LukeFRC

[quote name='Toasted' timestamp='1343137926' post='1745884'] Or maybe it was you who was talking rubbish, LukeFRC? [/quote] ach but broad neck as an option is only 10 years or so old. So....

[quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1343140599' post='1745939'] I bought/sold a '98 thru neck for a notional £800 a few years ago - sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Nice bass, and I really wanted to keep it, but it wasn't the one for me. [/quote] the OP's mates bass is earlier. Makes a bit of a difference....

search past sales on here, and on warwick.de - Theres been one on gumtree/warwick.de and other places not selling at £1200. So nice pictures and good chat, (and a lighter weight) and about that maybe. I'ld have it if I had the money

A lot of the music made in the world gets produced by guys who write and programme it, I'm thinking pop, tv soundtracks etc here, and often there is little 'real' instruments involved. If these guys and gigs have access to good bass sounds- and the sound of an electric bass becomes more prominent in our cultural musical ideas... surely thats a good thing? I mean at present it's probably instead of synth bass

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1343088726' post='1745211'] I heard Warwick already responded to the drop in sales by dropping production to up exclusivity. [/quote] [quote name='Warwick_Official' timestamp='1343090112' post='1745215'] Actually, production was cut so that we are able to ensure a higher level of quality and consistency. We are a relatively small outfit, and over-production was affecting QC. We've made major changes in the last 4 years, and now spend 22-30 hours per instrument vs. 6-9 in years prior. Every step of the build has rigorous checks for quality assurance, and no corners are cut - ever. We've invested in cutting-edge machinery, but also in acquiring the highest-skilled craftsman possible. Some of the instruments made previously wouldn't make it out of the factory today, and we feel that today's instruments are the highest quality in our history. All comments and feedback are welcome, which I will take back to the design team. We want the players involved and are open to all ideas of how we can improve. Thanks! [/quote] If you go back a few years on here there were threads discussing this, Small boutique hand built bass makers, focusing on woods and hand production. Start more mechanised workflow, become popular amongst certain genres and start heavy marketing there, sell lots of basses, bring out more models, sell lots of basses. naturally with bigger production QC is slightly lower and the website stops having quite so many pictures of wood sheds on. The genres invested in loose popularity, Warwicks are less desirable (secondhand prices drop stupidly low - good for me!) but my guess is that warwick still were selling a fair few basses... but the core values of the brand... and back then the tread I think seemed to suggest dropping the number made and making them more exclusive and developing rockbass at lower price bands..... and viola! Then think, what do we have that stands out, well we are in the most ecologically conscious and technologically highly advanced society around, why not build machines that can produce our basses with a better consistency to any mexicans in america that FMIC employ, and then lets use happy wood from happy forests..... and there you go Still want a thumb NT

I get in first! Sold my home made pedal to korerok- back in the days when he had one post to his name....and I must say he was a pleasure to talk to and to sell too. Put up with a few days delays when I had to open it up and check a few things, (and stick the LED's back in!) and yeah. A good guy to deal with. Hope you enjoy the pedal mate! Luke

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1343066674' post='1744714'] Like a BassLab L-bow, perhaps? But really, isn't the Streamline modern and innovative enough? It's more like a distillation of good ideas into a concept with a specific remit (compactness/lightweight/ergonomic) without any flashiness. Maybe the rather Bauhaus aesthetics don't make it trendy enough? [/quote] Thing is, maybe you could quote Bauhaus aesthetics (the designer part of me would ask which bit of bauhaus but never mind that ) but to me it looks like a curvy update of the steinberger, which is great- but hardly fashionable. The basslab stuff however does look good. [quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1343084903' post='1745179'] I would say that a Warwick being played through a 1990s furry-carpet Trace Elliot stack would be pretty damn unfashionable at the moment and sound pretty damn great. Also Warwick's website is the worst when it comes to trying to look at basses, so they are automatically uncool for me. On the Status points, I'm not sure if they are unfashionable but I have never seen a fully graphite-necked Status or Modulus bass at a gig, whether I was playing or watching. Which is strange as I have been to a lot of gigs. I can't bring myself to call them unfashionable though, as it would essentially result in me declaring myself as uncool on account of the strip of carbon that resides in my Vigier. [/quote] two thoughts.... 1) they have a green furry trace at church which time to time I stick the warwick through. Now the warwick is wonderful but, esp with the active pickups, it is such an 80's sound. in my head not pretty damn great! 2) I saw this wee band once with a modulus, red hot chill something or the other. Fella from muse also been playing status apparently

