AdamWoodBass

[quote name='YouMa' post='505220' date='Jun 4 2009, 03:44 AM']Why do companys endorse if you are not famous? Im not being rude,but i have never heard of you,your playing is very good but i can play at the same level of bass playing .Does this mean i get free stuff just for being a decent bass player. I have never heard of farida(excuse my ignorance),does anybody famous play there bass guitars? I wish i could get endorsed but i dont think the "public" has heard of me,you must have been in a band who charted or something at least.[/quote] Most people haven't heard of me, I'm just starting out as a pro (whatever one's definition of "pro" actually is). I've basically reached a level where I feel competent enough to get a decent amount of gigs and recording sessions in to pay my bills. I don't think you have to be famous to be endorsed, at the end of the day if said company sees potential in you as a player then it is a worthy investment. For the record I don't get free stuff from them, I still have to pay for my gear like anyone else with an endorsement. As for the "public" knowing about you, there are quite a few people on this very forum with endorsement deals and I guess you've probably never heard of them either. It doesn't mean they're any less deserving of an endorsement. Basically I've worked really damn hard to get to where I am and I know that there's a hell of a lot more hard work to come but I am extremely grateful for the endorsement and its very encouraging to know that a large company sees me as a worthy investment. Really the point of having an endorsement is that you make people aware of a product and demonstrate it's quality; you are now aware of Farida so part of my work is done lol!

[quote name='silddx' post='505001' date='Jun 3 2009, 08:02 PM']I like that actually, not usually into instrumental lounge music, but it's cool. Nice bass tone. How were you feeling when you recorded it? Were the twiddly bits improvised?[/quote] Interesting question that. I guess I was feeling a bit mellow, been listening to a lot of groove based stuff recently. I'm trying to get away from overly complicated music, I like to dip into it every now and again but I suppose I'm trying to be a bit more organic with the stuff I'm writing nowadays. Yeah the twiddly bits were improvised on the fly, I'm still getting to know my way around the new bass. It's just a quick demo but I might revisit it and make something good out of it. I'm still getting to grips with the recording software, it's the Ableton Lite package that comes with the line 6 pod studio. Really cool but a lot different to what I'm used to (Pro Tools). The drums and the rhodes were done in Reason which I've used for years and it's really nice to be able to sync Reason to Ableton.

Thanks matey!

[quote]I did also have a bad experience with an endorsement so if there is something you are concerned about, feel free to drop me a PM if you want a bit of advice on something you may be worried about![/quote] Thanks mate I'll bare that in mind, up to now though everythings been cool. [quote]Years back all I got was a Jägermeister endorsement, followed by a little bit of sick.[/quote] I can relate to that lol!

I've just added a track using the Farida to the recordings section.

Hey guys! Just got an endorsement deal with Farida guitars and as promised I've recorded a track with it! Enjoy![attachment=26480:Late_O_Clock.mp3]

[quote]I wonder.... is it just a strange coincidence that they make Fender copies and their logo could - just at a glance of course -possibly be mistaken for Fender's. Hmmmmm....[/quote] This is true however (and no I have not been paid to say this and I am in no way obliged to say this) I compared my Farida with a US Fender in the shop and I prefered the Farida way before I was aproached about an endorsement. It is a pretty basic bass but it does do everything you'd expect a decent jazz bass to do and it does do it well. Again I know I'm biased but I genuinely think they're ace, they fit my hands and playing style really nicely and they sound really good. TBH I'm not really fussed what it says on the headstock as long as I'm happy with it!

[quote name='Jase' post='502982' date='Jun 1 2009, 03:02 PM']There are generally different "levels" of Endorsement or Artist Deals.[/quote] Yeah I got that impression. I expected having to pay for it though cos even people like Wooten have to pay for their gear they just get it at a discount because of who they are. Hopefully this will lead to greater things but we can but wait!

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='502983' date='Jun 1 2009, 03:02 PM']See.... they've had their money's worth out of you already [/quote] LOL yeah well I've got to sing their praises somewhere haven't I!

Cool cheers for that mate, mines pretty similar actually. I think the most useful thing they're gonna do for me is help to raise my profile as a player (it is in their best interests after all).

Ok so a quick update on this, basically I've just gotten an endorsement deal with new guitar company called Farida Guitars. They're distributed by Dawson's and are bloody wonderful bits of wood! I'll post a topic with some better pics of mine in the bass guitars forum when I get chance to take some pics but for now you can check it out at faridaguitars.co.uk. Mine is the FJB-20 with a natural finish, used it live on a big stage for the first time last night and I was not dissapointed. I'll be doing some recordings with it later this week which I'll also get posted on here!

