4000

[quote name='Bassassin' post='306548' date='Oct 14 2008, 07:18 PM']I did wonder what they might be for - maybe some sort of surface-mount pickup? Can't think what else you could put there... Do you know that Pickguardian do replica plexiglass tug bars for Ricks? Would finish it off a treat! [url="http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguardian/RICRest.html"]http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguardian/RICRest.html[/url] J.[/quote] I really do think it was so they didn't lose the screws! Doesn't appear to have been anything on there. The tug bars look cool but having once played one with the tug bar attached I can honestly say it got in the way something awful.

[quote name='jonsmith' post='306099' date='Oct 14 2008, 11:24 AM']Yes, looks like it used to have a tug bar, that's where they used to be (for people who played with their thumbs).[/quote] The tug bar would've been on the scratchplate. The screws have actually been screwed into the body between the bridge and treble pickup.

To fill the holes there. Seriously, it was like that when I bought it. I figure someone just didn't want to lose the screws....

[quote name='steve-soar' post='305033' date='Oct 12 2008, 09:14 PM']That is the most incredible bass I have ever seen. I would have mine hollowed out to save weight, 20 fret, 32". Again, it is stunning, I'm in love.[/quote] Thanks! It actually is hollow; still weighs about 11 pounds though. Thought about a 32" scale, decided against it at the time for tonal reasons (although with hindsight I'm sure I'd have loved it just as much). If I ever have another built it will be 32" (or even 30").

[quote name='Bassassin' post='304978' date='Oct 12 2008, 07:33 PM']Hey 4000 - where do you live? Because in that photo, right next to the 4000, there's a Fireglo 4001 with checker binding, split tailpiece, full-width sparklies, toaster and, I'd be prepared to guess, wavy Grovers. What you need to know is that that's my dream Rickenbacker and I shall be around to steal it shortly! Seriously - what a stunning collection of very desirable Ricks you have! The 4000 looks great, very minimalist, don't think I've ever seen a Jetglo 4000 with black guard before - have you ever thought about black hardware for it? J.[/quote] I'm currently living in a tent in Outer Mongolia. Seriously, my 72 (which also has walnut wings) is my most treasured position. It's the standard by which everything else is judged, my favourite sounding bass that I've ever played. The black guard was on the 4000 when I got it, but I really like the look. Haven't really thought about black hardware; I'm pretty happy with the chrome to be honest.

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='304894' date='Oct 12 2008, 05:00 PM']Mmmm! Very tasty! 4000 - I take it you have a pickup blend control on there as there's no rotary click jobbie! Love the contrasting colours; espec the purpleheart stringers against the maple![/quote] Thanks! Yep, pickup blend. I think they only do the rotary control now to order.

The body shape was made famous (well, maybe not that famous ) by John Paul Jones of Zep. Here he is with his: [attachment=14655:JPJ_wTO8_b_w.jpg] And here's a close up: [attachment=14656:JPJs_8.png] His 8 string bass (used on Achilles' Last Stand) was actually a Bec-Var, made by Bruce Becvar (who worked at Alembic for a time). You can order an Alembic exactly the same shape as his,but the newer version is the same as mine. The longer pistol-grip top horn was ordered to try and counter any neck-heaviness. I first saw a picture of his in about '81 on a poster. I decided there and then I had to have one. 20-odd years later, I did. Unfortunately by then my back had gone so I have to play the bloody thing sat down...

Here's mine, keeping Bagpuss company....

[quote name='lukeward2004' post='303970' date='Oct 10 2008, 03:47 PM']All this wood is giving me GAS....[/quote] At least it's not the other way round.

[quote name='BassInThePlace' post='304742' date='Oct 12 2008, 11:57 AM']So I would like some info on this very old amp. I play a Mark V AH250 on a regular basis at a rehearsal studio and blows almost every other amp I play out the water, but i've got the option of buying a mark III and I was wondering what people think of this amp in terms of second-hand cost, sound, and how difficult it might be to service for parts - it is pretty old after all. It doesn't look like much, but I know from experience that i'd rather play an old beaster that's got a monster sound than a brand spanker that sounds like sh*t. Cheers in advance.[/quote] My favourite heads are the old Traces. I haven't got one currently but the best head I ever had was an early AH150. It was loud as hell for the wattage, really compact and easily transportable and I've yet to hear anything that sounds better. Most people I come across don't rate them but for what I do I've never found anything I like more.

