Cairobill

...but I must add, getting wound up about it is a waste of time. As many people have pointed out, we have so many great luthiers who will put together an equally well made custom instrument for a lot loss so it's win win...

Fodera make beautifully crafted basses for fusion players but these prices simply reflect that when an extremely well heeled amateur bassist decides to buy 'the best' he will go for a Fodera as it's the bass equivalent of a Chateau Lafite or a Rolex. It's naff really. When I think of fodera basses nowadays, instead of thinking of this... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjs9XrQqXlk&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjs9XrQqXlk...feature=related[/url] I think of this! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8nrphbipFk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8nrphbipFk[/url]

Van Halen do an undeniably great shuffle...bounce bounce bounce... Also, only a buffoon would slag someone like Michael Anthony off for not being a *technical wizard*. A bassist with *fearsome chopz* would sound godawful in a band like Van Halen. There is a place for bass virtuosity and a place for being a source of solid pulse.

My bravewood!

Yes, they seem very variable as basses, so I guess try before you buy is a must. Back in the mid nineties when I had some deal money to spend I went down denmark street and demo'd a 4003. It was a total and utter dog. Thick neck, heavy, nose dive, weedy tone etc I decided on a 'Ray as my stage bass with my 70s J as backup/studio. I haven't played a Rick since but had the urge to fiddle with one recently and it was amazing. Thin neck, light, resonant, great sustain, delicious mids and fat bottom. I kind of regret not looking harder for a Rick back then. So I am somewhat on the market for a thin necked Rick! N [quote name='spongebob' post='935874' date='Aug 25 2010, 12:52 PM']2009 necks became slimmer in April of that year. Early 2009 are supposed to be some of the thickest to date! The 2008's were slim - as are the 2009's after April. I've owned a 2003 (thick), a 2008 (slim), and now have a late 2009 (very slim) and a 2010 (bigger, maybe more like the 2003). Rickresource.com is a great source of info....neck size changes quite frequently, so you take your chance! Then again, one player's 'chunky' is anothers slim or medium, so it's quite a minefield which I knew nothing about until I became a Ric-only player! Only advice is before you buy (the best bass bass in the world, obviously!), do your checks first. BTW, if you got for a 4004, they're all chunky!![/quote]

Here's one aimed at the Rick specialists. Much is written out there about on the 'net about Rick 4003 dimensions varying wildly. I am keen to hook myself up with a second hand 4003 but I am basing that enthusiasm on playing an older 4003 which had a slim neck (I've gravitated to J basses with early vintage profiles after trying and owning every flavour of neck). I notice that there are Ricks out there with 'P bass type necks' i.e. thick and deep. Does anyone have a thumbnail guide for when 4003s were being made with slim necks? Or is that a can of worms? Apparently there are some well known eras of thick necks e.g. early 2009? I hope to try before I buy but it would be great if anyone has some thoughts on this. Cheers! Nick

Interestingly enough I had a prog evening last night, watching the 'Beyond the Lighted Stage' doc. Geddy Lee appears to be playing a Nash early on in a dressing room scene. The top of the headstock has the nash sharpie date on it and no decal.

I think Stacker has it on the nose. The Nash bass has an enormous sound. Very thick and meaty, loads of sustain, harmonic colour etc It is one of the best sounding jazzes I have ever owned. The neck was a bit chunky for me though. However, that probably contributes to the almighty tone. They are a serious alternative if you are thinking of going the Custom Shop route.

Despite being a total J bass nut (I only play J's at the moment). I have never enjoyed playing Sadowsky basses. Is it that the neck profile is more chunky or they've got some P bass in their tone? Are they designed to sound scooped? I'm always keen to try one when I get the opportunity but they just don't work for me. Odd! I would like to try a good one at some point and suss it all out. I should probably go to a bass bash... C

If that's real it's a steal. Great basses.

Ah for sixties spacing a 62RI or, even better, a second hand Bravewood would do a great job.

Best production j bass I have experience of is the 75RI. Very well built with a lot of cojones. I have the maple board but I'm sure the rosewood would be lovely too. The 75RI utterly outclasses every American Standard I have played. It's really good... N

The track I.G.Y is one of my favourite mood tracks. I first heard it as a 12 year old on a Jumbo jet and it always takes me back to this amazing atmosphere. Brilliant track AND album of course.

Prince is a colossus. Total genius. But I went from loving him to feeling indifferent when he embraced hiphop and ultraslick R&B around Batman but when he's great, he's amazing. The turning point for me was around the time Wendy and Lisa split and he formed the NPG (although Sign of the times is Godlike and Lovesexy has its moments) Cairobill's Top Five Prince 1. Parade 2. Signothetimes 3. Dirty mind 4. Around the World in a Day 5. Black Album I'm not particularly interested in picking up this free album. I did it last time and it was instant coffee coaster time. A shame... Is this mirror one as duff?

As a caveat to my praise of Gwizdala's work I do find Oli Rockberger's songwriting and singing to be amazingly middle of the road and vanilla. Maybe it's just me...

Interesting discussion... I find Feraud and Garrison's albums drift in one ear and out the other. I occasionally like what Garrison does (when he's a sideman) but his own stuff is not my cup of tea. Feraud's solo album suffers from horrible production. It seems to be stuffed to the gills with spectrasonics presets to my ears. Not nice. Gwizdala, though, seems to be a much more developed composer and has a greater interest in being a band leader than a soloist on his two solo records. There aren't many bass solos on his albums funnily enough which might surprise his detractors. I've seen Gwizdala in full on improv mode and he's very good. He's one of the few musicians I've seen who flows straight through his instrument - a very good improvisor. CB

"to shed" "woodshed" etc etc has always been used in the UK to mean 'practice' as far as I'm aware. To use 'cat' to describe a jazz musician is an NYC jazz thing and has been around for decades.