Linus27

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='692893' date='Dec 24 2009, 12:18 PM']Morning all. Right then, just re read my posts from last night and im just going to backtrack on most of it lol. I went up to the Bass Cellar and they had a SR4 in stock. I didnt get to play it as there was already someone slapping for England in the shop so wouldn't have heard anything and i was really just passing through. Ill go back at some point in the next couple of weeks and have another look. What i did notice was that the neck did seem a bit wider than i had imagined. Ive just checked the specs no the MM website and they are pretty close to a P so its probably not a big deal. According to the specs on the Sterling by MM site the Ray34 is a few mm wider at the nut. Very strange. I cant figure out the string spacing but maybe ill email them or Strings' n' things as suggested by Gareth. Anyway, i think im going to dig my HW1 out and try and start using that for a while. This will allow me to put the DJ5 up for sale as soon as i can. Im going to take a big hit but what the heck. Once its sold i can then concentrate on looking for a new bass, be it Sterling by MM or the real deal. with all the prices going up in Jan maybe ill get lucky with a good second hand SR4. Thats all assuming i can offload the DJ5 fo course. Wow, i cant believe im actually going back to a Jazz for a while. Cheers all and have a great Christmas. If anyone gets a SR4 for Christmas and doesnt want it you know what to do lol.[/quote] [b][size=4]LOOK INTO MY EYES, DON'T LOOK AWAY, LOOK INTO MY EYES ... YOU ARE NOW FAST ASLEEP[/size][/b] [color="#FF0000"][size=7]BUY AN SR4[/size][/color] [b][size=4]WHEN I CLICK MY FINGERS, YOU WILL WAKE UP, FULLY REFRESHED, LONGING TO ONLY BUY AN SR4, ONLY DRINK IRISH WHISKEY AND AN UNHEALTHY FACINATION TO GIRLS ALOUD.[/size] [size=6]CLICK[/size][/b]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='692664' date='Dec 23 2009, 11:02 PM']I typed that last reply on my itouch and have had a few drinks, now im on a proper keyboard let me clarify what i wrote. Im not one for having to have the top of the range. I was very happy with my HW-0ne P and never even thought about getting a MIA. If i like a bass ill stick with it so i doubt i would want to change it if im already happy. Maybe one day in the future but it would be for a different model i expect. I believe (could be wrong) that the Sterling by MM Ray34 has a slightly narrower or less chunky neck than the real deal. This is a bonus for me. I believe (again) the basses come from the same Cort factory as the Lakalnds so i expect the work to be up to scratch. Price wise, if i can get it on my CC it means i can keep the DJ5 for now or wait until i get can get a good price. If i need to pay in cash i will probably have to sell the DJ5 first and with it being a buyer market i would expect to make a bigger loss. Or heaven forbid save up but then i could loose the deal. Hope that makes sense. Ill probably edit it all in the morning when i sober up lol.[/quote] It makes sense but its all wrong I thought the HW-One was made in the US and came with badass bridge and good US pickups. Not sure if the MM has a chunky neck but mine does not feel chunky, just flater than say a Jazz. So we need to find a way for you to keep the DJ5 and get the cash for a proper Ray

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='692644' date='Dec 23 2009, 10:30 PM']why do you say that? I understand what you are saying but by all acounts the sterling range are pretty close to the USA versions. a bit like a laklands skylines vs the real deal I guess although the price difference is a lot greater than the musicman range. Really just asking. if I do buy second I'll have to find the money and this could take me ages.[/quote] The SR4 is such a perfect wonderful bass that in reality it is not that expensive. The Sterling bass is around £550 and a far cheaper version of the SR4. Second hand my SR4 which is totally mint and perfect in every way only cost £670. For £100 - £150 more would you not jump at the chance of having an American Fender over a good Mexican one?? I don't mean that in a snobbery kind of way, but as its probably going to be your main bass, for very little more, you can get the Ferrari rather than the Fiat If the difference financially was so great like the Lakland Skylines and USA ones then that would make sense but as its not then I would not compromise on your main bass, especially when we are talking a matter of £100 - £150. Even new you can get a new SR4 for £1079.00 at Andertons. There is no way up better than a SR4 but there is always better with one of the Sterling basses and that happens to be an SR4. If you love the Sterling then you will love the SR4 and I mean really love it. Try some out and see what you think. Just my opinion on how I think you will look at it knowing what you are like with basses

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='692212' date='Dec 23 2009, 11:41 AM']Being more realistic, I could probably afford either of these after Christmas without selling my DJ5 first as i can whack it on the card. [url="http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Music-Man-Ray-34,-Black~ID~11409.asp"]Ray34[/url] [url="http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Music-Man-SB14,-Black~ID~11415.asp"]SB14[/url] Im going to venture up to Denmark st tomorrow to see if i can find anything to test out first of course.[/quote] Dave, to be honest, I would hold out for a Musicman Stingray even if its secondhand. Get the real deal, you will only regret it later. You will buy a Ray 34 or SB14, love it and then want the SR4. As its going to be your main bass, then get the full on Stingray. You will only spend more money again moving up to one later on.

