molan

I must admit I'd normally think there's an over saturation of the expensive Fender clones but I think that an NYC Sadowsky is just about the easiest high end bass to sell on the used market so there's obviously lots of demand for them. It's a funny old market at times, Fender traditionally struggle to sell high end active basses but 'copies' of their core design fetch £3K new and can easily go over £2K used. I played an ESP CS bass once, very nice but I know the owner found it hard to sell for anything like what it cost new. Never heard of Atlansia before - they have some pretty crazy designs! http://www.atlansia.jp/BASS.NEW.HTML#P1 There's even a 1 string 'Solitaire' bass in here, lol

He was an American Idol winner (or at least a contestant) I seem to remember?

I'm not sure about cheaper brands but there are a few of the high end 'boutique' brands that have all been rising in value over recent years. Stuff like Fodera & Celinder etc have been on the up for a while. Alembic prices have really dipped but rarity and build quality should mean they'll rise again. Definitely a brand that could do with a modern 'name' player or three to start championing

I saw the amazing Francis Hylton tearing it up on a lovely looking Atelier Z bass last night and it started me wondering why we never see any of these for sale in the UK? I've never played one but it really sounded great in Francis' hands and reminded me of the very best of something like an NYC Sadowsky. Anyone here tried one? I also got to play a Moon recently as well and that was a great bass - again it really nailed that modern 'super-jazz' sound and feel. Although the odd one pops up on the used market, it's another brand you rarely see in the UK? Bacchus is the other one I can think of. I have a feeling they have some 'offshore' basses but their MIJ ones have a good rep. I guess it could be that people associate MIJ with a 'cheaper that MIA' Fender and think anything from Japan should be lower cost? Or maybe the simple cost of distance shipping and an expensive local workforce just makes them too expensive for anyone to import?

So - a year or more onwards and Francis is still the man. Went to see Incognito at the Jazz Cafe tonight and they were on absolutely top form - one of the best performances I've seen from them. Purely by chance I ended up about 3-4 people from the stage and right in the perfect sightline to watch everything Francis was playing, also getting a fair bit of stage sound from his MarkBass rig. Some absolutely amazing playing and so effortless as well. Top, top player

If I ever played on a stage and venue large enough to need one then I can't think of anything I'd rather have than an Ampeg 8x10. Meanwhile, back in the real world. . . Aguilar 12's do it for me. A pair of DB's with a Matching DB750 head or, for an amazing sounding lightweight solution the SL's with a Tone Hammer 500. Only others that come close are Bag Ends but they are generally a little too heavy for me these days

Off to see them at the Jazz Cafe in Camden tomorrow night

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1359069105' post='1949577'] It's so frustrating watching all the exciting updates coming from NAMM - I have a lot of colleagues / musicians I work with over there enjoying themselves and I cannae be there too! Nyaaaarghhhh!!!!! lol [/quote] If it's any consolation I hear it's raining

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1359068704' post='1949567'] Probably!! Though i bet if we opened a poll asking how many members would use this setup the majority would say no [/quote] Be interesting to open up the poll to studio engineers and producers though. . . Funnily enough I haven't had a studio owner, and senior producer, buy a set of La Bella flat wounds from me to go on his studio P Bass because 'nothing sounds better than that' for at least 10 hours (true story!).

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1359067605' post='1949548'] I guess that would make the best bass a Fender P *hides* [/quote] Interestingly every bass sounds good through a B15 and a vintage Fender P sounds pretty good through almost any amp. Does this make a vintage Fender P through a B15 the best combination ever?

The new Aggie pickups look interesting

1960's Ampeg B15N - the amp used on more amazing studio recordings than anything else?

Someone keeps posting an 'Eye of Horus' bass on US EBay at silly prices as well. It's obviously a scam posting but it keeps appearing!

[quote name='Mark_Bass' timestamp='1358886322' post='1946668'] Hola guys & gals, I've just come back from Bass Gear in Twyford, Berkshire where I've had the most wonderful shopping experience and I just wanted to pass on how happy I was with buying from the guys there. I brought a bass amp and their no pressured approach gave me enough time to to play and try different amps and also indulge in trying out some really pricey basses! All the guys are very knowledgeable, very enthusiastic and are happy to chat. A very friendly atmosphere [/quote] That's because everyone there actually enjoys their 'work' - it's amazing what a difference it can make if you genuinely enjoy going into the 'office'

I'm not sure I've ever been bored playing the bass part in any song - literally never! As others have said, often it's the simplest parts that are the most fun. Let's you sit back and really 'work' with the band and appreciate everything around you. In fact, employing this approach has actually lead to me not playing at all in certain parts of a song to change the feel - I really enjoy being able to do that, lol

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1358802788' post='1945430'] And the ex Dave Swift yamaha upright [/quote] Dave has a few things up for sale at the moment, lol. Bass Direct have a Lull (or maybe even two) and BassGear have a Chapman Stick, a Yamaha TRB6 and a Fender 50th Anniversary Jazz