Dingus

I think Status can fit the neck for you if send your bass to them , presumably for a fee . My advice would be to get them or an experienced luthier to do it unless you are very handy with that kind of thing yourself.

I like Lakland basses too , but I have to be honest and tell you that if this is a German-made Warwick then it is a bit more valuable bass than a 44-01. Nice as all Lakland basses are , if you look at the dollar price price of a 4401 in the USA and compare it to the whopping £1949 current U.K retail price of the most basic model of your Warwick you will find quite a disparity . Lakland Skylines are nice basses , but your Warwick in terms of price range and overall sound and build quality is more in the range of U.S.A Lakland basses . I know there is some debate over whether the new Warwicks are as good as the old ones and are they overpriced ect , but all the new German Warwick basses I have played in the last few years have been fantastic -sounding top quality instruments built to a very high standard . I would like one myself but they are just a bit too expensive . That $$ sounds as good as any USA Lakland 44-94 , never mind a Skyline 4401. Edit : I' ve just had a look ; you can pick up a new 4401 in the USA for less than $800 . The Warwick Streamer $$ in the same shop is discounted to $2399 . You see my point ?

What a great sounding bass ! I would think twice about selling it , but I'm sure you must have your own reasons . Is that a fleece dressing gown from Primark ?

[quote name='MarkWJenkins' timestamp='1355308770' post='1896597'] When I first heard Steve Harris playing on one of my parents old Maiden records (cannot for the life of me remember which though!) when I was about 10 years old, I knew I wanted to play bass, it just resonated with me for some unknown reason (even though I had no clue what a bass guitar was at that time). After convincing my parents to buy me a bass for christmas not long after that moment, my journey began. Still don't like Precisions though for some reason haha! [/quote] You know you are getting old when people are talking about their [i][b]parents[/b] [/i]Iron Maiden records . I remember when Maiden records were what you played to [i]annoy [/i]your parents .

[quote name='bassatnight' timestamp='1355300323' post='1896439'] Owned a Dunn which was upgraded with active circuit and was lovely, really warm tones or nice 'n' snarly they compare very well with US Fender's. The US version of these basses surpasses Fenders in my opinion but has a price to match. [/quote] In my experience the quality of U.S Lakland basses is of a comparable standard to Masterbuilt Fender Custom Shop basses , and in comparison to the prices ( and wait time ) for one of those , U.S Laklands are pretty reasonably priced .

Watched it again on Youtube last night . Still gives me a funny feeling when I see Geddy Lee holding that Rickenbacker .

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1355246771' post='1895907'] dunno about reasonable return buy silver sparkle ANYTHING has to be good. [/quote] Have you thought about covering one of your existing basses in glitter , or wrapping it in tinfoil even ? It would look festive and might satisfy your craving for a silvery bass .

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' timestamp='1355245089' post='1895882'] It's not so much that I don't get enjoyment from good music on a lowly playback device, it's just that the music is further enhanced by playing it back on gear properly designed for the purpose. This is not 'audiophile' snobbery. It's the realisation that there is more to be heard than I thought. I can still get a kick out of hearing stuff I like on a single speaker portable FM radio, and it's good to be reminded of this every now and again. As Redstriper says, it's the music that matters. [/quote] I agree with you wholeheartedly . Once you've heard good audio systems you can't help but think what any recorded music you hear would sound like on that level of system , because the sound of a good systen can be a revelation and make music an even more sensual and enthralling experience . I only mean to say that if you are getting a respectable and enjoyable sound quality on your existing real world equipment - not neccesarily lowly - it can be a fruitless pursuit to follow someone elses abstract idea of what kind of a sound you should be enjoying .

