The Funk

[quote name='thunderbird13' post='469613' date='Apr 22 2009, 02:07 PM']does the world need another bass player ?[/quote] Yes. Don't let all the other BS put you off.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='469520' date='Apr 22 2009, 12:46 PM']I am not critical of people learning other pwoplw's basslines at all. Its an essential part of the process of development. Its the hundreds of hours spent learning pieces that are hard because they are hard but which are, ultimately, a very inefficient way of learning stuff. Weather Report's 'River People' may be a 'great' way of learning octaves but why not just learn octaves and waste less time? [/quote] I see what you mean. I think some people learn the showpiece tunes purely for fun and others for their development on the instrument. If it's for fun, there's no harm. If it's a roundabout way of picking up a particular technique, then yeah, I totally agree with you.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='469520' date='Apr 22 2009, 12:46 PM']I am not critical of people learning other pwoplw's basslines at all.[/quote] I don't speak Cymraeg.

If the string feels floppy, then a heavier string would be my answer. If the string sounds crap, better amplification might be the answer.

Ain't nothin' but a thang

So, fingerings. A long time ago my bass mentor taught me three basic fingerings for the basic major scale, which I think he called 1 position, 2 position and 4 position. [u]1 position (in A)[/u] E-string: finger 1-fret 5 (A), finger 2-fret 7 ( B ), finger 4-fret 9 (C#) A-string: finger 1-fret 5 (D), finger 2-fret 7 (E), finger 4-fret 9 (F#) D-string: finger 1-fret 6 (G#), finger 2-fret 7 (A) The principle here being to stretch finger 1 to cover 1 fret below the general 1-finger-per-fret rule. [u]2 position (in A)[/u] E-string: finger 2-fret 5 (A), finger 4-fret 7 ( B ) A-string: finger 1-fret 4 (C#), finger 2-fret 5 (D), finger 4-fret 7 (E) D-string: finger 1-fret 4 (F#), finger 3-fret 6 (G#), finger 4-fret 7 (A) The principle here being a very straight-forward 1-finger-per-fret-rule. [u]4 position (in A)[/u] E-string: finger 4-fret 5 (A) A-string: finger 1-fret 2 ( B ), finger 3-fret 3 (C#), finger 4-fret 5 (D) D-string: finger 1-fret 2 (E), finger 4-fret 3 (F#) G-string: finger 1-fret 1 (G#), finger 2-fret 2 (A) The principle here being 1-finger-per-fret but shifting finger 4 in one fret on the 6th note of the major scale and then continuing 1-finger-per-fret. I don't know if the terminology I've used here is standard (or misremembered) but I was wondering if other people use other basic fingerings than these. For two octaves, the second octave of 1 position begins as 2 position; the second octave of 2 position begins as 4 position; and the second octave of 4 position begins as 2 position. For the modes of the major scale, the three different fingerings above would still apply. For the melodic minor, harmonic minor, diminished and whole tone scales, you would need different fingerings. I was also taught 1-2-4 fingering (as in fretting with fingers 1, 2 and 3/4 combined), so I switch between that and the fingerings above as required. Share your style/thoughts with us.

Excellent advice there.

[quote name='AM1' post='468578' date='Apr 21 2009, 02:37 PM']What do you guys do in terms of working out the best fingering/fretboard position, for a piece of music? The score doesn't show anything? The immediate theme after the octave intro...there's a certain type of phrasing that you hear in the original, but recreating that means working out the notes in a certain position on the fretboard. When you see a series of notes written down, those notes can be played in several different positions on the bass, I'd be interested in what method is used to decide where to play.[/quote] Start a fingerings thread. Wait for all the innuendo to flood in.

[quote name='AM1' post='468822' date='Apr 21 2009, 05:38 PM']We're going in circles here, I am glad the OP is feeling reassured with his choice.[/quote] I agree. This thread got massively sidetracked. [quote name='skankdelvar' post='468826' date='Apr 21 2009, 05:39 PM']Huge respect for your posts and what you have to say. [/quote] [quote name='AM1' post='468831' date='Apr 21 2009, 05:41 PM']I'll second that, TheFunk has made some useful contributions to my questions, much respect from me.[/quote] Even the [i]2 Girls, 1 Cup[/i] reference?

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='468669' date='Apr 21 2009, 03:48 PM']Also - those of you who feel that posting an opinion about a [i]sound[/i] requires years of experience, that 'less experienced' posters should gracefully roll over when challenged by self-appointed experts [...] you know what you can do and where you can do it.[/quote] I went on about experience for a reason. I didn't bring it up and only pointed it out to explain why there's such a bad reaction to some of AM's posts. When someone says something along the lines of "in my experience such and such is the case" and then to someone with much more experience "you are wrong" or "you don't know what you are talking about", they're bringing personal experience into the discussion. What would be helpful to the person with the actual query, ie. the guy who created this thread in the first place, is a little explanation of what that experience includes. How else are any of these opinions useful? chris_b, who probably has the most experience in this thread, was massively pro-Ampeg.

Times is hard.

