Gwilym

[quote name='ashevans09' post='374007' date='Jan 8 2009, 01:34 PM']The real question is though, do I have it delivered straight here from the US, or since I'm in America next month do I get it delivered to where I'm staying and take it home with me? I did this with my Geddy and avoided tax that way. Either way it's going in an aircraft hold so what's the best option?[/quote] hi Ash, congrats - I'm looking forward to seeing the photos! Re. shipping - I did exactly this back in the summer. I had bass, which I bought from a fellow on TalkBass, sent to my friends place in NY. It arrived the afternoon I arrived from the UK - great timing I went out and bought a decent SKB hard case from Guitar Center, which was over the road, for about $120 The bass/case went in the hold on the way back with no problems (and I don't think there was any way they were going to let me have it as hand luggage), and everything was in perfect shape when I got back home. I'll admit I was a bit nervous about potential damage, but with hindsight I would do it again. Just make sure you have a good sturdy case. The only precaution I took was to not lock the case, I just taped up the locks to make sure it didn't open accidentally in transit. The down side is that doing this you might have to make a decision to ditch the (MTD branded?) case that comes with the bass if it's not sturdy enough. I wouldn't put my MTD in an aircraft hold in the MTD/Zero-G case it came in, even though this was the case that it was shipped in (via FedEx) from the Groove Shoppe when I bought it. However, I think MTD can also supply branded hard-shell cases too? The main reason I did the above was because of a kind offer from the seller of the bass to let me mail it back to him if I didn't like it. This was obviously going to be much cheaper to do from NY than from London. Were it not for that, then I probably would have just had it mailed to London. Also, bear in mind it was almost $2 to the pound back in July, my tax bill would have been a good deal less than it would be now. cheers G

awesome - Joel at the Groove Shoppe is a cool cat, never less than helpfull when I've dealt with him/GS. I'll also be keeping an eye on this thread

i saw one recently on some uk retailer website going for £590 - although there was only 1 going at that price, and it looks like it has gone. i suspect that the price of the F1 will drop once the F500 is more widely available. interestingly you can buy the F1 for $750 [url="http://www.guitarcenter.com/Markbass-F1-500W-Bass-Amp-Head-104394127-i1395916.gc"]in the US[/url], about £500 at the current exchange rate. Now, I wish I'd picked one up when I was in NY a few months ago and the exchange rate was almost $2 in the pound. at the moment, once you've paid for shipping and taxes, there probably wouldn't be much in it.

hi Rumple I played this [url="http://www.thebassgallery.com/overwaterpercp5.html"]Overwater Perception 5[/url] at the Gallery a few weeks ago and really liked it - a really nice sounding bass, and very comfortable to play apart from the neck and string spacing which was a bit wide for my tastes so I didn't play if for long. Really worth a play though if the neck works for you. I tried it out through a Mark Bass F1 into a Schoeder cab. My only other experience of Overwater was hearing one being played in a wedding band about a year ago, and there was nothing not to like about it. cheers G EDIT: ps I just saw you're in South London - not sure if you ever go "north of the river" but you should definitely get up there and give it a whirl.

hey peeps, thanks for all the suggestions! [quote name='The Funk' post='325208' date='Nov 9 2008, 11:40 AM']Use the Demeter as soon as possible![/quote] is what I did this evening into an audio interface -> Mac/Logic great results, and just eq-ing to get the bass sound I wanted as the recorded line, rather than doing any eq-ing in the mix down. didn't use compression either and it sounded fine. the Demeter sounded much better than the EBS, a warmer fuller sound, and I'll stick with it for recording now. cheers G

