ZilchWoolham

I'd nominate Simon Nicol.

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1505409793' post='3371749']
In a modern DAW you can make a 'groove map' from a varying tempo track and trigger drum samples from it - it's not really a problem anymore with modern software and confusers
[/quote]
Oh, I didn't know that. What a time to be alive.

Yes, in the end it doesn't really matter, as long as you're in tune relative to each other.

A similar phenomenon is the fluctuation in tempo you'll find in most live performances, or in songs recorded without a click track. The shifts are too slow and slight to notice, but if you're trying to match, say, a recording of a rock song from the 70's to a drum machine, you're probably going to have a hard time.

I have to assume it's because the band all tuned to each other and not to, say, a tuning fork. It makes sense that this practice was more common before the days of cheap digital tuners. I've noticed an example of this myself. At least several songs, if not all songs, on Buzzcocks' "A Different Kind of Tension" are tuned to what seems a quarter note sharp of A=440. This makes it impossible to play along to the album unless you tune up yourself. But of course, you can't tell if you're just listening to it.

EDIT: Just saw Twigman's post and that does sound convincing too. He was there, after all!

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1505383928' post='3371469']
The only one of that band I have any time for is George.
[/quote]
I'm with you on this one. Seemingly also the nicest chap out of the lot, and seemingly mistreated for it.
I was in my local record shop the other day and they had the White Album on. It became very apparent that While My Guitar Gently Weeps is a cut above the rest. In fact, it's really the only song from that album I can remember off the top of my head. Well, apart from Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da, which I remember much in the same way you'd remember a car crash.

Slightly inspired by the overrated bands thread. Do you ever remain unimpressed by a band even though you really quite like one, or several, of its individual members?

Personally, I think Brian May is a terrific guitar player, but Queen never manages to move me. His tone is great, and his solos are exciting and ear-catching, but the songs they're trapped in always leave me cold. It's almost a bit frustrating!

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1505314688' post='3370974']
there's a few songs about w***ing that people don't get, Teenage Kicks is another
[/quote]
As a contrast, Whip It is popularly believed to be about masturbation, but is in fact not. There's a [i]handful[/i] of other Devo tracks which definitely are, though.

[quote name='jacko' timestamp='1503316019' post='3357074']
YES covering S&G's America.
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Speaking of prog bands covering songs called America, The Nice did a very capable version of America from West Side Story.

If I went to a show in the UK and saw a confederate flag, I'd probably assume naivety or ignorance, assuming the general mood is rather cheery. If I saw confederate flags and nooses, I'd turn away immediately. I know this isn't what you intended, but the one thing that would immediately spring to mind is, honestly, lynchings. So, I'll join the chorus here and recommend you drop those elements ASAP.

I feel that often times, whether you argue that less is more or that more is more, an instrumentalists view on their instrument can ironically be quite reductive, in terms of what is should or shouldn't do. A composer, arranger or producer will often have a much better view of the big picture, and maybe more importantly, less of an ego to feed through performance. Adopting this role as opposed to the role of "just" the bassist will make it easier to see whether you should be playing the lead melody, a drone, or anything in between.

[quote name='DanH71' timestamp='1499374195' post='3331191']
No, I get that, but was looking for a pup that did that and added the potential warmth and richness of a wal 'type' sound minus the expensive exotic woods and expensive hardware and name;)
[/quote]

Well, the good news is that the reason a Wal sounds like a Wal is 99% because of the pickups and electronics. The bad news is that there's no way you're going to get that from a J pickup. A Wal pickup is a massive ceramic magnet humbucker with two coils for each string, as compared to your regular J pickups which will have one coil (two if noise-cancelling) for the entire pickup. I know there is at least one pickup maker who does offer Wal style pickups; I believe they're called Bassculture, and I know Maruszczyk offered their pickups as options a while ago. I can't tell you how close they'll be to the real deal, but on paper they do sound very convincing.

Of course, that's only one part of the Wal sound. If you're looking for the Mk series sound, you'll need a filter-style preamp. ACG makes one which should probably land you in that general area.

Peeking at your signature I'm now interested to know how it compares to a '75 Jazz! Seems especially pertinent what with Marcus Miller's love for that model and decade.

That's really great, actually. I've always avoided even thinking about fivers since I'm sure the necks would just be too wide for me. Something like this I might actually be able to play! With standard 18mm string spacing it must be very tapered, though.

[quote name='Fisheth' timestamp='1498907583' post='3327897']
40mm Nut Width
[/quote]
Hang on... really?

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1498543533' post='3325310']

[/quote]

A thing of beauty, this one!
How heavy is it, by the way? With a European ash body I suppose it's not the lightest.

Some further impressions:

The neck is very rounded, a nice and quite chunky C profile I'd say; 40mm across the nut. It's [i]especially[/i] comfortable towards the upper frets. The width at the 12:th fret is 53mm, which is rather standard, but it feels much narrower than my Ibanez SR of the same width, which I assume is because of the chunkier profile of the Riverhead. It's more to wrap your hand around, which, even though I don't have very big hands, suits me perfectly as I almost always play with my thumb over or by the fretboard edge as opposed to planted firmly on the back of the neck.

