AM1

[quote name='51m0n' post='493510' date='May 20 2009, 05:39 PM']Errrr "w@nk-sock", you gotta be sh**ing me! What is this "w@nk-sock" to which you refer???? (BBC prefers two pieces of liver and a radiator I've heard)[/quote] Oh dear. A simple search was enough to reveal the following: [url="http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/w***_sock"]http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/w***_sock[/url] but you will have to replace the stars with a word that rhymes with tank. The bit about the can of beans and sausages is priceless.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='493434' date='May 20 2009, 04:42 PM']Sorry. What did I miss...? I was away with the kleenex...[/quote] Since you've lowered the tone (well you are almost a Stokie!) - I have to ask, why are you pretending here that you don't use a w@nk-sock!! Blokes have NO secrets, we know them all!

[quote name='Rayman' post='493403' date='May 20 2009, 04:23 PM']Where is the bass stored between playing? I sweat like a glass blowers arse during gigs, and my strings last me months rather than weeks, and I don't clean them. I just wondered if the bass was stored in a high humidity area, or somewhere cold/damp?[/quote] To be fair, it's only my gig bass that isn't stored in a case, the ones that are cased have been the same with strings dying quickly. It just seems unbelievable that strings can die in a matter of weeks and go black! What's this methylated tube business then, I've seen a bit about it but need more detail!

[quote name='51m0n' post='493479' date='May 20 2009, 05:15 PM']But what and at what cost to your dignity? [/quote] Yeah, the old punching below your weight argument does have to be considered, that's why the words sorry, you're just not my type were invented! Make your sweaty excuses and run, I say! It all leads to hassle! Simon, you are in no position to speak of dignity after confessing to wearing the same gigging t-shirt for a year! Speaking of dignity, you still have not told us if you wear fresh clothes to every rehearsal I can't wait for this!

You really are a bunch of freaks Now I know where I was going wrong before, with that shower and perfume malarky! All this making an effort nonsense is clearly over-rated. Mehe. It IS a true fact though that you always pull when at your absolute dog-roughest!

[quote name='51m0n' post='493363' date='May 20 2009, 03:43 PM']They do that - "I love the smell of neoprene early in the morning!"[/quote] I do have a neoprene drysuit, which has seen more that it's fair share of sea action, it has been dived in 4 degree water with heated biker jacket/battery combo under it and all manner of weird undersuit materials, causing immense sweating inside it sometimes when gearing up. Words cannot describe what that suit smells like though! Rancid is a compliment! I think I better bulk buy some strings soon!

[quote name='51m0n' post='493344' date='May 20 2009, 03:21 PM']She wont do that, WD40 and other oil based lubricants degrade rubber, and we all know she lives in a wetsuit.....[/quote] Haha, I only dive so I can keep rubber suits in the car! Bring out the gimp!

[quote name='OldGit' post='493137' date='May 20 2009, 11:54 AM']ha ha 2 minutes in I'm "glowing" like billy-oh on most gigs. My previous gigging suit jacket came from a chariteeee shop and lasted about 15 years without cleaning before it mysteriously shrunk over 6 months or so and had to be replaced with a bigger one (now 5 years old, 15 suited gigs per year ...) I wash the shirts each time though .. I've started to catch a wiff of "glow" off my bass strap now though ...[/quote] I think you are winning so far, you disgusting filth-meister. Get some WD40 in about yourself!

[quote name='Eight' post='493343' date='May 20 2009, 03:19 PM']Then do the same on yourself AM. Dirty dirty people.[/quote] Ha. I just enjoy being generally a sweaty, rancid m*nger. I can't explain it. You haven't even heard yet how many sweaty rehearsals I've done in the same t-shirt. It is "The practice t-shirt". Hehehe! I am sure Simon has a few confessions to make in this arena too

[quote name='xgsjx' post='493317' date='May 20 2009, 02:56 PM']From reading the first couple of posts it sounded like you're a dirty sweaty girl! Just my type (damn I'm getting married) Try spraying your strings with WD40 & wiping them down, it smells good too... P.S. I don't sweat, I glow like Sellafield [/quote] A charge I cannot deny, your honour! To be fair, my car smells worse, with stinking old dive gear and bits of crap off the sea bed. I think I can safely rule marriage out

[quote name='Mr.T' post='493303' date='May 20 2009, 02:43 PM']Cool people don't sweat....[/quote] If you ain't sweating then you're playing something w@nky, like jazz

