BigRedX

I don't know of any "off-the-peg" bass that ticks all the boxes for looks, playability and tone for me. Most will be lucky to tick one.

I own two Overwater originals and they're fantastic instruments, although neither were made especially for me so I couldn't comment about that part of the process. You can see them both in my post at the beginning of [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=52576"]this thread[/url]. The fretted bass was my main for most of the 90s and stood up to everything I threw at it both musically and from a playing PoV. The only reason they're no longer my first choice basses is because I have since bought 3 Gus Basses and a Sei!

If you've got a Mac then iMovie will do it all for you including compressing and uploading to YouTube.

In a word, yes!

As with any product there is a law of diminishing returns the more money you spend, but if you have the cash why not have something that little bit more special?

Sure most of us could get by on a well set up Squier bass, but having something that was crafted especially for you, to look, play and sound how you want is going to inspire you all the more.

Also if like me you find looks just as important as tone and ease of playing, and you want something a bit more innovative than a rehash of 50 year old Fender designs then boutique/custom is pretty much the old way to go.

I haven't seen the most recent copy of BGM. I think my subscription must have run out, although I thought the same last month and on returning from town with my newly purchased copy found another one waiting in the post for me!

If what is being said in these posts is being taken seriously at BGM, then let me add my weight for more reviews of high end gear. I have no problem with a magazine full of £2k+ instruments provided at least one of them wasn't made by Warwick or is essentially a posh version of one of Leo Fender's designs. I also have no problem with reviews of cheaper gear provided that it isn't the kind of instrument that can be found hanging on the wall of pretty much every musical instrument retailer in the UK. The Hagstrom 8-string review would be an excellent example (under £1000 but not at all mainstream) if it wasn't for the fact that the article failed to address a crucial design feature of the bridge and how it would affect the intonation - pretty much the first thing that I would be checking out if I ever manage to get my hands on one.

I don't need the look of instruments described in the review, that's what the pictures are for. I want to know practical stuff. Do the machine heads feel smooth, do the strings stick at the nut or elsewhere when tuning? How easy is it to adjust the action/intonation (do you need to slacken off the strings to do this?) How easy is it the change the strings? Do you have to remove any hardware to do this? Will the bridge fall apart once the strings have been removed? Easy of battery access in basses with active electronics. All this practical stuff makes a difference especially at the lower end of the market a well designed bridge may be the only realistic difference between two basses.

By all means describe how the bass sounds but don't spend too many words on it. Put in a link to your web site where the sound clips are. These will tell you more than any number of words when it comes to what tones you can get out of a bass.

I not entirely convinced of the worth of reviewing very inexpensive/beginners instruments. When I bought my first bass, my decision was limited to what was in stock at the local music shops that I could afford. Reviews would have been pointless because the final decision came down to a cheap P-bass copy, a cheap J-bass copy or something old and weird second hand (can you guess what I ended up with?). However it might be worth doing a run down of the common cheap brands that only ever appear on eBay and which to avoid and which could be worth a punt, because for most of us there is no way to try without buying.

Personally I still haven't seen better reviews that those by Stephen Delft that appeared in International Musician in the 70s. The man had no worries about criticising instruments that deserved it where they cost £100 or over £1000.

Nice, but maybe the price is a little high for a second hand one when you consider that a brand new one made to your spec will be around the €6,600 mark?

Did you check that you'd installed both pickups the same way round? If you put one in the wrong way round then that would reverse the direction of the coil, so swapping the wires would sort it out.

Congratulations!

It's stunning music. If I lived in London rather than Nottingham, I'd would have been up for that like a flash.

I trust you'll be keeping us posted of gigs etc?

Thanks for that recommendation. Another CD added to my Amazon wish list

[quote name='Linus27' post='527611' date='Jun 29 2009, 12:10 PM']HEHEHE OMG, I am far too boring to like any of them. I think I have been well and truely sold the commecial product. If it does not look slightly like a Fender then I don't like it [/quote]

From experience I know that Fender-style bases simply don't suit me and place far too many restrictions on my playing style for me to ever consider having one. By the time I would have put right all the problems I see with a P- or J-style bass, it would have so little in common with the instrument it started out, that I might as well have something that's been design properly from the ground up to be different.

