The Funk

[quote name='chardbass' post='171727' date='Apr 7 2008, 08:21 PM']Jim Jam- Jim Mullen (Pino on P bass- v tasty)[/quote] Have you got a copy of this? Doesn't it also have Hamish Stuart on guitar? I've been looking for a copy.

We have a Bass Chat closet now? Is that for people who publicly denounce Victor Wooten for show-boating but cream themselves in private at his monstrous chops?

Mine was broken in two places by the age of 13 so it's not all that strong - and it didn't set properly when it healed. So I tend to double up the little finger and ring finger. Not always though.

Once you've tried an amp with a few different cabs you get to learn how the amp sounds. Once you've tried a few different amps with the same cab, you get to learn how the cab sounds. And you should also check out people's rigs when you go to watch people play live. That way you get an idea of how different pieces of equipment sound when combined. I can't really take responsibility for recommending that a 15 year old bassist gets his parents to fork out just under £1000 for an Epifani UL410. Personally, I'd suggest that you work out some kind of budget with the folks and then stick to it. I was a pretty spoilt kid (not saying you are, but I was) but my first proper amp was a fourth-hand 4x10 combo that cost around £300 and pumped out about 250W. You'd probably be fine with an amp in the 300-500W range and either a 4x10 cab or two 2x10 cabs. The 1000W Hartke head seems like way more than you'd ever need. If you've got a budget of around £500 (and you're buying new and you want a stack), then I'd suggest either: 1. Warwick Profet 3.2 head (300W @ 4ohms, £185) + a Hartke 210TP cab (175W @ 8 ohms, £175) + a Hartke 115TP cab (175W @ 8 ohms, £179), or if you can live without the stack, 2. Warwick Profet 5.1 head (500W @ 4 ohms, £279) + a Hartke 410TP cab (300W @ 8 ohms, £265). It won't sound amazing but it won't sound bollocks either.

I'm trying to remember if the line in [i]Papa Was A Rollin' Stone[/i] by The Temptations changes from the initial one. If not, surely that has to be a contender?

I think you should probably spend another 6 weeks going through the different options before you buy your rig. For that amount of money you can't afford to get it wrong - you'll be stuck with it for a good 5 more years. The problem with that Hartke cab is that it's a relatively new and untested speaker cone technology, with a part-paper and part-aluminium cone. Noone's ever done that before and I've never seen anyone on TV or live using either that head or that cab. It could be a great product but it could just as easily be a pile of rubbish. The other problem with Hartke is that it isn't considered high end gear anymore. I quite like the sound of the XL series Hartke cabs with the aluminium cones. Some people hate them. But for funk-rock I think they work pretty well. And I used to own the 2.5XL which is why I recommended it. The 4.5XL which also comes highly recommended by a few fellow forum members is too heavy for you. I think Ferret is right: just buy the one cab and spend twice as much on it. Try out that Hartke head and see if it's any good. If it is then get yourself an Epifani UL410. It weighs less than one Hartke 2.5XL cab and can handle 1000W at 4 ohms. Would seem like a perfect match for that Hartke head. But like I said, I've never of anyone who's actually used that head before. The Epifani cabs do sound pretty damn good though.

[quote name='matty589' post='172237' date='Apr 8 2008, 02:10 PM']Slap is cool for about 3 minutes until the audience and other musicians get bored of it.[/quote]

I don't really have a problem with it. I see newbie sellers with 0 posts the same way as newbie ebayers with 0 feedback. Approach with caution!

I use a tech called Frank at Angel Music on Denmark Street. First floor above Music Ground. He's a good bloke and he converted my Aguilar from US to UK voltage.

Each of those HX410s is rated at 1000W at 8ohms. But they'd each only draw 500W from that Hartke head. That just about fits with Alex's 2:1 either way rule but it seems a waste. If you're going to get the LH1000 (which looks pretty cool just from the spec - obviously it may sound like turd, can't say without hearing it), and you want an obnoxiously big stack, then I'd recommend you get 4 Hartke 2.5XL cabs and have a double stack (cross-fired). Of course this will all be completely unnecessary, even if you're playing large outdoor gigs (at 15?), because your bass will be going through the PA system out to the audience - your cabs on stage will just be to help you hear yourself.

Get two Hartke 2.5XL cabs. They're awesome and come in at £239 each brand new. As they're 200W at 8 ohms each, you'd draw 400W with them both plugged into your 500W head. If you stack them on their sides, you'd get the same height as a Marshall stack but with more clarity. That would definitely be my recommendation, especially if you're looking at Hartke anyway. As for a head, I'd go for a Gallien-Krueger 700RB. At 480W, it'd be a very good match for the two Hartke cabs.

Dude, you play a 7-string bass guitar. Isn't the answer obvious?

[quote name='Bigwan' post='171523' date='Apr 7 2008, 03:23 PM']Slightly off topic - who else thinks the Chili Peppers have been crap since BSSM?[/quote] Yes. I do. For a funk rock band they neither funk nor rock now.

