Kiwi

Purely in terms of mid range punch, the EMG DC soapbars are very growly. However they can also sound a little sterile in the treble and upper mids too, so I wouldn't recommend putting them on basses that sound quite brittle or bright. There's something to be said for Delano pickups, I've yet to meet anyone with a bad word to say about them. Very clean, sweet, punchy and warm but a lot of the results you achieve will depend on the bass. The pickups are ideally like ears, ideally they shouldn't colour the instrument. A word of caution though, if you use different pickups then be aware that they may have different outputs and so when you switch between them you may have to adjust gain levels on your amp to compensate. If you install a u-retro by John East, the eq comes with input buffers that can be individually adjusted for gain. So it would be possible for you to have an active EMG DC soapbar in the bridge and a Bartolini soapbar in the neck positions and maintain consistent levels when you switch between them.

I guess its all a question of taste. I've gigged both and felt the Spector was definitely drier sounding and easier to hear in the mix. The Smiths are very refined and a little chocolatier by comparison. They're also superb recording instruments and great in a small group but I've always had to contend with the scooped sound they have while playing in a larger band (and particularly battling against percussion) so the Spector's slightly more aggressive sound does punch through the mix a little better. I don't really need a lot of low end for our gigs because we play a lot of small venues and the boom can be overwhelming on stage. Having said that, the soundman does keep asking me to turn up when I play the Spector. He usually expects to be hit in the chest by the warmth of the Smiths when I play through the PA...

Well the funny thing is Josh that with the u-retro installed I can get a pretty good fascimile of a Smith bass IF I dial a lot of the mids out using the mid-sweep control. Same levels of growl in both instruments to my ears but the Smith 5 still sounds fuller though. No question in my mind that the Spector Euro, if you can get one for a reasonable price, is better value for a gigging instrument with everything else being equal. The Smith has slightly better build quality than the Spector Euro and the Smiths do have a very distinctive tone which is why I got them.

[quote name='BossHog' post='304326' date='Oct 11 2008, 10:31 AM']Sorry, Been grafting away from home this week so wasn't really in a position to check the listing a lot. Smith basses, beautiful things! However the sale was intended to raise dosh for another purchase so thank you for your kind comments and interest. I've decided to hang on to the Fodera.[/quote] thats cool matey, I was just playin' Serious about the swap though if you ever change your mind...

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='304399' date='Oct 11 2008, 02:07 PM']Wow! Counting down the days, eh? Best of luck with that one! Rich.[/quote] Cheers Rich, counting down the days but not holding my breath. I told Jon I needed the bass for a TV appearance!

Yeah, its not bad for a spalted top, this Spector has a much less scooped sound than the Smiths, it could be a serious contender for replacement as in someways its easier to hear on stage and just as growly. Adding the u-retro was a good thing too - the mids are nice and controllable. However the body does feel cramped on my rather generous frame and my Shuker is supposed to be finished by next weekend...

Update - haven't put shots of the Shuttle and EBS rig in here yet: Spector Euro 6 with a customised U-retro preamp or the Unibass

Given you're in first, I'll send you the Level 42, Police and Python vid. Carlos is in there for the Peter Jackson films if he wants them but I haven't heard any confirmation from him yet. Re: neck wood, both wenge and maple are good, I have both in my custom shuker. The balance between them depends on how much attack you would like in the upper reaches of the fingerboard. I really like the attack of maple in the upper end but wanted some of the wenge low-mid growl, so the proportions of maple and wenge in the headless shuker is in favour of maple.

I'd agree that a dead straight neck is ok, however if the frets aren't completely level then you'll end up getting fret buzz. What concerns me is the lack of an effective truss rod. If the neck is dead straight, that would suggest its resisting the string tension quite effectively. So the question in my mind is whether the truss rod has been over-tightened? The neck shim is a good idea too, the neck angle could be adjusted to bring the strings closer to the neck at the heel end. I personally love the microtilt feature on my stingray but once set its no problem to forget.

Definitely have a word with a luthier if you have very specific requirements, I suspect you might get change out of £1500 quid for that basic spec too. For me the compromise has always been in favour of tone. I own a couple of basses that I don't get around that easily on but if you have decent finger strength (and I play usually with a light touch) then you can take the instrument by the proverbial scruff of the neck and play it a little more assertively than usual to get the tone needed. But whether you can be arsed doing that is obviously up to you.

