molan

Happy to have been able to help out. I help out at the BassGear showroom every now and then if Phil is busy or needs a day or two out of the 'office'. I always try to give the sort of service I'd expect if I was a customer - besides, placing an order for a new custom build Carvin is pretty exciting too Really looking forward to seeing this one when it comes in!

[quote name='garythebass' timestamp='1345568881' post='1778976']. And no bull either - if he wasn't sure about something he went off and checked so I had the right answer. Very highly recommended! [/quote] That's because he didn't know any of the answers without asking an 'expert'

Looks really similar to my old one, what a great bass that was, my #1 gigging bass for a few years

Some simple Allen keys will work for trussrods. I used one on my Ritter yesterday when I changed to a lighter gauge of strings and then realised I'd left my truss rod tool at the 'office' I wouldn't recommend this as a permanent solution but, knowing you want one quickly, it might help. Just need to make sure you buy an imperial set and not metric to be sure of a tight fit. Either a large diy store or a decent car tools shop might have imperial keys

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1345818301' post='1781976'] I noticed Dave Swift had one of these made for him and it took years for it to be completed!! [/quote] I was talking to him just yesterday about this and asked if he would ever sell it - "absolutely not" was the reply. This tale has also done the rounds a few times - the bass was ordered and built before Jason De Salvo joined Fodera as a partner. The problem with the old set up was that if anyone popped into the workshop to chat then Vinnie & Joey would leave their benches and chew the fat with whoever it was. They also took very, very long phone calls from potential customers who wanted to discuss woods, neck profiles, pickup choices etc. etc. Months of time every year were lost in production time because of this. Jason has totally cleaned up this area and now he takes many of these meetings and calls (and he really, really knows his stuff - he's another fine player who happens to own 13 Monarchs, all paid for & not freebies!). Average wait time is now circa 18 months from first order to completion. Might sound long but I've known a lot of other luthiers who quote less but end up taking a year or more for final completion. Jason keeps customers totally up to date on build process and is pretty much always available to answer questions (I know this because I've asked loads!).

I've played that Fodera, it's stunning. In fact I've been frighteningly close to buying it a few times The first time I saw it there was some bloke called Victor Wooten playing it. He liked it so much he promptly ordered one built to the same specs (it has a custom neck profile modelled on a '64 Jazz owned by Joey Lauricella plus the Seymour Duncan dual coils as opposed to the EMG PJ that he usually has). He has to pay for his basses and wait in line just like anyone else as well. As for the age old argument that seems to pop up here every few months that Fodera is all about marketing and that they are ludicrously over-priced, well, I think it's simply not true. I can't ever remember a single piece of 'marketing' by Fodera themselves. They attend winter NAMM and sometimes Bass Player Live but other than that they spend all their time in the workshop. They work long hours in a dusty shop with no air con. None of the partners appear to be dripping with cash and each of them is in the shop all the time with just the odd short holiday. Each bass is made with total dedication and a great passion for their work. All of the partners are really easy to talk to and actually quite humble about their reputation. In fact Vinnie Fodera hardly ever talks to the press in the States and never attends the trade shows and Joey is still a gigging bassist who plays in NYC every week. One of the reasons they charge a lot is because they are a 'proper' company that looks after its staff. They bring in apprentice builders and train them meticulously, all their staff earn a decent basic wage and they provide full health care and support as well. Everything is hand made in New York as well which is not exactly the cheapest place on earth. Are their basses expensive, yes. Are they fabulously well made, yes. Do their owners rave about them and love them so much that they often end up owning two or more, yes. Are Vinnie, Joey and Jason nasty money-grubbing horrible individuals, absolutely not - nothing could be further from the truth. In terms of BGM writing reviews of the very best basses available then I totally applaud them. Personally I have little or no interest in yet another review of a cheap Fender or Musicman clone. Ok, I'll get me coat. . . Well, either that or I'm off to my little study to play a Fodera or three

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' timestamp='1345911530' post='1783067'] i don't think I've ever layer my M80 down to get my bass out? it just slips in and out while held vertically. [/quote] I don't think I've ever laid any gig bag down to remove a bass or put one back in!

[quote name='SisterAbdullahX' timestamp='1345738335' post='1781122'] Deal agreed! Specifications decided! As soon as I can get down to Bass Gear with my bass it will be countdown to lovely new SB5000 time! Very happy with the service so far! I'll be happy for anyone to come and try it out when I get it. Form an orderly queue! [/quote] There are some nice people working there aren't there

Although I've just picked up a B15N for home use I wouldn't be without my Tone Hammer out of the house. I've tried quite a few class D heads and the TH500 is by far my favourite, especially with a pair of matching Aguilar SL112 speakers

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1345554257' post='1778748'] £326.21 from Thomann. (of course you may want to support the above as it's UK based and a fellow BCer) [/quote] Thanks EBSF - it's so hard to compete with Thomann, their 860 staff & massive buying power. As a consumer I obviously appreciate that they use their clout to drive prices down but it does sometimes seem like they've taken a run at a few UK music retailers by undercutting them substantially. I've yet to meet a UK retailer who makes much real money out of his business and I certainly know a few who are barely able to keep their heads above water Hopefully what you get by going through a smaller 'local' business is informed advice, first class customer service, after sales help, good part exchange offers etc. However, there are some UK retailers who offer hardly any of this and still bleat about being stuffed by online businesses. I'm afraid I have very little sympathy for them Anyway, apologies for the off topic meanderings - my only excuse is that I'm helping a good friend out (totally unpaid) who owns one of the good UK bass retail specialists so that he can have a short holiday However - I can say that the Stageclix units are great. There's one set up here for people to listen through & it sounds excellent.

