philw

All, I'm considering taking an early 80s US Fender Jazz (fretted) in a trade. I've not seen the bass yet and all I know at the moment is that it's sunburst/rosewood, never been gigged and in very good condition. So, assuming it is what it says on the tin, can anybody suggest to me roughly what it might be worth? Thanks Phil

Just bought Si's pre-loved Boss LS-2 and I'd have no hesitation in recommending him as an all round good guy. Phil

Up until the last year or so I hardly touched a fretted bass for nearly three decades. I guess it's been that way 'cause I've never played covers but always stuck to original material that sits mostly in the Venn diagram where jazz, folk and pop genres overlap - so fretless has always been the sound of choice (and I bought a Wal in 1983). Also, I only really got into playing bass through being inspired by Jaco, John Giblin, Percy Jones and Eberhard Weber - so fretted was never what I wanted to do. Recently though, the band I'm in has begun to do a couple of songs where fretted (Yamaha BEX4) with flats, played with a pick (err, that's "pick" for all those tempted to insert an "r") works really well. And do you know what? I really love it. P

Hmmm, if you're gonna go to the lengths of putting a screen in front of the drummer, why on earth would you make it transparent?

Going to try and make it with Wal, the Yamaha BEX4 twins, and the blue Veillette Paris (if she's not sold by then). Maybe the AER Amp 1 if anybody's interested in diminutive combos. P

Rob Green at Status will probably know what it is. I believe he started his lutherie career at Shergold. P

Just happened on this thread and while I don't want to be accused of nannying, can I just post a health warning about the dangers of "Heath Robinson" in-ear monitoring? Professional IEM systems incorporate limiters and fail-safe devices that ensure that if something goes wrong in the PA/backline, users aren't rendered immediately and perhaps permanently deaf by a blast of feedback injected directly into their ears. An IEM system created simply by driving a pair of headphones from a monitor mix output has no such safety net and if you use one you're potentially playing Russian roulette with your hearing. P

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1344793135' post='1769204'] There were a few versions of the body shape also. The version which you have (also the same as mine) with the scroll cutaway came first, and then there was the version with the horn cutaway (and two pickups). My problem always is I can't recall which shape came in which colours. The scroll version I remember seeing in the blue, amber (orange) and jade bursts and (yellow) natural, and the later horn cutaway version in solid black, (yellow) natural, magenta burst and antique sunburst. [/quote] Hmm, so many colours, so little time.... Think I'll stop at blue and orange, although I did just do a quick Gumtree and eBay check. Nothing at the moment. Perhaps a BEX4 porn thread is in order? I'll takes some pics of my "matching" pair when the blue one comes back from a setup by Mr. Aguilera (the two basses actually had a neck swap. The neck on the blue bass had a seized truss rod so was the best candidate for fingerboard removal). P

Ooops! Think I may have just inadvertently caused a bump in the price of used Yamaha BEX4s. P

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1344785710' post='1769088'] I see a blue one every day. Just wish Yamaha had made these in a few other colours. [/quote] My other one is blue. It's fine but doesn't really have the pizazz of the orange so I thought that was a much better candidate for the fretless ebony treatment (I can swap the necks if I ever feel like a change). I think there was a tobacco burst version, but they're a bit hen's teeth. P

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1344785489' post='1769085'] Nice! They always seemed much better than the price suggested they should be! [/quote] They are, much better. I always liked the look, so eventually bought an eBay cheepie (£250 I think) on a whim. I was blown away by the tone. Very P-bass like from the mag pickup combined with a lovely acoustic vibe honk from the piezo. Build quality is nothing hugely special, but a long, long way from shabby. So, when a second one came up on Gumtree (even cheaper than the eBay) it was a perfect candidate for a fretless conversion. Et voila! P

I've been meaning for a long time to have one of my two cheap as chips Yamaha BEX4s converted to fretless, and at last it's done. Rather than just have the frets removed and slots filled, I asked Brighton luthier Paul Aguilera to fit a new ebony fingerboard and a two-way truss rod to the bass. The result looks pretty cool to my (completely unbiased) eyes. Even better, I used the bass at a gig last night and really enjoyed it. Didn't miss the usual fretless Wal for a moment. Phil [attachment=115465:Bex 4 1.jpg][attachment=115466:Bex 4 2.jpg][attachment=115467:BEX 4 3.jpg]

Really like the headstock detail on the fretless. Bit of a shame the rest of the aesthetic is so conventional though. P

OK, post gig (with NS EUB and Wal) thoughts about the Basscube 2. First, if you're after something compact and light the Basscube is bigger than I imagined and bloody heavy. Where my Amp One is tiny and built like a brick-outhouse, the Basscube is built like an entire Victorian toilet block. The Basscube 2 just fits in the back of my Mini Clubman with one back seat down, but there's no way I'd be able to get the double bass in as well, as I can with the Amp One. Once you've heaved it out of the car, plugged it in and stood it on something, the Basscube sounds, well it sounds exactly as it should depending on the instrument you're playing. AER stuff seems to me to have an uncanny transparency with very little of its own character. The Wal sounds just as it should and the NS also. If you want an amp that's full of character and that imprints its own sound on everything you do, then the Basscube probably doesn't have your name on it. If you want something however that just sits there and does the job, and leaves the sound entirely up to you, then it's much more likely to be your thing. Needless to say the Basscube goes very loud without any sign on strain or getting dirty. Being AER the Basscube has a few idiosyncrasies. First its mains cable is terminated in a Speakon plug rather than an IEC. The advantage of Speakon is that its a locking socket/plug arrangement so its never going to fall out. The disadvantage is however that if you ever forget the mains cable you're stuffed. Having two completely independent channels and having a vast number of control options for each means the Basscube is not a simple plug-in and play amp. There's an awful lot of parameters that you'll probably want to work with to optimise your setup, and you probably will have to read the manual (not least because AER's input/control panel labelling is not as clear as it might be). There's also a comprehensive range of signal routing and output options. The Basscube input options mean that all basses are well covered (Ha! A pun!). There's even 48V phantom power available if you're using a condensor mic on your double bass. A high Z piezo input means you can plug-in a double bass pickup without an external preamp, however there's no phase reverse switch and in my experience that's one of the most worthwhile anti-feedback options when you're playing a DB. Rather frustratingly, if I were to have a Basscube, I'd still have to take my Fishman preamp just for the phase reverse switch. Seems to me with amps you pretty much get what you pay for. The Basscube isn't inexpensive, but there's no question that you can't see where the money was spent. If you can afford it, can accept the idiosyncrasies, don't mind the weight and you want an amp that's transparent rather than "colourful", then I wouldn't hesitate in getting one. P

Now that's a coincidence. My AER Amp One appears to have developed a problem and the nice people at Westside Distribution are lending me a Basscube 2 while the Amp One is fixed. The Basscube should be with me on Thursday and I have a gig that evening. I'll report back. Phil

Presumably it's an exclusive "special" that Sandberg have done for Thomman. Sandberg wouldn't be the first "consumer goods" manufacturer to make a product specifically for one of its most important dealers. Happens all the time in white goods and consumer audio/video. P PS. NIce looking bass. If it were in Lake Placid Blue and plain fretless I'd be smitten.

Just took delivery of Tom's Sue Ryder P-Bass. Ridiculously nice bass for the money. Madness. Thanks Tom.