Chris2112

The Sims Super Quad pickups sort of reminded me of this video: This Lakland video has always stuck in my mind because I thought it was a brave move for the brand to break away from their longstanding relationship with Bartolini to develop their own pickups and preamp. However, whilst I could see the utility in having one bass that can mimic the sound of a few classics, it doesn't do any of the sounds as well as the basses it seems to emulate (with the exception of the P bass, but really that's neither here nor there, I don't much care for the sound of a Precision anyway). When I heard the Sims pickups I didn't think they sounded like anything particularly special or great. I would tend to agree with the speculation that most players will tend to find a couple of sounds they like from a bass and settle with them. Certainly for a live situation, I can't imagine many soundmen wanting a bass tone and EQ that is constantly changing at the player-side, as they'll probably just try to squash out the changes at the board if they're at all paying attention. When Mark at Talking Bass moved to his Enfield with the Super Quads in it I was struck at how much more I preferred the sound of the Ibanez SR he used to use. I tend to be a player that wants a bass to do one or two sounds really well and I use each instrument in specific situations where it'll perform well. In my own semi-related experience, I used to have an ACG with the absolutely amazing ACG EQ-01 preamp in it. The tones it could produce were just astounding but I was forever fiddling with it. A lot of the time I should have been practicing was just spent noodling and faffing around with the tone controls! These days I value something I can just plug in and get a great sound from immediately.

I've heard people say that their bass is the exception to the norm and that it has a thunderous low B with less than 34" scale. I've heard some 33" scales pull it off to a degree but at less than that, I remain unconvinced. That said, when I think of the best low B strings I've heard in my life they were all on 34" scale basses!

I'm sure he could have had one with a graphite neck if he had wanted. It must be the case that he preferred wooden necks, although that odd semi-hollow six string he had made had a graphite neck and he never seemed to do much with it. That one ended up on sale on this forum and was around for a while before it sold. There were a few Hellborg basses made with graphite necks in later years although none with the 36v preamp as far as I know. Indeed I'd never heard anything about his Status signature bass being designed to sound like a Wal. Surely, multicoil pickups and a filter preamp would be needed for that. The famed 36v preamp was inspired by his love of a Neve desk with a boatload of headroom. The Status pickups were very clear and rich sounding. Even though his Warwick signature sounded fantastic, his tone with the Status basses when he was playing live with Shawn Lane and Jeff Super in the mid 90's was by far his best. Some of the best bass tone ever put to record, I think.

It's too nice a bass to put it through that 😂

Thank you for the detailed replies! Very interesting and I'm glad to share this music on the forum.

I definitely think it's a Clavinet and I'm glad you do too because that makes me a little more certain. One of those sounds, a bit like a Rhodes, that is great in a contemporary setting but you couldn't really use it everywhere.

I often listen to this piece from Yoshihiro Naruse's 1981 'Mythique' album. At 00:11 seconds the keys player comes in with a really funky sound that reminds me of the Hohner Clavinet Model C, as used by Stevie Wonder on 'Superstition'. I don't profess to be an expert on that variety of instruments from that era and I'd like to know exactly what they used here on the track so I thought the seasoned listeners here could say whether or not in right in my guess (as your keys playing friends too, if you like). For us bass lads, you may be interested to know that the bass track was recorded on a fretless Alembic Distillate bass, and surely must be one of the first recorded instances of slapping on a fretless bass.

Sad news. John will be remembered as a legend of the industry, not just for making a splash with his own enduring designs at a time when the bass world was really taking off, but for continuing to work at the highest level for decades after. I was only just saying the other day that Jaydee remained surprisingly affordable for a handmade British instrument, constructed to the highest standards. My thoughts are with his family, who I hope will find some comfort in knowing how well thought of John was.

The chance to play with Dennis Chambers is worth the asking alone.

I have to say, I really like those Flea jazz basses.

Definitely stop.drop.rewind for me. I first saw them when Facebook showed me their 'we write a Midwest Emo song in 60 seconds' video, a very funny and clever little insight into a quickfire writing process that actually turned out a great song. Having followed that, I saw some of the short videos that bassist Kris Lohn had made where he was showing off some Geddy Lee parts from tunes like 'Red Barchetta'. I was inspired to look more deeply into their music and found their brand of 'nerd rock' to be much to my liking. It's uniquely complex and yet simple at the same time, because the sense of melody in each of their songs is so strong. When you start to look a little more closely you'll see the intricacies in the music; all shifting time signatures, counterpoint basslines, amazing harmony and big hooks. I think they're absolutely awesome, just an insanely good three-piece making something really fresh and cool.

First of all, I think any band that would let this happen, namely, allowing an amateur to take the role of the professional, displays a general disregard for the value of the role they're undermining. Would the drummer, the most obvious ally of your would-be usurper, be happy for his enthusiastic wife to pound the skins for a 'few songs', come what may? I doubt it. But in many bands, the bass is seen as a lowly function. Admittedly, by the efforts of the bassists in a lot of cover and wedding bands I've seen, the reputation is often earned. The fact that she vaguely says she wants to play 'a few songs' suggests she'll want to play as many as she can get away with. And you will what, presumably stand around like a chump whilst all this goes on? Just tell her respectfully no, and suggest she find a different place to pursue her bass playing.

It must be crap being without a bass. I can easily go a couple of weeks without even picking one up but whenever I get back to it I'm reminded of why I love it. Isn't that much the same for all of us? Hopefully your financial situation can be worked out. Are you working? Are you able to bang in a bit of overtime and earmark the cash specifically for a new bass?

I had imagined this thread was going to be about those creepy pimp-style long nails that druggies use to sniff their coke. Not ideal for playing bass!

I've e noted looking at PJ's collection in the past but bloody hell, Todd Cooke has some absolute belters too. He must be richer than Croesus.

If you have a bad sound guy and a bad band, then yeah, that is a tone that can lose some of it's lustre in a bad mix. With sufficient competence to deliver it as it sounds in isolation, it's a gorgeous tone.

Here's mine. It came over from the Black Sea region of Russia a few years ago. You probably couldn't buy it from there now due to sanctions now placed on Russia and after duty and tax cost me about £1250. Absolutely stunning value really. It has the lowest and cleanest action of any Spector that I've played or indeed, any bass in my collection at home.

1999 models changed from the dots to the crown inlays, as well as the 5 string basses going to 35" scale.

Early indeed! It's an NS-5CR. Notable for being a Euro will full maple wings and not 35" scale (is it 34" or 34&1/4", I can't recall). I have one and it's one of the nicest fives I've ever played. The only thing I'd possibly move it on for would be the right Spector four string, because I have to have a Spector in my collection as my 'go to' bass.

Who does the Flea Jazz belong to? I've always liked the look of those but have been put off by tales of shonky necks (surely a tiny percentage of all those sold, since you only ever hear about problems). Can it get a good growly Jazz sound going? I'm not expecting a 70's style ash 'n' maple style growl but I like a little bit of a buzzy snarl from a J. What did you all think of it?

I haven't always loved the sound of Ashdown amps (I've often found them to be a bit 'wooly' and dark). However, I used to own an MK500 combo which I suspect was just meant to be a repackaged Trace Elliot. It was absolutely great; extremely full and bright with a really focused punch. I was a complete Sir Richard Head III to sell it but I wasn't playing at the time. Not the first time I've read stories of Ashdown offering excellent customer service though, top effort dudes!

What a load of old rubbish. It definitely has the feel and sound of dregs being scraped from the bottom of the barrel.

That is a really great setlist. It reads like a list of pieces they wanted to play rather than stuff they thought they were obliged to play ('lessons in love' and 'something about you' excepted).