Cato

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1474803060' post='3140582'] A used Yamaha would be my recommendation as their quality will be miles better than any other budget instruments. Something like these: Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122139651032 Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222254390254 This Japanese made Aria could also be a good shout: Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112147736067 [/quote] If that Yamaha wasn't collect only from Cornwall I'd seriously have had that for £100.

I'm not sure there is a correct way, as long as your technique is not causing you physical pain then it's probably fine. As to arched vs flat I noticed the other day that when I play normal finger style I have my fingers arched, at an angle to the frets with my thumb over the top of the neck, but when I slap I adopt a much more classical posture -thumb in the centre of the back of the neck, fingers almost flat and parallel to the frets, which I find helps with muting and left hand slap/mute thingies. (I've never known the correct name for those). I swap between the two pretty much without thinking about it.

G & L is the least well known of Leo's projects. I seem to remember some sort of legal threat from Fender that made sure that G & L were originally very limited in how much they could use Leo and George's names in promoting their new instruments.(although I could have dreamt it).

Warning: Contains Rap language. http://youtube.com/watch?v=hRK7PVJFbS8

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1474544979' post='3138689'] Why not just use the side of your hand, and play with your thumb ? [/quote] Guaranteed to give me thumb cramp before the end of all but the shortest of songs. For palm muting I have to pick up a pick.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1474460834' post='3138171'] Hard to tell, but I'd say Bob Marley has survived longest without seeming 'dated' and it'll likely continue. [/quote] To be fair Bob hasn't been copied half to death. I have wondered if my indifference to the Beatles stems from being subjected to a lifetime of various bands trying to copy various aspects of the original's 'sound', to the point where even the original Beatles tracks sound formulaic and contrived to me.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1474388834' post='3137608'] It wouldn't be much of a game. The Beatles could afford to leave Ringo in goal, play Paul and George on the wings, and put John through the middle. Bob would never get near the ball. [/quote] What would be the Beatles equivalent to 'Redemption Song'? They played with politics but, as far as I'm aware they never got anywhere close to the sheer emotional & intellectual power of that song. It's a cracking tune as well. Surely that's a goal for Marley?

The Beatles would have been a much more relevant band if McCartney had used a Precision with rounds through a solid state Trace head with Barefaced cabs..

Just discovered Return to Forever. Currently listening to The Anthology.

It would depend on who the previous owner was. If one of Dee Dee Ramone's basses came up & I had the cash, I'd be very tempted, although with regards to any other player, no matter how famous, probably not.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1473936151' post='3134272'] Can't argue with either of those. Ringo's a great drummer. History should instead be questioning George's ability as a guitarist. [/quote] My ex's dad played in a Liverpool band called 'Them Grimbles' who played the same scene and occasionally on the same bill as The Beatles. He didn't know any of them that well but he reckons that George was the one that other bands were constantly trying to poach. Apparently from his early teens he was well known for being able to play pretty much anything after a couple of listens.

A bass (or any electric guitar) contains so many components that may affect the tone that it's virtually impossible to isolate the specific contribution of any component beyond the obvious one from the pickups. The effect of rosewood vs maple boards, exotic body woods, neck thru vs bolt on are all impossible for the average person to identify in a blind hearing test, in my opinion. There's a guitarist called Eric Johnson who says he can hear distinct differences in his tone depending on the construction of his leads and jack plugs and uses different types depending on whether he's recording rhythm or lead. I believe that he believes he can hear the benefits of this approach, but the rest of us , given the question 'is he using a gold plated jack plug on this solo with his maple boarded strat with the vintage Soviet era capicitors? - no chance.

Faced with a similar choice I went for a Squier VM70s, purely because I think they are better looking than anything in the MiM range. It's a lovely bass with one of the nicest necks I've played. I did upgrade the pickups and change the bridge though, not there was much wrong with the originals, I just fancied modding the bass a bit.

Worth bearing in mind a Babicz for palm muting - there's no sharp edges or sticky out grub screws anywhere on it.

Zoom B1on. Seinnheiser HD201 headphones. I use my phone as my mp3 player. I tried a few budget mp3 players before discovering that my phone was way better than all of them in terms of operating system and sound quality.

I started out teaching myself on a battered student classical someone gave me. Got my first bass at 15 played bass in bands for a couple of years but when I got to uni I kind of fell into playing guitar and doing lead vocals (I've never been able to sing and play bass simultaneously, some would suggest I've never been able to do either seperately). I've spent most of my time in bands playing guitar, but I never stopped thinking of myself as a bass player. I certainly enjoy the bass more and I can do a lot more with it these days than just thrashing out chords to generic indie tunes, which, in hindsight is how I spent quite a lot of my musical 'career' in my 20s and early 30s.

The locking up wouldn't be a problem, but there's no way I would take any kind of responsibility for making sure the building was empty and the lifts are safe.

As others have said the best era is now, because everything else from every other era is still available. Having said that, it seems to me, as someone who was too young to remember the decade, that the 1970s was a bit a a golden era/game changer for bass guitar as it really started to come to the fore in any number of genres from the funk/soul of the Meters and Tower of Power, the jazz of the likes of Herbie Hancock and classic rock bands like Free and Queen. Not to mention the emergence of bass driven dance music such as disco.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1472692549' post='3123408'] I'm getting really tempted to try to find a jazz with a nice natural wood body,,,, so no good looking at Fender. For me maruscyk is a natural choice to look at for value for money on a great bass. [/quote] I've not tried one but the natural bodied Fender Elites (and before them the Deluxes) look very pretty to me. I'm a bit undecided about the merits of active basses though, particularly active Fenders.

I was hoping for Flea but got Geezer Butler. I've never really listened to Sabbath so I'm not sure what to make of that. Still we both come from Birmingham.

You mean all those hours I spent learning to hit the strings cleanly and quickly with my thumb could have been spent learning to do the same job with a tiny hammer? I feel such a fool.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1472614383' post='3122599'] Dave, I'm 63 and I have no interest in having a say. [/quote] Have you had a Birthday recently? I could have sworn you were 62 last time it came up. If so many happy returns.

I saw Kamasi Washington live recently, he has two drummers and it worked superbly well. Made the inevitable drum solo/duet almost bearable although during the rest of the set I did wonder if each drummer was actually playing half as much as they usually would. I'd love to give playing in that kind of set up a go, but I imagine most pubs/small venues would sh*t themselves if you arrived and set up two kits.

As usual with this artist (for an artist they surely are) I'm caught somewhere between sheer admiration for the technique, the performance and the passion whilst simultaneously wishing I could unsee the clip.

At sixteen I was just coming out of my metal phase (fave bands were Maiden, Anthrax and Megadeth) and entering my indie phase (Dinosaur Jr, Pixies & Wedding Present). Although pretty much from 13 onwards when asked I've always given my favourite band as The Ramones.