White Cloud

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1365508731' post='2040412'] April by Brand X (John Giblin)(anything by Brand X is loaded with great fretless playing but a lot of it is very stylised and impossible to recreate) Chris De Burgh's album 'The Getaway' has a load of great fretless lines (John Giblin again) Barbara Thompson's 1980 live recording with Dill Katz on bass Alphonso Johnson on 'This Must Be Love' of Phil Cillins' 'Face Value' Mark Egan's work on the Pat Metheny Group's first two LPS 'PMG' and 'American Garage' - in fact, anything with Mark Egan on will be worth a look. Jaco Pastorius on Metheny's 'Bright Size Life' Mick Karn with Japan (not to my taste but very influential) Gary Willis on the first two Tribal Tech LPs 'Spears' and 'Dr. Hee' [/quote] Sublime selection...could not agree more!

Why pay anything...there is a plethora of amazing teachers on youtube for free.

[quote name='jackers' timestamp='1365184537' post='2036577'] Hey all, I may have an audition with a metalcore band coming up, and if I get the spot I am going to need a 5 string as they play alot of stuff in B and drop A. I would being looking at used stuff only, as I don't have alot of cash to spare. My first obvious thought is an Ibanez SR505 as they are cheap and alot of people say good things about them, but I was wondering if there are any other options I should consider. Cheers [/quote] You have answered your own question right here...the Ibanez SR505 (or 605) is the correct answer. No Squier, or the Yamaha RBX is anywhere near as good. Simple.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1365327919' post='2037984'] My mate who is an excellent guitarist was a bit hopeless when playing my bass the other day. (Here's hoping he never reads this ) [/quote] Lol. Why would he be good on the bass though? Its a completely different instrument. The bass lays the foundation, provides the drive, impetus, groove....skilled bassists are often the quarterback of the band. Timing is key. I know great, highly skilled guitarists who have awful timing (including my guitarist). I consider the guitar to be a non-essential (rock and metal aside) instrument in a band. Bass is ALWAYS essential...unless we are talking about peruvian pan pipe music! Listen to Weather Reports "Heavy Weather" for a perfect illustration of this. One of the greatest recordings ....no guitar within a country mile.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1365263851' post='2037410'] I knew it wouldn't be long before a comment like this came along. Point of order though. Lakland don't make a "Precision". They make what they call a "P" bass, which is a shameless copy of a Fender. They should be brave and only make models of their own design. But they don't. There is no substitute for a Fender Precision. [/quote] Your opinion. Mine is that, unfortunately for Fender, there are other manufacturers out there who build their designs better than they do....so there are plenty of substitutes for Fender Precision's.

Funny thing is.....I always assume that guitarists are failed bassists!

Why settle for something mass produced...contact Jon Letts (Lettsbasses) and speak to him. He will be able to build you something special for that price to your own spec. If you really want to go down the mass produced road then the answer is simple....Lakland skyline Bob Glaub. Best pound for pound P bass on the market.

For me the best P basses were produced during the mid - late 60's. I have also owned some decent 70's models, however weight is an issue with many of those. The bottom line is that they are generally extremely inconsistent from any era. Have you considered Lakland? The Bob Glaub P bass is probably the most consistent P bass I have encountered....it is modeled on a 60's P and, to me, just feels right in every department.

[quote name='gub' timestamp='1365197442' post='2036758'] What's all the fuss with these east retros ? [/quote] They sound great!

I say do it. Despite never having played one I have a real soft spot for the T bird design...this could be a great, unique bass. A real head turner and ear catcher. If this is advice wrong then I don't want to be right

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1363296929' post='2011341'] As someone having done the same I couldn't disagree more. The bridge on the Squier is fine. Replacing the bridge would be like replacing a Honda steering wheel on a Cadillac steering wheel. You just don't have to. [/quote] Of course you don't have to, that comes down to personal choice. Leo Fenders bridge is basic, but does a decent job. I still do maintain however that fitting a high mass bridge is a mod well worth making in my experience. Lots of opinions on this post state that there is no sonic value to be gained by changing the stock F bridge to high mass design, but I totally disagree. I can clearly hear a discernible improvement in clarity and overtones...however I do have an exceptionally good "ear". I personally believe that both the Badass and Gotoh 201 are excellent replacements for the stock F bridge...each having their own distinct characteristics. I would argue that the Gotoh is better as it retails for a third of the price of the Leo Quan and sounds almost as good (with a slightly diminished high end).

