obi 2 kenobi

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='291477' date='Sep 25 2008, 09:13 AM']Never liked Abe, I'm afraid, but I think its because I never really liked anything that he played on (its mostly fuzak).[/quote] He played on 'Rise' and that's good enough for me

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='290629' date='Sep 24 2008, 10:19 AM']I remember in the late 80s/early 90s getting hold of the famous 'In The Shadow of Motown' book/cd set and spending a few weeks or months looking at what were generally some very sophisticated and demanding bass-lines (and great reading practice, if nothing else). Some of these lines were fantastic (the line to the bridge on the Diana Ross live version of 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' springs to mind as an absolute diamond). After a while, however, and after visiting the original recordings of the tunes involved, I clocked the fact that, despite these wonderfully complex and intelligent lines, I didn't actually LIKE most of the songs - a lot of it is bubblegum and some of it just plain bad! I have since tried (with varying degrees of success) to listen to all music wholistically and not just from a bassophile point of view. As a result, massive amounts of music that other bass players find exciting bores my rigid - great bass playing, lousy music. So, my question is, what are the tunes where the basslines make you think 'wow' but you never listen to them because the tunes are s***e? Some of mine..... 'Le Freak' by Chic - great line, naff song. 'Car Wash' by Rose Royce - we all like that fill but....yeeeeeeeeeeuch! Almost anything by Tower of Power! Loads of Jeff Berlin tunes, especially that awful train effect on 'Runaway Train' on 'In Harmony's Way' - criiiinge!! All of Steve Bailey's 'Dochontomy' cd. Stu Hamm's 'Radio Free Albymuth' Wooten's 'Amazing Grace' The list goes on and on and on.....[/quote] Tower of Power !!! The early stuff has some great choones...'so much oil in the ground, etc'. The rest I concur

I saw Hadrien a few times in Paris in the late 90s + early 2000 or so. Didn't know who he was. Only realised a few years ago. Back then he was playing in jam sessions (and still does) at the baiser sale. He had a tendency when I saw him to overplay and play too loud over everyone else. Last year , as a big fan of McLaughlin, downloaded his live album from his site. Very impressed by Had's playing, use of effects and especially restrained ambient textures on a couple of tracks. Very classy. Great musicianship from everyone on an album not unlike Pangea + Agarta (spelling) from Miles where the instruments blend, change tones, where guitar doesn't sound like guitar, etc

Paris is great. Lived there for 10 yrs. Go to rue victor masse in pigalle. Loads of music shops and at least 3 bass only. Better selection than london.

Yeah, Blam album by Brothers Johnson. Quincy Jones prod. Great musicanship throughout. Every track played on a stingray pushed high in the mix. Essential.

Don Blackman ! Got it on vinyl. Great basslines throughout. Last ones I did were Slave 'Just a touch of love', Starvue 'Body Fusion', Hart to Hart theme, Chuck Brown 'Bustin' loose' & 'Gotcha Now' and Curtis Mayfield 'You're so good to me'

CC Music !!! Its great they're back. Best music shop in the world* *probably

Hi, this subject may already have been done to death so apologies to all. To those who play 5 strings (and above) what is your preferred string spacing ? Secondly is there a database or even a simple list showing the string spacing by model and manufacturer ? Cheers y'all

Herbie Hancock 'just around the corner' Remember allmusic.com is your friend

[quote name='mcgraham' post='193143' date='May 6 2008, 06:04 PM']Very fair comments. I've actually moved back to wider/19mm spacing since some discussions with Mark @ BassDirect & Enrico @ Wood&Tronics. Whilst I prefer tighter spacing for reduced movement/economy of motion, wider spacing helps keep the right hand a lot more relaxed. It's a trade off between the two really. I'd agree re: the eq, although I felt it was the bass knob that was to my dislike; dialled in a woolly bass sound rather than warmth or punch. [i]True. The eq on the stingrays is superior. You can get a good range of tones. Less so on the Smith [/i] Good plan. I can tell you that bassjamm would still love that bass back so if you do decide to move it on, please drop him a message. [i]Noted. As said earlier the only reason for potentially moving it on is tight string spacing. If I do, will probably replace it with bass having 17.00 / 17.50mm spacing.[/i] Hope all is well my friend, happy playing! Mark P.S. What string brand are you using that has a 0.128 B string?[/quote] Labella Slappers. Use them on all my basses. High tension strings which I prefer.

[quote name='mcgraham' post='192458' date='May 5 2008, 08:34 PM']Hi Ken Nice shot! How's the foray into five strings going for you? Is the Smith working out well for you? Mark[/quote] Hey Mark, Just started playing it a week ago. Biggest challenge is the string spacing. Tuned B-G with 128-40 guage and 16mm spacing doesn't leave much space between strings - fretting hand tends to mess up on moving octaves from string to string. That said I now realise 19mm string spacing is too much for me. Sounds very good - clear hi-fi sound. The treble eq doesn't seem to do much though. Very light and well made. I intend to keep it for the moment. See how it goes later on. Cheers, Ken

[attachment=8367:DSC00334.JPG] L to R 1978 Stingray. Plays & sounds great. Picked up on ebay years ago from retired muso. No 1 bass 1987 Stingray. Bought new. Status neck added. Much lighter than '78 but 2 band rules. 1983 JV Jazz. Bought new. Loads of customisation....emgs....defret....paint job....Was only bass for years. Superb sounding bass & great build quality. c.2000 Ken Smith BSR. Bought from mcgraham (mark). Restrung B - G. Just started using it recently having been left in office for months. Not bad. Nice action

Graphite neck Pros : slim profile (much slimmer than the '78), more defined sound, notes are less coloured are you move around neck, better sustain, build quality Cons : necks amplifies fret hand noise - need to watch/improve fretting hand. I still have the old wooden neck, in case I want to change back.

Yes, its a graphite neck Is there an easy way to add pictures ??? I get error messages 'dynamic pages in the [IMG] tags are not allowed'

Dumb question !! More gear shots to come (jazz & smith)

Hi, how do you add photos in a post ?

Hi, I have a '78 stingray which I've had for a number of years, in addition to a number of other basses - will add proper introduction & photos later. Recently the varnish or coating has started to come off the back of the neck when playing. In fact just rubbing the neck with finger or thumb will remove the surface coating. Its doesn't leave a mark - you cannot see what has come off. Its feels just like wisps of rubber you get using an eraser. Its annoying. Should I get very light grade sandpaper and sand the entire neck to fix ? Any ideas ?

Jimmy Moon of Moon Guitars. Glasgow Queens Park.

Hi, does anyone have a bass transcription of Ian Dury's What a Waste by Norman Watt-Roy ? I've done the verse but can't quite get the chorus right. Incidentally newbie to forum but been lurking for a while. Thanks