Funky Dunky

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1487953039' post='3244541'] At the moment it's Rhythm Stick. Not so much difficulty learning it as executing it faithfully. [/quote] This is, deceptively, THEEEE hardest bass line of all time. I can play things WAAAY harder, but the correct execution of Rhythm Stick eludes me 90 times out of 100. Without a word of a lie, I spent three months learning and polishing this. I practiced it every day. And I eventually got it. And I went "Right. Done. Learned." And I stepped away from it and moved on to the next tune. Then I tried to play it again and haven't pulled it off since. And the thing is, from reading others' posts on Basschat over the last few years, and from conversations with other bassists - some of them I would describe as special - the phenomenon I described is by no means limited to me. This bassline continues to stump bassists WAY better than me. My question, therefore, is what kind of VOODOO resides in the fingers of Norman Watt-Roy? Don't even mention Paul Turner's flawless version with Shuffler, which is noticeably faster than the original.

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1487945222' post='3244425'] Something like this? http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/recording-studio/detail.asp?stock=12020814205732&gclid=Cj0KEQiA0L_FBRDMmaCTw5nxm-ABEiQABn-VqWtrx5T8z4cGVuebn-i9RuoD1Pu_Q5cuVGhU6n7IQ0MaAn1p8P8HAQ DI/mic input x 2. Download Audacity (free). Record away. Other companies make similar things for similar money. [/quote] This is as interface, oui? I was enquiring more about a standalone portable recording device with a condenser mic or an input jack, but in a separate thread I have enquired about interfaces so I will add this one to my shortlist. Many thanks.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1487951787' post='3244518'] You may encounter problems with timing. Just because you're playing to a click doesn't necessarily mean your click will be perfectly in time with your friends. It only needs to be a fraction of a second out, but over the course of a couple of minutes it'll start to get noticeable. [/quote] This is really REALLY useful advice. As a home recording novice, this is something I would never have considered.

Thanks to everyone who's offered input (pardon the pun) thus far. I'm digging the focusrite thus far, but I have some research to do before I splash the spondulicks. Cheers all.

Yeah I had a look at the Scarlett Solo and it comes with a light version of Protools?? I'm sold!

[quote name='Heathy' timestamp='1487002623' post='3236174'] If a punter tries to talk to you mid-song, kick their face. [/quote] Fixed.

I've posted another thread seeking help to find a recording device on the cheap. As another thought, I understand that if I download Audacity and buy an interface, I can go through a laptop and still keep the setup relatively portable and easy to use. With this in mind, can anyone recommend a few good quality interfaces at the budget end of the scale? I appreciate that 'quality' and 'budget' makes for something an oxymoron, but I'm a complete noob to this, and just looking for pointers. Thanks

[quote name='Harryburke14' timestamp='1487502696' post='3240199'] I'd wait to see what the Sire PJs are like when they come out, as I'm sure we can all testify for Sires VFM. [/quote] Any word on when these hit the market yet?

I have no idea whatsoever about recording equipment, but I'm looking for a device that will let me plug in via either my amp or a DI pedal, then lay down a bass track (preferably with a click) which I can then send via email to my mate which he can then somehow drop into songs he has recorded on a zoom multitrack. Also, it has to be under £100, and the files be tweakable in post at my mate's end (add fx etc). Pardon my total ignorance of this, I am something of a technophobe if we go beyond bass/amp/pedals, so if my request is ridiculous, set me straight as soon as you're done laughing at my post. I was wondering if something like the Zoom H1 would be of use for this? Any help, and options, would be most appreciated - and explain as though you were talking to a drummer

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1487618946' post='3241280'] Tim is a good friend of mind so I've passed this on to him :-) (he's also responsible for a fair few of my recent purchases, including the FSR MIJ Mustang bass I picked up thanks to his hard work and keeping an out for me as a favour. Top lad!) [/quote] Brilliant, ask him if remembers the Scottish guy with the beard who was full of self-doubt about his bass-playing!! Or just "Scottish guy" will probably do it, tbh...

