spinynorman

[quote name='Toasted' post='562695' date='Aug 7 2009, 11:44 AM']Are you kidding? Dave Grohl is a living legend, and Josh Homme has been responsible for some of the best rock of the last 20 years.[/quote] I agree, though I think a lot of people don't like Josh Homme because of his occasional fits of temper on stage. Those two have worked together before, so if anything it's JPJ who's the unknown in that environment. I find QOTSA material very hard to play, just can't get the timing right with the drummer. So, if it's true it'll be interesting. And if they come over here I hope it's bigger venues or more dates than last time QOTSA toured.

Neck widths and string spacing vary a lot, you need to check the specs - nut width, string spacing at nut and bridge. I had a Vester that, for me, was stupidly tight, like a guitar. I also had an MIM Jazz and they're quite wide at the nut, which surprised me, as the 4-string isn't. I've found I can switch between 4 and 5 quite easily at home and even at rehearsals, but in the pressure of a gig I screw up on the 5. I think I could only make it work if I switched to 5 full time, but really none of the songs we do need it, so my current 5 spends very little time out of the case. However I don't think the time I've spent on it has been wasted, even to find out in the end it's not really for me. Which is a long way of saying, go for it.

I've even had cut-down long scale TI flats on a short scale EB3, which is supposed to be a good way to snap them. They were on there for about a year and were still going strong when I sold the bass.

[quote name='BarnacleBob' post='553983' date='Jul 28 2009, 02:29 PM']I always pronounced Epiphone like Epiphany and not Eppi-fone. Used to get some funny looks in the music stores.[/quote] You're not alone. Fortunately I didn't say it in public. Epi-fone sounds very awkward to me, don't know why though, as I never had a problem with Voda-fone.

[quote name='bythesea' post='552954' date='Jul 27 2009, 05:55 PM'] Good pricing strategy there. Now if only they were in stock![/quote] A mate's just bought one of their electro acoustic basses. I'll be very interested to see if it's playable.

[quote name='evilLordJuju' post='553123' date='Jul 27 2009, 08:04 PM']Check some [url="http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/advertisements/gibson"]old Gibson adverts[/url] here[/quote] "The Ripper. Designed To Rip Your Ears Off" 1974 Classic. Going for the rugby prop forward market, possibly. Now, where's my polo pony.

[quote name='acidbass' post='553013' date='Jul 27 2009, 06:31 PM']My personal favourite Great band! I am almost positive that if I had have been born in 1949, I would enjoy going to gigs so much more than I do now![/quote] Being only a short way off that vintage myself, I find getting most of my contemporaries to gigs (ours or anyone else's) is uphill work. What with "the music's too loud", "I get backache", "I like to be in bed by 9:30", "My bladder's too weak". They seem to have been so shagged out by the summer of love, they haven't been to a gig since. :

[url="http://swiftmusiclondon.weebly.com/electric-basses.html"]Swift - the pink bass specialist[/url]

[quote name='BarnacleBob' post='546987' date='Jul 21 2009, 08:39 PM']And here it is........ scratchplate has been sprayed black but is v nice condition and sounds fine. BB[/quote] That looks much better with the black scratchplate.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='552757' date='Jul 27 2009, 03:45 PM']Online for me too. It's a shame, but that's how it is... As for trying before buying... Trying a bass, amp or cab out in a shop will tell me nowt about how it'll sound at a gig. I'd rather do my research on-line and buy wisely...[/quote] I agree with that. My basses sound crap by themselves, they only come alive in the band. Most of my gear has been used off eBay. I'm not even sure how I decide what to bid on, it's like fate or instinct, or something. I've only had one dud in 10 years and a lot of fun with some interesting basses that didn't cost a fortune. My worry is that eBay is self-destructing and seems to be set on becoming a bank, with an online version of PoundStretcher on the side. Auction revenue was way down in their last results.