[quote name='artisan' post='692536' date='Dec 23 2009, 07:27 PM']don't be afraid to haggle over the price quoted,i walked into PMT Leeds 4 weeks ago to check out some 'Rays hanging on the wall. i tried a white/maple 3eq ray,a honey burst/rosewood 2 eq & a Sandberg jazz bass thingy. the Sandberg to me felt very unispiring,i only played it for 5 minutes & handed it back,as for the 'Rays i spent nearly 2 hours trying them back to back & went for the 2eq one in the end. said 2 eq 'Ray had a wall price of £1250.00 but after a good haggle & me pointing out the tiniest mark you've ever seen on a new bass i ended up taking it home for £1000.00 job done. btw don't let anyone put you off a 2 eq model as mine sounded far better than the 3eq model,plenty of punch & treble with far less clack than the 3eq one had but i'm very fussy about my sound & truth be told if they'd only had the white one i'd have taken that home (after a good haggle of course).[/quote] To be honest, I would swap my 3EQ Ray for a 2EQ if one came up in the right colour. Nothing wrong with my 3EQ but if I can get away with one less button/dial/nob/switch then I would

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='692100' date='Dec 23 2009, 09:38 AM']Yeah, its something that does impress me when done right and something i really wish i could do but i dont have a need for it so never get around to learning to do it. I do need to play more finger style at gigs though. I always practice at home without a pick but i get lazy at gigs and use a pick 99% of the time. Ive had basses in the past where they have just seemed right for finger style, even mine. Im pretty close to deciding i will definitely get a MM of some sort. Im going to take a big hit when i sell or trade the DJ5 but i think as long as i have a bass that makes me happy then thats fine. Of course i still need to play a few but tone wise im happy that i will get what im after. Been thinking about the low G issue and i think that fine. I tend to back off a bit when playing the G anyway so it wont be a problem. And im definitely going back to 4 string.[/quote] Great stuff Dave. The Ray is a fab bass and I am sure you will love playing it. I know I adore mine. As for playing with fingers. Another great move. I played with a pick for 23 years and over the last few years have moved over to fingers. I have done a few gigs now and its been great fun using fingers. I still struggle on faster songs with a lot of 8's though. My hand just seems to cramp up and go into spasm and I need to use the pick. Still, most songs I am using fingers which is really enjoyable. Oh and I do feel my work is now done and its not even 2010 yet. Old Horse Murphy and yourself are now back to being a real bass player and using 4 strings. I knew you would both see the light eventually

[quote name='Hutton' post='691777' date='Dec 22 2009, 08:07 PM']I can see we're going to have to agree to differ. I will promise however to have a go at your Tulamore Dew. Perhaps what we can agree about though is that the distillery that has opened down England way should be mortared as soon as possible. Anyway, better not hijack the thread for much longer as phil says. Back to Stingrays![/quote] HEHE ok To be honest, not sure you will like Tulamore Dew. Its quite sweet with a honey like taste. If you like single malt then I am not sure it will be for you. Worth a taste I say though. Anyway, yes back on topic. Come on Dave, the guests are getting restless and there is only so much Stingray talk we can do before we get back onto Whiskeys

[quote name='Hutton' post='691622' date='Dec 22 2009, 04:25 PM']That's cool Michael. What definitely isn't cool though is putting an "e" in whisky when you refer to single malt. Leave the "e" to the Irish and anyone esle who labours under the illusion that they can make 'the water of life'. BTW, your wife has great taste. Tell her if she gets fed up with you then I'm up for grabs. [/quote] HAHAHA well, the Irish in me does not know to laugh or cry. Considering you Scots make what can only resembles flavoured toilet water and feels like drinking razor blades. The only real Whiskey comes from Ireland. They even spell it correctly Now get your laughing chops around a bottle of Tulamore Dew and experience some real Whiskey I do like Talisker thanks to my wife but I'm not going to admit that. I also got given a couple of bottles of single malt, single cask 16 year old Glenturret that was distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2006. Tasted rank to me but the wife likes it and I can trade it with her for a decent Irish Whiskey from her

