A Minor Bass Player

Scary! Mike Welsh predicts death on twitter

2011-10-21T21:23:00.001+02:00

Mikey Welsh, former bassist of Weezer, passed away from a suspected drug overdose at the age of 40 in a Chicago hotel room. Oddly, two weeks before, he predicted the correct location and date of his death on Twitter.

On September 26, he wrote in Twitter: "dreamt i died in Chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). need to write my will today."
Then he wrote: "'correction - the weekend after next."

Read on here

Acoustic setup

2011-10-14T01:54:00.001+02:00

Another “unplugged” or “acoustic” gig we had last weekend. It was fun, we are getting confident on what and how we play as a band. I find it easier to be tight with our drummer when he plays the cajón with percussion than on his regular drum set.

This is my ‘acoustic’ set up:

Fender BXR 60 amp. It is a solid state amp that Fender doesn't even make anymore. This amp is a sixty watts RMS, through a 15 inch speaker. Perfect for this type of gigging, small venues and tiny stages. Loud enough to get the low end thru when the 2 guitarists push their volumes beyond what is really needed (a classic!)

Boss GT-10B, a multi-effects and amp modeling floorboard. Since we are a rock cover band this is the best way to make radical sound switches by just pressing one pedal.

Music Man StingRay MM5 is my preferred axe for this type of (small) clubs. The sound range of this bass is amazing.

I should explain that I call this back line “acoustic” or “unplugged” but as you can tell it is non of both. All other band mates play real acoustic though. Even if I show up with my upright (Czech, 1960ish) I would need amplification …and a bigger car.

Bill Wyman’s Family Trees

2011-10-03T19:11:00.001+02:00

This is bizzare, and funny at the same time

At age 47, the Rolling Stones' bassist, Bill Wyman, began a relationship with 13-year old Mandy Smith, with her mother's blessing. Six years later, they were married, but the marriage only lasted a year. Not long after, Bill's 30-year-old son Stephen married Mandy's mother, age 46. That made Stephen a stepfather to his former stepmother. If Bill and Mandy had remained married, Stephen would have been his father's father-in-law and his own grandpa.

Back from the guitar shop

2011-09-17T23:09:00.001+02:00

I have neglected my Fender Jazz bass for too long. The bass was not in the best shape with worn down frets and its neck bending backwards making a permanent loud buzz, no matter what or how you play. I could have fixed the neck problems myself, maybe. But I was overstrained with the frets issue. To my excuse I must say that I did not really have trust in the craftsmanship available in Singapore and, in addition to that, I had alternatives for playing as you can see here and here.

The Munich Repair Shop is known for its ability to cope with severe problems and damages on guitars and basses. So it was obvious that that would be the address where my 1984 J-Bass had to get fixed. Everything can be fixed; it’s just a matter of money. I was afraid the costs for the repair would be extremely high.
I bought the bass in September 1984. I’m the first owner. I was willing to pay a high price for the job.
You can imagine that I was positively surprised as I understood that 176€ (‘only’) would buy me back the joy of playing my fine instrument without any further hue and cry.

Here the list of service:

Polish and grinding frets 79,83€
Setup, action low 37,82€
Glue lose frets 8,40€
Strings Fender (gauge .40 – .90) 21,85€

And here now a few pics.

To see them all please check my flickr

USAF Band hiring bass player

2011-04-25T23:09:00.001+02:00

Anyone? Found this in my inbox today. The US Air Force is looking for a bass player to join the AF Band.

Here is what you should be able to deliver (besides being a native American)

Bass Guitar Audition Requirements:

Scales and Arpeggios:

Perform all scales and arpeggios from memory throughout the full
practical range of the instrument (lowest open string to the 19th fret). Scales may be performed with finger or pick (performer's preference) Minimum tempo for all scales: 16th notes at quarter note = 92.

Diatonic scales: Perform all major, melodic minor and harmonic minor scales.
Chromatic scales: Perform the chromatic scale through the specified range.
Arpeggios: Perform all forms of seventh chords from memory, two octaves, ascending and descending, using two different left hand positions, demonstrating accuracy of intonation and tone. Tempo for all arpeggios: 16th notes at quarter note = 60.

