NancyJohnson

[quote name='The Admiral' post='378587' date='Jan 13 2009, 07:21 AM']First bass was : From : It cost : Which today is :[/quote] #1 - An Arbiter SG bass (white) #2 - £35.00 #3 - £202.30 (Interesting that my second bass - a Columbus Jazz copy @£65 equates to £376.00...blimey) Good thread. P

There's quite a long thread about it and here: SIMMONS. The bass either ended up with Micki Free (who was in a band called Crown Of Thorns with sometime Kiss collaborator Jean Beauvoir), or it was stolen, or it got broken and rendered useless when it was dropped by a butter-fingered roadie. There's a new Lobue fansite up too: Lobue Site P

I've got three bits of Ashdown gear - all MAG - a 1x15, a 4x10 and an old red-face 2x10 combo; the combo (which is a bit tatty) and the 1x15, have been part of every jam and gig I've done in the last ten+ years; the 1x15 (along with the new 4x10) continues to see use as part of my new(er) setup. In this time, Ashdown have provided a few odds and sods (knobs etc.) free of charge/postage paid. they've answered a few queries and have been courteous each time. Customer service is alive and well at Ashdown. I just don't I don't understand why people knock their gear. I suppose because some of their range is [i]affordable[/i], and to some that to some this equates to it being rubbish. My preferred sound is, ummm, gritty; a bit Geddy/JJB and I don't see any of the toneless, wooliness or wump qualities which people put forward tend to be the main argument against Ashdown. They're robust, portable (ooh, my back) and certainly capable enough for any application; I've also run guitar, vocals, drum machines and keyboards through the combo and used it for stage monitoring as well. P

These look very yummy...the black one looks lovely. [url="http://www2.gibson.com/getdoc/bbfc3c88-40dd-47b4-8da6-8fd01dd112ac/EBTPTBBH-Finish-Shot-jpg.aspx"]HERE[/url] The headstock looks a little more chunky than the Gibson, but the Epiphone logo kind of carries it off. I have a black BadAss II somehwere here from my unfinished Spectorbird project too. To affirm the US pricing, the 5-string carries an MSRP of $999, the 4-string $832. P

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='375177' date='Jan 9 2009, 02:27 PM']Then don't buy it. Obviously you're not going to get one for less than it costs to put in the shop, but if you're determined to have the latest offering from Fender then you will have to pay what the shop is asking. Wait around 6 months until there are more in the country then you can shop around and the price will be discounted. You can be sure they won't remain at that price. I've been eying an ESP in a local shop. It's been there for nearly 8 months without selling and the shop has just dropped the price by £350.[/quote] Andy I work in retail and figure I've got a reasonably good handle on the way things are in my specific area, and that broadly follows trends for any saleable commodity. First, let's get one thing very clear. I'm not buying one of these basses. I was merely answering your claim that the buyer determines price, not the seller. Second, I notice that your original post just said 'then don't buy it'...the other two paragraphs followed [much] later. Third, to address your original comment, in business a retailer signs an application with a wholesaler to sell their products. Generally this contracts the retailer to abide within the terms and conditions set out by the wholesaler. The wholesaler will suggest a selling price for each SKU (stock keeping unit) to which the retailer should adhere. This means that, to a degree, the wholesaler can control the retail price, which can be deemed as being able to keep the retail price artificially high. This also means that you will not find any great bargains as product will be priced by the technical terms of: 'there or thereabouts'. The retailer will be given leave to discount product, or, in the case of your ESP, perhaps to recover the cost price of the product if it doesn't sell; this could be in form of sale or return of product for credit, or agreement to discount the product to recover the cost price (as maybe the ESP wholesaler wouldn't deem it worth the bother to have the product returned, booked back into stock, then credited/refunded to the retailer). This isn't rocket science. It's business. Guitars do sit on racks for yonks...a store near me still had a red Charvel on sale some twelve years after I saw it for the first time. If you've, as you have said, been eyeing up a guitar for eight months and now it's drastically reduced, then go for it, young sir. I look forward to seeing your purchase in the porn section on Sunday. P

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='375033' date='Jan 9 2009, 12:54 PM']The buyer determines the price, not the seller.[/quote] I'm sorry? Fender (like every company) will have a RSRP - a recommended sale retail price - that they give to the retailer. It's really down to the retailer what they want to sell it for, but the retailer will also need to operate within Fenders suggested level of discount. The buyer can haggle, but the retailer knows full well what they can go down to pricewise. P

