NickA

seriously they're great basses and reasonably priced 2nd hand. I had a go on one of Jazzy Vs Europas once, a really good, solid, no vices bass with a good range of tones..(think it had series 1 electronics?). I started to consider trading in my MK2 Wal. Not done it tho ( not yet) too expensive new ($19k) even with a Wal to trade!

dentists!

They're amazingly beautifully made instruments .. but oh the price! £15k for a new Stanley Clark... But one 2nd hand on for "only" £5750 ( bass bros) Strange they don't hold value, unlike Wals which, much as I love mine, are not really the same level of work but MK1 and MK2 currently priced at £7k+ 2nd hand. Even a passive pro1 reissue at bassbros is £5500. Hard to justify buying a new alembic with relative bargains around 2nd hand.

I don't think Scott is overplaying, but guitarists do seem to have huge egos. Case in point is a Jason Sadites album called brief eclipse, featuring Jason Henrie on bass ( fellow wal owner) who plays some great tight and melodic bass lines whilst Jason totally milks his Line 6 helix all over the top of it. I like it mostly for the bass playing but it's evidently the guitarist's "thing".

I think my Dolphin was CNC and hand finished. None the worse for it, rather lovely in fact. Though the electronics look to have been hand soldered ( by apes). My Wal is totally hand made ( by 2 or 3 people) and actually, a bit squiff ( sounds ok tho), but the electronics are immaculate. Nothing wrong with factory build if it's well done. I'm guessing these smith lites are on a production line even if hand carved. we may never know.

old thread ..but I only just found this. I was just musing whether Scott D was actually any good ( as a bass player in a band ) and actually, having listened to " the devine king project" on band camp, my opinion of him has shot up. not super flashy but solidly competent with some nice touches ( I do like Jazz and fusion, mind). I mean, he's not exactly Hadrien Feraud or Victor Wooton but not so far from, say, Janek Guizdala. Many great technicians, it's said, "know all the words but have nothing to say". Scott does have a bit to say I think ...and top marks for effort ( his mate Simon could play fewer notes tho ).

2x 4HH at bassbros right now. And a tasty stealth black 5hh at wunjo ( tempting ). But generally speaking, waiting for a 2nd hand German Warwick or USA g&l is generally a better deal than buying a rock bass or a Tribute ... keep value better for one.

Quite .... why would you buy a downgraded version. In some cases the east Asian versions are just as good ( or better ..eg Squire in some examples) but when they're using cheaper woods, simpler construction and downgraded parts..... just buy a nice used original, it's not like they wear out ( tho my 23yr old Warwick does need new pots)

Single piece bolt on neck, solid ash body. Doesn't £3.5k seem a tad expensive? I wonder how much of that is the name badge. MIJ not china or Indonesia I guess and full blown USA smiths are lots more of course, but also 10x the work involved in that classic smith construction and those exotic woods.

And yet ... Hadrien Feraud seems to be playing a Mayones bass these days. Sounds great. ..and I see bass direct has one of those too. We can all sound like Hadrien 😂😂😂

Bass strings last forever. And so they should given the price of them. I only replace when one breaks or I want a different sound.

Rendered quite literally speechless by this. I had no idea it could be so beautiful. Thought they only made woopy woopy noises. Then I read that Carolina Eyck is only "one of the world's foremost theremin virtuosi.". There are others!

A legendary bass. Sei were the only people Wal ever trusted with a set of parts, I'm told. Ought to combne the sound of a Wal with better ergonomics and the sustain of a through neck. Perfection (for me) ( probably). Though I do find the Flamboyant body shape a bit too ...erm... Flamboyant?

I'm not wild about the shapes...then again, the photos on the website are almost all detail shots; it's quite hard to get a feel for the over-all looks of them. Anyway, it's the sound and playability that counts. Ergonomics look good ( better than Wals, anyway).