Jazz Profile: Improvise an appropriate bass line and solo for selections in the following
categories:

Blues: Blue Monk, blues changes in any key
Rhythm Changes: Anthropology, Wee/Allen's Alley, Salt Peanuts
Standards: All the Things You Are, Joy Spring
Latin: Blue Bossa, Desafinado, The Girl From Ipanema
Ballad: In A Sentimental Mood, 'Round Midnight
Selections are recommend titles. Other appropriate selections may be substituted

Performance Repertoire: Perform excerpts from the band's current performance repertoire similar in difficulty to the following excerpts:

Classical:

Grainger: Molly on the Shore, m 18-27 at quarter note = 112
Smith: Variations on a Hymn by Louis Bourgeios, m 4-23 at quarter note = 132
Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever, intro and 1st strain at quarter note = 132

Jazz/Pop: Performed with a minimum of a full rhythm section:
Double bass: Sister Sadie, 1st 8 bars of the head at quarter note = 176

Electric bass:
Harris: Mira, Mira, meas. 125-145 at half note = 20
Brecker/arr.Taylor: Some Skunk Funk, quarter note = 108
The New Real Book, vol. 3: Dancin' in the Street, quarter note = 132
Classical Solo: Perform a solo demonstrating intonation, rhythmic accuracy, and overall
musicianship. Selection chosen by auditionee to demonstrate ability level.

Recommended solo: Eccles: Sonata in G minor (or solo of comparable difficulty)

www.bands.af.mil

BTW, here a take of Eccles: Sonata in G minor (4th movement)

So? What are you waiting for?

BASSIDA aka Ida Funkhouser

2011-03-08T23:35:00.001+01:00

For a long time I thought that a good bass amp must weigh enough to dislocate your shoulder. If you want to make something happen at the low end you will need pure mass to get through and set your tonal and rhythmical mark. But technology also advances in the music world and so the light weights start to make ground by improving in all areas.

In one of my visits to a local music store I came across one of this little fellows. I had read a lot about tc electronic bass gear, specially the RebelHead RH450 bass amp top. Unfortunately I was not able to test it and check it out not even superficially. But despite the short glance, something grabbed my attention: 3 individually programmable presets!

Once home, I went straight to the net to see what I can find out on the pygmy with the bold name and the presets. YouTube is always a good source and the best audio/visual search engine. And so I found “Bassida” demoing the RH450 during NAMM show 09. Nice little video explaining the basics of the tc electronics amp. The RebelHead looks really good! But in the video you will discover more eye candy... Njoy!

BASSIDA aka Ida Funkhouser

Memorabilia

2011-02-17T22:10:00.001+01:00

Do yourself a favor and follow this link

http://memorabilia.hardrock.com/

on the search box (the one on the left, not the one on the upper right) and type in “bass”. Now make sure you have a few spare hours and …enjoy!

Elixir Strings

2010-12-25T10:04:00.001+01:00

When we moved to this small little town, I thought we had moved close to the edge of the world. What could this place have to offer??? (At night it reminds me of “Radiator Springs” from the movie ‘Cars’)

What a surprise when I discovered this: The European HQ of Elixir Strings (Gore Inc.) is located in Putzbrunn, just a few blocks away from my home. I must admit I have never played Elixir strings before but this will change soon.

Unfortunately you cannot put your own set together by choosing individual strings. The sets are available in these gauges:

http://www.elixirstrings.com/

Brandy Anderson

2010-12-09T20:32:00.001+01:00

Brandy is actually a photographer. To be more precise: a baby and child photographer in Calgary, AB, Canada.

I made this picture to my favorite in my flickr account last year already. The unity between the big double bass and small little baby is great. You can almost hear the bass, playing slow and low and making it cosy for the little kid.

Brandy is an amazing artist! Check her out here:

http://www.flickr.com/people/tvchicklet/

http://www.freshsugar.com/

Brandy, thank you for allowing me to post this picture on my blog!

