bungle

I have an Orange Terror Bass which I like very much. I play it through a slightly bashed about Hartke 410, which isn't the best cab in the world, but it sounds nice enough to my ears. Although the Hartke is quite heavy, I don't mind dragging it to reasonably sized full-band type gigs. However, we regularly play smaller gigs with a stripped back drum kit or just a cajon. It'd be nice to have a single small, light cab to take to these affairs, or for quiet practices. The BC210 and BC212 seem reasonably priced (£250 and £300 respectively), and the 210 certainly would be small and light enough. I wonder if anyone has used one, and if so whether they thought they were any good, or if they'd be suitable for what I'm suggesting. Oh, and the cabs are 250W, but the OTB puts out 500W at 8 Ohm. I'm aware of Alex Claber's rule ("You can safely use any amp with any cab, regardless of power ratings, but if you hear distortion or farting, turn down the volume or the bass knob."), and the Hartke 410 is actually 300W and I have used the two in combination for a long time with no bother. Am I likely to run into any trouble in this regard? Cheers

My band has just recruited a singer/keyboard player, which is lovely. However, she doesn't have gig-worthy kit, and we don't really know where to start with finding her some. Her budget is pretty limited, probably a couple of hundred quid. All she needs is some decent organ and piano sounds. Less than 88 keys is fine, and it doesn't need any bells and whistles. Obviously we're looking second hand, but I'd really love some recommendations of stuff that would be fine to gig with. Obviously, with such a tight budget, whatever it is might have some limitations. Would we get more for our money going down the midi controller/sound module route? Or is that likely to be more expensive? I guess it would make it easier to upgrade? We do have an m-audio usb midi keyboard, but it is only usb midi, not the traditional connector, which I think rules out using it with a sound module. Is using the m-audio and buying some sort of cheap portable laptop/netbook/tablet a decent option? Feel free to reply as if I'm an idiot or tell me I'm asking for the moon on a stick - I don't have much keyboard knowledge!

Here's my new baby: http://www.goodmovesband.co.uk . It's in wordpress - there's no reason you couldn't get a fine wordpress website working yourself - the admin panel makes it really straightforward to add pages and news posts, and the gigpress plugin takes care of all the gig listing stuff.

Dunlop Tortex Triangles, 1.0mm (Blue). I find them durable and just the right thickness, been using them for years. I kind of prefer them when they're slight worn instead of new too.

I'm reminded of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCR6R4Hpb-0

I dunno if anyone else has noticed this but Juan has been doing an "Ask me anything" on reddit. Loads of interesting questions and interesting answers from the man himself. Check it out here: [url="http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/xijzu/bassist_for_the_mars_volta_juan_alderete/"]http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/xijzu/bassist_for_the_mars_volta_juan_alderete/[/url]

[quote name='AndyBob09' timestamp='1343811914' post='1755461'] "The gift he was given"?!?! Please! Not one of us has a gift. Jamerson didn't have a gift, Jaco, Mark King, Wooten, Marcus - They don't have gifts. They sit and shed for HOURS. You see them on stage and hear them on a record for a moment, what you don't see is their lifetime of dedication to make that moment seem so effortless. Gift indeed! [/quote] Surely people have innate talent? A pre-disposition to a certain discipline that coupled with practice makes them outstanding at it? You might consider that a "gift".

[quote name='Tandro' timestamp='1339675949' post='1692453'] Uhhhhh......ok. It may be a bit of a plug, but I thought the song was fun and of course I wouldn't expect everyone to like it. But it was still good to post this topic as there will be those who may not know about using an octaver and don't have a 5 string. Its good info even though some may consider it basic and take it for granted its obvious to a newbie. Again, thanks for sharing Scott. [/quote] Agreed, and given the amount of free lessons Scott posts up on here he's surely more than welcome to have a little plug! I enjoyed the track - Sam Thornton is a very talented dude, didn't realised he played sax for East Park Reggae Collective.

