Shaggy

I play in 2 covers bands; one has an OK drum machine and the other has a seriously good drummer. I find playing with the drummer FAR easier and more natural - night and day difference - but I've no idea why this should be! Part of it down to sheer audibility (is that a proper word?) when live, but certainly not all.

[quote name='bassicinstinct' post='266114' date='Aug 20 2008, 10:18 AM']I have an early 70's Gibson bass - well gigged and considerably upgraded over the 30 years + I've owned it - which I decided to advertise for sale here last year. Mercifully, there was little or no interest in it at all. With the benefit of hindsight, I'd have been mortified if I actually had sold it. [/quote] Makes you believe in fate, doesn't it! I seem to move on new-ish basses, can't seem to bring myself to with the old ones.

[quote name='bassicinstinct' post='266059' date='Aug 20 2008, 08:21 AM']The sad fact is that people do, indeed, go nuts for vintage instruments - until you try and sell one of course, as I know from bitter experience. [/quote] What's the story there then?

EvilLordJuju is the one to ask about this, but being as even a modern Epi copy would cost that 2ndhand you can't lose. Grab it! Mid-60's ones seem to go for around the £500 mark - either because they're totally undervalued, or not very good basses depending on your point of view! (tone is pure mud) The EB-3 a much better bass.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='265533' date='Aug 19 2008, 02:23 PM']You know the weirdest thing about the TB is understandably my overriding memory of how heavy it was. It looked beautiful and was incredibly stable, never went out of tune, infinite sustain (which was good, but when you're playing a lot of notes each bar, sustain doesn't come into it!). The pickups weren't very adjustable; there were allen bolts through the back of the body, but they pretty much did nothing other than anchor the pickups/body/neck together. The original bridge was pretty chunky/clunky and I put a BadAss on when the guy changed the fingerboard. Prior to the bridge change, the bass had through-the-body-stringing. The holes never quite matched up, so if you had a tendancy (like most poor musicians) to boil up your strings, it was terrible trying to re-string it with used strings. I have no recordings or anything that I know of. Sure I remember it sounded OK at the time, but nothing special. I've mentioned here a few times that I've always been looking for a Rickenbacker type clank and I never got anywhere close to that. Soundwise I would say (from memory) that I sounded more like a phat version of Peter Swivel (of US 70s metaller Starz) rather than say, Mick Karn. Given the choice, would I get another one? Yes, but only for the novelty of having one. There are dozens and dozens of better basses for the money. If I did try and find one, I would probably go for one of the later models - perhaps serial numbers 400 or above - Travis Bean altered the body shape slightly - the wings were wider and they just looked aesthetically nicer - or if one came up, maybe one of the dozen new prototypes that were made about five years ago, which are [i]incredibly[/i] saucy. If you're looking for a Bean, there's the Travis Bean resource site - google it. There's classifieds, a forum etc. There's also tone of photos! Hope this helps. P[/quote] Thanks - always really useful to hear from an actual owner/ex-owner. Haven't put me off, I still want one!

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='265211' date='Aug 19 2008, 08:44 AM']Not trying to hijack the thread, but this [i]was [/i]fretless for a while. The original board hadn't adhered properly to the aluminium in a couple of spots, so I had an ebony board put on (and a BadAss bridge) by a luthier based in Kingston (he was a British Airways engineer and made baroque instruments in his spare time. Let's just say he knew glue!). It was later refretted by Dick Knight. It was a beauty, would be worth a small fortune now. P[/quote] Again, not trying to hijack this thread, but what was your impressions of the bass otherwise? Seem to have a warmer, woodier sound than a Kramer. Lovely basses! I'd liked to have met your luthier - I also play the lute (badly)

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='265179' date='Aug 19 2008, 07:50 AM']A Travis Bean 2000 series bass #222. I lost interest in the bass and part-exchanged it for an Ibanez Roadster. Read that last sentence again. Part-exchanged. I gave up my TB and gave cash to acquire an Ibanez Roadster! I still think about that TB once or twice a day. P[/quote] Damn, feel your pain on that one – I’ve been looking for a fretless one (in fact any one) for around twenty years! Only one lost bass love really – a mid-‘80’s Gordon Crook custom fretless (know nothing about him except he was Somerset based), very similar to a Wal Mk 1 in shape and feel, other than being neck-through. Sold her for virtually sod all at some low point when I’d given up on bass, still miss it. Also a nice original ‘70’s Orange valve head , traded for some nasty Laney thing ages ago before I understood you actually had to change the valves now and again.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='264419' date='Aug 18 2008, 10:31 AM']Well - the *real* prized Fender body wood - the swamp ash and alder they used in the 50s - is cosmetically as dull as ditchwater.[/quote] True, but they do age to a nice "butterscotch". The other advantage of natural basses is that they pretty much match any strap/stagewear ( prententious? moi?)

Never seen a Vox logo in that script, but who knows - looks old, and the headstock looks right from what's visible

VW-Fest at Margam Park (South Wales) - pouring rain, in a huge tent but more mud than Woodstock. Happy crowd, soon had the place bouncing. But why is it always a free bar when I'm driving????? Back there this afternoon for another show (4 gigs altogether this weekend! Missus not impressed ) (Edit; We're not "The Blims" - they were on after us & kindly lent us their drum kit to save faffing about)

[quote name='Thunderthumbs' post='263165' date='Aug 15 2008, 03:39 PM']Had to back a guy called "Mr Methane". Our band backed him on TV whilst he lay on his back, farting into a microphone to "Bye Bye Blackbird".[/quote] I remember him from "Eurotrash"! Wonder if he's still doing the same act? For me - playing in a band backing a troupe of lap dancers. Best practice for not looking at my fretting hand I ever had.............

Some great shots here! Here's a few should be familiar;

Only just seen this; really impressed, although genuinely gutted about the amount of grief you've had with it. My fault for the misaligned bridge; pure impatience on my part! Congrats Shockwave, hope you iron out the glitches, she's a real beaut already and potentially even better!

Looks a real nice one otherwise, especially with all its hardware (if original) You just can't beat 3TS / maple on a Fender!

I think the most famous Vox player apart from Wyman was in the Banana Splits! I posted on BW ages ago wondering who the bass player was (The crazy pink elephant thing?) Here’s a couple of pics of a (over-) restored Wyman bass, one of Bill’s actual bass, and a couple of the guitar version I’m fixing up at the moment. Cool looking and a reasonable player, but horrendously complex ‘60’s electrics. Never tried the bass model but I’d imagine they’re fairly nasty. Short scale too? Surprised Italia haven’t done a take on it.

Thought this was a tennis match from the thead title..............

A stetson. Don't know why, but I do.

Somebody recomended using the dishwasher in a similar thread a while back - haven't tried it though

I'm sure this is a capital offence.........