Bassassin

[quote name='Jase' post='133943' date='Feb 4 2008, 10:22 PM']we're waffling on about how there is nothing happening with the standard 4 string bass and that nobody seems to be taking the instrument forward, pushing boundaries, turning heads...all that sort of stuff [/quote] Aye, Ronnie. J.

Yeah - we care a [b]lot[/b]! ....err - if anyone can work out exactly, like specifically, what it is we're caring about, do let me know... J.

[quote name='ARGH' post='132182' date='Feb 1 2008, 08:21 PM']sorry,no...I think you'll find an awful lot of people that OWN basses,stand at the back doing sod all onstage.... Modern music ISNT going to do anything new on a 4 string Bass...Its all been done,so we either use different instruments (keys are better and more reliable than us as musicians in the studio),or we modify to survive...[/quote] And [i]I[/i] think [i]you'll[/i] find that's what a hell of a lot of music requires of a bassist. Get over it. J.

[quote name='metalmaniac' post='133494' date='Feb 4 2008, 11:14 AM']I will prove it with pen and paper.[/quote] Please do - it's not exactly clear what you're talking about! J.

I think the thread title is a bit of a misnomer - the OP's concern is more that bass playing is in a state of stagnation, both in terms of technique, and the in technology (for want of a better word) of the instrument itself, and therefore is doomed to extinction, unless we force ourselves to evolve & transcend our self-imposed limitations. J.

I've no idea where these are made (their website's [url="http://www.suzukimusic.co.uk"]here[/url]) but historically there were two Suzukis manufacturing musical instruments, neither of whom seem to be connected with the people who make GSX-R750s & Hayabusas. Both companies started out in the 19th century, making violins - Kiso Suzuki Violin, and Nagoya Suzuki. I think the founders of the companies were related. Anyway, back in the 70s/80s one or other of 'em made stuff like this: Anyway, I'll keep an eye open for a bass version. Jon.

I don't think I GAS for the high-end stuff most people seem to - my passion is for vintage JapCrap - and being a bin-diving pikey at heart, I want to get some thing really good for not much money - which I justify to myself with the idea of selling at a significant profit. This seldom happens - I find it really hard to part with my [s]hoard of ghastly junk[/s] collection! Why GAS? I'm not really sure. Distraction, the desire for The Most Toys, the idea that there's always something better. A lot of the stuff I buy requires a degree of restoration, or at least a good clean & setup - and I really enjoy that element of it, learning about the instruments in general, and learning about the different manufacturers, the differences & similarities - this is a big part of my JapCrap obsession. I'm not really looking for a cure - but I'm trying to ration myself more - if I'm going to buy something, then something else will have to go to make room for it. Anyone want a mid 70s Gibson Grabber copy? Jon.

Ugly. And if you really wanted an upright bass guitar (apologies to those who are offended by the "g" word - you think of a more apt one) why not just put a really long spike where your bottom strap button would be? Or perch it on a barstool? Jon.

[quote name='ARGH' post='133030' date='Feb 3 2008, 02:13 PM']Nope you are talking about aesthetics,Im talking about technique....and seeing as Tapping is becoming a required technique on some gigs,and has nothing to do with the examples of 'fads' you listed,although it was around and 'popular' at the time of the 80s. I understand people not liking change.[/quote] If you read my post you'll notice I am talking about technique. You suggested that the guitar-playing styles & equipment which emerged, and were briefly fashionable in the 1980s had become an indispensable part of every modern guitarist's toolbox. I don't accept that they are, and neither are the equivalent styles & equipment in the bass playing world. Like all techniques, it's no doubt good, for the sake of broadening one's depth & versatility as a musician, to be versed in them, and on a personal level, if that's what excites & motivates you as a player, then that's excellent. Realistically though, I don't accept that they comprise the bread & butter of the average working musician. If one's ambition is to earn a crust through your instrument - then you're far better off being able to knock out a solid version of [i]Mustang Sally[/i] - depressing & unappealing though the idea might seem. I'm not opposed to, afraid of, or resistant to change - I think I'm just long enough in the tooth - and have enough of a perspective as a result - to be aware that there ain't too much of it happening - and it's not us, the musicians, who are the reason for this. J.

