Dingus

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1394494773' post='2392038'] You're the chap who likes tortoiseshell PGs on black basses aren't you [/quote] ...on Fender basses yes, on Yamaha basses [u]definitely[/u] not. Only a black plate would look right on these basses. If you don't like the look of this Yamaha then there really is no hope for you, Nigel. The taste bypass would appear to be irreversible.

I am a bit obsessed with the pop music made in this part of the World in the 1960's and '70's. Also , I used to live in a miserable flat with no television and spent many hours reading and rereading an old issue of Bass Player with Tommy Cogbill's obituary in it. I know it word for word. I also remember reading an interview many years ago with David Hood when he talked about coming to London to record with Primal Scream on their "Rocks" album, and having listened to their music presumed they wanted something contemporary and electronic and brought with him a Peavey midi- equipped bass synth controller outfit, only to find that, much to his surprise, they just wanted him to play bass like he used to on all those classic records, so he did the whole record with his Kubicki X Factor.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1394399150' post='2391064'] Wasn't he in The Memphis Boys at American? I don't know if he did that much work at Muscle Shoals? [/quote] He was indeed one of Chips Moman's crew in Memphis, but also worked in Nashville and Muscle Shoals , both on bass and guitar. Tommy Cogbill played bass on "Respect" and "Natural Woman" by Aretha, "Son Of A Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield and Elvis version of "Kentucky Rain " among many others, if I recall correctly. I seem to remember an hearing a radio interview with Rod Stewart many years ago where he talked about the culture shock of going to Muscle Shoals to record in the 1970's and the height of his partying days and finding out it was in a "dry county" , with highly prohibitive laws governing the sale of alcohol. Didn't seem to affect his performance though. He was still crap sober. Just kidding.

Imagine what it must be like for the drummer having Gary Husband watching him ever day !

