XB26354

DR Hi-beams 30-130. Most decent quality 6-strings I have played/owned sounded so much better. D'addario EXL1656 also very good (and a monstrous .135 B!).
I had a cheapo Yamaha that only worked with a tapered B (which I don't like so I got rid of it!) so I found Warwick Black Label to be the best. The F-basses I have tried only sounded good with LaBella SuperSteps. In short it is worth trying a few brands and see which one makes the bass sing...

[quote name='Prosebass' post='246558' date='Jul 24 2008, 01:02 AM']Nice looking bass but very little info out there apart from £720 new...try this guy and see if its still for sale.
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PEAVEY-CIRRUS-6-String-Bass-USA_W0QQitemZ330253420328QQihZ014QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]Peavey[/url][/quote]
That is a redwood US Cirrus - again MSRP is $2500 on Peavey's site so about £600-700 s/h seems a good price. Also note that the body has a gloss finish but the neck is some kind of matt rubbed oil finish (like a Stingray) - there is an obvious line where the body morphs into the neck between the two finishes which imho doesn't look very nice. Protects the body and makes the neck feel fast though...
The Cirrus BXP (the cheap model) is only available in 4- and 5-strings so this 6 is defo the US handbuilt model.

If it is the Cirrus USA model then the last one I played was a 5-string with a tigers' eye top. It was definitely handbuilt and retailed at about £1500. 35" scale, very straight and rigid neck, great B-string, lovely tone (and lots of variety), and the build quality seemed similar to a US Lakland or Sadowsky. The standard US Cirrus 6-string seems to retail at $2500 on Peavey's website so I doubt very much they'll be £720 new...

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='241962' date='Jul 17 2008, 05:39 PM']Noisedude, I'm getting bored of quoting this!

"The MIA is for snobs that have to have Made in the USA on the headstock"

Go and read the post!

It doesn't say "often people by MIA's becuase they have a snobbish attitude towards where basses are built". (I agree)

It says, to re-itereate:

[b]"The MIA is for snobs that have to have Made in the USA on the headstock"[/b]

Get it?

One more time?

[b]"The MIA is for snobs that have to have Made in the USA on the headstock"[/b]


What part of this are you struggling with?

If I were to say "I don't like black people because black people commit crime" could I get away with it if I then say "but I didn't say all black people, just some do"?
Would you be so understanding to my view? Of course not.

I'm going to have a lie down. This is bringing me out in hives.

Mother??[/quote]
Oh for god's sake - now you're mixing metaphors and accusing me of being a closet racist?
Anything else you'd care to share?

And for the record, [i]some [/i] - not all people can have a snobbish attitude and will only buy American Fenders.
Often these are patriotic Americans - nothing wrong in that, just that Mexican Fenders can be just as good. Bear in mind what goes into making a p-bass - even American Deluxe models come into the shop badly set up, needing fret- and nutwork.
The Squier VMJ is also a great instrument for players on a budget.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='241947' date='Jul 17 2008, 05:26 PM']I don't disagree with your view that quality varies and that for some, an MIA is not worth the extra cash.

I disagree with the retarded statement that you made.

As for being rude, as an MIA owner, you infered I was a snob.



Snob or retard? Not sure which I'd prefer really.[/quote]
Well I disagree with your extremely offensive personal comments made about someone you don't know.
If you can't argue a point without being rude then keep your opinions to yourself.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='241910' date='Jul 17 2008, 04:57 PM']From this, I can't really tell if you agree with me or not??

As for the "friendly face of xenophobia" thing, I can only comment on why I chose and MIA over a MIM.

I couldn't give a sh*t if MIA stood for "Made in Africa" and MIM stood for "Made in Massachusetts". In my experience MIA's tend to be better quality than MIM's. This is what I care about.

To suggest that someone who agrees with that view is a snob is pretty f***ing stupid.[/quote]

Charming.

