shizznit

[quote name='monsterbassman' timestamp='1379361200' post='2211843'] [/quote] Oh my dear Lord!!! What an astonishing instrument! That's one of the prettiest Shuker basses I have seen yet!

[quote name='Bonin-in-the boneyard' timestamp='1379358394' post='2211773'] Heres my Shuker headless[attachment=143894:s232 3.jpg] [attachment=143895:s232a.jpg] [/quote] That is a gorgeous top! My Überhorn will be delivered this Friday and I will post some pics as soon as I peel myself of the ceiling!

The bass arrived yesterday and the finish is very matte satin. I might carefully sand the the area before attaching the thumb rest. Hopefully that will help the adhesion.

Just picked up an email from Jon. The bass is assembled and all he needs to do now is install the preamp. It will be completed and ready for collection next week! Still managed to hold off asking Jon for new pics, so it still be a bit of a surprise. I'm not going to get much sleep over the next few days!

I have a lot of pedals tucked away, but I only use a few essentials. I'm more of a funk player and I use an envelope filter, synth, fuzz and octave. Other than a tuner and a compressor pedal (if required) that's all I need.

The top has a satin finish, so I would imagine that it would hold the thumb rest with normal wood glue

Just ordered a Boulder Creek fretless 5 and I am thinking about placing a thumb rest on the top as have a nice little piece of rosewood I can shape that will do the job nicely. What's the best glue to use that won't react with the spruce top and will be strong enough to stay in place? I have some standard wood glue knocking about...that should do the job surely?

Hmmmm...it depends. My EBS Proline and Neo cabs do sound a little bit different, but in an acoustic way. The Proline is made with birch ply and the Neo is made with Spruce ply to lighten the cab even more. The Spruce does make the acoustics of the cab sound a bit more open. In other words, you can notice that its a bit louder once you step to the side of it. It doesn't make the speakers any louder or in fact change the overall tone compared to the ceramic loaded Proline cab. It sounds great either way, but the sonic effect will be different because of the acoustic value of whichever ply has been used for the cab construction. You have to be a complete nerd like me to notice it!

I played a Brute the last time I visited the US. For the money, they are very hard to beat. Their appearance won't please everyone, but there is a distinct high quality feel to them, they play very well and above all else sound fantastic. I really like them and its great that Mark @ Bass Direct is the go to man in the UK for these basses...it's been a long time coming! I recommend these basses all day.

Congrats on your new Neo 212 acquisition! Its a superb cab. You will love it!

His old bass tech had a website with the complete history of what gear was used for each album and tours. I'll see if I can find it (if its still online)

Epifani

As we say here in Wales...tidy!

[quote name='Ruck' timestamp='1376581245' post='2176431'] My Big Al: [URL=http://s77.photobucket.com/user/EcoMatt/media/992799_10151704638373570_1566337247_n.jpg.html][IMG]http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j76/EcoMatt/992799_10151704638373570_1566337247_n.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Stand alone pictures to come soon when I can get hold of a decent camera. [/quote] I have been GASing for a Big Al ever since they came onto the market...in tobacco burst. Yours is sublime!

My TD650 into Neo 210 / Neo 212 is frigging awesome! The best backline I have ever owned. I decided to go for a 212 instead of a 115 because I don't carry a lot of bass in my tone. I like to sit within the high-mid range and the 212 covers those types of tones really well whilst remaining warm and rounded. Plus, I do get a bit more volume than I would from a 115. Now that I have been using a 212 for about a now I don't think I will ever go back to a 115 on the deck ever again. The 210 / 212 setup is so alive and responsive. I love it! I find a bit more balance with a 210 and 115 setup than a 410 and 115 setup. The 410 quite often overpowers the 115, so you have probably already found that your 210 is easier to manage and mixes better. That said, you will be surprised how much low end the 212 can handle and how well it projects. If you would more volume than a 115 then I would certainly recommend switching over to a 212. You will be surprised how well it performs and yet maintaining a full range finish. Here's a (not so great) photo of my rig

I find the Turbo RAT too bright and I much prefer the normal RAT. The filter control can really thicken up your tone. It all depends what result you want...buzz saw fuzz or dub type tones?

The only time did that was bringing back a Line 6 Bass POD from the US. They weren't available in the UK at the time. I carried it in my hand luggage. I was very nervous going through security because goodness knows what it must have looked like on the scanner, but I walked onto the plane with it and no-one battered an eye lid. It was pre 9/11 and airport security was not the greatest at that time. Couldn't do that now!

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1376679077' post='2178034'] There's a Jumper inside the amp to select Parallel or Series FX, there's also another to select Pre or Post DI. [/quote] Now that I didn't know! However, do you think it's a great idea for a manufacturer to leave it to their customers to open up their amp and fiddle around inside? That's asking for trouble.

Not really. I would say the string would have to travel further if I had to string through the body. I have bought a dodgy set of strings. It happens.

I have owned a few Warwicks and I have preferred the brass nuts over the composite Just-A-Nut for two reasons. First, the Just-A-Nut is so easy to break. I have owned two Warwicks with them installed and the both broke very easily. The one on my Thumb BO that I still have is on its last legs and I am desperate to replace it. Secondly, I think open notes sound better with the brass nuts for the same reason that Fionn mentioned.

Luckily on this occasion, the string has just made it to the nut once I tuned up, but I have had a few occasions whereby I have replaced my strings and the taper at the top hasn't made it to the nut. I get this problem with my 35" scale Lakland from time to time. But, with my regular 34" scale Warwick...surely not?

