silverfoxnik

[quote name='Beedster' post='373778' date='Jan 8 2009, 06:58 AM']FYI I fell so in love with the fretless that I have now bought a fretted Jazz (and it's a real beaut, pics to follow). This means I have to go back through Basschat and revise about 400 posts or appear to be a complete idiot Nik, you were right all along! C[/quote] Well, that's a first! Look forward to seeing some pics soon...

[quote name='AM1' post='373579' date='Jan 7 2009, 10:08 PM']For Mods...any chance of setting up a beginner forum section? I have found that there are a multitude of bass books for beginners, I would like to review a few that I have found excellent and useful. A beginner's forum will enable new people to instantly find that type of information. Also, a dedicated section will save us beginners bombarding the same poor peeps with idiot level questions Cheers AM[/quote] Not a bad idea at all....

It's getting really 'Grumpy Old bass-playing Men' around here, regardless of everyone's age.. Love it !

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='367694' date='Jan 1 2009, 01:16 PM']Harking back to one of my earlier posts [What constitutes a build diary?], I think this project truly encompasses the spirit of a home build, by someone who has the tools, knowledge and ability to do the job. This is exactly what I was trying to get over in my original post. Al has built [himself] a great looking bass, on a reasonably tight budget and for all the right reasons. It looks great. Well done. P[/quote] +1 Really fabulous work and thanks for sharing it!

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='373389' date='Jan 7 2009, 07:11 PM']I collected my ACG Harlot from Alan in Moffat today. It’s my 2nd Harlot, my 1st being a 5 string. I’m a late starter into the world of playing bass and a 4 string makes life easier for me and it does all I need and more besides. I tried playing a 5 but it didn't work out. I love the type S single cut style of the Harlot and carried it over to the 4. This is the 1st single cut 4 that Alan has created. Zigmondo now owns the 5. I’d 1st like to stress that Alan’s creations are 1st and foremost working tools (I know that Alan would agree here), instruments for the creation of the low end. These basses are designed 1st and foremost to be used. Design wise he dares to be different and if you ask him to make you a Jazz he’s likely to point you back in the direction from which you came. I personally love the flowing lines and perfect balance that both my ACG’s have had. I also like to be a bit different. I’m not a disciple of the ‘tone wood’ gospel and I think that bass/amp/string etc. manufacture has more than its fair share of b*llshit in a b*llshit laden world. I do think you have a choice, use any functional wood and paint it or use something that has its own unique ascetics, lacquer it and celebrate its beauty. I don’t understand any of this ‘coffee table’ comment crap either, each to their own (I have both and appreciate them all), this bass is a ergonomic delight being tiny and light, has a superbly comfortable asymmetric neck and just about the lowest action I’ve ever experienced. Alan carefully chooses his pickups that are made entirely to his specification with magnet type and windings to suit positions on the instrument and to complement his double low pass filter pre amp. This is another example of Alan’s commitment to instruments that provide a huge variety of real world tones. The tonal range is so wide that these basses can’t imo be categorised in terms of tone at all. So having stressed the fact that ACG’s are not simply exotic wood artefacts but are remarkable musical instruments that celebrate a natural phenomenon in a quite unique way and that having a say in the crafting of such an instrument is a real pleasure here’s some photos of my new bass. I can’t wait to let it loose in anger. Peter[/quote] The woods and the build quality look exceptional Peter - congratulations! Very nicely worded post too if I may say so...

Very nice Paul.. Looks the business! I'm a fan of those Dimarzios as I have them on my '84 BC Rich Eagle and they sound great! What would a P-Bass like this cost to have built by your good self then?

I had a similar problem when I has a KSD 5 string which was quite a bit longer than a usual 35" scale bass. But it did fit in a Tribal Planet case that I bought, so maybe that might work for you?

Very nice!

[quote name='CyberBass' post='372065' date='Jan 6 2009, 03:02 PM']Sad news today. Ron Asheton Guitarist for The Stooges was found dead today. Ron also played Bass for The Stooges for a period including playing Bass on the 'Raw Power' album. Personally am gutted. R.I.P. Ron[/quote] +1 Sad news indeed...

