Chris2112

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1333906798' post='1608071'] Was watching some videos this afternoon and something struck me... skinny young lad, precision bass, pick, huge 90 degree plus arm swing action on the plucking hand. Does anybody *really* play like this (I don't even see how you can) or is it purely for effect? [/quote] Sounds like some talentless hack trying to look like a rock star!

[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1333971918' post='1608861'] All the ones I have use the filter circuits and really do take time to understand how they work as on the signature and series basses they operate individually on each pickup so the scope for sound sculpturing is massive and it takes a while to get confident enough to dial in tonal changes mid song quickly. But it is really worth the effort. [/quote] FWIW, I love filter circuits too. My ACG is a real joy to play around with. Everyone should at least have a go of a filter circuit to see if they like them.

I used to have an Alembic Epic fretless. Absolutely fantastic deal I got on it too, picked it up off these boards for £600. Despite being a 'low end' Alembic with a simple boost/cut preamp in it, it was still a fantastic bass. Beautifully made piece of kit, lovely tone and a fantastic player too. Sold because I never really use my fretless basses as much as my fretted ones! As for the option of dropping some big cash on an Alembic, I would advise you to think long and hard about that. I've been there before, with Alembics and other basses in the past (notably Wals). Yes, they are stunning instruments, but it is very easy to get caught up in 'bass pricing'. I sometimes take a step back frm looking at bass guitars to get a real feel for their prices. £1000 will buy you a cracking handmade bass secondhand. Consider what else you can get with £1000 though. Then think of a used Alembic, selling for say, £4000 used. It might sound like a cracking deal for a used Alembic, but when you take a step back and consider what £4000 might buy in the real world, you are given a new perspective on the matter!

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1333936085' post='1608533'] The house will be treated as a potential crime scene until the postmortem is completed if the cause of death was sudden and unexpected. How long it's going to take really depends on what the pathologist finds. [/quote] In all likelihood I would expect the crime scene to be stood down before then. Once all potential evidence has been collected it will probably be stood down, as long as there is nothing outwardly suspicious about the state of the deceased or evidence of third party involvement. An HO Post Mortem can't always be conducted on the same day the deceased is recovered. I guess it mostly depends on circumstances we (and the OP) are not privvy to. In any event, you won't be going near that gear until the scene is stood down, so you might as well not get too hung up on it.

They were never a huge seller, but they shifted more than you might think. They come up fairly regularly for sale on Talkbass and a couple a year pop up on these boards too.

I do like new gear, but mainly new basses. I very, very rarely use effects. Maybe a touch of chorus in the studio, but I don't use any when I am just playing at home. However, when I get a new bass I do feel inspired to play it, certainly.

Anyone who refers to another musician as a 'cat'. Makes you look like a total bellend. Mind you, it was more popular with try hard, jazz fusion wannabes on Talkbass than here.

[quote name='Nibody' timestamp='1333782230' post='1606307'] Easy, line them up, shoot from close range. Bullet should get all three.... [/quote] Either that, or the bullet will do at least two, depending on the calibre. The third man can be beaten to death with the weapon.

[quote name='kjb' timestamp='1333832689' post='1607245'] Question, how does a player get to the position to be playing with well respected band leaders like Mike Stern, other than on the merit of their playing ? Also what do you think Mike Stern's reason was for hiring Janek ? I always associate 'chops' to mean Speed and technique. I'm pretty certain that it takes more than chops to land a gig with Mike Stern. By the way, I'm the same age as Janek, so I certainly don't have a schoolboy crush on him, anymore than you do on the much younger and far better looking Hadrien Feraud. [/quote] I'm not particularly interested in giving life to this aspect of the debate, so I will paraphrase the thoughts I have already listed on here:[list] [*]Getting top end gigs does not automatically impress me [*]Therefore, I suspect Mike Stern probably hears something in Janek I do not [*]That said, I do not hugely rate Mike Stern in the jazz fusion world either [*]For me, Janek does a good impression of a top class bass player. Makes all the right moves, pulls all the right faces but ultimately I find his playing very dull, I find his music dull and possibly the ultimate expression of modern bass 'fuzak', to borrow a phrase from a certain someone. Souless, devoid of merit, quality, passion, fire...etc etc. [/list] You ought to have more faith in your own views rather than getting so offended by mine that you come here to crusade on Janek's behalf. Maybe next time you see him though you can tell him you stuck up for him on the internet, I'm sure he'll be very appreciative!

Good grief, this takes me back. I had no idea these guys were still going.

[quote name='JakeBrownBass' timestamp='1333757745' post='1606251'] They're girls hands.....? [/quote] I thought they looked like man hands. Obviously hewn from hours of practice.

