NancyJohnson

[quote name='Magnolia' post='41738' date='Aug 5 2007, 11:45 PM'][url="http://www.bravewoodguitars.co.uk/Stackknob1960.html"]This[/url] is serious porn to me. Shame he doesnt do them anymore.

Nick[/quote]

That is a beautiful looking bass...been looking at something like that for some time. If you've got the old Tony Bacon Bass Book, there's something very similiar (and original) within its pages.
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[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='40366' date='Aug 2 2007, 10:30 AM']Well, two days on & it's appeared via UPS... Setup even with the stock strings is sublimly low & fast. Everything they say about the neck on the GL is true... It's the loveliest jazz neck I've ever played on! Will need to bring the action up a little when I change the strings later, as I usually take my basses down to 35-90's.[/quote]

Congratulations; that looks a peach. Where did it come from?

I played a GL signature straight out of the box at Sam Ash in Las Vegas last September. I was stunned how good it was. I asked the guy in the store whether they had any in stock and he just sauntered out back and opened the fresh from Japan shipping box for me. It was beautifully set up, didn't need any adjustment except to tune it up a tone. It sounded amazing.

As a footernote here, amongst the thirty or so basses I played that afternoon was one of the Squier '75 reissues - essentially a clone of the Geddy, but in ash/maple sans the BadAss. There was absolutely no comparison, other than it was tuned to EADG. It was quite simply an entry level bass. Don't let anyone try and fool you into thinking those Squiers are 'just like the Geddy Lee model now I've added a BadAss bridge'.

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[quote name='SiOfBass' post='41297' date='Aug 4 2007, 04:20 PM']this is probly a really dumb question to you guys but ive been unsure of this for a while a cant get a definate answer; are the player custom basses you can buy, like the geddy lee mex's and the artist's custom is the USA custom shop model?[/quote]

The Geddy Lee model is made completely in Japan (MIJ). Maybe someone else here can fill us in on Fender's US activities - aren't some US models (MIA) - ie the Highway One - just put together in the US with the components being built in Mexico? I'm really not sure about this.
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[quote name='Alun' post='41265' date='Aug 4 2007, 02:11 PM']I must admit, I'm with you on that one. I don't really get it, it's a bit like buying a brand new car with a big dent in the wing. Each to their own, but it's not for me.

Cheers,
Alun[/quote]

Some years ago (early 80s) I was watching a music show on TV with my parents, when the camera focused on a bass player doing his stuff - I distinctly remember it was a sunburst Jazz and it was in horrific condition. Horrific. I remember my late father saying 'Why doesn't he just buy a new one?', but to me the guy was playing an instrument that looked as though it had a hundred thousand miles on the clock and it was love at first sight.

Why do people love beat up basses (and guitars)? Why do people love reissued models? I guess because they give you the opportunity to buy into something that alludes to being something else at a fraction of the cost. We all agree that the older (and maybe more beat up) these basses get, the more desirable they become to some people (me), but this is nothing like owning a car covered in dings...it is to a degree trying to grab the allusion that you are buying into some kind of history and <shudder> MOJO. Sure if I had £10K to throw at a '62 Jazz without worrying, then perhaps I would, but I don't have that kind of swag, so maybe I'll take the next best route.

From another perspective, I don't buy into the basses-that-look-like-furniture thing either. I'm sure that all the dudes and dudettes here who own Shukers, Sei and ACGs, love their basses but I think they have the personality of a dining room table. Sorry. </gets off soapbox>

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I hadn't realised he wasn't taking orders any more.

There's a very good chance that I will be mortgage free by years' end and while as a stop-gap I was thinking about a Geddy Lee signature [i]and[/i] a Mark Hoppus model for the interim, I will for probably the first time in my life have sufficient enough swag to start throwing at basses. I've been getting a Bravewood horn for some years. Arse! I certainly do not want to pay £1,200+ to Bill Nash for something he's just bought from Allparts.

Shame.
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[quote name='jwbassman' post='41084' date='Aug 3 2007, 09:04 PM']wish i'd had a quiet day at work [/quote]

I'm a credit manager by day...first day or two of the month is a bit busy, but I decided to spend most of today drinking coffee and trawling the information superhighway (blimey, remember when it was called that all those years ago?).

