BigRedX

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1457616429' post='3000152'] For what it's worth, I think Gus Basses are ugly as sin, and a 5 string variant couldn't look less punk IMHO....... [/quote] So what am I expected to play? A boring old P-Bass? That's such a cliché.

In terms of supply and demand, if you look at the waiting times for a new Fodera they are probably still underpriced.

Can't see what's custom about that. Looks like one of the standard Spear models. And about twice the price they were selling for new in the UK.

[quote name='therealting' timestamp='1457435229' post='2998437'] Just wondering if anyone has tried one yet. I'm considering their smaller-bodied hollowbody guitar from the same range... [/quote] If you are going for one of their vibrato-equipped guitars make sure you try it first. Our guitarist had one for a while and the shallow break angle over the bridge meant that he was forever pinging the strings off their saddles. The problem is that for some reason they've omitted the bar that strings pass under on a real Bigsby unit.

Mine was Polysics playing their one-off UK debut gig in the Bar venue of the Islington Academy. Tiny venue and almost ear-bleeding volume. The two support bands played at far more sensible levels and were all the better for it. The volume was verging on painful but as I expected this to be the only chance I'd get to see Polysics without going to Japan, I endured it. My ears were ringing for days. Of course Polysics went on to do 3 full UK tours and this was just the first of many times I saw them - all at far more comfortable volumes.

I think a lot of the problem is for Fodera is that apart from the ring-yang bass, looks wise there's nothing really special about them. As a bassist of below average ability I can get away with playing my Gus in a punk band because it looks the part, and the relatively high cost of the bass never comes into question.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1457431760' post='2998379'] Would you say that Mustang Sally was the best cover by The Commitments? Just the way it is, I guess. [/quote] I don't have a problem with "Mustang Sally" because I rarely hear it (I'd never heard before I saw the film) and I've never had to play it. It's not really the sort of music I'd choose to listen to or to play but I "get" why it's popular with audiences because it's upbeat and catchy - things I can't hear in "Sex On Fire".

Looking at the photographs again it strikes me that because of the fan-frets the Dingwall has worse upper range access than the original...

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1457430313' post='2998349'] Don't ask me, mate, I just play it... Hammered wedding punters love it, though: there's unseemly jumping around and a lot of fun had by the crowd. Every single time... I've very very very rarely seen an originals band (present company excluded, natch ) play to that kind of reaction in a similar-sized venue... It is out of all proportion to the song, though: it's got a big chorus, but so have zillions of other songs... [/quote] I don't play it. I only knowingly heard it for the first time the other week. Even in my relatively brief stint of being in a covers band the question of playing "Sex On Fire" never came up. However we did play "I Predict A Riot" to which I had a similar reaction, although I quite liked the baseline in the verse on that. And I don't think the chorus on "Sex On Fire" is that big. On the whole the song doesn't seem to really get going until just before the end.

Not wanting to high-jack the thread but can someone please tell me what is so special about "Sex On Fire"? TBH I'm not really a Kings Of Leon fan. Their earlier songs were OK if nothing particularly special, but a photo of them in a music mag sporting ridiculous beards pretty much put me off investigating any further. A couple of weeks ago my girlfriend was playing their "Only By The Night" album in the car, and I got to hear Sex On Fire properly for the first time. I really don't get it. It's not the best track on the album by a long shot and not helped by the fact that the two tracks before it are far stronger songs, in terms of tunes, riff and general anthemic qualities. So what's the big deal? Why is a fairly mediocre song by a mediocre band such a crowd pleaser?

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1457427883' post='2998294'] Headstock proportion is still not right - matched headstock would be preferable too as you say imho. [/quote] I'd want the back of neck to be the same colour as the body - and fingerboard in wood that compliments that colour. Just having a matching headstock is completely half-arsed. IMO natural finished neck unless it's attached to a matching natural body makes the whole bass look cheap.

For an originals band I'd be looking to find a songwriting partner first, so probably a singer or perhaps a guitarist. IME it's a lot easier to recruit other musicians if you have a definite musical direction and a bunch of songs already written. For covers I would want to join an existing band that needed a bass player.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1457400811' post='2998211'] The Dingwall Thunderbird. Headstock fail. [/quote] I don't have a problem with it. The fact that the neck and headstock aren't the same colour as the body and the super-tacky looking wooden scratch plate are far worse aesthetic faux-pas IMO.

IME slipping tuners are due to the bearings for the worm gear having worn out and not holding the two gears tight enough together. And I've never seen this on anything other than very old open style mechanisms. AFAIK the tension adjustment on modern tuners simply adjusts how hard (or not) it is to turn the worm gear and nothing else. To the OP are you sure the problem is the tuners? can you see the string post actually turning back when under string tension?

[quote name='thebassist' timestamp='1457389581' post='2998145'] There is no point, I'm just saying. [/quote] No point in what? What are you saying?

