lozbass

"Can anyone give me a steer on where to sample some of the beauties mentioned in the south east, Brighton and Eastbourne" £15 (or so) out of your £1500 would take you to the Gallery in Camden - here you can try much of what's been discussed above (including Sei - built on the premises). A trip to London is probably a wise investment - try as many high-end basses as you can before parting with £1500 - it's a lot of cash and you want something that's right for you. On the 'noise' issue, I've been fortunate enough to have played/owned a good few exotic and vintage basses and in my experience, high price/hand-built doesn't always equate to low-noise. Despite some obvious advantages of hand-building (outstanding beauty and delicious playability for two), I sometimes find there's a little more idiosyncracy and fragility associated with high-end custom basses...this extends to electronics.

In my opinion the DB750 doesn't do a good impression of an SVT at all (a good thing for me, I've never been overly enamoured with the latter). It does have lots of heft and authority (and headroom) but I find it very responsive and articulate. I'm not sure about the modern/old school debate - the 750 is warm and driven but with a great deal of punch and immediacy. The one thing I haven't got it to do is break-up in a big way (though I haven't really tried - not my kind of sound these days). I think the 750 is a bit lighter that an SVT but it's still immensely heavy. I suppose the best thing to do is try a 750 and Toasted's offer is a great one (I'd offer the same but don't have the 6x10)

You're more than welcome to come over but I'm in central Manchester

Haha - amazing, I had a couple of FALs (Futuristic Aids Limited...I think) in the mid/late 70s. They were general purpose transistor amps. I think I had a couple of 50s - I didn't slave but mic'd one 15" cab and sent it through the second amp into a 15" reflex bin. I honestly can't remember what it sounded like (but the rig was huge). I actually sold my Marshall Bass 50 Head (1976 valve) to move to the FALs following a minor problem with the former!

I'd definitely go for it - I bought a Series II new back in '85 and it's still gorgeous (virtually pristine - being headless, it's a bit less liable to getting knocks on cramped stages). I know they're not to everybody's taste, but there's a real elegance in the line/design of a Status and the sound is undoubtedly unique (I've played mine in all kinds of bands, and as Dr Dave suggests, it frequently doesn't seem to fit, but who cares?!) Then there's the playability. I've been playing for a long (very long) time and I've had the opportunity to play some really lovely high-end basses. I'm playing mainly on a Sei now, but going back to the Status (and my old Ripper!) is always a joy...a bit like going home.

Personally, I'd want full details of the repair (name of luthier, date, price, parts etc.) and an independent verification of the quality of the work and current stability of the bass. The shop (if it's any good) should understand this - over £1000 is a big investment and both parties will benefit from re-assurance. Maybe you could split the cost of verification and factor this into the negotiations on final price if you decide to go ahead.

You could try an EBS neo - the cabinet has a 'sprung lever' to enable tilt back - take a look at: [url="http://www.ebs.bass.se/2007/neo112.htm"][url="http://www.ebs.bass.se/2007/neo112.htm"]http://www.ebs.bass.se/2007/neo112.htm[/url][/url] I use an Epifani ul112 for monitoring (I find it to be an excellent cabinet) - I prefer to have it raised (to around waist height) rather than wedge something under it to facilitate tilt.

[quote name='BigAlonBass' post='82011' date='Nov 1 2007, 12:13 AM']The thinner the better as far as I'm concerned, so I have a chance of reaching all the frets in my dotage! All comments welcomed.[/quote] I'd mentioned Sei in an earlier post - if you're at UK Bass Day, I'll have a flamboyant 5 just across the road and you're more than welcome to try it.

First, I'm really sorry to hear of the problems encountered. I know it's an expensive option, but a custom bass can give you pretty much whatever you want. I'm not on a retainer to the Gallery (see other posts), but the neck on my Sei is super slim. A custom order for a narrow board (and whatever taper suits you) shouldn't be an issue either. Also, have you considered a shorter scale? I find 32" or 33" a good compromise and there's a noticeable reduction is stretching.

[quote name='grosa' post='82327' date='Nov 1 2007, 03:18 PM']i know what you mean with the injury to comfort ratio with basses,i cant play anything with a big body for any period of time cos of me right forearm starts to feel like its made of lego. warwicks seem the most comfy so far for me im sure they are very nice,they look well nice to hold[/quote] I've found my Sei 5 really comfortable - it's very light (but highly resonant) and the extended upper horn is great for general balance. The necks are gorgeous too - very fast and slim with lovely profiling and access. I don't find that my hands get tired even over extended periods of playing.

I'm pleased you went for the 750 and that there's no regrets - I started the 'switch on' thread and generated great advice. I should say that I've had no further problems, and that the 750 simply delivers fantastic tone with extraordinary power. I too use the rack bag - a suspended rack would be great for serious touring, but the 750 is pretty heavy as it is. I can also endorse your comments on brightness - there's nothing harsh in the 750, but real solidity, heft and warmth from the preamp (with no loss of dynamics or articulation).

