Happy Jack

Reckon I'll probably write one, but not until I've actually got in some playing time. Meanwhile, here are some first impressions. Please note that I really, really wanted to get this bass, and none of the negative comments below were show-stoppers for me, nor were they surprises. Always do the bad stuff first. Design issues. [list] [*]The end pin. Daft, absolutely pointless, a bloody heavy piece of brass that will never be used and quite likely get lost. I play both DB and EUB and there is no f***ing way that you can play a TB10 as an upright. The idea made some sense when Gibson used it on their first violin bass in the 50s, rather less sense when Gretsch used it on the 6070 in the 60s, and none at all now. [*]No side dots. Why not? Because "real, orchestral musicians" don't need them, or something? This bass is enough of a challenge to play without making intonation just that little bit harder by giving no clue of where you are. I took my bass from Wunjos straight down to Andy Gibson and had side dots inserted. [*]The bridge assembly. Completely fixed, no adjustment of any sort whatsoever. The message is, play it like it is or buy a different bass. There is NO problem with the bridge, and the action is DB high, but it makes no sense to make a £2000 bass without even the possibility of the owner tailoring it to their own taste. [/list] One more bad bit, not a design issue. The nut was an embarrassment, with nearly 3mm of clearance under the strings AT THE NUT! If you're not familiar with DBs, this is every bit as bad on a DB as it would be on an electric bass. Essentially, the bass was damned near unplayable from new. Please note that this is not a pop at Wunjos, I'm looking at you Takamine. Unacceptable on such an expensive bass. This was the only issue which came as a surprise. OK, that's the bad bits done. I've had maybe an hour's playing time so far, much too little but even so it's enough to satisfy me that buyer's blues won't be a problem with this bass. Exactly what I wanted, it's refreshingly different from every other bass I own (and I own FAR too many), it plays beautifully, sounds magnificent, and is very involving. This isn't something you pick up casually to noodle on, pick this bass up and you want to take it seriously. Like a DB, the sheer physicality of this bass makes it a challenge to play but then delivers more satisfaction when you get it right. And yes, if you dig in sufficiently then it really does sound like a DB. Playing it with a light touch delivers a very different result, one which is of limited interest to me. That's all for now, but I'll revisit when I have more to say.

That's what happens when you give a KORG to a giant gorilla.

As always, some idea of budget is always useful. Two years ago I replaced my Sansamp RBI with a Demeter VTBP 201. I like the BDDI tone on tap, but it turned out I didn't like it in "always on" mode ... I generally prefer a scooped, old school tone. The Demeter absolutely hits the spot for me, lush and warm, with real depth to the sound. But of course it doesn't cut through as well, and with some basses can even sound rather bland. Both those rack mount preamps are more than good enough to meet the requirements of most bassists, it's all down to taste. And budget. Budget matters. I bought the RBI new. That really wasn't an option with the Demeter!

Delighted to say I currently own my best-ever rig. Mike Lull Thunderbird T5 --> Matamp GT100 --> Barefaced 69er. Mind you, for most pub gigs I actually play through my most sensible ever rig. Mike Lull Thunderbird T5 --> Aguilar TH350 --> Barefaced Midget.

How do you think he got to be a bigfatcat in the first place?

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1452260424' post='2948176'] This one I'm just not bonding with it. I'm not sure why. Its a nice bass all round nothing bad about it. I paid a fair amount of money for it (for me) and feel a bit of pressure to like it. [/quote] I had a very similar experience recently, a beautiful bass bought from a Basschatter I consider to be a friend, others who have played it absolutely raved about it. Me? Nothing. It just didn't "call to me". Whenever I went to pick up a bass, I never reached for it. [color=#b22222][i][Disclaimer: It is possible that I have too many basses. Far too many.][/i][/color] I stuck it out for over two years, thinking that I would be somehow betraying the bass to sell it having played it so little. Finally I bit the bullet and traded it for something really very different, and now I wish I'd done it a long time ago. If it ain't bust, don't fix it. But similarly, if it ain't working for you, don't keep it.

