lozbass

It's always a very personal and subjective view with such extreme basses as the nine string above, and I can't say I'm a massive fan of the design or aesthetic. However, I'm filled with admiration for the technical skill and artistry that has been applied in the construction of the bass. For me, it serves to prove that Martin is one of the very best builders in the world - his work just seems to keep on getting better (a testament to his talent and dedication).

If the bass in Glasgow isn't battered and has no serious issues, it's worth every penny of £200!

i work at the MRI so i'm fairly central most of the time! might take you up on that offer I'm at the Uni so close by (I live just down the road) - you're more than welcome to come along (though I'm not around too much at the moment). Cheers, Lozbass

Whooaahh! Platypus, that is stunning - is it one of the Dalbergia Negra boards that Jimmy was supplying in 2008?

Err...where are you in Manchester - I have a natural '76 (but with maple neck and pearloid blocks), and a Masterbuilt fretless in 2TS (just one layer missing!) - it has an ebony board so you could kind of get the picture. You're welcome to come and take a look when I'm around (but I'm afraid availability is limited). Oops (edit), I have a Sei Jazz in natural ash too - rosewood board with abalone blocks and rosewood binding.

I'm sure bassdoc is right, however, I'll check and confirm this evening: I have a Fender Masterbuilt fretless Jazz (Galuska) built to '64 spec.

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='538146' date='Jul 11 2009, 08:34 PM']I'm about to start mine. Any help would be appreciated. The title: A history of feminism in social work[/quote] I'll do the survey later, however Greeneking - you could do worse than having a look at the work of Sue Wise and Liz Stanley - the former is very strong on the social work aspect, the latter on Feminist and Lesbian epistemology. Right on with the survey... Right - survey done - it looks like market and product development research? Musicman 1: take care with leading questions, assumptions, and missing options.

I think eubassix has a couple of Marleaux Signatures - they are among the most beautiful basses I've seen

[quote name='lozbass' post='537473' date='Jul 10 2009, 08:30 PM']If it's the used (but mint!) one, it used to be mine and I think the top is Amboina[/quote] I shook myself out of laziness and checked - the top is Thuya

Ahh...the Gallery - a wondrous establishment (with some lovely and massively talented staff!). Are you sure the Singlecut was poplar burl? If it's the used (but mint!) one, it used to be mine and I think the top is Amboina - I can't quite remember. It plays absolutely beautifully and the output is/was fine - indeed, it's very even across the range (though, I too think the bass sounds fairly polite - perfect for some situations and tastes and a super bass for fast, jazzy riffing).

Toney - that white Sei/McIntyre just looks so cool! The binding and neck shape make the whole bass look relatively short and compact - a stunning instrument and great to see it being used live

I've just had a very friendly response from Gordon Smith to a recent enquiry - unfortunately, the company is no longer building basses (and hasn't built a bass for a long time). It's the used market then if anybody wants one.

Utterly stunning, I take my hat off to you sir!

I really love cocobolo too - the variation is extraordinary and the grain patterns can be stunning (there's incredible depth to it too when it's properly finished). One big disadvantage is weight - cocobolo is extremely heavy. Another is cost (as Crazykiwi suggests) - a really good, highly figured piece is going to be very expensive. If you're serious about a solid cocobolo body, I'd go for a very small body shape with extensive chambering (also think about balance and the dimensions of the top horn). A conversation with some of the UK's many superb luthiers is probably a good idea (and please post pictures if you decide to go for a build!) (edited for spelling)

Gordon (Witham) and (John) Smith also had a band as far as I remember (Shy Tots) and played around Manchester in the late '70s and early '80s - mainly rock and biker pubs. The guitars and basses were - in the main - fairly simple but beautifully built. Some instruments had fairly innovative features (a bass with individual pickups for each string - I think these were housed in a small round casing that could be rotated to adjust the pickup height). Finishing and quality of materials was/is excellent - attention to detail and build quality is also first rate. A friend of mine had a black and maple 'precision' built for his son (I was teaching the son at the time) - it was a stunningly beautiful instrument, fabulous to play and a classic P tone. I wish I'd bought it when the student gave up. As the Doctor suggests, there is a Gordy Status copy knocking about - this really was rather naughty - it's a very close copy indeed but lacks the 'class' of the original in my opinion (i.e., it looks a bit cheap). Gordys and Gordon Smith basses come up on ebay - a few a year I'd say - they're almost always worth a punt. I've seen a few that are knocked about but you have a chance of getting a beautiful handbuilt at a reasonable price. There are still a lot of G and GS guitars and basses around in the North West: Gordon Smith is still in business - though it's Johh Smith and his wife Linda now - they continue to build guitars in Partington near Manchester). Just found this - the official GS site: [url="http://www.gordonsmithguitars.com/"]http://www.gordonsmithguitars.com/[/url]

Hi Muzz, there's fairly strong Mancunian representation on here and it's always good to see more. I doubt that being around Basshchat is going to do much to help with your GAS!

+12 or so (I honestly haven't counted) so...1455

[quote name='chris_b' post='525727' date='Jun 27 2009, 09:42 AM']Isn't the point of these high end amps that you're buying the "house" sound and tweaking is minimal? It's about running the amps "flat" and a lot of us seem to do that.[/quote] I'd agree almost entirely and tend to run my 502s fairly flat - sometimes it's useful to have the eq for a particular room/space. I also tend to play a few different basses at any one session so it's good to have the facility to tweak (to bolster mids or bottom end etc.) In general though, I don't tweak too far and the 'house' sound is always present.

I'm going to stick some Nordies in my Sei Jazz in the next few weeks (and get the Barts out - 'not a fan). I was thinking of putting an Audere pre in at the same time - Nordstrand seems to use either an Audere or his own pre (or nothing) to pair with his pickups. Depending on what you're looking for tone-wise, Mike Pope may be worth a look at (and I suspect you'll have some experience here).