What matters is how satisfying any particular system is for listening to music overall , regardless of the format . The old adage that "if it sounds good it is good " readily applies to hifi . You can get systems that on paper seem to break all the rules and go against conventional wisdom of what will sound good that in fact sound fine , and you can get systems made up of highly -rated award winning components that sound terrible because the synergy just isn't there . My point of reference is always a jukebox ; a classic jukebox has all kinds of distortions and uneveness in its sound and yet it makes records played on it sound great . I have heard , and owned , systems that had all the right bits in but just didn't sound good and have long since given up looking for the hifi nirvana of "hearing it like it was originally recorded " , probably because in reality no such thing exists . The system I have now is relatively modest by my own standards but it sounds good to me and if I bought better equipment I would , in reference to earlier " disagreements " on this thread , indeed have to move house to get the most out of them . If you look in magazines like HI Fi World they are full of ads by readers looking to sell quite often very expensive high quality audio components that they are dissatisfied or dissappointed with . If you have got a half decent sounding system of whatever format that you like and enjoy the sound of then my advice would be stick with it rather than go looking for prescribed ideas of perfection . I agree with Simon that mp3 can sounds surprisingly good with the right bits and pieces , and I would recommend anyone wishing to dip their foot in the water of computer-based audio have a look at the excellent and very affordable FIIO range of products . They seem to make something for every need and are well within most peoples beer money budget .

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1355175048' post='1895125'] I just find on a lot of basses with maple necks the E-string gets less and less dynamic and pronounced after the 5 fret and the 7 on the A and he 12 on the D. The Sandberg I have now is a lot better than both birdseye maple necked(also one piece) EBMMs, the Big Al I had was a lot better than all, and the SUB I had before that had a much fewer dead spots than the higher priced models I've had. very hit or miss. The Sandberg still has much better pronunciation across the frequencies though. BUT ANYWAY! The price! Even some Modulus basses haven't sold or have sold for much less than people seem to believe, but that is only some. They are in demand and fairly rare to come by secondhand, so you'd expect the right price tag regardless of bass or sale. That's where the right buyer situation comes into it. I'd buy one easy for the right price, but some one else? the price may not matter. [/quote] Regarding the secondhand prices of Modulus Flea basses , I think one of these would actually be quite a good investment in the sense that there will always be a market for them because of the Flea association , but the price is also undermined by the same factors that bring down secondhand Stingray prices , namely that there are , for an upmarket "designer " bass , quite a few in circulation because of Fleas enduring popularity . A great many of the Modulus Flea basses that you see for sale will have come to the UK via Ebay ect . and so the buyer has only paid the used price of the bass and is likely to be prepared to reflect that price in their asking price when they eventually sell it . Also similaly to the Stingray , the Modulus Flea bass has been around a long time now - it must be nearly 15 years - and so some of them were purchased at prices way below current retail prices , especially when the pound was buying two U.S dollars a few years ago . All of this makes current owners more disposed to sell them at reasonable prices . I would think these basses would be fairly easy to sell , but if you wanted to get top money for one it would have to a recent one in the right colour and spec - they offer quite a few options - and then I would be confident of getting a respectable return on it .

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1355175980' post='1895146'] The recent review of the latest DJ5 states that the pups aren't even in the correct Jazz place (60s or 70s) so that might be why Dave....or the 35 inch scale. Yours was a looker though. [/quote] The neck pickup on the DJ5 is deliberately placed very slightly closer to the bridge to aid clarity on the low B string when using that pickup soloed or in conjunction with the bridge pickup . Sadowsky do the same thing with some of their 5 strings .That might be where Lakland got the idea .

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1355175776' post='1895141'] If the right colour Modulus came up with the LP pup I'd buy it! [/quote] The existing stock Duncan/Basslines pickup is an exact reverse -engineered copy of the Lane Poor . You won't hear any difference ; Seymour Duncan knows a thing or two about making pickups .

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1355174201' post='1895107'] Lol Unfortunately I get the same thing for Lembit Opik! This is, of course, mostly annoying. Only time it's been of any use was at the Ace Cafe where the owner insisted I was Lembit (who use to champion bikers' rights) and gave me a beer on the house. I insisted I wasn't him and he said he 'understood' and thought I was examining the biker lifestyle 'under cover'. He said he'd respect my privacy and leave me alone but pointed me out to a few, fairly heavy, bikers who all gave me a little nod, lol. [/quote] Just hope you don't bump into that Sian Lloyd who Lembit chucked to run off with the Cheeky Girl . Things could get ugly !

