martthebass

Well, after the acquisition of my LMIII I thought I was finally GAS free in both the Bass and Rig department. Well, I was for about 2 days, the time between getting the LMIII and a rehearsal session with a new band. Well, the new band is a bit of a departure for me, it's turned into more of an acoustic/female vocal type animal....very different from the 60s/70's and classic rock of the other 2 combos I play with. So, my current bass line up pretty much did every thing I needed; the Status for rock and grit, the Ray 30th for the same should I need it, the Ray fretless for, well, fretless moments and............and there's the problem, the modified Sue Ryder. I was using the Status for the new band and all seemed ok but last week I didn't have time to sort my gear out and grabbed the first bass to hand.....the Sue R. Unexpectedly I found that it worked a treat for the laid back stuff that the new band has gravitated towards (yes, better than the Status and the Ray 30th). So, here's the dilemma, being cashless (and the threat of redundancy being just around the corner) should I: 1. Press the Fretless Ray into service for the new band exclusively, lie back and think of Pino, 2. Sell everything but the Sue R, trick out the Sue R and go on a nice holiday with the difference, 3. Put the Ray 30th up for trade against a nice 70s Fender P bass (hopefully one that doesn't weigh more than 2 fat dogs) Answers on a postcard to..........

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1255730' date='Jun 3 2011, 05:36 PM']Yep Im picking up a Genz Neox 1x12T in the morning its a 7+ hours round trip so Im just as daft about other gear as I am about Stingrays! You will break for a pre EB Ray soon mate you know it, Mine is fantastic it really is. If I didnt love mine so much trading it for what on paper looks a better deal would of been easy and done by now, I have turned down some very nice basses with a better possible future value on more than one occasion. For now it would have to be a matter of owning both for a while a shifting one on later even then its looking like it will take a very special bass to tempt me. I think there will be more Rays in the house in the next year or so though [/quote] You could be right Pete, it's just: 1. Finding a good one 2. What to part with to buy one (I'm already one bass above my 3 bass limit)

Pete.................you're obsessed! Not that that is necessarily a bad thing So far this week I've GASSED for: A pre-EB black black maple Ray Wobatdudes WAL fretless A 1965 Precision (again) A streamline 5er (again) and, A MarkBass LMIII Fortunately I only gave in to the LMIII

Tim just acquired my Little Mark 250, great guy to deal with - can't recommend enough!

Well my Susie has definitely had more use than I expected her to get. Here's a pic of her last weekend at an open air gig. The bass has been altered a bit; the neck has been replaced with one from a Squier Affinity P bass and the bass now sports a nice Torty pg from our very own Howard. Not sure what other mods might be done, the tuning pegs will need upgrading at some point and maybe the pup, but no real rush. BTW, the 'pink' precision behind me was the bassist's from the band after mine.....apparently it used to belong to Alan Jones (of the Shadows), I was careful not to walk back into it!

[quote name='BassBus' post='1248585' date='May 28 2011, 07:53 PM']From my own experience I'd disagree. When my S2000 arrived it had 30-95 strings on it, together with a load of buzz on the neck whenever I played it. Imediately put on a set of 35s and no buzz whatsoever. Therefore, the truss rod adds the flexibility to use whatever guage of string you wish. So I'd hardly say they are a "[i]ridiculous idea on graphite necked basses[/i]" Rob does know what he is doing. As far as I know, the graphite used for Status necks these days is a lot more flexible than it was in older graphite necks.[/quote] Not had to use the rod in my Streamline yet, even when moving up from 30s to 40s but it did use to tweak the rod on my, now departed Jazz with a Status fretless neck to get fine relief adjustment. I'd generally consider the rod a positive.

[quote name='Evil Undead' post='1229568' date='May 13 2011, 03:01 AM']Does anyone happen to have a black pick guard that fits a Sue Ryder bass that they would be willing to sell to me?[/quote] Have a word with the Bass Doc (Howard), he did me a great Torty pg for a great price.

Looks like a decent price to me if you can snag it at the lower end of the offer range.

Mr Shuker levelled the board on my old SR5 Fretless for half your quote earlier this year ;-) Played like new afterwards.

Think Sledgehammer was on a fretless Cutlass (can't remember if I or II but deffo graphite neck). I can get pretty close with a 2eq Fretless Ray4.

I've often wondered if the bass has an effect? Back in the day I had a Fender JV 57 reissue, strings used to die very quickly on this bass and I wasn't exactly a slap n pop artist. On every Stingray I've had - never a problem, when the first flush of yoof has gone from the strings I just bring the zing back with a little eq.

They can't be out of fashion, I havent bought one yet...

Good man! 2 band is the only way to go on a Ray fretless. Tho strangely enough I prefer the 3eq on a fretted. Go figure.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='1230621' date='May 14 2011, 01:14 AM']Indeed... Sounds like you found your bass nirvana mate! As for me, yes I was playing a lot in the latter half of last year, combined with splitting up with the missus of eleven years standing, so been spending all my time rebuilding life from scratch. Getting there now, though. Have a lovely new house in North East Lincolnshire and the general malaise in the playing work (very worrying first quarter this year!) has thankfully eased a little & the work is coming in again. Good news is that I'm still enthusiastically flying the Status flag as always [/quote] Glad to hear thinks are on the up Rich.

Status Flats, good price and low - medium tension. Brighter than some flats but smooth if 'thumbed' rather than 'fingers'. Used on a Stingray, can rock out and sound like a fretted should you occasionally want that.

At what point does an ERB become a Harp?

Many years back (thankfully), I had a brush with OCD (well more than a brush - about 7 years worth) before it was well known/in the public domain. IMHO you are never cured from it, just learn to recognise the worse excessess and control it before it controls you. Bass playing helps a lot - all those repetitive 8th's. .....and maybe its 'Northern' humour but if someone had amde the OCD quip to me in the pub I'd have had a laugh and then straightened up the beer mats. Lighten up, life's too short.

As I recall there was a 'family of Italian Engineers' taking on BP about the structural integrity of roasted necks? T'was a joy to behold that particular exercise in customer relations