At weekends I turn into Norm Abraham, renovating my damn house; which, after the carpet laying is finished this coming Monday, will be job done- five years and about £100K spent.
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If anyone owns the Squier and Fender derivative of the same bass (ie Jazz or Precision) can you answer a quick question for me?

Are the headstocks the same size and shape? I was having a look online today and the Squiers look a little different. It's been bothering me....it's been a quiet day at work.

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Lads and lasses
With the prices of vintage basses going through the ceiling (along with custom-shop distressed models), I was wondering on this warm summer evening, whether anyone had had any experience of Bravewood Guitars in the the west country. This guy builds, restores (and used to relic) with a passion. Web searches seem to indicate this guy can build you a fantastic bass and make it look as though it's been dragged [i]behind [/i]the van for the last forty years to boot.

I've been following the website progress ([url="http://www.bravewoodguitars.co.uk"]Bravewood[/url]) for a few years and feel that I'm teetering on the brink of going this route to get a vintage looking (and sounding) bass. The website is worth a look on it's own...there's some real eye candy on it.

Meanwhile, in the real world, my '79 Precision hardly has a ding on it. The finish is apparently bombproof.

Anyone?
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[quote name='16Again' post='37814' date='Jul 27 2007, 01:57 PM']They sound great but look bloody awful, imo. [/quote]

That's what I feel about 4001s! Sorry!
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Around three years ago, there was a thread on the alt.guitar.bass newsgroup about how Monster Cable had trademarked the name Monster and consequently issued hundreds of cease or desist lawsuits to companies who had the word monster in their trading name.

They were pretty indiscriminate as to who they went for, what size they were or what type of business they were in or how long they had been operating for. Rumour has it they even went after The Disney Company & Pixar (because of Monsters Inc.), The Chicago Bears ('The Monsters Of Midway'), pinball machine makers Bally (who had a gaming machine called Monster Slots), along with a ton of small independents too; Monster Vintage (vintage clothes), the makers of Monster Garage (a TV show) and a company called Snow Monsters that makes soft toys.

I've never owned a Monster Cable (I've laid a few though), but I understand their stuff is pretty expensive and pretty mediocre to boot. I think their aforementioned actions pretty much made my mind up that I didn't want to use their products.
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Morning!
Some of you might be interested in nice recent interview with Geddy over on [url="http://www.bassplayer.TV"]Bass Player TV[/url]. It's in three parts, an interview, a five/six minute piece with Geddy and his basses (all Jazz, all Signature/vintage/custom shop stuff - I was simply drooling at that bit) and a further five/six minute piece with his tech, showing his rack and the basses again.

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Hello all
If you're in the mood for a change of look for your bass, suggest you try Pickguardian in the US. I've just recieved a custom scratchplate for my Waterstone from them and it's a beautiful piece of work. They do a ton of different guards, loads of acrylics and materials, great communications. Contact Tony Dudzik.

Link: [url="http://www.pickguardian.com"]http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguardian/[/url]

Cheers
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[quote name='MacDaddy' post='35764' date='Jul 22 2007, 11:40 PM']wouldn't like to paint it though...[/quote]

...stolen from the wonderful Steven Wright. Now where did I put my powdered water?
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I've seen Fender Highway One Jazzes and Precisions on the 'Bay for around £250 (from the US)...these seem incredibly good value secondhand, but obviously you have to factor in shipping and duties. Aerodyne Jazz basses (the versions with the pick guard) are great value - see my avatar - I owned one for a while until a disparate cash shortage forced sale.

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As some of you know, I play a Waterstone 12-string bass once in a while. It's a rough Les Paul shape and I suffer from a bit of neck dive. The strap point is on the side of the body about an inch north of the neck joint.

I'm curious...does anyone know of a bracket that can be retro-fitted (screwed!) into the neck-position strap point that could extend the strap button position towards a more Jazz/Precision friendly position? I'm sure Steinberger had a bracket like this.

Cheers

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Am I too late to recommend a SD Basslines Quarterpounder? When the original failed on my 79, I thought active EMGs would be the best option, so ran it on a 19v circuit. Awful. Pulled that out and put a passive Quarterpounder in. I get everything from a great full-on Rickenbackeresque clank to lovely dubby 60s sound.

You can pick these up for about £40 shipped from the USA on eBay.

