risingson

I don't think it's bass playing. But that's not a bad thing, in fact what he is doing is incredibly musical and highly unique. Plus, unlike a lot of solo stuff that gets performed on a 'bass', that was incredibly enjoyable to listen to (and watch). But the voicing is too high for me to think about it like a bass guitar. I don't see many settings where it could work in a band situation for example, but Manring utilises his Zon in a solo sense very well, you can't help but be a bit amazed by it.

[quote name='Kes' timestamp='1328493660' post='1528126'] I've always hated 'hey Jude' can't stand the song. a few years ago when in a covers band that played gigs about once a week. we all hated the song and so never played it. Got asked as a special request from the person who booked us, so learnt it, played it once or twice during practice, played it once on stage for them and NEVER AGAIN. Ugh, horrible horrible and i'm surprised its not on more people's lists... [/quote] Try pedalling the F at the end (Nahhh na na) of the tune over the Eb major nd the Bb major. Much more fun.

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1328513977' post='1528170'] I doubt they'll let you get a gig bag on, as all cabin luggage has to go in the overheads. Get a hardcase and as long as it and the rest of your luggage is under the weight allowence, you'll be fine. [/quote] +1 to this Steve, I've flown with my bass with Easyjet a few times with my bass in its hard case in the hold, never had an issue.

Annoyingly I've only got one bass now (two including my upright, but it doesn't get gigged regularly). About a year back I'd take my Fender Jazz with rounds out and my Fender P with flats and then swap after my first set. Now all I've got is my Lakland Darryl Jones 4. I want a new P and a decent Sadowsky 5 string.

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1328454068' post='1527226'] I think the Ashdown reliability concerns stem from the Superfly, which had issues with overheating, and a batch of faulty transformers they received around 2006 sometime. They were the ones which were going up in flames. TBH Ashdown seem to be as good as any others in respect of reliability nowadays. I'm not (nor ever have been) an Ashdown owner, so I've no particular axe to grind. [/quote] The friend of mine's rig that went up was an ABM 500, it started smoking at a gig and then caught fire. I've not got anything against Ashdown either really. Not my thing, but actually I think they sound pretty decent and I never complain if it gets supplied as part of a back line at a gig. I've actually gigged my friend's ABM 500 rig as well in the past and never had problems. He must have gotten pretty unlucky.

Jimmy really is one of the most melodic bass players I've ever heard.

I agree with Dave above ^^ but I would recommend steering clear of heavy combos and opt for something a bit more lightweight, purely for practical reasons really. If you're going to be doing small-medium sized gigs then it's going to be a pain to lug a massive Ashdown combo round, and plus I think you'll be happier overall if you split the head and cab up so you can add or take away cabinets as you desire. I'm young too, and whilst I absolutely loved my old Eden rig (4x10 + WT800) it was a nightmare of a setup to small, lower key affairs. As for Ashdown's reliability, well having not owned Ashdown before I couldn't comment too much but I know several people who have had malfunctioning Ashdown rigs (one of them even went up in flames). I don't know what Ashdown have done to amend their quality control issues, hopefully something drastic.

Part of me wonders whether the way we consume music should be allowed to evolve without the need for nostalgia over the demise of the CD/tape/record. Times change, things move on. The vastness and accessibility of popular music nowadays has its merits, but its true that there was something truly special about wanting a new album from the shop waiting till a Friday afternoon and buying it for me. It was when I was the most excited about music - not that iI love it any less, but on some level it has become a very depersonalised form of entertainment.

Night and Day would suit you guys down to the ground probably, great venue, check it out if you can.

I use one regularly as its the in-house amp at one of my regular venues. It's a surprisingly good little amp for its size, and I'm convinced that as long as you band isn't incredibly loud then you could well compete with your drummer. My setup I've got 2 guitarists, a keyboard player and a drummer and it does alright. I actually find it not sonically dissimilar to EBS gear, albeit a bit less refined and not quite as polished sounding. The tweeter really cuts, perhaps too much, and there's no controlling it either (off or on, that's it), but nothing that dialing back the treble won't solve. It lacks something in lower mids IMO, but yeh all together, I can think of a lot worse combos to gig with.