[quote name='sshorepunk' timestamp='1355167073' post='1894956'] First impressions! What a great bass! Like molan, I prefer the slimmer jazz neck, but I like the blocks, needed a P bass sound for my band as well, plus I do like the sound, so not just for the band! Build quality is excellent, I was expecting a lighter ash body, but its certainly no light weight, which was a surprised when I pulled it out of the bag Sound is what I expected, this has fralins fitted, has more growl then what I expected after reading some of the earlier comments in this thread. I'm off work with man flu, so not played a lot and only have a tiny mark bass combo, need to get this going through my rig ASAP! it's a very playable bass, set up with a low action with no buzz, I'm gonna enjoy playing this! So where do you get the black pick guard from? The sparkly white is nice, but too bling for me! Lol Tony [/quote] Lakland get their pick guards from Jeanies Pickguards (http://home.comcast.net/~pickguards/) and they can supply a variety of replacements

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1355168599' post='1894988'] Lord yes, I first saw them when the album Piledriver was released, around the time of Paper Plane as a single. 1972 +/-. Queens Hotel in Westcliff - there was a vacant spot in front of the left hand PA stack that I stood in. Rob Young's harmonica did things to my ears from which they have never recovered! I saw them maybe 5 or 6 times in the next couple of years - the entire Kursaal in Southend was bouncing up and down - the floor, the seats, the balcony, everything. They were bloody good back then - a fresh new sound full of energy. [/quote] I would have loved to see Status Quo back in those days !

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1355164451' post='1894902'] Seeing some Status Quo related posts in the current 'Slade on the BBC' thread, has prompted me to start this. Surely it is about time that Quo-love was cool again. Headbanging to this at the Burway Rowing Club discos was one of the joys of my teenage years!; [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=IKe2OfXLxuc"]http://www.youtube.c...B&v=IKe2OfXLxuc[/url] [/quote] Down Down has to be one of the greatest singles of all time by a British band . People think of Status Quo as a bit of an institution and a bit of joke nowadays , and have done for a long time , but around the mid to late seventies they were a massive cult band in Britain . They were the choice band of kids from council estates wearing Doc Martens and denim jackets with hair past their collar and ready for a ruck at the school disco . Yobbos had better taste in music back then , I suppose . Who could be cooler than Status Quo ? I'm off down the off licence to get 10 Embassy Regal and a bottle of cider so I can enjoy this properly .

[quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1355163694' post='1894888'] Do you know if Moduluses (Moduli?) indeed have a more even note output than Stingrays, answering Flea's pet peeve? [/quote] Graphite -necked basses as a rule have a very noticeably more even note response than wooden necked basses . There is a technical reason for this , known as the "Q" factor , which refers the the frequencies at which the neck vibrates sympathetically with the note being played . Essentially , when the note and the neck vibrate at the same frequency the two matching vibrations cancel each other out causing the note to be noticeably quieter , or a "dead spot " as it is often referred to . Old Fenders are particulaly prone to this On a graphite neck the greater rigidity means that the neck vibrates at a far higher frequency , out of the range of the notes on the bass guitar and so all the notes ring out far more evenly than on a wooden necked bass . Indeed , the reason Leo Fender changed the shape of the headstock and came up with the 3+1 tuning peg arrangement when he designed the Stingray was to try and change the resonant frequency of the neck and get rid of what he percieved to be a dead spot at the fifth fret on the E string .

[quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1355160853' post='1894838'] Exactly my point. Although he didn't like using Stingrays in the studio, he used them live because he liked the tone. But when he found the Modulus he didn't need the Stingrays for live use either. [/quote] To me they sound very similar , so you can see why he made the switch : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyrKlS8qGD4 To my ears the Modulus is a little deeper and has that graphite clarity , but they definitely sound more similar than they do different .

