hairyhaw

Welcome!

Welcome, from an east-coaster on the west coast.

Used one for a recording session at the suggestion of the producer. Didn't like it - it wasn't "me".

Not BT7 - that's for mexican Fenders. Looks like 70's style tuners so BT2 it be.

Digitech Bass Synth Wah - good pedal and they always seem to go for cheap beans on ebay. +1 with the Nano Stone - such a little pedal, such a massive sound. also pretty cheap BTW.

Don't see the problem. 50% of the time when I play fretless, I use a pick. Adds variety.

[quote name='4000' post='1323044' date='Aug 1 2011, 01:31 PM']Chris does sound like Chris regardless of what he plays, but without wishing to go back to another recent thread, he doesn't get the same sound on each instrument. His Jazz sounds different to his Ric, as do the Tobiases, the Mouradian etc etc etc. I know some don't perceive this but I certainly do. I've seen him live several times and every time he pulls out a different bass it sounds noticeably different, although still recogniseably like Chris Squire.[/quote] What he said. I remember being in a wee record shop in Glasgow (Lost in Music - sadly no longer trading) and a song came over the PA that I hadn't heard before, different bass sound but 'felt' like Squire's style. True enough, turned out to be "New World" off the second Conspiracy album.

[quote name='thodrik' post='1319340' date='Jul 28 2011, 02:25 PM']Yeah, I saw one in Guitar Guitar Glasgow the other day. Some pretty bad matching of body woods-aside.[/quote] Seen that on a couple of the 4 string versions, which is a shame as apart from that they're quite tasty looking basses for the money. Not sure about the satin finished neck on the gloss poly body either.

[quote name='thodrik' post='1322243' date='Jul 31 2011, 04:16 PM']With a standard 105-45 set of roundwounds drop D stuff is easy. I can get a 'useable' B out of this gauge on my Sadowsky Metro, but not other basses. Once you try a proper B string though (120-130 etc) you do notice a massive difference though.[/quote] I sometimes tune the bottom string of my Jazz (105) down to C. It's workable but I doubt it'd be much use any lower. I'd tinkered with the idea of getting specific strings but I decided against as I just don't drop down enough to justify it.

[quote name='4000' post='1322194' date='Jul 31 2011, 03:30 PM']Just been looking in my "From the Pages of Guitar Player magazine - Bass Heroes" book and Chris (interviewed in '73) gives a really good breakdown of his gear, from the AC30 head and cabs he used in the Syn to the Sunns. He says his settings on the Sunn were "6 on the volume knob, 4 on the low frequency control, 3 on the high frequency, 5 on the mid frequency and 10 on the treble". He also says he has the volume and tone on his treble pickup wide open and the volume on the neck pickup is near full and the tone knob sits at 4 (not sure how he works that out as there are no numbers on his controls and no detents either!). The Ric Resource Forum has a whole section devoted to Chris but I seldom get round to reading it.[/quote] Yeah, I've read most of those threads on the RRF. I still lurk there from time to time but the quite unbelievable level of sycophancy put me off posting. Still 'twas a good source of info for a lot of stuff like the time CS tripped and broke the headstock off the RM and the botched repair job after. Still, its good hearing the stuff you're quoting - that's the first new stuff I've read about his gear set up in a good while. [quote name='4000' post='1322194' date='Jul 31 2011, 03:30 PM']Getting back to Chris's sound, obviously a lot of that is him, some of it is the stereo etc, but bear in mind the old RM1999s (indeed older Rics per se) sound somewhat different than newer Rics. For a start there's the horseshoe pickup, discontinued around '69 (and the reissues aren't the same at all), then there's the 1/2" position toaster neck pickup, different pot values etc and slightly different construction. But with the right strings, amps, eq etc and approach, you should be able to approximate it.[/quote] Yeah, agreed. I came off stage after a gig with my old originals band one night and an older guy that had been watching came up and went "good gig - you quite like Chris Squire don't you?". Totally rumbled. I'd played it with my '05 4003, a Korg AX1B, and an Ashdown Mag300 410T. Apart from the bass, about as far from Squire's gear as you could get. Don't think it's so much an action thing either - mine isn't the lowest and you could drive a bus through CS's.