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[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='32134' date='Jul 15 2007, 06:10 PM']I lurve bass slolos.
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Awww, come on Nik, play the game mate.
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[quote name='bass_ferret' post='31675' date='Jul 14 2007, 09:40 AM']Most people are left or right handed. I guess the acid test is which hand do you masturbate with?[/quote]


Right now, I really can't think of anything quite sharp enough as a reply to this question. I've been married over twenty years you know.

Much love
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I lurve bass slolos.
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This is mine:


I'm waiting for a tortoiseshell scratchplate to come from the US (and it's taking a while) as mine shipped without one.

The US retail is c.$1,400 and you'd have to factor in shipping and import duties on top of that. I run this through a POD with a little bit of distortion then through the POD's lo-cut filter which lets the octaves ring and most of the regular bass string signal through. One note: it suffers horribly from neck-dive, but a decent leather strap (with an untreated underside) helped.

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Forget Dean and buy a Waterstone Tom Petersson 12-string. I was going to sell mine on a couple of months ago, but it's kind of gotten a new lease of life in the last few weeks. It's a great bass and yards better than those Dean models. Yards I tell you!

[url="http://www.waterstoneguitars.com"]www.waterstoneguitars.com[/url]

Cheers
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[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='31871' date='Jul 14 2007, 06:43 PM']Now this might be all wrong but...

In the late 70s one of the guitarists I played with had a WEM/Watkins/Wilson? guitar...I think it was called a Rapier. He bought it in kit form from WEM in Chertsey, Surrey, and assembled it himself. I'd always thought that that was from where Watkins operated from, they always had loads of WEM stuff there and you could buy spares, valves, speaker grills, cloth etc. from there. Perhaps someone can confirm or deny whether they operated out of Chertsey...it would be nice to know a little more.

Coincidentally, several of the older guys in our musical circle back then had WEM amps as well; I used to borrow a Dominator model ffrom one of them and he used to have a really nice white Watkins bass (a solid body, in a Les Paul style).

Cheers
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Just followed the link from above and read through the history...Caxton House in Chertsey. That was the place! My dad used to get his fishing bait just over the road from there, that's the only reason I knoew about the place. Fantastic!
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Now this might be all wrong but...

In the late 70s one of the guitarists I played with had a WEM/Watkins/Wilson? guitar...I think it was called a Rapier. He bought it in kit form from WEM in Chertsey, Surrey, and assembled it himself. I'd always thought that that was from where Watkins operated from, they always had loads of WEM stuff there and you could buy spares, valves, speaker grills, cloth etc. from there. Perhaps someone can confirm or deny whether they operated out of Chertsey...it would be nice to know a little more.

Coincidentally, several of the older guys in our musical circle back then had WEM amps as well; I used to borrow a Dominator model from one of them and he used to have a really nice white Watkins bass (a solid body, in a Les Paul style*).

Cheers
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EDIT
*There's one of these on the Basses link from higher up this thread. It was a Wilson Type-W.

I don't want to be a fly in the ointment here...I mean, they look nice enough, some of the pickup configurations look interesting, but a quick glance at the price list (plus the option of a preamp for 200 additional euros) made my heart sink somewhat.

Q. Why aren't people just getting a little tired of paying vintage prices for what are essentially a bunch of Fender copies?

Sure, if they want to offer me an endorsement, I'll take a JMBass Custom 4-string, natural finish, with an additional MM pickup in the neck position too. No, make that a 5 string. I am on the cover of Bass Player after all. I deserve something free after all these years playing!!

Much love
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Here's another (oh, I've got a ton of 'em).

I played in a punk covers band when I was about sixteen and supported a band at a college Valentine Day disco. The main act had a drum riser about four or five feet high, which had this huge kit on it, that our drummer used.

Primed with cheap cider, we're pogoing our way through our set, dodging the phlegm and plastic glasses, when someone in the crowd throws a Party-Seven up towards the stage (for you youngsters, a party seven was a big can of beer that held seven pints). On it's way up, the can is spinning like a catherine wheel and the contents are squirting out...I arch my back, it misses my face by inches although I am wetted from the contents (sadly not beer, but wee-wee). It continues on its journey, before hitting our drummer full in the chest, knocking him off the drum riser mid-song. We were just falling about and in an instant that single event becomes local folklore.

That drummer was Dick Beetham, who now owns 360 Mastering in London. Go check your CDs!

Much love
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