Dingus

We seem to have this discussion quite regulaly , but I have to ask the question Gareth , if the price of EBMM basses has steadily increased over the last few years and yet the price of used basses has remained consistantly depressed , why would the price of new basses increasing further recently suddenly start making prices rise ? Why didn't that happen after all the previous price hikes ? What's different about the most recent one to make that situation change ? There is already some significant reason why prices are at a certain level , and whatever it is seems to be fairly impervious to increases in the price of new basses . I can remember twenty years ago the price of a decent used Stingray was between £500-£600, depending on age and condition ect. If they are currently going for between £650 and £800 for a very good example then that tells you something is keeping prices at a certain point . I would suggest that the simple fact is that there are so many used Stingrays available that you will never see the used value appreciate unless something dramatic happens to increase their desirability in relation to their supply. That isn't likely to happen . It affects me too as an EBMM owner myself, but we all have to face that fact that they might be great basses but none of us will be selling them anytime soon and retiring on the proceeds .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381689334' post='2242412'] [size=4]It must have weighed twenty pounds if it weighed an ounce.[/size] [/quote] The dry ice and lasers probably distracted the audience from his cries of orthapedic pain as he tried to make it through 28 minutes of Supper's Ready with that thing strapped on . After I win the next Election , one of my plans is to make young offenders wear one of those aluminium necked Kramer basses from the late 70's. It would be a lot more effective in slowing them down than an electronic tag .

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381688938' post='2242396'] Whenever Rutherford is mentioned I always remember him thus: Nostalgia isn't what it used to be, etc. [/quote] Some people are born to look right with a doubleneck guitar . Mike Rutherford is one of them . A public school education always helps with that , of course.

Just has look . He's selling a Wal and wants £7500 for it ! You would have to a big Bruce Foxton fan to pay that !

[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1381684105' post='2242275'] It's Take A Pebble from ELP's first album. Here's the "proper" version. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaYsgjn82GA[/media] [/quote] The Devil wears Bacofoil.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381687594' post='2242359'] That's interesting. My 76P has a definite mid-scoop atypical of the marque. Whether that's due to its one-piece maple neck I wouldn't like to say. [/quote] That is very unusual , I must say. You would usually expect a 76 P to be honking like a seal with a fish stuck in its' throat.

I seem to remember seeing loads of Genesis's equipment for sale somewhere ( might have been Ebay) in a similar fashion after they finally called it a day . It was really interesting to see the gear spanning the decades and recognising pieces you hadn't seen in years, like Mike Rutherfords Ibanez guitars from the late70's/ early 80's and all sorts of other bits and pieces. I think a lot of bands keep all their gear in storage when they aren't using it , and if they are never going to use it again then why not sell it rather than have to pay to store it ? Maybe there is a good reason why Bruce is having a clearout ( hopefully nothing unfortunate or sinister ).

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381681242' post='2242224'] Yes, I'd mostly agree with this. But would you be tempted in future should one appear for sale on here at a reasonable price? [/quote] I have so far resisted so many nice basses come up for sale on Basschat at very tempting prices that I am sure that one of these wouldn't force me to relinquish my doctrine of being happy with what I have got already. The thing is, to me a Fender is all about the complex midrange and focused sound that we all know and recognise. By contrast, these basses have got a much more scooped tone that I don't really associate wuth something that says Fender on the headstock . I have got a bit a psychologucal problem with this bass for that reason . I will , of course, reserve final judgement until if and when I get to play one ( and I like the look of the pickups and bridge on these Dimension basses, I must confess) , but as I always say , if you have to think twice about whether you want one then you probably don't.

Sounds like you are right and it was a Fender then , because his Lakland JO hasn't got a matching headstock.

When I first saw these , I was in two minds , but I've long since come to the conclusion that I would never buy one myself . Like Billy says , they are probaby really good in many respects , but I can't see what would recommend them over lots of other basses with their own very distinctive character . That Music Man-but -not -quite sound really reminds me of G&L basses , and if I wanted that I would buy a G&L .

