Chris2112

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1347371306' post='1799885'] I for one, thought the cocky guitarist made a right prick of himself... [/quote] It reminds me of a story I heard after someone had seen Stanley Clark playing in town (and I had missed it, damn). He invited a bassist onto the stage to jam with him, I think the bloke was playing a Warwick Thumb or something. There must have been a workshop on before or something. Anyway, the bloke was just going on and on with Stanley Clark style licks as they jammed over School Days and he was eventually sent off stage because Stan didn't want to jam with someone who was copying his sound. I don't know how much of that is bullshit though as Stan always comes across as a nice guy.

The dangerous thing with Wal gas is that some people fall in love with the sound but then can't get on with the basses, especially those with a more pronounced 'V' shape in the neck. And they can be pretty damn heavy too! But I love them all the same. I look back and kick myself now, thinking of all the chances I had to grab one before the prices skyrocketed. I always thought 'nah, there is something else I should buy'. Then I discovered the Geddy Lee Wal sound and fell in love, but it was too late.

I have always loved the look of the weave on these basses. Very smart.

I have always thought the 'Precision' name was a bit of a misnomer, especially on the fretless. That big woofly sound, nothing precise about it!

So, this video?

I do a 5 week rotation of earlies, lates, nights, earlies, lates and nights etc etc. I can't say I dislike it (other than the earlies) but it does mean you live at some unsociable hours. Which I quite enjoy.

It seems a lot of rehearsal spaces are just tatty dumps with a few crap amps and a wrecked drum kit in them! And some people have the cheek to charge for them too...

I was just going through a few items of material this afternoon, enjoying my new Warwick Thumb when I recalled the fun I've had playing 'Step into Christmas' by Elton John (probably the only EJ song I would ever bother with). This one was always a hit when I used to work in a hotel, and in the band we usually do a few Christmas numbers at that time of year. Generally, we dust them off in late October and within a couple of days they are back up to scratch. Does anyone dig them out very early? I've worked with bandleaders before who would have the whole band rehearsing them now on the philosophy that the Christmas season is the most lucrative for bands and that you can make or break your reputation (and a whole year of bookings) on a Christmas gig. Seems like a smart idea, if you're in it for the money!

Clientèle is important. Okay, you're never going to be 'country club' selective but I've often found rehearsal rooms trashed when going in after young bands. Student indie type bands in particular, where larking about and making a mess has obviously come before the actual rehearsal. But my main gripe would be the amenities. Something like a clean, well looked after toilet makes a big difference. A well lit car park. There is nothing worse than a scruffy rehearsal room.

Recently traded my Jaco Pastorius Jazz bass to Clarky for a Warwick Thumb 5 string. A pleasure to do business with!

FGTH's first album has some amazing basslines on it. 'Welcome to the Pleasure Dome' is particularly amazing.

That is absolutely hideous.

A graphite necked energy was worth around £400-500 when I saw one for sale a little ago. There aren't that many of them around, I think Rob had a few graphite necks going spare so he upgraded a few Energy basses with them. Definitely going to deliver on your tonal needs too.

As much as I liked my 4 string, and it was a fantastic bass, I am really loving having a low B again. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but the only other low B strings I've heard that can touch a Warwick Thumb are on Status and Alembic basses! When I was growing up, the Thumb 5 string was a hugely aspirational bass. The broadneck option I find a bit odd though. It was quite expensive when ordering a bass new IIRC, but it doesn't feel that different in terms of size, weight or balance than a normal Thumb 5 string. But someone obviously felt enough of a difference to pay the extra dough...

I've just had a great old ditty on the Thumb 5 string broad neck I received this week. What a great sounding bass. It's my second Thumb (the first was a Thumb 4 string). If anything, it sounds even more outrageous than the 4 string did, as this has the two big MEC humbuckers at the bridge, whereas the Thumb was a a slanted singlecoil arrangement. This bass just sounds like a slegehammer. That is the only way I can describe. The low end and midrange punch is startling, it is the absolute in terms of presence. Thats why I love using Warwick basses live. Sound engineeers love them too. Unlike some basses that can be difficult to mix in, the Warwick always stands out, it always fills the bottom end in nicely and is never harsh or offensive. And unlike some basses, the bottom end isn't boomy or floppy. It's tight and articulate; you really have control of it with your fingers meaning you can get your playing really tight and accurate. I subscribe to the Anthony Jackson school of thought, that the bass should be viewed as an equal to the guitar. In that, it isn't just a root note plodder. It should be used to create rhythm and harmony but also melody. To that end, I like to have basses that I would be happy to listen to on their own, or high up in the mix. Because I tend to play melody lines, some chords, root notes and rhythm parts, comping etc etc. So my bass needs to sound good on it's own as well as in the mix, and this is something that Warwick have always delivered on for me (I've had three now). Plus, there really is nothing else that sounds like a Thumb.

[i]The Pusuit of the Woman in the Feathered Hat [/i]is also a great number. It has some serious grooves. The reason there is no love for that album is because it is so experimental. The eponymous 'Mr Gone' is clearly Wayne Shorter, who puts in about two appearances on the whole record. Most of it just seems like Joe Zawinul flexing his composition skills and trying out various synth sounds. The songs and sounds are glossy. It is jazz fusion, but not as we know it and not as it was known then. It got a lot of flak at the time for sounding 'commercial'; criticism was even directed at the disco-esque handclaps! In comparison to other Weather Report records like 1982, it does seem to lack the firey improvisation WR were so well known for.

[quote name='wombatboter' timestamp='1346256109' post='1787105'] The person I see in this video is not really the company I would be looking for.. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhPVi2FY-Q4&feature=player_embedded[/media]#! [/quote] He had well and truly lost it by then.

It's always just been an expensive advertising pamphlet to me. I used to occasionally pick up a copy if there was a particularly interesting article or player in it. But as far as information on the subject goes, I've always found internet forums better.

[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1345297803' post='1776024'] WAL !! i mean WOW !! [/quote] Quite. I have always enjoyed the live Rush stuff from the late 80's. The band at their peak, and Wal tone too - Geddy's best tone! It's cool to hear the old songs spruced up with the Wal.

[quote name='Bill' timestamp='1346088491' post='1785121'] Thanks man, I used to want bart's in my Warwick but when I heard the Nord's there was no going back! [/quote] Some lovely playing in the second video there! I must say though, Barts in a Streamer is one the best bass tones I have ever heard. My old Streamer Ltd Edition 1990 had them, simply amazing.