[quote name='tombboy' post='301228' date='Oct 7 2008, 12:46 PM'][b]Good[/b] I enjoy playing the music we play I like to keep it simple I can flash it up when I want but prefer not to I concentrate to kick with the drummer I'm not afraid to look at my fretboard when playing!! I have nice basses I have a lovely rig I look after my gear I pick things up very easily I have my own recording studio (sort of... see below) [b]Bad[/b] I don't practice enough I don't move very much when playing I look like a moody git when playing I'm self critical when I make a mistake I cant fit all my gear in my car, so have to use the wife's! I haven't built my studio yet (but I've got all the gear!!) I can only play with a pick (preferred... I do finger but prefer the pick tone) I have a knackered thumb joint which gets very tired when I play. I am going bald and what's left is going grey!![/quote] Crikey. Hey, is that actually me under all that foam, or were we just separated at birth??????

[quote name='Bassassin' post='304672' date='Oct 12 2008, 01:27 AM']It's a Rickenbacker 4000 - the single pickup version of the 4001/4003 - with a P pickup and a big scratchplate to cover the extra routing. It would have looked like this: The one bnt showed is the original Ricky 4000 bass from the late 50s. Jon.[/quote] I'm glad you got there before me. This question seems to crop up on one Forum or another every couple of months. It is indeed a 4000. Here's mine (in the centre). [attachment=14645:3_rics_a...bodies_3.JPG] Mine's the most p****d-off sounding bass I've ever heard.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='301025' date='Oct 7 2008, 08:47 AM']I play with a pianist who likes everything and she is a pain in the a***. One minute she is calling Anthropology, the next its Candyman by Christina Aquilera - idiomatic anarchy. Probelm is, a jazz drummer with a jazz kit isn't going to sound like a rock drummer with a rock kit and vice versa. Your eq is set for jazz, then you are playing pop/funk with a band that can swing but can't play funk. I can see the moral justification for liking everything but, somehow, it feels more like a lack of critical awareness.[/quote] I find that an extremely strange comment! To me not liking a very wide range of things just seems like closed-mindedness....I find there's something to like in most things, and to dislike a whole genre just seems a bit weird. Of course I don't really play covers so your example never really affects me. Besides, everyone else in my band has just as broad tastes as me, but if we do play a cover it's always one that fits the style of the band. I've been playing in originals bands (and writing most of the music) ever since I started playing; never been in a cover band in my life, although I've played the odd cover here and there (maybe 20 in 28 years!). Thats the upside of writing your own material. The downside is you almost never make any money in my experience.....

[quote name='cetera' post='301123' date='Oct 7 2008, 11:10 AM']Hmmm.... for many: Point = Missed As far as I can see, we were just commenting on the video as presented. Noone ever challenged/criticised/insulted Nigel's recorded or live career output. [/quote] Point not missed here. But your comments gave the impression that he should have been playing something different. I figure that's entirely up to him, particularly in this context.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='301485' date='Oct 7 2008, 04:24 PM']Thanks. well I wish i could w*** like that. To me it looks like this guy can play very well but as he isn't actually playing a song i wont pass judgement. Seems like he is just mucking around and if so i cant see why he is getting a good ol slagging off but i guess its just not to everyone's taste.[/quote] Exactly. Just mucking around, having fun. I get the impression some never do that.... BTW, thanks Thunderthumbs for clarifying the context.

[quote name='Waldo' post='300696' date='Oct 6 2008, 06:01 PM']Whilst we're here, we might as well tackle the question of how long a peice of string is.[/quote]

I love a lot of pop music. I love a lot of rock. I love a lot of jazz. In fact I like most of everything. It's all music. To pigeonhole is ultimately pointless. There are tracks I don't like, some artists I don't like (please stand up Mr Hucknall, Boyzone and those other post-Boyzone guys I've thankfully temporarily forgotten the name of), but there is no genre I don't like. I love ABBA. I love Motorhead. I love Yes and Matt Garrison. I love Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys. I love the Chilis and Bow Wow Wow. I love Basie & Ellington. I love Faithless, Manowar (yes, Manowar!!!), 30 Seconds to Mars and Bob Marley. I love the Stranglers and the Damned, Simon & Garfunkel and James Taylor, Paco De Lucia, Bach, heck I love Thomas Newman, John Williams, James Brown...I think you get the picture. As for pop music, even leaving bands like ABBA out of the equation, the Primitives' "Crash" is to me as perfect a record as you'll ever hear in any genre, and that's pure pop through and through.

