4000

Nice woofers!

How heavy is the 2x10, and how is it as a standalone cab?

Don't suppose you've any idea how the 4x8 would work with a Rick and ABM500 for a Chris Squire-esque sound?

What I'm currently trying to find (now having sold my GS112s to Dave Perry - cheers Dave!) is something that gets close to the tone of my old pre-Kevlar Trace 4x10 (or even the 1153 compact 1x15) but in a lighter package.

In my band (not at home in my fusion-noodling mode) I'm after a tone somewhere in the Squire/Foxton/Entwistle area, and most of the small modern cabs I've played don't do it very well. I also find many modern cabs a bit "plasticky" sounding, for want of a better word, when I'm using my Rics.

The Ashdown compact 1x15 is a consideration, but if I could find something a bit tighter and punchier I'd be happy. However it still has to be able to deal with the low end of the Rics, which is very deep rather than fat. Does anyone have any suggestions? The most success I've had so far with the Rics are Ashdown and Trace, but Trace are now too heavy and I have little experience of Ashdown other than the 15s and the tweeter-loaded 210 combos (which I don't like because you can't turn the tweeters off). I'll add that I've always liked Celestions, and I never use tweeters; give me a tweeter and I'll turn it off! With the horns off I found the Aggies too congested and not detailed enough for me; they didn't respond to my picking technique at all well.

Oh, one other thing... the cabs can't be too deep (no more than 15" or 16" really) as vehicular space doesn't allow. I've been advised to try the Schroeders but I'm not sure they'll do the Squire thing. Also wondered about the Zoots, which seem to have a lot of what I want, but I can't try any, the ABM 210 (switchable horn but 75hz low end response???) and the ABM 4x8 mini. Head currently used is an Ashdown ABM500.

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='324435' date='Nov 7 2008, 07:33 PM']Hi Folks,

It's been a busy week (as per usual) and sometimes when it all gets too stressful, the first thing I think of when going home that I know will chill me out is picking up a bass and having a noodle around for half an hour!

But it doesn't usually pan out that way because the first thing that happens when I walk through the door is kids/family mayhem etc, etc, and quite rightly so as they come first. Which means I tend to skulk around much later on practicing the bass with the headphones on, which is never quite the same thing.

Is it just me with this scenario or does this sound all too familiar to anyone else??

Nik[/quote]

Nik, I don't have kids but have a partner who is not very supportive of my making a racket, sorry, playing, and so I only get to play plugged in either when she's in the bath or out. I have to add this situation was a gradual one as I used to play plugged in when the telly was on! Playing bass definitely relieves stress for me, but I feel it's not the same when you're not plugged in, and headphones don't come close.

Crikey, missed that one. I believe that's the cab that sounded so great with my Sei....

[quote name='nick' post='320924' date='Nov 3 2008, 01:48 PM']A bass player who I personally rate, Mick Quinn from Supergrass now uses an L-Series Steinberger, in favour of his usual Ibanez Blazer - quite a change.

Still couldn't bring myself to have one though...[/quote]

Didn't Mick break his back a while ago? That would explain a lot.

I love the concept of headless, but I find the string tension seems a bit stiffer on the ones I've owned. No idea why. Also I actually find my headed Sei comfier than the 2 headless Seis I've had in the past. Wouldn't stop me buying another though.

[quote name='ziggydolphinboy' post='322168' date='Nov 4 2008, 08:38 PM']I think done the right thing swapping my thumb with the sei.(Added a picy of my thumb)
i had the thumb for 17 yrs!!!!! but had a accident skiing and my shoulder is painfull wichever bas i wear but the sei sits lovely.
ta for advice about single cut,
i may try and sell my two fours then get some cash together for a decent 4 string the difference between my sei and my other basss is incredible, i think basses are so much more a part of a msician than other instruments as i was told that buying a hand made bass wuldnt be better than buying a standard factory bass!!!(by a giutarist).
popycok!
im gonna take my sei into the gallery get some new electronics put on it and maybe get martin to re-finish it as its had a few owners i think, i hope he has time for me as im not buying a new one!
ill start saving!!!
have another bump on me.!!!![/quote]

Seis are [i]very[/i] nicely made basses. I too have a problem with my left shoulder (and my right one, and my neck, etc etc) so I know what you mean; I couldn't play a Thumb 6 these days. I have enough problems with my Alembic, which is hollow (but still quite heavy).

