Dingus

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1369762026' post='2092471'] With the Metro's now being rather expensive, and out of sight for the market they were (IMO) aimed at, (eg a slightly more boutique and well built Fender but not NYC) I'd get an NYC made and sent direct to me, without a dealer. Metro prices now are extreme, but then again a lot of manufacturers are raising prices to rather crazy levels. [/quote] Unfortunately , I think you will find that the exchange rate is working against you at the moment , Gareth . The overall rate is at about $1.50 to the pound at the moment , but you will struggle to get above 1.45 if you are actually trying to change your money and send it to Sadowsky . As a quick thumbnail calculation , that rate translates to ( very approximately ) £3450 - 3500 delivered to the U.K price for the most basic spec four string Sadowsky , with the price increasing incrementally as you add various options or if you want a five . string . If you want a few extras and / or a five string , an NYC Sadowsky is going to set you back about four grand at the moment . Does that tally with what you had been expecting an NYC bass to cost in the U.K ?

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1369746210' post='2092217'] Well written , i totally agree. my NYC M5 24 looks abit like a jazz but sounds and feels quite different from any Fender that i have played. (not a bad thing) It is hard to put into words but the Sadowsky's are very precise , punchy & modern sounding. [/quote] I've played an NYC Modern 5 the same as yours , Chris , and it is , without exception , the best five string bass I have ever had my hands on , and that includes much more expensive ones like full - spec Foderas , ect . It's one of the few fives where the low B actually sounds and feels like the other four strings but one lower , if you you see what I mean . I know Roger designed that bass to give a more modern sound ( hence the name ) on a familiar - feeling Fender - style body shape , and he put a lot of work into the pickup placement to get the best overall balance for the B string , and whatever he did really works , as I'm sure you would agree . Even though it's modern - sounding , there is still a lot more guts to the overall tone than a lot of boutique - style basses ( something that's true of all Sadowsky's ) and you could just as happily play one in a heavy metal band as you could a jazz funk outfit .

Just to add another two penneth worth , regardless of whether you get an NYC or a Metro , a Sadowsky is a bass with a unique sound and character , and it won't neccesarilly substitute for a Fender , despite looking like one . Yes , they have got lots in common in terms of sound and feel , but in my experience the Sadowsky ( like a lot of other super high quality Fender - inspired designs ) has got a sheen to it that always feels quite a bit different to the grit and grind you get from a Fender . Sadowskys are effortless to play , but Roger favours a little bit of fallaway at the top of the necks on his basses , and that always makes them feel very unlike Fenders to me , and in terms of sound , they tend to be a bit more modern - sounding with a lot more focus than a straight Fender bass without a preamp . None of these things are negatives by any means - they are amazingly good basses - but if you haven't played one , don't assume they are a direct Fender - clone .

If it has got the original Lane Poor pickup it is worth more to some people . A new one of these will set you back around £2000 - 2300 with a case , depending on the finish and overall spec you go for , so that is one starting point for prices of used ones . However , due to the enduring popularity of Flea ect , a relatively large number of the basses are in circulation on the U.K and European used market , a lot of which were bought from U.S ebay and retailers in the States when the pound was trading very favourably with the dollar , and so folks bought them fairly cheap and often sell them on at pretty reasonable prices . Try doing a search in the Basses For Sale section on Basschat and get an idea of what people have been asking and getting for them and take it from there . If you ask a price on the higher side , people can only say no and you could always lower the price at a later date if you didn't get any interest . As with any bass sale , a lot depends on how quickly you want to sell it .

Pschocandy will no doubt be along shortly to give you the benefit of his experience with both , but I can vouch for the fact the NYC Sadowsky's are one of the few expensive basses that are really worth the money . If you can afford an NYC , I doubt you would regret buying one , especially in the long- term .

There is at least one person on here who knows Steve Harris in some way , because I remember someone mentioning it on the thread a few months ago about Steve's house that was on the market . I expect if Steve Harris knew about this situation he would want to help in some way . As Billy says , your best bet is contacting Maiden's management .

