Green Alsatian

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1326329069' post='1495693'] Looks like Green Alsation has just outed himself as a 'chorus-whore' . [/quote] And they're just the Boss pedals! I've never had more than two chorus pedals at once though, and [i]never[/i] ran them simultaneously - that'd be like crossing the streams! I forgot to add the Boss CE-300, which is a rack chorus - well worth seeking out as it works well with any instrument and sounds fabulous, especially in stereo! Outside Boss units, other choruses worth checking out with bass include the EHX Small Clone (not the Nano), the MXR Micro Chorus and especially the Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus, which is based on the CE-1 'Chorus' mode (it doesn't have the Vibrato mode).

With the exception of the CE-1 and the twin-pedal CE-20, I've had each of the Boss chorus pedals, using them on guitar, bass and keys. For bass, my personal preferences, in order are: 1 - CEB-3 Bass Chorus. I've had both the digital and pre-2001 analogue version and found that of the Boss chorus pedals, this one worked best for me. I prefer chorus with low rate/high depth settings and found this didn't muddy things up at all on the low end. 2 - CE-2B Bass Chorus. This is a more subtle chorus than its successor and while it's warmer than the CEB-3, I found it was a little [i]too[/i] subtle. 3 - CE-2 Chorus. This is my favourite on guitar, and found that while the bottom end muddies a little, the warmth of the chorus compensated for this. Buy a Taiwanese model if you go for this - they're cheaper, and having owned both a Japanese and Taiwanese model and done a shootout, the differences were negligible. Some say that the Japanese version is warmer, but with analogue pedals, it's difficult to have two of the same model sounding identical anyway! 4 - CE-5 Chorus Ensemble. This model has a dual-concentric Filter control, which allows you to roll off lows or highs from the chorused signal. I don't remember this one being muddy and is more 'transparent' than the other choruses. 5 - CE-3 Chorus Ensemble. Quite a 'metallic' sounding chorus, this one - far more cutting than the previous CE-2. 6 - CH-1 Super Chorus. I found this sounded the muddiest on lower notes and is probably the 'coldest' of the Boss chorus pedals, but then, they were aiming for a chorus that would be able to cut through the mix with this one. Hope this helps.

More pictures here: [url="http://www.thinlizzyguide.com/tours/dates/1982/820704.htm"]http://www.thinlizzy...1982/820704.htm[/url] This has caught my interest too and after had a dig about the net for Ibanez catalogues etc, the only other reference I found was on Talkbass in which someone mentions that Ibanez made the double-neck specially for Phil. You could ask the poster where they got the info. Here's the thread: [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f28/phil-lynotts-gear-230612/"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f28/phil-lynotts-gear-230612/[/url]

I've seen footage of him with an Ibanez double neck - there's a picture of him with one on this video: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR45mIDxvs8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR45mIDxvs8[/url]

Around the 6 minute mark, you can just about make out the single-coil P-pickup beneath the scratchplate, so it looks a 50s Precision. You'd easily be able to see the Tele bass pickup.

It could be that Phil's rougher voice on Thunder & Lightning was to match their heavier sound. I remember being quite surprised by Phil's gruff voice (and indeed their heavier sound) when I first heard their last concert (BBC Live in Reading) in the early 90s as at the time I only had their albums up to Black Rose. He could have damaged his throat around that time - have a listen to him singing 'Military Man' on Gary Moore's 'Run For Cover' from 1985. His voice is sounding good on this live clip: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK0C-xKVOBw[/media]

Sadly, most synths are made from plastic these days, to keep the costs and weight down (many of them are portable) - the Gaia is plastic, as is the Novation Ultranova and the M-Audio Venom. Whether these are are also vulnerable to the interference is unknown. If you want the same exact same sounds as your MicroKorg but in a metal chassis, you could always buy a Korg MS2000, on which the MicroKorg engine was based. It would have to be second-hand as they've been discontinued.

