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Showing content with the highest reputation on 29/06/18 in all areas
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So.....a post on Jeff Berlin turns into a slag on Americans? Shame on you! After my grand-dad said such nice things about your grand-mum in 1944.10 points
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Nice to see so many people sharing my intense dislike for the daily heil. 😊5 points
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GAS doesn't go away when you get IEMs.. Listen, and understand. That terminal GAS is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.... broke.4 points
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Doing the neck is best done outside for me if possible - more room than in my very small cellar space. And much more light! I took this shot to show my grandchildren when/if that time comes. They will already be eye-rollingly bored at grandpa's endless tales of 'when I used to build bass guitars', but will, I'm sure, point at this picture with wonder. "Oooooh. What's that bright bit, grandpa?" "It's called sunshine, Billy" "What's sunshine, grandpa?" "Well - if you wait until you are a BIG boy...and then wait some more until you are a MAN...and then wait some more until you are an OLD MAN... and all the time hope and hope and hope - you too might see something like that!" "What - in DERBY, grandpa???????" Anyway - the main neck carve. Once it's been roughed out, I do almost all of the rest of the carve with a humble cabinet scraper: Using the template I took from Neil's favourite Fender, checking the fit frequently. Here the haunches are still sitting too proud: And here it's sitting just right: As well as the template gauges, I play a lot of air-bass guitar. The neighbours think I'm bonkers, but sitting it over your knee and playing it is, on my view, one of the best ways of checking when it's 'right'. I will probably tweak it a few more times before I'm finished, but here it is pretty close: What I do like about going for the thin-body-neck-through approach is that you can get some quite elegant transitions neck to body:4 points
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Just saw this on Facebook. One of my absolute favourite players. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1776123262467327&id=1302636470533054 points
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I'm frankly amazed to find myself to be the only person to make a helpful suggestion such as: Sell your old S2000, buy a Streamline. /Coat.4 points
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I learned long ago that a room will change the sound of my amp and how I perceive it dramatically, so there is no amp, in my opinion, that will give me a consistent sound. As such I realised that expensive amps and cabs were a waste of time (I always DI to front of house) and as long as my amp works, I can hear it on stage and it sounds good out front, it doesn’t matter. I don’t know how I got over caring what my onstage sound was like, but it’s liberating when you start to realise it’s only you that really cares and as long as your band sounds good as a whole it’s all that matters.3 points
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Not done much more but I have fitted threaded inserts into the neck and roughly assembled one of them. I've put some string on it and left it overnight to make sure there' no slippage of the strings and it will stay in tune and so far, it looks like it will. I'll probably finish this one off before I move onto the other just so I can learn any lessons first!! Need to start shaping the neck next.3 points
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I was once at Nomis Studios with Killing Joke (just ligging at a rehearsal, not playing or anything) when I popped off to the loo, mid pish I realised the urinal to my left was occupied by John Taylor and at the urinal to the right was Andy Taylor, a thoroughly 80s toilet experience, there.3 points
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So today I redid the wiring as it worked passive but not active. Some idiot had swapped the in and out wires round! I put the back on, I put the new machineheads on, I put the knobs on (of which one is nice and the other 4 will be replaced). I made another scratch on the front 🙄 I adjusted the bridge, I put strings on, I played it. For the first time active (played it passive on one pickup before!). The pickups have a high output, and that is on normal mode, in serial the really have a huge output. In single coil a lot less but still sound quite full. The bridge pickup is very bassy, more than I thought it would be, the bridge a little less so but very clear. So happy with these pickups (they are cheap). And even happier with the switching, it gives a clear difference in each mode. So thats it, pretty well done. I will gig it next week. There are a few rough edges, both literally and figuratively, and a few things that if I had known then I would have done differently. I need to do the frets, there is a high fret at about 23 choking off some strings, and I need to do intonation and stuff, but no big deal. Where I am very sweaty in this weather, the red seeps a bit - maybe some wax or something? But honestly, I couldn't be happier! So here are some more gratuitous photos, just because it seems a good way to finish a thread.3 points
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Buying the Daily Fail.3 points