I tend to use four fingers for this technique, though I will rarely revert to starting a line with a thumb unless there is a distinct rest or a break. In quicker, flowing lines I tend to just roll on the plucking order of my fingers and thumbs and take the first note with whatever is available. But in terms of becoming comfortable with this technique, I think slow speed practice is the way to nail it. That said, a lot of the 'feel' in this kind of playing only really becomes apparent at higher bpm's where the fluidity afforded by the plucking motion really comes into play.

Great basses. Probably worth about £800-£900 now, there have been a few that have hung around at those sorts of prices for a while. They generally don't seem to be as sought after used as the first generation Urge bass, which was a bit more 'special' in my eyes. Are they any good? No doubt, they are a great basses. They don't sound like a normal jazz bass or Precision bass though, even though they have the pickups, as the active preamp adds a bit of colour to the sound. IIRC, the pickups are slightly displaced from their normal positions, IE: everything is a little closer to the bridge than on the normal J and P basses. The sound is typically bright and modern and they are nice to play. A few Urge II's were handmade by Todd Krause at the Fender customshop. Most went to Stuart Hamm, though I believe a few made their way into general circulation. These are one off items, and are supposedly frighteningly good. They also did an Anniversary Edition that was pretty cool. Stuart played his main Urge II (Mel) for over a decade and only retired it when the neck started to wear out after many trips round the globe!

[quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1333805591' post='1606752'] Some of those are very tasty. I wonder if it's the same builder [/quote] They're off the same website!

I think a lot of the perceived rudeness with bands/auditions tends to stem from the gulfs that exist in the way we approach bands. Some bands think they are the tits, when really they're the pits. Ergo, their members act like preening rock stars. Often, it's just one person who has this God complex, he will be the one who takes it all too seriously or never calls. On the other hand, a lot of bands are pretty lax affairs, which is communicated in the way they conduct their business. Again, these sorts might not be so inclined to keep in touch with you, simply because 'the band' is fairly low down on their list of priorities. That said, I always try to be polite and friendly and maintain communications in band situations. At least everyone then knows what you're about, and that you can be relied upon.

[quote name='kjb' timestamp='1333733280' post='1605907'] What I mean by saying you don't know what you're talking about is this. You state that janek is a 'pretender'. Which is a bit of an odd thing to say considering his position in the New York jazz scene. He regularly plays with Mike Stern for example, a gig he shares with Anthony Jackson, Chris Minh Doky anfRichard Bona. Now that's not a gig that gets offered to just anyone. [/quote] I am inclined to rate musicians on their merit, rather than their 'position' in any music scene. A fairly sensible way of doing things, I don't consider U2 to be a great rock band just because they have sold a few copies. By that logic, I can think of a few players (irrelevant to this discussion) who are big names but I wouldn't rate. Janek is just one of them. He has the chops to play a Stern gig, but I don't feel any soul in his music and he always sounds lifeless and lacklustre to me. That lack of passion is the killer, as other players have shown that high-stakes jazz fusion can be rich with energy and passion. Dominic Di Piazza...Jonas Hellborg...Stuart Hamm...VIctor Wooten...Michael Manring...etc etc; these are top flight bassists who can make fusion as emotive as a classical aria. I just don't hear it with Janek, and to that end I don't rate him. You may have some schoolboy crush on him because he's taught a few classes at your college. Thats great, go and buy his records and get a poster of him for your bedroom wall. I won't be joining in the love fest though.

This guy has been making basses for ages, but his site still looks like it did about 7 years ago! Some of his more conventional designs are really cool:

Sounds like a great event, hope you guys have fun!

[quote name='stonecoldbass' timestamp='1333676203' post='1605262'] This is Hadrian playing with fire... [media]http://youtu.be/-6qT2jEwPBw[/media] [/quote] He is truely stunning. I didn't massively dig his solo album but as a sideman he is incredible. He has come on leaps and bounds from when he was playing with John McLaughlin (and pissing off Gary Husband IIRC), and he was no slouch then. But every time he plays he seems to be a bit more 'on the button', which is fine form considering he was on fire when he played on [i]Industrial Zen[/i]. I think the praise Hadrien deserves goes far beyond his technique. To whoever it was above who tried to say I 'don't know what I'm talking about', please try to be more constructive than that. You cheapen the discussion with lazy quips like that, it may be that you're a Janek fanboi who doesn't like the tone of the debate here but you could do more good by explaining your thoughts and feelings in depth.

Yes, it's something I've used before though never really for any length of time. I tend to prefer/find more use for B-G. I suppose the main issue that some basses might have is that they just might not sound 'sweet' producing higher notes and frequencies. Think of Carl Thompson, who doesn't like C strings on basses less than 36" scale because he thinks the thin C string sounds rubbish! Whilst I don't agree, every bass will sound different and some may not project that high C in such a nice fashion. String gauge doesn't come into it for me.