xilddx

Technically no, in practice mostly yes. Anyone trying to make bass a lead instrument is, in my book, pretty deluded. It's just not an interesting sound, at least nowhere near as interesting as a saxophone, a guitar, or a piano. For me, the real glory of the great bass player is in rhythm and harmonisation. A bassist can make a vocal, horn or guitar melody sound immense in a way no other instrument is capable of, except perhaps a piano. The problem lies in bassists with great technical facility and theoretical knowledge, coupled with a personality that requires them to demonstrate that facility. They normally replace another more suited instrument in an ensemble to play established complex jazz music, write music they feel is suitable for solo bass, or learn cello pieces and put them on youtube. In almost all cases it fails to stimulate on anything other than a technical level, and only other people who like technical facility seem to appreciate it. Even I am guilty of enjoying some of it, (but never Alain Caron ), but I am a bassist so of course I am going to. But I recognise it is simply novelty, a circus act. The truly great bassists are the ones with great technical facility and theoretical knowledge who make composers' music sound richer and more musical, and excite the composer and the audience, even if it's subliminally. That is challenge enough for most musicians. I really believe a bassist has to know his place and purpose, otherwise learn the guitar or the trumpet for god's sake. EDIT: I'm assuming in a multi-bass scenario, one of them will be a lead instrument.

No PG in the post today I think Jon posted it Thursday. Hope it turns up on Monday otherwise worry will set in.

[quote name='Doctor J' post='997751' date='Oct 23 2010, 05:37 AM']I would say ebony, going on how it relects light, the last pic especially. The b&w pic too, the way the moisture is sitting on the fretboard also leads me to believe it's ebony.[/quote] What I was thinking too. I can't help wondering why the OP gives a sh*t what it's made of though

That's very sad indeed. I heard Ari Up died yesterday too.

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='997435' date='Oct 22 2010, 07:06 PM']Functional design= Steinberger XL2A We then had to wait nearly 30 years for an alternative/better attempt in the form of the [b]Status Streamline[/b]. Compact, lightweight, no balance issues and full-on tone/sound/playablility. And you can get LEDs, AND use your old strap, and get colours other than black... You get the idea![/quote] Bang on. I so nearly bought a Streamline, got my Warwick Vette $$ instead. That Klein above is utterly delicious! I WANT!! I have never seen a picture of the Klein bass before, imagine it in white! I can see another self-build coming on

