Wolverinebass

After what seemed like eons looking unsuccessfully for a new band (and then not looking for about 6 months) I've finally had some luck. I took stock of how I played and realised that there would never be a one stop shop for all the things I want to do. My playing has become more schizophrenic over the years and I've noticed I can really only play in 2 ways. Full on rampage up and down the neck a la John Entwistle and more grungy type playing which is a bit simpler. They're not compatible mindsets to have in the same band. Hence some of the problems I was having as I couldn't decide which side to go on. Then after 6 months of practising my technique, I wondered why can I not have both in different bands? Why I didn't think of this before I don't know..... So a few weeks ago I answered an ad on Gumtree for a power trio. The musicians are really good and I'm getting carte blanche to basically do what I want. The stuff sounds a bit like Cream and I'm loving it. It's very 70's and I suppose since I taught myself to play with Quadrophenia, it's pretty much my thing. Okay, so it's not going to be a trio now as we're auditioning singers next week, but the fact is I'm having so much fun with it I expect to wake up at any second. At the same time, I've been in contact with an old guitarist mate of mine who is a mutual fan of King's X so it's 12 and 8 string basses all the way for that. Totally brutal bass sounds and some progressive twists. Meh, Meh, Meh!! Obviously this state of being happy about stuff will only last so long, but it's taken such a long time for me to get here after my last band kind of stopped, I'm just going to be grateful it's even come along at all.

I never compromise. If the band or the people aren't right, then I know that over a period of time it'll gradually wear me down and since my heart won't really be in it, I won't play as well as I can. I'm never, ever going to do covers as it's just not interesting to me. For me the fun is writing something new and then seeing what folk think of it at a gig. If I was being paid to play (and I have been on occasion) I'm more than happy to be bored for cold, hard cash. However, as my primary focus is and always will be originals, I'm really only bothering about the situation. Which is to say, are the people okay? Do I like the material? How much freedom am I going to get to do something interesting? If the answer to any of those questions elicit a chin stroking motion and me thinking "hmmm," I'm out of there. As much as I love gigging, I'd never take a soul crushing gig just so I could play unless I really needed the money and the opportunity was there. I'd rather write stuff at home.

Really depends what you want. I've never understood how Alembic don't sell their circuits seperately. On the other hand, to charge thousands for a preamp for a bass is somewhat taking the mick. I love my Stanley Clarke, but it's not without it's issues. It doesn't balance for one and totally neck dives. Funny, considering it's a short scale. The filter system can seriously put folk off. I tried a couple of Series II's and whilst I thought they were great, I couldn't say I felt they were worth £12K or so. On the other hand that's subjective. If you've tried a few and not thought "that's what I want!!" then it's not worth it to you. Lots of people gas for whatever bass or amp and then once they get it realise it wasn't the all singing/all dancing astronaut that they wanted but a monkey that had been put in a suit and strategically shaved. It's a lot of cash to shell out and not be happy. You probably want to look at something else.....

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1330275604' post='1555013'] I just play the main guitar riff on the bass, that fills it out a bit more than Bills original line. [/quote] Well quite. But it's worth noting that Bill Wyman doesn't play on JJF. Keith Richards is playing bass on it. The joke being that he nicked the idea Wyman was working on (which was the chorus part if I'm right) and then played the bass on it himself just to add insult to the lack of songwriting credit.... Yeah, just play the guitar line. Usually works.

They probably sound awful like most of the other Marshall cabs. Hence the cheap price.

If it's 500W at 4 ohms, it'll be somewhere about 330 - 350W at 8 ohms.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1332247029' post='1585427'] I am glad I am not the only one who thinks Alembics are designed by blind guys. Their custome jobs are almost universally gross. I think there are a couple of old Series 1 and 2 basses that I would play and the Stan Clarke model is not too bad but some of them.... Have a look at this freak show.... [url="http://www.alembic.com/info/fcvault.html"]http://www.alembic.c...fo/fcvault.html[/url] [/quote] I agree with this completely. I think that from my own experience, my own Stanley Clarke, just doesn't balance. Neck dives like a whale. I find this most curious as it's a short scale and is fantastic to play. Whether or not you like the sound is another point entirely though. Some of those other Alembics are frankly sick inducing. For the bod that thought "12 strings are just for the novelty of playing Jeremy by Pearl Jam" you obviously have never heard of either King's X or Cheap Trick. I appreciate that it's not everybody's cup of tea, but to say that the use of a bass is literally for only one song is beyond funny. It did make me laugh.