[quote name='Hutton' post='690474' date='Dec 21 2009, 11:06 AM']You see it's all about individual preference and probably a bit of playing style and what music you play. I am the new owner of the "uninspiring, boomy, rigid, and dead sounding" DJ4. However, I have found it to be "inspiring, exciting, flexible and sounds fantastic". I also used to own a 2eq Stingray which I found to be lifeless in the treble department. My SUB4 however is a marvellous bass which will be with me as long as I am able to play. It all goes to show that the ideal way to investigate your own choices is to get out and play individual basses and make up your own mind. We are all different and look for different things in our basses. These forums also show that individuals can be extolling the marvellous sounds and features of their basses one minute and selling them the next. Trust your own ears and hands. All the best![/quote] I must admit, I have been guilty of extolling the marvellous sounds and features of my bass one minute and selling it the next, i.e, the DJ4 It's a superb bass but it just lacked a certain something for me. Like you say though, we are all different. My wife likes single malt whiskey and I like blended, she likes cheese and onion and I like salt and vinegar, she likes Rosberg and I like Alonso As Hutton says Trust your own ears and hands.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='690698' date='Dec 21 2009, 03:11 PM']I can get close to that tone but not at high volume and im sure not full enough to fill a room. A bit off topic but we had a very rare rehearsal a while ago and i used the studio's cab (actually my old MAG C115) with my LMII and what a difference. Not better but very different tone wise. What i would call a proper bass tone. I guess im so used to my middy cabs that i had forgotten how they can colour the tone so much. I do love em though and cant see me changing them until they actually break (or my drummer buys a van)[/quote] HAHAHAHA you'll be getting an Ashdown now before you can say wooly jumper :)

Well, I've had a really bad time on here. I started the year with the intention of buying no new basses and you guys tricked me to buy and sell seven. You lot with all your talk about this bass and that bass and beautiful pictures of them in the gear porn section. Shockingly bad of you lot to stich me up like that Seriously though, I have been lucky enough to have no problems and anyone I have dealt with on here has been great.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='689879' date='Dec 20 2009, 04:32 PM']Cheers guys. Michael, I can afford (well, hopefully) a second hand one and im willing to go that route but its the trying out that might be a problem, especially if the seller is out of London etc. I guess i could try a few news ones first to get an idea of how each model plays, sounds etc and then i can decide on what to go for. As you know im pretty impatient so getting a Sterling by MM is just a matter of sitting at work on my PC, find the best price on line and whacking it on the card, then it arrives the next day. Not the best way of buying a bass i know. With going the second hand route it will mean waiting for one to come up and then having ot have some "real" money available. Not a problem but its just too tempting going for option 1. Ive seen a couple in the classifieds already that i quite fancy but with not having played any MM's yet, and having Christmas standing in the way of my happiness i will have to wait until after the new year.[/quote] To be honest, any Musicman you try will probably sound exactly the same. What I mean is if you try a bunch of 3EQ Rays, they will more than likely all sound and feel like 3EQ Rays. Not much difference if any between them all. They are not like Fender's where each one can feel and sound very very different. If you do get a bit desperate, then you are more than welcome to try mine over the Xmas period. This week especially I am doing nothing so you are more than welcome to pop down and have a play. You are always welcome.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='689653' date='Dec 20 2009, 12:13 PM']Hi Michael, im good thanks, hope you (and everyone here) are. Im going to give Fender a miss this time. I already have a Jazz that i dont use and ive done the P thing so i feel i need to look for a new tone. Not really looking for that old school tone anymore. And if i keep the DJ5 ill still have something a bit more mellow (and i still have the HW1 Jazz of course). Your description of the DJ4 is exactly what im hearing, even with the new pups. But i still get good compliments at gigs and from the band so i know its a good tone, just not one for me. Last night at the gig the DJ5 worked really well, nice and solid but i adjusted the EQ for a much brighter sound. Guess i still had the MM tone in my head and while i didnt get that close i think it worked really well. More aggressive than i would normally go for but it filled out the mix nicely and i was a bit more inspired. A good thing although i think the 1066 also helped inspire me ;-) It still lacked the punch im looking for but i noticed its on the higher strings. Notes on the D and G just seem to lack the depth and punch of the other 3 (both pups so its not a pup height thing, ive tried all that) although they are ok volume wise. I'm definitely going to try some MM's as soon as i can and i think because of my (lack of) budget the Sterling by MM will be ideal. Probably go back to 4 string so its down to the SB14 or Ray34 and for me i think the neck will be the main factor. I quite fancy a smaller neck but im happy to try the SR4 as well as i like the look of it more. Cheers all. Merry Christmas etc[/quote] Hey Dave, I totally forgot you have the HW1 Jazz. That makes my earlier comment pointless regarding the 75 Jazz. So in that case, I would seriously look at the Stingray but do try before you buy. Can you not afford to get a second hand SR4. Mine was £670 this time last year. By the way, one of the best sounding basses I played recently was a Warwick Corvette $$ through a MarkBass rig. It has twin MM style humbuckers and totally blew me away. If I fall in love with my passive Corvette when it arrives and love the whole Warwick thing, then thats the bass I am going to work up to getting next .... maybe

That really is super cool, big thumbs up to Mark for doing that.

