mart3442

I've used the Realist for years. If you get one of the older models, they have a really loud and clear tone. I'm very tempted by the Soundclip pickup he's making. Its almost identical to the Barcus Berry pickup I first used years ago but seems a lot more robust.
Wasn't sure from your question but are you aware that the Docking station is just an onboard volume control?
I was lucky enough to find David Gages shop while on holiday in New York last month A very open friendly place with good staff....

Done and dusted.

PM'd.

Should be no quibbling about the money spent. This Bass is worth every penny. If I had the dosh, I'd buy it myself.

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1376308244' post='2171882']
It certainly doesn't look great for a new bass. On an early Fender though it would probably be considered 'mojo'.
[/quote]

It wasn't a new Bass, it was a 12 month old demo model.

Orange all the way, have been using them for the last 3 years. All I ever had to do in that time was replace a pre tube and one power tube. Ultra reliable.

I'd keep the AD200 and couple it with the OBC410. Thats my setup and I find it great for everything. I did use the Bass Terror for about 6 months. Night and day tonewise compared to the AD in my opinion. Didn't really get on with the Smartpower 410, it couldn't put out the spl that I needed on a rock gig. I found the 210 to
be much better.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1376397185' post='2173279']
Interesting.... but as someone who knows nothing about valve technology, what does this actually mean?
[/quote]

Its just different preamp valves. The 5751 generally has a bit more "headroom", meaning you get a cleaner tone at a higher volume than with the 12ax7.
On a personal note, I used the LH500 for years, before going back to all valve heads with Orange. On my amp, I found that the passive channel was very susceptible to signal input and would sag quite badly if I put a hot signal through it. Maybe it was just my amp.....

[quote name='keeponehandloose' timestamp='1375598890' post='2163196']
one of the old Mxr ones , unbeatable.
[/quote]

Absolutely. Still use mine, beats the reissue hands down!

[quote name='Burg' timestamp='1374247841' post='2146897']
Hi [url="http://basschat.co.uk/user/3801-symcbass/"]symcbass[/url], any way I could find out for sure if this was an Excelsior?
[/quote]
Get your torch out and have a look inside the F holes for any kind of label. welcome to the world of real Bass!
Resources: A good teacher and a copy of Simandl's Bass Method to get your bowing (and therefore, intonation) up to speed.
Theres a myriad of information online these days, way more than when I started.

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1375168746' post='2157370']
Well he can probably afford it since he only paid a tenner for 'Victoria', his 1800s Gand double bass, about sixty years ago!
[/quote]

A fiver actually, paid back at 5 bob a week!

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1375168038' post='2157362']
Crikey, just checked out the AER Basscube, they're not cheap are they
[/quote]

£1500 last time I dared to look!

Trainspotters guide to Danny's gear:
Yes, it was an AER Bass Cube. His twin pickup system consists of a Highlander Piezo ribbon mounted directly into the bridge, about a centimeter or so below the strings. (Interestingly, its a Guitar pickup...) And the wing pickup is a Shadow but I don't know the actual model.
Steve Rabe, founder of SWR and Ravenlabs, made a dual channel preamp for Danny in the 1980's. Danny calls it "The Ravenlabs Red Box", Ravenlabs call it the much more boring PMB. With this, he was able to eq both pickups individually, blend them to his liking and send the signal to front of house. He doesn't use it anymore so, presumably, the AER has the same facility.
I managed to buy one several years back (discontinued now) and its a stunning preamp. Steve Rabe is now retired and refuses to make any more, he will repair them though, so all is not lost.

Thought I'd revitalise the thread with this little beauty.
1978 all original except for the preamp which has been changed for a 1982/3 model by a previous owner.
[attachment=139214:$T2eC16FHJHYFFkH7(H!dBR0)pi,)tQ~~60_57.JPG]

Wish I had the money. I have a late 80's buzz Bass. far and away the best fretless I've ever owned.
Someone on here must want this beautiful instrument!

Update: first gig with Peters lovely bass last night.
A proper, old school P Bass tone that brought compliments from the band. I can highly recommend this Bass, not as a Fender alternative, its way beyond that, but as a fantastic instrument in its own right.
Special thanks goes to Peter, who went out of his way to make the transaction as smooth and enjoyable as possible. A top man, thanks Pete!.

