Kiwi
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Hi Al, I'm still keeping the Smith 5's as my main basses for the forseeable future. The Smith 6 is a completely different beast and I simply don't have the facility to play it live yet. So I'd rather sell it to someone who can use it the way its supposed to be used. Jon's agreed to make a 6 for me that is more in line with how I'd normally use a 6 - ie for mucking about with at home for chordal work or to save me faffing about with a keyboard too much. I can take it out occasionally for a live gig if/when I get comfortable enough with it. If I ever reach that point then a matching fretless may well be on the cards too. After approaching a few makers for quotes, Jon's basses impressed me with their value for money and ergonomics. He had the Smith 6 for a few hours yesterday so he knows what he's up against in terms of sound. I asked him for a bass that sounds the same but with more prominent midrange. Whether that means using wenge laminates of 6mm or 12mm wide is up to him as the master craftsman. I'll let you all know how it turns out. -
Here's another clip - ignore the credits, the clip carries on for a while afterwards. With 11 secs to go, check out the back of the T-shirt when he turns at the end of his solo. LOL
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What kills basses is when the instrument is being subjected to either extreme changes in temperature or humidity. In normal room temperatures your instrument will probably be OK. Just keep it away from direct sources of heat. In the US keeping a bass overnight in a car during a winter frost (say any temperature below freezing) and then taking it into the house (heated to 22-25 degrees C) the morning after can cause the wood to relax faster than the finish resulting in cracking (which is why you sometimes see the linear crazing on some older basses with cellulose or nitro finishes). Condensation can cause the wood to swell unevenly also which may make the instrument warp. But the chances of this happening are greatly reduced if your instrument is completely covered with a polyester finish (ie no oil finishes). Finally, sometimes there are just inbuilt tensions in the wood that have not been released by adequate drying and there's not much anyone can do to avoid these apart from making sure you buy from a reputable maker. For example, some of the cheaper Parker guitars, the P38's and P40's have been experiencing problems with warped necks because of this maturation process. The wood for the necks probably wasn't dried out properly enough when first milled. I remember with my status necked Stingray after it came back from the Bass Gallery, that the neck was significantly bowed. The reason for this was that the bass had been stored in a cold room and the cold had caused the epoxy resin or even the truss rod in the neck to contract. It took 48 hours for the whole bass to relax again so that the action was half playable.
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I tried a very basic shuker jazz yesterday which was featherweight - he'd used white ash for the body. It had quite a bit of punch too.
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any takers? I'm calling the council on Monday...
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[quote name='overwater#1' post='46864' date='Aug 17 2007, 02:24 PM'] You know how much I love that bass Steve.. hey well.., good luck with the sale..!! [/quote] Thanks Matt - I hope it sells to a Basschatter, it would be nice to keep it in the family. I love the sound of this bass and nothing would make me happier than seeing it go to someone who can really exploit the way it sounds. [quote name='dood' post='46890' date='Aug 17 2007, 04:15 PM']I have that video... I really can't watch it seriously when he's pulling the 'face' lol lol[/quote] See? If you look like that you'll end up attracting Yamaha! Stand back baby! The Yamaha players got their mojo workin'...
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[quote name='ped' post='46828' date='Aug 17 2007, 01:11 PM']A couple of sound clips....[/quote] Thanks matey, I apologise in advance for the playing
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I think graphite neck manufacturers should stop mucking about with unnatural substances and get back to working with real living materials! Whats wrong with a nice bit of wood for a neck, hmm? There's no need to go pouring out all those air pollutants while sucking up oil reserves just for the sake of a fat B string!! There's loads of perfectly good wood sitting in the amazon and congo going to waste. Imagine all the time wasted on making plastic necks and basses so far, which could have been spent making more authentic vintage Fenders for example! For goodness sakes, there's not nearly enough of them on Ebay. If God had meant for us to work with plastics, he would have given us vacuum molding buttocks and xacto blades for fingernails.
