Bass Culture

Any of you good people tried the DB200H?  I'm sorely tempted at the discounted price Andertons are knocking the last few out at.  It goes without saying ( 😊! ) that I don't need one as I've been perfectly happy with my TC RH750 for the last six years or so - but at that price, trying something different isn't going to be too costly an experiment.

Great price for a fantastic amp with a multitude of very usable features and terrific on board compression. Don’t believe all the crap around ‘wattgate’ - these are plenty loud enough and then some for most gigs. Absolute bargain. GLWTS.

15 hours ago, Cosmicrain said:

This was the very first design that Mark and I came up with for the downsized Zoot Boudica 32" with the "Wal-a-Like" pickups etc.   It has changed very slightly since then and now has four controls as a posed to the three shown on the original draft drawing.  Hope this helps. 

 

Mike did this mock-up for me as I was a little concerned about how congested the centre of the body might be as the pickups + surrounds, I thought, could take up too much space.  As it turned out, it actually looks pretty well balanced - to my eye.

2 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

The regular Zoot custom model and the Boudica are really cool body shapes IMO.

The scaled down Boudica had a very slightly less extended top horn and the bottom bout is slightly more 'square on'.  It looks tremendous.  I have a pdf of it but can't figure out how to post it as Flickr doesn't let you upload pdf's.

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

Is this the body shape??

 

That’s the one. Mike’s done a slightly scaled down version though.

As I have previously commissioned Mike to make me a ZB-1000 (a zootified version of an Aria SB-1000 - see previous build thread) I thought I'd continue with the 'basses I drooled over in my youth' theme and ask Mike to build me his take on a Wal Custom which - with all the imagination of a goldfish - we've christened the Zoot 'Wal-a-like'.  It's going to be a 32" scale, 4 stringer again and use MIke's scaled down Boudica body shape, which shares some similarities to a Wal Mk 3 shape.  Full specs:

Body: Mahogany

Facings: Padauk (front and back)

Neck: 5 piece - figured maple with wenge stringers, 32" scale length

Nut width: 38mm

Fingerboard: Ebony with 5mm MOP dots

Bridge: Individual gold ABM types (actually some no name ones I found in a box of bits)

String spacing: 17.5mm

Tuners: Hipshot Ultralites in back & gold

Pickups: 2 x Rautia muli coils

Preamp: Lusithand Double NFP Special filter preamp

Knobs: John East

Here's a picture of some wood for those of you who like that sort of things.  I'll update as the build progresses but I'd guess we're looking at a few months before completion.

On 31/10/2021 at 09:42, AndyTravis said:

the journey of these was a bit convoluted, fender, sims and Iceni/Zoot all had a hand in them.

Hmm, I'd be interested to know how Mike (Walsh - Iceni/Zoot) was involved.  I must get the full story off him next time I'm at his discussing progress on my Zoot 'not a MK Jazz type thing'.

37 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

Does the V.I. stand for visual impairment?

If so, he was probably even more visually impaired after his audience participation experience.

5 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Paywall.

 

Probably a good thing. 

Here's the headline: 'Brass Against apologise after frontwoman Sophia Urista urinates on fan’s face during live show'

Am imaginative approach to engaging with one's audience during the live performance situation, I feel: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/sophia-urista-brass-against-fan-b1957226.html?fbclid=IwAR1bCbB231p2Y9Uv0eEoEXCwzSU5pmlVhcWrO4ERO9fOHqekcQj58Lvwunw

Thanks all, I've pulled the trigger on a Unitune.

53 minutes ago, deepbass5 said:

A huge range of sounds there fron one PUP.  I have long had the Zoot GAS.

Do it - you won't regret it.  I have another one on order too, based on another well known, iconic 80's bass.  Mike's delivery times have gone out to about 12 months now so I've still got a while wait for it though.

56 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

 

Thanks for your replies so far and - yes - I should have used the search function. Sorry!

Dear all, just bought an acoustic guitar on a whim and I need a clip-on tuner now.  What's a decent, reliable and accurate tuner that won't cost the earth?  Thanks.

Agree about The Art of Losing - absolutely superb.  However, my favourite album this year is a reissue - the magnificent, peerless, bombastic Everything Picture by Ultrasound.  Tunetastic semi-prog from 'could have been contenders'.

Talking about bucking the trend!  I think this is an incredibly forward-thinking and responsible step.  And the inevitable cost increase is - as others have said - surprisingly low.  Now, I certainly don't need anymore basses but in the spirit of supporting a 'local' manufacturer I feel the least I could do is pay their site a visit.

Superb Peter - great spec.

6 hours ago, Bass Wielder said:

Heyyyy.

I would be interested to see how this goes…

I had a similar issue with my RH750 in 2016 (still have that amp and love it!)and they did send me some knobs.

However those broke as well so I got some aftermarket ones and they are still going strong.

Now new issue, the surrounds on the push switches are all split/cracked (with just time not impact), so I want to replace those. 
Hopefully that can help….

Love those AM knobs!  Would you mind linking to the seller so other of us RH750 owners can join in?  Love your colour palette too!

I'd agree with @Delberthoton this one.  In my 40+ years of playing I've owned probably 50 or so basses, from budget through to boutique.  I've had seven basses built for me and to my specification - every one different.  Whatever the number or combination of types of pickups and tone controls or preamps I've always managed to dial in 'my' sound to each and every one - to a great extent making every one sound 'the same' in the process.  There'll have been very slight variations, I guess, but they have all ended up there or thereabouts and certainly no one but myself would have detected any.  I play with my fingers and the old adage that tone is in the fingers is, I feel, something of a truism.  Or at least it is in my case!  Personally I've heard more difference between amps than I ever have with basses.

@ChavSpanial - the person you're looking for is our very own Prostheta.  He made the repro BB noisekiller for my recent Zoot ZB-1000 bass - a fantastic sounding bass.  Here's a link to a current auction on ebay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264696877010?hash=item3da129cfd2:g:CBIAAOxyBXNSU-Jh  I'm sure you'll be able to contact him through Basschat too if you want to ask him any questions etc.

If anyone was still interested I've changed the video.  No waffle, just 3 mins of scrolling through the variety of sounds available.  Relevant blurb is now in the accompanying post instead.

1 hour ago, Ricky Rioli said:

I enjoyed the minute of playing that we got! 

 Ha ha - so sorry!  It was only after I posted it and realised it had been cut (in half) that I also realised the first two minutes were of me waffling!  Now I sort of know what I'm doing in terms of recording and uploading I'll try and do something a bit more, er, focused and replace at some point over the weekend.

Apologies but it only appears to have uploaded about half of the 6 minute video.  NO idea what went wrong there - but you get the idea anyway.  It's VERY flexible.

Some of you, I know, were following the build thread for my Zoot ZB-1000, built for me by Mike Walsh and finished back in January.  Due to various supplier and Covid-related complications it was only several weeks later that I took delivery of it.  I think one or two of you were interested in what it sounded like and - albeit very late in the day - I've finally got round to demo-ing it for anyone who is still interested!  It's quite a lengthy vid as it has 21 core sounds courtesy of the 6-way varitone switch and the series/single/parallel switching for the pickup.  So, if you'll forgive my somewhat ropey playing, here is a new vid, with no waffle and all playing.  I play through the 6 positions of the varitone switch firstly with the pickup in parallel mode, then single coil, then series, and finally in those 3 positions with the varitone switched out completely.  Signal is taken (pre-amplifier) from the DI on my TC RH750 and recorded on a Focusrite Scarlett Solo.

Thanks @BlueMoon - they definitely look as though they could be worth investigating further.  Thank you.