Dingus

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1360612950' post='1973472'] I've had a few Skylines and liked them all, but I've still never actually played a US Lakland. I really should do something about that ... [/quote] The Skylines are very good , but the U.S - made basses are the real icing in the cake . There isn't a big difference in the final sound coming out of your amp between a Skyline and a U.S Lakland , but the feel and overalll build quality of the American - made basses is worth the extra money , and they can do you whatever size neck you want , 1.75 , 1.625 or 1.5 nut width .

The new Xotic XP basses look pretty nice to me , but in my experience the closest you can get to nice vintage Fender but better is the U.S.A Lakland Bob Glaub ( now called 44-64 ) .

I think it would be difficult to find tablature for this one , to be honest - it's a bit too obscure to modern audiences . I have seen the clip you mention and the chap does a superb job , and watching him play this song made me realise what an intricate part it is when you play it as accurately as he does .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1360589548' post='1972794'] But give me and 3 of my musically inclined friends virtually unlimited studio time in a state of the art facility. Give us a sympathetic producer and a team of engineers ready to pander to our every sonic whim. Feed us a diet of previously unheard music and the occasional mind-altering drugs, and then outside of the studio surround us with the cream of innovative artists spanning the whole spectrum of creative endeavour, and I'm sure that we could come up with a series of albums every bit as varied and interesting as anything the Beatles did. [/quote] What a fantastic example of hubris . In some ways I admire your unerring self - belief , because I think that you genuinely believe this .

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1360541929' post='1972211'] Are these the ones he also had waterproofed? If memory serves, he had them waterproofed as he used to sweat a lot whilst playing live - which isn't always desirable, pouring a pint of sweat into your active electronics. [/quote] I don't know if the Alembics were waterproofed , but I know some of his subsequent custom Spectors and definitely all of his Sadowskys were waterproofed .

[quote name='mckendrick' timestamp='1360527070' post='1971876'] I thought that was out of bounds...? [/quote] Only if your last name is Venky , or if your first two names are Steve Kean .

[quote name='cytania' timestamp='1360517333' post='1971598'] Not only are you dispelling all my illusions Dingus but Only Connect leaves me stumped... [/quote] I am sorry to have to dispel another illusion , but I am not really Victoria Coren . She may have many wonderful talents and great attributes , but give her a Fender Precision Bass and a truss rod tool and she would be completely out of her depth .

I seem to remember it was a stock Alembic Spoiler that Jason happened upon and liked , and so he subsequently got Alembic to make him some custom basses after that . Some of the custom jobs were based on the Spoiler and some were based on the Europa model , if I recall correctly . The standard Spoiler was one of the more affordable basses in the Alembic range at the time , and I think the custom models made for Jason Newstead had the more upmarket Alembic Series electronics packages installed in them .

This idea that vintage basses are lighter than when they came out of the factory has been around a long time , and was always spurious , and , at best , anecdotal and difficult to prove . It may well have its' origins in the era when Fender basses were on the whole getting to be on the heavy side and people began to take notice of how much lighter some of the older ones were by comparison . Heavy basses will still be heavy in the future , that is the bottom line ( no pun intended ) .

I think it's inevitable that there will be more popular music artists of great stature , but the fundamental thing that has changed is the public perception of those artists and the significance of that art form as a whole . Rock and pop music was once a vanguard of social change and cultural revolution , whereas nowadays it is just another commodity , the same as cornflakes or baked beans . The symbolic importance of being able to buy your CDs at the supermarket shouldn't be underestimated . Everything is a time and a place , and the wider context into which records were and are released greatly influences our perception of the music contained in these recordings .

I have never bought or sold a bass on Basschat , but back in the days when I had less money than I do now I bought and sold loads of used basses , mainly out of neccessity . Some I broke even on , some I lost money on , some I made a modest profit on . The crucial thing is to be[u] honest [/u]with people and let them make their mind up made up based on truthful and accurate information about what you are selling .Things have a market value , and if someone sells a bass under the market value because they need or want to realise the cash value of their asset ( i.e the bass ) quickly then it is not neccesarilly unscrupulous or immoral for the person who has bought the bass cheaply to try and get the full market value of the bass . I agree wholeheartedly that , I would sincerely hope at least , the spirit of Basschat is one of genuine enthusiasts who want to go out of their way to be fair and helpful to each other - that is certainly the way I would want to conduct any business of my own on here - but ultimately if people think a seller is being exploitative then , as others have said , no one is forcing anyone to buy from them .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1360445907' post='1970713'] Then there's the famous Bruce Dickinson, son of David Dickinson. See how I kept the antiques thing going? Eh? Eh? [/quote] David Dickinson - one of my role models , like Jack Bruce . That's some kind of connection , at least . ( In the sense that I want to be an immaculately dressed and slightly orange virtuoso bass guitarist , rather than that I want to be a Scottish antiques dealer ) .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1360445834' post='1970711'] Trying to think of a way to mention Robert the Bruce, but I can't. [/quote] I would like to work Bruce Forsyth into this somehow , but I'm just not that clever .

