silverfoxnik

[quote name='paul, the' post='82048' date='Nov 1 2007, 05:14 AM']Oh and could someone please buy that and save me the 4 hour car journey. Despite my negativity towards Carlsbro... that's gorgeous.[/quote] I checked that out last time it was on Ebay as I live quite near Chichester and it's better in the looks department than the sound department, sadly! It's a completely empty box with two unbranded 12" drivers in there, so you can definitely save yourself the journey... Nik

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='82586' date='Nov 2 2007, 12:13 AM']Something pert and heart shaped?[/quote] Definitely!

Really nice bass Si and welcome to the Lakland owners club! Er..is it me or is there some kind of 'Status Quo' thing going on in that live pic??? Nik

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='81128' date='Oct 30 2007, 08:08 AM']To a degree I've gone through very much the same thing (as has Dood I imagine) in the last year or two! I had a pair of H&K 2x10 combos that I used for over 15 years and due to them both developing terminal problems I bought a H&K Bassbase 600 amp which I continued to use with the cab section of my combos. Cutting to the present day via a potted history I bought a pair of Neo 2x12 EBS, changed the H&K for a Warwick amp, sold the EBS and bought Tech 2x10 & 1x15, chopped in the Warwick amp for MB, sold the Tech cabs and bought a 6x10 Tech, got rid of the MB and bought a Thunderfunk (oh and a Tech amp). The whole time I was also considering Epifani, Accugroove, Schroeder, Glock etc etc. I was also questioning whether I had an issue with the tone of Neo speakers, a recent trial (thanks to fellow local BCers JPJ and WoT, and also reading stuff here and on TB by Alex and BFM) helped me clarify that it is cab design not 'necessarily' the driver installed that matters. Added to which I was p*ssing about swapping pups and preamps in my basses... the Devil makes work for idle hands. As you can see I've had an unsettled year or two and spent a lot of time changing cab THEN amp THEN cab THEN amp. It may not help you immensely but I'd try and identify an amp that you like before you go chasing cabs and have some kind of constant in your system. and remember when you are asking these questions... 'one man's meat is another man's poison', someone's sweet top end could just as easily be fingernail's down a blackboard to me![/quote] Blimey, I'm exhausted just reading that!! Good advice though... ..Kind of a modern-day bass players parable for all of us who are searching for that perfect sound which of course, is different for all of us! At the end of the day, there's no substitute for trying out as much equipment as possible but that's easier said than done. That's one of the really good things about the Bass Bash. At the SE Bash I went to in August; I got to hear so much different equipment that I would never have gotten round to hearing otherwise.. Anyway, good luck with it all Gwil !

[quote name='ped' post='76923' date='Oct 20 2007, 10:33 AM']Quite a looker. Shame it is abroad though. How are you Nik, I haven't seen you about much.. been busy? ped[/quote] Hi Ped, Am pretty good thanks but incredibly busy with work and also am gigging a lot, so haven't had as much Basschat time as I'd like (not good).. How are you? Nik

[quote name='Rich' post='80863' date='Oct 29 2007, 04:46 PM']Jon crafted for me a beautiful instrument exactly as I wanted it, with a few choice suggested improvements of his own, for less than the cost of a new Stingray 5 and half the price of a comparable Sei or GB. 'Nuff said. Man's a genius.[/quote] Whatever anyone thinks of his instruments, it seems to me that Jon Shuker obviously makes his customers feel valued, and that they're getting incredible value for their money.. That's a winning combination in anyone's book! Personally, I've only ever played one Shuker (MacDaddy's 6 string at the SE Bash in August) and it was a quality instrument, no doubt about it!

