO). He offered good advice as well. In no way would i have gone off and ordered it on the net. If a bass feels right in the shop i say you should get it. Its only recently that i haven't been able to find the bass i want in a local shop. Saying that Thomanns make it very easy to shop online with and the returns policy is second to none IME.[/quote] Very, very true about not being able to try stuff out in many places. I'm in exactly the same position (London-based, full time job, no car) so I'm limited to the Gallery as well (now that the Bass Centre is gone...). Not that that's a bad thing, mind...

My Warwick is strung 40-60-80-100, my fretless Bass Collection is 45-65-85-105 (flatwounds), my 5 string Ibanez is 45-65-85-105-128 and my 6 String is 30-45-65-85-105-128.... I think....

The only solo(ish) piece I've ever learnt to the point that I can always play it, is the Dune Tune, by Level 42. I'll play that if pushed, but usually when people say "play something" I'll just play a bass line from one of my band's tunes.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='168233' date='Apr 2 2008, 09:53 AM']If there is a good chance ill buy something then i will of course try it. Even if i do feel intimidated im not going to part with money unless im happy with the bass. I can quite easily spend an hour or so in the shop trying a bass or two. I do tend to play mostly unpluged as if i like the feel of the bass im happy to buy it. Unless i have my rig there i can only get an approximation of how it will sound at gigs anyway.[/quote] Sorry if that came across a bit agressive - it was meant to be tongue in cheek. I kind of know what you mean - maybe I probably get so self-absorbed when trying out nice bass kit that I forget there's anyone else in the shop!

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='167435' date='Apr 1 2008, 09:35 AM']I agree about feeling out of my depth. While i gig every weekend i still feel very nervious picking a bass up in a empty, quiet shop. I can play songs well enough but don't have that "show off" sort of attitude to playing. Never have. Nothing wrong with having it and i wish i did but im just a bit too timid i guess. Ive been using Thomanns just lately as they have a very good returns policy so i can try stuff out at home or on gigs before i decide to keep it. The shop you mention in Denmark St is the Bass Cellar. Not many people like using them as they are very overpriced for most of the things they sell although i did get a good deal on a GK head last year.[/quote] I've never felt this, because I don't play the bass to show off or impress anyone. I play because I enjoy it. If I'm trying out a bass in a shop, it's to see if it's right for me and my style of playing - if anyone's listening and has an opinion it's theirs and doesn't concern me in any way. And I'm a naturally shy person, so it's nothing to do with confidence. Seriously, you have to go in with the approach that you're testing a product to see if it is what you're looking for. If you see someone else in the shop, loudly ripping through some flash slap and tap licks, blatantly showing off, then ignore them and comfort yourself in the fact that they've probably got confidence issues, hence their need to show off in public. That said, the home trial policy is probably a far better way of doing it - you can try a bass through your own amp (or vice versa) and spend more time giving it a proper work out.

That was someone else - can't remember his name, but I remember him single-handedly lugging my newly-purchased combo out to the car. Strong fellow.

[quote name='drgrew' post='166387' date='Mar 30 2008, 05:27 PM']Funnily enough I agree with everyone. When they were in Wapping they were great. Nick and Alex were always very helpful and happy to do deals. I bought two basses from them, as well as a Hartke rig and they were always happy to have me bumming around trying stuff out. The shop moved and so did the staff....and the attitude. Since moving to Liverpool St the staff had absolutely no interest in the customer and they seemed to have crammed everything into a cupboard. I rang with serious enquiries and got knocked back every time. Fortunately Alex is now the manager at the Gallery and is always pleased to have people come by and try stuff out which is why I bought my last bass from them! I would recommend any business that you would have given to the Bass Centre you now consider giving to them![/quote] Bang on there, mate. I remember Nick working there back in 1995, when I bought my first ever proper combo (an unfeasibly heavy Carlsbro 150w job) and he was literally falling over himself to help out and get the best price possible. Such a great shopping experience. Similarly, Alex was always incredibly helpful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic - I'm so glad he's at the Gallery now, since it makes it even more satisfying to shop there. The last few times that I went to the Bass Centre, the service was certainly far superior to the complete knobheads that you get working in Denmark Street, but just wasn't as it used to be. There was a guy who seemed to be the head honcho there and he really came across as though he didn't want to know. How sad .