I thought that about the bottom of the scratchplate - the only times I've seen a Fender scratchplate leave a gap like that was with copies. My old Kay P left a gap like that when I tried to put on a Fender-sized scratchplate, as did my CMI, when I tried to replace the scratchplate on that. I'd be careful.

It's a great book. I loved the bit where he took Gary Moore (if I remember correctly) to a Chinese restaurant and convinced him to order some noodles that Phil knew he wouldn't like! Phil then ate them!

"Jesus Christ, was that you, love? Open the window will you! That's put me right off my tea!"

I don't need more GAS! That looks boss! I reckon I could squeeze that in between the CS-15 and SH-09!

I've had mine for a week now - I bought a Butterscotch one for £401 from Andertons (although I paid £385 through loyalty points), so I can offer my initial impressions. The body is Alder (I know the Squier CV series are Basswood) and the bass has some weight to it - weighs the same as my Ray35. The default strings are Fender 105-45, which sounded nice with the bass, but I had a set of Ernie Ball Group 3 flats, which I've put on instead. I can't fault the finish on the body - consistent and a good job all around. Shows the grain of the wood nicely and it looks to be a nice piece of wood under the finish. The neck and fretboard have a glossy finish, which might not be to everyone's tastes, but I like the feel of them. Again, they've done a good job with the finish, and the neck fits well. The only 'rough' bits were the slots in the nut, but the strings hide it and the functionality isn't impaired and the bevelled cut on the thick single-ply scratchplate (black) looks a little rough in places but nothing that bothers me. Hardware feels solid - tuners do what they're supposed to (they're plain-backed - no Fender stamp on them) and hold the bass in tune. The knobs are chrome metal dome and operate smoothly - no cracking when operating the two volumes and the master tone. The bridge looks to be the same brass heavy mass unit from the Classic Vibe series. Soundwise, both humbuckers are even in output and the main surprise was from the bridge pickup. I was expecting it to sound thin with being so close to the bridge, but it actually sounds rather full. Still a bit of mud from it, but you can sharpen things up by playing directly over it - I was worried this might be an unusable pickup in that position, but I'm rather taken by it. The neck pickup is lovely and thick - not as muddy as the Epiphone EB-0 I had. It produces the expected neck pickup sounds, so plenty of late-60s character in there. Together, the bridge and neck pickup give you a thick sound with a bit more definition than if you just used the neck, but you can still hear the characteristics and body of the neck pickup. You can roll off a bit of either pickup to noticeably change the sound of the bass, so it's definitely more versatile than just having the neck pickup. I haven't played any of the Classic Vibe basses, (although I've owned a VM P-bass, which was great), so I can't say how the overall quality compares. Is it a rebadged Squier? I don't know, but I would still have paid £400 for it if it was a Squier. I do know that China are putting out some great instruments at the moment - I recently had an ESP LTD Vintage 204 PJ, which I sold to put towards this and it played and felt great (on the 'get another one day!' list). I wouldn't flinch at buying another Chinese-made Fender (or Squier). It gets a thumbs-up from me. Pics, then: [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/707/fendertelebass003.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/fendertelebass004.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/407/fendertelebass005.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/862/fendertelebass006.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/408/fendertelebass007.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/fendertelebass008.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/818/fendertelebass009.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/641/fendertelebass010.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/249/fendertelebass011.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/37/fendertelebass012.jpg/"][/url]

Sorry to hear about that Jake - Aigburth's a nice area, but the bloody rats are everywhere. I'll keep an eye out in my local Cash Convertors to see if it surfaces there. Have you any pics of the bass?

WD40 should get the sticker residue off - spray it on directly and apply some elbow grease with a soft cloth. I've used it to get rid of unwanted sticker residue from things I've bought on Ebay.

Thanks for the tip-off, sir. Pre-ordered.

I thought the white looked ace in the other thread, but now I've seen the black one, I'm veering towards that, as it matches the headstock.

