Chris2112

I've not played one of those stale, smoke smelling basses in years now. Thank God. But I do recall when 'for sale' adverts made a point of noting that a bass hadn't been played in a smoky environment. It may be harder to get a gig these days, but it's far more pleasant doing do because you're not having to smell that muck when you're playing.

One benefit of the smoking ban now has been that when you buy a used bass, it probably won't stink of smoke. I've had one or two second hand basses in the past that reeked of Febreeze and stale smoke. Not pleasant!

I don't think 24hr drinking has really had an impact on live music. True 24hr establishments are rare and don't cater for the sorts who would go to see a live band at 20:00hrs. Late licencing has had an effect, mainly because as you say, people are now heading out for a drink at 22:00hrs or later. But I don't think these sorts of drinkers are the ones who would go to live music pubs anyway. Live music has definitely taken a hit in recent years, but licencing hours aren't solely to blame and 24hr drinking definitely isn't.

Hardly hanging off his arse though, is it? Still above the belt line (and remembering that Thumbs were smaller and lighter in those days too, thus easier to manage without neck dive). If you've ever seen a JD Thumb in the flesh, they are pretty petite compared to say, a modern NT 6!

Not a big deal, to be honest. I went to a 5 string fairly early on. My first decent bass was an Ibanez BTB405QM. 35" scale, a wide, flat neck and stiff strings were all new to me. After a couple of days of hitting the B when I was looking for the E string when I was slapping, I had eased right into it. I went off 5 strings for years, preferring 4 and 6 strings. That was silly, I'm quite happy playing 4, 5 or 6 string basses these days.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1360859159' post='1977554'] An observation on my new (used) thumb BO4. I have read so much about the odd ergonomics and poor balance of thumbs that I was not expecting too much of it. However, this thing doesn't weigh a ton, balances just fine on a thin strap and the reach to the 1st fret feels much the same as a J or P bass. The neck is also narrow and playable. [/quote] I've owned two Thumbs, a 4 string BO and my current Broadneck 5 string. Neither have had neck dive issues, mainly because I play them high-ish on the chest, like they were supposed to be played. Hence why they have that 'bowl back' cut on them. Also, I've never had a problem with the necks on them. Even my broadneck is very manageable, because it's relatively thin front to back, but with some width to let you right dig in and work your left hand. They suit some players, some players never get on with them. If you're one of those players who likes to wear his bass round his ankles, forget the Thumb. For everyone else, just play and enjoy. Nothing else sounds like a Thumb. It is one of [i]the [/i]bass sounds.

Saw that video a few years back, when it was new, I suppose. The kid plays like a badass and has a great sound. Strange we never seemed to hear anything more of him, though I suppose like a few child prodigies he may have just gotten bored with his talent! Either that, or he is at school doing his exams!

For sheer wow factor, [i]Classical Thump[/i] is hard to beat. Because it looks fantastic and sounds amazing. I tend to find that even in the opening few bars, when you are hitting the open strings and hammering on the melody notes, even without double thumbing, makes most people get up and look. It has so much class, mainly because it's not just 'look at me' stuff, it's a beautiful tune.

[quote name='GuyR' timestamp='1361051225' post='1980520'] "If this bass could only talk" has spellbinding playing throughout, particularly on " working man" and "Tradition", along with cameos from Allan Holdsworth and Stewart Copeland. [/quote] Superb record, easily one of his best. It was pretty well received at the time, IIRC, and then it seemed to fade into obscurity for a bit behind some of his 70's stuff. But in terms of quality and consistency, it's right up there. Consistency is a big issue when you're listening to Stanley, he admits himself he often goes a while without producing a great record and he is man enough to look back and admit not everything he has done is stellar. Like the Clarke/Duke Project records. Instantly switch-offable fuzak, and Stan is one of my all time favourites! His best record, I reckon, and the best place to start with Stan, is [i]The Toys Of Men. [/i]It is absolutely superb stuff, top drawer music. It shows everything that Stan does, from bombastic fusion epics, to cool mood pieces on upright and acoustic basses, to funky, driving slap tunes. The production is top class and the cast list is as good as it gets. Truly, the stars had aligned for Stanley there! It still blows me away to listen to now. Often overlooked, but also quite amazing, the Animal Logic records. It's not typical Stan stuff, and he was slated for making those records, unfairly so I think. Some of the lyrics are a little cheesy, but as far as great songs and musicianship goes, they are great albums. Intelligent pop music made by musicians for musicians. They were moderately popular in the states at the time too because Stewart Copeland was playing the drums. Sadly they only made two albums, but they are great. Stanley wasn't giving it his lightning fast Return To Forever tricks, but he was playing in the pocket with some amazing lines.