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1487597109' post='3241010'] Any chance you could make the purchase on a 0% credit card and pay it off when your bass sells? Only saying that as I always believe we should jump on those basses that makes us tick, they can vary massivly even when they are the same make/model etc. Hope you manage to get it [/quote] That's a good idea, actually! You're Tim from PMT in Newcastle, aren't you?

How much do these differ in feel and playability from the outgoing Deluxe models? I played an Elite Series Jazz on Saturday and was blown away - it just played so effortlessly. Granted, my experience of high-end basses is somewhat limited, but it smoked my Am Standard Jazz, and creamed the Spector Euro I tried before it. Pricey? Yeah. Worth it? Maybe, actually. The reason I ask if there's a big difference between Elite and Deluxe is - Deluxes are still kicking around, and can be had for a bargain price. If they're close to the Elites at all, I can already hear my bank manager's distant sobs.

I was in Durham over the weekend to visit my mate and lay down some bass on couple of tracks he's written. On Saturday, we took a trip to Newcastle as he wanted to check out some acoustic guitars. Never one to turn down a trip to a toy shop, I prepared to ogle some nice basses. We went to PMT, and as I was eyeing the stock, a member of staff said "give us a shout if you fancy a go on anything." I turned to my mate and asked "You ever heard that before in a guitar shop?" He laughed and said that no, he hadn't. I approached the staff member (Tim) and asked if I could try the Spector they had sitting out. He said certainly, and hooked me up to an amp. Had a quick batter at it, was a bit disappointed with the neck and put it back. He came and chatted with me, said some nice things about my playing and asked me about my gear. When I told him about my Fender Am Std Jazz, he urged me to treat myself to a go on the new Elite Series Jazz. Well sir. I have never sat down with a bass and said "I have to have to have this" - but I did on Saturday. The neck was simply perfect for me. So well crafted and set up that I felt like I could do no wrong. I'm not a music shop player, but I didn't embarrass myself once. Everything took so much less effort to pull off, and sounded so much better. Shame about the RRP, but I still have to have it. If I find a buyer for my Standard, it will be mine. Anyway, despite my having made it clear I wasn't buying, and despite it being a busy Saturday, Tim still took the time to stand and chat with me about gear, about project basses, about the local gig scene, about my playing - but was never once that overbearing, condescending way so many staff are in guitar stores (from my experience). Despite the shop being a couple of hundred miles away, I can see myself doing business with them. Good service always gets my money. Nice to have a really positive experience in a shop. Doesn't happen often, and we rant plenty about the bad, so it's only right to praise the good.

[quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1486966043' post='3235861'] I love a beatbox Saw Rahzel live back in the day and it blew my mind, but theses kids are taking to another level [/quote] Rahzel.....wow. Not heard that name in years. Check out 'If your mother only knew'. Bad-ass.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1486584562' post='3233065'] At last, someone else who admires Kershaw's songwriting. [/quote] And me! But have you heard his guitar playing? Holy Holdsworth....

Big Hall and Oates fan, so I'll go with 'Kiss on my List' here.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1486555952' post='3232696'] Pop one of those £30 stinger preamps in and you've got a great bass for less than £200, nice work! [/quote] Those £30 Stinger preamps are now £50, but nonetheless a good upgrade to your SUB Ray. The factory preamp is a wee bit on the weak side.

GAK used to be my go-to site when I was window shopping for bass gear. I once got into an email discussion with them over a discounted Sterling they had advertised as a special offer, only to be told the price on the website was a mistake, and the guy actually tried to put me off by offering it to me at the RRP!! From that moment on they were out of the running, and I have read a couple of horror stories about customer service which ensured there will be no u-turn, even for a good deal. It's pathetic that, in this day and age, there are still music shops going strong with snotty staff and bad service, when so many good 'uns have gone out of business.

I've heard isolated bass tracks of a fair few players - Steve Harris and Tony Kanal spring to mind - the isolated tracks aren't as flawless as you might expect, but in the mix they sound tight and ultimately you'd never know any dfferent. Makes me feel a little less ashamed of the imperfections in my own playing because these two and Flea are fabulous bassists!

