Lfalex v1.1

Not all woods are equal, not even within a species. A friend of mine had an Agathis-bodied Korean Burns, and it was wonderful. Basswood bodies don't seem to hold Bongos back- although some may argue that the aesthetics do! As with all woods, there are good quality cuts and less good quality cuts. The only way you'll ever "see" how good a piece of tree your bass is made from is if you own a natural or translucent finished instrument. Even then, there may be no direct correlation between the appearance of a piece of wood and its impact on the tone of the bass. Perhaps Squier are using relatively cheap cuts of Alder, such that the Affinities are cheaper than the Agathis-bodied ones? Are the instruments otherwise identical? Other factors may influence the cost, especially the country of manufacture!

[quote name='throwoff' post='770610' date='Mar 10 2010, 04:44 PM']If this has any big problems I'll tune it to EADGC as I would rather have a high C than a low B anyday.[/quote] Ok... Why not just take the EADGC concept and drop it a tone to give you; DGCFBb. That way you keep the fingering patterns to which you may be accustomed. AND you get the drop "D" without using a "B" string or a second "E"

I have a mixture of pick-ups in my basses, but none have hum-cancelling singles. They're either Single-coils, Humbuckers or Soapbars. I, too, use DR MM FatBeams. I really like 'em, but for some basses, I find them a bit too aggressive when coupled to my playing style. For my MIA Jazz, I wanted a softer sound and feel, but with the feel of the FatBeams... The answer (for me)? DR Sunbeams. They're still round-cored, for that lovely easy-to -fret feel, but nickel-wrapped. They feel smoother and sound smoother, but the output (courtesy of the nickel content) is much higher - as though you'd put hotter pick-ups in. except you haven't. I was impressed. Might be worth a shot before you splurge loadsa money on a new set of pick-ups?

Purple, you say? Unfortunately somewhat more than £300, though!

[quote name='JimBobTTD' post='766630' date='Mar 7 2010, 07:12 AM']When I think of him, I think of his Fernandes bass and his Squier bass. I've recently seen pics of him with a Ric and a Warwick. I don't think he is really linked to any one bass, let alone any one company.[/quote] And good for him. If I were "famous" (whatever that is), I wouldn't want to be endorsed. I'd want to play what I wanted. When I wanted. Alright. If DR Strings wanted to endorse me, I [i]might[/i] let them. As they're quite good (IMO!) Isn't there a Traben Bootsy as well as the Peavey(?) Bootsy and the Warwick one? Whilst I do own a signature model, I bought it because it was a wicked instrument. Not because of any artist association. There ARE some good artist models around, for example; Fender. Marcus Miller, Roscoe Beck, Geddy Lee Warwick (lately) seem to have gone a bit bonkers...

Further listening; "Babooshka" by Kate Bush. Shut out the histrionics and bluster. Just listen to John Giblin go... It must be good because non-bass players don't seem to get it! (unfortunately!) And if you want a super-low action, fretless will accomodate it (although they're not at their best set TOO low, as the notes can choke a bit)

That Is Nice. I'd only change one thing; I'd have black hardware, as my sweat ruins the gold stuff.

[quote name='Rich' post='760620' date='Mar 1 2010, 12:22 PM']Candy apple red, matching headstock, white pearly scratchplate, neck ashtray, bound rosewood board with MOP blocks. As a close second, the same as the above only in Lake Placid Blue. Too cool for words. [/quote] Yup, CAR or LPB with matching headstocks. Think I'd prefer Maple for a fret board, though, and I could take or leave the ashtrays...

Listed above are all the reasons that I've never sold a bass! Flogged a few fx and bits, but never a bass. Given that I spend an inordinate amount of time selecting instruments, I normally get good 'uns. If I need to finance a new one, I'll wait, or find another (legal) way to pay for it!