Okay then, here we go. Rickenbackers - awful Fenders - awful with the notable exception of the Stu Hamm basses Front mounted LED's. (notice I say front mounted? My Buzzard has side LED's. Hope that's not too much hypocrisy....) Hofner Violin basses - Does anyone really think that Paul McCartney's instrument choice should be copied? Singlecut basses - Why?!! Insane stringed basses like that twonk higher up this page - how much does your string sets cost?!! Most Warwicks for their studpidly wide neck profile Fretless basses - You're never going to sound like Jaco, so don't bother and let's face it Pino Palladino was always the idiot who left his hat at someone's home... Gibson - 3 point bridge? Just STOP IT!! Plus the Thunderbirds are truly awful Foderas - How much?!! Really?!! Although I thought I'd never say it, Status basses. Just stop releasing endless Kingbass sequels with ludicrously minor tweaks. You don't need to sell 8 different versions with such a vast variety of options available. Until they do another all graphite bass with an upper wing you can rest your arm on, I've lost all interest.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1331647314' post='1576487'] Fair enough Would you like BC members to start saving their egg boxes for you? [/quote] Ha!! If members of BC that are bricklayers had offered to help me out it might have saved me a bit!! However, a mate of mine is giving me a whole load of acoustic tiles for nothing. Naturally this is on the proviso that his band can record their new ep round at my house and he's going to help me out with my own stuff. Until I know how the room sounds, I'm going to leave off treating it for a few weeks after it's done. However, if some members of BC want to pop round when it's all done for a visit or to do a quick bit of recording - I accept cash!!

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1331646647' post='1576471'] Is the number just a difference in the thickness? Why different between the two? [/quote] It's very simple. The celing in comparison to the walls is like paper. So therefore I used RW3 in there as it's heavier and denser than what I'm using for the walls. Basically 100mm thick and it's 60kg/m3. See below. [url="http://buildingmaterials.co.uk/Rockwool-Insulation/Rockwool-RW3/p~402~048_101_002-Rockwool-RW3-Acoustic-Slab-60kg_m3-1200-x-600-x-100mm-4-or-2.88m.html"]http://buildingmaterials.co.uk/Rockwool-Insulation/Rockwool-RW3/p~402~048_101_002-Rockwool-RW3-Acoustic-Slab-60kg_m3-1200-x-600-x-100mm-4-or-2.88m.html[/url] The walls are already double skinned. So, they're already about 8 inches thick anyway. Hence, they will already have some form of sound insulation just because of that. So I used this stuff. 75mm thick and 45kg/m3. [url="http://buildingmaterials.co.uk/Rockwool-Insulation/Rockwool-RWA45/p~412~048_105_004-Rockwool-RWA45-Acoustic-Slab-45kg_m3-1200-x-600-x-75mm-6-or-4.32m.html"]http://buildingmaterials.co.uk/Rockwool-Insulation/Rockwool-RWA45/p~412~048_105_004-Rockwool-RWA45-Acoustic-Slab-45kg_m3-1200-x-600-x-75mm-6-or-4.32m.html[/url] Whatever is left over from all this, I'm going to use for bass traps.

Anyways we crack on. Had the fun of getting a metric tonne of acoustic plasterboard and rockwool delivered on Friday. After paying one of the neighbours 20 quid to give me a hand we moved it all round the back. Have torn my hands up something rotten so no playing for a week or so. However, now for a quick photo. [attachment=102402:IMAG0127.jpg] Most of the walls and ceiling are now stuffed with either RW3 for the ceilings or RWA45 for the walls. It's not the best photo and it doesn't show that the walls are non-parallel either, but you get the general idea. I would imagine by the end of the week the plasterboard would be up. Will keep you all posted.

