Chiliwailer

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1427969912' post='2736403'] That's a damned good price! [/quote] Yup, some specialist bass shops sure price better than others.

[quote name='Grassie' timestamp='1428231255' post='2739298'] Yes, this. Even if I had the money I'm not sure if I would spend that much on a bass even if I could justify it by playing as a professional every night. [/quote] Yes, and I would presume that the vast majority of these won't be sold to that kind of player anyway. Many won't leave the house. I'm not saying that as a dig at potential buyers, not at all.

There are people out there where £11k is not a big purchase, they can easily handle that without batting an eyelid. I can't see any reason why Fodera shouldnt exploit that if they want to, but I agree with the OP whereby how can that huge amount be justified against other basses, even Fodera's own, that are around £6k etc. I'm sure they can 'explain' where that extra £5k goes and if that makes someone want to buy it then I'm happy for them. The plus £10k vintage market has been exploiting the rich, posers, show offs and occaisonal cash rich dedicated vintage fan for years, so why not also a modern high end maker who sell top notch amazing gear? Like I said, this price tag is peanuts to the rich and they'd love a purchase like that. As for you and me.....

Billy Talbot - Crazy Horse. Technically not even remotely close to the best bassist's Neil Young has played with, but he seriously makes those tunes thump. One of my favourite players because it's more heart and vibe than anything else.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1428216980' post='2739120'] I'll get down there when I can and make some noise. [/quote] Nice one, be good to hear how you get on, sounds like the start of something and that can only be a good thing

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1428176570' post='2738904'] so it balances very well. [/quote] Hits the nail on the head Chris. Just popping up once again to shout that if you have back issues then it's most likely that... LIGHT WEIGHT IS ONLY HALF WAY THERE WITHOUT PERFECT BALANCE!!!! I don't use cheap nylon straps, but they are a great way to test a bass. If you can put the bass on with one of those and the neck doesn't drop a single centimeter then there's less pressure on you. I've played countless 7.5 - 8.5lbs basses that don't balance well and have a little neck dive so therefore feel heavier as they put a further strain on you.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1428183215' post='2738979'] Ok cool, so I recon for portability maybe a lightweight Poweramp and cab set up... I already have a strat / orange set up for blues noodling but its not really suitable for metal... And to be honest I'm not sure I really need th subtly of full valve for this project. So my next question is which pedal / preamp will get close to emulatiing that massive mesa high gain distortion? I really appreciate your input here, I'm basically a newbie with guitar gear. [/quote] So you actually have the right to say on Basschat 'but is it any good for metal?'!! To be honest, high gain isn't within my vast experience, Years ago I used to have a Mesa Boogie V Twin pedal which I absolutely loved when I was feeling like a palm mute and thrash fest. I seem to remember the Zvex Box of Metal being well regarded and Mesa-ish but my best advice is to get down to Denmark St and play some pedals, side by side. There is a great guy in Regent Sounds called Liam (could be Leon, known him for years but I'm embarissingly bad with names), I reckon he'd pass on some good advice to you as he's very experienced,, friendly, likes a bit of noise and definitely knows his stuff. Never been a better time to buy pedals, so many boutique companies out there using true bypass and high grade components, some like Jam Pedals are even using NOS chips like in the old classics, that's a bit too much in detail for the likes of me but Jam Pedals do sound amazing to my ears and the Big Chill is proudly on my guitar board. Play as many as you can mate, your ears will know - if you play a 6 string Wal you must be pretty on it!

Whether you rate Fender Japan gear, or feel it's all hype, one thing for sure is that they always had creative models that offered something different and they had some great alternative reissue specs. Check out the thread in the link below, looks like change may be on the horizon with FMIC taking control, possibly stopping production? It wouldn't be a surprise would it, especially given the ranges Mexico have been putting out. http://offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=89854

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1428147521' post='2738472'] Thanks for the feedback, I really am clueless. Portability is more important than cost. I'm not looking right now, just trying to get my head around it all. Been thinking about playing guitar in a hardcore metal band on the side of my bass playing duties. [/quote] You know, what with pedals being so good these days and the fact that there are so many boutique pedal makers keeping everyone on their toes, Class A grear may not be a necessity for hardcore metal imo. And the digital simulation stuff may just suit that style too as everyone loves a Mesa tone so it gets copied a lot.. Wish I still had my Mesa V Twin pedal, damn that was good. Good luck, worth a trip to some shops for a bit of thrashing....

