NickH

Playing a New Years Eve gig with my old covers band. Our final number is Stairway to Heaven (yeah, I know). There's a long bass-free intro so I sling the bass on my back, go and grab my GF (now ex) who's been dancing the whole night in this sweaty, heaving place. We slow-dance the intro and I jump back up on stage to come in with my part after giving her a great big smoochy kiss. To the people in the crowd who didn't know we're a couple it looks like the bass player just wandered up to the best-looking girl in the place*, grabbed her for a dance, kissed her to within an inch of her life and then casually went back to rocking. I got an ovation and envious looks from every bloke there Awesome set too. * No exaggeration. She's gorgeous.

[quote name='Toasted' post='643294' date='Nov 2 2009, 12:14 PM']The main thing I disrespect about X-Factor is that when the performances are played back later in the show they have clearly had post processing applied to make the vocal sound better.[/quote] THAT'S the thing that you take issue with in X-Factor?

Mmm - mmm, she's a hottie. No question. I'd still go see the TOP gig though.

[quote name='darwin' post='638345' date='Oct 27 2009, 07:17 PM']I've been trying put more effort in to my 'performance' recently and to try interact more with the audience much more. I got some (very rare) female attention on Saturday at a 21st birthday party. She was a very nice twenty-something and I'm 36, going grey and rather married but at least it looks like my efforts are working [/quote] If she has a thing for bass players... Send her my way mate!

I'm bit of a natural showoff so I love interacting with the audience. I look at the neck only when I absolutely have to pull off something tricky or a big change in hand position. I'm not as accurate a player live as I am elsewhere but the tradeoff is definitely worth it. I've had musicians I really respect come up to me after gigs and say words to the effect of "Awesome bass play mate, you were amazing" - eh? Who were you listening to - I cocked up an absolute ton! But the deception is the trick of it. With enough sweat, gurning, dancing and tomfoolery the bum notes go in one ear and right out the other, and all they remember is a great show. While in practice I tend to dance around like the same as I do playing the gig. It gets me used to playing (fairly) accurately while doing all the stuff I'm going to be doing live. It's also great cardio training. After lugging the kit in and setting up, then having the lights slow-roasting me while headbanging around, playing my heart out, and finding the breath to sing backup it's physically demanding. No point wanting to do all that and not having the fitness to pull it off - or not be able to play at the same time.

Touchy question - didn't quite get it from the original post - are you and your GF going to keep it going long-distance, or has she left you to go do this job in London? If the former - up sticks and move down there with her. Completey get out of the scene you're currently in and find a whole new thing. Sure there's plenty of musos in London you could get together with. The idea of staying in the sh*t bands you're currently in to try and recoup your invested cash is bad for two reasons. 1) Don't ever play just for the cash. (Unless you're a full-time pro of course, but the quality of bands you're talking about don't give that impression even if that's what you want to be doing). 2) You'll just end up putting more into it and end up financially worse, unless you splashed a stack on recording a GREAT demo which is now getting you agent & management interest and gigs are starting to flood your way. Then you'd recoup. Even if your GF is now definitely ex (if so, sorry to hear about it) a completely fresh start in a new town could be a great thing. Life is short. Carpe diem!

Aha! I've figured out what this is! That bonkers ex- lead vocalist from Creed who pissed off all his band mates by getting drunk as a skunk and actually thinking he was Jesus is looking for a new band! He'll be lurking at the back somewhere with a camcorder. Pick the band he likes the most who can write Christian rock on semi-short notice... boot the lead singer or relegate them to rhythm guitar and backing vox... and Creed Mk 2 is born! RUN dude RRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='631873' date='Oct 20 2009, 10:14 PM']I've got a cheapy double J pickup you could use in the experimental stage of what you have in mind - it could then be used as a cover only for better quality J-pickups if you take the project further. [b]Bear in mind that the right way to house a pair would involve finding pickups that are reverse-wound/reverse polarity to behave as a true humbucker[/b]. I might just be able to help on that score too if I can find the right parts in my many spares boxes.[/quote] Wise words. If you get two of the same pup, see if you can take it out of the cover, slide out the magnet and reverse it. Then just reverse the way you wire it and presto! RWRP coil to make your humbucker!

I don't get this whole "through body gives more tension" thing. Urban myth started by someone with poor grasp of physics. A string could be a mile long, mounted to a bridge anchor one end of the street and a tuner the other end. You make it resonate between two points a given distance apart (fret and bridge saddle), you get the appropriate pitch. String tension is higher in longer scale basses as the resonating length for a given fret is longer (deeper note) so requires the string to be tighter (higher note) to compensate. If the length of the string past the nut to the tuner made any difference,we'd all enjoy nice tight crisp notes on shorter scale, easier to play basses by putting a great big long head on it with the tuners right down the far end. Same thing with having a short redundant bit of string extending from bridge saddle to either top-mounted string anchor or a longer bit going through the body. Doesn't affect string tension one bit. To test this, grab an old Strat guitar and a spare thin E string. Replace the fat (bass) E string with the thin E. Tune the guitar up so that both E strings are at the same pitch. The treble-side E string now approximates a through-body stringing as the distance from nut to tuner is longer, while the bass-side E represents a non-through-body stringing. If they're at the same pitch, the tension in the strings will be the same assuming you've got the same gague string as the one already on the guitar. I'm not saying through-body stringing doesn't affect the tone or resonance of an instrument*, it just doesn't affect string tension. * Albeit in a very minor way that doesn't compensate for a higher break angle at the bridge snapping strings.

