Russ

[quote name='barneyg42' post='437671' date='Mar 17 2009, 06:54 PM']Sounds like a Bass Bash in the making!! [/quote] Could be! I'll have my Sei with me, going to grab some strings and stuff for it while I'm there, and I can send the missus off to look around Camden Market for a while. Anyone else going to be in town Friday afternoon?

Thinking about it, I'm going to be up in London on Friday too (coming home for a week) - a visit to The Gallery might have to be in order.

[quote name='Hamster' post='437551' date='Mar 17 2009, 06:06 PM']I disagree with the above. You should go to the little workers café opposite the tube station and load up with doorstop bacon butties and giant mugs of tea first. [i]Then [/i]go to The Gallery. You'll be in there for the best part of 8 hours so best to load up on carbs, fat and tea first! [/quote] For when you come out, the chippy over the road from The Gallery (just up next to the canal path) does great chips.

Yep, The Gallery. Nowhere better for bass in London. If you're not familiar with Camden, it can be a little tricky to find. Easiest way is to go out of Camden Town tube (if you can take the left-hand exit as you come up the escalator, great, if not, go out the right-hand one and walk around to the other side of the station), cross the road so you're outside the World's End, turn left and head up Camden Road (you'll pass a big Sainsbury's on your left). When you get up to the crossroads where Camden Road BR is, turn right into Royal College St. The Gallery's about 50 yards up on your left. The place always looks closed (the grille's always down), but press the buzzer and they'll let you in.

Quite a few years back, I had a Stingray... it was pretty much my Holy Grail at the time, and I ended up sorely disappointed with it. Lots of bottom, lots of top, but nothing in the middle, no "oomph". I just couldn't EQ it so it sounded good in a band mix, and it just wouldn't cut through distorted guitars. It's true that the older, pre-EB ones don't seem to have this issue though - they have a good dose of P-like "bark", while maintaining that typical Stingray sizzle, and they seem to have better string-to-string balance too. What would someone have to do to "downgrade" their Stingray, to reproduce that 70's, pre-EB tone?

The "lust value" that Wals have had recently is down to three things - firstly, the tone. Thanks to the filter preamp and custom pickups, there's a lot of tones you can get out of a Wal that you can't get out of everything else. Secondly, there's the rarity value, thanks to there being no new Wals for the past few years. And thirdly, name players - Justin Chancellor has a lot to answer for. People wanting that cool Tool bass tone are craving Wals and forcing the asking prices right up. I remember going to the Bass Centre back in the late '90s, and Wals were about the least fashionable bass in the world at the time - they used to have trouble shifting them. Sure, Geddy Lee, Mick Karn, Nick Beggs, etc were all well-known Wal users back in the day, but Wals were still in production then (and hence available for a reasonable price), and none of them seem to have had the same impact on their desirability as Justin Chancellor has. Tip for Paul Herman - when you're coming up with the inevitable Mk4 Wal, please come up with something that's lighter and a little more ergonomic. The Mk3s back in the day were a step in the right direction, but get it right and I'll be in the queue for a new one.

I've played a fair few Foderas in my time (including spending a couple of hours at the Fodera shop in NYC). They're alright. They look good, play quite nicely, but the tone didn't do it for me on any of them. Quite pingy and middy, not much in the way of "guts". Certainly no better than any other good custom maker. Personally, I think they've good instruments, but they've become rather overhyped, thanks to Wooten, Garrison, Jackson, Feraud, etc all playing and endorsing them. I think it's a "flavour of the month" thing, and these things seem to go in phases... for a long time, it was all about Alembic, then Carl Thompson, then Sadowsky, then Fodera, and it seems to be Alleva-Coppolo's turn now.

Seems to have been a while since there was any update on the new Wal situation... anyone heard anything?

I've played the sunburst one a few times... great bass. Big tone, comfy neck, great EQ. The 5-string even has a decent low B. I prefer them to the USA deluxe Jazzes.

Take a look at these (from the Japanese ESP site): [url="http://www.espguitars.co.jp/artist/tetsu/index.html"]http://www.espguitars.co.jp/artist/tetsu/index.html[/url] ... the red Edwards Lakland-alike is filling me with GAS right now. Anyone got any idea where someone might be able to order one? I seem to recall there were a couple of places that specialised in Japanese guitars online, but I can't find them right now.

Or, hold out until the end of this month, when Musicman's Sterling series will become available... I think they're supposed to start around the £600 mark, and they're supposed to be almost as good as the US-made ones (pretty much Musicman's Skyline series). They'll be doing versions of the 4, the 5 and the Sterling.

[quote name='Chelios' post='424604' date='Mar 3 2009, 11:24 PM']Ill take one at that price [/quote] I've seen used Stingrays change hands for around that kind of price recently... keep an eye out.

Jon Shuker will build you a custom super-J for much less than you'd pay for a Sadowsky or Lakland. Under four figures, probably. I don't have any of his basses, but this place is full of satisfied customers.