[quote name='ARGH' post='132955' date='Feb 3 2008, 12:23 PM']4,Eddie Van Halen,popularizing tapping and superstrats changed guitar design for good (Yes you will always have Les Pauls and 335s etc etc) I see alot of Sheehans ideas around.....and Steinberger's cricket bat.the Active phenom....[/quote] With all due respect - that's nonsense. Sure, EVH & others popularised those techniques at the time, but 25 years on, it's widely viewed as nothing more than a cheesy 80s fad, and is as inherently dated as ra-ra skirts, Level 42, mullets, pointy headstocks, Floyd Rose w@nk bars & shark-tooth inlays! The 80s were a time of total cultural excess - and as a result, the music of the era overdosed on ego, flamboyance, & facile flash histrionics. There's always the possibility that popular culture's obsession with recycling itself will bring that all back - but that will be in the name of lazy moneymaking, rather than the advancement of creative musicianship. J.

[quote name='ARGH' post='132935' date='Feb 3 2008, 11:43 AM']As I wrote,in the public eye,there isnt much difference.[/quote] That's because it [b]is[/b] a guitar. And paradoxically, the more strings you put on it, the more closely it resembles one to the untrained eye. J.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='132817' date='Feb 2 2008, 11:03 PM']Oh, and while we're on the subject of ranting, call me anally retentive if you like, but would people pleeeaaase stop calling our much reverred instrument a bloody "GUITAR!!!" The electric bass was originally conceived as a handily portable alternative to a double bass (with the same tuning, basic technique, etc.) Any similarity in shape to the guitar is purely for convenience. It's a Bass & quite proudly so [/quote] Isn't this topic called "Open Mindedness"? Anyway, to fight pedantry with pedantry - that's not exactly accurate. Your description would be appropriate for the instrument you're holding in your sig pic - however, the bass guitar (I have no problem with the nomenclature, here I use the term to make a plain distinction) is a hybrid between the functionalities of the upright bass & electric guitar. The term "Bass Guitar" is appropriate, since "bass" doesn't refer to any particular instrument - that big fiddle on steroids is properly called a bass viol, amongst other things, and other than tuning & number of strings (and that's a sore point to some! ), "our" sort of bass doesn't have a great deal in common with it. Mind you, it really pisses me off when people refer to it as just a "guitar". J.

[quote]Of course Bass is going to exist,it just wont look like it does in a centurys time,sorry if this is a bit difficult for teatime.[/quote] [quote post='132690' date='Feb 2 2008, 05:41 PM']I reckon he or she will be using a 5 or 6. and have more frets,and different technology fitted into the instrument (lightwave,piezo) ,interchangable parts (fingerboards),setups available at the flick of a switch,a total instrument. the distinction of Bass and guitar,will cease.[/quote] I'm not clear why you think this (although the tech sounds cool! ), the evidence to date suggests that bass players - and guitar players, for that matter, are for the most part incredibly conservative - quite happy to use an instrument the basic design of which has been unchanged for over 50 years. And I predict (although I doubt I'll be around to see it) that in fifty, a hundred years, Fender P's & J's will still be the most popular basses. And similarly, musical genres which are as mired in the past as the majority of today's popular forms are, will not require any particular new techniques from the players. Much as I have massive respect for those musicians with the imagination, dexterity & talent to expand the boundaries of the bass as an instrument in its own right - there's little place for them in much contemporary popular (in the broadest marketing sense) music. Such is the nature of the music business, that I imagine it will be more, not less, unimaginative & creatively stifling in the future. J.

Y'know - it's odd. I feel, on the one hand, a warm glow of altruistic generosity at having spotted, and selflessly publicised this stunning and desirable bass, to the lucky members of the BC community. And on the other, I feel like sobbing, bitterly and endlessly. Beautiful bass Sean - enjoy! Jon.

[quote name='lwtait' post='132548' date='Feb 2 2008, 01:24 PM']liking that jet king bass though. is that new?[/quote] It is - It's based very heavily on one of the '60s Ibanez original designs: This new Ibby came up recently here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8594"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8594[/url] Jon.