Also (not a criticism aimed at anyone - simply an observation) I find it fairly depressing that for many people claiming to produce original music their originality hasn't extended to their choice of instrument.

[quote name='Linus27' post='527505' date='Jun 29 2009, 10:38 AM']I've not heard of any of those basses [/quote]

You be needing to have a good read of [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5525"]this thread[/url] then!

You want unorthodox bass playing?

Take a listen to our very own [url="http://www.spoombung.co.uk/"]Spoombung[/url].

If I was going to expand my range of available basses, I'd be looking at the following:

Spalt Hybrid
Norton
Pagelli
Ritter Raptor
and probably another Gus (5-string fretless this time)

I wouldn't bother with an onboard pre-amp. Unless you're forever tweaking your sound as you play the tone controls on your amp should do a more then adequate job.

Probably just about any bridge from a reputable manufacturer will perform mechanically better than the one you have at the moment. Hi-mass bridges like the Badass will change the sound of your bass and it might not be in a way that you like. If the only problem is the poor construction go for a similar design but better made version.

Pickups - the quest for the right combination of bass and pickups can be never ending, and only you will know when you've got it right. I'd start by talking to either Wizard or bare Knuckles.

Whatever we do the total will be wrong.

When this thread first started I had 16 basses, I now have 27 including the Stagg EUB, but I can't be bothered to check through 20 pages of poststo see if I posted an update to my original figure.

Best really if we start again...

Active and passive is no real indication of output volume of a bass. My passive Gus G3 is louder than pretty much any active bass I have. I always use the active input on my amp unless the sound is weedy.

Personally if you're going to have 2 preset levels and not a single one with a gain control I'd like to see them labelled "Loud Basses" and "Quiet Basses" so there's no confusion.

Fantastic!

That's one of my must-try basses.

Is the fingerboard simply stainless steel, or something a bit more exotic like the Delta Metal that the Vigiers use?

Thanks for posting those photos.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='526376' date='Jun 27 2009, 11:04 PM']Yeah but you like guitars that look like passing space aliens sh*t them in through the music shop's chimney.

I'm not saying it's a bad finish, hard to tell what it really looks like in photos I bet. Just that it'd be easier to sell something more generic.[/quote]

And you say that like it's a bad thing ;-)

I've seen a Sandberg with this finish in the flesh and it was almost nice enough for me to put up with the fact that ultimately it's a F-style bass.

I must admit I quite fancied one until I'd tried both the Eastwood and the more authentic Bruce Johnson take on the Ampeg Scroll bass, which is a far superior instrument in every way and more than justifies the fact that it cost 4-5 times as much as the Eastwood version.

That's expensive. They're $699 in the US.

And they don't have much in common with the Ampeg they're based on except the shape.

If you're after a modern equivalent you'll be wanting one of [url="http://www.thebassgallery.com/brucejohnson.html"]these[/url]

A selection of Gus G3s and a Sei Fretless

um wait....

...but probably the reality of buying an inexpensive instrument made in the far-east these days.

IMO the finish is the nicest thing about that bass.

[quote name='Skywalker83' post='525689' date='Jun 27 2009, 06:56 AM']It's just the way he rolls. i buy the hardware i want and send it to him, he builds the bass and puts the hardware on.[/quote]

Not wanting to rain on your parade, but...

That strikes me as kind of lazy.

Any decent luthier should have contacts with the various hardware suppliers that firstly gives them a better deal in both cost and waiting times than you as an ordinary customer are able to get, and secondly should have a decent knowledge of the different types of bridges, machine heads etc so that they can make recommendations based on experience of what will both look good and perform properly and reliably.

If this was my build I'd be walking away right now.

The UK distributor for Schaller is [url="http://www.stentor-music.com/"]Stentor Music[/url] and according to the Schaller web site they now carry the full stock of products.