calypsocoral Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Despite the fact that I fit the "more portly musician" jab, I do position #4, right at the belt line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I usually wear my bass onstage, and sometimes at rehearsals. Peace, wraub I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 My wife usually ask me to wear it at position 9. I can usually get away with position 5 and a bag over my head. Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo-London Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 Voting as of 08:00 GMT 20 Nov 08 Position 1: 0 bassists: 0% Position 2: 0 bassists: 0% Position 3: 6 bassists: 14% Position 4: 17 bassists: 40% Position 5: 17 bassists: 40% Position 6: 3 bassists: 7% Position 7: 0 bassists: 0% Beautiful distribution. Gauss would be proud. So I conclude the following from this scientific research: 1. There are no true metal-heads in our congregation. 2. There are no misguided fusion-heads amongst us. 3. That position 4 and 5 are equally popular and significantly more popular than any other position. 4. That strap manufacturers should maybe be offer more than one length of strap, eg medium and metal. Any other conclusions? Eur Ing Davo BSc CEng MIChemE "We will make you bob your head whether you want to or not". - David Sisk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butcherNburn Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Voting as of 08:00 GMT 20 Nov 08 4. That strap manufacturers should maybe be offer more than one length of strap, eg medium and metal. I'm all for that. It's been a beef of mine for a while. Not for the metal aspect but most straps just aren't long enough for big people. I think that's the reason so many big guys get chin marks on their bass. I'll correct my vote of 3, it's more like 3.4. http://www.evilmilk.com/pictures/Eat_The_Pain_Away.jpg If you think my playing is bad, you should hear me sing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenstrum Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Voting as of 08:00 GMT 20 Nov 08 4. That strap manufacturers should maybe be offer more than one length of strap... It took a very LONG time to find a strap that would fit comfortable for me. I wear 37" sleeves on most of my dress shirts. I'd just about say that my position 4 would be a 1 for most people... Tenstrum "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face." Harry Dresden, Storm Front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourlord Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I play metal and play at roughly position 5.. Not all metal is 3 notes on the fattest string! I tend to point the head of the bass a little out to the front just like David noted he does in a post above. Only in my case it's probably because of the portly factor.. Position 5 is just the most comfortable position to me, and offers good access to the entire fingerboard.. Gotta have good access to those upper registers to really make a fretless sing. http://www.delusionalmind.com/images/bobs_smith_112407.jpg Feel free to visit my band's site Delusional Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Nothing you do really makes a fretless sing. Just fyi so you can go about your business and never think about that anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Position 1 My legs are too short. Position 2 My arms are too short. Position 3 My stomach hangs over the strings. Position 4 - No buckle, only suspenders. Position 5 - Perfect no problems. Position 6 My arms are too long. Position 7 My beard gets tangled in the strings. Position 8 - My wife suggests we try it. Rocky "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butcherNburn Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Bunch of position 5 snobs. If you think my playing is bad, you should hear me sing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 You're a bunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourlord Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 mwah, growl, sing.. whatever you want to call it today.. That characteristic of a fretless tends to be more pronounced in the higher registers. My Smith sings "Money" by Pink Floyd to me all the time, because it consumed lots of it and likes to remind me to polish it with a diaper.. Feel free to visit my band's site Delusional Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 ...and likes to remind me to polish it with a diaper.. Dood, that's disgusting. Your bass must be pretty...crappy by now. Heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMPires Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 My Smith sings "Money" by Pink Floyd to me all the time, because it consumed lots of it and likes to remind me to polish it with a diaper.. Here we go again.... www.myspace.com/davidbassportugal "And then the magical unicorn will come prancing down the rainbow and we'll all join hands for a rousing chorus of Kumbaya." - by davio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 mwah, growl, sing.. whatever you want to call it today.. That characteristic of a fretless tends to be more pronounced in the higher registers. Care to post a song where this is the case? My Smith sings "Money" by Pink Floyd to me all the time, because it consumed lots of it and likes to remind me to polish it with a diaper.. Never before has it been so obvious that someone