72deluxe

Having listened further and repeatedly, it is a good album yes. I was too harsh in my initial judgement. It works very well as a "band" instead of just three solo artists playing together. I was also too harsh about Portnoy - he might bash the cymbal too much to fill in the spaces IMHO But having just received Tony MacAlpine's Concrete Gardens album and heard Aquiles Priester drumming, I think I can safely say that Portnoy is sparse by comparison! I literally cannot hear a thing that is going on due to the incessant drumming and subbass by Pete Griffin. Sheehan sounds clear as a bell by comparison. So it's all good.

Haha thanks discreet..... I didn't know where to post it! Any way of moving such threads elsewhere? FuNkShUi, do you find the Streamer alright? Do you get looks of disdain from Spector owners? Ever tried one? My FNA is flat, so this Spector permits me to grow a beer belly with impunity, as it accommodates the belly with its curve.

Hey, someone insulted Vai and Satriani in this thread! Just because it is instrumental does not make it wrong. Vai can perhaps be a bit much but his early stuff had very interesting backing arrangements (listen to the BACKING on Passion and Warfare - it is far more informative than the lead guitar lines). As for Satriani, his early stuff sounds scratchy tone-wise and there are many long runs, but if you listen to his phrasing it is all based around singing the parts. He had lessons with Lennie Tristano who would make him sing the melodies scat-style. Listen to his melody lines and timing and notice that they are mostly hum-able. There may be bursts of speed but who walks the same speed for their entire life? Sometimes you must run. You do not saunter everywhere. I would disagree that it is "showing that you can play for the sake of it" instead of melodies. It is like jazz - I did not understand it at all and could not hear the melodies, being used to rock and pop, so I bought a book on jazz and read it to understand in general terms what was going on. Some of it I don't understand still, but you listen to it differently and listen for interplay, not necessarily melodies that you can hum. I think this was what someone was saying earlier about "not getting it"; perhaps they mean that we're listening for the wrong thing in it, or expecting it to be different. I don't "get" hip-hop but I wouldn't assign all of it to the dustbin - I just don't know what to listen for in it, other than the world's loudest drum sound with poetry over it? I had not heard Jaco so bought his solo CD which I was initially disappointed in, as I was expecting non-stop playing all the way through. His flash bass parts are very impressive and I sadly cannot play them at all. In any case after repeated listens and attempts to understand what he is doing I now think it is a good album. For me, the move moving parts of music on it don't really feature the bass, nor do they feature overly complex routines like "Come On Over". Whenever I hear this album it makes me want to pick up the bass and play, so that's a good thing. Flea does the same for me, although I am not a fan of all his music either. Jaco does not make me want to dance to Portrait Of Tracy, and I suspect that's not what he was aiming to do with that song.

Backstory: I have played Warwicks for years and years and years and am very happy with them and have a few in a variety of interesting models. I have never had a Warwick Streamer so can't comment on them or their similarities to Spector basses. I normally play a 5 string FNA Jazzman which has an ovangkol neck, which some decry as being a baseball bat but I love that neck and love that bass; it really sings. I did have a 6 string Corvette that I found too heavy (bubinga body) and the neck was too wide for me (I am used to 5s), so to replace the Corvette I bought this wonderful Spector from a chap here on basschat. He was endorsed by them but had not played for a year sadly, and needed to get driving so sold this. Sad for him, wonderful for me as it is a 2010 USA Spector. Perfect condition (only two blemishes, brass may have suffered from sweat/dirt a bit) and it needed a small amount of cleaning but absolutely great and a wonderful price. Upon asking Spector for details on it, the back is lightweight mahogany, top is buckeye burl, 3 piece maple neck (bolt-on), ebony fretboard (but you can see the grain in it), EMG 40TW pickups with each pickup with its own volume control and push/pull pot for single or dual coil, a midrange boost with push/pull 400/800Hz centre frequency, and stacked bass/treble pot for +-18dB/+-16dB respectively, with the preamp being an Aguilar OBP3. Photos (but colours changed to compensate for my rubbish photography and to bring out the grain better). [attachment=203916:DSC04257~2.jpg] [attachment=203917:DSC04261~2.jpg] MORE PHOTOS HERE -----> [url="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2dUQpSGutXEUDRicTJUNVlOakE&usp=sharing"]https://drive.google...akE&usp=sharing[/url] Compared to the FNA Jazzman I have which has a Warwick preamp in it, the bass/treble boosts on this are really insane so I don't know the range on the Warwick. Plus, having separate volume for each pickup is new for me - I am used to a master volume with a blend. The string spacing is mildly wider than I am used to but this just means it is easier to slap it to death, so poor neighbours (and band!). It sounds mellower than my Warwick but it's all good. I can do incredibly boring/non-musical-pyrotechnic-style-playing demo videos if required.

