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Cosmo Valdemar

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Posts posted by Cosmo Valdemar

    1975 Fender Jazz Bass on Facebook

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    On 13/04/2018 at 19:13, OliverBlackman said:

    Did anyone see the 75 Jazz bass on Facebook today for just £1250? Why do these bargains only come up when I have no money and bills to pay rather than when I'm looking for a new bass. Is it just me or does this happen to anyone else? :dash1:

    Was that the one with the comically mis-aligned strings?

    • Like 1

    Roger Waters Precision Surprise

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    19 hours ago, thegummy said:

    What does the maple cap neck mean?

     

    Maple cap necks have a separate maple fingerboard glued on to the neck. Most maple necks are usually one piece, with the truss rod inserted from behind - hence the skunk stripe.

    From my own experience I find basses with maple cap necks have a bit more going on in the upper mids and highs  - a more aggressive growl than usual.

    • Like 1

    Scale lenght

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, ped said:

    34" because that's what the manufacturer deemed to be best, mainly.

     

    This. I am in discussions with a fine luthier to have a custom bass built soon which will have a 33.25" scale, but that's because it will be 'paying homage' to a very particular instrument...

    I do own a couple of 30" basses, which are glorious, but are the exception to the norm for me.

    New embassy (and also thunderbird) bass, Classic style!

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    35 minutes ago, pst62 said:

    I don't like the idea of drilling new holes. Anyway mine arrived Monday and is waiting to go back. How Epi's QC and even worse the person who lacquered over it didn't see it is beyond me.

    New T.jpg

    Oh dear! Looks like it's been grazed rather than a poor lacquer... could be wrong though.

    As for fitting the machine heads, I wouldn't attempt it myself but luckily I know an excellent guitar tech!

    Roger Waters Precision Surprise

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Maple cap neck too, IIRC the only Fender bass that has one. At least outside of the Custom Shop.

    I'm surprised Fender don't make a bigger deal of it - in fact, I don't think they even mention it having one.

    Congrats on the new bass 😎

    • Thanks 1

    New embassy (and also thunderbird) bass, Classic style!

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    17 hours ago, pst62 said:

    I agree about the Wilkinson tuners. What model number are the Gotoh's mate, I might consider doing the same if the holes match up.

     

    I went for these:

    https://g-gotoh.com/international/product/gb640.html

    They will fit, but they won't line up with the screw holes, so a bit of drilling will be required. It's a bit annoying as the Vintage Pros sold in the US have larger plate Wilkinsons, and the Gotohs line up perfectly. Over here, the Vintage Pros use the smaller plate Wilkinsons designed to fit Music Man basses.

     

    New embassy (and also thunderbird) bass, Classic style!

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    37 minutes ago, tommorichards said:

    Sounds like you're a function over fashion guy. I reckon they would get in the way, but then also allow you to try playing in a different way. 

     

    To be fair, i installed covers on my jazz bass, then took them off about two weeks later as they got in the way haha.

    If you ever met me, you would know that to be true :biggrin:

    I would never consider adapting my playing style to fit around the covers, unless they had a functional need to be there - a horseshoe Rick pickup, for example, is going to be there whether you like it or not so it's something to get used to! Not that I imagine owning a vintage RM1999 anytime soon...

    That said, I've been looking through some old photos and came across a pic of a Burgundy Mist Fender Jazz I used to own, resplendent in bridge and pickup covers. Now that was really something. Seller's remorse.

    • Like 1

    New embassy (and also thunderbird) bass, Classic style!

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    54 minutes ago, tommorichards said:

    Has anyone added the pickup and bridge covers to one of these yet? Make it essentially a reissue.

    I considered it but decided it would be for visuals only, as they do nothing but get in the way when I'm playing. They are also rather expensive!
    I have purchased some long stem tuners and a tug bar, both yet to be fitted, but I will be sure to post a picture when they're on!

    Are there such things as maracca virtuosos?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 27/04/2018 at 15:36, EliasMooseblaster said:

    We'll have to agree to disagree on Carlos' guitar tone! But yes, funnily enough I've had an inkling for a while that most rock music has been rhythmically quite uninspired ever since "rock drumming" became an idiom in its own right - circa the time most young drummers decided they wanted to play like John Bonham - and it seems to have been dominated by variants on "kick - snare - kick - snare - emphasise - every - beat - think - like - a - metronome" ever since. I feel like there was a lot more freedom and invention when drummers basically learnt to play jazz and then joined rock bands. He says, having been born decades after the event, with only the recordings to go on...it's hard to put my finger on exactly what it is, but maybe some of these modern rock drummers just need to learn to swing.

    Amen!

    New bass options, Vigier/Status/ACG/Strandberg choices hmmmmmm

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    2 hours ago, thodrik said:

    I own two Vigiers, an Excess and an Arpege 5 string. 

    In terms of downtuned heavy rock/thrash, I actually prefer my Excess to the Arpege. The Excess has a slightly less complex EQ system and is definitely more of an all out rock bass. The Arpege is more of a refined bass and was my bass of choice for doing modern metal/prog stuff. In terms of old school downtuned metal in the High on Fire/Baroness/Mastodon/Saviours/Kylesa stuff, I would pick the Excess over the Arpege or Passion every time.

    One thing to consider is that the scale length of the Vigiers is slightly under 34 inches, so if you are tuning down to C you might need to use bigger strings than you would if you were using  a 35 inch scale bass or a fanned fret alternative like a Dingwall. I don't find the scale length on the Vigier to be an issue, but saying that I love the sound of a downtuned Rickenbacker bass which only has a 33 inch scale.

    Also be aware that the Vigiers have no trus rod, so you will never ever be able to adjust the amount of relief on the neck. On the plus side, the neck should never move, so the relief on the neck on the day you buy the bass should be the same relief when you pick the bass up again ten years later. I have had the Excess for nearly 14 years now and no neck issues so far. Though saying that I've had an 1974 Gibson EB3 and a 1978/9 (ish) Fender Precision for nearly 20 years and not had any neck stability issues with them either. I don't think that carbon fibre necks are essential.

    I would really recommend trying as many basses as you can just to see what neck shapes/pickups and EQ systems you prefer. 

    I'd love to hear the Excess in that sort of band! Do you have any recordings?

    Jericho Guitars?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    6 hours ago, BigRedX said:

    Not wanting to rain on your parade, but having had a look at the Jericho Guitars web site, all I can see is yet another Fender copy bass. I can't see what is so special about it.

    Helpful.

    Spawny gets..lucky fifth wheels in music

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Angelus said:

    Apparently, I wasn’t there so can’t corroborate, but at a press conference a journalist was asking Paul McCartney about playing with Ringo, because Ringo was the best drummer in the world. Paul’s response was “Ringo? He’s not even the best drummer in the Beatles!”. Was only later, when I read up on it, that I found out that others had toured and played drums, including McCartney, on some Beatles recordings. 

    Ringo missed part of a tour in 1964 due to illness and was replaced with a session drummer, Jimmy Nicol. It's true that some of the later Beatles recordings feature McCartney on drums, but by this time the band was fragmenting and it was not uncommon for a particular Beatle to record songs without much help from the others.

    Of course, it was also standard practice for the rest of the band to swap instruments from time to time in the studio, often due to recording limitations of the day  - Harrison playing bass when McCartney played piano, for example. The occasions when the drumming was handled by someone other than Ringo should not be seen as an indictment of his abilities.

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