skej21

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1414500824' post='2589839'] A year or so ago I bought a Korean P off ebay (refinished in Surf - or possibly Seafoam - Green) for festivals and "dodgy" gigs so that I didn't have to use my vintage Rics. It sounded poor with the strings it came with but I restrung it with my preferred Rotos, 40-95, and was really surprised; it sounded great. In fact I use it an awful lot now and used it for all but 2 festival gigs this year. I replaced the loom with a KiOgon, tried a 70s DiMarzio but found it too ballsy (I can see the puzzled looks from here!) so put the original pickup back in, and got a BassDoc minty plate. I really like the neck and sound and it looks tremendous; the only downside is the truss rod is maxed. I've tried it against various other Ps from various eras and places of manufacture and so far the only ones I liked better were a '65 (lovely) and a '73 m/n (ditto), both in excess of 2 grand. Still, GAS is GAS and I've started thinking that I'd like a "better" P. Due to a current absence of funds anything true vintage is out; I initially started thinking of a Classic Vibe 60s (heard good reports of those) but was concerned it wouldn't be much different, or a Nate Mendel (probably used), but then also started to think about Limelight, although that's at the top end funds-wise. The thing is I don't know if I'll prefer any of them to my bass, and I really don't need 2 P Basses. The last thing I want to do is spend money I don't need to, and I really do like mine, although the truss rod could do with sorting for the future. So, CV, Nate Mendel, Limelight, or stick with the Korean? The only one I can really get to play is the CV. FWIW I prefer a vintage, tinted gloss neck (or worn version of same), my preferred profile seems to be early 70s-ish - not too wide - and I seem to prefer medium/jumbo frets, although that isnt hard and fast. Oh, and it has to be light. Beyond that, it's all good(ish). Although not keen on the normal Mex or US ones, for some reason, they just don't do it for me. [/quote] I have a Nate Mendel and Limelight Precision and I love them both. Both offer great quality, playability and spec for the money but if I had to spend the same again Id get another limelight, simply because you get to spec it yourself!

It's offical. Not a hoax. http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29772926

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1414092388' post='2585828'] and you should see the snakeskin vinyl [/quote] I really like the look of '7W' in black!!

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1414090322' post='2585796'] Standard S112 will be £329, tweeter adds £75, vertical configuration is £5, grille cloth £50, custom vinyl £50. Turnaround is expected to be around 3-4 weeks but will depend on how many orders are going through at any one time [/quote] So about £455 for an S112 with grille cloth, tweeter and any of the standard vinyl options. That's more than reasonable!

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1414086966' post='2585732'] Very, very early impressions. . . We set up an initial demo with: F Bass BN5 in active mode (the competition bass that's up for grabs via iBass) Fender Custom Shop '64 Jazz (a particularly nice one!) Demeter VTBP-M800-D Jule De-Monique Aguilar TH500 TKS S112 (a pair, one with & one without tweeter) TKS 1126 (also paired with & without) TKS S212 Aguilar SL112 (pair, both tweetered but one turned right off) Bergantino CN112 (same as the Aggies) Aguilar DB112 (only had one of these available I guess the first thing to say is that all of these sounded very good indeed - really nice kit & a joy to play around with! Build quality of the TKS cabs was definitely up there with the other brands based on external appearance. All round fit & finish was excellent and the snakeskin S112's are cooler than a very cool thing indeed. We really didn't have time to make proper notes of all the combinations but will replicate this setup properly next week (along with ATS cabs & the CN212's) and try to provide as unbiased a review as we can. We spent most time with just the 1x12's as these are pretty much our biggest sellers these days. Sitting all three of the 2x112 stacks next to each other it was immediately apparent how much smaller & lighter the TKS were than either of the others - respective weights are: S112 - 10KG / SL112 - 11.3KG / CN112 - 12.7KG Obviously they are all very light but the smaller dimensions of the TKS cabs makes them a fair bit easier to shift around. The demo ones we ordered are set up to stand vertically but for comparison purposes we had them all sitting horizontally with the tweetered cab on top & set a mid-point. TKS put feet on both sides of the vertical cabs so they stack nicely like this. I'm really not sure I could pick a 'winner' from the hour or so we had to try them all but the TKS cabs certainly gave the other brands a run for their money, and were probably the most focussed of the three and maybe sitting somewhere between the warmth of the Aguilars & the clarity of the Bergantinos. Given a hefty price differential between them it's amazing that TKS could hold their own in this company. The Aggies seemed to have a greater spread of sound but were breaking up earliest. The Bergantinos were definitely the most obviously 'loudest' but this could be the effect of front porting in a relatively small shop environment (the other two are rear-ported). None of the three had the boxiness that used to be associated with small 12" cabs and each would work singly for smaller gigs. Each of them seemed happy with each of the amps but we had to be a little careful with tweeter settings when paired with the Demeter which will run very clean if required. You could certainly pick out the tonal differences between each amp and bass very quickly. One interesting test was to drop the tuning on the F Bass and throw some really low notes at each cab. The tiny TKS cabs appeared really happy with low open string passages. We mostly ran the Fender with tone open & both pickups on but biasing towards the bridge and increasing amp volume got a cracking classic J bridge pickup tone from the S112's. Winding the tone back on the Fender and cutting the tweeter right down so it was only just on gave a lovely smooth classic tone. Didn't have much time with the S212 but it definitely had more low end and was a bit rounder than the pair of S112's and, given it's lower priced than the single cabs from Aguilar & Bergantino could appeal to a lot of people as a 'one-cab solution'. The 1126 was very seductive, especially with Monique which really seemed to work well together - definitely need to spend more time with these! Apologies for the very brief review but we really will try to have a better go when we have more time - if only those damned customers would leave us alone to play instead of calling to buy things. . . [/quote] How much are the S112 cabs going for through your store Barrie? PM if needs be :-)