Bloody hell! That's my first bass (well, same model), bought for £30 from an ad in the local paper in 1989! That one's in good condition, and has probably been set up to be playable - it's a plywood body (you can tell by the solid black colour on the contours) and mine weighed a tonne! I would never pay £300 for one now, even with its upgrades - I'd buy a Classic Vibe or a second hand Mexican Fender for that price. At the time of owning mine (and I knew nothing about setting up a bass back then), discounting the fact I could fit my fingers under the strings at the dusty end of the neck, the body had been routed to buggery and the electronics were crackly, it just didn't sound very good (murky). The Marlin Slammer P-copy (another cheap catalogue bass) that I bought off a friend for £60 to replace it was much-better playing and sounding and that wasn't what you'd call a great instrument by today's standards. That said, with the upgrades made, it might well sound nice, but it's by no measure a collectable instrument. I'd steer clear myself.

What Paul said - even a cheap EQ pedal (I used a Behringer BEQ-700), set flat with just the output level boosted should help here. Out of interest, are you using a limiter or compressor before the Dod? I made the mistake of putting a Boss limiter before the Dod once, rendering the pedal useless!

I really like Feline and Aural Sculpture these days but can struggle a little through Dreamtime and to a greater extent, 10 at times - I have to be in a certain mood to listen to those two albums. When I first heard Feline (in the early 90s), it took me a good few listens to get into it with it being such a massive change in direction from La Folie, which still had some of their hallmarks - Hugh's jagged guitar, JJ's angry bass and Dave's swirling keys. Feline sounds quite sparse in comparison but I absolutely love 'Midnight Summer Dream'. The brass section in Aural Sculpture took a bit of getting used to, but I suppose if they'd had Dave using synth brass stabs (don't think he got the sampler until a couple of years later), it would have sounded very dated now. 'North Winds Blowing' is a fantastic song! My old man got me into them - he had Rattus and No More Heroes when they came out and I remember owning a few singles from back then (still got a Strange Little Girl and Golden Brown 7" somewhere). Got properly into them when I got my old man the Greatest Hits 77-90 for his 40th birthday - I'd not long been playing bass and listened to the tape more than he did! Only seen them three times though - twice with Paul Roberts and John Ellis and last year with them back as a four piece with Baz. Excellent gigs (especially with Baz) - seeing them next year too. I'd love another new album from 'em!

That's boss!

I love reading stories such as this - keep it up and be proud of your achievement! Here's to your next ailment being blisters on your fingertips again!

Judas Priest's 'Screaming for Vengeance'.

[quote name='Jondeeman' timestamp='1322138607' post='1446994'] Just out of interest, what do people use under their p'ups? Personally, I prefer foam (I usually get the Fender ones) as I tend to anchor me thum on the p'up, and have had problems with spring movement in the past. I've always associated the silicone tube with low end gear, but can't profess to've ever given it a go. I assume everybody uses something?!? [/quote] I use 10mm adhesive black foam weather strip similar to the picture below. For deeper pickup cavities, I'll layer it so that the pickup can be raised to any height and remains stable. [url="http://images.productserve.com/preview/1228/3641497.jpg"][/url]

I'll have to see when it's on again and Sky+ it. I haven't checked out the Sky Arts listings for a month or so now.

[quote name='Wil' timestamp='1322148850' post='1447246'] I also miss the shitstorm threads. There is only so much bass related stuff you can discuss before it starts going in cicles, it's just a board with some strings on. [/quote] This pretty much said what I was going to - I think once a forum starts to fill with topics that an old lag has read many times in the past, they move on. Sometimes, this has a domino effect where when certain people stop posting, others follow suit - groups of people who become friends on the forum, for example. I've moved on from places where I wasn't really learning anything new, things got repetitive, or where familiar faces had stopped frequenting. Regarding basses - I've been playing 20 years and know what I like and what I don't like, so I don't generally get into discussions over them as I don't feel my thoughts have much merit. That said, I will gladly offer an opinion if someone asks about an instrument/effect/amp etc. I have experience with. Although, I prefer reading the bass/effects sections and reading others' thoughts on basses I haven't played/considered or learning about new models/lines etc., for me, the most interest in terms of taking part in threads has been in Off Topic, due to the array of different topics.