iamthewalrus

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Cheers,
iamthewalrus

Jaco's always been my all time favourite bassist - I remember hearing his first album & felt like giving up after about a minute of "Donna Lee".

Without a shadow of a doubt his finest work was with Joni Mitchell - the bass playing on the live version of "In France They Kiss on Main Street" is totally mind blowing as he's laying down a groove & complementing Joni's lyrics. His playing on the "Mingus" album is also top quality.

It's a shame that he went downhill the way he did, & certainly didn't deserve to go out this world so early in life. The fact that bass players either like his playing or dislike his playing proves that he was far from mediocre while he was around.

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

[quote name='deksawyer' post='402553' date='Feb 7 2009, 01:15 AM']At the other end of the spectrum I have a £100 no name jazz bass (actually a Jim Deacon) which has a BaddAss II, Bartolinis and an AC EQ02 preamp. This is the bass I turn to most as it feels easiest/better to play than the others. With a new set of strings and a good set up, it easily competes with the other in my stable; which I often get the mickey taken about from various band members.[/quote]

Have you got any pics? I've got a Jim Deacon Jazz & have recently thought about doing something similar in the future..

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

I chose to go down the custom route after having done a couple of courses in 2003 with a couple of guys who had Buckeye Burl Sei's. I was really impressed with the build quality & the sound, so pretty much made up my mind to go for a custom build.

After having discounted the chance of getting an NYC Sadowsky (major amount of £), I looked at a few of the British luthier's websites & Overwater pretty much swung it for me. I emailed Chris May & following that, had a chat with both Chris & Laurence about the spec for my bass & the waiting time.

Six months later, I was on my way up to Carlisle to pick it up (had to do an overnight stay as I was living 300+ miles away at the time). I spent about 2 hrs in the shop testing the bass out & getting the action tweaked (as well has having a chinwag about all things bass related with Chris & Laurence, who is a pretty mean bassist himself!).

The bass is an absolute dream to play & haven't regretted a single penny spent on it. I would say the build quality does have an edge over a factory build. In the current economic climate, I would say that a custom build is a purchase that has to be thought about, but if it's something you want & you can afford it without making yourself homeless then do it.

I would love to hear what a Shuker sounds like - I've visited the website quite a few times & they do look the business.

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

Replied to....

Mine was a Tobacco Sunburst Craftsman Precision Bass which I bought at Macari's in Charing X Rd for £99 in 1985. I couldn't get on with playing the guitar & my mate said "it's only got 4 strings, should be easier to play....."

I started playing after reading "The Jam - A Beat Concerto" - I found it quite an inspiring read to say the least! I was working in a crummy job at the time for rubbish money & wanted out of it.

Those were the days...

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

Hi all,
Am currently stripping down the number of bass books in my collection (as such), & have decided to put some of 'em up for sale:

The Complete Electric Bass Player (Chuck Rainey), Vols 1, 2, & 3. (Now Sold)

Left Hand Gymnastics for Electric Bass (Scott Reed). (Now Sold)

Pizzicato Funk for Elecetric & Acoustic Bass (Andy LaLasis & Frank Cook). (Now Sold)

Teach Yourself Fretless Bass (David C. Gross)

Electric Bass Guitar (Revised Edition) (Guitar Player Magazine book). 9Now Sold)

Harmonics for Electric Bass (Adam Novick). (Now Sold)

Basslines (Joe Hubbard)

Bass Heroes (Tom Mulhern) (Now Sold)

Another couple which aren't bass related:

Popular Piano Solos Vol. 2 (contains a lot of pop standards, "Alfie", "Fly Me to The Moon", "Michelle" etc..)

Don't Be Afraid of The Dark - Robert Cray Band (score for guitar & vocals).

Only charging £3 for each book or would be willing to do a bulk sale of £35 the lot - buyer pays courier/postage costs. If you're interested, feel free to PM me....

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

[quote name='ezbass' post='394511' date='Jan 29 2009, 01:13 PM']The brilliant Roscoe Beck, check out his [url="http://www.roscoebeck.com"]website[/url]. He has a great instuctional vidoe (DVD?) which has something for all levels of players. One of my favourite players ever and a real nice guy.

Tommy Shannon with SRV, Johnny Winter and Storyville is another great source of inspiration.

Randy MacDonald with Tommy Castro is worth a listen too for how to mix funk with the blues.

Playing blues doesn't mean you don't get to be busy, but what you play must be appropriate, same as any genre.[/quote]

Roscoe Beck is one of my all time favourite Blues bassists - I loved all the Blue Line albums, it's a real shame Robben Ford never continued that band (probably the best Blues trio since the original version of SRV's Double Trouble).

Have really enjoyed reading this thread as there's been loads of really good advice, & given me some food for thought about my own playing where the Blues is concerned (not that I'm playing in a band at the moment....).

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

I want one....I really want one!

That's a lovely piece of kit Laurence - enjoy!

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='391207' date='Jan 25 2009, 08:39 PM']I have a method of assessing if a band are sh*t before even listening to them. Have a look at its members and see if any of them are on this list:

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alumni_of_Berklee_College_of_Music"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alumn...ollege_of_Music[/url]

If they are, stay well clear.[/quote]

My bass teacher qualified from both Berklee & B.I.T. - he's played with quite a few "name" artists & doesn't play in a Jazz or Fusion band (he's the best bass teacher I've ever had). The tuition I've had from him has definitely been worth the money. I know my time for "making it" has well & truly been & gone, so it puts me in the "hobbyist" category, but even at this late stage in life (45) I still enjoy the theory aspect & the challenge of learning to read.

