BetaFunk

19 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

I remember Carvin were always in Bass Player magazine back in the 90s, but they always seemed like a US brand - I never saw them over here. 

 

 

 

I seem to remember that ABC Music who had a few shops at the time were UK agents/importers for Carvin in the late 80s early 90s and you could choose and order what spec guitar or bass you wanted through them. 

22 minutes ago, NikNik said:

Never seen one of these before, possibly moddled after the Dan Armstrong bass with sliding pickup.  Shame about the tuner bodge. And what are those six holes in a seemingly symmetrical shape?

That's interesting. They did have a siding/moveable pick-up but it looks really odd with those replacement tuners as the originals were the much smaller guitar type tuners that many short scale basses of that era used. 

7 hours ago, Obrienp said:

Heads up all: I was doing some research on current prices with a view to putting my Vox Starstream 1 H up for sale (don’t want to but got to shift a bass or two); Guitar Guitar are doing an offer on both the 1 H and 2 S models today: £199!!

Thanks for the heads up. They seem like a bargain for that!

On 19/03/2023 at 10:04, alex.d said:

I’ve just acquired an 8 string bass guitar, it says Atrics on the head stock but it’s a name I’ve never heard of and can’t seem to find any references to one on the net. I’m assuming that this was a budget line by another maker. Has anyone heard of  the make  and can anyone enlighten me as to the makes origins.

many thanks

I remember seeing many cheap Atrics basses on eBay around 2005ish. They seemed to be anything from 4 and 5 strings to Hofner type Beatle bases. 

29 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

That's the finish mine had:

 

Ah yes that's the one. I rather like that!

It went for £130

1 hour ago, EMG456 said:

This thread has sent me down a rabbit hole of Ornette Coleman/ Chris Walker/ Al Jarreau so thanks for that.

 

Watching the original video again I just noticed that Chris Walkers XL2 also has a TransTrem fitted- close up at 11:10.  

Yes Chris Walker has had an interesting career. I'm admin on a couple of Ornette Coleman Facebook pages so try and keep up with anything and everything Ornette related. I'm in contact with Jamaaladeen Tacuma and a few other ex-Ornette sidemen. 

Thanks for the info on Chris Walker's XL2. 

7 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Not in the slightest bit collectable. They were being sold off in vast quantities for bargain-basement prices when I bought mine for under £100. Mine was a nice enough bass (for a 4-string) but nothing special apart from the finish. Worth about £100 tops IMO - the one in the OP less because it's not as interesting looking.

Yes I remember when they were selling them off cheap and some being bright yellow blending into bright red then black. I've seen a few for sale since and they seem to now go for around £200-£300.

14 hours ago, EMG456 said:

Yes it’s an XM2 but also quite a rarity as it’s got the TransTrem bridge. You can see the whammy bar clearly around 22:30. So that made it officially an XM2T. 

Thanks I didn't notice the whammy bar. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234916609734?hash=item36b21efec6:g:8sgAAOSwvqJj~0h-&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAkGPu2g8VkkKuDtNNqAA90fs014VoaDcVOR%2FG8lBD9om3ER3AyAM0EiCR0b%2BL0l6gfgGpUOFVGcFipRhZOaPhmLwDKV1qlCXKCXUHr8owFu%2Fv4Hh%2FLcghNISq2Z6OjgjmXGEZmmMedyhiWYMd4Syk50zxB1YOBk3csnnQQ%2F1tDGKhdy9kAFzAzJ5qYXvn8AHfew%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8TgycbUYQ

32 minutes ago, itu said:

I think Tacuma used Steinberger (L-2?) already with Cosmetics.

 

The white one is clearly a Steinberger: shape, three knobs in a row (EMG electronics, maybe the tilt eq), name in the body. Model is probably from early 90's.

Thanks. Yes Jamaaladeeen Tacuma had left PrimeTime by the time of this gig. The guy playing the Steinberger L2 is Chris Walker. 