[quote name='Johnny Wishbone' timestamp='1486116736' post='3229324'] Looks like it's time you watched it again - the Wal is featured prominently! IIRC it only shows the 5-sting 'Ray when he's tracking "Funky Monks". [/quote] I stand corrected - in my defence, I wasn't a bassist when I last watched it, so I didn't have such a keen eye for basses. But there you have it! I just went and gave a wee listen to a couple of the isolated tracks and it does not sound like a Stingray at all! Also the sound is much thicker, fatter and more affected than I realised. It's not just as tight when you hear it isolated either. I listened to a little of Chad's isolated drum tracks, though, and the playing is fantastic.

I have come to realise that - for me, at least - the only way to make it through a long practice or a jam is to really back off with my touch and be absolutely relaxed. As soon as I start to dig in for any length of time, I just tense up, my muscles start to fatigue and it's donesville. I have always been prone to tensing up and gripping the bass too tight, fretting too hard, digging in too hard with my right hand, and my hands just cramp up, speed goes out the window completely, I fall behind the beat a fraction......so I have worked hard on lightening up my touch, I'm going to start using lighter strings and playing more relaxed altogether. Initially, I struggled to control the instrument and I really felt that digging in was both important and FUN, but in order combat the fatigue, I would try to back off and just tickle the strings. Unfortunately, it didn't feel right in the beginning and I felt I had no control, but as I've spent more time playing the instrument, my touch and control have improved to the point when I can effectively ramp my attack up or down and retain the control I need. I should also add that I've been playing four years, and this is a fairly recent development.

I have noticed effects used on Flea's sound on this album but they're quite subtle in the mix, apart from a few examples where they're pushed to the front (the breakdown in Power of Equality with the auto wah, and Sir Psycho Sexy). I haven't listened to these isolated tracks yet - going to get to them over the weekend when I'm off work - and I'm excited to hearing every nuance of the sound. I find it staggering that it's mostly Wal, it always sounded like classic Stingray to me, and I just took it for granted because I always saw Flea with a Ray, and although it's a long, long time since I watched Funky Monks, I don't remember seeing Flea with a Wal during any of the recording footage (not saying he wasn't - just saying I don't remember noticing). I'm excited to hear the nuances of tone and use of effects laid bare here. This album had a huge influence on Joe Dart and shaped the way he plays bass in numerous ways. This was also the album that made me think "I kinda wish I'd bought a bass instead of a guitar...someday I have to get to bass." That thought never went away, it was always whispering to me in my mind through the years I was playing guitar, until eventually that whisper became a scream. So that's why I'm so excited to hear this laid bare. Thanks again for this

I can't thank you enough for this!

If a bass review/demo features slap, grand. If not, I feel a bit upset. But if it's ONLY slap, I feel equally annoyed. In my opinion, a bass review should be comprehensive - it should feature all pickups, all tone controls off, flat and maxed, and the three main attacks - fingers, pick and slap. This is why, in my opinion, Ed Friedland is by a distance the best demonstrator on YT. Loads of bassists slap, whether it's on stage or in their bedroom is neither here nor there. I have made my peace with the anti-slap brigade, but at the end of the day, if it's really that unpopular a technique, why are there so many videos of it on YouTube? And why do so many view it as ego playing? Moderation is key; one need not throw in their fastest slap lick when one can do the same job (illustrating the slap sound) with a simple butt-dink and keep it musical at least. When someone starts slapping purely rhythmically at warp speed, it kinda stops being music for me (who likes a bit of slap. And tickle ) and I lose interest, but done tastefully and sparingly, I think slap is grand. Ed has stopped shooting gear demos as he has been touring with The Mavericks for the last wee while, but still writes a column for Bass Player Magazine. The guy is a stone cold dude.

There's a video on YouTube by a chap who calls himself Pertybass, and in it, he plays 'Whatever It Is...' on a series of different basses (JB, Musicman, Warwick etc). I'm having trouble embedding vids otherwise I'd post it up. Well worth a listen.