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1335268613' post='1628285'] I listened to Tombs. It all sounds as dry as a dog biscuit, sorry. The sounds need to be much brighter, they need much more punch and sparkle. The balance of the voice and instruments isn't great but that is easily sorted. It's just not inspiring to listen to the way it sounds now. Nothing you can't fix up, but it does need someone with mixing ability. Ideally, you need to think about how you track, you almost certainly need to print better sounds. Sorry if that sounds negative, but I wouldn't want to blow smoke up your arse. [/quote] Nor would I want you to. I guess that's pretty much how we feel about it - they lack punch. As I'd said in the OP, we didn't spend that much time or money on them, and they are just a tool to get some more gigs and to have something to put up on the web. I guess I'll email back with some of the thoughts/suggestions on this thread and some of my own, and see if his second stab is any better. In the past, in a previous band with some members in common with this one we spent quite a lot of time and money on recordings with a quite pushy producer, and they came out with too much sparkle and sheen for our taste. I think these recordings are too much the other way, and there is some middle ground to be had. I am intrigued to know what you mean by this below. Do you mean that the guitar/bass sounds aren't right (in terms of tone used/mic use/placement etc), the performance isn't good enough, or both? [quote]Ideally, you need to think about how you track, you almost certainly need to print better sounds.[/quote]

Hi, Last week my band recorded a couple of tracks. We did it kind of live - bass and drums together, then guitar then vocals, all of it in single full takes rather than dropping in and out. It was recorded to tape - the drums were done with just snare, kick and 2 overheads and the bass was a mix of DI and mic'd cab. We've had the mixes back, and we're not entirely happy with them. We didn't pay very much or spend huge amounts of time tracking and they're the first recordings we've done in this guise, so we aren't expecting miracles. In general I think the vocals are too loud, and the snare too. I think the bass might be a bit quiet, and that the choruses/ending bits could do with the instrumentation ramping up a bit so it feels like it kicks in a bit more. I'd be really interested in some constructive suggestions to go back to the guy with. The tracks are here: [url="http://soundcloud.com/goodmoves/tombs/s-Hekag"]http://soundcloud.co...s/tombs/s-Hekag[/url] [url="http://soundcloud.com/goodmoves/flaws/s-xwDMU"]http://soundcloud.co...s/flaws/s-xwDMU[/url] Cheers, Andy

Once upon a time, before I grew up and became a bassist, I used to play guitar. However, my guitar playing is now pretty much limited to the very occasional strum of my acoustic and this electric sits in its case, used once every six months, and never in anger. Because of this, I'm contemplating selling it, even though it was a present for passing my exams some 10 years or so ago. I have no idea how much it's worth. I recall it being £550 from Music Ground in Leeds in about 2002. There's currently one of a similar vintage on eBay with a starting price of £350, which seems ambitious to me. The thing plays very nicely - pretty chunky neck but with a smooth satin finish, and it has really good upper fret access. The 2 humbuckers have coil-taps, and it does plenty of different tones quite well. The finish has taken a few knocks - it's like a satin stain that's pretty thin, but it's in good condition otherwise. Is £350 unrealistic? There's some pictures below. There's some more here too: [url="http://imgur.com/a/BcQH8"]http://imgur.com/a/BcQH8[/url] Would be interested in anyone/everyone's thoughts!

Surely it's about doing what fits? If there is room and the effects add a different texture/sound that is interesting fine. If it's distracting and you're shoehorning them in there for the sake of it, then it's a waste of everybody's time. Maybe a sensible idea would be to bring a small pedalboard with some bits and pieces that you think will be likely to fit somewhere - maybe compression, a couple of dirt pedals, an octaver or something, and then see how you get on.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1325851367' post='1488676'] It's an SG shape one, I got it because I love the pickups on it, and have them in my main gigging bass. The bridge and tuners may be going spare once I'm done, but I haven't really got it all sorted in my head yet. WHat bits are you after? [/quote] Ah, mine looks like this: [url="http://www.bass-guitar-museum.com/bass-7883-Kay-3-4-Size-Bass-Guitar-with-Hard-Case"]http://www.bass-guitar-museum.com/bass-7883-Kay-3-4-Size-Bass-Guitar-with-Hard-Case[/url] . Potentially the bridge might be useful if it's in better nick than mine and has the same position screws. Will PM you some photos over the weekend, might start a build diary thread too.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1325844087' post='1488502'] I am building one from an old Kay short scale bass as we speak, check out Glenn Campells solos, and Duane Eddy for some twang. Also the Kills use one a lot, and they are ace. [/quote] OT, and probably should have been a PM, but I'm currently refurbishing a short scale Kay bass. If they are similar models I might be interested in some of the bits!

