4000

Have to say I'd love to try the newer SR1200/1205 and SR5000E/5005E but I never seem to see them anywhere.

I recently played an old Ibanez 5-er in the Gallery. Wenge neck, looked like a walnut-esque body (paduak?); for some reason it doesn't appear to be on their website. Thought it was blinding (except for the forearm contour which as some will know I don't get on with). Without the forearm contour I'd have been trying to work out ways to get it; loved the tone and playability. I've always liked Ibby SRs. Comfortable, quick to play, versatile IMO. YMMV of course.

[quote name='Johngh' post='1346175' date='Aug 20 2011, 11:02 AM']I always get lost for words when trying to talk about Phil. He was a great inspiration to me when I was starting out on bass. I was gutted when he died. R.I.P.[/quote] Big +1 on that John.

It's a Sei Flamboyant. Go to www.seibass.com and scroll through the Flamboyant pictures; it's near the end.

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1344896' date='Aug 18 2011, 09:46 PM']Judging by his crap tone in the video, Flea could well be using a Fleabass! His Modulus sound was his best by some margin.[/quote] Personally I think the Wal on BSSM is is his best sound.

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1343075' date='Aug 17 2011, 01:28 PM']I guess the weight thing is lost on me as I haven't really played anything else for so long. But, on the other hand, I have also never finished a gig thinking 'oooo! Me poor shoulder(s)'. I am 6'1'' so that may have some bearing on it but, as I said, the weight thing is a non-issue for me. I always think things like neck profile only matter for about an hour and lots of the 'playability' stuff is about working with what you have rather than expecting an 'off the peg' players dream. For the record, the set up on my Wal is entirely stock and it has only been in a workshop twice: once with Pete The Fish (when he built it) and once with Paul Herman. The last 'visit' was pre-Millenium, IIRC. It fits me perfectly and I can reach every note on it, there are no bits digging in, the bridge is perfick, as are the machine heads, the pick-up and the pots. I nornally put it in a gig bag in tune and take it out still in tune.[/quote] The weight varies quite a bit. I've played some absolute boat anchors and some that neck dive like crazy, but mine balanced ok and was a reasonable weight; 9lbs give or take so no problem there at the time (walnut facings on mine). However I once played a wenge-faced one that outweighed a Mastodon. FWIW I'm six foot and weight used to be a non-issue for me too....until the discs went.....

Tried a couple of Mayones in the Gallery but they seemed pretty heavy so I crossed them off my mental list...

Take it to the Gallery in Camden. It's not that far.

I've played loads of them. I've also owned one, a Custom with walnut facings. I px'd my Pedulla MVP for it (it sounded fabulous in the shop and I was looking for a change) but regretted it as soon as I played it in the band. It sounded, well, like a Wal. I think they have a very disinctive tone, although obviously they don't all sound exactly the same. If you listen to Flea on BSSM, then listen to Leigh Gorman of Bow Wow Wow, although the tones aren't the same, "that" sound is (IMO) instantly recognisable (and that's allowing for the fact that Flea usd an active custom and Leigh used a passive Pro - it's in the pickups! ). I loved playing it at home but I could never get the sound to sit well in any band context I used it in. Build quality was good, but I've seen better. The ergonomics on mine didn't really suit me. I could never get it set up right, and after selling it it turned out that the fingerboard wasn't level; the new owner sent it off for a refurb sometime later and they had to redo and refret. It was a nice bass, but not in my top ten or 15 that I've owned. So yes, I was disappointed. However that shouldn't put anyone off who wants one. Forearm contour aside, I'd still love an early Pro (big Leigh G fanboy here ). And if someone gave me a Custom 'd certainly find a place for it. Individual instruments will differ (same as with any other make), and even if it's a small difference it may be enough for you. If they work for you (see Bilbo's post) then they work; whether they work for me or not matters not a jot. Everyone has a different requirement and a different idea of perfection. If they didn't, wouldn't it all be dull? I know what works for me (well sometimes!), but I don't know what works for anyone else! And of course it could be that the next one I play will blow me away...who knows? The nicest Custom I've played was one with flame maple facings that was in the Gallery. The nicest Wal all-round was a ProIIE. And I'm jealous about the Too Shy bass; my favourite finish too!

