SteveK

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1435744686' post='2811958'] I know you are a legendary bassist, but yet another one with the demeaning patronising comments. WHY IS MY OPINION RIDICULOUS AND SHORT SIGHTED, yet yours is so blindingly right? Don't bother to answer, it's rhetorical, I won't be back up here. Too many "I'm right, you are an idiot for having a different opinion" now frequent this forum. [/quote] Sorry if you feel my post was "demeaning" and "patronising" - certainly not intended. Maybe I should have added IMO, I figured that was a given. EDIT: karlfer, I'm not sure why you think that my post was personally directed at you, it wasn't! It was a general comment on what I see as a uniquely British attitude. And I would NEVER call anyone an "Idiot".

[quote name='stevebasshead' timestamp='1435666698' post='2811121'] Dunno who we think we are, telling bands when they should stop. It's a very negative attitude and to me, the easy option rather than suggesting how best they could continue instead. But that's human nature I guess, sadly. Are we not better than that? Leave 'em to do what they do 'make music', buy it if you like it, go see 'em if you like 'em, don't if you don't. It's not like they're causing us any personal difficulty by doing so. [/quote] It's an attitude that seems, to me, to be uniquely British. Thankfully, in most other countries, if a band has a good live reputation, or releases a great album, then yer foreign punter, regardless of lineup or age, will be interested. Not so here! We prefer our bands in their "heyday", after that, they should go away and retire gracefully! Most bands of a certain age and a developing lineup, while aware of their "heyday", will still think they have something to say and hope that enough people will want to hear it. To say that bands like Yes, The Who, Deep Purple etc should knock it on the head is, frankly, ridiculous and short sighted.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1435588928' post='2810318'] The Who may not be the band they were back in the 60's / early 70's. But they're a better proposition [i]now[/i] than when they were during during the Kenney Jones era. [size=3][b]1982[/b]: Worst Who Ever[/size] [color=#ffffff][size=3].[/size][/color] [/quote]Aint that the truth(?)!

"Penny Lane", a great song, but the real icing on the cake has to be Paul's descending bass line under the verse. I marvel at its beautiful, effective, simplicity every time I hear it. [url="http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=penny+lane&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=20986D3F3956BCA7F67920986D3F3956BCA7F679"]Penny Lane[/url]

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1434999539' post='2804622'] [url="http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/latest/photo-news/photographer-hits-back-at-taylor-swifts-letter-to-apple-54363"]http://www.amateurph...-to-apple-54363[/url] Double standards? [/quote] Not at all! There's very little comparison.

If, by tone, we mean "eq" - then different amps and instruments (of reasonable quality) will have marginally different characteristics. However, once that instrument is strapped on and being thumped, those "characteristics" play a hardly perceivable part of the overall voice. Providing you have half decent kit in the first place, spending a couple of grand on a rig or instrument in an attempt at changing/improving your tone is money ill spent. Much better to spend it on a good teacher. Your "tone", "voice", (call it what you will) will be all the better for it.

Yep, got to be my 72 Precision. It's quite staggering that after all these years that that realtively basic of instruments is still held in such high esteem by young and old. They SO got it right!

Had the seriously good fortune of spending a few weeks recording an album with Tony Visconti in the early 80s at Good Earth in Dean Street. To say it was an education would be an under statement. A great man, and a great record producer. [quote name='Bassmonkey' timestamp='1433878649' post='2794845'] Marc Almond joining em apparently [/quote]Oh! And it was all sounding so promising!

[quote name='tonyquipment' timestamp='1433768456' post='2793748'] Otherwise like another said, it'll turn into a 10 minute blues funk mashing in E. [/quote] And what's wrong with that? If you're new to jamming, or playing generally, then there is an awful lot that can be learnt from "a 10 minute blues funk mashing in E"... providing everyone involved is up for it and keen to experiment. Maybe next time try it in G, A, C# etc. As confidence grows maybe throw in a couple of chord changes... see what happens.

This is our audio reqirements sheet, it may give you an idea of what's required. [url="http://www.manfredmann.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/MMEB-Audio-2015.pdf"]Audio Spec[/url]

Of course, it's all down to taste... Some have got it! Some haven't! I personally would never do pink, but... IMV pink with white plate looks ghastly! If you really want to get away with this shade of pink then, regardless of neck, the tortoiseshell plate is an ABSOLUTE MUST!

[quote name='Drax' timestamp='1429552326' post='2752539'] Hasn't live bass forever been a mixed bag? [/quote] Yep!

