Joey,
 
Obviously I'm from a different league than the man you've asked and don't own a SII bass, so for what it's worth: I've been using a Spirit Folio Notepad for practice at home and for rehearsals for some 10 years now. Bought it unheard based on a review in a recording mag that A/B-ed it with a big Soundcraft board and wrote they were unable to hear much difference..... [maybe that's why the mag went out of print ;-)]
 
The Notepad sounds great with all my 3 basses (custom Jazz with Activators, fretless F-bass BNF 5 str and Alembic JJ Signature 5 with Anniversary electronics) both on AKG headphones as well as on high volumes (1000W 3-way system). Just straight into the 1/4 jack (no DI), really sweet EQ (bass 100Hz & treble 10kHz) and no noise added unless you really crank the 10Khz EQ or need to go past 7 on the preamp input gain (with an Alembic, by then you'll be overdriving the input stage).
 
The Folio Notepad is discontinued but Soundcraft have several successors using the same preamp. I think they even come with a sweepable mid EQ and and Lexicon effects now.
 
Take care, RR

Thanks Jimmy and Reinier:
 
I'm afraid I'm out of the business of driving amp rigs (giant or not) other than trying to build a nice bedroom rig.  Jimmy, I forgot my own oft-quoted maxim that there's always a gulf between typical gig gear and true hifi, studio gear.  You don't get that for baby mixer, $200 price range stuff.  Thanks for reminding me.
 
I'm just at a point where I can NOT find anything (yet) that sounds transparent to me, I'm afraid I have much investigating to go.
 
And thanks for the Soundcraft tip, RR.
 
J o e y

I came across this video of Jimmy with Allan & Gary. Very tasty stuff! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLPsSo8G8P8&feature=related
 
Jimmy, I know you don't like watching yourself, but your fans will love this! You are an amazing player with an equally amazing sound! Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge & experience with us & for inspiring us to try to attain higher levels in our craft!
 
Rusty

Rusty,
 
Thanks for the kind words.  Yes, hard for me to listen to live stuff, harder still to watch it - oh sheesh!  I've been trying to solo on that tune for about 26 years and it still twists me around...  Great fun trying though!  And the other two characters in that trio are such unique and unusual musical voices...  I've been very lucky over the years to be able to play with so many talented folks!
 
Thanks again,
Jimmy J

Hey Jimmy,
 
It didn't look like it twisted you around too bad! Your playing is so smooth & effortless, the notes flow from your fingers with the ease of the breaths that you take! Yes, you have been lucky to play with some amazing musicians over the years, but they have been equally as lucky to have played with you! Since you don't like to listen to your own playing, the real lucky ones are those of us who love listening to your playing!! It's an honor to share this board with you! Thanks for the reply!
 
Rusty

Only a month to go. Can hardly contain myself. :-)
 
Graeme

Hey Graeme,
So you're looking forward to some slow and low bass notes, huh?  Haha!  Chad Wackerman is playing kit with us this season so you get to hear the two of us in an entirely different setting than our last visit...  Landau on guitar, Goldings keys, McCuller, Markowitz and Zonn on BG vocals.  Plenty of great songs to choose from so it should be a nice show.  
I'm looking forward to it too!
Seeya soonish,
Jimmy J

Hi, in case anyone is interested, I transcribed Jimmy's bass solo on Dodgy Boat.
 
About the whole piece, it would be interesting to know how the original timing was conceived, because the chord timings at the very beginning may be interpreted in many different ways.
Would you shed some light Jimmy?
 
Gabriele.

Hey Gabriele,
 
Sure, I'd be curious to see your take-down, can you post a link here?  I have the advantage of knowing what I was TRYING to play so it can be interesting to see what other people actually hear.
 
As far as the rhythmic twist in the head, yes, slightly open to interpretation...  You'd need to confirm this with Steve Hunt (the composer) but here is what I think is happening:
If you count in quick 1/4 notes there are two bars of drums before bar 1.  Then bar 5 is a 6/4 bar broken into triplets (18x3) which are grouped 2-4-4-4-4.  The first 2 of those are silent and the chords fall on the following groups of 4s.  Make sense?  Husband's drum fill leading into that bar makes it even crazier.  
 
Nice tune!
Jimmy J
 
(Message edited by jimmyj on June 11, 2011)

Here you go with the two pages:
 
http://www.sonicle.com/gbulfon/flim/Dodgy%20Boat%20-%20Bass%20Solo_0001.jpg
 
http://www.sonicle.com/gbulfon/flim/Dodgy%20Boat%20-%20Bass%20Solo_0002.jpg
 
You can find my view of the tricky part at the end of your solo, on page 2, where infact I couldn't find a good notation for your wonderful passage, that sounds more triplets, but I found no other way to put it into paper  
 
We were reharsing Dodgy Boat last night with the band, and we've been listening to the tricky passage many times, to find a common way to think of it (everyone was finding it's own desperate view!). At last, what you see on the score is what I find it easier!
 
Amazing solo, JJ, amazing and melodrome

I was trying to figure out your 18x3, that I find a little bit obscure...but I remember to be convinced almost with the same idea: 6/4.
My original idea was (I write bass notes):
 
x x G x - x Ab x x - F x x Gb - x x E x | x x x x - x x x x
 
That is 4/4 + 2/4 drum fill.
 
But then, the drummer reharsing with me, pointed out that there was something more tricky, and asked to listen better.
We listened....and infact, the feel was that something was missing...
The ending E sounds like a beat 1, expecially because of the drum fill of 2 quarters, starting exactly on E!
That's why I ended up with taking out 2 1/16, making E the new bar start, becoming a 7/8 bar.
 
x x G x - x Ab x x - F x x Gb - x x | E x x x - x x x x
 
 
Anyhow, the drummer vision was totally different, not counting in beats but in tuplets....still have no idea how he feels it

Hey Jimmy, great to hear that Chad is on this tour, I've always liked his groove so look forward to hearing his treatment of the JT songbook, Gadd's shoes are tough to fill (as are Carlos Vega's) but I'm sure Chad will cope admirably.
Really looking forward to the gig
Jake

Thanks for the kind words Gabriele.  That's a wild take-down, I'll try to look closer at it later.  Meanwhile, the bar in question may vary slightly over the course of the piece because (we're not machines and) I don't think we played this to click.  Here is how I would notate where the bass notes fall.  And YES, the E is meant to be the downbeat of the next bar:
 
 
(Message edited by jimmyj on June 11, 2011)

ug, bad poster... try again
 
(Message edited by jimmyj on June 11, 2011)