risingson

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1376651437' post='2177316'] I've heard a confirmed MM player saying that anything post Ernie Ball isn't a 'proper' Ray (he also explained to me, in great detail, about 'transition era' basses which I'd never heard about before) meanwhile I've also hear people say the Classic & Ltd Edition runs are over-priced and just a way for MM to make some easy money. [/quote] I'm so glad I will never be one of these people, I'm just not interested in being that much of a fanboy about anything at all. If a bass plays well and sounds good that's good enough for me.

I don't think it's fashionable at all, although if you look at what is fashionable in music currently then you realise that you sometimes only have to do something with enough conviction to make it work. Just look at what's happening with disco right now.

It's a classic finish.

Ahh well, a clash of egos I guess. The clip doesn't do it for me, although slap playing rarely ever does.

The smiley faces of doom on those graphic EQs! [quote name='molan' timestamp='1376606976' post='2176893'] I heard a few horror stories about MK & LG at one of these gigs. Apparently it was really quite embarrassing [/quote] What happened?

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1376606415' post='2176884'] Haven't really listened to the new record. Any good? [/quote] Yeh it's superb. Nicely accessible but with some good production and collaborations... from Alex Turner and Elton John no less!

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1376583854' post='2176492'] They all look like fender jazz basses with slightly different head stocks to me, dull [/quote] I like Stingrays too but there are companies that breathe their own life into a classic instrument from time to time.

Just an excellent tune. I can take or leave the bass tone but the guitar is great and Homme's writing skills are just great.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1376582953' post='2176478'] Lull's look great, but I personally would get a Sadowsky. [/quote] The basses that blew me out the water when I was last in NYC were the Pensas coming out of Rudy's. Their preamp was much less harsh than the Sadowsky stuff, more naturally voiced. The quality of them was exceptional in fact.

I love nickel strings, I can't touch stainless steels anymore they're way too harsh. D'Addarios Nickels are great but they just don't last more than two gigs, which is a shame because they're by far my favourite. I'd be open to suggestions to longer lasting possibilities if anyone knows of any brands.

Interesting, unfortunately it looks a lot like my Gran designed it. Markbass have never been overly keen on aesthetics!

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1376560706' post='2175908'] For THAT kind of money, I'd be straight onto Roger Sadowsky for a custom 5 string. Guaranteed it will be perfect. [/quote] I wanted to love Sadowskys but I was consistently underwhelmed with 80% of ones I've tried, both NYC and Metro. I even swung by the new shop in Queens a few months back. Some lovely stuff but almost nothing to justify me spending. The exception are the (relatively) new Will Lee models with the mid boost. Really helped the preamp along and so easy to play. Mike Lull stuff is doing it for me at the moment.

Just been on the Alleva Coppolo website. I'd still like one.

Vintage P-Basses.

RE roadworn basses, I absolutely love natural wear and tear on old Fenders, I think it's a classic look. I would feel a bit like I'd cheated though if I went and bought something that had been roadworn in a factory in Mexico though. Controversially, I have a real dislike of Sei basses! I've played a few and they sound good but I hate the looks of them. Even more controversially I have an irrational dislike of UK made gear. I prefer American made stuff, literally for no good reason at all. I would make possible exceptions for some Overwater stuff. [quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1376516774' post='2175478'] Hehe! My favourite bass tone so far is an Ibanez bass through an ashdown amp. I find it interesting how tastes can differ so much from one person to the next. [/quote] Agreed. My preference for vintage Fender is definitely not something shared by everyone around here!

Ibanez basses. I know they make some good instruments too, so it's very irrational. I'd say Ashdown as well but I don't think it is irrational because based on my own experience I cannot get any note from those amps and I really don't like their EQ's.

I don't but I wish I did, Fender had a finish back in the 80's called Graffiti Yellow and I love it.

[quote name='Toasted' timestamp='1376403630' post='2173422'] The really criminal pictures are the ones of the belly cut and the horn. That's not damage, it's just plain bad woodwork. [/quote] Having read JC's reply to the thread I started to try and figure out how photography might have been used to convey the instrument in the 'worst possible light' (literally). I almost convinced myself it was possible but then I remembered how badly the horn was cut. Yikes. His reply was terribly thought out, absolutely should have been a case of contacting the buyer and dealing with it on a personal level. Then again TB'ers can be rabid. I'm sure he was probably equally pissed off at the level of animosity levelled at him by the keyboard warriors from the forum. Still, not professional at all.