[quote name='lozbass' post='495183' date='May 22 2009, 02:07 PM']First, I'm a bit surprised that you're thinking of a change - I had a listen the The Chicken and loved your bass tone on the recording (and the playing, some really tasty, groovy stuff in there). If the rig has to go though, it might be worth a look at Epi cabs (and amps unless you're really set on a MB). I've only really got experience of Epi from the brands you list (though I did try my 502 against a LMII recently and whilst both were good, I preferred the Epi by some distance). For £1500, you'd certainly find an excellent used ul502 and a ul310 (or ul410 - I've seen Flankers for sale on here now!) - I think this could suit - it's a light, powerful, compact and very versatile rig. The problem with Epi is it's not easy to try without travelling - the only dealer I know in the UK is the Gallery.[/quote] Actually I wasn't using a rig there! That was just the bass straight into a PA! And thats my point, I've got this rig and as soon as I go along to play with a house band I don't use it cos of the pain in the arse of getting it there! I've thought about the epi stuff but I've heard some horror stories of them being so crisp and clear that they sound way too clinical (and more importantly highlight every tiny little mistake you make!) It wouldn't hurt to give em a try though. Tbh I'm about due a visit to dear old London as I've got loads of mates there I haven't seen for ages so I suppose popping to the gallery for a shufty would be on the cards. [quote name='Dr.Dave' post='495501' date='May 22 2009, 07:32 PM']Yo - Adam , long time , no waffle etc. There's a Phil Jones suitcase in the classifieds. Might be worth a look. I've never tried one live but based the try outs I've had I'd happily use one. Ext cab left at home for the intimate's - maybe. I think you found , like me , that the GK micro's were a little underpowered but I know you were a fan of the sound. The MB2 is around now , I think. More bang for your buck in a tiny box but I haven't even seen one yet.[/quote] Hey Dave! Indeed its been a few moons! Yeah that was a real pain with those, they were fantastic little amps but just not loud enough. I've tried the Phil Jones stuff actually and yeah I was dead impressed by the volume of the thing for something so small but there was just something about it that I didn't like but I can't put my finger on what it was. It just sounded a bit er... strange!

Right well I'm definately feeling the love for the LMII so I think thats that bit solved. Actually I love the idea of having a tiny little amp that I can fit in a gig bag but it'll stand up to most gigs and because I've used Mark Bass stuff before I know it suits my needs. I think I need to spend some time looking at cabs now then. Thanks for all the advice guys hopefully soon I'll have a nice new rig to show off!

Ok well I've used GK cabs and I wasn't too keen on them, they just didn't sound as good as some of the other stuff in the same price range. Never tried Epi, Barefaced or EBS so I might have to check those out too and I'm really interested in the Berantino's. I read a review about them years ago in Bassplayer mag and they loved them and they seem to get a really good reception from most bass players I talk to. Perhaps a trip down south might be in order to check them out.

Really the LMII's are that powerful? Ok well there's some food for thought, how come different cabs though? Are Bergantino decidedly that much better than Mark Bass? To be honest the rig I've been thinking of getting was the Mini CMD 112 Combo thing with a 1x12 traveller cab. I'm guessing this is gonna be a pretty decent rig and even if I take the extension cab its not gonna over crowd a cramped restaurant gig. I'd like to try a bergantino cab though, were abouts in the UK sells them?

Ok so it's another one of those threads but I need some proper advice. My rig is just not working for me, its not that its a crap rig (far from it, its a bloody great rig) but its just not my thing. I tried selling on here but nobody was interested so I'll probably end up trading it against something which better suits me. I'm playing mainly jazz and funk but I am getting involved in some other projects along the rock and pop circuit. I need a rig which is nice and compact for storage, light enough to not hospitalise me after lifting it out of my car and with enough head room to do medium to large concerts as well as you're run of the mill bar/restaurant gigs. I won't have mega bucks to spend on it so I'll set a budget of say £1500ish. I'm more or less exclusively playing 4 and 5 string jazz basses now and I like to have a kind of punchy defined sound but with a nice 60hz thud to it. I don't mind doing a bit of switching for tones as I do go between slap and fingerstyle quite a lot so footpedals are no problem. I'm thinking Mark Bass as I've used their stuff before and loved it but I'm wondering if there's maybe an avenue I've not explored yet. If you know what that avenue is shout up and tell me why you recomend it! As always much appreciated guys! Ad

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='493202' date='May 20 2009, 12:56 PM']I quite like the Sandberg stuff... it's a built better than Fender, Fender. Sounds great, very reliable and great playing. I think there are very good value for money...[/quote] Huge +1 on that, they feel far more er... German than Fenders (obviously Fender being American and all). Honestly though a Sandberg feels like if you were to drop it it would be totally fine which is more than I can say for some American Fenders I've played. Plus look at the price, what can Fender offer you for £1200? Now compare that to a Sandberg of equivilant value: More finish options, Delano pickups, 9v Delano preamp, bigger sound, Better build quality, far better customer service etc etc. I'm not against fenders in any way, I love em to pieces. I just think the thing with Sandbergs is not that they're cheap for what you get (I think the price is about right) its that Fenders are waaaaaaay over priced comparitavely.