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1345571845' post='1779012'] That's a damn shame. He is my favourite DB player, but I can only listen to about 5 minutes of that before it gets boring and I want to hear him playing an electric again. I'd be very disappointed if I went to see him live and he just played DB! Nothing new about him playing 5'er though, though it is the first time I've seen him with a 5 string Alembic IIRC. [/quote] He even had an Alembic sitting on a stand all powered up & ready to roll - just didn't touch it all evening It was a US Jazz club with two sets in the evening so maybe he swapped over in the 2nd set.

I've always thought of the 2x15 4ohm cab as the 'quintessential' reggae cab (on the basis that 18's are pretty rare!). I'm sure there's a zillion other cabs that can cover the tonal spectrum & room acoustics and all that other associated stuff are going to make a difference but there is something a bit special about a pair of, decent quality, 15's thudding away in a reggae setting. Thing to watch out for is that they can over-power everything if they don't fit the room acoustics well - although some judicious amp tweaking should be able to cure this. Some of those old Peavey Black Widows can sound great. A mate of mine had a 1x15, large enclosure, BW cab and he played a '76 P through it with a Peavey head and used to be able to get a great Jean Jacques Burnel tone from it. Given how little money these tend to go for it might be worth a try out with one for a while and see how you get on?

Sounds great & growly with a P bass, tone wound down, slight treble cut on the amp & a nudge on the bass boost. Amazing for a deep reggae tone but without the volume you usually need to get the right feel (not that I ever have the need for a reggae sound but just thought I'd share, lol). Lots of clarity if left neutral and using a Jazz bass & really good 'heft' as well, and all of this at decent home/studio volumes

I've seen a StageClix for £359 (maybe a bit less if you're paying by bank transfer or direct debit as this'll save on card fees). In fact, there's one sitting about 10 feet away from me right now

Another vote for Audacity here, I've used it for years & it's not only free but works really well

I know Phil has been in discussion with Carvin about not only attending shows but also about having an artist endorsee giving masterclasses etc. I'm actually in the shop today and just received a request for a quote on a Carvin - better get back to 'work'

Last time I saw him he didn't even touch his Alembic. Spent all evening on DB

[quote name='citymariner' timestamp='1345484664' post='1778049'] That looks ace! What kind of money do these go for then? [/quote] In really good nick you won't get a lot of change out of £2K. £1,800 -£1,900 is a good working estimate.

So, after having seen Ampeg B15's in several studios in Memphis & Nashville last year & reading about their history as [b][i]the[/i][/b] US session man's recording amp, I finally cracked and bought one today A good friend of mine, who's a seasoned session player, has one as well & it's his studio amp of choice - when engineers will actually let him mic up & not go direct! He also raved about them when I said I was thinking of getting one. It's a 1967 B15N in amazing condition purchased from Andy Baxter - who really knows his old Ampegs. Here's what he said about it: [i][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#474747]All original other than Ampeg USA made direct replacement tubes. All round I'd say its the best I've had in stock. (I have had over 20 in the last 2 years) Most of the tolex is clean with only a few tears/ bumps and scrapes. The grill cloth is super clean with zero wear and tear. Everything is here, the light up logo, the chrome Ampeg logo on the front of the cab, the original speaker and dolly. The handle is original and in great condition. The latches work as they should with no issues. There is even the Ampeg certificate glued to the inside of the cabinet with the origional owner's name and address. Most importantly of all the sound is fantastic. This amp wont disappoint in terms of sound or looks.[/color][/font][/i] I have to say - he's not wrong It looks stunning, especially that light up Ampeg logo and sounds great - much more tonal variation than I thought it might have. Partners my old '63 Jazz really well. May be a little busy playing through it tonight. . .

[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1344703770' post='1768191'] Bass Gear are now a UK Supplier. They have Amps in stock with basses to follow. [/quote] I'm covering for Phil the owner of BassGear for 2 days this week whilst he's on holiday Hope it's Ok to post as I'm just trying to keep people up to date and not specifically trying to flog anything. The core Carvin business model is to make each customer's bass individually. However, with such a low 'installed base' in the UK it's near impossible for people to try one out so it's unsurprising that people won't order them blind = a bit of a vicious circle Phil is planning to get about 4-5 in stock for demo purposes (of course they will be for sale as well) so that people can really test them out and he can now quote on any of the Carvin range in any sort of custom spec anyone might fancy. I've spoken to the Carvin guys in the last week, on Phil's behalf, and they are really keen to put more effort into increasing their UK business. They now have a much better distribution hub over here that will stock a lot of the different amps & cabs (because these aren't made to order) with really fast delivery times. They do make some pretty impressive amps, amazing price for 'Made in USA' kit with valves in the pre-amp stage etc. A couple of us were trying a BX500 through a little Bag End 1x10 this week. Sounded huge for such a tiny little rig! I have to admit that I'm really quite excited to try some of the basses as well. I promise to give Phil a swift kick about these when he gets back from holiday at the end of the week