Sawtooth

[quote name='Hutch82' post='1160260' date='Mar 13 2011, 10:28 AM']... sat behind Lenny Henry funnily enough.[/quote] At least it wasn't Dawn French.

[quote name='SisterAbdullahX' post='1159908' date='Mar 12 2011, 09:50 PM']I may be in the minority here, but I say if people wanna slap, let them slap! it's just another way of playing the instrument. Obviously, listening to a roomful of people making a din by slapping at a trade show or bass day won't give you a particularly representative example of it's merits, but that shouldn't make you think it's some kind of anti social behavior any more than people who tap on bass, which personally I'm not a big fan of but can appreciate that some people have found their voice on the instrument by playing it that way. Lets not get small minded here, people![/quote] wise words. [quote name='martin8708' post='1159948' date='Mar 12 2011, 10:27 PM']Obvoiusly they did not attend the TM Stevens workshop, he emphasized the role of the bass player was to make the other musicians sound good , [i]not draw attention to themselves[/i].[/quote] I'm not knocking the guy [i]but[/i], you mean this T.M. Stevens?

@risingson - some really nice tunes there, thanks. Especially like the Michael Jackson track, damn that's funky! I must dust down 'Off The Wall' again, what an album. I'm sure I read an interview with Louis Johnson in a bass mag years ago where he said he chooses to wear fingerless cycling gloves to moderate and slow down his slapping to retain the funk - you gotta Love that!

I personally, being more of a meat and potatos fingerstyle kinda player, am not big on slap bass, I can't play it at all. Having just read Clarky's thread about it's overuse at the London Bass Show [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=126873"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=126873[/url] and do agree there is a [i]lot[/i] of fret w*nkery in slapping/tapping etc. I also do feel there must be some quality tunes that I've maybe missed over the years. Don't get me wrong, one of the 1st gigs I went to was Level 42 at the Manchester Apollo in the '80's, where during 'Hot Water'', Mark King flew over the audience on wires during a bass solo - stuff of legend when your in your teens! I'm also a huge Funk fan, but more the fingerstyle of late '60's/ early '70's. I'm also used to be a huge fan of the Chile's, saw them live - amazing! I also Love some Squarepusher, quality stuff. [i]BUT[/i] I really don't 'feel' a lot of it. I appreciate some playing for it's astounding rhythmical complexity and technique, but it's not always something I'd listen to for enjoyment. I'm open minded and would like to be educated please... I can think of a couple of examples that I do Love below : Any pointers would be most welcome.

[quote name='Jigster' post='1158787' date='Mar 11 2011, 11:03 PM']what was that beast of a bass the guy from ZZ Top was playing? looked like a proper project!![/quote] You mean this b*stard son of a beast bass guitar?

9pm - Blues Britannia: Can Blue Men Play The Whites? [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kc752"]link[/url] [u]Edit:[/u] An extremely interesting and well produced documentary charting the influence of American Blues on Great Britain's music from the late '50's to the late '60's. Some great opinions and stories from Jack Bruce, Bill Wyman, a very funny Keith Richards, Dave Kelly, Tom McGuiness, Paul Jones, Mick Fleetwood, John Mayall and more. Covers the rarity of the first Blues records hitting the shores, Chris Barber bringing over the Blues legends Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Bill Broonzy, Champion Jack Dupree etc. with some interesting insights into what they thought of us British. Then the formation of the first British Blues bands in the early '60's; The Stones, Yardbirds, John Mayall etc plus the influence through the sixties on The Kinks, the Animals and more. Also taking the Blues to white American audiences with the 'British Invasion'. It ends with the transformation from blues to rock with acts such as Cream, Led Zep and Fleetwood Mac. It's a must-see for anyone with even a slight interest in how the Blues influenced and continues to influence guitar based music right up to the present day. Even if you [i]thought[/i] you'd seen, heard and read all this before (like me ), it's well worth a watch for some of the footage and stories alone. 10.30pm - Blues on Later....with Jools Holland. [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00k99g6"]Link[/url] [u]Edit:[/u] Some great performances and low end action from too many to mention. One of the standouts for me was Chris Barber with Andrew Fairweather Low - 'Gin House'. 11.30pm - Blues at the BBC - 50 years of performances. [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00k36m5"]Link[/url] [u]Edit:[/u] Passionate performances from some of the greats. Standout for me (25mins 30secs) has to be Son House - 'Death Letter' (My Black Mama pt. 2). Son House has more Blues in one twitch of his right eyebrow, than I'll ever achieve in a lifetime. That's my evening sorted!!!

