All Activity

Yes. This is it for boutique basses. Everyone stop it right now.

Maybe suspended sentence doesn't mean the same thing over there as it does in this colony???? A suspended sentence is your one chance at redemption. If you come up for the same offence within the timeframe set by the first judge then the next judge adds the original sentence to your one for the new offence. Both barrels indeed.

Steinberger Spirit or Hohner B2. Add a strap pin extension and a single ball adapter and you're gold. I've had an XL2 for 38y and B2 and Spirits for nearly as long and they're great, especially the older Hohners. Nothing else will be as compact, cases are easy and cheap (rifle bag) and I've even played mine on a bus as you can play it vertically like an upright.

Aside from my first gigging band when I was 19 - which already had a full set of original songs written by the guitarist - I've been main composer or co-composer in every original band or recording project I've been involved in. I suppose I'm reasonably prolific & have for the most part put bands together, rather than joining them. I've always been open to other people getting involved with writing - but maybe for some musicians it's just easier not to!

I used to be plagued with miscellaneous hum when recording bass or guitar until I discovered the benefits of shielding with anti-slug copper tape. I think I have shielded most/all of my basses now and seen massive improvements in bringing down the ambient noise levels. I believe this really should be a process carried out in the factory — particularly with something expensive like the Ric 4003 which was very succeptible to hum before shielding.

So are a lot of the basses on aliexpress.

Managed to track down some knobs, now it looks like I’ll have to jury rig some new shafts. Oh well, time to fire up the Dremel!

See my build thread - I had the worst time with that stuff. It drinks grain filler like I drink expresso I just painted it on, it drank it. I put some more on …

Hell has a special place for those who meddle with toy basses. Specially trained imps will use your butt for pitchfork target practice and that’s if you’re get off lightly

Only Time Will Tell - Asia or Saga

The 'gold standard' is a link to the exact version. Beware I found an official lyric video and it turned out to be a semitone flat! Annoying but not terminal!

I'd prefer specific versions to included on the list. Actual YouTube versions or mp3's. I've seen people turn up knowing the original studio version only to find they were supposed to be playing the live arrangement from 20 years later!

I had my SR800 wrapped but it was over the original paint so I would agree that the finish needs to be good. It has been on some about 5 years now and still looks great.

Boutique instruments are made by hand. That will never stop!!

Took my bridge off to fix its adjusters....and forgot to mark where it had been. Experimentation time! The usual rule is, I think, to align the middle of the bridge with the f-hole notches... But that sounded rather soft and dull, warm but unexciting. Recalled that on my cello, it's harder to play but has a better tone with the bridge shifted down towards the tail piece ...but that made my bass sound softer and duller. Moving the bridge nearer the fingerboard brightened the tone and improved the attack... Also a bit harsh and "boxy". So back a bit and now it sounds better than ever. Are there any useful rules about where the bridge should go and what effect different placements have on the sound ?... or is every bass different and it's just a matter of experimentation?

Just watched all twelve episodes this past weekend...can't even count how many times I've rewatched Fawlty Towers. Still funny.

To concur with Misdee, I’d say an unusual design made in small numbers. Similar to the term used for hotels really. Fodera don’t make anywhere near the level of a mass produced manufacturer.

Jaydee basses might be shaped similarly to Alembics but in terms of sound they are very different. I seem to remember reading a long time ago that Jaydee pickups are essentially P Bass style split humbuckers in a rectangular case. The Jaydee preamp with bass, mid and treble cut and boost is a million miles away from the Alembic filter system. That said, I remember back in the mid 1980's when Jaydee basses first arrived in the USA that Rick Turner, chief designer of the original Alembic basses and as such eminently qualified to make a judgement, reviewed a Jaydee Supernatural bass in Guitar Player Magazine. He commented on the similarities between Alembic basses and the Jaydee especially in terms of the distinct "pop" of overtones you got on both basses because of their extended frequency range. So maybe they are a bit similar in certain respects.

Plus... I think it makes the bass sound better. If I dont play my dB for a few weeks it seems to stiffen up... A few hours of bow playing and it starts to sing again. Maybe I'm imagining it because it doesn't seem very logical..but it works for me 😁