The Last Bass Outpost

EBS convert here. Top-notch gear all around. If your pedal is anything like their other effects pedals, amps and cabs - you're gold.

....it's still going to be "a Carvin"

There are believers and then there are non-believers. I wasn't convinced Carvin's were anything worth noting until one came up locally. At the time, I was on the hunt for a new bass - something a little more boutique - and this one fit the bill. Fantastic workmanship, great electronics package, looks great, feels great, sound great. I'm sold and would not hesitate to buy another Carvin.

I don't fully understand the benefit of splitting the company into two. Gotta be something tax-related because from a business perspective, the spin the current owners have put on it is BS.

The course is entitled "Introduction to Computer Science" ....... but hey, thanks for posting that!

Dave Matthews is not a prolific song-writer, despite what some may say. He hooked up with some bonafide heavy-weights early on (Stefan Lessard and Carter Beauford) and they attempted to meld Rock, Jazz, Country, Bluegrass, etc. into something new. What resulted sounds almost Zappa-esque to me at times and is all over the map. The material that hit the main-stream is definitely the better written and cohesive of his stuff and has some limited pop sensibility, however. I understand what he`s trying to do I just don`t think the well is very deep. The guys he`s playing with are fantastic players in their own right but they aren`t song-writers either. They prop up his `ok` songwriting with great musicianship. Try as I might - and I have alot of DMB on mp3 - I like only about 15% of his material. I really do want to like more of it but alot of it leaves me cold.

So from the DMB`s perspective, how do you remedy the situation and keep playing? You take what you can get from mainstream radio and turn the DMB into a jam-band ..... fill the void of the Dead. Create a vibe at the shows, market the hell out of it, network, appeal to the demographic with money (Ivy-league college kids, young professionals) and tour, tour, tour. Release something - ANYTHING - once every year or two ..... the minnions will buy it. This he does better than anyone.

I do agree though - non-musicians listen to music with a different set of ears entirely. It`s not just about the songs - it`s about the vibe, the fact that their friends are into the music too, the concert experience, the airplay, the videos ..... there`s alot of variables at play there. Who are we to judge?

Personally, I`d still rather listen DMB than most of what`s on the radio these days and from a players perspective, give me DMB over Lady Gaga, Pink, One Direction or Katy Perry anyday.

If that's true, it would be good news for the Ampeg brand name.

Too true. I've heard nothing but problems with alot of their product line since Loud took over and I'm here to tell you - it's not all hot air. The Ampeg name is not at all what it once was. Case in point - after EXTENSIVE research, I recently pulled the trigger on a PF800. I'd heard that the PF500's had had issues but I'd been assured that the new PF800 series had addressed the problems. What did I end up with? A complete POS that cuts out when pushed - the exact same issues that the rest of the PF line has.

AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!

Ownership by anyone other than LOUD would be a plus in my opinion. Hopefully at some point, the folks at Ampeg will get it through their skulls that any suspect amp topology needs to be eliminated before it ever makes its way to the production line let alone into the hands of consumers. Frustrated with Ampeg a bit, I am.

Well that's one way to finance touring .....

I'm a bit surprised there are so few Steely Dan fans around here.

Ditto. Outstanding musicianship all around. I like what SD did in a Pop context although I was never that excited about their radio-friendly releases. "Aja" was more my speed and in fact, I would count it among my list of desert-island albums if for nothing other than Chuck Rainey's and Steve Gadd's stellar performances.

I see very little difference between what SD were doing in the 70's compared to what Sting was doing in the 80's. They brought together top-notch Jazz musicians for Pop studio recordings with live performances more as an afterthought. With great success, I might add.

Re: Pearl Jam:

..because there's some substance to Pearl Jam. Love 'em or hate 'em, they defined an entire era of popular music and kept playing and growing even when they weren't writing hits and had a definite cultural relevance. Steely Dan is clinically meticulous and polished musically and sonically, but there's nothing there. The songs are pointless pondering. "Are you reelin in the years?" Huh? WTF does that even mean? That's a pretty far cry from "Jeremy spoke in class today." ...even without the video that would never be allowed to air today.

Really?!? I agree that Pearl Jam had a HUGE impact on the music scene but then again, so did Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden and the Foo fighters - all of the same genre, the latter few infinitely more prolific than Pearl Jam IMO. Regardless, to imply that SD's music has no substance ...... maybe you should give it another listen. SD may be lyrically weak to you but I think 40,000,000+ career record sales worldwide speaks for itself.

Sincerely,
Resident Middle-aged limp dick