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1414054722' post='2585147'] I'll have a blast later today & see how I get on - I'm a big fan of the SL112 so should be interesting [/quote] Thanks Barrie :-)

I was planning on an Aguilar SL112 but the emergence of TKS has definitely thrown a spanner in the works. I'd very much like to hear anyone's view on the comparisons between the TKS S112 and an Aguilar SL112 if anyone has had the chance to try both.

[quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1413961379' post='2583983'] I'm glad you don't regret your Limelight even if it is a tad more relic'd then you would have liked [/quote] It's funny. I think when I asked for mine with a 'light' relic finish I had the same level of relicing as my Nate Mendel in mind (which is also described as light). Obviously, every one is different and whilst my expectation (and I imagine most people's expectation of a relic job they haven't seen) will be similar to the expectations you get when ordering a custom instrument. You have a vision, as does the builder, and whilst they may not match up, it doesn't mean that I am not happy with it. In fact, the relic job on mine exceeded my expectations and looks a lot more considered than the job on my Nate Mendel. Mark clearly knows what he is doing and has lots of genuine vintage Fenders in his possession to refer to so Id recommend him to anyone wanting an excellent quality relic bass.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1413966987' post='2584049'] It's fair to say that's not the norm, though. If a bandleader is expecting to hear the dep bassist play a specific part, the dep is going to struggle without dots. [/quote] Damn right! Gigs with dots tend to use them for specific cues and timings (such as theatre etc) or because the MD wants a very specific arrangement where the parts are preconsidered. Having your mate who is great at noodling turning up and playing really high end noodling that works with great with all of his other bands at all the wrong moments makes him a bad player (in that specific context). Just because you are a good bluffer in certain situations doesn't mean you're a musician who can step into any musical situation and play an appropriate part in an ensemble. Same goes in reverse of course. Some gigs require a certain freedom of expression that would be too time consuming to sit and notate for someone who is only capable of strictly following dots. I think the point Doddy is making is that, if you want to become a professional musician (whether that REQUIRES reading or not), there's no harm in developing those skills. Even if youre a full time, playing for a living bassist who never reads for his money, learning to read can give you an insight into how other bassists, instrumentalists, composers or MDs view your instrument and its context. The amount of lines I've seen on reading gigs that give in an insight into how the pianist thinks a bass line should go, or seeing how another bassist has written a fill, it gives you extra information that makes ALL aspects of your musical communication more effective in ensemble settings (regardless of it being a reading of non-reading gig!) or when playing in solo settings. Trying to improve your general musicianship by developing as many skills as possible is only ever going to help you improve. Refusing to do something because you never use it seems like a slightly negative approach to me. Just my view of course :-)

