basexperience

Thanks! I've really enjoyed the process: it's engaging, and you learn a lot (I've learned a lot about tonewoods).

I thought it might be cool to stick a teaser picture on here too - this is the first glimpse I got of the woods which would be the face of the bass :-)

- http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/rikkers-build-part-1-choosing-components.html - how we discussed what the bass would be made of, the options etc - http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/rikkers-build-part-2-hearing-about.html - some great shots of the early build: the first glimpse of the olive wood top, covers the neck being glued, and the early gluing of the wings and top. - http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/rikkers-build-part-3-hand-carving-back.html - Mr Rikkers has fun with hand tools! I'm really looking forward to next Sunday now: Rikkers were kind enough to get me a guest pass to LBGS 2015, so in addition to saving money (and worry) on having the bass shipped, I saved on admission to the show!

I'm definitely coming, because the perfectly lovely Ferdinand Rikkers says he'll pay for my ticket so I can pick up the 5 string Olive top Bodyline he's building for me! (I am literally spending time looking at pictures of the one from last year). What nice guys, eh? I like the lineup this year, actually - a lot of bassists I cut technique teeth on (Sheehan, Hamm, King). Is there any more news on that daft "pay for a seat" thing in the shows?

Well, I did it - I commissioned a bass! Slightly giddy. Scuse me while I grab something. I'm documenting over on my blog with the first chapter - engaging with the process - at [url="http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/commissioning-bass-engaging-with-builder.html"]http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/commissioning-bass-engaging-with-builder.html[/url] Next chapter coming soon: "how we chose the top using technology and a little innovation"! I'll keep the updates and Q&As on this thread so this will be the place I have the whole story, so to speak. I have pics of the process so far, including some really nice ones of the build. BTW the Rikkers guys are great: Ferdinand really knows his stuff. And that bass, though... this is the LBGS one - mine will have [i][b]some [/b][/i]differences... and the top is an absolute stunner.

My word, she's gorgeous!

Also - thanks for the replies guys, there are some wicked ideas here to look at. Food for GAS!

Stereo is useful when you're filling keyboard parts on *some* of your strings and holding bass down at the same time on others - and I do this onstage for some songs!!!

Aha! The stereo returns are interesting - I could work a way with an A/B switch and plug all three outputs in... Hmmm Also - there's no issue defining where the bass comes from, each patch you create on the GR55 contains all the details, and when it runs the normal bass pickups both sides can essentially just output a mono signal - no need for stereo in patches you don't need it on. It's when you want to thicken up the sound: then it's handy, or a blend patch like the one I have for "let me entertain you" where I've got the top 3 strings of the 6 string doing a piano patch, the B and A strings are muted and the E string is pitch shifted up a semitone to an F: open E string plus chords on top 3 strings gives you bass and keyboard parts for the intro and middle sections! That's what I mean about flexibility - the power to fill in just enough, then the flip switch on that patch just punches out the piano and modelled bass and flips to the direct pickups, properly balanced for the rest of the song. It works really well!

I should add that I use mono bass sounds as well as stereo instrument patches, plus delays can be useful. muse-esque wall of sound helps thicken out 3-pieces... The possibilities are endless. The GR55 does have a separate mono out for the bass signal on it's own, as well as the stereo out, and you can configure what gets pushed out of there, but I'm interested in a simple through-chain. I'm thinking a stereo EQ rack into a markbass poweramp might do... Any thoughts?

I've got a GR55 with stereo outputs - I use some patches on songs which include stereo instruments, and I'd like to experiment with stereo onstage. I've thought about using a poweramp (eg a markbass) and the GR55's onboard preamps. The onboard electronics on the 6 string are OBP-3 so there's lots of tonal shaping onboard for the native sounds. Thing is, the closest I've seen to what I'd like is the Markbass stereo multiamp, but it's mono in. Does anyone do a full stereo chain head or preamp?

I'd also like to stick my hand up for no 5 pound seat tickets. Ta!

I'd like to see a time limit for testing basses, say maybe 15 mins max. Last year I sat watching this guy beat the crap out of a precision copy with his thumb, nothing but high volume, bad slap, and I really wanted to test a bass at that stand. In the end I walked away. Standardize the limit with a time clock for each exhibitor and make the policy clear. Straight and simple.

