Commando Jack

Hi there, So I was over on Fark.com when I came across this video (below for anyone interested) for "famous guitar tunes without a guitar" kind of thing. Now, I know that the guy was aiming for "there is no lead guitarist here so its cool", but the band had a bass, and it sparked a (small) [url="http://www.fark.com/cgi/comments.pl?IDLink=5495932&cpp=1"]debate[/url] on whether a bass was a guitar or not, potentially nullifying the claims of the original link. So I was thinking, what does everyone here think? To get the ball rolling, my logic is that the bass guitar is a larger and lower tuned version of a guitar, much like a bass clarinet or baritone sax (which I know would be analagous to the baritone guitar, but I'm makin' a point here ), so they are both part of the wider guitar family. Of course this would make a bass a guitar. However it seems that a few people over on Fark are saying that because it's a double bass lay on its side that it is derived from another family of instruments and is not a guitar. I've enabled voting so everyone can have their say without having to necessarily write a big list of links etc to defend their opinion. The video:

Never really pulled as such, but get the odd bit of attention now and again. I think though it's more about how you act on stage. Apparently I can look quite moody and stand offish at times. To be honest that's true, because when I've just finished playing for 2 hours I just feel the need to go home for a cup of tea (even on the nights where I've had a couple and get quite gregarious as a result). Even though I appreciate the ego boost of female attention, I just can't be bothered half the time!

I recently restored a drumkit to almost new using aluminium foil and mr sheen. If you wet some aluminium foil and rub it on the chrome parts it will remove most of the corrosion but leave the finish intact. I found it works much quicker than autosol, but the shine isn't quite as good. I would think that using aluminium on the corrosion, then buffing with autosol before finishing with t-cut would give you as close to new looking as you're gonna get.

I've got the same head (played through a hartke transporter 4x10) and I find myself playing with a lot of low mids. I find the contour control is best left fully off for my cab - it can sound huge, but it makes it impossible to sit in the mix, and I lose all definition. If you put a hump in the graphic eq in the middle-left, and leave the high and low controls in the centre (i.e not cutting or boosting), you might find what you're after. Unfortunately, for most of my gigs, I don't have an option to move the cab about, so I can't comment on that, but I agree that it can make all the difference too.

[quote name='dood' post='855956' date='Jun 3 2010, 12:11 PM']Hey, TC, 'WinMob' and 'Android' versions please![/quote] And Blackberry...

[quote name='OldGit' post='852206' date='May 30 2010, 11:10 PM']Be up front about your other commitments then work the "first in the diary" rule. Have a few mates set up to dep for you when there's a date your band really has to do but you can't do. Prepare to be fired from either or both if you can't play enough of the gigs they get offered. I find being the gig organiser for the bands works well. That way you can veto gigs you can't do before asking the rest of the band.[/quote] ^^^This I'm in 2 bands and do solo work as well. Though in the past month I've let two gigs go, one with each band, because I was already booked. With one, there was a hissy fit from the gig booker. He calmed down after the dep I suggested said he'd play it. Unfortunately the one thing you have to deal with is that someone along the line will think you've 'let them down', even though you've been as transparent as possible.

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='846470' date='May 24 2010, 01:25 PM']Seems like a bad idea - if you create a new topic, with a suitable subject line, then knowledgeable people will see it and respond to it. But if you bury a question amongst a thread like this, which is full of responses and discussion, then you're really ruining your chances of it being seen. S.P.[/quote] Case in point: no other questions have been added to this thread as far as I can see!

I have to say that one of the things I love about bass is the physical challenge. Started out on drums so when you got into it, you hit hard. You could put yourself into it. When I picked up guitar, one of the things that annoyed me was that you couldn't put yourself physically into it the way you could with drums. Now, somewhere deep in my brain, I equate my P-bass copy closer to drumming in the physicality of it, whereas my mate's Ibanez is a bit too guitar like, with its short scale neck etc. When I play a line on the Ibanez it's not quite as thrilling as when I nail it on P copy, like I've 'climbed the mountain'!

I wish they would release this for Blackberry OS. I don't mind not having iFart etc, but when it's genuinely useful... Come on TC!

Hey that Peavey Logo is cool and you know it! I wanted one but they weren't out yet the last I looked.

Well thanks for the advice guys! As for me I have decided I'll take the plunge, and have ordered a new neck from CH guitars. Let me explain myself! This bass was given to me for free, and is a no name korean copy, so in other words, I can't devalue it! As it was my first, it would have been retired to the studio wall when a more professional instrument comes along (right beside my vintage electric guitar I got when I was 15), so resale value isn't a problem. At the end of the day I'm a tinkerer too, so the opportunity to take the thing apart ended up being too much for me!

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='842901' date='May 20 2010, 10:41 AM']Regarding electrics there's not much you can do with a P bass - you might find a tiny active pre to fit the cavity but chance are it will be pants. Alternatively you could splash out on a John East P pre but then it is probably worth 6 times that of the bass. Pups? Bang in a Wizard and you'll be cooking on gas.[/quote] Just to clarify when I was talking electrics, I was literally meaning replace the pots and wiring like for like, with something a little bit more robust, as the volume pot is pretty dodgy. As for the Wizard pups, any recommendations? I like the idea of the thumpers if anyone has any experience with them.

