silverfoxnik

It's good to evolve as a musician, set higher goals to improve and develop on the instrument you love. in this case a bass. Whether it's a bass with 4 strings, 5 strings or 10 strings, it's still a bass! But in the end, people want music that makes them feel something - happy, sad, uplifted, moved to tears etc.. Whatever and however that is done doesn't matter to the vast majority of people who enjoy music.. They just want the emotions and the messages that music can bring to their lives.. IMHO, it's only us bass 'musos' who'd ever consider the question raised in this thread and in the great big scheme of things, I'm with the ordinary punter; Doesn't matter how it works, so long as it does..

I completely understand that.. I've sold a few basses on that were too 'pristine' to be used.. with that and the GAS in the first place, it's a kind of bass Obsessive Compulsive Disorder :wacko:

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='132283' date='Feb 1 2008, 10:52 PM']There was another recent thread about playing around the beat that should be read in conjunction with this. Locking in with the kick drum is not the only fruit and this aspect of being a musician is more important than having the chops and is totally under-estimated by bedroom players and you tube chop monsters (male and female).[/quote] +1!! Definitely... And : [i]"I always think the bass and drums locking in together is the most important thing a band needs, it frees up time, it frees up other players, it even frees up the bass and drummer to enjoy themselve with a bit of improv and know where everything sits, its not every beat or chop but once you get that connection with your drummer the band goes up a level, in my opinion, "[/i] Well said Nig!

Thanks for the replies Mark/Simon! Food for thought and some good ideas which I'm going to try out but, as I said in my other post about left-hand technique, I've been so busy with work this last 2 weeks, I haven't had a minute to sit down and think let alone try anything out yet... But that's what this weekend is for Much appreciated, Nik

Thanks for all the replies folks! All very useful but I've been so busy I haven't had a minute to sit down and try anything out yet...That '1234..' exercise looks particularly punishing Steve!! Much appreciated, Nik

[quote name='ashevans09' post='130982' date='Jan 30 2008, 09:46 PM']Hey there, I'm looking to play around with my rig at the mo, and I've more or less decided that I'd like a 4x10 coupled with either another 4x10 or a 2x12. Unfortunately, no store near me stocks 2x12's, so how do they compare with 4x10's? Also, would a better combo be the 4x10 + 2x12 or just 2 4x10s? Thanks, Ash[/quote] Hi Ash You might find some of the technical stuff in this thread I posted last year helpful, as it had lots of really interesting and knowledgeable posts by people such as BFM and alexclaber, who really know their stuff! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2411&hl=210s"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2411&hl=210s[/url] Nik

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='131961' date='Feb 1 2008, 02:44 PM']That is some very sexy P bass porn right there. That '74 is gorgeous![/quote] +1 And the leather sofa and sheepskin adds an even more 70's vibe to the proceedings!

[quote name='theosd' post='130425' date='Jan 30 2008, 02:05 AM']An electroharmonix "Black Finger" tube compressor. It's divine =][/quote] Thanks!

Hi folks I've got a couple of months now with no gigs so I want to try to address some things that are really bothering me about my playing.. One thing is my left-hand technique (see my other post asking for help this morning) which is getting pretty bad.. But the other thing that's bothering me massively is that I feel a desperate need to improve my musical vocabulary as I am getting so bored with my own playing! What I mean by this is that, for as long as I can remember, I play riffs and basslines around the same mode or key, so that all of my improvised playing sounds the same.. I've got away with it for a long time but in the end, you can't fool yourself can you!! But I know that I need to be able to express myself musically in a much more varied way if I am to keep developing as a musician. To give a crude analogy, it feels a bit like I can/will only play along and join in if everyone else speaks English, because that's my only language - does that makes sense? I don't read music and have always been very lazy with practicing and have never learnt all the different modes/scales etc that I feel and know would really help.. So, does anyone know if there a set of basics that I could/should learn and practice that will over time, help to extend the range of my creativity and expression as a player? I also wondered whether some lessons would be a good move? Anyway, look forward to hearing what you have to say and thanks for reading this! Cheers Nik

Hi Folks Just lately, I've found that my left hand technique is getting really sloppy and that my wedding finger and little finger are not as dexterous and flexible as they used to be or as I need them to be.. And as a result, my left hand is cramping a bit on longer gigs and getting tired more easily. Could be just age of course, but whatever the cause of this problem, I'm sure there's some kind of method for addressing it.. So, if anyone has some advice/tips etc, then I'd be really grateful.. Thanks Nik

Nice and compact!! What's the unit on top of the amp?