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='80509' date='Oct 28 2007, 05:34 PM']Just got home after doing a showcase at the British Legion in Leyland and what an ordeal - I'm knackered. Five acts turned up at 11.30 with all the gear under the sun, told that the first act has to go on at 12.30 after the hot pot - oh and by the way, did I mention that our band was last on at 3.30? No time for anyone to do a proper soundcheck either. Three solo artists and a three piece band (no drums) led the proceedings (25 mins each) - all with f. backing tapes and huge PAs (can't believe that we couldn't agree that only one PA should do everyone but there ya go). We just took our small PA and tops only - no bass bins and we had a hard time filling a big room with our sound...BUT at least we did get 'em up dancing. We got two bookings immediately after the show so it was probably worth it but what a nightmare. The only positive I can draw from the experience is it did actually help to reaffirm my heartfelt opinion that people who use backing tapes should be taken outside and flogged with a sh1tty stick. Bogus...totally f. bogus indeed. Ah well, life goes on - gotta go and cook Sunday dinner now.[/quote] I think most of us have had similar experiences Al, so commisserations and also congratulations for getting something positive out of it! Definitely sounds a bit Phoenix Nights as Matt said... Am totally with you on the 'backing tapes' issue BTW!. As well as doling out said punishment there, someone should also shoot the booker/organiser at the British Legion.. How often have you heard that story where someone who knows nothing about musicians and equipment is given the job of booking and organising the entertainment, only to completely b***s it up! Nik

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='78581' date='Oct 23 2007, 11:46 PM']Well, you know I'm one for subtle understatement. It's ideally suited for the gentle lambent tones of Dinner Jazz, and could possibly lend itself to Plainchant if I were to fit a whammy bar. As to it appearing at any Bash (or Fumble), that's dependent on finding a suitable gigbag as the hard case is too unwieldy for Public Transport. Pete.[/quote] Good point Pete - I was very impressed with how light & compact your gear was at the Bash.. Would love to see you performing with this bass at a Dinner Jazz evening somewhere

[quote name='Gwilym' post='78552' date='Oct 23 2007, 10:13 PM']hi Nik, I'm not doing too badly thanks! Hope you're good too. to be honest, I wasn't expecting any retrospective pre-Basschat feedback, but thanks very much for your kind words nevertheless That Wal couldn't have gone to a nicer bloke, and, sorry the Sadowsky has gone to Aussiephoenix ;-) Cheers Dave! Glad to hear you're loving that bass You must be the only person on Basschat with no GAS [/quote] Am good thanks Gwil, though got a touch of flu which is boring... On the bass front, the Wal and my Lakland DJ5 keep me very happy so it was only just a passing appreciation of the Sadowsky, as opposed to full on GAS. Still, GAS is a bit like colds and flu isn't it, you can guarantee that no matter how good you feel, it'll hit you at least once a year Nik

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='77968' date='Oct 23 2007, 12:33 AM']Fresh from the sylvan fields* of Parcel Farce's Charlton Depot: An Aria ZZB-Custom in "Bloody Red". I've only ever seen two of these, & the other one is in the catalogue scans over on the Matsumoku.org site - so they're a tad scarce. It's quite light, & very loud. The bridge appears to have been designed by the Pharmaceutical Dept at Aria, & it's a bugger to get it comfy when standing. It's also reluctant to fit most stands. A gigbag would be nice, but that may prove harder to find than Lord Lucan. As a result of this, I hereby proclaim myself GAS-free**. Pete. *[size=1](a lie)[/size] **[size=1](probably a lie)[/size][/quote] Very quiet, unassuming looking bass you've got yourself there Pete - hope to hear it and have a go at the next Bash!! Does it sound as modest as it looks? Nik