People both here and on TalkBass go on about their American Fenders as anything else is somehow not the real thing. Fender cultivates this by calling the American models "American". Instruments made in Mexico, Indonesia, Korea and China are just "Fender" or "Squier".
The important part of your quote is your experience. I also do not care where the bass is made as long as it works. The fact is that the parts in a US p-bass make up a very small part of the retail price, and believe me when I say that American Fenders can have variable quality just like Fenders/Squiers made in other countries.

Oh, and you could try being civil on an anonymous Internet forum - just because you disagree with someone's point of view doesn't give you licence to be rude, no matter what your username is...

I think you'll find that the wood, hardware and electronics cost about £100, £150 absolute tops on a MIA Fender, maybe a touch more for the translucent finishes as the body wood needs to look nicer. The rest is made up of the other costs mentioned above. I just got a MIM Fender P-bass with a lovely figured-looking alder body, great sound, high output, no noise and very light for £399. I could have spent another £550 to buy the American Standard and get.... a case. The MIA is for snobs that have to have Made in the USA on the headstock. I also got one of my students the Squier VMJ - for £250 they're seriosuly good. I guess it is just that you have to try a bunch of Fenders and choose the best one. That applies to MIA as well.

[quote name='aceuggy' post='239593' date='Jul 14 2008, 10:31 PM']Me, for one. As I stated earlier I subscribe. Perhaps it's aimed at beginners and intermediate players rather than pro bassists. I find the content very interesting indeed, as a beginner I am thirsty for knowledge and this magazine feeds that. I have recently enjoyed the write up about the Squier VMJ and the Squier P-bass, Fender Rumble 15W package as this is the kind of gear I am playing/looking at, at the moment. There is also a new beginners how to play column as well, so I feel I am well catered for. No complaints from me. Whereas the American Bass Player mag I find a bit high brow and technical.[/quote]
You may be right. I don't think there is much education value in the teaching articles. Bass Player [b]used[/b] to do articles that roughly covered a lesson's worth of material or guest players would write about more abstract concepts (players like Anthony Jackson and Jeff Berlin - like 'em or loathe 'em they were all monster musicians). As a beginning player it would make more sense to either look on the net or pick up any of the fine teaching books that are available (or even get a teacher!) I notice also a distinct lack of transcriptions, and they don't seem to do full tracks. I guess this is partly because BGM is not designed to be a techniques magazine and partly because the budget cannot cover royalty payments.

If BGM is a casual hobbyist's read then they will surely limit who will actually [i]pay[/i] for the mag rather than browse it in a shop. If it had more substance and a less amateur look I would not just buy it but subscribe.

I've read plenty of issue of BGM and I think it is very poor on content and journalistic standards. The lessons are a waste of paper in most cases - you could get as much from the Web. To be a paid magazine there needs to be more substance. The reviews also meander on, are often contradictory and don't really say anything that could not be gleaned from the manufacturer's Website.
Then again I got a copy of Bass Player a few months ago and it wasn't much better - it was a great magazine 10 years ago. Full up with ads too (but then at least some of them are interesting).
But then consider how the music industry has been going for players over the last 20 years - no studios to play in any more, very few professional gigs or tours, kids don't really want to play an instrument as there are loads of other forms of entertainment, and even if they do make music it will probably be with a computer.

The standard of all-round musicianship is supposed to be much higher than in the past yet there are very few players coming through. I live near Central London and there are very few gigs on even compared to 10 years ago. The US has always had a bigger appetite for live music (plus 5 times the population) but even there the same effects are doubtless being felt. As a teacher I have noticed that there are definitely less people interested in learning instruments, and those that are interested aren't really learning to be the best they can, just as a hobby - most of my newer pupils have been middle-aged beginners who love music from the 70's and 80's.

Add to this the potential global recession coming (no-one's got money to buy gear or go out and watch lots of bands) and we just have to accept that bass is really a cottage industry. Victor Wooten maybe a household name to bass players but he isn't to anyone else. The music industry has billions but less of that is going into the pockets of instrument playing musicians than at any time in history (probably!).

