Russ

Alembic make Wal look cheap. But they probably have slightly better lead times. They are absolutely stunning instruments though, and sound like nothing else. But I have yet to play one (with the possible exception of the little Stanley Clarke model, which isn't particularly heavy but balances awfully) that wasn't a complete boat anchor in terms of weight. It's all that brass and maple.

What a stunning collection you have there, @ziggydolphinboy. I've never had more than two Seis at a time.

No - the bass was actually pretty light. The body was swamp ash, and I think it weighed about 8.5lbs altogether. The amboyna is just a top.

It'd be easy to blame the ICEpower Class D power modules, since they're something most Class D heads have in common, but it's never the power amps that go. It's always something in the preamps. The rehearsal room I go to has several Darkglass AO900s, and they seem to stand up pretty well to the rigours of rehearsal room life. If you don't kick on the distortion mode, but use the "bite" and "growl" controls, it can actually get quite SVT-ish (although the Microtubes does a better job, I think).

Did a gig just before Xmas with a guy I know who is a bit of an Ampeg fanboy. He was telling me he had bought the V7 a month or so previously, and it crapped out on him the day before the gig. He ended up bringing his old Portaflex 500, which he's had repaired several times, and he's starting to rethink his Ampeg fandom. He did like my Ashdown head.

Since Ziggy isn't coming up with pics, here's a pic of the nice Sei Jazz fretless 5 I had about 10 years ago: That was a stunning piece of amboyna burl that we used on the top. I sold this one to @adamhiggs ages ago, and The Gallery actually had it up on their site for sale a few years back, but I wasn't able to get it back that time.

Yep. They've never really got the hang of email there! You do need to chase him up by phone.

I wasn't playing much fretless back then, so it was one of the first to go when we moved (along with a Warwick Streamer Jazzman I got through a short-lived endorsement deal). It was an amazing bass - you're right, all the Wal tone with none of the weight or ergonomic issues (always loved how Wals sounded, but I never liked the necks, and they were all boat anchors). Actually been toying with the idea of asking Martin to make me another one - same woods, same look, but with Turner pickups and the Lusithand preamp.

My first "proper" Sei, back in the late 90s, was a 4-string with a beautiful ziricote top. Ended up selling it back to The Gallery after being unemployed for a while, unfortunately. I'd love to track it down, it was a beauty and sounded amazing (it had original Lane Poor pickups in it, with the Schack circuit). I also had this one for a while - it's a Flamboyant fretless with an ebony top, and Wal pickups and electronics. It was a phenomenal bass. I sold it to finance our first international move, and I really miss it.

I have my Sei and my two custom Maruszczyks, a Spector and a MM, so I've got quite a few high-enders, but one of the basses I play most often is a 5-string Revelation Jazz. Cost me less than £300, and, after a proper setup, I'd put it up against any Fender. It's a great bass.

Should add that to the official BC merch store.

Bona is incredible. The man is just music incarnate - I'm not sure I've ever heard such a natural musician. He just breathes it. That black Sei Jazz with the EMGs was in The Gallery for ages. It's a lovely bass that I'm sure has a very appreciative new home now.

I've had several over the years, but one has stayed with me through everything. I've had my singlecut 5-string since 2003, and it's not going anywhere. It's a wonderful instrument. It's survived many gigs and tours, several international relocations, and it's still going strong. Here's two pics of me playing it, 20 years apart! EDIT: Looking at the old picture, I'm thinking that I kinda miss my Eden rig that I had back then!

If they're playing the songs from the film, whoever gets the gig will have fun. The tunes are great, and some of the bass parts are quite tricky!

Alex Venturella has a couple of custom Status B2's with fancy wood-and-resin tops - not sure how recent they are. I suspect they have different electronics to the original Entwistle version - the knob layout looks different, anyway. Give them a call. They've always been happy to help during the limited dealings I've had with them.

I guess it doesn't have to be SWR or Tecamp-level clean. I quite like a little bit of preamp drive, in that slightly squishy, slightly hairy SVT-ish style. Not full-blown distortion - I have that on tap with my pedalboard. Yes, I could get (another) Ampeg. But I trust their stuff about as far as I can throw it these days after having an SVT-7 and a Portaflex 800 both die on me mid-gig. I'm pretty happy with my Ashdown and Trace gear right now, but I am feeling the need for something that's maybe a little juicier-sounding.

So I'm thinking of trying out a Darkglass head. They've got some Alpha Omega heads at the studio I rehearse at, and I've always managed to coax a decent sound out of them. They must also be pretty reliable, if they're standing up to the rigours of living in a rehearsal studio! Given that Darkglass are best known for their distorted sound, which one of the three ranges (ie, Microtubes, Microtubes X, Alpha Omega) available provides the best clean tone? It'd be nice to have the distortion as an option, but I'd mostly be using a clean tone. I really like the look of the amp section that's in the Infinity combos, but I don't think that comes as a separate head.

The 1970 live album from The Who. Entwistle's playing a Precision and his tone is fearsome. Then again, at that time it was just the four of them (before they started adding keyboards, etc) - his main challenge was being heard over Moon's drums!

The similarity, to my ears, is the clarity and amount of detail in the upper mids - for want of a better expression, they both have an upper-mid "boing". The overall tone is different, but that upper-mid prominence is shared. The Jones basses have multicoil pickups and filter preamps, so I guess, while they might have some Smith in the looks department, the tone is more Wal-like.

One of my favourite albums from 20 years or so back, Headspace by Pulse Ultra, was all recorded with a Smith. Fantastic bass tone that works very well in a rock/metal band, and not dissimilar to a Wal - there's a pretty obvious Tool influence, and that extends to the bass tone.

I beg to differ. My Sei is gorgeous. That hairy bloke playing it in the pic, maybe a bit less so.

Mark's moved away from the Ken Smith tribute thing and has revised his shapes to make them a bit more original. They've got a little bit more of a Jaydee vibe now, to my eyes. He's also using multicoil pickups and a filter preamp in most of his basses now, so they're just as much a Wal tribute as a Smith one! Lovely instruments though. Looking forward to seeing more.

From this past weekend's gig, my two Maruszczyk Frogs, my Barefaced Big Twin II and my Ashdown RM-800. Not shown - Zoom B6. The Luminlay blocks on the fretted Frog look great.

2024 can do one. I was unemployed for 3 months, one of my cats got cancer and passed away, the band was out of action for most of the year (firstly our drummer's mum died and he was overseas for 3 months, then our guitarist had a mental health episode and was out of action for another 4 months), and then there was all the Tr**p f**kery in November. I am so ready for it to be over. Not sure 2025 is looking much better though. The world is truly going to s**t at the moment.