Prosebass

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='365670' date='Dec 29 2008, 06:40 PM']Prosebass uses them I think, and will be along shortly I'd guess.[/quote] I think it was me who offered the trade with Chris in the first place. To Dannybuoy for the money they are superb, quite a few on the forum use them and I have had nothing but good feedback. Unfortunately I will not be stocking spares come the New Year as I am putting all my efforts into building basses.

Thanks for the input so far gents...in answer to a few of the points raised....... I'm a bugger for changing designs at the last minute but with this bass I need a basic general design to start with and if it goes well I will add extra models. I will post the prototype photos when I am happy with it and it is as near to the production model as possible. Slotted headstocks are ok but I don't like them and it takes longer to machine and finish than a standard design 2 + 2 layout A symmetrical design sounds ok but from what I have learned bassists generally like an off-set body and as this is primarily aimed at being a practice / travel bass it needs to be comfortable to be played sat down. Body wise I have 2 designs that have all the essential elements identical, ie top and bottom shaping, body chamfering , distance between strap lugs , top horn extension etc . One is very rounded and traditional in a Fender way whilst the other is very modern with a hint of some 80's designs. Body material will be mahogany with either a maple or mahogany neck, black hardware , twin pups , passive

Strings need to be standard and through body. The tuners are very light and compact and will take upto a 140 gauge so no problem there. Break-angle over the nut is another problem and using larger gauge strings with less tension than normal can produce a hump on the string which causes all sorts of problems with action and intonation. I have not been too bothered about neck width / depth and have actually gone for a chunky neck shape so it will also appeal to bassists with "normal" sized hands. It is impossible to build a bass to suit everyone....as I am finding out.

I have some small change and a dog ? nice bass , do you really need to sell it ?

[quote name='BigRedX' post='364830' date='Dec 28 2008, 02:18 PM']I'd be interested in trying one of these if I'm deemed worthy. My first bass and the one that provides the bottom end on most of the recordings my first band made was a much modified Burns Sonic, which sounded great as long as you didn't use the E string, so evenness of tone an tension across all the strings would be an important criterion for me. I'd also want to see 2 single coil pickups (not necessarily J types) with series and parallel switching for full fat sounds. Portability-wise it would be up against my fake Duke, and while I don't expect it to be as minimalist, it would need to be at least more comfortable if It was bigger. Are you going for headless or small headstock with guitar tuners? Overall for me it would need to match the Burns for sound (plus a usable E string) the Duke for portabilty and convenience and my Manne picollo bass for playability. I'll be following this with interest even if I don't get selected.[/quote] Small headstock (2 a side) or headless has been a huge headache. I am not intending this to be a boutique bass but a mass produced item (when I am rich I will produce boutique basses) Watching the threads on headless basses it would seem people who don't like headless basses really don't like headless basses irrespective, whilst generally people who like headless also like headed basses. So to appeal to a wide demographic I am going with a head design (short Gibson) and some ultra lightweight open gear machines. The other major problem with headless designs is availability of bridge / tuner units. Whilst "Steinberger" units are functional they are unattractive and their offset design unbalances a small body. ETS have some excellent units but at a price that makes them not viable on a £200.00 - £250.00 bass.

I've never understood why basses need to be so heavy. To someone of my statue its never been a problem but it would be easy for manufacturers to offer a "lightweight" range. I recently built this bass and it was on basschat for weeks with no takers before going to ebay and was sold for £140.00 just to recoup my outlay. It was a through neck , mahogany bodied, twin pup passive bass that weighed in at just over 7lbs so it can be done. [attachment=17782:Front01.jpg][attachment=17781:Oblique01.jpg]

As a few of you will be aware I have been designing and working on ultra short scale (USS) basses with a 28.5" scale My design brief was for a fully functional bass that fits in a hardcase 36" x 12" In a few weeks I will hopefully have working prototypes and a first batch of bodies and necks from my far eastern supplier. If anyone is interested I will be happy to send a prototype out to you for a week or so for assessment and feedback. I am not however willing to send a bass out just to be "played" and sent back, I need proper critical input. Therefore if you are interested you could express your opinions in this thread good and bad on short scale basses, what you would like to see from them regarding quality, equipment and price and your general insights. I will select who I consider the most "worthy" in the New Year and as soon as possible get the prototypes out to you. So come on get thinking and there may be a bass in it for you in a few months. Seasons Greetings to all..... Paul Rose

Do what YOU think is the best idea. That way you are the master of your own destiny and can only blame yourself if it all goes tits up. It is a good trait to be able to seek advice but only you can make the final decision. My advice is find some like minded musicians , don't do covers, get a few lessons and play loads... Merry Christmas... Oh yeah and that old chestnut .......Warwick = Firewood...

If I play my own compositions I'm the best there is.....as to any other stuff ?....

