Beer of the Bass

[quote name='Spoombung' timestamp='1441301037' post='2857774'] That gets LOTS of recognition and is the subject of much attention every year! [/quote] Only if you read certain bits of the alternative music press, and AFAIK it didn't make much impact at the time. I dunno, is that insufficiently "before it was cool" for this thread? It might be more fun to suggest some albums you think are under-recognised rather than just popping up to tell us the rest of us why our choices are wrong!

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441299278' post='2857753'] Looking purely at the facts, spending £2,000 on a guitar to play 15 £200 gigs throughout the year doesn't make business sense. [/quote] I'm not sure that business sense is the motivator for most peoples music making, and we would be hearing some fairly dismal stuff if it was. If the sound and responsiveness of that £2000 guitar inspires the player to practice and write more and they can afford it, it seems worthwhile. Plenty of people on here have talked about being inspired to kick up their playing to the next level when upgrading to a professional quality instrument. For me that happened when I changed from a thumpy sounding Chinese plywood double bass to a 100 year old carved bass which is louder, clearer and more even sounding, feels better to play and is easier to control under the bow. Perhaps the amount my gigs pay hasn't increased, but my playing experience is much enhanced. What price do we put on that?

I feel like acoustic instruments are a bit of a different case. I'd agree that it's not essential to spend a huge amount just to get out and get playing, and the nuances tend to disappear through an undersaddle piezo and a pub PA system. Having said that, the more expensive instruments which get some individual attention in their manufacture really do have something that the cheaper instruments lack, and this will come through in spades in the studio, in more intimate acoustic settings or mic'd into a high quality PA. Spending tens of thousands on something made from esoteric woods and dripping with pearl is still an indulgence, but I would argue that spending a couple of grand on a handmade instrument is not. I may be biased by having a classical guitar luthier in the family, but I can hear a degree of difference between a £500 acoustic and a £3000 acoustic which I cannot hear between electric guitars or basses at the same price points. I wouldn't laugh at somebody for choosing an instrument within their means, but nor would I dismiss the value of many of the higher end instruments.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1441292473' post='2857657'] I do realise that your joking, but I'll say: The important bit is not who was 'bigger', but who was more innovative and influential. Which was the more important album, Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' or the lesser selling 'Sgt Pepper's'? [/quote] That's an interesting point to bring up, as looking at some of the bigger names in contemporary pop, I think I can see a fair chunk of Michael Jackson influence, not just in the music but in the whole way of working. I mean that thing of having big productions by name producers, slick videos, performances as much focussed on dance and spectacle as the song etc. I'm not a huge MJ fan myself (so no epiphanies for me there), but there is probably a case to be made for him having changed the industry in a fairly significant way. Of course, none of this has happened in a vacuum so anything which was important in the path of 20th century pop will have paved the way for it in some way.

For the fairly light duty gigging most of us do, cheaper electric guitars or basses can do just fine, but I think if I were a pro with a heavy touring or recording schedule I'd want to spend a little more - perhaps not crazy boutique stuff, but certainly something at the level of a Fender or Musicman, the more no-frills end of small UK luthiers or even some of the better mid-range Korean instruments. There are all kinds of little things which crop up with heavy use, like the softer fretwire used on many cheaper instruments, or the quality of the electronics and tuners. These things can be upgraded of course, but not everyone likes to spend time tinkering with their gear.

I use Nyman rosin on my bow and the last time I picked up a new tub I was surprised at how much more pleasant it is to play with fresh rosin compared to an older tub of the same brand. I think the old tub was about four years old at that point. With that in mind, does anyone replace theirs periodically, and if so, how long do you leave it?

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1441209959' post='2856978'] Why should you not be able to re-finish your keyboard in orange and blue if you want to? If I was younger (and had more ambition) I think I'd look into this as a business venture. [/quote] Orange and blue? That would preclude you from gigging in about half of Glasgow!

Something I've wondered about active/passive inputs and impedance; I'm well aware of the benefits of a high impedance input for passive instruments, but is there any compromise in performance when plugging an active bass into a high impedance input, gain issues aside?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1441206579' post='2856934'] Maybe you should have a listen to the track and then you can wonder what all the fuss is about! It's a fairly standard funky pop song with a reasonably contemporary production and some cute synth/sample parts. Any keyboard player worth their salt should have the ability and equipment to get close enough for the average audience member to be satisfied. [/quote] I must admit, the thing that struck me when I first heard Uptown Funk was how retro it sounded.

