Dingus

What a great way of selling the idea of getting a new bass to the wife ! All I need to do now is conceive and push the suggestion that we should call the baby " Alembic Series 2 " to Mrs Dingus . The more budget - priced MTD s basses are very well designed and good basses for the money . The U.S.A - made ones are some of the best basses money can buy , but are priced accordingly . Bass Direct are agents for both so ideally go there and try them , but failing that have a word with Mark who owns the shop . He's very friendly and helpful .

Pino's bass playing is , as always , peerless , but John Mayer's barnet looks like it needs some attention . I think he is being blinded by his fringe .

I think the are superb sounding basses with lots of great and very usable sounds , but £950 sounds a bit over the odds , especially for a well - used one . As WH says , you will be able to get a fresher one cheaper on here . Keep your options oipen would be my advice - you can get some fantastic bargains at the moment if you have got cash in your hand . It sounds like the one you have seen is an ash body .

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1363777903' post='2017335'] I'm interested in why so many players on here seem to be in covers bands. Is it because you enjoy it more than originals? Can find a good enough originals band? Doing it for the money? The challenge of having to be so versatile? You are in both originals and covers - why? The crowds are better than originals? Not meant in any way to be inflammatory, but I can't ever imagine wanting to be in a covers band. We do a few covers in a couple of bands, but they are vastly different to the originals, apart from Walking on the Moon which we did for fun once, and it wasn't that much fun anyway Another thing I find hard to understand is covers bands who chuck in a few originals into the set. What does that achieve? [/quote] Getting back to the o.p , I really , really enjoy playing covers and find myself enjoying it more and more as I do it . Like most people , I started out playing with the sole intention of playing original material but now that I am getting to an age where it is increasingly unlikely that any of the originals projects I am / was involved in will become a full - time gig then playing covers is a great way to still be involved in playing music in a professional or semi - professional way and to use my existing skills , develop new ones and just generally stay involved with music . Playing covers has lots of challenges - basically just to make the songs sound as good as I can in whatever way - and all playing experience is good experience .

[quote name='thumbo' timestamp='1363953543' post='2020015'] Interesting, I wonder what this could be down to? I'm surprised at the difference in tone between my DJ4 and DJ5, they've both got that mid-rangey jazz quality about them but they're entirely different beasts. The DJ5 with the Aeros has a much mellower sound to it compared to the in-yer-face quality of the Lakland brand pickups. [/quote] When Lakland / Hanson designed those pickups they listened very carefully to the Aeros and the Lindy Fralins they were already and tried to design a pickup that combined the best qualities of both . I think they did a great job , and I would be happy with Hanson pickups even though I love the Aeros and the Fralins .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1363903883' post='2019413'] [b][size=5]MEGASEXBASS IS INNOCENT!![/size][/b] [/quote] ...and sexy !

I like EBMM basses on the whole - I am one of their customers , so I must do - but if Basschat is so cowed by their empty threats as to censor and censure perfectly reasonable opinions and observations then that is deplorable . Better not to have Basschat than be bullied by people desperate to control what people say and think . Did we stand up to the Third Reich only to be intimidated by Ernie Ball Music Man . ? Not good enough I'm afraid . Tell them too sue and be damned , or openly admit to the fact that some companies and individuals frighten you so much that posters aren't allowed to express honest views about them .

Paul Jacksons Precision Bass tone and his overall feel on this clip is absolutely fantastic . What a player , and what a band . I love Herbie Hancock gettting down on the Fender Rhodes piano in particular .

[quote name='marcus bell' timestamp='1363885654' post='2018957'] I've got a Nate Mendel precision bass and its lovely plugged it into a mates amp and it sounded similar [/quote] A Precision Bass is usually my first choice nowadays when it comes to basses . Get a nice one like your Nate Medel - fast neck , great pickup , excellent bridge - and you are all set for a very enjoyable and satisfying sound .