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1413897196' post='2583251'] The thing is is loads easier/quicker to learn just by listening if you understand some theory, if you understand the concept of the key and can work out by ear what key it is in (my CDs don't have key signatures in the sleeve do yours?) Then there is going to be less trial and error notes. [/quote] I was playing along by ear to Heavier Things (album John Mayer) the other day whilst her indoors was reading through the booklet and she said 'did you know the key etc is all written down for every song on the album in here? That's quite cool'... You're right though, I don't look in there for that info before I start but I might im future if it's going to save me a bit of time lol!

[quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1413795238' post='2581827'] Cheers for the info, just what I needed. [/quote] I asked for a 'light' relic job and it's still quite heavy IMO. I really love it but if you want a REALLY light relic job, make sure you let him know :-)

Now live on the Aguilar site! http://www.aguilaramp.com/products_chorusaurus.htm

[quote name='JuliusGroove' timestamp='1413538722' post='2579221'] I love Aguilar stuff! When's it coming out? [/quote] [quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1413540503' post='2579248'] what an aguilar chorus! andy [/quote] Not sure. Just spotted that one of the Aguilar artists was posting about it on Instagram. Here's his post! I bet it'll be killer!!

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1413491766' post='2578945'] I've actually performed a bit more swaperoonie on it - I swapped the neck with my 'stunt jazz' a white squier CV jazz bass...purely on the superb playabliity of the jazz neck on the precision that you used to own. Blimey - it's a bit confusing to keep track now ! [/quote] P bass tone and jazz neck is perfection as far as im concerned. My Nate Mendel has a narrow nut width and my Limelight has a jazz neck and it's easily the nicest 'fender' I've ever owned/played (the total of which is easily in the hundreds!)

[quote name='crag42' timestamp='1413492033' post='2578954'] You here all week? [/quote] If all goes to plan and they don't send me back to Brazil...

[quote name='crag42' timestamp='1413484677' post='2578819'] Has she got Ebola? [/quote] Don't they call it a 'jazz hat' at a Level 42 gig?

[quote name='BigBassBob' timestamp='1413408364' post='2578085'] It depends on what chorus sound you'd want. If you want something more subtle you could go for a Neunaber Chorus, Iron Ether Polytope or the detune setting on a Digitech Whammy. These pedals produce a more subtle "shimmer" rather than a "warble" which can be overpowering in some circumstances. That said, the IE Polytope can go into the realms of absurd and "when am I ever going to use this?" I really fell in love with the Analogman Clone Chorus for its thick, rich swells and organic nature. Bear in mind that a lot of chorus effects can add some faint high-end noise. If you use tweeters or have a very treble heavy rig then some pedals are going to produce more hiss than others. [/quote] As a fellow Aguilar user, will you be trying the upcoming 'Chorusaurus' pedal?

My limelight precision. Pics here: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/241445-nbd-limelight-64-precision-bass/page__hl__limelight%20precision Sound here (please excuse the 'bass face' in the first video, I was sightreading the part!): http://youtu.be/KLaQ8DEsZAQ http://youtu.be/_ta-7TIq7e0

My body wood is of the human variety and it hasn't made a difference to my tone...

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1412802476' post='2572318'] Hi Clinton, You'll need an audio interface - a 'box' that allows you to connect your bass (or any other instrument) to your computer. This is a good one for starters: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B005OZE9SA?pc_redir=1412530406&robot_redir=1 You'll then need a desktop audio workstation (DAW) software. Your Mac will have a copy of Apple GarageBand already installed. It's a great piece of software - easy to use and it'll do everything you need. Lots of tutorials on YouTube on how to get started with it. Hope that's pointed you in the right direction and give us a nudge here if you need more help Paul [/quote] Great interfaces! However, if you only want to record bass, may I suggest this; http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00MTXU2DG?pc_redir=1412828612&robot_redir=1 The recently released Scarlett solo has slightly different inputs but if you're only recording bass or one instrument and/or mic at the same time, this will do the job at a slightly more reasonable price. The outputs are limited but again, if youre just monitoring via headphones its perfect :-)