Bucking the trend here, I do like the look of old basses, or more to the point, basses that look like they've been dragged along behind the van and/or have some history. That said, when I saw the prices (Andertons, Guildford were quoting £899 for the Jazz), I was pretty shocked. Also, one thing I didn't like at all on the ones I've seen is that the relicing is all the same - through to the wood in the same places. Have a look. Remember at the end of the day, this is all about reinvention; the Fender company have a core of may less than ten models - basses...Jazz/Precision/Jaguar and guitars...Jaguar/Jazzmaster/Telecaster/Stratocaster/Mustang - and they've been making most of these for over for 40 years, so they can't be going too far wrong. Fender know the market reasonably well and they are after all in business to make money, rather than trying to please everyone. So what if a new SKU has some dinks in it...if you don't like them, then move along the bus. You'll find lots of shiny new ones elsewhere. P

[quote name='budget bassist' post='373770' date='Jan 8 2009, 04:09 AM']So i post on the EBMM forums a lot, and for anyone not following there's some stunning new stuff coming out soon! Two entirely new bass models and a stealth stingray by the looks of it! Not bad for a company like musicman eh? First is called the "big al", basically a bass version of the albert lee guitar. Second is the 25th anniversary bass, modeled after the axis guitar, not sure what it's called though. Both will be available in H, HH, HS HSS or SSS and will have the bongo's 4 band EQ plus pickup selector buttons and active passive switches (and i thought the bongo was versatile!!!!) Personally i think they're both really nice looking! Also ernie's son just released a picture of a stealth stingray and said nothing more, so i'm taking it as a hint that it will be put into production soon, i hope Here are the pics! (first 3 are of the 25th anniversary, so obviously the next 5 are the big al and the last is the stealth ray) Enjoy[/quote] I love the black Stingray. Can I ask where these photos came from? The MM site is pretty awful...nothing on there. P

Harking back to one of my earlier posts [What constitutes a build diary?], I think this project truly encompasses the spirit of a home build, by someone who has the tools, knowledge and ability to do the job. This is exactly what I was trying to get over in my original post. Al has built [himself] a great looking bass, on a reasonably tight budget and for all the right reasons. It looks great. Well done. P

[quote name='MythSte' post='363282' date='Dec 25 2008, 11:46 AM']For basses its easy in the UK, no one apart from Fender believes they have enough coverage so they'll jump on anything with a glint of promise.[/quote] Oooh, ten/twelve years ago or my bass was serviced/set up by a tech guy in west London who did work for Fender (he didn't work for them, but he did work for them in some capacity). Back then, I was playing in this pop band - not even a live drummer...the odd gig, recording. I suppose in the late 80s/early 90s Fender really wasn't in vogue so much...it was all about Jacksons and pointy gear. He was very open about the Fender network [back then] scouting for bands/players and alluded at the time that it wasn't so much about making direct contact, it was who you knew on the periphery that mattered. It was all about referrals. I have no qualms whatever about the validity of his credentials and he was pretty genuine. Any deal wouldn't be about getting a truckload of free gear, the endorsement would be about the exclusive use of Fender gear and all you would get was discount at a set amount (so maybe a quarter/third off retail price). Did we take it further? Yes, a little. Did I end up with loads of basses? Nope, not a sausage! So why not? Honestly, I didn't have the money to buy stuff anyhow and I was happyish with my Warwick. Also, I could have sourced the same equipment that Fender laid out cheaper on the street. P

I just looked up the book on Amazon...I just wish it was a little more of a recent publication...it's a few years old. We bassists need an annual. Like the Beano. P

Just got a cable from Dave. Maaaaarvelous. P

D'Addarios for me. I've got D'Ads on all mine, including the 12 - I've got a 12-string set of SIT strings that I might reshore the Waterstone with over Christmas. I'm VERY interested in the DR Hellborg strings, but as of yet they don't come in five-string/super long sets. P

