White Cloud

Well....I am just like you. I suddenly wanted one after 35yrs of playing and wanted to dip my toe. Bought a used Epi T-Bird IV (bolt on neck) from a member here and really, really dig it. It plays & sounds great. Honestly you cannot go wrong with these basses 2nd hand to scratch the itch. They are cheap as chips and on a comparable quality with Squiers.

Great basses...enjoy them!

My Lakland Darryl Jones jazz bass was a featherweight at just under 8lbs....awesome bass. Laklands vary greatly in their weight...get out there and try some.

I remember the impact Mark had when he burst onto the scene when I was a young bassist...he was shockingly good and launched a few thousand thumbs lol! Great bassist.

[quote name='ash' timestamp='1375813880' post='2166095'] Rutherford is a great player and one of the most famous users of Shergold basses - including a double neck Modulator 6 and 4 and a Marathon 6 - I love the way his bass lines punctuate the sound and toughen it up. Lovely stuff! [/quote] I rate Rutherford as one of the great rock bassists...but his name does not ever get a mention in this context. Much, much preferred his bass playing to his subsequent guitar work. Great bassist...average guitarist imho.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1375819495' post='2166200'] Thank you I know he saw Musical Box (Genesis Tribute) and said they were as good as the real thing and one of the best shows he'd been to. [/quote] I was a huge It bites fan back in the day...saw them on the "Once around the world tour" and met them afterwards...they were as tight as two coats of paint as a live band. I think it's fair to say that they were hugely influenced by early Genesis. Listen to "the battle of Epping Forest" from "Selling England by the pound"....you will hear the influence straight away.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1375810993' post='2166046'] I've never been into Genesis much, certainly very little familiarity with the music. I'm listening to Cinema Show now, and it feels like listening to It Bites, who I'm a huge fan of, and who I know were big into Genesis, especially Dunnery. I think you may have got me into Genesis and I shall download Seconds Out shortly. Cheers [/quote] Francis Dunnerys favourite Genesis recording is "Selling England by the pound" btw.

For me they are one of the finest prog rock bands ever...with Gabriel! Sorry, and I don't say this lightly....I absolutely detest the Collins era...especially after the genius that is Hackett walked out of the door. My favourite LP's - "Foxtrot" & "Selling England by the pound". Prog gold.

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1375709078' post='2164534'] Firstly in terms of instrument preference, for me the playability and feel is personal thing and these criteria are essential. A guitar that has a good tone but is a pig to play isn't viable. In my situation the guys i play with are quite experienced as musicians and one as a studio engineer so I will always be interested in their opinions, as they are in mine.So I guess when I invite comment from them regarding my tone, invariably it it will impact on my perceptions, but not to a degree where it would over ride my own personal choice. [/quote] This makes a lot of sense!

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1375720432' post='2164735'] Isn't that what life is like ? I thought about ordering one myself when they started making them again , but then the prices and the waiting times went up , and ,on balance , maybe some things are best left as a beautiful memory . They are still great basses , but I think playing one again myself would make me too nostalgic for those days . Always best to keep looking forward . That said , I still can't think of any bass at any price you can plug in and get a great sound with as easily as a Wal . [/quote] This is wisdom! You are on the money.

Both beautiful instruments...congrats! This is one of those things that crop up in every aspect of every day life. My question is...do you go with your own preference...or do you let the opinions of others impact upon your perceptions? Well what do you think??

[quote name='topcat3355' timestamp='1375640093' post='2163787'] Had this bass for years and have never found out what kind of wood it is made out of! Anyone know what it is? [/quote] To be honest, as a furniture maker...this is a minefield as wood identification in these circumstances is extremely difficult. My guess would be that the body is either a low grade Alder or maybe a Basswood....but it could be any of quite few different species. The neck is certainly Maple and the stripe could be any one of the myriad of relatively cheap, dark exotic hardwoods on the market (for example Yamaha use a Mahogany sub "Nato" on cheaper BB necks). Board will be Rosewood.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1375684441' post='2164109'] I'm surprised at how close the Road Worn matches up against the original jazzes and the CS stuff. I actually did a blind test with her indoors loading up the sounds and I could tell a distinct difference between the 60s jazzes and the 70s jazzes. I was shocked at the Fodera. I had that down as one of the cheap basses as I thought that the SX was the nicer sound out of the two. I also thought the Marcus Miller was the sound that I liked the least and spotted it a mile off! [/quote] I was shocked at the Fodera also - I thought it was one of the cheapo's as well! My personal favourite is the Musicman...by a distance.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1375646639' post='2163889'] I know Paul from back when Electric Wood were at Wycombe and he is a top bloke and an excellent craftsman , too . It's really not his style to be offhand in his responses to anybody , and I am sure any delays or oversights on his part are entirely due to the fact that he is essentially a one -man operation nowadays , probably with just about as much work as he can possibly handle , judging by his waiting times . Wals are indeed uniquel and wonderful basses,, and are still worth the money that they cost new nowadays when you compare them to other similaly-priced high-end bassses , most of which sound two-dimensional in comparison to a Wal [/quote] Nothing sounds like a Wal. I only ever mourn one bass that that I have sold/traded & it was my Wal. I was all set for a Sycamore faced MK1 just after Paul took over until fate intervened & I was left broke. Ah well, one day!

