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Text File | 1993-03-10 | 34KB | 785 lines

/ \ / / - _--__| / | | / \ ________--__- O --- ____ | | \ \ / \ =======/-/=======| |) O --- ___ \ | / / ======/-/=====================| |) O--- ___ | / =====/-/===================================| |) O--- ___ ====/-/================================================| |) -__ ___/_/ _|_ | _ ___ ___ __|__ _ \__ __ \ ___\_\\-_ | |_ / \ | ) __ | | | | / \ | | \ \\ \\\\\\\\\-_ \_/ | \ |-- |--< / \ | \_/ \_/ _ |\ \ | | \__ | \ \__/ | ____ \ o \/\ |_\ /\| \_ |___/ ____---\\\\\\| \ \ \ \ \_ /\| \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\--- \_ \ \ \ _/\/ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\------ \_ \ __-\\\/ ---\\\\\\\- Issue #281 January 21, 1993 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To post: Subscriptions, deletions, requests: bass@uwplatt.edu bass-request@uwplatt.edu (Bitnet: bass@uwplatt.bitnet) (Bitnet: bass-request@uwplatt.bitnet) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today's topics: Warmoth necks fretless necks... Pickup Modes Warmouth and Hipshot's RE: Hipshots NAMM Addendum Info Request: small combo amp Underrated Bassists and Other Topics RE: Nerves, Reading music RE: "Corrupt" T-shirt graphic SWR vs PV 2x10 Miami Sound Waitresses another underrated player IRC anyone?? Intro and Questions on Fretless Intonation Hey folks... The TBL Shirt Bass feature on radio show ---------------------------------------------------------- Administrative notes: There will be another Bottom Line index coming out soon, courtesy once again of Randy Dees. Thanks for your valuable work, Randy! Sure enough, I ignored the fact that we turned another year, until Paul Desjarlais and Erik (the wild) Habbinga pointed out the erroneous and generally troublesome copyright notice. Thanks, guys. Kevin ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 08:17:30 EST From: andrejkow@tbosch.dnet.ge.com Subject: Warmoth necks I've got a lined fretless ebony / maple jazz neck from Warmoth. A few humble opinions: Plusses: LOTS of sustain, very stable. This neck will stay true with the truss rod completely loosened for months! Minuses: This neck is too heavy. Way too heavy. It totaly messes up th balance on my P-bass body making it way too neck heavy. Sad to say its such an annoyance that this otherwise wonderful instrument spends the majority of its life in the case. As far as I know, Warmoth is the only company using bar stock steel reinforcements in their necks under the fingerboard. While this makes the neck impervious to warps, i feel it burdens the neck with too much weight. I don't know for sure wether or not they're still using this technique to strengthen their necks or not, but if they are, i'd check around. [ Yeah, I think they're still using those rods for support, but I didn't have nearly the weight problem you're describing, so maybe they've changed the composition since you got yours. Bass Mgr. ] ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: 21 Jan 93 08:43:22 EST From: Larry Stephens <LVS@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu> Subject: fretless necks... In Alan Henley's post, Bass Mgr commented about Fender and unavailable fretless necks. Do you have any idea what _is_ available? I have a Squier Precision that gets 0 playing time that I'm considering defretting. Swapping necks might be simpler. I do want fret lines. Do you know if Fender has a neck like this? [ Not positive, personally, but I know they didn't carry the unlined fretlesses. I kinda doubt they would have the lined version, but don't hold me to it. Bass Mgr. ] ?? Wooten (forgot to note the first name, sorry) asked about the Peavey combo and Ibanez basses. I used a TNT130 for years and it wasn't a terrible amp; especially for what you'll be using it for the combo sounds like a decent choice. As far as Ibanez, I just got a SoundGear 866 (I think - the 6 string) and I love it. I'm no Wooten (as in Victor) or Sklar (and not even close), so maybe I missed something, but I fooled around with a Steinberger, a Thumb, a Dolphin, and some other high end basses and, to my ears, the _sound_ difference between them and the Ibanez was marginal at most (certainly not $2,000 worth!). I'm sure there are lots of good reasons to want one of these very expensive basses, but I'm a poor boy and I consider the Ibanez excellent value for my money. Larry Stephens 812-855-9758 Poplars 705, Bloomington, IN 47405 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IU