three

On 22/05/2022 at 23:17, funkypenguin said:

Had a couple of gigs with my new bass recently and I'm absolutely loving the shorter 32" scale length, kind of wish I'd switched earlier!

 

 

Beautiful top on a beautiful Fodera - lovely to see you're using the Hellborg rig live.  Not the lightest (!) but if you can carry it, the tone is simply breathtaking

I’m not usually the biggest fan of the Orion body shape but it works extremely well on a 6 (IMO). Absolutely lovely

7 hours ago, thewebow said:

Ironically they were happy to px me the bass with a warning about the nut- to not go below a certain gauge.. wasn’t until I got it home that I really noticed how much it was eating behind the nut. I mean it plays wonderfully so not like I want to change it up too much.. I wonder do I leave it as is and accept that the damage is done? 

PM'd

6 hours ago, thewebow said:

‘98 and ‘96 fender USA p bass w flats & j bass. 
 

Anyone got any advice on replacing a nut. The j bass is eating away on the g string behind the nut. 

The Bass Gallery in Camden could certainly sort you out with a new nut quickly and fairly cheaply - work is of the highest standard.  Two very nice basses - I particularly like the P - lovely aesthetic

8 hours ago, Kiwi said:

Oh trust me, this was not a situation of my choosing.  Last time I was in the UK was 2016 and then we opened a service based business that couldn't function without me and that basically screwed any chances of coming back to the UK until COVID struck...and the rest is history.  I never took the batteries out of the bass before putting it into storage because I didn't think I'd be away for so long...!  Any some pics are below.  The original pickups basically gave out so the bass went back to The Mothership and had new ones installed.  The rest of it is original and honest - finish issues and all and the facings are walnut IIRC.

 

 

And one of it being played live: 

Wow, thanks - I haven’t played a graphite Alembic but would definitely love to - thanks for posting, stunning!

What 

12 hours ago, Kiwi said:

I would share a pic of mine but it's been in storage for the last 7 years...so all my photos are at least that old if not older.

12 hours ago, Kiwi said:

I would share a pic of mine but it's been in storage for the last 7 years...so all my photos are at least that old if not older.

What a thing to happen to a gorgeous Alembic though it seems to be a common situation

Could be a lovely guy on a really tight budget.  However, alarm bells all over the place here and as uncharitable as this sounds, I'm with mr4stringz above and absolutely not.  What happens if there's any damage?  I treat my own gear very carefully and other people's even more so, though I'm aware that not everybody is the same.  If it was a cheap beater bass, then maybe, but not an expensive instrument.  To be honest, I'm a little surprised you've been asked.

23 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

My '76 Series. Love it. My dream bass since I was 15.

I got it for an excellent price, but I'm still coming to terms with owning something so valuable...

 

That looks like a vermillion facing and in superb condition - really beautiful!

3 hours ago, jazzyvee said:

Thanks for your offer, though i am not sure that I want to keep the logo's at all since the neck ones are virtually worn off and also gold which doesn't seem to fit the aesthetic of maple and chrome. But I will have a think about it.

I posted this on the alembic site and mica indicated she might have some old vintage look cream pickups that may go with this bass so i just need to get an email fired off to find out what may be available and at what price. No idea if they have the alembic name moulded, transfers or plain. I do recall they had some cream pickups with splashed paint on called "Clown's Vomit' which might be a nice contrast. 🙂

No problem and I see what you mean about maple and chrome.  The replacement process implies complete removal of the original heat-bonded gold logo and some flatting of the pickup cover.  I've replaced a few logos where the original has almost vanished (to be honest, it makes the process a little easier).  I'm pretty sure I've seen the Clown's Vomit covers - a really interesting addition! 

6 hours ago, jazzyvee said:

I have wanted to give my alembic a facelift for ages and when i saw Cosmo Valdemar's bass at Jaydee being prepped for respray, it gave me the confidence to get mine refinished from see through purple to clear finish, had a refret and new knobs. And it now looks brand new except the pickups. I will be looking for some way to make them look new.

 

 

Beautiful - if you're looking to re-fin the pickups and add new gold logos, drop me a PM - I had some logos made by a very high-end model shop (horrendously expensive but an unbelievably good job).  I've also been through the process of applying them to several pickups and refinishing the surface of the latter.  A painstaking process but the results are very good (IMO).  I was going to offer the transfers on the Alembic site (with Mica's permission, of course) but she didn't get back.