Here's a little bit more pr0n... ...of a little souveneer I picked up on my holidays earlier this year. Bought off a TB user, it looked an interesting bass, and I took a punt after doing my homework. The exchange rate was far more favourable at the time too! I actually haven't played it that much yet, as it tooke me ages to find the correct size allen key to make a minor truss rod adjustment. Thats all done now, and it's a little belter! So it's GS5 #2, designed by Michael Tobias in conjunction with the guys at the Groove Shoppe in NYC. Ash body, maple neck, Nordstrand dual coils, Glockenklang/Groove Shoppe pre-amp. Controls: vol/balance/bass/mid/treble. Switch for humbucking/single coil mode. Pull the vol for passive mode, and the treble acts as a vintage tone control in passive mode - nice! [url="http://www.thegrooveshoppe.com/Main.htm"]You can read more about them here (via the GS5 button on the top left).[/url] The cherry(?) sunburst isn't normally my cuppa, but it's growing on me Here a couple of pictures: [attachment=15827:DSCN2186.JPG] [attachment=15828:DSCN2179.JPG] Cheers G

hi everybody, I've just started doing some recording with the band I'm in. Mostly rough takes at the moment to build up the basic tracks. It's going to be pretty iterative as we're doing it bit by bit onto a mac around our houses. So, initially, I've just used my EBS MicrobassII as a "pre-amp" between the bass and audio interface. When it comes to putting down the main tracks, I'll probably use by Demeter 201 tube pre to warm up the sound. So my question really is as in the topic description. Are there any pieces of equipment (pre-amps/DI's) that you think have been invaluable in giving you a good recorded tone? I won't be mic-ing up any cabs or anything. I'm mainly look for a big fat warm tone (but very clean). Also, do you put any compression on the bass before you record, or just leave that to the mix-down/mastering phase? Would be very gratefull for any suggestions cheers G

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='325051' date='Nov 8 2008, 11:01 PM']Already played it, that's exactly why I'm gassing for one. Don't think I can stretch to that kind of cash though. Almost EXACTLY the fretless 5 I want (including the lack of fretlines) ... it's a few millionths of a point below 10 out 10 because its vol+vol (versus vol+blend) and it's a rather loud shade of blue.[/quote] that's the one! lovely! not quite my colour though

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='323879' date='Nov 7 2008, 12:40 AM']*chin hits floor* ouch! mmm F-Bass![/quote] [quote name='steve' post='323940' date='Nov 7 2008, 08:30 AM']wow, that's a stunning bass[/quote] cheers! [quote name='Josh' post='324381' date='Nov 7 2008, 06:12 PM']Gwilym get some pics of your 535 up man![/quote] heh, I took a few the other night, I'll get some up soon [quote name='BigBeatNut' post='324506' date='Nov 7 2008, 09:13 PM'][url="http://www.thebassgallery.com/fbass.html"]LINK[/url][/quote] don't believe everything you read on the internet [quote name='geoffbassist' post='324582' date='Nov 7 2008, 11:14 PM']great bass.....ive got one and its a really bass, always sounds amazing..i love the eq![/quote] nice one Geoff, have you got the one that birdy and a couple of others used to own? I think there's one other I've seen around these parts, which is bassjamms old one. I think dougal has that now. [quote name='BigBeatNut' post='324590' date='Nov 7 2008, 11:22 PM']With all this F-bass love going on .... I don't suppose anyone here has a fretless 5 (BNF5) they want to sell or trade, have they ? Andy[/quote] There's a F fretless at the Gallery - can't find it on the Gallery site though - you should get out there are check it out, it was *really* nice (but no fret lines). [quote name='urb' post='324941' date='Nov 8 2008, 07:23 PM']Damn, I knew you couldn't resist, I was actually going to use that bass to show Martin how I want my ramp to work on my Jazz, as those wooden pickup covers are superb on this F bass. But it's also one of the most playable instruments I have EVER played, a truly wonderful bass and while the looks aren't 100% to my liking I know I would learn to love her in no time, really awesome instrument so big congrats matey! M[/quote] yeah, got to agree with you Mike, it is ergonomically very very comfortable and a pleasure to play. As was your Sei single-cut too! thanks everyone for the positive comments! Got to do some recording with the F today - not heard the results properly yet, but initial signs are good cheers G

