SteveK

[quote name='gadgie' timestamp='1407591262' post='2522094'] I think the choice should be mine really, not the guy I'm 'paying' to watch, as to which I chose to have memories of. [/quote]Yeah, and the choice should be mine as to what Ts&Cs I adhere to (if any) when I apply for a credit card, mortgage, energy supplier, loan for a car, book loan from the library etc. They knew the score before they went through the gates! The "choice is, buy a ticket & adhere to Ts&Cs, or, don't buy a ticket.

I'm a big Macca fan, but the technique demonstrated by him in Coilte's YT clip is horrendous.

[quote]Anyway, the issue we have is that the only original band member is the singer and he can't remember who contributed what to any of the songs other than that he wrote the lyrics and came up with the melodies mostly.[/quote] Then, the singer is deemed to have written the songs, and should receive the credit. The only issue is that word "mostly", if by any chance the records were to sell in any significant number, then any ex members that felt that they had contributed to the writing process might have a legitimate claim. In band situations, records aren't usually kept regarding who wrote/contributed what - if it were ever to get to court, excluding any other possible evidence, it would be down to who was the more convincing in court. But, you would have to be selling records by the shed-full (in old terms ) to make it worthwhile anyone pursuing you through the courts.

Check the pickup height. I have a bass where a pickup height adjustment screw, over time, works loose, resulting in the string occasionally hitting the pickup when plucked, giving the "clunk" you describe.

Over the years we've had some of the best voices in the business in our band, and even though the timbre of their voices have changed from their early days (they're now in their late 50s and 60s), their ability to hit the high notes has remained. With the exception of one (he has a cast iron throat ), none have smoked!!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1401945762' post='2468502'] We've discussed this earlier - there's too much natural variance from bass to bass. [/quote] [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1401894855' post='2467993'] It varies from tree to tree... weighing the bass itself is the only answer. [/quote] If a manufacturer made a series of basses using the same parts, wood type, hardware etc I would expect there to be very little noticeable difference in weight. Some older instruments where specs were frequently changed, weight would be harder to nail. To answer your original question: You're weren't asking too much of them. I'd phone them and ask again. What is the bass?

Check the manufacturers website - many include weight as part of the spec. Failing that, try Google. What bass is it?

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1401016837' post='2459094'] I wouldn't agree with that at all, my ric sounds lovely with dead strings on or with fresh strings, [/quote] That's great! I've never owned a Ric and don't recall ever having played one, so it seems my experience could be a little limited As I said, IME the worst bass for old strings that I own is an Aria SB1000. The second worst was an Ibanez MC924 (the only bass that I've ever sold on) And probably the third worst (but just about passable) is an '85 Warwick Streamer.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1400939007' post='2458354'] Don't you guys using the really, really old strings notice that the bass doesn't intonate properly anymore? I quite like the sound of old strings but after a while they just won't play in tune. [/quote] Shouldn't be anything that a minor adjustment wouldn't fix. [quote name='cloudburst' timestamp='1400943798' post='2458417'] This is waaay too much of a generalisation. :-) CB [/quote] You noticed?

I think a couple of posters may have misunderstood the gist of my thread. It's not so much about whether a player prefers a bright or a dull sound, more that some basses can sound good (if not better) with old and well played strings. IIME any reasonable bass will sound good with new strings, but only a P bass sounds good with new [b]and[/b] old strings. FWIW I generally change strings after 3, 4 or 5 shows as I feel the type of music I play warrants a regular change.

lemmywinks may be on to something with the active/passive thing. FYI The 'downright ugly' sounding bass (with old strings) I referred to in my post was an Aria SB1000 which is a semi active bass. Definitely benefits from a regular string change... as do all my basses, apart from the P bass. Actually, now I think about it, it may not be a passive/active thing after all, as the Aria sounds pig ugly even acoustically

Something that I have found over the 45 years or so of playing bass, but never seen discussed. We all know and love(?) the sound of a P bass fitted with strings that came from the ark, that lovely warm, Jamerson "thonk"! Indeed, I have my own '72 P bass with said strings, and even though I haven't gigged with it for about 36 years - it sounds fabulous. However, IMO no other bass sounds as good with old strings - all my other basses seem to benefit from a little more "zing" - in other words, a fairly regular change of strings. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that I've had/got basses that sound great newly strung, but with older strings sound downright ugly - almost to the point of putting my teeth on edge. So,what basses would you say sound better with old strings? What sound better with newer strings? Or am I (as I've long suspected) losing my marbles?

