neepheid

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1473848738' post='3133517'] Yet you have posted TWICE in the thread! That's a new level of apathy... [/quote] Have a third post - I may not have any strong feelings about the question in the poll, but I've always got time for you

Can we have an "I don't care" option instead?

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1473799610' post='3133290'] My introduction to bass was via an Avon SG copy bass of some sort, it was awful (imo ) ok it was a copy but I've found the things I disliked the most about it were all present on the real ones, I bought a Peavey Foundation in 1993 and it was a revelation and my playing improved hugely,I've never looked back. [/quote] Sounds grim to be sure. I think we're lucky in this day and age that all but the most comically inexpensive basses are more often than not, well built, reliable and playable instruments.

I don't think that opinions should be presented as fact. It's the difference between saying: "Fender P basses are boring" And "I think/in my opinion Fender P basses are boring" I'll go for the second form because other people have feelings and their own contrasting (and deeply held) opinions. I think it's just good manners rather than some sort of PC gone mad type thing. But feel free to disagree, of course!

Can the poll have an "oh no, not this again" option?

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1473713475' post='3132557'] I find it hard to describe my thoughts about Gibson basses (and a good many other things) without sounding negative. This isn't my intention here at all. I think at some point you have to be a bit objective. Gibson basses have a tendency to be harder to play than Fenders, and a good number of them are harder to EQ in a band setting, especially if you are used to the tone of Fender basses. It takes less work to get a good tone out of a P bass, which is ultimately probably why so many folk use them. A lot of famous Gibson bass players jumped ship to other builders; Glenn Cornick, Jack Bruce, Andy Fraser, Trevor Bolder, John Entwistle. When these gigging bassists were presented with alternative instruments they jumped ship; a simple fact. I don't say this to denigrate Gibson basses, simply to demonstrate the tastes of musicians that used Gibson instruments back in the day. I would love an EB-3 with a slotted headstock, and RD Artist bass, a Polaris white Thunderbird II, a natural finish EB-2 and even an EB-1, but none of them would be my desert island bass. I have nothing but respect for those that do make these basses work in a live and recording setting, but ultimately I find that good Fender (and Fender style basses) tend to get 'out the way' when you play them, whereas with Gibson it seems like they never actually asked a bassist 'does this work?' before implementing a design. [/quote] What I'm getting at is that a few of your points would be more palatable if you prefixed them with "in my opinion". I don't find GIbsons any more difficult to play than Fenders - in fact, I am not keen on the ergonomics of a Jazz neck, and it makes me make more mistakes, completely flying in the face of logic telling me that a skinnier neck ought to be more efficient - economy of movement and whatnot - and that goes for Thunderbird too with its skinny neck (but not the non-reverse, it's chunkier). The "hard work" which you seem to find is so worth it for the tone you can find. For what it's worth, I've found Gibsons shod with TB+ pickups to be amongst the easiest to drop into a live situation with no EQ fettling at all. But I guess that makes me a weirdo, lucky, or some kind of idiot savant I am under no illusions and there's no need to question my objectivity - Gibson are about as far from perfect as a bass manufacturer can get - a contrary bunch, they can be innovative in one heartbeat and boneheadedly stupid in another. I love and despise them in about equal measure. There are Gibson basses I wouldn't touch with a barge pole (EB-1, EB-2, most Thunderbirds, short scales for quick examples). But the bottom line is that playing the Gibson basses I do like ticks the boxes for me - I can play what I want to play, sound how I want to sound and look how I want to look. I can deal with weight, and I would like to contend that many Gibson designs (and there have been many) are more balanced than you're making out. I'm not saying it's right for anyone apart from me, I just feel that people focus far too much on the negative traits of a couple of the most popular designs and extrapolate that out to the whole bunch. It's just a bit unfair, that's all, and if you think that's a viewpoint which stems from blind fanboi-ism then you've really got me all wrong.

Ahh, the simple truth always appears at some point

[quote name='christhammer666' timestamp='1473531156' post='3131063'] I like the thunderbird bass range but even then they have the flimsy 3 point bridge thing.You are defo not alone [/quote] Ahh, the three point bridge. Recalcitrant, awkward, inflexible, frustrating and doggedly determined not to die it may be, but flimsy is not a word I would use to describe it. I don't care for it either, and I'm a fan of the brand. If you want a Thunderbird with a different bridge, grab a 2015 model with the EB pickups and Babicz bridge. Or get a Hipshot Supertone/Babicz replacement and stick that on whichever Thunderbird you like. Given that there are direct replacements available, I hardly think it's fair to discount an entire manufacturer's output just because you don't like the stock bridge. Some people think the Fender BBOT is a POS but there are many replacement options out there so it's really (and quite rightly) a non issue, but that logic doesn't seem to carry across to Gibson.

Why do you have to "get it"? I don't get why people get fizzy knickers about Fenders, but I don't let it hold me back.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1472929240' post='3125447'] Tbh I was only vaguely aware that Gibson built basses [/quote] Have I not been posting enough?

£25 - 6 beers down the pub? Stay out of the pub for a weekend, job done?

My kind of publication for sure

We're in it. Electric bass has only been a thing for mere decades, we're all still pioneers.

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1472569071' post='3122197'] Ah. I have an Android phone. [/quote] It's available on Android too

I have bought the vast majority of my basses at distance and it isn't just dumb luck that I haven't been scammed in the process. A liberal application of common sense laced with a possibly unhealthy amount of cynicism has worked well for me thus far.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1453292186' post='2958098'] My motto is, if I can't pick it up in person then I won't bother. It's just a shame more aren't like me. [/quote] I know this post is old, but that approach isn't much use if you live in Aberdeen and don't care about Fenders.

Well, I guess you don't need a nose.

Installing LAME first then Audacity really isn't as big a deal as you're making out - you'd think someone had asked you to sacrifice a goat before you can use the software I use Audacity for the exact process you describe and it's perfect for such a trifling little audio editing job - highlight track, ctrl-c, ctrl-n, ctrl-v and the cut out bit is there in a fresh new window waiting for you to further crop, fade in/out, normalise etc. before exporting as MP3. Bish bash bosh.

Press fit ferrules are the work of the devil, I really dislike them. If I'm build/upgrading something myself then it's screw fit all the way.

But don't you dare price it higher than the price police deem acceptable - you'll catch hell for your decadent capitalist ways

Gibson basses. If the month in question was an as yet undiscovered 13th month of the year, of course

No, I don't.

Great, I was just thinking to myself, "That's what the forum needs - another episode of 'Death to the Capitalist Pigdogs' - where's my popcorn?"