TJ1

13 hours ago, TheLowDown said:

Science has something to say about why the bassist may be the most important member of the band. According to research carried out by PNAS, people are more likely to respond to the rhythm and the lower frequencies of the song than they are the melody and higher pitches, such as played by the vocalist and the guitar.

 

The bassist provides both the harmony - the arpeggiated chord tones - and the rhythm of the song. So I would say that we're at least as important as any other member of the band.

 

 

I am getting that -in fact I have discovered using my own empirical, scientific research faculty: that Paul Mccartney was the go to bassist with the Beatles, and whatever you might think about Paul versus John , it probably is true that he wrote the majority of their material - including Yesterday.

The reason I questioned the importance of the bassist was in the sort of music I like the Bassline is generally semi-hidden or mainly in the background. But I can now see that even then stripping it would be a big mistake. But TBH I am not a dedicated troll and I think the question represents the views/prejudices of a lot of non professional/non knowledgable music lovers.

25 minutes ago, Maude said:

@TJ1, how old are you and what kind of music are you into?

 

 

Actually I am pretty ancient certainly old enough to remember the Specials.

It's just the sort of songs I like don't tend to feature prominent bass lines, so it was meant as a devil's advocate type question.

For instance in the example I gave 'Winner takes it all', it is not apparent at all that there is any bass in it, but listening to it carefully I can see the bass provides some kind of unconscious emphasis for the listener, underlining the direction of the melody.

I also think it may provide some kind of continuity to the melody or tune underneath the vocals, when a guitar or keys simaltaneously accompanying the singer would be too intrusive or overpowering, this seems to be true of two of my favourite tracks  'While my guitar gently weeps' and 'Wild World', although Harrison's guitar or Steven's piano are the obvious melodic foundations.

As for modern music I think maybe a lot of traditional instruments have been replaced by computer generated effects.

Anyway many thanks to everyone for pointing out the not obvioustruth. I guess maybe the bass can be like salt or cooking oil, I don't particularly care for the taste of either, but cooking would be impossible without them.

My final question is: If drummers are insane, guitarists are knobs, singers are prima donnas - what is the bassist's standard personality defect?

Even taking into account the casual atitude of this strange man, this clip makes wonder why the  Beatles bothered with their own performances. Why did he have to die?

10 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Ah , fair enough TJ, please don’t think I was being cheeky, because I wasn’t 👍, but dub (which is what I play) is very bass and drums orientated , if you took the bass away you wouldn’t have anything , sly and Robbie is a good example 🙂

Not all, it's good to come across a new genre.

Just watched one of Sly and Robbie's youtube videos and it's an impressive display of the versatilty of the bass guitar centre stage - I am assuming they only use a bass and drums?

6 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I’m guessing you don’t listen to much reggae or dub  🙂, the bass is the foundation , it’s crucial , without it you haven’t got anything 

Not a lot no, in fact i've never come across dub.

But listening to Marley's 'No Woman,no cry' I would not have said the bass was the foundation, it seems to be the drums and keys on that one.

9 minutes ago, lownote12 said:

This is a question left unvocalised by keys players who've kindly 'moved over' to give me a go, with the unspoken inference that I have devoted my whole being to something they're perfectly capable of doing as an afternought with their left hand.  Otherwise I agree with Lozz. 

As an experiment I've just listened to Abba's 'winner takes it all'(for me the undisputed emperor of keyboard-driven pop songs), unless I am mistaken - there is a subtle echo of a bass guitar matching the low notes on the keys - possibly giving them additional depth/poignancy. But as a casual listener it would'nt have occurred  that a bassist even existed in that early 80's studio. 

I realise this is a somewhat controversial/stupid question to ask a bass forum, but I am new to the bass, as I mainly play a 12 string acoustic alone, with chords and everything.

:If the drummer keeps the underlying beat and the six string guitarist sets the tune/melody, where does the bassist fit in musically?

The truth is I can only think of a minority of songs where the bass line is immediately obvious - the Bee Gees Stayin' Alive spring to mind(yes it's a classic,)

That said I can't think of a well known rock/pop band that does not have a bassist so they must be equal, in some crucial way.

20 minutes ago, ezbass said:

When I bought my old Skyline 5502 from The Gallery, I tried a whole slew of premium 5 stringers before settling on the the Lakland. This included, amongst others, Sadowsky, EBMM and Dingwall. The 5502 was the best sounding and the nicest to play that day and it came home with me.

Were you able to compare the Skyline directly against a USA made Lakland?

For me there's something intriguling attractive about a guitar costs £3,000,(but looks the same/similar to a £1,000 one), for me this price tag spells mysterious, untold magic.

But, then I am idiot.

9 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

You’re right, it’s not common but as 4000 says some builders do use it, there are some nice acoustic guitars made from all ash , here’s a nice one 

 

I can't comment on how common it is. But according to the guitar guitar website the bodies(not the necks) of all the Lakland Skyline series basses are made of Ash or Swamp Ash. 

Does anyone know if one is 'better' than the other?