NETWORK: STEPHENL @IUIS @PRISM INTERNET: STEPHENL@ucs.indiana.edu ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 10:06:54 EST From: galiani@med.unc.edu Subject: Pickup Modes I recently purchased a Music Man StingRay 5 which has a three-way switch for the single humbucking pickup. The catalog describes the operation this way: 1 - both coils - series mode 2 - single coil 3 - both coils - parallel mode. I don't have a complete idea of the difference between series and parallel. I can hear the difference but would like to know the concept behind it. Can anyone explain this? (It gets noisier as I go from position 1 through to 3 and I curious as to why, though I know that single coil pickups are generally noisier.) BTW, this is a great sounding bass - I haven't had time to really check it out yet but I haven't gotten a bad sound out of it. I bought it through Sam Ash in Paramus with the help of Len's friend, Bill Karcher. He was helpful and low key and gave me a very good price. Tony ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 10:16:27 EST From: rrathgeb@ultrix.ramapo.edu Subject: Warmouth and Hipshot's Hello, Just thought I'd add a little(?!) to the Bass Mngr's Warmoth input. I bought an unlined (mistake) fretless birdseye maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard for $220, direct. I believe all the necks come with a satin finish unless you specify otherwise. I can say that it looks fantastic and feels extremely comfortable. If your new to fretless playing, take my advice, get lines. It took me triple the time to get the hang of it. I'm even considering sending it back to Warmoth and having lines put on. The neck is of top quality construction and has a truss rod plus two other stiffening rods for added stability. It's rock solid. Period. I found a nut that works well quite easily, I just ordered it from Warmoth with the neck. I however, was not adding the neck to an existing guitar, I "built" the fretless completely with Warmoth parts- meaning I also bought a body from them too. Even that came at a reasonable price. See if you can find a 1 peice Koa jazz bass body, rear access, for $395. Not happening.(As far as I can tell) The best thing of all was that I was almost guaranteed that all parts would match without any trouble. Keep in mind that Warmoth is strictly Fender and Gibson compatible. Hopefully this will help. I don't know much about Chandler at all and basically went with a company with a great rep and with very few blemishes. The service reps were also very informing and quite pleasant. [ About the finish-- mine arrived without any, and the guitar tech claimed that the ones he's seen have always come with bare wood. I'm tempted to believe this, because burned in to the heel of my neck was the phrase "Warranty void if neck not sealed with hard finish." Apparently oils aren't good enough for Warmouth, because of the high amount of user dependence. Bass Mgr. ] As far as Hipshot's are concerned, I was going to add one to my NS-2c but humbly declined when I learned that they can be quite difficult to install and often require routine maintance. However this was just hearsay. I would suggest that a tech install it if you decide to add one to your axe. I also heard that they work well when they work well. Oh well, I'll let you figure it out. On another note, I will be completing a product review soon and will try to shed some more light on the Alesis Quadraverb Plus combined with a Hartke 3500 head. I'll just say now that I am very pleased. I have tweaked and turned knobs over Holiday break and should be able to provide some info many reader's have inquired about. Naturally, a whole issue could be devoted to such a review when covering all ins and outs, but I will attempt to keep it concise and brief and any other questions are welcomed by personal mail or to TBL if you can't reach me. Keep your eyes peeled!....... Seems like I always add 25 cents instead of two.....I'll just shut up now..........heh, heh, heh Latr, --ROB ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 10:23:25 -0500 From: mjkobb@media.mit.edu Subject: RE: Hipshots Greetings! affouj@rpi.edu asks about Hipshots, specifically on a Fender P. Well, I can't comment on the P, but I've got one on the Zon, and one on order for the Spector. Overall, I like 'em a lot. I've found that once the Zon's Hipshot is set up properly, it works very well. Installation, I'm told, is very easy, involving only a screwdriver. This is a good thing, since