4000

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='263433' date='Aug 15 2008, 11:54 PM']Yeah, i turnd around twice in the past thinking it was shut. I can understand why they do it. you just need ot press the buzzer.[/quote] Best bass shop in London by a country mile.

The Starchild Jaydee is one of my all-time favourite basses. I'll never forget the first time I saw it on Whistle Test; my jaw just went through the floor. Of course Mark's playing was pretty impressive too; he was the first guy I'd ever seen slapping, and I'd never seen anything like Dune Tune (I think I'd been playing a year or two at the time, and things were different in those days!). Imagine , the first guy you ever see slapping is Mark King... That aqua quilt is gorgeous as well!

[quote name='BassBod' post='261572' date='Aug 13 2008, 02:31 PM']If there is one amp that isn't plug'n'play rock'n'roll.....its the EA. You can make them Rock, but it takes a few presets and some experience (and maybe a Sansamp... and a wobbly stage). BB[/quote] Absolutely. I have never, ever got a sound I like out of an EA rig. The amps are ok(ish) but I hate the cabs. I know Chris & Laurence and they're lovely, helpful guys, and the basses are beautifully made (loving the Evolutions and Perceptions BTW), but I just can't get to grips with what they sound like through EA. If I was trying one I'd have to take a different rig (and may do one day as I'd like one very much). EA are definitely not my thing.

[quote name='marcus bell' post='260553' date='Aug 12 2008, 01:51 AM']mad no rich yes, you must be to have all them basses, youve got to be rich to own just one alembic lol...[/quote] I've got an Alembic and I'm not rich. Only in spiritual terms I can't afford new socks! I don't have a car and I had to wait 20 years to get it; unfortunately my back went sometime in the intervening period so I've never been able to enjoy it like I should have. Life eh?

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='260468' date='Aug 11 2008, 11:32 PM']My jazz band played at the UK launch of the Fiat Multipla at Fiat UK hq in Slough. And yes, it was ugly even then! BTW, I love the look of the Bongo! Especially in that chrome orange. Yum![/quote] Me too. I used to think they were hideous, but I really like them in Desert Gold (quick edit after reading post above!) .

[quote name='acidbass' post='260524' date='Aug 12 2008, 01:00 AM']I always consider this when admiring someone's tone. For example, people like Chris Squire and Bruce Foxton get some really great sounds from their 4001s, but in a Blues Rock band or orchestra pit, could you get away with it? I love hearing them, and I'd love to be able to make my setup sound like that, but I'm not sure other musicians would appreciate the cut-throatedness as much as I would! Probably end up having to start a Yes/Jam tribute band called The Brixton Roundabout or something along those lines[/quote] Nice band name! I tried to sell my 4000 a while back (my clankiest, nastiest sounding Ric - like a cross between Lemmy and JJ Burnel) and our singer went mad. He loves that bass! Still, as we're playing original stuff (that I write ) it's not so much an issue. Luckily fate intervened; I've still got it and it's not going anywhere now. Completely true though. Many of my favourite bassists could feasibly sound terrible in another band. Although as I once pointed out, Jaco would sound just as bad in Motorhead as Lemmy would in Weather Report...

Oh, and Dave Gilmour and Andy Latimer....Dave in particular is a giant. Not literally, obviously. If he was they'd need a lot more bricks in their wall.

[quote name='Thunderthumbs' post='258827' date='Aug 9 2008, 01:59 PM']Actually, thinking about wierd musicians, your avatar's just reminded me of something. I did a bit of TV work some years back, and after the last programme of the series, we set up in the bar and did a gig. We were joined by Uncle Peter (Woof, Bark, Donkey) on drums, and Fish on vocals, whilst being watched by Noddy Holder and Frank Sidebottom. Surreal.[/quote] !!!!!!! Are you sure that wasn't a cheese-before-bedtime induced dream?????

[quote name='Thunderthumbs' post='258601' date='Aug 8 2008, 11:24 PM']To name but a few..... I also really admire people like Neil Finn, not for being a great musician, but for being an incredible songwriter which in many ways is as important, if not more so, than just being a great guitarist/drummer, etc.[/quote] Amen to that; far more important. A great musician without great music is nothing. I look up to someone like McCartney (despite him having written a few ropey songs in his time) or Ulvaeus/Anderson far more than someone like Jeff Berlin or even Jaco because of the songs they've written.

[quote name='Thunderthumbs' post='258637' date='Aug 9 2008, 12:45 AM']I'll never forget getting home late from a gig many, many years ago, very tired. I sat scanning through the old German satellite channels and came across Paco, John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola playing acoustic guitars. I chucked a VHS tape in the old video recorder and sat mesmerised. It was absolutely stunning and I completely forgot that I was tired. Just amazing. I then went to Australia years later, and got hold of a copy of the CD of that night, on a market stall at a knock down price. Wonderful bit of business.[/quote] The Meeting of the Spirits, the version of that with Larry Coryell (haven't seen the Di Meola version, although I've heard it) is possibly my favourite piece of live music ever. The music, the performances (although poor old Larry looks completely out of his depth IMHO); just transcendental. The beatific grin on John's face all the way through just says it all. In addition, Buddy Rich (any truly great drummer, but he's by far the best IMHO). Saw him twice; greatest musician I've ever seen by an absolute mile. Incredible sense of time and drive, so flowing, so natural, but with so much energy and passion. Anyone who plays the piano really well, be it jazz or classical, as to me it's like a great set of opposite coloured teeth! Oscar Peterson would be a good example. Any great string players, particularly violinists; Sarah Chang being a good example. I saw Lucia Miccarelli playing Nocturne recently on one of the music channels and cried all the way through it. Next time it was on I recorded it, have watched it several times since and it reduces me to tears every time. Oh, and great classical or flamenco guitarists. I think for me it's about someone who can convey true passion and emotion through their playing.