[quote name='silddx' post='483631' date='May 9 2009, 11:40 AM']Musicman Stingray - Melinda Messenger Status - Katie Price Warwick - Germaine Greer Gibson Thunderbird/Flying V - Jodie Marsh Spector - Sara Palin Wal - Heidi Klum Fender Precision - Angelina Jolie Fender Jazz - Madonna Fender Telecaster - Hillary Clinton Fender Jaguar - Maxine Carr Yamaha - John Prescott Lakland - Pixie Geldof Sadowsky - Peaches Geldof Bass Collection - Myleene Klass Ibanez - Paris Hilton Washburn - Jerry Hall Alembic - Arsenio Hall Shuker - Royal Albert Hall Gordon Smith - Local Scout Hall[/quote] PMSL!! Course, we all will probably have very different opinions of said women... so we're left to guess who you fancy as to which basses you like! Status - Katie Price... you mean tawdry cheap and easy, or quite nice back in the day before all the plastic bits got added?

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='626469' date='Oct 14 2009, 10:02 PM']Also, and I mention this at every opportunity, who's stupid idea was it to give it two volume controls?[/quote] Totally agree. Blame Les Paul! Luckily it's very esay to switch it to a single volume / blend. Keep the original pots for when you sell it on (upon realising it's not a Status )

Set the Staus preamp to totally flat, mid blend. Tinker with the amp to suit the room, so it sounds like my "neutral" sound. Normally slight bass boost, pokey middle, treble down a little. Then use the controls on the bass for variation between the songs, the blend more than the EQ.

Sadly for me the Victor Wooten parody was about as musically interesting as his usually twiddly OTT noodlefests Which famous old-time musician said about one of the new breed 80's guitar shredders "Gee I'd sure love to be able to play that fast... just so I could [i]choose[/i] not to play that fast" ?

I declare shenanigans! (Your band) ------------ Ten foot stick ------------- (gap) (This event)

[quote name='gary mac' post='630017' date='Oct 19 2009, 07:04 AM']Was Whitney stoned or damaged from her past?[/quote] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LzgYWCgkZk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LzgYWCgkZk[/url] "I've got more lines than Whitney Houston's coffee table" Kid's a genius

One Hot Minute over Californicaiton? What bullshit is this being spoken? Californication is the better album by far. Not only because John Frusciante was back in the fold and he pwns the hell out of Dave Navarro. The songs are better. One Hot Minute is maybe 2 or 3 good songs with a boatload of poorly written filler between them. This is why the fans hated it, the critics hated it, and it almost spent the end of the band.... I've got everything I can find that the Chilis have done on CD including OHM, but OHM is the only one I don't have loaded onto iTunes. I won't dignify it by taking up space on my iPod with it.

As a general tip, anytime anybody needs to know anything about pickups, get in touch with Tim at [url="http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk"]http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk[/url] What this man doesn't know about pickups isn't worth knowing.

Went to buy a set of straplocks from Fret Music in Southampton (awesome shop and staff BTW!) and saw these lurid monstrosities on the wall. Damn they're ugly. I'm talking so ugly you could make a new Yo Momma joke about them. "Yo Momma so ugly, she played a FleaBass and the bass looked good" would work. Sounded crap too. What's the deal with these? Has Flea sold his name to some anonymous Far Eastern chipboard bass manufacturer and that's it? Did he actually have a say in how the instruments sounded, looked, and are built? Is he sat in a grimy workshop crafting each one himself and learning the art of luthiery as he goes? The more he had to do with this piece of sh*t bass the less I like him TBH. Damn.