purchased something they couldn't afford than you and that bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I've just found some fantastic research into the height that bassists wear their basses. I think the reference is the Phat Scientist, which is a well respected publication in US. PS has devised a position to bass height categorisation, i.e. where you play your bass in proportion to your body. They have developed the following system and illustrated with bassist stereotypes for each position. Position 1 is low. If you lean over to bow the bass touches the ground. Popular if you have spots and have a strange fixation with piercings and black. Position 2 is mid-low if you were a male you could get your pecker out and it would rest nicely on the upper cutaway. Strangely, this act is not uncommon and this position is supported by the lanky and gangly fraternity cutting across music genre. Position 3 is groin protection. The bass serves to save Ryan's privates. Very useful position for those that play in wild clubs and pubs favoured by the older generation trying to look cool. Position 4 is buckle-rash arena. This is the central position in this ranking and proves to be the most common position. Difficult to stereotype as it cuts across so many music and character types. Position 5 is tummy protection. This is found to be favoured by our more portly bassists, who struggle to see their bass with positions 1 to 4. Quite an endearing position and likely to get the bassist cuddled rather than shagged. Position 6 is chest friendly. For those that consider the low notes a nuisance and who really should be playing a piccolo bass. Can look odd unless you're a virtuoso. Position 7 is the strangled look. These bassists are in serious danger of coming unstuck. Favoured amongst ageing Mark King fans and those with eyesight problems. Just thought you guys would be interested in this latest research and we haven't polled much recently. Which position are you? A few comments... 1. Is there really anything strange about being into black and piercings? If that's so, I guess all those lemming-like mall metal kids are strange. But yeah... that's a pretty low-hanging bass. But not everyone who wears a bass that way is such an animal... take ol' Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden and Hater, for example.... http://www.rockul.info/images/photo/soundgarden/soundgarden-ben-shepherd.gif 2 & 3 are sorta like six on one hand versus a half-dozen on the other... I've hung my guitar or bass at both heights... I'm cool either way. I'm not, however, particularly lanky or gangly. I'm either a 2 or a 3 depending on the amount of food pushing my gut out on any given day. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/471530763_c7a50a6d7e.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/2719926462_38803965fc.jpg 4. Never been a 4, but I've known quite a few. 5. Yeah... that seems high to me, but I know a lot of funk/jazz dudes who play that way. Looks kinda dorky to my sense of aesthetics, but usually the guys who play this way are either so bad-ass that the way they play trumps the way they look... or they suck so badly that I don't watch/listen for long. 6. Come on. Seriously? You look like an idiot. I don't care how well you play. 7. Wait, did I say the #6 dudes looked like idiots? They look brilliant compared with these guys. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourlord Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Care to post a song where this is the case? Go find any song which features a fretless soloist and you'll note the mwah is generally more pronounced on higher notes.. I'm at work right now so I'm not going on a hunt to prove to you what I hear every day while I practice. Never before has it been so obvious that someone purchased something they couldn't afford than you and that bass. When I bought it I could afford it. Didn't even feel a pinch from it (Single unix sys admin making tons of cash).. Times have changed (wife + kids + mortgage + etc)and now I couldn't pull it off.. So you're absolutely correct in that currently I couldn't afford to buy it again. I treasure the thing because I damn near want to cry every time I pick it up because of how awesome it plays, and I couldn't replace it if something happened to it (both because of the cost, and Ken Smith doesn't stock Koa anymore so getting the same configuration is impossible).. If I had that money back right now I wouldn't buy a Smith with it, but I in no way regret spending it on a Smith when I had the cash. When I do have the spare cash again, it will be spent on a Smith 5 string fretless. I really don't want to get into a pissing match over our choices in high end basses again. Yay Alembic! (I don't polish it with a diaper, it was a reference to Ferris Bueller's Day Off) Feel free to visit my band's site Delusional Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Care to post a song where this is the case? Go find any song which features a fretless soloist and you'll note the mwah is generally more pronounced on higher notes.. I'm at work right now so I'm not going on a hunt to prove to you what I hear every day while I practice. Let me refresh your memory. You stated a few posts ago: "Position 5 is just the most comfortable position to me, and offers good access to the entire fingerboard.. Gotta have good access to those upper registers to really make a