Was listening to the latest M83 album yesterday and pleasantly surprised to find a really nice musical sounding bit of slap bass on one of the tracks. I guess my opinion is that I appreciate it can be an interesting technique and provides a different sort of musical texture when used appropriately, but it rarely fits with any of the sort of music that I listen to or play regularly. I can't really think of a time in my originals band where I've thought "a slap bass line would really fit here". Here's the M83 track with it, the line starts at about 1:15. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLdX2gjKyV8[/media]

Hi, A month or so ago I picked a Kay shortscale bass, for a whopping £30. It's this model: [url="http://www.bass-guitar-museum.com/bass-7883-Kay-3-4-Size-Bass-Guitar-with-Hard-Case"]http://www.bass-guitar-museum.com/bass-7883-Kay-3-4-Size-Bass-Guitar-with-Hard-Case[/url], but is in need of a bit of repair, a new scratchplate and a refinish. The current finish looks pretty bad - it's probably a tin of white dulux gloss, poorly applied with lots of runs and marks in it and I was wondering what the most cost effective way to strip and refinish it is? Obviously, considering how much I've spent on the instrument, I'm not expecting it to have a dazzling finish and am just planning on a very simple solid colour that looks acceptable. Is it best to strip it chemically? Is something like some car spray paint the way to go? I'm aware that it's probably not the best time of year for that. What's the best way of making a new scratchplate? The current one is made out of some strange felt-like material with some thin plastic on top. Any and all advice is welcome - I'm not much of a DIY fiend but my dad started life as a joiner and spends his free time restoring a car so with his help I should be able to make a decent fist of it. Cheers, Andy

I tend to default to using a pick, but I often swap between pick and fingers within a song. The pick usually ends up in my gob when I'm playing quiet bits, where I want a deeper, bassier tone and I use the pick for heavier bits, or riffs. I find it gives me a bit of flexibility and more dynamic range, which can be useful. If I spent my time in a motown covers band, or a soul band, or a folk band I probably would use my fingers a heck of a lot more. Having said that, I'm sure with sensible EQing and kit choice you can pretty easily get a nice deep, bassy tone with a pick, and can get a bright, gritty rock tone with fingers. Like many things, it's all opinion and your mileage may vary. As long as you are making nice noises that make you, your bandmates and your audience happy it's not a big deal!

I've found these good value for money, they seem to be made in the same place as Rotosound (which might not be a good thing considering some of the comments above), and some people have reported finding Rotosound QC cards in them. [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/strings/bass_guitar/legacy"]http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/strings/bass_guitar/legacy[/url] I tend to buy quite bright roundwounds and leave them on for 4-6 months before replacing and they don't seem to have died any faster that the DRs I put on another bass at the same time, or previous sets of Rotosounds or D'Addarios.

Hear it from the horse's mouth: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDCNeEbCzY0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDCNeEbCzY0[/url]

A Sakai that has been defretted. Tempted to have a cheeky bid, I fancy learning fretless and it's pretty close to me to pick up. Cool body shape too. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290617029253?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_500wt_1413"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290617029253?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_500wt_1413[/url]

[quote name='mrdreadful' timestamp='1318021561' post='1397476'] A lot of this stuff sounds pretty reasonable cause for sadtimes... a lot of it just seems to be snobbish bitching; pretty much why I'm increasingly growing to hate the internet. Seriously, if the drummer wants to write a song or one of the band members actually has a life outside of the band and thus cannot commit to everything instantly: get the f**k over it... if you were so brilliant you'd be multi-platinum and doing magazine interviews not moaning on some forum. [/quote] FWIW, my quip about the drummer writing songs was a comment on a little foible of the drummer of my band. He's the best drummer I know by some distance, having got a degree in drumming and teaching for a living. He contributes hugely to songwriting in terms of really interesting beats and ideas for arrangements, it just so happens that on the occasions he's tried bringing us a song he'd written on guitar they've been rubbish! Who knows, maybe one day he'll turn up with a brilliant song - regardless I still intend to be in a band with him!

"My girlfriend is a really great singer, maybe she could sing a few songs with us or do some duets" "I've written a song" (From the drummer, obv)

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220867274911&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:GB:1123#ht_500wt_1413"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220867274911&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:GB:1123#ht_500wt_1413[/url] Looks a bargain at the current bid of £92 but with 3 days to go will no doubt end up a fair bit higher. It seems odd that it doesn't have MIM/MIJ/MIA written on it somewhere. Pretty colour tho.

They're things of beauty. Deffo on the shopping list for when I next come in to some money.