xilddx

[quote name='Jigster' post='1146618' date='Mar 2 2011, 12:10 AM']soppy git [/quote] I know

I tell you what lads, it feels like sitting in front of a roaring log fire you built yourself from cherry wood, sipping a glass of the finest warm, rich and smoky single malt, and telling your queen you caught a 68lb common carp of the Donald Leney strain from Redmire Pool today, while she smiles at you with deep, lustrous shining eyes. That's what it feels like.

I now have the most sumptuous, gorgeous, utterly lovely tones from my bass !! I can't tell you how beautiful it feels to want to play every note to its maximum effect. It's making me play differently, more sensitively, more simply. Everything I play feels like what I remember it being like on a lovely mushy trip in the 1980s (probably a bad thing to say, sorry!). I take delight in the simplest things, a simple octave, a grace note, a ghost, a tinkling of harmonics, a simple accent. It's wonderful, like fireworks going off in my head, to paraphrase Blue Oyster Cult. Coupled with the beautiful neck on my new Fender Jap Jazz, I could not be happier! For the first time, I feel like it's a true reflection of me. The chain .. Fender Japan 62RI Jazz, CAR with matched headstock, rosewood dot slab board, American Vintage pickups, Badass II, East J-Retro 01, DR Strings Black Beauties. POD X3 LIVE - amp model Acoustic 360 with a highish gain setting and the high mids up full, a little compression, a little basic digital chorus. Want some clips? Give me a few days to get that sorted. [attachment=73814:01_Track_1.mp3] 28 downloads and one nice comment. I guess most people think my tone is sh*t then Seriously all comments are welcome, even if you do think my sound is a pile of poo.

[quote name='matski' post='1146024' date='Mar 1 2011, 04:45 PM']Hear hear! In the spirit of sharing information of not so well known luthiers, here is a link to a luthier fairly local to me in Polska: www.nexus-guitars.com To be honest, I'm not much of a fan of exotic-wooded coffee-table sperm whale basses - but one man's meat is another man's poison and all that - but I have seen one of this guy's 6-string singlecut basses and the workmanship was brilliant. He does like a fairly outlandish design though. Here's one he's produced - the ideal bass for those who want a 4 string fretlees and 5 string bass all-in-one: [attachment=73643:front.jpg] [attachment=73644:detail1.jpg][/quote] Mate, that is f***ing vile!

Leave. It's a waste of your time and you could be in another band enjoying yourself.

[quote name='Johnston' post='1145852' date='Mar 1 2011, 02:52 PM']Was it the burning one again???[/quote] rapier wit there mate

I'd love a bass in that finish!

[quote name='Doddy' post='1145044' date='Feb 28 2011, 09:29 PM']Nearly.... It's in 11/8 not 8/11.[/quote] Of course, apologies. I have no idea why I typed 8/11 Cheers, Paul.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1143694' date='Feb 27 2011, 07:07 PM']Have you learnt to forget your sticks, Hi hats and kick drum pedal yet? Its page 1 of being a drummer even the best players I have worked with do it from time to time "Oh no they are still on my practice kit at home" [/quote] I forget I'm using them while I'm playing I'm making a fair bit of progress actually, and REALLY enjoying it! Been playing around with stuff I'm nicking from Herb Alexander on 'Eleven', it's in 8/11, imaginative song title from Primus, eh?! Worthy of a jazzer, that I'll record a short ensemble soon and stick it up for a harsh critique. I must say, it's so nice to be doing something new and exciting and being a n00b. I get a bit tired of bass sometimes and wish I had more gigs and rehearsals, drums has reinvigorated me.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1144538' date='Feb 28 2011, 03:02 PM']Very good point! So remember: Beard and double bass = good. Emo with angry parents = bad.[/quote]

[quote name='bigjohn' post='1144487' date='Feb 28 2011, 02:12 PM']Now you've got weird hands! [b]Your "4th finger" usually refers to the ring finger... or the 4th digit. The one most often used for cleaning one's bum. [/b] Mine are 210mm wrist to tip, 240mm thumb to pinkie and 140mm index to ring. I like deep necks, I like to feel wood on my palm. etc etc.[/quote] Ahh, right! That stretch from index to bum finger is 140mm

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1144044' date='Feb 27 2011, 11:41 PM']If you wanna find out about the potential pitfalls of trading overseas through forums then do a search for [b]"Jakebass Vampyre"[/b] on here or the Warwick forum. In fact the Warwick guys also had another conman who juiced a member out of a few k not so long ago.[/quote] Take care to note that this member is Jakebass, NOT Jake[b]s[/b]bass who is a highly esteemed member and professional bassist and teacher. It's easy to confuse the two, indeed I did briefly when I first joined and read the Vampyre thread.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1144190' date='Feb 28 2011, 09:44 AM']I think that measuring hand size from wrist to the tip of your second finger (and this isn't always the longest one) only tells a very small part of the story (mine's 190mm BTW). Keyboard players measure the "stretch" from the thumb to the little finger.[b] For bass players we should be measuring the stretch from first to 4th finger - mines 125mm.[/b][/quote] Your hands are weird mate! I'm also 190mm from wrist to middle fingertip. But my stretch from first to 4th finger is 180mm, 205mm from thumb tip to little fingertip.

