robocorpse

OK, so they look great and will go down a storm live, but has anyone actually tried these? I'm double-loathe to drop the money on a set as they only come in 45-105, and I'm a '40s man (DR say they have no immediate plans to do other gauges)

Some band have probably been seen using it, and everyone with more money than sense now wants to "keep up with the Joneses". Isn't that normally how gear prices suddenly jump?

I went to the premiere of this and thoroughly enjoyed it (except for the brown nosing, that was a bit annoying), DVD extras are probably as good as the film. My one gripe, there wasn't enough about Girlschool or The Damned, both bands very close to Lemmy and a big part of Motorheads life in the early days.

I've owned around 15 Ricks, and I've never had 2 that were quite alike. My least favourite ones were 1974-79, they feel somehow thinner and stiffer, and have pickup issues (due to the early version of the Hi-Gain pups with iron-impregnated rubber polepieces) and weird action issues. Best one I ever had was a V63 reissue (which I still own), which is an absolute monster and does take some getting used to, but the TONE is incredible (a few people played it at the Surrey Bassbash recently). There are all sort of problems they can suffer (lifting bridges, pickups dying on one string are the usual probs) but I have only had 2 that had the neck joint problem where the body wings stay straight, and the glue joint allows the centre blank to bend slightly, so you get the "lines of death" round the heel. AVOID THOSE AT ALL COSTS, they are irreparable without MAJOR surgery and a refinish. I had a '67 and it was no better than the 80s ones, but the '69 I had was absolutely GLORIOUS (but someone offered me a price I couldnt refuse...) I have owned 2 4001CS Chris Squires and they were like chalk and cheese, one was an absolute dog, the other was gorgeous but had bad paint issues, I have since sold both of them. I still own 3 Ricks and am unlikely to ever part with 2 of them, but I hardly ever play them now as I'm too scared to take them out of the house. So, I will agree wholeheartedly with all the"marmite" comments, and you should play as many as you can before committing your dosh. You should also decide whether you want an unbound 60s reissue, a bound 70s-90s type, or a modern bound one. Bound looks cooler due to triangle inlays, binding etc, unbound ones are more comfy and "authentic" and have the low output pickups that sound better (IMHO) if you want the Squire/Glover clank or the Macca boom. And they all play differently. Bloody minefield are Ricks...

Nerd thread alert, and some idle speculation Faced with some physics and maths I haven't got the time to work out, but I thought it would make an interesting thread. We all know longer scale lengths make for more tension on the strings. What I would like to know is the effect of the actual free string length on tension. I'll take 2 extreme examples. Headless bass: 34" scale length, 35" actual free string length. Feels taught Buzzard type bass with stop tailpiece and long headstock: 34" scale length, 41" actual free string length on top G. Feels loose. Removing the nut and keeping the same tension will lower the pitch. Removing the nut and keeping the same pitch will require higher tension. Buzzard feels floppier because the longer string is at a lower tension with less of the free vibration blocked off by the nut. Therefore it is dependant on the percentage of the taught string that is freely vibrating between nut and saddle. I have pondered this and never had the time to set it up on a test jig with a spring gauge and a calculator to experiment with exact values. My question: by how much does the extra meat between the nut and the tuners affect tension between a headless and a headed bass, assuming both are using identical strings? A whole gauge worth? This also has implications for people who like to downtune and dont want to fart around opening the nut out to .125, would a headless (or indeed a normal bass with an added locking nut) give enough extra tension to get away with .105 tuned to C?

[quote name='Johnston' post='1089655' date='Jan 14 2011, 06:40 PM']do you not mean a closed B and O ??[/quote] Yes, thats what I meant, See what I mean though, that looked dodgy to me pretty much immediately. Also, the "Les Paul" silkscreening is too light, and the "MODEL" is slightly offset to the right. TRC sides are too rounded with not enough white showing, and "Standard" is too fat. Also, shouldn't an '85 LP have a fibre headstock veneer? I swear I can see woodgrain under the clearcoat... Buttons look too white, but thats probably the lighting/photoshopping Are those photos you posted yours or his?