Here's my feedback about the amps I have owned and used extensively throughout my career (I am not affiliated or employed by any of these brands) [u][b]Trace Elliot[/b][/u] Owned - AH12SMX 600w head, GP1215SMX 300w combo, [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]2103H cab & 1153H cab.[/font][/color] [i]Pros...[/i] The EQ tweaking and shaping features of their amps are hard to beat. You will never run short of flexibility for any genre of music with Trace Elliot amps. [i]Cons...[/i] Because you can tweak so many things on the amp to get your desired tone it does mean that you can spend many hours fiddling around with the settings and if you like switching in between different tones during a performance it is not user friendly for quick changes in tone settings. Once you get a good tone and your pretty much stuck with it all night. The amps I owned didn't deliver the power that I was expecting them to. Speakers were a bit farty. The amps and cabs weigh a frigging tonne! [u][b]Hartke[/b][/u] Owned - HA3500, HA7500, XL410 cabs [i]Pros...[/i] By far one my favourite amps. Very transparent tone, great tone shaping features, surprisingly powerful and you have gotta love the red lights on the EQ faders! One of the best onboard compressors built into an amp. The aluminium speakers really get you noticed...super cool looking on stage! [i]Cons...[/i] The cabs are not the best when it comes to construction. One of my XL410's cracked wide open from a very small and gentle fall to the ground whist setting up for a gig. I wasn't impressed. Both of my amps visited a repair guy on a few occasions with power amp limiter problems and the fan motor failed on my HA7500 4 months after buying it. Not the most reliable amps I have ever owned. [b][u]Carlsbro[/u][/b] Owned - Bass Reactor 400, 410 cabs (can't remember the model) [i]Pros...[/i] Cheap. [i]Cons...[/i] Don't get me started! This was the worst rig I have ever used. The amp had no redeeming features whatsoever other than making a noise. Poor power output, more tone, very heavy...completely unusable. The cabs were dull and lifeless. The speakers were Eminence which is not a shabby brand, but Carlsbro decided to use PA speakers instead of speakers that were designed for bass amps. They just made a bad situation even worse. [u][b]Euphonic Audio[/b][/u] Owned - iAmp 500 [i]Pros...[/i] Incredible tone shaping flexibility and work perfectly with any type of bass you put into it. It had a very flat response and did not colour any of the basses I used through it. The effects loop mixers (both parallel and series) are mixable and can be used simultaneously which is a really cool feature...even the DI out had a level control! I loved using this amp in the studio. I really liked the way it looked. The front panel looked more like a very expensive hi-fi stereo EQ console from the 70's. Nothing on the market looks anything like an EA amp. [i]Cons...[/i] Lack power on stage. Ran out of steam very quickly. Much like Trace Elliot amps, you can fiddle around with the tone settings until the next ice age. Because the amp has a very flat response, very clean and uncoloured it will show your bass for what it really is. A crap bass will simply sound crap and a great one will sound great. Complicated to use. [u][b]Mark Bass[/b][/u] Owned - Little Mark III [i]Pros...[/i] One of the best D-class portable amps on the market. I never struggled to get the tone I wanted for whatever situation it was call to. Very easy to use and the size and weight of it makes it perfect for the travelling musician that likes to travel light. Very quiet amp. The best pre-shape filters on any amp on the market IMO. Very good value. [i]Cons...[/i] Very little to mention. The only two things I struggled with was that there is no choice of parallel or series effects loop, but many other amps on the market of similar price don't have that feature either. But, my biggest disappointment was that there was no onboard compressor. Always felt that amp needed one. [u][b]EBS[/b][/u] Owned - HD350 Currently own - TD650, Reidmar 250, Proline 410, Neo 210, Neo 212 [i]Pros...[/i] These are by far one of the best amps available on the market. The guys that build these amps are very passionate about what they do and it really shows in their products. The engineering that goes into EBS amps are simply astonishing. The gain stage is one of many things that impresses me about these amps. You are in full control of either ultra clean or downright dirty signals from your bass. The onboard compressor is the best I have ever used on an amp. The power on tap is incredible. I have never turned my amp passed past half way and usually have to turn back down again quickly if I do get that far by instruction of the FOH engineer. The cabs are superb. Very dynamic for any genre you play. Reliable. Very easy to use. [i]Cons...[/i] These amps paired with those cabs are very focussed towards high-mid scooped tones and may not be to everyones liking. I have heard some folks say that you can't get warm, traditional tones from these amps which is complete nonsense, but if you are a meat & potatoes type of player then you might want to skip this one. Another criticism I have seen from other people is that they they can come across very coloured...'fake' in some comments I have read on various forums. In other words, you can make any bass sound good with these amps. I admit, there is a little truth in that as I have made a £120-eBay special-far eastern-P-bass rip off-piece of sh*t sound good through these amps, but I don't necessarily think thats a bad thing. Depending on how you set up these amps, they are very sensitive to the touch when you play and very hyperactive, so they are not very forgiving. Very expensive.

I received a job request this morning that requires fretless playing. That's the fourth request I have had in recent months, but I haven't owned a fretless bass for years as I never got called to use it. Fretless bass was very common in the 80's and 90's, but I hear very little of it in today's music. Is it making a come back?

Looks like they still haven't sorted out that tight fitting speakon socket problem yet. I use my Reidmar almost every day and it hasn't caused me any problems, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. My EBS cabs are hyperactive little scamps. The Bright control on EBS amps makes the tweeter extremely sensitive and you might not find yourself using it much. I start off with the control set at -0+ dB and wind it back gradually to suit...sometimes off completely. You will always get a little hiss no matter which cabs you use, but EBS cabs are still articulate and responsive when the tweeter is switched off, which is great if you want less hiss at high volumes. Of course, you can always turn off the Bright control completely anyway, but I do like to use it because like the way it tightens up the high-mids and gives a bit more scoop to the overall tone.