A footnote to that is that Jamaaladeen's original Black Steinberger L2 had a later replacement white face and was stolen in NYC in 2018. 

9 minutes ago, Mikey D said:

Jamaladeen Tacuma on left and I think Al MacDowell on right. 

 

Another video of him with bass later on:

 

Ah thanks! So it's a Steinberger XM-2?

Yes Al MacDowell on the right but Chris Walker on the left. 

Chris Walker is listed as a Steinberger artist on their website so he's been a Steinberger player for a long time. 

11 minutes ago, Paul S said:

Both Steinbergers?

Thanks. In a clip at 20.08 there is what could be Steinberger printed on the body like their models had. 

The Bass on the right on the segment that starts at 5.15

There is a close-up at 20.40

1 hour ago, daveybass said:

Thank you  - a fellow Liverpudlian as well I believe

Yes he was and as kid the first person I ever saw play a Precision on TV which in black and white looked white . It took me another 20+ before I realised  it was Sonic Blue!

Wow that's lovely! A Sonic Blue Precision for me always evokes memories of the great Johnny Gustafson.

GLWTS

Lovely bass and whenever I see a Precision in that colour I can only ever think of one of my 60s Bass heroes the great Johnny Gustafson. 

GLWTS

8 hours ago, scrumpymike said:

 

£400 was a steal! At that price, you can afford to ask Andy to re-body it for you 😉 The Rascal neck is the best I've ever played.

Thanks I really appreciate the info and GLWTS as that is really a lovely Bass. 

7 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

 

Aesthetically it's a bit Marmite-y but I didn't actually mind that. Just couldn't get on with the poor ergonomics, all down to fact that the bridge was so far from the bottom strap button. This added bulk/weight and shifted the fretboard further away from the player thereby negating two of the key s-s benefits. It also placed the bridge right underneath the fingers of the plucking hand.

 

The pic shows the original body below the bass Andy made using all the other Rascal parts. I asked him to re-body it a-la Precision Lyte and I think it works really well. - as does the re-shaped original body Andy used for the black bass.

 

IMHO these are the Rascals that Fender SHOULD have made rather than taking the quirky 'form over function' route.

 

Ah right yes I get what you mean. The Rascal I have I bought a few years ago after they were discontinued when walking into a shop just for a look and seeing it hanging there in mint condition for 400 quid which I thought was steal so couldn't resist it. Although I really like it it is a case of it probably being better looking than it is functional. 

11 hours ago, scrumpymike said:

 

The Fender Rascal was a great bass spoilt by a stupidly-shaped body.

In what way is it stupidly shaped?

50 minutes ago, reggieboomboom said:

Is he still making basses? He doesn't have much of an online presence.

Yes I think so as he put a couple of videos up on his YouTube channel last year. I agree though that he doesn't have much if any presence online. He did though always sell a lot of 6,7, 8 and 10 string basses all around the world rather than just the UK. 

1 hour ago, also played on said:

Thank you. His work is new to me but he is obviously an experienced player and that really shows in the little details in his designs, the pure ease of the neck playability, the upper access, the balance and his attention to the build quality...I'm talking myself into keeping this....

Yes certainly knows his stuff and is a really nice guy. I got to know Mark when I lived near him in London and bought a Fretless and a Piccolo bass from him which I still have. 

I really like RMI basses and I still own 2 of them. Mark Ramsay designs great basses and this one is a bargain so GLWTS

On 08/01/2023 at 19:58, castlemaine22 said:

Hi all, I'm reluctantly moving on my Nordstrand Acinonyx, as it's not getting enough live use to justify keeping and I need to free up some funds.

 

These are fantastic basses, very lightweight with good balance, and a versatile and punchy sound. This example is in excellent condition, with no knocks or dings worth mentioning. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was just about to order a new Red one so I'm going to have a think about this. 

17 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

A Jim Deacon shortscale precision.

 

Upgraded with hipshot ultralights and an Aguilar AG4P pickup.

Thanks it looks really good and especially with those mods.  I'll have to look out for one.