TomRichards

Okay, hope you don't mind. I'm the brand manager for Brubaker Basses and the Brute Series basses. We have 4 and 5 string 34" scales that many of my customers swear gets near great Ken Smith and other tones. I don't have any in your country yet, though. I can sell you direct, however we would need to work a price with shipping. I recommend you go to YouTube and check out Brubaker Basses and also Kevin Walker demoing the Brute. Then, if you are interested, I'll see what I can do.

I am not going to suggest a brand, but more of what you might want in the bass. I suggest going with an active electronics system with passive mode, possibly something with Bartolini humbuckers that the coils are split so you can choose a number of configurations. If you have only one bass, normally it should be as versatile as you can get. For a long time I had a Lightwave Sabre bass as my only bass for that reason.

Backup basses range in prices, no matter what the artist. A McCartney played Yamaha BB would sell for about 10% of what a McCartney played Ric or Hofner would. Since Lynott was known for the black with mirror P bass, any one of his basses authenticated that were in that color scheme would probably sell between $2K and $3K sight unseen. A plain old sunburst that there probably arent any pictures of him playing, not more then a '78P in good condition. Here in the US, about $1500-$2000 USD.

While it seems a little tighter, anything with 18mm or 19mm should be a quick adjustment, as far as spacing. Remember, your hand and brain need to reorient themselves to reaching higher for the G, and forget the B string is there most of the time. The Spector, IMHO, will always be better. Higher quality and you'll get better tones. My two pence...

[quote name='fonkyme' timestamp='1317939910' post='1396595'] hi i got a high end brubaker NBS and it's fantastic.a glock preamp too , it's a very good preamp brubaker brute basses are done in china but checked in the usa by brubaker guitar. i try them and they are cool to play...for the price you can't go wrong i think and you can customise the pick up, preamp... Brubaker I love the tone [/quote] Nice! You are the first I know to put Sadowsky pickups in the Brute, what a great idea!

Here is the latest Brubaker Brute Series MJX-5 bass. It is black with a Kevin Brubaker Custom flamed pickguard. These are great basses, at a great price, but I don't think there are any dealers in the UK yet....

You can't beat anything Aria Pro II from the late '70s and early '80s, and they are all H. Noble. His work with Atlansia is as good, if not better, although visually they take some getting used to, like individual pickups for the strings. But they do sound great. I played on on a tour of Japan two years ago, borrowed it for a coupld of gigs. I was highly impressed. I never tried the one string. Maybe that will be my next addition....

Send me an email to [email protected]. I have spec sheets on the Brubaker Brute Series 5 strings that might fit your budget. Many of the basses mentioned here so far would be great. If I were to recommend the OLP, it would be the OLP 5 Tony Levin model, which actually looks better then the normal OLP and are a little easier to play. Not sure why, but they are.

You are half there. Bodies were made here in the US, everything else in the XKs was imported. XK necks used a different method for the headstock casting and also had weak brazing. Many of the XKs had snapped headstocks due to this. If you look at picks of XK models you often see the neck cap wood pulling away at the headstock joint, normally indicating there are problems brewing. Best you could do is contact Paul Unkert here in Toms River NJ. He worked at Kramer and Vaccaro and designed wood necks in the "V" headstock shape for the line of basses he used to sell, Unk Guitars. It would be a direct replacement. Would you like me to keep my eyes open for a quality XK-5? They do exist, just need an expert like Unk to check 'em out. The pickups in the 5 strings on the XK are the same make as the pickups used on the USA Vaccaros.

The mistake most make is recording with effects. Bass effects don't work as well as guitar effects. I record a raw signal and use my preamp to shape a second track. Amp simulators for bass are eh at best.

Even a cheap bass should sound good. Based on your information, your problem is amplitude. Take your bass and turn volume and tone all the way up for max signal. Record the track raw, no amp simulator, no effect. Then go back and record a second track with effects. Based on your set up and musical taste use the B-15r sim, cut the Mid a touch, boost the bass to about 7 and the treble to 7.5. Then play the two tracks back, blend in the raw to your liking. I think you will find that solves the problem. Otherwise, any bass with two J pickups will work best for you.

[quote name='FlatEric' timestamp='1331973859' post='1581519'] Ahhh, you have to log in Facebook!! Bit slow on the old Facebook thing but cracked it now. Nice collection, some unusual gear. What type of music do you play? Out of all my stuff, I dont have any of the ones you have! Alternative/punk/pop. Been doing that since '79. I have always loved the non-Fender non-Gibson thing. Note to self: Eric, you must try harder! Cheers. [/quote]

If you ever think about letting her come home...... Larry spent time in the Vaccaro plant having color fun. Vaccaro was known for the sparkle, and Larry asked for purple. I think at the time it was his daughter Sandi's favorite color. I'll ask him today. I'll be up by his house and I'll stop in. [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1331844415' post='1579889'] Actually I have one too... [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC01837.jpg[/IMG] Unfortunately it doesn't get that much use these days since I only play 5-string basses ATM. Unfortunately Hartke only made the cheaper XK series in 5-string. My plan is to find one of these and "upgrade" it to the XL spec. It would be nice to also get it refinished in the purple sparkle - do you know where the colour comes from? [/quote]

For those of you who can't "see" the collection, you need to login to your Facebook account, then you can see them. If you don't have a Facebook account, well, then you have to sign up or ask a friend who has one to let you surf the links. Sorry. Tooooo many pictures to post here.

