Dingus

What about a Milli Vanilli tribute act, or Boney M? Would it be wrong to mime to songs that were mimed by the original acts that were supposed to have performed them , but in fact didn't? You would in fact be being more authentic by performing to a backing track created by someone else.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1400942716' post='2458405'] The Geddy weighs 9.4lb and the Pino weighs 8.4lb. It's my first gig tonight with the Pino and I'm more than just a little bit excited. [/quote] Looking at the weight of your bass and a a couple of examples of that CS Geddy Lee I have seen on the internet, , it looks like Fender have deliberately gone for medium weight alder for the body in order to most accurately recreate Geddy's original bass. I know that Geddy thinks it is that body wood that gives his number one bass such a distinctively beefy and aggressive tone.

Hmm, Jeff Beck. I really like Jeff Beck's style and overall approach as a guitarist, but his big problem is that, despite a long and distinguished career , he has never really found the right vehicle for his talents. Since his fledgling days in the Yardbirds, he has struggled to find a musical setting where he can do himself justice, and as a result his output has been patchy, at best. That is probably why he has ended up doing James Galway numbers. All evidence points to the fact that whilst Jeff might be a great guitarist, he isn't a great writer or a great bandleader, and he would have benefited far more from being in a band with other people who were more so those things. If Jeff had found a band of equally gifted individuals the way that Jimmy Page did with Led Zeppelin then it may well have been a very different story. However, the reality is that he has been able to survive as an artist by indulging his whim and relying on his virtuosity, instead of considering the music as a whole and making some great records like so many of his contemporaries did. What can we look back on as great Jeff Beck albums? Wired and Blow By Blow captured something of the time they were made and the crossover between jazz and rock , before fusion was a dirty word and there was a genuine spirit of curiosity and experimentation between the two idioms. Apart from those two records , there is precious little music he has made that you can say is consistently good or particularly memorable, although he still has his moments now and again . He is a unique and awesome guitar player, but he has never showcased it well , in my opinion. I am also deeply shocked to hear that he wears a wig.

That Fender bridge that looks very much like the Badass is probably a very adequate replacement though. Looks alright to me. I would buy a bass with one on.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1400789222' post='2457123'] We had a Pino in the shop recently priced at £3,050 and it sold in under 2 weeks. It was a great bass, much nicer than the '64 P original I used to have. [/quote] Never heard a bad word about those Pino basses. Everyone who tries them seems to love them.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1400786740' post='2457087'] You suck..? [/quote] I do indeed .

I think bass is an easier option. I quite often get compliments about my bass playing, but when I was at primary school I was useless at the recorder. What does that tell you? If I had grown up and gone to school in a more salubrious setting instead of the rough-as-old-arseholes comprehensive that I went to , I might not have had music in my life at all now, never mind be a bass player . I might be an accountant or a supermarket manager by now , but we had a bass at school so that emotionally disturbed youths from violent backgrounds could learn to express themselves through reggae , and now here I am decades later still trying to show off to girls .

Hmm, the thing is that , even with a Badass bridge, the standard Fender signature model bears little more than a cosmetic resemblance to Geddy Lee's actual bass, so why would swapping the Badass for a very similar bridge made by Fender be the straw that broke the camel's back? I think the Badass is a very significant improvement on the bbot , by the way, not least of all because the saddles don't shift on the base plate, and it seems to help clarity and sustain on most basses.

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1400781229' post='2457002'] I dislike how the lakland goes from fancy to very plain wood body to head, should've got a matching top. [/quote] If you want a figured fingerboard you can get that, but you would have to buy a USA model at about three times the cost of the Skyline.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1400780725' post='2456996'] Not unlike a "Romancing the Stone" era Michael Douglas by all accounts. I get told I look like him all the bloody time. Either him or David bloody Emmanuel..... [/quote] In that case around £3500 sounds about right. If you looked like the average Basschatter I would probably want closer to four grand , so take that as a compliment . Michael Douglas or David Emmanuel is a big step up from the experts on Time Team that most bass players seem to want to emulate .

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1400779687' post='2456976'] f*** me bandy - how much??!! [/quote] I don't know, what do you look like ?

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1400776878' post='2456932'] . I know all about getting that once in a lifetime bass and having the rug pulled form under me as soon as I picked it up . [/quote] Yes, me too and it sucks. Agreed that it is great that this one has a happy ending . Would love one of these myself.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1400775029' post='2456906'] ??? Wow. I think they always have their prices way above most other stores, IME. [/quote] Looking at the full retail price, that is about the going rate for one of these, from what I can make out, although presumably you may get a deal on that price for cash , obviously, It's a very limited run with specially wound pickups ect, and relicing, so that all comes at a cost. Fender CS are a pretty expensive proposition at the best of times.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1400776017' post='2456921'] I once saw a Five Star tribute who were nowhere near as good as the real thing. I think they were called 5 Star Unleaded [/quote] Five Star tried to sell me an Alembic when they were skint.