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1355160316' post='1894822'] A Marcus Sig should add some value to a Marcus Sig series bass. However, he seems to have signed a lot of basses in his time so they a)won't be all that rare and b)may have questionable authenticity. The one that always gets me is the Noel Redding Signature bass - I've never seen one without his 'original' sig on! Funnily enough my Dad used to look a lot like Billy Bremner (footballer not guitarist) and was often pestered for his autograph. He got bored saying no and/or being insulted so he simply decided to sign as Billy and then say he didn't want to talk about football. No idea how many of his autographs are out there [/quote] My mum and dad were friends of Billy Bremner ( seriously ) . Or at least that's what they thought until now ...

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1355159531' post='1894807'] Been looking at this - is it worth picking up? Good insight? Just wondering - is an hour for each album, or with both combined? I'm a massive Rush fan, so am pretty tempted anyway...! [/quote] Pretty sure I have seen the whole thing on Youtube not so long ago . It's well worth seeing if your a fan ( I am ) , and I think the two albums are amalgamated into one documentary . Have a look on Youtube and make your mind up . It's all there .

The most beautiful Lakland I have ever seen : [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u_I3IV4660[/media] Sounds pretty good too !

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1355150082' post='1894624'] mind you don't they tend to use birdseye maple for the necks? which is softer and less appropriate than normal hard maple. But... I think this is a bit of a dead end... I've had basses with graphite rods and without - and you know what both worked ok. I agree with Dingus , a good fender and a good musicman will both be good basses. [/quote] Opinion is split on whether birds eye maple is less stable for guitar necks , as far as I know . I have encountered plenty of unstable non -figured maple in my time , so I wouldn't neccesarily use the amount of figure as a reliable indication of rigidity .

Let me just clarify , I am not suggesting that EBMM basses are not worthwhile instruments because of unstable necks - far from it , I play them myself and find them perfectly well made and very enjoyable basses all round - but I just want to make the point ( again ) that they aren't the last word in quality and durability compared to some other basses in a similar and slightly more expensive price range . I think if you get a good Fender ( emphasis on good ) then it will serve you just as well as EBMM and might even be a bit more robust in the long term . .

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1355136462' post='1894405'] The 10 years of using a Ray is more than many bands last to be fair although I can see where the graphite neck could come in for touring, on the flip side many many pro players with huge big shows manage just fine with ebmm basses so maybe flea is just a big girl! If I was a bass tech I'd be happy to see any bass with a wheel of fortune over anything else graphite rod or not, which brings it back to the neck construction idea being an issue when I'm sure other big names derived from mm use the same method, I'm thinking sadowsky and lakeland for a start, a few years ago the names to have in the pro scene? [/quote] Sadowsky use the wheel , but Lakland use a conventional truss rod nut . Just to expand upon the point about EBMM necks , I saw an interview with John Myung's bass tech on Youtube recently ( Premier Guitar Channel ) and he was explaining how he has to adjust the truss rod on Myungs Bongo basses during the course of a show as they move and affect his action just from the change in temperature and humidity during the gig.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1355134178' post='1894361'] Flea is one hell of a bassist (and encouraged me to try playing 90% with my fingers even in faster songs). I'd go as far to say he is probably MY biggest bass influence along with Matt Freeman from Rancid, (both players took the bass to the front of the mix and made it more interesting than the guitars). But, he still sounds better to me on Ray or the Modulus. Perhaps the Alembic. He sounds great on a Jazz because its Flea, but it doesn't sound as good, IMO. I've only tweaked one of my Ray necks (I currently have 5 Musicman basses) in the past 10 years or more if owning various types of them. It took 20 seconds to put it right. My ex Jazz took longer and it chewed up part of the scratch plate because its not as accessible as the Musicman wheel, (2009 Jazz, long gone!). [/quote] I find the modern Fender necks perfectly easy to adjust , no different to EBMM .