Madness - good band, Mark Bedford's a very underrated bass player (the bass part in "Baggy Trousers" is a classic).

A bit of food for thought - I might be wrong, but one of the top session guys in the world (Pino Palladino) isn't a dot reader, but makes a very good living...

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

I love those Alleva-Coppolo Basses!

Sold to Thornybank!

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

Having an understanding of theory & being able to read (in my opinion) is an important part of being a musician. I'm not a great sight reader by any strectch of the imagination (still a work in progress), but knowing the difference between a C7 & a Cmin7b5 is still important when you're on a gig.

Just my 2p's worth...

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

ACM in Guildford do a Summer School which I've been to a couple of times - it's usually held in the last week before the August Bank Holiday. You get a daily dose of theory & technique stuff plus LPW's (Live Performance Workshops) for the tunes they've picked for the final day where everyone gets a turn to play in a band situation.

It's usually about £399 for the week, but well worth it for the classroom stuff alone.

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

Hi,
Are you starting to play bass from the start?

If so, the Hal Leonard Bass book by Ed Friedland "Electric Bass Method - Complete Edition" has had a lot of good reviews, & would probably be a great help with getting all the basics down. Ed Friedland has also written 3 or 4 Jazz Bass books as well (all his stuff is top notch & very well laid out).

Hope this helps?

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

That has got to be the best looking Progress I've seen for a long time - if I had the dosh spare I'd be tempted.

Good luck with the sale - hope it finds a really good home as it deserves to be played.

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

[quote name='obbm' post='388283' date='Jan 22 2009, 10:27 AM']Anyway facing the audience I prefer to stand to the drummer left, next to the snare/hi hat so I can see the Kick pedal easily.[/quote]

+1 here - prefer to lock in with the drummer & find being on the snare side a godsend....

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

[quote name='Alun' post='385257' date='Jan 19 2009, 07:01 PM']Deacon Blue with Ewan Vernal on bass - some genius playing[/quote]

+1 on this - he's one of my all time favourites - really nice chordal playing on "Orphans" on "When the World Knows Your Name". Really underrated player.

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

[quote name='Reverend' post='387325' date='Jan 21 2009, 11:30 AM']PM-ing[/quote]

Replied to...

Hi all,
Have decided to put my effects pedals up for sale - haven't used them on a gig for about 10 years now as I'm quite happy with the sound of my bass going through my rig as it is.

What I have for sale:
Boss OC-2 Octave pedal
Boss CE-2B Bass Chorus (mono)
Boss CS-2 Compression / Sustainer

These all come in a Boss BC-3B carry case, complete with pedal connector leads. I think most of us on the forum know what these pedals look like, so I won't post pics unless requested. Everything is in excellent condition.

Asking price is £100 the lot including courier costs.

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

I think BGM is an ok magazine, I'm not particularly fond of the way it's set out, & I'd like to see more in depth interviews as they seem a bit brief to say the least. The lesson articles are excellent, & the reviews are ok.

As it's the only UK publication, I'm quite happy with that - the magazine is an improvement over the dying days of "Bassist" magazine - once they started to put that cartoon in, the writing was on the wall (it wasn't even mildly amusing, but perhaps that might have something to do with my sense of humour). In the first year of it's existence, "Bassist" was a great magazine.

I think BP is slowly starting to get back to what it once was, although I still find the amount of advertising annoying to say the least, but if that's what helps to keep it going, who am I to say otherwise?

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

[quote name='kennyrodg' post='377397' date='Jan 12 2009, 09:35 AM']Hi Ped,
The one that Nick Carey recommends is "Music reading for bass,the complete guide" by Wendi Hrehovcsik.
It's in the Hal Leonard series.I have it and it's very good.There's some very good rhythm reading stuff in there as well.
[/quote]

+1 to this post. This is the book I'm using at the moment in conjunction with some of the stuff my teacher gives me.

Cheers,
iamthewalrus.

[quote name='JohnSlade07' post='375314' date='Jan 9 2009, 04:08 PM']At the age of 40 I'm struggling to improve my woeful reading "skills" and it's a big regret that I didn't learn properly years ago. It's such a block when I look at a James Jamerson line for instance and struggle to work out all the syncopated parts, or can't sight read a fairly simple walking line without a struggle. Being able to read confidently would open up a lot of possibilites for me musically on a personal level, although it wouldn't get me more gigs etc[/quote]

I'm trying to improve my own woeful sightreading skills at the age of 45. Wish I'd worked harder at it over the last 23 years as it would have opened up a lot of really good playing opportunities earlier on in life. I'm with Bilbo on this one.....

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

This bass now sold to Owen.

Cheers,
iamthewalrus.

I had a BB1100S which I bought from Bootleg Music in Epsom in 1989. This is one of those basses which I wish I still had, as it was a absolutely fantastic PJ bass.

Great tone - it could go from a great Jazz honk to a really nice round P-Bass woof. I used it for about seven years until I got my first 5 string in 1996. I ended up selling it a few years ago as I was saving up to get married.

Yamahas are great basses - I love 'em & you really can't go wrong with a BB or a TRB. Good hunting!

Cheers,
iamthewalrus