Sei Flamboyant headless - light, exquisitely contoured, dive free, ultra-low action, and super-slim neck

[quote name='neilb' post='79476' date='Oct 25 2007, 05:42 PM']Ive been offered a Trace Elliot GP12 200W Series 6 head in really nice nick for £230. Is that good, average or sh*te? Ta[/quote] I've played one of these for years - bought new in '89 or thereabouts for around £425. Build quality is superb, incredibly loud, pretty flexible with the 12 band but always a highly characteristic sound (great if you like it and I do!) My purchase inspired that of many co-bassists and acquaintances at the time. It really was the sound of its period and I don't really think anything else came close. If you're a lover of the TE sound there's only really one way to get it and parting with £230 for a unit in good nick seems pretty reasonable. If you buy it and find it's not for you, I doubt you'll lose much. To put things in perspective, my main amp is a DB750 but the Trace still gets a lot of use - it does things that the 750 doesn't. Good luck if you go for it.

I'd say a Hiscox - strong, light, well-made & finished, well-designed and padded interior, comfortable handle and less than £60 (cash) if you haggle. There are many factors to take into account of course - strength, weight, protection, ergonomics, cosmetics, storability/stowability, fittings, ease of use, size, cost etc. - but I think on balance, the hiscox offers a really superb compromise. A lot depends on where/how you'll be using and transporting the bass - I use full flights (far too heavy for me most of the time) and a Kaces 3 bag (excellent and recommended for local and low-risk situations), but it's the Hiscox that gets most use. Good luck! Cheers, Lawrence

Hi Steve, I have a series 1 ul112 and have been exceptionally impressed with it. On the practical side it is very light and reasonably manoeuvrable (though it's deep and not as easy to get around as some might imagine). The strap handle is a bit cheap in my opinion and I would prefer either bar or flight case type handles (the standard handle fittings can also scratch anything you seat on top of the cab). The back panel is comprehensive - the combination of jack and speakon connectors is thoughtful. The attenuator control is really quite usable though I have it set around the mid point and use the eq on my amp most of the time to boost or limit treble. I've played the cab with a TE AH200 and a DB750. I get a really lovely smooth bass response - never boomy or boxy and the mids are gorgeous. This is certainly the best fretless cab I've ever encountered - the bloom is just fantastic. I find the sound very focused and centered - a quality of one driver cabs that is quite appealing. The tweeter is not at all harsh - I've heard the cab described as airy and refined and can see why. It's also very responsive and honest - I've not found any concealment of detail though I don't think the cab is entirely neutral: it does have it's own sound. I've not driven the ul112 hard at all but I suspect it can cope comfortably with more pressure than I've presented it with. I've not heard any distortion or break-up on low notes though I've not tried the cab with a low B. I've tried lots of effects (Bass Pod pro) and the cab copes admirably - even with really weird stuff! The range is truly impressive - a nice even response across a broad spectrum. I hope this helps, Cheers, Loz

[quote]Gave the Jazz a good going over at a rehearsal last night and the sound was lovely, punchy and cut through brilliantly. However, one small point, to get the input lights on my Trace anywhere near the yellow (optimal) I had to have the input gain up to nearly 7. Is this normal? Admittedly I didn't have both pickups upto they're full output but then I'd found the sweet spot. Having the gain up that high doesn't give much room for manouevre. Because this is my first passive Bass, I don't know whether this the normal situation.[/quote] Hi Pete - good! As you'll have gathered, I've not had a problem with stock J pickups. As for the 7, in my experience this is perfectly normal. I've used a TE 12 for years and use gain of around 7ish for both passive and active basses.

Hi, for what it's worth and from limited experience: I have a '76 J with '75 pickups (a result of Fender's modular approach to production) - it sounds fantastic (to me): strong, loud and aggressive (loads of honk/growl) at the bridge and clean, articulate, rounded and supple at the neck - the sweetspot (again, for me) seems to be bridge 100%, neck 30-40%; I also have a Fender fretless J (based on a '64 NOS) with standard vintage '60s pickups - there's little real sound difference in use between this and the '76 (though the bridge pickup is slightly further away from the bridge than on the above). The honk is there but the bass can really sing with some weight from the neck pickup; I had a Fender fretless J from around 2001 - this was a totally different beast. It had super quiet SD Basslines hot stacks (quite expensive I think - they were on the bass when I bought it and cancel the common J hum). To me, the bass sounded good but not really much like a classic J. The preamp was very subtle and usable and in general, the sound was very clean and fairly versatile. However, I didn't really get the bass to bark and it didn't have that edgy presence and aggression that I've been able to get with the two above. So, for me (and I admit my experience is not too extensive), I'd be happy to stay with the stock pickups. I really haven't experienced problems with hum and changing pickups risks losing the characteristic J tone (not necessarily a negative outcome if you're not enamoured with the latter). There was nothing 'wrong' with the SDs that I tried but I was surprised that they didn't really sound like J pickups (or, at least, the bass didn't sound like a J) - there again, the pre may have had much to do with this. I hope this helps!