Count Bassy

Half a mile to the village hall, Sax player about the same. Drummer about 30 yards, singer about 3 miles, guitarist about 25 miles.

Neither of these do much for me. That's not just because I can't do it myself - there's plenty out there that I can't do (lets face it - practically all of it) that does do something for me. This simply does not. With all that fiddling with the D-tuner wouldn't he be better off with a five string?

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='651936' date='Nov 11 2009, 08:17 PM']That Two Against Nature dvd was what got me into them a couple of years ago. Saw it, loved it, bought it, and several cds since. And I'm a jazz nazi. The interviews are a joke. Lighten up![/quote] Its not a case of lightening up, I just don't like what they're doing at the moment. As you've bought several of their CDs you can surely see that they have changed a lot (as you would expect over 30 years). Personally I far prefer the older stuff, whereas you quite like the newere stuff (and possibly the older stuff as well). Perhaps the interviews are a joke - I didn't realise that at the time as they didn't make me laugh much. The whole DVD still gave me the impression that they are a bit up their own bottoms, but that's my opinion and I respect yours.

I loved their early stuff and have several of the albums from that time. Then I was abroad for work for 10 days and on a whim bought a more recent DVD of theirs to pass some time. What aload of pretentious crap! Not helped by the interview pieces between the tracks.

I'm happy enough with my Fender PT100 pedal tuner. Has muted and unmuted outputs. about £40.

Lined. Going from fretted to unlined just seemed to be too much of a step. I actually don't look at the lines that much when I'm playing across the strings, but find them invaluable when jumping up or down the neck to land in about the right place. Then I let the ears take over again.

Just a word of warning - there are no spare parts available for the MP3 version. I had one of these and managed to crack the screen (both the plastic cover and the LCD unit itself) - I put it in my trouser pocket and walked into a newall post. Totally my fault, but was dissapointed that I could not buy a spare for what must be the most vunerable part of the whole thing. Tascam did make some amends by selling me a new one at wholesale price, but it still seems a shame that spares are not available. Does anybody out there have a MP3-BT1 that has failed for other reasons? so we could do 'cut and shunt' * job with them. * pronounce with care!

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='643631' date='Nov 2 2009, 05:39 PM']Nah... 4x10's, I reckon. The top cabs are raked back which might explain why they look shorter.[/quote] I did wonder that myself, but looking at the inner edges of the drivers in the two cabs those on the bottom do (to my eyes) appear significantly closer together.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='639388' date='Oct 28 2009, 07:51 PM']Great player! Here's a pic from last night... [/quote] It may be an illusion from looking through the grill cloths, but if the top cabs are 8 x10s haven't the bottom ones got to be 4 x 12s? To me they look bigger than the drivers in the top cabs. Having said that I may be talking bollocks (it's my specialist subject). I don't even know if Ampeg make a 4 x 12.

I have tended to avoid open strings simply on the basis that if you need to change the key then the fingering pattern can often be unchanged. This is particularly true as I seem to be migrating towards 5 strings, playing bottom E on the B string rather than on the open E string. Having said that, there are times when open strings are great, especially if it happens to be the key note, so no hard and fast rules for me - do whatever works.

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='633422' date='Oct 22 2009, 01:46 PM']when i tell him this he just says i'm "being a perfectionist"[/quote] When he next says that just thank him for the compliment!

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='627405' date='Oct 15 2009, 10:23 PM']It's gone very quiet in here.[/quote] That's because you've blown your speakers up.

[quote name='Golchen' post='632878' date='Oct 21 2009, 09:48 PM']For me that stuff has been done to death now. It was funny a couple of years ago but it's now just a tired old joke.[/quote] +1. Does nothing for me.

+1 to 'I need your Love so Bad'. Also 'Stormy Monday'

[quote name='alexclaber' post='625392' date='Oct 13 2009, 07:35 PM']But good active electronics aren't cheap. Alex[/quote] I agree, but don't understand why that is. Surely it can only be in the design costs and profit margins, because the component costs, even in the best electronics, can only be a matter of a few tens of pounds (I'm guessing that most of that is in the pots etc as Op-amp chips and resitors etc are generally very cheap). Yet we are expected to pay £80 - 90 for something half decent and approaching £200 for something like the John East filter preamp. Is it a case of charging what the market will stand?

