Dingus

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1388322563' post='2320703'] Post your funkiest funk toons here!!! Let's kick it off with a little bit of General Caine [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XrkjBr9ioM[/media] [/quote] I'm loving this track! Never heard of this guy before , but I will be playing along with this bassline at the first possible juncture. Big afro, squelchy synth bass[i] and[/i] a punchy slapped Alembic? Triple bonus! Why can't records be like this nowadays?

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1388327361' post='2320764'] And the re-sale value of a Wal (if it ever came to that!) is far higher than that of any custom bass. There have been several examples on here, over the last few years, of people trying sell basses that were their "perfect, ideal" bass. Made for them, to their specs. But then they decided they didn't actually like them as much as they thought they were going to. In some cases they sell for less than half of what they cost, even though they are virtually brand new. Of course, if you have money to burn, this may not bother you. But for those of us who have to think carefully before making major musical purchases, it is worth doing a lot of research first. [/quote] The market for Wal basses is indeed "buoyant" , as I believe is the appropriate term , and probably will be for the immediately foreseeable future. The same cannot be said, however, for most other exotic wood custom -made basses. They are very much marginalised in the marketplace in favour of Fender-inspired designs. I would venture that as far as original modern designs without a Leo Fender association, probably only Wal , Alembic, Fodera, USA -made Spectors and F Basses are still at the top of most bass players wish lists .

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1388256996' post='2320118'] I have been researching AC guitars as previously suggested...the Uber Recurve looks awesome. If Alan could change the headstock slightly (more of a paddle) then I really think this might be a winner! [/quote] The question I would be asking myself in your position is do I want to buy a high-quality custom bass , or do I want to buy a Wal? If what you really hanker for is a Wal then that is what you should at least aspire to, in my opinion . It's possible to spend a lot of money on a bass which is a "sensible" choice , but which still leaves you dissatisfied in terms of your heart's desire. It would in fact be more sensible to leave your options open for the future until you find something that you really do have no doubts about. I've said it before and I will say it again , but if you have to think so hard about whether you like a particular bass then you probably don't like it enough to want to buy it. At least wait until you find something you have an overwhelming attraction to and then investigate further if it is indeed suitable for you . Until then , you are better off sticking with whatever you have now. If Wal basses are so special to you then at least you know what you are aiming for, and like Mike says, the ones that Paul is building now are probably the most flawless there has ever been . At least you have the reassurance of knowing that if and when you order a Wal , you are getting the best possible example of something you are already very familiar with.

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1388320160' post='2320669'] Hello sir.... Who's your new Avatar? [/quote] Hello there, bad boy, it's none other than the beautiful , talented and oh-so aptly-named Abbi Titmuss.

Geezer does indeed occasionally play with a pick , apparently when a particular kind of tempo dictates the need to do so. "Neon Knights" is another example where he chugs along with a plectrum. .

If you want to be successful do you have to dress up? Yes, in most walks of life you do, in one way or another, but particulaly in show business. That is no great revelation. Do I believe that the reason that Francis Dunnery ( or Alan Holdsworth, for that matter) isn't more commercially successful is because he refuses to dress up? No , that is complete bollocks. Short of a miracle, regardless of whatever he does now, relatively few people will ever be interested in him or his music.

To contradict myself for a moment, and to play devil's advocate to some extent, if you are looking to add a bass to your collection that will compliment your Jazz Bass, a Stingray will provide more of a stark contrast and radical departure in terms of sound and feel than a Precision Bass. You can get at least some kind of approximation of the P Bass sound with a Jazz Bass by favouring the neck pickup to some extent or another, and the rich and complex midrange- emphasis of the overall tone is common to both Fender Basses. On the other hand, the only thing that sounds like a Musicman Stingray is a Stingray ( or close facsimile thereof) . If you want something radically different to your Jazz , the Stingray will give you that. What I would like to tell you to do is to buy a Stingray[i] and[/i] a Precision , then you really have got all the major food groups covered , but unfortunately last time I checked shops weren't giving them away free , or even at bargain prices. However, Stingrays do pop up on Basschat at very fair prices quite regularly ( as do the excellent post -2008 American Standard Precisions) - one went for not much over £500 recently, I think- so maybe you could buy both off Basschat and circumvent the need to make a big decision .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1388073843' post='2318301'] So do we conclude that if you want to stand out and be heard you will use a Stingray and if you want to sit in the mix you will use a P? [/quote] Yes, ... but not necessarily, no. A Precision Bass can be very prominent in the mix if you play it and E.Q it in the right way. Listen to Tim Bogart back in the 1970's , or John Entwistle, or Bruce Thomas with Elvis Costello, or a whole host of Precision -with-a-pick players like Andy Rourke with the Smiths, for just one example. Conversely, of all the basses I have ever owned , I think my my pre-EB Stingray was the hardest to get heard with, no matter how loud I made it, it always seemed to me anyway. A Stingray is very noticably scooped in the midrange frequencies , and that is to the detriment of the overall clarity in the mix. It's that peculiar frequency response that makes a Stingray so recognisable, but it's not really any more easily audible than a Precision, in my opinion. The reason I use a Reflex to get a Stingray-type sound nowadays is because it has more richness and support in the mids , whilst still being able to get that Stingray-like punch.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1388065627' post='2318220'] Stingray, for the following reasons: Paintwork Comfort Quality Control Available options Pickup placement for comfort with playing Tone (subjective I guess!) Versatility Truss rod wheel Style [/quote] I would have to take exception with all of these points except the one regarding quality control, Gareth.