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1381676788' post='2242140'] I really wish I'd had my strap with me when I tried it out, as I would have had a much clearer picture of whether it would be a problem for me. If Fender brought one out in those colours (white/black/maple) with a satin tinted neck, and added an active 2 band EQ, I think I'd have a really hard time passing it up. [/quote] You could easily change the finish on the back of the neck yourself, or get it refinished professionally at minimal cost.

Dave Bronze is a superb player , and he has also got just about the nicest old Precision Bass that I have ever seen . I think Eric Clapton gave him it and it used to belong to Keith Richards. I like Andy Fairweather Low, too , and would have have loved to see the show. Are you sure Dave was playing a Fender reissue and not his Lake Placid Blue Lakland Joe Osborn?

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1381527263' post='2240480'] How about this guy then? [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyUZh_Cbw6Q[/media] [/quote] This guy is so good and his performance and interpretation of the music is so brilliant that I wouldn't neccesarilly lump him in with any of the other examples of show pony bass playing cited so far. Victor Wooten is capable of this kind of virtuosity on the electric too , it has to be said, but, to me at least , there is just something more complete and more tasteful about Adam Ezra's playing on the upright. As I said earlier , I have nothing against Victor Wooten , but I just think he could use his formidable skills to better effect than I usually see him doing.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1381674508' post='2242090'] The same thing happened with me, except it was her bald pal filming. I looked everywhere for Kirsty Allsop but couldn't find her [/quote] Bummer .

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1381673880' post='2242074'] What a coincidence - she once filmed at the end of my friend Gareths road - maybe you know each other? Kirsty's lovely. [/quote] Could be- but then again , Kirsty spends a lot of time filming at the end of people's roads the length and breadth of Britain . I have been an avid fan of hers since since she exploded onto our screens in her leather skirt and black leather boots all those years ago now . When I saw her that day for a fleeting moment I thought destiny had brought us together , but she pretended not to notice me so I bought some courgettes and toilet rolls and went home again .

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1381673170' post='2242058'] Sound advice from Kirsty Allsopp there... [/quote] Some time ago, I went out shopping one day and Kirsty Allsop was at the end of my road filming . She looked very nice. Thanks for listening .

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1381672360' post='2242038'] I played it standing, with a cheap nylon strap [/quote] Ah , nylon strap . I like to try out basses with a nylon strap so I can tell if it is the bass that balances rather than the strap that is holding the bass in place . In that case , it might not neck dive on a strap with a bit of friction , [u]but [/u], it may well tug a bit . The root cause of this tendency towards diving on that bass is the shape of the body rather than the weight . If you look at the shape , the top horn doesn't extend as far far towards the twelth fret as it does on a traditional Fender , thus altering the balance point for the strap . Being severely neck dive-averse as I am, I wondered if that might be a problem with these basses as soon as I saw them . It looks like Fender have tried to come up with a new shape to avoid the accusation that all they have done is put a Music Man-inspired config on a Fender bass , but it from what you say sounds like gravity is working against them with the resultant body .

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1381667630' post='2241962'] It had the tiniest bit of neck dive as it's so light. But, nothing that a leather strap wouldn't solve. [/quote] This seems to be being mentioned a lot on Basschat recently . Neck dive whilst balanced on your knee when you play sitting down is inherent in Fender - style basses , regardless of the weight of the body . It's because of the relative balance point when the bass is cradled on your knee by the bottom bodycut . In many or even most cases, the same bass will balance much better when on a strap. I don't think heavy bassses balance any better than light ones , it just seems like they would when you play a light one that neck dives. ( Notice how I managed to completely avoid using the phrase "strap on " there , and thus avoiding the oh-so-hilarious posts that would inevitably follow . )