Little to report other than I'm considering having my fretless fretted - that way it would get much more use.  It's just sat in a mate's studio at present.  I still play fretless but could get by with something a bit less elaborate.  This all might be a bit nuts and I've certainly not convinced myself yet.  A look at that lovely unmarked board certainly makes me think twice

Legendary basses and for good reason - finest ergonomics of any Fender type I've owned - lovely

Depends on the bass really.  For a Fender-type, Gotoh FB30s (lollipops - the '66 J with dots and bound board with lollipop tuners makes me weak at the knees).  For anything more 'modern', preferably an Alembic, it would be Schaller M90s - the 40% reduction in weight would be welcome. 

The finest tuner I've used - perfect for set-ups, especially intonation.  It's accurate!

18 hours ago, Sparky Mark said:

Simply the best 210 I've ever played through. Definitely worth the extra carry effort. I bought two because I thought one would rarely be enough on gigs but I was so wrong; really amazing cabs.

Without doubt, the same for me

14 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

The locking jack doesn't have to be replaced. It's a simple job to open up the socket and remove a spring.

Then it behaves just like any other socket would.

 

It's a 5 minute job and a big improvement. Might as well do the Preamp Plug swap at the same time - another zero cost mod that makes a big difference.

Thanks - I despise locking jacks (and actually find them potentially dangerous) - I have loads on basses and preamps.  I'm about to make the mod.

Have a look for BC member Steve Browning's excellent posts on the TT800 - I think Steve has a couple and is a long-time Mesa user.  The downside with Mesa is the wait and it's possible that the TT800 won't make it to UK shores (and time soon anyway) - just a few units were shipped to the UK prior to the onset of various crises and getting hold of any Mesa gear new in UK/Europe has become highly problematic.  Getting hold of a TT800 is particularly problematic.  I was on the waiting list but abandoned the wait - not a bad thing as after hearing a TT800 up close, I realise that it wouldn't suit me at all and would have been going back.  Still, if it's your kind of thing, then a great choice.  

Edit: found the link to Steve's review:

My favourite Fender basses!  I’ve had a few of these and rare to find them with the original thumb rest. What’s the weight on this? They’re often ridiculously heavy (though a mate of mine has a real featherweight)? Love the transformed colour on this one

Really classy - alas one more string (and four inches more neck) than I need.  Truly lovely.

The finest bass amp ever built in my opinion - I prefer these to the 751.  Great price too - pity for me it's not in the UK.

Some great ideas above, some of which I've used.  Recently, I've been using an Aguilar Tone Hammer with some success - there's a drive function that seems more than adequate, though its something that I don't use.  It's a very hot unit so a bit of care required with gain and output, though a really useful and powerful EQ section.  Essentially, it's an Aguilar OBP3 in a box (and the latter is one of my favourite on-board pres).  Another alternative with a really fantastic EQ section is the Mesa Subway 800D plus - I had one until a few months ago and it really is a very well-built pre with an excellent feature set.  I probably shouldn't have sold it as they're not easy to find (especially in more recent times).  

A lot of people seem to be using (and enjoying) GSS Sumo and Baby Sumo amps - there's a link here:

https://www.guitarsoundsystems.com/gss-baby-sumo-ampxlite-bass-guitar-power-amp-c2x21844846 

I've seen and played a good number of these over the years but I haven't seen one in such condition for a very long time.  Looks like a centre-jointed two-piece ash body too.  These were quite a premium bass at the time of release.  Absolute bargain IMO

First, I'm not a great fan of the aesthetics of the JD 2, and I really don't care what JD plays or whether he writes his own parts.  That said, I do get a great deal of pleasure from hearing and watching JD play (alongside no small amount of envy).  Thanks @drTStingray for the link!

I think I borrowed one of these from a very generous bass-player for a gig in the late '80s.  I used it with the TE Series 6 amp that I'd just acquired.  It was one of the very best bass tones that I've ever achieved live (I think I was using a Status Series II).  The owner of the cab - in the audience on the night - went out and bought a TE head within a few days.  Everybody in the band agreed it was the best bass tone they'd heard.  I learned subsequently that a lot of that tone was down to that cab.  An absolute bargain in my opinion - a really solid cab with a lovely solid and very articulate tone.