Muzz

I had a 4001 from 79 till about 86, and I loved it at the time, but moved on - this seems to be a common scenario with most of the 'iconic' users, who are very often quoted as users, but in reality used them in the past but now no longer do. No problem there, they're a Marmite instrument, which woudn't be half the issue it is without the sterling* efforts of Mr John Hall, the Rickenbacker Chief Sales Prevention Officer... * See what I did there - I'm having a Ball here...

I use a couple of pieces of that knobbly acoustic foam, works just as well (and it's a great idea to isolate the cab from hollow stages), cost beans and is as hard to transport as, well, a square foot of foam. Having said that, I use a small, light cab and head (38lb 2x15 Schroeder), so it works fine, it probably wouldnt work as well under a stack or a Peavey 410...

There's evocative, there's referential, there's homage, then there's sounding and looking exactly like 1981. They're like a well-done tribute band to a band I missed at the time...

[quote name='pst62' timestamp='1384413839' post='2276305'] Hmm I coulda sworn I'd made a favourable and constructive comment on this thread? [/quote] I thought that, but there's two pretty much identical threads going at the moment...

Well, now he's part cyborg, he'll definitely outlive us all... I'm guessing his 'lifestyle changes' might be going to bed at 3am, whether the bar's still open or not...

Clever idea, hope he gets a result. I do, however, now have a mental picture of him getting it back and saying "Oh no...it's been damaged..."

We had a request for an Irish mini-set last year for a wedding, and in the right environment, stuff like that and 500 Miles goes down a treat: little old ladies elbowing the kids out of the way to get the dance floor . So easy to play you can have some fun with the punters, then you can go back to playing the more challenging stuff. We've made a point of putting all sorts of stuff into the set, and I really enjoy the changes of technique and pace which comes from playing things like Bon Jovi, Johnny Cash, Luther Vandross, Paul Simon, The Dubliners, Kings of Leon, Toto, REM, Stevie Wonder, Guns and Roses, Bruno Mars, Journey and Daft Punk. Ten years ago I'd have shied away from anything that wasn't rock-based, but I take myself much less seriously these days, and I'm a better bassist for it. There are new standards in stuff like Sex On Fire (I don't like it, but we always get asked for it), but with a bit of imagination you can keep people very entertained without playing Mustang Sally Oh, and we were once requested to play Enter Sandman and I Hate Everything About You at a wedding...

Love the pickups and surrounds - the look's very close to what I was going for with my Thunderland, although mine are just the covers and rings over Dingwall pups, and I couldn't find split older-style stacked knobs anywhere... How do the pups sound?

Yep, I'm sorry I sold mine, I should really pick up another as a backup. As long as you don't actually stomp on them much, they're fantastic.

She's a competent player, they are some great lines, meh....

In situations like these, always remember the old adage: It's easier to seek forgiveness than to ask permission...

It'll be interesting to hear anyone tell you with certainty what the change in sound will be. As much talk as there is about 'tonewood', it's all very vague when it comes to precise predictions, especially with combinations of woods. It'll certainly be less noticeable than a change in playing technique/strings/pickups/EQ. I had two basses, one Ash body/maple neck, one maple body/wenge neck, and with the same (admittedly hot) passive pickups (not even active EQ, which can be a real tonechanger), and same strings, the difference was minimal, and once the drummer started, pretty much unnoticable. There are people who will tell you they can tell the difference between fretboard woods without looking, but I can't. Birdseye maple will look lovely, tho, that's for sure Have you considered secondhand? I wouldn't consider a new one, as you say they're very very expensive, but most of the secondhand Warwicks I've seen are a lot of bass for the money.

That's fantastic, lovely voice.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1383841668' post='2269881'] Looks do matter to many. I`m one of them. There are many basses that are no doubt wonderful instruments but chances are I`ll never find out as I don`t like the look of them. [/quote] Yep, I've had some very nice basses, but moved them on because every time I looked at them, I went 'meh', and after a while, the 'meh' wins. Same for a lot of stuff I've never owned or tried.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1383823424' post='2269519'] Yes I am a little concerned about any potential warranty issues, amps do go wrong after all... I'm also not sure about the tube preamp in them - would that not make them a bit delicate for bumping around in the front pocket of a gigbag? Damn good price though... [/quote] I've been gigging my Streamliner for a couple of years now (ish), it lives in a padded laptop rucksack with my leads, it goes in the back of my car or in the van, depending on gig arrangements, and it's been absolutely fine, apart from the intermittent light thing, which it did from day one anyway, and is completely irrelevant for me. M

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1383764010' post='2268827'] However the goal is usually to put your own personality into the parts, not someone else's. [/quote] You've clearly never heard me trying to play Rush's YYZ - I get so much personality in there there's no room for most of the notes...

It is indeed a quartersawn Lakland US neck which I was very fortunate to happen upon, and lovely it is too. I talked to Sheldon Dingwall about the pickups, and as always he was very helpful indeed - his advice was similar to the above: "If it sounds OK, great..." Given that I've got a 'proper' Dingwall with the same pups in, the sound is remarkably close, even before the U-Retro, which just takes it further. I'm having a crisis about drilling holes in my Dingwall to fit a U-Retro now...

Very nice indeed, well snagged.

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1383476906' post='2264757'] Are there any in the northwest? [/quote] Drew at the Manchester Bass Lounge has some high-end amps and cabs in, MarkBass especially - he's even got one of the new Multiamps in, I'm dying to try that one.

Cheers guys, it's a nice feeling when other folk appreciate what you've done with a bass!

Actives. Been through a lot of active basses (including Overwaters, Shukers and several Rays), and what I think I didn't like was the active circuits. Finally got to put an East U-Retro in a bass, and it's like a light coming on - I love it, I have't touched my amp EQ since, and I'm seriously considering drilling holes in my beloved Dingwall to fit one into that, too...

So, it's finally finished, and I may well have completely jumped the shark with this one, but it's exactly what was in my head from the beginning, and it sounds glorious. Korean Epi body and neckplate, Lakland neck with the best birdseye board I've ever seen (looks even better in the flesh), Hipshot Supertone bridge and Ultralites with Detuner, under the chrome covers are a pair of Dingwall pickups (neck one is a P-Tone), and an East U-Retro finishes it off. No neck dive, and it weighs under 8.5lbs. Edit: I should give credit where it's due here to Steve Curtis (theguitarrepairworkshop.com) for a fantastic job on a very awkward neck pocket (a completely different sized neck, and 22 frets, so a lot of modification needed) - it's very tight indeed. It's my rawk bass, and with the Dingwall, I've got all my live bases covered for now. [attachment=147454:photo 1.JPG] [attachment=147455:photo 2.JPG] [attachment=147456:photo 3.JPG] [attachment=147457:photo 4.JPG] [attachment=147458:photo 5.JPG]

I'd do a bit of research as to the original pot values for those pickups, you may need to replace the pots to get the best out of the pups. I'd suggest a rewire anyway, if you're putting good pickups in, makes sense to put good wiring and pots. Kigon on here does great wiring kits, he may be able to help.