tonyf

[quote name='Musky' post='74310' date='Oct 14 2007, 10:32 PM']Clearly some people here have, as it's now doing the rounds as part of the Basschat library, courtesey of elom. For those that have read it, I was just wondering if Guy Pratt had anything interesting to say about a Status Matrix prototype he once had? Or mentioned it at all. I'm sure he must have had some input into it's design.[/quote] I've read it too having brought that and Horace Panter's auto biog of the Specials after hearing both on Jonathan Ross a few weeks ago. Like Stingrayfan, thought it was an ok read but not the greatest band biog in the world. Think the live show may have been better. Horace Panter's "Ska'd for Life" is a much more relevant book for me having grown up in that era and loved the mod/ska scene. Interesting insight into the personal and emotional fragility of the band during the Ska explosion of 79-81. T

[quote name='dub_junkie' post='74332' date='Oct 14 2007, 11:31 PM']Tony, glad you're liking the Asat,great bass..as are the others too. the Yamaha is a real beauty btw. lol do you mind if I copy your collection?just a flea and NE to go Keir[/quote] Howdy Kier, Absolutely loving the ASAT, it's such a great bass and I'm so glad we did the bass-swap styleee! Put the tort plate on ur Sterling yet? T

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='74335' date='Oct 14 2007, 11:36 PM']Try: "but you've already got a handbag...why do you need another?"[/quote] GENIUS response! Just gotta pluck up the guts to use it without showing the fear in my eyes......it's like they can smell the fear ya know lol T

+1 with the Red Tort......

Feel very guilty about posting pics of my basses as there's been some amazing stuff on here recently. Ervert's Fender's look stunning and Platypus's Lakland DJ has simply blown me away. Seriously thinking now how to break the news to Mrs F that I'm looking at another bass....any retort to the "you can't play all of them at once so why do you need another one" that anyone's tried? Traded a few quite recently but I feel fairly happy with these at the mo. Guess one's gear is dictated by the band you're in so these tend to sonically fit the covers band I'm in. The most recent is a G&L ASAT Semi-Hollow swapped with Kier (Dub_Junkie....top fella!). Always hankered after one of these after owning a L2500 that had the "Fender on steroids" sound nailed but I never felt happy with the "cricket-bat-handle" neck. The ASAT looks stunning and sounds absolutely amazing. Can't wait till the next gig. [attachment=2859:0013_0482.JPG][attachment=2860:0013_0484.JPG] Absolutely love my Modulus Flea bass which I brought last year from the marvellous Bass Central in Florida. Was originally fitted with a two band Aguilar preamp and SD MM pickup but swapped it out with a Bartolini MMC and a OBP-3 three band which has made such a difference to the midrange. Also fitted a Hipshot D-Tuner for those "1812 Overture" endings in D! [attachment=2861:0013_0485.JPG][attachment=2862:0013_0487.JPG] Musicman Sterling with Nordstrand 4.3 and (now regulation D-Tuner). Had this for a couple of years and absolutely love it. Love the marginally smaller body and neck (as opposed to the 'Rays) and the addition of the Nordstrand had made a great bass even greater, if that makes sense? The Nordy really has that Pre-EB magic, just can't say enough good stuff about the pickups. My only "want" for this bass would be a white body as I adore the perloid/white/maple combo but this is just me being picky. [attachment=2863:0013_0494.JPG][attachment=2864:0013_0496.JPG] Finally, "The Old Gal" or "The Money Shot Bass", my Yamaha Nathan East Signature. Had this from new, feels like it's the only bass I've hung onto over the years. Every single nick or bump on it is mine, every one tells a story. Brought in about 94 (I think), the only bit of "pimping" I've done to it is the fitting of a Bartolini pre-amp because the original Yamaha was awfully hissy (IMHO a glaring fckup in an otherwise stunning bass). Such a lovely flat fingerboard, wonderful quilted maple top, really low-playable action and a hugely focused tight midrange honk when rolled slightly onto the bridge pickup. Kinda think I should take it out again but I've been back onto fours for a while and now need to spend some time back playing fivers. [attachment=2865:0013_0500.JPG][attachment=2866:0013_0502.JPG] Right, that's it. I've bored everyone sh*tless. Soz! All the best T