[quote name='Captain Codpiece' timestamp='1360444473' post='1970674'] Just read through thread, and i am gutted for you NURZE. all i can say like a few others have said, now is a great time to go and get a status graphite neck and be done with it, they even offer a phenowood option for the fingerboard if you want a wood look rather than the deep black of the plain phenolic boards. the necks are really a class above most wooden necks. [/quote] That's a very good idea . A Stingray with a graphite neck is an awesome prospect . The graphite neck will look fantastic on that black body , too .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1360445557' post='1970703'] Was it her dad, Ken Bruce? [/quote] No , Jack Bruce !

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1360444339' post='1970670'] It was a small votive bust of Fiona Bruce and it sold for £8.56. [/quote] ...mmmm ! Fiona Bruce ! I tried to show her something old and wrinkly when Antiques Roadshow came to town but instead of a proper valuation for insurance purposes all I ended up with was a Police Caution and a restraining order .

If you prefer a mucus - free finish on your Jazz Bass neck , the USA Lakland Joe Osborn necks are super fast with a fantastic worn -in feel and a very slender profile directly and very exactly copied from Joe's original 1960 Fender prototype .

[quote name='cytania' timestamp='1360428738' post='1970273'] Thanks for your responses Lozz and Dingus. Very interesting point about the hard surfaces making for the Fender sound. I had a vague notion of commissioning a Jazz from John Shuker with the modern aspects I like but I can see now that would be missing the point. Not seen much discussion of the Squier Deluxe Jazz here (which is what I was hoping to bump into at the NG&DC last week) does active electronics and a phenol board ruin the Fender vibe? [/quote] I've never played that particular bass , but active electronics won't neccesarilly spoil the sound of the bass , but it will change it a bit in terms of giving you some different tonal options compared to a passive Fender . You can add a bit of bass to fatten the sound when you use the bridge pickup , for example . I prefer a passive Fender - style bass myself , but the active "super - Jazz " style bass is very popular at the moment , and lots of boutique makers such as John Shuker offer deluxe Fender - style basses . How Fender- ish they sound varies greatly , depending on the design and specification of the individual bass . As to how the phenolic board on the Squier will effect the sound , it will probably sound a little bit more snappy and bright than a rosewood board , but that in itself is not neccesarilly a bad thing . Also bear in mind that that extra brightness will soon be covered up in the overall sound when you play the bass with other instruments in a band setting .

These basses look like a really good bet to me . A Fender Precision with a ( kind of ) Jazz Bass neck , a decent high output pickup and very good bridge . Not keen on the colour myself , but it would look much better with a vintage white scratchplate . Candy apple red with black just doesn't look good or vintage - correct to me . This could be a very useful bass for anybody , not just people with tattoos and beards .

Could I just point out that Zawinuls Cheesy Synths would be a great name for an indie band .

[quote name='cytania' timestamp='1360410536' post='1969901'] Actually the setup was pretty good. I don't like the hard paint on the bodies or the plastic pick guard, neither are very tactile, but I was struck by how the necks felt insubstantial. It's a feel thing, I'm not here to (ahem) knock Fender. But what makes for that feel? Mahogany on my bass, ash on the Fender clones... [/quote] If you are used to the sound and feel of a modern - style bass with active electronics and made of exotic woods then a Fender bass is bound to sound and feel a bit strange to you . Your own bass is likely to have a more slick , hi fi kind of a sound compared to the more gutteral grunt of a Fender , and that might take some gettting used to . The paint and laquer on a Fender bass does have some effect on the overall sound , but not neccesarilly in a negative way . Hard laquer is a more reflective surface , and gives a brighter and slightly "harder " sound as a result . As others have mentioned , there is [i]huge [/i]variation between models and individual examples of Fender bass , and setup can make all the difference . Some people never warm to Fender basses , and good luck to those people , but my experience is that a good Fender is the most useful and satisfying bass to own and the most enjoyable to play .

Vigier Excess . With a maple fongerboard .

There's plenty you can do to help yourself improve and to make a better job of playing the bass without a bass in your hands , but the final yard i.e the actual execution of the playing , is the bit that counts in the end . That's all I'm trying to say . For example , I started recording my practise sessions and listening back to them the next day and making mental notes of where I need to improve things when I get on my bass again that the evening , and I have found that has been very helpful to me making some improvements in certain areas . Preparation can help , but there is no substitute for playing .

The problem with practising in your head , although very worthwhile in certain ways , is that it only improves the parts of your playing that are in your head . To get your basslines out to the general public you need to translate any improvements in your understanding into your hands and onto your bass . Being able to recognise and visualise what you hear being played is a big step , but you have to practise with a bass in your hands to turn it into real improvement in your own playing .

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1360344518' post='1969102'] Stunning Playing from Nige, I didn't have him down as a Yes man! [/quote] +1 on that . Great choice of song , great sound and perfect execution . I am trying to teach myself how to use a pick at the moment - something that doesn't come easy to me after 30 odd years playing with fingers . Seeing Nige here , I've got a long , long way to go .