mangotango
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Posts posted by mangotango
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On 17/06/2019 at 13:59, ped said:
Who decided Ukulele + whistling = every advert in 2019
Ukes & whistling = Albert Hall concert, 16 million YouTube hits
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Given that I have some Bass Collection basses and have been pleased with them, a Power/Detroit Bass is definitely on my list of options.
Guess a trip to Bagshot needs to go onto my "To Do" list...
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Well, I tried out some P-basses this weekend.
Precision Player - tried one in one store, wasn't particularly impressed. Bit nothing really; didn't like the sticky feel of the neck. Tried another one in another store. Slightly better sound, still same impression overall. Interestingly, both of these basses had the bridge saddles jacked up as high as they would go. Shops should have done a better set-up, maybe, rather than just sticking them out on display?
Squier Classic Vibe 60's Precision. Even more meh. Better set-up. Dull tone.
Sandberg Electra - Good sound, but felt that I couldn't live with the slightly chunkier neck than I'd like.
More trials to come.
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On 14/06/2019 at 19:53, WHUFC BASS said:
Bruce Foxton in the early days it was always a Rick. Later with SLF and From The Jam on a Precision maybe but it was always Ricks and a Musicman.
Precisions were synonymous with Punk -
Paul Simmonen
Jean-Jaques Brunel
Sid Vicious
Dee Dee Ramone
Glen Matlock
to name just a few of the iconic bassists. There were loads more.Simonon started off with a Ric....
Glen Matlock started off with a Ric...
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Well, it might be a mistake on my part, but let's release this into the wild. A bit of laid-back funky jazz for you....please ignore the feedback at the beginning!!
Here's Nomad, back at the start of the year, playing my tune Blue Soul.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJFJE0rXK58
Be kind, please...…..!! (Not least of all about the headgear).
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On 24/05/2019 at 07:47, Paul S said:
Off on a tangent, I know, but - pizza. If I am ever in shouting distance of Herne Bay I will try to manufacture a reason to stay for dinner. Bizarrely, given its location and demographic, Herne Bay has the best Italian restaurant I have ever been to in England. Run by a family of Italians, a wood fired pizza oven in the middle of the ground floor so you can see your pizza being made and cooked. I thanked the owner for making me the best pizza I had tasted in England and he proudly boasted that they had been awarded an accolade by a visiting deputation of pizza cognoscenti from Naples - the pizza equivalent of a Michelin star - the only pizza restaurant in England to receive such a thing.
Would you care to share the name of this home of the Food Of The Gods?
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On 10/06/2019 at 13:08, ead said:
Yeah, sorry
Got mine for considerably less than that but it was still a 4 digit number starting with a 1.
No probs. Now if had been a 3 digit number beginning with a 1.....all over it like a rash!
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34 minutes ago, WHUFC BASS said:
Well, not sure what pickups you have in your legend but if they're emg hz pickups then they're perfectly good. The preamp is possibly the Tone Pump Junior which is t that versitile and neither is the Tone Pump that's used in the more expensive Spector basses. There's no mid control which makes a hell of a difference.
The EMG BQS system pre amp is a great alternative and if you have emg pickups, it's completely solderless.
http://www.emgpickups.com/accessories/bass-accessories/bass-eq-active/bqcsystem.html
The differe cé in sound is like night and day.
According to Bass Direct...EMG HZ pickups, TonePump Jr. pre..
Except that there's this control arrangement, which has a dedicated mid and a stacked treble/bass:
- Tone Circuit: Active 3 band
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◦Circuit Type: 9-volt Active - Bass, Mid, Treble cut and boost
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◦Bridge Pickup: EMG HZ Humbucker
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◦Neck Pickups: EMG HZ Humbucker
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◦Pickup Type: Passive - Dual Coil
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1 hour ago, Soledad said:
That's more like it. If you haven't experienced the cheap 60s basses, you're missing a reference point for bad
(the one in pic was auctioned recently for £220... why oh why?)
Exactly. Youngsters nowadays don't know how lucky they are with the basses out there, yadda yadda....but it's true.
And yes, lots of those cr@ppy old basses are now up for sale out there at silly prices.
"Yeh, but they're retro..." Errr no, they're rubbish.
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27 minutes ago, WHUFC BASS said:
Change the pre-amp out for an EMG BQT and you have a superb sounding instrument. Even better than it sounds now.
Tell me more......
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On 27/12/2018 at 21:02, Painy said:
I had a Korean Spector Legend 5 string once that just sounded utterly insipid - literally the most MEH sound ever. It also felt really flimsy like it was made of balsa wood even though it wasn't especially light.
Wow, that's weird; a little while back I bought a Legend Custom 5 (and a Spectorcore Fretless 5) and that Legend is the least flimsy instrument I have ever played. http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Spector_legend_5_custom.html is the one.
I was initially sold on the 'Core and wanted a fretted that was in the same ballpark both layout-wise and sonically; that way, I could spend more time playing music and less time twiddling knobs. The Legend was it. Anyway, just done some recording with those basses and although the fretted sounded OK when I was playing it, on the two tracks for which I used it, when listening back to the straight DI track, it sounded amazing. I just need to play it more, really.....
