ezbass

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1460715685' post='3028070']
A bit posh-looking for my Tele tastes, but I am in awe of people who can do this kind of work.
[/quote]There was nothing to it frankly. The body was bought with all the curves in place, I just sanded them back a bit so that the carves were softer. The top was stained with good quality watercolour paint and sealed with Danish Oil and then waxed. The 'binding' is model makers enamel applied with a brush. Up close, none of this stands up to inspection (occasional dodgy edge), but it was done cheap and cheerful, so I can't complain and it's only me to complain to. I know what you mean about posh looking though. Due to all the upgrades I've nearly got enough parts for another Tele, which I'd have more traditional looking (at least to start with ).

I must say something about the new bridge - the guitar sounds so much better in addition to being way more comfortable than the previous vintage bridge. I can't tell you how it sounds better, it's just does. It's more, er, alive. It seems to sing more, like it's 'cleared its throat'. Maybe it's down to the brass, or just the increased mass, but it's definitely better and a worthwhile upgrade; recommended.

It's a replacement body that came with that carve. The top stain is emulating an Anderson T type that I love the look of.

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1460669145' post='3027811']
That is one FINE looking axe. I love the binding thing.
[/quote]Why thank you, kind sir.

Absolutely fine on old iPad2, sorry to hear you're having issues. Are you using the full or mobile version? I use full on the tablet and mobile on the phone, no problems with either platform.

A wee update. New Gotoh bridge and a bit of fun and games with a tin of Humbrol and some masking tape (I like a bound edge Tele).

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[quote name='keefbaker' timestamp='1460535637' post='3026479']
Incidentally I'm totally in love with my stealth tank now and pretty much refuse to pick up any other fretted bass.
[/quote]Excellent news. Glad to hear it.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1460438842' post='3025644']
Money & a skint/greedy relative?
[/quote]I have to agree. Stairway has been around for 45 years and only now they want to make a claim. I call shenanigans. In addition, as posted earlier, both tunes are very Bach-esque, so the smart move is to claim that it was Bach inspired; case closed.

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1460382581' post='3025186']
Kinda mildly considering an Elwood 5, a super-jazz type vibe....hmmmm. No real news, just thinking out loud!

Si
[/quote]That way madness (and a new bass) lies.

I believe Barefaced do something that would fit the bill; 30lbs http://barefacedbass.com/product-range/LF800.htm

I've not seen many coloured Foderas, but that red is absolutely lovely. I would say enjoy, but that seems somewhat moot and superfluous.

I've learnt a little more about recording with Garageband and have re-recorded my earlier attempt, avoiding the distortion and have added some longer parts.

https://soundcloud.com/ezbass-1/maruszczyk-elwood-l-custom

[quote name='Bassman Sam' timestamp='1460065716' post='3022374']


I love the T-shirt.
[/quote]Me too. I glimpsed it in the advertising sidebar on Facebook and just had to have it. I've wanted one since originally watching OGWT in the '70s. It was from DJTees, they have a lot of cool, rock T shirts (I couldn't resist a retro Rush one either ).

A photo of the beast actually being played to give an idea of the proportions (I'm 6') and an excuse for a selfie

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[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1459954809' post='3021234']
ON HOLD pending payment
[/quote]At last! Someone is going to be a very happy bunny.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1459955427' post='3021243']
Good point. Of the other well known players I can only think of Barry Barlow from Tull who used one for any length of time - no-one else seemed to like them.
Edit: Tull did have a very particular sound though.
[/quote]Ooh, great call! BB is often overlooked, which is a shame. You could say the same for Martin Barre and any of their bass players too. I suppose most folks don't see beyond Ian Anderson.

OK this is my first attempt using garageband and I had to use my guitar amp as an input device, therefore there's a bit of breakup, which I was trying to avoid. It's all using the pickup in series, tone rolled off a bit. Some nice 'n cheesy chestnuts, plus a bit of walking at the end.

https://soundcloud.com/ezbass-1/maruzsczyk-elwoodl

It's a Jazz meets Stingray or, if you will, a Stingjay or 'Jay bass by Maruszczyc

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[quote name='Mister RLP' timestamp='1459875613' post='3020506']
Lovely bass. How does it compare with the Rob Allen?
[/quote]A very different beast, definitely an 'electric' fretless bass as opposed to the more 'acoustic', 'upright' tone of the RA. The playing experience is also different due to the wrapped LaBellas vs the EB Cobalts. This is a good thing, as it means I have 2 fretless basses that do very different things and I don't have to EQ the living day lights out of the RA to make it sound more solid bodied when I play it in a pop/rock scenario.

