Walking Bass Line

Rock Band Gets A Bass

Guitar Slinger — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 07:34:19 +0000

Mad Catz has released a replica Fender Precision Bass controller for Rock Band 2. Personally, I am terrible at Guitar Hero/Rock Band and would rather play a real guitar/bass, but to each their own. The Mad Catz bass guitar is larger and longer than a standard Rock Band guitar, and it features a split strum bar, which is meant to encourage fingerpicking with two fingers. That is pretty cool, but it’s $80 and it’s not even wireless. It is pretty well made and looks cool, but 80 bucks is a lot of money.

Bass Multi Effects Pedals: Boss vs Line 6 vs DigiTech

Guitar Slinger — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:44:48 +0000

Multi Effects are cool. They are a lot of fun to play around with, and you can use them for computer recording. There are pretty much three catagories: really cheap crappy ones that aren’t worth the money, mid-level units that are often pretty good, and really expensive units that are “studio quality”. Today we are talking mid-level, between $150-$220 brand new. And the candidates are:
Boss ME-20B

The ME-20B’s metal body and intuitive design make it a popular choice for gigging or for jamming in the bedroom. It is probably the most solidly built of the three, but it is also the most expensive at $220. Many say it has the best sound quality of the three also, but it has minor setbacks. There are three pedals that make for easy layering on the fly, but this also means you can’t use two effects from the same group at the same time (ex: no phaser and flanger together). If you can live with this, then this is an excellent pedal.
Line 6 Bass Floor Pod
The Bass Floor Pod’s bread and butter is helping you find a tone to color your amp, or for DI recording. It lacks the versitility of the ME-20B, and is notorious for its delay when changing between presets, making it difficult to use in a live situation. Some say the sound quality is a step down from the Boss, but there are good tones available if you can find them. At $200, it is $20 cheaper than the ME-20B, but if you already have 200 bucks, I’m sure you can find 20 more.
DigiTech BP200
As the cheapest of the three units, the DigiTech brings up another issue: value. It is hard to compare an Accord to a Corvette. Ok, that is a stretch, but the BP200 is only $150, $70 less than the Boss. It doesn’t sound quite as good note for note with the Boss, but no one really expects it to. In its favor, it doesn’t suffer from the Boss’s combining effects issue, as you can use up to 11 at once. That is pretty cool, but who uses 11 effects at once anyways? The BP200 is the only one of the three that has a drum machine; more features, less money= good idea. If you are on a budget, this is the way to go.

So which one wins??
That is up to you. How much money do you want to spend? Are you going to gig with it, record with it, just jam at home with it? Do you want to combine lots of effects?
I recommend you try them all yourself if you can before buying, but personally:
If you want the best tone: Boss ME-20B
the best for gigs: Boss ME-20B
the most layered effects: DigiTech BP200
the best value: DigiTech BP200
the easiest to use: Line 6 Floor Pod
Overall: gotta go with the Boss ME-20B

The Great Debate

Guitar Slinger — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:55:27 +0000

Tubes or solid state? They both have their advantages and disadvantages, so which one should you go with? And yes, there definitely is a difference.

Solid state is cheaper. That appeals to a lot of people, and for casual bedroom players, solid state is often enough. One of its advantages is that it actually responds better to being played at lower volumes. Tubes like being played loud, and by that I mean they break up at louder volumes and really add that warm tube overdrive to your distortion. Solid state sounds the same at any volume because it is digitally created by computer chips. This also means the solid state amps require less maintenance; no tubes to replace.

100-watt Tube amps will blow away 100-watt solid state amps in terms of perceived loudness. Solid state amps often come equipped with digital effects that can sound decent and save you money on effects. Tube amps typically don’t come with effects, but you can often buy pedal and rack effects that are much better than those that come with the solid state amps.
Basically, 1. how much money do you want to spend 2. what are you using it for; as in bedroom, local bar, etc. Keep in mind that you usually get what you pay for, and try lots of things before you make a decision. Happy shredding!!

