Wylie

4 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

Listening to the radio the other day, they played a track in connection with the forthcoming bio-pic about Elton John. It was of course “Rocket Man” which I haven’t listened to in decades. I was knocked out by the excellent bass line which is a real feature of the song and it started me thinking ( always dangerous) about other songs that have long since passed from memory which have really good bass lines. Any suggestions?

"Oliver's Army" with Bruce Thomas on bass. Amazingly strong and melodic bass lines.

1 hour ago, ambient said:

Remember it doesn’t necessarily have to be a full band that rehearses. You could get together with just the drums and guitar, maybe the vocalist?

I think this is a good solution, among others. For my trio, the most important thing for what we play--mainly jazz standards--is practicing often enough that we really get the tunes down, not for the sake of perfection, but to get to the point where we can LISTEN to one another. That's when the music really happens.

On 03/05/2019 at 04:51, Muzz said:

So I traded a bass for a Jack Casady, because I've had a semi-acoustic itch I've been wanting to scratch for a while (steadyyyy...), and I'd imagined it'd become a pleasant-looking but kinda oddity bass in the collection. I put some new D'Addario nickel rounds on it, plugged it in and had a play. The 50 and 250 settings on the VariGain switch were a bit Meh, but I tried the 500 setting and Blimey Charlie what a sound! I'm predominantly a pick player, and it's got a terrific bark to it that I really like.

What is this mystic voodoo? All my other basses have very versatile active 6-pot EQs, and this just nails a great sound with one switch. I'm gigging it at the weekend to see if that sound's all in my headphones, but hopefully not.

Does anyone know what that pickup is? I'm presuming a single coil of some sort...I'd like to know more about the fixed VariGain/EQ point, too; anyone know what that's actually doing? I'm going to be going back to my other basses now with a view to seeing if I can get that sound from them.

A reviewer on Sweetwater commented on the VariTone impedance switch. I can't personally comment because I've never played one, but here's what the man said:

Lots of misinformation everywhere about this switch and what it does. The impedance switch on the Casady is NOT a VariTone circuit.  

A real VariTone has selective frequency cuts and shifts your tone tremendously. The Casady impedance switch has NO change to your tone while it allows you to pick three radically different volume levels for the same tone with no loss of highs or detail or tone.

Compare that with regular volume controls which typically kill your tone when you turn down. This switch does NOT kill tone. You can set the low volume (50) to match your stage amp for a clean tone and then use the two louder settings for more punch for solos.

Or you can set the loudest setting as your "normal sound" and dial it back WITH NO LOSS OF TONE by using the lower switch positions. Your choice.

This bass, in other words, has a tremendous dynamic range!

Set it up with favorite strings and get your best bass sound---then use that tone at ALL different volume levels. Louder for solos and less for background backup.

The bass by itself has a distinctive classy tone and this switch allows you to do the most possible with dynamic attack!!! Just like Jack.

And the fact that all this control is at your fingertips means you can get sounds normally only possible in the studio---but LIVE through your amp on stage!

I hope this helps. W.

On 04/11/2007 at 14:19, bassninja said:

So how did it go? Ours was a 21st party with people dressed as cowboys penguins and pirates. A bit random...

Pretty badly. Coffee shop: espresso machine screaming, front door open to intense traffic noise (and now that spring is here, many incredibly loud Harleys) and my own lack of concentration. It is hard to play with so many distractions. I know it can be done, but I'm not there yet!  W.

On 29/03/2019 at 14:02, Thunderpaws said:

Action is a tad high so I’ll tighten the truss rod a quarter turn when I put new strings on it later. Truss rod adjustment is hidden with the neck on. 

I have a Japan Geddy too. At first I took off the pick guard to get at the truss rod, then discovered I could make the adjustment, pick guard on, using a smaller sized bent Phillips. Regarding another note below, I also find the neck is temperature sensitive; I have to adjust it two or three times a year, but I still keep our music room humidified all winter. Love this bass.