[quote name='Lysdexia' post='1089515' date='Jan 14 2011, 04:45 PM'][/quote] This looks wrong. The logo should have open B and O. This is a 1968-76 logo on an 85 head. Also, the neck joint looks well suspect where the neck binding and body binding meet. The TRC definitely looks wrong. Serial number should be stamped into the wood, not printed. O/P jack screws look wrong. I have a nasty feeling about this, although its a bloody convincing one.

Support your local Basschatters band! We play Heavy Metal. Old style. Properly I fully expect Cetera, Bloodaxe, Rayagainst and a couple more to make the journey! We're on early because we are special guests, then don't usually have extra bands playing, so we're doing what would have been the "first set".

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='1077715' date='Jan 4 2011, 07:23 PM']In the 25-odd years I've been using nylon Dunlops, I've yet to break one. They usually get worn out or lost. Pete.[/quote] +1

Such a shame, I waited far too long to discover Mick's playing, now he's gone. R.I.P.

Stand-alone compressors work by REPLACING (not augmenting) the horrid things built into your amp. Turn off the amps compressor and use the outboard. PS: Anyone wanna buy a Samson S-COM? £100.

Broke a string at the end of a song once, so that was OK, do the last bit on the wrong string an octave up, and I had a spare bass, so no problem for the rest of the set... ...famous last words, I broke the bottom E on the spare bass during the FIRST BAR of the next song. That WAS embarrassing

Best piece of advice I got was in my teens from a non-bass playing mate who was watching me gently noodling away, and shouted across the room: "HIT THE BLOODY THING, IT'S A RICKENBACKER NOT A F*CKIN CLITORIS!" Worked too, I found all those lovely clanky sounds, mmmmmmmmm! I quickly learned the advantages of digging in for dynamics and grunt, and it probably stuck because it was off the cuff, rude and from a mate, rather than some priggish music teacher

I can't believe nobody has mentioned Hercos yet! 24 years of my Dunlop 0.73s getting furry edges and I fancied a change, then kicked myself for not going to Hercos earlier. I won't use anything else now, looks like Chris Squire was right all along.

No, the guy is deluded. Look at the cheap-as-chips Japcrap Ibanez *copy* he is trying to sell for 500 quid.

In 1987, I bought some Whirlwind cables. I still have them. They are bloody fantastic, and a rare example of something with a "lifetime guarantee" that actually never needed me to take them up on it.

1984, Early 70s Ricky 4001 through a Vox Venue 100 bass combo. Arion distortion for those fuzzy moments. Sounded the DBs! 2010: EMG-equipped Thunderbird or Status S2 through Ampeg SVT3, Dod bass distortion, Boss CS3 stereo chorus, Boss DD3 Delay. Thats my entire "rig" for 90% of my playing, but I'll stick in the odd pedal or 2 from my collection as and when the gig/session requires. My sound hasn't really changed much in the intervening 26 years, I know what I like/am good at/can get away with and I'm sticking to it

Buy the Ampeg. if its 600 Euros for a new-old-stock USA one, and they are giving it the proper warranty as a new unit, then you are doing OK. Plug it into the 410HE, and it will sound good. However, buy the 410HLF (4 ohm version) and it will make the amp work harder and give you all the Ampeg tone and brute force you will ever need. If you have the money and the car space, buy the 610, it is phenomenal!!! Ashdown ABM are good, but the Ampeg will blow you away. Less is more, etc.

[quote name='Chopthebass' post='1050943' date='Dec 7 2010, 07:50 PM']Surely you wouldn't pay import duty on a secondhand bass?[/quote] Yep, you pay import duty on anything bought outside the EU. As many people have already said, customs men aren't stupid, and a few of them know their guitars too. Be careful, and don't risk it if you aren't prepared to pay up immediately if you are caught out, or you risk losing the instrument.