Wylie

With the P-bass, it was all fat. Now, with the J, it's still fat, but with the bridge pickup rolled on enough to give it definition and edge. The more I fiddle with it, the less defined it becomes, and after a while I realize I am spending valuable practice time trying to find a tone ... basically, I don't want to stand out in the trio (violin, piano, bass) but don't want to disappear either.

[quote name='Cygnus x-1' post='1029997' date='Nov 19 2010, 06:25 PM']Hope somebody can advise, a friend of mine has bought a Squier presision, not sure if its a VM or CV, second hand and the tuners are damaged (I think it had fallen over as one is missing) and the 3 are not working particually well. He asked me if he should replace them with a set from ebay that are about £16 or go for an upgrade i.e. slightly better set. Now I have a fretless VMJ and to me the stock tuners work fine,..... so would the ebay set be ok for his precision or would an upgrade be better, if the latter what should he be looking at? I don't think he'll want to spend a fortune as the bass cost him £140. thanks Nick.[/quote] The set might be fine, but tuners come in different shapes, and the shape of the base of his particular tuners will need to be matched to the replacement set. You can probably find a match on the internet just by typing in all the relevent information; then check the design and get a match.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1025501' date='Nov 16 2010, 03:34 AM']Playing with somebody else will really raise your game too. I think I had one or two books rather than load myself up and confuse things. If you get one with backing tracks just go from there.[/quote] A teacher is the best way, in my opinion. Books can be good, but you can't ask a book questions, and I had (and still have) lots of questions. A teacher can clear up things quickly that would otherwise keep you stuck. No question, playing with others, when you are ready, is very important. But no point in getting inundated at the outset. I had an Eric Clapton/BB King CD, 'Riding With the King,' that features lots of straight-ahead blues. Playing along with the slow ones, at first, helped a lot.

The Schroeder 12+ mini is a 20-lb. cab with neodymium speaker and titanium super tweeter, with tweeter dial. This solidly built lightweight speaker is fantastic. I play a Squier 77 jazz through a Hartke 2500 amp and the Schroeder handles anything from heavy bottom to solid mids and beyond. Our trio is violin, bass, and piano, all amped; no drums, so volume is not a prime concern, though I would add that in outdoor venues or medium-sized rooms, I play fairly loud. A player at a recent gig commented that the sound of the bass 'didn't seem to come out of the speaker; it just [i]is[/i].' The fidelity is second to none. Build quality is top-notch, with steel-mesh screen. Heavy-duty (but light) sunken handle on side. 1/4-inch and Speakon. I ordered mine from Jorg Schroeder and would recommend anyone else doing the same, particularly if you're in the US. Ted

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1022879' date='Nov 13 2010, 03:43 PM']One of the first albums I ever heard was With the Beatles. As a small boy I picked up on the harmonies. It was only later on getting older that I picked up on those great basslines like on All My Loving for example. I own all the Beatles albums but don't play them very much. I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan but I always admired them. The McCartney detractors don't seem to have sabotaged this thread in the way that most of you were worried about. When I first playing I got a book on McCartney and learnt Hey Bulldog and Daytripper etc. It's all good[/quote] Incredible tunes on With the Beatles (Meet the Beatles in US)! We'd had about five years of Bobby Vee, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Vinton--a damn lot of Bobbys!--when the Beatles appeared and up-ended the whole thing. Incredible year, 1964!

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1011908' date='Nov 4 2010, 07:13 AM']Personally I prefer amp head & cab, tho there are plenty of powerful combos out there. Its just that for £500 you could get an amp head plus a 4x10 cab, and realistically, this is likely to be all you will need, wherever you play. The sound through a 4x10 will more than likely sound "bigger" than through an equivalent costing combo at the same volume. Of course, the downside to the head & cab is weight/portability For playing live, I`d personally be looking at 300 watts minimum, either option.[/quote] +1, and you can spend a little more and get lightweight components.

[quote name='risingson' post='1021463' date='Nov 12 2010, 09:20 AM']Err I'm not sure you could ever say that Brian Wilson or Lennon/McCartney 'didn't give a sh*t' about their audience, the people that take that attitude to music are usually the people you never hear about ever again. It can be said that Lennon outwardly appeared this way but really he was just very clued up on how to be controversial. Don't don't be deceived though, he definitely wasn't stupid. At the same time, George Martin knew how to haul in the reins if he had to. Their attitude to writing and producing music was revolutionary but the song writing credentials were always there, they did care about what people thought.[/quote] I didn't make myself very clear, sorry; what I could have said better was that it was my impression that both groups (or in the case of the Beach Boys, Wilson) were tired of what they had been doing and were ready to do something new without worrying first and foremost about acceptance. tg

"Absolutely. To be honest that makes it all the more impressive, the album itself just stands up as one of the most seminal and historically significant music of all time in basically every respect: songwriting, arrangement, engineering and production. It's very easy to say you don't like the Beatles, and of course everyone is entitled to an opinion, but there is no denying the cultural and historical significance of something like Sgt. Peppers because it's just so, so good." Both Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper kicked off a new kind of awareness or appreciation of pop music while at the same time costing both groups many fans. Lots of people dropped the Beach Boys as faves once the surfing was over. It isn't just the quality of the music, or the skill, or what have you, that makes those albums great, it's the fact that, when they were made, the writers basically didn't give a sh*t what the public thought or wanted.