Just got back from ours, we were supporting Babybird of all people... really bad gig, the guy needs a slap, he spent the night berating members of the audience for no good reason and trying to exert his (lack of) authority on people by discussing subjects he had no idea about, before boasting about the amount of coke he'd done. It was hugely embarrassing. Couldn't do the load out until the time was right and unfortunately it was too late. Hope you had a good one, do let me know if your back in the North West soon and I'll do my best to come over and say hi! Hopefully you had a better one than I did.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1328198279' post='1523502'] I would have had the bass set-up so that there were no major issues. I.e., Intonation would have been spot-on, no fret buzz and new strings. Action probably medium height. As for your comments about customer service, I agree. There are levels that should be met. You should have an extensive yet appropriate knowledge of the instruments (but should be forgiven if you don't know, for example, what material the machine that winds the pickups is made from... yes, I did have someone ask that once *sigh*) and I also agree with taking care of the instruments in the store... However, that is another issue that raises problems, because in order to protect an instrument on the wall, you have to be selective over who you let play it, which by definition means you need to make judgements about an individual and whether they intend to purchase it or just want to rip a whole through the scratchplate playing mediocre slap bass because they have 10 minutes left of their lunch hour. Luckily, our shop tends to have back-up stock that is brand new and not shop soiled so we can afford to let some instruments take a hit on the shelf and drop the price at a later date to shift it, but I think it's a dilemma for smaller businesses, because they need to protect their stock by not letting tyre kickers play the bass, which in turn will inevitably lose them custom. I also agree that the way we deal with customers needs to be improved, but I also believe that customers need to change their attitudes too. In the US for example, people actively decide to pursue a career in customer service and the americans (or the majority of) respect that and appreciate it when they get good service (as they show through tipping etc). Whilst this is not my personal ambition, I think the attitudes shown by customers and sales staff in the US is something we should aspire to. I think in our country, we are all to eager to want the best/most out of everybody for nothing (as we show by taking advice from store assistants free and then purchasing online because it's £5 cheaper). [/quote] I think some stores have issues that are well beyond what happens at shop level. For me at least, the pedantry side of things doesn't happen... I couldn't tell you what kind of machine head gets manufactured where, how and why or what pickups work best in which position etc. I'm not a gear head in that way, I just know what I like . But yeh, basic info is always nice. The 'window shopper' aspect of the job is a funny one. I think discretion is the name of the game, like anything. Unfortunately, because of the nature of selling an instrument that can often be truly expensive and incredibly fragile, the necessity to actually have people in a store try instruments is something that just cannot and should not be avoided. It should of course be a bargain equally upheld by the customer in their respect for property that isn't theirs, but even if they aren't serious on buying a bass or guitar from you, it can often be a good way of ensuring that they come back to the store again, even just for a pack of strings or two.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1328197081' post='1523469'] When I worked in music retail we used to get stock arrivals straight on the hangers as soon as it arrived and get price tickets sorted. When we were quiet we used to take the new stock down and then check it over to get rid of any general setup issues and then put an 'X' on the back of the price ticket so we didn't repeat the exercise unnecessarily (yeah, we cherry picked ). If it was a high value sale then we'd happily make any other non invasive tweaks, because we needed that sale to invest in more and better stock. I think in all the time I was there, I only had one customer who felt he needed to speak down to me, and I threw him out. [/quote] I wish this could happen in every store! I'm unaware of the guidelines set up by major music retailers as to this kind of thing, but this should definitely be featured somewhere, probably in bold and underlined.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1328195844' post='1523448'] To be fair that is the kind of attitude that instantly makes me lose respect for a customer. You get one customer in who complains that the set-up is rubbish because the action is too high, then the next customer complains it's not high enough. As long as it's playable without any major issues, then the customer should accept that they will have to have it set-up to their personal preference AFTER they've bought it. I've spent nearly 2 hours with a customer before, knowing that they were highly unlikely to buy anything and just wanted to inform their intended purchase (whether that was with us or not) just because the guy came in and talked to me like he valued my opinion. He didn't get into dick-measuring, which a lot of customers try, but at the same time he appreciated my opinion as a fellow musician. Having that respect for me and visa-versa makes for a much better shopping experience for both customer and sales assistant. As for the 'they're there to serve you' comment, that's just idiotic. The assistants in ANY shop are there to accomodate you while you decide to purchase something. Running around and having to put up with crap from a customer just because they MIGHT buy something is just not acceptable... You wouldnt p!ss all over the toilet floors in a shopping center because there's someone there to run in and clean it up, you have the respect to appreciate that these people have to work and have the right to be respected whilst they do it... they are human beings too. But some customers feel its their right to be given the red carpet treatment DESPITE being a total arsehole to everyone in the shop. [/quote] Tell me, at what stage does it become acceptable for a shop not to take into consideration the setup of an instrument, when said instrument is priced at above a thousand pounds (or even under for that matter)? The bass in question was terribly set up. Although I'll happily account for the fact that some instruments may not be totally to my fitting, it is totally ridiculous for shops that intend to sell bass guitars at £1000+ to not take into consideration the performance of their instruments right off the shelf. Would you have told me the same thing? I don't expect to be pampered when I walk into a shop (although there are one or two stores that will offer me tea or coffee when I go in, customer service goes a long way), and am incredibly polite (if I don't say so myself!) but I do expect a level of service to be met and that includes a good knowledge of inventory, good customer relations, and if I'm paying top dollar for an instrument, care of the instruments in the store too. Is this asking too much in this day and age? And as much as you might dislike the association of a store assistant being there to serve the customer, I'd have great difficulty trying to define the job by any other means. That doesn't mean that you need to take crap from customers either, no question, but it also doesn't mean that you should get to reserve the right to be surly to customers, whether you deem them potential buyers or not, or deal them a load of misinformation. I know, I've done the job before, just under different circumstances, and I would definitely argue that there are a lot of music stores out there that need to seriously assess the way they deal with people that walk through their shop doors.

