Leaderboard

Wind back five years and you’ll hopefully understand why this bass is as special to me as it is.... In Feb 2013 I was diagnosed with a massive tumour on my right kidney. It was at Stage 3 due to the size (an unbelievable 9.5kgs!) and I was told by the surgeon that it they didn’t operate soon it would kill me one way or another. On Thursday last week, I was given the good news that I had no signs of recurrence and that they were leaving it to me whether I wanted to continue under observation; in short they were happy for me to be discharged. To get to the 5 year milestone was something I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to, so to say I’m relieved is an understatement! After a few tears (something in my eye) my wife told me to treat myself and knew I’d been hankering after one of these: who was I to refuse! After an early morning start I picked this up from Bass Direct on Saturday. The guys kindly restrung it with TI Flats and it really is the best Fretless I have owned. It is more special to me than words can adequately convey. Here it is:

Gibson: how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways. Here's the new 'Modern V' - apparently a new take on the 1967 V OK, not all bad, you think. You look closer and see a list price of $4499. Ouch! But - still - there's something about it that intrigues you. Then you discover it's got a richlite (compressed paper and resin) fingerboard. Alright, Martin use richlite on their cheaper (but still nice) acoustics. And you know that at least one reasonably well-known luthier's refretted a richlite board and pronounced it acceptable. But Richlite on a four-and-a-half grand guitar? Even so, the look still tugs at you. It's one of the less butt-ugly models Gibson have put out recently. Unique, almost. Then - being of a certain age - you dimly remember the Jackson Roswell Rhoads which first came out in the 1990's. Wow, must be worth a fortune, right. Secondhand Roswell went for just under £700 on Reverb just before Xmas. Another one went on the bay for £1500. So, $4499 for a slightly less-than-unique V mash-up with a richlite board. Thanks, Gibson. Thank you so very f**king much.

The problem I had gigging with Hitler was he was always booking shows hundreds of miles from home, usually in the dead of winter. Getting back was often a nightmare; we'd be on the road, up to our nuts in snow and he'd just swan off on the train with his mates. It all started well enough; touring the continent, big crowds, good money. Then we took on too much work and the quality began to slide; eventually he'd call band meetings then just ramble on about 'the future' even though we weren't getting the gigs anymore. It all collapsed when he suddenly told us he didn't want to carry on and that he was more interested in marrying his girlfriend. I'd do it all again, mind you.

Of course mate, especially in the jazz venues ;-)

Still my favourite looking bass. A super rare Hamer Impact neck through, from the 90's..

Unfortunately nowadays "Made In America" for mass produced instruments mostly means overpriced, for the build quality.

Oh my, they are lovely. Very nice @ped As soon as the new bass arrives, I will certainly post a few pics. I'm super excited and have always wanted a purple bass and like you, I have never seen an EXCESS 5 in purple but I have seen an ARPEGE V 5 string. I have attached the picture below. It is stunning

Hmm. I can see one of those in my future soon. I don't think I've seen a purple one, so look forward to pics of that... Inspired by your picture, I just opened a bottle of '65 and gave mine a polish!!

That is beautiful @Snarf I love that finish and colour. I have attached a picture of my no.1 and when my new Excess 5 arrives in purple this time, I'll post it then. Enjoy and this has turned in to my new fave BC thread ha ha ha ha ha ha

I play very lightly, I can play very fast too. It's just practice, ergonomics. I find that if you're 'digging in', then where can you go when you need to move up a gear?

Excellent - I'm tempted to bring one of my old Arpege basses to the show after I missed the chance of showing it to Patrice himself a few years ago. I showed him a picture of it and he said 'Thank you for looking after it' which I thought was pretty legendary.

Before anyone else mentions it: Scott Walker and Sunn 0)))

As I said up top - EQ pedal. Gain reduction.. with buffer in front of first pedal...

I didn't vote because it makes little difference. Go with the one that is lighter and/or the one you most like the look of. Then make sure your electrics and hardware are top-notch and the neck is a premium product. PS: Go with the maple board.

Generally have a beer or two on stage. Our last gig was at a bar with a huge number of TV screens and I was caught watching the cricket at one point - in my defence it might have been during Sex on Fire.

I find a Pot Noodle fits nicely into my drinks holder on my microphone stand....

My admiration for the organisers of any Bass Bash in the country is immense. Its a big task & you guys have my gratitude. I will always try to attend & support as it is the best fun to be a Bass Basher! The South West Bashes (my local) have been great & very well organised by members Yorks5stringer, then Jimrs2k & now taken on by Scrumpymike. Last years was the biggest yet that I have attended, onward to this years Big Fat South West Bass Bash on 8th April 2018!

Remember this? David Paton on the bass we don't mention....

Looks to me like a supreme level of skilled craftsmanship and incredible attention to detail was needed to create that instrument. Shame really then that to me it also looks bleedin orrible! A bit like if you'd gotten Leonardo Davinci to paint you a picture of a Ann Widdecombe in a string bikini.