I've played a few of these and I can honestly say I've never played a bad one. For 5 strings they've got the kind of low B you would only hear on instruments which cost double the price. The cool thing about Sandberg is they'll also do custom work for you. A while ago I was toying with the idea of a 24 fret jazz with no pick guard, a tapered heal and a deeper lower cutaway for easier upper fret access. I emailed Sandberg and they came up with some ideas straight away and because it was still relatively within the parameteres of the existing california model it was gonna cost roughly the same money! The only reason I didn't order it was cos of unforseen financial problems, I may still order it in the future. Great guys to deal with as well. I honestly don't think you'll be dissapointed mate.

Played at Groove on the Green yesterday afternoon. To be honest I didn't feel great about it. Typical sound man doing a lightening quick soundcheck and then when you ask for more of a particular thing in the monitors he pretends to be turning the knob on the desk and then as soon as you start playing he turns all the monitors off! What is their problem?!?! Why do they have to be the stereotype arse with musician envy and screw up your live sound so you sound crap! At one point a techy actually crept up behind me and turned my amp off! I nearly punched him!

Wow this is all a bit extreme isnt it?!?! Ok well my 2p worth then, *nervously clears throat*.... I like Wooten, there I said it! No but seriously I totally understand where some people are coming from with reference to the intense slappity slappity tappity tappity and to be perfectly honest I can totally relate to that too. I love slap and tap don't get me wrong but its one of those techniques where it's very very easy to make it sound like a technical exercise and pretty damn hard to make it actually sound musical. We need to remember that good ol' Vic is a bit of a pioneer on the bass, he likes to go in radically leftfield directions and just explore music just like most of us do. So what you have to remember when he does a clinic or something like that (and he also says it on one of his dvd's) is that he might have stumbled on something new and might be still trying to work out how to make it musical. There's a sort of rake slap technique he does on one of his instructional dvd's where he actually says "I haven't figured out how to use this yet". I personally thought it sounded crap and I think maybe he did too cos I haven't seen him actually use the tecnique since watching the dvd! With regards to his songwriting I'm a bit 50/50, again I do have all his albums and I do have a lot of the Flecktones stuff too. Some of his stuff really moves me, like for example most of the Palmystry album and some of the stuff I really struggle with but then isn't that true of any artist? I love Michael Jackson but there are some tunes out there that are a bit crap. With regards to the one trick pony thing are we talking about his technique or his sound? If we go back to Michael Jackson for example, its not like he changes his voice on a different record. He's still Jacko and that's his sound, you can pick him out if he sings 3 notes. Same with some of our favorite bass players such as Jaco, Marcus, Stanley, Vic, Bootsy, Larry etc etc. That's their signiture sound, some people dig it and some hate it but you instantly know who they are after just 3 notes. I think thats something which is really important to remember, can you imagine if someone listening to you knew exactly who you were when you'd played just 3 notes?! That's really inspiring to me. Ok if I have offended anyone then my sincere apologies, I'm not trying to stir up the pot so to speak! Peace Ad

You clever buggers, this is ace! Nice one!

I love this stuff man! Just been listenin to bleeep-02, proper catchy! Nice work dude.

I like Wooten, I do struggle with him sometimes but on the whole I do like him. Some of his techinques just leave me asking "er... why?!" but like I said most of his stuff blows me away. Ad

Hey guys, Ok I have had an offer for a kind of quasi endorsement thing with a guitar company. I can't really say who they are yet as nothings confirmed and I don't want to end up looking like a prune if it doesn't come off! My questions are as follows: 1. Do any of you have an endorsement deal? 2. If so what does it entail? 3. Do they look after you as regards to maintanence of your gear and expenses etc? 4. Do you have a contract? 5. Did it benefit you in any way? ie did you end up getting better known as a musician or get more work out of it? Sorry for the vagueness on this, any info or advice you can offer is as always much appreciated! Cheers Ad

I'm liking this stuff man. Great sound you're getting out of that Warwick too. They're like marmite for me, I had a Proline one and never got on with it but I can see it's not doing you any harm lol! Keep it up dude! Ad