TrevorR

Before I start I'm going to set out some caveats because the moment I hit post what I say will be decried as snake oil. There is an element of truth to that but not to the black and white way in which many talk about it. It's a matter of nuance. Certainly the main sound of a Wal will be from the unique pickups and active circuitry. That and the bolt on construction. A Wal sounds like a Wal irrespective of the woods it is made of. And, in a mix context, the nuance will be much less obvious than solo'd in a perfect listening environment. As many others have said in the inevitable/interminable tonewood debates it is very unlikely that your band or your audience would/could ever tell the difference. However, unlike some who say there would be no difference whatsoever I would say that there will be real, appreciable differences - albeit subtle ones. In any complex system all the elements will contribute to the results albeit to a greater or lesser extent. But other elements like how and where you pluck the strings eetc etc will have a much larger effect on any particular sound. So, whatever wood you plump for you will still have a Wal that sounds like a Wal. However, there is an accepted understanding of how the various Wal woods tend to vary in sound... This goes from Wenge and Maple which tend to be considered the hardest/brightest sound through to English Walnut which is considered to be the most mellow (Ian and Pete always considered this the best wood for fretless). So, here goes. Maple tends to be thought of as the brightest sound. Wenge is close behind and is thought of having more of a punchy sound. Shedua (a relative of ovangkol) comes more in the middle with a pretty balanced, punchy sound. It also comes with some very unique figuring patterns. Paduak is a bit more mellow and then softest is English Walnut. However, I would underline that this is really subtle nuance territory. I would echo the other comments above... Focus more on the aesthetics of the wood that most float your boat and whether to go for a matt or gloss finish. Wenge Shedua From... To...

As an alternative if you like the basic sound of the pickups but want more grunt and flexibility, have you considered a drop in active circuit. I'm hugely impressed with the Audere J bass loom on my Frankenjazz. Comes on a bell plate and so minimal fitting. Top piece of kit.

I'd vote for the combination of a P bass and a band saw...

Sounds great. Esp Jazz style neck (Jazz width?). Only change I'd make for mine would be NOS finish. Mmmmmmm...

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1469661123' post='3100218'] Why not just have a switch fitted you can flip and leave the jack in. That is what I would do. [/quote] Force of habit is so much more foolproof and doesn't deface the bass.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1469659925' post='3100204'] I agree - but do you trust the likes of drummers and singers, not to mention invited or uninvited stage guests not to send the bass flying? (Ps I recall an uninvited tween sets interloper as an 18 month old toddler pursued by embarrassed mum at a function event - made a bee line for my Stingray 5 for some reason)!! Bass goes in case if there's any threat of on-stage metalwork movement or drum case introduction - in my experience these guys sometimes resemble the inebriated Oliver Reed on Parkinson show even if they are sober!! [/quote] Never had much of a problem with that. Played with some very house trained drummers and always been a careful to place stands in as safe a place as poss, then tended to hang around to keep an eye. But in different circs, absolutely agree. Safer is better!

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1469659761' post='3100202'] That's great. But I've decided not to buy an instrument sight unseen... ...The sr370 looked promising, but i didn't get on with it... [/quote] Which is key to a lot of your issues and a reason for the frustration many are expressing. There is no single, objective "good bass". It is so based on many factors, not least very personal preferences. As a general rule, any bass produced these days that costs, say, around £200 or more is very likely a "good" bass in some terms. It will do the job adequately. Might other basses at that price have better spec? Maybe. Might more expensive basses be "better" basses? Probably. BUT How much any player likes it is purely down to their personal preference. As an example, a £Grand+ Stingray or Warwick is patently a quality instrument. Many love them. Personally I can't get on with them. Are they "good" basses? Well, yes. Are they good for me? No. Absolutely not. Can't stand them. The same applies at any price point. There is no single definition of "good". And every product is built to its price point so don't so easily dismiss "...good for the price..." comments. What most mean is this... "Bass X costs £300 and is similar in quality and performance terms to many other £300 basses. Bass Y costs £300 but in terms of quality of components, wood, build and performance holds its own against basses costing between £450 and £600. Most basses that cost £300 could never survive in such a comparison, therefore Bass Y is a good bass, especially for the money!" That is valuable info in your position. Only you can judge what a good bass for you is. If you're not willing to take a risk on sight unseen. Then you just need to keep searching for one you like when you try it. PS on why try expensive basses, it helps you judge how performance does or does not vary with price. Double the cost very rarely (no, make that never) means a bass is "twice" as "good" so the compromise of a mid price bass (e.g. A good Squier vs a lower range Fender) may not be as big a compromise as you may think. It might be pretty much as good for £200 less. Now, if you buy the Squier you have the quiet confidence that you didn't really lose out bu not getting the Fender. Conversely you might say, "No, that's a significant step up. It's worth waiting and saving up for it...". It is educative (knowledge is power and all that) and how we all picked up our personal knowledge and bass prejudices.