To get back on topic - the only bass that I've owned and dislike rather than hated was my very first, an Eko violin bass that was pure 60's tat. Chipboard body that was covered with a woodgrain vinyl top, weak sound, pushbutton pup selectors off an accordion or somesuch... when I bought it I was so excited, but as time went by and it made very few of the sounds that I wanted it to make, I became remarkably disenchanted. Well, at 17, I wasn't going to blame myself, was I.....?
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On 07/06/2019 at 22:40, ead said:
The solution to your dilemma
There's one on here for sale.
Looks fab, ticks many boxes indeed...except, at £1500, the box marked "within my budget"
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11 hours ago, Cuzzie said:
Remember it’s not just fender that make good P’s, other makes do them too and neck profiles may suit you.
My bitsa P with a status neck would happily compete side by side with anything the fender factory churned out, but also there is a G&L LB100 for sale on here I think, and they are killer bases too. Probably my other bitsa P with a creamery 58 pick up and tonestyler knob would also do the job.
Loads to have fun with out there
Yep, fully accept that. I had a look at the Marcus Miller P7's recently, when I was searching to upgrade my main basses, and liked those. I'd love a Sandberg, but even second-hand, that's going to be way above budget , though an Electra might work ....
All in all, it's the style not the name on the headstock, but I have to say, Fender will probably be my starting point. Ditto for basic P, though obviously P/J also works for me.
Thanks everyone for your input.
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When I first got back into bass playing a couple of years ago, all I had to knock about on was my son's Squier Bronco. Then I had the chance to try out for my current band and felt the need to take along something a bit better, so I called on a mate who had once loaned me his Precision Lyte, which I had really liked. (When I had the loan, I think that he was trying to persuade me to buy it, but at the time I wasn't playing bass much and couldn't justify the expense). Unfortunately, he'd sold the P-Lyte and he let me borrow his Jazz Bass instead, because I'd always been a Jazz player when younger.
Once I had the gig, he offered me the chance to take the Jazz off his hands, but I still couldn't justify lashing out on an American Fender Jazz at that stage and so I ended up with my Bass Collection SB300-and-something, which has a lovely neck and P/J configuration. Just the job, and even now in my 5-string and fretless days, it still gets the occasional outing at a jazz gig or somesuch.
However, having been a long-time Fender player, I really fancied one of Leo's lovelies in my collection. Back in the 1970's I had a Jazz, because the Precisions that I could find at the time all had massively chunky, baseball-bat necks. Having tried out a few more modern versions, though, I found that I'm getting on with them OK now, and so the GAS was born. On the way to the Basschat Southern Bass Bash before last, when I was giving @Stingray5 a lift, while chatting in the car, we separately came to the inescapable conclusion that we each wanted a Precision!! Still more time has passed since then.....and there have been loads of threads on here that frankly, haven't helped, guys. The one from Rubis of his build of his P-bass is exactly the kind of thing that I shouldn't have been reading, if I'm honest!!
Then last weekend I did some recording and for one tune, I used my Bass Collection, now sporting a new set of Rotosound flats, and solo'ed on the P pickup, for an old-school sort of sound.....and of course, as a result the GAS is now back and in full effect. I have and love my Spectors for the vast majority of things that I do; but, I just fancy a P-bass.
I surely can't be alone in all of this? Is there a way out of it, or do I just bite the bullet and start looking in earnest for something that's going to scratch this itch - for now?
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Originally, I bought a Snark. I liked the concept, but wasn't desperately impressed with the quality. So I went the TC route, because I have a Polytune pedal on my guitar effects board. Really like it, easy enough to use; struggles a little occasionally with the low B on the 5'ers, but not unhappy with it, at all.
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Phrasing the ad that way is likely to sort out the Modern Management sheep from the Musician goats, i.e. putting off the people who just might fancy giving it a crack, because they play bass, maybe because they've worked in the Music Industry.
Fact is, you could fill that role without (at the start, at least) knowing all that much about music, bass-playing etc., but having the required qualifications, Project Management experience and overall Management skill set. It's locked into the kind of thing I see far too often in my working day, all this MBA-speak BS written in TLA's (three-letter acronyms) like KPI's, SLA's, etc.
This might help with all that: http://www.theofficelife.com/business-jargon-dictionary-A.html
Nowadays, Companies add a layer of Operations to the process and think it makes them modern and efficient. In my experience, in most cases, it just adds to the cost and time taken to make decisions whilst bringing little if any tangible benefit.
So all in all, I'm quite glad at 61 to be coasting down towards retirement from this kind of thing, hopefully giving my time to playing music instead.
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Ah, the '70's. I pretty much grew up as a bassplayer then, so....
My first 70's rig was an Eko Violin Bass through an Impact (Dallas Arbiter) 60w valve amp, into a couple of 2x12"'s. Add in Rotosound Trubass strings and a cheap fuzzbox and I was able to get......one of the worst bass tones known to mankind.
But at least I moved on to...
