4000

Still thinking of going for a Reidmar if I decide to sell my Ashdown ABM but haven't tried one yet (I'll add that so far I generally haven't got on too well with Markbass or GB). I'm currently using a Barefaced Compact; has anyone any experience of trying a Reidmar through Barefaced? Also does anyone know how the Classic cabs compare?

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1339706795' post='1693244'] Noel Redding. He wasn't a bass player he was a guitarist drafted in at the last moment by Chas Chandler. In his defence though playing with Mitch Mitchell couldn't have been easy since he was the inventor of the drum style called 'drum kit being thrown down a flight of stairs'. [/quote] I'd have loved to have played with Mitch Mitchell, he's my kind of drummer!

Always tough to pick 10 (certainly not all "virtuosos"" though, regardless). Here are 10 that spring to mind without too much thought (I'll keep it to electric bassists to avoid taxing my simple brain too much); there are plenty of others who could join this list: Chris Squire Lemmy John Entwistle Leigh "Leroy" Gorman of Bow Wow Wow - yes I do remember him and he's one of my absolute favourites. Never heard anyone else like him (although Flea sometimes appears to channel him and I know Flea's a fan of BWW). I love the band too! Going to see them for the second time in August (last time was '82 or '83, when poor old Matthew was still with us...) Jean Jacques Burnel Stanley Clarke Richard Bona Stuart Zender John McVie Rutger Gunnarson

In terms of makes /models, probably not that many, relatively speaking. I've spent the last 30+ years trying to play every bass I can get my hands on and thus have played an awful lot. Some that I haven't played that immediately spring to mind are: AC Celinder Skjold GMR GW Letts Jim Fleeting (?) Laurus Xotic Sue Ryder Adamovic Some of the various modern cheaper Fender copies (Vintage etc) Obviously there will be some I'm not familiar with and within every make there may be models I haven't played (for instance whilst I've played many different Ibanez basses - probably a couple of dozen - I certainly haven't played every model they've ever made. Same goes for Alembic, BC Rich etc etc etc). I probably play far less instruments now than historically as I tend to have a pretty good idea of what really isn't going to work; I used to be far more inclined to persevere. Now I know that something Jazz-shaped for instance just doesn't suit me (with the possible excpetion of the Aerodyne). This is one of the reasons AC and Celinder make my list because they've only come into being relatively recently, after the point where I decided that type of bass wasn't likely to work for me.

If this is about who doesn't do it for you, I have to say that despite my love for some of the technically very skilled (e.g. Richard Bona, Jimmy Johnson, Stanley Clarke, Matt Garrison, Armand Sabal-Lecco) it's generally similarly technically-skilled types who do nothing for me, for instance Victor Wooten & Marcus Miller spring to mind. I think much of what bothers me most about them comes down to tone; if I don't like somebody's tone I find that very difficult to get past, however gifted they may be in other ways. To be honest though, I can think of very few bassists I actually don't like; however thousands just don't register. Have to add, speaking as a songwriter, that if was writing music like U2 I'd much sooner have Adam Clayton playing bass than Jaco Pastorius or similar. It's all about context....

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1339517466' post='1689745'] Oh dear. That sounds awful. Hope all is well Alan! [/quote] BTW, a huge + 1 to this.

BRX is pretty much bang on, as usual. Most of our builders are very, very good so I'd go with the one that speaks to you the most. For me that's Sei as a first choice as I love the basses (although my first 6 had a fairly temperamental neck too; I often wonder if heavy flame is the culprit as some other well-known builders seem to think. My current non-flamed neck is fine) and get on really well with Martin, but I'd be happy to have an ACG (Alan's a great guy) , another Rim (ditto - would need to be a different shape though, sadly), another Jaydee or Wal etc. The only maker that really hasn't done it for me so far, having played some of his instruments, is Shuker, but that wouldn't necessarily put me off and shouldn't put you off either; some swear by his basses. One other guy who doesn't get mentioned much is Paul Everson; I really, really liked the one Everson bass I played, I thought it was superb.

