bumfrog

i can highly recommend these as well....

[url="http://www.jeroenbreebaart.com/audio_vst.htm"]http://www.jeroenbreebaart.com/audio_vst.htm[/url] - The Ferox tape simulator - adds a nice analogue saturation to your mix.

[url="http://www.digitalfishphones.com/main.php?item=2&subItem=5"]http://www.digitalfishphones.com/main.php?...2&subItem=5[/url] - The fish fillets - nice selection of compressors limiters.

[quote name='basswesty' post='412724' date='Feb 18 2009, 09:11 AM']Oh, how true is that. There is sooooo much tone from [b]how[/b][i][/i] you play a fender. Its not just about plugging a playing.[/quote]

[quote name='gareth' post='412191' date='Feb 17 2009, 04:52 PM']There must be some reason for this?[/quote]

some of it will be totally down to image live on stage, some of it down to sponsorship deals, and some of it because they just love em I guess.

Plus, who wants to take their shiny sadowsky out gigging?

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='412132' date='Feb 17 2009, 04:20 PM']I would have liked to have bought a non-fender, and have no allegiances to the brand. At the time of purchase though, I genuinely couldn't find another bass that played so well for the money. That's after looking at the Bass Cellar, The Gallery, GAK, Denmark Street and the American Guitar Centre - all of which have a pretty large stock of basses.[/quote]

Tis fair enough, you tried and you bought the best bass you could find at the time, regardless of what it said on the headstock.

I'd be exactly the same. Just recently a lot of the fenders I've tried, both guitars and basses have been incredibly average. However, I have a friend with a mexican fender that plays a lot better then most of the american ones I've played. I keep trying to get him to sell it to me, but he won't

If you spend long enough hanging around in a music shop though, you quickly see how brainwashed people have become towards fender and gibson, and when you try and say, hey try this, it maybe made in korea but it beats the pants of the fender, quite often you'll get the dismissive reaction simply because it doesn't say fender on the headstock. I think that's the bit I'm more stressing the point about.


[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='412132' date='Feb 17 2009, 04:20 PM']For you, they're not worth it, but I think it's unfair to suggest they purely trade off the name. If it is just clever branding, they've got a lot of top musicians fooled![/quote]

It's more that they are charging a premium for the name, which imho just isn't justified. I know it happens in most things, but it's when people equate the extra money to something extra that just isn't there, I can't fathom it!

edit - I think it's important to point out at this point, that being Yorkshire, I demand value for money goddamit

imho fenders are very over-rated and overpriced. Some nice ones kicking about, but like gibson, they trade on their name and have done for a long time. Especially with the recent price hikes, it beggers belief to how much they charge for some of their standard instruments. There's so many better made and better to play instruments out there, but I suppose in a world where we are consumed by status, image and general sheep like mentalities, people will still champion them as the best of the best.

Just not the case anymore imho.

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='411334' date='Feb 16 2009, 06:43 PM']Why does anyone buy a Fender? I buy them because I like them. The sound, the look and the playability when they are set up right. I still preferred the feel of a poorly set up Fender over a well set up Lakland.

Are you suggesting that the only criteria for buying a bass should be how it's set up in the shop? Why do you assume the only reason I would choose Fender is because it says Fender on the headstock?[/quote]

Depends on if you prefer feel over playability. Personally i'd play a no name peace of plywood if it played better then a named instrument, but that's just me.

Regardless of if you fall in to the category or not, people buy because of brand all the time, not based on what they are actually getting in physical reality.

To be honest, if a shop was trying to sell me anything and it wasn't set up properly, especially at a high price, I'd walk. It's a buyers market and you can afford to be choosy. If I'm spending good money on something, I want it to behave exactly as it should straight from word go. Other manufacturers can manage it, so why can't fender, especially if you are serious when you say that "very USA standard Precision I've played, whether there or elsewhere has been an unplayable woofer".

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='410378' date='Feb 15 2009, 08:03 PM']What baffles me is that every other Fender in the shop, and they had Squier standards, classic vibe, VM, Mexican standards and re-issues and roadworn 50s reissues, was set up beautifully, but every USA standard Precision I've played, whether there or elsewhere has been an unplayable woofer. You'd think they'd take more care.[/quote]

to be honest, I'd be more baffled why you didn't chose a bass that played better, rather then go for what it said on the headstock. If the american fenders you've played have all been as bad as you say, why bother getting one at all???

rockbass range as well....

