molan

Quick view on Mackie stuff - if you but anything with electronics in it (power amp, powered cabs, mixer etc) and it breaks then you can head straight to the nearest tip with it. Mackie gear is notoriously difficult to repair, I know one amp tech who pretty much refuses to even consider working on them. A friend of mine had a powered mixer fail recently and the potential cost of repair was way more than it was worth. I realise this can be the case with a few brands but my amp tech says Mackie is one of the worst. Maybe they have proprietary electronics in them that aren't easily replaceable I have to add that putting PA behind the ban is asking for trouble in just about any venue. Even with mics that have a super tight pattern you're going to pick up whatever's being fired at them through those speakers. It's fairly simple logic really - the rear speakers must be louder than the unamplified voices going into your vocal mics. This mean that the vocal mics will undoubtedly be picking up other, potentially loud, noise from the PA = feedback loop. Keeping the volume low and/or tuning the hell out them with a set of graphics will help but then that's going to kill your headroom and/or the sound is going to get pretty nasty. I have used side-fills that fire across the stage at larger venues with some success but with a decent set of monitors (an area where modern tech has really improved quality) I don't think it's really necessary any more. As others have said, I'd try setting up in a more acoustically efficient manner and re-tuning the PA to take this into account before lashing out any more money.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1382542904' post='2253449'] I think the point was that a chunk of your money is going towards expensive NY rent and wages. [/quote] But there's only one place in the world that they're made. Does that mean they should move to the middle of nowhere to reduce pricing? Or maybe outsource to China? I don't think you can compare a mass market product that's available in multi-locations with corresponding multiple price points to a custom built bass guitar that's only available from one place. Maybe we should be trying to work out what is over-priced relative to geographical location costs and overheads. Gut feel is it's probably the bottom end of the market where the greatest over-pricing is happening on mass produced, machine made, instruments and not the top where the man hours per bass are huge because of the labour intensive construction and attention to detail that's involved

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1382570969' post='2253946'] Awesome mate! Thank you!! What's your page man? [/quote] It's the BassGear one [url="https://www.facebook.com/BassGearUK"]https://www.facebook.com/BassGearUK[/url] The post has been seen by 104 people already - doesn't mean they'll watch the vid but it's in their news feed so they might give it a try and/or pass it on. There's live tracking of number of people that see it. The 6,500 come from all over the world. Really interesting to see where outside of Uk. Over 2,000 in USA & 700 in Brazil (I didn't even know there were 700 bass players in Brazil!). London is biggest City followed by LA & then Sao Paulo. We'll often try to promote individual bassists or artists if they send us stuff. Reach tends to be lower than for simple things like a new bass that's arrived but we always feel it's worth supporting real musicians and having a go at getting the word out about new releases or live vids from recent gigs etc

FaceBooked it for you - over 6,500 'likes' to our page so should reach a few more people

[quote name='NJE' timestamp='1382569645' post='2253937'] Does anyone know how to get a copy of the album? I can't see a link on their website. [/quote] Although they had an album launch gig the actual release was help up and it hasn't been officially released yet. There was an initial pressing and a number were sold at that gig but nothing since then as far as I understand

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1382543458' post='2253464'] [sup][/sup] [sup]Mesa not keen on selling many then? [/sup] [/quote] Small company, not super equipped to deal with high demand surges. That's what it feels like to me anyway!

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1382539779' post='2253396'] I agree with everything said. Good people. Meticulous attention to detain. Fine instruments. High overhead. But that's the rub. I think this puts in in perspective. I was recently shopping for a sofa and found a nice on at a very trendy shop in an expensive part of town. Lots of personable attention with knowledgable salespeople. They served tea and crumpets while you peruse the store. The sofa cost 1200 quid. Then I went on line -- saw the same exact sofa (they even used the same picture). 400 quid. Moral of the story. I understand that privately businesses have higher overhead. I just don't want to one the one to pay for it. [/quote] I can't see how this has even the remotest connection to buying a custom built bass? You can't pop online and buy one for a third of the price. In fact I'm not even sure you can do that with any bass, whether it's a £10K Fodera or a £500 Fender?

Checked again on Monday and still no definite UK prices or confirmed delivery dates Vague hints they may be more than initially predicted. . .