[quote name='Jerry_B' post='1156057' date='Mar 9 2011, 11:19 PM']Is there a reason that the action is high on this type of bass (assuming you've maybe tried to tweak it so it's lower)? And how is it a bit of an ol' dog to play?[/quote] Hi Jerry, thanks for your interest. The action on a resonator is setup during manufacture of the bass and it's only the trussrod that can be adjusted after. The bridge on mine under the fixed cover is called a 'biscuit' bridge, which is a slotted, curved wooden block attached to a plastic biscuit which is attached to a 'floating' aluminium cone - (looks a bit like an upside-down Hartke speaker cone). When the string is plucked the vibrations are passed through the wooden bridge, picked up and amplified by the cone, resonating throughout the steel body. The string ball ends are held in a fixed tailpiece and travel over the wooden bridge and up the fretboard. Here's a couple of pics I've just taken ... The only way to lower the action would be to deepen the slots in the wooden bridge. It's not a job I feel needs doing though as the bass is playable and I feel a higher action really makes you dig in and get that cone working! To call the bass an ol' dog was a bit harsh of me, it all depends what your used to playing. If your normal bass is an ergonomically carved, lightweight curved beauty that hugs you like a well toned ballet dancer - you'd be in for a shock. This bass feels more like holding a drunk Russian sailor in a headlock. It's over 3" deep of steel without a forearm curve in sight, more a case of adjusting your technique to suit the instrument. It balances surprisingly well on your lap though, but I've never tried it on a strap as there's only 1 button. I suppose you could tie it to the headstock if needed. It is what it is - a mid priced resonator guitar with a bass neck glued onto it. I would not expect too much finesse at this end of the market anyway as a good quality reso guitar is at least £500 and up into the thousands. Like I said, it's great fun for jammin' outdoors or just lying around the house as you don't have to worry about it getting knocked or falling to pieces. Cheers, Dave.

Thanks for the nice replies. [quote name='Jerry_B' post='1155784' date='Mar 9 2011, 08:09 PM']Yowza! Are they very expensive?[/quote] Mine was around the £350 mark brand new in 2004, it was the only one I could find in the UK back then. I've just done a search and the Electo-Acoustic version is around £380 now. [quote name='Blademan_98' post='1155788' date='Mar 9 2011, 08:15 PM']Oh my, GAS has just strck me...... again![/quote] I can probably ease that gas like an alka seltzer .... Cons: -it's a bit of an ol' dog to play - he ain't called 'Basstardo' for nothing. -I'm not saying the actions high, but you can smoke a cuban cigar between the strings and the body. -being a nickel plated steel body, it's a 'touch' neck light. -if you want to keep it shiney, don't ever touch it. -everyone will assume it's a guitar and ask you to "play some slide mister" -if you're outdoors in the sunshine, you may blind anyone within a 100 yards. Pro's: -it looks so cool! If Captain Jack Sparrow played bass ..... -if you're outdoors, everyone will comment on it, from little kids to pretty girls to old ladies. -it's a good weapon for keeping sticky fingered little kids at bay (and jealous boyfriends) -if you can play this you can play most basses. Volume wise it isn't much louder than any other acoustic played fingerstyle, great for personal practise but gets drowned out with 1 or 2 acoustic guitars. Much louder played with a pick though if you really dig in. Tonewise it's all on it's own. I spent quite a bit of time trying different strings to tame the harshness of the steel and make it a bit more bass like, but it lost all it's character. Best to play to it's strengths, I've just thrown some bronze wires back on it and enjoy it's country blues style twang and breadth of tone. I love it. It ain't for everyone, but it is for me. Cheers, Dave.