I bought the same model in natural walnut with case for £620 shipped about 18 months ago. The green colour is striking but may put some people off. I've played 3 or 4 Killer B's and none of them were very good to be honest. This one however looks like one of the originals which Bass Player mag did say was, indeed killer... however times move and other manufacturers have moved the bar up quite a bit (e.g Lakland, Sadowsky). There is also the ongoing doubt about Gibson USA's quality control as I have seen reasonably recent Signature models (we're talking thousand of dollars) finished like a Chinese copy.
I would hang onto it if I were you as this bass is not worth flogging for £550-600 - I've done that before and regretted it every time

Don't want to be funny but when I see a thread that seems to end up in an argument here I do notice that your name crops up as the OP quite often...

Isn't this made in Korea to MTD specs? If so they go for about $1200 new in the US... tbh £700 s/h is rather steep.

Bloody hell that is a lot of Spectors... in fact that is a lot of [i]basses[/i]

[quote name='Machines' post='231416' date='Jul 2 2008, 03:40 PM']It should mean the strings sits lower in the saddle and thus your action will be slightly lower.. that was the main benefit I found.[/quote]
Eh? If you use an untapered B you drop the saddle down and you have the same action... and if you go back to a tapered B with the same saddle height there would be loads of string buzz. Assuming your bridge saddles can be adjusted enough you can achieve the same playable action with either type.
I've never liked tapered B-strings. As only the core (or inner wrap) goes over the saddle the string feels more floppy and is harder to palm mute (a useful technique in any style). I imagine some basses that don't have the tight feel on the lowest string would benefit from it but that's why I've always chosen 5- and 6-string basses carefully. I also owned a Sadowsky Metro, and although the Sadowsky strings have a tapered B I used DR Hi-beams and they sounded great, as they do on any decent-sounding bass. My present Warwick (Corvette ash custom shop 6) has super-tight low end that really growls, even on the neck pickup, again with an untapered B (Dr Hi-Beam 30-130). I also really recommend D'addario EXL1656's (or 165's for 5-strings) - it has an untapered .135 B that sounds so big, yet balances really well with the other strings in the set.
Then again some people love tapered strings so it's horses for courses
Off the top of my head - LaBella, Warwick, Sadowsky, Lakland and Elixir all make tapered B-strings. DR also do a tapered set.

Funny, I played that same Fodera and thought it was very average. B string was nothing special too, even with the string going to the tuner at the end of the headstock. Wire-wool marks all over the body when you held it up to the light too.
The 535 in the Gallery is mahogany with a spalted maple top. It is very lightweight, well-balanced, with a crisp, modern tone. I guess it would sound good with modern techniques but a p-bass it is not - but then you don't buy something like an MTD to get a Fender
The Lull is also very very nice for a similar price - they've got quite a few different 5's in so I'd recommend the OP go and try them head-to-head. You may find something else you like even more

How much would you be asking to sell?

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='225518' date='Jun 23 2008, 11:30 PM']That's true, the USA made Tobias Killer B should be a 'superior' bass to the MTD.

But with the MTD range, Mike Tobias made a few design changes that I think make the MTDs seriously good basses for the money. Firstly, the string spacing on the MTDs is wider than the Tobias models (I think), at 19mm. Secondly, the Buzz Feinten tuning system is great. And thirdly, the asymmetrical neck profile (not sure if the Killer B has that?) makes the neck really comfortable and easy to play!

Having said all that, the early Tobias basses are very, very good...[/quote]
You're right in that they're very decent basses for what is c. £800 new.
Michael Tobias has been shopping various budget models around for years - the Bass Centre Stadiums were Tobias-designed. The asymmetrical neck has been on all Tobias and MTD flavours. I'd be a bit hesitant about the pickups and electronics on the Z series though - they appear to be no-name Korean-made, which usually equates to weak output and somewhat ordinary tone. I know not everyone is a fan of Bartolini but I'd expect this Killer B to sound pretty hot!

