Dood

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1239151' date='May 21 2011, 11:27 AM']Acme Low B2 is exactly that.[/quote] Yeah, it really is. really!

I have a couple of Shuker Basses (have owned a 3rd as well) so I'll be happy to chip in. Answers ***'d below. [quote name='pluckedout' post='1240255' date='May 22 2011, 12:41 PM']Thanks for all the responses guys; in answer to a few questions:[/quote] 1. I am considering getting one made without have played one, but I will be being very specific about what I want, in terms of measurements, neck profile, etc etc. Only because I don't get up to the North very much anymore, despite having grown up in that area. I'm planning to order one then if I like it I may order another :-) *** If you know exactly what you want with respect to neck carve and dimensions then you are definitely heading in the right direction. A custom bass can be anything you want it to be, but you have to communicate that with the Luthier so they fully understand what your exact needs are. I think experience with playing lots of different basses is more important than 'playing a particular custom Shuker' - because each Shuker *could* be so different from each other. Some may pick up my bass and hate it because of the close string spacing - but for me it's something I cant live without - it's a very personal thing for sure. 2. I'm very happy with my current basses but am now playing 5 strings almost exclusively. What I'm planning to order (first) is a semi hollow fretless P bass with Dimarzio P + Graphtech Ghost pickups so I can get both a double bass-ish sound and a classic fretless P sound. I was originally going to order a Status Electro having been a Status fan for a long time but they're not building them at the moment and their new model is unlikely to be ready this year. Having heard good things about Jon I thought I priced some options up with him and it will actually be cheaper and quicker to get something that is exactly built to my specs. Is virtually impossible to find some thing similar off the peg - closest I've come is a SpectorCore but they all seem to be lined fretlesses, and seem massively overpriced in the UK. *** True - Sometimes, I think Jon is absolutely crazy. I should ignore the prices on his website, cos generally speaking he WAY undercharges people for the quality of his work. That's not just being biased, I've heard it time and time again from Shuker owners. I like your idea about the fretless and Jon's Artist basses are just lovely! 3. I don't intend to ever sell a custom order bass, but then I never intended to sell some of my other basses - my 2nd Status was a custom order and I'm now selling that as it's a 4 string. As I can't predict the future (yet) I need to at least consider resale value. The sensible part of me says "buy something off the peg just in case (and probably second hand to start with)" whereas another part of me says "get what the hell you want". Also, shifting the existing custom order bass makes me feel like I deserve to have another in its place. *** G.A.S!!! We all suffer! It's crazy, I could justify what car to buy in an instant, but when it comes to 'if I should allow myself to spend XYZ on a piece of Bass gear' I probably anguish over it for days!! - I think if you do your homework and you know exactly what you want, then take the plunge. - I knew that my two were going to be 'for life' so as an extra measure, I've engineered enough personal stuff in to them to give them a really low resale value - so it'd be stupid to get rid of them anyway - but then, if you could be me, playing my basses, you'd know they're keepers ;o) YAY! 4. Shuker prices seem to be relatively reasonable when compared with other manufacturers *** In comparison to those he's rubbing shoulders with in the industry, his prices are very reasonable - Sometimes I wonder if that sends an message to those who are not familiar with Shuker basses that he's 'not as good' as the more expensive Luthiers because he's cheaper? - Well, one thing is for sure, deciding to not base himself in London means his overheads are a lot lower! So I think his prices are about lesser costs to him, not a lesser quality for us. 5. I've hankered after a few custom ideas based on Fender basses - Fender's custom shop prices are completely unjustifiable so if I can get the look I'm after for a third of the price then it makes sense to do so. *** Simon Rix and JJ Burnell seem to be over the moon with their Shuker takes on that 'P bass classic' - and to be fair, they could have probably gotten a free one from Fender rather than buy from Jon which speaks volumes in my book.

[quote name='icastle' post='1237577' date='May 19 2011, 11:18 PM']Who are you again? [/quote] "I'm the one on the left.. errrr 20th on the left, 30 rows back, tall one with black trainers.. oh wait, you can't see my trainers. Ah, I was facing away at the time too.. but ya know, if you could see me, I would have been in the picture, honest ..it's me..."

Hey everyone! You may (or may not) remember that I was interviewed for the online mag 'Bass Musician Magazine' back in November (Ok, may not remember, so here's the link to that so you can have a good giggle at the silly faces I pull in front of a camera) [url="http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2010/11/biscuits-bassment-a-bass-musician%E2%80%99s-review-spotlight-on-dan-veall-aka-%E2%80%9Cdood-on-bass%E2%80%9D/"]http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2010/11/bi...-bass%E2%80%9D/[/url] Well - my good friend 'Biscuit' has just completed part 2 of an article about the London Bass Guitar Show. Annnnnd well, I'm all pleased cos the dear fellow has name-checked yours truly and I feel all special ;o) So here's the link - grab yaself a cuppa and settle back for a good read! Part 1: [url="http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2011/04/biscuit%E2%80%99s-bassment-the-london-bass-guitar-show-2011-part-1/"]http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2011/04/bi...ow-2011-part-1/[/url] Part 2: (Me me me me me!! ha ha) [url="http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2011/05/biscuit%E2%80%99s-bassment-the-london-bass-guitar-show-2011-part-2/"]http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2011/05/bi...ow-2011-part-2/[/url]

Fredde! That's absolutely brilliant and will be a very helpful tool to tab out songs really quickly. I'd love to see a six string version in the future - but I think this version already on its own is great!

