Billy Bongo

Two mostly if I'm with a band or in session, although a thumb comes in handy. If soloing extemporaneously (sorry for the gobful) I use a bendy pick. I once tried to use my pinky, kind of as a reserve, but it confused the remains of my aged brain, so I stopped and went back to watching the rain run down the window.

12 hours ago, leschirons said:

Isn't the answer to the original question 

"Whatever bass you feel comfortable soloing on"  Surely, any bass is possible to play solos on although I guess if you want to get a specific tone like a Jaco sound a fretless jazz might give you the edge. It's like asking what the best colour is.  

For me yes and no. I can do solos on anything - usually badly - as I'm sure anyone on here can, but some guitars have a natural tone that appeals and some are dead wood, so not sure I agree with your comment about asking what the best colour is. But it is all subjective. Nice pic btw!

18 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Welcome to the club @Billy Bongo and I'm only 57 years old.

 

Honestly I really don't understand this revival for the crap of the 60's and 70's that were called basses back in the day and which were only firewood... 😉

 

 

Have to agree. I had an original PB and the tonal range was limited, but it suited bands where the bass was only a background, so as long as there was a thump, which the PB did well, the lead and the skin basher were happy. My first bass was a Vox Clubman short scale - still have it - but it was a plank. Having said that my 64 Burns Bison with Rezomatic pickups through a decent Marshall causes nose bleeds, spontaneous deafness and removes plaster from walls, so they were not all bad.😳😜

5 hours ago, Hellzero said:

According to your budget go the Ibanez road (lane?) @Billy Bongo and as @itu wrote if the instruments doesn't talk to you, try another one. 😉

Thanks, I will. I am easily impressed having played some right junk in my time, so Ibanez is probably right until I get a gig that pays more than £50!

On 03/12/2022 at 20:36, itu said:

Gamba is a 7-string instrument. There were also models with less and more strings. Check the works of Marin Marais and de Sainte-Colombe from the movie Tous les matins du monde.

 

Domenico Dragonetti was a double bass virtuoso who played 3-string bass among others, and has composed some very tricky stuff.

 

Electric 4-string virtuosos are quite numerous, Stanley Clarke being one of the earlier fretted masters. His instrument is a short scale tenor bass (A, D, G, C). Fretless composer and player is naturally Jaco Pastorius.

 

Jimmy Johnson is behind the idea of the five string electric bass. Gary Willis and Bunny Brunel are 5-string fretless masters.

 

John Patitucci is known for his work with 6-string bass.

 

Of course there are multistring basses, as well as The Stick.

 

From this I actually think that the best solo bass instrument is the one with which you produce/compose/play the best program you ever can. We can go into technical details starting from strings, string spacings, electronics, fret & fretboard materials, pickups and their positions... and when everything is ready, we could find your optimal instrument.

 

But we are on thin ice, if the instrument does not talk to you. Specs is one thing, but playability and personality can only be found by trying and playing many different basses.

Many thanks for that comprehensive run down, Ito. I know most of them and like the work of John Patitucci and many others. You have it right when you say 'if the instrument does not talk to you' - if it feels like a block of wood with strings, it is.

Just now, Billy Bongo said:

Up to £500. Might go a bit higher for the right bass.

On 03/12/2022 at 10:38, Hellzero said:

So @Billy Bongo what is your budget as it might help a lot for the basses proposals?

Up to £500. Might go a bit higher for the right bass.

10 hours ago, crazycloud said:

I have no idea what 'mellow' means to you. I know what it means to me but it's a nebulous term with a vast spectrum of meaning.

Go look for YT clips that sound like what you hear in your head. There are plenty out there, many good.

True. I'd be interested to know what mellow means to you.

23 hours ago, bassbora said:

I kind of thought that was what you were talking about.  When you reach a certain price point the instrument is going to be good (most of the time you do get the odd lemon) and then it is mostly personal preferences.  You do get people doing amazing things with a 4 string but I see what you mean so probably a 6 string would be better to have the greater tonal range (people will of course have very different opinions on this).

 

I was always interested in Zon as well but that was in the 90s and I have never be one to buy and sell instruments to try out different things.  I was lucky that what I got suited me so I just stuck with it.  Warwick might not be suitable for you just to keep that in mind since it divides opinions so much.

 

But a modern 5-6 string should do the trick (I say modern meaning not P or J basses and I mean that in the most respectful way) so I personally would seriously look at Ibanez and possibly Dingwall depending on budget. 