Hello Pablo, Soooooooooooooooo sorry it's taken so long to reply. No excuse, I'm just a forgetful mofo! lol Anyway, thanks for all your help with the Spector. It was great doing business with you. Top banana deal and such an easy transaction with a diamond fella! Cheers Tony

I owned a 410HLF and a 810E for years and have only just sold the 810E because I wanted something a little smaller but with a more modern sound. Times and tastes change. Kinda miss the size-related jokes from as I used to wheel it into gigs. IMHO, the 810 is a lot of the "Ampeg sound", the design of the cab really helps shift the air and define the huge bottom end. Yeah, the usual stuff stuff said about the size and weight but thats why the cab's got tilt back wheels and the hefty handle on the back. As with anything, one develops the "technique" of moving it about in and out of cars and I managed to move mine about in a Fiesta for a while! There's enough kicking about used to pick one up sub-£500. In my opinion, if you're after the "rock-tone", the 810E's a definite contender. T

From my own very limited fretless experience, the best I've owned (or played) was a 1990 Warwick Thumb thru neck which I picked up off evilBay four years ago for about £900. Bargain, wish I'd stuck with it now I think about it! lol So organic sounding, Warwick use the "The Sound of Wood" strapline justifiably. It had absolutely stunning mwahhhhh. The Thumb character midrange woody growl really worked for the fretless tone, the two staggered MEC's near the bridge no doubt helping too. The early thru neck Thumbs are apparently as rare as rocking horse droppings but if you're not able to find one, the bolt ones are a great alternative. Maybe also look at the fretless 5 string 'Rays. Great sounding and playing, something really graceful about the unlined pau ferro boards and the MM pickup into the series/single coil/parallel EQ give you loads of great tonal choices. All IMHO! ;-) T

"however as you can see from one of the pictures it has a small chip on the back of the body but that happens when its gigged all over the country in and out of the gig van" small chip?! T

[quote name='cockbongo' post='35934' date='Jul 23 2007, 02:45 PM']While we're on the subject actually, i'm thinking about ordering from the US as well. For those here that have done it, what are the import tax/custom implications? Thanks in advance[/quote] I'm no expert but the import duty is roughly equivilent to the VAT duty. Have a google for some rough and ready calculators that'll give you a ballpark figure to work to. In terms of payment, it's usually collected by the courier on delivery as in the case of UPS but don't quote me for other carriers. I've order lots of "small" stuff (like strings and pickups etc) from the states and got away with no charges as the items are generally standard post and not parcels. However, in the case of a large item like a bass which is couriered thru customs, there's almost always duty to pay. Still, with the pound being so strong against the dollar, even with the duty it still almost always means a fabulous deal. Hope this helps. T

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='35352' date='Jul 21 2007, 07:27 PM']Tonyf ordered his Modulus Flea from them and I understand he rates them very highly.[/quote] Steve's right, I do indeed think they're the dog's nads of bass retailer. After a couple of emails, I spoke to Beaver Felton and ordered my Flea on a monday night and they UPS'd it to me by the thursday afternoon. I'd be pretty impressed with that level of service from a UK or European retailer but for an order to sent 4000 odd miles across the atlantic is simply breathtaking. Brilliant guys, incredibly knowledgable and great prices. With the pound sooooo strong against the dollar at the moment, even by the time you build in import taxes and delivery, there's still amazing deals to be had. HTH T

[quote name='peted' post='34447' date='Jul 20 2007, 07:13 AM']The passive Seymour Duncan 1/4 pounder in my Precision has a much hotter output than the active MECs in my Warwick. I was impressed.[/quote] +1 for the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders. I swapped the stock pickup out for an EMG I had kicking around but then brought a SD Quarterpounder P in my Fender Mike Dirnt (I know, I know, never happy unless I've got my soldering iron in my hand eh?). The passive SD made such a difference and had a lot more output than the active EMG. For what it's worth, I've long since left behind the "active pickups are louder than passives". Maybe twenty five to thirty years ago when the first after market pickups came out but there's been so much progress with both types and nowadays it's more a case of "whatever does it for you be they active or passive". All IMHO, getting my flame retardant hat on... ;-) T