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In order to make room for the Shuker Custom headless MIDI 6 which is heading my way at some point, I'm selling my beloved Smith BSR6GN. I probably don't need to describe the attention to detail and craftsmanship or Ken's reputation for no compromise in his quality control. Each bass is inspected and signed personally by him before leaving the factory. These basses are THE ultimate instrument for jazz-fusion, RnB and soul, but the warmth is such that the bass will sit in most genres happily and it records beautifully! Overall, the sound is completely different to anything else out there. Its warm, deep and growly in the lower and mid registers and the treble response is clear and sweet without being brittle. In the upper registers the instrument sounds very mellow almost like a flamenco guitar and it makes chordal playing extremely musical. The bass has NEVER BEEN GIGGED - thats right, home use and rehearsals only because I get confused by the number of strings sometimes and didn't want that to happen in front of a room full of punters! It was made in 2003, I bought it in 2004 and it features quilted maple facings on an unusual black walnut body core which gives is a crisp and clean sound with a full but not boomy bottom end. The 5 piece, graphite reinforced, through body neck is aged rock maple with bubinga laminates and a lovely, smooth carved cutaway heel. The neck is 34" scale, has 24 frets and is very flat which is also great for chordal work. Ken Smith uses many techniques that are employed in double bass construction so you can expect an instrument that is designed to last for years and can be easily repaired in the event of wear or an accident. The pickups are Smiths own passive humbuckers mated to a 9v Smith 3 band eq. and the frequency centres of each band are tuned to the characteristics of the bass. String spacing is 18mm at the bridge and the nut is 55mm wide which is very comfortable and easy to get around on. The action is very low and buzz free and the neck is free of any twists or warps thanks to that huge slab of ebony used for the fingerboard. Here's a couple of vids of John Patitucci playing an older Smith BT6 Custom, but the sound is almost identical to mine (although mine's probably warmer sounding though). Beautiful huh? It could be yours for £2000, no trades or offers thanks though because I need the cash! I can bring it to the SE Bassbash tomorrow if anyone asks but if it doesn't sell in the next few weeks before I put my deposit down on the Shuker, its going to go to the Bass Centre where their commission will be added on to the asking price. You also get the Smith hard case and lots of case candy such as brochures, allen keys, strap, duster, Smith polish and a packet of crisps.
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[quote name='Johngh' post='45391' date='Aug 14 2007, 07:17 PM']Your PM replied to. I'm having it, job done ! [/quote] Blimey matey - with the Shuker too, you're having a real GAS attack! -
[quote name='JimD' post='46627' date='Aug 16 2007, 09:34 PM']Hi there Joined recently. Based in Oxon, and have been playing bass and guitar for 21 years. Currently own a Westone Superheadless, a Hohner B2A and a few other goodies. Super-fan of guitars in general and lust after different models daily.[/quote] Hi Jim, welcome. One of my first bouts of GAS was for a Westone Super Headless many, many years ago. Has it got the dark birdseye maple finish or light? There was a refinished purple one on Ebay a couple of years ago too.
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[quote name='Tinman' post='46715' date='Aug 17 2007, 06:33 AM']CK, I don't suppose you saw anything covered in Buckeye lying around, did you?[/quote] I don't remember seeing anything that stunning I'm afraid. He only showed me the basses that were finished (as in they had a finish applied) and the discussions of spec for my bass got quite involved. I held John's headless 6, played Colin's myrtle bodied bass and another with camphor facings. There was a stack of bodies on one shelf in a back room and there were a couple of necks with graphite reinforcing bars being glued up as well. I expect one of those necks might have been for your bass?
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As has already been suggested, the loudness of the amp is probaby more relevant to me. I used to run an Eden WT800 into a pair of 8ohm 2x10" cabs and they were pasted by a GK RB400 combo as far as volume goes. Better quality sound from a single driver also - much clearer in the mids and lower frequencies to my ears. I've also played my '79 Alembic Series 1 through a 100w Burman valve head through an Ashdown 4x8 and 1x15 and blasted away the guitarist who was playing through a 100w Fender Twin. The GK RB700 1x15 combos I keep raving about are more than enough for most gigs I play in small - medium sized bars and would probably be OK for a larger venue like the Clapham Grand if it wasn't too far from me and used like a wedge monitor. I tried adding a 2x10 to the combo for fun once and the volume was just silly - I couldn't get the amp quiet enough.