[quote name='Sibob' post='78394' date='Oct 23 2007, 04:37 PM']So I'm just interested in what difference (sound, structural etc etc) it makes when a bass body is made up from a number of different pieces of wood!? What would the characteristic differences be between say a 4 piece body and a 1 piece body? Cheers Si[/quote] Hi Si, Really interesting question this and it's not one that I think will get you a definitive answer... Personally, I prefer the sound of basses where the body is not made up of lots of different woods (..sometimes called multi-laminate, I think). With Wal basses which I've used for years, I have always preferred the sound of the old Pro models as opposed to the Custom models and that's because the Pros were made of Ash and the Customs were made of a mahogony core with different laminates on top. Though the Ash bodies were made of 3 pieces glued together, I think that the use of one tonewood made for a more resonant body. Fans of the Custom models will say differently of course, and point to the fact that the electronics were radically different between the two models so a straight comparison can't be made, which may well be true. But having owned and used both designs, I think the Pro models were better for being one wood. Dave Wild, a very good luthier based in North London always argued the case for simplicity in designing and building basses and pointed to Fenders as being the best example of that. His point was something like (a) in the body of a bass, it is better to have good wood resonating than lots of glue and that ( different woods resonate differently, therefore they may not work well together tonally.. How true that is is part of the debate I suppose and something for others to add too. For my part, over the years that I've been playing, my preference has definitely swung back towards simpler design in basses. Sorry if I've strayed off the point a bit, but you've got me thinking with this one, which is always a good thing! Nik

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='74346' date='Oct 14 2007, 11:49 PM']Played through a brand new borrowed Ashdown stack at a gig the other night and it was woolier than a sheep in a jumper shop. And we're not talking the cheap range either - this was an Evo head and top of the range cabs. It was awful. What's all the fuss about?[/quote] +1 That's been my experience of Ashdown as well. The first time I used an Ashdown set-up was the house rig at Walkabout's in Shepherd's Bush, London and it was dreadful. Looking at it cynically and given their pretty impressive 'market penetration' on TV or in venues etc, it seems to me like Ashdown have won the marketing war with this formula: Retro logo and fascia design + tubes + VU meters = good old traditional British engineering = must be bloody good!! Of course, we're all different and what gear we use is dependent on what music we like and what music we play in our various bands etc, but every now and again, there's definitely a brand that comes along which is a triumph of style over content and I've long thought that Ashdown are that brand of the last few years.. Just my view of course but I wouldn't spend my money on any Ashdown gear... Personally, I'd rather look at my late Dad's 1930's radio sets if I want to indulge in a bit of nostalgia for good old British engineering!

[quote name='BeLow' post='77911' date='Oct 22 2007, 10:32 PM']Hi Homer When I first started playing bass (shortly after electricity had been invented) the advice was to always have speakers with power handling well above the power output of the amp, but that was when a 100watt bass amp was the norm and the 250watt machine was a real pro rig, and a 200 watt speaker was approximately the size of a garden shed and the weight of the speaker magnet created a gravitational field which could pull the earth's orbit closer to the sun.[/quote] LOL +1 to Al and Crazykiwi welcoming you back - extremely pertinent post but very very funny too...I've had flu for 2 days and that's really cheered me up! Looks like you've got the all clear on this now Al, subject to being extra careful in certain situations? Nik

[quote name='TheRev' post='78155' date='Oct 23 2007, 11:46 AM']1) The spaces you leave are just as important as the note you play. 2) Never, ever leave a drummer alone with the rider.[/quote] LOL and +1... My 2p worth would be: 1) Always listen to all of the other musicians in the band, especially the singer 2) Remember that bass is a melodic instrument as well as a rhythmic instrument

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='77737' date='Oct 22 2007, 02:44 PM']I've just bought a GK 112 neo as a 'multi-purpose' addition to my rig which consists of a 1001RBII head and GK 212 neo cab. Primarily, I bought it to use for quiet practicing in my bedroom and to use at band rehearsals but I've stacked it with the 212 and at (fairly loud) bedroom volume and it sounded absolutely wonderful! I would imagine that having that extra speaker closer to my ear will help me to hear myself better on stage and might even let me turn down a bit. I'd like to use the pair together at gigs occasionally if it's possible without damaging anything - and, being conscious of the imbalance of the 2 cabs - ie; 300 watts 98db and 600 watts 101db, was wondering how far can I go volume wise without damaging the 112? My usual settings on the head are - Contour & Presence off, EQ flat, input volume at 9 o' clock, boost at about 2 'o clock and woofer on about 11-12 o' clock. I play in a soul band and use PA support at all but the smallest venues.[/quote] Hi Alan, The danger is going to be that at close to full volume you could have almost 350 watts going into the GK 112 which is obviously too much, but if your woofer setting is about 12 o'clock, then you're not near maximum output so it should be OK. But it's all a bit of an inexact science isn't it, hence your concerns? I think you're right in thinking that with this set up you might be able to turn down a bit because when I've used stacked cabs with one nearer to ear level, I find it helps a lot and I don't have to turn up as much. Hopefully, there's more knowledgeable members here who can advise you best, Nik