[quote name='7string' post='323840' date='Nov 6 2008, 11:20 PM']Very cool. What a great bass. I love the way that F bass get that finish in the grain.[/quote] hi 7string, thanks! it's a pretty distinctive finish, and I think works particularly well on the natural "blonde" look. I think it's my favourite out of all the finishes I've seen on the various F basses I've seen. [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='323845' date='Nov 6 2008, 11:31 PM']all the F-basses I've tried have sounded even better than they've looked.[/quote] all I can say is, I thought it was a nice looking bass, and I was interested to try it, as I'd never seen one in the flesh before and I didn't expect to be so blown away by it. i guess it's all subjective, looks, sound and ergonomics, but this one absolutely worked for me [quote name='7string' post='323851' date='Nov 6 2008, 11:35 PM']One of the brands which I've never had the chance to play. Never heard anything from F-Bass owners except wild enthusiasm and pride at owning one:D[/quote] i'll just join the back of the queue then [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='323853' date='Nov 6 2008, 11:39 PM']Hi Gwil, That's quite something! I won't even dare ask what they cost but work of that calibre doesn't come cheap! Look forward to hearing the soundclips Nik[/quote] cheers Nik, it's hasn't cost me anything yet, but that credit card bill won't be a long time coming now, doh!

hey ho, 'bout time I got some pr0n up in here! I mentioned a bit about my new BN5 [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=30484"]on this thread[/url], and here is the beast... [attachment=15672:DSCN2189.JPG] [attachment=15673:DSCN2191.JPG] [attachment=15674:DSCN2192.JPG] [url="http://www.fbass.com/"]More info about them on the F-Bass website[/url] I'll try to get some sound clips up and some sort of review too, when I find some time. Cheers G

Peaches (by the Stranglers). loved playing that one.

+1 for obbm i've done a few deals with him in the past, and he's just bought my ebs microbass. no messing around, in fact perfect! cheers obbm

[quote name='dlloyd' post='320016' date='Nov 2 2008, 11:01 AM']Are you sure? He looked like he was smiling and having fun...[/quote] nice bass playing, but the music was total cheese. i love big band stuff, Jaco's big band arrangements, Joe Zawinul's Brown Street, Music Inc.(Charles Tolliver), Mingus Big band. you get the picture but I think that as a piece of music was pretty soul-less. perhaps the big band equivalent of Kenny G? maybe i'm being to harsh, but regardless of the bass playing, the music doesn't cut it (for me) ;0)

[quote name='thegallery' post='315470' date='Oct 26 2008, 11:50 PM']hi gwilym it was a bit manic on saturday... im glad we found you something to splash your cash on... is an awesome bass i must say...was tempted myself by it you lucky devil see you soon al[/quote] cheers Alex

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='315413' date='Oct 26 2008, 10:31 PM']Great stuff Gwil, I'm very fond of the F-basses too. Very growly and versatile and I was gassing like mad for Bassjamms when he had it for sale. I haven't been quite as impressed with the Ibanez Gary Willis myself but people do rave over them.[/quote] horses for courses eh? It did remind me of your Pentabuzz though (playability more than sound). [quote name='4000' post='315446' date='Oct 26 2008, 11:12 PM']So they stock Schroeder now? Hmmm. When I'm out of my current penniless phase I may actually get a chance to try some out at last. Many people have told me they're exactly what I need, light but very aggressive. I just hope they're aggressive in the right sort of way.[/quote] Yeah, Alex had the 1210 and a couple of 21012's in stock i think. From what I heard if you've got a amp that suits the cab, and the Mark Bass definitely seemed to, then you might like them. [quote name='Platypus' post='315450' date='Oct 26 2008, 11:23 PM']Gwil, What GK combo do you have ? If its a MB150 and you are looking to sell it,I would recommend that you put it on eBay. I had a MB150S for sale here at £320 for a few weeks, without much interest. I put it on eBay and there were 46 peeps watching it within a couple of days and it sold for £401. A 150E with a case went for over £500 recently. P[/quote] thanks Platypus, funny you should say this, because I very nearly suggested the same to you when I saw what price you were asking! I'm not planning on selling mine though, as it will still be very usefull to me. £500 quid second hand for the MB150E is incredible though - I got mine new for only £40 quid more than that from the Bass Merchant when Mike Walsh was still running it. What I should have said as well, was that the main lesson I learned (or re-learned), at a time when it's very easy to buy unseen over the internet, is that nothing beats going into a decent shop and playing/listening and forming an opinion thats not (solely) based on GAS driven by reading about the next big thing on internet forums