Bought a Spector from Kris. It was immaculate and very very well looked after. He was incredibly easy-going and a really nice guy. Thanks Kris.

How amusing. Did you know what sort of money they were being offered for, out of interest?

Thanks! Found it: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/201119-sold-chrome-warwick-streamer-ct/"]http://basschat.co.u...ck-streamer-ct/[/url] Offered for £750? Sold for £995... Warwick second-hand market is truly dead?

Hello everyone I was wondering if anyone sees any Warwick chrome tone basses anywhere? I know there is a chrome tone finish on the Robert Trujillo model but does anyone ever see them? How much do they sell for? Just curious.

And at the opposite end of the scale, a tiny class D amp new for £164: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/ashdown_pibass_240.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/ashdown_pibass_240.htm[/url]

And here's a nice cheap Fender: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_59_p_bass_relic_noc_blnd.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_59_p_bass_relic_noc_blnd.htm[/url] Only £2500 for what appears to me to be a bog-standard Fender, just with "relic" added to it!

With regard to Kotzen's singing, it's great when he belts it out, it's more of his soft singing that sounds like he's got a cold or has a sweet in his mouth whilst singing. He can sing better than me, that's for sure. I have most of Kotzen's albums and know he's good (on the first album he did he never stops shredding over his own singing haha) but don't personally enjoy his soft singing. It is good that he changed his playing style to be with fingers instead of pick in order to reinvent himself, but with pick you can hear the start of the note clearly (it's percussive). With his finger playing, I find his fast runs hard to discern the start and end of notes, kind of like just sliding up and down a fretless guitar :-) Personal opinion, of course. I found the second half of the album more appealing but as others have said it is growing on me. The songs are good, I am not sure the double tracked guitar amid the midrange bass and much cymbalage leads to clarity. Better speakers are probably in order (or a hearing test). Did anyone else notice that the start of Oblivion is very similar to the start of Dream Theater's "In the presence of enemies part 1"???? Look it up on YouTube. Compared to Niacin's recent release where Sheehan is very audible and cuts through (their "Deep" album is one of their best IMO and his tone isn't too fizzy on it), it is sad that you can hardly hear him on this album :-( the guitar is too loud in comparison, and Portnoy's bass drum dominates to the entire bottom end. Pity, as I like Sheehan's playing and tone (it has got less fizzy in recent years). I thought the explosion of reverb on the drums in track 10 halfway through was very good and changes the feel of the song to be wide and "big". Amazing what sensitive mixing does. Edit: I know playing isn't meant to be the focus but you can have both, as Billy and Portnoy built their careers on pyrotechnic playing. I would hope the albums aren't a Kotzen solo affair with famous backing players. That isn't interesting - listen to Them Crooked Vultures to hear how bad that can be :-) Edit again: Perhaps I was too harsh on the album, as always! It is definitely growing.

