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Frank Blank

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Posts posted by Frank Blank

    Vintage Instruments: Quality or Psychosomatics?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    30 minutes ago, Len_derby said:

    There seems to be a strain of nostalgia (especially among the English) that there was once a golden age when things were better.

    Luckily we don't apply that to medicine! 😄

    That notional golden age of the English is a subject I’m very interested in. It’s a topic explored deeply in Jeremy Paxman’s excellent book The English.

    Vintage Instruments: Quality or Psychosomatics?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

    It’s a loaded question and sure to stoke a lively debate. As someone who has owned literally hundreds of instruments - including some of the rare vintage Fenders you’re talking about - some of them (but not all) are genuinely beautiful instruments.

    As a result of scarcity, all original examples are very much in demand. It’s a search for authenticity I guess, and a vintage tone and feel.

    Personally I’ve never played a better instrument than the 1966 Jazz Bass I have. I couldn’t imagine anyone, including bespoke builders, able to create something like it, and I’ve owned or played many of the best.

    For example, I can’t understand why anyone would bother to collect first editions of books, but there’s a lovey market out there for it.

     

    I suspect any, if not all, the replies will carry certain words and phrases you have so eloquently included, ‘beautiful instruments’, ‘authenticity’, which are, let’s face it, wholly subjective terms. This whole topic is subjective I suppose but they make the best discussions. I’d love to try your bass.

    Vintage Instruments: Quality or Psychosomatics?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    At the risk of sounding like a utter fool, can someone explain to me why people like older instruments, vintage basses and the like? I’ll tell you for why. Years and years ago I was sitting in on a Killing Joke rehearsal, I’d just been to a West End music shop with a friend of mine and he’d purchased a cheap Washburn semi-acoustic. Geordie (KJ’s guitarist) asked to look at the guitar and plugged it into his rig “It won’t sound any different to mine” he said, laughing and gesturing with his head towards his beautiful 1952 Gibson ES-295. And guess what? It didn’t sound any different, not at all. So what’s the point of vintage instruments other than a display of what you can afford? I’m not knocking anyone who owns such instruments, I’m just trying to understand it, not least in case I’m missing out somehow! Surely modern instruments benefit from being designed and built using modern methods and technology? I have played vintage basses and very expensive modern hand built basses and none of them have sounded or played any better than any of my sub £1000 (and in a couple of cases sub £500) basses. I have talked with the luthier who sets up my guitars and basses about that and he speculated that most instruments simply aren’t set up correctly and that makes so much difference to the playability and tone (I have to agree here, I think I realised the first time he set up one of my basses that I had simply never played a correctly set up bass before). So, in summary, how or why are vintage instruments any better than modern, current models? I have never found this to be the case, is it just a myth or a marketing ploy, is it just peacock strutting with the most expensive or rare items? Or is there something I’m missing or just don’t know or understand, is there an old Jazz bass out there that I’d play and have the vintage revelation?

    I am mindful here of the story about the chap who only discovered his second-hand $35 violin was, in fact, a Stradivarius after it was run over by a bus, only then did he realise it was worth a million dollars, nothing in the playability or the tone led him to think it was anything special before he saw the name.

    • Thanks 1

    Short Scale Bass Recommendations

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    1 hour ago, ped said:

    It depends how short you want to go, but I completely understand how you got addicted to your Taylor. You may have seen my Wingbass around these parts, and as a ‘around the house’ instrument, it’s absolutely brilliant. I thought it would feel silly and be a gimmick but I use it all the time and it sounds massive!

    The Taylor is ridiculously addictive and coincidentally perfect for the music I play. Wingbass you say..?

    Short Scale Bass Recommendations

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    2 hours ago, AmsterdamAsh said:

    Hey I was shopping this week for a shortscale, but instead of splurging on something classier I decided on a Jackson Minion...

    It’s awesome. 

     

    9874EC38-84DF-45C8-AA05-C5A7C31C2FDA.jpeg

    That is so green! I like the look of that Jackson, I’m going to try one out! Thanks for this.

    • Like 1

    Short Scale Bass Recommendations

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    So, having gotten used to my Taylor GS Mini-e bass, in fact I am unable to put it down as it is more addictive than crack, I have come to realise that the vast majority of my bass playing woes over several years stem from my small hands vs. full scale bass necks. So I’ve decided to sell up all my full sized basses (Godin A4 and my new Aerodyne that’s barely a month old) and stick exclusively to short scale. I’ve been looking at a Gretsch G2220 but as I am a novice in the world of short scale basses I thought I better see if anyone has any recommendations or ideas. I have the Taylor and I’ll be getting a second as a back up but I want a short scale electric bass and as it will be my only EB I’d like as good quality as I can get...