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1429538251' post='2752377'] But all of those issues can be solved by simply turning the bass frequencies right down. If it's a poor room, kill the bass. On everything. [/quote] If it were as simple as that this thread wouldn't exist and punters would have no complaints. Something worth mentioning: Some FOH engineers deliberately go for a mix with no definition, thinking "Hi-Fi is for the home, but for the live experience we need power and energy". EDIT: BTW As the OP mentioned Parliament Funkadelic and the O2 Academy, I am assuming that we're talking professional FOH engineers, and not the guy down the local Firkin whose only qualification is that he has the required number of fingers to twiddle a knob.

There are an infinite number of reasons for poor sound in a venue, here's just a few: Rooms not designed for music, different shapes, materials used in the building, furnishings etc all affecting sound. Walk around a venue during a performance and hear how drastically the sound changes from one position to another. PAs not up to the job. Poorly positioned and set up PAs. Sound engineers not experienced/qualified to deal with dodgy acoustics. Musicians too loud on stage. Bands that try to reproduce their [b]recorded[/b] arrangements on stage - maybe an idea to rethink that fast 16s bass synth part for the enormoshed tour! Bands that just aren't very good. [quote]maybe it's the influence of dance music[/quote] Live sound production has always been hit and miss, not just since the advent of electronic dance music.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1428700173' post='2743989'] Agreed, however, I think having competent musicians is key. Blue [/quote]If it's for public comsuption... Absolutely! But, If it's in the confines of a bedroom or rehearsal room, it doesn't really matter. Jamming will go someway to making you a "competent musician"... and beyond!

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1428682085' post='2743786'] everybody joining in using the power of telepathy [/quote]It's nothing to do with telepathy, it's all about responding to what is going on around you. It's quite simple - if you're serious about your instrument and want to be the best player/musician that you can be, then get yourself involved in the occasional jam session... THERE IS NO DOWN SIDE!

I don't get the negative posts re: jamming. You'll learn more from 3 hours jamming with your mates than 3 hours on your own widdling about in your bedroom. So what if it becomes a 10 minute blues/funk workout in E, It will be 10 minutes well spent. Providing you're all at a similar level and approach it with an open mind I don't see the problem. Jams can be as simple or as complicated as you like, or your ability allows.

[quote name='spacey' timestamp='1428493570' post='2741740'] People that use them as Tools of a trade and expect them to be robust enough for the job. Why I do not play warwicks anymore, they are just not robust enough, lovely instruments to play, but a machine head snapping mid gig is not my idea of a reliable instrument. That and the wood around the pots it's very soft and thin. [/quote] That's interesting! I've used Warwicks regularly for 30 years. They've been subjected to all kinds of "on the road" stress and treatment. The only wear & tear "fail" that I recall is a strap-lock giving up mid gig. However, I do have a rather interesting old Streamer that has a neck that looks like it's morphing in to a lizard... but that's down to a big footed stage tech!

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1428401441' post='2740852'] It is a boring debate because it is never a debate. A 4 stringer usually kicks off with "Why bother with 5 strings". A thread of negativity from 4 stringers usually follows with 5 stringers explaining why 5 works for them. A 4 stringer then usually accuses the 5 stringers of getting touchy and it all fizzles out only to start up and follow the same script a few months later. It's the same line of thought as the tedious "Boutique basses are a waste of money", and "My £200 bass sounds as good as any £10000 bass", threads. [/quote] Maybe we need to debate what constitutes a debate The 4 versus 5 string is a perfectly legitimate debate/discussion that will understandably come around every year or two, with contributions from newer members that bring their own views and experiences. As I said in an earlier post, I'd never given fanned fret basses any thought, but thanks to this thread and Iain's mention of the extra (37") scale length of the B string, it's got me thinking that maybe I should check one out.

I would probably slacken the strings to avoid uneven tension. Although, in reality, I don't suppose there would be any harm in leaving the remaining strings for a week or so.

Yes, very sad! FWIW I replaced Matt in MM's Earth Band in 1985. By all accounts he was a lovely guy. RIP Matt

[quote name='Iain' timestamp='1428245323' post='2739518'] Yeah, the G is standard 34" and the B 37". Took very little getting used to and the extra length is mostly at the bridge end - hard to 'get' until you play one. I find the 1st fret easier to reach than I did on my Warwick which sat further left on the strap. [/quote]Thanks Iain, food for thought!

[quote name='Iain' timestamp='1428230992' post='2739294'] The 37" scale length on my 5-string certainly addresses that to a large extent. [/quote] 37"? That would help - do you have exceptionally long arms? What bass is that? Is it one of those fanned fret jobbies? Never really gave fanned fret basses much thought, but the extra length B string would go some way to alleviate the "ugliness" that I associate with standard scale B's.

Another exception here!

Wouldn't describe it as "bad technique", but John Entwistle's tapping style certainly wasn't orthodox. It went a long way to creating that unmistakeable JE style/sound.