[quote name='XB26354' post='756999' date='Feb 25 2010, 12:55 PM']...Do Sadowsky, Ken Smith, Pedulla, MTD, Dingwall, Lakland, F Bass, Lull, Roscoe, Zon, Modulus or any other high-end luthier (except Spector, but then he's chopped and changed ownership and the name for 30 years+) make sub-£400 basses?[/quote] Do I detect a connection here? They're all American. There's been little mention so far of European Luthiers / Manufacturers, some of whom must surely be close to Fodera price tags (Ritter?!) With regard to "value for money" perceptions, Is a Fodera 10 times better than a Mexican Fender? probably not (unless you get a dodgy one!) Is it 5 times better than an entry level (German) Warwick? Is it 3 times better than a Vigier or Status? Is it twice as good as a Wal, Enfield or Gus? I think what I'm trying to say is that as you ascend the curve of diminishing returns, expensive items might start to [i]look[/i] more appealing. The flaw in my argument above is that if I had £4k or so, I'd probably have a mixture of instruments rather than 4 from the same. If I had to buy just one, I'd be looking at Ritters, Basslabs, Thompsons, Smiths, Alembics etc. There are others out there at those prices, so it's a bit unfair to single out Fodera..

[quote name='pantherairsoft' post='756381' date='Feb 24 2010, 07:26 PM']Bernie @GB said pretty much that. Even a month after I'd had it he still said if I changed my mind he'd take it back... So it's possible. Needless to say his confidence is supported by the fact that his basses are amazing and there is Zero chance I was ever giving it him back![/quote] Excellent. Plainly a man with whom I could do business!

Good topic! Plenty to discuss here, methinks! I own 2 "high-end " basses (Status Streamline, Vigier Passion V s3). And one of Mike's, which was his Zoot Chaser prototype. No serial number. Nothing. High-end basses enjoy one insurmountable advantage in my personal opinion; You get to play it before[i] any[/i] cash changes hands. With a custom, you've got to have absolute faith in your luthier of choice. Will they deliver [i]exactly[/i] what you wanted / ordered. If I had the requisite degree of woodworking skill, my guarantee would be something on the lines of; "Yes, make a downpayment, but if you don't find the instrument to be devastatingly good, I'll refund your money, because I am SO convinced that this instrument is SO good that the next player through the door will fall over themselves to buy it" How many luthiers would pass that test? I'll admit that my judgment in this matter is coloured by the fact that I certainly would not buy a (costly) bass that I hadn't played first. That said, Mike's a good bloke, and my Iceni cost me about the same as a 'Ray (at the time) and I got this; Oh, and a plus1 for dabbling yourself. There's a lot to learn!

[quote name='Geddys nose' post='752650' date='Feb 21 2010, 11:27 AM']If you like a Ric sound but the neck of a Stingray have a look at a Vigier Excess they get so close to the Ric sound just ask Roger Glover and the build quality is second to none with no dead spots on the neck due to the 10/90 neck, The $$ won't get you that sound and is a more woody organic sound but still is a decent bass for the money.[/quote] A +1 for Vigier. Build quality? Off the meter. You might well score a second-hand Passion or Arpege (S2 or S3) for the cost of a new 'Ray.. Then you're [i]really[/i] going to get a superb bass.

(From a personal perspective) I'm enjoying my gradual, considered approach to upgrading my Squier VMJ. So far, all I've done is put a BadAssII on it and some nice Schaller control knobs (black) As a next move, I may make it one volume and tone per pick-up. Then maybe some better pick-ups and pots. I'm taking it easy and enjoying the process. I'm wholly unconcerned by residual value, and feel that I'm merely improving an already good bass. I wouldn't spend a fortune on it, but I will have a unique instrument that does what I want it to. Just my 2p. YMMV, naturally!

[quote name='arsenic' post='751226' date='Feb 19 2010, 06:34 PM']If it were me, I would go for a Status Streamline - around the £1425 according to their pricelist.[/quote] My thoughts also.

