Cairobill

Yes, they seem very variable as basses, so I guess try before you buy is a must. Back in the mid nineties when I had some deal money to spend I went down denmark street and demo'd a 4003. It was a total and utter dog. Thick neck, heavy, nose dive, weedy tone etc I decided on a 'Ray as my stage bass with my 70s J as backup/studio. I haven't played a Rick since but had the urge to fiddle with one recently and it was amazing. Thin neck, light, resonant, great sustain, delicious mids and fat bottom. I kind of regret not looking harder for a Rick back then. So I am somewhat on the market for a thin necked Rick! N [quote name='spongebob' post='935874' date='Aug 25 2010, 12:52 PM']2009 necks became slimmer in April of that year. Early 2009 are supposed to be some of the thickest to date! The 2008's were slim - as are the 2009's after April. I've owned a 2003 (thick), a 2008 (slim), and now have a late 2009 (very slim) and a 2010 (bigger, maybe more like the 2003). Rickresource.com is a great source of info....neck size changes quite frequently, so you take your chance! Then again, one player's 'chunky' is anothers slim or medium, so it's quite a minefield which I knew nothing about until I became a Ric-only player! Only advice is before you buy (the best bass bass in the world, obviously!), do your checks first. BTW, if you got for a 4004, they're all chunky!![/quote]

Here's one aimed at the Rick specialists. Much is written out there about on the 'net about Rick 4003 dimensions varying wildly. I am keen to hook myself up with a second hand 4003 but I am basing that enthusiasm on playing an older 4003 which had a slim neck (I've gravitated to J basses with early vintage profiles after trying and owning every flavour of neck). I notice that there are Ricks out there with 'P bass type necks' i.e. thick and deep. Does anyone have a thumbnail guide for when 4003s were being made with slim necks? Or is that a can of worms? Apparently there are some well known eras of thick necks e.g. early 2009? I hope to try before I buy but it would be great if anyone has some thoughts on this. Cheers! Nick

Interestingly enough I had a prog evening last night, watching the 'Beyond the Lighted Stage' doc. Geddy Lee appears to be playing a Nash early on in a dressing room scene. The top of the headstock has the nash sharpie date on it and no decal.

I think Stacker has it on the nose. The Nash bass has an enormous sound. Very thick and meaty, loads of sustain, harmonic colour etc It is one of the best sounding jazzes I have ever owned. The neck was a bit chunky for me though. However, that probably contributes to the almighty tone. They are a serious alternative if you are thinking of going the Custom Shop route.

Despite being a total J bass nut (I only play J's at the moment). I have never enjoyed playing Sadowsky basses. Is it that the neck profile is more chunky or they've got some P bass in their tone? Are they designed to sound scooped? I'm always keen to try one when I get the opportunity but they just don't work for me. Odd! I would like to try a good one at some point and suss it all out. I should probably go to a bass bash... C

If that's real it's a steal. Great basses.

Ah for sixties spacing a 62RI or, even better, a second hand Bravewood would do a great job.

Best production j bass I have experience of is the 75RI. Very well built with a lot of cojones. I have the maple board but I'm sure the rosewood would be lovely too. The 75RI utterly outclasses every American Standard I have played. It's really good... N

The track I.G.Y is one of my favourite mood tracks. I first heard it as a 12 year old on a Jumbo jet and it always takes me back to this amazing atmosphere. Brilliant track AND album of course.

Prince is a colossus. Total genius. But I went from loving him to feeling indifferent when he embraced hiphop and ultraslick R&B around Batman but when he's great, he's amazing. The turning point for me was around the time Wendy and Lisa split and he formed the NPG (although Sign of the times is Godlike and Lovesexy has its moments) Cairobill's Top Five Prince 1. Parade 2. Signothetimes 3. Dirty mind 4. Around the World in a Day 5. Black Album I'm not particularly interested in picking up this free album. I did it last time and it was instant coffee coaster time. A shame... Is this mirror one as duff?

