shizznit

I have always been a big fan of Alice In Chains 'Dirt'. Superbly produced, the vocal arrangements are incredible and every song is a peach. I have enjoyed that album since the day it was realeased.

Despite what your personal opinions are about relicing, it takes skill to pull it off convincingly so I guess most luthiers would accept that challenge. I would imagine it's quite a lot of fun. Fender put a lot of thought and technique into their custom relic instruments. It's not simply just carelessly sanding a bit of paint and leaving the hardware in the rain for a few days.

Just called Orchid Elextronics. A Classic DI is on its way to me! I'll take a punt for £36.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1386758861' post='2304036'] If you do want a great sounding DI, that is great for recording and live use, at a bargain price, you could do a hell of a lot worse than this - [url="http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk/classic_DI.htm"]http://www.orchid-el.../classic_DI.htm[/url] - I've got a batch of his mini DIs too, they are superb also - and always get interest from the AV teams that I have worked with. [/quote] £36 sounds a lot more appealing than £400! I have also looked at the Radial DI's. The more research I do the more I am steering away from the Avalon. I agree with you EBS_Freak. I think that the Avalon would be great if I was being recorded into a Pro Tools rig every night, but beyond that it's a luxury I could probably live without. Yeah, it would be nice to use at my home studio too, but I am getting by very comfortably without one currently. It would be nice to be able to control the gain level because of my hot headed EBS amps. My old EA iAmp 500 had that feature and was very useful when using a powerful active bass. An attenuator is a great solution, but -20db sounds like quite a big cut to me.

I saw them at Glastonbury when they were touring the Quality Control album and been a big fan ever since. Class.

Awesome! Congrats Rumple! It's absolutely exquisite

Cheers EBS_Freak. I'm pretty sure you suggested these attenuators to me a while a while ago when I was having similar problems with my Reidmar amp. At the cost of a KFC meal, I think that is a cracking suggestion. I totally agree with you about noticing the difference between a DI box or from the amp. You know how nerdy FOH engineers can be about the signals they receive into the desk. We're no different. Other musicians can't tell the difference between nickel or stainless steel strings!

Yet again, I am working during the show. I will attend one year, I'm sure of it.

I'm starting to see these DI boxes sat on top of bass amps quite frequently over the past couple of years. A close friend of mine who is a pro FOH engineer has worked with several acts that use them and quite bluntly told me to get one! I often get complaints that my DI signal from my EBS are very hot and a bit of a swine to manage on the desk. I have a cheap Behringer DI that is use from time to time, but after reading up on the Avalon it has way more flexibility. I was almost set to buy one this morning up until I saw the prices! Are they worth the money? Is there a cheaper alternative brand that does more or less the same thing that someone can recommend?

We are a soul band, but that doesn't stop some folks asking us to play Sex On Fire, I Predict A Riot...songs like that. One guy threatened to stab me in the eye if we didn't play some Elvis. If the requested song is in our back catalogue, but not necessarily on our set list for that evening we might play it if asked politely. Beyond that, we will play Happy Birthday when asked (always keep that one in your back pocket). A few songs that have been included into out set have been from punters requests at times when we thought "Why don't we play that song? It's awesome!".

This used to belong to a BC'er (I forget who it was). I came close to making an offer, but I bought my J Deluxe around that time for a very good price, which I would have been stupid to pass on. I'll have a Shuker J one day in the future.

I went to their gig at The Globe in Cardiff a few weeks ago. Last time I saw them was 18yrs ago! They are still awesome