[quote name='cetera' post='300629' date='Oct 6 2008, 04:51 PM']Bad analogy IMHO.... The Red Arrows are still giving a solid flying demonstration, just with added tricks. All I saw on that video was clickety-clack tricks with barely an audible bass note, melody or solid line underpinning it.... [/quote] Firstly, the sound on the video (not necessarily his sound) is crap. I've seen Nigel play dozens of times, and he's never sounded like that. Could have been the gear he was using too. Never seen him using that gear before. Still, even if that's what he sounded like, that's up to him (or maybe it wasn't!). When he used to play in A1 he used to get a kind of Jaco-but-fatter tone playing fingerstyle. Secondly, a bass is in fact, a stringed instrument that you can make noises with. You should be able to play an instrument however the hell you like. If you want to plug in six distortion pedals and continually hit the thing with a steel rule for an hour, great, go ahead. If you want to play in a more conventional manner, fine, go ahead. You won't get an argument from me, as long as you do it with some conviction. Thirdly, Nigel used to play in Dare, Darren Wharton's (ex-Thin Lizzy) band, so I'm absolutely sure he can hold it down when he needs to. Lastly, if someone posted 5 minutes of me playing solo, they could get pickstyle, fingerstyle, fusion, rock, punk, funk, dub/reggae, slap, and probably many other things depending on which five minutes of my playing they actually recorded and what I felt like playing at the time. And it might be good, and it might not. And I seldom play basslines when I'm playing on my own unless I'm actually practising something. Ever heard Brian Bromberg? Is slap all he can do? Stanley Clarke? If someone had posted 5 minutes of Tony Levin playing using the Funk Fingers and you'd never seen him before would the reaction be negative?

[quote name='Jake_M' post='299955' date='Oct 5 2008, 03:53 PM']Sorry Jase, i'm not trying to get up anyone's goat, but i really did split my sides. :-) I'm sure he's a much better technical player than i'll ever be and all that, and a nice guy to boot, but it sounds like a record played at 78 rpm to me. Its that "one louder" thing. If a bloke plays fast, then the next bloke just has to play faster, until we end up with this. Sorry, but that's funny to me, and to be serious for a minute, i think its constructive to point it out. I refuse to accept that just because its "technically brilliant" (if it is), i have to like it. Its not a personal attack, but as far as i'm concerned, if you're going to play like this in public, then you should be prepared to take some criticism. Cheers, Jake M[/quote] As for having to like it, of course you don't have to. But there's a difference between not liking something and it being crap, which is something so few people seem to understand. I'm not much of a Marcus Miller or Jaco fan but I'd be a bit stupid to say they're crap; what they do just isn't really my thing. If they want to do it, great. If other people like it, even better. Nigel may also have been amusing himself at the time; when you're playing on your own like that it's bloody boring (IMO) to run through a bunch of basslines. Isn't it important to have fun when you're playing? I also find that one of the things I do when trying gear is run through the most technically difficult things I can do to see how it copes. Regardless, nothing wrong with doing all that stuff as long as it's not all over the wrong sort of music. I find that when I'm not playing along to a song, e.g. in a situation like this, I tend to widdle a lot, but you can be damn sure if I'm playing a song I'll try and play something that works for the song. I find it a bit weird when somebody sees someone playing something like this and assumes that's all they can do/are into. Heck, I try stuff like that at home sometimes, although nowhere near as well, and yet in my band I probably sound more like early Bruce Foxton or maybe even early Roger Glover. I'm interested in many different styles; for instance I love Matt Garrison [i]and[/i] John McVie, Lemmy [i]and[/i] Jah Wobble. Nigel is actually an excellent all round player, although last time I saw him he said he was really rusty as he hadn't been playing much. He also jokingly refused to play in front of Jonas Hellborg, so definitely isn't convinced of his own greatness or anything. He used to work at A1 in Manchester and is a really nice guy. I've seen him play many many times in the shop, and although he always had monster slap chops he could play most things. But, as others have said, he is also getting paid to do a job, and Rotosound seem happy enough with what he's doing. That's all that really matters.

The last time I was happy with my gear, playing etc was when I got my '72 4001. Through my Trace AH150 (original series) and 4x10 (likewise) it was the sound I'd always had in my head; the old band was playing a lot, I was in great physical shape, was playing for hours a day, was on top of my game in all ways except in terms of theory. When my back problems started I had to sell the rig and I've never been happy with my sound since. None of the lightweight solutions I've played so far have "my" sound. I hardly get any practice in now for reasons many and varied, my back and neck appear fairly knackered and I now seem incapable of making my right arm do exactly what it's supposed to for a whole set, the band I'm in struggles to get gigs (and appears to be cursed in terms of personal disasters!), you name it, it's crap. In fact recently I was beginning to struggle with the concept of playing at all as all it seemed to do was make me miserable. Still, we plod on, hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel. That's my happy post for the day.