Wylie

The band seems moribund, so I practice. Jazz blues, ii-V-I pattern, scales & modes. Have become an expert self-taught bass tech: I can remove the eleven pick guard screws, adjust the truss rod, re-tune, and replace the pick guard in about eight minutes. Yessiree, it sure is fun and not at all completely boring.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1383773280' post='2269043'] It's not just versatility, it's enormous versatility. At least thats what she said. [/quote] That's right. And next year's model will boast versatile enormity. That's the one I want, as long as I can play it sitting down.

[quote name='Rasta' timestamp='1383212664' post='2261510'] After doing my research this amp seemed a great buy for the money. Lots of tonal and configuration options which is what I could do with right now. 2u, 1500w (headroom galore...much needed for my dub band), tube, and best of all around 12lbs in weight. Never tried Carvin before apart from my 2x10 cab, so bit of a gamble. Hope it sounds good, the guys at Bassgear seem to think so. Will update upon arrival. [/quote] Rasta, I have a Carvin 250, the lowest-wattage amp in this series, and I love it. Mine drives a Schroeder 2x10 and could easily drive another one. Love everything about this amp, and the price was great too. Great parametric feature; the face looks overloaded with dials but everything has a function that actually does what it says it will do. You've got a good one. W.

Jack Casady bass--gold. Wouldn't make me a better player, but would make me a better person.

I'd pay $49,000 but $50,000 is just way too much.

[quote name='AM1' timestamp='1382296793' post='2250361'] Howdy Tough question, but if money was no object and you could literally have any bass on the planet, what would you choose and why? [/quote] Jack Casady hollowbody Epiphone. Reports are about 98 percent positive; most are gushing. I play a Fender jazz; I think the change would be fun. W.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1382397507' post='2251790'] Though presumably not for him. I really can't understand why people get so worked up about this sort of thing. Why care about other people's musical tastes, whatever their reasons for them, never mind finding them "repulsive" for goodness sake! [/quote] Right you are: not for him. Maybe it's my own short-sightedness that's repulsive. But I am still bored by one hundred and nineteen verses of 'Shady Grove' ... :-)

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1382436635' post='2252047'] Not too surprised at that. Probably just wanted to play "I don't want a lover" or "Say what you want" ;-) [/quote] How 'bout sixteen verses of 'Shady Grove'?

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1382294700' post='2250297'] Mention 'jazz' to people and, aside from a few who like it, the reactions seem to be very negative, some even hostile. People don't react like this to 'classical' music do they? So why is jazz the recipient of so much unfair stereotyping and derision? Or is it? Mention 'metal' or 'hip hop' to a lot of people and they might react similarly. [/quote] Played a bit with a friend from Texas last night. (Texas: Not a big jazz state, as you may have gathered already.) I mentioned Miles Davis, and he smirked. 'Oh, yeah,' he said. '[i]That'd[/i] be fun to play.' It was as if I'd suggested something truly ridiculous. In the meantime, what does he like? Well, name your country singer, your 'oldy-timey' quartet, or any old Chuck Berry musical monologue: that's what he's interested in. It is not the music he abhors, it's that, to him, jazz is intellectual, and therefore to be avoided at all costs. If it ain't 1-4-5, it ain't [i]real [/i]music. I find this attitude repulsive. I think that what my friend wants to play, and wants to hear, is the same old, same old, same old thing, over and over and over again. What a f***ing [i]bore.[/i] W.

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1381762097' post='2243284'] I have I placed an order last Monday and immediately got an email back stating: [/size] [size=1][size=4]Anyone any experience with Musician's Friend and will i ever get my order?[/size] [/quote] Their service has been OK for me (I'm in the US) so I can't comment too reliably on your experience. But I will say that their service, and Sweetwater's (another big music retailer), is just fine ... until the wheels come off. Then, good luck getting a straight answer from any retailer here. To illustrate, I ordered something that was to be delivered by United Parcel Service, which in some cases turns its deliveries over to the US Postal Service. There was some sort of snafu, and the upshot was that I received no fewer than five totally confusing 'service update' emails from UPS, and my queries were met with further obfuscation. I still don't know the fate of the package. As Scrooge remarked, 'I'll retire to Bedlam.' W.

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1378158577' post='2196541'] I'm in awe of Mr Fender, not only did he design one master piece but arguable he designed over a dozen. So how does a radio repair man, who doesn't even play, become the architect of modern music? For one, not only was he a great designer and visionary, he actually listened to players and what they wanted. So, in the bass and guitar world, who does it for you? Or what do you think of Leo? [/quote] What you said is most important: Leo Fender had a listener's, not a player's, relationship to music. He said he wanted to design a guitar that would depend on the pickup, not on the body or box of the guitar. He was, in a real sense, disinterested--a great vantage point for any designer, but an odd one. In a late interview, he said that a lot of people laughed at the Stratocaster when it came out. "I guess they're not laughing now," he added. W.