The future's bright ... 1969 was Orange. These please ... and these ... and these!!!

ahem...., 'sunburst' you say? .... sorry, I couldn't resist!

[quote name='Spoombung' post='1145101' date='Feb 28 2011, 09:55 PM']It really is one of the greatest bass sounds in history - but it's all about context, y'know. There were a few bassists playing like that at the time that were never heard next to loud, bluesy, boring guitarists.[/quote] Ain't that the truth!

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1145150' date='Feb 28 2011, 10:22 PM']The 760FL will be very fine for fingerstyle blues.[/quote] Yes, a lighter guage is maybe the way to go as I have A G&L L1000 through an Ampeg B100r (b-15 copy) and was wondering about too much bottom end? Although maybe I'm talking crap as that didn't bother James Jamerson + co. Maybe I'm researching too much and should just order something and try them for myself !!! Cheers, Dave. Edit: update - Pyramid Golds ordered.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1145129' date='Feb 28 2011, 10:09 PM']The flatwounds being used in the 1960s are likely to have been La Bellas or Pyramids (or possibly one or two other makes but similar). I don't think TIs were available then and they are rather different to the La Bellas and the Pyramids. La Bellas (especially the 54 set) and the Pyramids are higher tension whereas the TIs are very low tension. The La Bellas and especially the Pyramids can sound dead straight out of the packet whereas the TIs are relatively bright and middy. For that 1960s with a pick sound I'd go for the La Bella 760FL (not the 54s) or the Pyramids or also worth a try are the GHS Precision flats. But that's not to say anything against the TIs which are fantastic strings.[/quote] The 760 FL's are a lighter guage than the '54's then? I really play fingerstyle blues more than anything and that led me to '54's and the golds. I probably got a bit carried away on the wave of this thread! Edit: thanks for your advice!

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1145089' date='Feb 28 2011, 09:47 PM']Wikipedia, Discogs, Beat Patrol and several others all say Odgers.[/quote] Cool! I must check out some more of his work. I was just debating which flatwounds to buy after reading Basschat posts most of the weekend when I spotted this topic, talk about fate. I have whittled it down to Labellas 1954 or Pyramid Golds. Or Ti's Choices, choices ... Edit :Which would work with fingerstyle and a pick best for this sort of sound? (sorry to hijack the thread)

[quote name='Spoombung' post='1145047' date='Feb 28 2011, 09:30 PM']Ah, one of my favourite bass sounds of all. There's been a few threads about this. Look at this: It's a Burns Bison, palm muted and played with a pick - and likely to be Odgers not Flowers[/quote] I love this forum! Edit: a great watch, but not from 'historie de melody nelson' though.

All I can find in the Liner notes is "L'action est concentree sur la voix de Serge, les counterpoint de Jane, et le trio blues de base (celui de Gainsbourg confidentiel) : guitare, basse, batterie." As I can't read French I can only wildly guess that this translates as .... the voice of Serge, the counterpoint of Jane (Birkin), and a trio .... (kept confidential by Serge?) of guitar, bass and drums???? Can anyone help translate this properly please?

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1144962' date='Feb 28 2011, 08:56 PM']I've just been checking too since I saw your post. Wikipedia and several other sites say Odgers and so far I've not found a mention of Flowers at all. I had a vinyl of [i]L'Histoire de Melody Nelson[/i] a long time ago and Odgers was retrieved from my memory because I also knew him from John McLaughlin's [i]Extrapolation[/i] album. However my memory is often imperfect.[/quote] Yeah, not sure where I read about Flowers now, it was some time ago when I first bought the album. Either way it's some really individual playing and a tone to die for. I'd recommend anyone to check the album out.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1144945' date='Feb 28 2011, 08:41 PM']I think the bassist will be Brian Odgers. I don't have the track to listen to though.[/quote] I've read this also and I believe he's mentioned somewhere in the liner notes, I'm looking now but it's all in french and rather long. Maybe both played on the sessions?