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1369581598' post='2090567'] There was a post a few pages back saying that as long as it's not for sale it's OK [/quote] O.K , thanks , I must have missed that . I only mean to say that I had wondered more than once why no one seems to make boutique versions of Rickenbackers made "properly " , like Sadowsky and Lakland and many others make their own interpretations of Fender and Musicman basses . If this fellow at Rickenbacker is pusuing such an agressive policy on copyright then that might explain it . I can only remember seeing a couple of examples , miost notably this rather beautiful French creation made by Paul Lairat : Also of note is this bass ( and something tells me BRX might like this one ) built by German luthier Frank M Weber : This unique [url="http://www.ebay.fr/itm/160985740104"]FMW bass[/url] by Berlin luthier [b]Frank M. Weber[/b] is quite a stunner. It's obviously based around the Rickenbacker 4000 series basses, is of walnut and maple through-neck construction with see-through luctite body wings. The body is equipped with 8 white LEDs to illuminate the see-through sections. It also has LED position markers mounted into the top edge of the ebony fingerboard. Pickups are "Harry Häussel" Bass Bars. It seems obvious to me that the Rickenbacker bass design is ripe to be plundered and redesigned for bass players in the 21st Century . They look and sound fantastic but the playability leaves a lot to be desired for most people . A boutique Rick would be a sure - fire hit .

I have owned a few basses over the years that made me think about booking myself in for brain surgery , but I usually just opted for a setup and a new set strings .

Could I ask a question ? Am I to understand that it is prohibited to post an image of any bass that looks like a Rickenbacker that isn't a Rickenbacker ? Or does the ban only apply to basses trying to pass themselves off as Rickenbacker copies ? I've got pictures of a couple of ( loosley ) Rickenbacker - inspired basses that I think folks would like to see and I would like to post them to see what people think . Am I "allowed " to do it ?

I am not familiar myself with the Ibanez , but the Sterling Sub will sound like a Stingray , for sure . No Jazz pickups will give you the Stingray sound though .In many ways the two sounds are the opposite of each other in so much as the Jazz has a pronounced and complex midrange and a cultured top end , whereas the Stingray has a midrange scoop , a massive bottom end and a slicing treble . The design and placement of the pickups on a Jazz will always prevent it from sounding like a Stingray .

All I have to say is that when I was a nipper loads of people had Rickenbacker copies - indeed , there was only one lad anybody knew who had a real Rickenbacker that he had bought with an inheritance from his granny and he could play the intro to The Trees by Rush on it - and it never did us or Rickenbacker much harm that I could tell . Rickenbacker are not neccesarilly losing sales of new instruments to cheap copies . At best , the copies are effecting the secondhand market , but probably not even that . It could even be argued by marketing experts that a the cheap copies help create a culture of aspiration around Rickenbacker basses that ultimately leads to increased sales of the genuine instruments in the long term as the people who own the copies become able to purchase the real thing . It just like when I got an inflatable doll , it didn't stop me wanting to get myself a real woman as soon as I could . Not long now , I hope .

[quote name='Grissle' timestamp='1369428999' post='2089307'] This is my P w/flats+Bass Pod FlipTop setting and it gets really close [url="http://soundcloud.com/grissle-1/p-pod-b15/s-UJfT4"]http://soundcloud.co...pod-b15/s-UJfT4[/url] [/quote] Nice playing , great tone . It does sound remarkably close to JPJ on the early Zeppelin albums .

EBMM specify using Duracells because , apparently , different makes of batteries are slightly different sizes and the very tight flip -top batterry compartment could get jammed if you used a slightly larger example . I cannot understand why an identical battery wouldn't make proper contact . Have you tried another new Duracell battery to see whether the one you have already tried might be a one - off defective ?

It can't be his Fender Precision fretless because , as far as I know , Fender didn't introduce that model until 1970 . Ramble On was recorded in 1969 . It will have been his Jazz Bass .

Most American made basses are much cheaper in the U.S.A . There are all kinds of reasons for that - I could ge into them if you want - but in the final analysis , £950 for a USA G&L fretless SB2 sounds like a pretty decent UK price to me . $800 sounds like an unusually low price for a brand new SB2 , and bear in mind that most USA prices are quoted without sales tax . USA G&L basses are superb quality instruments , and for that kind of money they are easily equal to anything else on the market at a similar price - point .

Wasn't their album produced by Alternative Rock session bass supremo Justin Meldal Johnson ? He's fond of esoteric retro basses , so maybe he had something to do with the choice of a Ripper . To my tastes , these are monumentally ugly basses , but they do sound good , though . Vey catchy record - makes me think it's the summer 1979 all over again and the Yanks are trying to mould punk into New Wave powerpop so they don't find it so disturbing .

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1369155066' post='2085569'] I was doing some surfing on the subject of the wonderfully original and completely gorgeous Kate Bush. I saw that picture of her (again) with the Jazz bass [u]and[/u] I see there is more than one pic to be found of her gorgeousness with an upright. Her wikipedia profile also lists bass as one of her instruments. Is this true? Surely you can't look this good AND play bass. Anyone got any actual info on said Goddess playing bass? [/quote] Odds on that this bass probably belonged to Del Palmer , bass player and Kate's long - time partner from the late Seventies to early Nineties . Nice looking bass ( Precision Bass with Badass bridge and early 70's Jazz Bass neck ) , and Kate ( late 1970's dolly bird with satin and sequins ) doesn't look too shabby either !