Brandi Disterheft

2010-11-29T20:37:00.001+01:00

Finally back to my favorite category: ‘Female Bass Players’.

This time I want to introduce to you Brandi Disterheft. She’s a young Canadian from North Vancouver, born 1980. Her first album “Debut” brought her 2008 a JUNO Award, kinda of a Canadian Grammy. Oscar Peterson notably said about Disterheft, "She has the same lope or rhythmic pulse as my bassist, Ray Brown. She is what we call serious."

Here a ‘video’ taster:

Awesome tune.

Relocating physically

2010-11-13T09:19:00.001+01:00

The date I wrote my last entry here was the last day I played on my basses before the movers arrived. Meanwhile we moved to Munich, Germany in Europe. Yesterday I unpacked my MusicMan MM5 and plugged it into my Boss GT-10B. So, I said to myself this is the right moment to reconnect with you via this blog.

We are settling in well so I guess I will be posting the findings of this new old world.

Breaking balls Sonata – for Vuvuzela

2010-06-20T17:23:00.001+02:00

This is not much related but wanted to share. It’s just too good.

Ashbory, Ibanez and MusicMan

2010-06-12T04:12:00.001+02:00

Sorry. I’m just showing off: My MusicMan StingRay (Ernie Ball, 1999), Ibanez Roadstar II Series (1985) and the Asbory, now by Fender, 2005(?). More details will be shared at some later point. Today it’s all about …showing off :-)

Plutoneium

2010-06-05T14:41:00.001+02:00

I once promised to myself that, no matter what, this blog would be a ‘guitar stuff’-free zone! Today I’m breaking that rule.

I visited my buddies at their Plutoneium Headquarters in Singapore. They just launched an amazing product called the Chi-Wah-Wah: A high quality Wah Wah pedal with a form factor not yet seen in the market.
Primarily targeted at guitar players, but I will check out on bass. I can’t resist.

Todd: co-CEO/CTO of Plutoneium

Their blog shows many of the production steps (never thought about that before). You can download the owner’s manual already.

Slipknot bassist dead

2010-06-02T02:23:00.001+02:00

Police say a hotel employee found the 38-year-old Gray dead on Monday in a room at the Town Plaza Hotel in Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines. Foul play isn't suspected. An autopsy is planned for Tuesday.

Known for its grotesque masks, the band won a Grammy in 2006 for best metal performance for the song 'Before I Forget.' Concert industry trade publication Pollstar ranked Slipknot 18th in its Top 20 Concert Tours list in 2009

aka “No. 2”

A lot of f-words wrapped around a lot of “ya know?”

Basstees.com

2010-05-26T16:10:00.001+02:00

Show it to the world! You can groove with only 4 strings (if you wish). Let them know you’re not a treble maker!

No, I’m not participating in their affiliate program, I don’t even know if they have one. Just thought of getting a tee from their site myself and decided to share you.

Don’t expect haute couture but check it out yourself to see if the claim on their website is true:
“Your #1 "On-Line" Source for Bass Apparel”

http://www.basstees.com/product.html

Btw, please feel free to click on the links provided by AllPosters.com and Google Ads. The quality is really good. Most of the content or offers are relevant to bass players and it helps me to pay a few bills related to this blog. Thanks.

Headless Bantam

2010-05-18T05:50:00.000+02:00

Almost forgot that I used to play a Washburn Headless Bantam (because I could not afford an original L-Series Steinberger). It was easy and fun to play but not playable without a strap. Too tiny to rest on your lap. I loved this bass but I sold it for a beer or two, I think.

Me and the amazing Alex Haas.

The sound was crisp with a bunch of nice highs. The thin low end though, always forced me to fumble with the EQ of my Trace Elliott. I still have this one, in storage unfort…

Fender Jazz Bass turns 50!

2010-05-14T09:39:00.001+02:00

Congratulations! The Fender Jazz Bass turns 50 in 2010. Details and very interesting facts about the ‘J-Bass’ can be read here:

The Jazz Bass® Guitar: A History and Appreciation

Scroll down to see my baby or click here, if you don’t see the posting on this page.