That was [b][i]after[/i][/b] tidying up ...

I can't see any particular difference between that SB401 and the SB301/SB310 ... what am I missing?

Those speed knobs look really alien on that bass.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1452252244' post='2948026'] "Oh, yes, sorry about that, he can be a bit intense." [/quote] Not sure that "intense" is actually the right word there ...

If it's a CS bass then it really, [i][b]really [/b][/i]should work properly without needing parts replacing! Boroman, have you owned this bass from new, or did you buy it from someone else?

The original idea came from the Emperor Nero and his serenade on a lyre while he watched from a balcony as Rome burned. Nero gets very little credit for his contribution to World Music, having been swept away by the Goth Revolution while his studio was trashed by Vandals.

Yet another vote for the SGC Nanyo Bass Collection (strictly, the Made In Japan series only). The entry-level, passive SB301 is OK but nothing special. The cheapest active bass, the SB310 is pretty good but won't necessarily blow your socks off. The SB320 is simply sublime. If you're a big fan of super-middy tones (Warwick, Schecter, etc.) then probably [i][b]not [/b][/i]the bass for you. If you like Fenders then the SB320 will blow away most, and at a fraction of the price. Speaking of which, the days of the SB310 for £150 and the SB320 for £200 are gone I'm afraid. If you find an SB320 in good nick, don't hesitate to splash £300 or even £350 to get it. You won't be disappointed.

Nope - my fingers aren't big enough.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1452164311' post='2947095'] REDDI I'm serious... [/quote] I love the look and idea of those things, but I keep wondering if they're not the Apple of amplification ... really, really cool-looking design being used to justify ludicrous prices.

When I alternate, I leave the controls untouched on bass and amp and use no pedals. I play with a pick very close to the bridge, and I play fingerstyle either over the neck pickup or sometimes over the 24th fret. Two completely different styles resulting in two completely different tones. Surely that's the point? And don't call me Shirley.

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1452109470' post='2946578'] Ampeg B15. [/quote] Erm ... that's the Fliptop.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1452103489' post='2946465'] He may not have described them as such but Metal wasn't around when they started. Bands like Kiss, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motörhead where just Rock bands. By the 80s though, they were what we now call metal. [/quote] Is this another of those "you had to be there" topics? Back in the days when I shared a bedroom with Bruce Dickinson (no, really, I did) and one of my favourite albums was Sad Wings Of Destiny, I don't remember us all sitting around wondering what to call this stuff. This was 1979 into 1980, maybe 1981. I was in my early 20s and I was firmly in the "it's heavy rock, man" camp. Several of my then flatmates would routinely argue "don't you get it, this is heavy metal mate". The idea that no one called this heavy metal until the 80s is ludicrous. Maybe you had to be there after all ...

If you pay as much as £500 for one then you've done something wrong. Are you anywhere near London?

Well I wouldn't want to try it until I'd checked my tetanus jabs were up to date. Don't think I've ever seen rustier strings ...

Try a mid-70's WEM Dominator 25. I'm absolutely serious. With 15W of valve power you can achieve whatever degree of break-up you want/need at a sensible volume, and if you get a good one then the tone is just to die for. It's the poor man's Fliptop, and probably better value for money.

My double bass is always known as "my double bass". Avoids confusion and seems to work.

He'll struggle to get Type Approval for that nose vent!

[quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1452017688' post='2945603'] Weirdly, I swear he drove past me in Fraddon, Cornwall on Sunday midday. I was just pulling out of a junction from the A30 and he was just turning on. It was either him or his double. [/quote] And now I'm trying to visualise a car as modified by our favourite luthier. Obviously it will have had one of the four wheels removed, thus making more room for the other three. The engine will have been swapped out for something utterly inappropriate. The upholstery will have been liberally treated with beeswax, which is a shame since it's fabric. The three tyres will be of different makes and designs, inflated to different pressures. Am I nearly there yet?