[quote name='51m0n' post='493295' date='May 20 2009, 02:33 PM']On the delightful subject of being a sweaty gooey lump at a gig. I used to regularly be able to literally wring out might T-shirts like a drenched towel after a gig. On several occasions the offending T would be chucked into a bag until next gig. At one point we had a few one off T-Shirts painted up, which effectively couldn't be washed. I wore one for a gig every couple of weeks for over a year until it disintegrated. In between gigs it went back in the bag. It never ever got a wash. Was really really fruity before it fell apart though Got me well in the mood for going mental on stage. This was a very long time ago however! I was a m*nger, I admit it [/quote] A fellow honker! A year! Respect, you minging, stinking, rotten, rancid sweaty! I bet you smelled like a rotting corpse inhabited by skunks. Clean clothes for gigs are over-rated anyway, it's just not befitting to punk rawk to be putting on clean attire to play in.

That sounds pretty rank Cheddatom. Pot, kettle.... Coat on, running for the door!

[quote name='Mr.T' post='493000' date='May 20 2009, 09:41 AM']15 to 20 years ago I had to change my strings every few gigs... due to them going off. Maybe as I am getting older I sweat less, I can now get a year out of a set! Gigging almost as often, and still using Roto Rounds. Try using D'Andrea string cleaner.... If you can find it.[/quote] Thanks for the tip. I think as I get older, I sweat (sorry, glow) more! Haha. Now this has changed my reasoning about gig clothes - let me give you an example. On a recent gig, I ended up mega sweaty as usual, flat out punk bass gigs tend to do that plus if you're a natural sweat-machine, well, it's ten fold. Anyway so I got mega sweaty, ended up extremely pissed and woke up on a random sofa, having slept in said sweaty clothes, overall situation normal, that top then went in the washing basket, anyway it came to the next gig and...shameful confession time, I thought f*ck it, I'm not getting a clean top sweaty, so I got the previous rancid one out of the basket, put it back on and played in it again! The plus point of this is you can dodge buying a round all night cos no one wants to get near you to challenge your skinflint ways. HAHAHAHA!!!! I think we should have a poll - how many gigs in a row, have you played in the same, stinky, sweaty, damp old threads. Haha.

[quote name='maxrossell' post='492978' date='May 20 2009, 09:20 AM']Yeah, some people are just unlucky and have fingers that, however clean, tend to gunk up strings really fast. A friend of mine gets through a set of strings a week, after that they're just black and dull and start to feel abrasive. I can make a fresh set last months if I don't break any. Best advice is to keep a cloth to hand and wipe down your strings, over and under, whenever you get a chance (a quick wipe between songs here and there, and a more thorough clean after playing should do it). This'll get the worst of the gunk off. I'm assuming you always keep your bass cased and dry at room temp when you're not using it, but if you don't that might also be one of the problems.[/quote] Another interesting one, because my main gig bass is never really in the case unless it's travelling. Maybe if it was, I would be able to walk past it without picking it up and noodling! Will keeping it in the case prolong the string life? If so, why?

[quote name='misrule' post='492993' date='May 20 2009, 09:34 AM']The last time I took my bass for a set-up (with Chris McIntyre in Peckham) he told me to bend DR strings into a 90-degree angle then cut them past the bend. He claims they sound dead if you cut them straight. This may help you -- or it may be utter nonsense. But I now do it religiously. Cheers Mark[/quote] That's an interesting point - because the DR packets say make sure not to bend the strings and take particular care when re-stringing, not to bend them. I'd be interested to hear the reasoning behind that strategy.

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='492928' date='May 20 2009, 07:38 AM']If you're a Lady AM it won't be sweat will it, I'm sure that having 'glow' on occasionally won't do the strings any harm. If however you qualify instead as a woman then maybe perspiration is the issue, that and the fact that in a few weeks you're probably spending more hours playing than I do in a few months Men and horses sweat [/quote] Yes, how very dare you ha ha. Maybe I am just practicing too much and I should go to the pub more!

