benebass

[quote name='Protium' post='695670' date='Dec 29 2009, 04:00 PM']Its a pain in the arse now though as sellers can only leave positive feedback... What use is that?[/quote] In my experience, buyers will have their negative feedback removed if it offends a high-volume power seller - read [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=67423"]my post here[/url] for details. Not sure whether I'd trust eBay again after this - they didn't respond to me after I asked for more information on why my feedback was removed... Cheers, B.

Nothing ever came back from eBay about this (they never responded to my request for more information on why my feedback was removed), so as promised I'll name the seller - it was Purple Turtle Trading in Stockport. Has anyone ever had any dealings with them? B.

Has anyone tried Status Hotwire flats? I'm looking for a set for a 5 string & they're much cheaper than the likes of Thomastic/La Bella etc. - was wondering if they were any good? Cheers, B.

Sold John my Yamaha BEX-4 this afternoon. Swift, straightforward transaction & a great guy to deal with - glad it's gone to a good home. Cheers! B.

I think they're Korean (definitely not Japanese), but I'm not 100% sure. Cheers, B.

Been to see the Herbaliser a few times - amazing live band & well worth a look if you have a chance. My favourite track of theirs is 'A Mother For Your Mind' off the Flexistentialism Ninja Tunes comp: - This samples an obscure Dennis Coffey tune called Outrageous (Mind Excursion) from an 1970s album called Instant Coffey. The original album is worth a listen too - it features several ex-Motown musicians including James Jamerson & his bass playing on the cover of the Enter The Dragon theme is beautiful! Cheers, B.

Heard Jah Wobble being interviewed on the radio a while ago & they asked him why he wasn't involved in the PiL tour - he said there was no animosity, but he'd turned it down & would only be up for doing it if they were going to write some new stuff. Was quite impressed by that - must have turned down a massive wedge of cash to stick to his principles. Still wouldn't have minded seeing this PiL tour though - shame they never made it to Newcastle... B.

My pair of Yamaha BEX-4s - love them, but need some space so they're up for sale [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=66599"]here[/url] [attachment=38567:IMGP1110.JPG] [attachment=38568:IMGP1112.JPG]

Bought a Lowdown 110 amp from Gafbass02. Great guy to deal with - fast delivery & great communications - cheers! B.

[color="#4169E1"]1. What basses like the Ibanez above come close to that tone and vibe if I can't find one?[/color] I'm actually selling a couple of Yamaha BEX-4 basses [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=66599"]here[/url] that are similar in terms of style. Single magnetic pickup, piezo in the bridge & 3 band active EQ - really broad range to choose from. When I was looking for a semi-acoustic I couldn't find much else apart from the Yamaha & Ibanez that felt decent without spending a lot of cash, although you might want to try the Epiphone Jack Cassidy bass. [color="#4169E1"]2. How upgradable or easy to modify are basses like this comparable to solid bodied instruments (if needed)?[/color] It depends what you want to upgrade really. Without a scratchplate there's no way to hide woodwork & many have electronics mounted Gibson-style through the pickup hole, so it isn't easy to pop in a preamp for example without some woodwork. [color="#4169E1"]3. Which models offer good balance and don't suffer from neck dive?[/color] The Ibanez AGB140 & Yamaha BEX are OK with a decent strap, but can't really comment on anything else. [color="#4169E1"]4. Is feedback likely to be an issue with hollow bodied basses?[/color] My Yamahas both have central blocks so aren't true hollow body basses, but that means that feedback isn't an issue - think the AGB140 does too. You may find that full-bodied hollow basses might not be so forgiving played loud - had a hollow jazz guitar that fed back whenever I took my fingers off the strings... [color="#4169E1"]5. Does anyone recommend certain amplification for instruments of this nature?[/color] With a magnetic pickup then it shouldn't be too different to a solid-bodied bass in terms of amps. [color="#4169E1"]6. If anyone has an Ibanez ABG140 for sale, let me know [/color] Had an automatic search on eBay a while ago & they crop up from time to time - might be worth a shot if nobody has one on here... Cheers, B.

1990 (I think) - must have been about 17 & had just started playing. My mate played guitar in a punk band that already had a bass player, but they told me they wanted to try something different & have two bass players to do a rhythm/lead thing. Sounded great to me (I was well into Joy Division & Peter Hook's lead bass thing at the time), so I was in. They had a gig booked in a couple of weeks & they wanted me to join them, so I only had a single rehearsal (& a dodgy tape of a gig) to learn the set. Turned up at the studio & was told the other bass player couldn't make it, but we did the set anyway - it went OK & despite being REALLY nervous, was looking forward to the gig. On the day of the gig we all turned up & the other bass player was in a right huff - didn't know why though. We set up & sorted out our tuning then went off for a pint. When it was time to play, I went on stage, put the bass on...and it was COMPLETELY out of tune. I'd been sabotaged! Managed to sort of tune up by ear during the first song (it was in E!) & then turned round - the other bass player was stood there looking pretty smug & had obviously been responsible. I was furious, but thought I'd keep playing & try not to let it show. However, justice came a couple of minutes later - his bass completely cut out! We didn't have any spare stuff with us, so it meant I had to do the majority of the gig without him. He managed to borrow a really horrible pointy Flying V copy off another bass player on the bill & came on for the end of the set, but his mates stood in front of him heckling him with his 'Rock God' bass - what goes around comes around, eh!?! Found out later that the rest of the band were trying to get him to leave, but it was his band - they thought bringing in a new bass player would do the trick. It did - the band folded for good after that gig! Cheers, B.

I tried stringing one of my Yamaha BEX-4s (on sale [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=66599"]here[/url]) with a set of D'Addario EXL280s a while ago & didn't need to make any adjustments to the nut (it was set up with Thomastik flats before) - maybe I was just lucky there, but for £15 it might be worth buying a set to see what you think (Strings Direct have them [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/2413-d_addario_exl280_nickel_wound_piccolo"]here[/url]). Really enjoyed the whole piccolo thing myself & thought it sounded great - the BEX has a piezo pickup in the bridge, which worked really well with the higher tuning... The only downsides were that the unwound G string took a bit of getting used to and, on a 34" scale, the string tension was a bit tight when tuned EADG. Depending on your tastes, a short scale bass may be the way to go (that's probably what I'll end up doing at some point), although the harmonics probably won't be as rich. Mind you, opting for a non-standard tuning on a piccolo can give you some great results & probably won't be such an ordeal on your fingers: - [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NNwmwWX4LM&feature=channel"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NNwmwWX4LM...feature=channel[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY4Ra2KOyas&NR=1"] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY4Ra2KOyas&NR=1[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGOWUcGEaGY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGOWUcGEaGY[/url] Cheers, B.