Fender Precision . Despite its' reputation as[i] the[/i] quintessential simple and straightforward bass , the Precision has actually got a complex and versatile tone , and is capable of all kinds of variety. What does a Precision sound like? Is it James Jamerson on the old Motown records or is it Anthony Jackson with the O'Jays in the mid-1970's? Is it John Wetton with King Crimson , or is Rocco Prestia with T.O.P? The answer is it sounds like all of those, plus countless more examples besides. A Precision is a bass that allows you to impose various personalities upon it. A Stingray, by comparison, is far more of a specialised and stylised sound, in my opinion , and will only ever sound like a Stingray. Objectively, the Musicman Stingray is a pretty weird-sounding bass, compared to the midrange-focused sound of a Fender. That is no bad thing , because it's got some very usable and very distinctive tones that we all know and love , but the Precision edges it for me because of the sheer versatility in its' simplicity. I am a big fan of the Stingray, but if it's a straight choice, I would have to get a Precision in my arsenal first, every time.

I never knew Malcolm Cecil was British! I remember him working with Steve Hillage on his Motivation Radio album , and that TONTO machine featuring heavily.

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1387977150' post='2317670'] Tone was a bit of a knob. [/quote] Tone knob.

Another big Bobby Womack fan here. What a voice , what a guitarist what a songwriter! My own favourite era of his music is a bit earlier than these examples, between the late Sixties and mid-1970's when he was recording mainly with the Muscle Shoals musicians , but any Bobby Womack record immediately has my attention . He's written some great songs for other people, too, like" Love TKO "for Teddy Pendergrass. .

[quote name='Pentode' timestamp='1387830953' post='2316321'] Nah, his hair was always that colour! We were schoolmates and it was almost white when I knew him in Junior school. I think the first bass he picked up was the no-name pos I was playing when he was the drummer in our band when we were around 13 years old. Blimey, that was a long time ago.......!! [/quote] That pretty amazing that you were the man that introduced Nick to the world of bass! For what it's worth, I think Nick Beggs is one of the best British bass players of his generation , and I personally prefer his playing to some other more high-profile bassists ( Mark King) who get much more acclaim. I know he's a natural blonde , but I'm sure that in Kajagoogoo days and in the present he is getting a bit of "help" to be [i]that[/i] blonde .That's his prerogative of course, but the strain is starting to show. I saw Nick playing with Ellis , Beggs and Howard in the late 1980's and he had reverted to his natural colour and he was blonde but not bleached and he looked much better . On the subject of Ellis, Beggs and Howard, they were indeed as Apa says, a really good band and they should have had more success than they did.

I will be getting absolutely nothing for Xmas this year, and that is the way I like. I don't celebrate Christmas, and everybody who knows me well enough to buy me a present knows that. You should also be aware that I do , however, spend a bleedin' fortune on presents for other people, just in case you were thinking that this not celebrating the festive season is part of cynical and calculated plan to save money after having totted up that my outgoings were exceeding my incomings when it comes to gifts. Lots of people talk a good game when it comes to "I hate Christmas, what a load of bollocks ect..." , but I put my money where my mouth is ( kind of) and genuinely do not want any of it for myself. That doesn't mean that I want to spoil this annual highlight for anyone else , however, and my nephews in particular will be benefiting from my extraordinary generosity this year , despite the fact that have never met me. Anyhow, the kind of things I would want for Christmas are probably illegal , definitely immoral, and you can't wrap them up in anything except latex .