 

Good luck with it and let us know what you go for.

Thanks. Looking at Ibanez at the moment. I tried an Ibanez Gio 6 string and was surprised by the range of tones and the playability for no money. I ought to try an SR too. I will check out Dingwall. Thanks for the suggestion👍

On 12/11/2022 at 08:56, Hellzero said:

If your fingers are bananas, forget the Ibanez range.

 

Try the MTD Kingston series, affordable and excellent basses for soloing or even accompanying even if they have a 35 inches scale.

 

Check the ads here as you might find your Graal quite easily with other brands.

Thanks. MTD are a tad too much dosh for me, even though they make some lovely basses.

On 01/12/2022 at 04:36, crazycloud said:

I have no idea what that means. What sounds 'mellow' to you might not to anyone else. I'd be finding something I liked to play physically and swap in other pickups until I got the sound I wanted. Looking at what players who spend more time soloing play would help narrow it down for you, and would help others make suggestions. For example I have no problem 'soloing' on my Ibanez SRs and BTB when I'm in the mood to do so and they're used to play melodic lines with my friend when she pays her acoustic.

'Mellow' to me means warm. Bit too old to be swapping out pickups😳

On 27/11/2022 at 15:48, tauzero said:

Sei Flamboyant or Original. Or an Ibanez EHB, maybe the multiscale.

I'll take a look, thanks😃

20 hours ago, bassbora said:

What do you mean by solos?  Is that playing solos in a band setting (live) or is it solo as in you on your own?  Live or at home?

 

What is the budget?  Also why 5 or 6 string?  Is the 5 string with the high C or the low B?

 

I guess you are going to get people mentioning their favorite brands.  I think Ibanez would be a sound advise, good quality and not too pricy.

 

I would always recommend Warwick because that is my preferred choice but that is just a personal choice.  I studied music in the 90s which included the usual classical music and jazz and improvisation.  I got an 89 Thumb 5 NT and I found it extremely good for all of this.  Upper access was easy for the soloing in that area and for chords especially having 26 frets.  I liked the sound and how it responded to right hand technique and I found it flexible with sound.  These basses are quite marmite and split opinion but I personally love it and I still have it and gig it regularly.  I do have a 6 fretless Thumb and same its great for exactly this.  I have found Streamer Stage 2 5 also be good for this but as I have said this is all personal preference and has suited me and my playing style over the years but just searching on this forum shows you Warwick splits opinions and everyone has their favorite.

I'm playing a 4 and 5 string in a geriatric band, but soloing in my home studio on the 7 string fretless and will be collaborating with an ambience producer in the immediate future. Five or six string? The tonal range is so much greater with more strings, but I'm having some difficulty with my 7 string - fingers are no longer as flexibIe will look at Warwick - its not a maker I've ever considered. Thanks.

On 27/11/2022 at 09:51, crazycloud said:

Any Ibanez SR or BTB. Very different ergonomics so you'll need to try before you buy. However Ibanez are very consistent dimensionally with modern basses, so play one SR (or BTB) 6 string and another will likely feel the same in terms of body and neck profile.

 

Tone is impossible to define in words, so I suggest looking at a model that interests you and look for YT clips, if not of the same model, but at least with the same pickups.

 

FTR, I have 4 SR and 1 BTB 6 string. I like them.

Good advice. I tried an Ibanez 6 string recently and was genuinely surprised by the quality. Tone is impossible to define, but every bass has a character and without EQ that character is apparent. With the Ibanez tone control off, to me it has a mellow, warm sound, but could be made 'mellower' by flatwounds.

Cheers to those who kindly commented! Pretty poor response otherwise. Maybe I was wrong about 'knowledgeable bass players', or perhaps I hit a time when they were having their cocoa? 😳😊

I have a 1964 Burns Bison Bass, a cheap Glarry and a 7 string fretless 'Prestige'. The 7 string is pretty good (if tricky to play), the Burns is great for gigs ( if heavy) and the Glarry is surprisingly good for a plank with strings, but I'm looking for a different more mellow sound for solos without thrashing the EQ. This forum has the most knowledgeable bass players on the planet so suggestions are welcome. I'm on tablets so my fingers are currently bananas!