[quote name='BeLow' post='130350' date='Jan 29 2008, 10:53 PM']The original Bass Centre was an icon and for that reason it is sad to see it closing down. I buy from local music shops where possible and am lucky to have a pretty good one an hours drive away but there are some things which the internet suppliers are better for and I will use them if needs be.[/quote] +1 The original Wapping shop when Barry Moorhouse was there in the late 80s & early 90s was fantastic.. Wall to Wall full of great gear, exotic and traditional basses and you could spend all day in there if you wanted to and could afford to! Seems that a customer-friendly retail shop with an online presence that's founded or run by a real specialist, such as a great luthier like Bernie Goodfellow in Brighton or Martin Petersen at The Gallery etc, etc, is the way forward..

[quote name='Merton' post='130105' date='Jan 29 2008, 04:19 PM']Cool. I'll bring me whole band down on April 5th If you're free March 28th that's our next gig there.[/quote] Great.. and I'll check my diary re: March 28th... Mind you, thinking about it, that's 2 days before the Bash so it might not be possible unless I want to start WW3 at home

[quote name='Merton' post='130150' date='Jan 29 2008, 05:01 PM']Absomalutely And the Groove 5 especially for Nik![/quote] Cheers Mert! That 59' P is amazing by the way... A bass is going to be there that's older than me - fantastic

[quote name='BigRedX' post='129769' date='Jan 29 2008, 08:42 AM']I a way both Jase and Jester have hit the nail on the head... Two things have happened: firstly the means of distribution of music and the dissemination of music has shifted. Secondly it's easier to create 'contemporary' music both from access to resources and encouragement. When I started to get seriously interested in music in the mid-70s there were 3 weekly inkies easily available in the UK. As well as he standard pop fare served by daytime radio 1 there was Peel and Freeman. Punk and New Wave caused that to explode. Fanzines and self-pressed singles. It was much easier to create and distribute your music, but you still needed a certain amount of drive and money in order to actually produce something, and it's continued to be like this until the mid-90s. All of a sudden anyone with a web connection and a tracker program can create music and get it out for other people to hear. Even guitars and drums are cheaper in real terms than they've ever been. The cr@ppiest starter pack sub £100 instrument is light years ahead in terms of construction playability and sound compared with the Woolies specials we started with. In real terms what you would have paid for the original PortaStudio when it first came out will now buy you a computer, a really good DAW app and probably a handful of extra instrument and processor plug-ins. And there, in a way, is both the revolution and the problem. There's still proportionally just as much good new music out there, but there's so much more of it generally that there's even more rubbish to wade through to get to the good stuff. Also in this explosion of music and the fragmentation of the means of distribution, the traditional means of getting the information has struggled to keep up. Of the 3 inkies only NME has survived and that's by becoming a pale shadow of what it used to be. Radio 1 haven't even been able to replace Freemnan let alone Peel. Music classification has also become a victim to this fragmentation. Has anyone ever tried to browse for a CD in the Rough Trade shop (or any other specialist outlet)? The sub-sub-sub categorisation of the CDs means that in many cases it's easier to go and ask for a CD from one of the assistants rather than try to figure out where it might actually be on the racks. IMO the revolution Roger Daltry wanted has already happened but it's not a (single) musical style, it's in the increased access to quality music production facilities and the ability to be able get your music to the ears of your audience.[/quote] +1 to this and what chris_b has said! I think the issue about rock 'n' roll as an art form and major force of popular culture being 50+ years old has a lot to do with the fact that nothing new can come along and take us by surprise any more.. It would take something or someone so special to make me stop in my tracks and go 'wow' when I grew up on The Who / John Entwhistle, The Beatles / Macca, Floyd, Bowie, Queen, The Velvets, The Clash, Santana, Zappa, Hendrix, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Bootsy Collins, Prince etc, etc.. I really like loads of music around at the moment, but in terms of huge, life-changing impact, let's face it, it just ain't going to happen! The new kids around are just reinventing the wheel... aren't they?? But then, I am just a grumpy old git in my 40s

