Dingus

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1359216655' post='1951749'] The Sabre has contours - my Classic Ray is about 9 and a half pounds and from what I've heard, they're fairly consistent - so I'm guessing the extra weight of the Sabre is down to the electronics/pick ups etc. [/quote] Just had a look - contours ! My mistake . Still heavy though . That sunburst one in the background looks nice . I remember seeing Mikey Craig in Culture Club playing a black /maple one of these back in the day . Always preferred them to Stingrays myself but I have never owned one .

A set neck is not in itself a bad thing - Fodera and Zon to name just two , are high - end bass makers who employ this technique on their premium instruments . The caveat is that it is a very tricky kind of neck join to get right and requires absolute precision or the bass will never play as it should . I wouldn't judge the blocky neck heel myself until I had tried one - it might not be that bad in reality . These PRS basses certainly sound pretty amazing to me : [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7rmewcrjE[/media]

[quote name='rodney72a' timestamp='1359166776' post='1951173'] They look great. 10.5 lbs according to website - another challenge to find a light-ish one. [/quote] Unfortunately , I think the slab - cut body on these Classics means that the average weight is on the heavy side . Such a shame , because they look otherwise stunning basses .

[quote name='roonjuice' timestamp='1359159803' post='1951120'] Hi Guys, I'm looking at my bass family to help me out if possible. I am looking to relocate my life from the UK to NYC (preferably but not exclusively!) I have been a pro audio engineer for nearly 15 years, covering most of Europe doing many many festivals and gigs and want to explore fresh horizons. I would really REALLY appreciate any help I get. Of course i can provide any references/C.V./Resume as required. Again thanks, Roon [/quote] Hi Roon , just to reiterate what everybody else has said about it being extremeley difficult to get a working visa for the U.S.A , but if you can find a way round that , and I wish you the best of luck , have you thought about contacting a few of the big Sound Reinforcement companies in the States with your C.V ? The first one that springs to mind is Clair Brothers , but I'm sure there must be a good few more that someone else might know of . They would be the kind of organisations that might have the neccesary clout to get you a work permit it they want you for your skills and experience . Clair Brothers have also got a U.K -based business amongst their many interests , , so that might help . Here's a link to their website . There should be all the relevant contact information for the U.S.A and Uk on there : http://clairglobal.com/locations/

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' timestamp='1359157519' post='1951085'] Not sure how anyone else feels about this but i much prefer to have most of the wood underneath my bass bridge replaced with batteries!!!! Wtf!! Design flaw!! [/quote] Several other bass designs have the battery compartment in the same place without much problem or detrimental effect - EBMM and Lakland spring to mind , but I'm sure there are lots more .

These look good to me . I seem to remember that the electronics are different to the original Sabre in that the switches now give the same coil options as the two pickup Stingray rather than doing whatever they used to do on the old Sabre ( can't remember what that was though ! Getting old .)

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1359145876' post='1950850'] God there's some miserable bastards on here. Can't people just enjoy themselves. Surely the initial point of Youtube was to share your own video's with people. It's not like everyone is trying to do their own Mona Lisa. [/quote] This too .

Great playing all round - looks like Keith Carlock on drums . Tim LeFebre must be seven foot tall ! I'm glad I don't have to feed him . Not mad about the song but it might grow on me .

I too am in love with this bass and would love to hear about its' progress . Last I heard , they had made some subtle improvements to the design since these prototypes were unveiled .

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1359138694' post='1950675'] Great intweview Lee is one of my favourite bass players [/quote] +1 on that . Love so many of the records that Lee has played on .

Information does seem to be in short supply about NAMM this year compared to other years . Don't know why though .

