hiram.k.hackenbacker

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1327347217' post='1509770'] I've had a few boutique basses which I've subsequently moved on, some sooner, some later. I find that after the sting of spending the money has faded, you can fall out of love with them just as easily as a £200 bass. The only difference is the hit you'll take financially if you've bought new, or unwisely. I'm digging my bitsas these days, mostly because they do what I want them to, partly because they do this for so little money. Having said that, I do have a Shuker still, and it's very very nice. I wouldn't have paid what it cost new, though - I picked it up for a third of that. [/quote] I've only ever had one "boutique bass" which was second or third hand and I subsequently sold, but didn't lose out of. I have to say that wasn't the plan, I bought it to keep, it's just it that was too bloody heavy! It was an Alembic Mark King. A truly lovely instrument with an awesome tone, but we didn't get on physically :-((

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1327347024' post='1509766'] Tend to agree with this, particularly with vintage instruments... there's a crossover point where a bass becomes desirable as an 'antique' [i]and[/i] a playable instrument, and you have to decide if you're a player or a collector... or both. [/quote] Neither of the two I am looking at are antique, although I do get the vintage vibe thing. I'm always on the look out for a year of birth Jazz, but I have managed to resist all the ones I have seen as they neck stamp never has my actual DOB on it. Hey, that's the way I deal with it!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1327345827' post='1509733'] ....if you saw a totally original 62 P-Bass in great condition for £2K, that would be a bargain, wouldn't it? If you like Fender Ps, that is... [/quote] P's don't really do much for me (says he sheltering from incoming fire). I do like my Jazz though. The trouble with bargains like that is that they don't stay around for too long and I usually miss them anyway!

[quote name='jackers' timestamp='1327344260' post='1509698'] ....I don't think I could ever justify more than 800-1000 on a bass.... ....My USA Jazz cost me 700 on here, and it is everything I want from a bass.... [/quote] I didn't think I could either. It does become easier the more you do it. That's part of the danger! My go to bass cost me £900, which was a lot when I bought it and I can't imagine ever parting with it. So why do I even want another one? [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1327344546' post='1509703'] Cost is all relative. Anything is worth (to you) exactly what you are prepared to pay for it. [/quote] Agreed, auctions wouldn't exist otherwise, but I'm struggling to find the point where I should say "Hang on. Are you really going to pay that much just for a *************** and a ***************?". [quote name='Ed_S' timestamp='1327345180' post='1509720'] £1500 is about my mental ceiling, and the most expensive I currently own has a list price of £1400ish (although I paid a couple of hundred less than that). I wouldn't want to take anything any more expensive than that out of the house because I know how narked I'd be if it got damaged. It is indeed all relative, though... if you can shell out several grand in the name of retail therapy and nobody's going to go hungry because of it, then go for it! [/quote] Yes, I think you should be able to get something that should do pretty much all you want for around £1.5K and I would happily shell out that much without thinking twice. However, and let me first assure everyone that we will not run out of food, quadruple that and then add some more - and that's just for one of them!

I'm being attacked by two fairly aggressive bouts of GAS at the moment. Having sat back this time, rather than jumping straight in as I normally do, it occurs to me that I could buy quite a nice car or build a conservatory for their combined value. One moment I think I'm mad for even considering buying both of them and the next I'm overwhelmed by a "buy them now or you'll regret it once it's too late!". Whilst I don't have a problem with acquiring more basses (there's always room for one more, right?), it makes me think seriously how much even a top end bass is actually worth? Or more precisely, how much would you be willing to pay?

[quote name='mckendrick' timestamp='1324265768' post='1472396'] [i]Frak[/i]? [/quote] Obviously not a Battlestar Galactica fan then?

As an amusing epilogue to the original post; my band which has been plodding along with various personel changes for nearly two decades, decided to call it a day at the end of 2011 after several fruitless months of trying to replace our very talented lead vocalist who had given us 12 months notice. I received a phone call last week from the "Key Change Hell" band asking if I would be willing to fill the recently vacated position of bass player. Given all the comments made, what happens next?

[quote name='algmusic' timestamp='1321284849' post='1437313'] As a nip playing in church, I got used to playing the same song in almost every key based on who was singing that night or if they felt they reach the key I would get told the song is in G then they would tell me during the song to transpose to B.. I'm so grateful for those days now as transposing is easy to me.. I understand the arguement that some notes may not sound better.. but i'm pretty sure if you hired Nathan East he won't say 'why are we not playing it in the original key'[/quote] I don't buy the "it will sound just as good in any key" line. There are some songs that just shouldn't be buggered about with. Many a band have I heard murder some decent covers by executing them in a wholly inappropriate key. I had a five string once and although navigation of the fretboard became less of a problem after some homework, I was never able to fully adapt my slapping style to cater for the narrower spacings and extra fretboard width. I came to the conclusion that if and when I was able to do everything that had ever been done on a four string I would re-consider. I think I've got a long wait ahead of me!

The backline only get together for this little soire went very well today. I'm still not sure of the cause of all this key change nonsense, however, the vocalists were blamed in their absence! I don't have a problem playing songs in different keys as I have enough years experience to navigate my way around the fretboard. What I don't get is the difference between playing Sir Duke in B (original) and doing it one step down makes. I understand that allows the brass to play in concert C, but they were there today and said they don't get a shout in what key the songs are played in, so it must be down to the vocals. A bit odd they can't stretch to the original key, but hey ho, I would much rather play Sir Duke in B flat than Disco Inferno. Without dropping the tuning/changing bass I lose my lowest note (open E) in Disco Inferno. Going [i]up[/i] to the nearest E ruins the dynamics of the song. [i]That's[/i] what annoys me; the general acceptance of "just play it up the octave" when it should be the lowest note in the song. Perhaps I'm just too fussy? The other gems we had today was "I know it doesn't go like that in the original, but that's the way we do it", "I thought that was wrong when we learnt it and it's too late to change it now" and the classic "you just do what you normally do, it sounds better anyway" (which made me blurt out "I'm pretty sure that's what LaBelle thought when they wrote it"). Sometimes i just don't know when to keep my mouth shut!

My band has a brass section and we play it in C, so it can't be that difficult!

So, a mate booked a gig with his band which their bass player has since bailed out on, so he rings me and asks me if I would be prepared to do it. Knowing that his band play 80% of the stuff we do, I immediately say yes. What I later discover is that 80% of the songs that we have in common are in a different key. I know it shouldn't bother me, but it does, especially at such short notice. I've been playing most of these songs in their original key for about 15 years and get through them on auto pilot. I think it's actually worse having to play a song you know so well in a different key rather than learning a new one from scratch. I mean, who plays Disco Inferno in b flat for frak's sake?