99ster

For excellent quality reproduction vintage headstock waterslide decals - this guy is THE BEST & cheap as well. [url="http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZbrauskoh"]http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZbrauskoh[/url] Highly recommended.

In a moment of insanity - a very beautiful fretless Wal Custom. What was I thinking...

[quote name='Beedster' post='47920' date='Aug 20 2007, 08:22 PM']As you probably know, I got hit by a US dealer. You just have to realise - as I do now - that the bass market place is littered with dodgy traders and the best bet is to only buy items you've seen. I lost out by about £900, although I do still have a bloody nice sounding and playing Flea, albeit one that I won't be able to sell unless Modulus replace the body (which is the option I'm pursuing at present). Likewise, this guy still has a bloody nice '74 Jazz, albeit one that isn't worth what he paid for it either. Sh*t happens, but he and I have both got great basses and we've both learned a valuable lesson. He should, IMHO, just let it be now or it's gonna start to become an obsession [/quote] Wise words mate.

[quote name='MB1' post='47901' date='Aug 20 2007, 07:54 PM']MB1. OH JOHNTY !....LOOK WHAT WEVE FOUND HERE! Seems to be trying to make out, it was something he stumbled across in the attic???..................cash in the attic!............ i think not![/quote] This is an old eBay favourite - he continually posted it for weeks on end - there's history to it & a big dispute with the US dealer he bought it from... He does it as some sort of protest. All a bit sad really.

[quote name='Beedster' post='47892' date='Aug 20 2007, 07:37 PM']Sometimes you just gotta put it down to experience. If the price he's quoting is any indication of what he paid for it, he should have done his homework before shelling out in the first place [/quote] I was told he bought it from this high profile vintage dealer: [url="http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZtune_o_matic"]http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZtune_o_matic[/url] Who is VERY expensive - but does have a good reputation for selling genuine parts & very nice vintage instruments (at the highest prices). Still I would have thought he would have offered to take the bass back if he really did deserve his 'Power Seller' award....? Who knows what went on? And this guy sure doesn't seem to want to 'let it lie'! But like you say Beedster - it still has to always be 'buyer beware' - which is why I would never buy an expensive bass without seeing it first. Too big a gamble.

Somehow eBay just hasn't been the same since this guy stopped repeatedly listing his refin 1974 Jazz bass... I see he still hasn't got a refund then. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1974-Fender-Jazz-Bass-Candy-Apple-Red_W0QQitemZ190143241770QQihZ009QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1974-Fender-Jazz-Bas...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Jasse00 - an absolute pleasure to deal with! Great communications + prompt payment - & he's a very nice chap as well! Highly recommended!

[quote name='JimD' post='45909' date='Aug 15 2007, 04:30 PM']Not really - a graphite neck is a composite of graphite reinforced plastic. It really is essentially plastic. A painted wooden bass is essentially...wood. To go a step further, the composite neck couldn't exist as a playable part of the instrument without the plastic. But a wooden bass works without a finish (but isn't very durable). Phenolic is short for phenolic resin - I don't think these fingerboards have any wood anywhere near them. Bakelite is an early plastic made from phenolic resin.[/quote] Exactly. When anything is described as being 'graphite' or 'carbon' (the same thing essentially) - be it a guitar neck or body, an F1 car body or an expensive road bike frame - they are all made of plastic, with a small amount of carbon fibre added to give increased strength & stiffness. It's basically just like the glass fibre used for boats & canoes, but using the more expensive & stronger carbon fibre instead. A high tech plastic yes - but still plastic.

[quote name='The Funk' post='45892' date='Aug 15 2007, 03:54 PM']Did Ampeg's first bass guitar model predate the Fender Precision?[/quote] They did an electric upright in the early 1960's called 'The Baby' & then this one first appeared around 1966. But the fretless version (also around 66) was important as the first purpose built fretless bass guitar - which is why guys like Rick Danko used it until Fender brought out the first fretless Precision in 1970...

I'm sure I've seen that one before on the Bay... I've got some great video footage of the legendary Rick Danko playing a fretless one live (looks mad as it's a big old beast to sling round yer neck). And Jah Wobble also used one for a while - there's footage of him playing one on The Old Grey Whistle Test with P.I.L. A big fat sound - but not something I'd want to wrestle with!