I came close to buying one of these, then the MIJ RI came up, so I didn't. BaCH have a good reputation and are cheap. [url="http://www.bachmusik.com/en/p100792/bach-pb60-butterscotch/"]http://www.bachmusik.com/en/p100792/bach-pb60-butterscotch/[/url] or this [url="http://www.bachmusik.com/en/p101126/bach-pb-60-sbl/"]http://www.bachmusik.com/en/p101126/bach-pb-60-sbl/[/url]

[quote name='tony_m' post='552463' date='Jul 27 2009, 11:27 AM']Dunno if you've seen this? It's a comparison of the Squier CV '50s P, '60s P and '60s J with their Fender equivalents (if you can call a Custom Shop Jazz the equivalent of a Squier... ). [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Cd98DH__U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Cd98DH__U[/url] FWIW, I've got an MIJ '51 Reissue P, but hearing me play it would tell you absolutely nowt. [/quote] That's a very interesting video. I was only listening on laptop speakers, so maybe I didn't get it all, but it sounded to me like Ed Friedland on a 50s or 60s Precision sounds like Ed Friedland on a Precision, and Ed Friedland on a Jazz sounds like Ed Friedland on a Jazz, regardless of the price or label. The thing missing from that is the band dynamic. I've got an MIJ standard P and an MIJ 51 RI P - they sound reasonably similar alone, but in the band mix the 51 RI is much growlier.

Bill Black

The insert with the Pearl Jam Rear View Mirror compilation shows Jeff Ament with a single coil fretless Precision don't know what he played it on though. Sting played a single coil P.

[quote name='BarnacleBob' post='552077' date='Jul 26 2009, 09:15 PM']I never understood why Gibson basses had/have such a low profile compared to Fender. Was it marketing, lack of range or even quality or what??? Do they currently have a bass in their line up? I think they do an SG style but thats all that springs to mind. BB[/quote] They had some early success with the EB models, but short scale turned out to be a dead end, at least for the mass market. Fender undercut them by making Fender-logo basses in Japan and then Mexico. Gibson would only put their brand on US models, so there was never an accessible entry level for young players to aspire to. I read an interview with the current CEO of Gibson in which he said they wanted to be a premium brand like Cartier or Rolex, which is why they sponsor polo tournaments. So I suppose the strategy is to sell trophy Les Pauls to 40+ company vice presidents who can suddenly afford the guitar they couldn't have as a teenager. Just doesn't sound to me like a company that's serious about making musical instruments.

Everything you could want to know here ... [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Victory.php"]http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Victory.php[/url] They are apparently back-breakingly heavy, although quite well balanced.

[quote name='Soulfinger' post='545071' date='Jul 20 2009, 06:10 AM']I recently got the chance to directly compare an Ampeg SVT-3 Pro /4x10 and a Hartke 3500 / 4x10XL. I really dug the Hartke setup and didn´t like the Ampeg rig at all...[/quote] My usual rig is a Hartke 3500 too, but with Ashdown 1x15 and 2x10. Guess we're both set for the gallows.

[quote name='Spoombung' post='520225' date='Jun 21 2009, 08:17 PM']Before: After: [/quote] That before shot looks to me like a recent pic of Ronnie Wood. Not a good start in life for a young man.

Opposite end of the spectrum, I've played through an Ampeg SVT a couple of times recently and I really didn't like it. That's a hanging offence in some places.

It's full title should be PRick-cision. Whatever it costs, it's a snip. Some people are going to have to think very hard now.

I think the problem is by the time any band gets general recognition they've been around a few years. Just going down the playlist on my mp3 player, I think these count as modern, but I may be wrong. Beaten Awake, Benzos, The Bees, Cafe Tacuba, Citay, Ellen Ten Damme, Nada Surf, The National, The Redwalls, Girl in a Coma, Deerhoof. Local (to me) unsigned band that are good if you like Punk/Metal: Leather Pig. Going way back, one of my all time, under-rated favourites is Family. And The Electric Prunes, if you're into psychedelia. I'm very old, by the way, I just like to keep up. Incidentally, it's worth trawling the Free Music section on the Gibson web site, some good stuff there. [url="http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/FreeMusic/"]Gibson Free Music[/url]