retroman

My comment about a manual for a Fender bass should be a pretty quick read was actually aimed at how simple the Fender bass is..........

Haynes manual for a Fender bass? That should be a pretty quick read then! I have stacks of old Haynes manuals, I pretty much use them as reference only........In their manual for the Mk2 Escort, all the wiring loom diagrams are labelled wrong Far prefer working from genuine manufacturers manuals, the chapters on automatic gearboxes are a good read, and normally take up half the manual! Still trying to sum up the courage to strip, and rebuild the 3 speed Borg Warner automatic gearbox on my old Rover though I've seen the translations of a Haynes manual before. Never fails to make me howl with laughter

Not had too many amps and cabs, as I really do shop around before I buy. My first rig was a full Trace Elliot stack - V-Type AH600, with the matching 4X12, and 2X15 cabs. Now I have moved onto an Ampeg SVT CL, and 610 HLF cab, and love it :wub: To be honest, I tend to apply my same way of thinking to bass amps, and HiFi amps.......The more whistles, bells, and knobs it has, the more it is trying to compensate for a poor amp. Just my opinion chaps. I'm sure that there are people out there who swear by their feature packed amps. Give me gain, bass, mid, treble, and volume any day. I just find that I seem to spend ages messing around with gadget laden amps, and never really seem to find what I am looking for, but a big, hairy old valve amp to me is plug and play. I've been through a few basses in the last year or so.....Tried the whole Stingray thing, and wasn't really for me. Beautifully built and finished, lovely tone, just found it uncomfortable/ painful to play at times. I now have 10 basses that are all different in their own way, and i don't think there is one that I would be keen to part with now. My main weapons of choice now are a Gibson Les Paul deluxe bass, with the Bartolini's, and an Alembic Orion 5 string. The Alembic is lush, and is only the second 5 string I have ever had. Finding it really easy to get on with.......Still occasionaly hit the low B by accident though! I guess that it just takes some people a while to find their ideal set up, others find something they like straight away, and a few are searching for the absolute nirvana

I'll second that Just bought Chris' Alembic, and it was exactly as described. Really nice guy to deal with. Friendly, polite, and replies to PM's very quickly. Would definately deal with again. Thanks Chris, Rich

Must have been about 93ish....... Aria Legend P-bass copy. Nice maple neck, lovely plywood body! Still have the bass, it had a respray a few years back, as the plywood had started to go ripply underneath the black finish. It's now finished in ICI 2 pack Ford Petrol Blue, and still shines like a toffee apple. To be fair, it's a pretty good bass actually. I still play it regularly. Peavey Microbass....bought the same time as the bass, and the transformer packed up pretty quickly. Still have the amp, although it's currently doing service as a vocal PA at a church! Far fron the best sounding bass amp in the world, but it got me started. I think the first thing I ever learned to play on that set up was some old Sisters Of Mercy song

Valves all the way for me You can't beat the glowing bottles of goodness, and I would be very reluctant to go back to solid state.

Nail>Head

Yummy :wub: The necks on them can vary a bit. mine is a 1980 4001, and it really does have a very skinny neck. I would describe it as being more rounded than a Fender neck, and feels tiny compared to a Stingray neck. The strings are also very close to the edge of the board, so you need to be accurate. The string spacing is pretty much the same all the way from the nut, to the bridge. Mine really starts singing when playing chords, and getting up the dusty end. I always think with Ric's you need to try them out for a decent amount of time, before making a decision. I will hold my hand up to being biased towards Rickenbacker's though. I much prefer Ric's, and Gibson's to Fender, but that's just me.

Yeap, think mine will be in my flat bottom boat with me as well!! Think the truth is with Ric's, they do feel strange after playing Fendery type stuff, and mine certainly sounds better through valve amps, and big cabs. I love mine to bits....skinny neck, super low, super light action, and through my SVT it's a tone monster... :wub: I can fully understand why some people don't like them though. If you prefer a bass with a neck like a cricket bat, then a Ric ain't for you!

Big chrome buckers, TV knobs, odd shape scratch plate.....Looks like something I would give a home!

