silverfoxnik

Hi Chris, These days, when there's so much choice, I'd say it's really difficult to advise another person what amp is best for them.. Or even, what amp+cab is best for them! For example, I had a Hartke HA3500 a year ago and really disliked it, finding it too sterile.. maybe because my personal taste is for something warmer in tonal terms.. So now I have a GK 700 and I find it so much warmer sounding to my ears than the Hartke. Yet the Hartke had a valve preamp! How does that work out?? Only thing I could suggest is to try as many different bass+amp+cab combinations as you can..Are you coming to the Bash later this month as there's bound to be lots of gear there you could try with your bass? Nik

BUMP!! Any more takers now it's just 3 weeks to go??

Nice looking bass! Is it me or does it look like a Curbow?

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='153598' date='Mar 8 2008, 02:09 PM']Ampeg B15 is the best for that motown vibe.[/quote] +1 That'd be a really classic combination; all the warmth of the Ampeg through a good 15" speaker.. Just thinking this through though Chris, are you sure that the Trace is the right amp for the sound you're after? I used to have a GP7 410 combo years ago and my memory of TE's from then is that they have a pretty modern sound and the pre-shape always seemed to be great for slap and other 80's/90's bass tones but not necessarily vintage tones... Maybe it's a question of getting the right amp/cab combination?? Hope that doesn't throw you off track...

[quote name='SJA' post='153450' date='Mar 8 2008, 12:30 AM']JJ Burnel also had a Wal pro with (leather?) scratchplate- it's in the video for "bearcage" [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CldS6LHsCu0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CldS6LHsCu0[/url] and I think it's on the whole "gospel according to the meninblack" album.[/quote] Thanks for that link.. I've always liked The Stranglers! It's a Pro 2e but I don't think it's the JG model with leather scratchplate model...

[quote name='cheddatom' post='152886' date='Mar 7 2008, 09:44 AM']I can help i'm sure! I find the zoom really easy to use. I haven't bothered with the manual. Basically I use the left hand knob to scroll through different settings, and use the other three knobs to mess with these settings. The last position on the left hand knob is the control setting, which is useful for the expression pedal etc. If you can just find an hour to sit and play with it through your rig or headphones, you should be able to come up with some decent patches. I reckon the harmony settings will be in the "synth" section, but i'm not sure. If you just mess about with it, you'll learn more than just copying someone's settings.[/quote] +1 That pretty much sums it up.. Trial and error, basically!

[quote name='dlloyd' post='153204' date='Mar 7 2008, 04:24 PM']My old Levoi Grande Bouche. Built by an amazing luthier, John Levoi in Alford, Lincolnshire. He only builds Selmer-style guitars, and this was by far the loudest and lightest acoustic guitar I've ever played. Yep... I sold it to finance another guitar.[/quote] That is a beautiful looking instrument! Mine was my old all natural Wal Pro 2e bass that was stolen in 1993! I've missed it ever since.... CK - those Nord Electro 2s are amazing! keyboard player in my band has one and it is the best synth I've ever heard for sure!

[quote name='bass_in_ya_face' post='153016' date='Mar 7 2008, 01:06 PM']I'm a big fan of Wal's but that leather one is hideous.[/quote] I can assure you it looks stunning close up, well lit and well photographed... But it's definitely a 'marmite' bass that divides opinion nicely!

[quote name='StanBassMan' post='152149' date='Mar 6 2008, 02:43 AM']Greetings everyone. Having relatively recently joined the Effects Pedal brigade, (it was actually a week after my 50th birthday so, yes, I'm an old git but young at heart) I acquired a B2 1.u to go with my bought-at-the-same-time Sheckter Hellraiser 5, the sound of which being enhanced by my Ashdown Electric Blue 180. I know it's generally a good idea to read the [i]"owner's manual"[/i] but we all know it can be extremely tedious having to do that. Is it just me or is there anyone else out there who thinks that [i]"user friendliness"[/i] is NOT one it's best attributes? Some of the sounds are great but I find that switching from one patch to another can create a "where's the bass player disappeared to?" effect, as from a booming bass sound to barely audible. Can anyone give any tips on the subject? Also, when I got the unit, I was hoping, at some point, to try and get Chris Squire's fantastic [i]"harmonised bass"[/i] sound, or something very near, as used so dramatically on Yes' Tormato album. Any ideas on that one, good people? I want to put my fretless through it with that effect active to see what it sounds like. I'm probably getting too old for this malarky! Cheers m' dears. Stan. (Having got the Sheckter and the Zoom for a tad over £500, two months later I saw a Line 6 Variax bass for £599. [b]Aaaarrrrrgh.......![/b])[/quote] Hi Stan, In my experience, the best way around the problem of the bass disappearing as you switch from one patch to another, is to set the volumes for each patch by a process of comparing one against the other until the [i]sound[/i] the same level to your ears. It won't work just by setting the volume for each patch at the same level (e.g. 70) because each sound is different and some seem much louder than others, and vice versa.. It's a slow process but it's either that or use a limiter in your FX chain... Hope that makes sense? Nik

