Chris2112

Wish I could make it to the Stu Hamm day!

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='542300' date='Jul 16 2009, 03:10 PM']Sounding like Jaco is and always was a fool's errand (even when I was trying it). Yes it's great but it was great because it was fresh and exciting. Now its superficial and tranparent.[/quote] It would be hard to argue that Bireli is a copycat. After all, he has had his own musical voice since before he met Jaco. Jaco was not only a mentor to him but also a friend, and to me, this sounds more like paying a great homage. Playing anything remotely like Jaco seems to have gotten a bad name, but thats probably because there are so many crap imitators around. Bireli makes it sound utterly effortless and very classy, unlike the half baked attempts we usually hear.

Still playing, just apparently from the Philippeans!

Suspicious...sounds like one I remember playing at Howard's Bass Place. Funnily enough, I had the chance to play a couple of really CRAP FNA's there. And a Thumb with an overstraight neck! I remember being in there with Mark Palmer, and he concluded that the Thumb's neck was too straight and thus it was far from playable. Shame, as it should have been a cracking bass otherwise. Had a few marks on it and was priced at £800 (which was about right back in those days!). Probably would have bought it had it been set up right! Strange though, as Howard and Pete always did a good job of setting stuff up. I want to know which Guitar Guitar store has the 6 string Overwater bass. It's way overpriced IMO, but it looks fairly cool to me!

I know Schack have been hard to find info on for a good while now, but I believe you can still find Andy Schack's email address online. If you email him you could well get a definitive answer. I'd recommend buying the bass though, since they're fairly rare (especially if it has a graphite neck). Once you have it, you can pretend you're Kai Eckhardt for as long as you please!

Aye, it does sound fairly crappy. The Modulus Flea basses are awesome (another one on my "must buy" list). If you have the cash for one, grab it!

Having had a Status Stealth (all graphite) and a Matrix Series I (graphite semi-thru neck), I can safely say that graphite sounds amazing and plays brialliantly. I've taken a break from it for a while, but I will definitely go back to it at some point.

Flea bass as in, Modulus Flea/FU or the "Flea Bass" itself, the "buget" instrument for young bassists? If you're thinking of a Modulus, go for it without hesitation!

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='534313' date='Jul 6 2009, 11:51 PM']pic taken by previous owner, Mark Mannering-Smith from Fleet. I bought it off of Ebay - Mark had it from new - it still had the original strings on it from '89 when I got it![/quote] So, he either really like to thump or he hadn't played it much?

[quote name='BassBus' post='539694' date='Jul 13 2009, 08:48 PM']I suspect it was down to a certain Mr. King that the design was the way it was. That's the beauty of a custom instrument you can do anything you want with it.[/quote] Of course it was! The Kingbass Mk II was Mark's new baby. He decided he wanted to go back to the "bigger body" style that his Alembic, Pangborn and Jaydee basses have, while staying with Status. Mark asked, Rob created. So I'm guessing the singlecoils were Mark's idea too! However, when I saw him live with Kingbasses with Soapbars, his tone was very much the thin, clickity clack that we all love! When I saw him using the MK II Kingbasses live, he had a lot more bottom in his tone and it was a really percussive sound. Both amazing tones though, from one of the best players around today! Also, what exactly has changed with the Streamline bass? (too lazy to do a picture comparison!)

I've always been much more a fan of Birelli's bass playing than his guitar playing, it has to be said! Awesome video though.

Interesting that they have a Warwick in there. It'll be a trade in since they're not a licenced Warwick dealer. I've found that most of the interesting stuff they get in (bass-wise, at least) is traded in!

Two fingers works fine for me and it worked for Jaco too! I'm actually learning to use a pick again atm after years of playing fingerstyle!

Is that even Buckethead?

I just play a little bit of everything, and I ensure that the playing side of things is but one component of actually demo-ing the bass. It's usually a Rush bassline that comes first, followed by some self-indulgent slap!

After having played a good number of Sadowsky Metro basses, I feel that they are pretty overrated. Very pricey for what they are, when I found cheaper alternatives to be superior!

[quote name='simon1964' post='391895' date='Jan 26 2009, 05:48 PM']Wasn't the Vampyre designed through a similar contest? Not sure whether that's a good precedent or not![/quote] I'd have to say that it wasn't (and thats as a long time fan of Warwick basses). However, I really like the winning design, it looks very classy and retains the Warwick character. I'm sure it will sound just like an uber Thumb NT if they use a bubinga body. The other two ACG style designs posted here I don't really like. They just don't look like Warwick basses! It's a passable shape for sure though.

It might be worth trying a Warwick Thumb 5 string, they have always been one of the best 5 strings around IMO. Not to mention that every other Thumb seems to be a 5 string! I'm gasing for one already having just got a Warwick Thumb 4 string (though I don't really get on with 5 strings). I'd advise you not to spend a massive amount on your first 5 string, as you may well find that they just aren't for you, as I did!

I've got a pick that Stuart Hamm used to play "Flying in a blue dream" when I saw him with Joe Satriani. That was a show and half.

My Warwick Thumb BO seems quite quiet, in even in active and passive modes. Well, my Status and Spector basses were certainly louder! I just turn my amp up to compensate!

Will be interesting to see how this turns out. However, Wolstenhome's comments on slap bass are so far off the mark, it's easy to see that he is a million miles from the cool.