TrevorR

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1441438651' post='2858841'] Maggie May is notoriously tricky to get the feel for. That's what happens when you let a guitarist lay down the bass part lol [/quote] Candidate for the "it's not note for note but in the same ball park" approach if there ever was one...

The [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441403715' post='2858739'] Simply that really expensive and boutique instruments simply aren't required in that setting. [/quote] I get everything you say and pretty much agree right up to this statement... For me what is required any time I play irrespective of venue or setting is an instrument I feel at one with and which I love playing. It just so happens that for me that is a bass that is hand built and would cost four and a half grand to replace new. Or it could also be a bass that cost me all of £250 to build... The cost/value/kudos isn't the point. How I feel playing it (and that is down to how the sound and feel fits me) is the point.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441286405' post='2857556'] ...And I've long since held the view that, actually, nobody cares. The majority of an audience when you play live won't care. Other musicians might, but are you writing music to please other musicians? I had the experience recently of playing with many fantastic musicians, who played on various qualities of instruments. The instruments were completely sidelined by sheer raw talent and songwriting/performing ability. Nobody was interested in talking about which year Fender stopped making their switches out of bakelite, or what bass is best for metal. Everyone got stuck into the music without pretentiousness. So what compels us to still talk about what instruments and backline we need to play the crow & fiddle on a gloomy Saturday evening? Does it make any difference to the punters? What if you spent £500 on a bass, and £500 on an amp - Wouldn't that be good enough? [/quote] I've been following this thread with interest. Going back to the original questions posed I think there is a basic flaw in the premise, which seems to be that expensive gear is bought to impress the audience. I don't think anyone has ever done that. Or that different venues "deserve" different levels of gear. Of course, at any gig what really matters is the performance and how much it entertains the audience. Irrespective of the gear used. Of course. There are numerous reasons why people might use expensive gear. They range from "Because I can" to "Because it feels right and sounds right TO ME and that enhances my confidence which enhances my playing/feel/performance which enhances the audience's enjoyment". All valid in their own way. No value judgement or presumption of others noticing what the gear is involved. In my case at gigs I play two basses considered boutique and stupidly expensive now. I've played them in pubs, at clubs, at church, on festival tent stages, at wedding receptions, in a prison and corporate events. I played them at all those venues irrespective, for the simple reason that they are my basses and that's what I play. At no stage was an assessment of what the audience expected or warranted involved. Oh, and when one was temporarily retired while needing some TLC I played a Frankenjazz project bass instead. Total cost about £250. But I t felt and sounded great to me. So why do I play Wal basses as my main instruments? One reason. In 1987 I went to a Marshall amp demo at the London Guitar Show and fell in love with the look and sound of the basses being used for the demo. I thought, "Ooooh, I'd love to have one of those one day. I'd never be able to justify it, though." I then discovered that a lot of my favourite artists also used the brand which further cemented the desire. Fast forward 5 years and 15 years respectively and I managed to pick them up second hand for about £500 each - which at the time I could justify. And I love them. Ironically, at the current new prices I know I couldn't justify the cost for myself. I'd be very hard pushed to justify the current second hand prices for myself either. Others can, fair enough. Same with my Markbass amp. It was in my price range and fitted my needs from back line at larger gigs to cocktail bar acoustic gigs. That set up makes me feel good and boosts my playing confidence. That helps me perform better, that makes the band perform better and that means the audience gets a better show. Which is what they care about. Incidentally, I started on a Laney combo and later traded up to a Trace Elliott. When the Trace eventually died I got an Ashown rig, largely because a friend's sounded amazing to me. However, I really struggled to feel at home with mine and after about a year I sold it and bought the Markbass, which I love. But it was the sound (and portability) that won it for me. Not the kudos or price tag. The metal guy video is interesting. But it boils down into three simple statements... - if you don't have super cool gear, don't sweat it and don't feel inferior because of it - if you have super cool gear don't be an A-hole and prima donna about it - concentrate on doing a good show, that's what the punters care about. Fair enough!

I scored 10 points, respectable enough!

Aimee Mann comes to mind. Not quite sure if she's a bass player who plays guitar or a guitar player who plays bass, though...

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1441046390' post='2855649'] Quite a few guys appear to do the above, Flea, Geddy and Macca to name three. Any particular reason for this? [/quote] I wonder if, in fact (Flea excepted) it's just GAS at work. They use them for a period of time and then move on to the new "the best bass I've ever played, this is it, I've finally mated for life..." cf Geddy, Greg Lake, Jim Crichton from Saga, Bruce Thomas, Macca... And so on. We're incorrigible us bass players...

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1441123560' post='2856228'] Could it be to do with the pre-amp? I've never had the pleasure of playing a Wal, but I get the impression it would be very easy to knock the controls and change the sound into something unusable. [/quote] No worse than any other bass... Imagine accidentally whacking a tone control of an East equipped bass up to max or down to min... The effect would be just as unusable. I reckon a good few non Wal users get a bit phazed by the differences with a regular boost/cut preamp. However, it's surprising how intuitive the Wal tone controls can be when you play one for a while. Frankly, I'd be more worried about accidentally knocking the tone controls on my Audere equipped Frankenjazz (which I also love). I recall reading an interview with Justin Currie in Making Music magazine (how much does that date me?) where he said that he has tried a Wal for about five minutes once and it "sounded horrible, like a foghorn" and that he'd stick with his P bass, thank you very much. The following month Rob Burns had some whithering remarks in Guitarist about how he jolly well shouldn't diss something publicly until he actually bothered to find out how it worked... :-) A bit passionate about the brand was our Rob.

