EMG456

Didn’t realise you were on here Kevin. Fantastic playing and feel as ever!

This thread has sent me down a rabbit hole of Ornette Coleman/ Chris Walker/ Al Jarreau so thanks for that. Watching the original video again I just noticed that Chris Walkers XL2 also has a TransTrem fitted- close up at 11:10.

Yes it’s an XM2 but also quite a rarity as it’s got the TransTrem bridge. You can see the whammy bar clearly around 22:30. So that made it officially an XM2T.

Some batches of GHS strings were known to be out of spec I think in the 90s or early 2000s but I never personally had an issue with any strings until very recently. Bought a few sets of Elites Stadium strings through eBay. Changed them at a rehearsal and the A and D couldn’t be brought up to pitch. Barry at the Bass Centre has taken the strings back and confirmed that they have been supplied a bad batch by the manufacturer. It’s confined to the .060 and .080 strings from the medium gauge stainless steel round wound sets (.040- .100) They’re organising a new production run and will be restocking as soon as possible. My Status which has the newer style individual bridge/ tuners had enough range to bring the faulty strings to pitch but three of my original Steinbergers couldn’t. Stellar service from the Bass Centre accepting liability especially bearing in mind I had a long gap between actually buying the strings and fitting them- bought them last August and only tried them a few weeks ago.

Phew. 😀

Too young to be thinking about giving up. Do you write / record? If not, now might be a good time to get into that- brilliant results can be had with little financial outlay. As others have suggested, expand your musical horizons with a different instrument. My personal suggestions would be Chapman Stick or Linnstrument. Either of these will give you plenty of food for thought and if mastered even to a not particularly virtuosic level will open musical doors you may not even have been aware we’re there. Music is like riding a bike- it’ll always be there ready to come to the fore. You can do it as little or as much as you want- there are no rules. Most of all, don’t overthink things. I’m sure you’ll sort it out.

Watched that video a few weeks ago and must admit it made me laugh. It’s Verdine White! He’s probably done more high profile/ pressure gigs and recordings than the commentator has had hot dinners. He’s a very groovy player. Was the part improvised? Partially/ probably. Was it a deliberate rhythmic choice? Almost certainly. The part is so up front and exposed there’s no way that he or the rest of the band or producer would have left something they weren’t happy with. What I find interesting is how tastes are changing. The same song got a hit from Scott’s Bass Lessons for being in the top 10 worst bass sounds on a record or something like that. Seems like the quest for uniformity trumps variety nowadays or am I just a bit grumpy tonight. Anyway, I think it sounds great and was played impeccably.

Still listen to the first album regularly today- brilliant fretless Wal- ing played with a pick too!

That's a cracker!

Preamp is great in my opinion but then again live I tend to use everything flat anyway. Lots of chunky tones available from the bridge pickup with that pre. Just don't put a replacement battery in the wrong way round (it is possible) or you will fry it.

Korean Jazz 24? My favourite Jazz Bass. I have one of the earlier versions with the flamed maple top veneer.

Yep - he's a great guy and a stellar player. I took out a subscription on hearing the news- I think every little bit helps. And I now have access to all of his hundred-odd albums of improvised bass music! Whether solo improvised bass is something you might normally listen to or not, it's hard to hear a Steve piece and not just go "wow".

Playing gigs is one of the great joys of music but it can also turn into a great pain. I'm 63 now and have been basically gigging since I was 16. For four or five years in the 80s I was full time but for a good 15 years after that music earnings made a huge supplement to my earnings at the 9-5. It helps to have wide musical tastes and very little musical snobbery - I can enjoy myself playing anything from showtunes to rock to punk to jazz to folk etc. Also an ability to accept that the best musos are not always gifted with the easiest personalities to get on with - compromises sometimes have to be made for the benefits of one's own sanity! Now I have retired from the day job and the gigs I do tend to be smaller, quieter, more intimate things. Costs are covered but the sheer economics of that type of gig mean that we'll never really make money from them and that's ok with me as long as I enjoy it and don't get any hassle! Keep gigging @Bluewine for as long as you enjoy it - it keeps you young!

I kind of have to ask... is this suddenly a problem for some reason? How do you play sitting at the moment? OTOH if it's just an excuse to buy a new instrument, we fully understand!

Forearm doesn't touch it unless occasionally playing slap lines. I also rarely use the leg rest- always on a strap even when seated.

Or if you can stand it, Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LelandSklarOfficial

Have you brought it to his attention? I think he might be quite tickled to hear about it.

A forum search is your friend... https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/459031-fender-jazz-24-fret-1988-made-in-korea-i-think/#comment-4643191

"Do We Need A Short Scale Sub-Forum in Basses for Sale Forum? " No.

I have one and it's my favourite Jazz Bass, admittedly probably because of the 24 fret neck and compact body. Pickups are great and match very well with the preamp. Woodworking is nice (typical Korean of the time) but note it's a veneer top, not a thicker maple layer. The battery box allows you to put the battery in reverse polarity which I'm led to believe destroys the preamp- worth checking. I'd have no hesitation buying another to defret or a five string version. I've had several queries about it when out gigging- most bassists assume it is an expensive one-off Custom Shop bass. 😀 I'm playing it albeit in a folky context in this wee demo that one of my bands put together from footage taken at a gig. Audio is from the camera mic so lets say honest. Played through a Phil Jones Bass Briefcase combo.

like many on basschat, the amount of time I spend here is in inverse proportion to the amount of stuff I have going on in real life. I used to enjoy @Dingus' posts but he left after some altercation during a period when I wasn't paying attention. Happy new year to all basschatters past, present, future and MIA!

Sounds a bit like looping or pattern based composition?

I've extensively played headless basses since the 80s- all until recently Steinbergers or built to that shape. Of course they balance brilliantly due to the strap pivot being mounted at or very near to the centre of gravity. A recent ACG which I had built however very much suffered from this "bridge dive" problem, probably exacerbated by it being a six string fretless with a 32" scale. The wonderful and ever helpful Mr Cringean solved the issue for me by installing a recessed straplock into the back of the upper horn further back from the tip. Bass now balances pefectly and sits in the position I like on the strap. I use the strap when seated too as I have always done- it generally keeps things consistent whether playing seated or standing. You can see the recessed straplock socket adjacent to the last top neck bolt in the photo.

RIP Emmet. Absolutely one of life's good guys and changed my and many others' musical lives for ever.

That's right. I decided that what with having to play and also control multiple camera takes, I would sub out responsibility for the audio to a pal of mine. He used his old Tascam HD recorder because it had more mic inputs than his computer interface. he ended up with three vocal tracks, four acoustic guitar tracks ( mics and DI's) and one bass track for each song. These were then popped into Reaper for processing. A clapperboard was struck at the start of each song take. I used that sound to line up all of the video tracks for each song edit and also to bring in the finished audio mixes.