Lfalex v1.1

Its all about.... Babooshka! Awesome playing.

Status Streamline V? I have a IV, and it's a [i]wicked[/i] little thing...

Roundwound recommendations? DR (Marcus Miller) Fatbeams. Nice and compliant, Slap friendly but good all-rounders. Not too rough on the fingers for Stainless steel. DR Sunbeams. Much of the above applies, but Nickel-plated. Higher output due to the Nickel content interacting with the pick-ups. Smoother under the fingers, too. A bit deeper and rounder sounding. Elixir Nanoweb Coated strings. Last for ages due to polymer coating. Good tone, too. I find them a bit "quacky" when used on Phenolic fretboards, and a Graphite neck won't help that much, either. On a wooden Fretboard/neck they sound more natural. Downsides? None of the above are cheap, but they [i]are[/i] generally available. As for EB Slinkys, the last set I had on my Yamaha were tonally good to start with, but died really quickly and felt like a cheese grater from the start. It wasn't painful/uncomfortable, but they felt rough and unfinished compaerd to some others.

[quote name='JTUK' post='919339' date='Aug 9 2010, 10:15 AM']I am a very firm believer that a £2500 bass made by a very good luthier is SO much better than £1500-2000 from a shop...at least, IME, but again, maybe it depends on who is making them.[/quote] It DOES depend on who's making them. And what their understanding, experience, design skills and QC are like. Some £1.5k instruments I've played in shops have been quite formidable. I doubt you'd find anything [i]so[/i] much better. Just different.

I am loving the fact that no-one (yet) has said; [i]"Nah, waste of money, mate!"[/i] So it must be a justifiable expense!

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='919226' date='Aug 9 2010, 04:31 AM']A boutique bass isn't necessarily an improvement over a manufactured bass in all aspects, the craftsmanship and sound tend to be more idiosyncratic. With a boutique bass you tend to sign up to a luthiers vision of what he thinks a good bass is.[/quote] That's a very valid point. But the corollary to that is that when you buy a mass-produced bass, you sign up to that manufacturer's ideal. Or worse still, some manufacturer's idea of what Joe Public's consensus says a good bass should be. All of which are potentially limiting. I know some players have grave reservations about buying custom-made instruments- You never know how it might turn out, and you [i]really[/i] have to trust your luthier. It's a great (and potentially costly) leap of faith. As for high-end, off-the-peg basses, at least you get to try before you buy. My recommendation would be to set a budget (with a bit of stretch in it!) and try to keep an open mind about the purchasing process. Try as many basses from as many manufacturers as you can and enjoy the opportunity to sample loads of instruments. For my third bass (and first new one) I spent months trying stuff out. At first I thought the world began and ended with an MIA Jazz. Then I found the Trace Elliot T-Bass, then Warwicks. None of which I'd heard of. I tried Dingwalls, Kubickis, Fenders, Musicmen, Steinbergers, Tobias, Pedulla, Zon, Spector, Status.. Everything. I thought I had it narrowed down to a Thumb thru-neck 5, then tried a Streamer LX 5 that was more to my taste even than the Stage 1 and Stage 2. Then I saw this dusty thing in a corner by a manufacturer I'd never even heard of before. Tried it and was sold. Knowing little about basses and having a bit of cash to splash, 16 years ago, I bought a Vigier Passion V (SeriesIII) I still own it and enjoy it today. I may not be the world's best player, and certainly wasn't then, but it's allowed me to grow into it. It was a lot of money, but I've had a decade and a half of pleasure from it, and in no way regret buying it. I hope you have a similar experience!

If it comes to the crunch, make your own? There must be masses of info on the net. Assuming you've got the time to experiment...

[quote name='M-Bass-M' post='917735' date='Aug 7 2010, 09:41 AM']Go on then...explain yourself [/quote] Ummm... I've already got a 'Ray5 (fretless) The last 'Ray 4 I tried (3EQ) was good. Did the 'Ray thing, and did it well, but that was it. I just can't abide pick-up selector switches. Must. Have. Pan. Pots. Or at least V/V/T/T! This doesn't bode well for the G&Ls. Which is a pity, as the last ASAT I played was really nice. Then there's the [s]toilet seat[/s] Bongo. The 4 HH I played when trying out basses last was superb (although I bought a Status Streamline). I don't mind the aesthetics, it played well, and the sound... Storming! Loads of variety available from the electrics; Neodymium HH pick-ups with a pan pot and a 4-band eq. Well made and finished, too.

[quote name='tauzero' post='915115' date='Aug 4 2010, 04:36 PM']No, but unplugging them would. There's a mixer that you could use to run off the DI in the For Sale section [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=97506"]here.[/url][/quote] The cheapo mixer I use for practice has enough gain to be able to plug even passive basses straight into its (channel) line inputs. I've not used a "real" amp at home for ages.

This has never disappointed me... Ibanez SRX700. They don't make this [i]exact[/i] model anymore. I also have a 'Ray 5 fretless, so I can claim to be relatively neutral!

Make mine a Bongo HH! (Runs away very quickly, being pelted with stones by both camps...)