BRX, unfortunately I have literally only just seen this buy I would have definitely come down this evening if I didn't have a gig myself down the road in the O2 Academy. Mello Mello is a great venue, Liverpool music scene is really thriving right now. We start playing at 8pm so if I get out early I'll try to convince the rest of the boys to come up town to watch. If I don't see you though, have a good one.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1328192799' post='1523359'] That's the other thing. Always excuses. I want stuff, not excuses. Like the guy who wanted to buy flats I always get 'We can order them in for you' - I can order them in for myself, cheaper, but I was hoping to get it today which is why I trudged across here to find out you've got as many of them as I have. I know it's expensive to stock a guitar shop but really, if all you're going to offer is budget basses, bedroom amps and six different sets of strings then you can't grumble when you get no bass players buying anything from you. [/quote] Which is why I would guess that a large percentage of bass players who use this forum and are already internet-savvy will probably much prefer to shop for their gear online. It is a tremendous shame though because part of the excitement of buying a new instrument is playing it first, and getting inspired to save, or indeed buying right there and then. Not that the same can be said for strings for example, but it's great to actually buy a product from a real person in a shop full of nice guitars and basses or whatever.

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1328192265' post='1523345'] I am afraid that anything to do with healthcare is very much a political issue in the US and unfortunately, is becoming increasingly so over here [/quote] My point being that it's very much a side issue here in this thread. The video is simply drawing attention to the unfortunate and tragic situation that Chuck Rainey has found himself in, and the opportunity to extend some kind of financial support for a very influential musician.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1328190877' post='1523307'] I stopped going in guitar shops because they seem to treat everybody like that now. I don't think I've sat down with a guitar in a guitar shop since the late '90s (and that time I bought it) because it seems whenever I go in the staff are being twats to whoever's in there and I don't have the patience to be on the receiving end of their bullshit any more. [/quote] I usually take a firm approach to guitar shop staff that wish to push their superiority complexes upon me if the store is offering something I think looks reasonable. They're there to serve you after all, so it's not like you have to take any of the sh*t they will sometimes try to shovel you. A few months back I was in a shop in Liverpool that will remain unnamed. I was looking at one of the Fender Marcus Millers they had in there. The guy plugged me in to a feeble little Roland affair, and left me to play for a bit. Under a minute in and I was pretty sick at the fact that the bass hadn't been set up at all; fretbuzz all over the neck, intonation issues too. The guy's excuse for this was "we don't have time to set up every guitar and bass in the shop". I told him in no fewer words that he should probably find the time, seeing as the instrument cost over £1000 and was by far and away the most expensive thing they had on the bass guitar rack at the time. Absolute moron. On the flip side of things, I've also dealt with some great people. I phoned Bass Direct a few weeks back to enquire about an amp they had in and they couldn't have been more friendly and informative. Likewise with the Bass Gallery down in Camden last time i was there, customer service was really great.

