nobodysprefect

SOLD

Okies, as the F-Bass and the Read aren't generating much interest (eBaying them soon) I'll see if the Wal is more interesting to you folks!

It's a 1991 MarkII 5-string with shedua (ovangkol by another trade name, I'm told) top and back. It's the usual Wal package with everything checked by a professional luthier last month. The finish is rather worn from all the playing, but otherwise it's going strong. I bought it to be my one and only bass, but just can't make the switch from fusiony hifibasses after all. :S Had it for a month, replaced the worn out screws, that kind of stuff.

This is imo one of the better ones, used to have one with bird's eye maple top and the tone was just too dry and brittle on that one. This one has THE Wal tone so for a Wal-nut it's a keeper!

I'm asking EUR2900 with the OHSC included.

[quote name='Jase' post='154315' date='Mar 10 2008, 03:15 AM'][an upright bass] Last I heard it was being used at a jam night, sorting out the men from the boys [/quote]

Ah, but that's what uprights do best! Gotta love the sound, but damn it's unwieldy to schlep around.

'I'm not even a man!'
'Nobody's perfect'

That, and I've come to consider it an empirical fact that nobody really is perfect, there a blemish in every one of us. The typo is mine.

Kidding! I did it on purpose so it's not a blemish. Guess I really *am* purrrfect after all.

Sorry about the bad humour.

A quote from Marilyn movie and supposed to be funny because it's misspelled.

Got the idea for the thread whilst replying to the thread where I'm selling my F-Bass... The point was that some instruments do 'functional pieces of art' thing really well, and I was reminded of some GREAT instruments I've played which ALSO were very aesthetically pleasing.

I'd have to put on the first spot a Steinway and Sons grand piano I didn't get to play lots but which blew me away in the moments I had it to myself.
If you ever have the chance get one for your drawing room! Absolutely fantastic pianos. The Yamaha grand (C6 or C9, can't remember which) was a very, very nice one too. (in an over-the-top build quality and tone you won't be ashamed of anywhere period) Not very modern artsy, but very pleasing!

A friend's PRS Custom 24 from way back when PRS wasn't a CNC-operating, incorporated monstrosity but a small boutique and the guitars were hand made. NICE one. And such fabulous looks! Tone for weeks!

Dingwall Prima Artist. Damn.

NSD CR5M EUB. Lovely in a weird futuristic way.

Spector NS US-series basses - lovely basses (but the upper horn is too short for me!) which Warwick has really made well-known. Err, scratch that, they don't give Ned ANY credit for the 'streamer' series. Nice blokes. No, really!

Rob Allen MB-2. Now, if you don't play or don't want to schlep an upright then THIS is the bass with *the tone*.

What instruments have you played that really hit your aesthetic nerve? Were they great instruments as well as aesthetically pleasing?

Part man, part bunny slippers, all groovy.

[quote name='P-T-P' post='152959' date='Mar 7 2008, 01:28 PM']Where would you be shipping this from, makes a difference in respect of costs and customs fees etc.[/quote]


I KNEW being smart and funny would come and bite me in the posterior! Fixing my location immediately.

[quote name='RichBowman' post='152949' date='Mar 7 2008, 01:13 PM']Wow.



That's lovely. I've just dribbled on my desk.

Rich[/quote]

Musical instruments sometimes really do that 'functional pieces of art' thing which I think is more or less what Ned Steinberger said (or someone said about his instruments). hey that gave me an idea about a thread in the general forum! See you over there

This bass was built by the US luthier Jack Read, who built Victor Wooten's step-neck bass. Jack is no longer in business, so new ones can't be found. Jack used to be a frequent contributor to The Bottom Line, an ancient (as these things are measured) mailing list to which some bass luminaries also wrote theory lessons regularly. He was a great builder, too, and this bass was one he built for NAMM '97, so it's got that showpiece kind of detail. The bass hasn't been gigged ONCE and I've not really used it for rehearsals either, as I couldn't get over the lack of a B-string in the end. So this bass is best described as 'new old stock.'

