Chris2112

Deserves a mention: Mr [b]Kai Eckhardt[/b] - Kai is a fantastic player, yet never seems to get the mentions he deserves among the other "greats" of Fusion bass playing like Jonas Hellborg, Stuart Hamm, Jaco, Stanley, etc etc. Kai has quietly worked away on many projects over the years which have come to typically little acclaim between bassists circles, and yet he is an immensely talented player. Kai is able to move between so many genres and yet retain that musical quality which is uniquely his. The basslines he creates present the listener with brilliance on so many levels. He crafts his sense of melody into every line, and every phrase is informed by his extensive grasp of konokol (Indian rhythm patterns). He is superbly talented and technically gifted yet grooves absolutely. Not only is he an awesome player but he is a fantastic guy. We have exchanged emails in the past and he has always been friendly and willing to offer advice. Top guy and a top player! Kai brings the funk to fusion: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz2FWULKzwM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz2FWULKzwM[/url] Kai shows off his chops: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsuYOg-KS3A"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsuYOg-KS3A[/url] Kai in an awesome fretless jam: (check out 00:25 seconds to 00:50 seconds!) [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHGoOLyGBoE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHGoOLyGBoE[/url] Overrated: John Taylor. -I understand that now some sing the praises of John feeling that he has been hard done by in the past, but really I see nothing of note in his lines, especially since Bernie Edwards did a lot of his stuff in the studio for Powerstation!

[quote name='snip' post='705402' date='Jan 8 2010, 12:57 PM']Absolutely Brilliant... How does he get that sound.? I know he's playing a Pedulla bass, but what amp is he using.?[/quote] That will be the Bartolini pickups, primarily...awesome sound! Perhaps I shall invest in some for my basses!

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='694675' date='Dec 28 2009, 08:25 AM']At the end of the day, Status is meant to be headless [/quote] And yet both the Statii I have owned have been headed (Stealth series I 6 string and a Matrix 4 string) and they've both been brilliant, particularly the Stealth!

Leave this bellend to his awful bass! Your goodwill has already been insulted enough, think no more of it!

[quote name='witterth' post='693289' date='Dec 25 2009, 08:34 AM']so what you really mean is, you got a discount? thats not really an endorsement deal is it?[/quote] I think this kind of thing goes on a lot. To me, a proper endorsement is an advert of Stuart Hamm holding your bass or leaning on your amp. Mind you, a lot of companies seem to package off these "from the source" discounts as endorsements, and add your name to an ever growing list of players that, no offence intended, no-one has heard of! I think it is taking advantage of young and naive musicians in a mild way, as they seem to believe they or their music is of some value to the company, whereas the company offering goods to be "endorsed" is only interested in the sale!

I am very much a supporter of headless basses. My first incredible bass was a Kubicki Ex-Factor, which isn't truely headless, but feels so in a sense. It had a thumb volute on the back of the "headstock" which made it really nice to hold, but there was no weight in the headstock because the tuners were by the bridge. I was a bit of a headless snob for a while, probably because the majority of the bass playing community unfairly called them a relic of the 1980's. As it happnes, I find that headless is still the smartest way to build a bass, however, a lot of the basses I like are simply headed. The Kubicki is long gone (sadly) but then the only other bass that compares to my Kubicki in terms of feeling "just right" is a Warwick Thumb, which is headed! So at the end of the day, in the great scheme of things I don't really think a bass being headed or headless matters! You'll find things that sound and feel great either way!

I just woke up in the night and thought "Bugger, if I hadn't sold my Spector that would have made an awesome fretless bass!"

The Warwick Dolphin I find to be a very special looking bass. Truely an adventurous design but one that works very well! The old through neck ones with Bartolini pickups are brilliant, I must buy one some day!

Ped, I think this is an excellent move and I have been hoping for this to become the rule for some time. It gives a level of transparency to marketplace sellers that we have never had before. So not only does it keep things fair by putting the snide and greedy practice of "pm me offers plz" to bed, it also makes the marketplace much more user friendly and streamlined! If you see a good bass for a good price now, you know you can buy outright rather than having to risk a silly bidding war behind closed doors! (Something I never even bothered getting into!). Cheers for a smart move and doing the right thing!

No one touches my bass gear or can stop me from playing it as it is in my room! Warwick Thumb through a Trace Elliot rig, nice and loud!

I've always thought he was a fantastic player who simply never got the hang of writing great or catchy tunes! I appreciate the skills he has, and the unique approach he has, but it always came off like a slightly poor version of Aphex Twin for me. His bass solo stuff is somewhat more amusing to me.