[quote name='Cyrene' post='1144909' date='Feb 28 2011, 08:13 PM']Hi. Been listening to this on repeat for three days now and loving the tone this guy gets from his bass. I'm assuming he's playing a Jazz but was wondering if he has all three controls turned up playing near the bridge. Can anyone give me an idea how to get this sound. I've tried but it falls short! Either way, if you ain't heard it, do it soon.[/quote] I LOVE this album! Herbie Flowers on bass, always some debate as to whether he used his Jazz or a Burns Bison on the recording. Definately flatwounds with a pick though.

[quote name='Mlucas' post='1143682' date='Feb 27 2011, 06:58 PM']Obviously the acoustics of where you are play a part, but the general modes you put your EQ to determines a basic sound, but even beginners will have a tweak based upon those settings until they get it to suit their surroundings. I'm just popping this up as a rough guide to starters, because i know when i first started playing bass i had no idea what to do with the nobs on my amp [/quote] I get where your coming from Mlucas. Of course there are all levels of musicians on this forum, from the multi bass owning high-end amp gigmeisters, who probably post more than most. But there are also a lot of beginners, some young, some older, (you only have to look at the introductions page) who don't post and wonder where to begin. Not forgetting all those who browse the forum as guests. I still remember sitting in my bedroom with a low wattage practice amp and a starter bass trying to emulate the sounds I heard on record/tape/CD (showing my age!) and wondering where to start. Leaving everything flat leads to boredom very quickly in these circumstances, it's fun to experiment and try to find tones like your idols. Of course in the real world of live gigging things are different, but that's another topic.

[quote name='Mlucas' post='1143468' date='Feb 27 2011, 04:23 PM']I thought it would be interesting to see how everyone sets their amps up for playing, just state your loose music 'genre' and your favoured settings (Bass/Mids/Treble) for getting that tone, plus this could provide help to beginners who are trying to find the right sound for them! Thanks [/quote] I get the feeling the OP was aiming at setting up an 'EQ guide for beginners' as such and is a great idea! I know I would have loved a basic reference when first starting out and would still be interested now. I think the idea of picking a genre, be it blues, jazz, reggae, motown, classic rock, metal, funk, slap, emo etc, etc ... and then offering tips on how to achieve these tones/sounds is a great one. Also let's not forget that a lot of people are playing on practice amps and may never have gigged.

Genre: blues Amp eq: based on 1 (low) to 10 (high) gain - 6 to 10 (depends how clean or overdriven i want to sound) bass - 7 low-mids - 7 high-mids - 2 treble - 2 Bass eq: bass high-ish and treble low-ish front pickup and play the strings near the fretboard. Of course nothing is 'set in stone' and all basses and amps sound different. But for any beginners, these will steer you in the right direction. With a slight tweak these settings will also work for dub/reggae and trad jazz. Edit: will also work for motown and late '60's funk, just play more over the pickup.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1142887' date='Feb 26 2011, 11:18 PM']Very cool. I thought I was the only Basschatter with a Reso Bass[/quote] Ooh that's nice! I've never seen another one either. Is that a true acoustic or electro? Mine's acoustic, I just wanted something I could leave around the house and pick up and play simply, luckily the Wife thinks it looks cool so doesn't mind! I find it surprising how much more I enjoy playing just picking it up and noodling when passing it, rather than having a strict practice time or area. Plus you can't beat sitting in the garden on a summers day jamming some 12 bar! If I may ask, what string type, gauge and brand do you use? [quote name='EdwardHimself' post='1142918' date='Feb 26 2011, 11:50 PM']Very nice. Must be a bit of a farce keeping it shiny though...[/quote] Oh yeah! I gave up on the obsessive polishing a long time ago and only cleaned it this time because I spilt a sticky drink on it. Luckily, I love the look of it when it dulls with smudges and dirt, it gives off a very rootsy blues vibe.

I picked up 'Basstardo' a few years ago from the London Resonator Centre. Just given him a bit of a polish and thought I'd take some pics while the sun did shine. Enjoy! Thanks for your time, Dave.

meet 'The Mistress' - a '98 Ibanez Soundgear 800, made in Japan ... [attachment=73319:Ibanez.jpg]