Hi Guys, After severely GASing for Starless' [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=82368"]MIJ Jazz[/url], and realising I simply can't afford the asking price with postage (although i could still be tempted hint hint hint price drop ) I have taken a notion to find out the possiblility of modding my current bass, a no-name P copy. This thing plays like butter. Hard, off butter that has been left in the fridge with mould growing all over it! The neck is all over the place and when I try to adjust the truss rod, nothing happens! By and large, it sounds passable in the mix, but I believe I ahve outgrown passable. So, where do I start? I was thinking of gutting the thing and turning it into the bass of my dreams with new neck, pups and electrics etc, but is it worth the expenditure or the hassle? Is it even possible (I'm wondering if it's possible to swap out the neck without heavy modding)? Should I just go buy another bass? Let me know your thoughts!

If I understand what it is you want there are at least a couple of possible solutions with the gear you already have. My immediate thought is to use the Jamman Looper as the central mixer for everything. So: Bass into instrument jack of looper, and PC into auxiliary input. The Jamman has a 1/8th input jack and you can get a 1/8th to 1/8th cable quite easily if you don't already have one, something like [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/iPod-iPhone-Car-Cable-Stereo/dp/B002TVNZF0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274193097&sr=8-3"]this[/url]. Then all you do is plug your headphones into the looper, and dial in the settings that let you hear everything properly. If you want to include your markbass, then plug the bass into the input as normal and run the line out into the microphone jack in the looper instead of plugging directly in. You'll need an [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adam-Hall-female-male-cable/dp/B001GEBD46/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274193456&sr=1-1"]XLR to XLR[/url] to connect the looper and the amp. If you want to record everything, then hopefully it's just a matter of connecting the H4 to the output of the looper. The way outlined above doesn't send your bass through the computer at all, which is probably best considering decent audio interfaces with low enough latency can be expensive.

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='756305' date='Feb 24 2010, 06:12 PM']That's a fair point, but its also unlikely that a new (Non faulty) cymbal would break however hard you hit it with a drum stick (assuming he did use a drum stick and not a mike stand or something!).[/quote] This isn't entirely true - if a cymbal is hit the wrong way it is possible that it will crack. Hitting the edge with a perpendicular stick (usually because the cymbal is too high) can easily crack a cymbal. Other incorrect setups can put more stress on the cymbal, shortening its lifespan (e.g. tilting the cymbal at extreme angles etc...).

My personal view is, like pitch, that tempo should fluctuate: enough to make it human, and not enough that it detracts from the song. I'd also say that playing in front of, or behind the beat deliberately is valid and can add to the song immensely. However, IME less experienced musicians will slow down or speed up because they think you're slowing down, then accuse you of slowing the song down! I'll also just leave this link [url="http://musicmachinery.com/2009/03/02/in-search-of-the-click-track/"]here[/url] for everyone who believes that tempo should always remain constant, and link to the [url="http://static.echonest.com/bpmexp/bpmexp.html"]Echo Nest BPM Explorer[/url], in case anyone wants to try out some of their own recordings. P.S. Slowing the song down gradually over time because you're getting tired is not valid in my eyes. If the song needs a steady tempo, play one!

[quote name='PaulWarning' post='691454' date='Dec 22 2009, 01:12 PM']I thought this thread was stupidly easy tunes to play, no names but I get the impression some people nominate quiet difficult songs to try and make themselves look good, or perhaps I'm just a crap bass player[/quote] Don't know about you, but when I'm looking for a rest in the set I start up Hysteria by Muse... /jk

I've noticed a trend in people who drink while playing. After the first drink, they seem to actually get better, ranging from a bit better to a whole lot (depending on timidness/nerves when sober). This upward trend continues until the optimum drink, when the person is fully relaxed, but not tipsy. This point, and how long they stay at this point varies according to a person's alcohol tolerance and speed of drinking. Inevitably, IF the person keeps drinking, they will fall off the cliff and take a nose-dive in their performance ability. In a very short time the person goes from confident mastery of their instrument, to being unable to hold the thing! I'm thinking of deriving an equation for the shape of the curve as it seems to be a law... I thought i'd found an exception when I started playing with a singer who just got better and better with each drink, never seeming to suffer for it (always bang on pitch at least, and seemed to know the words for anything). However, I realised that his slope on the way up was just very long, and when he started on the way down, he literally crashed head first into rock bottom.

How'd it go??

Fans by Kings of Leon. It's my dancing song

[quote name='Davethebassboss' post='686395' date='Dec 16 2009, 03:13 PM']Hi there I found that by diving into his library of good tunes on his CD Walkman we were able to learn some simple basslines that he could play along with[/quote] This + a million. If they recognise and enjoy the music they are playing then it's so much easier. Also, don't forget about the rhythm! In my limited experience, I have found that younger children can latch onto the rhythm much easier than the melody, so it's a good place to start building on.

Have had it many times, but the most prominent one was my last solo gig at hte local pub (don't worry I did get booked again!). It's just me and my guitar for these gigs, so I also feel a lot more exposed than normal. So I get to the end of a pretty good night, and as always, someone has requested the gambler. So I rail into the song and everythings going fine, then at the very end, I forget the second line in the chorus (having already sung the chorus 3 times previously)!! I don't know how it happened, but everytime I wrapped around to the beginning of the chorus, I forgot it in the middle. Eventually the crowd (who thought I was trying to get them to sing along) sang it for me and reminded me, allowing me to finish the song. I'd have been completely embarrassed save for the fact that the crowd thought it was part of the show!