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1385137752' post='2284920'] I feel I'm a little late to the party!!! I'd missed the wonderful unveiling video! Andy, [i]thank you for the very kind words, it means a lot[/i]. Your video is excellent and as has been said already, how you managed to talk for so long without playing it - you're a stronger man than I!!! - The initial pause when you open the case! Ahhh!! I think I hung on your every word after staring at this gorgeous gorgeous bass! There's so much I like about it. Truly stunning, congratulations! The reverse headstock!! oh yes!! - Funnily, it was a guitarist that got me in to reverse headstocks too. Both of my electrics are upside-downers! Paul Gilbert for me though. On the subject, I recently found out that a friend of mine was the very person who suggested Ibanez start doing reverse headstock guitars many years ago. I've known him for a while now, but didn't know he was to blame for my quirky love for them! Anyway! I digress - I just wanted to post a message to say that this is a wonderful bass. Jon never ceases to surprise me even though I know that his basses are already untouchable value for money! Beee-oooo-tiiiii-fulllll!!! I'm off to listen to your soundcloud clips now! [/quote] You really helped me to make the decision to place the order with Jon. Your product knowledge and advice was superb and choosing Jon to build the bass made complete sense. You were right...he's an incredibly talented luthier and a top bloke. It's been a fun experience. Yeah...the video! I feel so embarrassed watching it back. I really was like a kid on Christmas morning! I had no chance to play the bass that day as all my gear was packed up and in my car outside. As soon as I stopped filming I grabbed my coat and went to my job for a few days. I didn't want to take if with me as I wouldn't have had any time to adjust to it. This bass is very different to my other basses, so I spent plenty of time with it when I got back, made a tweak to the setup and played it at my next gig. My Überhorn has played every performance since then and I have really connected with it. I had a wireless pack on me last night and stood FOH during the sound check last night and heard it in the mix for the first time. It really jumps out. Sounded almost exactly how it did on stage. I can't remember many occasions that I have been able to say that. But, because it's so clear you can hear every bum note I play! I have to be a bit more conscience about my performance with that in mind, but it only helps me to raise my game. When I am on it it sounds incredible! The sound samples were done in a bit of a rush and I literally played the first thing that came into my head, so not he best. Some proper sound clips of jobs I have used it for will be uploaded in the near future so you will be able to hear it in the mix with other instruments. I hope that you get a decent idea on how the bass sounds. The slap tone was set flat using the slap contour switch, the funky latin groove was set flat and I used a bit of treble boost, bass cut for the chords on the jazz piece and I split the coils for the lead part and rolled off the treble and boosted the mids quite a bit. It can produce a lovely soft jazz tone, which was a very pleasant surprise. The bass is a lot more versatile than I was expecting...especially with only one pickup! I contacted Jon last week to give him some feedback and he is just as chuffed as I am with the result. We had a brief conversation about another potential build next year, so watch this space!

Well, I have found a really good sax player via one of my partners friends and a 'maybe' from a trumpet player that plays for a big brass band and wants to get more creative away from that band. The sax player might know of a good trombone player and has sent him a demo of a few songs that I have written, but no contact yet. Still work to be done and a lot of organisation, but I am hoping to assemble to the band for a first rehearsal in the new year.

Sound clips of the bass have been uploaded to my SoundCloud page... https://soundcloud.com/andrzej-legierski I should have done a traditional slap sample…I dunno what came over me this afternoon! It was way heavier than I originally set out to do. Meh…whatever!

