Chris2112

What an amazing collection!

Edit: double post

I love the older, classic Jerzy Drozd shape. This new 'Soul' model doesn't look so elegant to me. The proportions just aren't quite right, giving it a slight 'melted by a hairdryer' look.

As chance would have it, I came in to work this morning to find out it has been destroyed in a crash and will not be coming back! 🤣

I saw the first video with him in hospital earlier on, it wasn't clear from that just how he had come about his injuries. I presume some sort of collapse and he has whacked his dome on the way down? As said above, the guy is a good age but will hopefully take care of himself after this episode. I had been concerned about him in the past, I think around 2020, when he was frequently posting expletive laden rants on Facebook. Seemed like his stress levels and blood pressure were through the roof.

One of the V90's I drive at work is less than two years old and only has 40,000 miles on it (or maybe 50,000). The air con has completely packed in. I may be looking back through rose tinted glasses but I don't think they're quite as 'hewn from stone' as they used to be. I am generally a Volvo fan but I wouldn't spend my own money on one now.

That is a really nice bass.

I absolutely love that. I'm in the camp that would prefer a plain black fretboard but overall, it is just stunning. Every single colour looks so rich and glorious, and Jens Ritter's colour work actually looks great in real life too (unlike say, Kiesel). Yes, I'd play the hell out of that bass.

They look much better in that configuration.

I hope it hasn't just been lost in the depot by the shipping agent. This happened to me a few years ago with a set of winter tyres I'd orders for a Jaguar XK8 (so a bit of a funny sized tyre). The courier (I can't remember who it was) failed to deliver the tyre and declared the missing item lost. I was refunded and Blackcircles sent me a replacement. A couple of months later the original tyre turned up after being 'misplaced' in the depot. Miracles can happen, even at shipping depots!

You've hit the nail on the head there about that inherent reverb. I was playing it when it I read your post and it struck me then that you are quite right, there is a resonant 'air' in the tone that is quite unlike anything else I've played. The other bass in my collection closest in 'spirit' and materials to the Basslab is my Bogart Blackstone. That has none of the 'airy' quality of the L-Bow. Well, I suppose with it being hollow all the way through, it will vibrate in a different way to a solid slab of material.

I will definitely get round to that when I get a new laptop. I could do with a useful home recording medium.

I decided to get the PJB Bighead out last night to see how this thing sounds through a DI. Absolutely mint, I'm pleased to say.

I had read before that the F Bass finishes were thin and easily rubbed through but I'd never seen evidence of it before. It looks nicely played in to me and ripe for a few UZEB lines! Enjoy it!

Even if he had a band with him, the music would be just as crap. Shame for the mugs who paid all that cash to watch this karaoke rubbish though, he'll be laughing all the way to the bank.

Since my last post here my Basslab L-Bow has been getting the most play. It's quite the instrument.

Evidently there is some link but I'm not sure of the inner workings of the arrangement (I hadn't even heard of Richter until now and the company is run by an Andreas Richter. The website has items from as far back as 2010 relating to the link between Basslab and Richter, stating that they had designed and built the StepAbout for Basslab and Greg Howard. Heiko is specifically named on the right hand side of the 'partner' page. So yes, I assume Andreas and Heiko have worked together. The BassXX preamp page on the Basslab website has a link to the Richter page. That preamp in itself sounds particularly fascinating to me, I'd love to try one at some point.

I think you are probably right! I found the site quite slow to load in my browser too, probably because the code is old and not subject to modern optimisation. It serves the purpose as intended though. Their newest bass is the Soul (the Jazz shaped model) and that is probably over a decade old now. In recent years Heiko has designed his own preamp in both inboard and outboard forms. The range has stayed static, perhaps, because Heiko hasn't needed to add new models or changes. They look extreme but then also feel natural, easy to hold and play. I've owned some 'high tech' basses before like a Status Stealth and Bogart Blackstone which aren't made of 'traditional' bass guitar materials. The L-Bow feels in many ways considerably more advanced than those basses. These are instruments that won't appeal to everyone but to a select few they'll be just what you're looking for, and the high number of custom designs produced would reflect that (some of the custom guitars and basses are pretty wild). I've always been fascinated by their double neck basses as I can imagine that they are extremely light and playable. If I ever win the lottery or come into some money, I'll be getting one!

I'll take one tomorrow to show this.

Well to me, it's a neck that lets you get around quickly. Not just comfortable to the hand in one position but well carved/moulded and with a smooth finish that isn't tackey. I like finished necks but they have to be glassy smooth to pass muster. If you've ever felt a Les Paul neck and noted that rough, almost sticky finish and clearcoat - that's the opposite of fast to me!

If that's how you feel I suggest you never look up a Rickenbacker 🤣🤣 I was interested in these basses because I wanted to know if the wild looks were a gimmick or if there was something deeper to the thought and engineering. I found it to be a case of the latter, and it fascinates me with what can be achieved when you decide to start with a blank slate.