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Thinning down the herd, so selling the basses I don't use for different reasons. FOR SALE OR TRADE. NOW £2000 GBP !!! Quite rare fully original Jerzy DROZD Obsession Basic 7 with some extra options (CITES free woods). The specifications : 35 inches scale. 24 frets (no front dots), in pristine condition. 1.5 mm action under the F string up to 2 mm under the B string. 17.5 mm strings spacing at the gold (option) 2 parts Jerzy DROZD brass bridge. 8.5 mm at the ebony nut. 1 truss rod (fully working). 7 gold (option) USA Hipshot Ultralite (option) tuners. Bolt-on (7 Torx bolts) 3 pieces maple with wenge stripes neck. Ebony (option) fretboard and matching etimoe (close to mahogany) headstock and upper heel (option) => some red colour on the headstock angle volute (see pictures), maybe it's been transported in a red carpet interior case that has discoloured. 2 JeD 7XS split single coil hum cancelled pickups with wooden covers. Active only 18 Volts (option) Aguilar OBP-3 preamp with 2 new batteries and a new gold barrel output jack (volume, blend, low, fixed 400 Hz mid & treble EQ with original wooden knobs). 2 pieces etimoe (close to mahogany) body with gold Schaller security locks strap pins. Weight : 4.8 kilos (very light for a 7 strings bass). Delivered in original well used (but not abused) Jerzy DROZD lightweight foam case. Fitted with new Dean Markley SR2000 2698C round wound strings (22 - 27 - 47 - 67 - 87 -107 -127) => the F string is also wound. Satin polyurethane finish. Made on the 27th of December 2007 (#42206). Complete set up made by Christophe LEDUC. Official price today would be around £6000 GBP if you can get one made as the Basic model doesn't exist anymore and hasn't really been replaced. Also don't forget that it will take close to a year of waiting to have it made. Asking price is £2000 GBP is a very fair price due to the rarity and overall very good condition of this bass. This bass is really terrific sounding, very well defined, absolutely hum and noise free, as versatile as you wish thanks to the construction without becoming aggressive, has an incredibly easy to play neck (you won't believe you are playing a 7 strings bass with a 17.5 mm strings spacing), but due to my right frozen shoulder (which is now non recoverable), the 35 inches scale is a real pain to play and is the only reason why I'm selling it. Every detail is totally thought and everything is close to perfection, which is so rare that it has to be mentioned ! Here is what Jerzy DROZD was saying about this model : "OBSESSION™ Basic™ Five piece bolt-on maple neck with wenge stringers, etimoe body, 24-fret fingerboard, two Jerzy DROZD JeD XS type pickups, active 3 way Aguilar OBP-3 electronics, two piece ( bridge & tailpiece ) bridge, satin polyurethane finish, lightweight foam case included." And about the pickups and electronics : "Our proprietary JeD XS single coil split are used on the entire line of our basses. The latest generation of our Neodymium magnets yields great gain, wide frequency response, and wide dynamic range in a hum-free, compact design. To power our instruments we use Aguilar OBP-3 onboard preamps as standard equipment. Our new JeD XS pickups were specially designed and tuned to get the maximum performance from these fine electronics." Some links : http://www.jerzydrozdbasses.com/pdf/Catalogo2006final.pdf https://www.deanmarkley.com/products/10474-sr2000tm-bass The pictures to see the real condition (not that flashing as there was a lot of sun when photographed), which shows only some very normal wear after 11 years of use, with deep thumb anchoring marks above the pickups and some other scratches, dings and dongs, but nothing really serious :2 points -
One of those situations where I'd been lusting after one of these for so long clearly I wasn't going to be happy until i'd bagged one - and here it is! Its beautiful to play - even though it's 30" it doesn't feel at all cramped compared to my regulr 34" precision - it has the same sort of proportions, and same very Fendery sound. It's a 2013 Made in Japan model, with a slab body, 7.25 radius and smallish frets - kind of slightly bigger than vintage. Really lightweight at 3.5kg and pretty well balanced too. The condition is immaculate - the guy i bought it from was retiring from playing and selling off his stuff - he'd barely played this, and never taken it out of the house. Genuinely could pass for new. Its just had a set-up by our local luthier here and now has a lovely low action and strung with La Bella Mustang flatwounds I'm gigging at a little festival next Saturday and itching to take this along - I really, really hope it's a keeper, as I've had to sell my Epi Jack Casady to help pay for it2 points
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Just a heads up, BBC 4 are doing an evening of Duran Duran tomorrow, 29th June.2 points
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I hope that's not in reply to the urinal post above yours ...2 points
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Ok so just bought a mastotron. 1 down many to go hah2 points
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Another piccy - you can see the clamps better on this one,2 points
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Thanks for your review :) I'm still very much enjoying mine. It took me a little while to really 'get' the EQ in mine, so that I could get the right adjustments (I'm more used to a 3-band with semiparametric mids preamp or passive tone controls...) but once you get it and it becomes intuitive, there's nothing this bass couldn't do and do it well. Putting DR Sunbeams on mine was like day/night compared to the EB that were on from factory. Ugh. Still in love with this bass.2 points
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They are usually roundwound strings with a flatwound nylon tape over the top, IIRC. La Bella white nylons are my go to string on fretless, but they sound equally as good on fretted basses.2 points
