doctor_of_the_bass

I love slap (and personally have a superb grasp of this style of playing) but hate to hear it played badly, there are some truly awful slappers out there but some very good ones too. It has become derided due to its overuse out of context, thats all you can say really (as noted by fellow Statist Out to Play jazz). Plus, a lot of players who hate it can't do it, there's a guy I know who is a great rock bassist who hates it purely because he is unable to do it! Its a facet of playing but in no way the be-all-and-end-all of bass playing. I recall top players such as Rob Burns etc quoting this 20 years ago in Guitarist magazine (and this was in the heyday of the King etc!). Nick (try playing What is this Feeling/Loathing, from the musical `Wicked' - what a greatly satisfying non-slapped bassline, a real exercise in accents/rests!)

Blamelouis! No, the know it all tis not me, 1. I live in Peterborough! 2. I've got 54 basses (not 30)! AND 3. I play in many bands, (pays ze mortgage!) 4. I USED to be loaded back in the old days during the IT boom! I suppose you could say I'm one of those annoying b$stards with too much gear but never a know it all, remember, the more you learn the more you realise how little you really know! hehe! Nick (there is a guy advertising on gumtree from that area, looking for Wals and Jaydees - hmmm!)

nowt wrong with GAS.... `...cos I'm the GAS man - yeah, I'm the GAS man....etc etc' PS - that mini T-bird looks like the one John Entwistle had made to commemorate the birth of his son `Christopher'

Allo! Just my opinion seeing that I seem to fit into the mould of an aged slapper...! 1. MK is one of the best drummer's I've ever seen. 2. MK is actually a very good guitar player. Oh, he plays keys too and has produced a lot of music. 3. His bass playing is very advanced - not just the slap tomfoolery (which tends to get knocked, mainly by those who have tried to copy him but can't), but listen to stuff he did such as `There Is A Dog' on his first solo album `Influences' - very clever stuff - do check it out. 4. He's a pretty good vocalist. And he plays pretty tricky lines whilst doing so. 5. Level 42 have sold over 30 million albums. 6. He has inspired many many bassists over the years and I think has done more than anyone else to propel the overall standard of playing to a new plateau (!) and raised the profile of the bass guitar as applied to the general public in many many territories. And he sold more bass gear than anyone else! As noted, the early 42 stuff was excellent; obviously the record companies saw potential in the band and with any successful project, the music was `shaped' by them to try to capture bigger sales, which in those heady (read hedonistic) 80's days the band acheived with aplomb! I personally think that the World Machine album was perhaps the peak in terms of their original `brit funk' influence (awful term I know) meeting `the commercial juggernaut' - very high quality playing/production etc. Following this era ('85), the stuff did go a bit dairylea but on saying that, there were still some great tracks on the albums along with some really awful ones (as with most bands!). When all is said and done, everyone has an opinion which is great, otherwise we'd all be very very dull creatures! I just think that many people find it easy to knock Mark as with anyone who comes along who can actually play stuff that it technically advanced. Once you look beyond the `hes-a-one-trick-wicky-wocky-quadtruplet-slappen-poppen-schtupper' (which I do not agree with) you will find a very underated musician - note that word. And he looks just like Klaus Kinski! Nick (where's me JD?!)

Here's me with my very famous ex Mark King Jaydee Classic....as featured on most stuff Mark did back in the good ole days - cost me £6K And one of his Status Empathy basses that cost £3K - bought just after I'd bought the JD! My current collection includes JJ Burnel's Steinberger XL-2 Cheers! Nick

..tell him next time I see him that I'm going to make him eat his own shoe....!

Just what i've been after! hehe

Any fellow 80's kids on here recall the `Gittler' guitar.....? [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gittler_guitar"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gittler_guitar[/url] nick O

Not a bad band, bass player is fairly good...! Give Hugo my regards! Nick

Bump as cetera has now posted another fine fence assemblage!!!

Ah! Another fine fence! We should get together and become BASS Overlords! Very tasty! Nick (54 basses and counting!)

...forgot to mention Pangborn! Currently, I've got 4 Statii and 4 Pangs so it may be that they are my faves after all, closely followed by the 3 Vigiers. Hang on, I've got 7 Arias...! Doh.

This belongs to my fellow Peterborough pro bassist, Jon `jaco' Bamforth - I helped build it originally! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/E-Basses-handbuilt-custom-Fretless-Bass-Guitar_W0QQitemZ300236638180QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item300236638180&_trkparms=72%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/E-Basses-handbuilt-c...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url] A very good instrument indeed!

