4 Strings

For all those who went to see VW in Romford a while back will remember this is exactly what he said. While he encouraged dong scales he also encouraged making a riff out them by playing with timing and making sure timing was spot on. For me timing is one of the most important things that differentiates between a 'professional' sound and an 'amateur' sound. I'm pretty sure Jamerson's technique wasn't that great (he only used one finger after all!) but I so wish I could even emulate his timing let alone have it for myself. Wooten encouraged practice of exercises but with timing, and musicality. This will defo make you a better bass player.

You'd only notice the 'sound' of cables if your previous cables were not working properly. Always worth experimenting, even if totally satisfied with things. Be inspired!

I was re-equilibrating at the time.

Just a note about my Jaydee, the neck is mahogany coated in lacquer and the fingerboard ebony - which sinks in water. There are no scratches or breaks in the lacquer but the neck still moved. Clearly the wood still changed with temperature and moisture regardless of a finish, in my case anyway, which surprised me. Its normally kept in the music room which is only heated when I'm in it and can be freezing at other times, but no issues (with any basses).

I thought it was two basses. Equally impressive!

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1322605758' post='1453573'] Nope... It is all about the ability of the set-up to cut through. I never have to be too loud to hear myself. The whole point of a good rig is to be able to hear what you are playing. And I have a style that needs to hear every little nuance... for good or bad..!! It would p*** me off massively if I couldn't do that.. [/quote] Me too, mainly with the Motown where I want to hear the grace notes and rolling the strings. If its too mushy (every gig seems to be different in some way) I need to go up a bit. This is one of the things I'm really looking forward to hear.

I really wanted to try one but Alex didn't have a completed cab and, tbh, I'm stretching the budget beyond what I can justify already. It is apparently tuned lower and, being a smaller driver in the same size box will be naturally deeper, something I'm after. I'm sure just a Big One would suffice instead of the Compact/Midget combination but I really like the idea of a tiny box for all those rehearsal journeys so the Midget is an important factor. I'm sure others have a similar issue when not going through a PA in that to really hear what you're doing ends up being too loud for the overall mix. Better definition will help me reduce my volume and remain happy. I hope.

Can someone tell me what makes an amp a 'digital' amp? (Electronics dull here but is there an analogue to digital converter, and, if so, how is a digital signal amplified, and does it get converted back after tonal manipulation or after the power amp?). The LGs can be snapped up at the mo', are there only poor experiences? - I'm wondering that they would still be in manufacture if they were any good.

I'm sitting here, over 100 miles from home tapping into Basschat instead of playing my bass through my new toys! Bit of a frustrating week, rehearsal last night was a vocal thing and I'm in the wrong part of the country for tonights. Had a neighbour rumbling lone practice hour on Monday afternoon and, apart from giving myself a headache, was discovering the better definition from the BFs which is currently an important issue for me (in trying to keep volumes at gigs down).

[quote name='Mog' timestamp='1322598444' post='1453417'] So what you're saying is we should all cycle to gigs? [/quote] Just bought a BF Midget so, of course! [attachment=94162:bike to gigs.jpg]

Ouch, sounded like you were on a hiding to nothing from the beginning. Brave lad giving it a go though. AS someone else has said, onwards and upwards.

[quote name='rOB' timestamp='1322592255' post='1453313'] Out of interest, what did she say? One day I'm probably going to have to fire a band mate and will have no clue what to say. [/quote] "All those who are in the band put your hand up. Put your hand down Dave."

As Lance Armstrong said, 'Its not about the bike' (the statement carrying its weight as he was given the best the world could produce). My point was that for hobbyists it often is.

My '79 is a stable as anything, never any issues even in our cold church and freezing fingers, well apart from the freezing fingers making any bass virtually unplayable! My Jaydee has always been great except for one week recording in a basement and it became unplayable after 3 days (didn't seem to be that cold) so I can vouch for necks moving. Released tension a touch and it was fine. A week after being home had to nip the tension back up. Try it outside for yourself to see how badly it moves, if at all, perhaps the truss rod is rather loose and a little nip up will bring the neck 'under control'.

I think this goes to show how similar being in a band is to being in a romantic relationship. I had a parting of the ways quite recently from a ROCK! type band. Despite being pretty unsuited to it anyway and never really happy in it I have still found myself stalking their Facebook page to see what the new incumbent is like. Apparently they have a really good bass player now and I am resisting admitting to myself that I am jealous even if nothing would actually draw me back.

So does an artist only use paintbrushes or pencils which have been beautifully carved from the finest and most expensive materials with the latest carbon fibre finger pads? Or is the art the output of these basic tools in the hands of an artist? If designing and producing such pencils and paintbrushes for artists is a wonderful new and untapped business opportunity do you think it will be because professional artists will buy them, or well-off amateurs?

A Canyon 2 is my lads first proper bass, he loves it and will let no-one near it. I've had a couple of plays and it really is very nice indeed, lovely feel, easy to play and a massive variation in available sounds from the preamp. I had to repair a bit of soldering when he first got it (it was 2nd hand) and the electronics looked like they had been installed by a 4 year old. Simple enough job though and its not missed a beat since. Under rated bargains in my opinion, but then we seem to have had a different experience to one or two others as his is beautifully finished. However, to put into context he played a mexican Jazz Deluxe in a shop once and, after some pressure from his band mates, he found a good one secondhand which is now his mainstay. I don't think the Canyon will be for sale though. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150294473036337&set=o.134652523260309&type=3&theater (sorry about the poor quality)

Just to add my support for not commenting on prices publicly, if you feel the need a gentle informative message to the seller of being cheaper elsewhere etc may be welcome, but if there's a 2 year waiting list (like for a new Jaydee - as I understand) then someone might be prepared to pay a premium not to wait. Surely the price set it the business of the seller, the price paid that of the buyer. A fool and his money are easily parted, and, as has been said, we all have google.