[quote name='Faithless' post='165808' date='Mar 29 2008, 11:58 AM']Why do so many people dislike Mr. Labrie? For me, despite the fact it was a 'record', his voice in "Systematic Chaos" is outstanding. Well, his vocals isn't for everyone's taste, but it has sorta drive and expression that does the trick. And, regrettably, many people don't get that. What about DT's version of Pastor of Muppets... You know, maybe I'm too used to Hetfield's raging voice, so Labrie's vocals simply couldn't reach that level. He was lack of expression and that made whole thing sound boringly.. I couldn't say Labrie's voice just isn't for MoP, but, maybe, if they'd try again now, and with some A LOT more expression it could do the trick with MoP's interpretation...[/quote] I've just never got the "Dream Theater would be so much better if they had a different singer" line - I can't think of any vocalist who would be more suited to their music. He's a technically superb singer and is able to emote the lyrics so well, always expressing the meaning and feeling of the song perfectly. But then again, I'm pretty sure I'm in the extreme minority. I haven't actually heard the DT Master of Puppets - despite many attempts, I've never been able to get into Metallica, so this wasn't a big deal for me, either way. I thought DT did a fantastic job of Number of the Beast - even turning the pointless Ganglands into a stand out track.

[quote name='charic' post='164926' date='Mar 27 2008, 11:27 PM']It was me n my 1st gf's song.. with the distance and all ah the memories[/quote] That's a fantastic song to have as your 'special' song. Very touching lyrics - gets me everytime when I see it live!

Endless Sacrifice is such a great song. And such brilliant lyrics. Sadly many people can't see past the technical ability to realise that Dream Theater write great SONGS. That's what attracted me to Dream Theater when I first heard Awake many moons ago.

It's astounding isn't it? Good customer service is far from rocket science and yet assistants (and in some cases, probably their managers) appear utterly incapable of providing it. I know you sometimes get some difficult and rude customers - a friend of mine works in a music shop in London and has many a horror story about nasty customers - but it doesn't take much to try and be helpful. You imagine that people who work in these places, work there because they have a passion for music/instruments - apparently not. There's a certain place in Denmark St that I've ranted about before on Talkbass, that riles me the most, since they are blatantly exploiting their central London location to charge bumped-up prices and amuse their bitter and frustrated senses of humour at the expense of the potentially money-spending public. What's most amusing is that they stock high-end basses and yet I haven't come across a serious bassist who would even give the place a second glance.

The tapping bit at the beginning of Had Enough from the first Mr Big album. I was almost there, but ran out of patience. I got the bit at the end nailed though! Portrait of Tracy by Jaco - simply because my hands aren't physically capable of stretching far enough for one of the artificial harmonics.

[quote name='Faithless' post='163017' date='Mar 25 2008, 10:46 AM']Yeah, the tone is sooo wide - you need to tweak Mid Freq just a little and look - sound's different. Neck's sex too - so easy to walk through the fingerboard. But I got some probs with EQ treble/boost knobs - when I adjust them, sometimes they loose contact, i don't know, with preamp? and the tone is lost. And there's sort of buzzing through the amp, when I tweak them, so I'm a bit dissappointed. I showed this to some people, but they said it's better to wait for the End ( if it will come) and then try repairing, cuz it's problematic...[/quote] Tone is indeed versatile - and the 'wah' effect you get when sweeping the mid-frequency knob sounds pretty cool. Haven't had a problem with the pots myself, either on the 20th or the 1016. The 1016 is a 1998 model which I got second hand and the pots, while looser than the 20th have been okay so far. Judging by your avatar, you've got an SR1005 - is that correct? How do they play? I tried an SR1000 a year of two back and, while it sounded great, I couldn't get on with the neck. It's all about the Wenge for me!

There definitely seems to be a market for Prog-metal bands at the moment. How surprised was I to see Wembley Arena looking pretty full (not a sell-out, by any measure, but still pretty full) with Dream Theater and Symphony X on the bill. And that wasn't even their only UK show - they pulled big crowds for the full tour. And I find I'm seeing Dream Theater T-Shirts everywhere these days. The Mars Volta, Meshuggah, Opeth and Mastodon are all big names now and all of them are purveyours of pretty uncompromising progressive, or at least unconventionally structured, rock/metal. It's never going to be on Top of the Pops (there - showing my age!) but Prog Metal seems to be at least slightly in the limelight at the moment.