Thanks to one and all for your thoughts and suggestions. Wylie.

15 minutes ago, Cato said:

If it's happening  (and I'm not ruling it out) it's happening very slowly.

Top tip, Jazz basses need to be propped up in a corner. If you just leave them against a wall they will fall over eventually, possibly many hours after you last touched them.

Don't ask me how many times I heard the ominous thud from upstairs before I worked this out.

Yeah--that asymmetrical body. Thanks!

1 minute ago, Cato said:

All 4 of mine are permanently  propped against the wall in the music room (spare bedroom).

It doesn't seem to hurt them.  

My main worry was that its standing not quite upright was having a negative effect on the neck--nudging it out of whack a bit. Thanks, Cato and Delber.

I practice a good deal and I never put the bass back in its case. Is there anything wrong with this? The room is humidified sufficiently, there are no children or other pets running around, and it sits out of traffic. Still, I wonder--after once again adjusting the truss rod a bit--whether I need to think again. Opinions welcomed. Thanks.

On 01/08/2012 at 17:56, icastle said:

If you set yourself too big a goal and don't meet it, you'll be back at square one.

Set yourself lots of little goals, the culmination being ready to record these tracks in September.

One thing I can tell you for certain, if you do nothing you'll look back at this time one day and kick yourself.

+1 About practice, the point is to do it whether you want to practice or not. Having to 'want to' practice may just make you feel worse. 

Practice in a focused way for 20 minutes, no noodling, then take ten minutes off; then come back and go another twenty. Then put the bass away, and importantly, put it out of your mind till the next practice. This kind of focus should ensure that depression doesn't run things--you do. 

Good going! Those are $950 here. Heavy bugger, though, innit?

Twenty minutes practicing, then ten off. At about twenty minutes, frustration starts to set in, so the break is good. Also, I need to have something specific to work on, no noodling around. If I see even a note's worth of improvement after twenty minutes, that's success.

31 minutes ago, PJ-Bassist said:

I do not need that kind of temptation, damn you guitarguitar

Me neither! Interesting--about a month ago a handful of Laklands appeared on Sweetwater, similar model, priced about the same, and seemed to have sold within a day or two. I couldn't afford one, but the temptation was Painful.

Snarky Puppy.

14 minutes ago, ikay said:

I love my Hofner HCT Club bass. No complaints at all, it's very well put together and sounds great. The staple pickups are amazingly punchy and with Pyramid flats it has 'that' hofner sound. I use it in a little jazz trio and it has just the right tone and vibe for what I need. It won't necessarily work for every band situation though so depends what sort of thing you're after.

I also liked my Contemporary Club bass, though ultimately I passed it on. The action was super high when I got it and needed a good deal of work to bring it down (far too high for a simple truss rod adjustment). It's a singular bass with a very definite feel and sound, and the floating bridge won't take a lot of rough playing without moving a bit. But for jazz, as ikay said, or similar musical genre, it can be great.

30 minutes ago, White Cloud said:

Me too. For some reason they get a really negative rep but I've used them for decades (amongst other things) and they remain my favourites 

I use Rotosound flats and love 'em. The Monel Flatwounds are expensive, but a set lasts me a year.

Fleetwood Mac. Their later work, with Buckingham & Nicks, was sad compared to the early work.

My best, albeit small, purchase was the Electro-Harmonix headphone amp. I often practice in the a.m. when my wife is still sleeping. This amp does nothing but reproduce the sound of your bass. No hiss, no noise, no bells or whistles. Housed in a metal casing. Instrument cord in one end, headphones in the other. Operates for mucho hours on a 9-volt battery. About $45 on this side of the pond. Made in Brooklyn. 

The guitar I just bought myself: Les Paul Custom Pro. Unbeatable price. Ho ho ho!