Had a listen... I hear the need for an MM-type bass. That gives you a few options: 1) Secondhand MusicMan SUB - the real thing, although the finishes take some getting used to 2) Ibanez ATK - nails the MM tone nicely. £300-ish will score you a new one. 3) If you want that more modern take on the Flea-type tone, you might be able to find a Peavey G-Bass within your budget (single pickup, graphite neck) - kinda hard to find though. 4) MTD Kingston. Great bass, huge thick tone. If you're very lucky, you might actually be able to score a proper Stingray for £500, what with the economy being the way it is.

Played one in NYC last year. Unimpressed. Just another super-J, to my ears, with an ugly, blobby headstock. Nicely made, quite nice neck and didn't sound bad, but the Sadowsky Metro I tried the same day sounded and played much better and was half the price. And I've played Sei Jazzes, GBs, Moons, Celinders and Bacchuses (Bacchi?) that do the super-J thing better than both of them.

I think this discussion hinges heavily on what people look for in a bass player - a great technician, a great writer, a great performer, or all of the above. For instance, Anthony Jackson is an amazing technician and writer, but not much of a performer - he just sits there! Conversely, Lynott was a great performer and a really good writer, but not the greatest of technicians. But, if that's what floats your boat... For me, Doug Wimbish and Tony Levin. They've got all three, in spades.

Firstly, get some old Parliament/Funkadelic, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone records. Listen loud. As for what to do bass-wise - take your simplest bassline, then remove half the notes. Then remove a few more. Then put those few (or one) remaining notes per bar you have left in the groove - takes more practice than you might think. Unless you're talking jazz-funk, the chord progressions are usually pretty simple, and you won't have to play much more than pentatonic scales to start with. Have your thumb ready for slap duty, but, considing the stereotype of slap only being for funk bass, you don't hear it all that much on the proper funk classics - it's certainly not ubiquitous. Add envelope filter to taste. Then keep practicing until you're playing with that puckered "oooo" face that's essential - then you know you're feeling the groove.

I think I want to track down my old GB. It was on Ebay a year or so back, but I missed out on it. It'd be nice to have it back, since it was custom-made for me, and is unique amongst GBs for several reasons. Bernie tells me he's still got the designs for it, so he could make another, but it'd be nice to have my old one back. So if anyone sees a custom ash/maple GB Rumour 5-string going, with a custom body shape, and two Hipshots, let me know.

I'm a huge Primus fan, but I just haven't been able to get into Les' post-Primus output... it just doesn't do it for me. It's weird - I [i]should[/i] like it, but I just don't. I can't connect with it.

[quote name='XB26354' post='417983' date='Feb 23 2009, 11:47 PM']Don't ignore the BTB series - lots of people here seem to love the SR's but I have always liked 5- and 6-string BTB, and the new thru neck ones in walnut are very, very nice for the money (even with the price hike due to the collapsed Yen-Sterling exchange rate). Massive piano like sustain and a richer, less stringly tone than (for example) the SR5065. Balances better too...[/quote] Gotta concur here. For the money, I don't think you can get better tone, fit and finish, and general solidity than a BTB. They're physically a lot more substantial than the SR basses, but better for it, I think.

They are pretty hideous, but they're also very "Flea". I'd expect the ones he plays onstage to be seriously tweaked (better pickup, hardware, etc), but that they will still look like the production instruments. I'll be interested to hear how they sound, if they've got that Stingray-ish punch he's known for.

The guys at The Gallery have never let me down before - they've even loaned me instruments in the past when I've had a gig or been in a pinch and they've either been servicing or building a bass for me (although they do know me quite well, as I've been going there since the early 90's). Explain the situation to Alex and I'm sure they'll help you out - their reputation for good customer service is well-earned and they pride themselves on it. Even if Martin's away, John can easily handle a setup, although Martin is the main electronics guy, so that probably won't get done while he's away. A lot of pros use The Gallery, and they appreciate the fact that some people need their instruments returned to them quickly.

I enjoy some of his stuff... the Joni stuff, some of the Weather Report stuff and a few tunes off his solo albums. The man had chops and soul, but I didn't always like the music he applied them to. Some of it was meaningless noodling, some of it was a little too close to "smooth jazz" and some if it just left me utterly unmoved. There's no greater insult in music than that... to get no reaction from a listener. But, there are few other bass players that can make the hairs on my arms stand on end they way they do when I hear Portrait Of Tracy, or the solo from A Remark You Made. Then again, I'm the same with Wooten... technically awesome, love watching all the bass gymnastics and stuff, but he leaves me strangely unmoved... I don't *feel* his playing at all.

Almost everyone mentioned here came to prominence well over 10 years ago... I've got to go with Bona, Matt Garrison, Chris Wolstenholme and Ryan Martinie, and all four of them are pushing the 10-year mark too. Tal's not a bad player, very much a young female Marcus, but, let's face it, most of the reason she's well-known is because she's a) young, and b ) fit.

He knows his stuff... shame the Megatar is so fugly. They look like they were built in someone's garden shed. The only touchstyle instrument I'd play would be a Warr... they at least look nice!