Unfortunately there's plenty of time wasters in all the corners of the internet. And that's because it's simply too easy to place or respond to an ad on those sites. Before all these join my band type web sites, if you wanted to be in a band, you had to make the journey into town and visit your local music shop (or hip record shop if they did band ads) scour the ads board and write down the contact details from any ad that looked interesting. Then you actually had to phone them up and talk to the person who placed the ad. Alternatively you could spend an hour going through the ads in the classified section of Melody Maker If you were actually looking for band members then putting an ad together and getting it up on the notice boards or paying for it to be in the music press was another level of commitment.

[quote name='EmmettC' timestamp='1457388172' post='2998123'] Nice, that definitely suits the image of your band, I still haven't found a bass I like that visually suits my alter-ego in my industrial band Metaltech. If I could find a nice 5 string Iceman with a full size body....... [/quote] Born To Rock F4B? [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC02174-1_zps72ba13f8.jpg[/IMG]

[quote name='EmmettC' timestamp='1457269325' post='2996852'] Sorry to dig up an old thread, I was just wondering about Foderas and came across this, so when there's guys selling Stingrays for £700 in the marketplace and Maruszczyk are putting out amazing customs below £1000 why do people buy Foderas? Is anyone using a Fodera at a paid gig, like theatre work or functions? I'm not against custom basses, but I play in a function band so my Sandberg and Musicman seem perfect for me, so I'm really interested to see if any other working musicians are using really expensive or custom stuff. [/quote] Do I count as a working musician? My band do about 40 paying gigs a year playing our own material and have just released our first full-length album which is currently getting airplay on 6 Music. If so... [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/BigRedX.jpg[/IMG] That's a Gus G3 5-string. Last time I asked - about 5 years ago - a new one to the same specification would have set you back just over £5k. I bought it because it's a fantastic looking, sounding and playing bass. Stingrays and Maruszczyk might be far more affordable but they simply don't do anything for me and I find Fender basses and their copies awkward and uncomfortable to play.

Way over-optimistic price considering the condition, and not even the added John Birch pickup makes up for that.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1457363261' post='2997758'] I've walked miles around London with my bass in an M80... It's very comfortable to carry and my basses are seriously heavy. Only slight issue is that it sticks up a bit too high and you have to be careful getting on buses etc. [/quote] I have the opposite problem. Because I'm not very tall the bottom edge of the case slaps against the backs of my thighs as I walk. Also for me the top anchor points of the straps are too close together which tends to push the case down my back and exaggerates the problem. Personally I wouldn't buy another expensive gig bag (more than £40) without trying out it for a good 10 minute walk with my bass in it first.

Has anyone seen the Bigsby-equiped version in the flesh?

Right case for the right situation. A cheap gig bag isn't much good if you need to load your bass into the back of the van. On the other hand I wouldn't want to walk half an hour to the rehearsal rooms with a flight case. Also IME all the decent semi-rigid gig bags take up as much room as a Hiscox case and some of them are almost as heavy. I own a Mono M80 and although it offers a good level of protection to the bass inside, IMO it is uncomfortable to wear while walking for more than a few minutes and therefore doesn't get very much use. I have a selection of suitable hard cases and comfortable gig bags to fit all my basses and these get used as appropriate instead.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1457350677' post='2997539'] The fan fret design belongs to Novax. They licence it to others. [/quote] IIRC the Novax Fan-fret patent has now expired so anyone can make a fan fret instrument without needing to licence it.

As others have said, if you are having fun playing music and being in a band then you are already way ahead of those people who can only dream about having learnt to play instrument. On the other hand although getting the "breaks" in music is largely a matter of luck I find that to a great degree you have to make your own luck. I think an awful lot of musicians are under the false impression that being technically competent at their chosen instrument is all they need, when in fact it may well be the least important thing when it comes to getting those important gigs or making a record. Yes there is an element of having to be in the right place at the right time, but the more you/your band are out there the more chances you get. The various bands I've been in over the last 40 years have had a modicum of success. Nothing truly massive but enough to keep me plugging away at it and also enough to know that all my "luck" has been backed up with an enormous amount of hard work behind the scenes to make those important gigs and record releases happen. And TBH putting out an album is not that big a deal any more. Since the mid 70s anyone with sufficient cash and the necessary drive can do it. And these days all it takes, if you are happy with a digital release only, is a recording and £50. The true test is being able to get someone outside of the band to pay for it all - and then of course to actually sell some copies!

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1457259531' post='2996714'] bit harsh there BigRed, nothing wrong with the first record, it's the second one that's the trouble, so any easy one to make a single album from, Armegideon time isn't on my version of London Calling btw [/quote] But IMO fair. I was a massive Clash fan based on their first two albums, but was so underwhelmed by London Calling. At the time of its release I really liked the single and then that was about it. I recently revisited it as my musical tastes have somewhat broadened in the past 30 or so years and found that I now like "Lost In The Supermarket" as well. And yes I know "Armegideon Time" isn't on the album, but in light of the weakness of the other material it really should have been there and not relegated to the B-side of the single.