thisnameistaken

I had a mate who had one of those, actually sounded pretty good too.

I think I can smell it from here.

What a drummer, looks like he's loving that Jay-Z gig too.

[quote name='Faithless' post='815921' date='Apr 23 2010, 10:54 AM']Anyone else want to add? [/quote] I'd like to add that I don't think you're a snob, or at least your snobbery doesn't bother me. And I'm a bit surprised that so many people decided to take a pop at you over this thread. Now I must go because there are people in my garden who I've never seen before and I'm a bit worried I might not have paid my daffodil tax or something.

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='813737' date='Apr 21 2010, 01:28 PM']great idea, just remember though to do what's best for the song and not just the bass guitar sound would be my advice.[/quote] Yeah this is really important. Put your ego to one side (I'm not calling you an egotist, just saying, the song's more important than your favourite bass tone), so long as the track sounds good then you've all done your bit. If the bass sound is distracting or inappropriate then you ask him to change it. If it's just a case of you not liking it then maybe "Would it trash the mix if you took some treble off the bass?" might be a good approach. That way you're still deferring to his expertise but making the point that you'd prefer a different sound if it's practical.

Are you sure that's not Quentin Tarantino playing bass for VV Brown?

I like the way the avatars portray this as an argument between a dog and a cat.

Without wishing to allude to aggression can you all please calm down before I handbag the living sh*t out of you?

[quote name='Doddy' post='814314' date='Apr 21 2010, 09:25 PM']I've got to agree with you there. Rhythmically it's nothing special,but in fairness the speed is impressive. My main thing against Mark King is that while his playing is certainly quick,there never seems to be a great lot going on harmonically.[/quote] Yeah he's playing fast but watch his left hand - can you hear any of those notes he's popping? Neither can I. He might have been the most high-profile Brit to slap a bass and that's why he's got some fans amongst the older generation on here, but he's also the slapper most responsible (and rightly so) for the technique being so universally condemned ever since. [quote name='Doddy' post='814314' date='Apr 21 2010, 09:25 PM']That's why I like thumb players like Marcus and Victor and Alain Caron. They've got all the technique,but it's not just about rhythm and octaves(Flea is very guilty of doing that). They often have a lot of harmonic content in their playing.[/quote] That's true, but I suppose you have to like fusion. It all sounds a bit Jobfinder to me.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='814102' date='Apr 21 2010, 07:11 PM']If you haven't already seen this, take a look a this clip from The Tube in 1985. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KWd-Qdb2Vc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KWd-Qdb2Vc[/url][/quote] Needs more chorus. Nah honestly Mark King or not, that sounds like sh*t(*). Even Jools Holland looks bored. * Edit: Since I've fallen out with people for statements like that in the past: If you heard a drum solo of similar rhythmic content, would you be impressed?

[quote name='El Bajo' post='813917' date='Apr 21 2010, 04:31 PM']Mark Kings slap style sounds more technical and precise. When watching flea live he seems to just tw@t it and hope for the best. Having said that I really like Fleas finger style bass lines, I think they have a lot of feel and are very thoughtful. And having said ALL of that I'm not really into the Chillis either.[/quote] Yeah I'm not too bothered about his slap playing but the first half of Blood Sugar Sex Magik has some stonking bass parts on it. And hardly a slapped note on it.

I like the sound and I can imagine a few uses where it would be ideal, but I don't think it could be my only bass. Still, more impressed than I thought I would be.

[quote name='gjones' post='813032' date='Apr 20 2010, 08:56 PM']when I tell other musicians that a good bass sound on stage, when the band is playing at a decent volume, is a VERY difficult thing to achieve.......they look at me as if I'm an idiot. But sound engineers know exactly what I mean. It depends as much on the acoustics of the room as it does on the sound coming from the speakers.[/quote] I think a lot of people do over-think their sound though. They might find themselves a nice niche in the mix but then they get worried that they're not achieving all those descriptions that get bandied around in bass adverts (deep, growl, bite, grunt, tight, powerful, snappy, bright, etc.). Note that if you achieved them all, you would leave no room for anyone else to be in your band. Or maybe they worry that they've only twiddled two knobs when they've paid for ten, or the graphic EQ doesn't look as happy as it's supposed to, etc. It's very easy to concentrate on your gear instead of your ears.

[quote name='The Funk' post='812810' date='Apr 20 2010, 05:28 PM']What I meant to say is that there's a logic to it. I agree it's not going to be of use to most people. I'm not buying one.[/quote] Sure, but it's the sort of logic that brought us the hair-cutting vacuum cleaner attachment, or the toasted sandwich maker.

[quote name='silddx' post='812786' date='Apr 20 2010, 05:05 PM']yes but then he'll have problems with his fingers and his general street cred [/quote] I suppose at least with a precision you can look aloof by claiming it's the first thing you saw in the shop.