I see the, not very well known, Mr Sheehan has made the cover of Bass Guitar Magazine this month

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1382453945' post='2252331'] Let me try again. Fodera's FEEL great -- very solid. But it's a bit of an illusion. One can make the comparison to a very EQ'd pre-amp. They may sound louder and sweeter but after a while you might start to hear a falseness to it. It's the same thing with the feel of a lot of these boutique basses. That "solidity " seems attractive for a while, but it can also be a bit stiff for some things. Fodera's also have a lot of sustain, but again, that isn't always preferable, yet at first it seems appealing. This is more the case with the more expensive neck-through basses. Oddly enough, Joey Fodera plays a bolt on. He says he prefers the sound. Funny how the guy who actually makes the specialty instruments prefers a less expensive version. As for the Fodera sound, they have a nice clean tone, but one that doesn't cut through a band or a recoding especially well. I think this is the reason they aren't embraced by a lot of recording artists. I always knew this but didn't want to fully accept it. After a while, I got tired of defending what was SUPPOSED to be a magnificent instrument. The one client who wasn't happy with the sound was simply representative of what I've been feeling. And the fact thjat it was totally unbiased confirmed what i've felt for a long time. Fodera's are a bit toneless. I don;t know if it's the combination of woods, or the design or the lack of finish. With 3 different pups, it was still weak and lacking in character. For me. [/quote] I think the 'for me' is the most significant part of this post. I couldn't disagree more with the rest of it. I gigged a Fodera for years in a soul functions band and it was possibly the best tone I've ever had in a band situation. Able to sit perfectly in the mix and bags of tonal variation that allowed me to cover dirty funk, classic soul and more modern pop with ease. I recently sold it to a top session player who covers mostly jazz, funk and Latin and it can handle those genres just as easily. Sure Foderas cost a lot of money but all these top session guys don't buy them because they look pretty or so they can show off down the dog and duck. They buy them because they have the potential to sound fantastic in the right hands

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1382454522' post='2252340'] And what is that finish? Oil? They are not poly or nitro or any kind of gloss lacquer. That's all I meant. . [/quote] It's a catalyzed acrylic lacquer. Each instrument receives between 10 and 15 coats of glossy finish. They are hand rubbed roughly every 3-4 coats or so. Once the finish is determined to be thick enough they do a final rub out with a succession of finer grade sand paper and pads culminating in a coat of wax that is applied with 0000 Steel Wool. They do not use any wood filler or grain sealer. I think this puts them a few leagues above a cheap thick coat of glossy poly that some people use to hide the wood and build quality

[quote name='Mike' timestamp='1382431210' post='2251933'] Fantastic! Must catch these guys at some point. [/quote] Couple of support gigs coming up (Shalamar at the O2 and Sheila E at The Bridge) but no headliners booked at the moment. Maybe sometihng looming in Paris I saw them play Rhythm Stick live at the beginning of the year - great gig!

I've just been playing a '61 & a '73 and there's definitely some tonal variation in there. I must admit that I tend to use them either wide open or completely closed and don't do much in between The '73 sounds killer wound right down and played aggressively!

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1382312077' post='2250602'] He definitely needs a double dose of Sun Ra. [/quote]

Sums it up for me http://youtu.be/ZBeC-LcLoP0

So today I've been playing an original series 1 MB121P back to back with the version II. The first thing I noticed is that the original combo feels a little lighter than the the newer one. There's not a lot between them and my scales are knackered so I couldn't weigh them but I could feel a difference and my, ever suffering, wife could as well. More interesting is that they sound different. The original version is all round darker and bassier with less of the bright top end of the new one. At identical settings it's also a shade louder. I don't know if this is simply that the older one has had more use and has mellowed a little or that the components have changed over the years. The old one hasn't been used a lot (although it does hold a world record for being used at a faster speed and a higher altitude than any other bass amp, lol) and has only ever been gigged twice. He volume difference is marginal and could just be calibration of the pots or maybe it seems a bit louder because it's bassier. I'm going to rehearse with the older one tomorrow night so that'll be a more representative test Apart from the lack of pre/post DI options mentioned above the original one doesn't have an output control for the line out. Other than that it appears, from the surface anyway, to be the same, albeit a different colour scheme.