I'd agree that the Beatles were a unique cultural and social phenomenon which does not invite direct comparison with anything before or since, I can see that even as someone born in 1981. What I'm less keen on is the suggestion that exposure to that somehow makes anyone who was a certain age in a certain place at a certain time inherently wiser, more insightful and all-around [i]better[/i] than the rest of us. That sort of attitude can only lead to complacency and stagnation in music IMO. As a somewhat related example, I know a first-generation hippy who will cheerfully remind anyone within earshot that he was at Woodstock as though that grants him some sort of special status. He usually mentions this when trying to impress younger women. There is another guy I've chatted with now and again (some friends of mine have worked with him) who [i]played[/i] at Woodstock. He generally doesn't mention this unless someone brings it up, and even then he doesn't tend to hold forth on the matter. He wrote some songs that I grew up listening to which are now part of the inside of my head and turns out to be an unassuming and generally lovely bloke. I know which of the two has earned the greater respect from me.

I wonder if you could cover just the flat tops of the white keys with some kind of adhesive material like car pinstripe tape or sign makers vinyl? That stuff seems surprisingly sturdy but would still be easier to undo than spray paint.

[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] I'm going to guess that your performances are a little less physical than Flea's though. I imagine that sort of thing wouldn't get you asked back to jazz gigs!

There are some who would suggest that flow chart should be considerably simpler and with one fewer outcome.

This will hopefully make the reason for the plug a bit clearer. The anchor at the end of the rod extends past the end of the channel routed from the rear and is a larger diameter, so it is necessary to drill through from the headstock end.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1441047165' post='2855671'] Don't want to play a 14lb bass for a two hour show? [/quote] I think this might have something in it. McCartney is an older guy and Flea jumps about a lot! I'm not sure I'd choose a heavier bass for gigging in either circumstance, however good it sounded in the studio.

I'd mention An Electric Storm by White Noise. When someone played the opening track to me a few years ago I presumed it was from the 90s or later, but it turns out to be from 1968. Plus it features Delia Derbyshire of Dr Who theme fame. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZG8CE2KnBQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZG8CE2KnBQ[/url]

What sort of bass are you playing? The noises you describe sound like your pickups might be microphonic, where they pick up every little vibration right down to your fingers brushing the pickup cover or the strap creaking on the buttons. Most basses have potted pickups to prevent this, but some cheaper or older instruments don't.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1440691162' post='2853040'] Though there might be some post-Beatlemania artistes whose Beatlefluences are less immediately detectable; Captain Beefheart springs to mind. [/quote] Here's a bit of Beatle influence, what with the title and the "Strawberry Fields Forever" quote. Apparently John Lennon was quite enthusiastic about the Captain's first album, so this song may have been an attempt to annoy him. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuv1HBTbHO4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuv1HBTbHO4[/url]

The old Ideal brand soundhole pickups have a bit of a cult following among Greek bouzouki players apparently, even though they're guitar pickups. I've no idea if that's the same Ideal brand as this one or entirely coincidental, but I suppose it could have been imported by the same distributor.

[quote name='jeweytheroux' timestamp='1440611871' post='2852434'] My deko acoustic bass is here and seems totally fine apart from fret buzz up around the 12th to 14th frets on the D and G strings. I've tried adjusting the truss rod in both directions but it isn't helping - any advice here? Not sure how to adjust the bridge? [/quote] It's probably a high fret, as that appears to be the most common issue on the acoustics. On mine the 17th fret was sitting a little too high on the treble side, which made the notes below that on the top strings buzz. I tapped the fret with a hammer to check it was seated, then carefully used a file to spot-level it in that area until that fret was the same height as the others.

I wonder if the description of it being a one-off custom job for a particular player may be an invention. I've seen Ideal as another brand applied to similar instruments and accessories to the ones which come labelled as Guyatone, Kent, etc., so I'd guess it's just another importers badge on a fairly standard Japanese instrument of that period.

[quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1440537437' post='2851797'] Ultimately the question is, when is an instrument sold for decoration, not an instrument for decoration? There will be people either side of an argument. I see your argument. Say I received a bass, that was sold as a Deko, the body has a D on it, but the Neck has no D and nothing wrong with it after going over it with a fine tooth comb, do I sell the neck for decoration only? [/quote] You should give full disclosure IMO, anything else is misleading. I have a feeling you may know this already, as I notice you had not advertised these on basschat where the Dekos are widely known about and discussed.

Hmm, even if that's not straight-out lying its not exactly a high standard of honesty. You're intentionally withholding information in order to receive a higher price than you would otherwise.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1440534745' post='2851751'] I've seen Markbass cabs with HPLs in them, but I've never seen a B&C with a pressed steel chassis. I suppose anything is possible if you're buying in large enough quantities. The eBay one is from a relatively old Markbass cab. [/quote] The newer CL speakers do, though oddly they're not much cheaper than the HPLs were.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1440534134' post='2851736'] Someone is auctioning one on eBay, although it doesn't look anything like the HPLs. <http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MARK-BASS-NEODYMIUM-12-NEO-SPEAKER-DRIVER-B-C-MADE-IN-ITALY-/221855157676?hash=item33a7990dac> [/quote] Hmm, you're right, it doesn't! They used to have the cast frame complete with "HPL" sticker. I guess they must have changed them when the HPLs were discontinued.