[quote name='untune' post='1143926' date='Feb 27 2011, 10:07 PM']So between 7", and 7 1/2" roughly. It'll be interesting to hear what kind of necks people prefer too![/quote] Mine are the same. Give me a shallow Jazz neck please.

[quote name='matski' post='1144372' date='Feb 28 2011, 12:32 PM']Wouldn't it be easier to get a checkerboard pattern printed on some sticky backed plastic and apply that to your bass? Plus, if you wanted to sell the bass later, you can remove the plastic film...[/quote] Only if you are going to be playing in a 1980s kitchen Would you feel good about a bass covered in sticky backed plastic? I wouldn't.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1144343' date='Feb 28 2011, 12:03 PM']Over 10,000 users is the reason. A couple of years ago I went on holiday for 2 weeks. There were 17 pages of new posts when I came home. Now we can rack that up in 2 days! [b]But the more pressing problem is that most of the interesting people seem to have gone and found something more interesting to do![/b][/quote] I agree with you, Chris. I wonder why. It does seem more serious but less philosophically interesting these days.

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1144246' date='Feb 28 2011, 10:46 AM']What's witht he BBC bashing? You don't know how lucky you are![/quote] Well said, and it is a requirement of the BBC's remit to provide a defined amount of repeat programming. That said, like Jack I have also noticed a lot of phoenix threads here lately. I'm not sure what's happening at BC, there's little going on at the moment. It's a bit dull. Is it the time of year, or something else, that has made most bass players devoid of opinion or fiery conviction this month?

[quote name='endorka' post='1143989' date='Feb 27 2011, 10:55 PM']Indeed. As you point out, recording with other instruments helps a great deal with the realisation of this, and what sounds staccato when played with the ensemble sometimes isn't quite as stacatto on the bass, due to the tail of the note being masked by other instruments, such as the snare drum. [b]All these things are important. A problem is that everyone in the group you are playing with has to be of a sufficient standard for them to make any difference. Even at the basic level of external dymanics, it only takes one insensitive musician to ruin the effect for everyone. Never mind grace notes, vibrato, or playing around with beat placement, all of which will be essentially wasted if someone in the group's timing is poor.[/b] I think you've hit the nail on the head - in the absence of like minded musicians, recording yourself in a controlled environment is probably the best way to develop these skills. Jennifer[/quote] Thanks Jennifer. It's funny, I'm now thinking of things I hadn't considered when I posted this thread. And your passage above is one of them. I think it's become an instinct for me now, I seem to know instantly when someone is going through the motions or really feeling the music. And there is now way I could play happily with people who don't have a good level of feel, expression and sense of dynamics. Dynamics and feel are a very large part of the composition process for me too. The notes have to fit the dynamic, not the other way around. The dynamic suggests the notes.

[quote name='TimR' post='1143791' date='Feb 27 2011, 08:25 PM']The Americans call them internal and external dynamics. I see lots of bands using external dynamics ie loud and quiet passages, but not many using internal dynamics ie different emphasis on each note for individual musicians. Even fewer use legato and staccato. I think it's just the pervading louder sounds better attitude. Drummers are the worst offenders, keys and guitarists are better but only during solos.[/quote] Lack of legato and staccato is a particular bugbear of mine. So little use of it.

[quote name='McBass' post='1143712' date='Feb 27 2011, 07:21 PM']Dude i only got the bass a month ago....after an 8 month wait. [/quote] I see, that's different then

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1143684' date='Feb 27 2011, 06:59 PM']Im not doing enough either Nigel because of the bands Im in but I guess I can look at the neck more whilst playing stuff I know well and look for the connections as far as scales etc and I can try and count the old 1 e and a, 2 e and a at the same time too. Im going to [i]transcribe [/i](? doddy/bilbo) the stuff I play in the originals band when I get time to see if that helps the eyes see the patterns and timing more clearly. Slowly but surely [/quote] I've certainly seen benefits. I've also noticed they diminish when I stop actively learning this stuff. Too busy on my new drum kit to be bothered at the moment

[quote name='McBass' post='1143520' date='Feb 27 2011, 04:52 PM']I don't want to void the warranty ! Very tempted though.[/quote] If you've found nothing wrong with it by now and you know what you're looking for in terms of manufacturing faults, I wouldn't worry about it. Kneel, and look East

I haven't done sh*t regarding this for a while, I'm a bit ashamed

The more we learn, the more there is to learn. The more human we become, the more humanity we can express, etc. etc. ... Learning how to learn is the most important lesson. Then we need to figure out WHY we want to learn it and if that [b]want [/b]is a true reflection of our souls. EDIT: I'm not a f***ing hippie or a new age twat, honest

Well said, BassBus.