Marcray

I don’t usually do this, because I know everyone has very different ideas.  But I’ve recently just moved back to the UK and sold my two rigs before I left my last country.  I had a Quilter BB800 through a Barefaced Supertwin, and a Markbass 802 for home use.  

The most I’m going to play these days would be bars/clubs and one rig was too much, the other was not enough.  The Ashdown’s seem to be reasonably priced on the used market, although I have no experience with them.  I like 10’s, so a 2x10 combo sounds like it might be useful.  

Does anyone have any words is wisdom for me because I’m quite undecided at this point.  🤔

right now, listening to the VPZD podcast.  Was previously listening to David J being interviewed by Lydia Lunch on her podcast.  

Is the neck the original or are you saying this is a replacement neck?  

The show I’m most embarrassed about is a headlining show at The Limelight, NYC, about 1993 or 1994.  A friend took me out after soundcheck and gave me way too many large shots, by showtime I was wrecked.  I played sloppy, I was taking drinks handed to me.  It was bad.  But I had a great night.  And the singer, who paid me, was very whizzed off, furious.  We were friends, still are, and we never spoke of it, but it embarrasses me to this day.  

My old precision.  I’ve had it since I was 19, it fits in my hands perfectly, I feel most comfortable on it, so that’s the one.  

3 hours ago, xgsjx said:

Watch the first video in the thread (if you haven’t already). It shows a $100 guitar sounding identical to a custom built one when the pickups & strings are the same.

I’m still looking for any that prove otherwise, but so far I’ve found nothing. 

As someone who has made a career of using software instead of instruments, I do understand that.  I think the video is right on.  For me personally (personally being a very important word here), I need that resonance or the instrument feels dead in my hands and I’m uninspired to play it.  Which speaks to what I believe is the most important part of sound, the player.  

3 hours ago, xgsjx said:

That's a good point.  My thinking is that although it seems wood has little to no effect on tone, it does have an effect on the playability of an instrument.  I still plan on having a nice £2k+ bass, not because it may or may not sound different from a decent £6-700 bass with the same pickups, but because hopefully more attention to detail will have went into it, giving a pro quality playability and feel as well as being comfortable.

 

I know that it's not a given with all higher priced instruments, which is why I'd likely be looking at the smaller companies.  If I had the funds, it'd be a Ritter.  🤑

Maybe I’m missing the context of your point, but the choice of wood, does seem to be a factor in the sound characteristics of the instrument.  In the last couple of years I bought a nice Serek bass.  I was very happy with it, but experimented with the pickup choice that Serek themself offer.  When I changed the pickup, the basic sound characteristics of the bass remained the same, the spectrum of adjustment widened with the upgraded pickup.  
 

This is why for me personally, I’ve ended up keeping only the basses that have a certain resonance acoustically that I could hear amplified when plugged in.  This was a completely unconscious decision.  🙂

On 16/05/2022 at 09:48, BigRedX said:

 

All about construction rather than the actual woods.

I’ve had more than one vintage guitar lover point out that it’s the dryness of the wood.  Again, just one ingredient in the stew, in my humble opinion.  

8 hours ago, xgsjx said:

I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I’m not convinced.  After watching some more YT vids, pickups seem to be by far, the biggest factor on tone, then the electrics.

 

My Sub Stingray sounds crap acoustically, but plugged in, it sounds decent. Will the pickups & electrics sound better if I put them in a MM Stingray?  I don’t know, but I’m doubtful.

 

A video I watched this morning, he took a Squier Tele affinity & put expensive pickups in it. The sound was hugely different, but he went on to say “the tone is only 1/2 the difference. They also change the feel of how you play”. 
 

Off to see if I can find any “cheap pickups in an expensive guitar/bass” vids.

That makes sense, because in a lot of ways, unless you have a radical opinion one way or another, it’s hard to be completely wrong about this issue.
 

I’m only speaking of my personal experience.  I’ve had a lot of decent basses of all prices.  The three I’m left with, at 53 years old, are the three exceptional ones that resonate beautifully both acoustically and electronically.  They just happen to have value in one way or another.  
 