I regularly completely forget how to play. Every time I sit down in an guitar shop to try out a new bass and the shop assistant rolls out his latest flash slap lick and then hands me the bass with a "Go on, impress me..." look on his face...

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1441098186' post='2855945'] Similar with my P. I had played it happily for ten years (with a thin leather strap) and it was only when I joined BC that I was told that it's 'unplayable' [/quote] [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1441095286' post='2855918'] I never got the issue about Wals and weight. It may be because I am 6'1" and 17 stone and that the 'extra' weight of a Wal is, in percentage terms, relatively minimal. It may also be that I have played one almost exclusively for 29 years and cannot remember what a lighter bass feels like. Compared to manipulating a double bass, it is a dream. [/quote] Same here. Never really understood the complaint and I'm no behemoth. Granted, I use a 4in leather strap but I've never had a problem with balance issues or the weight of my Mk 1 or my Pro (including across wedding gigs where you rack up over a couple of hours playing time). Of course, of someone finds it an issue there are plenty of other basses out there that they can plump for... Horses for courses.

On the shoot out would a Markbass Traveler series 2x10 and 1x15 be of any use? Happy to bring.

I'm sure I read an interview with Flea once where he said that the Wal was too boutique and posh for his image live. Saw Geddy playing his Wals at Wembley on the Hold Your Fire and Roll The Bones tours. Macca played his 5-string live through the 90s. http://youtu.be/uPYD0xD32bk

Look! Another recommendation for Bach... A chum of mine on his Wal bass... A nocturne or prelude should fit the bill nicely. As some have said the are resources out here you can check out. http://youtu.be/OVAqe6-2LyQ

Some variety of Ibanez Soundgear bass...

[quote name='mikeswals' timestamp='1440564209' post='2851918'] It looked to me that the headstock only looked th way because of the camera angle. No? In the straight shot of the whole bass the head looks normal. [/quote] Mike, I think you're dead right... I think there are some perspective things going on with the photos. Looking at the top horn and counting the fret where the strap button lines up ( about 14 1/2), it's much the same as mine. Even though it still looks oddly long in the pics to me. The lack of any real background reference makes it harder. Lovely Pro, though!

Interesting Pro IIE. There are a couple of anomalies about the shape... That is an unusual profile to the headstock but I think I've seen that once or twice before. The upper horn is a little bit elongated compared to most Pro models. I wonder if it was a very early production model while the series details were still bedding in (some very early Pros didn't have the mulkalungu stringers in the outer edge of the headstock. Or maybe it was a variant special order... Nice bass though.

Ok, I've officially lost it... I saw the title of this post and thought "What? Fender are doing a budget range of Hobbit themed basses?" Nurse, can you get me my pills. I think I need to go for a little lie down...

Wow! Amazing bass. Never played any of Kif's instruments but they always look stunning!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1438853537' post='2837952'] It was released 48 years ago. It was one of the very first concept albums, the first to have no gaps between songs, the first to have lyrics printed on the cover and the first gatefold sleeve. It was one of the very first to include signal processing as a creative process, the idea of producer as an effective member of the band, and one of the first to use extensive multi-track recording. It was made as a studio album with no intention of ever having the band play it live, so could go anywhere, and did. In short, it was completely groundbreaking and started the cult of the pop/rock album. It was the benchmark to which subsequent bands compared their own output. I first heard it ten years after its release when I started to really properly listen to music and it blew my little teenage mind. So much music has been released since then it's easy to forget how unusual and how startlingly original this album was. In my view it has stood the test of time and still sounds very fresh and original even now. I love Keef, but if he said this then he's talking out of his arse. Jealous, much..? [/quote] This comment nails it for me. I adored SPLHCB as a teenager and listened to it over and over and over . Now, I wouldn't really sit down and listen to it as a piece. There are a few songs I still love but now I can find the whole thing a bit "Meh!" As a listener. The album and all it represents has a unique place in the history of rock. It was a landmark, pivotal and a game changer. There can be no arguing with that. However, when the Wright Brothers got their flier off the ground at Kittyhawk it was a landmark, pivotal and a game changer too. Must admit, that if I'm off on my hols these days I'd much rather be flying on an Airbus or a Boeing 777!

Couldn't disagree with a word of that. I love the Audere circuit in my Frankenjazz and just how easy it was to fit. I think that three choice of all the ranges is really clever. The full range of each control is fully, musically usable and there aren't silly, unusable extremes. However, there is still a huge degree of flexibility and killer tones to be mined. Any other jazzes I get will have one of these dropped in as the first orderly business. As to the blend control vs the double volumes... I am so used to a pickup blend from my Wal that it is completely intuitive to me in a way the dual vols wouldn't be. So, horses for courses, I guess! Amazingly good piece of kit. Love the flexibility of that Z switch too!!!!!

[quote name='GrammeFriday' timestamp='1438991242' post='2839333'] Lehle! http://lehle.com/EN/start [/quote] Cheap they ain't but you really can't go wrong with Lehle pedals.

Mo Foster's "17 Watts (how British musicians bought the American Dream)" which has some great anecdotes about the early days of rock music in the UK, and Guy Pratt's book, "My bass and other animals" which is just a hoot from start to finish...

Backing vocals only, except for that time the singer had a coughing fit just as we had launched into Sultans of Swing...

All connected up and ready to go this morning at church...

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1440235363' post='2849223'] Sensible idea playing those types of rough houses :-D [/quote] Get a slug of communion wine down them and you'd be surprised how fiesty that can get!

Here are a couple of littl enovelties for you... Originals from my bass when I bought it for £250 back in 1982!