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1387812644' post='2316012'] lol He was flat sharing with Paul Gambaccini for a while too - but they were never in a relationship together. [url="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/ive-had-surgery-to-look-good-for-my-fans-969372"]http://www.dailyreco...-my-fans-969372[/url] [/quote] Flat- sharing with Paul Gambaccini? Hmmm...

[quote name='plumbob' timestamp='1387822785' post='2316152'] Not sure about the leather skirt , but Nick seems to be laying it down nicely here on a Stingray ! [media]http://youtu.be/Crn0TY7zztc[/media] [/quote] It takes a very special kind of man to carry off wearing a leather skirt in public.

[quote name='Huge Hands' timestamp='1387812086' post='2316003'] I have to say I have worked with Chris (Limahl) on several occasions around 10 years ago in a live sound capacity and found him to be very difficult in a "prima donna" kind of way - I know he certainly had a reputation for it. Just my individual experience of course! [/quote] Apparently a lot of the problems they had in the early days were to do with Limahl not wanting to perform in public. Too shy , apparently. I've got my coat on already and I am leaving with my head hung in shame ...

I remember seeing this documentary when it was first broadcast- must be nearly ten years ago- and were are still doing gigs as Kajagoogoo up to a couple of years ago, I think , , so they must have been getting on O.K , you would presume.

As someone who was around at the time and remembers those days vividly, the thing that strikes me nowadays about Kajagoogoo is that at the time they were derided as trashy throwaway music for teenage girls , as were many of their contemporaries such as Duran Duran and Culture Club, but history has shown that those bands were in fact highly accomplished musicians making music that would, in part at least, stand the test of time. Compared to most ( all) of the equivalent acts nowadays, a lot of mainstream pop acts from the early 1980's were incredibly competent players trying to create original music. In the meantime , the music industry has reverted to trying to wring every penny out of its'' most gullible and impressionable audience with the most cynically manufactured acts and artists imaginable , just like it started out doing in the 1950's . It's difficult to imagine a teen band coming along in the present day that could play their instruments and write songs with the kind of artistry that bands like Kajagoogoo obviously had. I think Nick Beggs is a superb bass player and I have always admired his playing, but his hair is in need of some serious conditioning. It looks like he is colouring ( possibly even bleaching) the living daylights out of it , and it will all end in tears if he doesn't get a deep-penetrating moisturising treatment ( I would recommend avocado and olive oil) in the very near future.

[quote name='cytania' timestamp='1387746767' post='2315216'] Wouldn't it be a bit cold to the touch... and the bout edges might cut in a bit… don't I sound all wussy :-) [/quote] Feeling cold to the touch was a major problem with the old Kramer and Travis Bean aluminium -necked basses back in the day. One of these basses would be an ideal choice for a funky Dalek.

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1387749273' post='2315268'] It would have to be Bonzo, Bozzio and don't know..maybe copeland! [/quote] Try and find a great drummer called Bozo, then you could have the complete set.

I've only got relatively small hands with short stubby fingers, but it has never really bothered me. Funnily enough , it seems to bother Mrs Dingus more than me. More than once she has wistfully commented on how she wishes she had gotten herself a man with big hands, I don't really know why though.

[quote name='adriansmith247' timestamp='1387438866' post='2311874'] Hi This is something that has always bugged me but I have never done anything about. I have a couple of basses and both are or seem to be neck heavy. When I let go the headstock drops. This leads me to grip or support the bass neck. What methods can I use to stop this happening other than change basses? Basses are a frettless Wilkes 4 string ebony board and a 1980s Squire Jazz fiesta red 4 string fretted. I play mostly double bass now so have got very used to not having to support the neck many thanks and happy Christmas to all Adrian [/quote] There are a number of reasons why a bass may tend to neck- dive , and so the solution depends on what is causing the problem . As Legion points out , on a Fender style bass , lightweight tuners usually work wonders in alleviating the problem , but on some other basses ( such as a Warwick Thumb) the problem is caused by the positioning if the strap buttons on the bass and the relative position in the top horn of the body shape rather than just the weight of the tuners . As a rule of thumb ( no pun intended) the closer towards the twelfth fret the top horn strap button is , the more chance there is of the bass balancing properly on a strap.

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1387654591' post='2314329'] Wow...it's great that people either care enough, or not so great that they are otherwise nosy enough, about you to go to that length. [/quote] Part of me would love to get back in touch with those people , but I have my suspicions the whole thing is part of an elaborate sting operation by the Child Support Agency or Operation Yewtree.