[quote name='bassmachine2112' timestamp='1339239001' post='1685700'] I got my first Rick for £270 brand new in midnight blue in 1979.,P was about £240. I think it was midnight blue as it was almost jetglo at a distance. Lovely colour.I,ve never seen one as dark as this since. I think the reason was that nobody realy wanted them at the time.It was all Aria,Ibanez which were great instruments and cheap for what they were when compared to the big american stuff. I remember the first Aria I saw and could not believe how good it was and the price was a revelation.Sqiers were another story. Still got my Squier and Aria,build quality is superb and they still do the business. [/quote] In '79 yours would have been Azureglo; they didn't do Midnight Blue then (which is a metallic). FWIW Gaye Advert also used an Azure 4001, a pic of which first inspired my love for the colour. Got my first (new) 4001 in 1980 for £295 IIRC. Considering a Kay P copy cost something like £100 that wasn't too bad at all. In the '80s you could pick 'em up for £250 a pop, even older ones, as they were seriously out of fashion. Wish I'd had more money then! Beedster, I remember loads of Rics in punk, as evidenced by the clips. Punk and Prog and not much else.....

I actually wanted to be a guitarist after seeing Thin Lizzy on Whistle Test. Formed a band at school but the kid lined up to play bass bailed, so I said I'd do it; I guess it was simply him bailing made me say "I'm going to play bass", no great inspiration from anywhere. The first guys I got into prior to actually getting my first bass several months later were Lemmy and Phil Lynott, though at the time I was probably more into Lemmy's sound and playing; with Phil it was more a case of how cool he was.

I dunno, I often listen to some pretty complex stuff (easily as complex as that) and I so far remain undecided. I wanted to like it but I'm not sure I actually did; maybe it'll grow but I'm really not so sure.

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1264686598' post='727592'] +1 to that. [/quote] +2!

[quote name='CBbass' timestamp='1337787491' post='1665483'] I have no idea why a Jazz won't do what you want from it. Perhaps you have sh*te electronics? A P bass may have a very, very slightly thicker tone. [/quote] I've had 3 Jazzes over 30 years and couldn't get a "fat rock tone" out of any of them, whatever I did with the eq. The P's I've used have sounded twice the size. I just sound bad playing Jazzes; my technique and what they do just don't work together. Maybe the OP has the same problem.

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1337949266' post='1667879'] They sound completely different to me... Very noticably still Squire playing, but very different tones. Well most of the time anyway [/quote] +1 to that too. In addition to the other basses and to answer BRXs question, he has used the Mouradian on more recent stuff (relatively speaking) and also used a 21 fret 4001 on Starship Trooper.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1337940163' post='1667621'] He stuck to his guns in playing as he wanted. I think he was fortunate that Yes took off as it did, wonder what he would have done otherwise. I admire him, I think too many go for that 'professional' style rather than something creative. Plenty more work available with the 'professional' style but I'm thankful for those who stay in the creative mould. [/quote] +1 to that.

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1337936180' post='1667545'] Rumour I heard right here on Basschat was that a lot of that classic unmistakeable Rickenbacker sound he got was actually from a Jazz. [/quote] As above, he has used a Jazz on some tracks (Parallels etc), but the rumours are (as is often the case) wrong.

That's the perfect Blueboy colour IMO. Mintygreen Boy.