Personally I get on fine with a single H Stingray for a few reasons. I like the simplicity, the classic Stingray sound, and I think the dual humbucker thing on a Stingray looks really nasty. It will definitely open up some more tonal options but the HH Rays I tried have seemed overwhelming powerful and just weren't my thing at all.

I would be seething with anger if this was me. Obviously it would be nice to hear from the man himself but the fact that an instrument could have come out of his workshop having been made that badly and with that price tag actually makes me feel pretty sick.

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1376256363' post='2171500'] I disliked the Stingray the most...had no depth for my liking. [/quote] I don't know why people always EQ Stingrays up like that, they can do so much more! Also, welcome back

I started as a fingerstyle player and shunned playing with a pick for years, up until I watched a video of Phil Lynott and got interested in the idea of the attack that a pick could offer on a bass. I scratched the surface a bit and discovered Carol Kaye, Joe Osborn, Wilton Felder, Paul McCartney, Anthony Jackson and a whole new world got opened to me. I've practiced a lot with a pick the past few years and whilst I'm not as adept as with my fingers I can definitely get by with a pick now. It's a totally different discipline and I think the prejudices come from the association of pick bass players with guitar players and this endless envy that seems to go on between the two factions. There's also always the suggestion that it's cheating somehow, although by looking through this post it seems like a lot of people really struggle with pick playing always suggests to me it's tough to master properly - just like good finger style is. Back in the 60's and early 70's Carol Kaye and Joe Osborn did such a good job of studio work with Fender instruments and plectrums that between them they kept a hell of a lot of bass players out of work for quite a while...

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1376244005' post='2171244'] The drummer in my band is bloody marvellous and can hold his own against many, many of what we would deem 'top' players (I'm very lucky and I know it). I trust his opinion on other drummers (his top 2 are Jeff Porcaro and Vinnie Collaiuta) and he rates Jordan very highly, especially his work on the cocktail kit he uses with John Mayer on the live DVD; that's good enough for me. [/quote] Yeh absolutely. It's why I said I've 'known' drummers as opposed to 'know' drummers. Usually the people who made the comments were guys who were over players or didn't understand the role of their instrument as much as they liked to make out and made the usual sweeping statements. Generally speaking I won't keep in close professional contact with them. Music isn't a competition. I had a competitive element to me when I was younger trying to learn against other bass players throughout school and university perhaps but it was instinctive and an attempt by me to get work and get noticed. I never tried to outplay other people as it just wasn't my thing, often I probably couldn't either if they were hugely technical players. But the guys that do the best job of playing in bands (at least the kind of music that I like) are often the ones that downplay their own importance and work for the benefit of the music. Pino and Jordan definitely fall into this category, in fact they school people on it. Steve Jordan's kit sound is sublime. Where there are drummers like Colaiuta who have made names for themselves by being precision sharp and very clean, Jordan has made a conscious effort to bridge that gap between great R&B drumming and out and out rock, a minimal kit layout and a really edgy, hard style of playing that makes him kind of a breath of fresh air in the drumming world IMO, although I know he's capable of so much more. The same applies to Abe Laboriel Jr. too.

[quote name='BenTunnicliffe' timestamp='1376242244' post='2171219'] Thanks mate really appreciated, it goes a long way! I enjoy the challenge of trying to get sub sounds and lines to sit well in a mix, it's much harder than I thought before I ever tried it. Cheers! [/quote] I think it's as much of a challenge to think more utilitarian about how to approach a bass part with a song like that as well, which was was I was really impressed with. Nice work

[quote name='BenTunnicliffe' timestamp='1376160163' post='2170432'] [media]http://youtu.be/2nezoStxugk[/media] New video this week playing with the line from Dpat - Touch off the Blurry EP. Overwater at it again but through the Moog MF101 Low Pass filter to get that hefty sub thing going on. Feedback always appreciated! [/quote] Excellent tone and playing, love the tune as well.