    Whaddya think?

    Expert Advice Please...

    in Amps and Cabs

    Posted · Edited by Frank Blank

    So I have very recently purchased an AER Basic Performer. This has a far more complicated set of controls than my previous extremely simple Fender amp. Despite running the obvious risk of revealing myself as an utter fool, I feel this is the perfect place to ask anyone here to explain the various controls that I don’t understand. Obviously I can just plug in and see what happens but I’d rather do that with a little knowledge first. So here is the list of features/controls I don’t know...

    • DI pre/post
    • 24 volt phantom
    • 9 volt phantom
    • Notch filter/frequency (I think a notch filter is something to do with feedback?)

    ...any pointers/explanations you can give would be hugely appreciated.

    Here is a diagram of the controls...

    BDE88C53-8C5B-4D35-A051-9C067DB7F5A9.jpeg

    Acoustic bass guitar chat

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I have just recently moved to using acoustic basses exclusively. They have the right sound for the music I play and there is just an alive feeling I get from them that I don’t get from any other kind of bass. Having said that I find myself agreeing with most comments above including the apparently negative ones. I have...

    Taylor GS Mini-e Bass

    Godin A4

    Fender Kingman

    ...I have attempted to play the Fender in an acoustic jam and despite it being the loudest ab I’ve ever played and it being fitted with very bright strings it just wasn’t loud enough an I was playing it hard! I was satisfied with the sound reaching the short distance to my ears but nothing of note reached anyone else’s. The simple fact is that they do need amplifying, and yes, they are expensive if you want a good one unless you get the Taylor but then you have a short scale. Imho the Godin is an unparalleled acoustic bass but again, useless unless amplified. I rehearse in a normal sized room with one other acoustic guitar player and both the Godin and the Taylor need amplifying even in that minimal situation, the Fender cuts through but, again, even in that situation I have to play it hard. I don’t necessarily agree that the simple option of having to amplify it negates the reason to have one and use an eb instead, but, again, unless you get an expensive one you might as well because you won’t get that character and tone.

    Then if you decide to amplify it you are into difficult water again because to get the best out of them you need a acoustic amp really, I know people say just use a normal bass rig but it doesn’t cut it, really you need that acoustic amp and you can lay out a lot and it won’t be able to handle it. I’ve just sold a Fender Pro 200 because, as lovely as it was with an acoustic guitar it couldn’t reproduce the tone properly. After years of trying other amps I ended up (two days ago) with an AER, I knew I’d end up with one because they are kinda faultless at reproducing the bass tone accurately, I thought I might find a cheaper option but nope, AER it had to be.

    So I’d say I can’t see an option to jam with a large group of people unamplified. I think I’ve banged on at length here without being any help.

    Open strings: Yay or nay, with reasons.

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Frank Blank
    Punctuation correction

    I use open strings a lot. It has become part of my... (trying to think of a descriptor here that doesn't make me sound like an ar$3) playing style*. I particularly like to hit an open string that clashes with one of the next note/s I land on, I like the dissonance of notes that clash but dissonance is something I like in music generally so I try to incorporate it in my playing a lot.

    *I failed in the 'Not sounding like an ar$3’ thing, there, clearly.

    No real love for Jaco

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 hours ago, ezbass said:

    I’m not a Jaco fan directly, most of what he played leaves me cold, although the Joni Mitchell stuff was ok, but even there I prefer to hear her with Larry Klein. However, I’m a huge Pino fan, especially his fretless playing, and Norman Watt Roy, both of whom name check JP, so I can’t dismiss what he did.

    Norman Watt Roy - what a dude.

    Taylor GS Mini-e Bass

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    2 hours ago, dood said:

    I love them! - If I had the money I would buy one. So much fun and one of the better 'mini' basses out there. We did a BassChat review video here where I had a short time to get to grips with one, but even in the brief period before it was packed up to return to Taylor I enjoyed using it.

    I think that’s the key, apart from sounding exactly right for the music I play, they are just really good fun to play.

    • Thanks 1

    Taylor GS Mini-e Bass

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    8 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

    I've had plenty of shortscale basses, and a number of bass ukes, but this falls halfway between the two. Interesting.

    Have you played bass ukes at all? Can you offer a comparison?

    Have you played through it at gig volume yet - I'm curious about feedback and how susceptible this bass is?

     

    I have played bass ukes and the Taylor is, imho, hugely superior. I will be playing it at gig volume tomorrow and will let you know.

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