The Last Bass Outpost

Philip Sayce is a very cool guy and he can PLAY!

Re: the SRV/Kenny G comment ...... that's funny - and it couldn't be farther from the truth .... I'm just shaking my head over here       

Well, I for one dig Ben Harper and that was some fine bass playing. Definitely my kind of funk ..... I like the more greasy stuff than the fusion side of things. Re: Funk in general - to each his own. IMO, saying you love funk is like saying you love Rock. It's really too broad a spectrum. So - I propose we get this thread back on track. What is it about funk that draws you to it?

For me - like I said - I like the greasy stuff. Fusion-y, rock-funk does nothing for me. I get off listening to a bassist lay down a funky groove like Juan did in that clip and solo with SOUL. There's really nothing he did there that was rocket-science but what he played was melodic and it was a nice mix of slap and finger-style funk. He really reminds me of Johnny B. Gayden (Albert Collins' bassist for years). Anyway - my attraction to the style is in the fact that it's a great opportunity for the bass to be way out front in the music, it's soulful and it's one of the few styles where slap can be dominant but the bassist can be just as expressive playing finger-style.

That's because the bass was played by a session bassist.

Yup, I read that ..... I'm talking about his live stuff .... backups, bassplaying, choreography - ya gotta admit, the guy was pretty entertaining. And it was him playing bass on all the live stuff.

I like the one with that sexy little number sitting on the elephant and it's trunk is slowly snaking it's way up her ...... oh shit! ...... there's my inside voice again!

Gonzo! Good to see you mate!

Due to the fact that I'm doing mostly small clubs and medium sized shows with a heavy emphasis on Upright, I'm thinking of revamping the entire rig. I'm looking for something a little lighter, more versatile, compact and portable. I have some ideas the direction to go in but ......... suggestions? Here's what I've got right now:

Practice Amp/Upright gigs - Fender Sidekick 60B SS combo
Medium venues - Ampeg SVTIII head into a single 300W Yorky 1x15
Bigger gigs - Racked Ampeg SVTIII preamp into Yammy pwr amp into single 300W Yorky 1x15

The direction I want to go in is to sell the Fender combo, the SVTIII head and the Yorky 15 and go to the following:

Practice Amp/Upright gigs/Small to Med. venues - GB Shuttle 3.0 (or 6.0?) into a single 8 ohm 12"
Medium to bigger gigs - Racked Ampeg SVTIII preamp into Yammy pwr amp into 2, 12" 8 ohm cabs

The questions for me right now are:

1) What 12" cabs to get? I've researched Avatar, GB, Traynor and Markbass ..... so far (pricewise), it looks like a toss-up between Avatar and Traynor BUT I haven't tried either. My big concern is buying sight unseen (single 12" cabs aren't real popular in these here parts). How will a single 12" sound with an Underwood-equipped Upright? With my Jazz and Precision basses?
2) What's up with the Shuttle? I'm hearing really good things about them but I've also seen a class-D head by Carvin for a little less that's getting good reviews too ...... and I'd really like to know if the tube in the Shuttle 6.0 makes it really that much better than the 3.0. OR, should I just look at keeping the head and replacing the single 15 with 2, 12" cabs ...... ?

Ugh. Now I know why I've stuck with my rig for so long. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm too freakin' old to be lugging around all this gear, I wouldn't change a thing but I REALLY need to downsize. So .... any and all feedback you can give me on 12" cabs and the various makes of class-D heads would be GREATLY appreciated - in particular, the ones mentioned above.

Yeah ..... me too. Statute of limitations, you know .....
 

Pretty much the entirety of Bob Marley's "Babylon by Bus" - puts a perma-grin on my face every time!