[quote name='SJA' post='152727' date='Mar 6 2008, 09:50 PM']ps. there was a live archive set from Bow wow wow on 6music the other day, and I'm sure Leigh Gorman was using his Wal pro. unfortunately his tone/setup was a bit rattly for the notes to come out clearly on "go wild in the country" (excellent bassline)[/quote] +1 for that bassline and for Leigh's playing in general; he's a fantastic and very innovative bassist! Leigh always used and still does use his Wal with Bow Wow Wow.. The one he had when he recorded 'Go Wild' was his red Pro2 (passive model).. I sold him my JG series Wal with leather scratchplate in 1998 and he now tends to use that on all the Bow Wow Wow recordings/tours in the States.. [attachment=6236:JG1123.jpg]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='152113' date='Mar 5 2008, 11:46 PM']Good job! They say that PVA is stronger than the wood if you wait for it to go off properly. It is still very f***ing pink mind [/quote] Shocking, even...

Excellent work and well done for not giving up on the bass when it looked amost beyond repair! These vintage BCR Eagles are great sounding basses and very underrated IMHO.. but then I have one, so I'm biased of course!

[quote name='alexclaber' post='151498' date='Mar 5 2008, 08:06 AM']I disagree, you can do amazing things with palm muting and thumb plucking. Another good trick is to use a five and drop down a string and up five frets for more boom and wooliness. Just spend ages experimenting with different plucking, fretting and muting techniques and you'll build up a huge library of sounds which can all come from one instrument without any knob twiddling. Listening is the key! Alex[/quote] +2 Excellent advice!

A few spring to mind, some more well known than others: Robbie Shakespeare (Sly & Robbie) James Jamerson McCartney John Entwhistle Leigh Gorman (BowWowWow) Justin Chancellor Dennis Dunnaway (Alice Cooper) The guy from Muse is pretty distictive too and that guy who plays solo and does loads of super-fast slapping on a MusicMan SR4 who's name I can't remember for the life of me..

[quote name='Steve Lawson' post='151777' date='Mar 5 2008, 02:54 PM']Lovely to see those of you I met at the gig last night - hope y'all had a good time. I was amazed by Yolanda's set. She's without doubt one of the finest funk bassists I've ever heard anywhere. To groove like that with no drummer, and sing, is pretty amazing. I've seen Todd quite a few times, but I'm always amazed by his knowledge of jazz harmony and the beautiful way he employs it, particularly the stuff where he's playing bass, chords and melody at the same time! That hurts my brain... hope to see you all again soon somewhere in the country - Yolanda and I will be doing some more gigs together, the first one of which is in Milton Keynes on March 16th.... cheers Steve [url="http://www.stevelawson.net"]http://www.stevelawson.net[/url][/quote] Hi Steve Sounds like it was a great night! Where are the other gigs and are there any in Brighton or around that neck of the woods for us seasiders to get along to? Nik

[quote name='Machines' post='151339' date='Mar 4 2008, 09:08 PM']Come on people ! Considering there's over 2500 people registered on here only 96 want a free bass ?![/quote] Hi Machines, Nice review and a very tempting bass... so I'm in! Email sent.. Could be fun.. if I won! Good luck to all the entrants. Nik

[quote name='Beedster' post='151354' date='Mar 4 2008, 09:34 PM']I was listening to Radio 2 the other night and I caught the end of a track. It had an awesome bass line which sent a really strong message from my memory banks to my spine. In fact, it was like I was hearing bass for the first time. Simple line, but strong and magical. Anyway, bloody DJ didn't say what it was so I thought and thought and played the bassline in my head a few hundred times. Then it came to me after I had hummed the tune a few times. 'The Night': Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Straight donw the record shop, back home, just been playing it, and I now am pretty sure where my love of bass came from, it was that track. In fact, the feel of that track has dominated everything I've ever tried to play on bass without me really realising it. I was a g**tarist at the time, but I remember hearing that track and thinking "man, the bass is EVERYTHING in that song". Pretty soon after, I had a bass. Probably explains my Precision thing also (although I'm pretty sure someone's gonna tell me it's a Jazz ). If you haven't heard that line, get a listen, really simple, but just pure bass sex C[/quote] Great song Chris, though tbh, I don't remember the bassline.. so will go and check it out now!

I played a couple about 10 years ago and they were excellent basses.. Reminded me at the time of JayDee basses for some reason.. They were certainly of that quality! I haven't seen one for years though..