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[quote name='Johngh' post='46643' date='Aug 16 2007, 10:25 PM']Just a quick update. I spoke to Jon yesterday and he is still waiting for the hardware to finish it off. The pups are in and he says I might be able to collect it next week !![/quote] I had a look at it today while I was visiting him. It looks nice - the black hardware (when it finally arrives) will set off the light woods very nicely. I really liked how comfortable the body was and told Jon I wanted mine identical in shape to yours. My neck profile is going to be different though - a bit chunkier so my left hand doesn't cramp up.
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Its definitely worth going, although the aftershow party is better, you're not guaranteed to see him though. Just leave your camera behind, they confiscated 3000 on Tuesday night at Prince's direct request which resulted in 3000 irate people waiting in line for an hour at a single 5m wide counter. Half of that time was spent with the staff looking stupid and doing nothing. The official word was that Prince didn't like the flashes, I think he objects to video and images being posted on sites and forums. Maybe he's planning to release the London concert on DVD too eventually.
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[quote name='m0reilly' post='46170' date='Aug 16 2007, 03:33 AM'] thanks! i feel very much at home [/quote] Welcome aboard
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[quote name='Crazyforkillua' post='46168' date='Aug 16 2007, 03:13 AM']Hi, I just joined. My friend from the UK (I'm from America) suggested this site to me. I guess his name is LethalLion here, because that's what he calls himself everywhere else. Anyway, I'm new to the bass and I'm self teaching myself playing tabs. I have a 5 string Calvin Bass, but I;m going to buy a new 4 string, but I don't know which to get. Any suggestions?[/quote] I crazy too. Welcome!
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I'll have a pint of bitter before a gig sometimes just to loosen up a little, but that's about it. I've learned that late nights+ alcohol = wasted day after. But that's great in some respects because I can really push the boat out on some nights if I don't drink. For example, I went out last night to see Prince, came back at 5am, didn't touch alcohol the whole night, got about 5 hours interrupted sleep (it was a day off) before getting up feeling pretty sharp and I attended a very successful job interview this afternoon. If I'd been drinking the previous night, I'd have looked like death warmed up and been more or less incoherent.
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No idea when I will be there - chances are around lunch time, but I won't be staying for too long. Will most likely bring the MM Cutlass, Smith 5's and Celinder. If someone is bringing a 400w 4ohm cab or two 8 ohm cabs I might bring the V8 as well. Also I'll bring the DHA prototype valve compressor if anyone fancies a go on it.
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I have a pair of the Yamaha's, they're excellent.
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We had great fun playing "Hey Ya" by Outkast at rehearsal on yesterday - but we do have 6 singers to cover the harmonies and vocal improvs. The tune is really simple but its got a nice sassy fun feel to it.
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BTW, I can bring it to the SE Bassbash in Surrey this Saturday.
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[quote name='King of Loss' post='44443' date='Aug 12 2007, 02:43 PM']At £1300, I would forget about Yamaha/Ibanez/Warwick etc, and get yourself a custom bass. [/quote] A good idea but you need to know what you want when you go custom. If there's an off-the-shelf bass which supplies a sound which is just as desirable, the chances are it will have a better resale value also.
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Hey Mimi, we've got all types here. How did you discover the forum? If you have them, how about posting pics of your stuff here? [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=3975&st=20&start=20"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...20&start=20[/url] Welcome!
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If noone takes this in the next week, I'm going to let the council collect it as an oversized item. This was an jinxed sub woofer where nothing ever worked the way it should. I installed an amp module which is fine and a replacement, old EV speaker cone but the character of the sub is thumpy without necessarily being deep. I need the space this takes up and I'm more likely to get a decent price for the amp module by itself rather than the whole thing. So if someone's willing to pick the unloaded cab up from west London, they're welcome to it.