Martin will have plenty of time for you I'm sure; he's a fantastic chap (as are all the guys there) and really cares about his customers. I've had nothing but pleasant experiences at the Gallery.

Thanks for the bump. Still hoping I can shift something else first...

Wow! I love that, its really different...oh I hate having no money. I've seen about 4 Wals on here in the last few months that I'd have had under normally circumstances (well, I wouldn't have had all 4...you know what I mean!).

BTW Nik, it was great talking to you yesterday; ironically Dave Perry turned up at the door to pick up some cabs just as we were winding down our conversation. How is it that so many Basschatters seem to be such great blokes? Or have I just been lucky?

[quote name='ziggydolphinboy' post='321279' date='Nov 3 2008, 08:07 PM']altough looking at the build diares ,
I should save up and get one made. Whats the benefit of a sigle cut?
regards
and major bump on me mate![/quote]

Cheers! Well I think the benefits are fairly unsubstantiated, but in theory more energy may transmit throughout the entire instrument (some argue it makes the neck stiffer too). To be honest, I just love the way this bass feels; it's the comfiest bass I've ever owned, possibly the comfiest I've ever played. It weighs nothing and sits perfectly. I actually find it more comfortable than either of the headless Flamboyants I had (one of which was a six).

[quote name='ziggydolphinboy' post='321203' date='Nov 3 2008, 07:07 PM']wow id love to have this
i just been to ilse of wight two weeks ago and swapped my thumb six for a sei flamboyant 6
i cant put the bass down!!!!!!
geezer are you interested
in=
a fender jazz bass plus 4 string
cort artisan 4 string
plus cash adjustment?[/quote]

Ah, you got the sixer? Lovely bass; love that top!

Unfortunately if there's a bass in the world I don't get on with it's the Fender Jazz....you'd know why if you heard me try & play one! Thanks anyway though!

[quote name='david_l_perry' post='321013' date='Nov 3 2008, 03:33 PM']Met up with Shaun last night to pick up a pair of cabs and had a play of this bass.....stunning is the best description I can think of. Very light weight bass, lovely neck and very nice action.....if only it had no headstock..... ......[/quote]

Cheers Dave! Hope you get on ok with the cabs. Nice meeting you properly and chatting; I reckon we'll have a nice bass-bash-in-waiting once you get your new bass......

Oh dear, I think I just officially wet myself.....yowza!

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='318201' date='Oct 30 2008, 10:10 AM']How can you not like 'Rejoicing', 4000? Its perfick!![/quote]

I'm sorry, I just can't get with PM. Everything about his playing turns me off....but you'd doubtless say the same about McLaughlin. You say potato, I say potato.. . Or possibly carrots, judging by your avatar. You been in Farmer Maggot's crop again?

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='318147' date='Oct 30 2008, 08:50 AM']Better tone and swings better (which is, after all, the point). NHOP is flash, has poor taste and sounds [i]really[/i] nasal to me.

The truth is, it's all completely irrelevant unless you are a producer looking for a session player, then knowing whose is the best man for the job is your bread and butter [/quote]

Absolutely (although I like Ray Brown and Neils equally for different reasons so disagree on that point...which was kind of my point . - BTW I [i]don't[/i] think Neils has poor taste, but again that just serves to illustrate the conundrum - the "to me" part is [i]the[/i] most important part of that sentence).

I always used to argue that Lemmy would be awful in Weather Report but Jaco would've been equally bad in Motorhead....but damn, I'd like to see both of those situations just to see what it was like!

[quote name='originalfunster' post='317968' date='Oct 29 2008, 09:48 PM'][attachment=15360:DSC_0076.JPG][attachment=15359:DSC_0069.JPG]

It is half the size of the 4 x 10, 300w 8ohm circa mid 90's.
It is an original cab made by Trace, and not a cut down 4 x 10, I have inc a pic of the rear showing serial and model number, also inc one showing the flight case for it.
Not sure what else I can tell you other than that though, I am sure there is a Trace boffin out there that can give us more info.[/quote]

Thanks for that. Maybe it was one of the first 2x10s they did? (- ah, doubtful; mid 90s) Very interesting either way.

Is the tweeter defeatable? Could you describe any sound differences between the new speakers and the old? Cheers.

That 2x10 looks a very interesting little beast; I've not seen one that size/spec before. Could you give more details? Looks more like half a 4x10 than any Trace 2x10 I've ever seen.

