risingson

[quote name='Duarte' post='1174124' date='Mar 24 2011, 12:40 AM']Who breaks strings!?[/quote] I've done it, admittedly just once but it's not just that really. Our guitarist convinced himself he didn't need to bring a spare guitar the other night to a gig, so he didn't. The electronics completely failed on his guitar halfway through the set and we were left without him for the rest of the set. It's just common sense, just because you think it's not going to happen to you doesn't mean it's not your responsibility to be prepared for the worst.

Why would you compile a list of the top 65 basses you should play? Is that actually compelling reading?

[quote name='obi 2 kenobi' post='1173909' date='Mar 23 2011, 09:24 PM']Main bass = stingray. Back up = another stingray. Only take 1 bass to gigs as they're mega reliable[/quote] ...until you snap a string

[quote name='steve-soar' post='1173668' date='Mar 23 2011, 06:53 PM']They're all taking the piss. More is more but less is best. [/quote] We often sit around in our band and have a laugh with players like that, obvious chops and everything are impressive. But man, I couldn't imagine working with a drummer that can't sit in one spot for more than a few bars, I'd want to kill him!

[quote name='Clarky' post='1173659' date='Mar 23 2011, 06:46 PM']I've not got my grubby mitts on it yet (arrives from US next week) but I have every finger, toe and other moveable part crossed that this will be the one I will never part with - a year-of-birth (1963) Fender Precision: [attachment=75568:55377879...9f35a9_b.jpg][/quote] I couldn't put in words how jealous I am, if you do ever sell make sure it's to me!!!

[quote name='chris_b' post='1173232' date='Mar 23 2011, 01:15 PM']I find that the lack of energy (not the jumping about kind) in so many gigs/performances these days is really frustrating. This is an old clip of Gladys Knight but the band really fizzes!! [/quote] That drummer is taking the piss in 'Midnight Train to Georgia'!

My four-piece always take a deposit before a function gig of £150 + another £800/900 on the night, sometimes more. Pubs and clubs we usually take £350-400 on the night, generally anywhere that will pay us less than that aren't worth playing unless they can offer us a very regular slot. There have been other gigs that I've earned a lot more at, but they're few and far between unless you're going through agencies and we're not.

[quote name='steve-soar' post='1171421' date='Mar 21 2011, 10:07 PM']Pete? I am the new TIM.[/quote] Oh dear Steve!! Midway through talking about my Uncle Pete whilst writing the message... that'll learn me for trying to conduct a convo and be on Basschat at the same time. Can't multitask to save my friggin life!

I won't listen to Muse out of choice really but you've got to admire them for having some great music and putting on an excellent live show. Some people complain that there isn't enough talent in music, but Matt Bellamy can definitely play and write. As for Wolstenholme, the guy has some serious stamina and one of the most recognisable bass lines in recent history under his belt... I bet he's laughing all the way to the bank, and rightly so.

Love it when you get helpful people like that, nice one iCastle! Steve Soar did a setup on my Jazz not but a few months ago, I was slightly at a loss with what was up with it but he did a great job of getting it playing a lot closer to how I wanted it to play, completely free of charge! I'll be going to him if I need work doing again with cash next time.

[quote name='silddx' post='1170728' date='Mar 21 2011, 02:31 PM']Christ, there are some funny attitudes around here aren't there. If you like the sound of your 62 Precision into a B-15 unadulterated for your Marvin Gaye tribute, fine. If you like your Dingwall through a NaztyAss JerryCurl FuzziFunk for your RHCP cover band, fine. What's there to argue about? No amount of effects will save you from playing like a prick, and no amount of purity will make you sound like Jesus. I like a very produced sound live and in the studio so I use compression and a little chorus on most of my sounds. I need to pretend I'm a cello sometimes. I need loads of subs sometimes. I use amp sims, compression, distortion, flanger, noise gate, volume pedal and delay in a single song, all together and it sounds amazing and suits that particular song. Do what you want, don't judge others because they are different. You are either a sensitive musician, or an insensitive one. Sensitive musicians do what's good for the song with the agreement of the composer.[/quote] Always love the 'no sh*t' approach to posting Nigel!

[quote name='skej21' post='1169862' date='Mar 20 2011, 07:36 PM']Personally, I think the use of compression is often needed more in live sound, as it's purpose is to reduce the maximum and minimum levels of an audio signal, which means you can claim your own space in the overall sound and don't take up room you don't need, meaning the overall sound can be cleaner and plenty of space for all instruments to be heard, rather thana "wall of sound" approach which most bands seem to settle for. Same reason as why you would use compression in the recording studio, just in a slightly different context. I like this description - Compression is often used to make music sound louder without increasing its peak amplitude. By compressing the peak (or loudest) signals, it becomes possible to increase the overall gain (or volume) of a signal without exceeding the dynamic limits of a reproduction device or medium. The net effect, [b]when compression is applied along with a gain boost, is that relatively quiet sounds become louder, while louder sounds remain unchanged[/b]... This is why I use it in a live setting.[/quote] It's horses for courses for me, in smaller venues I never use it, we never get complaints of an uneven level across the front of house and depending on what kind of venue it is I don't think the results of me using a compressor would be well noted amongst the average gig goer. Larger venues I would certainly expect any decent sound tech to be using decent compression i.e. considerably better than what I could own in a pedal, and by that stage it's out of my hands anyway having usually been D.I'ed.