I've read through this thread and am still a bit confused. Am I right in thinking then that ported cabs should be lined and that sealed cabs should be 'stuffed'. I've suddenly become interseted as I've just opened up my Marshall combo (to fix an amp problem) and notice that the (sealed) cab part has no lining or stuffing of any sort. Should I be looking to do something about this, and if so what? Thanks in advance.

[quote name='TheDave' post='627385' date='Oct 15 2009, 09:54 PM']I do like that Stu Hamm Urge, I bet those are difficult to find too. [/quote] Yes - but not impossible. A couple of years ago I put a search on E-bay, with the e-mails, and within 9 months or so I first had a MIM Urge Mk 1 (2 Jazz pickups only), and then a MIA Urge Mk1 (2 Jazz + a P pickup). Both are great instruments. A couple of the MIAs have been on E-bay recently, but at silly prices. My MIM cost about £350 (which I think was over the odds really - but I was desperate to get one) and the MIA one was £600 (which I think was a fair price). To my ear the MIA on the P Pickup does not sound quite like a actual P bass (thgough more so in passive mode). Also it's quite a lively instrument and I've ended up putting ground wounds on, which tames it down a bit.

Fender PT100 does well for me. About £40.

QUOTE (Toasted @ Oct 5 2009, 02:42 PM) I don't see how that's a "benefit" over, say CNC. [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='617862' date='Oct 5 2009, 07:49 PM']I do. Dude with a spokeshave, chisels and sandpaper is cheaper than an expensive CNC router!! [/quote] Actually a small CNC router (big enough for a neck or body) can be pretty cheap these days, <£20K. This sound like a lot, and program development will also take some time, but if your producing standard parts, which Wal seem to be, then this cost and effort will soon be repaid in terms of production rates and repeatability. I guess that finishing would still be hand, but your man could do that while the router produced the next part. Also, in general princible, I can see why people like the idea something being hand made, but quality wise I would have thought that CNC has all the advantages. Edited to say that , if spec'ed correctly, same machine could do most of the bridge work as well.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='620616' date='Oct 8 2009, 02:49 PM']Its become obvious to me that sometimes I dont need the hardcases I have. Certain gigs require the entire band in one large car with amp heads, guitars/bass and basic drums.[/quote] I'd have thought this situation was exactly when you would want a hard case rather than a soft case. I'm in the same situation and it's nice to know that nothing will get damaged if the load shifts, e.g. a heavy combo decides to topple on top of the bass.

[quote name='henry norton' post='620242' date='Oct 8 2009, 08:41 AM']The other problem with oak is that it's quite acid, so you'll need all brass or stainless screws.[/quote] I agree, but why would you use anything else on a bass anyway?

Not to detract from Nathan's bass skills, but I know which one I'd prefer to hear and/or see.

Andy Fraser -I've never heard anyone say anything negative about him Mick Karn - Ditto Duck Dunn - Ditto Martin Turner - Ditto Pete Stroud - Ditto Jerome Rimson - him neither, but then I've not heard him mentioned at all by anyone but myself I wish I could add Entwhistle, but then he has already been critised in this thread so does not qualify. My only crititism is that he was too good and I have no chance of being able to play like him.

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' post='613104' date='Sep 30 2009, 04:58 PM']whenever i have done live recordings, i'll not re do anything. either it's good enough to release or it isn't![/quote] +1 I've never had the opportunity (i.e. talent) to do a proper recording of any sort, but if i did this would be the approach I'd have to it.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='611238' date='Sep 28 2009, 08:48 PM']Jaco is, and will always be, the greatest bass player of all time.[/quote] Personally I wouldn't say that he is now (he never did it for me), but to say that he always will be is just silly, and its a fair bet that Jaco himself would not have thought so either. You are putting him in the position of Shakespeare: however good a playwright is, even if better than Shakespeare, he/she can never be 'Better than Shakespeare'. It's as if someone in the 60's had said "No one will ever be better than the Beatles". Sorry, but this sort of attitude just niggles me.