I've seen some excellent players on Youtube , but with certain notable exceptions ( Marlowe DK ) , they are not the ones listed in this article or indeed amongst the most watched or celebrated of Youtube bass players . Just echo what Doddy and Silddx have said , so many bass players seem completely devoid of originality even in their influences - Flea and Victor Wooten seem to have inspired a thousand mainly bad imitators and cliched funk is the [i]lingua franca [/i]of Youtube bass playing - that watching a few of these supposedly exemplary bass players can get very wearing after a time . That is not say the whole Youtube phenomena is all bad in this respect - I've also seen some fine players and learnt a few things from watching some of them - but as with most things , I am scheptical when it comes to the taste of the general listening public . As to why people do play along vids , I am sure it is for a couple of reasons . Firstly , younger aspiring players think they can show off their abilities and get themselves some exposure that might lead to oppotunities , and secondly older or less ambitiious players who think this will be an outlet for their currently under - utilised playing skills will at least they get to show the world what they can do .

I won't be anywhere in the vicinity , but I can personally confirm that Yorkshire is probably the best place in the country to drink a pint of beer ( all things considered , it's probably the best place in the country to live when I think about it ) . Both York and Leeds have got so many great pubs ( proving the haven't been closed down yet and replaced by themed bars ect ) and Tetleys , Sam Smiths , Theakstons , Timothy Taylors et al .

[quote name='Dr M' timestamp='1359130255' post='1950398'] There was a suggestion on TalkBass that the list price is going to be $2600 - $3000. Probably be looking at £2500 by the time they make it to this side of the pond. That's about normal for a PRS, I believe. And [i]well[/i] outside my price range. [/quote] I would think that the full U.K retail price on these would be in excess of £3000 , going by what PRS guitars sell for and the market these will be aimed at . £2500 would be a very good price for one of these . ( I hope you are right and I am wrong though ! )

Congratulations ! A great thing to have on your C.V for future gigs too . Enjoy it .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1359065703' post='1949490'] It was [i]compulsory[/i] at my school... but then I was educated at Cheltenham. [/quote] Makes sense . Private education is completely different ball game .

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1359064197' post='1949443'] I thought having sex with blokes would be more convincing proof [/quote] That kind of activity still carried the death penalty at the time , especially at my school .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1359064034' post='1949441'] Were they really, love? Were they..? [/quote] Yes , Claire , they were - and countless women have benefitted / suffered as a result .

I remember going to see Simple Minds in concert in about 1982 . It was great , and you could tell they were on the verge of big success . My friends at school who all liked Led Zeppelin , Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pink Floyd said that going to a Simple Minds gig was definite proof that I was gay . ( They were so wrong . )

I too would be surprised if the bridge is off centre on a recent EBMM bass . Everything is done on state of the art CNC machines precisely to avoid this kind of human error . I have never seen or heard of a misaligned bridge on an EBMM bass .

The thing that always struck me the most about that Lakland demo is how different that early pre -EBMM Musicman sounds to a current EBMM Stingray.

It's worth mentioning that the Warwick basses with this configuration - Streamer Jazzman ect .-sound very good too .

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1358992164' post='1948329'] I always thought this was a great video, but the Lakland tones just aren't quite 'there. The Jazz sound doesn't bite enough, the MM sound doesn't quite burp enough. The Precision sound? Well, who cares... A very versatile bass, no doubt, but not a tone monster in any sense. That said they fit nicely enough into any standard format mix. [/quote] I always thought the Fender Precision was the best sounding bass in the whole video ! Just shows you how much peoples' perceptions can differ . I know Ian Allison who made the video for Lakland felt that it would have been better to have a bass with a maple board , especially for the Stingray comparison , but overall I think they did a great job of showing how versatile these basses are . To be fair to Lakland , these basses are capable of far more sounds than the derivative ones demonstrated in the video .

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1358933038' post='1947132'] 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] I'm with you on this one - if I've got a bass in my hands then I'm happy . Every song I can think of has its' own challenges .

Playing repetitvie patterns is not neccesarliy a simple exercise : keeping everything properly in time and a consistant "pocket " can be just as much of a challenge as playing a lot of notes , more so in fact . Playing solid eighth notes and quarter notes is an absolutely essential skill for any bass player , and not as easy as some might think . Record yourself playing along to some AC/DC tracks and try and keep it as tight as Cliff Williams does - you may well find it's not easy at all .