Very cool.... The sunburst/black scatchplate combination looks great to me!

[quote name='jwbassman' post='77214' date='Oct 21 2007, 10:07 AM']+1 for OBBM Top bloke and quality cable and workmanship, enough said...[/quote] And here's another +1 for OBBM!!

[quote name='BeLow' post='76705' date='Oct 19 2007, 07:59 PM']Tribal planet GX40 on ebay - there is a dealer there selling them, come up from time to time from as little as £17. Good protection - almost a hard case in fact but not as compact as others.[/quote] +1 for the Tribal Planet products - excellent quality!

[quote name='ahpook' post='76854' date='Oct 20 2007, 08:39 AM']plus the one...and some sturdy staples as well...[/quote] I've had the same problem as John - silly, but very annoying! But just the mention of the staples is like having all the light bulbs turned on at once! Thanks..

Hi Folks, I used to have an MTD Kingston and it was a great bass for the money and apparently, the MTD Grendel is even better. Gail Ann Dorsey who plays with David Bowie uses them (along with her Stingrays) and she certainly knows her stuff so this could end up being a real bargain for someone! I don't play fretless, otherwise, I'd be be very tempted.. Anyway, here's the link: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2001-Michael-Tobias-MTD-Grendel-5-string-flame-bass_W0QQitemZ140167477132QQihZ004QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2001-Michael-Tobias-...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url] Nik

[quote name='Gwilym' post='76151' date='Oct 18 2007, 07:51 PM']give me feedback dudes[/quote] Hi Gwil - how's it going mate? OK, here's my 2p worth... I bought my brilliant Wal Pro2e from Gwilym over two years ago and consider myself really lucky to have got such a great bass at a fair price. It's the one bass I have that I will never sell... I'm happy to say that I've kept in touch via Bassworld and Basschat with Gwil ever since.. IMHO, Gwil always looks after his basses and gear, really knows his stuff, is very cool to deal with and is absolutely 100% honest! So, I'd be really happily to deal with you again Gwil, if only I could afford some of those lovely, boutique basses you've had for sale from time to time That Sadowsky Metro 5 was particularl nice... Anyway, hope all's well! Nik

[quote name='neilb' post='74821' date='Oct 15 2007, 10:01 PM']Its a fake....Fender didn't start fitting pubes to basses until well into the 80s.[/quote] LOL

[quote name='bassmandan' post='75317' date='Oct 16 2007, 11:04 PM']big trade-y, live-y, type event full of manufacturers, retailers, musos, er.... and Brummies etc [url="http://www.musiclive.co.uk/"]http://www.musiclive.co.uk/[/url] normally a pretty good place to bag a bargain or two![/quote] Ok. Thanks bassmandan!

Sorry to sound stupid, but what is 'music live' for those of us who don't know? Nik

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='74160' date='Oct 14 2007, 03:24 PM']Here's my latest - used to belong to Platypus and Psychoandy and now it's mine. I've had it about 3-4 weeks now but wanted to wait until my new pickguards arrived from Jeannie's Pickguards before posting - it had a boring plain white on before. It has Aero pups, a J-Retro Deluxe, a Hipshot drop D thingy and a new set of DR Sunbeams on it. Oh and I bought a new Hiscox case for it - very nice too.[/quote] That's simply beautiful.. And at the risk of making a discussion of the aesthetics of your bass sound like a 70s porn movie, I definitely prefer the the 'black on black' look