Huge Hands

Sorry Kiwi, thought I had done a mix of both. Was trying to be as "this is only my opinion and experience" and non confrontational as possible.

Slap on the wrist accepted.

I don't normally get involved in the contenscious threads, but here' my take (apologies, I couldn't be a**ed to read all 12 pages):

As a young learning drummer of 12, I was desperate to join a band. My brother was playing keyboards in our church band (C of E) which didn't have a drummer, and they let me join.

From a "learning your chops" kind of thing, it was great. Rehearsing every week, playing every other Sunday service (the church still had a traditional organist and choir as well who did the other ones) it was a good experience. We only played the Graham Kendrick/Mission Praise kind of stuff - i.e. "Shine Jesus Shine" was about as exciting as it got.

Apart from having to put up with being shouted at regularly by my brother (who by then was the bandleader), I had a great time.

My problem was I couldn't get on with the religion bit. I see faith and religion as two different things. What people do to find God and be spiritual is up to them, and in the case of my mother, who has attended church regularly all her life, I think it is great for her because she gets a sense of meaning and community spirit from it.

However, in my opinion, and note this is only my opinion, I struggled with the automaton way that people recite the same order of service week in week out. I could probably recite most of "Rite A" now but the problem is I wouldn't be thinking about any of it. I would just be saying it. That is not worship to me.

My other main issue at the time was the hypocrisy of most churchgoers - all saying this stuff week in week out, but acting completely differently. Lots of catty women fighting over who was the head of tea and biscuits in the church hall etc etc etc. I also worked with the Spring Harvest festivals for a few years as an outsider. I always considered these events to be the "extremists" of C of E - i.e. claiming to be the most into their faith and very "in your face" about it. I found the worst levels of hypocrisy there. I remember seeing a girl I had known at university there. When she found out I was only working there and not attending for the religious experience, she and her mates all turned their noses up and walked off. Great Christian attitude - thanks!

I can remember, when drumming with the local church, our band being invited to play at another church where they were going to try and recreate the "Toronto effect" - i.e. where everyone closes their eyes, the Spirit of God is meant to fill the room and people start talking in foreign tongues etc. Now this may be legitimate elsewhere, but I was being naughty and had one eye open. That may have stopped it working, but I swear I saw a woman open her eyes, look around to make sure there was nothing in her way behind her to get hurt on, and then fall to the floor babbling away. I lost a lot of respect for these sorts of things that day.

Again, this is all my own humble opinion. I will say this; the closest I have been to having a religious experience is playing music in a church. It may be God, it may be the acoustics, I don't know, but when it's right, you get the shivers down your spine etc. I got married last year and asked my brother to play the organ. The night before at the rehearsal, when he kicked it in full tilt with all the stops out, it reduced me to tears in seconds. I know some of it was probably nerves, some of it emotion, some of it was pride at my brother (the b*****d!), but I don't think I'd have felt that in a registry office.

I guess I also have to thank that band for making me want to play bass. I was listening to a load of soul/funk/acid jazz at the time and was dying to play along with a good bass player. The one in the church band was a guitarist who was doing it because no one else would, and therefore he was ok, but no funkmeister. This made me want to explore the difference between the two and take up bass. I rarely play drums now, and my kit is collecting mould up in the loft. Unfortunately our current drummer is a left hooker, so I don't get to have much of a shot on his kit either!

Anyhoo, sorry to ramble. I kind of agree with Hutton's post. I've been pointing out a few things that turned me away from the church. It doesn't make me hate (what I perceive as) God, nor would it make me want to tell others not to try it. It's just not for me.

FWIW, I still think tBBC is hilarious.

[quote name='Beedster' post='312553' date='Oct 22 2008, 10:06 PM']All that said, it's all a load of balls 'cos no-one standing in the pub on a Friday night is going to be able to tell the difference between an original USA '72 and an Indonesian Squire
C[/quote]

Thanks Beedster, you made me and my "plethora" of Squiers feel like one of the team for a while there.....