[quote name='ianmwmac' post='170857' date='Apr 6 2008, 07:00 PM']Lack of power for one, and the most annoying hum makes it almost unusable when put thru our PA.[/quote] The hum could be a ground loop of some kind. I get that sometimes when I try to use the DI out on my preamp with a PA. Never at home in the studio - just live with some PAs. Not sure what you could do about the lack of power apart from adding a second cab. Sounds like a real bummer.

Ah! That's the secret, isn't it? I'll be honest, it's not easy. (I can't really do it very well so I write all the songs for my band with very simple changes.) You can go one of two ways: you can either play like a riff-based player and whack out a different riff under each chord change or you can play like a disco-type player and groove with the various arpeggios and octaves on each chord. Or if you don't want to limit yourself, mix up the two. I'm more of a riff-based guy myself. One of the great modern disco-funk bass performances is by Nick Fyffe on Jamiroquai's [i]Love Foolosophy[/i]. Completely different style to my own but grooves away like a mutha. If it's not working, just play a little less and pick your moment. Try some Louis Johnson-style 16th note syncopation just before or after the 1, 2, 3, or 4. If you're keeping it simple for most of it, then you can always play a cool fill to transition from one section to another. There are lots of options but the best advice for building a groove through difficult changes is to start off simple. EDIT: Another tip - feel the groove, think about the changes. Does that make sense?

[quote name='jjl5590' post='170836' date='Apr 6 2008, 06:32 PM']i guess im just against 2nd hand stuff cos u cant try it before hand and u got no comeback - and its still a lot of money if u think about it.[/quote] You should try second hand gear when you go to pick it up, if possible. With people who've been on these forums a while and who have good feedback, they will usually refund the money and take the item back if it's buggered. I've bought two basses, a pick-up, a strap and various other bits n' bobs from these forums. I've also sold two bass cabs, an electronic drumkit and a bass head here. There haven't been any problems with any of my transactions. It is still a lot of money but you'd get a better quality amp secondhand for the same amount of money. And then if/when you sell it, you'll lose far less money from depreciation. If you look around this forum you'll see discussions about various pieces of new equipment that stop working for no apparent reason - and some of the problems people have had afterwards trying to get everything fixed.

[quote name='lowdown' post='170798' date='Apr 6 2008, 05:37 PM']Hey TF.. I have just checked out your band's my Space.. Cool stuff Man...Great. Garry[/quote] Thanks, much appreciated! EDIT: Just checked our your myspace too. I like it, especially the big, fat bass tone. Very impressive list of credits too! Don't get me wrong - a great preamp doesn't have to have any valves in it. I track stuff through my Aguilar DB680 (valve). The Avalon U5 and the Ridge Farm are both very high quality items of studio gear. I'd love to have all three at my disposal but that would just be greedy, wouldn't it?

The only tip I'd offer is to try every mic or preamp you have for every bass or other instrument you want to record. Sometimes you'll be very pleasantly rewarded like Urb was. But valve bass preamp to record bass - a bit of a no-brainer, isn't it?

If someone at a party asked me to play something on bass the first thing I'd say is "You have a bass?" Then I might get them to stamp their foot on the one and clap on the two and the four. Then I'd just do a noodley little groove thing. After they got bored of that I'd give them what they really want and play Stand By Me and ask them to sing along. At gigs I'll piss around with some flashy stuff at the end of the set if the rest of the gig went well. The other guys'll go nuts over and around it too. That can be fun if you're in the mood. The audience are impressed by it when it's good and not samey noodling. Play anything fast and you'll be surprised who finds it impressive - even seasoned musicians who should know better.

No, you didn't offend any of us, I don't think.

Well, we've all tried to share advice based on all the mistakes we made growing up. It's your business if you want to ignore it all.

Just listened to My Sunlight - sounds just like Muse. A little too much like Muse for me to think anything else about it. Sorry!

I tried a Spector Euro LX5 in a shop once while I was waiting for a friend of mine. Very impressed by an instrument with a relatively low price tag. An alternative to the Sandberg could be a [url="http://www.cloverbasses.com/index.php?id=9&bass=18"]Clover Apeiron H.5[/url]. Never tried one but they look awesome. Same Fender J-style bass with the same Delano J neck pickup but with the Delano Hybrid MM/J bridge pickup. Sandberg could probably install one of those into one of their California basses for you without any real difficulty.

[quote name='MissPenguin' post='169702' date='Apr 4 2008, 11:34 AM']This is turning in to a very useful thread it seems. I will have to apply this to what i learn next.. And relearn, as i failed my grade 5 theory by 4 marks.[/quote] I find it much easier to understand theory when I see how I might actually use it myself. Good luck for next time.

Research and preparation can prevent (as well as induce) GAS. It can be worthwhile to avoid falling into a habit of continually buying and selling your gear in upgrades and crossgrades. I can't get a slap sound I'm happy with out of a Marshall or Ashdown personally. But if you don't play slap you can get a nice, meaty fingerstyle tone out of almost anything. One big advantage of second hand gear is that there isn't much of a depreciation in value if you decide it's not right for you and try to sell it on.