I thought anything other than wood was not favoured. The fallacies (or otherwise) of the use of 'tonewoods' in electric guitars and basses is well hammered out elsewhere (- especially in thread comparing the alder body and the bit of pine from the basement floor!) Perhaps to bring this back to the OP question, there's no doubt the quality of workmanship in these instruments, some of it is breathtaking, but is it necessary? Do we benefit from such lush finishes, exotic materials, perfection in shaping etc when the vast majority (and some of the best) music that uses a bass guitar was played on a mass produced instrument with a bolt on neck? No matter how perfect the neck joint I cannot play like Jamerson or Pastorius. No perfection in craftsmanship, no matter how beautiful, no improved neck stabilising design will help me play like Seth Govan, nor even my mate, Sam who always sound and play much better than me and use basses with a painted finish and bolted construction.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1322487892' post='1451349'] Stanley Clarke's "Standard" Alembics still cost a f*** of a lot of money. Marcus Millers bass is a 70's Jazz that was modified by Roger Sadowsky. Geddy Lee's Fenders are expensive custom shop models, not the same ones that can be bought in many music shops. Billy Sheehans Signature Yamaha bass is a ground-up designed custom shop model. How are these "standard" basses? [/quote] 'pretty much standard' was the phrase used, ie not individually crafted, bespoke works of woodworking art but based on a mass produced instrument.

My point in suggesting that most pros use 'standard' type basses was not to suggest any instruments are 'too good' for anyone (otherwise I'd be looking for a suitably sized cigar box and broom handle) but that the people who earn their money playing don't seem to use very expensive works of art and so they must end up in the bedrooms and living room walls of enthusiastic amateurs. However, if we could pursue that line of thought for a little, starting at an extreme, my wife knows a bit about basses but wouldn't be able to tell an expensive one from a nicely finished cheapo. Taking that a little further, you could suggest that a beginner wouldn't reap the full benefits of an expensive bass, and that you'd be needing a player of some experience to make best use of it and appreciate its qualities. I suppose its another example of the the now well worn thought that I sound like me on any bass, work of art or charity shop bargain. Just to throw another in, are these hugely expensive basses much better in the woodworking or the playing?

Ok, I don't think we're talking the same thing here. I understood the OP to be referring to guitars costing upwards of £2k, and these being bespoke/luthier made individuals rather than just very old or fancy versions of mass produced instruments. I hadn't classified anything made by Fender as 'high end' but then neither is it cheap - you can get your own Jaydee made up for you for significantly less than a standard Fender. Sorry, the vast majority I see used by pros are not the 'coffee table' type. Anyway, this is a digression from the original question, so apologies.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1322433865' post='1450920'] Who are these "Enthusiastic amateurs" then? Matthew Garrison? Victor Wooten? Anthony Jackson? Janek Gwizdala? Stanley Clarke? Michael Manring? I could go on but you get the general idea - no, you wouldn't be right at all. [/quote] I did say 'largely' and I while you've picked some elitist and solo players (although I wouldn't say Stanley's pretty standard Alembics are the same sort of thing as the others) and you could have named more but you didn't use all those elitist types who play standard or pretty much standard basses, like Pastorius, Miller, Sheehan, Geddy etc. But, anyway, I was talking about the army of professional bass players who you see bands behind singers on, say Jools' show etc, who use standard (or pretty much standard) basses. That's why I used 'largely' as the world is too big for absolutes. In my experience.

Would I be right in saying that these incredibly expensive works of art are largely bought by enthusiastic amateurs and professionals use flights of less fancy? Certainly the ones I've seen.

Well, just a little update, In now have a Midget and a Compact here at home. Enjoyable little session with the man himself who whizzed down to his facility on his mountain bike to meet me. I could only pop down on a Saturday and Alex had time to come and meet me and, as the place was empty, have a little try out. He encouraged me to a direct comparison with my own gear, which I did to my hearts content (after he had a little go on my bass first!). I had my Hartke 2.5XL and I hadn't realised how coloured its sound is, but could only realise this against the Compact. The 5" driver seems to really push out the highs and compared to Alex's speakers the sound was much more scooped than I was giving it credit for. The Compact seems to reproduce what you put it, as someone said before, pretty much uncoloured bass guitar sound. With regard to power it took all my HA5000 could offer, the distortion I heard was, Alex said, my amp. To prove the point he plugged in his GB amp (600W I think rather than the 170W into 8Ohms my HA5000 can do with one speaker). Yes, it went significantly louder with no distortion. hmm. So I DO need another amp! However this highlighted the compromise. We all know about basic of the 3 part compromise for speakers - size vs low frequencies vs efficiency. The sizes are clearly tiny, the low frequencies are largely there, but the efficiency needs a lot of Watts to make use of all this. The little Midget sounded huge for its diminutive size and, as with the Compact, could not be outdone with regards to input power. I have a couple of rehearsals this week and a gig with my Motown band on Saturday and these will be a much better test than trying to destroy eardrums in solitude. These are very much on trial as, to be honest, I wasn't convinced that the sound was worth £900 for the two but could be in practice. Last note is that both cabs are unbelievably light, Alex has done a great job in designing lightweight products, compared with my cabs they seem to weigh nothing at all. I'll be back.