JohnnyLightyear

Thanks guys, pretty sound advice all round. Think I'll have to get myself down to the gallery again have a try out myself. Does anyone know somewhere round london way that stocks Bacchus so I can confirm all the excellent reviews?

Hi, is this bad boy still on the shelf?

Is this little guy still available? If so at what price?

Are you interested in an outright sale?

Thanks for the advice. So are Laklands generally passive then and if so do they have space for a preamp to be installed? Those Sadowsky external preamps do look good but generally speaking the less gear to cart about the better!

I'm interested (at some point) in picking up a 5 string jazz bass and was considering a Fender but I have heard some negative opinions about them, particularly with the B string. I know the Gallery don't rate them and so don't stock them, and from what I can tell they seem to ship fairly cheaply on the sale page. Of course this will provoke some debate, and I realise the best way to find out what they're like is to have a play myself, but I would be interested to hear what people think.

Otherwise there are Laklands, which I'm also not very familiar with either, and of course Sadowsky's which I have tried are the business. Also I would prefer an active bass, so can anyone recommend which Fender 5s have a decent pre amp in them?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[quote name='Golchen' post='270969' date='Aug 27 2008, 01:28 PM']It's a great looking bass, just the sort of thing I love, but that is SERIOUS money!!!

I think that it's pretty hard finding a buyer for 2nd hand gear once you get the wrong side of about £1200.[/quote]

I must admit I think my reluctance to sell is reflected in my pricing of this badboy... Perhaps it is serious money, but for a serious bass which is in mint mint condition. Happy to accept offers though!

Due to a recent glut of these wonderful guitars flooding the market on the cheap (there are some lucky basschaters out there!) and the state of the market more generally I've lowered the price to £1950.

Go on, make me an offer and join the Spector family!

Back at work bump

Holiday beach bump

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='254794' date='Aug 4 2008, 07:27 PM']see in edinburgh there uset to be a jazz fun night called fleamarket funk which played similar music but was all about dancing. bassment is a bit different!


oh and if i remeber rightly its good beer too[/quote]

Hmmm I remember Fleamarket Funk from my student days in Edinburgh- was it in cabaret voltaire?

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='254732' date='Aug 4 2008, 05:59 PM']hahaha i moved away when i was 18 to go to uni but im chelmsford through and through.

Since they shut the Army and Navy and them gigs this was the only decent night out. (bitterscene was sometimes good if thats still going)
outstanding, there was a group of us from school who went ever now and then (boswells before you ask) "better than sex" as Brian in the year above put it.

The only down side is this amazing jazz funk that everybody sits and watches in a chin stroking type way. WHat? Musics fae dancing too![/quote]


hahahahaha imagine the dancing to one of guthrie's face melters!!!

PM'd

Sunday bump

[quote name='Phil Mann' post='251785' date='Jul 31 2008, 12:37 AM']Good luck with the sale, it's lovely bass to play and own, if someone could come forward and take it off your hands.

Phil[/quote]


Cheers Phil,

I meant to post the Thomann link in the original post, [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/spector_ns5xl_maple_walnut.htm"]here[/url] it is.

Also, would possibly be interested in a part ex for a lakland jazz 5

[quote name='Stockholm Syndrome' post='250226' date='Jul 29 2008, 10:04 AM']Which preamp is in the bass? HazLab or Spector TonePump?[/quote]

Its a Tone Pump under the bonnet.

Thanks for the comments, nice turn of phrase Nick, she is a bass for life alright- shame it looks like it probably won't be my life if the right person comes along. I'm sure there is a pun involving bass guitar monogamy and looking like mahogany which could be thrown in...

I'd sooner sell my soul but I can't find it at the moment, so instead I'm forced to sell my one true love...

She's a mint condition 5 string Spector NS5XL, made 2003 in Woodstock NY, walnut with oil stain finish and the classic block pearl inlays, neck thru, active EMG-40DC 18v pickups, gold hardware. I won't try and say too much about it, those who know Spector know just how good these basses are. It sounds great, the tone is very full, very versatile with that renowned Spector bite to it, and the set up is the best I've ever had from a bass- it very nearly plays itself! The only slight fault is the rubber surrounding the input socket has perished slightly, which you can see below.


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My reason for selling is that I need to release some funds. I bought her three years ago to play studio sessions with, and have done just that. I have never taken her out gigging as I've never felt entirely comfortable doing so- I often have to rely on lifts being a car-less bass player, and taking this much bass on public transport has never appealed. The trouble is I mainly do live gigs rather than studio work these days so she is just not seeing enough daylight for me to justify keeping her given my financial situation.

I'm looking for £[s]2.1k[/s] [s]£1950[/s] [s]£1750[/s] a firm £1600. To buy one of these new is a bit tricky but Thomann are selling them for £3,310, and as she is in as new condition I think this is reasonable, although I am open to offers. I think really the only trade I would be interested in would be some sort of an exchange deal with a Jazz 5 string, although I may be tempted otherwise, so do your worst.

Viewings are welcome- I'm now based in Stepney Green, east London, but the bass is currently at the Gallery.

