thodrik

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='547145' date='Jul 21 2009, 11:08 PM']Don't get too excited... I think they're hybrid. It's early days but they're screaming 'all style, no substance!' at me...[/quote] Now that I'm looking at the right amps, I'd pretty much endorse this view! They will probably be okay, but I'm just a bit sick of the 'new but looks really vintage' vibe.

I own a 32'' scale Gibson EB3. In so many ways it is an awful, awful instrument. It is really heavy. In addition to being really heavy, it is also neck heavy, which leads to the headstock diving to the floor if you let go of the neck during a gig. It has the set-neck thing, which for me is always a bit of an issue. The pickup/tone options of 3 and 4 should be called 'mud' and 'absolute mud'. Also the back pickup is so quiet that you can't really use it with any of the other options without completely changing the EQ and volume on your amp. The bridge is so badly designed. There is no distance between where the string ball is supposed to grip and the string saddle where the string is supposed to sit. This leads to the thread of the string running over the saddle, causing all manner of intonation problems! You can get round this a bit by using strings without Rotosound type felt thread (Like EB, D'addario etc) but the intonation is still an issue past the 12th fret. That said I still love the bloody thing, and it sounds pretty much unique. Also, I have pretty small hands and thus love the way I can get around the frets without the extra stretching required on a P-bass. Also, I tried someone's Musicmaster and thought it was pretty damn cool! Probably wouldn't take it over a Fender Jazz though!

I know its all subjective (and very late/early, blame really bad insomnia!), but here is my personal list of things I don't rate, didn't take to and don't believe are the be all and end-all. Don't think it was ever-rated, but the S1 switch on Jazz basses, for me, was pointless! Don't like the Hartke cabs with the aluminium speaker cones, just never liked sounds I got from them. Very cutting and a lot of punch, some people like that, I found it almost to be excessive! I tried a Wal, which while impressive I didn't think matched the hype that had been attached to it. Though the fact that they recently become so rare as to be almost mythical, probably puts hype at an unrealistic level, so I won't be harsh on it here. The Jazz bass. Awesome for sure, I just don't like the way people seem to think that its impossible to play anything remotely complicated on anything other than some derivative of the J-bass. Likewise, would I get killed if I said 8x10s in general? Albeit a good one is awesome, I just have never agreed that they are holy grail to rock bass. Don't like the way Ampeg almost consider it impossible to rock out without the 8x10! The following items are everywhere in Glasgow and while I do think are a bit over-rated, but really I am just sick of the sight of them! Ashdown Evo II 500 and Ampeg Svt 450. Decent amps but not great, but just about everybody is using them. Boss ODB3 and Big Muff Pii for distorted bass. Everybody has distorted bass now. Gibson Grabber/Ripper basses. So many guys in 'hardcore'-type bands playing these with afore-mentioned pedals. I tried them, and could understand why they didn't sell originally. Also, zero frets. They probably are a good idea, I'm just annoyed that my strings ended up eating a hole into the one on my Vigier after 5 years, leading me to have to send the bass away to get a new fret put in. I probably have found the reason for my insomnia though...

Generally, I've become fairly sure of myself when trying out basses in shops. I don't have that scared to death feeling that I would make an arse of myself that I used to get. I probably still make an arse of myself but I just don't care anymore! I always try it out acoustically first, to see if there any annoying rings etc, Check tone, volume pots for any crackling sounds, Check to see the neck isn't warped or anything is a bit 'off' Tune the bass, Then I just play basic pentatonic stuff checking for dead spots, intonation, and 'buzzing fret' A few scales to see if the neck is something I can work with, I try and ignore action height issues, as I could sort that myself, but it can get annoying when it is set really really high. Then I just jam, fingerstyle, slap, some chord stuff, maybe some tapping. During said jam, I ask myself 'could I live with this as my only bass?' If the answer is no, then its not for me, unless I had lots of money and could afford some 'trophy' basses, which I don't! I don't think I ever play any songs, I'm not doing a bloody audition, the bass is!

If you've only been playing for a year I wouldn't worry that much about it. It will probably take you a while to get the technique down and even longer to make it sound musical. I didn't slap much at all for the first 5 years of playing, as despite being a huge Flea fan I was never that interested in slap bass and never wanted to become one of those 'Flea clones' that go into music shops, pick up a Stingray and start slapping profusely! I started to pick up slap and pop stuff eventually though when I was about 17-18 and have been working on it for the last 4+ years. It started off as a bedroom jam exercise when uni was driving me insane, but I have started to fit some stuff into gigs. I know there is something to be said for becoming familiar with different techniques early on, but I found it a lot easier to fit slap bass into my own sound once I had a general grasp of the instrument in terms of timing, harmony and basic technique, as well as experience of playing with drummers that can't keep a beat! Just keep at it and your technique and thumbing accuracy will improve. Teachers and watching videos will undoubtedly help, but it really depends on you putting the work in, unless you just happen to be awesome and it comes easily to you!