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1369094781' post='2084877'] ...and, with respect, this is the slippery slope. Depending on what one may have heard, or come across, and depending on one's generation, the variables here are, imho, slightly more than infinite. For my own ears, Spencer Dryden was the revelation. My studies of Joe Morello put him up at the top of the tree. Christian Vander is, still, a living legend, and inspired a whole era. Terry Bozio..? Art Blakey..? One has to mention Buddy Rich; not my personal fave, but there are many that will defend his title. All without going down the Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, Billy Cobham path. No, I maintain that Dinky v Corgi (or 'Spot On' for the snobs...) is just a s relevant a question. No offence intended, but dumb is dumb ([i]Imho, of course[/i]...); which do you prefer, chalk or cheese, and why..? [/quote] I take your point entirely and I mostly agree with you , but at the same time , aesthetic equivalence ( to give it's proper philosophical term ) is not always neccesarily misguided or prohibitively subjective . As I said at the outset , I don't subscribe to the idea of music as a competitive discipline with clear winners . I only mention Bernard Purdie in relation to John Bonham because his playing bears a very close relationship to Bonzo's , and in doing so I mean to make the point that the thread on Talkbass would have been more relevant had they been discussing the relationship between John Bonham And Bernard Purdie's drumming and the extent to which Bonham's style was derivative of Purdie . But ultimately , in the end , you either enjoy the music or you don't . Just let me also make the point , Carter Beauford is a gifted and hugely capable player with a great deal to offer , but so far he hasn't created anything remotely near as important or as complete as what Bonham did throughout his career with Led Zeppelin .

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1369069305' post='2084514'] To go even further, one might argue that Bonzo was good to the end whereas the others rather fell off as the years progressed. Plant's voice went, Page dipped himself in skag and bad ju-ju while Jones was seduced by the lure of nasty synthesizers. Last couple of albums were so-so, IMO, but you wouldn't fault the drumming. [color=#FFF0F5].[/color] [/quote] Yes , I agree . I love Presence , but In Through The Out Door was patchy , at best .

Taking it as a given that I don't believe in " who is the best " competitions when it comes to music and musicians , a far more pertinent question would be who is better , John Bonham or Bernard Purdie ? Then you would be giving me a bit of a headache trying to answer that . Bonhams style was more derivative of Bernard Purdie than any other drummer , and Purdie is arguably the most accomplished drummer of the modern era and the only man whose influence has permeated popular music to a comparable degree as John Bonham , so I would have to go for Bernard Purdie . But no other drummer except Purdie can come close to Bonham for sheer musicality . There are a plethora of brilliant and gifted drummers with superb technique nowadays , but who can you say plays drum parts that stick in your mind like John Bonham ( or Bernard Purdie ) ? Those licks are just as integral to those Zeppelin songs as Jimmy Pages guitar parts or Robert Plant's vocals . There is no Led Zeppelin without John Bonham - everything that band did hinged on his drum parts - and at the risk of stating the obvious , Led Zeppelin were Led Zeppelin . Carter Beauford , by comparison , has saddled himself with the misfortune of being in the Dave Mathews band .

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1369002653' post='2083940'] Who's Carter Beauford? :-) [/quote] He's a technically brilliant drummer whose artistic achievements pale into insignificance compared to those of John Bonham .

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1368986573' post='2083718'] So if i did want a short scale or longer scale bass with the same sound as a standard scale musicman bass with single pickup, how much furter or closer to the bridge will the pickup have to be? [/quote] The pickup would need to be in the same position relative to the bridge . The scale length is in effect irrelevant .

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1368973596' post='2083561'] Thanks..............if only i could play them. [/quote] Your still a young man , there's time yet ... ( that's what I'm telling myself )

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1368968993' post='2083479'] My Ibanez Verdine White Signature bass has a painted headstock and neck. It's the only bass i have like that but somehow it works. [/quote] I always liked the look of those ! You have got some nice basses .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1368966643' post='2083442'] Cool. But why not do the back of the headstock and neck too while you're at it? [/quote] Because , at the risk of stating the obvious , that would be a painted neck , not a matching headstock . The contrast is what gives it the effect and makes it look so good . Let me put it to you the other way round - what is it about an unpainted neck you find so offensive ? Why the need for uniformity ? On some basses a painted neck looks great , like a Musicman Bongo or Rickenbacker Blackstar for example , but on a Fender it would look very , very wrong .