Kiwi

Three originals and one drummer.

Me too.

Thanks I love Led Zep and I'm not into rock at all. But there was something magical about them. So much power and professionalism from three people. I REALLY wish they'd reform and do a few more concerts. I'd fly from NZ for a ticket. I disagree with Plants perception of raking over the coals. Its more about sharing a legacy with a new generation. I wasn't able to attend concerts when Led Zep were in their prime. They could be cementing their legacy rather than being a shadow of their former selves. This is about being generous, not about protecting integrity.

Not interested in subscribing to the Guardian on Facebook.

Looks like someone's just unearthed it on a beach somewhere.

Taurus pedals would be the most practical option. MIDI them up to the module of your choice, and your hands stay free.

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1349710422' post='1829431'] It'd be ace if you could do a bass-themed interview for Basschat! [/quote] No promises but I'm making enquiries as I type...

Neat, he'll be over in my neck of the woods next month to support one of our projects at work. I'll see if I can grab some time with him.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1348358599' post='1812800'] I don't know who makes Hartke bass strings and I don't care - I love how they sound, how they feel, they have no silks and they're ridiculously inexpensive [/quote] Plus the one on this. I also like Olympus strings, they're identical to the ones offered by EBS. Both made in Sweden.

I find jazz basses very comfortable and the sound of a 70's ash bodied jazz with a maple board is very evocative. But those scooped mids make playing one in a live situation challenging. There are other basses that can do the job better. In my experience, there's a lot to be said for either single pick up basses or onboard electronics with buffered input channels.

Just buy a multi effects unit capable of routing. Lexicon MPXG2's can be had for a song these days and offer four channels (two paths in stereo) which can be combined any way you like. There are probably more recent floor units that can do the same thing, like the TC Electronic Nova system.

I've noticed an ever-so perceptible increase of graduate vacancies in my industry - the planning/construction sector. I think things are turning a corner but its like watching a fully laden Panamanian supertanker do a three point turn while laden down with the snagged ships of a Spanish fishing fleet. God I miss the UK though. I never truly appreciated how intelligent the average English person was until I worked in NZ local authority. Yes there are some stupid people in the UK but whatever examples you can think of, I'm fairly confident I can find better examples in NZ. Economically though, NZ has been well managed considering how small and vulnerable to overseas markets it is.

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1348858104' post='1819293'] If you can afford to drink coffee with barristers in Cafe Nero you can't be that skint. At least you're keeping well paid company. My mum knows a lawyer whose kitchen floor area is bigger than the footprint of my entire house. I obviously went into the wrong profession. [/quote] Maybe he meant Barista?

I thought Cliff Richard had died when I read the title.

If I'm just sitting down to enjoy the act of playing bass, I tend to go for fretless. It feels so much more expressive.

Dammit, I'm looking for a comedic power trio and I have an Alembic. So close but gonna have to sit this one out.

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1348432885' post='1813646'] Arr, defending your bass choice now i see, don't you like it when someone points out issues with something you may own?? This is why I don't make posts on things that may be disrespectful to owners, so i steer clear of being critical of others choices, as it's not neccessary. I could happily post to all sorts of threads on here being negative about all sorts of instruments, but they would serve no purpose, and show little respect. Personally I don't give a hoot what you think, especially when it comes to vintage Fenders, as you are clearly out of your depth. But you obviously enjoy it, so I'll humour you.[/quote] I'm not brand loyal at all. Most instruments disappoint me in one way or another, including Alembic. It's very interesting that you read so much into what I typed though. [quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1348432885' post='1813646'] OK, there are two Series 1 Alembics on eBay.com at the moment, so not much to demonstrate my point at this very moment, however, one of which has lamination issues. The seller, who appears to know what he's talikng about (I'm sure you'll have something to say on that), even makes reference to this being a common issue in the ad. Thats 50% of those listed, with lamination issues, which, is not opinion. Here's the link. And yes, I've seen countless others, many in person, with significant delamination. [url="http://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-vintage-Alembic-series-1-bass-rare-very-collectible-year-model-KOA-BEAUTY-/280954016459?pt=Guitar&hash=item416a2a12cb"]http://www.ebay.com/...=item416a2a12cb[/url] [/quote] It's not really a clear example of the issues you talk about. The seller just mentions laminations as part of wear and tear but there's no indication of what has happened and where. We'll just have to take your word for the rest of it. Alembic wouldn't never admit to there being a problem unless they had no choice but if the lamination issue was as significant as you say, I'd expect to see a lot more online discussion about it. However I'm open minded about the issue and would love to learn more.

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1348424358' post='1813470'] Vintage Alembics, great basses, great quality when they were made, and the Series 1's & 2's have been considered collectable for a number of years. The last few years however, has shown major faults that occur long term. I've been interested in these for years, and owned 2, great basses to play. 90% of examples you see now, have laminate issues, particularly on the neck. the multi-layering used, or adhesives, do not appear to stand the test of time. These examples have typically been around the £3k mark for the last 5 years, and have not been appreciating as well as many other brands. Collectors are now being wary of these, because of the quality issues. This has made mint examples rise in value, but I for one, wouldnt buy one anymore, because you could pay £3k for a Series 1, with no issues, only to keep it for 2 years, then it starts delaminating, as many others have experienced. [/quote] "Many others"? I'd be really interested to know your source(s) for this. The only laminating issues I'm aware of with Alembic have been with the headstock joint but those have result in a crack in the finish rather than delamination due to shrinkage. Its not a big deal. They're very solid, well engineered instruments.

All I am asking for are examples where Leo Fender sacrificed time and cost in the interests of quality.

So back up the points that you believe are invalid. Yes I'm an admin and I've edited my post for clarity. But I enter this topic being TOTALLY up for being shot down. Just feel some clarity is due, thats all. BRING IT ON.

I don't think Fender cared too much about the wood at the time. It was JUST a material. The weight, mass, density wasn't a concern because there was no precedent at the time. OK so they could have been in a position to be discerning, for example, deliberately selecting old growth ash or alder or maple. But the level of awareness about what specifically makes a good bass wasn't around then. I think they were just taking whatever was available and, so long as it satisfied the expectations of the public at the time, it was good enough.

Benefit of any doubt is duly given. However I don't care about nostalgia or romanticism. Basic law of project management is that there are ALWAYS trade offs between time vs cost vs quality. It's possible to achieve any two, but the third will be compromised. So given mass production means time and cost are prioritised, the logical conclusion is quality gets compromised. Some questions in my head are; Was the selection of wood done on the basis of tone, availability of supply or cost per unit? If the wood was so important (as claimed by so many sellers) what contribution did fullerplast make above and beyond what an 80's JV Squier offered? I'd love an opportunity to separate the myth from the fact because there seems to be so much bullshit about vintage Fenders given the context they were produced in. If that happens, hopefully I'll learn something in the process.