Female Bass Players

2010-05-08T14:51:00.000+02:00

It’s time to introduce a new category to my blog: Female Bass Players.
To start off: L-dia.

The first time I heard about Lydia Kaboesj (I guess that’s her surname) was when she got the endorsement with Fender end of 2008.

You will have to watch her on YouTube as she has disabled embedding, but respective videos will take you there directly.

She is for sure a traditional funker. Style, lics, sound.

But she grooves, can sing and looks great.

Check her out her YouTube channel or on MySpace. (both very ugly!)

Closing with her own words: “Have fun(k)”

Pathetic Bass Player

2010-04-24T21:05:00.000+02:00

in deed. Nothing to add.

Carbon-14 Dating

2010-02-18T20:06:00.000+01:00

I must admit that determining the precise production date and location of my beloved Fender Jazz Bass was not as complicated and expensive as a paleontological carbon-14 dating process.

Non the less, it took me 26 years, 1 month and 9 days to finally reveal the accurate age of one of my favourite instruments. And, I must be frank, it’s not that I needed more than the two and a half decades to discover how to determine the age of the bass. I knew it all the time! But never bothered…

According to the serial number and Fender’s database the production date of my J-Bass was between 1982 – 1987. Made in USA.

But today, I had the strong urge to unscrew the neck and search for the ultimate answer!

No more guessing:

(I bought it 1984, I think June or July,
before going on tour with the band)

And then I discovered this signature. Is this the person who assembled my beauty over 26 years ago?

Mr I. Torres I would like to shake your hand.

How to fold an acoustic bass?

2009-07-02T01:47:00.000+02:00

the easiest way would be to set a chainsaw on the bass, once vertically and once horizontally and you’re done. The result fits a regular tennis bag but is, unfortunatelly, irreversible. What you made fit in the sports bag will never again sound warm, rich and low.

Charlie Chadwick found a better way and it took him 4 years to develop it to (near, IMHO) perfection. I guess most of this time was spend on making the individual pieces stick together and sound like a double bass again.

The Worlds Most Expensive Basses

2009-06-21T20:19:00.000+02:00

I was randomly browsing local news today when I came across this article about an old violin. The violin was crafted by J.B. Guadagnini in Milan in 1750. A singaporean violinist has the chance to play it until May 2011 – the instrument is a loan and worth US$430,000. If you are interested in the full story go here.

Having seen this price tag one question came to my mind: how much is the most expensive bass I can find?

Funny that the most expensive bass I found on the internet directed me to Germany, to Jens Ritter. There are no price tags on his website, but I found a few price ranges on the net. The Ritter Royal Flora Aurum for example is available for about $100.000 (US$).

Let me list a few of the features:

Floral Pattern Fingerboard Inlay made of massive 24Carat Gold
Every single Inlay-Leaf is decorated with a Black Diamond (set in Platinum)
The Bridge, the Tuner Buttons and the Knobs are handcast in massive Gold
2 flawles Brillant-Cut Diamonds (3,3ct) are placed on top of the 2 Knobs
Tiny green Brillant-Cut Diamonds serve as Knob Position Marks
The handshaped Body is made of a one piece Highest Figured Quilted Maple
The Nut is made of at least 10000 years old Mammoth Ivory

Record

2009-05-22T01:59:00.000+02:00

I remember when I installed Reason, the virtual studio rack from swedish company Propellerhead, for the first time. It was in 2000 or 2001 I think. I was thrilled by the concept and the thinking behind the software and I loved pushing the tab button on my keyboard to turn around the effect rack and the see the patch cables gently swing. But I was also dissapointed when I did not discover any capabilities for recording audio tracks beyond short snippets for the samplers.

In my dreams I saw the missing link between Reason and my perfect music suite.

Now my dream seems to come true! The first stage of materialization comes in form of a beta version. I hope to be able to put my hands on it soon.