[quote name='OutSpoon' post='311838' date='Oct 22 2008, 09:56 AM']Looking good. So - how do these products (Wizard ad Viller) compare with EMG / Bartolini / Seymour Duncan etc.? Am I being a brand-snob? Quality just as good (if not better?) cheaper and better made?[/quote]

I can only comment on what I have experience of, which is not a lot. I have recently bought a second P5 with Seymour Duncans in it from Shockwave. There is no comparison to me. I want a big, fat, no teeth sound which the Wizards provide at a much higher output level - although admittedly this is mainly using the neck pickup only to get it. I originally asked Andy for 84's which he says are designed to provide this sound more than the 64's - but they did have to be modified due to the pickup area problem already mentioned so probably aren't true 84's.

However, I would imagine the Seymours would suit someone who wants a bit more attack and bite in their sound. I would imagine several people on here will give you reasons for and against each. Maybe it's worth watching the for sale section on here and seeing if you can pick up some second hand bargains to mess around with? I eventually intend to strip and mod the Seymour one and use something completely different for pickups, so they might end up on there at some point. However, they may not fit your Jazz and I am a bit slow at getting round to these things so I wouldn't hold your breath!

I would have said you probably are paying for what you get. The depth of the stock Squier pickups is about half of the Wizards, which would suggest Andy is fitting some much heftier magnets and more quality components in there.

[quote name='OutSpoon' post='310520' date='Oct 20 2008, 03:37 PM']Okay - I'm diggin it... but do any of these work with a 5-string? The Wizard stuff looks cool; but I also want to replace the pots etc. some DIY-type tomfoolery has left my controls in need of some TLC...[/quote]

Wizard can advise on pot values, you just have to get them from somewhere. My original Squier pickups are actually the same size as the neck pickup on my JV four string (bridge is wider!!) and Andy managed to get something to work (his original set didn't have a wide enough pickup pattern).

I would imagine Fender use wider pups. If Andy can get hold of the same size casing, then he should be able to make you a pup to fit.

[quote name='josh3184' post='310512' date='Oct 20 2008, 03:28 PM']and wizard...

[url="http://wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass"]http://wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass[/url][/quote]

I recently bought a set of Wizards for my Squier Precision V as it uses Jazz pickups. The difference is amazing.

Just make sure you know the width of each pickup and the distance between the screw holes on each before contacting them (they're often different sizes). It should be fairly easy with Fender stuff but it was a nightmare with my cheapy Squier! Luckily with Andy at Wizard, he was happy to work with me until they were right. I can't recommend them enough.

He reckons the final set I ended up with would have a drop in output to compensate for the extra pickup width required, but I A/B'd it with the Squier I bought off Shockwave on Saturday (that has Seymour Duncans) and the output is still much louder (and fatter) in comparison.

That's all my opinion anyway....

I bought Estelle's latest album last week. There are some nice bass parts that sound as if they've been recorded live and not just sampled on there.

There's a nice reggae track on there called Come Over. Simple stuff but sounds dead good IMHO.

She's asking for a zip code? Isn't that a tad American for the highlands?

Thanks for the kind comments Rob. Was good to meet you and wished I could have spent longer fiddling around with your Musicmans!

Pleasure doing business with you.

All the best,

Stew

Sending PM now...

My Labella flats all have black, except the replacement B I recently got which was blue (the original snapped after 2 gigs.

I have a feeling this may have been the supplier putting a different string in a Labella packet, but I'm not sure. It does feel the same and sounds ok, so no real complaints from me - was just happy to get a replacement.

Bargain, IMHO. If only you'd been selling this two months ago!

I paid £100, it had stock pups and I had to meet the guy to collect it.

If I could afford it right now (and wasn't afraid of Mrs HH) I would buy it and have as a second to really mod (ie paint etc).

Have another free bump from me!

On a side note - good luck with the ear infection Mewsie. I've had 3 in the same ear in the last four years (just got rid of one last week) and if you don't catch them fast enough with a visit to the docs for antibiotics - they bloody hurt.

