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TomRichards

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Everything posted by TomRichards

  1. Hello from the US! Just wanted to update everyone on my affiliations. As of 1June 2018 I am the Nashville,TN USA rep for Tech 21 as well as the sales and operations for Clover and Esh basses (NBE Corp) in the Americas. So if you have questions about these products, feel free to reach out and I'll be as helpful as I can. Thanks, and hope you all have a great day!
  2. Hmmmm....you never know. But if you won't ask....
  3. Jolana is back. I rep them in the US and the Americas. Look for some cool reissues in the near future. Check out NBE Corp. for more.
  4. Aria made some, Yamaha and early Ibanez.
  5. I'm going to recommend the Quilter Bass Block head paired with a Quilter cab. Small, lightweight and powerful.perfect for what you are looking for.
  6. Hello everyone! I took a hiatus from all the forums to figure out where my next move would be. Over the past two years I built all the Social media for NS Design, and it was an honor to work with Ned Steinberger. I also worked with the heirs to Phil Kubicki to keep his legacy alive. I worked with designers John Backlund and Bill Compeau on the J. Backlund Design JBD-800B as well as the Ark Instruments/Kerry Davis Guitars Tom Richards signature Relayer bass. Today I'm proud to announce that I now am the sales and marketing director for Clover and Esh basses here in the Americas as well as an artist and rep for Moses Graphite/Sound Composites Sonosphere bass and guitar cabs. I am also the rep for Jolana, which is making it's comeback debut. I would love to hear from any Clover and Esh users here about your experience and love for the instruments, as well as what you think of the Sonosphere cabs. Happy Easter everyone. Tom Richards
  7. [quote name='bobmartin' timestamp='1453127137' post='2956577'] But no Shoulder, or outrigger(s)? [/quote] At the moment, similar to how NS and others do theirs with a tripod or a single peg available. As for sound clips, stay tuned to NAMM. I'll try and get some up and posted from the show this week. tom
  8. Hall D Booth 2683. Presenting the Willcox Stylus Electric Upright, powered by Lightwave Optical Pickup system. Basschat is the first group to see this, because I like you guys best. file:///.file/id=6571367.10412861
  9. Gun case or Keyboard case. Unless you have a custom guy over there, that's it. I don't think Gibson even made a hard case for them, as the graphite tube/wood combo is supposed to be durable and stable. Ned even made a video where he stands on the neck of the bass between two chairs to show how strong the whole thing is. A good gig bag should be enough. Unless, of course, you are checking it on an airplane....
  10. Well, its that time of year boys and girls. What bass would you like to wake up to on Christmas morning? Place your desire(s) below. Maybe he will read this list.
  11. Well, its that time of year boys and girls. What bass would you like to wake up to on Christmas morning? Place your desire(s) below. Maybe he will read this list.
  12. You guys make some good points. But I am not going to go cheap because I have to schlep it nor because the house guy always takes ya through his personal DI box. Like all things there is a diminishing return at some point. But wouldn't it make sense to save up a few more poundnotes for the Mesa 800 with the 2 1X12 cabs then just grab the Behringer?
  13. You guys make some good points. But I am not going to go cheap because I have to schlep it nor because the house guy always takes ya through his personal DI box. Like all things there is a diminishing return at some point. But wouldn't it make sense to save up a few more poundnotes for the Mesa 800 with the 2 1X12 cabs then just grab the Behringer?
  14. Well, figured I would use the British words but okay cable. I will argue that the bass has less to do then we all wish. Marcus, Victor, Jaco, dUG, and so many more use separate pre-amps. Heck, Marcus pretty much was the poster child for the pre. So then is the tone the bass ir the pre? Cabs and amps can really color your tone. Hartke is known for its mid scoop. Markbass has its "darker" tonality. Ampeg has its "classic" tonality. Play a p bass through each of them set with all the knobs at noon and it will sound different. But I hope my bigger point rings true. Investing more in your amp/pre/cabs makes a lot of sense and will mean more to your sound then the same investment in an instrument.