On August 6, 2018 at 09:30, MiltyG565 said:

I've been thinking quite a bit about retail recently, and as some of you may know I used to work in a small music shop a few years ago. I think that music shops really add something different to the standard town-centre offering of hairdressers, coffee shops, bars, and restaurants, but for them to be sustainable businesses, they rely on our custom, so I'm curious to know - What do you like about your local music shop? Why do you shop there? Would you say you're a loyal customer? What don't you like about it?

Not much, sorry to say. The owner often has loud radio going (Rush Limbaugh) and his large dog greets you with barking and then wants to nuzzle your privates. If you want to try a guitar, okay--but you can't use a pick. It's discouraging, almost as if he doesn't want to be bothered with business.

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

The bridge is a Hipshot Supertone. https://hipshotproducts.com/products/supertone-gibson-bass-replacement-bridge?variant=33244555720

Its direct replacement, no adjustments needed to the bass other than the action etc needing setting up. Nothing wrong with the stock bridge, but i like black hardware and this bridge also allows individual string height adjustment.

The bass has been out for over 20 years so plenty of reviews about. Im not much good at writing them im afraid. Ed Friedland amongst others have reviewed this and do a much better job than i could.

What i will say is its a pretty unique tone, but seems to fit in with most styles. The selector switch really does make a difference, and ive found using the second and third settings give me a nice slightly compressed 70's rock tone, all without any fx. In fact this type of tone control has shown me i should have it in my P bass as well, so thats on the cards next month.

Like Josie i found the neck to be surprisingly playable. I dont like fat wide necks but the JCB isnt wide at the nut, and just feels very comfortable in the hand. Not a fast neck, but i like that it makes me play with more attention and accuracy.

I got mine after watching the Stone Roses documentary a few times and decided i wanted to try that tone out. until two days before getting it (Very good deal from Andertons on this) it was a bass i had no interest at all in. i got this one over the black as it came with a gig bag, and it was actually cheaper at the time.

 

There is something about it that i just cant gel with, but that might just be because i love, or amy more used to my P bass. its certainly a keeper though and im hoping i find more use for it.

 

Much appreciated--thanks Dave.

4 minutes ago, Wylie said:

Who makes the replacement bridge? 

Also, I'd love to read a review of this bass. Thanks!

W.

4 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

im lucky, as mine is a 20th Aniv model, so i know when it was made. it also has a large sticker inside stating it. Still, i might check that website to see if it confirms this.

I love the bass, but its the most uncomfortable bass ive ever played. Not the actual playing of it on the neck, just sitting down or standing with it. i get neck or shoulder ache. I love the neck, although i cant quite get the action i want. I think ill get a fret dressing in the new year. I guess im just not used to non Fender shaped basses.

The bridge popped off 30mins in to owning it, but a bit of superglue has worked well and ive not had it come off again. I ordered a new bridge in a state of panic, but i was happy with the old bridge. The new one is more comfortable though, as i play mostly with a pick so tend ot rest my hand on the bridge.

I got a nice wide strap, so neck dive isnt a problem, but i do find the edge of the body cuts in to my right forearm after a while. .

Overall for me, a flawed bass but the first bass ive owned that im prepared to live with them, as i love the tone so much.

Who makes the replacement bridge? 

4 hours ago, mikel said:

I dont have much time for Cliff's music, he was a late 50s/60s artist to me, but to suggest someone should stop doing something they love seems strange. If what he was doing was important to well being in any way (Yes I know ) then yes, give it up, but its just music and if he and the audience enjoy it then why not?  Its his job after all. My old man loved his work as a carpenter and did his job till he was 76, not cos he was desperate for the money but because he loved it.

I agree. I think it was Mick Jagger who replied, when asked when the Stones would 'act their age' and retire, 'Has anyone asked Muddy Waters that?'

On October 12, 2016 at 21:05, timmo said:

Has anyone tried Ultimate stands.?

Yes. I had one. I kept my bass permanantely in it. I went into the room to fing my bass on the floor. The yoke had snapped clean off for no apparent reason. I may just have had a dodgy one though.

I use On Stage stands, never had a problem. Solidly made, not expensive.