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New Jon Shuker Signature P bass - Simon Rix


OldGit
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Bloody hell, I thought I gonna get a couple of disagreements but people really are bothered by what I said. I totally agree that any bassist with enough cash is gonna go for the best they can, regardless of talent, I know I would. But the point I was making was the second thing I said.

[quote]That aside, I think Shuker may have made a wrong move on this one. [b]I may be wrong but it seems to me followers of the Kaiser Chiefs are generally young beginner players who wouldn't be able to afford a bass made by Shuker[/b]. They would probably go for something like this squier to get the look without spending a fortune. [b]Don't get me wrong the bass is lovely but i'm not sure the endorsement is right for Shuker's customer base[/b].[/quote]

I may have phrased it badly but what I meant is it's not going to be the most effective signature model as the majority of fans aren't going to be able to afford one. I know it will generally raise Shukers profile in the long run so the endorsement is a good thing but what I was really questining was the need for a signature model.

p.s. 'thisnameistaken', i'm not saying i'm any better than him or that I personally could get an endorsement/signature model. I've got all the perspective on the matter I need and i'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me like an idiot.

Cheers,
Mat

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[quote name='mr_russ' post='504610' date='Jun 3 2009, 12:47 PM']This quote has to potential to be incredibly dangerous for my wallet ;D[/quote]


Ha ha I'm just passing on a life lesson I learned .....
Anyway what else are you going to spend it on?

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[quote name='mathewsanchez' post='504586' date='Jun 3 2009, 12:17 PM']Bloody hell, I thought I gonna get a couple of disagreements but people really are bothered by what I said. I totally agree that any bassist with enough cash is gonna go for the best they can, regardless of talent, I know I would. But the point I was making was the second thing I said.



I may have phrased it badly but what I meant is it's not going to be the most effective signature model as the majority of fans aren't going to be able to afford one. I know it will generally raise Shukers profile in the long run so the endorsement is a good thing but what I was really questining was the need for a signature model.

p.s. 'thisnameistaken', i'm not saying i'm any better than him or that I personally could get an endorsement/signature model. I've got all the perspective on the matter I need and i'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me like an idiot.

Cheers,
Mat[/quote]

Sorry Mat, didn't mean to jump on what was meant to be a quip ...
Jon's going to be selling these to normal people, not Kaiser fans who want to emulate Mr Rix. It will just be a "standard" model that people can order, just like the JJB.

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[quote name='OldGit' post='504644' date='Jun 3 2009, 01:21 PM']Sorry Mat, didn't mean to jump on what was meant to be a quip ...
Jon's going to be selling these to normal people, not Kaiser fans who want to emulate Mr Rix. It will just be a "standard" model that people can order, just like the JJB.[/quote]

What's the difference between...

Erm... actually... I'm not going to say anything...

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[quote name='burno70' post='504672' date='Jun 3 2009, 01:50 PM']I think it's lovely - but if your going down the custom bass route why bother getting a copy of someone else's bass when you can design your own - slightly off topic but I thought I'd throw it in there.[/quote]


Because Leo got so much right in the Jazz and Precision that it is very hard to come up with a new shape and other characteristics that work as well. Especially when it's your own money and you want a fully functional bass you can love for ever as the end result .... It's a lot easier to improve a classic.

If you look around many "custom" shapes are very similar to each other too so even one-off customs are likely to be "heavily influenced by" previous designs.
Of course there are exceptions as [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=5525&view=findpost&p=57906"]BigRedX's Weird and Wonderful thred[/url]shows

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^^^

Sorry, when I said design your own bass, I didn't really mean the shape so much as the woods, pick-ups, pre-amp, neck, fingerboard etc; you know -all the cool choices you get to make when you call Jon and ask for one of his custom basses.

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[quote name='burno70' post='504765' date='Jun 3 2009, 03:47 PM']Sorry, when I said design your own bass, I didn't really mean the shape so much as the woods, pick-ups, pre-amp, neck, fingerboard etc; you know -all the cool choices you get to make when you call Jon and ask for one of his custom basses.[/quote]

One thing I've always wondered about 100% bespoke instruments is whether I actually know enough about what I want to ask someone to build it for me. Frankly I don't think I do, despite 20 years of playing bass. I pick one up, if I like it I buy it, if not I put it down again. I don't really put much thought into why.

If I wanted to make sure I liked the neck I suppose I could say "Make it like a Jazz" but then why not just buy a Jazz? And stuff like pups and preamps I'd be completely stumped - I've no idea what most of the stuff on the market sounds like.

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[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='504773' date='Jun 3 2009, 03:54 PM']One thing I've always wondered about 100% bespoke instruments is whether I actually know enough about what I want to ask someone to build it for me. Frankly I don't think I do, despite 20 years of playing bass. I pick one up, if I like it I buy it, if not I put it down again. I don't really put much thought into why.

If I wanted to make sure I liked the neck I suppose I could say "Make it like a Jazz" but then why not just buy a Jazz? And stuff like pups and preamps I'd be completely stumped - I've no idea what most of the stuff on the market sounds like.[/quote]


I agree 100%.

I sit here bemused most days listening to people talk about that distinctive Ken Smith "snap", or the "burpy" quality of the U-Retro preamp or how adding a cocobola 2mm veneer will add a "glassy" clarity to the top end or other such nonsense. I sometimes think its just a cock-measuring excercise. Maybe its just my lack of sophistication, but my instructions to a luthier would probably be "make it sound like a P but with a Jazz neck". Might as well just buy a Lakland Duck Dunn.

Firstly, I'm no where near qualified to have an idea of what the combination of different woods and electronics would sound like, and secondly, I question how much of it is actually just bullshit.