Voted "Other" as I have never had a bass I considered a "beater" or "looker" even though some would be considered boutique and others basic. I've taken both my Wals and my Frankenjazz to pub gigs and to nice clubs/posh venues. Only time I've differentiated on looks was when I took the Jazz to some "60's" night gigs for visual authenticity purposes only. And all my basses get treated with the same level of care/respect, whether my Wals or the old Squier Jazz I had many moons ago.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1469650305' post='3100104'] In common with many of my brethren above, the only time I'm plugged in is when I'm actually playing. All my active basses get fresh batteries every January, whether they really need them or not. [/quote] Me too. End of set routine... Tuner mute on, Jack plug out, bass on stand. Every single time.

Apologies for the zombie thread but the recent wedding venue thread brought back the pains of playing with these things. Played in a number of venues withi these and often managed OK but there were a few nightmare stories. The worst thing was how badly set up they were. Where they were properly set up they were quite manageable although playing with one eye constantly on the traffic lights was a bit of a passion killer as you were always on tenterhooks. And we were never what you'd call a loud band either. A few particular events spring to mind. One was a b it of a laugh. The reset button was at the other end of the room behind a gate to which we were given the key. Since it was on my side of the stage it ended up being my job to take my bass off, jump of the stage, jog to the other end of the room, unlock the gate, switch it back on and then jog back to the stage while the band continued the song. The wedding crowd took it in really good humour and gave me a huge cheer like a marathon runner crossing the finishing line. By the end, when the trip switch went the audience would part to make a channel for me to jog down and clap me to the button and back to the stage! And what was setting it off? Super loud bass and drums? No, our female singer hitting either a B or a G. Every time. She did some interesting vocal gymnastics that night. Less good natured was the wedding where the groom was chair of the local rugby club. When we sound checked we realised that the trip switch was stupidly sensitive. A capella singing, over reactive in the vocal frequencies sensitive... We asked the kitchen staff if we could run an extension from the kitchen and got a serious bums rush. "Hotel policy mate, your problem not ours, that's the rules, like it or lump it, just play quiet..." So we trotted off to see the bride and her father and apologetically explained the issue. We said that we'd try our best but warned them that we doubted that we would make it through more than a couple of songs at a time without it tripping. At this point the groom was off with the rugby club guys having a bevvy so missed the chat. Soon after it was time for the first dance. Well, we made it through most of it with a tenterhooks performance but in the last chorus the switch tripped, gaining us disapproving looks from the audience. The trip was behind me so I quickly flicked it back. Next song, Brown Eyed Girl, it tripped twice. Next song, a super quiet version of Half a World Away and it decided it didn't like one of the notes in the verse and tripped every time the singer got there. At this point there was an entire, already tipsy rugby team gathered In front of the stage ready to rip us to shreds for ripping off their chum by charging them a fortune and then coming along with cr@ppy gear that didn't work and ruining their mate's wedding. When we explained that it was the trip switch they told us (in no uncertain terms) to F-off and stop making excuses. Somehow we managed to calm them down, showed them the traffic light and demonstrated how I could turn up my bass excruciatingly loud while the drummer battered like Jason Bonham and the traffic light barely touched the Amber. Next our singer quietly strummed his acoustic and sang the verse again and the red light immediately maxed out. Off went the PA system and all the amps. This convinced them. About three minutes later some rather shaken kitchen staff arrived with an extension cable and the rest of the gig went like a blinder. Though, I have never before felt closer to being beaten to a bloody pulp. Noise limiters. Hate the things!

Wise words, Mr Charic. Wise words. I'm surprised that the OP seems to loath to try out more expensive basses as, a) it's a treat and b.) there is still lots to learn about what is important to you in a bass. Like you outline, it helps narrow down options. From personal example as a youth lusted after Rickenbaker basses. I loved the sound and I loved the look (it was the Ricky in my older brother's band that drew me to the bass in the first place). Then I tried a few. Hated the necks. New info, aspirations and inclinations duly adjusted. See also P-bass and Stingray necks etc.

Yes, sounds like a Nordy to me. Had the self same head scratch watching "The Sci Fi Band" in Woking Park the other week. The Stormtrooper was playing one...

I'll throw in (up?) Love Is An Open Door from Disney's Frozen. The electric bass on all the soundtrack is Abe Laboriel. If you listen past the sugar frosting he rips it up on that track!

Laneyt Linebacker 75W upgraded to a TE 200W Series 6 1215 combo early on in the decade... Boy was that jump up in quality...

[size=3][font=Calibri][color=#000000]I took just this flexible approach when I bought my Markbass rig and got two compact Traveler cabs. Use both for bigger/backline only gigs: [/color][/font][/size] [size=3][font=Calibri][color=#000000][/color][/font][/size] [size=3][font=Calibri][color=#000000]And just the 2x10 for quieter venues, coffee bars, church etc. The smaller cab still throws out a lot of volume if you want it to but sounds great at lower volumes too…[/color][/font][/size] [font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000][/color][/size][/font]

And a +1 for Mo Foster's Bel Assis

And check out Steve Lawson's solo bass stuff. Recommend "Grace and Gratitude" and "Behind every word" for starters.

