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Guy Pratt new signature bass


Guest markinthegreen
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[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1371337743' post='2112815']
Yeah! Shut up Milty, you dweeb. :lol: ;)
[/quote]

:D haha!


[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1371337219' post='2112808']
In that case I look forward to your signature bass when you become well known enough to have one.
[/quote]

It's easy to make me seem like a complete idiot when you take what I'm saying out of context. What I was saying (and this must be the third or fourth time I've said it in this thread alone) was that he had the creative freedom to position whatever pickups he wanted, wherever he wanted, and same with controls. It seems he rather just made a bass where you, yourself, can choose the tone you want. I thought the whole point of signature basses was trying to sell a bass that a famous bassist has helped design or customise off the back of "sounding like *that famous bassist". This doesn't do that. This is a bass with Guy's name on it. You could sound like Guy, if he never moves the pickups, and if you never move them either, but then what's the point?

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[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1371338543' post='2112825']
[size=4]What I was saying (and this must be the third or fourth time I've said it in this thread alone) was that he had the creative freedom to position whatever pickups he wanted, wherever he wanted,[/size]
[/quote]

And that is exactly what he's done. He decided that on his signature bass he wanted to have those pick ups with the ability to adjust the positions.
Anyone is perfectly entitled to say "that's not what I'd have done" or " I don't like that", but not to say (to him) "you should have done this that and the other".

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[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1371338543' post='2112825']
I thought the whole point of signature basses was trying to sell a bass that a famous bassist has helped design or customise off the back of "sounding like *that famous bassist". This doesn't do that. This is a bass with Guy's name on it. You could sound like Guy, if he never moves the pickups, and if you never move them either, but then what's the point?
[/quote]

Well, I suppose Warwick approached him and said 'Excuse me, Mr Pratt, can we build you a sig bass?' and he said 'That would be nice, thank you' and they said 'Do you have any ideas and he said 'Not really, but here's a picture of the bass I'm best known for playing, could you just copy that?' and they said 'That's a Fender' and he said 'Yes. Yes it is. What's the problem?' and they said 'But we're Warwick. Sound of wood, you know' and he said 'Would I know what?' and they said 'That's our motto' and he said 'What? "Would you know?" is your motto?' and they said 'Look, don't worry about that, we'll explain when we see you' and he said 'OK, when are we going to meet?' and they said 'How about next Tuesday?' and he said 'Sorry, Tuesday's not good for me' and they said 'OK, how about the Tuesday after that?' and he said 'Fine. Goodbye' and they said 'Goodbye' and then they met up two weeks later and he said 'About this sig bass. Are you sure I can't have one that looks like my Fender?' and they said 'No, it'll have to look like a Warwick' and he said 'Well, I don't want one that looks like a [i]normal [/i]Warwick, you know the ones with the funny upper horn' and they said 'That's OK, we've got lots of other shapes. Have a look at this picture of [i]this[/i] one.' and he said 'Yes. Yes, I like that a lot. Could you do it with two sliding pickups on a rail?' and they said 'Are you sure?' and he said 'Yes, I am. I quite fancy a bass with two sliding pickups' and they said 'Are you sure you want to have two, because if you only had one we could do a little sliding cover to hide the hole, but if you have [i]two[/i], we won't be able to hide the hole' and he said 'No, that's OK. The only people who will notice will be those silly c**ts on BassChat and who cares what they think?'
[color=#FFFFFF].[/color]

Edited by skankdelvar
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[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1371339815' post='2112835']
I quite fancy a bass with two sliding pickups' and they said 'Are you sure you want to have two, because if you only had one we could do a little sliding cover to hide the hole, but if you have [i]two[/i], we won't be able to hide the hole' and he said 'No, that's OK. The only people who will notice will be those silly c**ts on BassChat and who cares what they think?'[size=4][/quote][/size]
[size=4]Hee, hee! I'm having trouble generating the amount of drama apparently required by this thread. Sig basses. What a load. Just like those basses that have been 'pre-owned' by the great and good, for sale at a premium. Will it make you sound like [/size][i]that [/i][size=4]great and good bass player? No.[/size]

Edited by discreet
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[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1371339815' post='2112835']
Well, I suppose Warwick approached him and said 'Excuse me, Mr Pratt, can we build you a sig bass?' and he said 'That would be nice, thank you' and they said 'Do you have any ideas and he said 'Not really, but here's a picture of the bass I'm best known for playing, could you just copy that?' and they said 'That's a Fender' and he said 'Yes. Yes it is. What's the problem?' and they said 'But we're Warwick. Sound of wood, you know' and he said 'Would I know what?' and they said 'That's our motto' and he said 'What? "Would you know?" is your motto?' and they said 'Look, don't worry about that, we'll explain when we see you' and he said 'OK, when are we going to meet?' and they said 'How about next Tuesday?' and he said 'Sorry, Tuesday's not good for me' and they said 'OK, how about the Tuesday after that?' and he said 'Fine. Goodbye' and they said 'Goodbye' and then they met up two weeks later and he said 'About this sig bass. Are you sure I can't have one that looks like my Fender?' and they said 'No, it'll have to look like a Warwick' and he said 'Well, I don't want one that looks like a [i]normal [/i]Warwick, you know the ones with the funny upper horn' and they said 'That's OK, we've got lots of other shapes. Have a look at this picture of [i]this[/i] one.' and he said 'Yes. Yes, I like that a lot. Could you do it with two sliding pickups on a rail?' and they said 'Are you sure?' and he said 'Yes, I am. I quite fancy a bass with two sliding pickups' and they said 'Are you sure you want to have two, because if you only had one we could do a little sliding cover to hide the hole, but if you have [i]two[/i], we won't be able to hide the hole' and he said 'No, that's OK. The only people who will notice will be those silly c**ts on BassChat and who cares what they think?'
[color=#FFFFFF].[/color]
[/quote]

Haha! I wouldn't be surprised if he actually DID say something like that.