[quote name='YouMa' post='492896' date='May 20 2009, 02:12 AM']I think you are blaming the the strings for your lack of funkiness,its frustration,keep at it and you will be a funky player,there is no magic formula,just enjoy your music,you really dont need to change your strings.From your previous threads you seem to think phrasing is very important,raw feel is far more important than all these learn to be a funky bass player tags.[/quote] Hi, I think it was you (but might have been someone else) that made a point before about being torn between several genres, anyway that's definitely another topic. The strings I just put on 3 weeks ago sounded beautifully zingy, whatever genre of music I played and now they are turning black and sound really dull. It's nothing really to do with playing funkier or phrasing or feel, it's just the simple fact that the strings are dead and sound crap. The difference when I put on new strings is amazing, but it only last such a short time. [quote name='YouMa' post='492896' date='May 20 2009, 02:12 AM']If you really want to be a funk bass player Anne Marie,you will seek out, listen to modern/old/rare soul and jazz and funk constantly,i firmly believe that you must actually be obsessed with this type of music to play it well(sorry but punk will have to take a back seat) This is what cuts it jobwise for a "funk" bass player.If you want a quick fix impro wise just play in dorian or mixolydian when you practice noodling at home you may come across a good funky pattern you can use.You must be actually into this genre of music to play it though.Sorry but knowing a couple of sly stone or james brown/jamiroquai/herbie hancock bass licks wont cut it! you have to be really into this type of music,look for rare stuff and get your finger ends like hard hitting pads.Boil the strings sweaty betty! Turning black eh? watch it doesnt drop off![/quote] I see your point but I think you fail to take into account that some people have a naturally funky feel and others don't. I don't agree that liking funk should mean punk should take a back seat - there are players that have managed, very successfully, to fuse the two genres. What's the point in getting stuck in one groove (no pun intended) so soon? If you listen to too much funk, there is also the danger of over-funkifying in other genres. I already find that, because the more funk I listen to, I just can't help playing funky, even when it doesn't suit the song/music I might be playing at the time. To me, the biggest element of being a decent bass player is judicious use of styles which fit the music and complements the song, not just bass w@nkery for the sake of it. "Make like a catfish and hang out on the bottom" - describes it perfectly! The quick fix in terms of using a few modes with funk "colour" - I have found that understanding intervals is probably more useful (for me) as well as 2 octave scales, for being able to add funky fills in different parts of the bass registers. I think this is off topic though, it has nothing really to do with dead strings, appreciate the thoughts though!

Bit of a strange one this. Every time I change my strings, I only get a few weeks out of them before they go completely dull and start turning black. They start out completely zingy but go dead so quickly. I put on brand new Hi-Beams THREE weeks ago and they're dead already and turning black!!! How often are strings supposed to last roughly? Any theories?!

You're all incorrect! I will be very interested to see if anyone else knows what really happened on that recording!

[quote name='far0n' post='490863' date='May 17 2009, 09:01 PM']I've got one... in fact I did a demo of it on youtube.... just type in funkmachine demo or something. Nice bass, decent tone, lovely flat fingerboard and neck shape.[/quote] Hiya, thanks! Here's the link for anyone else interested: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfha46FzZ6E"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfha46FzZ6E[/url] 1:40 with the bridge pickup only and funk switch on - nice sound! If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for the bass, you can PM me if you prefer.

Anyone got one of these? What's that effect on the "funk" switch, is it an envelope filter???

[quote name='Musicman20' post='490221' date='May 16 2009, 10:58 PM']Well everyone has probably seen the brilliant bass shredding Matt Freeman manages in Rancid. This guy is pretty damn awesome. Fairly complex and well thought out punk rock....I believe they call it tech punk! Some amazing tapping about 18 secs in. It sounds amazing on record. PS they are called A Wilhelm Scream. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFcw8BDAmRc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFcw8BDAmRc[/url][/quote] Outstanding. Great melodic bass playing - lead bass in hardcore/punk is a rarity...but done well, it is what MAKES the band. This is a great example of judicious use of different styles which enhance the song - as opposed to fretboard w@nkery for the sake of it! I've heard Moby called technopunk, which I thought was ludicrous. I can appreciate Moby's musicality but I absolutely cannot stand his music! I want to go on a rampant killing spree when I hear it!

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='489450' date='May 16 2009, 01:03 AM']I am in a fledgling five piece blues band. Not done anything out yet but first gig end of this month, and two or three more over the next few months. The problem is that four of us are around the same sort of level but the drummer is just not up to the same standard, by a long way....[/quote] The most appropriate method is to tell him - "yo' ass is grass, motherf*cker!"