Headroom all the way. Assuming you don't like or require the sound of an amp being pushed to the limit. I, too have a head and a 2x10, 1x15 and 4x10. I just mix and match to suit the venue / whichever band I'm playing in / what kind of gig we're playing that night. As long as I can hear myself on stage, that's fine. In my ideal world, venues with their own (static) PA would be generous enough to have monitors that can handle bass guitar, and then I could just live with a DI box. Unfortunately, I've never been lucky enough to find even one. All we bassists get is our own backline, whilst guitarists / vocalists get a row of monitors across the front of the stage. Hell, even drummers get a monitor! Where's mine?

Ibanez. Not to be sniffed at. I love my SRX700. I loved my EDB600 until I broke it (Luthite is quite brittle, it would seem!) Played a super ATK recently, and think SR500s really are a benchmark at their pricepoint. Versus a Musicman? As much character? No. As good-looking? Not really. It's hardly iconic. Versatility? Definitely favouring the Ibanez, here! Playability/comfort? Evens. Maybe slightly favouring the Ibanez again. Cost? You can get 3 SR500s for the cost of a 'Ray! PS I also own a 'Ray 5!

Thanks for the responses so far. I don't think my MM 'Ray 5 has a circuit in it! It's a 1990, and has no phantom coil, and an Alnico-poled pick-up. I guess it's too old...

I've got a (proper as opposed to licensed) Hipshot on my Yamaha Attitude. Not [i]particularly[/i] my cup of tea, as I'd rather de-tune the whole instrument by a tone to FCGD and play off the second fret for songs in E (and tweak the truss-rod / action for the lower string tension). That said, if you set it up to be accurate, it will be accurate, and seems to stay that way. If they do drift off, only the members of the audience named Korg or Peterson will be able to tell! Yes, lube your nut, especially if it's brass or another metal. Not so bad if it's graphlon or nylon. Try slackening the string and put a few coats of graphite in the nut slot to lubricate it- just use the tip of a pencil, they work a treat. Work the string to and fro in the slot to ensure it has a coating too.

As those of you who own basses with coil switching options will know; single-coil < parallel < series in terms of output level. Has anyone implemented a "fix" to equalize the output, such as an in-line resistor before the volume pot? Would this work, allowing switching [i]without[/i] the usual jump in output normally associated with coil switching systems? Thanks in advance, Alex.

Sell it on the basis of its tonal flexibility, not its "core tone"?! I know what you mean, though! That said, it's just as bad for a Jazz Bass owner, with (virtually) infinite combinations of individual pick-up volumes and tone settings. And that's just the passives! Consider, too, all those Sterling / 'Ray5 / $$ / MMSabre / OLP / anything else with coil switching owners with a multitude of settings to explore! I can get 4 from my (modified) Status Streamline from the Series/Parallel switching alone. Before pick-up blend and 2-band EQ come into play..

Interesting thread, especially when one considers how many perfectly sound enclosures out there could be "recycled" with minimal effort. The only real issue is weight. Old cabs are frequently hewn from (thick) chipboard, MDF or various plywoods, all of which can be very heavy. I own a 1153, which I paid £100 for. A bargain, as it had about £50 worth of good diameter, rubber-tyred (lockable) castors on it. I just pull it around as though it were a large dog! The main reason I'd want to change drivers is to alter the impedance from the 8ohm Celestion unit to a 4ohm driver (with other possible benefits) This means that I'd get the full 280w from my head without having to use two cabs in parallel to get down to the 4ohm load. As for the port, that should be easy to shorten or replace. IIRC, it's short enough to be gently "drifted" into the cabinet with a rubber mallet. you can then remove it through the hole left by the driver. You can then cut it shorter or replace it with a longer one as WinISD dictates. Want more top on a 1x15? I wonder if the old TE "bright boxes" would do the trick? Remember those?

Is it mere coincidence that my best two basses have a zero fret? Or is it that they're made by complete QC obsessives (Patrice Vigier / Rob Green)? Or is it the Carbon Graphite connection? Either way, Vigiers and Statii sure are good (and consistently good, too) instruments.