I know these few things. 1) I've owned a wide selection of basses in my life so far of vastly varying quality and played on a good deal of friends' and customers' instruments too. I have a sound in my head I'm aiming towards which I consider "my sound". Generally it's easier for me to find my sound on a better quality instrument. I'm sure people who know me and my playing would hear me and say "Oh that's Nick's playing". The more musicianly ones would hear the difference between my playing on a good rig as opposed to a bad rig. The non-muso ones probably would not. 2) For live performance, especially given that I'm not in stadiums with an army of sound guys tinkering my every frequency and naked Playboy bunnies to bring me lines of coke hourly, the subtle nuances of instrument quality are going to be lost on 99% of the listeners. To the average punter a great deal more impression is made by how the instrument looks than how it sounds, at least down to the fine variations we're talking about here. 3) In the studio it's a bit different. You're going to hear subtle differences between playing the same bass part on two different-sounding basses regardless of what the tech does. How much of a factor this is depends on the quality of recording gear, how heavily you tinker and FX your sound, the room, alighment of the planets etc etc. Pro session players generally own a lot more different basses for this reason (Ref: OutToPlayJazz's quote near the top of the thread about keeping the producer/MD happy). This would not be the case if all basses of all woods with all variations of pickup sounded the same, or like "a bass guitar". 4) Visual excellence is almost as much a part of putting on a good live show as musical. Sucks but there it is. This has been discussed elsewhere to death. A group with a cohesive visual scheme come across as a lot more professional than the 5 completely disparate people who happen to be sharing a stage. What your bass looks like is important. With this in mind I went to visit the nice folks at Status Graphite. Mainly I was curious about graphite necks. Tried one and loved it. Next I tried a few stock basses of different wood types, played without amplification. The difference in body woods makes a very large change to the sound. I can't identify a wood type just by hearing it, but A-B testing shows the diffferences a lot. I decided I like the sound of walnut. It's also a beautiful wood to look at (see 4 above). When I've had custom basses in the past while working at the workshop, I've always liked a J pup in the neck and a MM in the bridge. Tried soapbars but not my thing. Into 5's so P-type pups of little use. Saw no reason to change. So now I'm the happy owner of a bass with the wood type, body shape, graphite neck, and electronic options I most wanted and feel get me closest to the sound in my head that identify me as me. It's a very good-looking bass and I feel more confident putting it on in front of people knowing this. Makes me feel I'm pleasing the eye as well as the ear. This confidence affects my live showmanship. The bass cost me about as much as an off-the-shelf Stingray 5 would have (if I had to go for a stock instrument, like gun-to-my-head situation, that would be the one) but to me it's infinitely more pleasing. Playing live music will always be a joy for me however I do it, but playing it on the bass which is absolutely right for me magnifies the experience hugely. That's why I went custom.

[quote name='lee650' post='628332' date='Oct 16 2009, 09:47 PM']+10000 - SHE IS THE BEST!!!! very funky lady, and a voice like silk, listen to "soul on ice" and be floored by funk!!![/quote] Not only does she sound great, some awesome Funky Chicken head moves going on there. Mad props

The recorded bassline isn't anything special, but the potential to improv and really get a good groove on is fantastic: Black Velvet by Allana Myles

[quote name='BigAlonBass' post='625812' date='Oct 14 2009, 10:59 AM']Yep-it eliminates the connection between you, the mic, and your backline. [u]After dying onstage a few years back (and luckily being brought back by a Doc in the audience)[/u] I went wireless, and haven't used a lead since. [/quote] Now THAT, Sir, is rock n roll behavior! I used a Samson bug back in the originals band days as I loved to get moshing and sweaty out in the crowd. Wouldn't be without it. Here's a thought though - those Samsons work off a 1.5V AAA battery. My Status has to have 2x 9V batteries as (presumably) a 4.5V peak headroom isn't enough to handle the transient loud attacks. So let's be conservative and say that if I'm giving it full gusto the Status is outputting a signal with 6V peaks. How can a unit with a 1.5V power source, ergo a 0.75V headroom, handle my signal without severe compression? It's possible the Samson attenuates the signal, transmits it within it's peak-peak limits and then re-amplifies it within the receiver, but that would have a horrible effect on the high end detail and noise output. Any thoughts?

[quote name='OldGit' post='624448' date='Oct 12 2009, 09:35 PM']ha ha hey hang on is your bas actually plugged in or were you miming too? [/quote] Pff, behold the Samson wireless bug hanging out the bottom of the bass. Actually, behold the bass itself too... sweet, n'est pas? Just realised I posted all that above and didn't get round to making my final point - if you have to wear headwear to a gig, make it a Reaper cowl or nothing

It's a bit of a shame, that whoever ends up buying it probably won't play it a great deal if at all. Almost certainly not out of the house - would you take a £10k bass to the studio or <shudder> a live gig? I'd be worried to take the thing out from behind the alarm rigged plexiglass in case I put a greasy thumbprint on it. You know what I'd love? If someone bought it, slapped a modern pup and preamp in there, routed a hole for a bridge pup as well, in with a Badass bridge, and gigged the hell out of it until it died of old age. Isn't that how we as musicians want to leave this life - denying our advancing years and playing out to people despite expectations that we're long past such things? Don't instruments deserve the same Viking death and flaming funeral? It's better to burn out than to fade away... ... and you're never to old to rock 'n roll !

[quote name='Stingray5' post='624084' date='Oct 12 2009, 03:43 PM']Failing that - this might work: [/quote] Damn! I know work has rather dried up for Keanu Reeves since the whole Matrix 2 & 3 debacle, but surely Ted "Theodore" Logan deserves better than this? On a side note - Bill & Ted's bass player in Wyld Stallyns surely has to be the coolest man (?) to ever step on stage with a DB - Something I tried to recreate at a Halloween gig once*, to much hilarity - *The whole place - all 5 bands and the whole crowd - were in fancy dress, so I wasn't alone