I'm doing the Spector installation myself. There's only one drawback I can see with the Hipshot, at least on my bass. If you're tuning the bass, the other three tuning keys are tuned normally. BUT, you must "exercise" the Hipshot while tuning the E. Example: Tune the string to E. Flip the Hipshot to D, and back. The note is no longer an E. Adjust. Repeat 'til done. The good news is that once the little screw in the back is set to the detuned pitch, it doesn't seem to need adjusting. And, once you've got the E set up, it tends to stay put. It's just a question of getting the tuner itself set at the right spot in the first place. Otherwise, a joy to use. Of course, if you don't intend to USE the detuner during a session, you can just tune normally. It's only the question of getting the correct pitch when you flip the lever. Same thing holds true, but to a lesser extent, on the Steinberger DB, btw. Oh, one other comment that probably doesn't apply to the Fender. The Zon (and the Spector) has gold Schaller tuners. I'm pretty careful to always clean the tuners after I play, so that the plating won't corrode. I even try to use my polishing cloth when I'm making tuning adjustments in the first place (this is why I got the Hipshot, btw: avoid fiddling with the E tuner so much). The plating on the Zon is still new, of coure, but the Spector was used. Nonetheless, the Schallers' plating is holding up great. However, the gold plating on the Zon's Hipshot lever is already wearing out. Mind you, this bass is <6mo old. As far as I'm concerned, this is shoddy. The guy who's getting the tuner for the Spector went to NAMM, and I asked him to berate the Hipshot folks for me on this subject... Good luck! --Mike ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 10:46 EDT From: RWILLIAMS@rabbit.ess.harris.com Subject: NAMM Addendum Dear TBLers, Concerning the NAMM show I have a few more words. If anyone is interested in obtaining some video of the demo performances (Manring,Brunell,Hamilton,Bromberg,Rainey) I will compile a master tape and make copies for the price of the tape and the shipping. I've gotten some offers already concerning a trade for other videos which I'll certainly concider. The audio is not great on the louder demos due to the AGC circuit in the camera, however, the notible demos were pretty low volume so they came out pretty clean. Let me know so I can plan my distribution strategy. Disclaimer: I shall not make any profit from the distribution of these tapes. The videos are for the private viewing of members of The Bottom Line and are not to be reproduced and/or sold or shown for profit. With that out of the way, I have a story to relate after talking to Lee Sklar. I asked Lee if the dog on the Phil Collins video actually pee'd on his boot. He said that that was the most difficult part of the video to shoot. For one thing, the dog was a female, so they had to pull the dog's leg up with a wire. The liquid (piss) was provided by a garden sprayer that had been covered in fur for camoflage. He found it ironic that people remember him from that scene. That all folks! Ritchie Williams ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 11:17:13 EST From: djudy@djudy.East.Sun.COM Subject: Info Request: small combo amp I have an Ampeg SVT-III 100. This is a 2x8, a horn and 100 watts. This thing makes a lot of sound and almost fits into your pocket list price ~$400. I play r&r and I need something bigger for larger rooms, I have used the Peavy 300 Combo 1x15 and it is ok but I want to keep it as portable as possible. Any more ideas? Dennis ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 11:32:24 EST From: Allan Hirt <styx@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu> Subject: Underrated Bassists and Other Topics While we're on the subject of underrated bassists, here is a list of a few: 1. Ross Valory (Journey, the Storm) - This guy is really good. Check out songs like "Keep on Running", "Natural Thing", et al. Very solid, and not flashy. 2. Milt "The Judge" Hinton - Undoubtedly one of the greatest bassists to ever live. Period. 