MiltyG565

[quote name='bobbass4k' timestamp='1365353071' post='2038412'] People tend to assume I'm not a musician, or rather, that I can't write melodies or harmonies or riffs. Some people have been quite surprised when I play them complete songs that I've written, including one (a guitarist) who said: "The bass is pretty good but who wrote the rest?", "I wrote all of it", "Really? But that guitar bit is really complex, aren't you just a bassist?". I think that is one of the only times I have actually done a facepalm. [/quote] "I'm a musician." then walk away with your dignity intact.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1365344435' post='2038257'] Incidentally, what's the best way to differentiate between a bass and a guitar when taking about them on BassChat? See, I've done it in my question, but not everyone does it the same way, there's no standard. It was easier for me because I mentioned both in the same sentence. Some would say that the bass is a guitar and you can't just say 6 string because there are 6 string basses. Perhaps "the thin stringer"? Though it's rather inelegant. [/quote] Basses are planks, guitars are paddles We are plank w***ers.

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1365327706' post='2037982'] Funny thing is.....I always assume that guitarists are failed bassists! [/quote] My mate who is an excellent guitarist was a bit hopeless when playing my bass the other day. (Here's hoping he never reads this )

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1365323177' post='2037910'] I think bass is easier , certainly when starting out. I think it's much easier to be able to knock out a bass part than a guitar part in those first few awkward fumblings ( or was that girls....maybe!) and that encourages the fledgling muso to carry on. Beyond that , learning any instrument can be as easy or challenging as you care to take it. I think drummers probably take up drums because they think they 'won't have to learn music' or something. ( I introduce our drummer by saying 'he's a drummer - how hard can it be - if he misses the drum he hits some f***ing thing' !!!) I suppose guitarists want to be Slash and singers ....... well , are just a crowd of tossers who should stick to karaoke so I wont bother talking about them. Most of us spend a while as a green wannabe - it's a requirement - so we do things for the wrong reasons. The arrogance of the beginner etc. What counts is learning to be better and better at whatever you choose to do and that will include understanding why some of your initial ideas were wrong. [/quote] I find guitar a lot easier than bass. even after just 10 months or so, i'm fairly confident that i can write a decent little progression, and have been working on a few to record, which might be fairly simplistic, but effective. Bass, however, i still struggle. I don't think it's as easy just to knock up a little riff or groove on bass.

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1365276539' post='2037635'] People assume that if you play bass then you are a failed guitarist. Wrong!! I have no interest whatsoever in playing a six string guitar. [/quote] I have a huge interest in playing the 6 strings. But i've been playing guitar less than a year and bass over 2 years, so it's definitely not true that we are failed guitarists. It's only a true fool who would think that, as they clearly don't understand the important role drums and bass play in a band. As i said above, guitarist can do anything he likes, and it makes no difference, but bass and drums need to be ON IT!

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1365256479' post='2037277'] I think we all have a prejudice -- in that we "pre-judge" musicians based on initial perception. In other words, if you hear a bad ass rick and roller, you wouldn't think he could play jazz very convincingly. (Because it would be unlikely). I recently met someone who work in a major symphony and was anxious to talk about classical music and as it turns out his favorite band was AC/DC. (?!?!?!) The tendency to pigeonhole is obvious and natural. I do it all the time. lol [/quote] There's the ever so common "Bass is easier because it only has 4 strings, guitar has 6". I was at an improv class the other night, and me and a drummer only turned up this week. We spent the entire evening working on our timing with different lessons and whatever, and at the end of the night, the guy running it said "You were unlucky, because if the guitarists were here, you would have looked great and they would have seemed rubbish". It was also said that the bass and drums are what make a band, and that we only make the guitarist look better when we play good because most people aren't interested in bass or drums much. Glory hogging bastards!

[quote name='blamelouis' timestamp='1365244932' post='2037111'] They all knew a few tricks ! [/quote]

And WHY is this in off topic? Surely it should be in general discussion, no?

Red Hot Chili Peppers when they had John on guitar. I like Josh too, but i want to play with John. The only thing is, it's a complete non-issue, because nobody could fill in the place of Flea, so if i was to play with them, it wouldn't be RHCP anymore... It would be 3 members of RHCP and me. Yes, i've thought about this many, MANY times!