I did used to have a Fender Aerodyne which was a Japanese-made one and was very good. But I found it either boomy (neck pickup) or twangy (bridge pickup) and came to love the sound of the midrange from the Warwick I had. Now when I play Fender I am always trying to boost the mids to hear what I am playing / get more definition. In any case I sold the Fender to a friend who still has it, so one day when I miss it I can buy it back. Might take some use getting used to the fretboard radius compared to the Warwicks though (which are flat flat flat flat). One thing that was very easy on the Fender was slapping and popping for my inaccurate playing and fat hands, as the string spacing was very wide. And it looked good. Some guitarists I played with didn't like non-Fender headstocks (???? crazy eh????) because to them a bass should have a massive Fender headstock and giant tuning pegs. Weird eh! Interestingly, if you watch the Sadowsky video on YouTube, Roger states that when you looked in the musician union's book for session players, it was divided into "upright bass" and "Fender bass", and studio engineers were mostly used to working with Fenders. So if you turned up with a non-Fender, they were prejudiced against you and you didn't get called back because it took them longer to get a familiar sound from the unfamiliar bass. Everyone knows what sound you'll get from a Fender P or J, including engineers at that time. For fast work and jingles, taking longer to get a decent sound was obviously a bad thing. He also makes an interesting point that he only puts bass/treble boosts on his preamps (thanks Aguilar) as midrange sounds good to the player but not necessarily the audience. That's probably why I now find I can't get a sound I like out of the Fenders I try. But at least Fender is an instantly recognisable sound and a basic set up which we probably all start on at least, mainly because there's so many of them (and clones!).

So the Winery Dogs' new album turned up today and I have had a listen briefly. What does everyone think of it, those who have heard it? I find Kotzen's voice nasally and it sounds like he needs to blow his nose, IMHO. His stint in Mr Big was very different to Gilbert's, and I miss the obvious and clear riffs; Kotzen uses a lot of open strings or ringing chords instead of riffs so I can't hear an obvious hook or melody to the songs. Portnoy seems to be drumming at 11 (or is that mixing compression?) but his cymbal-heavy drumming seems a bit busy? He probably couldn't get away with a straight simple beat as all his fans would complain. Could just be me being tired. Sheehan needs to do more tapping - the solo spots on the album are far too short and there is no interplay that I can hear on first listen. An interesting note is that Sheehan thanks EBS in the sleeve notes (obviously due to his EBS Sheehan pedal) but then thanks Suncoast Analog, who interestingly make the B1p preamp, a pedal-sized clone of the Pearce preamps that Sheehan uses. So it would be interesting to know which one he is using to snarl through - EBS or Suncoast! Must save up for one of them if only to test the midrange capability of all speakers I own. EDIT: I also think the bass is too quiet? I can hear guitar double tracked and panned left/right and Portnoy's bass drum like a gunshot in my ears but I can't hear Sheehan. Perhaps I am going deaf. Second half of the album is better and more generously mixed (everything isn't on 11) and stuff is spaced out better me thinks.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1444298576' post='2881947'] ...It is absolutely beautiful. 9 rows down, fretless on the left [url="http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/pbass.html"]http://www.shukergui...o.uk/pbass.html[/url] [/quote] Is that the one with maple fingerboard? Lovely! Is it very bright sounding with that?? I wonder with Fender if it was overproduction? When manufacturers move some of their production to a cheaper country to compete on price, it starts a race to the bottom and competition based largely on price. They are then effectively competing with themselves, as people who buy the cheap versions perhaps won't consider a more expensive version due to lack of satisfaction with the cheaper version of their own brand. Or, they may consider the more expensive version no better value (if they are not discerning) and might think it is a rip-off. In any case, if quality in the cheaper country improves then the brand has real problems differentiating itself from its cheaper version. With price being the item emphasised, trying to highlight quality becomes hard. Fender seems to have done quite well selling the same bass for 50+ years, in the same way Gibson has done with their guitars. They still seem popular! I thought that Fender had got into trouble getting involved with Guitar Center in America and taking on their debt, as well as doing "household" or "lifestyle" items like Fender sound systems (like in the Chrysler Crossfire) and stuff that wasn't really guitar related, as well as their unstoppable and unsustainable spending spree (Genz Benz, Charvel, Gretsch, SWR, Jackson, Hamer, EVH)? Gibson and Marshall seems to be doing spinoff products too, like the horrible Gibson studio monitors or the Marshall DAB radio and hifis. I wonder if the Marshall one will have a peak at A like the 4x12 cabs do?

