molan
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Everything posted by molan
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One interesting little observation I have about instrument retailers is that almost all of them are 'players'. A lot of them are relatively young, have been through years of learning at school, university or music academy type places After all this preparation for a career in 'music' they end up flogging guitars in a shop because there's either so few opportunities to earn money playing or they simply didn't have whatever it took to get into the band they really wanted. This can often result in a resentful workforce who look down on their customers. I'm not defending this attitude one bit, I've always thought that if you do any job you should try and do it to the best of your abilities, but it might explain some of the attitudinal issues from some music shop staff
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The US one you saw would cost about £600 in the UK and prices on used stuff are generally a little higher than in 2005 (this is a real generalisation of course). Something you paid £600 for then ought to have retained its value. I'd list at £620 to cover your costs and add £30 for UK shipping (this is really easy to organise). That way you don't lose any money and no-one will think your price is particularly 'unfair'
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TC Electronic is definately better than Markbass !!
molan replied to cliffyspliff's topic in Amps and Cabs
Worst live sound I've ever had was from a TC RH450 - absolute tone sucker for me Obviously that's purely subjective For me MarkBass is in a different league (plus their 500w heads are actually a real 500w rather than the 236w the TC450 has). -
[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1398019400' post='2429639'] No, I'm not! I thought the wait would be longer... I've set my sights on an Emperor 5 for my 30th (the missus promised to pay ;-)) so I'll be calling you! [/quote] They dropped to 11 months but demand & increased production has pushed the time up to about 13 months now. The Standards are a shorter wait time but some are limited editions so you never know exactly what the next batch will be. I'm loving my new Monarch - currently my favourite bass and it's even been out gigging with me
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[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1398018606' post='2429624'] That's good news for me too! I could put my Fodera in now for my 30th birthday present and they'll probably have it ready just in time :-) (and give me time to pay for it lol!) [/quote] You're 30 next June? I thought you looked younger
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[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1398011275' post='2429512'] I'm sure you're right about. Market domination by a few big players is probably not good news whether they are shops or online, but markets are dynamic and subject to constant change. There have been instances of large supermarkets moving into a town, pricing aggressively to drive out the competition, then creeping up their prices. But then that lets in new competitors and so it goes on. [/quote] I agree and I'm sure this has been happening in the UK for the last 3-4 years. From a personal perspective I think it's interesting that the three main custom build brands we represent have all seen demand for their products rise in the past year and each one has had to increase their lead times because demand has been outstripping supply
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Most MiMs I see these days are well made. Nice necks, good fretting, neck pockets are ok etc. etc. You get an odd one with slightly proud fret ends but that's about the worst I've seen recently. Some sound good straight out of the box but often a decent pickup upgrade can make a lot of difference. Sometimes you need to swap out the controls and jack socket as these can get scratchy but that's not a huge cost (especially if you're handy with a soldering iron).
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About half of all sales through the shop I work in are online and about half of these are international so we see quite a few different sides of the modern instrument retailing market. We get some people who absolutely refuse to buy without an extensive period of in-store trial (our longest is someone who drove to the store overnight, slept in the car park and stayed all day!) and others who buy online without asking a single question beforehand. In fact we sold a custom bass yesterday to a customer in Slovenia who didn't ask a single question about it. Conversely some online customers have mail trails that reach into the hundreds - one guy sent 54 emails in a day asking about multiple instruments and potential custom builds. We aim to treat in-store and online customers the same in terms of both service and pricing. I'm sure we're by no means perfect but we do the best we can. We definitely believe that service is important but realise we can't really charge much of a premium for it. It's interesting to watch the online pricing strategies of the really big retailers. I track a number of lines across two particular suppliers and the biggest of these has been quietly pushing prices up over the last 18 months. I'd initially thought some of his was currency fluctuation stuff but I've noticed that both € and £ prices have risen. I've discussed this with distributors and manufacturers and there's definitely a view that prices are quietly increasing on some key product lines. It seems that the bigger they get, and as their completion stutters and fails, the more they are able to dictate market prices. Unsurprisingly they seem to be using their dominance to increase their operating margins. It'll be interesting to see how things develop as traditional bricks and mortar businesses fail. Basses are, essentially, quite a niche market compared to those that have most obviously been a success online. If we end up with just a couple of really large online retail outlets I'd surmise that prices will rise rather than fall and that range of stock will reduce because profits will be easier to maximise from a limited stock holding. Might be good news for custom builders who compete on more than just price. . .
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Looks lovely -
I use this site regularly - whenever a potential customer asks me if the Diamond Comp is any good I always direct them here to get an independent view
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Given that you like to have somewhere to anchor your thumb (and were looking to fit a ramp on the Fodera to help in this regard) then you'd probably need a twin humbucker Ray. In general terms I always think MM's are well made but I don't get on with them to play. I've owned both regular Rays and Sterlings but none have kept me interested for more than a couple of weeks - I can never put my finger on exactly why but they just don't 'work' for me
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[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1397904392' post='2428420'] Those Carvin amps are a bargain ! [/quote] The B1000 is my new favourite. Really clean and powerful and has a 'killer' sub-bass control. This is at about 40hz and either allows a subtle low end boost if required or, which I think is more likely, it can reduce boominess in a difficult room. The B2000 is the same - only more so! Both only put out full power under 2 ohms but this is actually really useful. Means you can use a pair of 4 ohm cabs and get decent power from just one and then even more with a pair
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[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1397835504' post='2427804'] Barry, I am very grateful that your shop is 3 hours and 10 minutes away from me. Yes, I've checked. I have had my eye on that 61 CS Closet Classic for a couple of weeks and GAS of all kinds was not helped by spotting the Carvin BX 700 which looks an amazing piece of kit for the money. Again thanks everybody. Gig money burning a hole will one day be the death of me [/quote] The BX700 is really cool and crazy value for a genuine US made piece of kit. £430 for something made in California rather than China is really impressive. Phil has been over and seen the factory, everything is made in-house and not bought in partly assembled. 3 hours isn't that far. . .