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1342001929' post='1727657'] Just checking in. I've been really pleased with the GK having done two gigs with it already. I've been suffering back problems again and my usual monster head has had to stay home. It makes for a great back up amp too. Just throw it in a gig bag and bring it shows as a spare. Mainly, in my iGuitar Mag video review, i was really impressed with it's low end punch, something i have found missing, or a lack of in other D Class heads. Annnnnd it's bloomin loud! Noticeably more so than my MarkBass F1 i've just sold, which in itself was no slouch. My other contender for tone that i have reviewed most recently is the EBS Reidmar. Sounds great, but i'm not sure how it would get on powering the ACME though. EBS believe it can match a 500w in terms of volume output, but i was unable to compare at the time of review. The Acme requiring a little more juice to get it fired up may mean the Reidmar would struggle to be heard. TC RH750 gets a thumbs up in terms of tonal options and is loud, but I felt i needed some deeper girth from it personally. It seems to favour a highe EQ centre even on the lowest bass setting. I'd love to see a Stacatto 750 in production as i think that might fill the gap that i feel the RH750 could do with being able to cover in tonal options. [/quote] Interested in your opinions- you tried the Puma 1000 or 500 (or I guess 900 now) what you think of them? It's got a bit more bottom that most the other class D's I've heard- back when kjung had his videos on youtube you could even hear that through the youtube compression! [quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1341997888' post='1727545'] OK, think I will give this a try as I do have an sfx Micro Red Dragon DI pedal. The only slight hassle is swapping the AI head out of my AI Ten2 combo each time I move from one to t'other (before anyone asks, the Ten2 cab is not as loud as the Acme despite being a 2x10 and is better suited to DB than EB) [/quote] out of interest... hows it working out?

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1343058685' post='1744498'] Yep. my needs are simple so one of each is more than enough. Agree about spending more and not feeling like its been worth it. My Lakland DJ5 cost mew £1200 when i got it, and from the moment i plugged it in i never really liked it (loved the look though). I spent another £300+ getting it modded to a PJ and still no real love for it. Took a chance on the CV Jazz and while i felt it could be improved on with a pup change i didnt feel as negative, and i hadn't broke the bank paying for it. Sold off all my other basses and am pretty content now. I wish i had done this a few years ago, could have saved myself a fortune. [/quote] I found a £70 cimar jazz in a junk shop, justified buying it after seeing if a friend would want to buy it if I did it up (i enjoy doing basses us) got it home and eventually sold it to him.... which I really really regret- it sounded good- new pups would have been nice.... but man was it just fun to play. miss that bass

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1343056176' post='1744431'] Well ive had two now, a HW1 and a HW-One and both were fantastic basses (also had a HW-one P). Saying that, i really dont think ive played a nicer neck than the CV necks. I love the vintage frets and how nice the back of the neck feels. I don think i could go back to med jumbo frets now. Although i have a Lakland JO neck on my CV P its only because i wanted a maple neck on it, and this came up cheap on here a while ago. Every time i get the CV Jazz out the neck just makes me smile. The two basses have cured all my Bass GAS......for now. [/quote] TBH a good passive jazz and a good P and you're sorted. What I think is great that a "good" version of each can cost anywhere between £100 and £5000 - and really, if you find a good one at the bottom end of that you are kidding yourself that one at the top end will be that much better.

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1343052323' post='1744328'] I felt the stock pups (and the bass in general) has a warmer, soft-ish tone to it. Its hard to describe but my fav Jazz tone came from my HW-1/one basses and these had a more middy, brighter tone. Not quite as deep but they seemed to cut through a bit better. The Wizards get me closer to the HW's, a bit more punch and upper mids, without sounding too bright. I actually started with Wizards 84's but found them a bit darker than i hoped for, so the 74's i have are in the middle of the 84's and the more vintage sounding 64's. I still feel the bass has a deeper tone than my HW's but thats fine, i like how it sounds now. I should add that i didnt really look around before getting the Wizards. I wanted to try them, and as they were pretty cheap i just went for them. I expect there are better out there (i'd love to try Fralins on this bass) but these do me for now. As its a cheap bass, and a back up i hardly use i dont want to spend too much on it. If you do want to compare stock with the Wizards you're welcome to come and compare mine to yours. [/quote] Tried dozens of jazz basses trying to find a good one, only one I regret not getting was a HW1, it was dirt cheap too

just imagine we are one big european super state.... no taxes across borders!