Hey Dave, hope your well. The fact that you have returned to this thread shows you're still not happy with the Laky. I know what you mean about it being uninspiring. Despite how great they are as a bass and a make, I felt like you did about my DJ4. Something else for you to think about is the Fender 75 re-issue Jazz. I adore mine. So much so that I think it is the perfect bass. In fact, I recorded with mine today playing with a pick and it somehow sounds very precision like. A bit odd but also pretty cool. I will be putting a clip up on Youtube soon so you can have a listen. To me the Lakland DJ4 was uninspiring, boomy, rigid and very dead sounding. The Fender MIA 75 re-issue is the total opposite. Inspiring, exciting, flexible and sounds fantastic. Something to think about anyway. As for the Stingray, well worth giving one a go. I adore mine but do struggle to get a comfortable sound out of it.

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='688547' date='Dec 18 2009, 05:04 PM']Could you PLEASE refrain from using such terms as long as you have that avatar![/quote] HEHEHE I know where I would like to bounce [attachment=38529:yvonne_s...ki_chuck.jpg]

You can call me tigger. I am usually bouncing up and down. Dependant on the song, that can be just from bending the knees or actually jumping up and down poggo style. Either way, I am always bouncing.

I think its pretty impossible to be different these days or original. You either end up looking stupid, unfunny, with a big ego or trying to hard. So your probably better off sticking to something classic and making sure its done very well with a good photographer. I know thats probably not much help but I would just try and avoid trying to be different and standing out as you run the risk of looking stupid.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='685490' date='Dec 15 2009, 05:58 PM'][/quote] Thats what I have. It really is an amazing bass and so so easy to play. If my Warwick Corvette turns out to be amazing then I may sell the Fender

[quote name='silddx' post='679626' date='Dec 9 2009, 10:00 PM']Why do you appear to be ever so slightly conceited in the interviews I've read? I hear myself in Flea's playing, etc. Sorry Linus, don't mean to be mean.[/quote] Hey silddx, Really confused by your comment. Are you saying he was in a band called Flea's or is the comment aimed at me as I was in a band called The Fleas. Just a bit confused

If you can think of some questions that would be great. Does not have to be directly related to Derek and Simple Minds etc, it can just be bass related. Some of the questions I am thinking of including are, 1. Who influenced you as a bass player when you were learning to play? 2. Who, if any, impresses you now as a bass player? 3. Tell me a little about the basses you play and why you chose them? 4. Your sound in Simple Minds was very distinct. Was that the combination of the Fender Precision and the Ampeg rig or did you use a multitude of effects? 5. Where you ever approached by a bass manufacturer to have a signature model, for example Fender? 6. Do you have a set formula to writing bass lines or is it just whatever comes in your head at the time? Still got more to think off though

Great questions especially the first one. I always wondered that considering his bass lines were very prominent on the other albums and a major factor in the Simple Minds sound.

Hey all, I am fortunate enough to get the chance to interview Derek Forbes, the one time bass player of Simple Minds. Derek was one of the biggest influences for me when I was learning to play bass all those years back so its an honour to get to chat to him and interview him. He even offered to buy me a drink I asked him if he was willing to answer any question we may have regarding his bass playing and he very kindly agreed. So if anyone wants to ask him anything, either drop the questions in this thread or send me a PM. Once all the questions have been answered, I will post the replies either in this thread or in a new one. Fire away

[quote name='mark_random' post='678269' date='Dec 8 2009, 06:34 PM']I would suggest that the Gold Box is definitely worth the money. A really good print of all of the episodes, two versions of the pilot and loads of exclusive extras including an hour and a half's worth of documentary. Probably my best ever DVD purchase. Having said that, the Blu Ray looks as though it is all go for next year. I'm a bit of a fan boy so I'll probably get that as well! Also, I can confirm that Madchen Amick is still pretty foxy. Personally, I'm an Audrey man![/quote] HAHA my friend really liked Sherilyn Fenn and we used to so argue who was better looking. Clearly I was right with Madchen Amick