fretless sing." Call me crazy but a statement like that leads me to believe you personally require access to those upper registers to really make a fretless sing. I'm interested to hear an audio sample of you doing this. Because so far all I've heard in your band's material is you doing something drastically close to "3 notes on the fattest string". I really don't want to get into a pissing match over our choices in high end basses again. Do the voices in your head talk to you when you sleep as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 http://www.legendsofhorror.org/images/bates/ppic1.jpg Blood! Mother! Blood! \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Fight to the death...fight to the death... It's a good thing this thread is from a scientific view or this could've gotten messy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rizzo9247 Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 http://www.rsqemergencytraining.com/FireExtinguisher.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourlord Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Yep I only play 3 notes on the fat string.. why bother with the effort to play more when bump apparently can't hear em.. I think I'm going to resume my policy of just ignoring bump.. it's always a waste of time to even acknowledge him.. Feel free to visit my band's site Delusional Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 http://www.magic.org/store/images/ShoeBeesBluWhtstr.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonok Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I say you guys have a bass duel like the guitar duel scene in the movie "crossroads". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMPires Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 http://www.webtvhub.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/family-guy-fight.jpg www.myspace.com/davidbassportugal "And then the magical unicorn will come prancing down the rainbow and we'll all join hands for a rousing chorus of Kumbaya." - by davio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edro Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Position 4, sometimes 5. It's nice to have a little variety, the same position can get boring after a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJR_Bos Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 http://www.magic.org/store/images/ShoeBeesBluWhtstr.jpg That one's nice, don't get me wrong. But I really kinda like this one. http://www.ct-graphics.com/lifestyle-occupation/clown-shoes-511.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 "Right now, I've got two men, two men with a gut full of fear. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... dyin' time is here!" Two men enter. One man leave. Two men enter. One man leave. Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo-London Posted November 21, 2008 Author Share Posted November 21, 2008 [quote=CMDN A few comments... 1. Is there really anything strange about being into black and piercings? If that's so, I guess all those lemming-like mall metal kids are strange. But yeah... that's a pretty low-hanging bass. But not everyone who wears a bass that way is such an animal... take ol' Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden and Hater, for example.... http://www.rockul.info/images/photo/soundgarden/soundgarden-ben-shepherd.gif 2 & 3 are sorta like six on one hand versus a half-dozen on the other... I've hung my guitar or bass at both heights... I'm cool either way. I'm not, however, particularly lanky or gangly. I'm either a 2 or a 3 depending on the amount of food pushing my gut out on any given day. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/471530763_c7a50a6d7e.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/2719926462_38803965fc.jpg 4. Never been a 4, but I've known quite a few. 5. Yeah... that seems high to me, but I know a lot of funk/jazz dudes who play that way. Looks kinda dorky to my sense of aesthetics, but usually the guys who play this way are either so bad-ass that the way they play trumps the way they look... or they suck so badly that I don't watch/listen for long. 6. Come on. Seriously? You look like an idiot. I don't care how well you play. 7. Wait, did I say the #6 dudes looked like idiots? They look brilliant compared with these guys. No offence meant in my research. Stereotyping is always dangerous. We scientists normally check our facts very clearly. Davo "We will make you bob your head whether you want to or not". - David Sisk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Davo, I'm surprised. You of all people starting such a contentious thread. As a man of science you should also be aware that popularity polls do not signify anything. The results need to be weighted if to have any real meaning other than finding that manufacturers should make different strap lengths. Clearly the most able, talented and sexxay players should have more of an influence to determining the BEST position to play the bass. As Erik and myself fill 2/3 of each of these criteria our playing position should carry more weight and thus I propose that position 3 IS the BEST position, although obviously not the most popular position. TimR BEng (hons) Feel the groove internally within your own creativity. - fingertalkin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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