Misdee

Sounds like they changed the neck profile in 2012 when they relaunched the range loaded with Custom Shop pickups. I've got a 2009 American Standard P with a B width nut and the neck profile front-to-back is fairly slender and very comfortable for someone like me who dislikes big fat chunky necks. It's very reminiscent of a nice early '70's P bass neck. I really enjoy that bass.

There's something very special about Alembic basses. They've got a history and pedigree no other custom bass builder can match. Alembic have always been a bit more expensive than most other custom bass makers. Unfortunately nowadays they are proportionately much more expensive than they've ever been. Even allowing for inflation, by any metric you use to measure it, Alembic basses have become even more costly than they used to be. The terrible exchange rate for the pound against the dollar doesn't help either. It's a shame, but it would be even more of a shame if Alembic had ceased trading, like so many other bass builders have. That's the alternative. It's testament to the prestige of Alembic basses that they are still in such demand. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the instruments Bass Direct have on order are sold before they actually arrive in the UK. Kudos to them for adding Alembic to their roster. I'm really glad there's a UK dealer again.

Had me fooled, that's all I can say.

Wow, he totally nails that! Looks like he might be reading from a transcription, which makes it all the more impressive.

That's interesting, because Max Bennett's bass playing, particularly his tone, diminishes my enjoyment of Joni's earlier albums. It's not just Max Bennett though, the whole ensemble of musicians on Court and Spark and Hissing Of Summer Lawns don't do her songs justice, to my taste anyway. I know most people will disagree, but I just don't like the sound of her band during that era. They're stellar players, but it just doesn't sound good to me.

I've always thought Jaco's work with Joni was some of his very best. His bass parts aren't just lyrical, they're pictorial; he's illustrating Joni's words with his bass playing. It's beautiful to hear, and only Jaco could do that. I bought this album in the early 1980s and quite literally wore it out. It was the first time I had really heard Jaco and it was a revelation. I've listened to it so much over the years that I can't really listen to it anymore, but it's a truly magnificent record that has great memories for me.

That's a true classic in the most sought -after colour. Great find.

Well, first let me start by saying that I really enjoy playing flatwounds on some basses. I've got a P Bass, Jazz Bass and a Stingray all strung with Thomastiks, (although I am thinking about trying some La Bella Low Tension Flats on the P Bass). The Thomastiks are easy to play(maybe a bit too easy) with a very supple and articulate sound compared to a lot of other flatwounds. I totally agree with Mike, however, about roundwound strings being much easier to get a sound with a wider and richer harmonic spectrum. There's a reason why bass players switched to roundwound strings in the first place. It's a trade-off, and you can't be all things to all men, ect. As someone who grew up in the roundwound era, it's been a revelation how much fun it can be to experiment with the different sound and dynamics you get from flatwounds. I never really thought about how many of the bass tones I want to emulate when I'm playing along with records were actually created with flats. I actually feel quite subversive for enjoying it so much. For so long flats were shunned by any self-respecting trendy bass player, myself included. I still am primarily a roundwound player, it's just that in private I sometimes experiment with flatwounds. If I'm learning some Robbie Shakespeare bass lines, for example, then flats on a Jazz Bass are perfect. Having less sustain ect actually makes the music easier to play. The downside of the change in trends is that nowadays flats on a P Bass has become a kind of default setting for bass players who want to be savvy musos. It's an easy choice for people without much originality or imagination of their own. Since Pino switched to flats round the turn of the millennium everyone else has followed suit, and makes out like it was their own idea. Reverence for retro has become the new orthodoxy. Old fashioned has become synonymous with good taste and sound judgement. That's quite depressing me. It'd be better if more players looked further afield for inspiration and explored doing their own thing.

I'm really getting in to the sound of Spector basses lately. I love that they are so unapologetically up-front and aggressive. That's seems to be how most folks tend to use them. Such a beautiful design, too. This looks like a lovely example, may you get much fun from playing it.