[quote name='markinthegreen' timestamp='1371363653' post='2112872']
This place is so funny!
[/quote]

Yup :)

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I've finally figured out what it's all about. It is of course the latest entry in the "Famous Bassists Ridiculous Warwick Bass Competition" where various well-known bassists vie with each other to see who can persuade Warwick to make the most impractical and ugly signature bass.

So lets see how it stacks up against the competition...

Well it still hasn't usurped the current leader which is without a question the Adam Clayton Reverso. Start with a body shape that is already fairly impractical for a bass guitar flip it around and then to just up the ugly quotient some more replace the standard nasty Warwick paddle headstock with the one of the Buzzard. The result loos both hideous and seriously uncomfortable to play. Has Mr Clayton ever been seen on stage with it?

And still in second place is the Nobby Meidel Signature. Take a Steinberger Bass and then remove most of the features that actually make it so innovative like the use of carbon fibre and graphite for the body and neck and the fantastically engineered bridge and body end tuning mechanism, and what are you left with? A diseased plank fitted with whatever generic bass parts were knocking around in the factory. A bass that completely misses almost every point of the instrument it is copying. About the only good thing this bass has going for it is, because it's headless, there's no nasty paddle at the end of the neck!

Next we have the Bootsy Collins Signature. Bootsy - a man rarely seen without star-shaped shades or a star-shaped bass sporting multiple pickups and complex on-board electronics for that personal P-funk sound. So what does he have Warwick make for him? A standard Infinity bass. OK so it is in sparkle silver with some flames and stars air-brushed on, and it does have a portrait of the man himself on the paddle. But overall it's got nearly zero Bootsy Collins P-funk vibe. Mr Collins must be laughing all the way to the bank (and his next star-shaped endorsement deal).

Then there's TM Stevens. He went for a fairly conventional shape - the Streamer. But then covered it in kids paintings of "African" scenes. It's just so hideously crass! And calls it the Zooloo Warrior! And no-one at Warwick bats an eyelid.

Jimmy Earl has created the bastard love-child of a Streamer and a Fender Jazz. An instrument that has inherited all the less attractive traits of its parents, and not really any of the good ones.

And finally we have Stuart Zender's creation. Stuart obviously hasn't been trying hard enough for this competition. HE's taken the Streamer shape, stretched out the horns added a funny little hook to the top one and a tacky inlay at the 12th fret. It's reasonably horrid, but in comparison to the above relatively tame.

So where does Guy Pratt's new bass fit in? Well I place it third between Nobby Meidel and Bootsy Collins' signature basses. Cutting a great big hole into the top of Warwick's nicer looking basses was a genius move as was the "scrap Meccano" sliding pickup mechanism. However it can't compete with Nobby Meidel for sheer overall nastiness in the implementation of the design, and it has a long way to go before it displaces Adam Clayton's bass from the top of the pile.

I wonder who will take up the challenge next?

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1371409415' post='2113546']

I wonder who will take up the challenge next?
[/quote]

Dunno but I think if they combine Bootsy's Star bass with Guy's sliding P/ups and Hansford Rowe's just intonation finger-board, they're on to a winner.

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1371409878' post='2113559']
But will you get Warwick to build you something even more hideous and impractical than the Reverso?

Or will you wimp out like Jack Bruce?
[/quote]

Oh I have ideas... and none of them would feature on your previous list. :D

I may buck the big 'W' trend because it'd look good, sound good and 'feel' good to have hung on your shoulder.

However, I'm giving nothing more away until I get that call. :P

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1371409415' post='2113546']
...TM Stevens. He went for a fairly conventional shape - the Streamer. But then covered it in kids paintings of "African" scenes. It's just so hideously crass! And calls it the Zooloo Warrior! And no-one at Warwick bats an eyelid.[size=4][/quote][/size]
[size=4]This is by far the worst of them, imho. It makes me feel like blowing chunks every time I clap eyes on it.[/size]
[size=4]Which is bad enough, but the bloody thing is ludicrously overpriced, just to add wallet insult to eye-injury.[/size]

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[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1371410212' post='2113565']
Oh I have ideas... and none of them would feature on your previous list. :D

I may buck the big 'W' trend because it'd look good, sound good and 'feel' good to have hung on your shoulder.

However, I'm giving nothing more away until I get that call. :P
[/quote]

I have to admit I really liked the Jack Bruce one - not the most recent version, but the Cream Reunion model which is pretty much the only Warwick I've played that I didn't find horrible. I didn't try it out on a strap though. What I didn't like was the £4k+ price tag for an off-the-peg bass. I got Martin Pertersen to make me a custom Sei instead which was exactly what I wanted for considerably less money.

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[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1371336289' post='2112796']
There is no absolute decree that these rules MUST be adhered to.
[/quote]
I agree, but they DO exist.

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1371337219' post='2112808'].
Surely the whole point it is [u][b]his[/b][/u] signature bass, and as such it's not for anyone else to tell him what it should be like.
[/quote]
I'd suggest the whole point for Warwick is to sell basses to the public in whatever way possible. And if that doesn't happen, at least get forums chatting about it just for the profile if nothing else. You're all playing The Game BTW.

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I didnt think id like it but if it was in my price range id snap it up.
Since i got my Squire CVP a few years ago, and io really hate the colour, i decided i dont really care what a bass looks like now (within reason), as long as it sounds good and plays good.
I really like the tones in the video, especially the deeper ones.

What did surprise me more though was how good Mel Smith is on bass. I never had him down as someone who clould play like that :D

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