Conan

[quote name='Machines' post='1257082' date='Jun 5 2011, 08:01 AM']Yeah, but then the Overwater plays so so well, much better than the Status, think that may be string spacing ! I'll admit i'm very torn between the 2.[/quote] Surely that's the key? No point having a great tone available if you don't like playing the bass that has it... A lot of it is what you get used to of course - and both are bespoke, handmade English instruments so where's the downside? Interestingly, I prefer the tones from the Overwater in your two clips! Your Status just doesn't sound like my Status! Could be to do with the recording methods, playback speakers etc - but mine just sounds more "organic" than that one does. Yours just sounds a bit clinical and sterile to me. Also, and I might be reading more into it than is actually there, your playing sounds slightly more "tentative" on the Status, whereas you seem to relax more on the Overwater. If that is indeed the case, surely that's a good enough reason to keep the O?

Wise words from a very clever and talented guy. Having said that, his tendency to constantly re-invent himself (see points 5 and 7 above) can make him a challenging act to support!

The answer is definitely either yes, no or maybe.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIm87r9lnD0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIm87r9lnD0[/url]

[quote name='BassBod' post='1248910' date='May 29 2011, 09:10 AM']We've got many more choices and information these days. It used to be a case of, is it loud enough, then season to taste with bass and treble (plus mid if you were technical). Its a lot more complicated now![/quote] I'm not sure it [i]is[/i] any more complicated now. I think the kind of bass players that use forums like this one like to convince ourselves that it is complex - but I think that in reality all most punters and fellow band members care about is that you can be heard, but not too loud. So a tone that cuts through the mix but doesn't dominate would seem to suit everyone! Volume is obviously key to that. If you're not loud enough it doesn't matter what tone you have, but equally, a well-chosen tone will help you to become audible. So maybe it is a little bit complicated after all?! I certainly recall from my early days of playing that the watts war was a big deal. If playing with a loud drummer (as I always seemed to) you needed plenty of power to be heard. The actual tone settings were secondary to that. Often, what the audience hears is totally (and tonally!) different anyway - especially if you are going through a PA. Still, it gives us all something to chat about doesn't it?

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1248931' date='May 29 2011, 09:37 AM']I'm still not convinced about this "your tone" thing. I've had very different tones in most of the bands I've played with. They've been the right tones to work with the other instruments in the band, but they didn't sound at all similar.[/quote] I agree. As a player you may well have "your style", but tone is much more subjective and will vary due to factors like the room you are playing in, the size of the audience (for live performances), the playback speakers (for recordings) and a hundred and one other variables! I've never played an Alembic, don't own a fretless and am a recent convert to five strings - but when I borrowed Chris2112's Fretless Epic 5 and used it at a rehearsal, the band said that it still sounded like me!

Well, it certainly works for me. My Series II has been my main (and sometimes only) bass for 25 years and rarely do I find that it lacks any particular sounds.... although it would have been nice if the EQ had three bands instead of two! As Chris says, the mid-range from the bass itself can be slightly lacking - but the output is so hot and low-noise that it is easy to add more mid from your amp if so desired. To my ears it can do P bass on the neck pup soloed, a reasonable Jaco tone on the bridge pup soloed, and a range of sounds by blending the aforementioned! They are not as "hi-fi" as they are rumoured to be. They can growl and shout with the best of 'em! Endless sustain, clear harmonics, incredible stable tuning... Add to that (at least on the series II) that you can bypass the active circuitry for a whole different range of tones... Just get one.

[quote name='drewk_ie' post='1231050' date='May 14 2011, 03:48 PM']Hi I use an Ampeg 15 & 2x10 with my SVT 200T head, amazing sound and tone[/quote] Pleased to hear you are still enjoying the amp!!

[quote name='ZMech' post='1246660' date='May 27 2011, 09:10 AM']Something something JAZZ something something CRETIN! Will that do? [/quote] Perfect!

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='1246112' date='May 26 2011, 07:26 PM']As the title says; Is being in [i][b]MY[/b][/i] band now so expensive that I can't afford to play live and not get paid for it?[/quote] I think that is what you meant to say....

[quote name='wulf' post='1246599' date='May 27 2011, 08:05 AM']If you choose to play anti-commercial music then you either have to supplement that by a day job or by playing other music which does attract some income. Or perhaps you are missing opportunities to either reduce expenses or get some income.[/quote] That's what I was trying to say, but phrased much better!

Isn't it about time we had a few of the purists and pros jump in to tell us how wrong, misguided and subversive we are for playing for nothing or next to nothing?

