lownote

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1487155088' post='3237521'] Every time I try a bass with flats on, I always find the high tension unbearable. These might be an option to stick on one of my Basses for a trial. Then again I suspect Labella = expensive! [/quote] I said this to a pro chum the other day and he told me to try La Bella 760FLs (£43 ish) which he swears aren't stiff as a board. Haven't tried them yet to see if he's right though.

Peavey Grind V. Made badly in Vietnam of breathtakingly wonderful Brazillian walnut which would have looked far better alive and holding up a parrot this wonderful ugly duckling of a bass used to lap into my leap of its own accord. In the end I couldn't take the banter about its looks or name so mistakenly let it go.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1484754189' post='3218124'] Really does look like (a woman's) body. [/quote] See what you mean, but bad case of psoriasis, lol.

Every now and again I am forcibly reminded why it is a bad thing to be poor. Not being able to commission a Shuker would seem to be one of those epi-fannies.

Nick Davies, a pro I know, swears by La Bella 760 FLs and says they get better and better after 2 years. OTOH Berkeley teacher Danny Mo Morris has had a set of Thomasticks on his P for 16 years and to my ear the result is a dull muted thud - might as wel be a drum.

I'm not very experienced but I have been in that situation - especially hard stuck in the sticks 25 miles from the nearest city and with a local music scenes dominated by singer/guitarists and folkies. What worked for me is two-fold FWIW: - if you can can even vaguely interest yourself in a genre that lends itself to jams/open mic nights, like blues and to some degree jazz, start going and keep going until you've been heard by and met enough people to start talking about forming bands. It can take a while but once you're in the offers will happen. And if you don't especially like that genre you might find fellow travellers who want to play what you want to play. I'm not specially into blues but I'm now in a blues funk band through exactly this approach - go to festivals and gigs looking for a band you like without a bassist. Approach them and offer yourself for a try out on a 'no bones broken if it doesn't work' basis. You never know, they may have been saying they needed a bassist and didn't know where to start looking! Both those approaches worked 100% for me.

If you're close to an informed choice between two or three options I would suggest it's vital you try them all rather than theorising. I had almost decided to buy a Squier VM 5 string jazz a while back but some instinct made me go try it first. Glad I did, I hated it - especially when compared to the Sire.

Just weighed my v7 4 for you and with strap it's dead on 9 lbs

I've had three, two 4s and a 5. The 5s are not light, and I think they tried to adjust the issue a year ago. 4s are fine for weight if you've got a half decent strap. IMHO you won't get a better jaz bass for the money you're looking at spending. The body is very well finished even if the fittings are unremarkable. The genius is in the electronics, offering an ocean of customisable sound.

+1 Barefaced. While I've loved both my MB heads I can't get on with their cabs. IMHO they're dull and muddy, but that's probably my kaka hearing. Barefaced do 12 and 10 inch drivers. The 12s are colourless, the 10s more old school. Perfect for blues. I have the BF 210 which is around 13kg and also not bulky, which can be half the pain if carrying cabs. It comes in 12 and 4 ohm versions, the 12 being fine for most jobs with a big head. My 12 ohm with my MB LM2 will keep up with drums, lead and keys with the volume set at around 10 o'clock. If that's too heavy the 110 weighs 7.5kg and will handle up to 500w and the smaller gig.

My brief experience of trying to flog our band is that round here anyway there are venues that want either a/music to get pissed by b/familiar covers c/innovative orgiinal music for music lovers. In many cases there is no crossover. Trying to flog the wrong sort of music to a venue won't work. Right sort of music, right venue - success easy peasy. The second point, having evidence of your goodness is really important especially if there is no word of mouth yet. Have good stuff on soundcloud, videos on YouTube. And put a little effort into getting a decent video or recording done. See if there's a local amateur music scene videographer and feed him/her beer to get a half way decent result. I have seen the most God awful dark fuzzy videos with kakka audio, and think 'do you care so little about your product'? The third point is find out if there are any local agents or music scouts. All my local music pubs use agents. Get to know the agent, or find out where they go to recruit, and put yourself in their line of sight.