Looks like the Crow's Nest on April 5th is our next gig Mert, as we have 2 months out now because our guitarist and keyboard player are going to Australia with their families... It'd be really good to see any Basschat members from this neck of the woods at any of the gigs and please come and say hello if you do. Here's our pub gig list for 2008 so far... and there's a whole load of private functions happening too so it's quite busy already! [b]April[/b] Sat 5th - THE CROWS NEST - East Grinstead Sun 6th - THE SIX BELLS - Chiddingly [b]May[/b] Fri 9th - THE ELMS - Worthing Fri 16th MULLENS - Eastbourne Sat 17th - THE HAMPDEN - South Heighton Sun 25th - HORATIO'S BAR - Brighton Pier [b]July[/b] Fri 4th - THE SIX BELLS - Chiddingly Fri 11th - THE ELMS - Worthing Fri 18th - KINGS HEAD - Burgess Hill [b]August[/b] Sat 9th - LARK IN THE PARK - Newhaven Fri 15th MULLENS - Eastbourne [b]Sat 23rd - HORATIO'S BAR - Brighton Pier September[/b] Sat 6th - ROCKIN THE BARN - Southwick Fri 12th - THE ELMS - Worthing Fri 26th - THE SHIP - Newhaven Sun 28th - THE SIX BELLS - Chiddingly [b]October[/b] Fri 24th MULLENS - Eastbourne [b]November[/b] Fri 14th - THE HAMPDEN - South Heighton Sat 15th - THE MASTER MARINER - Brighton Marina Sat 22nd - THE SIX BELLS - Chiddingly [b]December[/b] Fri 19th - THE SHIP - Newhaven

[quote name='owen' post='129399' date='Jan 28 2008, 04:35 PM']I now have written permission from SWMBO so will be driving down from Bangor (North Wales) A55/Chester/Crewe/Stoke-on-Trent wise. Does anyone want to pile into the Owen-mobile and share fuel costs?[/quote] Great - looking forward to meeting you then Owen and I'll be bringing along my Roscoe Beck 5 you helped me to sort out!

Had a p*ss once in Nomis Studios toilets next to Francis Rossi of Status Quo.. he looked the same then as he does now and that was 20 years ago.. Other tenuous ones include playing at a party for Blondie in 1980, supported Joy Division at the Rainbow, London also that year - Ian Curtis had an epileptic fit on stage!

[quote name='NickThomas' post='128751' date='Jan 27 2008, 04:08 PM']Are they improvement on the Ken Smiths Nik? Also how do you like the ebs pre-amp?[/quote] Hi Nick, The original p/ups obviously fit the bass properly so the volume across all the strings is really even now, with the B string being very well defined and clear, so I'm really happy about that. Plus, these are the noiseless p/ups so they are much quieter than the KSDs and mean that when you solo the pick ups or even just favour one more than the other, there isn't that horrible single coil hum.. But, I must admit that having said all that, I think the KSDs had a slightly better tonal quality to them.. On balance though, this is the better way to go. I like the EBS pre-amp - it's not too hi-fi sounding thankfully and the mid boost is really useful.. But I'll reserve judgement on it until I try it out at a gig but so far so good Thanks Bob; do you know, I'd forgotten about that with the B string saddle on my Roscoe Beck, sorry! TBH, I can't even remember if I still have it or I put it on the bridge that I sent back to owen?? I'll have a look okay.. Cheers Nik

[quote name='The Burpster' post='128562' date='Jan 27 2008, 10:45 AM']Humm great story, and just goes to illustrate how simple things can make such a difference..... Glad its sorted.....[/quote] Thanks for the help btw!

[quote name='NickThomas' post='124218' date='Jan 20 2008, 10:22 PM']Bloody hard work . Silverfoxnik can back me up on this one I'm sure . Prince Albert in Eastbourne. 2 x 45 min sets followed by a hour set until 1am. To unresponsive pissed audience ... such is life . It's paid my petrol to work for this month lol[/quote] Hi Nick Only just seen you post, sorry... Yeah, the Prince Albert is a really difficult one so we've stopped playing there now. The audiences we've had at our gigs there have been great but the two guys who run the place are rude as f*ck to be honest. Playing 3 sets until 1am for the same money you get playing other venues where you only have to do 2 sets is bad enough, but the feeling of being used & abused is massively compounded by the awful attitudes of these guys! Good to see you can take the positive out of the situation though... Nik