ZilchWoolham

I've been eyeing some old Acoustic amps for quite some time (specifically the 370, 450 and 220/320) as they have that certain tone that I'm looking for and can't find in any newly produced amp, and certainly not in any lightweight amps. The prices for these, and their matching cabs, are usually very reasonable and something I can in fact afford. The reason I still haven't got one is that as far as I know they are big, heavy, and loud.The weight isn't that much of an issue, apart from transporting it upon purchase, as I'm not gigging at the moment. The size is a bit more troublesome since I am involuntarily practising the art of compact living.

What I'm most concerned about, though, is the volume. Out of respect for my neighbours I usually don't crank my 20 watt valve guitar amp (a Laney Lionheart) far past the 1 (out of 10) marker on the clean channel, or on the dirty channel with the pre-amp gain turned up to about 6-7. I'm assuming that either one of the amps listed above will be [b]considerably[/b] louder than my guitar amp. My questions are aimed mainly towards owners, past and present, of the listed Acoustic amps, but if you have experience operating other solid state rigs from the 70's or 80's, feel free to present your educated guesses!

So, what I'm wondering is: How quiet could I be with one of these amps? How sensitive are the knobs in the lower range of the volume spectrum? Will I blow out the eardrums of my neighbours by accidentally turning the knob from .25 to .50? Will the tone be enjoyable/usable at these volume levels? It doesn't have any valves that need pushing, but I could imagine a high-powered amp of any kind (especially one designed for bass guitar) would sound better when they're actually working they way they were meant to.

Thanks.

It all depends, of course, on how you want the Stingray to sound. But I have to agree with ahpook here; it seems like you might just not enjoy the sounds a Stingray makes. You said the Mustang blew it out of the water, and regardless of if you happen to like one or the other, or both, it has to be said that a Mustang and a Stingray are to wildly different basses with very different character. So if you prefer a short scale thumper to an aggressive, in-your-face sizzler, I think you might have your answer right there.

Cor, I just realised no one has mentioned Marshall or Hiwatt yet. Perhaps it was so obvious it flew right over my head. I also have a fondness for the amps of H|H Electronics, even though they're not exactly held in as high esteem as their countrymen, er, -amps. Pete Shelley, Steve Diggle and Steve Garvey all played HH amps on the first Buzzcocks LP. According to Diggle, they all bought them simply because they "liked the look of them, even though they sounded like a f***ing bag of nails being thrown around".

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1484225759' post='3213685']
Oooh, which tune. Do tell...
[/quote]
All of Jethro Tull's Heavy Horses album, but Journeyman in particular. Recorded in very early 1978. Am I right in assuming the Pro series has the same sound and functionality as their JG counterparts? For a long time the Pro IIE has been my dream bass since I've assumed the JG and Pro only differ superficially.

EDIT: Just realised I've browsed your Wal blog (in awe) before - smashing job!

I can't imagine spending that much for any bass, really, but I'd certainly expect something a bit less standardised for that price. And I have to say, the body shape reminds me of something you'd get from a mildly inventive budget brand.

Nice to hear they treat their workers well, though. That's certainly a factor I would weigh in when determining whether or not to pay a bit extra for a certain piece of kit.

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1484168155' post='3213312']
I do too, that's why I bought it
Just not convinced about it on fiesta red.

First world problems eh?
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Lazy reading on my part! I thought it came with the bass. You have fine taste in pickups.

Really lovely figuring as usual. Happy NBD!

I like it, but then again I have a soft spot for cream pickups. I'm assuming you don't. This is so completely subjective that I can't help but feel our opinions here are about as useful as a winter coat in Qatar.

I've never played a Wal myself but my favourite ever bass tone was crafted with one (an old JG model I think).

I actually bought a Gordon-Smith guitar blind a year ago, partly because one of my old heroes, Pete Shelley, used to play them. Unfortunately I quite detested the neck and found the tone very uninspiring as well. Not much later I managed to score another guitar (a Hamer) which is absolutely immaculate, and I still haven't been able to shift the Gordon-Smith without making a significant loss (I thought the price was reasonable when I bought it, but that might've been the GAS thinking for me), so now I'm just angry whenever I see it. It was a fairly new build (2005, still made in the Manchester workshop at that point though), so I'm still hoping that if I find an older one at some point, and I have the chance to try it out, it might redeem them in my eyes.

Precisions are wonderful matches for pick playing. Jazzes can get a little grindy with a pick, and certainly some people enjoy that tone as well, but I prefer the roundness and punch of a Precision.

I'm mainly a pick player myself. That's how I started out, and most of my favourite bassists are (mainly) pick players - including the sophisticated fellow in my profile picture!

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1483461523' post='3207323']
Might even make sense to make a standard 4 string fretless which is fretted when you get above the 12th fret. Those high notes are tough on a fretless, even if it's lined. (or maybe i could just learn to play fretless better)
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Unfortunately, the 12th fret would then be the first fret, rendering the fretless part unplayable. Doing the opposite and defretting the upper part has been done though.

EDIT: I suppose someone could make a neck where the frets are recessed and flush with the board, but pop out upon pulling a small lever.

I should patent that.

My recommendation is really to just wash your hands before you eat or poke yourself in the face or whatever else you like to do after a gig. No hand sanitiser helps against all viruses, anyways.

