risingson

This was kind of impulsive and not in equal measure! I've been after a hollowbody for a while and after being seriously disappointed with Fender's new Starcaster reissue I decided that I'd revert to the best best I'd previously tried out in a similar price bracket. I already knew these were good so it didn't really take me long at all to make a decision about buying the Epiphone Jack Casady model. It's still strung with rounds, it'll end up with La Bella flats on in the next day or two. I'm still so impressed by how focused it sounds for a hollow body, there's a clarity and punch to the note that means it's open to all kinds of playing and music. I'll mostly be using it as a replacement for my recently sold '78 P-Bass. The hardware isn't terrible either. Bits and pieces betray its price and quality of manufacturing with regards to the little details (and the pick guard has come straight off, I can live without it) but nothing that sacrifices the overall look and playability of the bass. It sounds terrific in fact! I'm incredibly impressed. Quick pic [attachment=160423:photo.JPG]

I had a wonderful time in the Sadowsky NYC showroom, lovely bunch of guys but I left feeling a bit disheartened. Their preamp is what you're essentially paying for, and the premium charged for the NYC models then becomes (IMO) a purely aesthetic thing, plus perhaps the chambering if weight is an issue. That isn't to detract from the quality of their manufacturing process either, I think they're well made but I've never found one to be overly 'special' sounding. The only notable exception would be the Will Lee model which seriously benefits from an adjustable mid toggle switch to give you a kick in the desired mid region, but to be honest almost every Sadowsky I've played would benefit from more control over mids. My tastes have changed over the part few years too, nowadays I find their standard 2-band EQ just too clinical. I personally had better luck with Pensa basses, which sounded a lot nicer than about 7 or 8 of the NYC basses I tried out when I was over in New York last. Only 2-band EQs in their instruments too but more musical sounding to my ears at least, with options to set the pickups up in series too which sounded amazing.

Yes! Excellent instrument, sadly the money has paid off other things. She came to Sweden and Switzerland with me. The neck profile is so chunky but something I'll be looking for in my next P-Bass purchase, works for me just great. Enjoy having it back, I'll really miss her.

I got the chance to chat with Simon Phillips after a Hiromi show in New York. Such a top guy, he was pretty delighted when I mentioned I was a fan of the PSP stuff as a lot of people just chat Toto with him. Pino's playing is so dynamic, his feel is basically out there in a league of its own.

I learnt scales and intervals instinctively, luckily I have a good ear but I had no interest in learning theory straight away until I started to take music more seriously. People talk about scales like you'll need them all the time. They're useful in so many ways, mainly in developing a strong ear and an understanding for music, but a peripheral awareness for scales usually gets people by in the majority of musical settings. Improvisation is the same, I don't like (I hate, in fact) to solo on bass but practicing improvisation helps develop a stronger musical vocabulary. It's about having the facility to play without saying too much in one go, which is where true musicianship comes into play IMO.

I really like the late 70's Mocha finishes, maple board. Played on in this config in NYC last year, best Ray I think I've tried. You might want to speak to Andy Baxter, he deals in vintage Fender/Musicman etc. and is usually well stocked, if he doesn't have what you want in then you can ask him to hunt it down. Pricey I guess but worth checking out anyway http://www.andybaxterbass.com/guitars.php?pc=1&cat=6

Just sold Lozz's 78 P-Bass back to him, I bought it nearly a year ago and I was delighted to return it to him. Excellent buyer, I'd happily recommend him. Liam

[quote name='skychaserhigh' timestamp='1396383132' post='2413035'] I have to agree !! [/quote] I don't anymore. Manchester used to have loads more options when it came to going out, eating, having a general city experience. I used to be there a lot, but Liverpool has eclipsed it now in almost every aspect, plus everything in Liverpool is far more contained and accessible. Liverpool will continue to grow in this aspect as well. It's the best city to be in the NW right now.

J Dilla production, anything JD ever did in fact [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwHuEDCM7xs"]https://www.youtube....h?v=pwHuEDCM7xs[/url] [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-tjrM9qugQ"]https://www.youtube....h?v=p-tjrM9qugQ[/url]

[quote name='paulflan0151' timestamp='1395243951' post='2400139'] Starting from the back end of the city centre. Caledonia, Pilgrim, Ye Crack, Grapes (Knight St), Hanahhs Bar (check if theres a band on), Salt Dog Slims (Nice hot dogs), Pouge Mahones, Santos Chupitos, the hidden bar next to Santos Chupito.(Jungle Juice cocktail), The Swan. You can always try Django's Riff and Bar CaVa Although there not really rock bars. Then there's the Krazy House but that's more of a club. Or The Camp And Furnace-Try and catch rockaoke Vs Food Slam, some tasty grub (Piggy Smalls) and karaoke with a live band. Only problem with he Camp is it's a bit out of the way, maybe a 10/15 min walk (if you don't get lost!) to the nearest bars, there are always taxis though. [/quote] Great comprehensive list. Isn't Liverpool just an amazing city to be in right now! There's a hidden whiskey bar on Berry St across the road from the Tribeca pizza place you can check out as well.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1395183766' post='2399650'] Haha! Good bars/venues centrally for a thurs/fri night? Cheers [/quote] Yeh, the places I mentioned.