One or two: - drummer had seizure during set (poor guy) - forgot where my funky bass solo was for 4 bars out of 8 (turned into 12) ;-) - amp had internal disconnection, flashed multicolour lights everywhere and died - different amp ran so hot during sound check it unsoldered the power stage from the transformer (I'm not kidding!!) - had to drive for 2 hours to get stand-in amp (not markbass either!) - completely forgot how volume pedal on foot controller was set for half a song, frantically checking all volumes apart from the damn pedal I'm pretty sure there's loads more... Btw you guys are cracking me up, this is the best topic I've read for ages.

I'd swap out the amp head (current a WarwickPro Bass IX) for a full stereo poweramp and ditch any preamp stage on the amp entirely, relying on the GR55 and the Bass Pod instead. Then I'd have the option of full stereo onstage.

A fascinating topic... If your band are your friends, and you write original music, it'll benefit. If it's a covers band and you're all a bit more workmanlike about it, it'll benefit. I suspect the spectrum in between is a myriad of compromises. Any thoughts on that one?

You guys literally rock. Yeah, it'll need a new speaker, and no mistake! I'll do a build diary, shall I? I think I'll get it in a couple of weeks when I gig with the guys again, then I can scope out the costs to them in full and they can decide if they go ahead or not. If they think it's too much to do it up, I'll offer them a reasonable wedge to buy it off them and do it up myself: the chance to own a V combo...

"Seller notes: “A few bits missing but still plays and sounds very good.”"

I've held on to a Warwick CCL I bought many, many years ago - the 250W 15" version - because it's so damn portable. It'll slide into the back seat of the car, it sounds great, it's the perfect height to sit on at tiny venues, it's got wheels and a handle and it'll take an extension cab (down to 4 ohms). If only you could still get them... sounds great. I'd recommend anything similar for the portability - I once walked a mile with the amp behind me, carrying gig bag and guitar, because I couldn't find anywhere to part in London!

Not only that, but you could use stereo effects or use the separate effects loops to give some colour to the driven side (i.e. light chorus if required) without disturbing the fundamentals (very Muse-esque)

I've got a MAJOR project on my hands. I spent winter 2007 out in Andorra playing in the Aspen bar in Soldeu during the warmest ski season I think I've ever seen - luckily the band rocked (and still does, check out Breeze in the Oxford area) so the bar was completely rammed every night. I was also lucky enough (although I didn't realise it at the time) to do the season through the band's Trace V4 combo - a very VERY rare beast, which even back then was showing the signs of an extremely hard gigging schedule. During the 3 months I had to fix the speaker cone with gaffa and superglue where it separated at the edge! Well, it's a long way down the line from there, and the old trace finally stopped working for them (I haven't seen it in a long time) about 18 months ago: they've shelved it for the moment but I've volunteered to do the beast up. As far as I can tell (I don't have it yet), it needs:[list] [*]Total revalve [*]Total recovering [*]All controls replaced [*]Replacement castors (this thing is HEAVY ). [/list] Has anyone else undertaken the rebuild of a Trace V series amp? I've found good resources for parts - the manuals for the V4 are thankfully easy to find and helpfully include every circuit diagram and actual part numbers for the individual elements. I've got a lead on 4 Ruby KT88s for the power tubes (I'm not sure what the original preamp tubes are, we'll see!) for £150 from GAK (I think, their pricing on that is very odd on the site and confusing). I've also found a site in the US which will supply all the right pots for the controls. The trace Elliot tolex is harder to find, though - it's not lumpy marshall black tolex, it's more like a sort of smooth-ish pattern. I'm looking forward to giving the beast a new lease of life - it sounds amazing, I had it paired with a 2 x 10 trace cab I owned at the time.

Hi there - did you find any tolex? I've had a rare project drop in my lap, the 15" V4 combo I had the good fortune to play through during a season in Andorra is still owned by the band, but it's completely gigged out and needs total dismantle and overhaul, and recovering. I'm interested in finding out if the original tolex can be sourced: it's got quite a smooth pattern, and I haven't found a close match yet.