[quote name='skej21' post='1169728' date='Mar 20 2011, 05:44 PM']Just got to say, I'm hoping this is a trolling exercise/joke... If so, bravo. If no, I don't even know where to begin...[/quote] I don't like using compression live either in a lot of situations, although at bigger gigs with decent soundsystems/sound guys then it certainly has it's uses. In the studio of course it's an entirely different story. I assume iCastle probably means a similar thing?

Paul Jackson's one of my favourite players, great playing!

I used to own quite a few pedals, I went through a stage of loving Stuart Zender and Timmy C, both of whom relied heavily on effects. I sold most of them off though, they detracted from my playing. I use a Boss OC-2 octave which I love, that's pretty much the only pedal I use live aside from my TC tuner, although I've got a EHX English Muff'n lying round that needs some new 12AY7's in it and it's the best overdrive pedal I've ever used it sounds great. I probably will either invest in a Bass Microsynth soon as there's a few bits of synth bass that I need to play, but to be honest I'd sooner play a Moog if I had the money!

[quote]which brings me to my point : the bass player in the band was Winston Blissett (Kylie, Lionel Richie, Robbie Williams, Massive Attack etc) and he was playing a nice custom 5 string....... but through what I'm sure was a Behringer bass combo, and it sounded great.[/quote] Was it his Ken Smith? I saw him with Massive Attack and he was swapping between that and a Stingray 5. The guy is a bit of a monster, when they played this tune live [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6OKZ7NQhq8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6OKZ7NQhq8[/url] it felt like the bass was literally punching me in the stomach... something I consider to be a great thing at a gig like Massive Attack!

This guy is really inspiring me to start playing a bit more jazz like I used to play! Killer player.

That's an incredible amount of guitars to be stolen. Which shop was it from? I would hesitate to say that's got to be a haul over over £1/2 million

[quote name='Sibob' post='1165209' date='Mar 17 2011, 12:22 AM']So not for the Fender haters this.....but i've only just seen the '11 offerings from the Custom Shop Time Machine range: [url="http://www.fendercustomshop.com/index.php/time-machine/view-product/1960_Relic_Jazz_Bass/"]http://www.fendercustomshop.com/index.php/...elic_Jazz_Bass/[/url] Yes I know it's only one model......but what a model!! Si[/quote] I want it, would love a custom shop Jazz in the near future.

[quote name='Jobo Pooks' post='1165452' date='Mar 17 2011, 09:51 AM']It seems that everyone wants to be up front and shredding on a six string and nobody wants to be at the back thumping on what someone here calls, a coffee table. I'm having a great time with my new hobby, but, is bass becoming cooler....what's the word out there amongst the veterans?[/quote] Bass was, is, and always will be cool. Personally I don't think there's anything cool about shredding like Billy Sheehan on an 6 string bass whilst the crowd and your entire band look on in complete disbelief (or disgust depending on how you look at it). Leave that kind of stuff to the guitarist and then watch and laugh wryly when he head bangs too hard and falls off the stage. But if you've got a P-Bass strung with flatwounds and are stood at the back thumping away, then that's cool for so many reasons.

I think if you 'hate' slap bass then ultimately you're not going to be good at it, not because you can't do it but because it stands to reason you probably don't practice it as much as someone who does like to play slap. It's not sour grapes or anything, probably just the reality of it.

[quote]If i wanted to buy some shoes, would he have tried them on first and danced for me?[/quote] It's ridiculous isn't it! Conversely, I walked into a shop a few years ago and asked to try a late 80's Stingray (2 Band EQ, it would have been a steal if I'd bought it for the price and to this day I still kick myself for not buying it, hands down the best Ray I've ever played). Anyway, the shop assistant picked it up and did the same thing you described, and threw me a load of slap/tap licks no doubt in an effort to impress me. Once I finally got to play the bass, he had half an ear on what I was doing and after a while he started to pick different basses off the wall to see if I liked them, including on fretless bass with a brass fretless board which was one of the weirdest basses I've ever played. Well we sat and talked for ages until the store closed, he was really a lovely guy and obviously just very enthusiastic about my playing as well. Those are the kind of people I like, he literally had me play every bass in the store!