My philosophy is really that if you can afford it and it makes you happy, then go for it. Yeah, I know I would get away with playing a cheap Squier bass, and it would get the job done. Hell, if you're adding a bunch of overdrive effects and a chorus etc, most people (who are not dedicated bass-listeners!) wouldn't be a able to tell the sound it makes from a Alembic etc. Would the player notice the difference? Of course they would. However, for me, if you are just plugging a bass into an amp, there is a big difference between a MIM Fender Jazz and a Nordy. Yeah, a top player will probably still play circles round you with his MIM Fender, but for me he would sound even better through the Nordy. Subjective, I know, but that is my view I think there should be distinction though between boutique basses and really well made (and albeit more expensvie) basses. I don't think that everything that isn't a Fender, Gibson, Musicman, Rickenbacker etc should be classed as boutique. For me, if you are too frightened to gig with your bass for fear that something might happen to it, you have probably got a boutique bass. I play a Vigier Excess, which I would not at all consider a boutique bass, but rather a really well-made bass that sounds better to my ears than my P-bass and is far less likely to suffer from any build quality issues or fall apart! It has not been sitting in a cupboard, rather it has been used constantly over a three year period and it has never once let me down. Much as I love my Fender, I can't say the same thing about it! Would I spend 4 plus grand on a Fodera or Alembic that is designed exactly to my specifications? Probably not, until I at least have a well earning job (at which point I will probably no longer be a musician!) But I would, be prepared to spend a bit more than the MIM or even the MIA Fender. If one of the main Guitar builders provides everything you are looking for from a bass then that is great, but if you want something a bit different, you have to be willing to pay for it.

If all the basses make you happy, then you don't have too many. I would love to have a huge collection but budget prevents me. I'm also pretty picky when it comes to buying. I've been playing the same P-bass for about 7-8 years, and only buy another new bass if I thinks it feels and plays better than said P-bass. I'm never gonna sell the thing and what is the point of buying another bass that wouldn't replace it for day to day gigging, rehearsing recording etc. To date I have bought 2 basses in 5 years, and one of those was a Squier just in case the P-bass went wrong on the road. However, if I had more money, I would be buying a lot more instruments! I know there is something to be said for taking one or two basses and committing yourself to them, but if you have the money to buy a lot of cool basses and they make you happy, then go for it and don't let anyone else try to bring you down!

[quote name='bubinga5' post='528182' date='Jun 29 2009, 10:04 PM']Surely it doesnt matter what instrument a person chooses to play on..As long as the music is good...The instrument is just a tool.... What does having an 'Original' bass guitar' have to do with writing "original' music...I dont see any link in that at all....I dont mean this to sound like a criticism but there is such a thing as thinking about your instrument too much Its a means to an end...Ok i have a few basses but there all to cover my needs as a bass player in different projects..some i play more than others.. The most original musicians could play Squire Jazz (great instrument) and be original...A non original musician could play a Carl Thompson and still be erm...non original..Its the way your mind thinks, not who makes your instrument...[/quote] +1 on that. Having a great bass doen't make you a great bass player. I always think that the best bass for anybody is one that you can feel comfortable playing and seen to be playing. I would guess that the fascination of 'NYC Fender clones' would be the knowledge of having a well-made bass without the worry of making an artistic statement due to how your bass looks. Also, you wouldn't have to deal with constant 'what type of bass is that?' questions, as most will just think its a Fender anyway!

Well I'm pretty happy with the three good basses I've got, but I've still never owned a jazz bass-style instrument. I would like any/all of the following to make up for it: A nice playing 60s/70s Fender jazz bass, don't care about the colour so long as its not white, bright blue or mint green! A Fender custom Jazz. Another Fender Precision to balance things out One of each of Sadowsky NYC,Nordy,Alleva Coppola or Mike Lull Jazz-style bass. One maple neck, one rosewood, a five string and four string fretless with ebony neck. Don't really care who makes what! Fender clones I know, but great basses (or at least they bloody well should be for the price!) A Fodera Monarch bass and/or Emperor, can't be too greedy! Vigier Arpege 4 string. I don't care about the new 'cheap' bolt on neck, they just look awesome and I betting they sound the same Rickenbacker 4003. Black. Until a couple of months ago I would have put a Wal four string at the top of my list, but recently had the chance to play and possibly buy one. The kind of chunky neck didn't take to me. Great sounding bass though. I know there are other great bass companies like F Bass, Alembic, Spector, Pedulla, that I would consider also, but the list would become endless!

