wotnwhy

Lovely bass there! Quite different to mine, which came into this world almost 40 years later in 2004

Bought and Eden WT550 head off Andy over the Christmas period. Can happily report another great transaction

[quote name='Clarky' post='1070122' date='Dec 27 2010, 02:01 PM']I do find it interesting how people are happy to apply different principles to music downloading/file-sharing than virtually any other form of goods. I consider it theft, period, whether or not there are niceties about whether it is the receiving or giving of said music files that is strictly illegal in the eyes of the law. There is obviously one exception - if music was specifically made for downloading/sharing by artists that wish to pursue this approach to building a fanbase/whatever, then of course thats fine. But the vast majority of artists are having a portion of their livelihoods stripped from them without their consent, I would guess. Does any of us like earning less, all else equal? Old curmudgeon sits back and waits to be flamed by the more enlightened members of BassChat .....[/quote] If a man takes a loaf of bread to feed his starving family, is that stealing? If a man is sat on a bench and there is a car parked nearby with a cd playing and the man taps his foot along to it, is that stealing? Don't really know what point i'm trying to make here tbh... just that there will always be grey area, nothing is black and white. Where and how big that grey area is i guess is down to your inclusion and interpretation of the factors involved. But then if the person who made the music isn't the one who made it freely available, you are taking something from them they didn't want you to have so...

[quote name='jakesbass' post='1070082' date='Dec 27 2010, 01:11 PM']BTW it mathS Math is American[/quote] Thankyou (seriously), these sort of things really grate my cheddar (their there they're, bought brought, color colour) when others get them wrong. So i'm glad you pointed it out! [quote]I agree with some of your other points, but to be run as a business in which people (artists) make a living requires investment, if you don't like the machinations of those companies do something else, but do realise that those companies are NOT investing in the business much anymore. Illegal downloading is why.[/quote] Hmmm... I think this is where my prejudice overcomes my pity, as those companies not investing as much makes me happier [quote]many thousands of very talented musicians will walk away because it looks like an avenue riven with difficulty.[/quote] Whilst (?*) it's always a shame to loose talented muscicians, the avenue IS riven with difficulty, there is no easy path. I believe record companies only serve to remove and alienate the artist(s) from their audience, building them up as larger than life and something to be looked up to. As an example of the new approach which i'm more in favour of i give you dub/reggae band Dubmatix and Dubstep producer/dj Borgore: I signed up to Dubmatix e-mail newsletter, once a month or so i will get an e-mail full of everything Dubmatix are doing (collaborations, tours etc) and stuff bands they like/work with are doing. Each single they release they offer a free download of at least 1 (and sometimes all) the tracks on it along with links to buy the cd or vinyl. A few months ago they released a free album with Nate Wize. This is a full length album of quality above and beyond many dub albums out in recent years, not something thrown together then put out for free because it was sh!te. Because of this, Dubmatix aren't a dub band i listened to a year ago, then forgotten about. But rather a band i hold in high regard, listen to and talk about regularly, and have several of their vinyl. I first discovered Borgore from downloading a torrent of various dubstep and hearing a couple of his tunes. Wanted to buy some vinyl, but he was new to the scene and didn't have anything out. Looking for tourdates i found his facebook page and joined it, he posts nearly every day about something or other, and actually responds to fans so he's often in my news feed. It took about a year (due to various problems) for his first vinyl release to come out. With any other artist i would have long since stopped checking to see if the vinyl was out. But his interaction with his fans meant he was never out of my thoughts for long and now he has some stuff out, i own it! And the deep level of connection with him and his fans means he can just ask them to think of ideas for merchandise, they tell him, he sells it, they buy it. Both (in my view), much MUCH better ways than signing your creative life over to a company who just see's you as a commodity. (*or while? not sure)

[quote name='jakesbass' post='1070052' date='Dec 27 2010, 12:36 PM']I think the glaring point in your argument that falls down is that you don't seem to have considered the maths. If 1 friend bought and 5 copied that means for roughly every 5-10 kids there was a sale in your example. These days the technology allows for 1 purchase and billions of copies within hours. Don't kid yourself, the industry is being crippled by theft. The equivalent at Tesco would be sell one chicken, have 5 million stolen.[/quote] Intersting math there. I've never seen anything with even close to a billion downloads, or even 5 million. Something hugely popular may have a few hundred thousand, but most things (especially for artists that would feel the pinch (ie, non-commercial)) are rarely into the hundreds. So i feel your math is a little disproportionate. I'm not saying downloadings ok, thats a discussion that never ends well. But i believe it's being blown out of proportion by an industry that is frightened of the imminent change. For years so-called 'fat cats' have been making a sickening amount of money from music, some of the 'artists' do quite well too, but i believe the true popular musicians rarely get a look in at the money. Now that music can be obtained this easily for free people could never go back (the curse of 'progress'), so the way in which people make money from music will have to change and you're seeing it already. Artists give their tunes away for free, build a fan base then make money off that fanbase with tours, merchandise and hard copies of music. I think this is the way to go, music SHOULD be free, if you fans like you, you will get money out of them somehow.

I started with a Yamaha RBX 260 through a Trace Elliot Commando 15 amp Now i play a custom Shuker 5 through an Eden Metro and 2x15 cab Been settled on the bass for about 6 years now, think i may have finally settled on a rig too once the WT550 comes to replace the Metro.

'Warrick'.... lolz

Well, looks like my Metro is going and i'm getting a new head But it's ok because the head is an Eden WT550! So i will now be able to use the 2x15 on it's own, which i've been itching to do since i got it! Off topic here, but Rob, you can see here how much i like the Eden setup! how are you getting on with the SWR rig?

