4000

All interesting replies, thanks. That new ABM isn't really sufficiently lighter to make it worthwhile for me (and may be overkill powerwise), but cool nonetheless. The MiBass and GK look decent options. Obviously I'm familiar with Duff's sound (Flea's too); not [i]quite[/i] what I'm after (though not a million miles away; nicely aggressive) but then he uses a very different bass and plays quite differently too. I would laugh if they turned out to be the best option as it's about the only well-known manufacturer I've never used in all my years of playing. I'll start looking around; oh and cheers for the offer Peety, I may take you up on that if I get no joy elsewhere! There's actually no great rush as due to nerve problems in my arm I still can't play for more than a few minutes a day, but it's always nice to be prepared for when (hopefully) I'm playing properly again.

Apologies if this has been asked before but has anyone compared the two? I really like my Ashdown but a lighter weight amp would go down very well due to chronic back problems. I've briefly tried a couple of TBs in a shop but would be interested to see if anyone had compared them in the real world. I'm running a Barefaced Compact. I'd also be interested to hear views on GK as it's one manufacturer that has bypassed me over the last 30 or so years, but from everything I've read so far (and judging by the guys who use them) it might do the job. I find a lot of the newer lightweight stuff too polite / neutral in most of the situations I play in (i.e. rock-based). FWIW my tonal ballpark lies somewhere between Chris Squire, Alembic-era Entwistle, Leigh Gorman (Bow Wow Wow) and early Stuart Zender. I can get approximations of these using the Ashdown. My brief experience seemd to suggest I couldn't get the same top out of the Orange, but that may or may not be accurate.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1325602980' post='1484953'] That Jazz through that rig sounds the beans.. [/quote] Funny, I was thinking how much better the P sounded...

Nothing wrong with a mid-life crisis. I've been having one since I was 29....

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1328658868' post='1530944'] Also Miami to Washington on a zig zag route through the Blue Ridge mountains. [/quote] Was this on the trail of the Lonesome Pine?

Great player, no doubt.

It's to cover up the routing under the Ric bridge. A fairly horrible job in this case but that's the reason. If you stick a Badass on a Ric without it you'll have bloody great holes in your bass. You know, everyone goes on about how crap Ric bridges are but the early aluminium ones don't experience tail lift at all (I know, I've got 2). The worst bridge I've ever had by a mile was the original one on my early '70s P Bass. I play really lightly and I still couldn't get the strings to stay where they were.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1328175754' post='1522912'] what bloody browsers are you using?! [/quote] The crap ones we've got at work.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1319998111' post='1421069'] Unless you're gigging on a very brightly lit stage or in daylight, the only colour for a 4001/4003 is MG (or white I'd guess), cos that's the only colour that screams "LOOK, IT'S A RIC" at the audience. JG and FG look awesome in the case or on the wall, but often disappear on stage. [/quote] Actually, although my fave Ric colour is Azureglo, I think Fireglo is the one that stands out best on stage.

Sorry, immediately realised I'd repeated myself but can't delete posts using the browser I'd used. Had to switch to a different one to delete (and had to switch back to post!) Can't delete in one, can't post in the other! And can't use emoticons in either. Is it just me or is Basschat a lot more complicated since it changed?

[quote name='Shaggy' timestamp='1319733098' post='1417945'] Having owned both JG and FG '73 4001's I'd have to go with Fireglo - though I have a nostalgia for JG Ric's mainly because of Gaye Advert [/quote] Whilst she may have used a Jetglo (can't say I've seen a picture but always possible) she is most famous for using an Azure, which is what sparked my love of them.

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1328048439' post='1521067'] Well I suppose this is the kind of discussion musos have about other musos,with a few curled lips and disapproving comments,but it`s all irrelevant if you like the tunes. That`s all there is at the end of the day. The rest is all chaff. [/quote] And a big + 1000 to this.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1328038162' post='1520777'] I wouldn't say she sounds like Nancy Sinatra, more like a female Chris Isaac. [/quote] This. First time I heard her (on Jools) I immediately thought "David Lynch soundtrack". Don't know about the rest of her stuff but I really like Video Games.