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1382158382' post='2248754'] And Fodera's don't even come finished! It's bare wood, so it looks worn just a few months after purchase. The funny thing is, besides a few famous endorsees (who I assume get basses for free) it seems that the people buying these instruments are more hobbyists looking for that "dream instrument" than pros who need a solid workhorse. [/quote] Obviously a well informed post, I'm not sure it could actually be more incorrect. Foderas come with amazing, lovingly hand-crafted, finishes. The finish lasts for years without a blemish - I owned a 30 year old one that was near perfect and it had been played a lot. All Fodera endorsing artists pay for their instruments - and they have to get in the queue behind all regular customers as well. I have been recently involved in helping someone buy a new Fodera that costs over £10,000. He's a professional musician who makes his living from playing bass. He will only have one instrument and he wanted the very best he could get. He chose a Fodera and is working every hour he can (including a lot more teaching) to be able to afford it. I've personally sold four Foderas valued at over £5,000 each - every one of them to full time pro players who wanted something really special. Every one of them has kept them for a long time and still owns them. The guys who run Fodera are unpretentious, down to earth, hard-working (they all do long hours and in not great conditions) and universally really nice friendly people. They don't have lots of money and they aren't remotely flash. What they do is love their work with a passion I've rarely seen, strive to do the very best they can and look after each other and their employees. The level of professionalism they show is streets ahead of most custom builders, a truly inspiring business. . .

In general I find jazz just leaves me cold Especially the kind where there's solo, after solo, after solo, after solo, after solo. . . We went to see Gregory Porter at a jazz festival earlier this year and the support groups were full of great technical musicians that just bored me rigid. Completely lacking in any sort of soul or charisma. For me, that was the big downer. It just felt like they were playing for themselves and had zero interest in the audience. Gregory Porter came on and the whole place came to life

[quote name='MB1' timestamp='1382185709' post='2249022'] MB1. I've previously owned an Alembic SC signature and I'm having difficulty seeing any similarity whatsoever? [/quote] The listing says it's a copy of a Lowenhertz and not Stan's Alembic. I'm happy to say that it looks even less like a Lowenhertz than an Alembic! I played a Lowenhertz once, pretty crazy basses

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1382049826' post='2247421'] Trust me, most builders aren't in it for the money. If they wanted to make their fortune they'd take their skills to a real job with a regular income. (we're obviously not talking about the Foderas of this world here) [/quote] I've met the Fodera guys they definitely aren't in it for the money, lol. I really can't imagine any luthier is making a lot out of making instruments.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1382046710' post='2247363'] My understanding is that Fodera took on someone to specifically deal with the customer relations side of running the business. If that's correct, then the above shows very much that it is working. Of course not everyone can afford something like that as a small business... [/quote] Fodera do have someone who manages much of the customer facing business. However he does way, way more than just that. He oversees the complete 'front of house' operation, sorts all the logistics, selects most of the wood they purchase, keeps the staff happy, sorts out the healthcare (a major issue in the US!) and basically lets the two principal builders do what they do best - make basses This has meant their production times are shorter, builds are more controlled and output has increased significantly. [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1382047070' post='2247377'] If I were a small boutique bass maker, like fodera, or even small scale like Letts or something, I would team up with a local shop for each territory and let them do the customer facing side, they get a few instruments in stock for folk to try and so on. the public get to try your stuff, they're happy. the retailer gets a cut and a sale, they are happy, the builder gets to do less talking to the unwashed public - they are happy. [/quote] Fodera do both They have a local dealer in most of their major markets and also have an internal guy who works closely with the dealers and/or deals direct with the public in markets where they don't have dealer representation. He also looks after artist liaison - a much trickier job than many people imagine! Ritter now run a similar system with exclusive dealers outside of continental Europe (basically USA, Japan & UK). Both of them aim to set prices that are identical from their dealers to those they would sell at to direct customers.

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1382045162' post='2247317'] Buy yourself a boutique analogue fuzz, envelope filter and pitch shifter for the same money and have a hell of a lot more or, if you want the cheesy sounds, buy a synth [/quote] Or, buy a Deep Impact and swoon every time you hit the 'on' button