Getting those pictures loaded in was harder than it should have been! 😅

Evening all, I thought a few here may be interested to see and read about a new bass that arrived for me a couple of weeks ago from Germany, a 2001 Basslab L-Bow. This is a company that I've been interested in for a long time because I have something of an affinity for 'high tech' basses. I've been into those sorts of instruments since I was sixteen, when I got my first Kubicki Ex Factor. Over the years I've sought out basses of a similar ilk; designed by forward-thinkers who sought to create a great instrument by rewriting the rulebook. Basslab had always been on the periphery of my sphere of interest because it seemed like I was unlikely to just see one in the wild. In the UK, I can recall just two being for sale on the forums I regularly visit and that's going back nearly twenty years. However, they seemed like such a unique proposition that I always had a tab on that page in my mind. Well, just recently I found out that for over a year my work had been failing to pay me an unsocial hours payment for overnight work. With that in mind, I decided to casually look and see if there were any interesting basses around. I spotted this very cool 2001 L-Bow on the Basslab website and made some enquiries with the company. I was soon speaking to the builder, Heiko Hoepfinger, who was handling the sale on behalf of the owner. After a couple of weeks of discussion in setting up the deal, payment was made and the bass was shipped. A couple of weeks of the bass sitting in customs followed and I picked it up as soon as I could. Despite it's wild looks it has an instantly familiar feel. It may appear 'alien' but in terms of form and function it is nailed on to perform. The instrument is hollow, being made of the 'tunable mixed composite' material with some carbon fibre inside for reinforcement/shielding. The body skin is around 3-4mm thick with the rest of it being hollow. Interestingly, Heiko indicates that the shape and construction was chosen specifically with tone and feel in mind, so the unusual looks are nothing more than a byproduct of putting function first. The famous 'bow' connects to the headstock and gives the impression that the neck is extremely strong, stiff and resonates freely. The 'bow' is actually angled backward from the plane that the neck is on so it doesn't obscure your vision when looking down at the neck. The neck is of a medium thickness with pronounced, flat shoulders in an almost squared 'D' profile. It is very reminiscent of a first generation Status Stealth bass I used to own and is very fast. The fretboard is flat, coated in the same finish as the rest of the bass and adorned with a single bass clef inlay at the 12th position. It's an unusually fast and easy neck to play. I can usually get on well with pretty much any neck but I prefer some shapes to others (my favourite being Spector NS necks). I really like this one. The bass is extremely light, probably between 3 to 3.5kg at the most. It balances very well on a strap and in the classical position. On the right knee with out a strap the small lower horn can lead to a fairly insignificant neck dive, however I never play without a strap and I only discovered this in testing. The upper strap button is on the back of the 'bow', ideally placed to allow for the optimum balance. Because of this, I'd recommend a locking strap. The body is small and sculpted and I absolutely LOVE the relaxed position it allows for my right wrist. I can easily play however I should fancy over both pickups without any feeling of stress or strain. The controls are offset on the lower bout, being mounted in a curve that keeps them out of the way of your plucking hand but still easily visible and in reach. The ergonomic facets of the bass merit the most discussion because they are inherently tied to the physical experience of playing the bass. It is probably the most comfortable and least physically demanding bass I've ever played. The tone on the other hand is superb but perhaps more 'tradtional' than you might expect. Whilst you can spec your Basslab instrument with whatever you should fancy, mine happens to have Kent Armstrong pickups and a Da Capo preamp fitted. It produces a rich, bright and superbly focused sound. The low B string is extremely rich and resonant and the sense of volume across all the strings and positions is just uncanny. I am extremely fond of basses that have this quality. Chords on the L-Bow are just uncanny for their richness; the intonation is almost eerie and the clarity between notes is fantastic. The overall tonal character is modern, bright and open sounding with a very strong midrange. The output between the neck and bridge pickup is superbly balanced, such that I find myself using the neck pickup blended in now more than I ever have done before. I've been absolutely obsessed with the music of Casiopea over recent months and I have been giving this bass a workout to some of their albums. If you see one of these basses around or get a chance to try it, I'd recommend that you do! I am looking forward to playing it with others and whilst I expect a few surprised looks when I first get it out of the fitted soft-case that it came in, other musicians will surely warm quickly to the tones it produces. Space to store instruments is the primary limiting factor in stopping me from buying basses, however I can safely say that this will one be a keeper so I can now count myself one space short. Now, let me edit in some pics... [MEDIA=imgur]aDp0KFJ[/MEDIA] [MEDIA=imgur]gES4XMu[/MEDIA] [MEDIA=imgur]66Xmz1O[/MEDIA] [MEDIA=imgur]jUgtmSq[/MEDIA] [MEDIA=imgur]ASVnU4p[/MEDIA]