Jellyfish

Like I just posted on the Facebook, I need to get down there this year and actually meet some people and (hopefully) attend some clinics! I'll be alone too with both days to kill. I just need to book my tickets...

Just thought I'd drop by to say that I won't be attending. Not because I don't want to, but because I'll have moved house and will be residing in London by the time it swings around! Sorry guys, I was looking forward to being able to show off my Alpher to everyone.

No, but I've done quite a bit of research in the past regarding the quality of instrument you get. The general opinion tends to be that they're only worth the effort if you're interested in replacing parts on them I.E. the bridge, the nut, the electronics etc. I wanted something awesome looking, but that could at least be played out of the box so I avoided them!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdN1s49s-l4 Check out the man himself.

I also own one, and I have nothing bad to say about them. What drew me in initially was there awesome eye for woods. Rather than go for the nicest bit of quilted or flamed maple, they have access to so many lovely top woods that wouldn't be seen on anything outside of a custom build. In my case, it was a rather vividly figured piece if maple, but if you click the link in my sig', you'll find that the body wood that I picked (on their recommendation) ended up being as attractive. As far as playability and sound go, it's still the nicest instrument I've played. I'd never heard of Catswhisker pickups before talking to the guys, but my specifications were sort of along the lines of 'monstrous' and they deliver, without a doubt. I actually quoted the Musicman Bongo when I talked about them originally and I was over the moon with the result. Playability is brilliant too, with a neck that was very much like my old Ibanez Prestige. Smooth, oiled Wenge + comfortable profile = joy. The specifications of my bass came about because what I wanted wasn't really available off the shelf (a really tight string spacing at the bridge), rather than wanting a lovely 'version' of a Fender or something like that. Because of that, mine will always be better (for me) than any other basses available out there, so I'll always be a bit biased, but as you can see from the post above mine, if you want traditional plus some, that's what you'll get. I should also mention that I went with the guys at Alpher on the basis that I should get my bass built by someone who I really got on with and felt comfortable with handling and creating something for me. After emailing a number of UK builders, these guys came out on top by a mile. I also got told a deadline before they'd even picked up the wood and they stuck to it. Overall, not just an awesome bass, but an awesome experience.

I also contacted him! I've been pining for a nice fretless for a while, and at a good price as I missed out on a recent Cort that was on these forums for the same price. I'm down in London this weekend so if Kev doesn't get it, maybe I will!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1391553613' post='2358628'] TBH I've never used it. I think the only track that has album art in my whole iTunes collection of about 25,000 is one I downloaded when iTMS used to give away a free track each week. I can't say that I see the point. If I want the album art I look at the CD cover. [/quote] And not sit at the computer screen while the music plays? You weirdo...

I'll make sure I get this on the Facebook asap, or at a more hospitable time of day so more people see it.. I [i]might[/i] be able to make it up. I'm in the wrong part of the Midlands really, but there's a chance I can get a lift and it'll be nice to show off my Alpher bass, although it might not be to everyone's tastes..

I hope this is the right place to post this, but I just wanted to recommend Anthony to anyone who's really ready to dip their toes into the serious side of bass playing. My chops aren't crazy, but I can play a bit, However my theory is patchy and is mainly relevant to Piano, which is frustrating when you bring it over to a fretboard e.g. all of a sudden there's multiple notes of a single pitch.. panic! I decided to book a lesson with Anthony Wellington after watching Victor Wooten's 'Groove Essentials' DVD and, although they're quite costly, they're the best bang for buck lessons I've ever had. He explained where I was going wrong and addressed it straight away while explaining everything in such an easy way. Within the first lesson I had PDFs of what I needed to do and practice before my next lesson and the beauty of it is that I can take my time with it or book one a few days after if I felt like it. For anyone who's never had a Skype lesson before (like me, before this one) I would definitely recommend it.

My custom Alpher bass, although that's perhaps being a little biased as I chose everything on it myself. It has a custom string-spacing of 15.3mm at the bridge, which is extremely comfortable and any other 5 string I play now just feels huge. 4 strings are still comfortable, which is good as the only other bass I want is a Precision (you just can't get that sound anywhere else...) If custom wasn't an option though, I'd have my hands on the new Dingwall 'Nolly' signature. A preamp made by Darkglass? That thing is a monster!

Definitely look into Ibanez. You can get their hand-crafted, Japanese made range for under your budget and they're one of the nicest 5 strings I've played. Spacing is quite slim though (which I loved, but you may not), so I'd also go for the USA G&L if you're prepared to wait for one to come up for sale.

Certainly does look like a monster. Nice one.

It's an iffy one with low end 5 strings. All I'd say is be prepared to have to upgrade the string gauges until your 5th string feels playable as most affordable 5 strings still don't handle a low B, or even low A, very well at all.

I owned a Korean made Spector a couple of years back. It has been one of my only impulse buys (purchased without intending to buy any bass at all) it was that good. It was the NS2000/4 (I think) but it was a brilliant 4 string. Thru-neck, fully maple (so quite heavy) but a lovely thin neck and [i]so[/i] easy to play. I sold it because I only play 5 strings, so I had intended to buy a European made 5 string and went to last years London Bass Guitar Show with the intention to try one out. I did try one out and it was thoroughly disappointing, or at least the 5th string was. Ended up walking away with a Dingwall Combustion instead. If you're after a nice change to a Warwick Thumb, the Spector will certainly give you that and it's quite a modern sound so it could suit you quite well. Depending on your budget though, there might be a lot of other (possibly better) options.

Purchased a pedal. Came fast and was well packaged. Top notch correspondence too.

But neither does quality I suppose! Some new great looking basses from ESP this year, but at a fairly high cost. The one below will set you back just under $4,000... But you I think it's one of the coolest basses I've ever seen. I've heard some great things about ESP basses but I've never been fortunate to see any in shops before. Do they awesome looks justify the price? It's a standard EMG 35P+J pickup so chances are that you'll have heard something similar before. [url="http://www.espguitars.com/products?categories=e-ii-basses"]Here's a link to the rest.[/url]

Purchased a pedal of basskit. Came fast and was well packaged. Top notch correspondence too, cheers!

Purchased a pedal board, item arrived swiftly and was as described. Can't ask for more than that really, cheers mate!

I owned an Ibanez Prestige before going to a Dingwall and I found the adjustment really comfortable. The depth of the neck, from fretboard to where you put your thumb, was really quite slim. One thing I did find though was that it was a sort of 'D' profile and that was quite a different feeling from what I was used to, but it certainly wasn't unpleasant.

The fanned frets are brilliant to play but the main reason I purchased one was for the multi-scale strings. The feeling of that low B is like nothing I've ever felt and sounds great way up past the 12th fret. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a 5 string in that price range and the only reason I sold it was because I wanted something I couldn't get off the shelf (tight string spacing). Standard strings do work, but you'd have to make sure. For example, Rotosound don't do a low B long enough, whereas people have had success using the Super Long scale sets from D'Addario. The sets that are currently made for the Dingwall/multi-scale instruments are pretty great though, especially the Payson stainless steel strings I had on mine.

If I had a big budget, and a wide choice of basses I could play e.g. something along the lines of a Fender Jazz, but considering other makes, then I'd happily pay a fee to spend time in somewhere like Bass Direct.

Have you considered TC Electronic? I had the BH250 with a Genz Benz Focus 112 and it was stupidly light for how loud it was. Also had the headphone and aux on the back.