Conan

[quote name='LeftyBiskit' timestamp='1346533637' post='1790397']....you cant polish a turd[/quote] No, but you [i]can[/i] roll it in glitter!

[quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1346667444' post='1791604']... bass players shouldn't use the same tone for all songs/gigs. Does anyone agree that you should you change your tone for every song? Lee Sklar gets annoyed when he sees bass players fiddling with the controls on their bass. [/quote] I think there is a big difference between not using the same tone for [i]all [/i]songs, and changing tone for [i]every[/i] song! Totally depends on the band and situation doesn't it? If you play covers from a wide range of different bands/genres then you will probably have to change tones and even basses to a certain extent if you are the kind of player who wants to get everything "just so". Say, for example your band plays "Hysteria" by Muse, followed by "New World Man" by Rush, then Queen's "Another one bites the dust". Would you play all three with the same tone? That's not to say that you couldn't manage the whole set with just a P bass of course... but that depends far more on the bass player than the rest of the band or the audience. I think Sklar's comment says more about him than it does about bass players. What a silly thing to say. As we all know, different venues and stages often necessitate a bit of a tweak with tone just so that you can be heard at all... and if you don't get it right straight away (or if more people come in for example) then further "twiddles" may be needed. Personally, I do like to make changes to my tone for different songs or song sections. That may include (as others have said) moving hand positions, using fingernails or a pick, palm damping, harmonics, changes of EQ or pickup combinations. Frankly, I don't see that it is anyone else's business as long as it sounds good withing the context of the band and/or song!

Great news! Good to be reminded that not everyone is a b@stard!

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1346438480' post='1789329'] Well so far we have no power, and it's raining. [/quote] Oh well. Enjoy the beer than! Every cloud...

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1346435039' post='1789271']Beer festivals ted to be populated by folk as passionate about beer as you are about music. They want to enjoy themselves and will - likely as not - step in and stop any odd trouble makers in their tracks. [/quote] This. I've played quite a few beer festivals and have always found them to be great audiences if you're on early.... go on late and a lot of them will be rather "subdued"

Nothing to add to what Musky said! But a guide budget would be useful. I've bought basses on here for less than £100.

Sorry if this sounds simplistic or patronising, but what strings are you using? The ones that came with the bass? If you changed them, what did you put on? After trying a number of different pickup manufacturers and models, I've found that a decent set of strings (and making sure you have the right gauge for you and your bass) makes a huge difference to the tone and playability. That said, I do tend to find Barts a bit on the "polite" side... Have you tried Wizards? There are several different styles within their J range (64s, 74s, 84s and Hammers) and they will even wind to your personal preferences (assuming you know what they are!). [url="http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass"]http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass[/url] As others have said, all of the pickups named above will offer a significant upgrade over the stock ones (Duncan designed if I recall) - but differences between them are largely down to compatibility and your own ears. But I would seriously pay some attention to the strings first! Cheaper too...

As the previous owner of the above-mentioned bass, I also have no idea what brand of strings they are! I cleaned them with meths as they were very dead when I bought the bass two months ago, which brightened them up significantly - but they are pretty worn looking... They felt a bit smooth for Rotos (to my fingers anyway!). I am not familiar with any brands that use blue/green/turquoise silks, but at least you can eliminate several brands by the fact that they have silks at all (therefore not DRs) and the companies that use certain other colours... Sorry, that's not much help is it? I'd be putting new strings on anyway! Extra-long though, as I found out to my cost when I tried a set of La Bella HRS

[quote name='wombatboter' timestamp='1346243984' post='1786901']...insulting people, spitting at the audience, betraying his friends, letting people down..showed his pubic hair to the people from the record company...[/quote] Classy.

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1346222085' post='1786567'] Quite. I have always enjoyed the live Rush stuff from the late 80's. The band at their peak, and Wal tone too - Geddy's best tone! It's cool to hear the old songs spruced up with the Wal. [/quote] Ha ha! I politely but totally disagree! That was also the stage when he ditched the distortion, grew his fingernails and played those horrible light gauge strings.... I hated that tone with a passion! Too clean, quacky and clinical. And on YYZ it sounds worst of all!! Still, it would be a dull world if we all liked the same things!

[quote name='Darkstrike' timestamp='1346167251' post='1785998'] Been wanting a mirror one for my 4 stringer as long as I've had it. [/quote] Now you're talking!!

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1346072044' post='1784833'] If you want to hear what a Thumb bass sounds like, listen to The Reality Of My Surroundings, or Give A Monkey A Brain And He'll Swear He's The Centre Of The Universe by Fishbone. Thumb 5s were used on everything and Reality has a lot of fretless on it. There's a range of tones in use too - some dubby deep stuff, the odd bit of slap, etc. [/quote] Pleased I read the whole thread before posting - because this is exactly what I was about to say!! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVkMS0JMA8&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVkMS0JMA8&feature=related[/url]

Not sure the tort works so well with that colour as it does with black, red or white basses.... Then again, I don't think the stock plate looks that great either Of the two, I prefer the tort

[quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1346029834' post='1784342'] Jaco.... I am sure any bass he picked up sounded the way he wanted it to. the feel/soul/fingers created most of the sound [/quote] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWuJUTX3TIc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWuJUTX3TIc[/url]

That's great! And it has also become my latest purchase....

The DVD arrived on saturday and I've watched it about six times since then! It's interesting though, when you watch other episodes of this series, which are one hour programmes, they concentrate on the making of one particular album. The rest of the story is about the various excesses in which the band were indulging at the time (e.g. Fleetwood Mac with Rumours, Black Sabbath with Paranoid). Rush seem to have no such vices, so to fill the programme and make it up to an hour, they get to do two albums!!

My knowledge of things, bass-related and otherwise, has increased logarithmically since joining this site. A finer online community you will not find.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1345673880' post='1780463'] Remember not to blow on the solder joints as they are cooling [/quote] Why?

Cool! Thanks for the info!

I've often wondered... what exactly are these wiring kits/harnesses of which you speak? What is their main use and their advantage over standard wiring options? They sound interesting! What does a typical one cost?

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1345271129' post='1775701']Agree it would be nice to hear / see more of the gear Geddy uses rather than just his bass.[/quote] [i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]"Geddy Lee’s bass sound is a combination of five channels, which represent various aspects of an entire bass sound, and run from clean to distorted-beyond-all-reason. The two main components of his sound are an Avalon DI and a Palmer DI. The Avalon is warm with a punchy midrange, and the Palmer is super clear with an extended low end. The last three channels are all distorted to one degree or another. There’s an instantiation of Eleven dialed up to sound like an old Fender Bassman—slightly distorted, but not crazy. There’s a SansAmp, which is more distorted and further down in the mix. Then there’s an Orange amp, which we run off to a bass cab backstage and throw another Palmer PDI-03 on. It’s cranked wide open and is preposterously distorted. It sits in the back of the bass mix. All of this gets sub-grouped, compressed, and run into an instantiation of Waves API 550A EQ."[/size][/font][/color][/i] [color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Riggghhhht... So I should be able to get pretty close to that with a GL jazz then? [/size][/font][/color]

I had no idea that this DVD existed!! Off to Amazon right now....

If you like MOTP, then The Tall Ships is a damned good album too - highly recommended. If It Bites are touring with Frost (possibly with special guests Arena, Kino and Martin Orford?!) then that's a John Mitchell overdose that I could put up with! I'm also seeing It Bites in October as they are supporting Fish in Leamington Spa Back on topic.... Still failing to click with Clockwork Angels... It's good, but, for Rush - a bit dull and uninspired. So far. More listening required!

Sorry guys! I should have said that this went on the first day.