Enough of the Moot bashing. Let's get on to serious stuff...

Live audition was last night. Pro-Level Gutiarist and Self-Taught Drummer had two "Friends of the Band" over - a guitar I auditioned for two years ago and his ex-wife/girlfriend/bandmate who sings and plays some bass. Everyone was content to let me play bass all night.

Lots of stuff I don't play often ... Beatles, Stones, Eagles, some Petty (pity he doesn't like him, he sounds pretty close vocally) and some very danceable blues-rock originals. Despite, I thought I made a good accounting of myself. Between the left hand reads and calling out changes, I kept up OK for the most part. Took the 1951 Reissue and everyone loved the look and sound.

Self-Taught Drummer keeps a very steady beat, good time and plays very simply and sharply. Very easy to lock on - especially when I'm not staring at the gutiars' left hand all night.

Self-Taught Drummer and I may work out here. Seems Pro-Level Gutiar is looking to do something specific and with this paricular rhythm section, he can get to his long term goals without a lot of short term drama. Since Drummer and I aren't grinding axes or feeding our egos, we might be able to get something giggable together in short order. Drummer is to send me a song list today.

So, Drummer likes me, Singer/Bassist copped my phone number so she can reach me if her band needs a bass and Pro-Level didn't treat me like I had the plague. Best of all, I had fun. I was relaxed. All I worried about was playing what we were playing. All in all, it seemed like a positive night. Got a good vibe coming out of this.

Or maybe it was the chimi from last night.

Well thats me off tonight, catch a train at 2147 hours. on there for 12 hours then i got to get the tube and stuff. Fun Fun Fun! whats sleeping on a train like??

I tried to take a video of me playing bass but the sound quality is terible and the camera cant keep up with my hands, is that a good thing???

Quantum Soup is done - again! The drummer is going to Thailand for a few months. I think he is going wife shopping but he didn't say.
It's a shame though. 5 years of making great music and not a single argument. That leaves me in only 2 bands for now.

Only two bands? You poor, poor man. How ever will you survive?

I don't know!!!

I know this seems small in comparison, my dear Moot, since I don't suffer the guilt-wracked, capitalist pig-dog, disturbingly un-green obcenity of riches that you have, but the the band of "Pro-Level Guitar" and "Self-Taught Drummer" have called back. This is the real deal - rehersal. I got a full song list and a time and place. I believe I may have finally have a home.

Mustang Sally, anybody?

Pet Peeve

This one is really starting to irritate me. Yesterday I had the TV on, barely paying attention and VH1 had on something about shocking celebrity deaths. They were talking about Biggie Smalls and referred to him as a musician. OK, I'll admit, I don't care for that style of music myself but I don't recall him playing a musical instrument. Call him a rapper, entertainer, vocalist, performer, maybe even a singer, but a musician? Now, I could be wrong, he may have been a talented pianist that never showed his skills in his popular music, and some can argue that the human voice is a musical instrument but come on...

Define music and you'll have your answer.

It might differ from my answer, but you'll have your answer none the less.

It differs from my definition. One of the reasons is an accomplished musician may not make it their profession or can't live off the money. I'd say there is only a small handful here that do.

Well, their definition #2:


I'd say he's not an instrumentalist, but he was a musician. He was a vocalist (different from a singer) and (IMO) just because he relied on rhythms without notes doesn't make him any less a musician than the snare drummer in a marching band.

You're a snare drum.

Grrrr!

Since I was visiting the sister-in-law in Marysville, I decided to drop my 3/4 off at Hammond-Ashely in Issiqua - the only place in Washington and most of Oregon, Idaho and Montana that will work on doubles. This bass was brand new in 2007 and I leased it in May, 2008. I took it in for a "tune up" this weekend. Here's the excript from the luthier's email.



So, this thing is two years old, made by contract exlucively for Ted Brown Music (Tacoma,Yakima,Richland,Spokane) and the sound post is too short causing the bridge to cause the top (laminate, by the way) to collape causing the top joint to unglue. The neck was never finished correctly.

Now, I'm leasing this with the option to buy. Next, we shall see what Ted Brown's is willing to repair and what they are willing to ask me to eat. The unfortunate event with the tailpiece shattering two months after I took delivery and the subsequent lack of skill of the staff at the Richland store is leading me to let the lease lapse and let them take their piece of crap back.

Damn, I'm gonna miss that ol' gal. Hammond Ashely does have a suh-weet little ol' Czech refurb for $9000 ...

Jeez Flank. Is there anything not wrong with it?
Yep - I mean you have to expect some wear and tear and some routine maintenance but for a 2 year old instrument? Naw.
That's not right.
I would certainly give the chance to make it right but at the same time be ready to sail the offending URB through a plate glass window.

BTW, I meet the great Frank Fuller in 3 weeks.

You make a valid point, but I still disagree. This guy thinks so too.