I used a Lehle 3@1 for just this purpose. Not cheap but built like a battleship, completely uncolouring of the sound, totally silent, simple to set up and does the job 110%.

Always liked the look of those Iceni basses. That one looks like a real peach!

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1455615807' post='2980623'] Tech 21 are having a laugh with this. Despite the fact I truly love their stuff and my psa 1.1 is my favourite preamp of all time, it's not enough to get away from the feeling that we're being done. Until they sell stuff in the UK at a reasonable price or the value of the dollar sinks substantively, I'm not partaking in this. [/quote] Isn't it so often the case with stuff imported from the State's... It costs $200 so it costs £200. It costs $400 so it costs £400. It costs $1000 so it costs £1000... And so on.

A little bit of correction... OK, I am going to try to make it this year .... 01. Hamster - 02. Silverfoxnik - BC Rich Eagle, Hayman 4040, Schecter Diamond P5, Ampeg V4BH amp & 115 Classic cab 03. TheGreek - not sure what I'm bringing yet... 04. Happy Jack - I'll be there with a love that will see you through 05. JapanAxe - probably everything in my signature. Orange Valve Tester - get your tubes tested for free! 06. Macdaddy. 07. obbm 08. Billy Apple. Spectors, Marshall valves and EAD 09. Nancy Johnson; Thunderbirds/Whatever amps I'm running. 10. TrevorR - Wal MK 1 Custom, Wal Pro IIE (well, I had to...!), Ariapro2 SB700, Markbass LM2 and Traveler 2x10 and 1x15 11. Bluejay - cameras, video equipment; no basses, unless someone asks to see a specific model. I will also be there as BGM's reporter 12. NickD - Maruszczyck Elwood L5A, TE Series 6 1x15 Combo, Zoom B3. 13. Rumblefish - Rumblefish Bass,Fender Roadworn Jazz, Acoustic 370 amp,Acoustic 1x15 cab.Copy of Herbie Flowers single. 14. Bottle - the usual: Ibanez bass, 1x12 Cab, 1x10 Combo, Pedals 15. alexclaber - Barefaced things and a RIM Custom 5 and maybe an old Warwick Streamer 16. Ordep - Fbass, Zon, amp, pedals etc 17. moooper-Warwicks,Sei Flamboyant 6,Genzler Amp,Eden maybe 18. chimike 19. Sibob - '71 Precision, Xotic XJ-1T 5, Maruszczyk Jake custom. If I'm gigging, my Markbass/Barefaced rig 20. EliasMooseblaster - I have no idea what to bring. Maybe my 8-string. 21. timmo - Clover Avenger, PJB Bighead 22. louisthebass 23. Graham 24. sockdeluxe_mikey - Custom Shop Fender Jazz Bass, pedal board with goodies on it, Markbass/Barefaced 25.WalMan - PB1680 well it would be rude not to Probably 2 x US L2500, Gen3 BigBaby2 & Tonehammer 350 as they'll be going straight out in the evening 26. Cetera - Wal Mk1 Geddy Lee & fretless, Spector NS2, Spector Euro, Hamer Impact, Yamaha BB3000, GK800RB, GenzBenz Neox212, Pedalboard 27. Grangur - I'll bring some Warwicks (see sig) and a One10 & LM3 28. Stingray5 - something old, something new... 29. Jabba_the_gut - Not sure yet.....but something home made 30. zero9 - Strata + 4 x PJB cabs + Acoustic Image amp 31. Barneyg42- Status s2 5-string headless + Markbass LM3 + Schroeder 212pl and possibly my old post office red series 1 Status 5. 32. EssentialTension - Lakland Decade, Peerless Retromatic B2, Takamine B10 (probably for sale if not sold by then), Mesa Walkabout Scout. 33. Churchie - Retrovibe Vantage, Ashdown ABM amp, Ashdown 210 &115, various pedals

That's the fella... MJ12 is one of his current bands... http://youtu.be/NjR-mNTakAo Also seen with Tunnels... http://youtu.be/Oxhoe0jQ-3g

It's a long while since I tried wither but my recollection was that the MM and Warwick had very different neck profiles/feels., Different to the extent that I loved one and absolutely hated the other - which isn't important in this context. However, it does strengthen the "try before you buy" imperative if that's where your researches have led you...

I'll also mention Audere. Most of theirs come pre mounted on a jazz plate but they also do a stand alone version.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1468008124' post='3088084'] Also use an iPhone iPad app for church band called onSong You have your music loaded up and can change key and or capo on the fly - what's really cool is that the set of music we are playing gets blue toothed over to me at the start and if the band leader decides to add a song mid set txhey can magically add it to my set list! While it's always better to just learn the song it's a useful bit of software [/quote] I do the same, OnSong is great as an aide memoir. And it's worth getting the Bluetooth foot pedal to move through The charts. Really useful. if I end up back in a covers band some time that's what I'll be using!