[quote name='Stingray5' post='408198' date='Feb 13 2009, 03:40 AM']Either you get it or you don't.[/quote]


nahh, it's not a case of getting it or not, it's just personal preference. That's the great thing about music, so much of it out there and so many different types

[quote name='Rich' post='407574' date='Feb 12 2009, 01:35 PM']Fret[i]less[/i], surely? [/quote]




doh, of course

no for me.

technically amazing, but apart from that, just sounds like fret w*nking to me.

well here's the chili's one for you

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4mp4QJsMKQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4mp4QJsMKQ[/url]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='395519' date='Jan 30 2009, 04:20 PM']Although it's a generalisation based on the the nature of the human brain, men are more obsessive whilst women are better at multi-tasking. Thus in the workplace women often make better managers and administators whilst men often make better sales people, traders or engineers. All of which stems back to prehistory where the man that was utterly singleminded about being the best at hunting or finding a mate tended to succeed, as did the woman that could look after a load of children whilst keeping the fire going and preparing the food. Survival of the fittest as it once was (which I now suspect means we'll have de-evolution as those that procreate soonest and more prolifically will take over...)

Anyway, getting good at an instrument requires a rather male degree of obsession. Note how many female singer-songwriters there are compared to 'virtuoso' widdly guitarists![/quote]

imho you're looking in the wrong direction. Generalising music based on a type, ie rock music, where it's still trying to break free of traditional male stereotypes. (given that traditional rock and roll music isn't even 100 years old) To prove my point, you only have to look at classical music and the amount of amazing female musicians that there are. That kind of puts the whole brain obsession theory out in the window i'd say.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='395519' date='Jan 30 2009, 04:20 PM']Would anyone care to name a notable gay bass player? I've been racking my brain but I can't think of any! (It is claimed that the homosexual male brain is more like the heterosexual female brain).[/quote]

sexual orientation doesn't make any difference whatsoever. Just because you don't know somebody is gay, doesn't mean that they aren't.

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='391724' date='Jan 26 2009, 01:34 PM']In terms of mass produced gear, what's the difference between a factory in Korea and the USA? Obviously lower wages in Korea, but if the machinery used is the same, and skills and training of the employees is the same, is the difference just a stamp on the headstock?

Is this the case? [/quote]

it can be as simple as that. Not always, but it's becoming more the case I feel.

I remember when Joe Naylor shifted production of the reverends to korea, all the die hards were saying that they wouldn't be as good as the old usa craftmanship, until people actually got hold of the korean made ones, at which point everybody rejoiced in the fact that they could get the same quality for half the price

+1 on the rockbass.

I'm currently on the lookout for a replacement bass for it, as I just fancied it, but I haven't played anything with a nicer neck and sound up to £600 yet. I was even more surprised when I much preferred the neck on the rockbass to new fender jazz....

I'm very much a sod what it says on the headstock, how does it play and sound person though, so won't buy a bass just because of the name on it. Unlike my housemate.....

worth saying that you hardly need any of it. A squirt or two applied to a cloth is more then enough to do a fretboard, then you need to wipe the excess off. You should only need to do that once or twice a year, as treating the fretboard with lemon oil too much can saturate the fretboard and cause problems. Either way, it works wonders and is great stuff

It's also quite toxic, so remember to wash your hands once you've been using it.

[quote name='uptonmark' post='388517' date='Jan 22 2009, 02:03 PM']not used it for a week or two

turned it on this morning, all working fine except transport panel does not appear

anyone else had this?

advice much appreciated [/quote]

iirc F2 should make it re-appear. If not, it's probably under the transport menu somewhere....

[quote name='62P-Bass' post='388360' date='Jan 22 2009, 11:40 AM']Hi there,

A friend sent me a link to this discussion so thought I'd sign up. Thanks for the kind words - we had a blast in York. We played the Sage in Gateshead the next night and that too was awesome. Great audiences at both.

And yes, that was me at Bass Day UK. There's a video here: [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XjXM6OITNok"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XjXM6OITNok[/url]
It's John Wheatcroft on guitar, and Adam Betts (also in JTQ) on drums.

