Lfalex v1.1

Don't just order/buy blind! Don't get hung up on colours/fretboard inlays, etc. Go out there and try as many as you can find, then go back and get the best one.. "Try before you buy, and buy the one you tried" Otherwise, good luck!

Let someone other than the drummer keep time for a bit, and then give it back to the drummer for a bit - Try to make "time" exist outside of any individual role within the band....

I had one of these as my first bass. They're not that rare in my loft.....

Whilst I haven't ventured to Bass Gear or Bass Direct (both too far for browsing), I think that bass retail has gone steadily downhill since the closure of the (Wapping) Bass Centre. Now that place was something...

Compromise, and insist on "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" instead...?

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1335780625' post='1635775'] Well now Big P has went back on his word on forign made instruments. Maybe we will see Rickenbackers coming out of the Rockinbetter factory . (Or Maybe the Tokai one ) [/quote] JH has more to lose, as there is less likelihood of an OLP/SbEBMM/Vintage/SUB/NewSUB/Whatever bettering a genuine EBMM Sterling/Ray/Ray 5/Classic Ray 5 etc.etc.etc. than there is of a Tokai (etc) being better than a bona fide Rick.... Thing. Can anyone recommend a suitable glue to stick the fragmented marketplace back together again?

Saw some once in a tiny club in Jerez whilst there on a work trip. Don't think my colleagues really appreciated the skill/ability required, but I did. Excellent musical form. And home to guitar players that recognise the importance of [i]timing[/i]

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1335724909' post='1635088'] The harsh economic realities seem to have influenced even the great, not to be argued with, Sterling Ball. [/quote] Not-to-be-argued-with? I bet John Hall would argue with him.... FIGHT!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1335697972' post='1634634']... It seems to me that the real Warwick Custom Shop instruments are reserved for their high-profile endorsees like Bootsy and Adam Clayton. I can't imagine anyone here being able to persuade Warwick to build them something as afar removed from their standard models as the Reverso. [/quote] Well.. The Reverso is only (literally) an upside-down Stryker as far as I can see. And that's only an Explorer rip-off. Isn't the Bootsy just an Infinity of some sort? Much preferred the full-on Peavey Starbass sig model (in spite of the price) So neither of those are exactly "Custom" models either! And I don't actively dislike Warwicks as much as some. I own 3, which I like. Which is just as well, as the resale value is not great. I'd rather buy a new car and sell it just after I drove it off the forecourt. I'd lose less than if I sold on a recently purchased new Warwick bass. Don't get me wrong, it's not all about resale value and value-for-money and similar. If you can find a bass that does it for you at a price you can afford, then go for it.

This one was equipment failure. First one in 18 years, but still lucky...

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1335478793' post='1632108'] I'll bite [/quote] Looks Matsumoko-flavoured to me.... Westone/Aria/Ibanez judging by the pick-ups (if they're original!)

Generic metal hanger. Held on to the wall by more-than-adequate screws. It has a short tube which projects out perpendicularly from the baseplate, into which a nylon insert fits. This has a hole/lug/slot arrangement for a traditional "Y" shaped hanger which supports the instrument by the underside of its headstock. I think the nylon insert has worn over the years, and allowed the hanger to fall out of the wall-plate...

It's suspended 7ft up the wall, above my hi-fi. The resin insert in the wall hanger failed and sent the bass crashing onto the stereo. And... Nothing. Not a thing. It hit the DAC and CD transport. Both of which are mechanically damped with sheets of rubber, bounced off and slid down the wall, coming to rest on the rats' nest of cables behind the stereo. No stereo components were damaged! It was my Squier VMJ, too, so it wouldn't have been as bad as if it were my Vigier. But better still, not even a single mark on the Squier! I don't even have carpeted floors! I think I've just used up an entire year's supply of luck. Better be extra careful from now on!

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1335249597' post='1627803'] No, the Sun dims when he turns that lot on. [/quote] Surely the [b]Sunn[/b] would glow?

So a 150w 15" driver? As used in a 1153 and associated combos? (IIRC the 1158 had a higher rated unit) Shouldn't be too hard to find, or too expensive (hopefully!)