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1428147579' post='2738473'] I built a clone that is rather nice, the 'Kendrive', but the supplier seems to have stopped trading. [/quote] Now that is a shame, would have been fun to build one of those. Great name for a rip off too!! Next year, when I've paid off my amp and my credit card is clear, I'll be on the hunt for a Zendrive or something equally special. For now it safer to remain GAS'less following my unexpected amp purchase. Bet you're having a heap of fun with the X2, enjoy!

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1428135101' post='2738292'] Hi all, despite playing bass and being a bass gear fanatic for years I know absolutely nothing about guitar amps... Does every one still use valve based heads etc? is their such a thing as a class d or similar for guitar, or would that just be crap? Preferably something that sounds as close to those enormous mesa beasts everyone uses. Any advice appreciated. [/quote] Can of worms bro, as you're surely expecting there will be a lot of differing opinions on this one... Personally, it's class A valve all the way for me. But that's only because I'm used to that tone and find it very hard to fully like anything else. There are some great hybrids out there that will do more, giving you more options etc, and I wouldn't want to slag them off just because I like Class A gear, it's just that there is a difference that some mind/hear and some don't so you need to see what camp you're in. There are some nice smaller heads out there these days, but what kind of budget are you in? A good pal of mine has a smaller Mesa head and 12 inch cab, he may be up for selling it as it lives in his loft these days. It's a Mark 3 if I remember right?

Uh oh, think I want to try a Zendrive now..... Thanks EZ, good read.

Mmm, great colours. I love Burgundy Mist but could never pull the trigger on one and own one. As you can tell from my profile pic, it's LPB for me.

[quote name='spyder' timestamp='1428129220' post='2738249'] I would check out these... http://www.public-peace.de/index.php/bass-guitars/maruszczyk/elwood/4-string/1266-elwood-l-4a-24-amazaque140333 Adrian makes a few light weight basses around the 7lb mark. Hope this helps. [/quote] Very cool, good find!

I've had two basses that are 7.5lbs, but the slightly lighter one actually felt heavier as the balance was ever so slightly neck heavy, this made it more uncomfortable for me and unusable standing up...but my body is ultra sensitive. My Mike Lull is a bad back dream, trust me as I have some serious conditions and nerve damage. It's light as a feather, balances like no other bass Ive ever played and sounds lush. Worth a trip to Bass Direct and not eating for a months to get one of those. Good luck mate, hope you get a good one.

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' timestamp='1428072273' post='2737790'] If I had a rabbit that done that I would be having rabbit stew for dinner the same evening! Your jazz looks the business! [/quote] ...if they ever touched my Mike Lull......

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' timestamp='1428071182' post='2737765'] Hopefully mines a bit less relic'd though [/quote] Too true!!! I'm really not into relics, never have been to be honest yet I keep ending up owning them as they sound so damn good! These days my Jazz is a Coset Classic, that's much better. At least if they take a knock it's cool, plus one of our rabbits started chewing the side of the Nocaster, looks just like the fender relicing lol

Has yours arrived yet??????

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' timestamp='1428066314' post='2737669'] Got any pics of your Nocaster? [/quote] Only this one on my iPad.... Edit, found one more!

Looks identical to my Nocaster - good taste sir!!!

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1427966565' post='2736331'] I get a bit nervous when people talk about full turns [i]plural[/i] in relation to truss rods. [/quote] Yeah, it could make you wonder at what point the rod is going to end up popping out of the 17th fret!! Funny thing is, I've literally lost count of the amount of Fenders I've had to do multiple turns on as the rod was dead loose, this includes a good few Custom Shops too. (Generally after purchase - so let's not even get into how many shops are useless at truss rod adjustments too, it's not like the old days when less folks feared it...) [quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1427990185' post='2736806'] I actually think people have a irrational fear of truss rod adjustment. [/quote] +1000 I'll leave it at that as I really could write a huge post on just that subject.

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1427747718' post='2733899'] what's not to prefer about the Sterling. [/quote] The ceramic pickup for my taste. Starlings are great basses, I've had two in the past. I just always wanted the alnico vibe even though the ceramic has its own charms.

Cheers pal, enjoy the amp!