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1394367414' post='2390668'] I realise there are specialists out there who manage a brand in the UK, but some distributors are basically just another bill to pay and a middleman. The store has to make profit, the distributor has to make profit, and the manufacturer has to obviously make profit. Some distributors will be brilliant, some will just store and sell. [/quote] [quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1394371973' post='2390735'] More than likely! I'd be interested in a Walkabout or Prodigy if they were a little more 'usually' priced (e.g. how a USA price would normally be reflected over here). [/quote] [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1394373155' post='2390751'] Yeah, let's pretend the 6000 miles and different tax regimes don't exist. [/quote] [quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1394386300' post='2390883'] Have you carefully looked at how much more Mesa gear is over here? I'm not alone in thinking this, and I've always spent a fortune on USA made gear (or gear from US companies that may be made elsewhere). It isn't all USA products (or any overseas product), its that [b]certain[/b] products have a dramatic difference in price compared to the US, and some don't. I for one do not splash out £1500-£2000 without thinking about it. [/quote] [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1394389250' post='2390921'] I bought a brand new 400+ in the late 90's so I know all about Mesa Boogie; the prices, the company and their products. They're handmade. Mine didn't come off a shelf, it was made to order. They are very good and they sell at their price point. Anything imported from the US is going to have an addition cost comprising transport, tax and currency exchange. They are what they are. Deal with it. [/quote] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Reluctant as I am to get involved in any rows, however bizarre and unnecessary in nature, I have to say that , expensive as they undoubtedly are, Mesa Boogie products are not [/font][/color][i]necessarily[/i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] grotesquely overpriced in the U.K , and even if the distribution were to change or be handled directly by Mesa themselves then it is highly unlikely that the retail price to the consumer would fall significantly. A change to direct distribution would most likely mean bigger profits for the manufacturer , not cheaper prices for the public.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Not least of all, Mesa would be undermining their hard-won prestige as a brand by lowering their prices. It makes no sense to diminish both your profit margins and your identity as an exclusive aspirational product. Goods are priced to markets rather than to what is objectively "fair", and there is no concrete proof that Mesa would sell significantly more product if they lowered the U.K price by ten or even twenty percent, and certainly not enough more to make up for the price reduction . Mesa will, quite justifiably, always try and extract the maximum price from any given market that they can, for obvious reasons.They are a legendary brand, and, conspicuously, they have, to the best of my knowledge at least, ,never compromised their prestige with offshore manufacturing to make a quick buck like so many of their rivals have done. They are one of the few brands that are still 100% made in the USA , and If you want to buy into a brand like that it will always cost you a bit more than their lesser rivals. Quality ( and the perception of quality) does cost.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]This is old ground, but it is folly to look at retail prices in the USA and directly compare them to the U.K then feel miffed . There are a number of things to consider when assessing relative value. Yes, you can get better value for money buying U.K- made equipment, but that is little consolation if you can't get what you really want buying domestic-made gear. The retail prices in America appear enticing compared to the U.K, but they have a culture of low taxation and high self-reliance, so the money you save on amps and basses you had better put by for a rainy day , your next medical bill or your elderly parents prescription charges.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Yes, you are paying more in the U.K in real terms than you would in USA, but that is the nature of imported goods, and then again, it's not as much difference as it may first appear if you make an informed literal translation of costs. Look at it this way: in terms of goods and services you can buy in the USA for a dollar practically what you can buy for a pound in the U.K, so a thousand dollars for an amp in America deprives the consumer of the same spending power as a thousand pounds does in the U.K . The exchange rate between sterling and the dollar is no indication of the relative purchasing power of the two currencies in their own respective countries. What some folks are [/font][/color][i]really[/i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] getting upset about is the higher standard of living in the USA, and that is a different issue, and bit too much of a disparity to expect Mesa Boogie to address.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Like I said already, I'm not taking sides in any rows or bashing anybodies opinion, but I just want to make the point that Mesa Boogie are one of music equipments "Rolls Royce" brands , and those kind of goods always tend to cost that bit more than equivalent goods from slightly lesser brands . Being able to charge more is part of the[/font][/color][i] raison d'etre [/i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]of such companies as Mesa Boogie. At the heart of their success, however, is the fact that they make bloody great amps. They are dear, but they are also that bit more appealing than most other brands. In the interest of balance, like I already said, you can get the best value for your money buying British, but that basically means Ashdown , Trace Elliot, and precious few others. Maybe Glockenklang would be the only European/ EC equivalent to Mesa Boogie?[/font][/color]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1394363466' post='2390608'] I've found there's a few amps that sound great in a store or home environment but don't quite cut it live. Personally I've found the Streamliner, some of the Shuttle range and TC Electronics suffer from this. All of them seem to suck the life out of a bass at volume with a live band. I think some of this is definitely a lack of mids in he core tone. At home I don't want the mids slapping me in the face and they can sound harsh and abrasive so a mid-cut seems to smooth things over and creates a smoother tone. However, get in front of a loud band and, for me, it's all about those mids. Getting them right makes so much difference to my personal enjoyment of live gigging and that's the reason I've moved GB and TC gear so quickly because I really didn't enjoy using them live [/quote] Exactly this. ^

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1394479485' post='2391787'] Thank you. I'm actually pregnant with horror at the thought of anything bad happening to my hernia repair job! I really don't want to go through that again - hence the micro amp option. [/quote] That's a relief, Mark. I don't think you would bear up well to the pain of childbirth. GK are always great -sounding amps to my ears.

I've tried a few GB amps, including the Streamliner, and I must confess I didn't like the sound of any of them one little bit. I found them artificial sounding with an unpleasant hardness to the sound. If you try EQing them for a warmer tone they just start to sound congested. I find the same problem with a lot of modern compact and lightweight amp designs. They are portable, but ultimately they sound like the compromise they are . They all seem to lack a natural euphonic warmth and try( and fail_) to compensate for that artificially. The best I have auditioned so far has been the Aguilar Tone Hammer. Lightweight cabs don't sound good to me either.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1394270147' post='2389682'] I know. But every time I carry my SL100, I can feel my innie becoming an outie. And not for the first time. [/quote] Is this your way of telling us you are pregnant ( again)? I'm confused, but congratulations anyway!