[quote name='Mokl' timestamp='1375632320' post='2163663'] Paul did an amazing job in refinishing my Mach 25 string a couple of years ago. He always responded quickly to my emails and answered his phone - and this was when he had just taken over and things at Electric Wood must have been chaos. It was bloody expensive though, but the results were stunning. From this: [url="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/mokl/media/IMG_3114.jpg.html"][/url] To this: [url="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/mokl/media/IMG_3435.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] WOW. Awesome job!

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1375624143' post='2163546'] If I managed to get hold of a bb424 would a willpower fit in it without modifying the body? [/quote] Dude...you can pick up used BS714's for £300. No routing, no further pup purchasing etc etc. Brilliant, aggressive P bass.

[quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1375627280' post='2163579'] For me, Signals was their last truly great album, and the beginning of the end. There were a few songs I liked on GUP, and the last tour has made me reassess some stuff from Hold Your Fire. Since then, meh. Counterparts was good, though. A real peak amid a lot of dross. [/quote] For me Rush hit their peak at Moving Pictures, Signals was great, GUP really good....then it was a slow & steady decline. Agree that Counterparts was a return to form and really dug what they tried to achieve with Power Windows...a very brave release! The new stuff is not for me at all. Their sound (to me) is akin to (current) Iron Maiden & a myriad of copy cat versions of several contemporary rock bands that they obviously admire. Each to their own though.

Congratulations! Parenthood is awesome in it's awesomeness. This is a great occaision to be marked by the purchase of the bass that you really want.........

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1375621612' post='2163512'] GUP is a great record. The balance of bass, guitar and keys is spot-on. It also captures the vibe of the era perfectly. [/quote] Totally agree. Classic Rush era!

[quote name='D-L-B' timestamp='1375620444' post='2163490'] How so? I simply put an honest reply, not a heated rant. I've heard far more interesting tones from Geddy than this one, that's all. Your questions might be easier to ignore if you were to title the topic appropriately. [/quote] Hey, thanks for the top tip. You have taught me a valuable lesson today and are the winner. Hope you feel better now my friend!

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1375609495' post='2163309'] ...here we go again? So my band are considering adding some sheehan related tunes to our repertoire and I'm thinking that I 'obviously' need to go bass shopping...the whole style is a sonic departure for me but am looking forward to the challenge... No way can I afford a sheehan sig but I'm looking for somethingg that will allow a similarly low action for the insane tapping and will also have a similarly aggressive sound, passive too I'm hoping...ideas? Pickup combinations? I'll be having a pedal board shuffle too to accomodate a different drive pedal, considering a sheehan ebs but happy to hear other options for this too...wet/dry mix essential, good tone shaping options etc... Am not going to sound 'exactly' like him but a close enough approximation for the average punter will do me fine Not really sure of budget yet so options will help to give me something to aim at [/quote] The Yamaha BS714 will exactly what you need. It ticks every single box. I acquired one a couple of months ago and I absolutely love it.....the neck pup is insanely hot, deep and dirty. I used to use an upgraded Tokai hardpuncher with a Kent Armstron pup added at the neck...it was decent but the BS 714 is better!

[quote name='D-L-B' timestamp='1375608739' post='2163297'] Totally agree. The amount of "tone chasing" on this forum is ridiculous. It just shows a lack of musical understanding, IMO. Even the original artist doesn't actually sound like what you're listening to. The tone on a recording is a concocted sound moulded out of what was captured on the day, often quite distinct from the raw sound actually captured. Listen to a band live and the tone can vary considerably from gig to gig depending on conditions. The music of Rush leaves me cold. They're like a joke band, I can't take them any more seriously than I would Spinal Tap. However that doesn't stop me admitting that I have occasionally admired Geddy's tone. This however is not one of those occasions. It sounds pretty bog standard and a bit thin to me, like a programmed bass sample. I believe I could approximate it, as well as anyone including even Geddy, on most of my basses with a pick and the tone rolled back. [/quote] Oh dear....here we go again, someone is having a bad day. Apologies for asking the question that seems to have upset you.....but you have the choice to simply ignore it.

[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1375613745' post='2163384'] Can someone tell me what song it is ? The link won't work for me [/quote] Distant early warning from grace under pressure. Sorry the link doesn't work my friend!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1375607054' post='2163265'] IME chasing someone else's tone is a fruitless exercise. And doubly so when you're listening to something on a studio recording where the sound is so much more than just the player instrument and the amp. Plus the thing that makes any instrument sound great is not the instrument on it's own but how it fits in with all the other sounds in the arrangement. Change any one of those other instruments and the chances are that you'll also have to change the tone of the instrument that you are so admiring in order to make it sound great in the mix again. [/quote] Not sure what exactly you mean by chasing that tone? If you mean "chasing his tone" by trying to understand how he did it then I disagree with you as I find it interesting, and it would make me happy to understand how he did it. if you mean "chasing his tone" in the context of trying to copy it then I totally agree with you. I sound like me...and it is, and always will be wholly disimilar to the tone in question