Technorati Tags: DAW,Propellerhead,Record,RobTheMob

Cubase 5 – The launch

2009-05-01T11:58:00.000+02:00

I attended the Cubase 5 launch event somewhere in the SMU building here in Singapore, last weekend, Saturday. I mean, I really was not expecting a mega happening with paparazzi and rainbow press and so on. But I was a little surprised about how cozy this was. I think I spotted around 80 others besides me in a mini auditorium on the 4^th floor.

The first 45 minutes or so (I arrived a bit belated) was all about giving awards and decorations to distributors, dealers and partners which actually revealed that among those estimated 80-something attendees at least 20 – maybe 30 – where not end users like me.

There was this guy; I think his name was Ivan. He did the first part of the product presentations and I guess he was Australian telling from his comments. He used many audio examples from the movie ‘Kung Fu Panda’ which was one of his last big projects (I hope I got this right).
Boy! He really knew the product in and out! Not an employee to Steinberg or Yamaha (which now owns Steinberg), but a freelancer and top expert.

After the break with poor catering a Steinberg support engineer took the stage, well I should rather say he took the table. And then the show began! It started with a music project that simply wouldn’t load. The 8 to 10 minutes felt like ages! And then the notebook denied any further interaction with hardware, software or human --> reboot!

Meanwhile Ivan stood up and asked for questions. I asked if Steinberg is sticking to the dongle protection or if end users like me (and the few others) could finally enjoy a new, more modern, method of copy protection. The answer was, in something I think to have identified as an Aussie accent, a ‘no’ followed by the advice to pore it in concrete so I don’t lose it otherwise your screwed. Thanks Ivan!

A few more questions from dealers about Edu-versions and stuff and the notebook was up and running again. Cubase and the project loaded smoothly. What then happened was a Déjà-vu of 1000 times before. But instead of me I see this professional from Steinberg talking half to himself and half to the spectators: “why can’t I hear anything?”. A live ‘demonstration’ of all possible drop down menus followed. Then again a click on the play button: “Man, nothing is coming out, but everything is fine!” (Exactly what I use to say). “It worked fine yesterday in Malaysia” (I also say that a lot) ? I was thinking “Ivan, where are you?”

I decided to leave the event and took a CD on my way out. No, no demo version or trial (dissapointed!). The most interesting document on that CD, “What’s New on Cubase5”, is now on my Skydrive

Technorati Tags: Cubase,Steinberg,RobTheMob,Yamaha,DAW,Harddisk recording,home studio

No Hotel Lobbies

2009-04-21T02:08:00.000+02:00

My days with Rhythm Asia are over. Although I would love to continue playing music with that bunch the goals that they, as a band, are seeking is something I will not be able to support. And therefore it is not fair to continue and steal their precious rehearsal time. Their aim is to perform 3 to 4 times a week in hotels. Sad that the music market in Singapore is too small to support acts with original compositions.

I don’t have the pressure to have to earn money with music (which clearly classifies my as non-professional musician) so I will visit S.O.F.T. more often now. Mainly the category “RobTheMob is looking for 1 or 2 guitarists with voice to perform his stuff – which is being written as we speak” will be browsed intensively. Well, I will have to search for that category first. May take a while.

Technorati Tags: RobTheMob,Roberto,Bass,Singapore

Victos’s Amazing Grace

2009-04-05T10:45:00.000+02:00

I love this clip! I don’t know how many time I have viewed this. May not be the most spectacular solo of Victor Wooten ( I was lucky to see him together with Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke performing as SMV at The Esplanade in Singapore ) but …ah! just watch it and you’ll understand.

Filthy neck!

2009-03-17T12:05:00.000+01:00

I havn't cleaned any of my bass guitar since I arrived here in Singapore in 2006. To be honest, I have no clue when I did that for the last time.

When I first removed the strings I saw the marks of the last few years. Since about one and half years I play (almost) daily. Most of the times I grab my MusicMan StingRay then some other times I play my Fender Jazz. The rosewood neck of the Fender hides the disgusting filthiness accumulated on the neck. The maplewood neck of the StingRay reveals it all, shamelessly!

Before and after

long way to go.