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='997204' date='Oct 22 2010, 03:41 PM']UPDATED LIST: Looking good, very good... 01. Silverfoxnik: Roscoe Beck V, BC Rich Eagle, Yamaha TRB5 with Norstrand p/ups and Auderre pre, Eden Metro Rig, and a Peavey MKIV head and SWR Triad for the Jamming Room (unless anyone has something else we can use that's better?) 02. Merton: Status Retroactive J, Eden WT550 and Barefaced Vintage, & multiscale 5er 03. Silddx: POD X3 LIVE, Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster (for the Jam Room), Chris Squire Electra Tribute self build. 04. Hamster: 05. WalMan: Wal Custom, pair of G&L L2500s, Markbass Combo, Epifani Cab, Marshall Superbass 100, Bass Pod Pro xt 06. Jakesbass: 07. Happy Jack: Kit: PJB Bass Buddy, Rolls PM1, ‘Mystery Guest’ + 3 sets of headphones. Basses: The people will decide. 08. Ped: Vigier Passion II with Marleaux and Roland GK electronics, Roland Vbass unit, 1u 800w digital poweramp, SWR 4x8 and 1x15 09. 51m0n: Bergantino AE410, Markbass SA450, Roscoe CS 5, Pedal board with various bits of lovely goodness, Bergantino HT210 and HT115, Ibby BTB470 10. obbm: Godin A5 fretless, Shuker PJ5, PJB Cub, PJB-D200, Lakland PJ Duck Dunn, TecAmp Pleasure Board and Sony headphones 11. jhk 12. Stingray5: Musicman, Tune, Fender, Westone basses; Trace Elliot GP12SMX combo + 2x10/2x5, Boss GT6-B 13. Beedster: Mesa 1516, 2 sunburst Fenders 14. Andy 15. sockdeluxe_mikey: lakland 44-01, Markbass SA450, EBS 112 Neo: 16. Clarky: stealth black Alembic Spoiler, TC 450 and RS112 cab or Markbass CMD121P combo 17. Bottle: Precision special, EBS cabs (yep, both the 4x10 and 1x15), maybe a couple of 1x12's, and my GK MB500 head 18. Truckstop 19. Bloodaxe 20. Waynepunkdude: SX Bass 21. Barneyg42 22. essexbasscat 23. Stylon Pilson 24. Kraken 25. Alien 26. Bassmanady: Yamaha TRB5P 27. Clauster 28. Paul S: Trace Elliot AH300-12 + 2103H 29. Cetera: Spector basses, Wal bass, Sansamp RBI/RPM rig, Genz 212 30. Mikey R: Shuker P, multiscale 5er 31. TomKent: Eden Nemesis 250 Combo, Fretless P-Bass and my J-Bass 32. Urb 33. charic: line6 studio 110 34. Alex Claber: Barefaced cabs, RIM bass 35. walbassist: PJB M-300 and a 6B cab, plus my Veillette basses. 36. sean: Yamaha BB2024x, Yamaha BB2025, Spector NS5-XL, Mesa Walkabout Scout 12" combo, Mesa Carbine M6, 2 x Bergantino AE210, Assorted FX 37. thestick: various basses 38. Plux_the_Duck: see 51m0n list above 39. MacDaddy: custom Shuker and possibly my Hamer Blitz or Iceni Zoot. 40. johnnylager: Pimp Euro 5, a Jap P, the LH / Big Juan rig and the DHA thing. And a couple of cans of lager. 41. simon1964: '64 P and the Shuker 42. Tait: Taitycaster, Mark Hoppus Jazz, and maybe the Ibanez SR500 43. Sibob: 1973 Jazz, 2003 US Jazz, Orange Terror, Ashdown EVOII500, Ashdown mini 4x8 cab 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.[/quote] Updated a bit more with my gear.

What a load of absolute crap. Especially the bit about people with injuries or back strain acquiring some relief. It's all bullshit and he's waffling, trying desperately to justify his monstrosity. That instrument is the John Merrick of the bass world, but without dear John's personality. The fact he thinks it's a "cool look but a functional design" demonstrates he shouldn't be allowed even to design his own f***ing breakfast. It's a disgusting piece of "design" and god help his investors, if he has any. Poor sod. [i]Edited for needless profanity.[/i]

[quote name='poptart' post='997356' date='Oct 22 2010, 06:00 PM']Hi guys - wow you lot are on fire!!! ;-) Actually - I am not convinced it is Alder, it could be ash, it is really hard to tell. I am taking it to my tech next week to confirm. ( You can check easier by taking the neck off but I am reluctant to do this) Mark PS - It is definitely not cheese![/quote] It's definitely more likely to be ash, but it's not a nicely figured piece of ash if it is. However, alder has relatively little figure and Fender rarely used it on sunbursts for that reason.

I couldn't care less about his transcriptions. It's his [i]prescriptions [/i]I want

[quote name='Twigman' post='997102' date='Oct 22 2010, 02:31 PM']it looks a little too brown to be ebony...it is very dark though so maybe it's Brazilian as opposed to Indian rosewood?[/quote] Ebony is brown dude, they stain it black. I actually think it could be ebony as the grain is incredibly close, but the pictures are crap so I may be wrong. Either that or it is very old high quality Brazilian rosewood. I instantly thought of Janek Gwizdala's Fodera fretboard when I saw it and that's ebony I believe.

[quote name='Jigster' post='997189' date='Oct 22 2010, 03:31 PM']HORMONES [/quote] Nah, hot flushes

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='996454' date='Oct 21 2010, 10:11 PM']No pickguard yet?![/quote] I reckon I will have it on Saturday morning. Jon emailed me last night to say it's in the post.