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1365202541' post='2036837'] The Baton in action! Managed to get a pretty sweet sound out of it, using this thing on the gig next Saturday shouldn't be an issue [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKOXyFuCHvM&feature=youtu.be[/media] [/quote] Sounds really good! Incredibly middy! And your playing is really sweet! My first bass was a second hand Stagg jazz bass (which i stupidly paid £90... SECOND HAND! Jesus christ, Milt!) and the neck on it was just like a maple baseball bat. Not good maple, and not a good neck, especially for a beginner! But, it did sound pretty good. That's where Staggs redeem themselves i think. Keep rocking!

[quote name='Mandark' timestamp='1365143295' post='2035814'] Interesting stuff, i never really gave any thought on the affects a bridge would have on the sound. I can't add anything constructive to the debate, as I'm relatively new to the bass world, but are there any thoughts or advantages to the individual mono bridges as found on some of the Ibanez basses? I guess you can set the spacing to your preference. C [/quote] I don't think that's the idea of them. Not being able to alter the string spacing is a good thing i think.

There seems to be a bit of negativity to anything other than stock bridges here, and the idea the the bridge makes no difference to the sound isn't entirely true. My mate upgraded his standard jazz bass bridge to a babicz FCH bridge. The difference was a massive increase in sustain right across the board (It evened out a couple of deadspots too) and a slightly clearer tone. This is because the saddles on the standard bridge have 2 very small areas of contact, and can move about a lot, so they absorb vibrations of the string, which is your sustain and a little tone. When you put something that absolutely anchors those saddles down in, the difference is noticeable. Lots of after market bridges are just variations on the same design.

[quote name='Olly230770' timestamp='1361543044' post='1987259'] What are your opinions on bridges? I am looking for opinions and reviews. I have a Squier P Bass (Mike Dirnt Signature) that is easily the best bass i have played in 25 years (alongside Fender, Peavey, BC Rich, Eiphone, Warwick and even, dare I say it Ricks etc) its is well made and sounds great, as well as being very light. I am looking at changing the bridge, just to give it a bit more sustain and power. Obviously BADASS 2 is the choice of champions (so I have been told) but there are others that are catching my eye such as Babicz, Hipshot, Schaeler to name a few. I play a variety of styles in a varioety of bands, however I like a deep low and dirty sound, which can also drop into a cleaner more picked out sond when needed. I use a Lnaey Rig (4x10" through a 150 head) which does the job nicely, although am toying with switching to HARTKE. Does anyone have a bridge that they recommend? [/quote] What i think is, the more contact a bridge has with the body, the better! And also, the more contact the saddles have with the bridge, the better! It increases tone and sustain. That is why something like a babicz bridge is good. Although i do like the long tele like bridge that you get on an Ibanez ATK, just a shame the saddles aren't full contact!

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1365086798' post='2035125'] I think Fumps has said Mayo works too [/quote] So does raw bacon... and apple pie.

[quote name='blamelouis' timestamp='1365096592' post='2035343'] I was there , Mandela hall , great show wasn't that fussed on the bass player but Nile Rodgers was outstanding . Audience was 90% women glammed up ,only gig I've ever been at where the WHOLE crowd danced from the first song to the last. [/quote] Were they old? I dunno, but i just expect any woman who remembers what it's like to go out int he hey-day of disco to be old. Maybe they don't...

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1365092849' post='2035265'] Quite an odd one this. I own two bass - both quality pieces of kit - both I love and play wonderfully. However, as of recent times, I now only play in one band, just covers 'round the pubs and odd function since the originals band fragmented. I keep pondering if I should sell one of the basses - I just feel a bit guilty having two, when it's not like we're gigging every night or even every week! The cash would come in handy elsewhere, but it's not a desperate situation or anything. Maybe it's just a funny time, but if this band split right now, I think I'd have a gap anyway, as I'm a little jaded with the whole thing anyway as we all get from time to time, especially with the disintegration of the originals project. Don't get me wrong, I'd never stop playing, but it's just a thought to play one bass to bits. Could be an age thing - I was 39 this month, and years and years more of dragging around the pubs is kind of losing it's appeal - especially after a couple of recent, 'through the motions' gigs is dives..... Please tell me we've all be through this temptation to start flogging, and just own TBH, what I need? [/quote] I have 2 and don't gig at all. I don't want to sell anything i have, but things are definitely looking like they are going that way. Hang on to your basses, dude!