[quote name='The Funk' post='40000' date='Aug 1 2007, 02:04 PM']Alex gigs with his Avalon U5 into a power amp. It's not cheap though.[/quote] +1. Got an Avalon U5 recently. It is absolutely fantastic. Which is why it's become the industry standard DI for many top 'name' bass players & high-end recording studios. But - it is also a (very expensive!!!) big heavy box that needs to be cased properly if you want to gig it. The rack kit for it is a rip-off price as well (I use a £20 Alu video camera case that is a perfect fit).

Well done Chris - that's an absolute cracker! Polish? Try 'Fender Meguiars Guitar Color Restorer Cream Polish' This guy in the US is a good place to get it from: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Meguiars-Guitar-Color-Restorer-Cream-Polish-New_W0QQitemZ130139447866QQihZ003QQcategoryZ47077QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Meguiars-Guit...VQQcmdZViewItem[/url] [i]And no - don't put a Badass bridge on it![/i]

Been lamenting this poor thing in the eBay thread.... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=4257"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=4257[/url]

[quote name='thumbo' post='45142' date='Aug 14 2007, 09:01 AM']I've never heard any Curtis Mayfield before but I'm diggin it. I want to buy an album, which one is best to start with?[/quote] The theme track to the film [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Superfly-Original-Soundtrack-Curtis-Mayfield/dp/B0009VY6VE/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/203-5550544-4765536?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1187110212&sr=8-3"]'Superfly'[/url] is brilliant.

Looks like it's been at the bottom of a canal for the last 10 years! Seriously - that would cost you a lot more to fix than you could buy a nice '78 vintage Musicmaster bass for - in perfect condition! In fact there's a nice looking '77 on eBay now for £400. To get this poor thing back to the same condition - properly restored for £400? No chance. RIP.

[quote name='dlloyd' post='44716' date='Aug 13 2007, 09:49 AM']A friend of mine had his Martin DM acoustic guitar up on ebay... lovely guitar, just a few months old, great condition. Ebay cancelled the auction with hours to go, due to keyword spamming. Apparently the problem was that he put "as new" in the title. [/quote] It is infuriating when scammers seem to operate quite happily on eBay - whilst the rest of us are quickly jumped on for infractions of their bizarre rules. I got a heavy-duty warning & was threatened with having my account closed for adding an informative & sensible URL in the description of a 'Want It Now' item - i.e. I wasn't even selling anything!!! Go figure?

[quote name='paul, the' post='44417' date='Aug 12 2007, 12:55 PM']Bootsy Collins for his playing with The Houseguests, the SINGLE GREATEST funk band to ever have existed. This is the equilibrium of FUNK. It's in between the uptight slavery of the JBs and the over-the-top cheese-funk of George Clinton. It's simple, raw, honest funk with astonishing bass lines and excellent tone. Perfection, just ahead of The Meters. Oh!, looky here, I've found a clip: [url="http://www.last.fm/music/Houseguests"]http://www.last.fm/music/Houseguests[/url][/quote] Love that track! Did they ever do an LP?? Is it available on CD??

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='44586' date='Aug 12 2007, 08:41 PM']I've followed this thread and still struggle to comprehend how this amp (and all of its brothers and sisters out there) can be getting glowing remarks (regardless of tone) when you can't actually use the thing! You seem to be saying that this is bordering on a common occurrence with this particular model of amp... astonishing (regardless of tone) why anyone would buy one. If I purchase an amp I expect it to turn on and go every time. I shouldn't have to buy another piece of equipment to plug it into to get it to work, or not as the case appears! I'm not knocking you or anyone else for buying one... actually I may be; but am I alone in finding this totally bemusing?[/quote] +1. And it costs how much? Yet there's no UK tech suppport/service agent? WTF?

One of the best microphones for bass cabs is the Electro Voice RE20 (or the newer version RE27) – but they cost a fortune new in the UK (though they often pop up on US eBay at much more sensible prices), other people swear by a big Neumann Valve condenser. Probably the best ‘cheap’ option is an AKG kick drum mike – a D112. Loads of people love these for bass... As mentioned by Dood - always best mixed with a good quality DI signal (ideally via an Avalon U5)...

[quote name='aido43' post='44445' date='Aug 12 2007, 02:46 PM']Looks great to me--I love the precision body . Saw Pratt playing with Roxy last year and he was great--although the show was billed as intimate it was really a warm up for some bigger gigs and the band were a little under-rehearsed--happens a lot over here.[/quote] That 12 year old kid playing lead guitar is pretty impressive!