Kiwi

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='807966' date='Apr 16 2010, 06:44 AM']Bijou headstockette[/quote] Looks a bit shi-shi to me.

No worries I've even sprinkled some magic admin dust on the link

If you post a link here, people are more likely to help you out.

I think that's a good workhorse Alembic model to own. The Spoilers can be good value for money too, all things considered. The Elans, Spoilers, Persuaders and Distillates I've tried have typically been a lot warmer than the Series basses.

I'm not sure I'd agree valves have more midrange. It's possible to design flat response valve amps as well. The Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 I had was a good example of that and the offerings by Avalon too. That 8x10 cab you used would have a very strong mid bias however but not a lot of clarity. If I wanted midrange, I would have gone for a GK solid state head myself.

Nah, people have waited longer for the proceeds from a consignment sale. I think the record stands at 3 months and the threat of a sit in protest.

My Spector sounds like the aural equivalent of a Whittakers Peanut Slab. The thing I like about it most is how warm it is and articulate in the mids without sounding overly aggressive.

I'm not one. I had one on a custom jazz bass. The base plate didn't have any grooves for the saddles to sit in so the saddles could move all over the place.

All that scares the bejesus out of me. I'd be climbing the walls like a caged animal after a few hours, let alone a few days. Kudos to you for your hard work, committment and dedication.

Live if possible. But the music I listen to most is rarely performed live. However I have about 80 concert DVDs in my collection of other genres. No metal, country or opera but have pretty much everything else from Avril Lavigne through to Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea.

Thats a horrific asking price. They're less than a quarter of that price usually.

How does through body stringing add brightness?

[quote name='4 Strings' post='801409' date='Apr 9 2010, 11:02 PM']Mahogany is a very hard wood compared to the usual woods used for bodes[/quote] The qualities of any species of wood can vary significantly even within the same tree. A piece taken near the root will be a lot denser and harsher than a piece taken near the crotch. Having said that, ash is typically a wood that is known for being brittle sounding. Maple is bright but too bright to be harsh, its clean sounding...almost glassy if super dense. If you have a look at any discussions on tonewood using Google, mahogany isn't generally selected by luthiers for brightness, its selected for warmth and midrange. In my experience its tended to be fairly soft. My Smith BSR5GN had a mahogany core and I could mark that with a fingernail. No way I could do that with any maple I've handled. The recordings could potentially vary but the differences between the attack in the instruments are pretty significant to my ears at least, and fairly authentic to my ears. I deliberately chose a fairly harsh sounding Jaydee in the clip I posted too. By comparison there are loads of Level 42 clips where Mark Kings bass is softer sounding even when chorus isn't used.

[quote name='JTUK' post='801371' date='Apr 9 2010, 11:21 PM']It may be that Lakaland are making better Jazzes than Fender atm...[/quote] In terms of sound, I've been far more impressed with Laklands than I have with the Fenders I've tried. Lakland have managed to nail a really nice, growly, warm, consistent sound from their instruments. I was seriously considering switching to Laklands before I spotted my beat up Celinder Update J ('Ol No. 2).

[quote name='bubinga5' post='801339' date='Apr 9 2010, 10:38 PM']im sure you know but i meant yourself as the player[/quote] Oh ok, I don't know that my playing is all that special. I'm a groove player mostly, thats where I get my satisfaction from. [quote name='bubinga5' post='801339' date='Apr 9 2010, 10:38 PM']....whats your top instrument at the moment CK...there are 2 basses i had soo bad gas for..one was the Meshell Celinder and the other was your old KS fretted...[/quote] Without question, the natural tint Spector NS5CR that I've modded. It now sounds like the Smith but with more midrange bite and the coil splits give it loads more versatility. I can get a Jaydee sound out of the bridge-most coil and it does a passable p-bass sound from the neck-most coil. With the outside coils on both pickups, it does Tobias and with the two inside coils I can get a passable (but not convincing) stingray sound. Something that at least will sit in the mix in the same way. The only thing I don't like is the small body but it still looks sexy. So I can't imagine changing to another main bass unless its one that I've designed myself.

that sounds yummy!

[quote name='bubinga5' post='801304' date='Apr 9 2010, 08:59 PM']Surely that specialness comes from the player.there only instruments no matter what you got....tis always great to be unique i know..[/quote] I bought my instruments because of their Fenderish sound but also because of their background, rather than who played them. Its easier to sell an interesting instrument with minimal depreciation in a sea of Fender basses if I ever need to. Also, when I buy a higher end instrument, to a certain degree I'm buying a piece of the person who made it. Surprisingly enough many luthiers outside the US don't realise the personal connection that customers look for when they make a decision to spend hard earned wonga on a hand crafted instrument. I tend to feel Fenders are pretty utilitarian, they do a job and they do it well (if you have a good one) but its not been enough yet to persuade me to buy one.

I recognise the need for Fender sounds in some situations but I don't really want to own a Fender. They lack something special for me because they're so widely used. Having said that I've been tempted by a preCBS jazz in the past and OBBM's jazz necked 78 p-bass was also giving me GAS at one point.

I'm not jealous.