The friendly guy at bass direct will decry Warwick as being too expensive for "machine-made" basses in Germany (as they use CNC routing and machine control for their construction etc.) particularly in comparison to other hand-made instruments that are cheaper. But given the general price of basses, I imagine it is very tricky to work out where to place a price as "good value" versus "cheap", whilst also trying to break-even/make a profit. I don't envy their job setting prices at all! Looking at the prices of Fenders on bassgear.co.uk (in the previously sold new instruments section) I see that Fender Custom Shop ones are £2500 or there abouts so £1500+ is the going rate for a "high-end" bass?? I will have to ask how much the luthiers on here charge! But I was astounded by Fodera - am I misunderstanding?? Observing the number of switches and knobs on their basses makes me wonder how many variations of configuration you can have, and also feel sorry for their testing team... EDIT: Looks like the best place is the secondhand market on here, particularly as GrammeFriday just sold a MTD AG5 for £700. That bass was lovely, and I weep that the purchaser was not me.

Am I out of touch or are bass prices rising significantly? I know the cost of everything goes up, but Basschat always has been fairly reasonable for secondhand gear (very good in fact!). It's been so good that I normally buy something new and then a day later someone puts the same item for sale on here, barely used, for little over half the price I paid for it. But I digress... I only ask because I have just noticed a Fodera on Thomann: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/fodera_monarch_deluxe_5_dyer_oak.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/fodera_monarch_deluxe_5_dyer_oak.htm[/url] A bargain at only £9778.18. I know it's oak, but what else is in it? Platinum? Einsteinium? I also notice that German-made Warwick Star Basses are £1951.21 which seems quite expensive to me ([url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_gps_star_bass_4_cw_hp.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_gps_star_bass_4_cw_hp.htm[/url]) By comparison, a R*ckenbacker (which will never be sold on here) is £1586.65 ([url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/rickenbacker_4003_mid_ebass.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/rickenbacker_4003_mid_ebass.htm[/url]). Perhaps it is cheaper because they haven't changed it in 33 years and economies of scale are finally kicking in? But as I say I could be out of touch?

Has anyone got their avatar printed on credit cards or bank cards? That would be good. Some banks offer that these days.

Hopefully it'll be interesting. This does mean that the opinions of Berg cabs as being "neutral" and "non-colouring" as people have repeated for years must have all been rubbish, as else why would you need to apply corrective EQ to the cab if the cab was entirely flat snd neutral to begin with eh? I have Berg cab and am really really chuffed with it. But all cabinets have a resonant frequency and handle certain frequencies differently, so I can see the reason they'd put EQ/phase correction etc. at the amplifier output stage. Speaker processors and management systems have been doing this for decades in the live sound system area, so it is interesting to see it come down to bass amplifiers. Bergantino told me to treat my cab as a fullrange cab and wouldn't state the crossover frequency for the internal speaker/tweeter arrangement, nor would state the resonant frequency of the cab sadly. If you put a signal through a cabinet that is the resonant frequency of the cab, the entire box will go mental and you'll not able to put much power into the speakers as they bump their endstops. But as we don't put pure sine waves through our cabs, it's a moot point! Not sure if this amp is overkill or if it will confuse us though - we'll have EQ on our basses, EQ at the preamp stage on the amplifier, then corrective EQ at the output stage, then room acoustics to deal with, all of which will sound different to our ears depending on where we are standing relative to the speaker cabinet. So it's probably somewhat overkill for a pub gig rig. Either that or they'll be soundproofing pubs across the land to behave like critical listening rooms in studios, replete with pink noise generators and realtime analysis for corrective room EQ... Live sound guys will suddenly have to deal with a rise in bass player amp snobbery If they added a valve in there too, then it'd tick all the boxes for complete elitism compared to those poor player with only solid state class A/B amps and non-EQ'd outputs!!