[quote name='cana.dan' timestamp='1400768149' post='2456808'] The other thing I should mention is I'm waiting on a build from Nino Valenti as well, so I'm really overdoing it on basses at the moment. Currently have a Valenti Jazz, Fender Jazz and a Rickenbacker 4003 in the stable. [/quote] In that case, the Precision or the Stingray would be most different to what you already have in a way, although the Lakland does do a very passable Stingray impersonation.

[quote name='lemmywinks' timestamp='1400774327' post='2456891'] And yeah it isn't in the best of shape, I think whoever had it used the same technique to cut the slots as they did to remove the finish - namely bashing it with a screwdriver. [/quote] The more you tell me about this bridge, the more I am hearing "mojo , mojo, mojo" ! Original pre-Thatcher era Badass 1 , two-tone distressed/vandalized ( spirit of '77 and all that) finish , bashed- with -a-screwdriver string slots = authentic indie tone, my friend. Could this bridge be any more street cred ? It might have been used on a Gang Of Four album, or maybe even one of The Slits early singles. Get it on e- Bay now, but be prepared for a stampede of hipsters , or alternately you could just cut out the fees and stand on street corner in Camden and pimp it out yourself. Kate Moss might buy it to wear on a chain round her neck as a piece of jewellery.

Without wishing to sound harsh, to be honest with you, I cannot see a Budgie/ Wishbone Ash/ Judas Priest tribute act packing in the punters. In fact, I am really struggling to think of three bands that would have less appeal to the average punter. A Judas Priest tribute act could potentially be amazing, but extensive leather gear would be essential, and everything would hinge on getting a good Rob Halford. I actually saw the real Judas Priest live in around 1980 and Rob Halford came on stage on a Harley clad entirely in tight black leather gear, with a little leather cap and wearing shades . The funny thing is, back in those days , no one thought this was in the least bit camp. It was just "heavy metal" . But then again, Freddie Mercury was straight back then and the world was a different place.

[quote name='lemmywinks' timestamp='1400773421' post='2456875'] I have one! Picked up a job lot of parts a while ago which included an original gold BA1 that someone had tried to remove the finish from, it's kinda half gold half metal now. Dunno what to do with it really, is there a market for relic'd Badass bridges? [/quote] There will be. Try and find someone in an indie band with a beard and sell it to them for twice the price of a new one. Tell then it's got plenty of mojo and it helps your bass get that Pete Docherty sound like they used to have on records in the 1960's when music was good and everybody was cool and looked like Brian Jones and Twiggy . Technically speaking though, that bridge isn't distressed, it vandalized.

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1400769707' post='2456822'] How much £ did it set you back? [/quote] I've no idea what the O.P paid, none of my business, but they have just got one in Guitar, Guitar and it's up for £3500.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1400770228' post='2456831'] Fair enough. (Out of interest what year was the Jazz bass that this is based on originally made? and was it that beat up by the time Geddy added the Badass to it?) Just looks a bit strange compared to the rest of the bass. My OCD can't really cope with the relic'ing let alone the contrast of shiny new bridge. But then it's not my bass so what does it matter? [/quote] I can totally relate to your need for consistency, my friend, but I think in this instance the Fender Custom Shop have been consistent in their inconsistency , if you see what I mean. The Badass is made a high- density zinc alloy and so may well be tarnish-resistant to a great extent. The original bass that this CS one is inspired by is a 1972 Jazz Bass that Geddy Lee bought for $200 from a pawn shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1979/80. He then had his tech fix it up and add a Badass, which he was already using on his Rickenbacker basses at that time. The neck on the original was replaced with a new on made by the Fender Custom Shop due to it being knackered, and this replica recreates the replacement neck rather than the original. Geddy's actual bass features a medium weight alder body and has had the original pickups rewound.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1400767266' post='2456799'] Why doesn't the Badass look as "aged" as the rest of it? Have you added that? [/quote] Geddy Lee added the Badass at a later date ( around 1980) , so it isn't as old as the rest of the bits. Also, maybe the materials that bridge is made out of doesn't age like some other metal parts do . I've never seen a "distressed" Badass. ( Or even one that was mildly upset , for that matter ).