3. Jeff Berlin - We hear about Sheehan (zzzz - I personally find him to be a bore, but that is my own opinion, so no flames, please), Squire, Hamm, Lee, et al., but never about this guy. Just listen to his 2 solo LPs, the Players album, and his stuff with Bill Bruford. INcredible! (BTW, he is Geddy's favorite bass player) Just my $0.02 ------------------------------------ Now for something completely different, someone in the last issue was asking what they were missing by reading music, and not just chord sheets and fake books. Well, to be honest, a lot. I am a big non-proponent of tab. Since I started playing 12 years ago, I have always read music. In fact, it is one of my strong points. I can sight read almost anything, whether it's show music, a rock chart, etc. Tab is just BS(again my opinion). I think it takes the learning aspect out of the playing, and personally, I don't like to be told where to put my fingers. I might play the same part elsewhere on the neck, and it will sound the same, but be more comfortable for me. I think there is too much emphasis on 'Do this' and 'Do that'. The real measure of one's playing the ability to interact and fit in in whatever type of music you choose to play, and knowing music and chords, and being able to interpret and to transcribe a part if necessary should be a requirement, and not an option. The best compliment I get is when I get none - that means that I am not sticking out, or too loud, et al. - I am just another cog in the works. [ Just a quick tab defense: for pieces with large amounts of harmonics, like Jaco's "Portrait of Tracy," tab is almost necessary. The double- staff notation was also provided, and I can't imagine trying to read some of the lesser-known harmonics without tab indicating where they're located on the neck. The other problem deals with translating over computer systems. I have yet to see a nice, compact way of setting standard notation to ASCII for network transmission. Bass Mgr. ] Allan -- ******************************************************************************* * Allan Hirt styx@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu * * hirt@binah.cc.brandeis.edu * ******************************************************************************* * "On board I'm the captain, so climb aboard" * * - Dennis DeYoung * ******************************************************************************* ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 12:31:45 EST From: rm@centerline.com Subject: RE: Nerves, Reading music Patrick, the nerves thing must really be a drag. I don't seem to get it when I'm playing bass, but always did as a singer. About the only difference I can think of is that, as a singer, I was almost always performing right at the edge of my ability, while as a bass player, I generally play well within my ability. I don't know if this is a matter of the kind of work I do (I'm not in a band, but do lots of pickup work. When you show up at a gig and meet the other players and see your material for the first time, it kind of restrains what you are willing to try) or what. Another thing which may have had an effect is taking a jazz ensemble. The general jazz ensemble philosophy allows anyone to call a tune, and everyone is expected to "just do it." Among other things, operating in this mode for a while gives you a lot of confidence that you can get through just about anything (I do believe I can I-V just about any tune to death 8-)) and it also helps you to learn how to (hopefully, gracefully) recover from screw ups. This is also a confidence builder. Sorry, if this is so vague, but I hope it makes some kind of sense. Chis Hardin asks about the value of reading in #280. I think you'll find Chris that the two basic philosophies on reading for pop musicians go something like: 1. I can't read and I'm proud of it. I play with feeling ... blah, blah 2. Written music is the language of musicians. If you can't read, you're not a musician ...blah, blah Personally, my reading is pretty bad but getting better, so I'm kind of heading toward position #2. Some reasons reading is useful: 1. You can study from the wealth of books out there, many of which do not contain tab. 2. You can play in styles of music that traditionally are written down- classical, theatre, lots of jazz, etc. 3. You can write down your own lines, so you'll rememeber them. 4. You don't have to sheepishly slink into the corner when they tell the classic musician joke: Q: How do you get a rock guitarist to turn down? A: Put a chart in front of him. 5. The bass line to "So What?" is written out in the Real Book. 6. You get to have an "I know how to read" attitude, which pisses off guitarists. ( Lots of smiley faces for most of the above items) And I'm sure there are many more good reasons, too. Generally the arguments for position #1 confuse the ability to impovise with the ability to read music, IMHO. I think