[quote name='Prime_BASS' post='1342559' date='Aug 16 2011, 11:20 PM']No doubt that everyone is different and we can't all be wanting the same sort of sound, however I do find it odd that some play and tweak so much, and in reality in a loud mix situation doesn't make that much difference. I have two settings I like on my head. Both similar sounding only one is more vintage, but played loud with the band I don't think there would be much in it to warrant all that effort. Don't get me wrong I like smashed to biggest bass sound as much as anyone else, my favourite band is Mad Capsule Markets and that is one crunchy aggressive sound (check out O.U.T and CRACK on YouTube) but it has to be right for that band aswell. Just because you like mid scooping and vintage-ness doesn't mean itll suit the sound of band. Another reason I prefer the "flat" sound is that it translates easyier through genres of music.[/quote] I find it odd that people can't see that everyone may get different results. I also find it can make a huge difference in a loud music situation. But then you're not me. Of course it has to sound right in the band though, but people may/will have different ideas about what sounds "right" in any given context. As for the last part, I change my sound depending on what I consider is needed. That's what my eq (and technique of course) is for.

Hmm, may need to look into one when I've got some more money (whenever [i]that's[/i] likely to be!).

[quote name='51m0n' post='1341922' date='Aug 16 2011, 02:10 PM']I disagree, to my ear it S12T is significantly different from a Compact, it punches way harder, and gets way louder, it has significantly more zing (tweeter innit) and sounds like a far more complete package, to me. It will take plenty of eq perfectly happily and produce immense low end, in that regard it is similar to the Compact. But its the punch that it pushes out that is the real ace up its sleeve.[/quote] That sounds veeeery interesting. Can you turn the tweeter off?

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='1341851' date='Aug 16 2011, 01:18 PM']What cab do you use 4000?[/quote] A Compact!

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1341584' date='Aug 16 2011, 10:22 AM']The ABM wont be at all like the MB amps. It wont have the punch or the clarity.[/quote] I beg to differ....it's just a different type. Punch and clarity mean different things to different people and can be achieved different ways. To me Chris Squire has both but isn't clean at all.

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='1341336' date='Aug 15 2011, 11:30 PM']I have obviously described it wrong. Growly is exactly the sound I get. The Abm pre shape is a scoop, but with a little judicious EQ it cuts and snarls and bites. I would leave the shape off but it sounds lifeless and sterile without it.'you would thing that you could simply use the EQ without the shape preset to achieve the same thing, but for some reason with the Abm you can't.[/quote] +1000. This is where many people go wrong with these heads. I've ab-d an LMK with my AMB through a Compact in rehearsal pretty extensively and no matter what I did (or didn't do) with it the MB was lifeless compared to the ABM with pre-shape engaged and eq-d to suit. The ABMs can be very, very angry indeed; I can do a pretty good Lemmy with mine if I choose to. Or Flea with a 'Ray, if that's your bag. FWIW I hate tweeters, but the Midget sounds interesting...