Agreed on the TRB, You can also get the Korean ones £699 new, and they also sound and feel just great - neck is a little bit cumbersome for my taste though. The BTB556 is about £379 (the neckthrough is the BTB1306 which now retails at £1099), a good first 6-string if you can't stretch to the TRB. Both have a 35" scale and a deeper, richer sound than the SR506 IMO (I've tried all three side by side through a nice MarkBass rig). I picked up a Warwick Corvette custom shop 6-string in ash for £700 and it sounds absolutely wicked (does a better Anthony Jackson sound that any Fodera I've played) - doesn't balance great but oh the sound - like a deeper classical guitar. If you're on a tight budget I'd definitely advise getting a secondhand bass if you can - then you can punch in a higher bracket and get a bass you're more likely to get on with. You can scrimp a bit on 4 and 5 strings and still get a great bass but sixers usually have to be a little bit more.

Which is why no-one has bid on that Z6 in months...
No, that is a really tasty looking Killer B, looks like an older one too so you may well get more than your reserve. Best of luck!

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='224989' date='Jun 23 2008, 01:24 PM']There's a Mike Tobias Designs (MTD) 5 string up there at the moment that hasn' sold yet at £699 but the Tobias brand name is more well known than the MTDs, so you'd probably do better with yours..

I had a Tobias Classic 5 years ago and it was a fabulous bass so if that's anything to go by, the Killer B you have is probably a really nice bass!
Good luck with it![/quote]
That is a Z series - they're Korean-made to MTD specs and as such should be inferior to bkman42's US made Killer B (with bart soapbars and I believe 3-band Bart eq). It has been on eBay for months - I don't think anyone is going to buy a $1200 bass secondhand for £700

I bought a mint walnut Gibson Era Killer B 5 for £620 last year from eBay. It wasn't very nice to play at all I'm afraid to say - B was definitely no Killer and the fit and finish looked a little cheap up close. Judging by the info from "that American Bass Site" Gibson Tobias seem to vary massively in quality - some are just great, others are really poor. It also depends on the body wood - the best ones have a swamp ash body as it sounds really tight and growly. You'll know if it is swamp ash as it'll be very light (my walnut one was [i]heavy[/i]). If it looks/plays/sounds great then you could get £700-£800 but I doubt you'd get much more - people who like Tobias generally crave the pre-Gibson models, or at least the better made (i.e. Classic to Signature) Gibsons.
Good luck with the sale!

Edit: body looks like maple - fingerboard looks wicked - what the hell, whack it up at £700 as someone may well take it

Depends on the sound you want to hear, and what feels comfortable. It would be a great way to improve your playing to learn a different technique. I have played fingerstyle all my career (emulating Geddy Lee at first no less!). When I got into Anthony Jackson about 12-13 years ago I was blown away by his pick playing, not only on "For the Love of Money" and the Al Di Meola album "Elegant Gypsy" but also the Chaka Khan albums around '78-'82. Why not find some definitive fingerstyle performances that inspire you (Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick for example) and take it from there? Different techniques make you think in different ways...

I saved up and bought a Wal when I was 16 thinking it would make me sound like Geddy Lee. Guess what? I didn't. Not even close.
It's the classic instrument marketing ploy - why else would Fender have dozens of signature Strats that are basically the same, except a different paint job? AJ, Goines, Garrison etc are admired by bass players so other players aspire to own a Fodera, especially as they are just about the most expensive basses around (plus a 2 year wait) - it is trying to have something that is almost unattainable.
I've played probably 15 different Foderas, including an AJ presentation, MG and VW signatures, Imperial and Emperor 5 and 6 and a couple of NYC's. The quality really is no better than any other fine luthier! Of all the Foderas I have tried only one had something special about it, and even then I tried a Ken Smith BSR6 at the same time and it felt and sounded better, for less than half the price.
With regard to MG, as far as I can see he has a thin, slightly stringy tone which I presume is in part due to the shorter scale, low action and very light touch. He tunes E-C, and at that gig detuned the E to B (sounded crap). As for having a deep tone, well I must get my ears seen to as from where I was standing at that gig he had a thin guitar-like sound - perhaps he should hire a bass player next time he tours?

Sadowsky Metro should be on anyone's list - and the Gallery has 3 5-strings at the moment, Plus a Lakland DJ5 and the above-mentioned Sei.