Davo-London

I'm creating a Jazz bass with the original stack-knob controls.

Who makes a nice vintage wiring harness? Anyone you can recommend?

Regards
Davo

Actually I'm going to disagree. I know Fender did this but they also didn't! So you can go either way. I think a worn sunburst with alder showing through looks great. I think a worn Oly with ash showing through looks great. I think a worn Oly with a sunburst showing through looks a mess. I totally love the bass instructor Scott Devine, but his Custom shop Precision looks horrible. Sorry Scott.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoVfamlcbYo

It's a personal thing. I'm sure other non-musos will be staring and will be wondering WTF!

Davo

Also to reduce pain have you tried lowering the bass a bit so the RH wrist is straighter?

Davo

I would pay money to see the singers face when they turn up and there's no PA. The band then say. "Oh, that's your responsibility!"

I've only ever known singers turn up late and expect a PA to be set-up.

Vive La revolution!
Davo

I had a Vulfpeck-fest last night. Amazingly tight group of musos having fun. Great playing.

Davo

My chain is '64 Precision to an Aguilar 500 to a Barefaced Super Compact.

It is literally all I need. I bought a 66 Precision because my GAS demanded a Sonic Blue bass. It's now for sale.

You know the saying: "When a man is tired of London he is tired of life", this could be re-written as:

"When a man has no GAS he is tired of playing." I hope this isn't true of me!

Davo

Good question.

It certainly should depend on the gig for me.

My go-to bass without thinking is:[list]
[*]1964 Precision
[/list]
If the gig requires a lot of intricate playing:[list]
[*]Cliff Bordwell ball bass
[/list]
If I'm feeling mellow:[list]
[*]Jaco Jazz or Godin A4 fretless
[/list]
Davo

You should know that the whole of Denmark Street is being renovated shop by shop, which is why Wunjo's is crammed into a basement. Should be great when it's all finished.

Having said that space is a premium and I'm sure punters and assistants alike would much prefer more space. I find the Bass Gallery to be too cramped as well and the staff in my experience much less helpful than Wunjo's.

Davo

LOL, good responses.

I too play with loud drummers. I hate it. That's why I play drums very quietly. Seriously, I've been asked, on occasions, to play louder.

Imagine that!

Davo

I've just read through the post about funny things band mates have said and there is a lot of drummer-slagging-off going on, most of it in a jesting, friendly way but some is clearly the opposite.

As a bassist/drummer - I thought maybe it's timely for me to perhaps explain the drummer mind-set and how it differs from the bassist in us. Here are some considerations:
[list]
[*]Transport and loading/unloading: as a bassist I have a barefaced cab, a light Precision bass and a light Aguilar 500 head. This could be carried in a single trip between car and venue. My drum kit, which is as small as is sensible, takes around 5 trips. Plus the case carrying the stands weighs about 40 kg. Not nice.
[*]Set-up: I could set-up my bass rig in about 1 minute. The fastest set-up I've managed with my kit is 10 minutes.
[*]Stage: I can set-up my bass in 2 m[sup]2[/sup] area whereas drums requires about 6 - 8 m[sup]2[/sup].
[*]Monitors/mics/PA: Bass can be all DI, whereas drums will need multiple mics a drum mixer etc.
[*]Volume: bass just turn a knob, whereas drums you really need sound suppression to play so in-ears or headphones needed. Plus set of mics etc if using a PA
[*]Post gig set-down: Same as set-up plus the drummer misses all the fan chat.
[*]Practice: bass I play through headphones any time I want. Kit - well it depends on your family, neighbours, house/flat etc and time of day. THIS IS WHY your drummer says he hasn't practiced since last week!
[*]Running cost: ignoring GAS all the bass needs is strings, whereas, drums needs heads, sticks, percussion etc.
[/list]
I could go on, but I hope I've made my point. Be nice to your drummers. Life is not equal. Oh and when the singer turns up late and says "why isn't my mic set up?". They are lucky to stay alive.

All the best
Davo

If we were in the market for an URB it would be a very different matter. A £10,000 URB would be a nice moderate bass, but nothing special.

We play some of the cheapest instruments going. We have chosen well.

It's all relative - that's my point.

Davo

I agree that pop/music stars should be listened to when it comes to music, they are pros after all.

When it comes to politics then their opinion is no more relevant than any one of us. Sadly, many celebrities forget this. Lily Allen is possibly the best example of this. You don't hear much from Sting these days.

WHAT MAKES ME MAD is when artists start to spout their nonsense at gigs. I nearly walked out on U2 for this.