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[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='504784' date='Jun 3 2009, 04:03 PM']I agree 100%.

I sit here bemused most days listening to people talk about that distinctive Ken Smith "snap", or the "burpy" quality of the U-Retro preamp or how adding a cocobola 2mm veneer will add a "glassy" clarity to the top end or other such nonsense. I sometimes think its just a cock-measuring excercise.[/quote]

I do wonder about people who replace the stock electronics in their basses. If you didn't like the sound, why did you buy it?

I did once stick an active EMG set in a Jazz, but that was because the stock pickups hissed like buggery in every venue I took it to, not because I thought I'd get a better sound.

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[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='504784' date='Jun 3 2009, 04:03 PM']I question how much of it is actually just bullshit.[/quote]

A great deal. Marketing BS to fool the masses.

My pickups are made of kryptonite wound by mountain dwarves. (That gives me at least an extra 3 inches right?)

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Personally I think that a lot of the time people over-spec custom basses and this can lead to disappointment.

I don't care what wood is used provided that it looks the way I want it to look and it results in a bass that feels and sounds how I want it to. Matching these too things up isn't my job, it's the task of the luthier building the bass.

As a player pick the things that are important to you: Sound, feel, shape and finish and then let the luthier get on with what they do best.

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[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='504784' date='Jun 3 2009, 04:03 PM']I agree 100%.

I sit here bemused most days listening to people talk about that distinctive Ken Smith "snap", or the "burpy" quality of the U-Retro preamp or how adding a cocobola 2mm veneer will add a "glassy" clarity to the top end or other such nonsense. I sometimes think its just a cock-measuring excercise. Maybe its just my lack of sophistication, but my instructions to a luthier would probably be "make it sound like a P but with a Jazz neck". Might as well just buy a Lakland Duck Dunn.

Firstly, I'm no where near qualified to have an idea of what the combination of different woods and electronics would sound like, and secondly, I question how much of it is actually just bullshit.[/quote]

Ha ha, yeah..
The luthiers that know their stuff listen to what you say, your preferences for things like neck size, body shape, apperance, sounds and the bass examples you take to them and transform that stuff into a bass that does eactly what you've asked for ... That's the skill of it.

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[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='504861' date='Jun 3 2009, 05:14 PM']Basically, if I were to order a custome bass, I would hand the luthier a vhs of me having sex and instruct him to interpret it into the bass equivalent.[/quote]
Exactly how would the luthier incorporate the sheep into the design, BBC? :)

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[quote name='ashevans09' post='504949' date='Jun 3 2009, 07:13 PM']Here we go...[/quote]
Ashdown does appear to be a place where sheep shelter ...
[url="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/sheep_sheltering_on_ashdown_forest_mug-168630015429517494"]http://www.zazzle.co.uk/sheep_sheltering_o...630015429517494[/url]

Edited by Clarky
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[quote name='birdy' post='503978' date='Jun 2 2009, 04:59 PM']I am confused?!? Surely JJB and Simon Rix are merely endorsers in the same way that Dood is? Or is there actually a Shuker signature bass available for one or more of these arists?

Steve[/quote]

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='503981' date='Jun 2 2009, 05:01 PM']Seriously though - is this even a signature model? Am I being blind but I can't see anything on the site that says that it's specifically a "Simon Rix" signature. Isn't it just a Shuker P that Simon Rix is using. If it is a signature model, what is special about it? I said the colour earlier but nobody has uttered anything about it's signature status or exactly what that means......[/quote]

[quote name='birdy' post='504267' date='Jun 2 2009, 10:00 PM']There is a difference between an artist endorsing a product and having their own signature model. To my mind a signature model is a model that is intended to be duplicated for people to buy the exact same spec. It is important because if it is a signature model I would expect to be able to ring Jon up and buy one. If it is what I perceive a signature model to be then Jon would be 'knocking them out' which would be a significant change to his build to order policy. This is why it was important to me.
I could be completely wrong of course but thats how I see it.

Steve[/quote]
Well, I think my take on it is that I *perceive* my 'Signature' instrument to be ..well.. like my *own* signature. I want my instrument (and all of MY personalisations that make it more comfortable for me to play than any other instrument) to be easily identified as mine.. in the same way that ..well.. my signature on a cheque would be. This is one of the reasons why both of my Shukers are a matched pair. I'm a big Queen fan, as a few of you may have realised lol - and I LOVE the idea that Brian May's guitar is instantly recogniseable. It is considered his 'signature' I feel. It was never designed with being mass produced in mind and I feel the same about my basses.

I may feel different if *insert brand name major* were chucking out 1000's of mass produced 'Doodle-alikes'. It would be great to know that so many people would want to buy 'my design' But, I'm not so sure I would call every one of those a 'signature' instrument.

[quote name='OldGit' post='504236' date='Jun 2 2009, 09:34 PM']However having JJB come to Jon after he'd turned down a very large US based Precision bass maker beginning with F when they offered him a signature bass (allegedly) says a lot about the quality of the bloke's work.[/quote]

that would be a +1million for the quality of Jon's work.

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[quote name='dood' post='504963' date='Jun 3 2009, 07:30 PM']that would be a +1million for the quality of Jon's work.[/quote]

Oh I dunno... He seems to have left the head [i]and[/i] a string off that copy of your signature 7 string :)

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[quote name='OldGit' post='504982' date='Jun 3 2009, 07:45 PM']Oh I dunno... He seems to have left the head [i]and[/i] a string off that copy of your signature 7 string :)[/quote]


It went all a bit blurry after something got dropped in my tea......




I think it may have been Ruby.

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