The bass in those videos just sounds like a good Precision bass with roundwound strings on and some fairly conventional EQ to me - nothing out of the ordinary in terms of equipment or sound processing . The reason it sounds so good is because Huw Foster is a superb bass player . If you want to sound like him then get a decent Precision Bass and practise playing it .

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1363785297' post='2017546'] I'm assuming it's a Bob Glaub modded with the Sabbath inlays anyway - as I believe he was playing those before he got his signature model, might have different pickups / neck profile though. Love the fretboard wood on the NAMM one, just lovely. [/quote] The bass on display at the NAMM show is a prototype - Lakland and Geezer are working on some final revisions to the create the finished model at the moment , and hope to have the final version ready in time to be unveiled at this July's NAMM show in Nashville . I am not not sure in what way , but I think the bass has some differences to a standard Bob Glaub / 44-64 other than the cosmetic ones that are obvious in the photographs . This is the first signature model Geezer has ever agreed to , and he wants it to be perfect before he puts his name to it and recommends it to other players .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1363708642' post='2016300'] But they're not black - they are black and maple a completely different category. [/quote] Is a red bass red if the fingerboard and neck isn't stained red ? Yes it is . As I have already pointed out , what nominates the colour of a bass is [u]what colour the body is painted [/u] - that's what a black guitar is . If you have some kind of obsessive monochromatic fixation that is your own business , but to the rest of the world a bass with a black body and a maple board and / or a maple neck / headstock is [u]BLACK .[/u] Guitars are not usually painted all one colour - they look strange when they are .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1363645927' post='2015373'] Cars are not guitars. And why is it acceptable for the neck not to be painted the same colour as the body? IMO it looks horrible. Necks should match the body. [/quote] Because convention dictates . Cars are nor guitars , but nevertheless , the similarities apply - a guitar does not have to be monochromatic to be its' nominated colour . To my sensibilities and those of most people , you have got it the wrong way round ; when basses are painted all one colour they often look weird , except in notable exceptions .

[quote name='nelville' timestamp='1363640935' post='2015223'] Can someone confirm the scale length of a Hohner Jack? Are all headless designs the same scale length? [/quote] I think Status offer 32 inch scale on some of their headless models .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1363644863' post='2015354'] Maple neck, unless it's painted or stained = NOT BLACK. [/quote] It's a black bass with a maple neck . According to your reasoning no guitar is any colour unless you paint the fingerboard and neck the same colour . To all intents and purposes , if the body of a bass is painted black , that makes it black . That is what the colour refers to . If you see a car driving down the street and its outside paintwork is black but it has a cream trim and cream upholstery , you would still describe the car as black .

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1363639652' post='2015199'] I have to agree. Most of the clips were soulless. Give me Meshell every time. She plays from the heart. Sheehan is great but it's mostly technique. Many will no doubt disagree. Bona is never tasteless. . [/quote] Richard Bona is the real deal .

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1363635685' post='2015123'] Even players Hadrien Feraud and Jimmy Haslip seem to sound like they are doing exercises, ultrafast descending scale runs in fours and stuff like that seems prevalent in so much of what they play, the same little chords they use, they way they 'take it down' with the quiet little nippy notes, and so many of these players sound like that. All the new virtuoso chops jazz sounds much the same, same old progressions but nothing inspiring. And what's with all these daft effects they're using now, these comical dub step and auto wah sounds that seem so popular with so many virtuosos. I know I sound really prejudiced but I honestly think most of the new breed of virtuosos sound dull, boring, sparkless, and often the same as each other, all the old transcribed jazz trumpet runs on bass. [/quote] Great point . My sentiments entirely . So many of them are interchangable non - entities with no originality , wit or guile . As Shakespear famously described it , like a tale told by an idiot , full of sound and fury and signifying nothing . ( Myself , I wouldn't lump Haslip in with the newer guys , but that's your prerogative ) .