[quote name='alexclaber' post='372320' date='Jan 6 2009, 07:14 PM']This is why too many beginner instruments contain appallingly nasty active circuitry - because louder always sounds better, it's the nature of the human ear, and this is particularly apparent with lower frequencies. If you want to compare a passive bass and an active bass you have to match the levels. But if you want to sell basses to beginners it's easier to stick a cheap circuit in that boosts the output and bottom than try to educate them to the benefits of passive basses. Now I'm not saying that all active basses are bad - but even the MEC circuit in my Warwick Streamer sounded rubbish compared to bypassing it or the Aguilar OBP-3 that replaced it. Quality active onboard circuitry cannot be done cheaply though it doesn't have to be very expensive. Alex[/quote] +1 Words of wisdom as per usual Mr Claber!

[quote name='Mickeyboro' post='372564' date='Jan 6 2009, 10:57 PM']Watched with a bass on my lap! Inspirational stuff...[/quote] +1 Made me want to get the bass out, which is what I'm going to do after a little browse around here..

[quote name='Linus27' post='372417' date='Jan 6 2009, 08:54 PM']I don't get the people who say real bass players don't use picks or no good bass player uses a pick. To me thats just narrow minded. It's just a different style, the same as slap is and finger playing. Some songs sound better with a pick and the style works better with some songs. Also, a lot of people can't play effectivly with a pick. There is a skill as much as playing finger style or slap.[/quote] +1 I use both finger style and pick style when playing, depending on the song and surely the aim is to always do what's right for the song... There's loads of snobbery about using a pick which is totally unwarranted IMO. For example, on the 'Isolated Bass Tracks' thread I was listening to the 'Beat It' bassline and that's all done with a pick, so if it's good enough for Michael Jackson & Quincy Jones (and either Louis Johnson or Steve Lukather who played the line), then it's good enough for me!

[quote name='Delberthot' post='372027' date='Jan 6 2009, 02:30 PM']right, deep breath: people who play 6+ string basses in rock bands Ashdown - its sh*t wooly, indistinct crap that generally fails most of the time Spalted maple tops - yes I'd like to have some overpriced crap that looks like OSB put on the top of my bass and I'd like you to charge me one squillion pounds for it. Fender - One downside of Fender being the first mass produced bass manufacturer is that everyone associates bass with them, like Coke. There are more ranges of basses that seem to overlap than something something. People are still going to buy them as they are either ignorant of the many basses that are better than them or are name Snobs. Gibson - How could a company that producs such fantastic guitars produce such sh*tty basses - 'hey guys, I have an idea: lets make a range of very fragile basses that try to hit the floor every time you let go of them. What we'll do is glue the neck to the body as well so they can't simply change the neck when it does break because they all will eventually. That way we'll be able to sell more of them' Marcus Miller - stop trying to look cool with the pouted lips thing and smile once in a while - why can't you be more like Nathan East? He never stops smiling. Double thumbing - nothing there I can't do with 2 fingers and be less tired by the end of it. Active EQ with more controls than the Hubbel Space telescope - Unless you play a tube amp, chances are your amp has an active EQ built in that can acheive the sound you are looking for. People that use the words/phrases/acronyms: Dial in the tone, the dude totally owns that bass, in the pocket, mwah, wood shedding, anything else you may see on Talkbs, etc. The fact that most bass players only see how many watts an amp/cab/combo has rather than how efficiently it can turn it into sound due to brainwashing by companies promoting their gear that way. eg an 8x10" 6000w monster cab with an SPL of 92dB Why do valve amps need to be so expensive? Most of the designs have been around for years so unless they are point to point hard wired by the ghost of Leo Fender there is no reason why they should be sometimes 4-5 times as expensive as tranny ones Rickenbacker & Musicman basses. I love the shape and the look of both but cannot get either one to sound like how you'd expect them to. Rickenbacker - why haven't they caught up with technology and produced a single truss rod that anyone can use themselves without fear of the fretboard popping off? Why is their bridge design the same? It makes it so difficult and time consuming to adjust the intonation. Most people I have spoken with prefer the pickup cover off. Why haven't Rick produced a design that doesn't result in turning your bass into a cheesegrater for your fingers when you take it off without putting one of those pickguardian thingy on? Coated strings. I thought the purpose was to make the coating invisible? They feel really sticky and cause my fingers to drag across them. They also sound dead straight out the packet. Flatwound strings - I love the strings but why can't they tell you what their roundwound equivelant is so that i don't have to go through 10 sets to find something that doesn't feel like I'm playing with rubber bands, or an Ashbory? Plectrums - I love the sound that Chris Squire gets but when I use one, i don't feel like I am actually playing. I cannot play with any emotion. I am not dissing them, I just cannot get used to the fact that only one hand is touching the strings. I feel something is lost when using one. And, yes, I do use one for a couple of songs that need one to emulate the sound off the record. In fact I use the same ones as Chris Squire Single cut basses - they simply look wrong. Dosn't having what would effectively be the top horn attached to the neck affect what you can do with the truss rod without breaking something? Alembic & Fodera. I don't personally see how spending as much as i would on a second hand car could possibly sound that much better. Maybe its the spalt. Any company that claims to be at the cutting edge of design with amps and then produces very innefficient cabs Companies that produce a signature series bass that someone famous uses which is no where as good as the one the actual artist uses.[/quote] That's an excellent rant to start off the year with!

