The Burpster

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='615276' date='Oct 2 2009, 09:39 PM']Thanks; at least I'm not going mad then... [/quote] No, far from it. In fact it often makes me wonder on here when folks are on about changing their 'sound' or 'tone', how much of it could be done by careful and strategically changing strings. Certainly in my limited experience you can make considerable and noticeable changes with very subtle changes here and there. I now only make one small change at a time and let it settle before moving to alter others......

I'm pretty sure there is not conspiracy theory going on here.... just a large US company with shonky QC and little if any motivation to get its house in order because it's pretty happy with its market share...... Sad but true.

Clearly the ultimate 'unmistakable 80s' bass would be a Steiny clone ( a genuine one being way out of your price bracket), although a less obvious but subtle one would be a Fender P lyte or one of the pointy head Fenders of that ilk.

Si, The truth as hinted at by the Beedster is that QC wise they are no better or worse than any other Fender - What I mean by that is that it could be an absolute peach or a bit of a dog, you can never tell until you get your hands on it. My experience is that I had a CS P (from the same ltd edition that the Beedster owned) and whilst it was comprised of some lovely components, it seemed like it was put together by a primary school kid. Basically I had to take it apart and put it together properly before I could set it up. That being said after I had it was a lovely bass. The current owner is as happy as a dog with 2 tails.

Nik, Yes it does make sense, and whilst it is only very slight and subtle differences, tensions may vary and this is why we have to set up (or at least check it ) whenever we change string makes or gauges.

As all my PRSs would class as expensive using your criteria, I would expect then to be well put together but small blemishes or marks are usually down to where and how they have been stored post factory. 2 of mine were bought new but had 1 or 2very minor dinks in the paint from the shop that had had them for sale.... I was perfectly happy to accept that. So in your case I would say the neck bolt is unacceptable but the blemish is a bit picky...IMO. Have you tried undoing the neck bolt a couple of turns to see if it is actually put in at an angle, or if the screw is bent? If its the second of the 2 I'd just ask them for a new neck bolt. If its in at an angle I'd say that was a bit of shonky workmanship, and worth questioning.

Nik, Not sure what you mean by playability.....? you appear to have two issues (unless I'm mistaken). 1. Tension. 2. Tone. So both of these will vary widely with differing strings and even differing gauges of the same string. Have you tried it in the std set up that Fender recommend or that they come supplied with? That's a good starting point (use the same gauge initially and different makes) and work from there using your experience of the kind of tone that you want from it to select the strings. Then when you have the make and type of string you want then start approaching differing gauges to get one that suits both your tone requirement and feel. Trying to change all in one go gives way to many variables to illicit a plan of what's changed and how its affected your playing. If that helps, that's how I approached my PRSs and it worked for me.

I use the PRS kit, but then I would wouldnt I....? In fairness its not expensive and does the job very well. Cleaner - Lemming Oil - Polish. [url="http://www.headlinemusic.co.uk/product-details.aspx?product=94"]http://www.headlinemusic.co.uk/product-det...aspx?product=94[/url]

[quote name='silddx' post='608710' date='Sep 25 2009, 03:43 PM']No, it's a guitar. Sorry mate. Guitars are a pain in the arse.[/quote] Indeed so. However you have got me thinking...........

[quote name='silddx' post='608145' date='Sep 24 2009, 09:06 PM']I also put Sperzels on my PRS, they're really good.[/quote] Bass or 6 string.... ? If its your bass I'd like a pic of that - always been envious of my g'tarist and his lockers on the Custom 22.....

My advice FWIW is start with the best platform that you can get. You might get an absolute peach but at £85 there is much higher probabality that it will be worth about £85 - The better the wooden bits the better the end result will be, this is from experience.

Sounds more likely to be a dry solder joint somewhere if its intermittent. If they go open circuit they go PDQ and then are dead. Fluctuating between full signal and reduced signal is more likely to be as above. Oh and there are plnety of 'techs' that know how to twiddle screws but dont know one end of an AVO (Although most that know what they are doing use Fluke now )from the other!

With just a large single V on the headstock it sounds like a Vigier Arpege to me..... [url="http://www.vigierguitars.com/page/fiche_produit.php?id_prod=243"]http://www.vigierguitars.com/page/fiche_pr...php?id_prod=243[/url]

Best - Gallery Worst (so far) - Bass Cellar

I'm surprised anyone one here with any experience would go into a shop and be put off playing a bass, because it did not produce the tone they expected plugged in to an amp in the shop. Go into the shop, inspect if for defects, quality, workmanship and feel by all means - but never tone.....! Is the shop likely to have the same set up as you have....? Strings, set-up, intonation, Amp, pedals, leads? I very much doubt it, these are all very personal to each and every one of us. To expect anything from the bass in the shop is a big ask. Knowing what I know now, go and look at it. decide if its tactilely correct, buy a ste of your normal strings then take it home and set i up with new strings and then play it plugged in. You should be able to tell in the shop what it sounds like accoustically or through a Tascam or similar (preferably your own one). There is always likely to be slight variances between to rigs using the same components so imagine the variables involved with all of the elements I mentined above.....

I mainly use D'addario Chromes. They are very good strings, and will produce a good vareity of tones. The prob is not with your strings but more likely the nut and bridge of your Yamaha. After replacing the stock items on my first Yamaha the clarity and sustain increased by a huge amount. After changing the pups and electrics to sensible arrangement it was a monster (for what is cost!). Going back to round wounds may just leave you dissapointed.