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The for sale sections here are ace - could’ve saved myself a packet doing my homework then shopping here!2 points
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Both the AG5 and NAMM 2018 Purple went within 2 days of each other, which is good news for Mark and Co. and Bass Direct of course! Thank you! I may have a little little bit of a reputation for it round these parts... 😂 It is a lot of straight up noodle, which I thought arguably doesn’t make a great vid, but was literally a straight out of the box experience which was fun to capture!2 points
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Unfortunately so. As he'll be at Ronnie Scott's in the evening, 3-5 was the only time we could make work. Pull a sickie? Hire a double? If there's a will, there's a way2 points
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Oh...and this is absolutely splendid, by the way Great job!2 points
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I find it easier to play with them facing away from the guitarist so he can’t see when I turn up after he does.2 points
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This is now being shown on BBC2 at 9pm on Saturday 30th June.2 points
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HOLY CHRIST! HAS NO-ONE LOOKED AT THE DIRECTIONS THE TWO CABS ARE FACING????? PHASE CANCELLATION PEOPLE!!! I'm cool with the plectrum though, old school bass with a pick has a really nice sound. Think anything done by Air.2 points
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The Fender Precision had a Jazz bass neck that had been shaved by Michael Tobias. It had two Bartolini pickups which were custom wound to Jeff's specification by Bill Bartolini. It ended up with just the bridge pickup connected (I may be wrong, but I think the neck pickup may have 'went static'). Interestinigly, that was the end of the road for those pickups until recently, when Bill Bartolini found the original diagrams for those pickups. The pickup was resurrected, appearing in the Cort Rithimic. It's actually a splitcoil inside a soapbar case. I know that bass was eventually stolen, probably some time around 1990. Jeff had used it in 1988 in the Kazumi Watanabe recordings and live with John McLaughlin on their tour of England. By 1992 (I think) he was playing a first generation Peavey Palaedium. I plan on getting a replica of this bass commissioned. I'm not sure how I'll go about it, but it'll probably involve a Warmoth alder Precision body, a Fender Jazz neck, some Bartolini 'classic' range pickups, a Badass II and a few other finishing touches, put together by a good luthier in the UK. As for Jeff himself, I consider him a friend and a good guy who always wants to lift people up. On the internet, he has perhaps come across as a bit stand-offish in the past but he will speak to anyone to put his point across because he genuinely wants to raise the level of bass education and the skills of bass players in general. The situation is not helped by some frightfully rude sorts on the 'net who insult and troll him for sport. I know not everyone is interested in jazz, fusion or classical teaching methodology, though I'm never surprised to see folk lining up to have a go at him. In conversation with Jeff, I've always found him to be a warm, funny and caring bloke. It astounds me that the (IMO) greatest bassist of our generation, and the most fluent improviser on our instrument, would have any interest in how my playing is and would want to offer me advice on how to get better. For that reason alone, I'll always have a tremendous amount of respect for Jeff.2 points
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Another hot morning in the sun cutting Abalone today, I cut a couple of the Draig inlays. After I drilled the headstocks for the tuners and marked and routed the holes for the inlays and stuck them in, not quite as easy as the square fretboard inlays and yes a little black epoxy was needed. Just rough sanded and wetted to give an idea2 points
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I think your batteries are connected in series to provide 18v to both the active circuit and pickups, in which case they will run down at the same rate.2 points
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Know this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but the new Eric Clapton biopic 'Life in 12 bars' has a 'live' UK release this coming Wednesday, 10th January, with various cinemas all over the UK showing the movie and a live Q&A session afterwards. More details here - https://www.planetrock.com/news/rock-news/eric-clapton-life-in-12-bars-live-uk-cinema-event-announced/1 point
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Never thought I would do it, but my aluminium addiction is getting worse and I have decided to part with my Sandberg VM5. I have ordered and got it from Sandberg in 2013, but I have switched to 4 strings soon after. It sounds great and has won most of the blind tests among my other basses. Mint condition (always wanted to make this joke). But seriously, it has some slight sights of use and has absolutely no functional problems. Now for specs: Alder Body Maple with rosewood fingerboard neck and matched headstock NO INLAYS (has block decales now) 35" scale Sandberg pickups with 2 active/passive preamp with bridge coils split Comes with original gigbag ~4.5kg on bathroom scales Actually has no neck inlays - blocks on the photos are only stickers, happy to take them off if you want to. 1100 1000 GBP. Based in London, but can organise a courier at buyers expense.1 point -