I used to be a 'the heavier the gauge the better' kind of guy. However, in the last year, I've been generally using 45-100 on my Vigier sets which have made it a lot easier to do a lot of the bass gymnastic type stuff and have been a lot kinder to my fingers (though the switch from Rotosound to D'addario nickles also helped ). I don't think my tone has suffered either, and I've been tuning the E string down to D and even B. Of course, the B sounds pretty flabby compared to a tight 5 string B, but that was what I was going for. Obviously if I was tuning any lower, tuning down all four strings or needing a tighter sound, I would need to use a heavier gauge. That said, when I tried putting lighter strings on my P-bass for playing in standard tuning, it just didn't sound as cool as when I had thicker strings. I do think it depends on the bass. Personally I think P-basses need to sound as big and chunky as possible, even if it makes playing complicated stuff a bit more difficult! So its now 50-110. I would go heavier still, but I don't have a band playing low down-tuned riffs and I would have to do some work on my bass to fit them, which isn't worth the effort. I would love to have a jazz bass and string it with really light strings, something like 30-90 and a 4 string P-Bass tuned to about A with silly heavy strings, but budget problems, in addition to not having bands where said basses would be needed, means its a no-go just now. Nothing wrong with using light strings, its just down to what you want to sound like and what you want to do.

Since I generally play alt rock-type music, I generally practice techniques that I never get to use at gigs, rehearsals etc, just to keep the instrument fresh and exciting. Generally been working on thumb technique, tapping and chord progressions just now. Every now and then I'll do a few scales, arpeggios and modes, but I get fed up of them fairly quickly as it just reminds me of when I was having a miserable time playing double bass in orchestras and chamber groups! Its good to have the knowledge in the back of your head though that is for sure. When I can't be bothered with any technique or theory, I tune down to about B, turn on a couple of overdrive pedals and just make some noise! Does it improve my technique? No, possibly even the reverse. But it is when I have the most fun!

I've done some traditional Celtic-type inspired vocal stuff and instrumental wierdness. Was a short phase though! I rediscovered Kyuss!

I own five but it feels wrong giving a Westfield equal numerical value as a Fender! Anyway, 1566 it is.

[quote name='rslaing' post='526360' date='Jun 27 2009, 10:47 PM']It's all down to personal choice. I just wish people wouldn't dismiss good players for frivolous reasons. And regards the dress sense, believe me, when you get older, anything that is clean and ironed does the job, [/quote] Well, for me just clean tends to do, ironing is a luxury! Nah, I've always thought Jeff Berlin was a great player, said as much in my first post. I do have some issues with some of his opinions though I think he probably says he plans to piss some people off though. Means more people talk about him rather than someone else! He does approach the instrument in a different way from the slap and pop brigade thats for sure, and for that I'll give him a lot of credit.

[quote name='rslaing' post='526254' date='Jun 27 2009, 08:40 PM']I agree. And he isn't arrogant, it is just our perception of him. He doesn't pander to people. Just ignore his recent stuff and listen to his earlier playing. The man is brilliant. OK, he has his own personality which might be abrasive to some, wtf has that got to do with his ability as a player? In spite of his apparent arrogance and displeasure at certain types of playing, he was one the pioneers of the modern slap technique for example. He just doesn't do it and hasn't done for 25 years because everyone else does it! He implores people to be individuals and develop their own style instead of copying everyone else. And to contradict an earlier post, he never sounded like Jaco. Jaco never had these sort of chops, whether you like this clip or not: [/quote] Fair enough that were around at the same time and in that sense I was wrong and they can both be considered 'pioneers. Yet, they are not that unalike. Same kind of fusion style. Jeff Berlin just uses frets. Still, I'm gonna pick Jaco. No question, regardless of standards of 'chops'. Jeff is a much more disciplined technique wise for sure though. But technique isn't everything...though it helps! Though, I am worried that I am developing the same dress sense as Jeff...if not the skills!