[quote name='overwater#1' post='304216' date='Oct 10 2008, 10:53 PM']Ahh, damn! I keep meaning to order a copy of the Level 42 @ Wembley... I have half of it on a dodgy old casette my Dad recorded probably 20 years ago which sounds terrible!! Would like to see the rest one day.. Il order it from Amazon I wouldn't mind the Python's though..... Cheers, Best wishes Steve.... Oh and.. Im picking up some of that Spalted Beech this weekend I think!! [/quote] Well Matt, the Level 42 vid isn't taken if you want it. I'll chuck in the Police and Python vid in for nothing too if you like. It would be great to see some pics of that beech if/when you have the time too!

[i]"Here is the deal. One years gross will get you the brand name, patterns to 70 basses, the website wishbass.com. my customer files and a course in how to make instruments my way. I think one person could make about 200 basses a year, you see what they sell for. I make a little over a hundred a year, myself. This would be a great opportunity for a mechanically inclined person who has a real desire to work for themselves."[/i] We could all chip in and buy the company together. We need someone who is 'mechanically minded' though. I can bash things with a hammer if that helps...?

Could you clarify what the problem you're dealing with here? Is the action too high? The neck too bowed? Or the neck at the wrong angle to the body?

[quote name='Soulfinger' post='201985' date='May 19 2008, 10:44 AM']How about Seasick Steve?[/quote] I heard him for the first time tonight. OMG he's awesome. Seriously. There's a purity to his playing and a total lack of pretention. That, and I can't believe how good he can make a 3 string guitar sound.

well if Smith basses aren't his taste t'aint my problem...

I was in the Met Bar on Park Lane once and saw him on the pull. I thought he looked a bit creepy.

No but tell you what, I'll throw in Bad Taste for nothing. Special deal, one time only for you, because I like yer 'tache and I can't say fairer than that.

Up for grabs is: Level 42 - Live At Wembley This is Spinal Tap Police - Synchronicity tour plus I also have a few Peter Jackson films: The Frighteners Bad Taste Braindead Meet the Peebles and also Monty Pythons 'Now For Something Completely Different'. Can send for the cost of postage.

Gumtree's owned by Ebay I think this bass has been discussed elsewhere already and I think Waynepunkdude might even have actually purchased it.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='303390' date='Oct 9 2008, 10:42 PM']Actually that classic line was played on a Fender Precision with fresh roundwounds - spank that P! Alex[/quote] Yes you're absolutely right, and I knew that but didn't check my typing before pressing the post button.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='303338' date='Oct 9 2008, 09:19 PM']Lots to choose from. Your bass and how you play it matters more though! Alex[/quote] I agree. Typical disco era basses were just the popular instruments of the time, ie. most of Leo Fenders designs - Fender Precision w/flats, eg. If Ya Think I'm Sexy (Rod Stewart), Fatback band tracks Fender Jazz w/flats, eg. Forget Me Nots (Patrice Rushen), some Abba tracks Musicman Stingray w/roundwounds, eg. many Chic and Brothers Johnson tracks. Louis Johnson had a very bright zingy sound whereas Bernard often had very dead strings. plus occasionally an Alembic would get used eg. Blame It On The Boogie (Jackson 5). Amp wise, Acoustic, Fender, Musicman and Ampeg would have probably been favoured. Acoustic were solid state and the rest were valve powered. Solid state back then were very expensive to mass produce. It wasn't until the advent of mass manufacturing developed for the computer industry that solid state amps became a lot more affordable. Cab wise there wasn't anything specifically disco either but HF horns weren't around then. So cabs would include 4x12 (eg. Fender), 2x15 (eg. Acoustic folded design) or 8x10 (eg. Ampeg). I'm not sure about how popular 4x10's were back then. Maybe some of the members who were gigging around then would like to chip in too?

[quote name='walbassist' post='303056' date='Oct 9 2008, 02:50 PM']Wise words as usual CK, you old sage you.....[/quote] You got the old bit right

[quote name='walbassist' post='302976' date='Oct 9 2008, 01:35 PM']It's just starting to look like the original Alembic MK Signature bass now, which looked like the Jaydee Supernatural....[/quote] Hehe, wasn't the original Jaydee designed to look like an Alembic? I agree about the body shape but I personally prefer wide bodied basses. Small bodied basses feel too cramped.

I'm slowly growing used to the idea of a 6'er even though I'm on my third. I don't like the extra wide fingerboard but I do like the additional freedom the extra C string gives me. I can even attempt to play chords! I'm far from being any kind of session monster.