Funnily thing is, the German-made Sadowsky basses are so good at the moment that they would actually make me think twice about ordering a NYC-made bass even if they were the same price. Seriously, they are that good. On the other hand, if I had forked out for a Brubaker-made Ken Smith I would be miffed, to say the least. If Ken himself is denouncing the basses as substandard then that would seriously undermine my enjoyment of owning it.

To me that's a much more attractive than the Smith-style body shape. It's not a poor man's version of something else. I think this chap would have a better chance in the marketplace with a bass more along those lines. However well-made they are, the other styles are too derivative for him to establish the brand. A bass like that with a filter preamp could attract a lot of interest in a world starved of Wals. Like I said before, he looks to be highly skilled bass builder and I wish him well with it all. This thread did prompt me to discover that Smith basses start at 10,000 dollars nowadays, so what do I know? Maybe a more affordable Smith is an attractive proposition after all, providing there's still enough bass players who aspire to those basses.

That's great, but generally speaking I would say a Ken Smith wouldn't be a good choice for that kind of music. If this chap can make it work then that's fine, though. I don't think Smith basses sound anything like a Wal, by the way. A Wal has a much more prominent midrange and a much dirtier treble than a K.S. It's apparent as soon as you plug one in. That's what makes them a good fit for heavy music. A Smith is much more refined in every respect. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's horses for courses, in my estimation anyway. At least there's a distinct and identifiable K.S sound. Without wishing to be controversial, I couldn't recognise a characteristic Fodera sound beyond that most examples have that generic high-end boutique bass sound. I could say the same of F Basses, too. I've played bass for well over 40 years and I've always had a keen interest in gear, yet I don't think I could pick out either marque in a blindfold test, or indeed tell one from the other. They sound very similar to me.I could pick out a Wal or a Stingray, though.

Seriously, you think a passive Fender can't cut through the sound of a band? If that's your experience then fair enough, I'll listen to what you have to say, but my own bass playing journey made me reject some revered exotic boutique basses because I found they were too polite-sounding and got a bit lost in the mix in some music. Ken Smith basses are amazing instruments built to the highest standards and they have their own signature sound, for sure. It's a deep, rich and lush tone with a scoop somewhere in the mids and a peak in the treble somewhere. It's magnificent for some music, but I wouldn't necessarily want to be playing heavy rock with one. Just as an aside while we're on the subject of Fender-style basses v exotic boutique basses, has anyone else noticed there's an uncanny sonic resemblance between the Sadowsky Modern 5 and the classic Ken Smith basses, despite the radical differences in construction?

I used to be a sucker for expensive exotic boutique basses, but nowadays I ask myself the fundamental question "What significant advantage does this bass offer me over a decent quality production bass?" Nowadays with the internet etc it's much easier to make useful comparisons, and, subjectively, a Fodera or Ken Smith doesn't actually sound better than a decent Fender, but objectively it does sound different. Exotic wood basses tend to sound much more compressed. Fenders and their ilk are much more raunchy. In the vast majority of cases the reality is that fancy custom basses actually offer far more disadvantages. As someone once pointed out, a committee never came up with a genius idea, but they are good for eliminating bad ideas. Mainstream designs are subject to the court of widespread scrutiny. Most custom boutique basses are not.

I wish this chap all the best with this venture, but those SM1;basses don't half look like older Ken Smith basses, with a bit of Fodera in the headstock shape. The SM2 slightly less so, but still fairly derivative. Knowing Ken Smith's reputation for being forthright with his opinions, I expect if he sees them he won't be happy. On both models the top horn of the body looks to stop well short of the 12th fret. That makes me think the balance on a strap might not be so great, and the reach to the nut with the fretting hand would be quite a stretch. Anyhow, they look beautifully built, and it's about time fancy woodwork basses came back into fashion. I'd love to hear one of these basses in action.