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1360850358' post='1977346'] Id rather thave one good instrument than a couple of "OK" ones from the main big brands. [/quote] Of course, it's just that most 'OK' brand guitars will make a PRS sound positively lacklustre (as would an objective listener, I suspect). Take something from the top end of a brand like Ibanez, Charvel, Vigier etc etc and that will show you what a good guitar sounds like!

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1360761659' post='1975969'] If I see a guitarist with a PRS and MesaBoogie, I tend to roll my eyes in disgust. There goes somebody who has gone into their average high street music shop and bought the most expensive stuff they had... and convinced themselves it sounded good. [/quote] Yes, I have never been that impressed with PRS guitars, tonally. But the top end ones are one of the ultimate 'flash your cash' guitars, so if you're the kind of person who solves most dilemmas by throwing money at the most expensive option they will appeal. Despite sounding pretty run-of-the-mill.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1360773693' post='1976273'] He is what I would describe as " a mugs eyeful " of a bass player - once you strip away the flash and all the histrionics there isn't that much substance there compared to a lot of other less celebrated players [/quote] What a joke. I always think it's funny though, how some uneducated folk would write Mark King off as 'flash and histrionics'. Still, I suppose to the untrained ear and mind, his technique and style may sound confusing.

[quote name='Spoombung' timestamp='1326917963' post='1503828'] Oh God, he's one of those people who [i]chews[/i] his own notes. Yuk. [/quote] He is supremely talented though.

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1359919516' post='1962073'] But..... You don't need to wax the stained (Maple-bodied) ones, because the coloured finish "seals" the body. [/quote] Well yes, the coloured finished Warwick basses I would treat like any other. No open grain to worry about there.

Warwick's guidance on their open grained necks was that they don't need to be waxed. The rest of the bass does. The neck will be naturally treated with oils from your hand whilst you play; those oils won't end up on parts of the bass you never touch, hence the need to wax. If you start waxing the neck, you'll quickly build up a layer of wax that will probably feel even worse to the hand. I'm not exactly sure what to do about your neck feeling 'bobbly' and sticky at the moment though. Some lemon oil may help, but I can't see how that will cut through the grime or whatever it is that's spoiling it for you at the moment?

That is the problem with auditioning singers. You are more likely to get an utterly talentless idiot turn up than for any other band role. Most people who think they can sing can't. They've had a go in the bathroom and they think they're pretty good, but when you put them against a musical backdrop they tend to sound dreadful and realise that they're not very good at all. At the other end of the spectrum, you can get decent singers who have spent enough time gigging to form a whopping ego, who seek to see every musical project focus on them because they're the singer. It's a chore, unlike finding a good guitarist!

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1359827010' post='1960888'] seriously? I am, like many others here, in both Talkbass and Basschat. In Basschat since 2010 and in Talkbass since 2007. By far this is the friendliest of the two. There are great people over at TB, but there is more of a sycophantic attitude when it comes to "respected long standing members", and a more aggressive discussion where opinion and fact are often treated as one and the same. [/quote] Basschat is far superior for discussion. Not that I didn't see the best and worst of Talkbass over several years using the site, and 17,000 posts there. Ultimately, I got into dispute with the mods there, ostensibly because I had criticised a player. That player was also a member on the site and I was pulled for some arbitrary rule violation, purporting that my posts were offensive to that member and hence I was in breach of a rule. The dispute rumbled on for a while, and I locked horns with a well known moderator on the site. I knew then that I was never going to win, this was a moderator famed for his 'way of thinking' and dishing out punishments to those who didn't agree with his view of the bass world. It seemed as though TB was being run by a small clique of moderators in lieu of the actual owners. I told the moderator what I thought of his trumped up position and subsequently saw my account deleted. Ultimately, it was a fight I was never going to win. I wanted freedom of expression and the right to say I didn't like a particular player, or that I thought such and such a record was lacklustre. Unfortunately, that player was probably more likely to generate Talkbass revenue, so I was canned. I can't say I miss it. I created a new account so I could use the site for references, but I've only made a handful of posts. And whilst I post far less here on Basschat, I do feel the individual discussions are of far more interest and value. I must have had the 'best bass for metal' discussion on TB a million times.

I've never had it happen to me personally but I did see plenty of this sort of stupidity when I worked at a hotel. I think the key thing there was that the bands were hired for the function (I was in conference and banqueting), the punters weren't there specifically to see the band. And whilst most could enjoy the band for the entertainment they provided, there would always be one or two idiots who would: * shout and heckle the band * ask for stupid cover songs * climb on stage * pour a drink into a brass instrument * ask to play an instrument for a song