[quote name='squire5' timestamp='1394478582' post='2391766'] Thats nuthin! I thought the chap had injured his pendant 'gentlemans' area due to an inadvertent liason with a trolley. [/quote] Ouch!

[quote name='MB1' timestamp='1394473212' post='2391693'] 'Dingus' I just opened this thread expecting to read about the sad demise of some bass player I had never heard of called Sack Trolly... MB1. Sack Trolley? Was he not a member of Brian Perns Thotch ? [/quote] Yes, that's the fella , played a Rickenbacker.

Jazz Basses do indeed tend towards being slightly heavier for the reason that Warwick has just outlined. The offset body shape is actually quite big. If you have a shoulder problem then anything over nine pounds in weight is probably not a good proposition. Swamp ash does tend to be lighter, but not always so, and in every such instance and not just this bass, that also depends on someone's correct description of the bass as swamp ash in the first place . Always try and get an [u]accurate [/u]weight for the prospective bass before you buy. Nordstrand are top quality basses, and providing this one is in excellent condition then that price is probably fair, but by the same token you could pick up a bargain on Basschat for that kind of cash so you are in strong position with a lot of choice. You could get some more details about this bass, and keep your eye on what else is available, too.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1394477203' post='2391746'] I can only think gold strings might improve it...? [/quote] I wouldn't really notice that too much myself, but it is an easy fix. By the same token, that same bass with chrome hardwear would still probably look just as good, albeit in a slightly different way. Black hardwear would look wrong, though.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1394468556' post='2391635'] Gold on gold can work too: [/quote] That is indeed a very attractive looking bass on all kinds of levels , and not too "Liberace" in overall effect , despite the abundance of gold. I think that, crucially, the fact that the body is a darker, Vintage Gold probably makes all the difference in that respect . Very, very nice looking bass all round, and I have no doubt it sounds great, too.

I just opened this thread expecting to read about the sad demise of some bass player I had never heard of called Sack Trolly...

I'm sure all this will be academic soon enough, because that BB2024MX is so beautiful ( and such a great bass) I am pretty certain it will be sold and making some new owner very happy in the near future. A bass like that won't be hanging round for long.

I have sold a couple of items to Geoff recently- some strings and a cassette deck- and in both instances he was an absolute pleasure to deal with in every way. Based on my experience, you can deal with this man with complete confidence.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1394303000' post='2390136'] How come you know what a footballer's bathroom suite looks like..? [/quote] I have extensive experience of a wide variety of cleaning ladies from diverse backgrounds ... Black on black looks good in a late 1970/ early 1980's kind of fashion.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1394297994' post='2390044'] They both have a maple fingerboard... I think you're mistaking the brown colour of the strings and the candles as darkness of the 'board PS. It would be AWESOME if the maple board tasted like maple syrup!! [/quote] Yes, I see what you mean now, my mistake! Spongy and delicious maple sponge fingerboard . Mmm, cake.. Hang on a minute, where was my bass-shaped cake at my last birthday?

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1394294425' post='2389988'] That's the one! I find tort on black looks disgusting and I can't understand why so many people think it looks nice. [/quote] [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1394294685' post='2389994'] +1. Tort should only be used - if at all - on sunburst or olympic white [i]only[/i]. That is all. [/quote] I never cease to be amazed by some people's idea of good taste. The only one that looks completely wrong to me is the anodised gold ! It makes the bass look like a footballer's bathroom suite. The problem with white on black is that it looks like a tuxedo or a nun's habit, but it is still O.K in certain circumstances. . Tort on black looks great, but it has to be the right shade of tort, not red and not brown, but halfway between the two like vintage Fender nitro plates look after the passage of time . Tort on Fiesta Red, on the other hand, gives me heartburn just looking at it, and tort on Lake Placid Blue, as I saw one big name player sporting recently, is so hideous that I don't even really want to talk about it.

Wow! Seems a shame to eat that! Do you find much difference with the cake having a rosewood fingerboard whereas your bass is maple?

This is pretty Ricktastic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1tFQMjc-IE