4000

I’ve found this with very bass I’ve ever owned except my main one. I’m always tweaking. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.....unless you do actually want to get rid and it’s not just a wobble. I’d think very carefully though, as it wouldn’t be easy to replace if you decided you regretted selling.

Have you got a link?

I’ve played 2 or 3 Combustions and also found them lifeless. But to be fair, most of the sounds I lean towards are pretty coloured. The most disappointing thing about the Ibbys for me is the lack of 16.5mm spacing. I struggle ergonomically with the SRs, otherwise I’d have a couple, so these - assuming I get on with the body shape - would have been great. The 1 company I can usually rely on!😉

Whenever I’ve played Ibbys I tend to whack the bass and mid controls up and either keep the top flat or back it off, so it’s a sort of thick, midrangey tone. The exact opposite of all these vids. Each to their own I suppose.

Weird isn’t it? To me though, it sounds like it’s probably filling exactly the same frequencies as the scooped guitars! There’s no body at all, no meat, no potatoes, not even parsnips!

To be honest, whenever I view these sorts of videos, everything sounds terrible to me. I spent a day on YouTube a while back going through bass videos and I thought about 1% of the basses played sounded ok. I know from experience that many of the videos don’t do the instruments justice IMO; it just seems to me that there are an awful lot of bassists out there fascinated by what I consider a hideously thin, nasal sound that would get lost in the context of most bands.

I’ve always been a fan of headless basses. I like how they look and in many ways they’re more practical. I also prefer narrow string spacing. In fact I would hope for 16.5mm rather than 18mm. I wish more people would make 16.5mm 4 strings, to be honest. That Leduc is doubtless a great bass, but I have to say I’m indifferent to the aesthetic.

Good grief. That looks amazing. I want one!

My mate’s wife ruptured three discs picking up her dropped purse. Which probably explains her surgeons comment.

Which fret and which string? FWIW, my preference is very low, but I compromise slightly on my Rics. About 2mm 12th E, just under 1.5mm, maybe 1mm 12th G, Depending on how I’m feeling. I tend to setup by feel and tone, but when I measure it where I’m happy it’s usually pretty much the same. Some of the other basses I’ve had have been quite a bit lower. I think my old ‘73 4000 was no more than 1mm 12th E, until I raised it a bit prior to selling. Ive tried raising the action countless times, but it just doesn’t suit how I play. I strike the string and also fret very lightly. It also depends on the bass as tension feels different from bass to bass.

I always knew how to lift and always used strict technique. That wasn’t the problem. As my friend’s wife’s surgeon said, some people just have s**t spines. I also have hypermobile joints, and as I later discovered, hypermobile joints and heavy lifting don’t really see eye to eye. Oh, and scoliosis since birth, which I hadn’t known about. And, in addition to the prolapsed discs, I have spinal stenosis.

How did I forget Lem? Oh, and JJBurnel of course.

Never bothered me either, until my back went. I used to be a builders labourer and was given all the heavy jobs because I was much stronger than anyone else (I spent much of my life in the gym, lifting). Then I got a back injury in Aikido, which was them aggravated in the gym, and a bunch of discs went in rapid succession. I was mid-thirties at the time. It changed my life and ruined both my physical and mental health. It also massively affected my playing as it damaged the nerves in my right arm. There’s always time for it to go south.

I don’t know about wanting to sound exactly like them, but guys that stand out sonically to me are: Chris Squire - THE tone, for me Leigh Gorman (Bow Wow Wow) John Entwistle (Alembic-era) Roger Glover on Machinehead Glenn Hughes on Made In Europe Stanley Clarke on his earlier albums Stuart Zender in Jamiroquai Gary Thain in Uriah Heep Geezer Butler on Heaven & Hell Mark King (Jaydee & Alembic eras) Bernard Edwards Rutger Gunnarsson John Paul Jones circa L Zep 2

In fact, all bass forums can now be closed, as we have now had The Answer. Time for bed, said Zebedee. 😁

99% of the audience don’t care about anything much beyond being able to sing or dance along. I can’t say I really factor in what the audience thinks, from a sound or playing perspective.

That’s interesting, because I’d say I can tell you, even playing different basses of the same make. I have many old band recordings and I can always tell you what bass I was using. Of course it’s doubtful anyone else could. 😉 One other thing to bear in mind, it’s easy enough to make a bass sound different to what you’re used to hearing. If you tend to eq a certain way, or use a certain rig, then that becomes part of what you’re used to hearing. So, using that eq and/or rig, then you may be able to easily differentiate between different basses, using that as your “background” sound, for want of a better term. But change the eq and/or rig and the goalposts move. It doesn’t mean you can’t tell they’re different, but it may make them harder to identify. I’m pretty sure I could tell you which of my basses is which in a blind test if plugged into my gear, but could I if plugged into someone else’s gear with a completely different background sound? It’s the same principle as making someone up to look different than they normally do.

But could you tell they sounded different? Some can, some can’t, IME. Some people simply have much better ears, but everyone hears things differently anyway.

But I have played 60s Thunderbirds and the the Epi Vintage Pro is the nearest thing out there. 😂Well, nearer than the Gibsons at any rate.😉

Comments like this make me wonder what other people’s basses must weigh. Whilst I didn’t think it was too heavy, I certainly didn’t find it light. It was quite a bit heavier than the Seis I had at the time - even the headed 5 - and which I had with me at Moffatt. I do have chronic back problems, but still.

I agree. Sums it up really well.

I’ve used & owned 5s and 6s, but I don’t like the tonality of playing across the neck the same as moving up it. But I mainly use Rics and they sing out as you go up the neck in a way that few others basses do. I hate it when you go up or across the neck and the tone gets weaker or thinner.

I use the whole neck. Give me 20 and I’ll use ‘em. Give me 24, I’ll use them. I couldn’t really use less than 20 as much of the stuff I play is up the dusty end.

I believe so.