Excellent reply by Crazykiwi. As a "sparky" I would like to add that these sort of arguments are settled by men in white lab coats with very sensitive test equipment and not by bassists sat round trying each others kit. What makes a much bigger difference is how you pluck the strings each time !. Don't get bogged down in technical specifications, at the end of the day its the sound that matters irrespective of how its achieved.

[quote name='Faithless' post='361934' date='Dec 23 2008, 01:17 PM']I like those guitars with invisible leads... [/quote] And Pino's "Jaco" pants....

This looks interesting ???.......[url="http://cdbaby.com/cd/jacopastorius"]Early Jaco[/url] Has anyone got it ? [attachment=17561:jacopastorius.jpg]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='359876' date='Dec 20 2008, 09:07 PM']I always watch forumites' auctions. Sorry if the number of watchers got your hopes up.[/quote] Me too. I have found with all my auctions on ebay that the number of watchers bears no relationship to whether you get a sale. I'm sure 50% of the watchers are other people with similar items trying to gauge a price or like me researching selling trends.

[quote name='ARGH' post='359803' date='Dec 20 2008, 07:15 PM']As nice as it is to love those that played well,and created genres,ideas,techniques etc etc.....You have (that means everyone) to move on,theres better out there,and if not,be it.[/quote] Would you apply this logic to everything in life ? if so we should all be driving round in new cars , living in new houses and playing new basses ? In my book there is not better out there so why should I move on just because these guys are old / dead. I view them in the same way as I would Bach or Mendelssohn, both are dead but one I still enjoy listening to.

[quote][b]please take note of the following statement i intend to keep customer satisfaction and my idea of ebay is people go on this site and buy items of interest and some pick up items some dont i provide a service of not pick up items from my house as i dont no the next person from adam in other words a stranger please read this statement thank you people for your time hi there customer i think in the circumstances people have to respect peoples privacy i dont no you and there for i think you should respect peoples privacy it would be in your interest if you buy the item to have it posted because i will insure it and if any thing happens u can get claim on the insurance iam not a con i have the guitar here ready to be dispatched at the time anyone buys it sorry but i dont let people into my house as i have had some bad experiances in the past i understand your trying to save money on postage but i dont let strangers in my property please respect my wishes ty john the person that buys the guitar then has the option to try it out at his own property and in his own time please note this item has been revised and the price dropped three times and because iam a shop ebay takes a percentage out of the sale which leaves me with not the profit margin i wish to gain so anyone thats watching this item please buy it as its a bargin and the price is not going to go any lower thank you for reading this please note a few things to point out 1 please dont send me silly remarks of how to spell the word bass or base i can spell and i no about keywords iam a I.T PROFESSIONAL please take a look on my shop image profile for proof iam not a fool or idiot 2 please dont try and tell me how much my item is worth because it has its value and i no whats the right value and whats not and what to sell it for i dont need advice from anyone to value my items iam a shop and i have items for sale and out to make a profit like anyone else on ebay 3 if you have any sarcastic remarks or you are bored please go and do something more interesting with your time than writing abuse in emails please read ebay rules as i have reported several people as regards this type of matter if its a general question and enquiry i will do my best to answer if not i will report you to ebay please take note of this comment thank you[/b][/quote] WTF !!!!

I recently played on Kennyrodg's Spunky Jazz when I upgraded it and it sounds more like a 60's 70's Jazz than any recent Squier or Fender I have had my hands on. It just had that Jazz vibe that is missing with Squiers. Neither of the Jazz basses in the test sounded like a Jazz to me , or what I consider to be the pure Jazz sound. I have had Mexican Precisions that were better than US ones and a Jazz copy I recently built sounded strangely like a Jazz with EB style humbuckers. I don't believe much of what is said in magazine or web tests as I always suspect an underlying reason for pushing a certain piece of kit. It happens in business all the time, you scratch our back and we will pay you lots of advertising copy ! Car tests are the same. Everybody rants about Wals but in 1981 I chose a Hofner over both a Fender and a Wal as it was better made and sounded better to my ears but Hofner solid basses are a thing of the past and so have been Wals until recently. Fender is huge and buying one is buying into the club. Many basses are made better and sound better and are less expensive but they ain't a Fender which when it comes to re-sale makes a big difference. And lets be honest most iconic players and images are accompanied by a Fender Bass.

[quote name='Beedster' post='359498' date='Dec 20 2008, 12:25 PM']Probably true of most basses The problem with the type of 'research' above is that it is focusing on one factor whilst, as we all know, a number of factors determine why we choose a specific bass. One of the best sounding bass players I've seen live was playing a pretty average late '90s Squire through a pretty crap combo but boy did he sound awesome. I'll certainly be the first to admit that my collection of vintage Leo basses aren't necessarily any better sounding than some currently manufactured instruments that cost perhaps 20% of the price of the oldies. But sound isn't the only reason I bought them [/quote] + 1 to that A Mercedes 450SL ain't the best handling, fastest , most economical or versatile car out there but I still want one. Same with basses which are a personal extension of the player.