I always think of the bass gymnastic techniques as like learning karate, great to learn but should only be called upon in an emergency in real life! While I am absolutely in awe of Victor Wooten's technique, I am far more interested in his technique than the sounds he creates using said technique. That said, he would probably get my vote in this thread. Jeff Berlin, is just a bit too similar to Jaco at times for me to consider him to advancing the instrument, rather he just just being a modern-day master of the instrument. I also don't agree with his advocation of formal music training (probably because of my having to go through quite a lot myself!). I hate the idea of turning the bass guitar into a glorified classical instrument, which doesn't really move the bass into new territory, but the rather the reverse! The idea of using bass as a lead instrument has been around for ages. Mahler used it in the third movement of Symphony Number 1 in the late 1880s. Also, I don't think there is much more scope for advancing the bass guitar as a classical-type solo-instrument. Although the develoment of electronics and amplification has made it easier to get a bass guitar solo to cut through a band than getting a double bass to cut through an orchestra, the frequencies used on bass guitar still easy to lose, or difficult to make out when playing with a band. Thus, most bass soloists are generally just that, or any other musicians playing have to careful that they don't drown out the soloist. This is not entirely different to the problems facing composers trying to write a double bass solo. Furthermore, I know that compared to orchestral intstruments, the electric bass guitar is a new instrument, but there are only so many playing techniques you can actually use before a some kind of semi-established 'lead bass' technique develops, much like concert violinists. This would make it very difficult to leave much scope to actually advance into a new territory via technical playing, unless you consider playing faster a new technique! You could argue we have already reached that point now, with players expanding to 5, 6 and 8 stringed basses to try and escaped the limitations of 4 stringed basses. While, I applaud Anthony Jackson and the Contrabass guitar, arguing that the instrument should have always have had two extra strings because bass guitars are more sonically similar to guitars, rather than double basses, really doesn't advance the instrument. It just adds two more strings to the same basic instrument, albeit in a pseudo-academic 'reinvisaging of history that never happened' kind of way. No matter what, that bass guitar is still generally going to be made out of wood, have pick ups, and possibly even be fretted. Has the seven-string guitar advanced the guitar in any way, apart from letting Slayer get that bit heavier? I really think that there is probably more scope for advancing the instrument in terms of effects and electroncs than there is in terms of technical playing or adding of strings. In my opinion, those seeking to use it as an out and out solo instrument should really just play the guitar, rather than cutting all frequencies below 300HZ and boosting the treble to ear-shattering levels just so their solo can cut through! However, that might just be my stoner rock tendencies coming through...

you try and improvise something remotely interesting or challenging, but the drummer doesn't follow you and you end up looking like an idiot. Can't believe I misspelled 'idiot'...drummers fault no doubt.

Think its been said already, but best bet is to get a teacher, at least for a few lessons to at least start with something near decent technique. Helps if the teacher is familiar with jazz-based and classical music as you'll get a broader understanding of the instrument and how it differs from the bass guitar. For me, its always been a lot more than just a big fretless bass. Its like going from driving a normal car to starting to drive a model T Ford. Same function yes, but to really appreciate it helps to know a bit of theory, technique and history behind it. If you don't want to shell out for a teacher, you should get a tuition book or two. You can't really go wrong with the 'New Method for the Double Bass/Book 1' by F. Simandl. It is dry and old-fashioned, but it does show proper fingering techniques and how to stand and sit, and gives a basic description of the German and French bow techniques. However, you could just ignore all this and just play around and figure it out by yourself. You'd probably get competent fairly quickly. Must say, a lot of upright bassists I've seen in folk groups have pretty much no technique beyond what they 'presumably' had on electric bass, they just use it because it makes them look more arty. Oh, and buy/steal a decent bar stool. Sitting down when learning just allows a bit more stability. And have fun!

Depends on the bass the amp really for me. If its my passive P-bass played with any solid state head, I'll generally run it into an English Muff'n then into a Sansamp Bass Driver into the head. General pretend your going through an Ampeg settings which sounds fine in a rock band situation, but lacks definition for any slap, tapping and solo stuff. With any kind valve amp, I try and run as few effects as possible. I'd be open to a bunch of pedals, but I'd rather just have a good amp. I've found that a Vigier Excess run into an EBS Fafner doesn't need a lot of tweeking! I turn the bass to between 2 and 3 o'clock, take the mids down a touch around 600 Hz, but depending on the room, yada yada yada... Obviously, the most telling factor on tone will be your fingers and your attack. Also,string type, string gauge, action height, and pick ups all have an impact on tone.. A good bassist will be able to manage to make an entry level bass and amp sound have decent tone, but I still think that basses, amps and cabinets do play a role.This is especially the case when plugging a bass straight into an amp. I know its subjective, but for me there is a big difference, for example, between a Squier J-bass through a Crate combo and the same bassist plugging a Sadowsky into a Markbass combo. I know there are people that think its more impressive to make 'cheap gear sound great' than to just have good gear. However, I think these people are missing the point. Gear is an aid, not the determining factor on whether you can get a good sound. If you manage to make cheap gear sound good, it just means you are good, and you would sound impressive through most gear. Its just nice to be able to play through something that doesn't require any modding or a bunch of pedals to help bulk up your sound. It leaves you to get on with playing, which to me is the most important part.