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1365089310' post='2035174'] Back on topic though, remember to always have small tonewoods (Steinberger style or similar) and a very short scale (Ashbory style or similar), so as not to harm the bass on walls or roof before it hits said perpetrator with full power. Wait. You have the Cort Gene Simmons axe maybe? Or did you mean you have a barrel instead of a truss rod? In case: nice touch! b, b [/quote] Well, my bass is beside my bed, and it's pretty heavy, and i don't have the strength to actually attack a burglar, so i'll sacrifice one bass, and tell the insurance company it was worth a few grand

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1365078018' post='2034915'] 80 second review? 2 words: "sh*t Sandwich". [/quote] Excuse me?

[quote name='longtimefred' timestamp='1365077221' post='2034891'] my pet hate of reviews are people slapping and noodling on basses pretending to review them. Even if i see on the little picture of the video before you hit play some guy with his thumb out about to slap, i wont click it. My advice is to maybe try playing the bass a little on its own and then the bass within a song so people can hear how that bass / amp / effect would fit within a song or band setting rather than just pissing around playing scales n stuff. [/quote] Noted!

[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1365075475' post='2034857'] can we have a link to some of your current reviews? one's you think are good but maybe a bit long? [/quote] Click the link through to my YouTube channel in my signature here. I've got them all in a playlist called something like "Reviews".

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1365074499' post='2034836'] If you're keeping it to such a short timespan the one thing you might want to do before you start is decide what you want to cover for each catagory. Bass - Weight, Tone, Versatility, Build Quality Amp - Weight, Tone, Volume, Versatility, Build Quality, Features Pedal - Size, Features etc... By doing this and putting a timespan against each people should be able to skip to the bit they want to see. For example, I know that you always cover a basses tone at 30 seconds. So I load up a review of a P bass and a review of a p bass. I skip both to 30 seconds and A/B them. Also try to use as many common denominators as possible : for example if it's a bass, same amp / settings / strings / brand of strings (if possible) Given the shortness of the reviews taking these steps would add a lot of value to your reviews without increasing the time. [/quote] Of course, that's the route i'm going down. The key to making it short is making everything slick and flowing. Probably most of the time, it will be same basses/guitars and amp settings, so no issues there, but honestly, don't expect it to be any more than accessories and strings for the time being.

I've just thought... it doesn't even matter what they put their prices up to, because who else will carry a letter from my local village to some other local village in souther england? I've had letters sent from Dundonald hospital (which is on the far side of Belfast) to my house, which never actually appeared at my house. This happened more than once, and made me miss a couple of very important appointments. These were NOT being handled by Royal Mail, they were being handled by a private company. What happened to them? f*** knows. Maybe somebody in the sorting office needed a CT scan? Either way, there was nothing we could do about it, because the complaint has to be lodged from the sender, not the recipient. The problem with that is, 9 times out of 10, the hospitals are sending me appointments and letters which i don't know are coming, so how do i know they have sent them and that the company has lost it?

My Half Round D'Addario review is also, by far, my highest ranking video out of all my videos, with more than 600 views to date, and it never falls from the top of the list, month to month, of the video with the most views. It's over 5 minutes long, but again, i'm targeting a different demographic.

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1365073262' post='2034817'] 80 seconds.. you could review napalm deaths back catalogue in that time. Checkout sonic state, bass whisperer, harmony central etc. plus old bass mags if you have them. Time needs to be taken [/quote] I know, my reviews in the past have run a fair few minutes, but this is a different format for a different demographic. You know the average viewing time of most of my videos is roughly 90 seconds? None of my videos are 90 seconds, and it's not necessarily the content, it's because most people on YouTube have no attention span. They want what they want, and then they want to go. I've been asked specifically to create shorter reviews, it's been a big criticism in the past that my reviews should be shorter. People clearly want shorter reviews, and it's a bit shocking that nobody has done it yet, confining it to a time frame is a bit of a gimmick, but a good one.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1365072620' post='2034798'] Nah. Referring to me, I guess, me obviously having said that a bass guitar is not a musical instrument but a weapon - or something like that. best, bert [/quote] I would reach for mine if there was a burglar in the house, i can tell you that!