I told of a friend of mine who does theatre work and tells of guys coming in every night and reading the score, even after they've played it dozens of times. It would be nice to be able to read that well, but it would be a shame to be that dependent on the written music too. But it sounds like you've already approached music from an improvisational perspective, so there is probably little danger of loosing those chops just by learning how to read. rm ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 10:57:44 -0800 From: Chip Chapin <chip@hpclbis.cup.hp.com> Subject: RE: "Corrupt" T-shirt graphic >I've gotten a couple of messages asking about the t-shirt graphic >located at the ftp site. The file appears to be corrupt (at least >as a .gif graphic). Stay tuned for updates. The T-shirt GIF file had some extra bytes at the beginning. I removed all the bytes that preceded the string "GIF87a" (or something like that) and was then able to display the image just fine. Maybe the extra bytes are used by a newer GIF version?? There seemed to be 40-60 bytes or so that had to be removed. Chip [ I tried your solution a few minutes ago to no avail. Perhaps I was doing something else wrong. I'd like to know if any others have succeeded-- please write me or the digest. Bass Mgr. ] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Chip Chapin, Hewlett-Packard Company, California Language Lab (HP/CSO/STG/STD/CLO/CLL) Internet: chip@cup.hp.com HPDesk: Chip Chapin/hp4700/um uucp: ... {allegra,decvax,ihnp4,ucbvax} !hplabs!hpclbis!chip or ... uunet!hp-sde!hpclbis!chip USMail: MS42U5; 11000 Wolfe Road; Cupertino, CA 95014-9804; USA Phone: 408/447-5735 Fax: 408/447-4924 HPTelnet: 1-447-5735 -------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 11:10:26 PST From: Preston Carter <carter@hpdmsbja.pa.itc.hp.com> Subject: SWR vs PV 2x10 | Anyway, I then went on to try out a Peavey 210TX cab, 2-10" spkrs with | a horn. I played this through a Peavey MkIII head set absoulutly | flat. I plugged it in and... WOW!!! I had to ask wice if it was the | only cab plugged in. What depth! What clarity, what a blast! WHAT A | PRICE!! $280.00 vs $399 for the Hartke!!! ...And $600 for the SWR. I compared the Peavey 2x10 to the SWR 2x10 in a music store. I was really impressed by the Peavey. It sounded better than the SWR. I almost bought it. But in the end I bought the SWR. Here's why. The Peavey had better low-end response. I was playing my string bass through it. The string bass really has a lot of fundamental on open 'E' and the first few half steps up from there. So this was a good test of low-end response. There was quite a difference between the Peavey and the SWR in this range. The Peavey was much better. (Of course, the Peavey is bigger. Maybe that's how they did it.) But I noticed that in the middle and upper registers the Peavey was somewhat muddy by comparison to the SWR. After playing the two for about half an hour I thought of two considerations that tilted me toward the SWR: First, I've found many times that things don't sound the same in the store as they sound on stage. In general, you can't tell what something really sounds like until you hear it in a gig, in the presence of a full-tilt drummer. So the fact that the Peavey sounded better in the store was not a sufficient reason for preferring it. Second, I've pretty much conceded the bottom octave to the drummer. No cabinet I can carry is ever gonna be able to compete the bass drum. The surface area of the head of the kick drum is so much bigger than any reasonably sized cabinet. So the drummer owns those frequencies. So the bottom four notes of a cabinet's response is less important to me than the rest of the range. By contrast, it's the mid-range that decides whether the rest of the band is going to hear your lines, or whether you can hear your own intonation. (A major requirement for string-bass and fretless-electric players.) The SWR was much better in this respect. So I bought the SWR, and I feel good about the choice: It sounds great on stage and there's plenty of low-end response. If it had more low-end response I think I'd have to EQ it out -- too muddy. Also, the SWR is smaller and lighter (at least 5 pounds) than the Peavey and it has cast-frame woofers whereas the Peavey has stamped-frame woofers. I believe the SWR is made out of better plywood than the Peavey. Maybe the Peavey is better for bass guitar whereas SWR is better for string bass (where there's a surplus of fundamental in the lowest