Kiwi

[quote name='JPJ' post='486734' date='May 13 2009, 10:55 AM']Er I dont wish to come over as some sort of pedantic tw@t, but isnt that a guitar Pleased to hear that the bass is back in your hands. Is all the midi stuff sorted out on the bass then?[/quote] Yes its a guitar. I just let Jon off the leash for the body, so long as it was from mahogany I didn't mind what the shape was. The MIDI stuff is kind of sorted but I won't know for sure until I get a set of newtone strings on it. Apparently the bloke has been inundated with orders for winding strings for other manufacturers so there's a bit of a lag on custom orders. Its unlikely I'll have a set before I go to NZ so I'll have to get Jon to send them over I guess.

OK, I collected the bass from Jon's yesterday and I had a quick go on it last night. Have to say I've missed not having it around. The neck pickup does sound different and a lot mellower. In fact in the upper reaches the bass actually sounds like a jazz archtop! I also took the Stingray and Spector NS5CR up there and used Jon's fret file to do some levelling and dressing. So now both also play really nicely too. I also A/B'd the Spector (which has 'my' sound) and the Shuker and...well, not to put too fine a point on it, the Shuker ate the Spector for breakfast. The Spector is very, very nice now its been fret dressed. The sound is warm, soft sounding, growly (which is a surprise for an all maple instrument) with nicely compressed treble. It sounds like my old Smith 5 but with more midrange which makes for a great workhorse. However, it sounds dead compared to the Shuker which is in a different league. Every note is super clean and literally jumps off the fingerboard yet the bass isn't too aggressive like a graphite through body necked instrument. The neck has also settled nicely while its been in the workshop and the bass is developing some nice midrange purr. The closest comparison I can think of is a Fodera or a very lively and bright 4 string W&T bass I tried at Bass Direct a while ago. The ironic thing is that although it's not exactly what I asked for, my tastes have also moved beyond Smith basses anyway in the time its taken for Jon to build the instrument. So, I guess all I can say is that its an inspiring instrument. Very individual, true to Jon and I think its capable of being judged on an equal standing with any other instrument being currently built and that includes Alembic, Fodera and Smith (although all have their own tonal personalities to a greater or lesser extent). Jon also completed a body for some Steinberger parts that I'd been collecting over the last few years and put together this for me: [attachment=25107:DSC01884.JPG] Cute huh? Plays like a dream too.

[quote name='Beedster' post='485344' date='May 11 2009, 09:12 PM']Hi Steve Did you get a reply, and if not, is Chelios now banned? I guess if he is we can have some fun trying to identify his next alias Chris[/quote] No reply Chris so he's banned. His previous accounts have been kept so if he logs in under a third alias it will be easy to confirm.

I've bought an EB stingray body for 80 quid myself a few years back and a preEB body for 180 quid (both from the US). Thing with the MM bodies is that they really need the bridge that came with the body too. The reason is that the position of the bridge went through a few changes as EB dealt with how the string broke over the saddles. There's a comparison here FWIW: [url="http://www.musicmanbass.org/mycustompage0004.htm"]http://www.musicmanbass.org/mycustompage0004.htm[/url]

[quote name='Buzz' post='483491' date='May 9 2009, 12:58 AM']For some odd reason whenever I see the title of this thread a certain tune starts off in my head: "I'm off to see the wizard..." I've no idea why considering the title is NZ and not OZ :/[/quote] By association? Its OK, I do it too. [quote name='foal30' post='483580' date='May 9 2009, 09:44 AM']Christchurch used to have it's very own Wizard who had printed a map of the world which looked a lot like the one shown in this thread[/quote] Funny that, it might even be the same map too! [quote name='OldGit' post='484857' date='May 11 2009, 10:13 AM']Have fun, Steve. Things always work out for the best.[/quote] Thanks Si

BTW I've ended up with the flame maple natural finished Spector NS5CR that has been owned by quite a few other members. The sound is what I wished I could have obtained from my Smith basses! Solid and warm, with assertive but not aggressive mids and a slight compression in the top. It's a [i]superb[/i] sounding instrument although the fingerboard needs a bit of a dressing as there's a slight hump at the 12th fret. I'll be sorting that out myself on Tuesday when I go see Jon to collect the MIDI headless along with the refinished strat body, the Shukberger guitar and the refretted Stingray. There will be barely enough time to get to know them all before they get shipped next Tuesday!!

[quote name='wizbat' post='484707' date='May 10 2009, 11:52 PM']Nice kit there dude!! My guitarist has the alembic preamp that dave gilmour used back in the dark side days but I,m sure he wont sell it but I have a chap that reckons he can build a copy of it as he made notes of its contruction whist servicing it.[/quote] cheers Wizbat. I was seriously considering adding one to my set up too, but ended up going for the parametric eq instead because 1) it was cheaper and 2) it was more versatile. Alembic made a slight modifications to what is essentially a Fender Dual Showman design. Gilmour had his tech modify his F-2B to remove some of the low end in his, so I understand. I might have a copy of the F-2B schematic on a hard drive somewhere if you PM me your email addy.