My deepest sympathies go out to you.

[quote name='BassManKev' post='255569' date='Aug 5 2008, 04:57 PM']what happened to the p part?[/quote]

They come with J pickups - someone told me its because a 5 string split coil is too expensive and fiddly to set up for the cheap basses.

Good luck with the sale Squier5, I have just bought one second hand in the same colour scheme. I like the neck that big and have just fitted a set of Wizard Customs on it, although it did take a couple of sets to get it right!

Free bump from me!

As per my previous post, I have just had this response from Andy which I thought I'd add:

[b][i]Stew,

Glad you got it sorted and that you like 'em.

If you do write somfink on Basschat, might be worth mentioning that your original pickups were Fender stock sized neck four string cases, and what we've managed to do is squeeze five string guts inside similar sized cases.[/i][/b]

Hope some of this info will help someone else with a cheapo 5 string they're trying to mod!

[quote name='jakesbass' post='249149' date='Jul 27 2008, 09:35 PM']I did a gig at Canary wharf in the park in the middle (so outdoor stage)[/quote]

Jake, was this a one off?

My job is often based in the Wharf, so could have popped over to say hello.

I note they often do things over the year in the square, so could you be back again soon?

Let me know if so, I might even treat you to a Mocha-Frappa whatever from the extortionate Starbucks kiosk there!

As for the Ashdown thing, I am very happy with my MAG 210 combo. I must admit, I rarely use the 115T bin, and when I do, I agree with most posters that there is some sort of cone filtering/phasing going on (more noticeable at higher volume) because with the two together, it does start to sound a bit weird. It does appear to lose definition, which could be what people percieve as wooliness. I wish I'd been gigging enough when I originally bought it all to notice it and swap it for another 2x10 cab or something. Until I get out of pubs and start doing stadiums, I think I'll be alright with my 2x10 for now!

Sorry to drag this thread up again but:

I have finally finished adding a set of custom 5 string Wizards to my Squier Precision 5 (P shape but J pickups) and I am a very happy man!

Please note the following though:

I originally asked Andy for a 5 string custom set in the 84 sound. He asked me width of the pickup (B string edge to G string edge) and that was about it. When they came, the screw mounts were closer together so the pickup had to be jammed into the bridge rout and neck position scratchplate .

Once fitted, I had no attack if pulling on the string (downstroking with the thumb was fine). After a lot of sending photographs with a measuring tape in them, he concluded that the "sensing area" of the pickup was to small. They then made me a single unit to try. I don't know how they make them, but he said they had used extra strong magnets and a bit of extra metal plate in it to widen the field?

The new one worked, so they have made me another which I fitted last night. For these new ones, he managed to find some casings with the correct screw hole widths so they just slotted straight in.

I now have the sound I want and I am very happy. Andy was thoroughly helpful throughout and I have no problems in recommending any of you to these pickups.

I only told the above story to warn you all that you may come across issues when buying. It has taken around 4 weeks and a lot of swapping pickups in and out (so that I could still use the bass) before this was sorted. Naiively, I had assumed that all Jazz pickups would have the same footprint, but I was totally wrong.

Anyway, it's all done and dusted now. Another vote for Andy and his team!

I know that crez5150 had a fretted and a fretless because I've pestered him before with similar questions (not your question though).

I think the Rondo website does list string spacing on each guitar, but I think it may be a copy paste thing gone wrong as similar models often appear to have different dimensions.

I was tempted to buy myself but then found a cheap second hand Squier P5. Let the modding begin!!

If you read the (real) adverts in Viz, someone already beat you to CNUT t-shirts.

I'm enjoying my "King Curtis Live at Filmore West" and "Aretha Franklin Live at Filmore West" albums. It's basically the support and main act at the same gig, using the same band.

They had been on my to buy list for ages, and it was the BGM 5 funky albums list in the Peter Hook cover edition that reminded me to get them.

