lozbass

As far as I know, Clive is a re-finish expert (specialising in reliced finishes) rather than a builder. Also, as far as I'm aware, he's based in Ripon. He's notoriously difficult to contact and has a very long waiting list. His work is also very expensive - but very good from what I've seen. If you're really serious about a pre-CBS type P with 5 strings, take a look at Alleva Coppolo - Jimmy is receiving extraordinary plaudits for his work. Some say his basses are the closest you'll get to an old Fender but in a 5 string version. I've only played his 4s but they are quite something to behold.

Some impressively detailed, intelligent and nuanced arguments here, but hasn't all this been done to death? Edit: 'thinking again, I suppose not judging by the number of posts...

Alembic warn of the problem with the company's instruments and suggest that a minor dress of the fret ends might be necessary after around a year from purchase (settling of the fingerboard timbers and changes in climatic conditions are the culprits). It's not a big or expensive job but certainly best left to the professionals - the latter have the tools, jigs, templates etc. Getting the right angle on the fret-end is not a matter of guess-work - take too much, or apply too steep an angle and the G (I'm assuming the sharp frets are at the G side of the board - this is usually the case) and the string will slip easily from board

A bit of an update from a previous post - Fender Jazz outgoing and blue Alleva in to complement the 3TS - these really are very close twins (Edit: oops - sorry for tiny pictures - full versions available in AC Gear Porn thread - pages 5 and 12 I think)

[quote name='Paul S' post='748811' date='Feb 17 2010, 07:07 PM']Hiscox STD-EDP extra large bass case would do it, and that's around £80 delivered. I fitted my fat-arsed Washburn Scavenger into one. Ask nicely and they'll give you extra pads, too.[/quote] This is what I was going to suggest - very nice cases indeed and one of the few that will fit a wide-bodied Gibson. I have my Ripper in a custom-build flight case (from the early '80s) but I struggle to pick it up

Daneletro Longhorn - they don't sound great (IMO) but they're incredibly light, super-fast, and good fun. I think they look really cool too. If you win the lottery, I can't recommend an Alembic SC sufficiently highly (and there's a lovely one for sale on BC!)

Here's one - a Celinder (still four strings though)

[quote name='Platypus' post='744713' date='Feb 14 2010, 12:46 PM']Very nice - you must be assembling a good collection of Celinder and Coppolo basses now! P[/quote] Haha, oh yes, it's getting nicely out of hand (oh...and some new and better pics of the Sonic Blue AC on p12 of the Coppolo thread)

A bass I picked up a few months ago - this is around 18 months old (and genuinely one of the nicest basses I've seen or had a chance to play). Not great pics but I'll try to get some more (after promising several BCers for many months)

Oh yes! One of the loveliest basses around in my opinion

Ha - I see 0175westwood29 disagrees on 750 tone - he should know as he's had an Orange (I've only used them, 'never owned one). I suppose I should have indicated tnat it's important to try an Agi for yourself

I have a DB750, not a 751 but can say with some confidence that the latter really doesn't do the Matamp/Orange tone. There's a lot of discussion of the difference between 750/751 over on Talkbass (I suspect the US has many more users than the UK). Just quickly, I believe the 751 has a more tweakable (possibly active) eq with different shelving especially for the mids. It's also slightly cheaper than a 750 - some believe that production costs have been reduced (less hand-building required, some less expensive components, loss of the 'vintage aesthetic'). I really can't comment on tone (different, better, worse) other than to say the core sound of the DB amps is clean, urgent and fat - never really gritty even when driven very hard. Another consideration is cabs - the DBs don't appear to pair particularly well with some very modern, hi-fi cabs (for example, Epifani). Having said that, I use a ul112 and haven't had any problems (at lower volumes)

Just love this - amazing combination with the rosewood, tort and seafoam. I'll try to get along to see this live when it's out gigging again

[quote name='cgordonfreeman' post='738557' date='Feb 7 2010, 10:33 PM']I was impressed with the binding myself. Chris explained to me that in his opinion all Ebony boards should be bound as changes in humidity and temperature can cause fret ends to stick out so to avoid sharp bits binding is needed.[/quote] First, what an absolutely stunning instrument - wow, I've been massively impressed with Chris' work but this is without doubt one of the most aesthetically wonderful examples of his work. Second, on the ebony board, Alembic warn of the fret 'protrusion' possibility and indicate that there's a likelihood that fret ends will need to be filed within about a year of purchase.

[quote name='molan' post='738846' date='Feb 8 2010, 12:20 PM']Nitro sunburst with Dalbergia Negra board is nice too though [/quote] Hahaha...and a low B! Thanks to all for the very kind comments on the Sonic Blue - I'm very chuffed - Sonic is my favourite colour (and colour is always an important factor in the buying decision - they might as well look good 'cause I'm a c**p player!) I'll certainly try to get some better pics of the blue LG4 later in the week

[quote name='Platypus' post='737439' date='Feb 6 2010, 05:50 PM']Gotta love the sonic blue! Is there difference in tone between the two?[/quote] The tone is extremely close between the two - moreso unplugged! I'll have the sonic set-up and re-strung (same strings as those on the 3TS) later in the week and then can make a proper comparison. What is becoming more apparent as I play both ACs is the very even, focused and tight tone: nothing extreme at the top or bottom - almost compressed without using any compression. Apologies for the poor images - we had a bit of sun in Manchester and I hoped to get a couple of half decent shots from the 'phone. I'll try to get something better in a few days. Incidentally, the seller (an extremely nice and helpful guy in the US) provided both a mint guard and a tort. I haven't tried the latter yet but I'll take a look when I get a chance to drop it in (I'll try to get pictures with both).

One of my all-time favourite bass clips - inspired and inspiring - great to watch a true master at work

Really lovely - an absolute classic (and I'm a really big fan of the new Fender - SKB?- case)