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1331751715' post='1578347'] I like "Coco" - what is she? [/quote] Coco is a 1967 Silvertone 1442 bass, the last bass model ever made by the Danelectro company at their Neptune, NJ plant. She is solid body, short scale, with the Danelectro lipstick tube pickups. Has a cool vibe and sound, sort of between a Danelectro and a Jazz bass.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1331796276' post='1578841'] AFAIK they still do (or at least put their name on some Far Eastern copies). However I'm guessing (without being able to see the photos) that this is one of the XL or XK series that were based on the Vaccaro designs with an aluminium headstock and neck re-enforcement. The XL basses were hand built in New Jersey and featured high quality hardware and electronics from Sperzel, Schaller and EMG. [/quote] First, Larry Hartke is a long time friend, right here in NJ. As a matter of fact, I'll be visiting him in his NYC bass store on March 27th if any of you are on my side of the pond. Hartke's first basses were the XL series, made in Asbury Park by Vaccaro Guitars. They feature the Vaccaro Aluminum neck as well as Sperzel locking tuners and EMG electronics. My bass is the US made XL. Vaccaro was owned by Henry Vaccaro, one of the original owners of Kramer when they made their aluminum necks. He and his son founded Vaccaro when Kramer was sold to Gibson. The Hartke XL-4 basses came in several colors, and Larry owns one of each. My favorite is the purple sparkle, and I think Larry has the only ones ever made in that color. Thanks for the notice!

[quote name='gub' timestamp='1331751482' post='1578342'] Not bad but did jt not use an aria pro 2 sb 1000 not a 700? [/quote] Check out a few early videos, including from that series "Rock School" that your mates put out in the '80s. He has a cameo. JT played a Set neck SB700 on the first two Duran Albums and live, switching to the SB-1000 not long after. The truth is you can't tell a lot of difference when you record with either of the SB's, as they clearly get their tone from the Aria Pro II MB-1E pickups found in both models.

I'm not sure if all of them are, but many of the original/vintage pickups were wound by the infamous Ms. Ybarra, who recently retired from Fender after working there since 1955. I think pickups have the makers name on them, I know her's do. If I were to find a set of her wound pickups, I'd put them in no matter what they sounded like, as they are the closest to the original you can ever find.

Okay, this is one to test your skill with the internet, and your love for basses. I just posted my latest pictures of my collection to my Facebook page. Since there are over 100 shots of them, its too much to put here. Take a look at my collection, found under these two Facebook links: [url="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3220375101065.146552.1017046005&type=3"]http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3220375101065.146552.1017046005&type=3[/url] [url="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1378412173143.54143.1017046005&type=3"]http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1378412173143.54143.1017046005&type=3[/url] Tell me what you think, which ones you like. I am currently looking to thin the herd, so I'm also up for offers. I'm not saying I will sell any particular one, but I know there are some out there who might want something I currently covet. Cheers!

Sweeeeettttttttttttttttt! The ladies getting some fresh air! What exactly is the seafoam bass?

Yes it's a Kamen/Ovation GTX. Short lived, mid price bass. Actually decent basses, and one of the few instruments to sport these type of burst colors.

I am going to recommend finding something with a 7.5 to 9 inch radius. For some reason these are easier to play and learn on. I've had a few fret less over the years and the flatter fingerboards just didn't seem to really feel or play as smoothly.

[quote name='Telebass' timestamp='1331230953' post='1570009'] Hi Tom, used to have a pretty rare Kramer Focus 88 in blonde - wish I still did! Simple bass, but effective! [/quote] I wish you did too! Would have been nice to try to wrench it from your grasp...

I believe the OP just feels it is unethical because of his personal situation. I do not know the OP, but I'm guessing he is among those of us called "working level" or in the US "middle class". Meaning, we may make a decent wage and be able to have all our needs and a few of our wants met, but not an extravagant want like a high end, boutique bass. I also believe if the OP were to suddenly have a run of fortune in his given profession, and someone were to decry that he was being unethical for being the benefactor of that good fortune, his tune would change. Anyone can make music. With the software available today you can take the cheapest, crappiest of instruments and make hit records with not too much work So the argument cannot be based on any other thought then the "I don't have, so no one else should have mentality." It is funny how you NEVER hear this argument when it comes to the Apple iPhone. Heck, its just a smart phone, and there are many smartphones in the biz that are about half the price and have as much capability. So then why is it not unethical for Apple to make money and charge $500 US for a phone when others sell for less? The answer lies in exactly what another poster here said. The iPhone is a want, not a need. You can buy a $20 pay as you go phone here and send all the texts and make all the calls you want. You want to do more things? You have to pay more. You want the ultimate in capability? You pay for it, even if the iPhone itself only costs Apple about $25 to make. So, for a boutique or high end builder, he charges what the market will bear for his product. Many builders have gone out of business over the years because they may have made great instruments, but no one wanted them or liked the price. Those that have survived and thrived, well, then they are providing the wanted performance at an acceptable price. Would I personally pay the prices for a Fodera? Maybe, but probably no, because I can get similar capability from other makers who might be less and I at this point prefer not to spend that much. Is Fodera worth every penny they ask? An absolute YES!

So if you have the Sadowsky back, what is the Bolin/NS for?