I think it is K1ingon or someone on here that will be able to sort you out a wiring loom if you so desire. Why not wait till you get it? I've played a fair few in shops and never really thought anything was so bad I would *have* to upgrade. I prefer them over the MEX fenders for instance. If the thing holds tune then the tuners will be OK, if the volume turns up and down then probably that will be ok, if the tone pot works that will be ok- if it doesn't a new cap will cost about £0.06 to try out. and you may think the pickups do the job fine- of all of them if I had to upgrade they would be first I would do.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1343044870' post='1744144'] Actually what you end up with is a Gus Bass. [/quote] as I pressed Post I KNEW you would pop up within a short while! [quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1343044826' post='1744141'] Luke, that's like saying....'it's made out of wood, that's old hat'! Graphite's just another material that has unique properties and can be fabricated to make a pretty good bass (or guitar). I like my Status because it's light, never goes out of tune, never needs the neck adjusting and has no dead spots (can't say the same for my Fenders), novelty has nothing to do with it. Having said that I wouldn't be without my P & J! [/quote] You misunderstand my point, I am pretty sure, having owned one (a wood neck) status are one of the top builders in the world and the use of graphite has many benefits - but they are also very unfashionable at the moment. If you want to change that about you try new stuff. or put it another way status make amazing basses- the graphite has so many good properties- how can you maximise that effect in your design? Status and their use of the material are great- but wheres the innovation? Or... in my mind- think of a status (S2 shape) with ACG electronics in it..... that would be something!

nice bass BTW. One thing I don't get about alembics... they make these amazing instruments- no expense spared- and then those knobs????

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1342998743' post='1743752'] The way I figure it, our humble country could do with more Alembics and I have been looking at these and thinking of my old Epic for a while now... [/quote] My parents recently went on holiday in florida, flights were $200 return. If postage starts getting silly expensive may be worth having a wee holiday out there at the same time. Also I've wondered- how to customs know how much a secondhand bass is worth? Like if you got a bargin somehow that cost you $1000 rather than $5000 how do they take that into account?

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1342694979' post='1739373'] I tend to agree that Status have become uncool. The never ending Kingbass with minimal tweaks (seemingly one every 2-3 years) has done it for me. 8 models which are minimally different and all the differences are options anyway. Build a new all graphite B1 (buzzard derivative) or I'm not interested. Whilst Mark King seems to have kept them in work for the last decade, it's got to stop soon doesn't it? Let's face it, Level 42 aren't nor were they ever cool after 1985. I would imagine Rickenbacker are getting into the uncool territory with their relentless pursuit of people trying to sell copies. I wonder how much goodwill has been lost on this site because of that. This is of course aside from the fact that their instruments are badly designed and trading on reputation. At least, in my opinion. They're £600 basses, not £1700 basses. I tend to find Fenders a bit meh, but then again I don't like passive basses so I'm biased. [/quote] They make it out of graphite, and the newness and novelty has worn off hasn't it? If they could come up with just one modern and inivotive graphite bass- well they could repare their reputation no end. In my mind the pickups and Eq's could be more interesting... I'm imagining taking pointers off Wal pups and EQ and adding carbon fiber.... and suddenly you have something no one else has

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1343036964' post='1743967'] Now's the best time to buy if you have a bit of spare, s/h prices are rock bottom [/quote] if you have the money now is a good time to buy a lot of things!

Everytime someone from Edinburgh joins there is talk of a mini Edinbass bash. I have two thoughts.... it would be great... make it happen two... I'm moving to england on thu so I won't be able to come But can you imagine it, Bassaassin (if we got hold of him) and a load of jap crap, andy67 and krispn have had some great basses I've seen through the years, stacker has one of the best tastes in basses around and mcnach has pretty much every variation on the stingray theme ever made... it would be great!

Not a clue on double basses but saw edinburgh in the title. The east coast trains have a luggage/cycle area at the head of the train. I would imagine they are pretty safe there. I have seen folk take double basses on planes- how do they manage that, and is that different to a train?

Now I know why Leo fender added them in the 50's.... but why has this fella added one? Do folk actually still use them? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Musicman-Sub-Bass-USA-Made-/280925598437?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item41687872e5#ht_500wt_1219