  15. Hello! I'd like to discuss this topic a bit here. As a pro with 35 years of touring and recording, I have often gotten asked about bass guitars and the effect of wood, hardware, strings, pickups, etc. on the infamous Holy Grail of Tone. To just about everyone of those I have replied that the bass itself is probably only about 20% of tone, period. The two most critical components of sound and tone, especially given that most bass guitars are solid body electrics, is your cable or lead and your amp/rig. And those are the two things most bass players spend the least amount of time and money on, because it isn't sexy and you can't hold and play it. Now, I don't advocate going and spending a gazillion dollars on a lead, as that is truly in many ways not a great bang for the buck. However, you must invest in quality and take care of it. I have my leads custom manufactured. I use two companies, my local shop called Be Sharp and Rattlesnake Cables. I am not doing this to push them, as there are plenty of cable makers out there who make exceptional cables. Lava, George L, for example, make superior cables. But I have mine custom made so that I know there is extra care in the soldering, wrapping and attention to each. My local shop made me two cables about a year ago, and one of them was "bad". We tested them on the bench, and they both had the correct outputs. However, when we plugged them into the amp, one lacked all the higher frequency and top end. We both were quite surprised. We re-soldered the ends, retested, should have been good. But again, cable was "dark". I am lucky in that I can actually play the cable before buying it. The difference in tone with the two exact cables made from the same reel of cable was astonishing. And, it also showed the importance of the cable over everything else. Same with amps and cabs. It really is "you get what you pay for." With the exception of when I was first starting out, I have never just purshased the cheapest. I scrimped and saved my pence to get good gear. Because it makes a difference. I have a Peavey combo from 1986, A Hartke LH500 and 4X10 HyDrive cab, as well as Vivid Amps VB500 and VT2180. None of them are the cheapest, and they actually all cost a decent amount. However, I always get consistent sound from them, and they are truly tailorable for a room. The interesting thing is, that over the years, I have owned and played nearly 6 dozen bass guitars, of varying price. But I have only owned about 5 rigs in 35 years. So the ROI for my amp is super high. And, its counter intuitive, but most players I know, even A list world renown players, will spend less time choosing a rig and pay the least amount. They will purchase $5000 Status or Fodera basses, sometimes every year, but spend less then $1000 on a rig that they gig for decades. So, in the nutshell, my point is that tone, whether its Geddy, Mark, Stanley, Jaco or Marcus is mostly from your hands and heart, and the most important parts of transmitting that to the world are your lead and your amp. So maybe spend a bit more time, and dare I say money, on those? What do you think?
  16. Absolutely the lightest full range cabs on the market today are direct from Vivid Amps in the US www.vividamps.com They use a patented molding technique to create ultra featherweight cabs in a series of sizes, even a 1X18 is 20 lbs. Of course Wayne Jones just relaunched his powered cabs and those are also especially lightweight. www.waynejonesaudio.com There are several manufacturers who will be launching new cabs at NAMM 2016 all with lightweight, neo drivers. Among the newer amp and cab entrants will be ZT Amplifiers (200W compact system), revised offerings from Trickfish amps, and I also hear that Tech21 may also be putting out a new high power handling lighter cab. Cabs are definitely moving lighter. Good for us old guys. Tom
  17. Few people really understand what they want or what can give them that tone. I suggest that you talk to a trusted dealer, like Mark Stickley at bass direct, and tell him what you want out of a bass. He will be able to point you very closely to a few choices that will work. Then you wont have to wade through the online reviews and players reviews. I have found a lot of people postreviews and base them on personal preferences, not semi-objective real reviews. A good dealer is invaluable to helping ypu fid gear happiness.
  18. [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1436187077' post='2815688'] If you're not a 'traditionalist' they would probably be worth a look, but it's all about how they play and sound, obviously. [/quote] They actually have super fast necks and the optical system gives you much deeper low then you would think you would hear. I owned one of the original Lightwaves from 20 years ago. I am curious to see how the HexFX interface works. Finally, a bass that can do midi without having wires and special frets and should have real time tracking.
  19. Hello Everyone! I am headed to Nashville for Summer NAMM to meet with a bunch of companies about some new, exciting projects. I wanted your thoughts on the new Willcox Guitars webstie www.willcoxguitars.com and the new HexFX Saber basses. Interesting how you can use the optical pickup now as a midi controller. Let me know here. Thanks! Tom
  20. Relayer Bass. New to the market, currently built in Canada. [sharedmedia=core:attachments:193828] [sharedmedia=core:attachments:193827] [sharedmedia=core:attachments:187056] [sharedmedia=core:attachments:187048] [sharedmedia=core:attachments:187049] [sharedmedia=core:attachments:187053] [sharedmedia=core:attachments:187055]
  21. Zero fret started as a "boutique" high end item. Most notable was Mosrite all the way back in the early '60s. Definitely done for ease of manufacture and for even tonality across the strings when played open. High end and custom Kramers all had them as well. Also guarantees near perfect intonation as you are no longer slave to the nut cut and height for the early fretted notes. I've had both, and actually prefer zero fret, as then the nut is really just a string holder and spacer. When nuts go bad, you don't have to really worry about much.
  22. For you Brits there is Alpher. Quickly becoming a premier builder.
  23. Early Lightwaves were spotty which is why Chris Willcox took his license back from the builder. Since then QC isuch better. They are great fretless monsters and the combo of optical and piezo is expressive and reproduces every nuance of yoir playing. I owned both early and current production.
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