[quote name='mildmanofrock' post='467979' date='Apr 20 2009, 11:50 PM']I suppose after 15 years absence from bass playing, I was fixated with all things Ampeg. So, I bought it. And, to my ears, it sounds alright. [...] should I admit my brand-loyal naivety, axe the Ampeg, and buy stuff beginning with 'E'?[/quote] So, I think everyone's agreed that you buy and hang onto stuff that sounds good to you, regardless of brand. There's also a big disagreement over whether Ampeg as a brand has its own distinctive sound - and as to whether the various products in the Ampeg catalogue share such a sound.

[quote name='stevie' post='468511' date='Apr 21 2009, 02:08 PM']If AM1 prefers to maintain some degree of anonymity, he's entitled to it without having to put up with being quizzed about his background.[/quote] She.

[quote name='AM1' post='468502' date='Apr 21 2009, 02:03 PM']Then tBBC and TheFunk can mud-wrestle, naked. I'll film.[/quote] There was a sequel to [i]2 Girls, 1 Cup[/i] made in the late '90s. We were both young, naive and desperate for cash.

[quote name='AM1' post='468476' date='Apr 21 2009, 01:49 PM']Please try harder. [...] You'll have to do better than this.[/quote] No, I don't have to do anything. I tried explaining to you why some of your posts annoy some people. You don't agree with my explanation. End of.

I'm not trying to do a character assassination with this post. You asked for examples. Here are three. [u]One[/u] [quote name='BigRedX' post='468180' date='Apr 21 2009, 10:22 AM']Remember though every time you see an Ampeg rig on a large stage its contribution to the overall bass sound both on stage and FoH is pretty negligible. The bass will be DI'd at some point - maybe even before it reaches the amp and unless your stood directly in front of the speakers you'll be hearing more from the monitors than than the amp.[/quote] [quote name='AM1' post='468212' date='Apr 21 2009, 10:46 AM']I don't think such a sweeping generalisation is valid unless you have gone and asked the majority of Ampeg players on large stages what setup they use.[/quote] From what I remember, BigRed's been pro or semi-pro for over 10 years. Here you've dismissed his experience as a sweeping generalisation. [u]Two[/u] [quote name='alexclaber' post='468229' date='Apr 21 2009, 11:07 AM']I really don't buy that. Yes the all-valve SVT and sealed 8x10" cab has a distinct sound but the rest of their gear varies hugely. I would suggest that if you see a rock band who have a nice fat rock bass sound happening and there's an Ampeg rig there then you attribute that to the rig when you could get that same sound from so many other rigs. Just like the hordes of guitarists out there believing that you can only get 'that' tone from a Marshall stack cranked up to 11. The power of marketing and subconsious self-persuasion...[/quote] [quote name='AM1' post='468241' date='Apr 21 2009, 11:19 AM']No Alex, the power of listening to it week in, week out for years! [/quote] Here you've dismissed the experience of someone who builds bass cabs professionally and has fronted his own band on vocals and bass for several years. [u]Three[/u] [quote name='MacDaddy' post='468250' date='Apr 21 2009, 11:24 AM']As I posted earlier, my old PJB rig could easily dial in a recognisable (and IMO better) Ampeg tone.[/quote] [quote name='AM1' post='468260' date='Apr 21 2009, 11:31 AM']HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! [/quote] Here you've ridiculed the experience of someone who I think has been playing for a lot longer than most of us (20+ years?).

[quote name='AM1' post='468443' date='Apr 21 2009, 01:24 PM']Could you provide the examples of where those words were used by me, or anyone else on this thread?[/quote] Why? I'm not trying to criticise you, I'm trying to explain why people don't always react well to some of your posts so that it can be avoided in the future.

[quote name='AM1' post='468431' date='Apr 21 2009, 01:11 PM']So, no, I see no need to publish music credentials in order to express an opinion about finding a certain tone to be distinctive, or indeed, really liking said tone.[/quote] No need to back up what you say when saying that you really like a particular tone. When you want to dismiss others' comments though it can be useful, if you are relying on your personal experience of a certain tone being distinctive, to let people know what your personal experience of that certain tone is, eg. 20 years playing alongside Ampeg and other brand-using bassists, 38 years as a gig-goer listening to Ampeg and other brand-using bassists, 5-years as an Ampeg/other brand-using bassist. Otherwise it can look a bit silly/rude when a beginner tells people who make amps or who have engineered 1000 gigs or who have been playing for 35-odd years that they don't know what they're talking about because their experience counts for nothing against your experience.

I think I remember Jakebass saying that he can.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='468373' date='Apr 21 2009, 12:39 PM']Racist.[/quote] What's xenophobic about fear of foreigners?

[quote name='AM1' post='468343' date='Apr 21 2009, 12:25 PM']If I could get the same tone from a no name amp churned out of a factory in China, I'd have bought it.[/quote] Aren't Ampegs made in China now?

I can't agree that Ampeg as a brand has a distinct sound. The classic SVT sound is distinctive and desirable for certain settings, as is the fliptop sound (although competely different to the classic SVT). I like the idea of trying one of the discontinued valve Ampeg preamps (either the SVP-CL or the SVP-Pro). The Ampeg heads with solid-state preamps don't sound anything like the classic SVT IMO.

Excellent. That's what I was thinking.

I've hated every Ampeg I've tried but I'd love to try a classic SVT or fliptop. I reckon they'd sound great for a particular sound.