[quote name='simon1964' post='33503' date='Jul 18 2007, 11:40 AM']Has anyone played through one of these? The spec looks quite useful, but does it sound as good as it looks? I'm looking for something that will give a bit of versatility for small gigs without having to cart loads of effects around. On paper the LD300 looks as though it fits the bill, but I'd be interested to hear from soemone who's lived with one.[/quote] Howdy! I rate the Lowdown's quite highly. They're good, flexible combos with plenty of punch and power for a reasonable amount of cash. The Line 6 fella's have done a great job with the sounds and whilst they're not on exactly on the nail with a couple of the emulations in my humble opinion, they're great alternatives where dragging along a PROII and an 810E isn't physically possible! I've used the 300 and 175 quite a lot and also have one of the excellent Studio 110s at home as a practice amp. HTH T

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='32921' date='Jul 17 2007, 10:46 AM']The Nordstrand pup is the most often suggested one. It's an exact copy of the original pre Ernie Ball MM pups IIRC. Sounds monstrous on my Sterling.[/quote] +1 on the Nordstrand 4.3 in the Sterling. It's absolutely fabulous sounding, absolutely nails the classic PreEB sound but still allows one the flexibility of the "extra" Sterling sounds. T

[quote name='3V17C' post='29132' date='Jul 9 2007, 03:18 PM']so for a while now i've been semi-GASsing for a Stingray, but now I've kinda got my eye on a Sterling instead (mainly because you see fewer of them around and I don't like the metal control plate on a Stingray). I was just wondering what the actual differences between them were and peoples thoughts on the subject.....[/quote] I've got a Sterling and think it's absolutely fabulous. Brought it as I wanted a Stingray with a bit of extra flexibility but have since come to realise it's not just a downsized 'Ray, it's got it's own personality. The neck's a marginally bit skinnier than a standard 'Ray but I don't think there's that much in it. The downsized body makes it easier to fit around my rapidly expanding mid-drift and the surface mounted controls certainly look tidier in my humble opinion. The Series/Single/Parallel switching is really useful for varying the sound of the bass, however, the luddite in me tends to leave it in one position so i'd have been equally at home with the 'Ray in the first place with the odd tonal change from the 3 band EQ. I've since changed the stock pickup for a marvellous Nordstrand 4.3 and it's made a great bass even better with that lovely toppy funky pre Ernie Ball 'Ray sound. [quote name='3V17C' post='29132' date='Jul 9 2007, 03:18 PM']also I was wondering what the deal was with picking a colour etc.... looking on the ernie ball website i see you can pretty much mix and match finishes, pickguards etc but obviously a shop probably wouldn't stock the exact one I would want[/quote] In terms of the finish, if you're after something specific which they don't have in store, it could be worth asking the store to call the distributor (I think it's still Strings & Things here in the UK) just in case they have one in stock. This'll take a little longer to get but they'll should be happy to sort this out for you. That's if they're a good retailer....if they can't be bothered, take your custom else where! ;-) HTH Tony

I've had my Levy's one for the best part of ten years. It cost me an arm and a leg at the time but has been probably the best investment I've made gearwise. They're extremely durable, the straps are wide and very very secure and the padding is extremely thick. Admittedly, it's pretty heavy once I've got a couple of my basses in it but it's easily managed compared to two separate bags or cases. [url="http://www.levysleathers.com/"]http://www.levysleathers.com/[/url] T

Dave, I think Levy's do one, admittedly not specifically for AKG but the generic shape tends to fit all. Gaffer'ing it to a strap does the job but is a real pain when you wanna change the battery. The alternative is to look around for a MP3 player carry case. I brought a Creative player a few years ago and whilst the player went west many moons ago, I've still got the mighty fine case which fits the Sennheiser pack beautifully. I've gaffer'd that to a strap in the past and it means I was able to slide it in and out to gain access to the battery and controls without having to tape the actual pack. However, all said and done, it's a pain having to change straps when i wanna change basses so for the most part nowadays, the wireless pack now resides in my back pocket where it's safe, is easily reached and doesn't get in the way when I'm changing basses. HTH T

Got them on all my fours, a Sterling, a Modulus Flea and a Spector fretless. In terms of technique, I'd concur on the turnings around the string post. Do one and a half max. Also, it's really really crucial to stretch the string properly and have it "bed in". I've also heard about problems with the string "sticking" if the nut slots are a little tight (although it's probably not the case here). A couple of people have recommended some graphite (ie applied via a good old 2B!) to help lubricate the inside of the slot. Give it a go, nothing to lose apart from dodgy tuning! T