This is probably the longest long term test ever, certainly the longest I've come across.
To cut a long story short, I was the Bassplayer in one of the resident Bands at Liverpools legendary Cavern Club and Pub Venues.
The band still holds the Saturday residency (11 years and counting) with the Weds slot being around 4/5 years. Factor in various Thursday and Sunday stints, and you see the hours adding up.
After flirting with various amp sponsorships, inc Blackstar, Vox and Fender, the venues finally settled for the rejuvenated Orange Amplification range.
The initial Bass setup was the Bass Terror, coupled with the Smart power 410. I was never too impressed with this setup. based on an experience in the 'States, I came to the conclusion that it was the Cab letting the side down.
After about six months of cajoling on my part, these were replaced with the AD200 and OBC410.
What a difference, like night and day.
I've owned and used 4 different all valve SVT heads, (a c2001 SVT2 Pro, a c2005 SVT Classic, a 1996 SVT2 Pro that was the best of the Ampegs for me...And one of the 500 reissue SVT's they brought out a good few years ago.), a Mesa Boogie 400+, a 1979 Marshall JMP SuperBass and an ancient Simms-Watt that I wish I still owned.
To my ears, the Orange knocked 'em all into a cocked hat, closest in tone was the Mesa but the Orange has a grind and bottom end that none of the others could match. The simplest of tone paths lets you dial in "your sound" instantly. My only beef is that it has no DI out but I can live with that. The amp and cab work really well together, as you would expect, producing some magnificent old school Bass tones, much more than just a rock workhorse, the AD is surprisingly versatisle, capable of a much more modern tone than you might expect from an all tube powerhouse.
The amp runs very hot and has no internal cooling apart from venting at the rear. Having said that, in over two and a half years of nightly use, the Orange has proven itself to be supremely reliable. One power tube needed replacing in all that time.
The highest compliment I can give the setup is that after I left the aforementioned Band, I bought the identical Orange setup to the house rig I'd been using all those years.......

Hi, have PM'd you.

Martin.

I don't, he did a lot of remedial work on a 1960 Jazz Bass I have. First rate work all the way.

The last thing I wanted to do was stir things up for the sake of it and I certainly wasn't having a go at you Jon, I apologise if thats how I came across. Thanks, I will have look at the original thread.

Best regards,

Martin.

Was I questioning anyones conduct? I'm just trying to ascertain whats gone wrong in the customer/retailer ralationship.
Far from being a "Fanboy" who believes John Elliot can do no wrong, I'm interested to read about your experiences and admit to being more than a tad surprised that you guys have had a bad time of it as I can only base my opinion on my own experience.
I can't speak for bravewood and would never presume to do so, but I can't imagine that any small business would be able to continue to trade if all customers were dealt with in the manner that you guys have described......
Isolated incidents and miscommunication hopefully.

Apologies, the actual term was "Kit of parts" not collection of parts.
You are quite correct about any issues you may have had in your life being none of my business, I have merely put my opinions across on a matter that you raised on a discussion forum where the members may freely exchange their views an opinions......
I am a member of this forum am entitled to voice my opinion, just as you are.
I do find it quite surprising that once you had agreed to the proviso regarding the first thread, you start another once the neck has been repaired (regardless of whether you had to pay for that or not). Surely, your point had already been made?
As previously stated, I am can only go by my own experience, thereby giving others the option to decide based on my experience as well as yours......

I'm a bit late coming to this thread but I find it puzzling that you didn't contact Bravewood when the problem manifested itself. The Bass was within warranty so you would have had no issue. Then, having lived with the problem for four months, you take the Bass to another Luthier rather than contact the builder first. I've had dealings with John Elliot and have no complaints. To refer one of his handmade instruments as a "collection of parts" is an insult to the man and his skills. As for his customer care, or lack of according to you, As I'm not privvy to the tone of the dialoque between you both I can't comment and I'll try not to read between the lines. I can only comment from my own experience with the man.

I own 2 Westbury Basses. I'd put my old German trade Bass into the shop for some much needed repair work. My "courtesy" Bass turned out to be a Violin cornered Westbury. I did a stack of gigs with it and fell in love. The shop owner used it himself and wouldn't part with it, so I bought another through him and used that as my main Bass, although I still wanted the original. After a couple of years, he decided to sell and I bought it.
Its the best Bass I've owned and my guy said he couldn't buy the quality of Wood to make the Bass for the price they sell for.
As with all instruments, they improve with age and use.
I highly recommend them too!

BTW: They are imported by Eastman strings, but my two (C2000 and C2004), are Chinese made. Don't know if thats changed but certainly the case back then.

Wish I had the spare cash, she's a beauty.... Bumps away.