Seems like you're on a crusade. This is fine - but you can't expect everyone else to feel the same as you or share the same (bass) world view. I play a 4-string fretted bass, I have no antipathy towards instruments with more strings or fewer frets, they just have no particular use in my chosen field of musical expression. When I gig, I am focussed upon performing the bass parts to the songs to the best of my ability, I don't improvise (parts do evolve, but that's different) as there is no scope for it in the music, and I'm sh!t at it. I am not particularly interested in challenging the "rules" of bass playing (whatever they might be) for the sake of it, or even for the sake of other bassists - I'm not an innovative player, and never will be. Maybe at the age of 17 or so I thought I might redefine the instrument, but I've long since realised that I'll never be as good or original as my early influences, never mind wipe the floor with them with my majestic, mould-shattering mad skillz. However, when I play or record with my band, I'm playing the bass to a piece of music I've composed, arranged & demo'd - and so are the guitarist & drummer in my band. (The singer does her own thing but that's as it should be ). I'm a musician whose primary instrument is the bass guitar (four strings, with frets, sometimes played with a pick), my challenge - to myself - is to continue to write (in the loosest sense, I have no formal musical education) music which pushes me as a composer & performer, isn't (too) derivative or plagiaristic, doesn't repeat what I've done before, and continues to motivate me to want to do something better. And the rules of bass playing? I thought there were two: Rule One: There are no rules. Rule Two: There is no Rule Two. Jon.

Interesting. Is it a Japanese or Italian copy? The Italian ones seem more common. Jon.

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='131448' date='Jan 31 2008, 06:15 PM']...anything like [url="http://www.bachmusik.com/en/p101035/rbb-2-hb/"]this[/url]? It's set neck, not through neck though. They've got shedloads of basses on this site![/quote] That's not quite the same as the one they had before - it was pretty much a ringer for the Rick 4004, hardware-wise. That's still pretty nice, though!. PaulH - not sure about the P/J LP bass - but I'd be up for a Gibson Victory copy! Jon.

[quote name='jonthebass' post='131452' date='Jan 31 2008, 06:23 PM']Read very similar things on that American bass forum! What's the deal with Behringer, isn't it that the equipment is designed in Germany and made in China?[/quote] That's the case as far as I know - although "designed" is a bit charitable considering how "influenced" many of their products are. Anyway, as a confirmed cheapskate, I own one or two Behringer products and I have the BX3000 head, basically the same as the amp jonthebass is talking about, minus a testicle or two. It's basically an Ashdown MAG clone, right down to the sub-octave effect. It actually turns out that these were made in the same factory in China as the MAGs, with a lot of the same components. I suppose that's one of the advantages of making knock-offs of products which are manufactured outside the country... Anyway, I've had this for about 4 years, and it's a great sounding & versatile amp, and loud as f@ck, brilliant for the £120-odd I think it cost (can't remember!). It has developed a very intermittent cutting-out fault, but I'm pleased enough with it that I'll get it fixed, rather than consider replacing it. Jon.

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='131046' date='Jan 30 2008, 11:52 PM']One of [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peavey-T-40-T40-T-40-1978-bass-precision-made-VGC_W0QQitemZ190194485989QQihZ009QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]these[/url] is on t'bay again[/quote] The seller's website's linked from the listing - he's selling four other T-40s as well! I wondered where they'd all gone... [url="http://www.classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/basses.htm"]http://www.classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/basses.htm[/url] Jon.

Peter recently purchased a Hipshot Rick bridge from me - a most agreeable transaction & a top feller with great taste in basses. Jon.

Funny that he's only showing pics of the front of the guitar. If I was considering bidding on a guitar that started at a quarter of a million quid, I'd quite like a look at the headstock, the back, the neck, the electronics, the fretboard etc, etc, etc... Jon.

Interesting - only just noticed that the ones in the Swedish shop have correctly styled headstock & TRC, while the Ebay one doesn't. Wonder why that would be. I do like the way these have vintage-style (nearly) full-width inlays, they should've gone the whole hog & given them checker binding & a toaster pickup. I'd probably have gone & bought one if they did! J.