three

I haven't used the Fodera strings but use the Pure Blues and find them to be excellent on long-scales.  Very nice feel under the fingers, fairly bright, and compliant 

My favourite J and my favourite pre!  A seller of exquisite taste.  This looks and sounds absolutely stunning

Gorgeous amp and crazy price but more importantly, I'm sorry to hear about the dog and the bills.  I hope the former is recovering quickly

Viv seems to use a few different types of tuners, so some of this depends on what's on your bass.  I find that Viv is very responsive so maybe a quick message to him would help to clarify what's available or possible workarounds?  

On 09/04/2024 at 11:27, ezbass said:

Did anyone here pick up that Wilcock Mullarkey that was for sale?

I didn't but I'd have been horribly tempted if I'd seen it in time - and it was just up the road.  All the Wilcocks I've played have been superb in every respect.  It's not difficult to understand why they're so sought-after

Utterly glorious! Really enjoyed the video - fab tones and some stomping riffage. ‘70s gear was much cooler than the stuff we have today (IMO). Weirdly (!?) it didn’t feel that heavy back then. I remember Stak with great fondness and lovely to see one here

21 hours ago, Man.about.Tyne said:

Sadly at the opposite end of the price spectrum…

 

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/thomastik-infeld-jf324h-jazz-flatwound-hofner-bass-strings-43-96

 

Get these Hofner-specific version JF324H rather than the regular medium scale, JF324 set because…

 

1. The winding taper is thinner and more suited to wrapping around tiny winding posts (and getting through the 2mm holes) found on those 60s bases.

 

2. The “H” set have a 96 gauge E string where the regular set has a 106.  I’ve not tried the regular set myself but lots of folk complain that it’s horribly unbalanced with the other strings.  I have tried the 96 set and they’re great.

 

I was going to suggest JF324 strings but the 324H sounds like a much better idea given the capstan dimensions.  I have a set of JF324s in a drawer but never use flats - about time I moved them on!

Lovely video - thanks! I went through an extended period of experimenting with Fender-type basses and owned a few Celinders (some of which Andy above probably played - and with far greater skill than me). All were superb, though some have their idiosyncracies. Beyond tone, one of the remarkable aspects of Christian’s bases is their ergonomics. I don’t know how he did it (does it?) but the basses I owned had a kind of ‘wrap around’ feel and were immensely comfortable to play. I have a feeling that I owned the jazz in the video - I’ll drop a pm

Tasteful and classy - a sympathetic complement to the bass

These are superb basses.  I haven't played a 51 but I'm sure they're as beautifully built as all of Viv's instruments.  I'm really looking forward to images - does yours have the body binding (as with the bass with gold hardware in the Gallery images)?  If so, one of my favourite Wilcocks!

I agree with Andy here, lovely and my favourite of all of Fender's Precision output - I've had one in each colour apart from Walnut (and two in CAR I think) and each has been CS quality.  A bit heavy but reflected in the tone and these are generally basses that can be set-up with an incredibly low action  

On 13/03/2024 at 22:52, AndyTravis said:

In fact…the last time I played one of these…this was my face

 

(thanks @binkybongo)

I remember this day with great fondness!  We need to get out again when/if the sun shines again in Manchester

Just now, Frank Blank said:

The short scale I felt comfortable with instantly was the Nordstrand Acinonyx. Out of all the basses of any scale I've ever played it was, by a country mile, the easiest to play and most comfortable bass I've ever owned. If you get the opportunity to try one then do, incredible instruments.

I've not yet had the pleasure but need to seek out an Acinonyx - I read nothing but very good things!

I'm sure that there will be many different perspectives here.  For context, I learned to play on a borrowed late '60s Mustang many decades ago, then played long-scales exclusively for three decades, moved to a combination of short and long-scales about 15 years ago, and have gradually drifted to short-scale almost exclusively.  Age, reach and back pain have influenced the decision.  Whilst short-scale basses can be heavy (I have two very heavy shorties), overall I they tend to be a lighter.  On the questions:

1. In my case, a very long time indeed.  However, I played both for an extended period (and still use a couple of headless 34" scale basses).  I didn't really notice the transition or any problems.  With fairly regular use, I wouldn't have thought that the shift would take longer than a couple of weeks (though it depends on the individual, of course, and possibly the bass?)