There's great lines in the earlier stuff too, for example, 'Rain,' 'Tell Me Why,' and 'Boys' have very nice lines. Trouble with the really early stuff is that you can barely hear the bass.

Harmony Central, once the easiest of sites to use, logical, and friendly, made 'improvements' to its site. The result? An impossible-to-read mess. This is called 'progress.'

Yes, I knew the bass was tuned in fourths, but hadn't quite seen how that was valuable. Thanks to all for these replies, this helps quite a lot. Ted Now after some concerted practice with ii-V-I and iii-vi-ii-V-I movements, and with the aid of my teacher, I can see a lot more easily what everyone means. But God, is practicing dull work. tg

I understand that the circle of fifths shows you at a glance where the fifth of any key lies, and also shows, going the other way, where the fourth lies. This is nice ... but is that it? I can manage that in my head. But as the circle of fifths is frequently referred to as a key the understanding of which will unlock musical mysteries, I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what those are (or direct me to them). In other words, besides being able to spot the 5th and 4th, what practical use can I get out of some deeper understanding of this circle? Thanks. Ted

Change strings once a year, wipe it off occasionally, never put it away. Little screws on the Squier tuning pegs tend to work their way outward. Tune weekly.

I don't hate any of them, but if we played 'Brown-Eyed Girl,' that would be the one I'd hate.

'Coming Home' a Hal Ashby film of 1977 featuring mostly music of the late 60s.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='998135' date='Oct 23 2010, 10:15 AM']Hard to go wrong with Daddarios, except spelling and saying it. Good strings and cheap.[/quote] Plus one. Also GHS Precision Flatwounds. Not expensive, great mellow sound.

I used to act onstage quite a bit, and regardless of the confidence I felt--knowing the part, feeling good about it--my nervousness and 'third eye'--watching them watch me--were strong. But as a previous poster said, when you stop caring about who's watching, what they're thinking, whether they also play bass (ha) and are evaluating you, you'll start to relax. On a slightly different note, at a recent gig in a small theater, we were behind klieg lights and couldn't see the audience at all, though they were quite close. Felt great. Connected but anonymous.

I'm liking this bass more and more as it 'settles in.' I know some will think it strange, but I put flatwounds on it and they sound great: nice and mellow, but with the jazz edge. I still may swap out pickups, but I'm in no hurry. I'd be interested to hear what others think of this bass, and whether others have upgraded and how they liked that. Ted

Amazing bass collection! Reminds me of the line from 'The Wall' when the chick (Toni Tennille) says 'Are all these your guitars??' Quite a lineup. I have always (in two years of playing) felt only one bass was necessary, but lately I'm not so sure .. Thanks.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='993793' date='Oct 19 2010, 12:23 PM']+1. I had Wizards in my CV Jazz and they realyl made a nice difference. As the OP is in the USA it might work out cheaper for him to buy one of the bigger brands over there.[/quote] I did get in touch with Wizard's US distributor, Jade Guitars, in Herndon, Virginia, after emailing Andy. The Wizard Jazz 84s can be had over here for only about $10 over the price of top-line Duncans and Bartolinis, so I may go with the Wizards. tg

[quote name='4StringFortress' post='988784' date='Oct 15 2010, 02:02 AM']I have been looking for some flats for my bass for a while now, I love Elite Players and Stadium strings and I use them exclusively but i wana know what the Elite Flatwound strings are like before I buy a set. Also could someone tell me what Ground wound string are? coz I have no idea what makes them different. Thanks.[/quote] I have put GHS flats on two of my basses, and I love them. They do not bring more tension to the bass, and they are cheaper than some brands of flats. I find they have a nice fat sound, but not dull or 'thumpy' as some have reported. I don't believe ground-wounds are ground flat, but only flattened somewhat. The thing to be aware of is that the core string in a ground-wound (or half-round as they're also called) is of larger diameter than a a roundwound or flatwound string; you'd want to know how much extra tension you might have to deal with before buying them. 'GHS Precision Flatwound Stainless Steel.' tg

I need a pair of pickups for my Squier jazz. All are quite similar in price over here--around $110 per pair--but what a range of choices (at least among brands, if not sounds). May try the Duncan Basslines Hot Jazz pickups, also looking at their Vintage Bass pickups. I want to keep a pretty deep neck tone but I also want to be able to dial up some growl/definition from the bridge pickup; the current stock pair are just barely making the grade. Currently playing mostly jazz with a trio (no drums), and definition and clarity are a must. I'd appreciate any recommendations! Thanks, Ted

Made in Japan jazz or American 62 jazz ..

I went from a 55-style CIJ P-bass to a Squier 77 jazz (the new black one) and I find the neck almost too narrow at the nut. But I would disagree with the claim that you get a P-bass-like sound using only the neck pickup. It is mellow, but fairly weak, and needs the bridge pickup rolled on 3/4 of the way to give the sound a little kick--and it does kick. But the 'Duncan Designed' pickups are quite limited in what they can put out, and I am about to put a pair of Duncan Basslines Hot Jazz pickups in. No other complaints on the bass, though, and I've never played the Classic Vibe jazz.

Some more photos of the Squier VM 77 jazz bass: The body is done very nicely in black and chrome, neck and body alignment are great looking (no neck troubles, at any rate!). Bridge is now a Gotoh 201 C. Ted