4000

Don't know how I missed this. Terrible news and my condolences to all who knew him.

[quote name='urb' post='730287' date='Jan 31 2010, 08:20 AM']Hi Shaun so glad you guys enjoyed the Sei bass feature, it was a real pleasure to do, but I am gutted about the caption mistake especially as it clearly says in the article that Jon is the other luthier in the shop not Alex... and as for the spelling mistake on the cover, that's just a bit crap as well, shame really as it's a great issue overall. I do the proof reading at Jazzwise, but not at BGM. Oh well. Mike[/quote] Hi Mike Great article regardless, thought you did a great job. The only bad thing about reading about Seis is it makes me want another!

[quote name='Doddy' post='729992' date='Jan 30 2010, 06:52 PM']Good to see Tony Grey and especially Chris Wood featured,but I could do without another cover story on John Paul Jones.[/quote] I agree with the first two but as JPJ is one of my all-time favourites I'm very happy reading about what he's been up to. Great to see Mike's article on Martin in there (really enjoyed that), even if they did mis-spell Martin's name on the cover (it's Petersen with an E!) and even more strangely misnamed John as Alex in the photo caption, none of which I'm sure has anything to do with Mike.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' post='728405' date='Jan 29 2010, 08:52 AM']The body looks a bit like one of the Alembic shapes now, can't remember which one though. That's a LOT of work for someone to take on, with a questionable outcome![/quote] Alembic Epic.

[quote name='silddx' post='727154' date='Jan 28 2010, 12:19 AM']Then you have the hand of Cranfield Man, old egg.[/quote] I have absolutely no idea what that means. You do know they vary hugely I take it? From wafer thin to P-Bass chunky? Not everyone's cup of tea regardless, but what is? With the exception of the B-Quad 4, its necks that taper from tiny to huge that I really hate.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='726723' date='Jan 27 2010, 07:16 PM']It is a Rickenbacker 4003. Not a 4001, because it doesn't have a skunk stripe, and not a copy, because it has the correct short-shaft Schaller tuners. You can just about see the "Rickenbacker" logos on the tuners - compare it to this big version of the pic Marvin posted:[/quote] Beat me to it.

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='721326' date='Jan 22 2010, 03:46 PM']So, given that the nut width on a Ric isn't outrageous, the string spacing at the bridge must be pretty tight, or at least much less than the Fender-standard 19mm. Do you know what it is in mm?[/quote] Mine ('72 & '73) are both about 16mm IIRC. FWIW I don't find Jazz necks thin at all (although they do vary immensely). Thin nuts yes, but I don't spend a lot of time down there. I actually find them pretty bulky.

[quote name='silddx' post='727918' date='Jan 28 2010, 06:15 PM']It looks more playable than a normal Ric.[/quote] To you, maybe.

My Alembic Stanley Clarke was 30" scale and probably had my favourite slap tone of all the basses I've owned. It was a total flyer too. It all depends on what type of slap tone you like really. Marcus, Les, Larry, Mark King etc etc? All very different. In fact MK has different slap tones depending on what bass he's using.

[quote name='silddx' post='726516' date='Jan 27 2010, 04:27 PM']That, my friend, is an absolute beauty! They are the most hideous instruments to play but the most beautiful to look at.[/quote] I find them lovely to play too. A typical Jazz however; no thanks.

That left hand thing is weird. It could be as Sarah states, but as you've used the same strings before on other basses with no effect it's a bit baffling. I'd maybe try a setup with different strings (try stainless) for a start.

At the risk of stating the obvious I'm sure the bass isn't the issue with regards to the blistering, although the setup may be. As you've used the strings on your other basses with no problems it sounds like an action issue. Get the bass set up asap. As for the other ergonomic issues, if it's not comfortable, don't use it. That's one of the reasons I generally can't use basses with forearm contours (and ironically find Ricks really comfortable). The bass that absolutely kills me is the classic Status shape. FWIW, Ricks have different neck sizes depending on year, so it looks like you unfortunately got one of the big ones and it doesn't suit you.