Beware of the Music123 credit card

Guitar Slinger — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:12:24 +0000

SD in New Jersey said: “I bought a guitar from Music123.com on August of 2007. As part of the promo for signing up with their Music123 Card, it was stated that an additional 10% will be deducted from my purchase price after 60 days. In addition, Music123 has a price match guarantee that lasts for 45 days. Now, I found a merchant that sells the guitar for about $40 less. I promptly called Music123 about this (this was way before the 45 day time period) and they readily deducted the difference from my account.

Months passed. In December of that year, I checked my account and noticed that the 10% off was still not reflected. I called up Music123 and they made me call HSBC to fix it. Now HSBC claimed that I need to call Music123 for this. I called up music123 again, and now they claimed that the 10% was already awarded to me!!! Upon further investigation, they thought the price match they granted WAS the 10% discount. Now, they promised to contact HSBC about this and resolve it. They also promised to call me back about it. They did not keep their word. This went on for a few months until I got tired of it and gave up. I did call HSBC again in the meantime, and surprise surprise, they referred me back to Music123.”

(report courtesy of Household - HSBC Watch)

New from Fender: Jaco Pastorius Fretless Jazz Bass

Guitar Slinger — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:36:08 +0000

Just released by Fender, behold the Jaco Pastorius Fretless Jazz Bass. This is a great sounding, extremely well-made instrument. The price tag reflects that, but if you can afford it, this is probably your dream bass unless you play death metal or something. Alder jazz bass body, 20-fret bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fretboard with dot inlays, 2 vintage jazz pickups. Get some.

The Right Bass for You

Guitar Slinger — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:07:56 +0000

What makes a “great” bass guitar? If you ask every bassist, you would probably get a bunch of different answers. For me it is its “feel”. More specifically, the feel of the neck. You can always replace the pickups, try different strings, etc, but you need to like the neck. That Gibson Thunderbird does look pretty sweet, and lots of people play it so it must be good. But then you actually get to play it and the neck is huge, and you have small hands. This is gonna be difficult. A lot of brands use the same necks on almost all of their guitars/basses, so one ESP bass is going to feel very much like the next ESP bass. At least get to know the brands’ tendencies. As a general rule:

Gibson necks are about the largest, they are jokingly referred to as “baseball bat necks”
Fender necks are smaller than Gibson, slightly flatter, but still relatively round
Ibanez necks are extremely thin and flat; better for small hands; some say easier to play fast
ESP/Schecter necks are fairly thin and flat, not as extreme as Ibanez, slightly more round
Ernie Ball/Music Man necks are fairly thick and round, but not overly large, Fender-ish
Dean Necks are about midrange on thick/thin and round/flat; V-Necks start off fairly round and come to a “point” towards the neck joint

Hope this can be helpful as a rough guide; try many basses before you decide. You will know when you have found the right one. Be sure to check out more helpful info at promusicianschoice.com too!

Metallica Announce New Album and North American Tour

Guitar Slinger — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:27:56 +0000

Metallica recently announced a release date for their latest album, Death Magnetic, which is due out September 12th. This will be the first studio recording with new bassist, Robert Trujillo. Dates for the corresponding tour were also announced. Some of the dates are with Lamb of God, some are with Down, both should be pretty awesome. Go check them out, unless you live in the south that is, in which case prepare for a serious road trip.