Nelly did take care of his Palomar (only the body) what he loved. Actually I must thank him since it was him breaking his E-string that made me decide to go for a "all or nothing" and clean and restring 2 basses and one guitar.

Nelly git-tech

About 60 frets later everything looked shiny and I now just had to wait for the all natural almond oil to dry overnight.

WAIT! What about my Ibanez Roadstar II Series (RB850 from 1985) that I have in the office? Well, I guess I'm not done yet...

Me, the setup artist

2009-03-07T23:02:00.000+01:00

...maybe. I have decided to put my own hands on my StingRay, but this time not for playing the instrument but fixing it, clean it, adjust it, set it up, restring it.

As I said a few days ago here in this blog the last time tried to acomplish this by myself lead to a complete f**k up of my bass and the repair store had more work to do (and I had a higher bill to pay).

After browsing the net for advise I found a pretty good Electric Bass Guitar Setup Guide on TuneMyBass.com

Reinforced by this support I will give it a try in the next few days. Stay tuned!

Technorati Tags: bass,bass setup,StingRay,Musicman,Roberto,RobTheMob

5-String Bass. Which one?

2009-02-25T23:28:00.000+01:00

Last weekend I had the chance to play 2 really nice basses. In fact I'm looking for a 5-stringer so I was automatically attracted by this sweet pair in the window of a music shop in the Bras Basah Complex (forgot the name, again) (it's not the big one ;-).

Unfortunately it was so loud in the shop that I could not test properly but they sure felt good in my hands.

I know basses that "sing" but these two talked to me very clearly: "buy me, buy me!". Conflict!

You can see the specs here on the Fender.com webpage. Marcus Miller V5 5-String Bass. Victor Bailey Jazz Bass V.

SexShop's Toxxi in Singapore

2009-02-23T22:55:00.000+01:00

What a nice week I had. Toxxi the bass player of the powerful punk'n roll band from Munich was in Singapore for a week. I was lucky enough to meet him a few times during his stay here and share a few beers (preferred Guinness draught) while interviewing him.I will not reproduce any of the interviews here due to the delicate topics we discussed and the special language that was used to visualize certain things, sorry. ;-)

Official Logo

Homepage: http://www.sexshop-home.com/main.htm

Spörm, Phil & Toxxi

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sexshopmusic

The Heartbeat of the Buena Vista Social Club

2009-02-10T22:37:00.000+01:00

"As a bass player, I think of myself as a colchon (a pillow) – always there, supporting everything that is happening, always there for the soloists to fall back on,"

"I never stopped playing, because it's important to keep my fingers supple,"

"I remember once I was playing with the orchestra and I had to appear on the country music TV programme 'Palmas y Cañas (Palms and Sugar Cane). So as soon as the orchestra was finished I jumped in a taxi with my bass in my D.J. and before I knew it I was playing on the set. The orchestra had a visiting conductor from abroad and as chance would have it, he happened to see the programme and the next day at rehearsal he said to me, Was that you I saw playing yesterday evening on the TV? and I said Yes. And he was astounded, and kept asking me, How can you play such different styles? And I told him, I always have!"

"When I played with Orchestra Riverside I had to follow the style of the pianist. Cuban music is very syncopated and he played wild, unexpected, dissonant chords which we call moña. In a sense music making is all listening and watching."

" It's a matter of not leading or going ahead and yet responding immediately to all changes however small. On the one hand the bass line gives everything cohesion and makes it all work, so you maintain the bass line like a time line; on the other you respond to the inspiration of whoever has the melody which depends very much on their personal style. With Rubén I can see it from the way his hands move and sometimes he gives me a look or a move of the head. When he is really moving he likes a lot of bass so you get this bass-piano dynamic. With Omara there's lots of fílin: she gives me a phrase, I respond and she gets inspired against that. She plays a lot with rhythm, one minute she moves slightly behind then in front, moving around my line. With Ibrahim it is different again."

Cuban bassist Orlando “Cachaito” Lopez died Monday, February 9, 2009 in a Havana hospital.

