Recent content by chipvibe

You cats talk gear til you're blue in the face. What kind(s) of music do you play? I do damn near everything, from Bill Haley to Dave Matthews, plus friend's original studio work. Versatile? How versatile are you at changing styles on the fly? A 6-string can do that. No, it's hard to slap on...

I have a poster. a Pedulla double neck, fretless on one, an 8-string the other. Mark Egan was holding it. From Bass Day 2000, which I attended, met Mark there. Bog knows how bloody expensive the thing would be.

My six has served me well for a longg time. They're simply "not cool". As far as trade-n, that's because music stores don't want to even see them.

i have long had issues switching basses. the reason I switch is they are very different, for different needs. One (the 6) is active, the other (Fenders, normally) have different signal strengths. I've tried a/b switches, tried the hi/low inputs on the amp. But it can drive the engineer nuts...

they are unique. Remember Sir Paul used one a lot in the later Beatles records. Not a huge sound by itself with a lot of bottom, (like the hollow-body Hofner). In some hands can get an upright thump (Chris Brubek, with his dad, Dave, always played one). Chris Squire was another story, where the...

I've formed the opinion that my sweat chemistry seems to have sometihng to do with my choice of strings. I've tried everything over the years, but I swear to bog, Rotos last longer and keep a "gronk" longer than anything I've ever tried. They are all I use. Nickels die on me in a week. Blue...

I think its a matter of what you can get used to. I worked with a blues guitar who tuned down a whole (!) step. the slack made it very hard to stay clean. I wound up much happier with my 6 transposing down a step (6's are great for that). But it's all up to your situation. You just have to...

My first thought. Chuck Rainey said he sort of hid it from Becker and Fagen when he did it. But you kinda have to be Chuck Rainey to get away with it. The sound is very subtle, not something I could do myself. I can emulate it a lot just with fingers, but you have to get the rhythmic feel, not...

I love EWF. That said, I've seen video enough of them over the years that made his playing somewhat suspect to me. Was some years ago a show on cable that featured them, Ralph Johnson did the monster slap solo, Verdine, not so much.

Ick. Toy. Get a real effects pedal.

Gotta disagree with that last comment. Technique means nothing if you don't have a feel for what you're playing. and that takes ears, and practice in using your brain to listen. For a young player, you may have to, for a period, work technique and ear training separately. But you need both to...

Welcome to the world of bass! Tone, strive to be clean. Groove, love your drummer and his kick. Soul, find your place in the heart of everything.

I play everything from Garth Brooks to Mettalica, in a single night. I sing backup all night long with a few leads. Hating to have to keep my eyes on the neck, I like not having to shift positions for a select few notes. For example, the two note chord lick on "Bad Case Of Lovin' You". With the...

This may be a deliberate secret I'm letting out that a few of us know. The first Squiers, circa '86, made in Japan, were consistently good. I had had this theory, at the time there were a number of MIJ produced Fender clones (Tokai, Fernandez), and the first Squiers were Fender's response to the...

Don't ignore the Malaysian Squiers. They're cheap, and well made. and if you can find an 80's japanese Squier Jazz, grab it. I regretted selling mine, but still get to use a friend's. Lots of balls for a cheapie. (I suspect, though they're getting harder to find. People who have them are hanging...