I didn't realise until just recently that Ned Steinberger designed the NS (thence his initials for the name) model. A bit surprising since I consider his L2/XL2 an absolute masterpiece of design, and, to be honest, I've a hard time finding a Spector I don't find completely hideous.

That said, the constant praise for these basses have got me, reluctantly, interested. I'm convinced now the build quality will be excellent.They don't, however, look like the type of bass I'd normally like the sound of. How could the Spector sound be described? Is there any song or video I could hear or watch that would give me a good idea of what makes them special? I'm a bit concerned about the lack of a mid control on the tone pump, since I'm very fond of toasty, nutty mids.

Glad to hear things worked out, but I take it you won't be buying from Guitar Village again soon?

I haven't bought anything from them myself, but [url="https://www.guitarbuild.co.uk"]https://www.guitarbuild.co.uk[/url] might be worth a look. They offer customised parts in the vein of Warmoth, although their website is a bit more primitive. Still, you could get a 1-piece alder or ash body made, and you'll be able to preview the piece of wood used. You'll have to get it finished by someone else, though, or do it yourself.

Jon Shuker will also make you a body, and you can always expect a very good job from him. [url="http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/services.html"]http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/services.html[/url]

Hoping you'll get the refund sorted quickly! I wouldn't be too devastated about not getting the bass, though. You could certainly find another one for less than £599.

I found the bass I mentioned. It's a bit of a curiosity, an ESP PPJ-160. As it happens, this photo comes courtesy of an old Basschat thread about... three-pickup basses.

Tokai made a neat looking 3-pickup Jazz at one point. I also remember seeing a bonkers 3-pickup P for sale, I think it was on here. Also Japanese, if memory serves me right. The pickups were all wildly slanted and I remember it had some unique switching. I'm going to see if I can find it again.

Whatever the reason, I'm not complaining!

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1482179192' post='3198289']
Not wishing to rain on your parade, but if this guy does this sort of thing regularly I suspect he's laughing at you and unless you can prove to the Police he's done this to lots of others too, they are not going to be interested. Don't know if there is any mileage in seeing if he has done it before with others...?
[/quote]
Oh, no worries, I wasn't parading to begin with. He could certainly be bluffing, or he could not. The problem is, I doubt I could trust his answer if I ask him whether he's a seasoned swindler or not.

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1482247195' post='3198834']
I was swindled by someone once. I had paid by Paypal and after a lot of bleating from him about it being on it's way I dropped his backside into PP's care. They locked his account down, refunded my money and shut him down for a good month. I hugely enjoyed the end of the process but not the bit before then. I know this is of no help to OP and I am not saying "you should have done it my way" cos I have done bank transfers in the same way as you. This is for anyone else reading and thinking about buying from an unknown source - always PP straight and if they bleat about fees then add the 3% to the figure. Sadly not everyone out there is as cool as we all are. Again OP, please don't take this as a criticism of how you did it, it is not that. Many of us have done it just the same way.
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No offence taken! I usually never pay in advance, actually, but I was just so eager this time. He knew how to play me, I suppose! Unfortunately I only have a first name, which may or may not be correct, and no location. I do have his actual bank account number, though.

EDIT: I just remembered something that might be of significance. When I realised I had been taken for a ride, I looked up the IP number from which the reply to my ad had been sent (obviously I should have done this before giving him my money). It showed up as being used in Spain. Could this mean he actually was abroad, robbed and desperate? Otherwise, he must've had some really good foresight to use a fake IP that he could, much later, tie to a sob story.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1482174166' post='3198238']
And recorded with a Stingray
[/quote]
Oh, so that's when he used them. I saw you mention Alex James in a list of Stingray users but I've never seen him with one. That's interesting actually. I suppose that album isn't really what you'd typically associate with a Stingray.

Jethro Tull for one year with Mark Craney and a whole bunch of years with Doane Perry.

EDIT: Monty Python until Terry Gilliam renounced his American citizenship.

[b]Orange Juice[/b] - [i]Rip it Up[/i]:
"You know me, I'm acting dum dum / You know the scene is very humdrum / And my favourite song's entitled Boredom"

[b]They Might Be Giants[/b] - A whole bunch of songs, among them [i]XTC Vs. Adam Ant[/i]; [i]The Day[/i]:
"The day Marvin Gaye and Phil Ochs got married";
and [i]Twisting [/i]which references The dB's and The Young Fresh Fellows.

Technically a lot of [b]Blur[/b]'s [i]13[/i] album is about Justine Frischmann from Elastica.

[b]Pavement[/b] - [i]Stereo[/i]:
"What about the voice of Geddy Lee / How did it get so high? / I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy"

[b]Eddie Floyd[/b]'s [i]Big Bird[/i] is about Otis Redding, and probably the greatest song he recorded! There were other Otis tributes too (at least one), but I can't remember them now.

They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants, which incidentally was inspired by
[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1481907399' post='3196226']
The Monkees - Hey Hey We're the Monkees
[/quote]

It's not a basschatter, fortunately. I've got a first name, which may or may not be correct, and a bank account number. Should be very easy to trace, but I too am worried that the police might find it quite a bit down in their list of priorities.

I've sent him a message back now. I told him he really has no right in asking for three weeks, and that I need the money by Tuesday. So now I'm hoping that he was bluffing, and that he's scared enough to actually give me my money back.