[quote name='WHUFC BASS' timestamp='1328178202' post='1522978'] Does anyone have any idea how high medical bills are in the U.S. ? All the people saying this is B.S. should really check out and see what's wrong with him before spouting off. Medical care in the U.S. is usually covered by insurance, but these premiums can be really high and many simply can't afford the medical care we take for granted over here. It makes me sad to see the uproar at Obama's healthcare plan when really its the right thing to do. This country should be proud of the NHS and resist any attempt that Cameron and his public school cronies have of trying to dismantle it. [/quote] There's no political soapbox needed in this thread, only a charitable outlook on things if you are so inclined.

I'm very much the same. Anti-Fender folk complain that people like us are stuck in the dark ages, and that's fine, but for me the dark ages are where it's at. I've played MTD's, F-Basses, Sadowskys, Dingwalls, Seis, Overwaters, etc. etc. but I've never found anything that matches a good Jazz bass, with the exception of Sadowsky stuff. [indent=1]The one thing that gets me with Fender though unfortunately is the lack of consistency with their instruments. There are good ones, and there are terrible ones, and it has led me to look to Lakland and Sadowsky for the suitable alternatives to such a mish-mash of quality control. [/indent]

[quote name='rOB' timestamp='1328130241' post='1522477'] I was just thinking this the other day. Maybe in a few years we'll have a more distinct two tier music system. Mainstream, bankable music making money for the labels and less mainstream, underground music made by people who either don't want to or can't access the marketing budgets. [/quote] You often find what appears to be underground or independent music is actually still part of the bigger picture though, and there are very few truly independent labels in existence nowadays because they've either been acquired by the big name labels or have simply gone bust. The idea of a tier system exists currently because of the big 3 record labels are able to designate certain artists subsidiary labels that on the surface appear to be 'indie' but are in fact still kicking up their cash to Universal, Sony or Warner. Indie labels like Domino or Rough Trade just can't compete against such financial giants and it is all too common to see artists to sign deals that are more financially viable, i.e. The Arctic Monkeys for example. Those who don't adhere to the system on some level are unfortunately doomed to fail.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1328115354' post='1522089'] Good luck to her I say. She's more interesting that the vast swathes of dross that normally fills the charts. [/quote] I'm inclined to agree with this, but at the same time I can't help feeling that our increasing acceptance to settle on mediocrity is partially fueling its unstoppable rise to the forefront of popular music. The UK music industry as it stands today is in a diabolical state. There are painfully few home grown domestic talents and those that do have interesting things to show for their talents don't get any breathing space or choose to go underground.

Wow, our drummer/producer would be turning green with envy just reading this. He's off to a masterclass down there in a few weeks time, but getting to record there (with Elliott Randall!!!) is a hell of an experience. Unreal!

Daft Punk use a ton of stuff to get their sounds. Moogs, the ARP 2600, Juno 106's, Roland SH101's but to name a fraction of their outboard synth gear. The Microkorg is a decent place to start off, although I find after a time both the Microkorg and its older brother the R3 are lacking something big in terms of big fat analog sounding synths. If you fancy spending a bit more, I would recommend looking at the Moog Little Phatty.