I think black can look classy and understated , and I certainly prefer it to natural wood on most basses , like Wals or F Basses or even Warwicks . Like I said before , it all depends which bass . Black is the utilitarian colour , but it can also look sleek and highly impressive . A black bass makes a statement just as much as any other colour .

If these are the kind of prices that Stingrays are going for nowadays then there is no doubt that prices have fallen in real terms because in my used bass buying and selling days I was buying and selling EBMM 'Rays for exactly that kind of money in my hand 20 + years ago when £500 - 600 would buy you a [i]lot[/i] more than nowadays .

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1363627006' post='2014957'] Well this poll is kind of inconclusive then...... although the vast majority have voted "Cool", I think that most of those have a vision of a black/maple p-bass in their head. Maybe I should have made it about my bass specifically! I suppose there's no doubting that black is a cool colour itself, I guess it's just that it does carry a "Metal" stigma with it as far as guitars go, plus it can have a tendency to make a bass look more "budget" than "premium". I think my black one looks okay, but a little dull I guess. The other factor is that I've had an itch for a cherry sunburst/maple/black hardware version for some time...... Maybe I'm just looking for some justification to sell the black one and order that! Thanks for all your replies so far! [/quote] Cherry sunburst reminds me of egg yolk surrounded by tomato ketchup and has a tendency to look a bit Cheesy Wotsit / Judith Chalmers orange under stage lights . At least black always looks black .

Some basses look great in black , some less so . A lot also depends on the fingerboard wood and the colour of the sratchplate as well . It's not just black basses though - different basses look good / better in some colours than others . I wouldn't want a Steinberger XL2 in anything except black , but by the same token I wouldn't want a black Lakland Holowbody , for example . We all have our own prejudices - I would never consider buying a blue or green bass of any description , but red and white are fine in most cases . That said , I am frequently amazed by the colour combinations some people gravitate towards on Basschat in contrast to my my own exquisite and impeccable taste . I like a lots of basses in black because I am a very serious man , or as some people would describe it , a miserable bastard . Black will always be cool because it is such a rock and roll colour and it can signify or suggest so many things : it can be associated with heavy metal , as it can be punk and /or goth , that is true , but far more significantly , it is resonant of the Bauhaus ( that's the university in Germany , [u][i]not[/i][/u] the band !) school of design whose adopted philosophy of " form follows function " recognised the power of the colour black for manipulating space , shape and volume towards a pleasing aesthetic and functional outcome . These ideas and others closely associated with them have influenced much of Twentieth century popular culture , not least of all popular music ( just ask David Bowie - he based his career on them ) and hence the residual and enduring appeal of black as [i]the [/i]rock and roll colour .

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1363550072' post='2014031'] I've always worried that they might eat my frets, used nickel elites for years though, i like them. [/quote] I like the nickel ones too , and they still seem fine and excellent value for money .

[quote name='stinson' timestamp='1363549370' post='2014016'] I've had a couple of standard sets recently and they seem fine, still plenty of life after about 4 months. I do like them when they settle down a bit though. [/quote] Maybe it's me - maybe I'm sweating more than I did in the 1990s !

[quote name='Moos3h' timestamp='1363548936' post='2014010'] Hmmm, this is interesting - I was thinking about getting a set for my new 'ray. I used to use these as they were the brand my dad settled on, however I remember them tearing my fingers apart compared to the Nickel 'Legacy' strings I use at the moment. [/quote] [quote name='Moos3h' timestamp='1363548936' post='2014010'] Hmmm, this is interesting - I was thinking about getting a set for my new 'ray. I used to use these as they were the brand my dad settled on, however I remember them tearing my fingers apart compared to the Nickel 'Legacy' strings I use at the moment. [/quote] I've also got some of the Players series nickel Elites and they seem just the same as they ever were e.g pretty good for the money , and they feel a bit smoother under the fingers , like most nickel strings tend to compared to stainless steel , so maybe you could look at a set of them .

Great stuff from back before fusion turned into muzak . As well as the music , I am especially digging some of those hairstyles and men's fashions .