gjones

I think most songwriters (if they're not bassplayers themselves) start off with a new song imagining it with a pretty simple bassline. If the bassplayer is not too chuffed with that, then it's up him/her to come up with a really good alternative idea for the bass part which will enhance and improve it. Of course not everybody is a bass genius like, for example, James Jamerson who could make a very busy bassline an integral part of a song. I wonder if anybody ever said to James 'Hey James, just keep it simple mate....' His amazing basslines were at the heart of many Motown hits which, probably, when originally written were envisioned with much simpler bass parts. A wee example of isolated bassline from 'What's Going On ' [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqtELR5GyfI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqtELR5GyfI[/url] I wonder if James ever played a simple bassline? There must be one out there somewhere?

Jimmy Page (heavy & funky), Robert Cray (bluesy & funky), Curtis Mayfield (soulful & funky).

[quote name='razze06' post='1097146' date='Jan 21 2011, 09:44 AM']There's a good one in edinburgh, on queen street. Unfortunately, they seem to do the reasearch and know how much thin gs are worth. Often has quite interesting things[/quote] Yes Duncanson's in Edinburgh. That's where I found my bass when it got stolen and my guitarist's guitar when it got nicked as well.........surprise, surprise .

WARNING!!!! That girl is not....I repeat NOT!!! A girl. It's big hairy arsed guy.

I didn't spend too much time going through the video but the gist of it seemed to be that you can get every sound you would ever need on one bass. For a pro session guy that's a probably a very good idea. Too sensible for me though.

I just picked up a packet of cellulose sponge wipes from tescos (4 per pack) and they make a perfect mute. They're not too spongy or too dense. Cut them into thin strips and they're unobtrusive but very effective and you can vary the amount of mute by packing them tighter or looser under the strings. I just googled and this guy is selling a specially designed mute on ebay which is pretty effective (as you can hear when you check out the youtube vid) and cheap [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mufler-Bass-Guitar-Mute-Jazz-Sound-/130457789946"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mufler-Bass-Guitar-M...d-/130457789946[/url] Personally I'd stick with the sponge method because you can experiment with different types until you get the sound you feel is right for you. But beware! This is a hot topic which some people are a bit 'emotional' about. Here is a thread from back in 2009 which illustates that very point [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=69186&st=0"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=69186&st=0[/url]

I've just discovered DRs but have used rotosounds for years. I think the DRs have the edge but at £28 a set they bloody should have!

Awwww, I think we should stop crucifying the poor kid. He put it up on youtube to look cool and impress his friends at school. And we then proceed to rip him to shreds! We're better than that..............aren't we?

Yes I saw that one a while ago on ebay. There's a link on my post to a harmony central review [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=107822&hl="]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=107822&hl=[/url]

by the way is this what you're looking for? [url="http://essex.gumtree.com/essex/17/65357417.html"]http://essex.gumtree.com/essex/17/65357417.html[/url]

[quote name='Chernobyl5000' post='1075904' date='Jan 2 2011, 11:40 PM']i shall put a post up in the morning The MIM Classic Jazz basses are cool, a friend is looking at the geddy lee jazz bass at the moment, he said they have a really skinny neck, do you know much about them?[/quote] I've had a Geddy Lee for a few years now. With DR Hi Beams on it sounds Jazzier than a very Jazzy thing. MIJ with love and attention to detail like only the Japanese can give to a Fender and if you want a thin neck.......well it has the thinnest neck Fender make. As far as cost goes, there's been quite a few secondhand ones for sale on basschat for about £500 and some on ebay have recently gone for well under £500. I also have an early 90's Squier which has a bassier much darker sound than the Geddy which is much brighter (mostly down to the thin maple neck not the pickups) and I really like the contrast. But you can't have mine.

[quote name='aceuggy' post='1075622' date='Jan 2 2011, 07:17 PM']Ok, just one thing to make clear, I'm not a label snob, not fussed that my bass is a Squier, but interested to know if the HW1 had a Squier label, would it be better than my CV? Would I be trading up or just going sideways?[/quote] If you're not bothered about the logo then there's two things to take into consideration. The first is the sound - i.e. does the HW 1 sound better/play better than the bass I already have? Second there's the resale value - i.e. will I get what I paid for it if I ever sell it. As far as the sound is concerned you first of all would have to play a HW 1 and make your own mind up about that. As far as resale value is concerned it's always best to buy secondhand if you can because it's a fair bet that if you ever sell it you'll get at least what you paid for it. I've played both the CV Squier and a brand new American Fender Precision. The build quality of the CV was excellent but the sound quality of the US Fender was surprisingly superior. Maybe all you need to do is change the pickups on the CV to American standards and you'd end up with the best of both worlds - a great sounding bass at a budget price.