Cachaito's MySpace

Practice environment

2009-02-09T22:42:00.000+01:00

I'm happy with my current practice environment. It's compact, it's flexible by all means and it sounds very good!

It consists of 5 components:

1) Roland MiniCube Bass RX (bass Amp)
2) Boss GT-10b (effect processor)
3) Roland RC-20 (looper)
4) AKG 271 (Headtphones)
5) Zune (MP3 player)

This is the right set of tools I need when I have to learn cover songs (Zune/Amp) or when I compose my own tunes (MiniCube/RC-20) or when I just want to fool around with crazy sounds and rhythms (GT-10b/RC-20).

The GT-10b also has a built-in looper but with only 1 non-permanent bank of max 38 seconds it is ok if you want to check some effects like delay or long reverbs or to work on voicings. But when composing and arranging I feel better having 11 banks and over 5 minutes at my disposition which is what the old RC-20 has to offer. More details soon...

Headphones, Zune & amp

2 loopers

Like Father, like son

2009-02-02T23:14:00.000+01:00

Father: Big black MusicMan StingRay.
Son: Small sparkling red Palomar.

Just trying to make it easier to the yunger members of the family to 'touch' music. At the moment it is looking more like this

I bet Iggy Pop looked like this in his early days ;-)

Rhythm Asia

2009-01-26T23:24:00.000+01:00

Here a few pictures of "Rhythm Asia". Drums, guitar, keyboards, vocals and me (bass).

GT-10B

2009-01-17T23:38:00.000+01:00

I'm not a fan of Multi-Effect Processors. I prefer single pedals, specially those from EBS! But for my current job with "Rhythm Asia" this big floorboard from BOSS offers the flexibility I need.

The possibilities are ad infinitum! Check the manual if you want to know more (or all).

So far it sounds very good but I haven't tested it live which will prove how good this thing really is.

Happy Birthday Motown!

2009-01-11T00:26:00.000+01:00

Motown may be the most famous label on this planet. Although it's known for its past, long gone, it's good to know that it's still there after 50 years! Congratulations!

Read here a short summary of the history of Motown Records. You should know all the names quoted there. If you do, yes, you are old! (I know them all...)

Bass: I can't think of any other record label that influenced bass playing styles so much and yet owes so many world hits to groovy and funky bass lines. I'm sure many of them will be featured in Motowns' "M50" podcast series.

Little Cube

2009-01-09T00:49:00.000+01:00

I got myself a Roland MicroCube Bass RX. A mini bass amp if you want.

'Wow' is the only thing I can say. I'm really impressed what this small little cube produces and the richness of features (Chorus, Phaser, Delay, Reverb, Octaver, 6 amp simulations, compressor, tuner and a beat box).

To be clear: You will not 'survive' with the MicroCube in a real session or with a drummer. But for a spontaneous impro or office jam (yes, this happens more often than you may think) this is prefect. The best use for me though is as a practice amp. The features may not be world class but good enough to be fun and make you play longer than you would without it.

Post #1

2009-01-01T21:07:00.000+01:00

there are 3 reasons why you should start a blog: your are passionate about something, your are a subject matter expert, others will care about what you have to say.

In my case:
The subject matter expert: I would rather say that I'm still in "learning mode". Since 30 years! So maybe not an expert but for sure a lot of experience.

Others will care: Not being native English speaking makes it a little bit more difficult. Some posts I make may be unintentionally funny (and I won't even notice) others will be simply wrong (although absolute correct in my mind). Bear with me.
There are people, musicians, mainly in Europe that are interested it the music scene here in Singapore. And there are people, musicians, in Singapore interested on how I, vicarious for others, perceive the local music space.

Passionate: This one is easy. Playing bass, writing, composing and arranging music, performing live and in recording studios, jammin' sessions and checking out music stores is a basic need to me. Full stop. The only thing that comes close to this level of passion is my love for a good espresso!

But hey! I don't have to justify anything here. This is the Internet, this is my blog, I can do what I want
:-)

Cheers
RobTheMob

me and my '83 Fender Jazz