Kiwi

Definitely a Pentabuzz unless you're looking for something a little mellower sounding in which case a Godin Acoustibass/A5 takes some beating.

[quote name='tino' post='932492' date='Aug 22 2010, 09:14 AM']By quackery I assume you agree its all BOl*Ocks...... There are timbers such as lignum Vitae that are extremely dense and do not appear to suffer from temperature or moisture variation and the structure & density is such that truss rods would not be needed....possibly a choice for a fretless???? Only disadvantage would appear to be the weight of such a neck...do away with headstock possibly...anyone know if its ever been used as such????[/quote] Its been used on occasions although I can't remember where I saw it. There's no need to use lignum vitae for a whole neck, just stringers are enough. Truss rods are handy for other reasons though, not just stiffness. A bass neck needs to be stiff but it only needs to be [u]stiff enough[/u], and the wood doesn't have to be dense to be stiff either. One of the stiffest woods out there by weight is spruce but its not stiff enough for a neck. Best choice for a fretless is a wood like mahogany which is warm sounding but mahogany can be sensitive to changes in humidity so typically needs to be supported by a stiffer wood like...birdseye maple.

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='932451' date='Aug 22 2010, 07:26 AM']Here's Sadowsky's somewhat more reasonable claims for the process. "Sadowsky Guitars has always taken pride in the quality and stability of our neck wood. We are now pleased to offer "roasted maple" necks for an unprecedented level of stability. Lumber for maple necks and fingerboards is placed in a special oven after normal kiln dying. The wood is roasted at temperatures ranging from 180º to 220º Celsius. The result of this treatment is wood that is significantly more resistant to absorbing or releasing moisture. With this increased stability, the "roasted maple" process enables us to offer figured maple neck blanks for the first time in our three decades of instrument making. We have always advocated that figured neck stock was too unstable to use. However, any piece of wood than has a stability problem will warp during the roasting process and be discarded. It would also be a recommended option for players who reside in areas of extreme humidity (low or high), or who travel a lot through variable climates, as well as players who desire a figured maple neck for aesthetic reasons. NOTE: The roasting process is performed on lumber. It cannot be applied retroactively to finished necks. Any revisions to existing instruments already on order will delay build time by approximately five months." [url="http://sadowsky.com/new/index.html"]http://sadowsky.com/new/index.html[/url][/quote] I still don't believe it. Birdseye and flamed maple necks have been used on many basses in the past with no warping issues. In fact Ernie Ball used birdseye maple in their necks from 87 to maybe the early 90's because it was the same price as normal maple. There have been no reports of those basses having neck issues at all. In fact, its even been suggested to me by some luthiers that birdseye maple is more dense than normal maple, NOT less stable. Flame maple, especially quarter sawn, has been in common use by luthiers again with no specific issues against particular grain patterns. If wood is going to warp, it will warp because of improper drying, NOT because of the grain pattern. Also, Fodera leave their wood on shelves for a couple of years to let it settle a little and then plane it to shape. There is simply no need to chuck away a mildly warped piece of wood if it can be planed to shape. I still think these claims for roasted necks are pure, unadulterated bass quackery.

Fender made the first 5 string bass with the Fender V but it was never a commercial success. Alembic made the first BEADG five string for Jimmy Johnson in 1976. First commercially produced 5 is a hard call. Yamaha's BB5000 was launched in 1985 (or 1984? depending on references) as literally a 5 stringed BB3000 although the 5000A had more refinements. The Stingray 5 was introduced in 1987 IIRC.

I used to have an MM Cutlass 1 that was ex Cliff Williams from AC/DC. I have two other basses that are ex-well known players but I'd hardly call them famous.

me luv u big time now...

the standard of spelling appears to be gradually getting worse...

He was very supportive to me in the past as well, I wish he could see the responses so far. I can't believe he's not going to be around any more. RIP Si.

I listened to some of the clips of the Rees 5bass on the site. It didn't really live up to the claims.

Its bass Jim...

The preamp tubes could be Mazda ECC83 jobbies, big score if the amp still has the Gold Lions, they're worth a small fortune as NOS in themselves but get them tested. Nice one.

[quote name='AlX' post='919626' date='Aug 9 2010, 01:58 PM']He´s doing one of his "Wake up call!" shows at the GTaranaki Festival ----> [url="http://www.gtaranaki.co.nz/"]http://www.gtaranaki.co.nz/[/url][/quote] Aaaah ok. I knew that was happening, couldn't work out why it was being held in Taranaki though.

Nuff said really Jack.

Everybody loves the Hypnogoat.

[quote name='douggie' post='917166' date='Aug 6 2010, 05:14 PM']Alright, any questions then? I'm going to New Zealand tomorrow so might be a few days before I'm back on.[/quote] Oh really? What's your connection with NZ?

It certainly crossed my mind with the Smith 6 I owned. Never really felt like my playing was good enough to justify the bass, especially with the associations that brand has. I might feel the same way with Fodera as well. A boutique bass isn't necessarily an improvement over a manufactured bass in all aspects, the craftsmanship and sound tend to be more idiosyncratic. With a boutique bass you tend to sign up to a luthiers vision of what he thinks a good bass is.

[quote name='Stacker' post='918363' date='Aug 7 2010, 08:37 PM']So that's all right then ? Thank God that's all cleared up! And thanks for letting Herbie speak through you, Kiwi![/quote] He's not speaking through me but I did talk to him about the origins of this instrument when I met him. It didn't take a mind reader to see him getting more than a little irked by the pointlessness of the debate.

Its definitely pre production and thats all that matters. Herbie gets a bit irritated by pedants talking about his bass. He know what it is and doesn't have anything else to prove.

Ebay have been moving away from private sellers for the last 3 years at least from what I can tell. Its been fairly clear from the accounts they offer business sellers and the gradually escalating fees on one off auctions that they weren't interested in supporting private sellers for much longer. I'd imagine that business sellers are a lot easier to administer for starters.

Probably worth pointing out that it was pap that made him tens of millions of quid and cemented his presence in the memories of an entire generation. How much did Brand X earn?

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='917767' date='Aug 7 2010, 10:12 AM']A 40Kg combo, pickup only from North Yorkshire ... hardly surprising it went for so little.[/quote] It's a valve guitar combo and no heavier than other amps of that period including Marshalls and Fenders. Just doesn't have the same nostalgia value. [quote name='Happy Jack' post='917767' date='Aug 7 2010, 10:12 AM']As a side-note, I'll be playing a reasonably serious pub gig this evening. My entire outfit (bass, amp, cab, pedal-board, the lot) will weigh about 20Kg, and will almost certainly sound better than that Burman. I'll be playing Alleva Coppolo --> Radial Tonebone --> Orange Bass Terror --> Barefaced Midget.[/quote] Them's fightin' words. Your kit probably isn't going to compete with anything 30 years from now, either so its a moot point. Burmans more than hold their own against other valve amps IMHO, including my V8.