Semantics eh!!?? Personally, I've found that a lighter gauge string produces a kind of "ferlupalup" tone - whereas, a heavier gauge will sound more "kerzzzzong" And don't forget... if you change the gauge of your strings - you'll need to re-setup your bass: truss, intonation etc. EDIT: Just to answer the question (kind of): I don't know what gauge Super Slinkies are as I've never used Ernie Ball Strings. But if I were in a "loud classic rock" outfit, I probably wouldn't go lighter than my current gauge of 40-100s

If you're serious about being a musician then It's impossible to overstate the importance of jamming. if you're just starting on your path as a musician though, then, it's probably best to confine your jamming to the rehearsal room for the time being. As a punter, jams can be fun, although my enjoyment of a jam is generally proportional to the musician's ability and creativity.

The real test for them is, how they are going to maintain interest for an entire album or live set with such a limited format.

I know nothing of Royal Blood, but having just checked out their Jools Holland appearance on iPlayer... I quite liked 'em! As for... [quote name='ubit' timestamp='1398254565' post='2432068'] [sup][size=5]How does he get that sound on the bass? [/size][/sup] [/quote] Most multi fx bass boards these days will have a similar preset installed, or at least have the capability to produce that kind of 'distorted unison bass/guitar' effect.

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1396182658' post='2410670'] [b]Where do you draw the line?[/b] A bass guitar is a simple machine for tensioning strings and converting vibrations into electric currents. All instruments are machines which need operators, and you are hearing the mind of the operator through the machine. [/quote] I wouldn't! If I attempted to 'draw a line', and explain the whys and wherefores of where that line is, something would come along and surprise me, necessitating the drawing of a new line. The drawing of lines is best left to architects, not musicians!

That would explain why Pino never gets any gigs

I noticed a slightly higher level in places on the last clip, I put it down to playing inconsistency. However, If the D & G [b]are[/b] louder, then screw that P-up down a tad.

Sounds ok to me. How are you listening to it?

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1396037186' post='2409388'] But you surely couldn't say that Trevor Horn or any other innovator [i]relied[/i] on machines... but rather they unleashed them, tapped their potential, no? Got creative and produced amazing music that no one had thought of before. [/quote] Yep! He got the balance about right. [quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1396044408' post='2409503'] And I managed to spot, that was Guy Pratt with Icehouse at the start of the second clip. [/quote] And my very good friend Andy on keys.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1396031197' post='2409296'] But Relax isn't really reliant upon samples in the way that we now associate them. [/quote] Absolutely, but we are talking early 80s. I believe TH made use of the Synclavier or Fairlight on Relax. Actually, it's not really samplers that I have a problem with, it's more the reliance on machines .

FWIW I think Relax was a godawful song (as proved to me by Happy Jack's link), but was a fabulous record, mainly thanks to Trevor Horn's utterly brilliant arrangement and production. BTW I'm not generally a fan of this type of record, or any music that is reliant on samples, but Trevor Horn pulled it off, big time!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1396011376' post='2408981'] Proving that good production is mostly subtraction, not addition. [/quote] You're being ironic... right?

Unfortunately, having your bass at the perfect height for your fretting hand will mean a far from perfect height for your plucking hand, and vice versa... bass height is a compromise. You can minimise the discomfort on your wrist by making sure that the inner lower part of your plucking arm is not resting (or close to) resting on the bass, and moving your elbow away from your body, this should reduce any angle between lower arm and wrist.