So, the neck is a 24-fret neck-through 5-piece with a very smooth heel. Think the body wood is mahogany and it's got the tone chambers which add nice err punch and airyness (is that even a word) to the tone. The neck, as you can see, has little taper, and the neck is also otherwise close to a Spector 4-string neck. The bass is very light, I'm guesstimating it at about 3.5 kilograms.

The electronics are EMG DC-40's with 3-band sweepable mid eq. Lots of bark and thunder! The sweep mid should be a standard issue on a high-end bass these days! It makes the bass go from rumble to punchy to honky.

What's the downside to this bass then? Only four strings and you'll have a hard time selling it on, if you ever decide to do that (tho can't see why if you're a 4-string kinda bassist) Comes with a nice, but not top-of-the-line gig bag and an SKB bass safe. (optional) Can also include some sets from DR if you're so inclined.

[s]Asking for GBP1300, [/s]Willl consider any offers, buyer pays shipping.

My main bass for two years, this six-string bass is quite versatile and playable. Alain Caron, Marcus Miller and Mike Porcaro play F-basses well, and the make does have a characteristic tone which can be heard on the Caron records (not sure about the others) and this bass also has that F-Bass tone. This won't make you play like Alain, I'm afraid (otoh you get to keep your regular gig, so it's not all bad is it? ) but has tone for days. ^_^

The electronics are very versatile, 3-band boost/cut eq and passive/active mode, and humbucking/single coil splitting. vol/vol/tone bas/mid/tre. Has a very lively tone, due to the electronics and the maple fingerboard. Can go mellow and dub if tone is dialed to 0.

Has very high quality construction, no flaws. Very playable, too. Maple 3-pc neck, swamp ash body with the F-Bass specialty 'black enhanced grain' clear finish.
Comes with the F-Bass strap and gig bag and an extra set of strings.

[s]Asking for GBP1650[/s] Will consider any offer, buyer pays shipping. (so you get to specify the insurance amount and swiftness) Shipping from Finland, so no customs or VATs for EU shipping addresses.

Thanks for the welcome and apologies for taking so very long to return to spew useless verbiage... But Real Life(tm) obligations and all that jazz.

Thanks for the appreciation about the choice of username. Clever usernames are a habit I picked up at the Internet Infidels Discussion Board or IIDB for short, which is a very polite board, so polite in fact that they lost an important *member* (yes, this would be an in-joke) and many regular contributors to rants n raves. Both boards are for discussing various topics, amongst which are science, philosophy, world events, religion both semitic and otherwise. The salient point being the abundance of very clever usernames.

As to my basses for sale: I've got an F-bass BN6, a Wal Mach II 5-string, a Spector NS-XL5 and a Jack Read custom 4. The last is the least known, but think of a 4-string Spector with better ergonomics and much punchier tone due to tone chambers and sweepable frequency mid-control. Also, it's light as a feather. Will be putting up posts in the FS section.

brgds

Hello one and all!

I'm a long time anglophile and bass-owner currently and for both the known past and foreseeable future living in Finland, where we beat our lovers and knife our drinking buddies. Way to go! Want excitement in your life? Make friends with a finn!

I've recently been forced by circumstances to retire from imposing on paying clientele my attempts at artistic expression on the bass but am looking into picking up an acoustic six-string soprano bass tuned eadgbe with which to accompany my vocal outpourings which I've no doubt will do much to improve the value of real estate in the neighbourhood. Complaints by bitter old ladies incoming in 3, 2, 1...

Tied in with the forced resignation is the decision to sell the laid-off basses which now languish in storage with no gigs to anticipate. My registering here serves a dual purpose, then - entertaining myself and finding bassists who'll hopefully get much enjoyment from the basses.

Need to bugger off now. Will return later, ready to type more forced attempts at emulating British humour.

--Ville