[quote name='bubinga5' post='371232' date='Jan 5 2009, 06:39 PM']My RV5,,with VTC, Great bass..what a tone.....[/quote] That really is a fabulous looking bass!!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='371297' date='Jan 5 2009, 07:40 PM']That's nicest newer TBird I think I've seen... Got me GASing for a Gibson Bass of some description now![/quote] +1 Great case too...

Fabulous!

[quote name='blamelouis' post='370266' date='Jan 4 2009, 07:43 PM']He had the whole package. Great voice , bags of charisma,could rock on his precision like nobody and most importantly songwriting skills .[/quote] +1

[quote name='Shockwave' post='369365' date='Jan 3 2009, 04:52 PM']Ok well, I just got off the phone. The guy has claimed that although the serial number seems like its a 77' he has had the neck off the body and confirms that it said 76 on both parts. However i will check into this if i decide i want to offer the money. I havent been able to get down to the shop today, However i will be going down on monday. The money has just gotten into my account so i am primed ready with readies![/quote] Ped's right; Hamster said it best.. so get the vintage 'Ray! Good luck with it....

[quote name='urb' post='369280' date='Jan 3 2009, 02:36 PM']Absolutely - top babe top bassist. One of my fave bassists ever actually. M[/quote] +1 That's a great bass sound on 'Under pressure'.. There's also a clip on YouTube of Bowie & Annie Lennox doing Under Pressure and Lennox is nowhere near as good as GAD's vocal on this when you listen to them one after another!

[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='368011' date='Jan 1 2009, 08:02 PM']+1 ...going for the blocks was a good idea[/quote] Definitely.. really adds to what is already a very unique looking bass! Like dub_junkie, I'm curious about the low B on the 33" scale as well Mike - how does it compare to longer scale 5 strings?

[quote name='britsound' post='367341' date='Dec 31 2008, 06:47 PM']Hi I've just got my hands on a pre EB Sabre. Can anyone recommend somewhere i can take it for a good service. It's in dire need of a set up, which is no great problem, but it's the electronics i'd really like to get checked over. I'm in the Herts, North London area. Cheers and Happy New Year[/quote] Might be worth phoning The Gallery in Camden and asking them who they'd recommend..

[quote name='yorks5stringer' post='368085' date='Jan 1 2009, 10:00 PM']Solange's "Sandcastle Disco"[/quote] I love that tune! First song I played this year was Rasberry Beret (Prince) and the first bassline I've been working on is 'Sitting On the Dock of the bay' (Otis Redding) - both great fun to do..

[quote name='SJA' post='367804' date='Jan 1 2009, 03:24 PM']when Gail Ann Dorsey and Mark Plati swap bass & guitar roles in Bowie's band it's just to have a change- she can slap pretty well- see live versions of "the heart's filthy lesson". [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6siuZChminw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6siuZChminw[/url] closeup at 1.20 and check out her singing Freddie's part & playing the bassline on "Under pressure" [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNGQor3dED8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNGQor3dED8[/url] - now that's a feat of coordination! I watched that Gwen Stefani live show on 4music the other day, and GAD got a lead singing spot at the end of one song (presumably while the star went offstage to change outfits)- when you've got a voice like that you'll never be short of work.[/quote] Thanks for those; great! GAD is a very talented musician....

[quote name='AM1' post='360556' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:50 PM']I don't know which guy you mean, do you have any more info?[/quote] The guy's name is [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SX_PFH--rXo"]Bill Clements[/url]