urb

[url="http://soundcloud.com/"]http://soundcloud.com/[/url]

Save your money and either buy the gear online or make the extra effort to go to the Gallery or Bass Diect - either one of those places can be described as life enhancing, rather than aggravating - life's to short to shop on Denmark street! Mike

And this little Tribal Tech number in 3/4 And more Gary Willis at his finest

I rather like this:

I love my GB Shuttle 9.0 - it's tiny but mighty and while I know the MB stuff does a great job and is super loud the GB sound is just a bit smoother and can match any sound you want, there are loads of options for boosting the lows, mids or highs to suit your style - though it is most certainly a hi-fi sound and not your dirty Orange grunger... nothing wrong with that sound either - personally I love the clarity of the GB gear and I've been following the Shuttle 9.0 thread over on Talkbass and one guy there tried it against an Ampeg head through an 8x10 cab and reportedly said it 'slayed' the Ampeg - it's a seriously sick little box that can chuck out vast amounts of power + volume - and work well with vintage or modern gear - GB might not have the slick marketing machine behind them that MB does but their gear is first class. I've owned Eden/Nemesis, EBS and Epifani heads and the GB 9 came out on top for me. As ever though each to their own... Mike

[quote name='supabock' post='825916' date='May 2 2010, 09:28 PM']Stop being such a girl and get your fretless out !! [/quote] Yeah I know... but this is what I'm talking about - check this out:

[quote name='supabock' post='825885' date='May 2 2010, 09:09 PM']Can't help but think that's cheating a little?????????[/quote] Maybe but considering it means you can play more attacking fingerstyle funk lines that can be hard on a fretless and then switch to get really lovely fretless tones on a solo or more 'jazzy' section of a tune I think it would be great - and I say this from the POV of having not gigged with my fretless for years now! M

Hey Dom Di Piazza has just launched his signature bass bridge that allows you to make notes sound like they are fretless - the bridge has wooden saddles so you get the 'mwah' effect when you sustain notes - but without any issues with intonation - meaning you can play chords as well... bass specs [url="http://www.mike-sabre.com/dppm/dppm.html"]here[/url] Anyway check this vid out - the first tune is a bit cheesy but the second half of the vid he plays a gorgeous solo piece: M

The first two things I learnt slap-wise was a half arsed attempt at some Mark King stuff from the Physical Presence live album but also I remembered this cool clip from an early Luc Besson film called Subway which had a bit of slap played by the films soundtrack guy Eric something, he's in the band in the film and it was one of the first bits of slap I learnt.

I learnt how to slap by watching lots of Wooten and Stu Hamm vids (on VHS) when I was younger - I just got better over time but did get slightly obsessed with the Wooten thing which I can now do so I suppose it was worth it but I still think there are no short cuts - ie watching lots of Youtube vids - to learning any technique or any aspect of music you just gotta shed man! M

[quote name='ViaceslavSvedov' post='825580' date='May 2 2010, 03:42 PM']thank you all! yes, i do. Actually, recently I am not playing gigs. 5 month ago I quit my band and now I´m sort of a "sofa musician" [/quote] I'm kind of with you there, I mean I love playing live but gigging all the time is overrated, I.e. it's a lot of hassle and effort I think working on your skills and developing your style is also worthwhile - and by the time u get gigging again you'll be a better player M

Roughly in order... Gary Willis, Victor Wooten, Kai Eckhardt, Squarepusher, Richard Bona, Matt Garrison, Hadrien Feraud, Doug Wimbish, Laurence Cottle, Jasper Hoiby, Etienne Mbappe, Dave Holland

Damn fine and funky - and you nailed the melody as well - I really dig it Do you write your own stuff too? I hope you are out there gigging man Great stuff Mike

[quote name='Golchen' post='823346' date='Apr 29 2010, 07:55 PM']Totally love it! And that's the first time I've seen a single cut bass and actually liked the look of it. I'd have preferred the bass a touch louder and the drums a touch quieter, but maybe it's just my laptop speakers??[/quote] Thanks man - I appreciate your comments - I think my bass has converted many non-believers when it comes to Single Cuts. As an added bonus I just made an MP3 version - which you can stream here: [url="http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=139660"]http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=139660[/url] Or just download here [attachment=48608:Thumb_And_Bass.mp3] This will only be up here for a limited time so grab it while you can Cheers Mike