In my own collection I funnily enough used the metaphor of cars to describe the differences to my brother who is a massive petrolhead. My first bass was a Fenix Young Chang. Passive with one humbucker. I thought it was a Vectra. A to B. No frils. The Alembic is definitely a Porsche. The 8 string Explorer is probably an amoured personnel carrier or half track. The Hamer Chapparal is most definitely a Panzer tank. However, last (but by no means least) the Status Buzzard is quite simply - The Batmobile.

Maybe they'll sell Hamer. Then at least you'd be able to buy a 12 string bass in this country as oppose to being patronisingly told by Fender UK "you can't." As far as I'm concerned, as Noelk27 says the massive hikes in prices and the fact that they really haven't changed their models in almost 60 years is reasonable grounds for if not laughing, certainly saying that we told you so.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1330617992' post='1560496'] Are you sure that you are not building a swimming pool? [/quote] Ha!! I was wondering myself. It was just mental. I couldn't believe how wet it was when I set it up. Even after all the frost and stuff. All 4 of the walls were just soaked as was the concrete base. I thought it'd never dry out at one point and I'd have to leave it until April. Thankfully, it's all done now. I would imagine that it'd be usable in about 3 weeks.

Well, finally after seemingly months of head/brick wall interfaces, work has resumed. There was much, much more water in the room than I'd thought due to that week of rain before the roof went on. I had to run a dehumidifier for a whole week and it took out more than 200 litres of water. It was just mental. Basically due to the cold snap I held off getting it until the weather warmed a bit. However, at present, the guys are putting in the studwork. Hopefully that'll be done in the next few days then all the cables can get run for the electrics at the beginning of next week before the insulation and plasterboard gets booted in. Will post some photos soon.

Ha!! I got it when it came out for £30!! Result!! The only downside is it's pre-Status so it only goes up to the modulus buzzard era. It is interesting that some of the basses he owned were just stupidly good, yet he never played them live. One of the lines I found incredibly funny was him describing a Wal of some description "I could never figure out the controls so I just left it alone" or something like that. Priceless.

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1329326277' post='1540742'] I assume your B12 is the double cut model as opposed to the SC 'acoustic-look'? Can't believe Fender, that is so cr*p that it is too similar to their models! I'm keeping my eyes open for a Tom Petersson model (Hamer or otherwise) and funnily enough I have someone who will likely want this Galveston when I do. [/quote] My B12 is the Chaparral USA version [url="http://www.hamerguitars.com/uk/?fa=detail&mid=395"]http://www.hamerguit...=detail&mid=395[/url] the one which isn't semi acoustic. It's a bit more sculpted than a precision or jazz, but as Fender own Kamen who own Hamer, they can do what they want. They just did themself out of £4K for everyone who has wanted one in the last 3 years as that's what it is for a new Chapparal USA. According to their 2009 price list. Ouch. I have heard good things about the Waterstone TP models, and they're quite reasonably priced for what you get. At least I think so. Good luck in your quest!!

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1329322284' post='1540654'] I prefer the feel/tone of nickels so I'll not likely look a steels. Yes it is that Galveston; it has a wide flat neck (I'd not have expected a lesser wide neck considering what has to fit across it) and there is a little bit of neck dive but it isn't that bad and a wide (non-slip) strap virtually sorts that. The action on arrival was a bit much for me but I've now got it set up so that it isn't any more than my 4 strings. Intonation looks like it'll be OK to do (separate saddles for the drone/octave strings) but the little nut that sits the other end of the adjuster screw needs to be gripped while adjusting... not easily done with all of the strings on, so when I fit new strings I'll try and get it as close to what I expect before I string it and bring it up to tension. Research seems to show that the Galveston is made in the same factory as a lot of these cheaper 12s and the bridge unit is the same on all of them inc Dean basses. Just need to find a 'real-I-am' Hamer B12 now! [/quote] A 12 does take a bit of time to get used to and I toyed with getting a cheaper 12 then changed my mind and just took the plunge with the Hamer. Took me a few days to get used to the 3 strings at once, but it wasn't that different from playing an 8. After that, I then had the action lowered to virtually zero so it plays really fast now. You'll be reasonably lucky to get a Hamer as thanks to Fender you won't get a new Hamer B12L in the UK at all. Apparently they're "too similar" to current Fender models. An easier definition of "total crap" has never been quicker to hand. That quote is not made up. If you phone up Fender UK they'll probably say something equally spurious and similar. It's just another reason why I wouldn't buy one of their instruments which haven't changed design in any significant way for the last 60 years. However, I digress.... I got my Hamer 2nd hand from a place in Germany. Apparently it was made in 1998, but it still plays great.