The best tone MK ever got (IMO, of course) was his Alembic /Trace one, closely followed by his Jaydee / Trace one. Never been a fan of his Kingbass tone; too pingy for me.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1327725989' post='1515948'] Love MM with Luther - awesome. But can't stand MM when he does gentle songs that consist entirely of solo slapping. Just hideous. The way I look at it, slapping is about emphasising rhythm. So when Mark King starts thrashing away with Phil Gould on the Live At Wembley vid, that all makes sense. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCv-5EonBuo When Marcus starts doing this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhbi8GSsqrU I feel despair. Kind of liked that clip by Prime but he needs to get a better sound. More warmth and more hi-fi. [/quote] Can't watch the clip at work but the initials say it all for me, and I wholeheartedly agree with the above. MK drives the band; it's all about driving rhythm. MM? Just lifeless to me, although I realise others have different opinions. I can't stand his tone either. To me it sounds like someone hitting railway tracks with a sledghammer a long way away. There's nothing supple, warm, growly or even nicely twangy about it, which are things I like in a tone. In fact this is something I've been thinking a lot about recently, how some players' tone just puts me off them, regardless of what they play. Not that I like his music either, mind!

Best bet is to see your doc though...assuming you can get him/her to take you seriously, which I must admit I've had problems with.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1327755948' post='1516284'] Do you have a forearm contour on your bass? Slab sided basses can cut off the circulation to your hand and arm. Which happened with my old bass. Don't really have that problem with my Jazz or Precision as they both have contours and I wear them low.. [/quote] I've had the opposite problem. I have nerve problems that are generally aggravated by most basses with forearm contours. At the moment my Ricks are the only basses I can play with any semblance of comfort, and they have no contour and bound bodies. Everyone is different.

[quote name='fiatcoupe432' timestamp='1327746588' post='1516062'] i ve tried couple of sei at bass gallery, i wasen't impress at all , the action was horrible and felt horrible , they where second hand , so i don't know if they need it to have some job done. hopefully one day i ll try another one and change my mind about them.they do look amazing though [/quote] Bear in mind a second-hand bass will usually be set up as the previous owner wanted it to be (which may be nothing like you like it) and temperature, humidity etc in a shop can play havoc with set-ups at the best of times. My Alembic, which was the best-playing bass I've ever played, went all over the place when I left it at the Gallery for a while when I had it up for sale. Remember Martin will set up anything you buy how you want it. All the Seis I've had have had amazing action and have played as well as anything out there. There's always a chance that the basses may not suit though, in the same way that I don't get on with many other basses that people love (e.g. Fender Jazz) . Nothing works for everybody.

[quote name='mcgraham' timestamp='1327529321' post='1513074'] I'm genuinely really sorry to hear that man. Where abouts are you in the North West? If you're anywhere near Cheshire I can strongly recommend my singing teacher Heather Baker. She is an extremely well qualified Speech level singing teacher and can help you acquire a voice to be proud of very quickly and effectively, and in a way that is healthy for life. I know it might not sound that great compared to playing bass in a rock band, but I've gone down the singing route initially just as another instrument, and now it's something I can actually teach people to do and get results quickly! Taking singing seriously has really really opened up music to me in new and exciting ways... and I wasn't exactly hemmed in before that! If you want more details feel free to PM me. But do keep me/us in the loop as to how progress goes and any updates. [/quote] I'm near Blackpool so a bit away unfortunately. It is something I've been considering though, although my voice is mediocre even at its best. At its worst, well....!!!!! But singing is something that's always been important, even if just for writing songs and parts. Thanks for the post and the thoughts BTW, really appreciate it.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1327654403' post='1514699'] I'd probably go "custom" fedora. [/quote] For the Roger Glover look?