hello all, This is just a little post to share my thoughts after my first visit to the Gallery in quite some time, since around the time they had the new extension added, so over a year maybe. I had a free pass and had the whole afternoon to "waste". Here my story... I had two reasons for heading up there. Firstly to drop off my Sei Jazz 5, which I'm going to have pimped with a new preamp. It's currently passive, and I like the tone a lot, but think a active pre will give the bass some more versatilty of sound. I'm not sure what exactly yet, I'll discuss it with Martin Peterson next week, but something quite transparent that will complement the pickups, so we'll see what happens. Secondly, I wanted to try out a few amps/cabs. I've mainly been using my GK combo for the past 18months, as the band I'm in was acoustic oriented (hence I'd sold my old head/cab). Now we've got a drummer, the GK won't cut it so I need more beef. Ideally it will also be small and light enough to put it a gig bag and carry to rehearsals so I can use it rather than the usual stuff you get in the typical rehearsal studio. So I started out my Sei Jazz with a Epifani 502 (yes I know, not particularly small or light weight) through a Shroeder 1210 (1210L i think). This was a nice enough sounding rig, but a bit mid-heavy and not very warm sounding - not really to my taste. So up next was the MarkBass Little Mark through the same Schroeder. For me, this was much more like it. Punchier, bass-ier and warmer and much more pleasing to my ears. Enough so, that I stuck with the MB for much of the rest of the afternoon while I tried out a load of other basses though the same set up. Later on I also managed to play the Epifani PS600 and the GK Fusion (briefly) through a Epifani UL-410. The Epifani PS600 head seemed much more at home through the Epifani cab, than the 502 did through the Schroder i.e. punchier, bass-ier and warmer! (I'm sure the same would apply to the UL502 as well). Also the GK Fusion sounded very nice through the UL-410, but i only really played it for a couple of minutes, while I was making up my mind So I got my mits on as many of the (mostly) non Fender style basses in the time I had: F Bass BN5 - verrrry nice! Did I say how awesome this was? Ash body, 3piece maple neck. Fantastically comfortable to play, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not get an unusable tone out of it. A fantastically usefull preamp. 3 band boost only EQ. Vintage tone/(Preamp on/off), 2 x Vol (with single coil/humbucking push/pull). Just tone, and more tone! F Bass BNF5 - as above but fretless, and also sounded just as good, but my fretless playing is a bit cack handed without the fretlines. Ibanez GWB35 Gary Willis Signature model - outstanding fretless for the money (or even double/triple the money), and is bang on my GAS list now. Played as well as pretty much any fretless I've played before. It's got to be the "budget" fretless to have if you like the tone (which I did). [url="http://www.thebassgallery.com/alembicelan.html"]Alembic Elan 5[/url] - not the right bas for me sound wise or ergonomically. Maybe it just was the set up, and me not being used to the filter based pre-amp. [url="http://www.thebassgallery.com/lulljazz5.html"]Mike Lull Jazz 5[/url] - nicely put together high end jazz, sounded like what I might have expected. A bit too "Fender-ish" though, so I only gave it a quick blast. [url="http://www.thebassgallery.com/overwaterpercp5.html"]Overwater Perception 5[/url] - this seemed like a really nice sounding bass, but the neck was a bit wide for my tastes so I didn't play if for long. Really worth a play though if the neck works for you. Schack 5 - used, and I can't find it on the web site. However this was my second favorite after the BN5 (of the basses for sale). Looks wise it's reminiscent of the Tobias body design. The body looked like it was bubinga i think. It had a really full snarly/growly tone, and it was very tempting! Also I bumped into Urb, and he was kind enough to let me have a quick go on his Sei single-cut 33" scale 5 string. It sounded fantastic, and I didn't even realise it was 33" scale until Mike told me. In fact I was thinking it was 35". Lovely bass! So, at this point I was running out of time, and GAS was getting the better of me, and I couldn't get that lovely BN5 out of my head, and my CC got a hammering. It's just as well that I don't go up there very often too! Amplification will have to wait until my next visit, but the MarkBass/Schroeder combination sounds like a very good solution for my needs. I'm going to do some research to see who else has been using this rig, and their experiences of it. So anyway, big thanks to Alex @ The Gallery for his time and patience. And also to "F Bass" for making such fantastic instruments. I'll try to get some pictures posted up soon