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1381592493' post='2241162'] Knocking a bit of wood with a hammer is not very scientific, that's true, but from my own experience pairing different necks with different bodies makes a big difference to the sound. A Geddy Lee bass, fitted with a baseball bat neck, won't sound like a Geddy Lee anymore (I know because I've done it).. [/quote] I wholeheartedly agree with you on this point. I'm sure the uber-skinny neck on the Geddy Lee has a lot to do with the rather nasal sound of that bass, for example . Neck fabrication and its' many variables has an effect on the sound of a bass in various ways , that is not in question as far as I am concerned. It's just that I am dubious that a builder can make an educated and informed decision on how he is going to influence the sound of a bass by tapping on the bits of wood . This banging on the wood and seeing how it rings goes all the way back to Leo Fender in his workshop, according to those who knew him , but who is to say that the judgements made on mating whatever neck to a particular body and the final results of those decisions were and are ever anything but pot luck in the end? The purpose of these videos is for Fender to encourage the idea that if you buy one of their Custom Shop instruments then you have not only paid for what you have got in your hands but also for the tapping and listening that went on when the body and neck were selected. I suppose some people will feel reassured by that.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381654265' post='2241735'] I was merely answering the OP's question. [/quote] My mistake. We are agreed then that the chap is singularly talking a load of bollocks .

Given the fact that I recently bought five brand new Fender basses and had to send four of them back because they were faulty before I eventually got one worth keeping , I would suggest to this chap that he would would do much better to use that mallet to tap on the heads of some of the dullards actually making their bleedin' guitars at the factory . Quartersawing is most cetainly not a load of old bollocks and a lot of the very best basses available have quartersawn necks, but whether you can "tune" the tone of an as yet unbuilt guitar by tapping on bits of wood...I am sceptical, to say the least. Paul Reed Smith taps bits of wood and listens to them in the same manner as this guy in the video but he, just like this chap at Fender, may well at best be clutching at straws or at worst trying to think of new ways to convince people that there has been some additional dark art worth paying for manufactured into his instruments.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381605752' post='2241403'] It's bollock. [/quote] Does that mean that it's almost bollocks but not quite?

Don't do it . Unless you are desperate for the money or you dislike the Warwick( doesn't sound like you do) then if you are a bass player it always makes good sense to have a decent fretted four string bass , even if you currently favour playing fretless. Think about what your requirements might be in the long term and it makes sense to keep the Streamer, especially a nice vintage one . Think about the cost and hassle of replacing it with something of equal quality if you ever regret parting with it, as you may well find you do. Put it away for a while if you must, but don't just sell it as part of acting out some romantic image of yourself devoting yourself to the fretless.

The bass I've been playing most lately is a Fender-style PJ with a quartersawn and graphite-reinforced Jazz Bass neck and it feels noticably more rigid in my hand than a slabsawn neck. I'm sure that stiffness must have some influence on the final sound of the bass because played acoustically the notes seem to vibrate differently to a regular Fender bass, although, going by what some other people have said, I whether that is preferable ultimately depends on what kind of a sound you like.

[quote name='SparkBird' timestamp='1381583898' post='2240967'] My experiences lead me to believe that its rigidity that counts , not whether its QS or FS , but yes Qs would normally be more rigid but , not necessarily ... What i mean by that is wood grows on trees and even within one plank there can be more or less rigid sections . 2 jazz basses, both mine so i know them, one 64 with a great rigid and straight neck and one 69/70 with a badly refretted neck which made it too flexible and left it a little bowed . The 69 bass lacked definition in the all important low and low mid frequencies . The 64 particularly well defined low and low mids tone . Swapped the necks over , the poorly defined tone followed the neck . Reshot the 69 fretboard and refretted it , now its nicely rigid with a vastly improved tone . So i'm not comparing two same spce QS and FS necks. Well ok but thats not that easy, the vast majority of bolt ons are FS , really i've hardly seen any QS boltons . Qs or part Qs necks are usually multi laminate . So if you took a thick enough plank of decent quality eg maple you could cut two necks from it, one QS and one FS . The QS might very well be more rigid than the FS , might not , nature is fickle like that. [/quote] May I ask, how does refretting a neck affect its' rigidity? Surely the rigidity of the actual wood is unchanged ? Am I missing something here ( quite possible) ?