Kiwi

the intro and first verse has similar sounding guitar and the vocals kind of sound similar at the start but after the first chorus, the song morphs into something else.

I'd agree with Jaco in terms of how he pushed boundaries beyond what anyone thought was possible with the instrument. Larry was a good groover and invented one technique but Jaco was so much more innovative.

This is one of the larger slabs which I'll use for a top. Love the grain patterns in both sap and heartwood. Hopefully the two will stay attached to one another! I also drop by a salvage yard close to where I live every other weekend. Some time ago I snagged this piece which had been used as a shelf! Any ideas on what the wood is? I thought it might have been blue gum or oak but it seems too coarse for the former and too fine for the latter. I've also been checking out macrocarpa (aka Monterey cypress) which is a very common shelterbelt wood in NZ. Some incredibly dramatic grain distortions are available because the wood has been grown in very windy locations. Although it can be very knotty so careful selection is needed. But it takes a finish with a depth and lustre the equal of maple or sycamore. Amazing wood! I've also managed to source some 41,000 year old swamp kauri which will be set aside for an instrument made from NZ native wood. I'll probably use some native mountain beech for the body as I have a Klein-clone guitar made from same which sounds pretty good almost like soft maple.

The problem with crab apple is that it dries too fast and cracks. So instead of letting it dry naturally in a matter of weeks, I've had to cover it in homebrewed anchorseal (paraffin wax and turps) to let it dry out over a year or two. However an offcut that has dried out has a lovely mellow tap tone to it despite being cracked to blazes. I'm really looking forward to using the properly dried stuff in a body because I think it'll sound pretty good. I've been in contact with Jon Shuker about advice .

I've recently come into a significant quantity of crab apple from a 100 year old tree that was blown over in a recent storm. At some point I'll be using it in a bass if I can get it to dry slower. I've got enough for a body core and loads of tops. Research suggests it might be like mahogany but a little brighter.

I had a look into this some years back. Try [url="http://www.synthservice.com/ssc.shtml"]http://www.synthservice.com/ssc.shtml[/url] but they are expensive.

I bought the one from Maplins a number of years back and the weld joints between the clips and the arms failed after 6 months of intermittent use. Complete waste of ten quid. I'd reconsider for three though. Just shows what kind of margin Maplins had.

Nothing wrong with exploring alternative materials. Use of alternative technologies is what keeps practices like Foster and Partners at the top of their game.

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1351243706' post='1849084'] Clarkson can't play drums [/quote] He's better than I was after 7 lessons!

They will...he's doing a lot more than just a TV programme, he's developing a franchise from what I can see with Grand Designs in Australia as well. He's thrown his weight in behind the earthquake recovery in Christchurch where I am which is good. It helps give the recovery work some international recognition.

That was me BTW. Should read: [i]"Kevin does play a bit of bass but he confesses he has no great knowledge as it’s more of a hobby and so would prefer not to participate in an actual interview. Also, his filming schedule for Grand Designs is very hectic, which doesn’t allow him much time to do requests of this nature."[/i]

One of his staff is a formally trained bass player - she might say hello if we're lucky. I sent her a link to this page.

Thought I'd bump this with an update. I got a response to my enquiry which includes the following; [i]"Kevin does play a bit of bass but he confesses he has no great knowledge as it’s more of a hobby and so would prefer not to participate in an actual interview. Also, his filming schedule for Grand Designs is very hectic, which doesn’t allow him much time to do requests of this nature.Kevin does play a bit of bass but he confesses he has no great knowledge as it’s more of a hobby and so would prefer not to participate in an actual interview. Also, his filming schedule for Grand Designs is very hectic, which doesn’t allow him much time to do requests of this nature."[/i] Sorry about that, but at least I tried.

Blimey, I'd better be looking after mine then. Its been stuck in a box of crap since Christmas...

I thought the LP's had stickers on the underside?

Volume can be so dependent on a range of things. I've depped in bands where the bass was only through the PA on a small gig. Other times I've struggled to be heard above the drummer with 400w. My advice is don't scoop the mids and make sure whatever cabs you are playing through are POINTED AT YOUR EARS!!! If that isn't the case, don't blow loads of dosh on extra watts until it is.

I'm involved. It wasn't ignored.

[quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1350597505' post='1841197'] There are 4 genuine Rics in the picture. I'm certainly not offering anything for sale. If John Hall wants to have a dicky fit about the existence of the John Birch bass here that was made in 1976 and the Retrovibe in the last two years, then that's his own affair.[/quote] Unfortunately its not that simple. It's a problem that he can easily transfer to other parties he has issue with while there is a lack of legal clarity around the role played by forums in promotion of trademark infringement. [quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1350597505' post='1841197'] I don't think that any forum is, or can reasonably be, or even should be, controlled by John Hall's desires. Even the RRF has an area to discuss copies (though they generally meet with hoots of derision from nearly all concerned). Neither of them is a faker in the true sense, either. A faker is [i]something that can be passed off as the real thing - an exact counterfeit[/i]. The basses are definitely Ric-styled basses, but the designs themselves, while featuring features very similar to copyrighted Ric shapes etc aren't really exact. But no-one with working eyes would think they were Rics![/quote] I agree, but his actions speak for themselves. Interesting that the Rickenbacker has an area for discussing copies. It certainly defines Mr Hall's standards and expectations more clearly for us. Thanks for that. The only way to be clear about the matter of infringement is to pay lawyers lots of money to have an argument. Also, because its a grey area, its not just about technical compliance, the forums integrity and position on infringement issues would also taken into consideration by a judge. This is why knowing there's an area on a forum sanctioned by Mr Hall for discussing copies is useful. [quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1350597505' post='1841197'] Banning a photo of anything Ric shaped would be discriminatory against all the other makers, so you'd have to ban pics of Rics too. [/quote] It would be discriminiatory against other makers who could be accused of trademark infringement. [quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1350597505' post='1841197']And if Fender got snotty about all the makers who shamelessly nicked their ideas - Fodera, Sandberg, etc etc etc, then we'd have nothing at all to look at.[/quote] You probably wouldn't, I agree. It might also reflect very badly on Fender in marketing terms too. Would Fender care if they felt they were addressing something they felt was an injustice and a moral right? Probably not.

This is the kind of photo that risks pushing Mr Hall's boundaries and would be most easily managed by banning all photos of anything Rickenbacker shaped. Just sayin'.

Loads of examples with graphite necks that are well documented on here already. There was a joke once about a very attractive but not-too-bright lady who walks into a chemist and asks for "one of those rectal deoderants". The chemist looks at her confused and asks her to clarify what she means. "Rectal deoderant" she says. "Its one of those sticks...I got some here last time." "I'm sorry ma'am but we don't carry anything like that in stock." She gets visibly frustrated as its an embarrassing thing to ask for. So the chemist asks her to identify what the deoderant looked like. "You know, its got pink packaging...looks just like a normal stick deoderant." The chemist asks her how she knows it's a rectal deoderant and she replies."it's got instructions on the back that say 'to use, push up bottom'."