[quote name='silddx' post='812742' date='Apr 20 2010, 04:43 PM']Weight is not your primary issue here I don't think. It's about weight [b]distribution [/b]and posture. You've kind of proved that with "The Precision causes less pain than the VMJ, which is strange because the Precision is the heavier of the two.". I would be looking a strap which distributes the weight as evenly as possible over BOTH shoulders and using a bass that balances perfectly with no neck dive before looking for a lighter bass.[/quote] This sounds like good advice to me. But in terms of basses that are trad-looking and fairly light, you could try a Ric.

[quote name='The Funk' post='812701' date='Apr 20 2010, 04:13 PM']Slap and pop on the lower 4 strings and do some fretless slides on the higher two. Makes sense to me.[/quote] That's why it doesn't make sense to me. They built it with just one half-baked musical idea in mind.

[quote name='cameltoe' post='812518' date='Apr 20 2010, 01:25 PM']I did look at the Blowtorch before and I think I remember it being a bit sharp, but I'll have another look.[/quote] There's a lot you can do with the onboard EQ and blend knob. If you want a seriously fuzzy fuzz then look elsewhere (it doesn't go super-fuzzy) but it's a clever pedal that works well in a band with guitars. You really need to try it in a rehearsal to appreciate what a good design it is.

I like some of the old RHCP stuff, before Frusciante left and when they were still taking lots of drugs. I don't like any of the Level 42 stuff. I think Mark King is technically the more accomplished player, but Flea plays with more soul. So I'd have to side with Flea.

[quote name='gt4ever' post='812012' date='Apr 19 2010, 10:32 PM']yeah good call, mammoth is only for passive basses too.[/quote] It sounds a bit different with actives / buffered pedals infront of it, but not that much different. In this case though I don't think it's a good suggestion, it's a very different kind of fuzz sound to what the OP wants. Maybe look at the MXR Blowtorch.

[quote name='Oscar South' post='812295' date='Apr 20 2010, 10:19 AM']I see a lot of opinion on here leaning towards perfectly rounded flawless bass tones with precisely calculated acoustics. That's all well and good but I don't think sounding like a studio mastered track from a Steely Dan record or a bass expo demo is the best way live; give me a dirty sassy tone that bites back.[/quote] TBH I've got bass and treble knobs on my bass and a three-band tone stack on my amp. That's it. Definitely no precise calculations going on at my end, but I suppose the boffins who made my gear may have put some thought into it. And I'm grateful to them because it seems to work very well. If I'm using effects it gets a lot more complicated of course.

[quote name='SteveK' post='812424' date='Apr 20 2010, 12:10 PM']There's nothing wrong with[i] any[/i] of the gear listed. From what you say, my guess would be that[i] you/your band[/i] play quieter on stage than the other bands, enabling the FOH engineer to do his gig and get a decent mix.[/quote] Honestly I think it was more that the rocker's favourite scooped bass tone just doesn't work. So my little Warwick sounded much more present than their basses through the PA, and my little Schroeder was probably more audible on stage, just because it's got buckets of mids. I know there's nothing wrong with Stingrays and Ampeg gear, but all these bands were using them to get that famous sound and, in the end, it just meant nobody could hear them.

[quote name='Musicman69' post='812132' date='Apr 20 2010, 01:25 AM']Well if you couldnt hear the bass in a 3 piece you either have your bass ears tuned out or that band should jack it in!! That paints a very sad picture.. probably a moany guitarist telling him to keep it down.[/quote] The bassist was the front man. I was talking to the drummer and apparently him and the bass player have been playing together for years, they got the guitarist in recently, so nah it can't have been that. I've seen them before and it was the same story. Maybe that's just "their sound"? As for us having a better mix than the other bands - I doubt it. See above rant about the sound guy.

[quote name='Rich' post='812130' date='Apr 20 2010, 01:19 AM']Do you reckon the sonic difference was down to your bass or rig? I'm guessing the latter.[/quote] I think a bit of both and a bit of how I play compared to how they play, I suppose. But I reckon the bass had more to do with it than the amp (we were all DI'd, I was post EQ but I don't know about the others). I think it's that thing again, where bass players don't really think about where they can make themselves heard or how to use the instrument as something other than a reinforcement to the guitar part, and instead just aim for a sound they've heard on an intro somewhere that they liked. And ultimately they get swamped because the guitarists are going for the same sound. And then every band you go see sounds the same, because the sound guys are also shooting for some sh*tty rock bass sound they heard on an intro once. Etc. Oh and next time I walk into a venue and the sound guy looks like he's trying to look all moody I'm turning around and walking out again. We're there to play rock star, not you. Turn our f***ing mics on and sort out our f***ing monitor mix, you can update your Facebook status and order your pizza when you've spent five minutes doing your f***ing job.