[quote name='liamcapleton' post='514643' date='Jun 15 2009, 07:43 PM']My EHX English Muff'n is completely brilliant. Got it off Tayste the other day and it sounds superb.[/quote] + 1 on the English Muff'n, I love mine, just so cool. Would love to try the Malekko B:Assmaster, the Cream Pie and the Wooly Mammoth, but geography and budgets are against me...

A-Side studios (used to be the Practice Pad) do backline hire. Or at least they say they do on their website! [url="http://www.a-sidestudios.com/Home.html"]http://www.a-sidestudios.com/Home.html[/url] Ummmm. I think CC Music (Used to be Sound Control in the West End) might do some kind of hire, but I'm not sure about it. There are probaby loads of others but these are from the top of my head...good luck!

I not a massive fan of ashdown, but they do seem to be everywhere! The standard set up in almost any rehearsal room around Glasgow seems to be the ABM Evo II 500 head/ampeg svt 450 on top of an ampeg 8x10. I don't really have a preference between the Ashdown and the 'faux' SVT. My view is that the Ashdown is great for plugging in a passive P-bass going through a Sansamp and a bunch of fuzz pedals, but if you use a clean high powered active bass, the Ashdown doesn't really provide much top-end sparkle. Even trying to fiddle with the eq seemed to make little difference. The sub octave thing isn't really for me and just seems to muddy the sound, unless you are playing around the 12th fret on the D and G strings, which provides a sound very much like playing around the 7th fret on the A and D strings. Thus, I don't see the point. Also, the valve drive seems to be so sublte that it makes minimal difference to your actual sound, so I have yet to fully appreciate 'grind'... Furthermore, the dial thing on the front is to me superfluous. I don't believe they are as accurate as they would seem. Several times the amp has cut out on me after being apparently being driven too hard, even though I've had the master volume below half and the gain turned up so far that the dial was almost getting halfway up when I was digging in. That may have just been bad luck with a faulty amp but I still think an LED or two works just as well, if not better due to ease of operation, as an indication of gain settings. Also, why have an active/passive pad if the dial is there to let you easily dial in a sufficient amount of gain. I'm a novice in electronics though, so somebody could correct me on that. Its these aforementioned things that just make me think the amps are just a bit gimmiky, which lots of knobs and buttons that make little difference to the sound. They run a brilliant marketing campaign, but I personally consider the ABM Ashdown amps to be a step backwards from Trace Elliot (well, the Kamen stuff, not necessariliy the Gibson-era). I will say that I have not tried the US series valve amp which admittedly does look kinda cool, as well as the Little Giant etc. The MAG stuff also seems to be decent value for money. Hell, compared to the stuff from the US and Europe, you could even argue that the ABM stuff is value for money. I just wouldn't buy it unless I knew I was going to spend the rest of my bass playing days running my P-bass into a Sansamp Bassdriver or VT Bass. It would be fun and it would sound pretty good, but its not really what I want to do.

I tried one of these out a while ago. Well designed bass no question! I didn't really take to the scalloped frets though, just call me old-fashioned! Action wasn't that great though, verging on being spongey, but thats really a set-up in the store issue rather than anything to do with the actual bass. Dual outputs are a cool feature. Just not for me.

I got a Bass pod, the one that became the xt, a while back (think it was about 2002). I have never used it live though. For me its really a studio thing, lots of tweaking is needed before you can get a sound that you really want. Once you get that sound, its great, but it can take ages! The effects are pretty cool and do the job. Never really found the footboard to be that much use though, you couldn't really switch between one sound or another without a big gap where one sound faded out then another sound faded in. Though that might not be case with the new models, but I can't say for sure. Outside of the Pod, I tried a couple of the Lowdown combos, I wasn't blown away by it, but there wasn't anything seriously wrong with it. Also, I know its for guitar, but the fact that the Spider III has an 'INSANE' button kind of puts me off seriously considering them. I also hate the Variax.

I know I'm new so my opinion might not count for much, but providing there is nothing seriously wrong with it, its a pretty good deal. Was lucky enough to do a couple of gigs with the VBA 400 and was seriously impressed by the sound. Great for rock bass obviously, if your gonna be slapping it might not be the best choice in my opinion. It is really really heavy though, and with the amount of tubes in there, there is always gonna be the cost of up-keep like all tube amps. Still, I would take that deal.