First saw Nitin Sawnhey play at WOMAD in 2003. Blew me away, the point you make about being able to do beautiful and badass together is spot on! The Fabric Live album is the only album i have of him, but all it takes is 2 seconds of the intro and i'm taken back to a magical time in my life. Making it one of my favorite albums

Although i actually have 4 basses, 2 of them are in bits and have been for a number of years (my first 2 gigging basses, both Yamaha RBX range) and the 3rd is a home-made short-scale fretless-acoustic for noodling on the sofa. So i count myself as being a 1 bass man. And my 1 bass is a custom Shuker, built in 2004. It is my own design that i started working on when i first picked up bass (1998), commisioned the work with Jon the week i got my first full time job, we had been talking about and planning the bass for over a year previous to this! I wanted quite extensive electronics (as this was planned to be my only bass i wanted versatility), so Jon started a project with some Sheffield uni students and an amp tech (name escapes me, made amps for Van Halen?), and the resulting circuit was the protoype for his current 3-band eq. In the 6 years i've had this bass i've played all styles from jazz to trash metal, folk to funk, in all maner of places through all maner of different rigs (both my own and others). And i have never had any trouble getting a sound that works in the context of the gig. These days i only GAS for basses based purely on looks. There is no sound that i think me and my bass can't equal. And having it all in one instrument makes your connection to it even stronger, especially once a few years have passed. And in turn i think that has a direct effect on your playing experience and inspiration.

[quote]I agree with this, up to a point... While I'm definitely in favour of not using too much effort when playing, I find that there has to be a certain level of attack in order to produce what I'd term a 'solid' tone[/quote] Interesting point, that i've only recently come across since joining a metal band. Before i would have said that it is possible to equal the attack you can achieve from an anchored thumb with floating, and i still think so, but what i've learned is that to do so puts much more strain on your hand. When rehearsing with the band (quietly with an electric kit) i didn't need to play with force, and had no trouble with the pace. But live i needed that 'attack' you speak of, and my hand would show signs of seizing much sooner than in practice. Unfortunatly for me i found the stretch of anchored when playing the top strings just as debilitating. So pick it it! [quote]But, serious question: How easy is it to rock the f*** out with your picking arm suspended in mid-air like that[/quote] (In certain gigs) I leap around like a loon, swinging the neck around like i'm trying to swat a wasp, never had any trouble with losing right hand position when doing so, but i've been doing them as long as each other (floating thumb and stupid dancing) so i can't say how easy it would be for a newbie to the float And it has to be said, the advantages i've talked about in previous posts don't apply when leaping about. But then at that sort of gig no one's thinking about nuance, they're too busy 'rocking the f*** out'

[quote name='solo4652' post='1045060' date='Dec 2 2010, 01:40 PM']However, it has been suggested to me that my plucking has become softer having adopted floating thumb, and this in turn means I have to turn up gain and volume controls, and this in turn emphasises any bum notes I play. Anybody else experienced this with floating thumb? Steve[/quote] Yes, but i see it as a positive thing as the nuance's in your playing a much more pronounced, greater dynamic control etc. And anyway, it doesn't matter how hard you hit the strings, you'll never be heard un-amplified. So why work harder?

are the eminence gamma 15's one of the recommended drivers? If so, may need to purchase the plans as well

ok... it's worked... they've made me want an ashdown...

[quote name='Skol303' post='1044105' date='Dec 1 2010, 05:54 PM']to make dub, drum'n'bass, dubstep - generally anything with a sizeable bottom end (ooh matron!).[/quote] Ahh a man after my own heart! Welcome to the forum But be prepared to say goodbye to any money you had in your bank account, as your room starts to fill with more and more toys

Not now you've shown me. *goes and bids £250.12p* (ha ha! i wish...)

Being "Eden Fans" we're obviously going to say the sound is good.. The aforementioned 'clean' and 'warm' sounds are accurate imo, though with the amazing eq sections on these amps you can dial in a number of aggressive mid tones, and of course, don't confuse 'warm' with 'wooly', as they are anything but! The speakers are heavy, but the sound is really top drawer, clean punchy, articulate and deep. I use my Metro combo (and to a lesser extent, the 2x15 cab) for funk, reggae, jazz(esque), rock and even thrash metal. Yes, it misses the gritty drive for the latters, but then it's nothing a pedal can't do.

I am aware of the option of a loop pedal and how it would work, but no need to apologize! Always assume ignorance then nothing is left out! I went through an FX phase several years ago (at the time when i bought a Deep Impact for £75 new), and as much as i loved all the effects i had i eventually got rid of every one of them (including selling the Deep Impact for £75..) as i just became annoyed with all the hassle they brought along with them. I think if i went down the FX loop road my autistic tendencies would force me to keep things neat and tidy with a pedalboard. And if i had a pedalboard it would have to have a lid. So immediately things have become much more complicated and expensive (going from 1 pedal, 1 more lead and a plug to 2 pedals, 2 powers, patch leads, pedal board). The reason i have got this far without a pedal is because i wanted to avoid excactly that (the pedalboard road), so this is why '1 pedal that does it all' is important. "It's a simpler solution than carrying around two amps" Too true, i would take the fx loop pedal over the 2 rig option every time. ....except for the time i have a bass tech and road crew

The blend thing is only really to keep things simple, not essential as you say but a factor nonetheless. I think the source audio is the one as some of the other features/sounds would be useful to. But the price (although cheap for what it does) is making my wallet wince..