Here’s an interesting part of the story. One of those basses is a 62 precision. I hadn’t played it in years, when I dusted it off it was in poor shape.  I gave it to a luthier friend, former Nashville guy, very experienced.  He fixed the electronics issues, did a re-fret, and more importantly he “rebuilt” the neck pocket.  He tightens neck pockets until it will hold without screws.  His belief is that the contact at that point is hugely important.  The resonance, the depth, which the bass had in spades beforehand, has now increased dramatically.  It sounds absolutely beautiful, both acoustic and electronically.  Don’t ask me why.  I couldn’t say.  It’s just an observation, and obviously I’m thrilled.  

I’ve always been skeptical about the concept of tone-wood, believing that it is a combination of factors that make a great sounding guitar.  But my personal experience will attest to the fact that the acoustic characters of a bass do seems to resonate when the bass is electrified.  It’s acoustic characteristics are the amplified sound.  Again, a combination of factors, the cut and age of the wood being one of them.  

I’ve been a bit obsessed with Billy Strings recently… 

I bought this with my first check from a paying band.  I was 19.  A 1962 Precision.  I’ve had other basses along the way that have come and gone, but this one stays.  It fits in my hands perfectly.  

This bass was just sold by Bass Bros.  But they couldn’t answer the question I’ve always had about Severin’s Wal.  He used one on “Nocturne”, but it was black and had a natural color headstock.  Then this one showed up when he appeared on The Tube promoting “Hyena”.  So was this bass the Nocturne bass with (possibly) a new custom neck?  No one seems to know.  I remember an interview in Modern Musician when he talked about no longer using the Wal(s), but I don’t remember if it was actually plural.  
 

On a somewhat related subject, although Wal’s have an almost legendary reputation, it’s hard to find a player from the early days of the company who still use their old Wal, or used it for a an extended amount of significant time.  Though I’m sure there are examples.  

I’m a fan of so much music from that time period, yet somehow The Zombies got past me.  Recently started listening to them after listing to an interview on The Rockenteurs podcast, and they’re so great.  

Was the neck refinished with the refret job?  

34 minutes ago, J_Bass said:

Thanos for the information, I thought it was the Rick. 

 

Nice to know. 

 

 

And yes, it's a stupendous bass. 

The Serek Sacramento is the model influenced by the Rickenbacker.  🙂

It makes me sad in a way that what we’ll never see is the same kind of footage of them working during the best of times.  That would be something amazing.  

It truly makes me laugh, makes me sad 30 seconds later.  The fact that the 61 Hofner is there at the beginning… that John is obviously stoned at times, and Paul is trying very hard to find entertainment in that… there’s just so much to absorb, and can’t possibly take it all in in one viewing.  It’s brilliant stuff though, an amazing window.  

Does Curtis Novak have any distributors in Europe, or is it all through his site?  

6 minutes ago, Clarky said:

Just buy it! My Serek 'The Grand' is fabulous to play

Edit: I see its Sale Pending .... you are too late then, lol!

I love this bass, I want it, if I was in the UK I woulda snapped it up to try it on, but I’m not so I’m considering my own Serek build.  A couple of decisions still to make on the exact configuration.  

Please may this sale happen so this bass stops torturing me 😁

52 minutes ago, Sibob said:

Keep it exactly how it is. And then order a custom from someone like Moollon, Olinto or Limelight to address your want for a Sea Foam over Sunburst curiosity.

Simples

Si

I’m attempting to downsize here!! 😁

51 minutes ago, Belka said:

Keep it as it is. Also, if you do it in green, then technically, from a vintage point of view, the tort guard will be incorrect. It was only sunburst, shell pink and olympic white that came with tort pickguards back then, so although I'm sure it would look good it in green, it wouldn't look like it did when it left the factory.

That was one of my initial thoughts but I was able to find a few examples of custom Sea Foam green with a tort guard.  Surf Green is usually paired with a white guard, but they sure are pretty with a tort.  Honestly, it’s my instinct to stick with the white unless there was some indisputable reason that a refinish would improve the bass, which it will not.  Everyone here has made some great points which I’m grateful for. 🙂

6 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

Mind you, I'd be very tempted to put some knobs on that. 

Yeah the pots have been replaced, all the wiring has been replaced, new knobs are in place.  After the refret it will be assembled and we’ll see what we have.  The cause of the issues I was having may have been the state of the wiring but we’re not ruling out the pickups for a rewind.