Can't see the point of taking a bass and playing solo, I'd rather take my EMG custom strat and my Burman 50w combo.

If your fan is noisy then its probably a fault with your amp. I didn't know they came with fans until you mentioned it because I've never heard mine. One criticism I would make of the amp however is the poor visibility of knob positions when the amp is on a dark stage. Often I've looked to the amp for visual confirmation of where the mids are set and couldn't tell. Even during the break I had to get a torch and shine it on the amp to tell where the knobs were set. FWIW, my GK was more brittle than this amp.

I asked him what the secret to his basses was and his reply was that he just makes sure he selects the right wood. And the criteria was based on his experience of what works and what doesn't. I can't think of a way in which a craftsman can become closer to their creation than by choosing their materials carefully. Its also what makes aspects of japanese and chinese design so fascinating for me as well.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='480646' date='May 6 2009, 08:37 AM']do cellists and classical guitarists need EQ to sound good or give them a range of sounds? So why should we? Alex[/quote] Because they don't have sound engineers eq-ing the FOH to be bass heavy?! EMG record OK but live they do lack something.

Any potential buyers should probably confirm the fret wear first before making a committment.

Well FWIW, I prefer low action and I'm extremely fussy with my necks. Mainly because I've tried graphite necks (which are easy to get low action on when they've been dressed properly) and these have generally set the standard. The key to a good dressing is to pretension the neck to the same bow as when it has strings on it. Then its a simple matter to dress the frets flat.

[quote name='funkypenguin' post='454901' date='Apr 5 2009, 08:48 PM']If you're looking for a workhorse 5 string, have you considered an overwater perception bolt on (or thru neck if thats what you're after)? A friend of mine uses one and its a fantastic instrument, very versatile EQ with no real natural scoop in the midrange. P.S thats a phenomenal collection of gear you have there (lusting for the Mesa/Trace V8!!). how are you finding your MIDI bass now? has Jon tweaked it yet?[/quote] Hi Penguin, a few others have suggested looking at Overwater as well. I've also been talking to Chris Celinder about his Aura basses which are supposed to be a tribute to Ken Smith's instruments (although employing a set neck and chambered body). In the meantime I've taken on the flame maple Spector NSCR5 which a few members on the forum have owned. It could do with a bit of a fingerboard dressing which I'll do myself when I go to Jon's this week. However the sound is pretty much everything the Smith had but with a bit more midrange. For a Spector, its particularly warm sounding which surprised me no end and its the sound I've had in my head for a long time. I'll be replacing the EMG's with Basslines and I'll take a view on whether the tone pump needs replacing or not (it sounds better than the one in my Euro 6 which has now gone to the Gallery). Jon's finished the changes to the Headless 6, we're just waiting on the custom Newtone strings and I'll pop up there sometime early this week to collect it along with a headless guitar he's made a body for, a strat body he's refinished for me and the stingray which needed a refret. BTW, pending the move I've also completed outfitting the MIDI rig with a 2 channel valve parametric eq and a Class D power amp similar to Ped's (and nearly as cheap!). [attachment=24974:MIDI_bass_rig.jpg] Thanks to the amazing versatility of the MPXG2 I've avoided the need to get a mixer/preamp. I'm satisfied with this solution, its the best balance between the minimum number of components and retaining some flexibility for different playing environments. The Class D power amp was a steal at $216 and replaces the Strategy 400 which sold last week.

and when the wood is carefully selected you don't really need anything else. The rest of it can be done through the amp.

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='483601' date='May 9 2009, 10:25 AM']Very similar to my graphite necked Warlord...in fact the current high bidder is a very good mate of mine!!! Hmm![/quote] Its not me. I think its collectability will be limited to people on this forum or on other forums with a Level 42 connection where bragging rights are strongest. There's not enough nostalgia associated with the brand for it to have a wide appeal. I would be wary of chucking a lot of cash at it unless you don't plan on selling it for a long time. BTW, speaking of buses [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=48573&hl="]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=48573&hl=[/url]

I think you're probably in the majority. There's definitely a fatter sound to be had by raising the action.

I suspect Jon's been getting a little frustrated at the amount of business that has been passing him while he's been working on the custom instruments. I think having high spec instruments available off-the-shelf is a great step forward. The custom work we've all been giving him has bogged him down quite a bit (I'm as guilty as anyone) and I wouldn't be surprised if his bottom line has suffered a little by not being able to get enough instruments out the door quick enough. Having said that, most of us who have commissioned him for custom work may have helped his thinking along a bit, I suspect.

Some superb attention to detail in the fittings but the body shape is a little too fussy for me.

I've sent a link to a contact of mine who has depped for my band in the past.

Ah the Fernandes FAB-170. The selling point of these instruments was how close they got to Alembic inspite of shortfalls in workmanship. It would be slightly collectable if it hadn't been buggered about with. I'll be steering clear of it.