franzbassist

I play in a disco tribute band and we play all the classic lines like "Disco Inferno", "Everybody Dance", "Ain't no Stoppin' Us Now". They all sound hard, but like anything the more you play them the easier they get. Plus a lot of the best basslines it's the [i]groove[/i] that makes them - "Sex Machine" for example - not a hard line in itself, but to nail the groove is another thing entirely. Same goes for the bass solo in "Le Freak".

Whispher it quietly, but I haven't changed anything in my setup for must be pushing a year now. This is unheard of for me, but I honestly think that maybe I have finally found the perfect balance of basses and amps/cabs for me. Every time I play I can choose a bass to fit the gig perfectly, my rig copes with anything I throw at it, sounds wonderful and doesn't weigh a ton or take up an estate car to move around. It's a nice place to be. Just for reference, the gear is as follows: 1966 Fender Jazz 1994 Ken Smith BMT 5 Elite 2006 Wal Mk III 5 (Fretted and Fretless necks) 1992 Martin BC40 Acoustic 4 into Epifani PS600 amp and two PS112 cabs When I think of all the money I've spent over the years on gear that came and went it's pretty depressing, but at least now I think I've got it sorted. Just wanted to share.... Cheers all Gareth

Had an impromptu gig with the two guitarists from my blues band last night in the White Hart at Witley near Guildford. Just three voices, a Fylde Mandolin, a Lowden acoustic and my Martin acoustic bass. No drums, no amps, no keys, no mikes. We played for about two hours and just reeled out loads of stuff (we know a lot of material - we've been playing together on and off for over 20 years!). Was a great time. And in tribute to Rich's post above, here's a bassist's eye of what's in front of me at most gigs with my other band... Cheers all Gareth

Also posted in "Items Wanted" About 6 years ago, maybe a bit more, I had Roger Bucknall at Fylde make me a wonderful acoustic bass. Like a fool I sold it, to a guy who lived on the Isle of Man I think, and now I'd love to see if I can get it back! Anyone know where it is now? Cheers Gareth

I wanted one... wasn't selling one. I agree that is pretty pricey for a hackjob. Scratchplate isn't original either.

I had thought I could make it but a check of the gig diary shows I am Welwyn Garden City that night with an afternoon setup, so I'm afraid I'll have to give it a miss

[quote]It's worth bearing in mind that one of the most sought-after vintage Fender basses exists entirely due to CBS' intervention.... the 66-ish Jazz with dots, binding and oval tuners.[/quote] A few American collector guys I know say that the 66 Js are among the best and most consistent basses Fender made. I have a pseudo 66 Jazz that has a dots, binding and oval tuners 3/66 (month I was born!) neck with lots of other 66 parts (bridge, pots, screws etc..) but the body is a modern Bravewood relic repro, voodoo vintage pickups, repro scratchplate and finger rest. I bought the whole thing for somewhat less than £2k and have since been offered [i]more[/i] than that for the neck alone! Good and bad basses exist at all stages of Fender's history; as has already been said, the key is to [i]play[/i] them! Cheers Gareth

Hi Luke One of the bands I play in is a function band. When we started off six years ago we played gigs for a max of £600-£800 just to get on the circuit and build a reputation. Plenty of social club gigs too, but they were soul destroying! From the start we were a slick outfit, with a truly special lead singer as the focal point for the band. We registered with loads of agents but little work came from them and now almost all the gigs we do are from referrals, repeats, and word of mouth. Six years on we earn a lot more than the £600 per gig we started. Sure we do the odd cheap (and, for charity, free) gig, but for the most part we can charge full whack because we always come highly recommended. That sounds arrogant but isn't meant to be; we have faith in our product and our clients do too. So, my advice is start out cheap and make sure the band works well as a unit, if it does then you can go far pretty quickly. Best of luck! Gareth

Isn't this the same bass that was in the Gallery a while back?

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='8207' date='May 28 2007, 06:10 PM']Thanks, ill do that.[/quote] Hello chaps Thought I'd reply here rather than PM as this is general advice. Damage to Epifani drivers is very rare; in all the cabs Enrico has supplied in the UK after the customer had an initial consultation with me, I know of no returns. One possiblity is to lift it out and re-seat it, and don't make the mistake of [u]over[/u]tightening! Failing that try touching the edge of the cone when you play very quietly to see if that makes the rasping go away, or at least isolates the area that is problematic. Given that one driver sounds fine and the other doesn't then it certainly sounds like the problem is down to the driver itself, but I'm afraid you'll need to speak with Enrico about getting it sorted as I hold no stock. I am sure he will sort you out as quickly as he can. Best of luck! Gareth

I have to say Eude, if I was going to buy another 6 I think it would be pretty much exactly the same as that. I've always liked the idea of 6s but have never got on with them, but I think a 33" scale would be perfect. Would you mind me asking how much that beauty cost? Cheers Gareth

Here's mine, Epifani PS600 amp into two PS112 cabs. 600 watts of sonic loveliness....

The Fender Roscoe Beck bass has the facility to reduce the neck output slightly as you want to. Roscoe says "a 27k resistor goes across the neck pickup to slightly reduce its output" when you pull up the volume knob. Does that help? Monster looking bass btw (in a good way!)

Dave, I say gold adonised or pearly white!

That is lovely indeed. I also have a soft spot for spalted wood. The facings on my Wal were taken from a piece I picked up in Vermont on a ski-ing holiday a few years back.