Sounds like my life +10! My knowledge of modern gear extends to a 1964 Burns Bison and a 2021 Glarry I bought for £70. I have a 7 string fretless as well, but get easily confused! The folks on here are very knowledgeable, so you are with friends. 😊

6 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

The best method for avoiding recording latency is to monitor in hardware rather than software. Might actually be a more cost-effective route for you.

That's a good point. Cheers BRX.

3 hours ago, Smanth said:

Actually, apologies to self-promote @Billy Bongo... but I've a rather nice Focusrite Scarlett USB-2 Audio interface listed for sale in the marketplace ...

 

No apologies necessary. Thanks, Smanth, it's a good piece of kit but I had one of these a few years ago and had much trouble with it, so I have an aversion to Focusrite even though they make some great products and are used by people I respect (and that's not many). Probably go for Audion, M-Audio etc., if I can't source a Thunderbolt input.

3 hours ago, Beedster said:

Yep, it's why I had to sell all my Firewire gear 

Cheers for that Beedster! I would have liked a Thunderbolt interface (mine are minis on the Macbook) but the price is prohibitive even secondhand, so I was trying to get speed without paying. They kill you for that in Sheffield.

My Macbook is still on Yosemite OS, so some modern interfaces won't work with it, but I love Yosemite. Latency is my bugbear having had numerous i/o's that claimed zero latency but always had it. Ah well...

Hi All,

Sniffing around a secondhand audio interface. The interface is Firewire. My Macbook Pro has Thunderbolt ports into Logic Pro. I'm not a techie so does anybody know if Firewire fits into Thunderbolt without an adaptor? Doesn't look as if it does. If not, is there an adaptor, cable etc.? Any foreseeable problems? Advice appreciated!

Billy

On 11/12/2021 at 12:43, Rayman said:

Yeah ok, it IS important, but HOW important. 

 

How many of you and your favourite players, GENERALLY get your/their sound WHATEVER gear you're using?

 

I, always seem to find MY sound, regardless of the gear, there or thereabouts.......and I don't believe that expensive gear will make you a better player at all, in fact I've always deviated towards modest gear, even when I could afford something more expensive (not often). You can find an amazing tone, YOUR tone, on a £100 bass, it doesn't need to be £1K or over does it?

 

So I believe, that it's NOT all about the bass, I think its all about YOU. 

 

The funk's in the fingers, not the instrument, isn't it?? Or am I very wrong?

Very right. With a few exceptions. My first bass was a short scale Vox Clubman and there were only two sounds - woolly or raspy. Imagine my surprise when I borrowed a pal's Rickenbacker and found I had three!

Then I bought a '64 Burns Bison and found I had any sound from the Rezo's I wanted to have! Lately, I bought a £62 Glarry Flame (liked the body shape) and I could get ALMOST the same sounds out of it with EQ. Big surprise. And then recently a cheap 'Prestige' fretless 7 string with a tonal quality that gave me everything. Can't yet play the damn thing, but I love making noises and exploring the expanded soundscape all those strings give. And fretless... it's a bugger!!!

Of course, I might be just a crap player....:D

Years ago, when Napoleon had just retreated from Moscow, I had a regular gig on a local RAF base. The building was a Nissan hut from WW2 and made of tin. The reverb was terrific, but on the occasions you don't want reverb it was impossible to dial out, even with the limited EQ gear we had. It could be mitigated by using only the neck pickup on my Bison and as a (then) plectrum player using a felt plectrum. One twiddle on the treble meant reverb, so it was either full reverb or double bass - nothing in between. It was better when we filled it with wool clad 'erks' (ground crew usually)!

So, after this lengthy ramble, it's the room. Every room is different. Adapt or die.😊

It all depends if you want to be led by a selfish git. This instance sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Imagine, if you will, a time in the future when you have 'made it'. There you are miserably hanging about in the background whilst Clapton goes off on an impromptu solo. You mention it afterwards and he flies into a rage. He does this every time you query anything. For five years. Do you want that? Or would you be better finding a band without a lead ego? Bass is what drives any band. It hits the guts of an audience. Without you it is just a lot of noise without heart. If this bloke has no respect for you now then prepare to be further humiliated.

Sounds harsh I know, but this stuff is meant to be enjoyable and it doesn't sound as if you are enjoying it right now.

3 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Don't forget Dean Markley SR2000 sets :

https://www.thomann.de/gb/dean_markley_2698_7string.htm

 

And Pyramid SSSL sets : https://www.thomann.de/gb/pyramid_7_string_bass_set_sssl_022_128.htm

Cheers HZ.👍