2. There is a vast range of shorties available - more seem to pop-up every month.  Some of the more vintage shapes do seem to feature a bit of compression in the body - the shorter top horn can affect balance.  However, many designs balance beautifully in my experience.  I have a Wilcock and that is possibly to most beautifully balanced bass I've played - it's genuinely remarkable.  The same is true with Spector shorties (the balance is much better than long-scale Spectors for me).  So, it's worth shopping around and consideration of where the strap pin sits with respect to the 12th fret - a massive generalisation but a useful rule of thumb.  It's also worth thinking about the placement of the bridge (back-end of the body?)

3. You also mention tone/sound - there's a perception that short-scales tend to be a bit thumpy/dull.  I think this it true of some models, but others are very different and some can be extremely bright and pokey.  I have a Spector that is capable of sounding very bright and alive.  Alembics are weird full stop, and the shorties, whilst they are capable of the characteristic piano tone, sound more like an upright than a grand piano to me.  That said, an enormous range of tones is possible with the filter electronics.  The small-bodied shorties are a nightmare on a strap - again, bridge and strap pin placement.

So in sum, probably worth taking a really good look around and trying a wide range of shorties - the variety in balance, tone, weight etc. is enormous, and I'm sure that there's something in the mix to which you could adapt fairly readily 

DR High Beams or Jim Dunlop Nickels might work - both available in short 45-105.  If you're feeling flush, you could try TI Rounds - fairly light and very compliant but sound more like flats than rounds to me.  I've just removed a set as they weren't sufficiently bright for my needs.  

I can appreciate the view on Newtone - I use very light SS hexagonal core shorts (30-90) and they're very bright, though that's what I was looking for 

8 hours ago, johnbiffa said:

Still available ? DM sent 😎

Thanks and yes - thanks too for the DM, I've responded

31 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

That quite some control panels. 

 

But yes, they are beautiful instruments.

 

Personally I would love a Stanley Clarke signature short scale, if only I could ever get me any hopes of having that kind of money to spare.

 

The SCs are gorgeous basses in my opinion - less complicated in terms of operation and on-the-fly adjustment, but playability (when they're well set-up) is sublime.  This is a little closer (in a storage unit!)

On 06/03/2024 at 14:27, Baloney Balderdash said:

Large quantities of LSD?

The heady perfume of exotic wood shavings.  I miss these - currently out of reach.  Certainly not to everybody's taste but to me, Alembic build a lovely instrument

According to my tech, the most incredibly over engineered amp he’s ever seen. Certainly not the lightest and a tone all of its own. I’ve had a few of these and I’m just selling a stereo 250. Pretty unique

Fabulous basses and the upgrades are a real bonus. The tonal options are brilliant and I miss mine. That nut looks like a superb bit of work

I’ve just gone down from 40-95 to 30-90 on shorties (and two of the last long scales) with an extremely low action. Unusual I know, but I play with a very light touch (and my usual comedy technique)

That bass sort of rings a bell.  It looks like the bass player on the original track was Larry Klein but I'm pretty sure that's not him on the TOTP appearance.  I'll be interested to know if somebody can identify the instrument - from what I can see, I like the look of it

There are some superb instruments on here at present at very reasonable prices.  However, this has got to be one of BC's biggest bargains.  An absolutely stunning luthier/custom instrument for a bargain bin price 

@funkle Thanks very much indeed for an extremely enjoyable thread - it's great to see somebody with a refined vision and the energy, persistence and ingenuity to follow it through.  In this case, the vision was followed-through to a very positive conclusion in my view.  The Wal mystique/mytery has been well and truly nailed from what I can hear.  Indeed, the comparisons are excellent and the Walish sounds more Wal than the Wal.  I know that sounds ridiculous, but to me, the Walish sounds slightly thicker and sweeter than the Wal in some modes, and it's that thickness and sweetness that I find most attractive about the Wal electronics/overall recipe.  This sort of makes it more possible to achieve Wal-like tones without the compromises (to me) of having a Wal bass - I've had a few, and those compromises undermined the tonal goal.  My aim/daydream now is to try this with a short-scale bass.  Of course, a big compromise in itself and a short-scale is unlikely to sound exactly like a Wal, though I hope to be able to get close.  Thank you again, a tour de force 

sounds great to me - a really punchy P sound (as you'd hope).  The light weight makes this really attractive too.  Looks like a bit of a bargain and good luck in finding a J type that suits your needs