Yukimajou

Hi Pickle Welcome on board and to the wonderful world of bass guitar. This is a great forum with loads of brains to pick and opinions to gather. If you are looking for any tuition, I can highly recommend going to Udemy.com and searching for The Professional Bass Masterclass (run by a chap called Rajiv Narang) I have found it an invaluable course for rally nailing how to play the bass well. The course can be expensive, but it does go on sale quite frequently, I got it for £10 (you get full lifetime access for this price) so it's well worth keeping an eye on.

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1497267600' post='3316866'] Here's the link for the ones I've used (the rings are on there, too). Obviously, you'll need to make some exact measurements, and yeah, some minor modding might be required. Mine have got Dingwall pickups underneath. I'd looked at some EMG 'buckers which fit, too... Mine are in an Epi TBird body, so I was happy to mod, but if I'd spent the money on a Gibson, I might not be inclined to go cheap... [url="http://www.crazyparts.de/pickup-making-parts/pickupcovers/misc/gibson-thunderbird-pu-cover-chrome.php"]http://www.crazypart...over-chrome.php[/url] [/quote] Thanks for the link. I will definitely have to check these out. Likewise having an Epi T'Bird I'm not too afraid of modding.

Does anyone know if you can successfully get the plastic cover off the Epi T'Bird pickups? I think they really don't do the bass any justice and uncovered pups would look so much better, I can't afford the chrome or nickel replacements as they are more expesive that the guitar was. I will however, get a set of chrome toppe knobs as again the black ones look like crap.

Welcome to the T'Bird club, the more the merrier. They are fantastic basses but do be aware, lead guitarists don't like us using them, their very presence generally tends to upstage them!

I have never owned a P Bass and was thinking of getting one, but I keep hearing talk of a dead zone on the Fender ones. Is this only on Fenders or is it across the board on P Basses? And if it's only Fenders, is there a period from where they started to get it sorted? I know these sound like some novice questions, but I need to know if I am to shell out my hard earned. As a side question, does a PJ Bass negate the need for seperate P and J basses, or is it a horrible mash up of the two and I would be better off getting the two individually?

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1496379605' post='3310891'] Hahahahahahahaha! I don't know why I didn't see that, it was staring me in the face. I love musical crossovers. Music you think you know seen from someone's else's fresh perspective. [/quote] You like musical crossovers? You got it: [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN75im_us4k"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN75im_us4k[/url] You only get a link I'm afraid as I can't seem to embed You Tube videos.

[quote name='interpol52' timestamp='1496266017' post='3310138'] I love The Doors and I love this bassline. However, I appear to have been playing it wrong for 30 years. I don't really get the Doors hate on this forum. [/quote] I'm glad to see I'm not the only Doors fan here then!

I will start by saying that I know this has the potential to open me up to all manner of heckling, but here I go anyway. I was set to thinking by Al Krow's 'Best Bass Lines' thread and one of my favourite lines is from Riders on the Storm by The Doors. I thought I'd go and check out a few tabs to see if people agree with my assessment of the line and every tab I have seen is wrong. I know this makes me sound like some knob head who can't accept that what I think could be wrong (I'm not a lead guitarist!), but in this instance I have some back up. All the tabs I have seen start on the open E and it is a nice easy line to groove on, however, it should be an octave higher and start on the 12th fret. This does make it much harder to play, but sounds so much better (as it's how Ray wrote it!). The proof I mentioned earlier is: I have a Doors music book for piano and the bass line there corresponds to the 12th fret E string as the start. and This [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3deQXzV-qTk"]You Tube video[/url] of Ray talking about Riders saying that when he came up with the bass line, Jerry (their session bassist on all albums except the first) said that you couldn't play that and had to do some gymnastics with his fingers to play it. Now this would make no sense if the bassline started on the open E as it's nice and easy to play there. Here are the tabs for both and see for yourself: The one everyone seems to use [font=courier new,courier,monospace]G——————————————--—I D——————————————--—I A———2———2———0—4—0—I E—0———3———0—————-—I[/font] And the correct one [font=courier new,courier,monospace]G————————————————-----—I D———————————————-----——I A———14———14———12—16—12—I E—12———15———12———————--I[/font] I know the temptation to play the easy one is huge, but it's for reasons like that that us bassists are tarred as the dumb ones in bands.

[quote name='julesb' timestamp='1496214966' post='3309533'] Neck dive? [/quote] The older Epi T'Birds had the neck strap button in the 'regular' location on the end of the horn, which caused massive neck dive. They have figured this out now and the newer ones have it on the plate that holds the neck on (where it was originally designed to be). I'm not sure when this change happened, but my '05 model has the strap button in the wrong place, but I know that last year's models were fine.

I knew we were good, but that's a nice shot in the arm for any of us wavering in our conviction!

Yokozo Briansan. Yuroshiku ongaishimasu.

