The guitar/bass thread

[chris661]

*by loud, I mean I had to stand <1m away from my 40w 10" combo amplifier, which was driven completely into clipping, to hear myself.

^^^ ...and that is exactly why I mentioned about playing 'clean' when you play the bass and not worrying about freq response. String Muting and good clean picking on the bass will give you a much clearer sound rather than trying battling with a drummer in a small room and worrying about a freq. resp down to DC Honest, trust me.

Groove is in the heart. (woooaaahhhhhhaaaahhhhooowoah!)

I bet the practise room is smaller than the gig room. Get in the gig and the sonic impact of the drummer is stripped away leaving you and the band on a more even sonic-keel to wow the audience. Thats why it's dangerous getting 'yer sound' in a bedroom using 2mW then when you do a gig realise that its totally different in live situation. Let the PA do the Lo Hz work, concentrate on playing well 1st then your 'tone' and sound will develop fast, really fast. Jaco sounded like Jaco on any bass.

If there's no PA don't worry about perfect bass sounds on stage. The punters come to hear the songs not the freq response of yer bass rig

Just trying to instil confidence in you, not the cab.

Go for it fella, Knock 'em dead Chris

DTB

Ah, but Mr Bass, this was a guitar amp used for guitaring that was being driven completely into clipping. Different kettle of fish. Point is that we were getting >110dB in that room. Silly loud.

Had some fun initially learning the songs the guys wanted to do - you see, they're in a B-TEC band and will be getting a qualification at the end of it, I just happen to know the guitarist and he asked me to be their bassist as they didn't have one.

So, we have Dani California (still need to work out what the bassist does during the solo), Exo Politics by Muse, and one other with a strange name that I can't remember.
Still looking for a fourth - I want to do By The Way because its fun for the bassist.

Onwards!

Chris

[chris661]

Wahey, we're doing By The Way




Rather liking walking bass lines - far more fun than just the chord base note.

See for an example - I've been driving people up the wall with that one.

Please, sir, may I have some more?

[Dave the bass]

Very well done Chris.

here's a great example of 'walking bass'. You might not like the music (personally I love it!) but listen to how the bass supports whats going on...



...and also...



Great 'under-pinning' of the song on both examples IMHO.

Go get em Chris!

DTB

[IslandPink]

Very fine, Dave.
Have you heard Mike Nesmith's cover of 'I Fall to Pieces ' - it's really very good !

[Dave the bass]

I have now!



DTB

[Dave the bass]

DIET.

Found the (sublime) studio version of it. That bass part is actually 2 basses. One is an 'upright' (Acoustic Bass) and the other is a new-fangled (don't forget when this was recorded) 'Fender bass' (a 4 string facsimile that'll never catch on....) playing in unison (same pitch, same notes, same time).

The production on this take (IMHO) is awethumne. The Fender bass provides a 'click' (cos its played with a plectrum like a guitar....) whilst the Acoustic Bass provides the 'meat' sound. Thats a skill in itself, getting 2 players to play the same with no over dubs in one take.



You can hear the bass part clearer on this take.

Don't get me started on the backing vox and phrasing.... awethumne.

Give it 30 yrs and you'll be into this stuff too Chris mark mi wurdz!

HTH,

DTB

[chris661]

Well, the gig seems to have been a success.

Turns out 50w per side and Dad's speakers are (just about) enough for a college auditorium at decent levels.

300w and 4x10" drivers (sealed!) was plenty enough for bass guitar - it was DI'd into the PA, but the level was always set right at the bottom. It was only turned up to 5 out of 10 (on the amp)! Methinks I have enough power there.

Still buzzing slightly.

Chris

[Dave the bass]

Still buzzing slightly.

Chris

Good feeling isn't it Chris. Nice one, well done.

Keep on keepin' on Bro <cyber knux>

DTB

[Paul Barker]

There is a small country pub with a blues open mike club. but you have to be from one of the villages. All the people you could picture them on a tractor next day.

Anyway the bass when I first walked in was a young stud using an electric upright. He was plucking it. sloppy and out of time and out of genre for what the other guys were doin. Grandad with a box full of every harmonica one for each key. another grandad with a lap Fender original 1956. the leader playing acoustic electric (he played with Bowie in the '80's) He held it all together.

But when up from the crowd another man took over the bass, he used a Fender bass, and this walking method.

WOW what an improvement. That young man had been in a world of his own, on another planet and in a different time zone. This Fender bass guy pumped out the timing to underpin all the other elements it was stunning.

they had no drummer, but my friend who was drummer for Cliff Richard picked up a pair of bongos cheap nasty plastic bongos and made them sing.

It was fun. But the underpinning and timing of the Fender Bass glued the conglomerate into a band!

[chris661]

Well today I got the chisel and soldering iron out.

No frets!

Pictures later.

[Dave the bass]

Jaco who?

I hope the finger board is rock hard otherwise you've just mullered a perfectly good bass 'cos most 'converted-fretless' basses I've tried are 'orrible sounding IME. Ebony = Awethumne. Maple sounded yucky... I learned from experience.

Our-Ed is the man here for fret-less bass instruments. I can't get a tune out any of 'em! "I need my speed bumps".... to miss-quote JP.

DTB

[chris661]

I think it sounds rather nice.

I followed the advice of a fretless bass book a relative bought me: heat the frets with a soldering iron to melt the glue, then pull them out. Did this at college, which got me some odd looks and a few people asking for a go when it was finished.

Rosewood neck, thinking of applying some sort of protective coat but seems okay for now. Different playing experience, but I'm a happy person at the moment.

I wanted to convert this bass so that

A - if I had knackered it, I could buy a proper Fender one.
B - if I had knackered it, not much lost: I've had more than my 50 quid's worth.

Going to go to the LMS over the weekend and get some flatwound strings to give the neck an easier time.

Pictures will happen tonight, but not yet as the neighbour is in need of a babysitter.

Chris

[chris661]

Still no pictures. I suppose you all can probably guess what it looks like. Cheap bass with no frets.

Sanded the neck down a little so it's nice and smooth, and got some flatwound strings. Read up on them before I handed over the not-inconsiderable £18 for a set. They ought to sound a lot duller than the previous strings. Then again, the old strings had been on for years. So I've a brighter sound, but its oh so smooth to play - I rather like this.

One of the old strings snapped off at the tuning head when I started to loosen the string. A few days ago I gigged said string

Suspect I might bring this to Owston, see if any of the masters are free to give hints/tips/display general awethumness.

Chris

[Dave the bass]

Suspect I might bring this to Owston, see if any of the masters are free to give hints/tips/display general awethumness.

Chris

Fretless.

I'm out.

See our-Ed!

DTB

[chris661]

Its still got the lines on the neck from where the frets were, so its (I expect) a little easier to play than a bass that's never had frets.

Been playing this...



as it's made up of fairly simple riffs (only 5 notes used in the verse) but still sounds good.

Now the important stuff's out the way for a while, I'll see if I can get the songs further up learnt

Chris

PS - finally worked out how to get the youTube embedder to work - you only put the bit of the link after the ?v=