Andrew[/quote]

cool as beans.

well a personal thank you from one of the many mad dancing eejits at the york gig

[quote name='Merton' post='387622' date='Jan 21 2009, 03:35 PM']+1. Great band, great musicians but just never ever got a spark on record. Live is just a totally different experience, would love to see the new line up. I think I only ever saw Gary Crockett with them, he was awesome![/quote]


All of the band were in the "so good it makes you sick" catagory....

arses.

[quote name='2wheeler' post='385206' date='Jan 19 2009, 05:54 PM']I went to see the James Taylor Quartet in York on Friday and it was absolutely fantastic. I could waffle on about virtuoso talent but that wasn't the point - the point was brilliant entertainment from start to finish.

And [url="http://www.myspace.com/mckinneyandrew"]Andrew McKinney[/url] is a monster on bass. I shall be paying more attention to his Bass Guitar Magazine column from now on.

Go and see them if you get the chance.[/quote]

I was at that gig too.... it as indeed awesome. All of the musicians were of the type that makes me either want to get better or just give up.... (insert friendly jealous swear words here)

[quote name='vmaxblues' post='382505' date='Jan 16 2009, 03:23 PM']1) What do you look for in a music shop?

2) What would you ideally like to see in a music shop?

3) How far would you travel?

4) Am I mad to consider this?[/quote]


1) something that ebay killed off - the second hand instrument market. I used to love going in to a music shop and trying out all the weird and wonderful guitars and basses, and at a decent price. It's all new epiphones, squires, fenders and cheap sh*te now generally.

2) same as point 1.

3) 20 miles

4) Right at this current second, probably yes. Maybe if you wanted to do it, now would be a good time to get the stock cheap and wait for the market to pick up, could make a killing

[quote name='Golchen' post='380982' date='Jan 15 2009, 08:58 AM']Yup - totally illegal. Infringement of copyright.

So be sure to not do it, and when you have finally got around to not doing it be sure to send me a copy of what you haven't done. This conversation did not happen.[/quote]

+1

I concur wholeheartedly with the right honourable gentleman's statement

[quote name='westoneblah' post='380277' date='Jan 14 2009, 02:22 PM']The other mind-game trick is to remember what it's like to be in the audience. From the stage they're a huge mass - but in reality its just a whole lot of individuals. None of them knows what the other is thinking, and may not even know them at all - so it isn't really a mass - it's just like playing to lots and lots of isolated people who happen to be in the same place. If you get what I mean?

The final thing is not to worry about 'letting anyone down'. It's too late to change things, and there will ALWAYS be mistakes - so laugh about it. The audience will laugh with you, but they don't like angry frowns. Practice is over, this is about Performance - and that means just letting it happen - and enjoying it![/quote]

good points them. I've been in a band where we've had to stop a song because the guitarist arsed up, and instead of continuing, he just stopped. So, I just made a few comments down the mic about guitarists, the audience laughed and we started again. Plus it gave us a bit of fodder for the audience through the gig. I think it's if you cock up, and then all stand there like rabbits in headlights it looks awful from an audience point of view. An audience will actually be more endeared to you, and I am when I'm in the audience, if you appear more human on stage I think.

As for nerves, I go between riding them like an extreme sport, or feeling sick. Either way I just know it's going to happen so accept it because I know that the second I get off the stage the buzz will give me that high that nothing else can give you, so it's a reward to look forward to.

I'd also say, the bigger the gig, the easier it seems to get. Did a festival to a few thousand people last year and it was easier then the pub gig we did a week later!

Great stuff, but I'd agree on the mix. The first track, the guitar is killing everything else in the mix, and on most the tracks, needs some good low end punch as they are sounding a bit thin, and maybe running through a nice ssl compressor and a bit of analogue tape to give it a bit more of a saturated sound, then they'd sound fab

But if they are live recordings, depending on how many tracks you have it may not be possible.

[quote name='joe_bass' post='380372' date='Jan 14 2009, 04:11 PM']I had one of these, loved it. If you feel the same then i recommend just "upgrading" to an actual Warwick. £500 should get you one second hand.[/quote]

kind of what I was thinking myself, just wondered if anybody had any hidden alternatives..... <dives in to classifieds section>