Chris2112

Yep, an Ibanez BTB. I used to have a BTB405QM, that was a fantastic bass. They really punch above their weight, price-wise.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='1072727' date='Dec 30 2010, 02:06 PM']True... but there aren't many that extend the length of the Lakland and spread out like that at the headstock end.[/quote] It looks like the bass is wearing a roll neck jumper!

That slightly clumsy Lakland bridgepiece really stands out against the basses and looks pretty bad IMO.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='1072653' date='Dec 30 2010, 12:55 PM']Looking at your basses in the sig, I would say you don't buy many basses from music shops.[/quote] I would think the last one was a Squier Classic Vibe Jazz bass and a Spector Rebop DLX, both bought from Sound Control Preston...so yes, it's been a couple of years!

I didn't realise The Bass Cellar had a shop in Scotland.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1072291' date='Dec 29 2010, 11:34 PM']Im sure there is still plenty of knowledge amongst them Chris. I would never say you can be at a stage where you dont need advice?[/quote] I would, I certainly don't need advice on buying basses from shops because I know what I want and I do my research before I buy. Aside from finding me a cable and a chair, I can pretty much sort myself out at music shops. Which must be a refreshing change, as I wonder how irritated the salesperson is when someone walks in and says "I know I want something, but I don't know what" and proceeds to take the salesperson on a long and rambling journey before leaving with nothing.

Looks very cool indeed. It's like the colours of the 60's meeting the shapes of the 80's...and it works!

[quote name='Legion' post='1072127' date='Dec 29 2010, 08:37 PM']Sometime in the late 80's I bought one of these, when I returned to playing bass I found some more. Very thin, but for whatever reason they just work for me (even though I have some much thicker ones) Landstrom Sharkfin picks: [attachment=67397:CIMG6122.jpg][/quote] Just perfect for a Shadows cover band...they're colour co-ordinated!

For whatever reason, that video always reminds me of an awful band I had the misfortune to see live, called "Dexter and the revelations". It's probably the bad outfits and the dodgy musicianship that remind me of them.

Add to that the fact that playing a Jaydee gives you instant cool and you're onto a winner. When you see a guy playing a P bass, you never think "This bloke has the cool". When you see someone with a Jaydee, it doesn't matter what they're playing, they'll look cool and you'll probably be thinking "This guy has some serious Mark King style chops hidden away, what a player". Instant cool and respect.

I am still perplexed by the feeling that you need something that "looks the part" for an acoustic gig. How strange! I'm not typically a fan of acoustic basses because of the issues getting them amplified properly and still sounding good. A decent electric through a good combo at a reasonable volume is always a better idea IMO.

I still struggle to see what is so funny or interesting about this gig. A drummer overplaying and acting like he is in Motley Crue and an awful band chugging away on stage...?

[quote name='Blademan_98' post='1072026' date='Dec 29 2010, 07:20 PM']It was only £200 and its new! Seemed a good deal to me. The chap was very nice, threw in a gig bag. I'm happy [/quote] Not a bad price if you'll get some enjoyment out of it.

I am not against online shopping [i]per se[/i]. Most of my basses I've bought on Basschat without ever having played them. However, if possible I would rather go into a shop and deal with a friendly salesperson who knows what they're talking about. I appreciate I am at the stage now where I don't need advice on buying instruments from shop staff, but it's nice to be able to go into a shop and have them deal with the business side of things. With buying online, there is always that slight worry that shipping issues will arise or it'll be a dog etc etc. I don't know if it's because now I have money to spend on basses I'd be prepared to pay a little more for a good shop bought instrument. It's a shame I don't live nearer The Gallery as I'm quite sure I could empty my wallet there. I have to say though, that proper bass shops have really taken off in the UK in the past couple of years. The web presence of top bass shops like Bass Direct is much better now. I often look through the used items there for interesting instruments.

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' post='1072063' date='Dec 29 2010, 07:50 PM']I think the guitar guitar guys are pretty knowledgeable from what ive seen, although one guy swore against 5 strings saying they was useless [/quote] They haven't always been fantastic, and their pricing is sometimes a bit off (they've got a used 5 string Stingray in for £1199 or something outrageous atm). But they're a lot better now than they've ever been. Which is nice, as other guitar shops in Newcastle can be a bit naff. Sounds live are good but they usually have one great bass a few middle of the road choices. Windows are fairly naff but they're better now than they've ever been and I think Air Guitars may have shut down!

Thats usually the biggest problem in guitar shops - the majority of people shopping there are tossers! If they're not sneering at what you're doing or playing, bigging themselves up to their mates (best line I've heard recently: "He's playing Jaco? Someone needs to tell him he died in the 70's" - nice one, you biff) they're shuffling about, leaning over you and generally making a nuisance of themselves. If they're playing instruments themselves, it's usually self indulgent crap like Guns and Roses! It's because of this sort of thing that I'm glad Guitar Guitar have came about. They have "private rooms" with sliding glass doors where you can try out more expensive kit without having to hear emos thrashing cheapo guitars outside. In the acoustic section they have comfortable seats and forgiving, thick carpeting. It's an enviroment that really lets the guitar do it's work and sound excellent, as opposed to some echoey old music shops where a decent acoustic guitar would sound like a rattle! I was quite pleased when I went in there with my brother to try out the Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster he would later buy. They let us sit in the private room, with a selection of good amps and no irritating distractions. Everyone who looked in through the glass saw my brother shredding away on a beautiful guitar but they wern't disturbed by the selection of Shawn Lane hits he was belting out either!