As a caveat to my praise of Gwizdala's work I do find Oli Rockberger's songwriting and singing to be amazingly middle of the road and vanilla. Maybe it's just me...

Interesting discussion... I find Feraud and Garrison's albums drift in one ear and out the other. I occasionally like what Garrison does (when he's a sideman) but his own stuff is not my cup of tea. Feraud's solo album suffers from horrible production. It seems to be stuffed to the gills with spectrasonics presets to my ears. Not nice. Gwizdala, though, seems to be a much more developed composer and has a greater interest in being a band leader than a soloist on his two solo records. There aren't many bass solos on his albums funnily enough which might surprise his detractors. I've seen Gwizdala in full on improv mode and he's very good. He's one of the few musicians I've seen who flows straight through his instrument - a very good improvisor. CB

"to shed" "woodshed" etc etc has always been used in the UK to mean 'practice' as far as I'm aware. To use 'cat' to describe a jazz musician is an NYC jazz thing and has been around for decades.

Gwizdala is one of the few proper bass heavyweights around at the minute IMO.

These basses are great. I think this might be the seller who tried to flog this bass for way too much a while back. If it hits 1.5 K it would be worth it. While it is true that some of the details look a bit suspect i.e. tantamount to forgery, I think that response is a bit shrill and lacking in imagination. Elliott (and Nash, for that matter) do not consider current FMIC guitars, including Custom Shop reissues etc as in the same ballpark as those from the sixties. Elliott builds them from scratch to emulate the feel and tone of the older guitars and the detail is present throughout the guitar right down to the neck stamp in this case. I think he succeeds where Nash doesn't but then Nash isn't in control of the whole process. The neck on my Bravewood is very good indeed whereas the Nash necks are off the shelf and a bit chunky for my tastes. Barring aesthetic objections to the relic repro, these basses are totally amazing. However, I have just picked up a second hand 75RI and it is a beautifully made bass.... Cairo

'Visions of China' is one of my favourite songs. Karn is amazing and Jansen is phenomenal...I hope he pulls through. His illness sounds pretty serious...

Pastorius had a reputation as being warm hearted and generous on one hand and being a total dick on the other. Probably something to do with being mentally ill and a terrible cokehead towards the end...I, for one, totally love his bass playing. He was also a serious R&B player before he went off into the jazz thing - he knew a lot about how to drive a band groovewise. N

As a teenager, cairobill owned and enjoyed both 'Jaco Pastorius' and 'Quirk Out' and generously offers to arbitrate if fireworks ensue...

Just bought Phil's amazing 75RI. This bass feels as together and punchy as a Celinder. He certainly knows how to choose a bass! Thanks for a smooth transaction and good vibes. Cheers, Nick

This is sad. It's a shame that Karn could have been core to the sound of a successful group and still come out the other end with no real financial benefit. It's highly likely that Sylvian being the main financial beneficiary in the band contributed to Japan's split up and the band's difficult internal relationships. It's funny how the bands that have the greatest success and longevity e.g. REM, U2, Radiohead and Coldplay have a more egalitarian financial set-up and more often than not split songwriting royalties. I think that songwriters in bands that become successful should be very mindful that it is often the chemistry of the band that creates the success. Once money rolls in and the songwriters start coining it as the other musicians stay on 200 quid a week, things sour VERY quickly! Then the band splits and it's all over for everyone. I have seen it happen many, many times and I would not be surprised if it is the cause behind the collapse of creative verve and ultimate implosion of most bands that suddenly split when they seem to be at the top of their game. I sincerely hope Karn recovers, his work in Japan elevates him to the rare group of bassists who can be identified by their sound and note choice. Nick

Here is a sabre being played by a very talented musician, Tom Jenkinson. He describes it as the perfect bass. I would like one if I could find one. I used to have a stingray but hated the neck. Apparently the sabre has a more 'jazz bass' profile. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLcxve603-4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLcxve603-4[/url] It gets going about 3 minutes in... N