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1364933275' post='2033010'] I expect you have a good reason for wanting to change the Badass , but I would think twice . If the Badass is fitted correctly and still works properly ( they can be prone to rust knackering the mini adjustment screws ) then it is a great bridge , especially on a Fender - style bass . [/quote] Very good advice!

Interesting topic this. I think you either have it or you don't when it comes to performing. I like to put on a show but my guitarist/lead vocalist has the stage presence of a wet cabbage. It used to infuriate me until, I realized after 140 gigs that its simply just not in him.

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1364915014' post='2032552'] I know Wals are great but I doubt one could transport me back and forth to work each day... [/quote] Yes that is true however you could order a Wal, buy a reasonable bicycle for under a grand....and get fit at the same time!

My own personal opinion on this is that I feel that cheaper, compromised models that cater for those on a limited budget shatter the desirability of high end instruments....almost like a negative placebo affect. I can understand the good intenton of companies like Overwater when providing those on a limited budget with the chance to purchase a good quality look/sound-alike basses - but for whatever reason it puts me off aspiring to he real deal. I was lucky enough to own a Wal custom (bought new on the never, never) back in the 80's. Traded it in for a Jaydee that sucked (thats another story) in one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Despite the fact that there is nothing mysterious about the woodworking/build quality nothing sounds like a Wal. Is £4000 really such a financial outlay for an outstanding instrument that will last a lifetime?? Really?? Most members of this forum have probably spent much more on bland, second hand, mass produced cars....including me!

Looks like a great instrument!

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing, love these basses.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1364564644' post='2028234'] Even though I have never owned one ( yet) , I think the Steinberger is up there with the Fender Precision and Fender Jazz Bass in terms of the beauty and functionality of its' design . And as I have mentioned in an earlier post , the Steinberger is the only bass I can think of that I have never owned that I still hanker for . Back in the 1980's when the Steinberger was current I opted for Wal basses ( along with Fenders and Musicman ) , which were fantastic in their own way and which I loved but I don't feel particulaly nostalgic to play them again nowadays despite the cache they ( quite rightly ) now seem to enjoy . I have got some very nice basses now , and have have had just about every other bass I wanted along the way , but the Steinberger will always be the one that got away . Something that strikes me listening to people playing these basses with the balance of hindsight is what a magnificent and individualistic tone they have got , quite unique at the time they came out . They seem to have such a wiry and strident tone , largely due to the graphite , and that is a great sound in itself - it's wrong to want or expect the same warmth or woodyness that you would get from a conventional wooden bass from one of these things , and that is a big part of their appeal to me and their strenghth as a design . All this is making me seriously think about looking into buying one again . [/quote] Funnily enough I opted for Wal and Musicman during the 80's too. The Steinberger low end is completely awesome, but I recall that the top end didn't have quite enough "twang" for me at the time. Wonderful basses though. I consider that the design surpasses anything Leo designed by a big margin.

I have been reflecting on this thread for a couple of days; I personally feel on balance that the XL2 is, for me, the greatest bass design of all time.

The Fender cannot do what the Warwick can do and vice versa. Personally I would take the Warwick all day every day as it is far more versatile....however the resale on the Fender is going to be much better.

I have had similar experiences. I bought a Lakland 44-01 some years ago and it turned up badly damaged. I would personally never use parcel2go again either after they completely messed me around last year. Couriers....bah humbug!

[quote name='sbrag' timestamp='1364114839' post='2021942'] Thanks. If this had been intentional to buy a bass I'd have called him wal (and money was no object). Thanks for the mtd advice. Anyone know what the tobias Toby basses are like? [/quote] I owned one....a 6 string flame maple model. Build quality and playability was excellent for the money but the elecs were a bit weak. Overall a very well designed bass nicely put together. Pimp it up with some good pups and elecs and it will punch way over its weight!

Absolutely great basses. Still uber cool in my book.....and a great sounding bottom end to boot!