lozbass

Thanks and I know what you mean - I used to tour all over with my Ripper in its case, I can hardly lift it nowadays! Good luck with the case and let me know how you get on.

Whooaah! Stunning - is that spalted maple (and is this bass a medium-scale)? If this is back in the US as I suspect, it's a bit of a loss for blighty

[quote name='AdamWoodBass' post='496109' date='May 23 2009, 04:09 PM']Actually I wasn't using a rig there! That was just the bass straight into a PA![/quote] Wow, probably an idea to just buy the bands PA then - it sounds really tight on the recording! Re: Epi, I find it very clean, clear and transparent as you suggest - it's also very responsive and articulate so will reveal any mistakes/glitches in playing (but trust me, that's a bigger issue for me than it is for you!) If you're in London, it's certainly worth a try at the Gallery (and I think Alex could assemble a few different Epi rigs for you to try - the Gallery had a good selection of cabs last time I was in there)

Well done - gorgeous, I have to say I think you did the right thing. You can't go far wrong with an old P

That P's a thing of dirty and rare beauty - I'm most impressed. It's good to see something that looks like it's been getting a filthy and dishonest job done for 35 years

I bought my Ripper in it's battered and barely functional case around '79. The case was rapidly discarded as it didn't really offer a lot of protection. Even back then it was very difficult to find a case large enough to take the Ripper - they're a big bass! I had a full flight case built by Bird Brothers (long since defunct). The bass still lives in it though it was re-foamed by BSH last year (and very nicely too). If the Cassady case fits, then great. If it doesn't then maybe you'll need to consider a custom flight case. I didn't know that a Ripper wouldn't fit in a Hiscox - I've never tried my bass in one of my Hiscox cases. It's good to see that there are a few of us keep the faith with Rippers - fantastic and much underrated instruments.

Both lovely - clearly a player of taste! There's something about a white Precision (or Jazz) with a tort plate that makes me go slightly weak at the knees

Thanks to all for the very lovely comments - I'm really chuffed with the bass, it's a joy to play and look at (the action is a joke and it's perfect for chords and generally playing much faster than normal...that's fast and tuneless in my case). To answer some of the comments, it's a two string I need rather than a four (I could just take three off this). I do look after the bass and always use a coaster. It is a 33" scale (26 Fret). I'm in Manchester - you're welcome to come over but bring an umbrella and a kevlar vest. That video of the guy in the shop just cracks me up!

I thought about it as I have a stereo bass and thought (initially) the cube might have a stereo input. It doesn't so I didn't translate my thoughts into action. I've had a cube 30 in the past and it was a great smallish practice amp. I was never totally convinced by the effects but they were fun

Almost always nickel rounds for me as I much prefer the feel (softness) and can get enough zing. Tension is a big issue and I've found d'Addario lights or medium-lights to be fairly good (the tension isn't super-low on 34" but perfectly acceptable). I have Thomastic Infeld flats on my ABG - they're lovely - fantastic, silky, slippy feel, low tension and great depth of tone. I've only tried Elixirs once - they're currently on my Warwick 5. I was prepared to be unimpressed and the Elixirs did take a few days to get used to. Now they've been on a couple of weeks, I'm really pleased. The feel (for me) is slightly odd - they're quite smooth (there's no coarseness at all as you'd commonly experience with Steels) and a feel a bit 'thicker' than I'd expect for the gauge. I find them to be very comfortable in general - the tension is reasonable and they're easy to zip around on (the coating doesn't seem to get sticky in any way). Elixirs are not the brightest sounding string but they seem to work superbly well on the Warwick, bringing out that thick, fat, dry sound the basses are famous for. If you're looking for real zing, I doubt you'd be too impressed - they are full and accurate and reasonably bright, but lacking the zing of a standard nickel set. I can't comment on longevity, I've only had them on for a short period: Elixirs are supposed to last 3-5 times as long as standard strings but I've read some complaints about 'stripping' of the coating

Clean, classy simplicity and a gorgeous burst - a very beautiful bass!

I enjoyed your version Paul, but thanks for posting the Freddie footage - 'that just made my afternoon, cool as... The bass looks lovely too - nice to have something you've created yourself

First, I'm a bit surprised that you're thinking of a change - I had a listen the The Chicken and loved your bass tone on the recording (and the playing, some really tasty, groovy stuff in there). If the rig has to go though, it might be worth a look at Epi cabs (and amps unless you're really set on a MB). I've only really got experience of Epi from the brands you list (though I did try my 502 against a LMII recently and whilst both were good, I preferred the Epi by some distance). For £1500, you'd certainly find an excellent used ul502 and a ul310 (or ul410 - I've seen Flankers for sale on here now!) - I think this could suit - it's a light, powerful, compact and very versatile rig. The problem with Epi is it's not easy to try without travelling - the only dealer I know in the UK is the Gallery.

Absolutely lovely - I'm a big fan of the Custom Shop and this ltd edition looks gorgeous! I have a '76 Jazz that looks close to this (in every detail) but it's nice to see something in perfect condition.

Shoes? I should probably understand but I'm afraid I don't

It would be wow! if I could play it. Four strings is about two too many for me

If you like a nice bit of wood, take a look at the one I've just stuck in the Alembic thread - chocolatey

Well spotted there - it is a chestnut top and rather beautiful at that. I'll see if I can get a mate of mine to take some proper photos at the weekend - I'm clearly not up to the job

I can't find a Fodera thread so I'll post this on its own. I was taking a few photographs for another thread and thought I'd make the best of the sunshine. My photography skills are awful but a few people might be interested in this. It's a Fodera Imperial MG5 - around three years old - I've had if for a few months. The photographs simply don't do it justice of course - I'll see if I can do better at the weekend. Update: well I tried to do better with the images and have added some more/better photographs (with some close-ups to show contstruction etc.) - thanks for the posts and PMs!

I've been promising this for a long time - so...a little late evening sun in Manchester and here we go (the sun does little for my photography skills). It's an Alembic Series II custom - built around the small standard body shape. This is just around 2 years old - I've had it for about a year. Obviously, the photographs can't do it justice - it has a few unusual options - front and side blue LEDs (lasers in the front of the board), and extra laminates in the body (its cocobolo, maple, purpleheart, maple, vermillion core, maple, purpleheart, maple, cocobolo). Strangely, it has extra LEDs in the first position (a nice touch). The guy that commissioned this is an extraordinary aesthete with fabulous taste (IMO) - a really nice guy too. Update: a few more photographs with some close-ups for detail - thanks to all for the comments

I've had a re-issue Longhorn for around 3 years (I think it's 7 or 8 years old in total). It's incredibly light, very good fun, plays extremely easily with very low action and string tension (it's short-scale), but the build quality and hardware aren't brilliant and the sound isn't great. It's a cheap and cheerful but very cool instrument - I'd wanted one since seeing them on TOTP in the '60s.