I know I haven't posted any sounds yet, but I've been playing along with some tracks at home and I can report that the tracks where its tone sounds most like the original are ones featuring old MM basses (Pino - Stingray; Tony Levin - Cutlass). It's nice to have the parallel and single coil option, but I don't see me using them very often to be fair, the series setting is just 'right'.

I opened up the control cavity the other day and, as I suspected, there's an absolute tone room available should I decide to fit a 2 band EQ down the road.

[quote name='keefbaker' timestamp='1459868410' post='3020399']
Sorry, didn't mean to derail the thread about your wonderful bass Ez.....
[/quote]Not at all, it's good to get some balance. I'm sorry that yours hasn't been great from the get go, I know I'd be rather deflated if it was me (I speak from experience here, many years ago with a different luthier who 'built' a guitar for me; a complete bust). I really hope you get it playing the way you want soon.

Ooh, interesting conundrum. I can see both sides that have been made above. If a bass sounds fantastic, then there are things that can be done to make it play, OK-ish. However, this flies in the face of what happened to me a while back. I was out bass browsing, as you do, and there was a wall full of Ricky 4003s. My previous experience with this Marmite brand was an almost unplayable example at a guitar show. However, there they were on the wall and I thought I'd see if my previous was still relevant. Cue a very playable 4003S. It was only then that I plugged it in and fell for the tone. So there you have it, I would have called tone, but it appears that I'm a playability guy.

Oh, there are too many to list: Tony Levin on Red Rain, Pino on Tear Your Playhouse Down (although pretty much anything these guys play on is amazing to my ears); the usual suspects really. But someone who, IMO, doesn't get enough kudos is Roscoe Beck. The walking line on this track, with its skips and ghost notes, is just lovely and then there's the two-handed, chordal stuff that starts under the guitar solo @2:00 onwards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8itrVCVrtNM&list=PLXYKzslrntw3LmWYDEBWLxVt8yb-7M9WP

I bought some EB Cobalts the other day. I had my first proper play with them today and I must say that I'm impressed. None of the stickiness and grot that I have experienced with LaBellas (I gave them a wipe before fitting and there was even the hint of a mark on the white cordon I was using). Tension-wise they seems very similar to my normal 45 -100 D'Addarios and, therefore, I guess similar to Super Slinkys. Do they sound like round wounds? Well this is hard to tell as I have them fitted to a fretless with an MM type p/up on it, whilst my D'Addario round wounds are fitted to a Ric. However, plucking the open strings on both acoustically does produce a similar tone, although the roundwounds seem to have a little more treble, but they may be the Ric's maple construction imparting that. Amplified, the EB's produce a nice parpy tone with a slightly attenuated top end compared to the steel roundwounds this bass came fitted with. They have a good bottom end without being dubby or boomy. In conclusion, I think EB have pretty much achieved what they set out to do with the Cobalts; flatwound feel with roundwound-like tone. I'd buy them again.

[quote name='keefbaker' timestamp='1459767122' post='3019283']


I haven't, and don't see the point given what happened over the refret thing in the club thread and that was a visible issue, rather than this.

I'm going to take it to a luthier and get it sorted myself. Once that's done I'm hoping my grump will go away because it is lovely and I want to be in love with it rather than feel sad when I play it.

I don't want to send it back, I just want it to play properly.
[/quote]Send it back and get it sorted, I know it's a nuisance, but it's what needs to happen. If it isn't right, it needs to be rectified by the manufacturer, or at least the work needs to be paid for if it is done locally.

As I said, divisive. Lists suck, but certainly give rise to debate. My favourite tub thumpers are all there, but spread amazing widely, from the top 10 (Copeland, which I think is high) to barely scraping in (Steve Jordan, way too low). Ultimately it's a bit of fun which, to paraphrase Elvis Costello, tells much about lists and nothing about the musicians contained therein.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1459770093' post='3019342']
Is Bill Bruford there ?

Oddly enough, the Scottish guy on radio 2 was playing King Crimson this morning.
[/quote]Bruford was in the top 10 I think, certainly top 20.