Bass Heaven - Finally bringing home from the shop the bass you've been dreaming of for months and plugging it in for the first time Bass Hell- The following day when you're bored of it and already looking for something else.

Hi All, A friend and I have created a website with lessons, playthroughs, arrangements, acoustic and electric band covers and more. TABs/scores for any song can be downloaded for free (by creating a free account). Here is the link for the bass videos http://ez-song-lessons.com/bass/ although you can find videos for guitar, ukulele, drums etc. too. Here is our YouTube channel if you prefer this media https://www.youtube.com/c/ezsonglessons and our bass cover playlist We have a Facebook page too! https://www.facebook.com/ezsonglessons/ Hope you enjoy the material. Feedback and suggestions are welcome. Many thanks, Antonis EZ Song Lessons

Yes, there it is - on Shaggy's head.

No argument from me. Anyone who's never owned one is deluded!

Ok...but only on condition that if you get a used MS-60B and resell it at a profit I get a 25% cut of the profits. Besides this YOUR thread has got me seriously thinking about getting a MXR 108S, so it would be entirely fair to blame you for that right?

The Internet.

That`s about it for me too. If I turn up louder and play lighter the sound just isn`t the same.

Not TV, but I've spent a gig watching the limiter display 😰

In the 70s we would rehearse stoned, gig stoned and do everything else stoned. The audiences would be stoned, too. In fact most people were stoned, all the time. Or at least that's what it seemed like!

Yes Ive seen these. I think this will be my most likely route. Though I recently picked up one of those cheapo Donner fuzz pedals as a back up, and I have occasionally been using that instead of my EHX BBM.

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I never bother with a drink on stage anymore. At best it will be ignored, forgotten and warm by the end of the set. At worst someone will knock it over.

Maybe next time I'll iron my sheets

Silly question but have you considered its the pre amp not working? It wouldn't have killed your pedals if they still work.

So I've taken delivery of my sexy new Excess, and I've got to say it is immense. I test drove it during a rehearsal this weekend and it's earth destroyingly loud with a seriously tight butt. The low B is really great - possibly the clearest I've played on a bass. I'm totally smitten, to the point that I'm actually considering flogging a load of my other stuff as it won't get played anymore! The factory setup is spot on, I haven't needed to tweak anything apart from the pickup height a bit. It's so freaking easy to play it's insane, and the neck feels super silky smooth, with contours that fit very nicely in my hand. I've taken some snaps but to be honest my crappy phone doesn't really do it justice. If anyone happens to be going to the Guitar Show in Birmingham this weekend, I'll have it on the Hi Tech Distribution stand - you're welcome to come and have a go!

I don't eat or drink anything on stage. Usually, with the bands I play in, there is no time (dead space) between songs. I've been in bands who like to take it easy during the set and have a drink, a chat and a joke amongst themselves. I always hated that. IMO we are here to entertain so we should be socialising off stage.

Of course. It’s the law

Thanks guys, I go by many names!

I prefer Alder or Ash! In all seriousness I am of the opinion that the neck, and in particular the fingerboard wood makes the biggest overall contribution to the dynamic of the instrument.

Oh, I forgot to mention - The Script are in the Arena today, and needed the hall to be clear by 2am this morning. Our gig finished at 11pm, giving the crew - who'd basically worked non-stop all weekend - about three hours to strike the hall. Three hours to get all that out, including the backstage village and the huge amounts of kit you can't see in the photos. And they managed it. Those lads and lasses are total legends.

This fella is 1st go to, somewhere between 200/300 gigs. It's seen SEI's, Sadowskys, Alembics, Ricks, Status, Am Deluxes all come & go. But obviously, as many tell us, it's a crap Mex

Definition: Bass Bash is a term used for a day hiding from your so-called loved ones (family) to spend with your true love ones (instruments) and other like minded individuals in a secret location known only to those who play the aforementioned gear and frequent these forums. There are the odd exceptions, Happy Jack/ Bluejay, Grangur and Mrs Grangur, and Silverfoxnik & Hamster whose lovely wives (only one each) support these events with copious cups of tea and cakes. However, normally they are populated by sad old gits who want to talk about a subject (The Bass guitar and equipment) that no other band member or "normal" member of society can even bear to. Along with the attendees, you will find some beautiful examples of the luthiers' art which are available for the aforementioned sad old gits to try and discuss at their leisure. Other features of Bass Bashes are seminars and gear trials, (seemingly) never ending Raffles, and of course a great review by our own Bluejay which is generally better than the event itself. Stay tuned to the "Events" thread for details of your next/nearest one.

I think you’ll find that quavers in the real world are a processed food snack flavoured with cheese.

Got one on order with the new SL-2

This is just based on my personal experience and I'm in no way disparaging EUBs, but unless you absolutely don't have the space, I'd go straight for a DB. EUBs definitely have their place and you might get one at a later date if you need the portability, but the satisfaction of getting a sound out of a big acoustic instrument is hard to beat.