I am going to put some Thomastik flats on my 2024x when I get round to it. It's had the same set of Elites on it for fourteen years since I bought it, I've probably had my money's worth out of them. I wouldn't put on P-Retro on one of these basses though, Sean. To me a better choice would be an external preamp pedal like a Sadowsky,. I've thought about one of those myself or, even better, a Yamaha NE1 preamp pedal if you can find a used one.

I'll look forward to hearing the results. The 10/20 Series BB basses were the best ever BB basses in my opinion. They were a unique design with a huge tone. There's nothing else that sounds like them.I think they look great,too. I absolutely love mine.

That's a lovely bass. May it bring you much joy. I've got a 2025 and it's fabulous. I expect a 1025(x) is very, very similar. I'd love to hear one of these with flats on. That might be a very good combination.

This is a lovely bass. Jetglo is still the most essential Rickenbacker colour, no contest. I would be very interested to hear if the new design bridge on the latest models like this negates the need to swap it out for the Hipshot replacement version if you want a low action. I hope you will forgive me asking the question, but do you not find it a little troubling or at least unusual that a fairly new, rare and valuable bass like this has turned up in Cash Converters? These basses are in short supply (try finding a retailer with one in stock) and this one has conspicuously turned up at that outlet, of all places. I just wonder what circumstances would lead to the original owner taking it to Cash Converters if they needed to sell. They must have been desperate or very ill-advised is all I can suppose.

I would be very interested to know if it's easy to get a low action with these Euro CST NS2's, and similar Spector basses. It's a long time since I had a neck-thru bass, and obviously shimming isn't an option. Is the bridge sufficiently countersunk into the body and will the bridge saddles go down far enough? I like the strings to be low enough to buzz a bit without choking. A bass that won't adjust low enough isn't much use to me.

I had suspected that might be something to do with it. 🙂

Eddie Jackson certainly gets a fantastic tone on those classic Queensryche albums, so I can see why that sound would be the ideal. Lately I have been hankering for a bass that's unashamedly hifi with active electronics ect like the ones I used back in the 1980's and '90's. I think one of these Euro CST basses would be perfect for that niche, and so I can only hope that this new Legacy preamp lives up to it's promise and sounds at least similar to the proper HazLabs pre. If the Haz pre is so integral to the sound, I don't know why Spector don't just fit it to the Euro basses and charge another hundred quid or whatever extra it would cost for the genuine article.

Regarding preamps, I have always thought that the Tech 21 Bass Driver di (or one of their similar offerings) would be the perfect compliment to that Spector tone. Talking of Tech 21, I seem to remember reading an interview with Geddy Lee some years ago when he was enthusing about some Spector basses he had at home that the company had sent him. I can envisage Spector and Geddy being a good fit for each other. I keep seeing YT video of Spector advocate and endorsee Ian Allison emphasising how the key to the classic Spector tone is boosting the treble on the HazLabs preamp but it just makes me wonder about how crucial a Haz pre is if you aren't a fan of such a bright and grindy top end.

That's a very interesting pedal - I'm always on the lookout for a way to juice up my Fenders- but £285 is pretty pricey, it must be said.I could still see me buying one, though. I would hope the new preamp in the CST basses is close enough in itself, or at least sound pretty good in it's own right. Sooner or later someone will do a direct comparison, no doubt. I seem to remember the Zon bass I had back in the 1990's had a Haz preamp.

That is indeed a stunning bass. (I would've stuck with the original Spector knobs, but that's just me.) Isn't it great on those rare occasions when you buy a bass on spec and it exceeds your best expectations in every way! These basses cost sensible money, too, considering the features and build quality.Top quality hardware ect. From what you say, it seems like the new Legacy preamp is a triumph in terms of getting closer to the authentic HazLabs tone. I love classic Spector sounds that I associate with American rock of the '80's and '90's, I shy away from a lot of boutique-style basses nowadays because most of them sound too polite for my taste, but that's a criticism that could never be levelled at these Spector basses.