Rayman

I think quite a few people are unloading their top end gear to raise cash, because they're skint. I know I am. Skint that is. My experience of Sadowskys are that I've found them a little clinical sounding, and lacking a bit of soul. I had a Metro Jazz, and prefered the Highway One Jazz it was meant to replace. Having said that, Joe (Toasted) had an absolute stunner at one of the Moffat bashes a year or two back, it really was jaw dropping, but not a metro from memory Joe? it was the real deal I think.

Do it. I couldn't be without a 5er now. As above, I tried a cheap 5er first, in the shape of an OLP Tony Levin, and never looked back.

Thunder Jet is hollow, BUT has a solid block in the centre of it for sustain, so I guess you'd describe it as a chambered body rather than hollow. Bob and myself are agreed on the sound though. It really wasn't good for me at all, although in the right band I guess it would be great, but just not mine. Very dull and not even that thumpy either, just kind of lifeless, even with new strings and all. On the plus side, it really did look utterly beautiful it really did, I was so disappointed when I gigged it though. The band were all turning around to me and pulling faces, always a bad sign, so I used a Precision for the rest of the gig. If I could've afforded to just keep it and have it as an investment I would've, purely for it's looks.

Apologies for the fact that at the time of writing I'm under the influence of a bottle of Arbelour, but my Gretch Thunderjet was rubbish. It looked like a work of art, it really did, but played and sounded like a piece of driftwood. Does that help? Probably not, sorry.

Esperanza who? She's going to be my next wife.

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='1238527' date='May 20 2011, 06:25 PM']I think the MEN Arena has the worst sound in the world Russ but it sounded pretty good where I was. That said, Geddy's sound was terrible. Overall a great night.[/quote] Yeah, I'm yet to see anyone there with a decent sound, although Sting wasn't bad.

Very boomy and bottom endy last night in Manchester, but it was all coming from Neil Pearts' kick drum and the Taurus pedals, not from Geddys bass which sounded very fizzy and lacking the usual mid punch I'd expect to hear. Not a great overall sound to be honest, good show though and a great night out.

I [i]wasn't[/i] going because of price, but a free ticket has come up for the MEN on thursday, so I'm really looking forward to it. The last couple of tours I've been right at the front so the sound hasn't been good down there, daft as it sounds, I hope we're further back this time to get a better overall mix.

If I was in the market for a Fender now, I wouldn't waste my time and hard earned on some long shot from 30 years ago, I'd just buy a new one, and by new I mean 2010 to present, because Fender are producing some really great basses right now that out play a lot of the driftwood from the 70s. Don't get me wrong, some of these old basses really do have some kind of voodoo mojo thing going on, but a lot of them really don't. Only my opinion of course.

More people are skint, and are unloading basses that are worth decent money because they need to is my guess. The problem with "Vintage" Fenders is that some of them might well be old and all that, but often they're really not very good, and IMO overpriced. I sold my old '78 Precision, admittedly a year or so ago for around £850/900 from memory, and that was a good 'un. They seem to be going for well into the thousands at the moment, which I don't get and won't pay, because I don't think they're worth it. I've played [i]some[/i] absolute dogs from the 70s. "Vintage" does not always mean "Good".

We open with either Vertigo, Learning To Fly or Monster usually.

Easy..... JJ Burnel - The Stranglers.

[quote name='Sibob' post='1228545' date='May 12 2011, 10:55 AM']He's a great player and a fountain of knowledge, new bass sounds ok dunnit, just like all other Foderas I think, which is certainly no bad thing. Would love to see some videos of him playing the hell out of his Precision, I've only seen it on one American chat show, and the mix wasn't great. Also, marginally off-topic, I'm sure I saw Janek playing on one of those horrible 'Sweet 16' tv programs?!, playing for a male American singer-songwriter playing acoustic?!. Anyone confirm this?! Si[/quote] Probably, he does all sorts of session work. I saw him touring with JEM a few years back.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1228543' date='May 12 2011, 10:54 AM']No...I have private lessons with him whenever he's in the UK.[/quote] AH ok.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1228535' date='May 12 2011, 10:51 AM']I don't think you understand Basschat.[/quote] Exactly. This is just mad.....a nice thread is started by the OP, sharing pics of his great collection of basses, something the OP chose to share with us, and then someone makes a harmless quip about having a bunch of similar basses and the OP goes off on one?? My suggestion is the the OP doesn't get who or what we do here. We're all friends and strangers rolled into one. We share information, jokes, chat and have sometimes heated discussions because we choose to do so. If you're going to take offence to a harmless comment like that, then you're in the wrong place, and for me personally, this is a typical example of situations that spoil this forum for us all.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1228532' date='May 12 2011, 10:49 AM']He's cool-I've learned a ton of stuff I'm my lessons with him. [/quote] Do you subscribe monthly for that? I've wondered about it myself, but as someone without a lot of theoretical knowledge I fear I might be lost.

I tried a slap solo, on a Thunderbird, during a rock covers gig. I could actually hear someone in the audience going...."Oh no no no no".

Yeah, top job, looks like a nice grain on it too. superb bass, and well worth the overhaul. Can't wait to see the finished job.

Now this is a bass solo......at around 2 minutes in...... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dPf9GQEdes&feature=fvwrel"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dPf9GQEdes...;feature=fvwrel[/url] Andrew Levy is one of my heroes, and his playing on this track is almost perfect for me, and that includes the very tastefully brief solo.

I guess it all comes down to your definition of what bass playing actually [i]is[/i]. I like nothing better than a simple groove, repetitive, solid, something that makes you nod your head. To me, that's the antithesis of bass playing, drums and bass together, making you nod your head in time. Now on the other side of the coin, I like some of the solo players too, Wooten, Miller, Nitti etc etc, and I enjoy listening to them solo, but I still much prefer to hear Marcus Miller, for example, laying down a head bobbing groove than listen to him popping the lead melody on the G string. I think when you have low and high frequencies in a song, it creates balance to your ears. So if there's a lead guitar or keyboard melody playing the high frequency stuff, there needs to be the bass and drums taking care of the low frequency stuff to balance the sound, and certainly not a tinny bass pop thing going on at the same time otherwise the bottom end is gone. However that's in a band situation. If you had for instance a trio, of drums, upright bass and piano, the piano can play the low end stuff while the bass solos and visa versa and that works beautifully. To me, it's all about good music. Whether the solo is on trumpet, keys, guitar, and even bass, whatever....if it's enjoyable and stimulating to listen to, it has it's place in the world.

That is a sexy bit of kit for sure. Same layout as my clover but with one string less. I bet it sounds amazing.

[quote name='Wil' post='1224792' date='May 9 2011, 09:22 AM']I can't stand a bass with the action set too low for this reason - notes ring clearer, and seem to have more thump when the action is set higher.[/quote] Ditto. My basses have always had some daylight under the strings because I do clatter the strings pretty hard live, and they just sound so much better. For me a low action makes it harder to play and makes it sound worse. I guess it depends how you play. If you're a jazzer with a light touch, then maybe a low action is fine, but not for me.