Jerry Jemmott plays some very nice stuff!

[quote name='Miacomet' post='246072' date='Jul 23 2008, 01:45 PM']We are about 20 miles (km? Sorry!)......[/quote]

Don't worry, European beaurocracy hasn't completely taken over yet, we still deal in miles too.

Welcome to the forum. Be careful, there'll be loads of UK Basschatters offering you places to stay as long as you bring some of those nicely priced basses with you!

[quote name='clauster' post='243675' date='Jul 20 2008, 10:33 AM']....once I relised I wasn't going to be struck by lightning for not sounding great I got more confident, sang harder and sounded better. I reckon at least 50% of it is doing it with confidence.[/quote]

Clauster speaks the truth. I've been doing it since January in our band and now feel a bit better about it. Unfortunately I have to do a lot of "up a 5th" harmonies so end up singing really high. It can get embarrassing and doesn't appear to impress the girls like a Barry White kind of voice would. Mrs HH laughs at me anyway!

ARGH,

Don't get me wrong, I do sympathise, I was trying to see if you had considered attitude etc.

Our band once auditioned keyboard players. We got this one guy in who was amazing. Sounded like he was a regular at Nu-Soul and gospel style stuff. I wanted to turn him down because he was THAT good and he was quite frankly showing how s**t the rest of us were in comparison. He didn't take the gig because we weren't making any money and he was a pro, but if it had been up to me he wouldn't have been offered it in the first place.

You may think that's a weird attitude, and I'll admit, it is. I actually like to be the worst muso in a band because it gives me the challenge to better myself and keep the gig. However, this guy was SOO good he was making me uncomfortable that we were all looking like major amateurs so I chickened it. Of course, it didn't phase the guitarist who has eternal belief in all of us, and he did offer him it.

I just wonder if this is some of what you're experiencing?

When they offer you a drink, are you refusing to drink alcohol or refusing to go down the pub with them? As others have said, bands usually have to be built on friendships as well - if you won't even join them afterwards it can seem a snub?

I will apologise again, I'm not trying to assume anything about you, just trying to think of scenarios that may be causing the problem?

I used to use Gumtree and Partysounds. I noticed that most people didn't seem to notice the "Bass Players Available" ads, I always seemed to have to wait for bands to advertise themselves and reply to them.

I agree with the guitarists thing. I remember once meeting a guy at his house who wanted to do gigs playing his own stuff he'd recorded on Cubase. He would play me his tracks with his own recorded lines he'd done on his guitar. I'd then start doing my own thing and he'd be going "No, like this!" and start showing me his lines note for note.

Suffice to say it was like a poor man's Simply Red so I made my excuses and left.

What was going on with the rest of the band?

Was the drummer mic'd up?

I've had it before with a mic'd kit, the PA is throwing out loads of bass and kick drum. On certain frequencies, the bass drum would act as a resonator and via my amp, the acoustics of the stage room and the PA, the whole stage area would resonate.

The reason in my case was that between soundcheck and gig, I had accidentally knocked the input gain on my amp (the knob is easy to catch and turn). That had turned up both my amp and the feed to the PA (he was using the DI out on my amp).

Turning my amp down would have cured it, unfortunately I didn't realise until we had finished a rather unhappy gig. Shame the sound guy didn't spot it either.

Never mind an A string, I broke a low B on my P5 last night.

It was from a set of Labella flats I put on it only 2/3 weeks ago. It's only done a couple of gigs and a rehearsal.

From putting it on, I was a bit peeved about the lack of sustain - you would get the initial attack, and then it would stop ringing quickly, almost as if it was being gated or heavily limited.

The string didm't snap or anything - in fact it looks intact. I think the inner core is broken.

I reckon it may have been a badly manufactured string. I have seen people comment about Labella flats with that before.

With this in mind, I've sent a mail to Stringbusters (who I bought them from) to see if I have any chance of getting a replacement.

It's worth a try, but I won't hold my breath.....