Personally, I'd be looking at drum software. I use a ZOOM Rhythmtrak 234, which is a relatively "old skool" drum machine. It's easy to get to grips with, but programming long and complex pieces into it is a chore simply because I much prefer the fast, uder friendly "drop and drag" stylings of modern software. The ZOOM unit is great for messing about with in your bedroom or using as a studio tool but for a full live set I'd look at something more accessible.

[quote name='dood' post='1072023' date='Dec 29 2010, 07:17 PM']I've been using Dunlop Big Stubby 2mm picks for a while now - but the other day, the Dunlop / MXR rep for the area in which I live gave me a Dunlop Ultex 'sharp' 2mm pic. I'm really impressed with it for bass as well as shred guitar and acoustic. I think I'm going to order some through.[/quote] That looks quite good. Are they a new product? Available in the shops to buy now or coming soon?

[quote name='Soliloquy' post='1071176' date='Dec 28 2010, 07:01 PM']Got to disagree with this, though I can see possibly why you say that, especially with the Mark King thing.[/quote] I know that a Jaydee can be as versatile as any other bass when you start tweaking knobs and fiddling with your amp. But in essence, why should you? So a Jaydee sounds like a Jaydee? Why make it sound like a Jazz or P bass? You can still play all the same songs, just you'll get that lovely Jaydee tone coming through. Listen to how the Jaydee tone fits into this song perfectly and sounds incredible. I think there is too much focus on basses being versatile rather than just sounding excellent off the bat, which Jaydee basses certainly do. If you want something that sounds middle of the road, buy something middle of the road!

Thats a lot of money for what it is, when I get a sneaking suspicion that a Classic Vibe Precision would be a better buy.

Well, as long as it was cheap I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure everyone has made an impulse purchase at some point (mine was a Spector, probably considerable more expensive - I had to get rid of a Status Stealth bass to keep it! )

I used to be quite impressed with the Ibanez Steve Vai picks, they were a good design with the holes in the centre for grip. I don't play guitar though, so they're not much use to me!

[quote name='dood' post='1071812' date='Dec 29 2010, 03:04 PM']I started off subscribing to the Billy Sheehan method: As low as possible then bring the action up again to get rid of the rattles and problems - but it is important to have a really good fret job and set up if you are going to have a crazy low action, because it can lead to all sorts of fret buzzes if you have uneven fret heights. This could well be a reason why a good few basses you try out in shops are set up with such high actions - because the fret jobs are a bit poo![/quote] Yes, I would suspect this is the case. Many people will buy a bass with high action thinking they'll sort it out later, only to find that it buzzes and rattles due to a shoddy fretjob. I am a real stickler for good fretwork on basses; I spend as much time inspecting the instrument visually in a shop as I do playing it! I was just playing my ACG there for a bit and I played my Kubicki straight afterwards and I was really surprised at the difference in feel between the two. The ACG has an asymmetrical neck with a flat board whereas the Kubicki has a slight radius. Of the two, I prefer the feel of the Kubicki neck but I suppose that could be the years of ownership of Kubicki basses speaking. Both have quite low action and are easy on the left hand (especially the Kubicki, which is a dream for left hand "click clack" sounds when you're slapping). Both of the basses have a nice "stiff" feeling to the strings on the right hand though, which is important to me. I suppose this is caused by the position of the bridge being more centered than on a jazz bass, say.

Over the years I've come back to pick playing, when I started it was all I could do until I learned to play fingerstyle. Then I went off it for a good few years and came back to it after reading some Anthony Jackson interviews and listening to his playing. However, all the while I've been using the same type of plectrum. I bought a handful of Dunlop 500 2.0mm pickups from Sound Control years ago and I've still got one left that I use when I fancy pick playing. What type of plectrum do you use? Do you have any special picks? When I saw Joe Satriani a couple of years ago, Stuart Hamm was playing bass for him. Stu used a pick for a couple of tunes that night, and after "Flying in a Blue Dream" he passed me the pick he had been using. It is a white, triangle Fender Bx3 pick that has Stuart's name embossed on it, produced for the Fender sponsored Bx3 tour with Jeff Berlin and Billy Sheehan. It's fantastic for playing with and I always mean to buy something similar since I keep Stu's pick as a keepsake.

Musicman20, make sure you have a look in Sounds Live on Dean Street if you get a chance. They've got an amazing Stingray in the window. It's very pricey at £1499 (reduced from £1699!) but it is incredible. Cream body, tortoiseshell scratchplate, figured neck and a maple fretboard, it looks fantastic. I've not played it, but it definitely caught my eye when I was passing today.