I use the D'addario's on my Hamer. Very nice and not bad for £28. Ironically they cost less than my Rotosound 8 string sets I get.... [url="http://www.soundunlimited.co.uk/product_743_DAddario_EXL170-12_45-100.html"]http://www.soundunlimited.co.uk/product_743_DAddario_EXL170-12_45-100.html[/url] On a personal level, I'd always prefer steel strings to nickel, but finding them at a reasonable price for a 12 string.... You might as well try and find strings made out of crystalised unicorn tears. I assume you got that Galveston that was advertised on here a few weeks ago? Just out of curiosity, how does it play? Thin/fat neck? Neck dive? Decent EQ?

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1328088012' post='1521460'] I have to admit I'm rather jealous. Coming together nicely [/quote] There is nothing to be jealous of my dear boy. I'm more envious of folk that are actually in a band as I just miss playing live. After some of the experiences I've had over the last 2 years, I almost jacked it all in. People just being moronic timewasters. In fact, I actually haven't even went for a jam since June last year because of it. To make matters worse, I think I only went for a jam 5 times last year. My guitarist mate was skint all the time and seemingly trying to get a side project going was impossible just as much as it was impossible to find folk who were either on the same level or join a band where at least one or more member wasn't a complete control freak idiot. It always appeared to be the most talentless member of the band as well that was that way inclined to "No, that's not how you do it, you play bass like this..." Over a period of time, the inactivity has eaten me away more than the dealing with morons and I need to do stuff on a regular basis. So, this reasonable sized building is me attempting to get round this problem.

Anyways, after about 4 days of nothing due it almost constantly raining, the guys came round and put the roof on and torched it in a day. Get in!! [attachment=98837:IMAG0071.jpg] At the moment, the guys are fitting the outside door and then it'll be trying to dry out the inside with a dehumidifier for a day or so. Hopefully after that, we can get all the stud work in. It's taking it's time really thanks to the weather.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1327589792' post='1513853'] How selfish of you! We all know alcohol makes you play better [/quote] If that were true, I'd be the best bass player in the history of the universe. Sadly, not though. It certainly made me play "differently" if that's a reasonable euphemism to use.

[quote name='rk7' timestamp='1327525527' post='1513001'] Are you having a mini-bar at all? [/quote] Sadly not. I don't drink anymore. [quote name='Houtoe' timestamp='1327583185' post='1513689'] Resilient bars are good, even if just for decoupling. used in roof and walls to great effect. Have you thought of floating the floor inside? I have an outer wall with 2 inches of rockwool, resilient bars,2 layers of acoustic plasterboard with acoustic membrane between them, followed by a 2 inch + air gap all the way round (no parallel walls) floating inner room with acoustic plasterboard on outside, 2 inch's of rockwool followed by resilient bars, and another sandwich of acoustic plasterboard and membrane and found the results quite effective and did it all on budget of around £2800 or so. [/quote] Thanks for the advice mate. I just wondered if they made that much difference. As well as doing the non-parallel walls, a mate has rather kindly donated me some sound treatment tiles (on premise that his band can record at my house every so often). Should come in handy. Things have slowed down insanely this week, just as I figured when I saw the weather forecast. Stop raining!!

There will most certainly be air conditioning (both heating and cooling) as of course in the summer it'll be brutally warm. I know what you mean about the foundations. The blokes who did mine had to cut down a few trees and they had to burn them to stop them freezing to death. At least that's what they said to me. All the instruments will be staying indoors, but my rig will be going out along with a few other things. Things are going to slow down a bit this week, but hopefully the roof will be on and the place will be watertight by the end of the week.