There is one downside to it, ergonomically, and it's very expected. There is quite a reach towards the first fret, but with a body style like this, it's practically unavoidable. Luckily, there is no neck dive, and I think that's quite expected too...

It's also silly light. I had a Steinberger Synapse a few years back, and that managed to weigh quite a bit despite its small body. The Riverhead, on the other hand, practically floats, which I, being a man of a less than imposing physique, find very very appealing.

I haven't had the chance to try it out through a nice, proper amp yet, and I haven't put on a new set of strings either, but from my limited experience with it I can say that it sounds, well, big. It has two passive single coils, and for passive singles they sound pretty damn monstrous. The controls (volume/volume/tone) are very responsive, too. With both pickups turned up fully, you get a fairly scooped sound, much like you'd get with a Jazz (which of course has a very similar setup). Rolling off one pickup, even slightly, alters the sound rather drastically, so just by mixing the two pickups there is actually a lot of EQing to be done. Rolling off the tone yields a very smooth, sweet tone that still manages not to explode your eardrums with mud. It's been a while since I've had a passive bass, and I must say it feels very good!

Oh dear, the pictures are a bit wonky. Might be better to use an external host. More to come!

Last Tuesday, while doing my usual internet rounds, I happened upon a bass I've had on my watchlist for quite some time. There wasn't a whole lot of information supplied by the seller and only one quite muddy picture, but the price was reasonable, so I thought it best to pounce on it.

Well, today I picked up a package:
[attachment=247928:2017-06-26 14.47.52.jpg]

It was very well packed. It wasn't empty either!
[attachment=247929:2017-06-26 14.52.09.jpg]
A nice leather gigbag. Looks a bit small. What could we find inside?
[attachment=247937:2017-06-26 14.54.52.jpg]

[attachment=247930:2017-06-26 14.58.31.jpg]

Strung by a leftie! Will have to flip these around. Luckily, the body is symmetrical.
[attachment=247931:2017-06-26 14.59.17.jpg]

It's a [b]Riverhead Unicorn![/b]
And it's a bit manky.
[attachment=247932:2017-06-26 14.59.37.jpg][attachment=247934:2017-06-26 14.59.42.jpg]

I popped off the (very dead) strings and the bridge and gave it a bit of a cleanup. Not everything came off.
Lord knows what this is. Glittery nail polish?
[attachment=247935:2017-06-26 17.20.01.jpg]

I popped the strings back on, in the right order, but I haven't flipped the nut around yet, which I really should do as the E string is currently hovering about a foot over the first fret. Any tips as to how I can achieve this? Hair dryer and a lot of wiggling? Anyway, here it is in its current state.
[attachment=247936:2017-06-26 18.49.10.jpg]

I'll be posting some more impressions shortly, but I can say already that I'm quite pleased, especially considering the price. And, hey, if it's good enough for Dave Pegg, it's certainly good enough for me!

Oh, and that price, by the way, was a princely £100!

[quote name='Fisheth' timestamp='1498422019' post='3324530']
Just can't wait to sit down with it and play it.
[/quote]

I think you'd be the first man on earth to successfully combine sitting and playing a V!

Happy incoming new bass day!

Pro Bass all the way for me!

If we're just talking about a normal P-bass with a normal heel, then certainly a neck swap would be cheaper and more convenient. If the neck doesn't have the usual Fender dimensions and can't easily be replaced (or is a set or thru-neck) then a re-carve would be an option, but I'd really only do it on a bass that is otherwise perfect, and one that I'd want to stick with for a long time. I know Kev Hopper had his Wal trimmed to a neater profile. That's a pretty good example of when it could be a nice idea.

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1497196250' post='3316459']
Thanks, most of the ones I will sell have never been played, many still in the shrink wrap with the goodies attached so easy to show they are unplayed. Sounds quite a complex game though.
[/quote]

In that case I'd say you're in luck! Unplayed and unwrapped records are the easiest to grade, and of course very desirable.

I would also suggest eBay for convenience' sake. If you want to get a sense of the value of a record, do an eBay search of the pressing in question, and when in the results check the box marked "Sold Listings". This way you'll see the prices people are actually paying, as opposed to the prices people are asking, which aren't exactly always one and the same.

One peculiarity to keep in mind when dealing with records and grading is that Very Good means not particularly good at all, Excellent means just fine, but if you want to really enjoy an album you should probably only go for Near Mint or Mint. Mint is essentially reserved for unplayed records. Near Mint would mean no discernible loss in sound quality. But a lot of sellers do tend to rate their records a bit, or very, favourably.

Oh, and sleeves and media are graded separately. So you could have a VG+ sleeve with a NM record.

Well, yes, (because his mother's maiden name was Hammond). Ditto Barrie/Barriemore. But in the context of the band, he certainly was Hammond-Hammond. And it's quite a nice name, I think.

[quote name='guitaradam' timestamp='1496649989' post='3312874']
If you believe Eric Johnson - you can hear a tonal difference if the cover is on or off. His signature strat doesn't even come with a cover or holes drilled to add your own!!
[/quote]
Does any strat ever?

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