[quote name='4000' post='1322125' date='Jul 31 2011, 01:23 PM']Actually Chris originally used his 60s Marshall (which he says has more treble than the typical lead amps, never mind the bass ones), then went to Fenders (Dual Showmans I believe), then Sunn Colliseum guitar heads (in preference to the bass ones which he didn't like) and then eventually found his way round to Ampeg, which he's been using for ages. His Marshall is still in there - possibly always has been and he is in stereo after all - but it's been Ampeg for ages now. I personally think the change to Ampeg coincided with the perceived lack of bite; if you watch the very early footage of him using his Marshall stack it's extremely in-your-face, probably the most it ever was. I know a bloke who could probably pinpoint [i]exactly[/i] when he changed from what to what but I'll leave that to him. EDIT: just found this on the net - not sure about the purple bit though, it doesn't look it on pics I've seen. "It’s a late 60’s purple 100 watt Super Bass Head. Chris says that it has more high end that most of the Marshall guitar heads. He amp setting were Treble:10, Middle:6, Bass:4, Presence:10, Volume:4".[/quote] Good research! Just had a looky about myself and saw some pictures of a show by The Syn and there's an SVT cab sitting in the background. I suppose logistically they're a lot easier to get a hold of/hire etc. Can't help but feel he's shot himself in the foot tone-wise because of it though.

[quote name='merello' post='1321916' date='Jul 31 2011, 06:23 AM']Did early Stranglers not feature JJ on Hiwatt guitar cabs as they could not afford bass ones?[/quote] It wouldn't surprise me. CS used guitar amps himself up to the mid seventies. He was using Fender stuff around the time of The Yes Album and Sunn Coliseum guitar heads and cabs up to about '76 I think. He's been using Marshall bass stuff in the last twenty years or so and that took quite a lot of the bite out of his tone IMO. And what the feck are you guys doing up at half six on a Sunday morning?!

Man, the lack of Rickenbacker knowledge amongst some posters takes the McVities. It drives me up the wall when people assume they made one model of bass. Ok, from the top: 4000 (2 versions) 4001 (including 4001S) RM 1999 4002 4003 (and 4003S, 4003S/8) All these fellas have the same body shape and features most like to moan about. However as 4000 (and others) have pointed out: 4004C, 4004L - The modernised basses. 4005 which looks nothing like any of the above. At let's not forget the 3000 series. Rant Selector set to Safe.

[quote name='The Stingrays' post='1316485' date='Jul 25 2011, 11:47 PM']Hi We're The Stingrays [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stingrays"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stingrays[/url] [url="http://www.myspace.com/stingraysstingrays"]http://www.myspace.com/stingraysstingrays[/url] We need a bass player. We'll be rehearsing at Dockside Studios in Bristol next weekend 30th/31st if you'd like to audition email me Cheers Russ The Stingrays[/quote] Would you be required to play a StingRay?

Probably jinxing myself here but I haven't come across this in five years. Dunno, maybe the guitarists I've played with have been gentle players. I do however remember the last time it happened really well, because it was at a prison gig in Glasgow. What did the guitarist do? Played to the end of the song of course. Then changed his string. In front of four hundred cons and half a dozen screws. What did the singer do? Mumbled away into the mike for a minute or so then for no reason at all played the opening four bars of Mull of Kintyre.

[quote name='4000' post='1311996' date='Jul 21 2011, 08:07 PM']They're very rare. And some Ric collectors/players really, really like them.[/quote] Correctamundo. Never been a fan of them myself. I always felt the Rick holy grail was the RM1999.

Had a Silver Ray5 copy with a rosewood neck which I won off ebay for a hundred and fifty nicker. Neck and body perfectly reasonable for that level of bass. Neck was pretty decent actually. Hardware much less impressive though. Could get a Ray-ish tone with everything up full, but at the end of the day it's a passive bass. Got rid of it to help pay for my Jazz. Otherwise I would probably have kept it and modded it.

I really need to get myself down Specsavers - I totally mis-read the title of this thread.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1307189' date='Jul 17 2011, 10:45 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1978-shergold-modulator-base-guitar-found-case-/320729805286?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4aacfc71e6"]Here[/url] Sort of think might be a mad bargain for someone interested in novelty basses.[/quote] Quite a nice looking bass.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1306999' date='Jul 17 2011, 07:58 PM']I use it on and off.[/quote] +1. Stings if I rub it on my wilberforce though.

[quote name='jezzaboy' post='1305777' date='Jul 16 2011, 01:58 PM']To throw a slight curve ball, Andy McCluskey of OMD plays a right handed bass but with the strings reversed from normal, E where the G is etc, as he is right handed but learned to play on a left handed bass which he turned to play right handed. Confused? Jez[/quote] You didn't perchance read that in the Fender Bass Manual did you?

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1305752' date='Jul 16 2011, 01:35 PM']Why? Playing right handed is the most sensible way given the crap choice of instruments and inflated prices you'd have to put up with otherwise.[/quote] Why not? Till today I thought the only people that were leftys and played right were me and MK.

Yup, another lefty playing right here. Actually surprises me how many of us there are.