[quote name='Matty' post='724565' date='Jan 25 2010, 09:14 PM']Wasn't someone selling that on here a while ago? Edit: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=20168&hl=randy"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=20168&hl=randy[/url][/quote] Many thanks for the link. None the wiser where it is now though sadly.

Very much alive thank goodness, and maybe not quite as iconic as some mentioned here, but does anyone know where Randy Hope Taylor's Modulus 4 went? BTW, I think I've seen most of Lemmy's basses live; first saw them in 1980 and he was using his original Hawkwind bass (see the Ace of Spades video) and the white with black trim one IIRC.

[quote name='BassCat' post='722136' date='Jan 23 2010, 01:18 PM']I would not pay £659 for a MIM Fender! Unless it had a TV in it or something.[/quote] The best Fender I've ever played (with the possibly exception of a couple of 62/63s) was a MIM. I've never played a US one that has come near it for me.

I don't know whether this helps or hinders but I've owned (I think) 9 Rickenbackers, all made of the same tonewoods, the majority with the same hardware and electronics (I've also done some experiments swapping pickups from bass to bass) and they all sounded different both acoustically and plugged in, with the amplified sound reflecting the unamplified sound pretty accurately.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='721713' date='Jan 22 2010, 10:21 PM']He's been an influence on me for as long as I've played bass. Love his playing to bits, a seriously under rated disco bassist who deserves to be up there with Bernard Edwards.[/quote] +1. Genius. One of my all-time faves (the band wasn't bad either ). Oh and yes, he did the string arrangements too.

[quote name='Doddy' post='721260' date='Jan 22 2010, 02:55 PM']I was actually really disappointed in the 'Live at Ronnie Scotts' DVD. It didn't live up to my expectations-even Vinnie's playing didn't excite me like it usually does. As far a Tal's playing goes,I've never been a massive fan to be honest. I really enjoyed her solo album,but that's about it. Her solo in 'Cause we've ended as Lovers' does nothing for me-I think she really overused the vibrato. I think that Rhonda Smith is a better player and grooves harder.[/quote] Her playing on the (not commercially available ) Crossroads dvd I have is far superior to her playing on the Ronnie Scotts dvd ( a much better mix helps too). As for Rhonda being a better player, I'm not sure there's any such thing at this level. There are only players you prefer. In addition, you can only judge a player by the setting they're in and the musicians they're playing with, which makes it doubly difficult, as different players will thrive in different arenas. Would Jeff Berlin be better than Cliff Williams in AC/DC? I sincerely doubt it. As for the vibrato comment, again, simply a matter of taste. I really can't stand all this "player A is better than player B" nonsense, it serves no purpose whatsoever.

[quote name='YouMa' post='720102' date='Jan 21 2010, 01:42 PM']Tal dont do much for me shes very good but there is just no funkiness coming out.[/quote] Each to their own. I can't bear Marcus Miller so it's all a matter of personal taste.

A little extra momentum as a song progresses I can live with far easier than slowing down, which I generally abhor. Sadly that's been one of my problems with Rush live, because the times I've seen them they've tended to do it. However Bilbo's comments about organic timekeeping are (as I would expect) right on the button. Music doesn't have to be metronomic; in fact I'm sure if you put a metronome against most of the great albums you'd find they were all out to some degree.

That's a shame. When I saw the band last year I thought they were great, and Tal was superb. I have Jeff's full Crossroads set on dvd and to be honest it's one of my favourite live bass perfomances for many a year. Tal's phrasing and musicality on that are impeccable.

Jammed some Heep at the last rehearsal, purely for our own enjoyment. Our singer (who has never really heard them) was rather unimpressed by the lyrics of The Wizard. I love Heep, particularly from that period, and I've always been a big fan of Gary Thain. That's the kind of Jazz Bass tone I love.