Aug 22 2008 8:00P
Leeds Festival -Leeds
Aug 24 2008 8:00P
Reading Festival -Reading
Oct 21 2008 8:00P
Jobbing Arena -Glendale, Arizona
Oct 23 2008 8:00P
Tingley Coliseum -Albuquerque, New Mexico
Oct 25 2008 8:00P
Spring Center -Kansas City, Missouri
Oct 26 2008 8:00P
Wells Fargo Arena -Des Moines, Iowa
Nov 1 2008 8:00P
Rose Quarter -Portland, Oregon
Nov 3 2008 8:00P
Energy Solutions Arena -Salt Lake City, Utah
Nov 4 2008 8:00P
Pepsi Center -Denver, Colorado
Nov 6 2008 8:00P
Qwest Center -Omaha, Nebraska
Nov 8 2008 8:00P
iWireless Center -Moline, Illinois
Nov 9 2008 8:00P
Schottenstein Center -Columbus, Ohio
Nov 17 2008 8:00P
Scottrade Center -St. Louis, Missouri
Nov 18 2008 8:00P
BOK Center -Tulsa, Oklahoma
Nov 20 2008 8:00P
Toyota Center -Houston, Texas
Nov 22 2008 8:00P
Alltel Arena -Little Rock, Arkansas
Nov 23 2008 8:00P
New Orleans Arena -New Orleans, Louisiana
Dec 1 2008 8:00P
Key Arena -Seattle, Washington
Dec 2 2008 8:00P
GM Place -Vancouver, British Columbia
Dec 4 2008 8:00P
Pengrowth Saddledome -Calgary, Alberta
Dec 7 2008 8:00P
Rexall Place -Edmonton, Alberta
Dec 12 2008 8:00P
Citizens Business Bank Arena -Ontario, California
Dec 13 2008 8:00P
Save Mart Center -Fresno, California
Dec 15 2008 8:00P
Cox Arena -San Diego, California
Dec 17 2008 8:00P
The Forum -Los Angeles, California
Dec 20 2008 8:00P
Oracle Arena -Oakland, California
Jan 12 2009 8:00P
Bradley Center -Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Jan 13 2009 8:00P
Joe Louis Arena -Detroit, Michigan
Jan 15 2009 8:00P
Verizon Center Washington DC, -Washington DC
Jan 17 2009 8:00P
Wachovia Center -Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 18 2009 8:00P
TD Banknorth Center -Boston, Massachusetts
Jan 26 2009 8:00P
Allstate Arena -Chicago, Illinois
Jan 29 2009 8:00P
Nassau Coliseum -Uniondale, New York
Jan 31 2009 8:00P
Prudential Center -Newark, New Jersey

Playing Bass in a Band

Guitar Slinger — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:00:30 +0000

It gets on my nerves when people assume that bass is easier or requires less skill to play than a guitar. I think the beauty of the bass in any form (electric, acoustic, brass, upright) is that is can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. You can get by with root 1/4 notes most of the time if you are learning a new song, and then eventually you can really go for it. I have played bass in two different bands and I had a lot of fun with each of them. I did not feel inferior to the guitar player, we had different objectives, we did not compete. Playing shows with my friends were some of the best times in my life.

4 Bassists You Should Know About

Guitar Slinger — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:37:26 +0000

I am not going to say that one musician is “better” than another, but here is a list, in no specific order, of 4 bassists you should at least know about.

*Les Claypool (Primus, pictured above) Born 1963, he is the master of funk and slap bass using tapping and sweeps and things most people can’t do on a bass. I remember reading an interview with Les and he said he auditioned for Metallica and they turned him down because he was “too good”.

*Cliff Burton (Metallica) Born 1962, Died 1986; he was a part of Metallica’s first three albums before he died when the tour bus ran off the road and flipped in Sweden. He was known for his amazing bass solos involving wahs and effects. His last album, Master of Puppets, set the standard for metal at the time.

*Jaco Pastorius - Born 1951, Died 1987; John Francis Anthony “Jaco” Pastorius III was voted “The Greatest Bass Player Ever” in Bass Guitar Magazine. He got his start in jazz but was the master of many different styles. Go listen to his self-titled debut cd. Seriously.

*Geezer Bulter (Black Sabbath) Born 1949; he is a huge part of the “first heavy metal band”. He wrote most of the Sabbath lyrics. He and Tony Iommi were two of the first to tune down to C# and play slower to make the music that much heavier.

Hello world!

Guitar Slinger — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:02:27 +0000

Mick Jagger is the lead singer of the Rolling Stones. You probably knew that. Jimmy Page was the lead guitarist for Led Zeppelin. You probably knew that, too. But name the bassist. Of either band. It is time for people to show some love to the most underappreciated member of every band. THE BASSIST!!! Oh, and the answers are Bill Wyman and John Paul Jones.