You'll be hard pushed to find a nicer example of a Warwick Thumb. Unlike many Thumb basses, I've never had any neck-dive issues with this one, it has a high polish finish which is actually a very dark blue and somewhat translucent, but you'd just assume it was black unless shone under a very bright light. Of all the Warwick's I've owned, this one has the most highly figured wenge fingerboard, I've captured this as best as I can but it looks absolutely superb 'in the flesh'. The condition is pretty good for the age, it has various marks but nothing serious, these are generally difficult to pick out due to the dark finish. You will notice in the pictures that the finish has rippled very slightly over the laminated neck, I understand this is quite typical and in no way effects the integrity of the neck. Weight - 4.4kg It's a fantastic instrument and for me, it has the archetypal Warwick tone and one of the tightest, well-rounded open E's i've heard. No issues with the pickups, pre-amp or truss-rod. Currently set-up with a set of med-light DR Sunbeams. I'm based in Cardiff and would prefer collection but will of course ship in a flight-case (not original). Trial also welcome. See my feedback here on BC. EDIT: I'll consider trades for a nice Jazz bass but would ideally like some cash in my direction.1 point -
Having been an Ampeg fan for a LONG time, my days of lugging the full size kit have been drawing to a close. I picked up one of the Aguilar cabs at PMT and I'm blown away with how great it sounds. I road tested it with my 3 piece rock 'n' roll band last night and the drummer was asking if I had changed the basslines. "No, you can just hear it now!" I replied.1 point
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I ordered it from Chandlers in the US at http://pickguards.us I also got a 3 ply black pickguard cut for my CIJ 72 tele thinline reissue. The pair came to £60 in total but I expect the cost would a bit more these days as it was ten years ago, so it would probably be more cost effective now to look at UK suppliers.1 point
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I had one of these for a brief time and found it great fun and a very easy bass to live with. I normally play 5's and already have a great G&L 4 string so I decided to sell it but I'm still not sure that I should have done so. I was very impressed with it. I hope that you are equally impressed with yours.1 point
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nice! I have the same bass, but I changed the tort pg for an aged white pearloid one & upgraded the pots & socket with CTS & switchcraft bits. Its a great little bass and the tone with flatwounds is fantastic.1 point
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They've heard about your meat pies haven't they? (All those spare necks and body parts you have scattered about the place)1 point
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I think they've given up on offering any common-sense suggestions to me1 point
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It does if you are wearing tights..1 point
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So it is (I missed that)... Ok, so it's a good mid afternoon to late afternoon (or early evening), afternoon out. But it still won't put me off, Officer...1 point
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No shortage of ideas to tease out then. Good man. I'd say you're right about necks being the challenge. If you think, the neck is what it all comes down to in the end and like the Chapman Stick, all you need is a beam with anchorage for strings and pick-ups in between. The body is dressing to a degree.1 point
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I have a 12 string I have to redo the headstock for. I have a paulownia P bass body that I want to add a thin 5 string neck on. But what I really want to do now is make a bass completely including the neck. That seems like the bit that seems like the hardest thing to do for me, so presumably a complete neck through something!1 point
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Man, I LOVE this bass. EXACTLY the kinda p-bass sound I’m looking for. I wonder why this has that sound, yet the Highway One I used to have (with.a DiMarzio pickup) sounded nothing like it. Hmmmm....checking back of sofa for £5001 point -
Should have gone for the 'Full set' and popped a clip-on tuner on there.1 point
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Still the best one:1 point
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I think I'd put washing my hair at the top of the list, because I'm not about to play any sort of gig unless my hair looks right!!! 😤1 point
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I can only think you are associating "Spondon" with Spondon motorcycle frames. I live in Spondon and I was an all weather motorcyclist for twenty five years but I have never owned a Suzuki. My last was a '95 Triumph Tiger. Spondon Engineering used to put all makes of engine in their frames. Welcome to you both.1 point
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Not a tribute band as such but I've always thought my mates band name was superb, but you have to say it with a Yorkshire accent;1 point
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I think the important thing to note about Hooky's melody lines, especially in Joy Division, is that he'd often be adding an open string 'drone' alongside the line to keep some low end, e.g. She's Lost Control. He did this less so in New Order, though there was usually a Moog Source or similar synth pumping the bassline out, and his Clone Theory chorus sound would cut through most mixes! This is my recent attempt at a definitely Hooky-influenced bassline!1 point
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Nah if you want something in that category, then check this new release out So you also tempted to get a 5er then, or are you a purely 4 string man?1 point