[quote name='Beedster' post='996852' date='Oct 22 2010, 11:18 AM']What a wonderful thread, illustrating the sheer diversity of BC. From the corporate ownership of a large multi-national organisation through to the effects of gravitational fields on mass, and via brief diversions into the benefits of gym-based resistance training, the oxidation of metals, and the complete lack of logic underlying human beliefs, this thread really has it all Stacker, you are indeed a brave man taking on Michael's knowledge and experience of early '70s Fenders! C[/quote] I just read this thread, and boy, it's a funny one! So much conjecture, dodgy editing, people getting pissed off, all woods are the same weight ( f***ing hilarious that one!), "looks like ash, no it's alder", people who can't tell the difference between CBS and Pre-CBS and Post-CBS even when it's written in front of them .. the list goes on! The fact is, being a Fender, none of the above means sh*t, until you have plugged it in and played it a few times. I often think people who buy old Fenders are [b]owned by the bass[/b], not the other way around.

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='996716' date='Oct 22 2010, 09:26 AM']Thanks; that just about sums up my view on it..[/quote] Me too.

I can donate for the raffle one unused rattle can of Tonetech Luthier Supplies Clear Gloss Pre Cat Nitro lacquer, and a mint hardback copy of The Album Cover Album, edited by the great Storm Thorgerson and Roger Dean. Hope that's not too weird or anything!

One mans meat is every other man's badly designed mess.

[quote name='Chris2112' post='992819' date='Oct 18 2010, 09:49 PM']Remember around the early years of this millenium when Warwicks were huge? Adverts in every magazine and everyone wanted them, everyone who had them raved incessantly about them! And I don't just think it was nu metal doing that![/quote] I think I remember lusting after one before I was even a bassist. I seem to remember it was as a result of an interview on TV with Jack Bruce and he had his Thumb. Warwicks seemed so sexy and exclusive. Maybe they advertise TOO much and take away the mystique.

[quote name='Paul S' post='995023' date='Oct 20 2010, 04:30 PM']How loud? I have a Fender G Dec 30 I could sling in the car. And, Alex, did you want to use my Trace Elliot rig to do the tone/eq demo? (then I can try to remember what you did on it...)[/quote] Mate, that would be great! It's just so I can provide a bit of harmony for the bassists to jam to in the Jam Room. I'm sure 30w will be heard over a drummer. Thank you, Paul! White or red?

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='995588' date='Oct 21 2010, 09:20 AM']Accept this is one of the risks of trading internationally and complete the sale in good faith with a minimum of complication?[/quote] Bang on.

I need to find something for the raffle. [b]I'm still looking for some form of guitar amplification or Mackie SRM - Can anyone help?[/b] I will bring the Chris Squire bass I've nearly finished, and a Squire CV Strat, and my POD X3 LIVE

[quote name='clauster' post='994610' date='Oct 20 2010, 11:47 AM']If it's a definite keeper, I'd go for Warmoth - pricey but top quality.[/quote] [size=7][b]VERY [/b][/size]pricey - it's a piece of piss to spend a grand at Warmoth for a neck and body. I think Mighty Mite are perfectly good and much cheaper. I would spend the money on the neck. As long as the body was a decent piece of well shaped and correctly sized wood, I wouldn't care about expensive timber.

Nearly there. Body is finished. I did a decent job but there are imperfections. It got to the point where I realised life is too damn short to be pissing about with Milliput and sanding blocks every day. Anyway, it looks fabulous from a few feet away. Jon is posting the pickguard tomorrow so hopefully I'll be able to fit the John East pre to it and this bass will be fully playable this coming weekend. So pics and sound clips should be up here on Saturday

[quote name='skej21' post='991598' date='Oct 17 2010, 08:56 PM']Musicals What do people think? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Have a favourite? Playing in the pit for one? I've found myself taking jobs in the pit for quite a few musical productions (good and bad!) recently including Hairspray, Lion King, We Will Rock You and Dreamgirls, and I'm having loads of fun with them, despite thinking they weren't "my kinda thing" musically before I started. Just wondering what the overall opinion of the mighty bass community is regarding musicals?[/quote] Detest them. I find them hideously embarrassing to watch. I probably have some sort of self-loathing issue that makes me feel this way.

German?

[quote name='TransistorBassMan' post='984351' date='Oct 11 2010, 12:55 PM']Thanks for coming down Nigel, glad you both enjoyed it. I'll pass on your comments to the Dead Heaven guys. BTW - It's a Precision Lyte [/quote] Thanks mate, was a cracking night! Ahh, a Lyte. thanks. Why do they call it Lyte with an extra pickup and controls? Typical Fender