Rayman

55 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

Aria were always good, the shift to Korea and then China did diminish the brand but they were still churning out some nice entry to mid level basses. Well built, great necks, decent pickups and always nice to look at.

 

Alongside the usual clones they still do some really eyecatching instruments like the FEB acoustics and the SB reissues. There's a really nice PEB65 LP style bass that I keep seeing on Facebook

I sold my blue PEB65 a couple of months ago, very nice thing, I just couldn’t quite get on with it for some reason.

This Integra is absolutely wonderful. The pickups sound amazing, lovey harmonics, it’s so light and easy to play, but with a monster tone and output. What an absolute bargain. Ace thing.

If anyone cares about such things, the history of Aria is really interesting, and every bit as embedded in Japanese instrument manufacturing history as any of the other revered builders. The Aria story is really fascinating. They really cared about making high quality guitars, but these days it’s more about affordable offerings mostly, which is a shame.

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

I remember Aria being well respected when I started playing in the mid 80s.

No idea why this isn't as true today. 

Yes me too. I think now they’re seen as one of the entry level companies rather than being recognised for the great quality guitars they made in the 80s and 90s. 

3 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

The pickups in mine are brutish, sound ace for anything heavy.

Yeah right? This is the same…. I had to double check it wasn’t active!

This thing could be the new backup for the Thunderbird for gigs. Definitely a rock machine.

I’ve always been a fan of Aria, and in particular the original 90s Integra and IGB basses. My IGB 68 is currently my only 5 string, great bass, very underrated.

However I picked this IGB SPT up recently for not a lot of money…. not entirely sure what it is…. 90/91 I believe, made in Korea… similar to the Billy Gould bass…. 
 

It was in a sorry state, but a full strip, clean, set-up and strings and it’s a fine thing indeed.

Very light, really killer tone and lovely fretboard…. this things ace, but that’s all I know 

Any more info?

I bloody love Level 42, however my one and only live experience, many years ago, wasn’t a good one. Probably down to the terrible Blackburn King Georges Hall more than anything, but also the band didn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders either.

 I’m embarrassed to say that I left halfway through and went home.

I’d love to give them another go…. but missed out this time 

I’m a Warwick fan, but I agree. The price of them is just ridiculous, however, I think the price of literally everything is ridiculous.

 If we all just stopped buying these ridiculously priced instruments and stuck with what we already have, most of these companies would be f******
 

1K + for budget instruments is absolutely taking the pi55

Having done removals/van deliveries on and off for years, I’ve often wondered if it would be possible to have a van/courier business, purely for musical instruments. I’ve ummed and ahhhd about it for years.

I think it would be extremely difficult to pull off though, for one guy and a van. Picking up and dropping off the length and breadth of the UK, assuming that you could get enough work to make it pay.

The company I used to work for were piano specialists, but obviously I would have to avoid those. I’m thinking basically guitars, amps, keys and drums only. 
I don’t know if it’s do able or not.

Massively overpriced budget instrument with some fancy tech shoved into it.

Sterling by MM basses seem pretty decent for what they are, like Squier CV etc etc….. but prices like this are outrageous. I hope absolutely nobody buys one. 

Yes I would definitely add this to my Warwick collection if I could, I had the 4 stringer many years ago, fantastic thing. 
 

Nice instrument, good luck.

I didn’t know they made these in wood? Interesting. Never owned one either.

1 minute ago, miles'tone said:

I think Ian Brown set that recent precedent. 

Yeah, he didn’t even need dancers, he didn’t need anything…. just karaoke machine.

That’s such a beautiful thing 

Yep, I jacked it in for nearly ten years..... once the realisation that the band was done, and I didn't care about any of it anymore, and the thousands of pounds I wasted on buying, modding, trading, swapping, upgrading...... blah blah blah...... a massive waste of time and money, all of it. 

Started again a couple of years ago..... and I'm enjoying it again, but without all the nonsense mentioned above.

Here are mine….. ripped out of a Warwick Fortress and replaced by a lovely Aguilar pre.

Sorry not a fan of the stacked thing.

There's a live version on YT (from an american chat show I think) of him doing Chocolate Jesus..... it's fabulous.

And he was of course fabulous as Renfield in the Dracula film......

Awesome......... I'm seeing them at the Manc Apollo tomorrow night

I had been on a stag night the night before…. I was running between the front room and bathroom all day…..

I remember Bono….. then going to throw up 

32 minutes ago, ead said:

 

Is there an option for a short-term loan of Mrs Rayman?

No…. but long term yes….

Well….. Mrs Rayman wants a double bass! ……. So……. 😆

51 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

So what were your top 3 waste of money upgrades and why didn't they hit the mark?

 

1: Nordstrand pickup into an OLP Tony Levin, along with a brass nut, new EQ, and tuners….. 

2: EMG pickup and new EQ into a Fleabass “water bass”……..

3: Quarter Pounders, EQ and Hipshot tuners onto a Squier Affinity P bass….

🤦🏻‍♂️

Thankfully this was all years ago… I’ve learnt my lesson. At the end of the day, a budget bass is still a budget bass, regardless of the money you spend on it …. you can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

Nice

By the way…. having had (and sadly miss) an amazing Yamaha TRB1005, I expect a 2005 with an OBP-2 in it will be  absolutely immense.

14 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

Aha, that bodes well for me then! I'm just getting an OBP-2 fitted on my Yamaha BB 2005 to replace a rather tired Yamaha pre-amp with an NE1 mid-cut circuit that never gets used. How's your OBP-1 changed the sound to make it such a step up?

 

So what were your top 3 waste of money upgrades and why didn't they hit the mark?

 

Well the previous owner had removed the factory MEC 2 band eq, and for some reason, stuck in a cheap replacement. So the bass sounded decent but not amazing, a bit flat. Now, it sounds clear and focused with plenty of bass or treble to suit. Personally I have both rolled right back (OBP-1 is boost only) with a little bass rolled back on again. It’s quite a bright sounding bass, but with flats on it, and the EQ set as I like it, it sounds absolutely fantastic.

I don't know about modding basses I love...... I've spent an obscene amount "upgrading" many..... many basses over the years, that I still didn't love and sold on anyway. I've lost a lot of money there I can tell you.

I'm over the moon with the Aguilar OBP-1 just fitted to my Warwick Fortress, so that's a success story I guess (until I decide to sell it, like I do with literally everything I own).