Norris

I like to have physical media. I have quite a lot of vinyl, but don't generally buy it now. I usually buy CDs and then rip them on iTunes as mp3 for convenience & sharing around the family iPods Vinyl: Rega Planar 3 / Arcam Alpha / Kef Coda 7 CD: In car or the Philips mini system in the kitchen (the best [u]sounding[/u] one within budget in the big electrical retailer shop back in the day) MP3: Computer with 5.1 system or iPod nano 3rd gen + my new Betron DC950 earbuds (highly recommended - excellent quality/price!)

We formed our first band at school aged around 16 or 17. I was originally going to be the keyboard player, having learnt the piano as a kid. However we didn't have a bass player, I didn't have a keyboard - and certainly wasn't going to lug an upright piano around! Between us we decided that bass was more important than keys anyway. It just so happened that my music teacher, who ordinarily wouldn't allow any electric instruments near his music room, had an old Kay shortscale SG style plank bass. This was duly purchased for a nominal amount and off I went. Of course my mum wasn't pleased, as she wanted me to play the trombone in the Royal Marines band. Despite having reached grade 8 on it, I really never wanted a trombone-related career, let alone being in the armed forces - you still have to do physical training, being told what to do, and being shot at, etc. Our school band's first (and only!) ever gig was in Germany. That may sound impressive, but we actually just took our guitars along on the school choir exchange trip. We got to play all of the three songs we knew, with two guitars (a Columbus 'strat' & a Les Paul copy), bass (my Kay SG) and vocals all going through a tiny little combo. In fact the singer was singing through one of those cheap tape recorder microphones, and had to sit on top of the combo because the mic lead was so short. Our poor German hosts never knew what hit them. The combo was of course inspected by customs heading both ways. Within a year or so the Kay was ditched for a Franconia Jazz copy, and that then for a Ric 4001, and I was playing bass in a real band, starting my 'career' with a 9 month summer season at Butlin's Skeggy playing 6 nights a week. After a few 'pro' years being pretty skint I eventually got a proper job, but continued as a weekend warrior to this day - about 30 years later.

Nothing else sounds like a Ric. Most basses can't sound like a Thunderbird. Neither of them can sound like a Precision. IMHO there is no one bass to rule them all. Having said that, you may find a bass that ticks all of *your* personal boxes (although as you're a basschat member I find that hard to believe !)

Dunno about you, but I find a lot of stuff online isn't actually correct or misses a lot of the nuances. If you want a job doing properly...

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1424078105' post='2692161'] Now I'm really confused. I've got a series 1 and always assumed it was passive with the switch on the rearward most position. What is being switched in and out if not the pre amp? [/quote] I must admit it's always confused me too

On the flip side, the Marc Johnson album I mentioned on the other thread (I think it was the track crossing the corpus calloseum) actually curtailed the fumbling as I was so intrigued. She didn't go out with me again

Like you said, it's active only. The switch alters the tone but it doesn't make any sound without batteries in it. It put me off active basses - every bass I've bought since has been passive. It's always drained batteries quickly. I bought it second hand in around '86 Edit: I'll check the jack socket power switch when I get it back. Although there's only one if I recall, which disconnects both batteries

Propaganda Duel (same girl, she had eclectic tastes!)

Ignore particular 'smiley' or 'frowny' shapes on your eq. Use your ears not your eyes

Thanks for a great informative post. However my mk 1 doesn't have an LED. I ended up putting a small piece of gaffer tape on the battery lead of the one that flattened quickest so I knew which one to change

Inspired by The Admiral (and a similar story with very fond memories) I'm going to chip in with another. It might be a bit electronic for most tastes... Thomas Dolby - The Golden Age of Wireless

[quote name='Bloodaxe' timestamp='1423936646' post='2690617'] Yup - a Series 1. The thinking on the dating-by-serial sketch has changed in the last year or so... It used to be that first digit = year, but it's got a bit more complicated as it looks like they changed the system in 1980. The new interpretation runs like this: Pre 1980 — MM-Y-NNN, where MM is the month (05 = May, 11 = Nov etc.), Y = Year (either 7, 8 or 9) and NNN = the production number for that month (not necessarily restricted to SBs) 1980 7 beyond — Y-MM-NNN(N), where it goes Year/Month/Prod. This should apply to Clarky's. At some point the production number went from 3 to 4 digits. [/quote] Thanks for the info. I've not seen it for some time but I'm pretty sure mine is pre-80 but with a 00 serial number. I should get it back soon

[quote name='Clarky72' timestamp='1423860072' post='2689910'] By the way its a 1977-80 Batwing era, series 1 SB10000. http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/bass/sb/sb.html [/quote] That's the chap. Thanks for the link

It's a very old (analogue!) photo so excuse the quality - and attire/haircut

I'll post an old photo of it later

If I recall correctly, yes the serial number is on the back of the headstock

/followed I'm going to have to reassemble mine at some point Mine doesn't have an LED. I assume it's a similar vintage to Clarky72's. Mine doesn't have the recessed jack socket like some I've seen.

I know I've already had one, but... Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1423766708' post='2688854'] Déjà Vu by Crosby Stills Nash and Young. Every track a winner. [/quote] Good call

... it's away being reconditioned so I can't post a picture of the tone circuit box. If you can post a picture of yours I'll see if it jogs any memories

On mine it's a box full of potting compound with connector pins sticking out. You can't get to the circuitry without digging it all out. I found that one battery would run flat quicker than the other and once it got to that stage would only produce thin farty noises

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1423751178' post='2688604'] I haven't heard 90% of the above and will not be searching them out Etc. [/quote] One for you then... Marc Johnson's Bass Desires

There is some great stuff being listed. My contribution is The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As Love This was the first bit of Hendrix I ever listened to. As a kid I had heard he was meant to be a great guitarist and in the very early 80s I bought a second-hand album off a school mate of Axis + Are You Experienced? When I got it home I put Axis on first, and started listening to the opening track EXP. I remember thinking to myself what the hell have I bought. The first track of noise and feedback was then followed by Up From The Skies. The contrast was mind blowing. I wish I could un-listen to it all just to experience it again.

There's another one - The Power of Love by Jennifer Rush. There are decent female vocalists out there but I can't say I enjoyed accompanying our one Come to think of it we were a bit like those awful "almost sounds like the original artist" compilation albums you used to get in Woolworth's

In my defence I was on a salary and didn't have a choice in the set list. If it was in the charts and we could make a sound that resembled it, we did it. It was a great crash course in bass playing though!