I was tempted to say "who is that?"
I am very unhappy that I can't witness this event. Can we get some other LD person to be there? Momentous event!

Tom

Hurricane by Bob Dylan made its way through the shuffle this morning on my MP3. Man, what a great song with a full true story that names names. The best part though are the violin parts. Talk about a perfect fit bringing it all together. That song gets me every time. Bob does kill it at the end with the harmonica but still one of his masterpieces.

I had to share, if you haven't heard in a while take a listen.

This all stems from the sound post. I've been advised by the guy I found who does the maintinence on my URB up here (he also plays bass for the Boston Symphony) to have two sound posts made: one for Spring/Summer and one for Fall/Winter. They are made of unfinished wood and react to temperature and humidity changes. It's also one of the most important structural and tonal pieces in the instrument. The new tail cable (unless there's something wrong with yours) may be them trying to keep the dollars flowing. Many URB people have differing oppinions on the importance of tail cable materials, etc. Mine had a coat hanger wire for years after I got it. It's probably something you can do without (unless your current one is jacked up). But that's just a drop in the bucket.


The crutch tip is also a preference thing. You can go buy a rock stop or your own crutch tip and look around for a better price. The fingerboard thing is probably needed (I had some pretty bad waves in mine before the first time I took it to my guy). Recutting the bridge is necessary after working on the fingerboard.


Again, it's a preference thing. It's like the difference between finished and unfinished necks on bass guitars. Most URB players I've met prefer unfinished like your guy is suggesting but I've known a few who like it finished. I think finished necks feel sticky and are hard to get around on but that's me.

All that really makes me want to take an URB off my "someday" wish list.

If you're not a tone whore who's willing to pay exponentially more $$ for the ability to eek sweeter tone out of a carved instrument, laminate is the way to go (like Flank's and mine). They don't usually require that much maintinence but there is some routine work that should be done from time to time (like replacing the sound post) that can avoid much greater problems later. Although, I went for 11 or 12 years without replacing my sound post. I could really tell the difference in tone when I did, though.

I don't really trust myself with anything beyond changing the strings and cleaning the instrument because the slightest movement of the bridge (or numerous other things) can have a huge impact on tone and playability. But then, there are those who play jazz and rockabilly (among other things) who never have any work done at all and are perfectly happy with their instrument.

Deevo - I'm skipping the crutch post. I have one of those hard rubber German endpin balls (Ok, Moot, here's your lob) that attaches to the endpin with set screws. The tail cable is strictly the luthier's preference (this was replaced, by the way, two months after I took delivery. The original tail piece - with SS cable, shattered and required replacement). The rest is either poor workmanship or poor set up. Either case, it's not acceptible.

bNb - Simple matter of buyer beware. My mistake was to take the ONLY 3/4 URB that was available in a three state area and not having a real luthier check it out. Kinda like buying a really cool car without knowing much about them and then not visiting the mechanic before writing the check. I imagine that in the NJ/NYC are, the pickings probably aren't as slim.

Moots - the strings are sick and the hard, rubber, German endpin ball (another lob) is top notch. Since I sourced Gollihur for them, it's to be expected. I think after I turn this in and wait for the URB jones to strike again, I think I'll tap Gollihur again. Unless you can sweet talk Frank Fuller's progeny into Frank Fuller into doing a pro bono job.

Me first pal - but I'll keep you in mind.



I promise to take lots of pics Tom.

Interesting side - here is an article from the rolling stone. Second page - top photo is Frank then. Bottom photo is what Michelle called "The Chicken Coup", and the baby Rick Turner is holding in the foreground? Well, my girl swears it's her. She was 2.

Random. OT for OT even. I've worked a couple days last week at Hard Rock Cafe with the radio station I work for. One night was for a comedy festival and I got to meet Lenny Clark. The second day I got to meet Matisyahu after his private show there for station listeners. While I was there I saw several times on the big flat screen tv's there, an ad for a Booty Vortex show (Davio's band)! You could see the top of Dave's head and the headstock of his Mexi-strat in the back behind the other 27 people in the band lol!

Also, very cool pic here.....Billy Sheehan's autograph on my friend Dusty's Fender Jazz!

They are shooting a Matchbox 20 video right outside my job today. I want to taint punch everyone even remotely involved.

Strat??? Just because you live and die by your off-brand doesn't mean you shouldn't recognise a Jazz bass without an autograph on it!

You're working right there so wouldn't that make you remotely involved? Taint punch away!

Fine, fortunately I'll go last, by then I should be pretty tired.

Talking about taint punches... haven't read Tater Nuts in a while... hope is everything ok. Same as Mr. Kramer Ferrington.. long time no read... I guess there are phases...

#1. I have heard, with my own ears, with Tom as my witness, you yourself calling it your "Mexi"

#2. You're an off-brand!

#3. Sorry, had to do it

Yeah, but I was pointing out that it's a Mexi-JAZZ not STRAT...count the strings.