4000

And in a similar vein...

I've just listened to the KITNO again and was in tears. Genius.

They vary a great deal. I’ve seen them from less than 8lbs to over 10lbs. The one I tried was at the heavier end.

As someone else pointed out, Richard Cheese is firmly tongue-in-cheek. The clue is in the name 😉. I first heard RC years ago and think he’s hilarious. I suspect that version of KITNO is also firmly tongue-in-cheek, and personally it amused the hell out of me, I think it’s great. Didn’t get past the first 2 as I’ve got to flea treat our new cats in a minute!

I play in an acoustic band with a VT500 head and Barefaced One10. Whilst I could do with another cab for certain scenarios, it sounds great. I’m sure the VT head through a big cab would sound monster.

I a/b’d various class Ds (inc Aguilar) and chose the Tech 21 VT500 and Barefaced One10 (although you may need more cab-wise). The One10, Two10 etc are “vintage” voiced (i.e. sound more like old school cabs), and the VT is very flexible. I liked them so much I bought 2! I also have a VT Bass DI which I use a lot.

Saw Tangerine Dream twice, ‘80 & ‘81. 3 guys sitting behind a bunch of keys/synths in almost complete darkness, 2 of the best gigs ever.

Ooh, loving that tweed!

Always fancied one of these. Like you though, I didn’t think the one I tried had a particularly slim neck. It was way chunkier than any of my basses.

Arguably the most aptly named bassist of all time.😉 Even if it is pronounced as per the fish, which spoils it a little. Love Camel, although I’ll admit I have a preference for the original lineup.

More accurate would be to say “wait until you suffer an intervertebral disc prolapse”, as I did around 35 or so. Got a whole set of ‘em now. Also got problems with all my joints, which regularly sublux. It’s not necessarily age-related. Anyone with serious back problems who chooses to play heavy basses “for the tone” is nuts. Of course those without serious back problems won’t understand until/unless they get them.

Sorry, I should clarify. The band setup is cajon, acoustic guitars, mandolin, bass and three vocals (including me). Except at tiny gigs, everything goes through the pa. The only back line is (occasionally) my VT500 and Barefaced One10, although more often I use a VT Bass pedal and go through the monitors. The trick is the 3 part harmony, which runs through many of the songs. All 3 of us who sing occasionally struggle to hear ourselves clearly (we’re all now in our 50s which doesn’t help) depending on the room, which I figured IEMs would help with. We’re not usually sufficiently quiet that we can hear the acoustic instruments themselves, we’re hearing the instruments through the monitors. I am aware of the ambient mic thing as a sound man I know mentioned it recently.

IEMs are something we’ve been talking about recently, but I’ll openly admit I haven’t a clue where to start. We’re an acoustic band and only use a small pa; we usually do our own mixing too.

I find the 4003 rods generally easier to adjust a neck to my preferences than single rods, but then I am very used to them. Liked them on my Alembics too. Admittedly the older rods can a bit more of a pain, but then as Prowla says all are field replaceable. I recently got a replica 4001 from the same builder who made some 4005s on here and to be honest the main thing I regret was getting a single rod. For me, it just doesn’t work as well. I’ve never had any problem with Ric necks that haven’t been caused by someone previously adjusting them incorrectly. No warping, no twisting, and I like very low action. I’ve also never played a faker as good as my basses, including the one mentioned above. But then I’ve played a lot of Rics that aren’t as good too. 😉

Tangerine Dream, Rubycon. On a big TD binge at the moment.

1980 Rick 4001 jetglo (stolen from Hendon in ‘86 - serial no TC915 if anyone has it). First amp was a JHS 50w guitar combo with tremolo. Replaced that with a Custom Sound 100w bass combo with graphic and distortion that was actually a bit of a beast.

I loved the Michael Kelly Dragonfly fretless I had a few years back. Cost something like £275. I sold it because the scale length was longer than my other basses and that, combined with the fretboard inlay, meant I was never sure where I was on it. I replaced it with a Warwick Alien Dlx fretless but to be honest I preferred the MK. My sole acoustic bass these days is also an old Alien Standard with a neck like a pencil. Cost me £200 used. I’ve never played another with such a thin neck. In 2 minds about the strings; it currently has bronze but thinking of trying flats or tapes. I really enjoy playing it, although the amplified sound is a bit meh, hence the possible string change.

No, absolutely didn’t come across that you were still that way, was just making a general point. *salutes right back*. 😁

Sleaford Mods are great. Not as great as Yes or Genesis, mind. 😉 I’ve never really had much time for any sort of “musical orthodoxy”, probably because my dad was/is what I refer to a a “Jazz fascist”, in that he views almost all non-Jazz as crap and I grew up not being able to play music at home (although did hear stuff on the radio) unless it had been vetted; the first I was allowed to play was ABBA. Of course it wasn’t all bad as I was exposed to most of the great jazz artists literally from birth (probably before!). So I decided pretty early that if I liked something, it didn’t matter what it was. As such I’ll happily switch between Yes, The Damned, Manowar, Tangerine Dream, ABBA, Count Basie, Johnny Cash, Stravinsky, First Aid Kit and Sandy Denny etc etc without blinking an eye. So far as I’m concerned there are only 2 types of music, music you like and music you don’t. If you don’t like it, that doesn’t mean it’s not valid. Just move on to something you do like. I’m rambling a bit too..... been a long day.😉

Next thread! 😉

That's a bit like saying I don't think anybody hates cheeseburgers. Or broccoli. Or cricket. or football.

I'm not sure about that. I never write in terms of things I can already play, I write and then have to learn how to play what I've written, both in terms of songs and parts. Sometimes the parts (and occasionally songs) can be very challenging in some form or other. It's no different to learning other people's material in that sense. And if I play it wrong, I'll be there to beat myself up about it. 😉 I have to second what NewFoundFreedom says about playing covers/original material. The most fun is in the creative process for me. Although it's possible that I could do covers as well as playing original material (although preferably in separate bands), if I just had to play covers and had no outlet for original music I'd probably give up playing altogether and go back to painting. I just don't enjoy doing that enough. Thankfully we seem to have enough of an audience that it's something I don't need to consider at this point in time.