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D'angelo, Pino Palladino, with the Soultronics.
molan replied to bubinga5's topic in General Discussion
My favourite playing from Pino is with D'Angelo -
Here's Alex's quote about pairing amps: [size=4][i]"[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]We've heard that Genz Benz is probably being killed off my Fender (who've owned it for some time). This is a shame because many of our customers use their amps with Barefaced cabs with great success. However, I hope that they resurrect the[/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]line successfully under new brand - though history does not bode well... On the plus side, I recently discovered that you can get Carvin amps in the UK now - their B1500 and B2000 (great preamp!) are ideal for getting HUGE SPL out of our cabs:[url="http://www.bassgear.co.uk/product-category/bass-amps-and-cabs/carvin-amps/"]http://www.bassgear.co.uk/product-category/bass-amps-and-cabs/carvin-amps/[/url]"[/font][/color][/i][/size] [size=4][color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]I should add that I work at the shop referenced here but the recommendation and link comes from Alex. [/font][/color][/size][color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]Since posting this the BX1500 has been discontinued (there's one left at a knock down price) and been replaced by the 1600 version. They've also introduced a B1000 which is very similar to the B2000 but in a smaller package, with less power (obviously) and lower weight.[/font][/color]
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The thing with Andy's basses is that, in my experience, they are all really nice. Everything works properly, action is good, no dodgy necks, crappy finishes etc. I always think anything he has for sale has a 'quality assured' warranty This is something you really can't say about most vintage dealers out there (again, purely from my personal experience).
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Fender USA P now on hold Oops - and now back up for sale
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I had some and they went black quit quickly and blistered my fingers too
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[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1397671720' post='2426363'] Link please Barrie? [/quote] Don't worry Silvia, it was only £150 extra off the, already heavily discounted, price - if you called we'd take £200 off!
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I used to have the Star shaped Traben Bootsy - such a fun bass and sounded really nice.
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[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1397681276' post='2426523'] Possibly so! Not really our issue to worry about. [/quote] It will be when you can't feed your GAS any more because there aren't any retail businesses left. . .
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Just found some more details on the US Fender P Pickup - this is direct from Fender themsleves: [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Pickup: American Standard Precision [/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Position: Rhythm (Toward Neck)[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Used On Models: American Standard Precision Bass [/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]American Deluxe Precision Bass [/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]California P-Bass Special [/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]American Standard Precision Left Handed[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Part Number: 0056004000[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Description: The P-Bass has been at the heart of popular music for five decades. This is the bass sound heard on countless popular recordings, live performances, and is the most recognized sound throughout the music world. The classic split pickup design is humbucking, and the pickups[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]are offset to produce the unique qualities of tone found only with the P-Bass. The Standard series P-Bass pickups maintain this tradition with a sound that is smooth and punchy, and the woody tone quality the P-Bass is known for.[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Wire: #42 Polysol[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Turns: 10,000[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Bobbin: Plastic[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Magnet: Alnico 5 Level[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Polarity: North[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]DC Resistance: 5.30 K - 5.90 K Ohms (10.5 K Ohms Both Coils)[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Inductance: 5.9 Henries (Both Coils)[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]DC Resistance: 5.30 K - 5.90 K Ohms (10.5 K Ohms Both Coils)[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Appearance Details: Classic Fender split coil humbucking design, Ainico 5 magnets, flush magnet array / non staggered, polysol magnet wire, vintage construction, plastic pickup covers. Changed from Fiber to Plastic bobbin in 1999[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]This info doesn't date it but I'd estimate it's a few years old - looks in great condition though.[/font][/color]
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Just for fun I slashed a hefty amount off the price of a lefty bass today to see if it might generate any interest
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Dr Duck's Ax Wax is brilliant. We use it in the shop to clean almost all guitars before they leave and we're still not through our first bottle after about 10 months! You have to use a really tiny amount to clean with then just wipe away. Works on most fretboards and cleans up frets nicely too http://www.ducksdeluxe.com/ddaxwax.html
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[quote name='mcarp555' timestamp='1397639281' post='2425843'] I agree with many of the comments above from builders and dealers - they are the ones stuck in the middle. Guitar companies make (as I've mentioned before) the one or two models (usually only in black). Every LH player sees them in every shop, and we don't want them. Many left-hand players refuse to ever buy another black instrument as long as they live. So there they sit, gathering dust. Dealer tells the manufacturer "It's not selling", manufacturer says, "See? They don't sell! Why should we make more?", and the circle continues. [/quote] This was absolutely not the case with our store - every one of our lefties was interesting in terms of colour or design and they still didn't sell and we still got grief for not offering enough choice. We have the potential to offer lefty models across several of our custom build ranges and, as mentioned earlier, we've had just one enquiry for a lefty build in the last three years and that didn't lead to a sale