register). -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Preston Carter Hewlett Packard Corporate Offices | | carter@hpdmsbja.pa.itc.hp.com Product Generation Processes Group | | 1 -857-2152 1501 Page Mill Road MS 4UR | | 415-857-2152 Palo Alto, CA 94304 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 15:21 EDT From: GA94J85@WOOSTER.BITNET Subject: Miami Sound HI guys! This is my first 1993 message... So a salute to you all and special regards for Ritchie, Doc, McKee, Cobb and Tippity Do Da :) Have you guys gotten into Gloria Estefan, Miami Sound Machine or Jon Secada (which ARE in fact the same musicians) ?? The bassist for them all is Jorge Casas. The boy rips. If anyone can give me any sort of info on him (whatever...), I'd like to hear /read it.... Thanks a lot. [ I saw a live tape of the Miami Sound Machine about five years ago, and Jorge blew me away. Too bad their studio releases aren't that exciting (IMHO). Bass Mgr. ] Joe Garcia College of Wooster "The day Elvis played bass" Coming to a theatre near you... April 1 ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 15:43:53 -0500 From: "Nathan F. Janette" <nathan@jacobi.biology.YALE.EDU> Subject: Waitresses > Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1993 09:31:42 PST > From: Graham_McClelland.Sthq@xerox.com > > I meant to respond to this when the original question was posted but got > side tracked I guess. The older Guild bass truss rods are only > adjustable with a nut driver Thanks to Graham and another poster for this information. What a great resource this list can be! > I know I'm late with this but are any of you familiar with the holiday song > by the Waitresses titled "Christmas Rapping"? The bass line from that > song gets me every time I hear it! Very catchy! Does anyone know whose > tracks those are? I remember seeing the video for it years ago, but the > girl "playing" bass seemed to be using it more like a prop. Any ideas...? I saw a Waitresses concert in '83/'84, and the bassist was indeed the woman in the video. She, and the rest of the band, were very good for a "regional hit" band. A quirky but enjoyable band. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 08:11:30 PST From: bit!grego@ogicse.UUCP Subject: another underrated player Although he is well known in the business, I am the only person I have noticed mention him in this forum. For that reason I submit Miroslav Vitous as being underrated. He is also my choice for best player ever (or as close as I can come to picking just one!). He plays primarily jazz acoustic bass. He has played with Miles Davis, he was the first bass player for Weather Report, he did a live acoustic album with Chick Corea (excellent album, I like his playing much better than John P's) and has at least two solo albums. For some amazing bass playing check out Larry Coryell's "Spaces" album with Miroslav, Larry, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea and Billy Cobham recorded in 1970 (As I remember). Miles Davis had invited John over to the US to record the "In a Silent Way" album. John needed a place to stay so Larry offered his place. During John's stay they recorded the Spaces album. A real Monster of a recording. Some of Miroslavs arco solos will send chills up your spine! -grego ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: 21 Jan 1993 16:40:39 -0500 (EST) From: stu1016@discover.wright.edu Subject: IRC anyone?? Finally after much whining pleading and cajoling Wright State University has agreed to put the IRC Client up for people to use. (For those of you who are unenlightened, IRC is Internet Relay Chat, a multiuser CB style Chat system much like Compu$erve's CB Simulator. Any System connected live to the internet can access the server.) Would any of you collegiate bassists want to organize a time where we can all meet on IRC??? My Suggestion... Lets meet on Wednesday nights starting at 7PM and ending whenever we decide it's too late. I was going to suggest the Channel name #Bass but then we'd have alot of fishermen showing up :^> (Of course if Les Claypool saw #Bass, he could show up as a bassist AND a fisherman :^> ) So let's Agree to meet on the Channel #BassPlayer. I'll be there, and if there are any great objections, we can change later. If you're ever on IRC, just /msg SkyHook. That's Me. Love to hear from ya -Chris p.s. I was amazed at the response to my Undersung bassists question... I'll compile all of the results and repost. Please keep 'em coming. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 13:48:01 PST From: wlo@brahms.amd.com Subject: Intro and Questions on Fretless Intonation Hi TBLers, I've been reading TBL for 3 months now and this is my first post. I'm William Lo and I've been playing bass for about a year and a half, and playing bass in a church band for a little over a year. I recently bought a Carvin 4-string - love it, good action, nice feel. I play it through a Peavey TKO80. Since I haven't been playing for too long I can't really say what my style is or who are my influences. At this point I'm pretty open minded and eager to learn. After getting my new bass, I defretted my Yamaha BB300 - definitely sounds a lot different than when it was fretted. Now that I have a fretless, I would like to learn how to play one but I have no clue on how to get my intonation down. These are some questions that I have, forgive me if they seem to be a bunch of dumb beginner questions. Responses via TBL or email would be appreciated. Thanks. William Lo william.lo@amd.com 1) How does one check his/her intonation is correct while practicing. I know that one can check against open strings but what about the other notes. Also I would like to get my eyes off my fingers and on to the sheet music. 2) What are some exercises that one could practice to improve intonation. 3) What is the best way to learn the fretless. 4) Any recommended books, videos on learning to play the fretless. 5) What are some experiences that you had when you learned to play the fretless. 6) Usually how much practice does it take before one starts to sound decent. 7) Any other tips and suggestions. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 17:30:01 -0500 From: mlaurenc@world.std.com Subject: Hey folks... I was just wondering, what do you all do to practice? I mean, what are some of your favorite exercises, drills, speed-enhancing workouts, tricks, techniques, what do you do when you want to get better? I personall have found some of Dave LaRue's columns in Bass Player to be valuable - good ideas and strengthening drills. But I'm always looking for more - especially since I need to get some speed up on my new 5-string, and I'm having trouble (of course, I'm simulatneously trying to UN-learn all the bad habits I taught myself over 5 years of self-teaching! BLEAH!). So anything y'all might have to contribute, fire away! Matt ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 17:33:00 -0500 From: mlaurenc@world.std.com Subject: The TBL Shirt Well, I'm back up and running on my real system, but I am going to have to play around to get a good image of the shirt logo to put on the ftp site - and figure out how to save it and upload it so people can view it! If anyone has any suggestions on that, PLEASE post me and advise, for the good of the universe. Also, I am just about to go through the votes and figure out which slogan will be the winner. Looks like it'll be something pretty straightforward and descriptive rather than clever - that seemed to be the preference in general. So I'll try to post the outcome this week. Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions and feedback, and we'll try to get this shirt thing happening! Matt P.S. Paul, Kevin - drop me a line so we can talk. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 14:41:40 MST From: stortek!Steve_Monroe@csn.org Subject: Bass feature on radio show "Music From The Hearts of Space" will be airing a special called 'Space Bass.' Featured in this radio show will be bassist Dean Peer with selections from his CD 'Ucross.' Check local listings for broadcast times ---------------------------------------------------------- Anonymous ftp access for back issues, etc.: kappa.rice.edu (128.42.4.7) in the /pub/bass directory (Username is 'anonymous', password is your e-mail address. Try typing 'help' for more info once logged in.) _The Bottom Line_ is a digest dedicated to the art of playing electric and acoustic bass. It is distributed on a basis that coincides with the amount of material received, from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville, USA; Kevin Tipple, Erik Habbinga, editors Copyright _The Bottom Line_, 1993 The contents of _The Bottom Line_ are solely the opinions and comments of the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the authors' managements or the digest management. The editors do not assume responsibility for copyright infringement of submitted material. *************************** End of The Bottom Line #281 ***************************