Three varied JD's: Nice, refurbed Roadie IIA Series 2 body shape, tobacco burst: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Jaydee-Supernatural-Roadie-Active2-1986_W0QQitemZ260254267074QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item260254267074&_trkparms=72%3A638%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Jaydee-Supernatural-...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url] Similar model, fretless, cherry red: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fretless-Jaydee-Supernatural-Roadie-Series-Bass-Guitar_W0QQitemZ140242854850QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item140242854850&_trkparms=72%3A638%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fretless-Jaydee-Supe...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url] And, an interesting custom model, `Classic' Series 1 `Mark King', 24 fret model with `saturn' inlays: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stunning-Jaydee-Mark-King-Signature-Bass-Guitar_W0QQitemZ200233915812QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200233915812&_trkparms=72%3A638%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stunning-Jaydee-Mark...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url]

Errghh! Ugly. Sorry. (funnily enough the split s/plate model looks very similar to the Hornet bass I designed back in 2001). Where's me lawyer!

Oooo la la! I agree that the term `best' cannot be measured, perhaps `favourite' would be a better way of looking at it. The build quality at the top end of the market is comparable however, certain makers appeal to certain players. My favourite UK makers are (in no order): Jaydee Status E Basses Sei GB Shuker Overwater Iceni Zoot Organic Wal But I too lurve les Vigiers n'est ce pas! hehe! Nick

I'm having my very own `landfill' site for me and my girls - I'm hoping that the collection will top at least 200 basses by then! Very morbid but at the end of the day, this body is simply an organic spacesuit for my soul to `enjoy' this particular frequency range we perceive as reality so as to what happens to the bits of wood and wire (and carbon fibre!) once the spacesuit throws in the towel remains to be decided. Probably leave some to some good mates/students etc.

I find it sounds fine straight into my Markbass CMD102-P - boosted the lower and upper mids just past flat, VLE at 2 o'clock, VPF at 12 - sorted!

That may be the case but I'd say the build quality is very high and the set up (even the fingerboard looks to have been highly buffed - very tightly grained rosewood) is superb. Can't comment on the SX stuff as I've never seen one (perhaps I'm out of touch with the market!!! - what do I know eh?!). All I know is that I know a good bass when I see/play one and these are very good value for money! Buy one. Nick

Finally found a computer that works - here's some pix! My J bass is the same colour as the pink P bass!

To give you an idea as to the overall look of these new basses, there is a UK handmade version on the Bass centre site - the headstock shape is however the same on the lower priced models: [url="http://www.basscentre.com/product.asp?pID=445&cID=59"]http://www.basscentre.com/product.asp?pID=445&cID=59[/url] cheers Nick

Hi! Interesting day today. I've had my Dean eub for around a year; used it in some latin/funk rehearsals with a project that never really took off, but today, I took it along to our regular `jazz breakfast' gig and got on very well! I normally play safe and take a Vigier so I thought it about time to take the plunge. Our guitarist is one of east anglia's top guitarists and double/electric bass players (anyone know Louis Thorne - he writes for Guitar Buyer mag) and he was very complimentary about the bass and my playing (I'm considered an electric only player and jazz is one area that I'm not brilliant at - brilliant at everything else like! Hehe!) I picked the Dean up on Ebay for £300 - as new plus stand and fitted case - anyone else use one? Nick

Allo Meant to say that I don't have any pix of mine as I don't have a camera (soon to get one) but bear with me, I might still have some pix sent to me by House music just before the basses were introduced - will try and dig them out. Cheers!

Allo I used to own a white `Hellborg' twin necked Wal - fantastic bass but you needed major corsetry prior to any form of gig or even rehearsal - weighed a ton! Mine was originally custom built for a session player who specified that the `top' neck be a lined fretless. The flight case has been used as an aircraft hanger for some time! The legendary Wal triple neck was originally commissioned by Rick Wakeman to be played by his bassist at the time, Roger `budgie' Newell who later went on to become known as part of Bassist magazine's editorial team. Originally, the top neck was a regular 6 string guitar, the middle neck was fretted and the lower neck fretless. When Rick disbanded the English Rock Ensemble, he later gave the bass to Chris Squire who used it live in concert for the track `Awaken' (this tune being my all time favourite piece of music). Chris later changed the tuning of the `guitar' neck such that the strings were tuned in octave pairs `Aa Dd Gg Cc' - I think (think 8 string bass less the bottom E and octave e etc), Check out Trevor Raggatts Wal site for pics and info: [url="http://www.trevorandthea.eclipse.co.uk/specs3.html"]http://www.trevorandthea.eclipse.co.uk/specs3.html[/url]