Thanks I will

I bet the guy who owned this 'thing' originally, had his whole house covered in pine cladding. It was very fashionable in the 70's don't you know.

Hmmmmmm, the good thing about acts not being able to make any decent cash any longer from selling CDs, is that they have to go out on the road if they want to make any money. Which means I've been to more gigs in the last couple of years than I have in the preceding 10. Very few acts will receive the insane amount of money the likes of Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson received from royalty payments any longer. I don't lose any sleep over that, as it was way out of proportion to what they deserved for their labour. But it does concern me that other smaller acts may, these days, find it difficult to make ends meet and pay off advances because their music is being downloaded illegally. Personally if the band/artist is mega like the ones mentioned above then I'll download away! But if the act is less well known or trying to get established I'll always buy the cd or download it from somewhere like amazon.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1072106' date='Dec 29 2010, 08:23 PM']What you don't play can be more important than what you do play. Space is important.[/quote] +1 And 'find the groove'. The groove's the indescribable thing the rest of the band (especially the drummer) are looking for in a bassist and it's what makes a band tick. If you've found it...........stick with it.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1069761' date='Dec 26 2010, 07:53 PM']I too reported him last night. He knows what he's doing. Con merchant. It saddens me that I bet a fair few young players have bought kit off him in good faith.[/quote] Yes they have..........check out his feedback.

[quote name='gary mac' post='1070503' date='Dec 27 2010, 08:48 PM']I see he has another one on there today[/quote] Yes looks like somebody's had a go at it with a blowtorch [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Relict-70s-Lake-Placid-Blue-Fender-Squire-Jazz-Bass-/130469022273?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1e608f4a41"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Relict-70s-Lake-Plac...=item1e608f4a41[/url] it's a James Johnston squier jazz with the dodgiest Fender Precision decal I've ever seen! The guy is a moron? At least he's changed the wording for the original Ad to Fender Squier.

[quote name='ras52' post='1069828' date='Dec 26 2010, 09:53 PM']Interestingly it's also got me thinking about head + cab rather than combo. Hitherto I've always considered the combo the obvious route but it ain't necessarily so. I think amps have definitely got smaller/lighter during my sabbatical. Cheers Richard[/quote] You're definitely thinking along the right lines. Combos are ok but if it's portability you're thinking about, an amp head and a lightweight cab are probably the way to go. If you get a head of 500 W or thereabouts you can buy a 1 X 12 cab for smaller gigs and supplement it with another cab at a later date if you need more volume for larger gigs. Check out barefaced cabs. They've got a lot of good reviews on this forum and do a compact 1x15 which is lighter than most 1x12s and compares in volume output with many 4x12 cabs [url="http://www.barefacedbass.com/"]http://www.barefacedbass.com/[/url] I recently bought a Fender TV 15 bassman which is a great retro looking amp but pretty difficult to carry up (and down) 3 flights of stairs to my flat every time I do a gig.

[quote name='gareth' post='1069537' date='Dec 26 2010, 11:52 AM']Better price now [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Daphne-Blue-USA-Fender-70s-Re-Issue-P-Bass-/130468802252?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1e608beecc"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Daphne-Blue-USA-Fend...=item1e608beecc[/url][/quote] Hmmmmm, I saw this the other day and was a bit suspicious. The first link says it was sold for £400 now we find he's still got it and it's going for the price of a classic vibe? Initially I gave him the benefit of the doubt as I know very little about Precisions but now I think he's pulling a fast one.The decal is even in the wrong place it's up far too high under the string retainer. I checked his feedback, he's done this before it seems. I've reported the rat to Ebay.

I would only give up if 1- The bands I was playing with were crap 2- I wasn't enjoying myself. I get so much out of a good gig/rehearsal/recording that I can't ever see myself stopping.

I've gone through phases. But now I've come to the conclusion that If I'm playing bass I should stay away from all that trebly stuff and stick to the low end of the spectrum. The kind of tone I'm aiming for is the bass sound on Drive thru Booty by Freak Power (if you're a bass player and you haven't got this album go out and get it now!) I love Jesse Graham's aka the Bass Cadet's sound and feel. The bass is the soul of that album and wouldn't be half as good without his DEEP sound and fluid funky playing.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1059343' date='Dec 15 2010, 10:04 AM']Jazz bass wiring ... and much, much more. [url="http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/169606-1960-jazzbass-build.html"]http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot...bass-build.html[/url][/quote] Wow, that was an interesting read. A Jazz Bass made from scratch - very impressive. I wonder how much one of his Basses goes for?