I have owned a HD350, now own a TD650 and a Reidmar 250. I use the TD650 for situations whereby I need to power two cabs and I use the Reidmar for small gigs that only require a one cab setup or for studio use as a preamp. First up, the HD350 is an awesome amp. The TD650 sounds exactly the same, but the tube channel does expand tone possibilities. In practice, the TD650 doesn't offer much more power. Does the extra wattage channel into the tube stage power? Never really looked into it. But, I have powered two cabs using the HD350 with more or less the same results. The Reidmar is a great little D-class amp. I replaced my very trusty Mark Bass LMIII with that amp, initially to keep things consistent. At 250w power I wasn't expecting huge performance. But, EBS don't use a power limiter, so you get every 250 watts available. It really shocked me that you can use that little power for 1x 4ohm or 2x 8ohm cabs. That was very surprising when I first started using it. So why don't I just use the Reidmar live? What's the point of having the TD650? The Reidmar sounds great, but the TD650 (and the HD350) sound a little bit richer. That's the only way I can describe it. Plus, the simple fact is that the Reidmar can only power one of my 4ohm cabs. Also, the Reidmar is missing the 'Cab Sim' control and phantom power. None of which I have ever used anyway, so big deal. The Reidmar can produce a very satisfying tone...the EBS tone, but it's designed for portable, small set ups. It is limited compared to its higher powered bigger brothers. Tone wise, it's awesome. I would recommend them over most D-class amps on the market. But, the higher powered amps can offer more flexibility with backline power and the 'Drive' and 'Tube' controls that are absent on the Reidmar are very useful when needed. Those features do add a bit more flexibility if you need to cover a lot of different musical styles. Power aside, that's the most significant difference that I have noticed in my experience. If you don't use the 'Drive' control on your HD350 (no 'Tube' control on that model) then a Reidmar will sound exactly the same. I like using the Drive control as it does give a bit more grunt to the tone. There is a difference. Power wise, mine is limited because all my cabs are 4ohms. I am only able to use it with one cab. Ultimately, that why I bought it...for small gigs and travelling light. You won't rock Wembley Stadium with it.

I have been trying to get an original soul/funk band together for the past 12 months. I have been very selective about the singer and musicians that I want to be involved and luckily they have all agreed to jump on board. I have a singer, keys, drummer, percussionist, a guitar player and myself on bass of course. I have lots of songs backed up and ready to go, as well as the guys that play keys and guitar. But, I want to complete the lineup with a 2-3 piece brass section consisting of trumpet, sax and trombone (if possible). Why is it so bloody hard to find decent brass players that are experienced, confident and talented? Where are they hidden? I know of a few players, but not at the standard that I want. My girlfriend is an awesome sax player, but I don't want to go down that Fleetwood Mac road either. I really don't want to start the first few rehearsals without a brass section. I can't ever seeing this band getting off the ground