FWIW I love the old pre-Kevlar Trace cabs; I've yet to pay anything I like as much. If only someone would reproduce them in a 45lb package!

Yes. I don't have a car.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='317517' date='Oct 29 2008, 01:15 PM']I may be mistaken but I don't think I mentioned jazz.....

My point was non-genre orientated on purpose. I don't care if you are talking about Bakithi Kumalo (afro-pop), Carles Benavent (flamenco), Will Lee (session monster), Mick Karn (pop), Percy Jones (weird electro fusion hybrid) or James 'Hutch' Hutchinson (country/pop), there are some exceptional players out there that loads of us don't know and who are objectively 'better'. So 'most popular' is defensible; 'best' isn't.

Or is it just the ones who 'play for the song' who make it into the top ten?

As for my top ten? it is of no consequence.[/quote]

Ah, how to qualify "objectively better"? Who is the best chef? The one who makes the food you most like eating. There are technical players I love and technical players I have no time for, and there are players I find incredibly musical and those I don't; there are even players who are both, but others will have entirely different opinions. If "better" means they have more musical knowledge or can play more difficult things, or can play in more styles or with more accurate time, then you could argue that better is definable. But as soon as musicality comes into it (as it always should) everyone is governed by their own tastes and preferences. If person X thinks Jaco is the most musical payer ever to walk the earth, then how can I prove he's not? It's impossible. If person Y or Z thinks McCartney or Flea is, then their opinion is just as valid as anyone else's. You can't possibly argue that Stuart Zender is as technically gifted or as musically knowledgeable as Jeff Berlin, but does that make Jeff Berlin better?

I agree that the players you've mentioned would rate very highly in my book, but that doesn't make them better players than a player in a punk band, for instance; they may be awful at playing punk, which is a musical form in its own right. Who's the best out of Picasso, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Degas? I know which I prefer but I could never tell you who was better. What's the best book you've ever read? Every person will likely give a different answer, and if asked to qualify it will likely fall back on "because it touched me the most" or similar. FWIW I prefer Chris Squire to Jaco and Jean Jacques Burnel to Marcus Miller in every possible way and by a nautical mile, so how do I decide who's "better" out of those? In a 100m sprint on a given night, yes, you can say who's the better man/woman (in this case I'd reckon JJ or Marcus.. ). But as soon as artistic issues come into it, it all goes out of the window.

To use the Pat Metheny analogy again, he's both very technically gifted and knowledgeable. However I hate everything about his playing, from his tone to his note choice. I know you really like him. Is he technically more gifted and knowledgeable than Dave Gilmour? Absolutely, by far. Is he better? Not where I'm standing; to me he's not even in the same league. You would probably argue otherwise, and I believe we'd both be right.

BTW, I like jazz....

I once had an argument with an upright player who insisted that Ray Brown was "better" than Neils HOP. How on earth can anyone decide something like that????

Still available.....

......(unless my CS goes first!).

Update; the crack in the paint behind the bridge now appears to be a slight seam separation (nothing sinister and easily fixable). Had it confirmed via photo by Paul Wilczynski of the Rick Resource Forum today.

To reflect this, I'm dropping the price to £1500. Happy to send photos to interested parties, or you're welcome to come and check the bass. Will probably be putting it on ebay imminently.

Pics:
[attachment=15261:tail_under.JPG]

[attachment=15262:tail.JPG]

So they stock Schroeder now? Hmmm. When I'm out of my current penniless phase I may actually get a chance to try some out at last. Many people have told me they're exactly what I need, light but very aggressive. I just hope they're aggressive in the right sort of way.

[quote name='Josh' post='314864' date='Oct 26 2008, 06:45 AM']Theres only one other proper clip of Sharay Reed:



Some more from the same gig:





Thats Maurice Fitzgerald on bass.[/quote]

Well I'm in a rush so I watched the middle clip...funky! That's unfortunately [i]the[/i] tone I hate though. I know, I know, it's probably just me.

Bump again....

If you put my feet to the fire today I'd probably say Lemmy, Chris Squire and Leigh Gorman of Bow Wow Wow, but up there with them would be Stanley Clarke, Jean Jacques Burnel, John Entwistle, Stuart Zender, Mike Rutherford, Rutger Gunnarson and John McVie....and loads of others.