cheers, ta

Hi I'd appreciate thoughts from any amp tech or knowledgeable Markbass owner. I have a Markbass Little Mark 2 head. Bought it secondhand at about 9 years old. From the off when I switched it on it took a few seconds to 'warm up' and feed sound from the bass to driver. This would happen with a swell of sound coming in over half a second or so after a second or two of waiting. Now it's taken to being silent on switch on and then suddenly delivering sound - with no swelling of sound - after about 3 seconds. What I need to know is, is this regular behaviour and nothing to worry about, or is the next step a bang and no sound at all. Yes it Know it's best to ask a tech to have a look, just wondered if anyone had thoughts before doing that - I live a long way from the nearest tech.

I bought a 12/ 210, agonised over the conversion and bought (but didn't fit) the kit - too many people said try it as it is and only go to the faff of changing if its vital. Well, I'm keeping up with drums, lead, PA and organ and we're getting comments about our volume outside a commercial sound insulated studio and my volume knob is at 9.30 (MB LM2). So I add my voice to those who say don't bother. Plus Alex has told me by email that it's not that easy a job, in his words while not difficult technically it's a pain in the neck.

[quote name='Marty Forrer' timestamp='1485375099' post='3223516'] Someone mentioned trying to keep up with the young cats that are killing it. Why? Do you want to be a bass superstar? To be a regular gigging bassplayer does not require you to "kill it" .... it requires you to play with taste, tone and time. When I was younger I went through the usual phase of learning Jaco, Rocco Prestia, etc. Then I realised I never used all those chops in a live situation. So I refocused onto guys like my inspiration, Lee Sklar. I found the less I played, the more work I got. In fact I stole a weekly jazz residency off a guy who was "killing it" because the rest of the band (keys, sax, trumpet, drums) wanted someone who laid down the chord outlines and kept the bottom end happening. These were guys at the top of their game, but they wanted a BASSplayer, not a bass soloist. [/quote] This should be etched into the entrance portal of every bass school. IMHO

No offence taken for one moment.

I didn't say special. Just useful. For instance Mark does a specific lesson on walking a blues shuffle. Scott doesn't. There are other instances. I'm not for a moment saying there are sites more comprehensive than SBL, just that there are other competent learning resources around which may tick your boxes better at your particular stage and level.

D'accord. And don't feel simple is too simple. Some of the toppest bassists just do really simple really well. And a good many band leaders don't want their bassists shredding. Dave Swift, Jools Holland's bassist, tells a story of how he got a bit carried away with a fill and Holland was on his case in a trice (whatever a trice is).

I agree with you entirely, and admit guilt, octoplus. In my case an inability to play talented bass, as against reasonably well informed bass, has led me to an interest in the equipment. It's a good deal more fun, and easier, to get to know about the workings, fondle the woods, have a stab at luthery and enjoy the thrill of the chase on eBay than practise scales. I suffered just the same in a string of past obsessions: golf, clay pigeon shooting, photography, astronomy..... zzzzzzzzzz. That's part of why after 6 years I left Scott's playpen.

And of course a 25,000$ Anthony Jackson doesn't even have knobs of any sort, let alone EQ - the pickup goes straight to the amp. Can't quite see the issue you hint at, No.8. IMHO nowadays you can get a great sounding, well finished bass for £350 (Sire v7). If you want fittings that feel like oiled chocolate and superb wood then upgrade the electronics in a Hohner B Bass VI, secondhand for £250. If you want Name plus well crafted bit and bobs then add a grand or two. If you want to make people think you've won the lottery then buy a Fodera Empreor II with poplar burl top wood (my personal dream machine) and add another 6k to that. But as Scott says, if you can't play a set-up Squier you're not likely to sound better on a Fodera. So the whole idea of cheap, mid range and boutique has little relevance to the noise you personally make, and not a huge amount to the bass in your bedroom. If I stuck a Fodera butterfly logo on the headstock of my last Hohner VI I would be astonished if anyone who didn't know the Fodera range of shapes and types would question its place in a rack of Foderas, despite a 40-fold price difference.