Whilst actives certainly have their uses, I think passives sound more "direct". I reckon it's due to the shorter, simpler signal path. Two pick-up passive instruments seem to resolve (and be able to use) phase cancellation between the two pick-ups to achieve differing tones. The Jazz is a great exponent of this. Perhaps it's because the various EQ components in actives interfere with the phase coherence of the pick-ups' signal that it's less obvious on active basses. That, or the fact that the very process of EQ-ing masks some of audible effects of the phase-cancellation. Not sure. Just clutching at strings...

In one of my previous bands (a 5 piece art/indie rock outfit), I was nicknamed [i]"The Frequency Stealer"[/i] due to my tendency to go rocketing up the fretboard, overlapping with the guitars' lower registers. We periodically used keyboards, too, and it didn't really cause any issues. There's always room for a strung bass of some sort (ERB, Piccolo, EUB, Tenor etc.), even if a certain amount of "dodging" takes place!

[quote name='steve-soar' post='910552' date='Jul 30 2010, 07:17 PM']No problems here. [/quote] Maybe they got it right with the lefties? My Ray 5 is fine. But it's a 5. And post EB, so it doesn't really count, does it? Is the issue with the original pick-up OR the alignment? Does a Pick-up swap for an SD or Bart (which have blade pole-pieces IIRC) make any difference?

Modern cases are quite good, even in the process of being damaged or destroyed, they often absorb a lot of energy that might otherwise have damaged the bass. If everything looks okay- no cracks or obvious neck damage and no evidence of bridges/frets being compressed into woodwork, then I'd plump for the strings being damaged in such a way as to ruin the intonation/tuning. If the strings are roundwound with hex cores, then it's likely that the force has not only distorted the outer windings but crimped or kinked the core too. That would definitely prevent the strings from ringing true. Re-string it first, and see what gives from there. Good advice from everyone else, esp. Grand Wazoo, but not necessarily for the novice bass mechanic. If after new strings (and possibly a rod tweak and definitely intonation) it's still off, it's time for a visit to a luthier or tech..

I got a cracking sound from this; Warwick Infinity SN4 (elixir strings) > Hartke HA3500 > Hartke 4.5 XL Unfortunately, only the bass was mine. The rig was the venue's backline. I was pleasantly surprised. Otherwise, I find plugging any pre-amp with a short signal path / minimal EQ into the FX return of my Trace SMX to be rather good. The SMX pre is overly complicated, but the power stage is just fine.

I thought of that pic of Tony Levin with his burnt-out Trace and MM when I read the thread title! Note the mention of a "Ball Family Reserve" Inlay. I'm guessing that the new burnt necks will only be used on the BFR instruments. Sounds potentially expensive!

Just about the only useful application for neck-dive has just been discovered! He really ought to fret the neck from above (in the way one traditionally would when cross-handed tapping) to complete the package...

I don't actually mind what you care to call our instrument of choice. I think that the slight vaguery over its identity (rather than the role it fulfils) has actually liberated manufacturers and luthiers alike, which, in turn have produced innovations in construction, electronics and pick-up systems. These are not necessarily exclusive to bass (some being common to guitar) but they seem more readily accepted by bass players than guitarists. Consider; Fanned frets, Piezo and magnetic systems combined, Graphite necks, Through Necks, longer and shorter scale lengths, active pick-ups, active EQs, fretless, half-fretless, optical pick-ups, headless designs, timber choices and so on. It wouldn't be unusual to find a few of these on one bass instrument. One of them in a guitar would render it an oddity that many players might ignore without even trying it. Long live the confusion!

True. Some of that is down to the Carbon Graphite Neck/Phenolic Fretboard. I think the rest is down to Rob's stringent QC and the use of a tried and tested combination of materials. I also own an Vigier Passion (S3). They're very consistent, too, and share some concepts with Statii- Excellent QC being one of them. That said, neither are cheap instruments, so I'd expect them to be good!

I [i]think[/i] the cores of the Graphite-skinned models are some sort of foamed epoxy resin. That'd expand to fill all of the cavity, it's strong, would bond well, and could be injected into the finished skin. The consistency and rate at which it was injected could be used to determine the overall mass of the instrument and it's resonant characteristics. Okay, you'd have to experiment a bit to get it right, but once perfected, it would deliver good consistency as it's a controllable manufacturing process rather than a growing tree that will need drying before use and give variable results. I think we'd all agree that is exactly what Rob makes. Consistently excellent instruments that give consistently superb performance. And whilst I've been contemplating this reply, I think I've hit upon the formula for my 40th Birthday bass... But that's a good way away yet!

My 1990 Fretless 'Ray 5 is Poplar, which was used at the time under some solid colours. Alder is the more common alternative. I've never seen a Translucent or Natural bass that wasn't ash.. Special/Limited editions have been made from other woods, such as Mahogany or sport Maple tops etc.

Nice, BUT.... I bet it's got the awful Fender Pre-amp in it, rather than an East or Sadowsky, and that they haven't included the wiring mods (as found online) to make it sound better. And for £2.3K, I'd want morev attention to that sort of detai.l

DR Sunbeams here, too. Smooth and warm (for roundwounds), so great on fretless.

It might also be worth considering a Fender Roscoe Beck IV or V, too. Damn good basses, but with plenty of other tricks up their sleeves.