[quote name='Mog' post='1235450' date='May 18 2011, 11:27 AM']Nice one dood. I'll give it a go at the next practice session. Cheers[/quote] Ey! No wurries, happy to help! Dooooooooooooooood

[quote name='Mog' post='1235290' date='May 18 2011, 09:57 AM']Sortabump!?? Just noticed an oscillating whistle coming through the speakers connected to my LH500 when I was not playing. Very strange. Could it be bad juice going to the head from the power outlet?[/quote] ok, plug your bass straight in to the EFFECTS RETURN on the back of the amp (Start with the bass volume all the way down and turn it up gently) Have a play through and see if the oscillating has gone away. By plugging in to the return socket you are plugging directly in to the power amplifier section of the amp and bypassing the preamp. I suggest this as it will allow you to get an idea if it's a preamp problem, such as a 'microphonic valve'. If the noise stops when you plug in to the poweramp then you have possibly isolated the cause. Given that I can't hear the noise this would be be initial thought. Should you need to replace the valve, it's a 12AX7 (otherwise known as an ECC83) and my personal preference for a budget but good quality preamp valve is the JJ ECC83S that can be picked up for 7-10 quid.

Ha ha!! I didn't even look to see who was selling it! I just assumed you'd spotted in on the 'bay ha ha ha!!

blimey! a thread from 2007! ;o)

Anyone used these as a MIDI controller?

I had a chat with Jon the other day about some up and coming news - I understand he has more than 20 basses on the go at the moment. - Sorry Steve, I've no plans to head up just yet so I'm afraid I cannae help on this occasion mate.

Same 'ere ! I love my basses! I really can't ever see a day when I'll stop playing!!

Bit late to the discussion - even with my string killing fingers, I really rate Rotosound Rotos. They are smooth under your pinkies, have a nice tone to them and for those who change strings regularly they can be picked up for a brilliant price. I order custom gauged 6 string sets for my headless bass.

Ahhh congratulations! A beautiful Shuker! I feel the same about mine too - just so comfortable and I think they make me noodle and play more.. just can't leave 'em alone ha ha!!

[quote name='Sawtooth' post='1230565' date='May 13 2011, 11:31 PM']Yes they do! (MC?) 4558 (C?) / KOREA / 5A - the print is very small, but I can clearly make out the numbers, the letters less so. Wow, I must admit that most of your information has gone straight over my head but I thank you anyway. You obviously know your stuff and I value your opinion, so, I'm willing to throw a good wedge at a new preamp and would like some help narrowing down my choices.[/quote] Yup MC 4558C - Sorry, I got told the other day by one of my students I kinda go overboard with the detail a bit ha ha ha!!! - ok, in short - the 4558 was like a Ford Escort and you could get a Mercedes version to plug in instead for a more quality ride! - but they're not actually crazy expensive. But that aside - there is a massive choice of preamps on the market from EMG, Seymour Duncan, Aguilar, John East, Bartolini and many more - none of them are bad and will all be a good upgrade. I have experience of some, but thankfully as icastle has said, we have a great collective encyclopaedic knowledge on BC so you'll be sure to get lots of excellent helpful answers!

[quote name='icastle' post='1230578' date='May 13 2011, 11:52 PM']Doesn't matter what you need to know, someone here will have the answer... [/quote] We're like 118... but better - especially numbers!

I'll move the thread for you.

I'm not sure - but I own the Digitech stereo JamMan and can edit the files on my computer. It comes with some default stereo backing tracks on too.

Just out of interest, do those two op-amps say 4558 on the top? I can't quite see. If they are, they are a generic op-amps - ( a pair of 741's in a package for all the geeky types) So my guess is that it's a fairly old preamp - because there have been a lot of advances in both performance and power consumption since they came out. The same Op amps appear in an old combo I have which is well over ten years old, as a guide. It is possible to upgrade the chips - as iCastle has pointed out they will pop out and with a bit of investigation I'm sure it'd be easy to find out what the latest incarnation of a quality pre op-amp is. I recall names such as TL072, LF353N, OPA2xx, NE553x, LT1358(?) from waaaay back - most will just slot straight in - but it'd be hard to make a 100% definite choice without seeing knowing the schematic - though my major hunch looking at the lack of stuff on the board is that it's probably a gain stage and baxandall bass treble network - a very obvious method and used a great deal in active circuits. Given what we can see, if you decided to upgrade to an up to date preamp I am positive you will notice a big difference in Bass sound.

There's a recent post about the very subject: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=134360"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=134360[/url] Hope it helps!

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='1229965' date='May 13 2011, 02:33 PM']Oh, I missed that one. I desperately want a Harpejji! [/quote] Just for you mate: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=134706&hl=harpejji"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...amp;hl=harpejji[/url]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1229984' date='May 13 2011, 02:45 PM']And let's face it, there is a very small minority of people who buy basses with lots of strings that do it mostly for the attention. They must love threads like this.[/quote] Fixed it for you.

[quote name='bremen' post='1229918' date='May 13 2011, 01:57 PM']Yeah, but you're one of [b]us[/b] ;-)[/quote] I'm clicking the imaginary 'like' button right now. Very true, I am a BC lifer - always have been, always will be. Cheers Bremen!

Ok, I'll bite! - sure have an opinion about how a Bass isn't to your liking but seriously, ripping a guy you don't even know just because of the Bass he plays or the music he's in to is a major low ball. All the chats and comms I've had with John Turner have been helpful and informative. He helped me select and import a Bass once too - which he didn't have to do.. Not shouting or ranting, just would like to add a bit of perspective to the thread. Sometimes I am amazed at the closed mindedness of some!! - I've long hair, a goatee and long hair..oh dear, I play more than one ERB and like Dream Theater. WTF does that make me? As an observation, it was interesting to see that my Harpejji thread got lots of love - but as soon as a Bass comes along that *doesn't* have as many strings, it's deemed a freak of nature. I wonder if people's perception of what a Bass should be is creeping in to the equation just a bit here?