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='1246583' date='May 27 2011, 07:36 AM']I've never even been paid a tenner for a gig. The sort of music I play doesn't get paid like that, but I fail to see why I should have to play stuff I don't want to (functions/covers). ....Based on there being no financial return, it's a cost I can no longer afford. Nice. Now we're turning into a hobby for the well-heeled only. Never thought I'd live to see the day.[/quote] Sounds like you have a dilemma then. This is why a lot of musicians in original bands also play in cover bands. One finances the other as it were. If you refuse to milk the cash cow then where else are you going to get the money to cover your losses in the original band? Surely if they are good enough and you play at carefully selected venues you can expect to be paid? Other than that, you are stuck in a cycle that has no end and no way out. Don't shoot me, I'm only the messenger!

[quote name='SteveK' post='1245313' date='May 26 2011, 10:42 AM']Buy a fretless Musicman Stingray and a boss octaver - sorted![/quote] Yeah. You don't say whether your J is fretted or not and both of those tracks were played on fretless basses. Might be a challenge to replicate those tones on a fretted!!

They certainly look the part (if you like purple, which I do!) and they are very light. Never heard one in use, but have read very favourable reports on them.

[quote name='spongebob' post='1243245' date='May 24 2011, 06:39 PM']Nobody batted an eyelid over the Squier headstock - it was a very good tool for the job.[/quote] Were you seriously expecting them to? For the non-bass players in the audience (i.e. most of them), the only thing they might notice about your bass is the colour. Sound-wise, they are also unlikely to notice you unless you sound particularly awful or are too loud. Bass Chat is not the real world...

[quote name='bungle' post='1243021' date='May 24 2011, 03:10 PM']What sort of cabs should I be looking at then?[/quote] How long is a piece of string? My advice would be to trawl the used section here and buy stuff! Most of the prices are so good that if you don't get on with a certain cab you can probably sell it on again at pretty much the price you paid for it. Maybe even more if the market eventually picks up! Alex at BareFaced also does a month's trial on his cabs if you buy one new. If you don't like it you can return it for just the cost of shipping. Could be a good way to try one out?

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='1243075' date='May 24 2011, 03:51 PM']I've got a packet of Tommy Walsh Rawlplugs in the shed. Light years better than the stock item.[/quote] Ah yes, but take care. They do not do exactly what it says on the tin. They are not standard rawlplugs endorsed by Tommy Walsh, but plastic devices designed specifically for use when one wishes to strongly attach items of furniture [b]TO[/b] Mr. Walsh. Otherwise the guarantee will be void.

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1242531' date='May 24 2011, 01:58 AM']Let's start a trend of non musician endorsements for our basses. I have a MIM 5 string that needs to be a Natalie Portman model. How about a Carl Sagan Precision? A Bob Fosse Jazz Hands?[/quote] I've seen a few adverts for "CS" Precisions recently. I had no idea that they were Carl Sagan sig models!! Deeply cool indeed. Where can I get one?

[quote name='Doddy' post='1243034' date='May 24 2011, 03:21 PM']Sure you could play a major 3rd over a minor,wince and correct it,or you could take away the guess work and play [i][b]the right note [/b][/i]straight away.[/quote] I'm not sure I like or agree with the idea that there are "wrong" notes. Certainly there are some notes that sound strange in certain places, but to me a 'wrong' note is a note that is played when the intention was to play a different note. But sometimes the mistake can sound better than the intended one, so where does that leave us? I don't read. At 45 years old with a family and a full-time job I am unlikely to ever find myself in a situation where this will hold me back. Some of the members on this forum are professional or semi-professional bass players, whose income may depend upon their ability to read. Obviously in their case it is a desirable if not prerequisite skill. For us weekend warriors and part-timers I see it as a luxury. I would like to be able to donate the time to it to see what difference it makes, but in the foreseeable future that is unlikely. I know a small bit of theory - but not enough that it makes much difference to what I play. I like to think that I have a reasonable ear and feel, and those have stood me fairly well over the years. However, if my personal circumstances changed and I found myself potentially having to rely on playing bass for part or all of my livelihood; I'm pretty sure I would put a lot of effort into learning more theory and how to read! Better to have it and not use it than not to have it at all...

You may be right about the Hartke being too clean.... but your pedals can easily add the grit if required. Sounds like my Trace Elliot 2x15 would suit you down to the ground. I'm not just saying that because I'm trying to sell it of course... but it really is a quality piece of kit for very sensible cash. Loud, clear, warm, solid, robust.... and you could probably sell it on in a while for more than what you are about to pay me for it!! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=125690&hl=1528"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=125690&hl=1528[/url] It's all good.