Davo

I play a lot in church and so there is a lot of up and down with the band, i.e. we sit down with the congregation between sets. Thus, I turn the volume off at the bass and place the bass on a stand. Then when I come back I just turn the volume on again.

Also, I often don't go full on with the bass volume so I have some room to manoeuvre If the drummer starts to get a bit excited.

Davo

Tried many strings but when I stumbled on DR Sunbeams, which are nickel, I stopped roaming. I have Sunbeams on all my basses including a Jaco Jazz fretless, except my Godin Acoustic A4 fretless, which has black nylon flats and my second Precision, which has flats too.

Regards
Davo

There are some rare examples where approximating the tone would be essential such as Chris Squire in Yes. However, even though I really respect Paul McCartney's writing and playing - I hate his tone and so I would just grab a Precision with flats, which would easily be good enough for a covers band. Indeed two Precisions (or equivalents) one with flats and one with rounds would cover everything IMHO for a covers band.

Was listening to Tales from the Topographic Oceans and still marvel at Chris's uniqueness.

Davo

I understand your question.

If you are a starter player then your suggestion makes sense. It will be easier to remember the fingering f you move your hand to the new "root".

However, to develop your skill, it may also be useful to leave your left hand over the first four frets and find every note there. This is where my LH ends up as a default position if I am unfamiliar with the music or it's very fast!

Davo

I had already been learning music on woodwind instruments so I knew the theory.

I picked up the bass and started to play tunes I knew/liked. I listened to songs and copied the bass lines. Joined a band - started playing gigs etc.

Then I heard Jaco! OMG breathe.

Then started a 40 year exploration of the bass.

Davo

I have a Mono but it's a touch heavier than I would have wanted. Great looking - well padded - Just like me!

I've started to think that the cheapest of gig bags is good enough. House to car, car to rehearsal/gig and then reverse.

Not sure I needed a Mono after all.

Davo

Fender Precision. I wanted black and maple but settled for a 1976 natural ash/maple (bought new!). Still got the bass.

Davo

How to choose?

I would first write down the sound and style of bass I wanted.

Then I would research for a Luthier that made similar basses.

Then, I would call them and see what responses I got. Then I would look at the testimonials and decide.

However, the gamble is the feel of the neck. It's the one reason to be cautious IMHO. If you can play their other instruments then this vastly reduces the gamble.

Davo

Good question

I am a finger plucking player. I play very lightly with very little force unless I'm deliberately digging in to get a certain tone. I like light gauge strings and light basses. I prefer 4-strings. My playing style modulates to fit the music or at least as I see it. So I can funk it up, play a jazz line, play staccato or play sustained. I've played for so long I just need to feel the groove. The better the drummer the better my playing.

"Play the music" would be my style.

This may sound pompous, but I get a lot of compliments.
Davo

I'm with Highfox. It affects how I play and therefore it affects the tone regardless of any tone-wood arguments.

Davo

I got slayed once on TB when I criticised a pro drummer for doing just that, i.e. changing the beat every 2 bars. It was a jazz gig with Brad Mehldau. To this day I stand by what I said. Don't care how good he was, he was ruining the set and it didn't fit the beautiful playing of Mehldau.

Davo

C'mon guys give me a break - I'm a drummer and I'm getting increasingly upset ...

So, how do you tell if it's a good drummer? Ears.

Does the drummer listen? Can they react to what's going on? They should alter their dynamics to fit he song/section of the song.
They should pick the right stick, they should be able to play quietly - this is the true test.

I play bass with a ton of drummers at church. Most are poor by my criteria but you can forgive a lot if they listen!

Davo

I am a drummer and it takes many years of practice as far as I can tell. Eventually muscle memory takes over and you can focus on everything else.

Useful tips include:

1) Tap your left foot heel on the ground to keep rhythm
2) practice with a metronome that can be silenced for a bar. SO you start playing along with it and then you need to keep rhythm during the empty bar. Then you can tell if you're on track when the metronome cuts in again.
3) Practice as slow as possible that you can bear, such as 50 bpm. Count one-ee-an-er, two-ee-an-er etc, which splits each crotchet into four parts (1/4 notes or semi-quavers). This also helps you to keep in time and enables various off beats to be executed accurately.

In my opinion playing along with tracks drumless or otherwise is great fun, but I'm not convinced it does much. Playing to a metronome is more telling and you can spot errors more easily. Beginners usually mess up the tempo during fills. So either keep the left foot rhythm or practice these against the metronome.

Learning the drums is a lifelong activity. However, you will be in demand if you can keep it simple and keep it rock steady.

Best of luck
Davo