Cheers, Johnny.

I'm not sure if I should be telling you this but...

... there is a little corner of Chelmsford that is home to one of the best live music nights you will find anywhere. ANYWHERE!

The band is called The Fellowship, and the gig is every, or at least most, Thursdays at the Bassment in Chelmsford. They play a couple of hours of jazz/funk/fusion, which normally includes the tunes from the likes of Joshua Redman, Mike Stearn, Chick Corea, as well as their own original material, however they'll throw in all manner of styles and quotes. As far as I can tell its been the same line up for years. A collection of top players who are based in the area and are playing for the love of the night. The standard line up is Zak Barret on Sax, Guthrie Govan on guitar, Pete Riley on drums, Seth Govan on bass and a keyboard player whose name tragically I can't find (sorry, but its always the keyboard player who gets short changed!).

What is staggering is the level of musicianship across the band, and the communication and togetherness with which they play. Granted they have been at it for years and much of the material they play is well known to them, however, at all times the performances are complex, dynamic, exciting, frightening and above all stimulating. The partnership between Guthrie and Zak is boardering on telepathic, such is the interplay and level of trading which takes place, and Riley on drums is ridiculously good. Guthrie was described as the scariest guitarist alive today in one review I read. Anyone interested in shred in general should check him out [url="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfmfuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=102145560"]here[/url] if they haven't already. He gets wicked reviews from Satriani, Dweezil Zappa, Ron Thal, Richie Kotzen etc. He simply has total freedom on the instrument, which one cannot say about too many players at gigs of this astounding intimacy. The venue is small and sound enormous, the beer is cheap and the music unbelievable. It should be compulsory for musicians within 100 miles to see these guys play at some point, and yet it seems to be only local Chelmsford regulars who turn up.

Anyone who has been to the gig I'm sure will recognise my enthusiasm, anyone who hasn't been should go!

"reluctant feeler"! Ha ha!

I have one of these amps and its brilliant if you want a lively, punchy tone plus compression thrown in, all in a compact package.

Have a free bump on me!

Man, you must really need a holiday!!! Gorgeous bass!!!

[quote name='CPF' post='234898' date='Jul 8 2008, 12:34 PM']You can't really go wrong with trace elliot in my opinion. played a few and my mate's band have one, i've been nothing but impressed. good name for quality, hard as a bad of nails too.[/quote]


Hello, I have played combos for years due to lack of transport options- yes, I have occasionally been spotted gig bag on back, wheeling an amp laden trolley old lay style on and off the tube- and can recommend a few. It depends what sort of gigs you plan on doing, but I generally find my Ashdown MAG 300 has enough power for most small to mid sized venues I play at, and any bigger venues need DIing anyway, which any decent combo will be ready for. Ashdown are great- pretty warm sounding. I also had a Roland DB500 for a while which was very punchy considering the sound, and versatile too. I have recently acquired a Trace Elliot 715 which is a lovely bit of kit, great tone, a bit livelier than the ashdown, and built in compressor too which is handy. Might consider getting rid of it though due to looming financial crisis and perfectly good Ashdown- I'll get it on the market thread if so, or you could PM me if you're interested in kicking things off. sh*t, didn't mean to turn this into a sales pitch!!!

[quote name='D-COOPER' post='232271' date='Jul 3 2008, 08:29 PM']Spector was always my dream instrument but i ended up with a Jerzy Drozd which i love.I always thought Spector did the best gloss finish but i see u went for the oil finish.Any particular reason?Lovely bass.[/quote]


Thanks, just indulging a preference really, I think the oil is a bit more subtle than the gloss, thats all. To be honest I think spector could give their guitars a pebbledash finish and still ship a fair few such is the tone. Mind you, Jerzy Drozd make some incredible guitars too you lucky boy! Any pictures up?

I used to have this as my gigging amp a few years back. If its in good nick, which it sounds like it is, then its a beast of a bargain! In fact, it'd put the gain in bargain! No, but seriously, if you want something versatile and compact this is a great choice of amp. It allows you to patch between presets via the modeling features which gives you loads of range in tone without taking our an armarda of pedals! And punchy it certainly is too. The built in compression is a nice feature, although I didn't think too much of the chorus but that might be more of a general preference rather than something against the amp.

Good luck with the sale!!!

I play a MAG 300. I would use the word 'warm' not wooly. I've been perfectly happy with what I can get out of it, however I now have a trace 715 which admittedly does have more bite. I'd really like to get my hands on a Gallien Kruger RB 700. Had a hired one to play through on tour last month and it sounded great- had that lively sort of X factor to it. But, am perfectly happy with my MAG until funds materialize...

Thanks chaps, she's a beaut alright. The tone is immense- really full bottom end for the low B but without loosing the bite and texture and then for mid range lines with the occasional octave thrown in it sounds really punchy, yet glowing. Wow, what a descriptive turn- I should get into wine tasting!

I'll try and sort some photos of my other bass, an Ibanez EDA905. Its not to everyone's taste but I like it- its very versatile because of the piezo bridge pickups as well as having a big fat mag.

Cheers,

Johnny