Love to see ya try and drown out Lem and the boys! Good luck Steve, hope you find something

Electro have always looked after me as well I've also had really good service from Real Time Music in Chesterfield. Their range of basses is a little limited, but they are very helpful

IMHO, image can be important. If you're up there, dressed to impressed, with excellent gear, it might open more doors to you than turning up with an Encore, and a 15W practice amp...... Skoda Superb? Good call! Every bit as good as an Audi, just nowhere near as expensive For me, I love stuff that I think is cool looking, and also a bit of hero worship involved here and there....but it still has to have a good sound, and be functional. I love retro gear that can shake the bowels out of stuff.....Nothing better than feeling the bass line through your feet At the end of the day, there's so many ways of looking at the image thing, and unfortunately, the world does seem to be very image driven at the moment

I can think of a way that's easier than TAB.......YouTube! On an more serious note, I have 4 tracks to work out for an upcoming audition opportunity, and am doing it totally by ear. I haven't looked at TAB for years now. I have recently taken the leap back into lessons again, to improve my theory, and reading skills. It's actually not as hard as you think. I have been deliberately asking my tutor to give me pieces of music to learn that I can't go away and cheat with. He's been giving me stuff from theatre pits to learn, and it's fun rising to the challenge. Sure, I'm bumming a few notes, and getting some of the rhythm wrong in places I'm fast starting to appreciate just what a valuable tool being able to read is.

[quote name='pantherairsoft' post='782776' date='Mar 22 2010, 09:31 PM']£5 tops seems fair. If there's enough people, maybe ask Rob @ Magnet studios and hire out a large room or two...? He does snacks etc, has a backline of Ampegs, Mesa and a few others and we get both sealed rooms and the foyer for loud/quiet spaces Just an idea[/quote] That's a top idea

I agree with a lot of the comments made, and I really don't get why a guitar should go out of tune that much......... I've had 2 guitars in the past, an Epiphone SG, and a Gordon Smith Les Paul. Neither went out of tune. They would only shift slightly if you strummed the hell out of them for at least 2 hours....... Old saying time "Only a poor workman blames his tools" At the end of the day, how many half cut punters are actually going to notice if the guitar is a fraction of a semi tone out?

I have the more retro looking IC200, with the big block markers, and gold hard wear I find that neck dive, and the bass tipping away from you to be a real pain on this bass. And some people think Thunderbirds are bad! OTPJ is spot on with the tip for the wide, padded strap. I have been thinking about moving the lower strap button (below the bridge) further up the body, and then the one closest to the neck, moved/ incorporated into one of the neck screws, using a longer screw, and additional spacers. Mine came with Elixir's too. I thought they were very nice, and did last a while, although being a pick player, they did start to go a little furry after a while as the coating wore away

I'm game. Depends on when and where

Yeah, do it Mikey! I think the 90's re-issue Korean Epiphone Rivoli can be had for sensible money. It was good to see the ol' girl getting some action Re: the eating style....Didn't notice dude! Too busy hoovering down scampi and chips

Thanks for organising a great event chaps. Heres to 2011 Really good to put names to faces, and really enjoyed spending time with you all

Quite fancy an Epiphone Thunderbird Pro5 at the moment..........

Thanks for the reply At the moment the project is progressing very nicely, with 2 bassists, and drums in place, and first jam set for this weekend. If we need another, I'll keep you in mind

As it's you Luke, yeap, I'll bring it along I just hope that nobody has any loose fillings!!

IMHO, if you rate a bass at 95% perfect, thats pretty good odds I feel that the only way that you can hope for 100% is by ordering a custom build, from an excellent Luthier, who can build to your exact specifications. I also feel that you could factor in a certain value for money when rating a bass as well. but I guess that cost is not involved in this thread, it based on how a bass feels, and performs. The closest I have to 100% for me, is my old Rickenbacker 4001. It always feels so right, regardless of whether I am playing with a strap, or just sat with it resting on my knee. I absolutely love the tone of it through my SVT as well. I've often thought about getting another, so I don't kill this one, as I am rather attached to it. But that's just me. Some people would rather suck the juice out of a slug, than play a Ric! Close contenders would also be the Gibson Les Paul I recently got in a trade with Clarky72, and the 76 Thunderbird. the 'bird just shouts ROOCCKK! Not as hideous to play as some would have you believe, and it sounds huge :brow: Come to think of it.......My Squier Affinity Jazz bass! Nothing wrong with really. Just needed a decent set of pickups