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='589068' date='Sep 3 2009, 08:25 PM']Any idea what the bassist from Easy Star All Stars was playing on? It had an absolutely awesome tone for dub reggae...[/quote] It is imdeed a Synapse..... [url="http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Steinberger-Synapse-XS15FPA-Custom-5String-Bass?sku=519150"]http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/pr...Bass?sku=519150[/url]

Isnt it basically a Spirit with upper and lower bouts.....? Capable, but not like a Synapse IMO.

Isnt there a parallel we can draw to other items about which men are sensitive to length issues.........

[quote name='Clarky' post='587918' date='Sep 2 2009, 08:33 PM']It is in fact Nikki Sixx's trademark "OptiGrab" - a bent metal loop that is attached at an angle behind the bridge and is used for anchoring his pinky while picking (so I have read).[/quote] Thnks for that Clarky..... Patented Optigrab eh.....? What an odd chap, or is this a natural progression when you fry your cerebum with illicit substances......! (I did think that when he took a perfectly great Ovation bass and had silly flames painted all over it to make it his 'sig' bass)

[quote name='RichMcGill' post='587811' date='Sep 2 2009, 06:54 PM']Good reply and some good points here. I've never touched an XL-2 or any other original Steinberger, so we've got a lot of ignorance here. It looks to me as though XL-2 is a period piece? Expensive, fragile, heavy but with a good sound & presumably plays well. A showjumper to a donkey? I can see XL-2 has a lot more pedigree and is worth a lot more from the point of view of original price, current and long-term value. I suppose a donkey has worth and can do a good day's work, but a donkey is also slow & sluggish which I do not see in the Spirit. A lot of the points here are about the material used. What does composite bring that's good? I notice that you rate Synapse which uses both composite and wood. Trivially, the thing that really puzzles me is the need for "extra sticking out bits" in both XL-2 and Synapse which jar with my sense of good design. Spirit doesn't need such things and, to my mind, the design should meet the needs. I've nearly stopped dreaming of one day changing my Spirit for XL-2. Synapse looks bigger? Small is a good design feature here, in my view, and to be valued. Spirit in original soft gig back fits into many places other basses couldn't begin to consider. Looking forward to the day I get to actually experience XL-2, perhaps it'll all make sense then!![/quote] OK here goes.... I have had a noodle with a 1981 XL-2 it was a peach but having just bought one of my PRSs I couldnt afford it. I have owned 2 Hohners but as stated above whilst they 'do the job' both the ones I had were unstable and tricky to set up and had VERY narrow necks which in the end was the reason I parted with them. The XL-2 however weighed noticably more (making the Hohners seem like they were made from Balsa) and hence the Hohners and my guess would be the Spirit balance better because the necks are lighter. The Original composite ones are rightly now expensive because they are rare and very sought after. Fragile they are not. They were made from solid composite and carbon weave cloth, which was cutting edge for the day but due to material tech. moving on as it has, the new Synapse is a wood core with Carbon external laminates, which reduces the weight but gives similar tonal qualities which are quite unique to the innert compound of carbon. Composite has a differant tonal quality because it is so dense. Aluminium necks and the odd neck through Alu, basses likewise have a unique tonal quality and sustain because of the material density. ( a similar tonal change can be noted by changing to a brass nut on a wood bass). The sticky out bits are neccassary because the neck is considerably heavier because of its construction as above, this affects the COG and hence needs some help. The Spirit being lighter doesnt need this assistance (same as my Hohners didnt). The Throughbred/Donkey analogy was more about breeding and roles, rather than being more or less competant. You coudnt get a Thoro'bred to haul rocks all day, as you couldnt get a Donkey to jump 6' Oxers. They are different and so shouldnt be judged in the same light. I've not tried a Synapse but when I get the chance to I will - out of curiosty. For me tho' it would have to be the original XL-2 or a Status Streamline 4 which is an up-to-date evolution of the original idea using todays tech for the construction. The wooden ones are a facsimilie of the original idea but they aren't the same.

The last ones on here fetched £1250 to £1500 so it would have be an asbolute minter for someone to pay £2k for it.... Thats not to say that someone wouldnt but you might have to wait a very long time.

As its a side exit Jack my guess would be that is so the lead can be connected and then run up behind the bridge and then over the strap button. This would prevent it hanging straight down and give it somewhere to go as it couldnt be 'tucked' behind the strap and button, to prevent it getting snagged out like most of us do with a button that is on the base of the bass.

1. the big 'wing on the back was in place of the top forearm so that you could fold it out and attatch a strap for playing stood up. 2. They were made of resin/carbon weave entirely. 3. the carbon and resin can indeed chunk but like any bass if its not in vital area it wont affect its playablilty (and IMO is way easier to patch up than trying to match paint and lift dents out of wood!) 4. Is any vintage instrument worth it.....? the electrics are way old skool and they are heavy..... but again IMO they have a unique and killer 80s tone and were and still are, a complete breath of fresh air. 5. comparing the original XL-2 to a spirit is like comparing a showjumper to donkey.... the spirit is a wood copy just like the Hohner; wood is nothing like carbon...... Have you looked at the Synapse bass....? This is a Ned evolution of the original XL-2 and to me is the best of both worlds (wood and composite) and has up to date electrics........ BTW - I love 'em (not got 'round to buying one yet, but its only a matter of time!)