Not sure about Manchester anymore but Liverpool currently (IMO) is awful for music shops. The Dawsons staff are largely terrible, a few nice guys in there but most of them in my experience have little to no idea what they're talking about a lot of the time. Curly Music has got some longterm great staff but the selection of stuff of gear is really bad, although I've stumbled across one or two great finds in there (mid 60's Jazz refin, an unbelievable 80's Musicman Ray that I should have bought). Usually cheap stuff though. I'd recommend getting out to Hannahs bar or Bierkeller for one of the jam nights though, some mates of mine regularly play in there and they're sick musicians. Loads of good live music in the city right now, check out The Kazamier, The Shipping Forecast.

Love his playing, his attitude to music, his outstanding friendliness to fans! I'd actually count him as a bigger influence on me than I probably realise too, I grew up listening to James Taylor and he's plastered over the majority of his records. Still convinced he'll endorse anything under the sun but who cares when you're that much of a dude with such an illustrious career and the best beard in the history of music.

I've kept my '78 P strung with flats for a while now whilst my '74 Jazz has got rounds so I've got a nice balance of both worlds. I need flatwounds more for what I play now so I tend to lean more towards my P-Bass for basically everything when it comes to my original material, but it's nice to have my Jazz bass when I need something a little less heavy-handed, usually when I dep out for other bands. I love La Bella 760FL's. My only slight issue with them is that they do seem to lack a bit in mid range, not loads but perhaps more than other flats I've tried. I've heard Lakland flats are good in this respect so I might take a punt on them next time I need flats... probably in a few years

I've owned a Stingray 5 with a maple fretboard that I'm still slightly furious I sold, it was an excellent instrument but the lack of necessity for a 5 string coupled with my desire to purchase my current '78 Precision meant that I sold it last year. I now want it back! I'm not convinced you'll hear a massive difference in fretboard wood. The overwhelming sound of Stingrays as you'll well know owning one already is the preamp and pickup placing. I'd go with cosmetic preference personally. Single H is also my personal preference. The Stingray 5 isn't the prettiest bass in the world (although I like it myself), I think the extra pickups look pretty nasty and plus you loose the beauty and simplicity of the Stingray's single pickup design. I could always get enough variation in tone from the preamp. Others will disagree and say you can get more variation in tone with more pickups - I'm just not sure how much variation you need with a bass a lot of the time. The B strings are good on Ray 5's, the thing you'll most likely spend a bit of time getting used to is the G string slipping off the edge of the fretboard a lot due to how close the G string is to the edge of the fretboard plus the rolled edge itself. It's a design fault of the Ray 5, one I could probably live with again but something that should have been sorted out absolutely ages ago. The latest SR5 models have alnico pickups whereas older models had ceramic magnets (even older ones had alnico magnets again to begin with). Basically no one but you will be able to hear a notable difference, but my preference again is towards alnico purely because that's what they use in the Ray 4's. Ceramic magnets go in the Sterlings which I'm not as big a fan of although I've played plenty of both alnico and ceramic Ray 5's that have been great sounding instruments. It's a good instrument if you can get with its slight foibles. It's probably the only 5 string I'd consider owning again anytime soon.

[quote name='Immo' timestamp='1391192918' post='2354495'] My buddy once was on something like Polish NAMM and found Pilichowski. He was teaching some people about playing the bass. My buddy - then already 5 years into playing - never played in front of Pilichowski. But he asked him about some more advanced technique. What was the star's answer? "Kiddo, kiddo... First learn to play correct and then, after all those years, you may start to think about this sort of things." Not the nicest answer to a person whose playing you never had listened to, if you'd ask me. Besides, there are many witnesses who say he considers his technique the only reasonable, good and efficient and tries to force it upon others. [/quote] Not too sure whether I'd call him a 'star', it's the first I've heard of the guy and whilst he's got impressive technique he's not actually doing anything new at all, just rehashing the same slap thing that's been repeated over and over. The advice isn't terrible either, I don't know how it was delivered but if it was with a sincerity then I actually think it's great advice.