My second 70's rig a couple of years later. Fender Musicmaster bass into a Sound City 120 Head, and a no-name 1 x 18" cab. Took me from my School Band era into the Playing In A Proper Band level. Managed a much better sound, at the same time as I was becoming a better player. Even better, I changed bass to a 1974 Fender Jazz during this time, and it all started to sound pretty damn good - but when I was getting ready to go to Uni, I finally traded up to.....
My third 70's bass rig, towards the end of the decade. Same Jazz Bass, into a silverface Fender Bassman 50 Export and matching 2 x 15" cab. Until I acquired my current set-up, 40-plus years later, this rig gave me the best sound I ever had - warm, full, from reggae to punk, just everything. Heavy cab, but such a sweeeeet sound. Wish I still had it all...except now I know how to use it, I couldn't carry it around!!
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On 03/06/2019 at 12:06, Stingray5 said:
Tokai Jazz Sound c.1981/2. I bought this as a fretted bass around 10 or so years ago and most of the mojo was already there. I had it converted to fretless by the chap at GuitarAvenue when I wanted to get a truss-rod issue sorted. Now has a nice Indian Rosewood board.
And is an absolutely lovely bass to play, I can testify!!
On 03/06/2019 at 12:06, Stingray5 said:
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Owwwww…….. I feel your pain. Well, kind of.
A couple of days ago, I managed to give myself a paper cut from a cardboard box lid. I made (as everybody does) the hissy sharp intake of breath noise, and couldn't help but ask myself….
Why is the sting/pain/grief from a paper cut TOTALLY DISPROPORTIONATE to the length/depth of the cut itself???
I'm recording tomorrow with the band in which I play bass and I was worried in case I'd have difficulty. From a paper cut.
What the heck is going on there??
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17 hours ago, Ricky 4000 said:
Seems odd that. Apparently Jaco had to fashion his own fretless jazz with a pliers & some wood filler.
Like a Jedi constructing his own lightsabre... ish.
And boat varnish to stop the roundwound strings chewing up the fingerboard.
All of which makes it all the more interesting that such an obvious home-made alteration should then be the basis of a signature bass from Fender, as well as look-alikes from a whole bunch of other manufacturers...
I guess it helps that it was one of the greatest bass players ever who did this.
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Looks also quite like the Dean Pace Contrabass.
https://www.deanguitars.com/query?upc=819998180201
Which is a shame, because the Palatino does at least look a bit different from these usual "stick" basses that all resemble the Aria SWB Lite.
At least the Palatino has a vague attempt at a bass body.
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11 minutes ago, EMG456 said:
I like many of the recorded sounds produced by folks using flats but every time I tried them myself, I couldn't stand the clankyness of them - probably because I use a full range sound. I haven't bought a set of flats for oh… about 40 years but must confess I'm thinking about a wee experiment and will probably now throw a set onto my old Tokai PJ to see what transpires.
Exactly this. My Spectors have rounds on, including the Fretless - may change that at some point, but for now, I'm happy with those.
I did use D'Addario half-rounds on a fretless Shergold Marathon that I had back in the day, so might give something like those a go (despite @Soledad's misgivings).
However, I also have my Bass Collection with P/J configuration, and I've just put Rotosound flatwounds on that for the specific sound that they deliver. I like the results so far; I shall use it for recording on Saturday, so will let you know how that turns out.
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14 hours ago, Soledad said:
I came very close to getting a 900 a few months ago... it may even still be here. I mean, what would I do with 900W. Like giving Butthead a chainsaw
Got a nice big Genz Benz logo on the front - call me shallow.I've never even had it above 9 o'clock on the Master. More headroom than any sane person could sanely want. For my Small/Jazz Rig, I use it into a BF Compact 110. Never needed to turn it up, but have gigged successfully with that set-up, including playing outdoors with a big band comprising many horn players. The Bigger Rig pairs it with a GB 2 x 12 and sounds awesome. As much heft as I'll ever need, and in fact probably a great deal more.
Congrats on your acquisition; and yes of course, a Big Logo...nothing shallow about that.
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Would be interested to hear how you got on with the Genz Benz??
My main amp is a GB Streamliner 900 and it is absolutely The Nuts.
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Got mine for considerably less than that but it was still a 4 digit number starting with a 1.
There's one on here for sale.
Obscure Musical Backwaters - The Great SGC Nanyo Thread
in Bass Guitars
Posted
Yep, I have an active 5'er J/J and a passive 4 P/J. The 5 is great to play, has a lovely neck and the stock active electronics are quite bright and lively.
The passive 4 fills a gap in my Weapons of Bass Destruction. Equally lovely neck and possibly the easiest-playing bass that I've ever had. I'm struggling to make a direct comparison with the original stock pickups as I can't remember their exact tonal qualities; I can only say that found them a bit "polite", and definitely not bright, so I had Entwhistle Neos installed. Those are neither dull nor particularly polite.
Given that I have recently acquired my Spector 5's, I guess that I shall be looking to let the 5'er go anyway in the near future. Too many basses, according to Mrs. Mango….mind you, she did encourage me to acquire the Spectors, so I can have no complaints.