[quote name='7string' post='359142' date='Dec 19 2008, 08:36 PM']Even though I'm not really a Pearl Jam fan, the 12's most famous line is from their song "Jeremy". Doug Pinnick from Kings X also plays a 12 string.[/quote] A certain Paul Anthony (ex-Last Three Standing and Nancy Johnson) plays one too. He thinks they're yummy. Try experimenting with a low pass filter - route the low frequencies direct into an amp and then the high frequencies [the octaves] through effects (I use a bit of distortion - a Marshall Guv'Nor)...it will destroy the rest of the band. P

I've boiled my strings once in a while, but never used meths. My brother is a chef by profession (ex-Army) and he swears by cleaning stainless steel with methylated spirits - non smearing and eats the grease, so I'm sure there's some validity in the use of MS. It brings my hob and cooker hood up lovely. P

To answer everything here, the DJ neck has an extra fret, so wouldn't be any good. The DD and JO necks are interchangeable. Lakland have confirmed that to keep prices down, I can go with an aftermarket bell plate for concentric/stack-knobs as the Fender one fits. I've only had the DJ5 for three weeks or so and I've come to realise that my Precision will never get jammed/gigged again, so that's up for sale...what I get for that will go against this. I do look on Gary's collection of Spectors and think wouldn't it be great to have a ton of basses, but in truth I need a four to go with my five and twelve and that's it. This will give me all the tone and variety I need. I need to finish my Spectorbird project as well. Might get an Ashbory. P

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='357519' date='Dec 18 2008, 07:11 AM']Looks nice although personally i would just get a DJ as i dont like sunburst.[/quote] Already got a DJ5! P

I've been bitten by the Lakland bug and have exchanged a few mails with Lakland about cobbling together something from stock parts. They've inferred that they're happy enough to sell me parts for what I want to achieve (and for what I can't get, I'll buy from a third party). I've thrown together something in Photoshop...essentially a JO body, Duck Dunn neck. I'm a sucker for block inlays. Looks kinda yummy. Good or bad? Opinions? Or should I just get a Geddy Lee Jazz? Cheers P

[quote name='Stingray5' post='356413' date='Dec 16 2008, 09:44 PM']Ah, of course.... I knew Tempo rang a bell for some reason. You reminded me that it did indeed become Flying Pig, which is where I bought my TE combo 10 years ago. I remember the ads for Allbang & Strummit but I don't think I ever made it to the store itself.[/quote] The Pig was over near Ealing as I remember. Hanwell W7. I bought some Trace stuff there about ten years ago...they had some nice used gear (a six string Yamaha was great). I remember peering through a door at the back of the shop to see the contents of a store room - that appeared to be the size of the warehouse at the end of Raiders - just loaded with gear. They're closed now I think. P

Also in a musical bent, does anyone remember a basement record store a couple of hundred years from Centrepoint called Simons? They were on the Wardour Street side of Oxford Street. I always remember everything was hideously cheap in there...usually European imports. The shop always smelt fragrant (not in the dope way)...something they pumped through the air-conditioning. Fruity. I got in someone's car the other day and they had a smelly thing in there and I was transported back to 1980 again. I just kind of blurted out 'your car smells just like a record store I used to go in in my teens'. P

I started going up there 1977/78. Cheap day return from Egham to Waterloo - early 80s was all about the Virgin Megastore, Forbidden Planet, a swift visit to as many guitar shops as my then girlfriend/now wife would tolerate, then over to the Hard Rock Cafe for a late lunch/beers, then home before the rush started. I remember a lot of the places you've mentioned. I do remember a dealer that was in the building on Charing Cross Road that became Turnkey (there's an alleyway by the side of it)...for some reason I seem to remember it as being FD&H Music (may be wrong). They were a big Ibanez dealer - I bought my sunburst Ibanez Roadster bass there and my then guitarist bought his Ibanez Paul Stanley Iceman. I remember when they were closing down they had a few Gibsons going at very low prices - I remember a pink Gibson Flying V for £225.00. Have avoided the area for some years - wasn't there a shop called Rhodes Music? P

[quote name='tombboy' post='355044' date='Dec 15 2008, 02:29 PM']Love it! Thanks very much!! [/quote] Sometimes I just love Photoshopping stuff. I mocked up my avatorial Bass Player cover and also a great one for my old drummer on the front of Modern Drummer. Do me a full sized scan/flat photo of the Dummies book (@300dpi) and a full sized scan of that photo of you I used and I'll do you a proper graphic (suitable for framing); my Christmas gift to you. P

Heh. Photoshop, five minutes. Now it's worth keeping. P