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1335305352' post='1629187'] Oooh Moonmadness and that lovely repetitive bass riff on Lunar Sea at the end!! My fave camel album by far [/quote] Ditto. In fact one of my two favourite albums, along with Wish You Were Here.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1335168790' post='1626454'] 2 of 14 or 14 of hundreds just isn't a good enough hit ratio to justify their price point. I picked my main bass from a rack of a couple of dozen, minus a few that were sold before I got there, I could have bought all of them, and binned the others and still come out ahead of buying a Rick. If someone is credulous enough to not think that my advice is not the final word and completely without flaws regardless of my reasoning, which I always provide, then they are clearly the sort of person who will be happy with whatever they are told anyway, so my advice will automatically be right. They are probably the sort who judges quality by brand and regardless of price, and thus in need of guidance lest they start paying art prices for paintbrushes. [/quote] Firstly, you're (possibly deliberately) twisting what I've said. Of all the Rics I've had, only 1, an old '73 (bought via the internet and found to be severely water damaged) wasn't fit for purpose. The others were perefectly good basses; some I had years. However I now look for very specific things in a bass (something that is constantly developing as I play more and more instruments); a particular neck profile, a specific sound, light weight, certain aesthetic features as I've mentioned before. I now wouldn't buy a mid-to-late-70's 4001 simply because they changed the shape, inlays,pickups and neck profile somewhat and I don't like it as much. Over the years Ric have changed the spec and I've found there are many things about the early ones, not least aesthetics, that I prefer. That's why I've kept the ones I have, because they've suited me better, not because the others have had problems(indeed some I've sold because I needed the cash or wanted to try a different bass; some Rics have funded other Rics that I prefer). To reiterate yet again, just because something isn't perfect for me doesn't mean it is flawed, in the same way that because I prefer ketchup to brown sauce doesn't mean there's something inherently wrong with brown sauce. Of the hundreds I've played there were many more I would have bought if I'd had the money, but unsurprisingly not all were to my taste. If your argument is that they aren't all the same, I actually find that a positive rather than a negative. If you're arguing you may get 100 different basses, as long as they all (or the majority at least) function, what's the issue? To me that makes life far more interesting; I like personality in an instrument, although to be honest the chances of trying 100 of ANY brand and finding them all to be the same is extremely unlikely. If they were all the same, what if they were all based on a specific bass that didn't really work for me, rather than one that did? A friend bought my old '76 off me and loves it, vastly prefers it to my main '72. I vastly prefer my '72. We're different players, looking for different things from our Rics. I see that as good (remember choice?). If all Rics were the same as the '76, I'd never have found my '72. I'm sure Fender owners, Wal owners, Status owners, insert bass of choice owners would all say the same thing. I won't argue that you can't get a bass which functions perfectly well at a much lower price point, because of course you can. I could probably buy a cheap P copy or something and gig with it perfectly well; in fact I once bought an OLP for £80 which functioned perfectly adequately. But I like if possible for an instrument to stir the soul somewhat. If you don't care about that then fine, that's your choice. But it isn't mine. When I give advice about buying a bass I will point out issues to look out for, but I would never, ever completely write off a particular brand as doing so could mean that the person asking for advice may, if they took that advice, miss out on the very instrument that works for them. We're all different and we all need different things. To be honest, as I can see this discussion going on for months without getting anywhere, I suggest we agree to disagree.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1335131538' post='1626267'] Or not playable art. Yes its my opinion, because everything I say is my opinion. My opinion, however, is backed up by experience, knowledge, thought etc, and additionally wealth of observable and demonstrable facts. Only one Rickenbacker that has come through my hands did so purely for aesthetic reasons and even then was in anticipation of the same issue occurring. Telling someone to buy what they want isn't advice, it is wasted words. They are seeking advice to figure the best way to realise what they want, and only if a fully functioning good value for money instrument was their absolute last priority, would I advise Rickenbacker, and even then I'd advise a couple of products to deal with the more immediate inadequacies, depending on their playing style (assuming playing it is a consideration for them). Being a piece of art doesn't mean something can also be called a bass, a musical instrument, or playable, and I'd put those things far ahead in my recommendations I wouldn't hire Jackson Pollock to paint my house, I'd definitely advise others to avoid doing so. I'm much better qualified to hold opinions about music gear. [/quote] That's fair enough. My opinion is also based on fact. I've owned 13 or 14 Rics and have played probably hundreds. As a brand, I have over 30 years of experience of them. Our experiences simply differ. In my experience the well-known brand with the biggest percentage of dogs I've come across (and IMO bad pieces of design) is Fender by a vast margin, but I'm not going to call them all junk or put anyone else off buying them, because that's simply my experience and might not be anyone else's. Also, as I've already stated, I've played some very good ones too. FWIW the problem with giving advice is that whatever you advise might not suit them, which is a caveat you have to add. Also, they might not experience the same issues you have. Of course "playable art" also needs to function (also addressing 4 strings' post above) but that's my point. My 2 main Rics have been going strong for 40 years. My first one has seen off many, many supposedly better, more functional instruments. The neck never ever moves, for instance, unless I want it to. I'm quite happy with that. If you're going to give advice you should give balanced advice and whilst you may state your experience you should also state that other people's experiences may (indeed do) differ.