Thanks for the comments - glad to see that there's other basschatters who appreciate the sleek curves of the Soundgear family! For me it started when I tried out an SR3006E in a shop, but couldn't afford it at the time Perhaps a little over-priced, since they are imported from Japan, but I just can't get enough of those SR necks - they really do play like a dream! The stacked knobs are indeed treble/bass and mid cut-boost/mid frequency - the famed Ibanez vari-mid III parametric eq. Supposedly, you are able to 'dial-in' any tone you could think. I don't personally think that's the case, but the parametric does give you a lot of options for tone.

My two Japanese made Ibanez Soundgears... The top one is a 1998 SR1016, the bottom one is a new SR20th...

What everyone else has said is bang on! Though I don't think it stops at bass.... Many years ago, when I was nipper learning the trombone, I almost quit music completely, due to the fact that 2 years of trombone lessons and a bare pass at grade 2 had not left me in any way inspired by the musical world. Fortunately, a local music teacher bullied me into joining a brass ensemble and it wasn't long before I discovered the true joy and satisfaction of playing music. In fact, I even remember that same teacher, a few weeks into my tenure with the group, saying: "You're starting to enjoy this, aren't you." Maybe it's the instruments I play, but I can't understand how anyone could get any satisfaction from playing at home on their own. For me the whole point of music is the communication element - nothing beats that feeling of locking in with a drummer on a phat groove or complementing a vocal line with a well timed fill. A bit of indulgence there, but that's just my view - simple basslines can be the most satisfying thing in the world to play, if they perfectly complement an ensemble.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='152424' date='Mar 6 2008, 03:13 PM']I think you can only find out the address of the mail server the e-mail was forwarded through. You can find this in the header. If you're using outlook, right click on the e-mail and press options to view the header. I could be wrong about that, but I don't think you'll get an ip address just from an e-mail.[/quote] I think you're right. The server that actually sends the email and the client that creates the email are usually completely separate entities. I guess if you reported the email to their provider as being malicious, they may be able to track it back to a specific IP. Though, depending on the type of provider, that may not yield any useful info either - e.g. if it was someone using a hotmail address from an internet cafe.

I've got mild tinnitus (fortunately no actual hearing loss) and that was with wearing earplugs for pretty much all musical activity (including watching gigs and going to nightclubs) from the age of 17 (after I got a real scare at my very first live show, Iron Maiden at Brixton Academy!). It seems that it is far from an exact science - some people have a higher natural tolerance than others, though sadly, not me. It's interesting reading how some people find it difficult/uncomfortable with earplugs. I've worn plugs for so long that I've gone the other way and now, if I'm in a pub and they start to turn the music up, I'll have to leave if I don't have a pair of earplugs to hand. It's a purely psychological thing - I can't relax if the music feels too loud, as I'm convinced it's doing damage. I really couldn't live without my ER25's anymore! In fact, does anyone know if you can get decent earplugs with a higher attenuation than 25dB? There are times at rehearsal when even that doesn't feel sufficient.

Urrrnnngghhhh... It always depresses me to read threads like this, but at least word is spreading that this venue doesn't always treat bands fairly and reasonably. The bit about going to Thailand is the icing on the cake! Sadly, the world is chock-full of people only interested in lining their pockets. Sure, we all have to make a living, but that would be a lot easier to achieve if people could keep their wanton greed in check every now and then. Setting up a thread with venues to avoid, would definitely be a good idea in principle, though I can see how personal gripes defeat it's objective.

This link has probably already been posted, but won't hurt to put it up again: - [url="http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/musicians-protection.htm"]http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/musicians-protection.htm[/url] I have used these for years. They are expensive, but are undoubtably the best. Think of it as paying for your ability to hear and the cost seems somewhat less significant. The main advantage is that they have a level cut across all frequencies, meaning that the music isn't affected by un-even attenuation.

What everyone has said so far is spot on. The newer LX's aren't all that cop, but if you can get a 1997/98 model with the Wenge neck, it may be worth considering. They are very different to Fenders, though are very well made basses and their reputation is well deserved. As far as I'm aware, as long as it's not one of the Rockbass models, which the LX isn't, it'll be German made, so no worries there. If you can try one out, you'll get a quick idea of whether Warwick's are for you or not.

I already use comfort straps and a very light bass (an ibanez) so a dual-strap would seem the only other option. I'm definitely going to experiment with two straps, to see if it's feasible, but that might work out more awkward.