I ask specifically because some Lakland Skylines are made of Swamp Ash and others of just plain old Ash

8 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

In addition, cheap local raw materials. Cheaper infrastructure. Cheaper loads of other stuff, probably.

Yes this could be a practical consideration. But all other things being equal, in terms of value for money I'd go for the Indonesian made over the American. I think a US made Lakland costs over 3,000 and my understanding is that the pick ups are the same as the 1200 Asian ones.

1 minute ago, wateroftyne said:

Are you being serious? Why do you think Fender etc. shipped manufacturing to the Far East..?

I'd imagine labour is much cheaper, but, again, on a standardised, well controlled production line - why is nationality/location important?

On 05/10/2020 at 12:29, wateroftyne said:

I'm still amazed that a bass built on a production line in Indonesia can cost 1200 quid.

Does where it's made/what nationality makes it really make a difference to what I imagine is a pretty standard CNC machining process? I appreciate  there is a big premium to US made product but what difference can one American make over an Indonesian?

That said, I am more snobbish about acoustics than electrics/basses because of the extent of individual craftmanship needed.

Pm sent -  I think..

Thanks for the replies so far. Assuming they are all built to a consistent standard, it sounds like it might worth the risk. Lovely looking pearl inlays(not that this should be relevant)

Hi

I am not  too happy with the sound or feel of my current bass. But I might be able to acquire a nearly new one of the above Daryl Jones signature Lakland Skyline 5 string, however ,because of Lockdown I am not sure if I will be able to try before buying.

Does anyone have experience of these?

Thanks in advance

22 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

OK, thanks for the update. It's not going to be easy to sort you out by Forum, unless you can record some stuff, and we don't have your location. Ono-on one would be the best way forward, I'd say; any chance of having a bass-playing buddy come by to check it out..? There may be a willing BC member near you. Sterling basses are fine, so it's only a question of confirming that all is OK, or getting the tiny tweaks of a set-up done. A good music shop might be able to help, too, especially if that's where you'll be buying strings and stuff..!
Hope this helps. 

Edit : Ah, I see 'North London'. Open question for the Forum, then... Any BCers from there..? Any recommendations for a decent workshop in that area to sort this out..?

Edit 2 : It might not need a recording, if a Skype session could be arranged.

many thanks. I was going to take it to Bobby Joe's music in Seven sisters road, I think they know basses - at least they sell quite a few second ones.(I got this one off a private seller)

32 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

@TJ1 : Can we just make sure that we understand your use of 'upper' and 'lower'. Normally, to bassists (and even musicians...), 'upper' means higher notes, so, with a bass, notes played nearer the bridge. 'Lower' means deeper notes, played nearer the headstock. Is that your interpretation, too..?

No sorry I got that the wrong way round. What I meant was that the lower notes played near the headstock sounded better and smoother than the more metallic slappy higher notes nearer the bridge

OnceI can work out the technology

Further to my recent thread about buying a 1500 bass without knowing how to play one, I took the advice here and decided to go cheap.

I got a used Sterling by musicman SB14 for £300. It certainly looks the part -all black with high quality chrome knobs.

My question is notes played on the upper frets sound smooth, the way I thought a bass should sound, but as I go lower down the notes sound sort of slappy and metallic. Is this a fault with the instrument? or is this way basses are? or could it be my technique?

6 hours ago, sammybee said:

Whether you plan to spend £150, or £1500 on your first bass.. it doesn't matter where on that scale your purchase is - find someone IRL who can help you test drive the bass. It is so easy, even on the marketplace here to get ripped off buying second hand. An experienced player with no vested interest in the transaction will be invaluable for spotting problems that you will miss as a beginner. Basses are very individual creatures, so try to buy the actual one you get to hold in the shop.

 

The problem is I don't really know any experienced bass players to accompany me. I thought if I went to a reputable retailer like Bass direct and tried a few, this would minimise the chances of buying a lemon? or is this niave?

Thank you again for the advice. Thinking about it buying a really good second hand bass seems to make sense rather than purchasing new either an expensive one or a cheap one. That way I would'nt lose money if I did'nt like it and would hopefully not have to go through the charade of trading up. I like the look of the Lakland Skyline and reviews seem to suggest it is built to a high standard.- is this a decent allrounder? or the Sandberg?

Thanks for the advice. Thinking about it spending this sort of money on a guitar at this time might be a little unwise/insane

As for buying something cheap to learn on I am not sure. When I was learning acoustic, my teacher said 'buy the best you can afford' and I have not regretted it.

Obviously I need to try them out but there look to be some pretty nice used Sandbergs on sale for 600-700, this might be the sweetspot in terms of a guitar that I might actually want to keep

That would be really nice of someone, i'd bring a six pack!

My location is North London. Really interested in trying a Fender and a Sandberg side by side, but any others would be interesting.

I had the virus four weeks ago - so guidelines state I am no longer infectious.

Many thanks for the replies. Trying a few out at a shop seems essential. 

A lightly used Sandberg would definitely be on my rdar.