Some of it is to do with context. When I saw Jeff Berlin at Bass day he was playing standards in a trio format and I loved it. However the first time I ever heard him properly was on a free disc which included Manos De Piedra IIRC. I thought his playing was great, but his tone was blah and the music was truly awful. I love Jimmy Johnson's playing with James Taylor (and much of the fusion stuff I've heard him do), so went to see him last year playing with Allan Holdsworth. I didn't enjoy anything about the gig, even Jimmy's playing, because I didn't enjoy the music (which I half expected). I must clarify that it's not because I don't like fusion; I love RTF, I love Matt Garrison, I love Mahavishnu, but they all have a certain energy and a certain musicality that touches me. The other stuff may have energy and musicality too, but it doesn't communicate to me personally. It's not that I don't understand it, I just don't like it. The Alain Caron clip is a good example; playing music that I like I may think he's a genius, but I absolutely hate everything about that clip. To reference another thread, I hate John Scofield's and Pat Metheny's guitar playing, and yet think John McLaughlin is one step short of God. So I think it's about finding something that connects with you. If it doesn't, technical or not, chances are it will leave you cold.

[quote name='elom' post='40731' date='Aug 3 2007, 12:49 AM']Everyone loves Lydia - I still prefer the pink bobble hat phase though. Hey, they should get her for Bass Day! Can we start a campaign?[/quote] + lots.....she's fab.

[quote name='Rich' post='258503' date='Aug 8 2008, 09:21 PM']Yup, a big +1 for Phil Lynott. "I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight... especially those who came more than once...". Classic. [/quote] Yep, doesn't get any cooler than Phil, bassist or anything else really. If you look cool up in the dictionary, I'm sure a picture of Phil will be grinning right back at ya. Obviously in a thread like this everyone's going to have different ideas, but I'd also say Lemmy (personal fave), Jean Jacques Burnel, Tony Levin, The Ox, Stanley Clarke (the cover of the brown album is sufficient for me), Stu Zender, Me'shell and Bernard Edwards, with a special mention for Mark King who is cool because he's arguably the nicest, most pleasant "star" I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Chris Squire is my favourite player and so is cool in that respect. Bootsy! Oh, and I have to add Glenn Hughes on Made In Europe, for that sound, that bass, and those trousers.....

[quote name='lozbass' post='255253' date='Aug 5 2008, 11:48 AM']I haven't used Bare Knuckle pickups (other than in a Sei I tried at the Gallery...err, uplugged) but I have Wizards in a Sei Jazz - I've been extremely impressed: you may wish to consider them as an alternative to the BKs.[/quote] If it was a singlecut that's my Sei. It has Bare Knuckles and they sound very good. I think they'll wind to your preference; the bass wasn't built for me but I believe Alex asked them for something specific. Of course it also has a Demeter circuit and is a through neck with a maple and macassar ebony top, so it's difficult to say what the pickups would sound like without the circuit and in a Fender-type bass.

[quote name='LeftyBass' post='257398' date='Aug 7 2008, 05:16 PM']Nope, while we all know the phases McCartney's 4001S went thru, it was Squire who says he painted and wallpapered his bass several times in the 60s and after each time he had a guy in Soho strip it, removing wood from the body each time, thus leaving it thinner than the average Ric bass, which he feels has something to do with his bass' unique tone.[/quote] Yep, it's something he mentions in every single interview I've read.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='256082' date='Aug 6 2008, 11:10 AM']Indeed - looks great - especially with the blue lights! My fave solid colour Rumour still remains the blue four string... the one that will never be sold![/quote] I tried that bass at Bass Day UK a couple of years ago. Bernie said "oh that one's thrown together, try the others". So I did, but I liked that one by far the best. Shame he wouldn't sell it, I'd have happily bought it.

[quote name='overwater#1' post='255659' date='Aug 5 2008, 06:38 PM']...and I wasn't even born This one does seem heavy, but I personally feel better playing a heavy bass. I have played much lighter basses, and never feel comfortable with them...Heavier feels more solid, I don't know, its a personal mentality, much the same as why I prefer to play 6 or more strings, I like the size and the feel of a wide neck in my hands, although the two extra strings are fantastic! I probably wont be saying that about weight in 20 or so years time, but at 17, Im making the most of it! [/quote] At 17, I could've worn and played the Ark Royal. At 27, the Starship Enterprise. Now, at 44, I couldn't bench press a dry Martini.