I have an '05 Korean Epi T'Bird and it's fantastic. Yes ther was a neck dive issue, but I moved the neck strap button to behind the neck joint and that has solved the issue. Not worried about resale as it only cost me £105. They have a great sound and even though it's a bolt on it sustains fantastically well. Do Gibsons sound better? Of course they do, but you would expect so for the price. Plus they are great attention grabbers that will upstage the guitarist! If you don't have one in your roster, I'd say you really do need one in your life.

One of my favourites for many years is Warhead by the UK Subs: [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pO_EqziS1g"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pO_EqziS1g[/url] I have always loved it's prominence in the track and it's quite easy to play!

[quote name='ZilchWoolham' timestamp='1495588029' post='3305139'] I think it started with that stuckist bloke, can't remember his name though. I know Nardwuar is fond of it as well. [/quote] That would be Billy Childish founder of Thee Milkshakes, Thee Headcoates and many others then.

Three Piece Suite The Perfect 3rds Velvet Tuesday Johnny Blunt & The Pencil Sharpeners Sorry We're Late or take the first sylable from each of your first names and kinda smoosh them together.

Shouldn't it be more distressing that fashion is so bland and uninspired now? I weep for a decade whose biggest fashion is a beard. OK there are folks in the 80s who looked a tad odd and you certainly wouldn't wear it in Sainsburys, but come on surely we want some fun back in music. I wanted to start pllaying an instrument to be in a band and play live, not because I thought it was going to make me a superstar over night. It is a massive shame that musicianship and ability has been replaced by prepackaged dross whose sole motivation is are you pretty enough to warble into Autotune? I know a lot of people blame Simon Cowell and the crappy talentless shows we have to suffer, but ultimately it's the buying public who are at fault here, if noone bought the crap, it wouldn't be made. Even the subculture these days is stale. There doesn't seem to be the room for any individuality, you just go into your local 'alternative' shop and buy your new look off the rail; no thought required. I have an acquaintence of this younger generation (used to work with him) who told me that the current generation is known as Generation Y, I couldn't think of a more apt title. But if I had to choose one thing why the '80s was better it would be the gigging experience. Back then people would leap about and have fun down at the front and not be this static group of knob heads watching the gig through their phone, annoying the crap out of everyone behind them. I liked actually seeing the band, not waiting until I got home to see if they were any good. Oh and f**kin' selfies.

The defining moment for getting me into music was seeing Sweet on the Christmas ToTP doing Blockbuster in '74 when I was just a stripling of 4 years old. But it was the Glam/Sleaze scene of the late '80s and early '90s that inspired me to play (as well as my Grandad!). I now find myself being inspired by the Classic Rock scene (The Doors, Creedence, Skynnyrd, The Who, Zeppelin, etc) and Garage/Psych stuff like The Fuzztones & The Cramps (I know they didn't have a bassist to start with). Lob in a bit of Punk and you've got my personal cocktail.

[quote name='ribbetingfrog' timestamp='1494878368' post='3299283'] High is never cool. Never. [/quote] +1 on that! Look at [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U1SiIWuZeE"]David J's playing[/url], he manages to keep things nice and low whilst using fingers.

I may be in a minority here, but if I was gigging a Fender bass, I'd be tempted to put a Squier decal on it. It's less of a target for getting nicked. Or maybe I'm letting my Portsmouth upbringing show.

I have had a look on GAK and unsurprisingly it's out of stock, but it does say that it's a short scale, whereas an original on [url="https://www.wunjoguitars.com/shop/bass-guitars/vox-phantom-bass"]Wunjo Guitars' website[/url] is listed as 34". Can anyone confirm this please? If it is actually a short scale bass, I'll have to get a divorce before the affair even begins. I have arms like an orangutan and get on well with short scale basses.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1495112714' post='3301365'] I think I might have one of these in my attic somewhere. If I can find a box, would you like it? [/quote] It's a very kind offer, but I am thoroughly skint at the moment. Even £40 for a gig bag for my T'bird is out of the question at the moment.

I have just found the ultimate expression of my current GAS (in the right colour as well!). I don't suppose anyone has 4 grand they don't need and an altruistic nature do they? Anyway here is the object of my affection, [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOX-JMI-1962-PHANTOM-IV-FANG-BASS-MADE-IN-ENGLAND-BEAUTIFUL-BLACK-/112410473577?hash=item1a2c2fb469:g:b1UAAOSwcBhWUaw0"]a 1962 UK built Vox Phantom[/url] in great condition:

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1493207338' post='3286464'] Some of us can't afford more than one bass. [/quote] +1 to that! However, that doesn't stop me wanting to leave the one bass club. My ideal situation would be a Fender P (or PJ) bass, Gretsch Electromatic (as it's the only single cut long scale bass they do), a Vox Phantom and an Aria FEB fretless acoustic electric. Add the Thunderbird that I already have and I would have a great bass 'capsule wardrobe'. I then tell myself that I'd be content with all of that...

Being a fan of Gretsches I do love the archtop and I'm very happy to see that it's a 34" scale as well. Damn shame about the £2000+ price tag though. For that money I can get an actual Grtesch bass with change!

I too will be watcing with interest. I have an Epi T'bird and would love a set of chrome covered pups in.