I have used the bass quite a lot over the past three weeks or so and become very familiar with it. As soon as I picked it up for the first time I could feel the high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail straight away. The weight balance is absolutely spot on. The thing doesn't move at any angle...even with a shiny, slippery nylon strap! The neck...oh my gosh...has to be the most comfortable, silky and fast neck I have ever played! The frets are wonderfully finished...superb work there. The neck has such a beautiful feel to it. The bass in general feels really solid. The tummy cut at the back fits perfectly into my ribs, almost as if it was tailor made! The timbers that were selected for this bass are beautiful. The swamp ash is flawless, the maple and birdseye maple is very clean and bright...and what about that canoe tree burl top! It's a stunner! The bass looks so elegant. It's a head turner! I had a few pro photos of me playing it at St.Davids Hall in Cardiff a couple of weeks ago and it looks great on stage, which is a nice bonus! Even the FOH engineer that night commented about how nice it looked over the talkback! The weight is fabulous. That was really important for me when Jon and I initially discussed the build. I often play up to two hours during a performance. My neck, back and shoulders feel fine the following morning. I can't begin to tell you how much of a relief that is. Jon has done my Chiro out of a few quid! I haven't even touched on how good it sounds yet! With the EQ set flat it's very clear and articulate. A good dose of natural high mids, the lows are very tight and has a lovely shine in the highs. The EQ sweep and cuts are not overpowering and don't compress the tone in any way. For me and the way that I play, more so the style of music I play, it's no nonsense, simple, does what it says on the tin tone. This bass does the basics really well without all the electronic faff. The guy that regularly does our FOH for us usually takes the post DI from my amps, but has switched back to the pre DI signal. He really likes the natural tone of the bass and says that he hears so much more balance across the strings. That has made his job a lot easier to get me cut through the mix, but not sound fake. Because of the style of music that I play I am usually cranked quite high in the FOH, so knowing that the bass can be heard as naturally as possible for the punters is a huge benefit and gives me a lot of confidence that folks can hear every little nuances of my playing. It's bitter sweet to be honest. It means that all my mistakes are a lot easier to pick out! But, that just helps me to raise my game. I initially intended to use the bass live, which is doing a very fine job of doing, but I have actually used it for three recent recording jobs. It performed very well. It's incredibly clean and noiseless. I split the coils to do a little jazzy instrumental on one job, rolled back the treble and boosted the mids...it sounded absolutely incredible. I was so pleased with how that job turned out. When the EQ is flat the tone is so easy to work with. It's exactly what I wanted. The coil split switch is inside the control cavity. We decided to do that so that the top could remain as clutter free as possible. In reality, I probably won't use it much even if the switch was mounted on the top. My dry tone never changes when I play live, but when I decide to record with the bass it's nice to know that I have that option in the locker is I need it. That Delano pickup is incredible! When I hooked it up to my EBS rig for the first time I had to roll off the gain and compressor quite a bit. My compressor is almost off now because the output balance from the B to the G is so even. The low B is really tight, which most 5 string players regard as a must, so that is a very pleasing result. My amps love this bass! Anyway...I thought to myself "I could have sworn that I asked Jon for a 9v preamp board!?". I think a lot of it is down to the balls of that Delano. Seriously, it's a monster! Such a responsive pickup. It still has that awesome, grunty, burpy MM character, but with a bit more sizzle. Very impressed. It might be a bit too clear and sparkly for some folks as it doesn't really have that classic, roundness to it. It is far more modern sounding than the typical MM tone we are all familiar with. But, it's perfect for my needs. Jon's recommendation is paying off. Not sure that I will use the slap switch much to be honest, but it's the best system I have used thus far. Simply because you can use it! The scooped tone is superb, but the output signal remains consistent which is why other basses with similar systems fall down I think. Really nifty feature. Great for those Mark King or Marcus Miller moments! I think I have covered everything...LOL! Bottom line, I am so happy about the instrument. It really helps to translate my playing in the way that I think I should be heard. Not only because of the tone, but the comfort of how well it plays too. The bass has certainly notched up my dexterity and accuracy. I'm a better musician for it and I can't put a price on that. The jobs I recorded using the Überhorn won't be released until next year, so will upload a sound sample of the bass when I have a free afternoon. If there is a S.Wales bass bash in the near future I will bring it along. It really does need to be played to fully appreciate the quality of this very fine instrument.

Bill was a very talented bloke with a very good ear for his product. Very sad news

We played that song a few times 4yrs ago. Great song and one of my favorite Bernard Edwards basslines. We stopped playing it as it was lost on the punters...no one knew it and lost interest quickly (philistines!). I have been trying to track down that Fonzi Thornton album for a while. It was great seeing him perform with Chic again last year.

Does anyone else think that Jimi's dad sounded like Morgan Freeman? I have watched lots of Hendrix documantaries before and it was one of the most decent. I really liked the never seen before film and photo's.

I love these guys, but I think because I am a musician. All of that clever stuff is lost on non-muso's. Plus, to be harsh...their sound is pretty dated and maybe a little niche.

Rotosound. I know they are very popular strings, but I don't get them. They feel very sticky to me and the tone falls off in a matter of moments.

The drummer I worked with in Canada recently used a Roland electronic kit. The visual impact wasn't the same as it looked really untidy. Looks like a toy. However, the stage volume was so much easier to manage. Our monitor mix took very little time to sort out. With an acoustic kit I only take the kick, snare and hats (maybe ride too). To have the entire kit through the monitors sounds awful. But, with an electronic kit you can have everything in the monitor and sounds good off the bat.

Just to add... Naked maple boards are high maintenance. To help prolong the appearance of your maple, wipe down the neck with a clean cloth after you play...even if after a short time. It really helps. And don't take long periods between cleaning. If your board develops patches of that horrible green stain it usually means that the grime has aborbed into the wood and it's incredibly difficult to remove without sanding. That's exactly what happened to one of my old Patrick Eggle LA custom guitars years ago. I certainly learnt my lesson and I make every effort to keep on top of my cleaning regime.