Thanks guys - you're very kind - thanks for watching Cheers Mike

A total stunner - congrats bro - I hope it sounds as great as it looks... Mike

[quote name='Bilbo' post='822021' date='Apr 28 2010, 03:13 PM']After reading these magazines for 20 years, I started to see a pattern developing [/quote] - touché

[quote name='Bilbo' post='821963' date='Apr 28 2010, 02:40 PM']Just to save you all a lot of money and time: Bilbo's patented universal bass player interview: 'I started playing the bass at aged (*insert age here), after my (brother/sister/father/mother * delete as appropriate)) bought a bass and left it lying around. I picked it up and immedaitely began playing lines from the songs I was hearing on the radio, songs by (The Beatles, Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Motown artists, Pearl Jam, Stone Roses) * delete as appropriate). I was hooked. I had decided that this was what I wanted to do with my life. I joined a local band and after (insert number here) gigs, I got the chance to play with (* insert random artist here). It was as a result of that opportunity that I got the (* insert another random artist here) gig and became the player you hear today. I prefer (*insert bass manufacturer ere) basses but I have my basses modified by (*insert random luthier here) to my specification. I prefer (*insert random pick up) pick-ups and a (*insert manufacturer) here but I have to stress that the sound is in your hands and not in the mechanics of the bass. Amps-wise, I prefer (*insert random manufacturer here) because of their (warmth/clarity/general awesomeness * delete as appropriate) Whilst recording the (*insert randon cd title) CD, I went direct into the desk and simultaneously miked the speaker up with a (*insert random microphone manufacturer here) microphone. I used a little compression and a touch of reverb but otherwise the signal is clean. I don’t like cluttering up my bass sound with unecessary bells and whistles. I like it pure. Influences include (* insert a list of random artists here). It is difficult to explain where the feel comes from. If you need to have it explained, you’ll never understand it. My advice to people starting on the bass? Practice, practice, practice.' Now, start saving the money you no longer need to spend on magazines and study music. Not musicians, not gear, not the music business. Music - scales, chords, melody, harmony, rhythm. Everything else is entirely interchangeable.[/quote] I hope all my articles aren't that predictable... I know what you mean though Cheers Mike

Just putting my freaky thumb to good use - hope you guys dig some of this drum and bass style tunage Cheers Mike See below to grab the MP3 of this with added remix-y-goodness

Hey peeps I know this thread doesn't get updated much - but when it does... Just check this new arrival out - I'm sorry I don't know the owner though I did see this bass in production, but this is what Seis are all about - sheer jaw dropping craftsmanship and attention to detail - and they sound and play amazong too: That thing is sick... I hoped I wouldn't see another Sei that would make me think about getting another - fact is I simply can't afford it - Martin and John strike again... And [b][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOcusMQx5lg"]here's a vid[/url][/b] of some Sei Single cut noodling I made recently Cheers guys Mike

thanks chaps...

It's called making a living... music is very tough to make ends meet (albeit is you teach, do function bands or big pop shows you can earn good money) but you can still play well and do your pop job with integrity - I've listened to some of Janek's b-lines with VV brown and I thought they were killing - really grooving and actually creative considering the restrictions of that kind of gig. Guys like Nigel Hitchcock - UK alto sax monster - have done hundred and hundreds of pop/film/rock sessions - it doesn't affect his credentials as a top jazz sax player - just because you can play jazz does not and should not mean you are unable or unwilling to play different styles of music. Why should that be any different for bassists, guitarists or drummers...? - and the fact you can solo all day doesn't mean you get a gig because of it... it's great to have those skills but I guarantee that most bandleaders - including jazz ones - don't want some noodle monster bassist if they can't nail the bass parts - the ability to solo is bonus not a prerequisite to being a 'good' player. Mike

Brilliant - very cool indeed and that bass looks gorgeous...

Hey Peeps Just added a new slow jam to my YT channel - just thought I'd share it: Hope you likey Mike

Hey doods Just prepping the final bits of what will be a kind of mini-album and I've decided to put one tune up on myspace - it's a a kind of Beastie Boys / cop show theme tune with some mad bits of bass popping through, and some warped shizzle on there too... hope you like it Beastie Boogie: [url="http://www.myspace.com/flynnbass"]http://www.myspace.com/flynnbass[/url] Cheers Mike