Familiar looking bass, that.... [IMG]http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m248/Evilex1/P1000887.jpg[/IMG]

Had an SRX700. Lovely woodwork, reasonable hardware, but I found the Pick-ups lacking and the EQ somewhat crude. The electrics in the [b]SR[/b]500 seem far better to me. I tried different strings, different set-ups, different settings, trying to ameliorate its shortcomings. Ultimately, an instrument that should've been capable of more than just one trick, but wasn't. Nowhere near a G&L ASAT I once played in terms of sound, although the feel, playability and construction were on a par. Just the electrics let the SRX700 down. In fact, the SRX700 would've been considerably better with SR guts in it. Maybe even better than either the SRX700 or SR500...

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1334854201' post='1622450'] Indeed, and this ties in with another thread which discussed people who couldn't/didn't separate individual instruments in a band. Hence the term "ear-training" for the process by which we learn to unscramble what we hear. [/quote] Very true, and when considering how the (not so) humble moving coil driver and how it can reproduce such complex waveforms with (varying degrees of) fidelity,remember a microphone/s (ok- maybe the odd DI!) captured it all in the first place - a process which seems more intuitive, but demonstrates that one device can perform such a task.

Crack it open! Have a look at the driver - Odds on it's a Celestion unit. Many Trace cabs/combos sport such drivers. Have a dig around the 'net/enquire at Trace Elliot to find out exactly what was used, and see if either Trace (or more likely) Celestion can source you a replacement. Alternatively, scour the 'net for similar combos with knackered amp stages, and see if you can get a new driver that way? Just some ideas...

They might not all be dud, but sometimes sales assistants get Rotos out of box that resembles The Ark of the Covenant. Dud? No. Old? Well..... Possibly.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1334687153' post='1619838'] Yes, every single f***ing time. That's why I have no intention whatsoever of gigging again - the hassle/enjoyment ratio is always skewed predominantly in favour of the former in my experience. [/quote] Without any need for further qualification, most absolutely this.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1334765826' post='1620926'] I'd put it towards recording a really good album in an excellent studio with a great producer. [/quote] And will the rest of the band match my contribution? I doubt it. In fact, I doubt they'll even say "Thanks, mate!" [quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1334772097' post='1621067'] I'd put it in a cash ISA and buy a Westone [/quote] I bought a Westone as my first bass. That was not a mistake. I still own it. [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1334772155' post='1621070'] I'd spend 2K tooling around America looking for an awesome £3K (inc. tax!) vintage Fender. [/quote] Now [i]that[/i] is a good idea! [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1334778760' post='1621253'] Plus everything. Unless you're a bedroom bubinga botherer. [/quote] I have been, was in several bands, and am glad to be off the treadmill. Plainly you lack cynicism and not energy. Good for you. I am quite the opposite. Horses for courses. Some people play just for the sheer enjoyment of it, with or without an audience. Please try not to make value judgements about it. Just trying to temper the wildly differing opinions! 5k is a big wedge to drop on any one instrument. There's surely lots of trying out to be done! One question no-one's asked is what you already have (I see you have Fender/s Yamaha/s, but not which) and what you're looking for.. My 2p (to add to your 5K!); More than one. And possibly even some second-hand content. There's amazing value-for-money to be had there, and some of the instruments are top-notch. All I can add is - Try before you buy, and buy the one you tried. In every instance!

[quote name='LennyP' timestamp='1334583839' post='1617980'] Dare i say it......if that happened to a Fender, it would be called 'Mojo'. It's a funny ol' rock'n'roll world...... Any experienced guy should be able to rectify this. Good luck with the repair. [/quote] If that happened to the most popular Fender designs, it would either; 1) Crack the scratchplate (precision) 2) Bend the pot shafts (Jazz) Best of luck with the Streamer fix. I reckon the top is thin because of the curvature of the upper surface of the bass...

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1334521922' post='1617242'] I've always used my electric bass with a DI or small amp when backing acoustic players. If you've got something mellow sounding with flats on that might help it sit in a little better too. [/quote] I used to use something mellow sounding with flats on for "acoustic" gigs. It didn't have any frets, though. Works a treat (as long as your intonation is ok)

Nice basses, and generally better fit and finish than most Fenders. Their pre-amps are better than the Fender ones, too. That said, there are some equally nice instruments out there on the s/h market that are potential Stingray-eaters; Ibanez ATK Status Groove Warwick FNA (corvette) Warwick Streamer Jazzman Warwick Fortress Masterman Modulus Graphite Flea sig (and others!) Plus the in-house competition from Sterling Sterling by Musicman (s/h) SUBs Even some hot-rodded OLPs Not to mention the Bongo! There's nearly as many (good) 'Ray emulators as there are super jazzes and jazz clones.