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1377720202' post='2190928'] Well, I admire Geddy Lee enormously.....but am personally really really bored with the current Fender (and Fender copy) obsession sweeping the bass world. Looks like a nice jazz - probably comes with a big price tag though! [/quote] I have a Geddy Lee, CIJ, which I was thinking of putting outdoors for a few weeks ... maybe I'll put it in the driveway so it can get run over ... I do not understand the obsession with made-new-to-look-old. I'm not just grouchy; I actually do not see the point of relic-ing. W.

So many people have said the same thing. Makes me want to get one, too. Thanks for the post.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1376484032' post='2174572'] Hello Jon. I would recommend getting a good tutor, it will save you so much time and effort. Learning off the web is ok, but it's haphazard. Have a look here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/forum/26-tutors-available/"]http://basschat.co.uk/forum/26-tutors-available/[/url] Best of luck mate. [/quote] Yes, get a teacher. You will bore yourself silly and waste lots of time trying to learn online. W.

Definitely an Almost Blue (Elvis Costello). Nice bass, what a great gift.

Okay, watch this space: [ ]

How about a fretless 9-string J/P hollowbody with a headstock featuring real (vintage) headlights? Enough already.

[quote name='Big Bass Man' timestamp='1375045215' post='2156180'] Hi everyone - wanted to share with you all my AMAZING new bass - I got this Lakland 55-02 yesterday from fellow Basschat member and all round good guy andydye. Not gigged yet but just had a quick play and it's sounds and feels absolutely brilliant - it's a weird feeling, it just seems to "fit" me :-) Looking forward to my first gig with it soon! [/quote] Great looking bass, congrats! W.

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1372778347' post='2129850'] Nice looking amp but we don't see many Carvin amps over here especially in Scotland. Difficult to judge an amp when you've never really seen one in the flesh. Not sure how they would support the amp over here if you experienced a fault ? Shame cause their gear does look pretty smart. Dave [/quote] It's too bad; I wondered if there was much availability for these in the UK. Your reply and Molan's make it clear that the added fees and taxes make it all but impossible to experience these great products. W

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1374400660' post='2148286'] I would go for the 210 purely because I know I prefer the sound of multiple speakers than singles ... I think it'd be wrong to assume you'd get a rounder smoother sound out of a single 12 compared to a 2x10 cab. If you need volume and spread right now, then you'd be better off with a 2x10/2x12. Truckstop [/quote] I'd second this. My 2x10 is a Schroeder, my previous was a Schroeder 1x12. I loved the 12, but the difference in sound with the 2x10 is tremendous; the 2x10 is fuller, deeper. Is it the increased area of speaker? Don't know, but there is a great difference, not really in volume or in punch but in quality. W.

You might consider Will Lee, who has a new album out featuring songs he wrote. He is a fab bassist. I think Peter Cetera might have been a writer, but I didn't keep up with Chicago much after they went bland as cheese sauce.

I love mine ... with 'custom made' black pickguard. ('Custom' costs a lot, don't it?)

From the blurb: "... a special five-position rotary pickup selector switch that delivers enormous tonal versatility from the three-coil pickup (front coil alone, front and middle coil together, all three coils together, middle and rear coils together, rear coil alone) ..." Is this what's called 'jumping the shark' or, in less elegant terms, overkill? How can a single, mid-position pickup deliver 'enormous tonal diversity'? Can this possibly be an improvement over an off-the-rack jazz bass? W.

[quote name='ML94' timestamp='1371883796' post='2119051'] I've been using the [b]Vox Amplug thing[/b]. A gain, volume and tone control on the device and it plugs straight into the jack of your bass. It's also got an aux to play along or to work stuff out, which is why I use it mostly. I'd also say that it sounds even better than my amp! (Then again I haven't got the best 1 in the world) [/quote] These work just fine, and they're cheap. W.

[quote name='stephengsr' timestamp='1369869149' post='2093879'] Cool thanks for the info. I've checked all of those out but they're kinda scary prices. I had no idea it would cost so much to lose some weight (so to speak). What's the Ampeg Portaflex series like? Or the B series? Their 4x10's are a lot more affordable and seem relatively compact. Will I still get a similar sound to the classic series? [/quote] Schroeder is great. You do pay more, but it's worth it. Check out Schroeder's site for his new PL (Punchline) series and check out his prices on 'display' cabs under 'STORE'; these are new, and will save you bucks if you buy. W.