oldbass

Very interesting doc and that intro was always a mystery to me how he did it...brill.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1493708753' post='3289992']
At 54, I understand your thinking.

It's not even like it was in [i]my[/i] twenties. It's hard to see where I'd fit in if I'm honest. No longer can I drop in and out of sessions like I did then.

I only do it for a hobby though not for a living. It is a rare privilege for me to play to an audience at all these days. Never the less, as a hobby, it occupies enough of my time to keep me out of (serious) trouble.

Like you say, current players tend to be better educated and technically more savvy. If I was doing it all again I'd make better use of my youthful eyesight and learn to sight read.
[/quote]

Agree. Im 57. An old cruise ship guy said to me a while back that the worst thing to happen to.... "musicians" was Punk. Why?, cause it gave the impression that anyone can play an instrument just by listening to the radio which of course is true and to hell with the formal stuff. Well I wish Id known that too back then cause if I had I would have learnt to read.
Reading to a good enough standard now at my age is damn near impossible and I will never be as good as the young guys who just turn up, lay it out on the stand and do it.

When I were a nipper back in the late 70's and out playing three four times a week, the night club/disco crowd who were my age still didnt go to the pub to see the "band"...as even then it only really appealed to the hippy dippy pub biker types. I have to admit old school rock does seem a bit dated now.

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1492866340' post='3283763']
And that was about the last time he changed them too!! I remember reading somewhere (think it was in Nile's autobiography), 'Nard never like to change his strings, and think it was that fateful gig in Japan he snapped a string and was pissed about it. He liked the sound of dead rounds apparently!

I can't find enough words to describe Bernard, In my mind he is simply the perfect bass player. He can play stripped back and simple, or a really fancy groove when required. He can also get a bunch of different sounds depending on his right hand technique. Just downright amazing. Taken way too soon!
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I agree. If ever a player dispelled the idea that you needed fancy gear and fancy strings etc to sound amazing it was Bernard. His fingers were like an orchestra, I grew up on that dry poppy sound of his and the chuka thing too...a unique bassist, amazing.

Nope!..but.
Back in 1980 I played in a power trio doing........"forget me knots, (hard to believe I know), never can say goodbye, and a raft of UB40 stuff" etc etc...etc, and we were bloody good but it never went down as well as the rock stuff I did...guess its just the working class nature of the pub scene that rock will always be the stuff that they want.

I really like the way a light touch can make even a P bass sound tighter with more mids. Happened after I started to look at my seriously crummy reading. I found the lighter touch enabled me to play more accurately too.
Been a bit of a revelation to be honest.

Sounds good if ur back can handle it. Used to watch a guy play an early tweed grill 70's Marshall 4x12 rig with a 4001...huge thick sound which he filled quite large rooms with.

Back in the dim and distant I can remember gigs like these and the ensuing arguments afterwards with said landlord at closing time.

The impression I always got was consistency. Landlords don't just want one or two good gigs they want YOU the band to gaurantee a money night everytime you play at there establishment.

In fact Im pretty sure I can remember one who told us that we had lost him money cause everyone was dancing having a ball and not buying drinks!

I'm with you,
I've got one, bought it off here from a guy two roads away from me can you beleive!. and its good and like you said goes pretty loud. Only thing I did was buy a fivers worth of coned foam sheeting which I stuck inside...made a difference. It's certainly got that gnarly Ampeg tone.

Id honestly forgotten what an amazing expansive singer she is/was. Check this out....nice old skool pop number, and that drum groove, steady as hell.

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7r_-Nrrs7o&list=PLqq1p_hWsbqgPcG6Rn2tRWDShoieMcE-R&index=44"]https://www.youtube....eMcE-R&index=44[/url]

Haven't played in a band in 15 yrs, I'm 57. Just hooked up with a local outfit to do some outdoor summer events....its exciting but its only fun now because I found a lightweight Squier P bass. No way can I stand anymore for 2 hrs with a 70's boat anchor round my neck.

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Yeah, [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]reckon me and chesty Madge at the Dog and Duck can find the light switch in the middle of Freebird!... [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color]

Me and a drummer I was working with turned up to audition for a "name blues guitarist". This guy walks in with his mate then sets up his "two" combos and pedals etc in one corner with me and the drummer on the opp wall. It was like 12 noon at Dodge City ...ridiculous. Needles to say we didn't get the call, in fact Im pretty sure he said something at the end like ...."you two aren't really blues players are you"..maybe not, but I thought we were near enough.

I'm pretty well convinced that the thickness of the neck plays a huge part in tone etc. My old 71 had a bass ball bat neck and the tone was very thick and authorative specially on the A string..and I haven't played a newish USA model with the same weight of tone.

Re discovering JB Good has been something of a revelation.
As I said above I used to play it without a thought but Ive now developed a kind of ghost note shuffle with the emphasis on 2 and 4 and it feels really good, cant wait to play it with the band.
Of course going from that to "I Shoulda Loved Ya" by NMW kinda focuses the mind a bit....happy days.

Great stuff peeps.

Longer ago than I care to remember I would bang these tunes out 12 bar style without giving them much thought but getting this gig as a much older player has really got me thinking about them and the way they need to be played.

And I agree with the above about respecting them and getting the feel right.....its fun and kinda makes a weird change from the usual function stuff.

(played with the keys before and hes well up to par so no probs there)

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]1978 I think.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Junk shop Columbus Jazz which I "re-painted" through an Orange 120 head and a 2 X 15 vertically firing bin which I was allowed to borrow now and again. Couldn't hear a thing on stage but it was removing the paint and plaster out in the audience. [/font][/color]

Hey Casa you are not kidding bout the feel of this stuff. It sounds do tiddly pat simple but I couldn't beleive it when I started to play JB Goode. It seemed like whatever groove I played wasnt quite right...hence my query, though reckon I will prob settle on a four time shuffle with ghost notes..less exhausting.

Its a big set list with all the usual funky/groovy suspects so its def gonna be a lot of fun. Cant wait.

Got a call through friends of friends for a couple of functions in a localish well established cover band. Got the list today and they do a handful of 50's R&Rollers....Elvis, Chuck, Buddy etc.

Just seems funny going through them in this world of instant pop music, X Factor, Beyonce et al.

I haven't played this stuff in literally decades and when i did it seemed old back in the 70's.

Just wondering what the vibe is doing this stuff...its almost joke music isn't it? Oh and by the way is Johnny B Good 16ths or four time with ghost notes...see Im taking it real serious...ha

[quote name='Dennis1971' timestamp='1488821152' post='3252082']
Sorry no scales in the house, but found this in another thread [color=red][font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Weight[/font][/color][color=#373737][font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]: 8lb 12oz, 3.95kg.[/size][/font][/color]
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So this is the weight of this actual bass?

what sort of weight is the bass
cheers

[quote name='acidbass' timestamp='1488375508' post='3248367']
Jamerson

Impeccable groove, placement and sense of melody in his playing.
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+++1
I like a lot of players but Jamersons ability from counter melody to ghost notes is almost genius...hell, maybe he was a genius.

My brand new tran wine P bass in 1978 for no other reason than the smell of it in its new case.. I can still remember it and new basses today do not have that same lush whiff to them.

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1487063810' post='3236596']
Didn't know that was him, wow.
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....and here's another interesting Jamerson tidbit....his last chart tune was on Marylin McCoos 'You Dont Have To Be A Star' which is full of lovely little Jamerson motifs

My Daddario chromes which are getting a bit raggy up the tuner end are around 15 yrs old......sound great, smooth and round. I guess one persons dull and dead is anothers smooth and round....it really is all in the fingers I think.