[quote name='Prime_BASS' post='1340489' date='Aug 15 2011, 11:25 AM']It just seems like a lot of work for not much gain..... If you like it by all means I won't stop you. No doubt it wasn't "sharp" as the compact isn't too capable of it. Personally I don't rate the ashdown line, and I've read of quiet a few people having to use the shape filter all the time. I can only imagine in my head it's a very wooly sound with not a lot of definition, and I stand by the point of not having this filter on as a similar if not the same sound can be managed with the standard EQ knobs. A lot of places I've been to insist on DI'ing straight from the bass,(I'm not fussed I like the sound of my basses but if I insist I will have te head DI'd) so no matter what you do on the head it won't make any difference out front. Obviously you know this though. I go about my sound a totally different way, as I just want to hear what the bass sounds like without the head or cab adding anything(or taking away) thats all ready there, and will use the bass to EQ to the room. I'd only mess with the amp EQ if I was going straight to desk and I was struggling to hear myself on stage. That can also be helped by moving around the stage (incase of null spots) and tilting the cab up with a roll of gafa.[/quote] If you saw my settings you'd probably faint. I've had this discussion before and I go about my sound the opposite of how you do; as many of my favourite-sounding bassists take a route more similar to mine it's not something I'd be worried about. I like to have my bass sounding a certain way onstage, otherwise I don't play well as I don't like the sound being produced. To just have "a" sound onstage is my worst nightmare. "My" sound is very important to me.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' post='1340294' date='Aug 15 2011, 08:09 AM']Why are you using the scoop, then boosting the mids anyway? this maybe one of your issues with the head and the cab. This shape is boosting the lows and highs and cutting the mids, too which you cut the lows and boost mids and highs. Then you further over EQ by boosting kids and lows on the bass. So after all that knob twisting you've probably ended up with a sharp treble boost. Not knowing what sound you are after it's difficult to say what you should be doing. Ive see. You say the bass can be lost a lot, and this sharp treble boost is probably down to the 4khz cut off on the Compact. Stop turning all the knobs!!! Just because you can doesn't mean you should, and the compact is one of those cabs that doesn't need all that mid cut then boost and more bass, last thing the cab needs is more bass! I can only advise on what I do, go into it flat, use the treble on the bass for more "cut", use the bass on the bass to lose boom if necerssary, and on a ray you don't need to mess with the mids as they are quiet prominent, you only have to use the mids if you feel are getting "lost" . Stay away from the shape button, it'll be killing the bass sound. If you are on a stage where te Rig is just for monitoring you need to focus on having good mids and low mids so you can hear yourself on stage, and try tilting it back. If you are still struggling email alex. At Barefaced[/quote] I have the same rig, although I use Rickenbackers, and I never use the amp flat (i.e. without pre-shape). For me, the pre-shape is the sound, same as Trace. I also eq heavily (although I cut the bass and boost low mids) and I like my sound a great deal. It all depends on the player and the sound they want to hear, combined with the context they're playing in. 10 different guys through the same rig may need 10 different approaches depending on what they're putting into it in the first place and what they're trying to get out of it.

[quote name='SteveK' post='1341763' date='Aug 16 2011, 12:20 PM']All perfectly reasonable! Can't see any problem with that conversation at all.[/quote] I can. How many times do you have to tell someone that's how you want it?

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1340640' date='Aug 15 2011, 01:25 PM']That's the trouble with labels. Different strokes for different folks. You create the label, the next guy steps over the line. Many genres expand until they encompass sub-genres and sub-sub-genres. I grew up with Rock which morphed into Heavy Metal before it sub-morphed into death metal, speed metal, prog metal etc. Its all academic to 99% of the population, including the bands.[/quote] Big +1...in the end it's meaningless.

Always wondered where stuff like Zero 7 (who I love) fit into this.

CS plays quite lightly...as do I.

[quote name='ivansc' post='1338155' date='Aug 12 2011, 08:43 PM']You have far to go on the road to enlightenment, grasshopper.... Back in 1962 I bought a rosewood neck fender precision. Later I bought a Ricky 4001 Later I swapped it for a Travis Bean Later I bought a maple neck Fender Precision Later I was given an Epiphone prototype bass with active PJs I recently played a gig using a borrowed hohner jack bass. A lady who is NOT a musician but who has known me for a long time turned up having heard me from the street & claimed she knew it was me because of the tone I got. And that`s before we even think about amplifiers, speakers, string types and gauges, etc. The point is, I have recordings of me playing most if not all of these instruments that span from 1962 to a few weeks ago and I sound exactly the same on all of them.[/quote] This is what annoys me. Some people do sound pretty much the same regardless of what they play (I have a guitarist friend who does) but NOT EVERYONE DOES. Our guitarist doesn't, I don't, many of the people I know don't. A few years back my girlfriend came to see me at a gig. The first half I played with my Ric 4000. The second half I played with my 4001CS; no tweaks at the board or amp. My girlfriend (a non-musician but with good ears) said she didn't like the sound of "the first bass" and then went on to describe it pretty much to a tee. I once lent a friend my CS for a number at a gig where he was playing a 4003; it sounded totally different in the band (we both thought it didn't work as well). He sounds completely different playing his Ric, his Status, his Musicman. Ad infinitum.

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='1312242' date='Jul 22 2011, 12:16 AM']the round core status hotwires are a pretty good british (and cheaper) alternative to DR hibeams i've found. Any problems and you just email dawn and she sorts it out[/quote] Every time I've tried to buy Hotwires (bar one) Dawn can't find the price list, isn't sure what they've got in, will get back to me (never does), etc etc. I've never had a single good experience with her, sorry.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1334282' date='Aug 9 2011, 10:07 PM']I'm putting on a gig in Canterbury in September all proceeds will be going to those who got looted, even if it puts food on their table for a few days it's worth doing.[/quote] Good man.