TrevorR

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1470084228' post='3103219'] Will be along. I guess as Paul Herman will be there I should bring my Wal Mark2!! Should be fun. [/quote] Cool! Can't wait to see it in the flesh. My turn to have a noodle on yours! ;-)

Marc, Hope you're settling in well. Since you're here in September definitely do try to make it to the SE Bass Bash on 25th. See under the events section...

The design of a Wal neck is pretty standard across all models. Multi laminate... Rock Maple, Mahogany, Rock Maple, Rock Maple, Mahogany, Rock Maple. Topped off with a rosewood board or ebony for fretless.

Shedua is a lovely wood (and sounds great). This is mine under the lights setting up for church a while back. The figuring is so unusual... The light band in the middle is just the Shedua heart wood...

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1466676534' post='3077775'] And Leigh was in Adam And The Ants before they had hit records. [/quote] And Leigh knows members of this forum and one of his Wal Pros was owned by several on here so there are plenty of Leigh fans around. You'll fit right in!

Before I start I'm going to set out some caveats because the moment I hit post what I say will be decried as snake oil. There is an element of truth to that but not to the black and white way in which many talk about it. It's a matter of nuance. Certainly the main sound of a Wal will be from the unique pickups and active circuitry. That and the bolt on construction. A Wal sounds like a Wal irrespective of the woods it is made of. And, in a mix context, the nuance will be much less obvious than solo'd in a perfect listening environment. As many others have said in the inevitable/interminable tonewood debates it is very unlikely that your band or your audience would/could ever tell the difference. However, unlike some who say there would be no difference whatsoever I would say that there will be real, appreciable differences - albeit subtle ones. In any complex system all the elements will contribute to the results albeit to a greater or lesser extent. But other elements like how and where you pluck the strings eetc etc will have a much larger effect on any particular sound. So, whatever wood you plump for you will still have a Wal that sounds like a Wal. However, there is an accepted understanding of how the various Wal woods tend to vary in sound... This goes from Wenge and Maple which tend to be considered the hardest/brightest sound through to English Walnut which is considered to be the most mellow (Ian and Pete always considered this the best wood for fretless). So, here goes. Maple tends to be thought of as the brightest sound. Wenge is close behind and is thought of having more of a punchy sound. Shedua (a relative of ovangkol) comes more in the middle with a pretty balanced, punchy sound. It also comes with some very unique figuring patterns. Paduak is a bit more mellow and then softest is English Walnut. However, I would underline that this is really subtle nuance territory. I would echo the other comments above... Focus more on the aesthetics of the wood that most float your boat and whether to go for a matt or gloss finish. Wenge Shedua From... To...

As an alternative if you like the basic sound of the pickups but want more grunt and flexibility, have you considered a drop in active circuit. I'm hugely impressed with the Audere J bass loom on my Frankenjazz. Comes on a bell plate and so minimal fitting. Top piece of kit.

I'd vote for the combination of a P bass and a band saw...

Sounds great. Esp Jazz style neck (Jazz width?). Only change I'd make for mine would be NOS finish. Mmmmmmm...

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1469661123' post='3100218'] Why not just have a switch fitted you can flip and leave the jack in. That is what I would do. [/quote] Force of habit is so much more foolproof and doesn't deface the bass.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1469659925' post='3100204'] I agree - but do you trust the likes of drummers and singers, not to mention invited or uninvited stage guests not to send the bass flying? (Ps I recall an uninvited tween sets interloper as an 18 month old toddler pursued by embarrassed mum at a function event - made a bee line for my Stingray 5 for some reason)!! Bass goes in case if there's any threat of on-stage metalwork movement or drum case introduction - in my experience these guys sometimes resemble the inebriated Oliver Reed on Parkinson show even if they are sober!! [/quote] Never had much of a problem with that. Played with some very house trained drummers and always been a careful to place stands in as safe a place as poss, then tended to hang around to keep an eye. But in different circs, absolutely agree. Safer is better!

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1469659761' post='3100202'] That's great. But I've decided not to buy an instrument sight unseen... ...The sr370 looked promising, but i didn't get on with it... [/quote] Which is key to a lot of your issues and a reason for the frustration many are expressing. There is no single, objective "good bass". It is so based on many factors, not least very personal preferences. As a general rule, any bass produced these days that costs, say, around £200 or more is very likely a "good" bass in some terms. It will do the job adequately. Might other basses at that price have better spec? Maybe. Might more expensive basses be "better" basses? Probably. BUT How much any player likes it is purely down to their personal preference. As an example, a £Grand+ Stingray or Warwick is patently a quality instrument. Many love them. Personally I can't get on with them. Are they "good" basses? Well, yes. Are they good for me? No. Absolutely not. Can't stand them. The same applies at any price point. There is no single definition of "good". And every product is built to its price point so don't so easily dismiss "...good for the price..." comments. What most mean is this... "Bass X costs £300 and is similar in quality and performance terms to many other £300 basses. Bass Y costs £300 but in terms of quality of components, wood, build and performance holds its own against basses costing between £450 and £600. Most basses that cost £300 could never survive in such a comparison, therefore Bass Y is a good bass, especially for the money!" That is valuable info in your position. Only you can judge what a good bass for you is. If you're not willing to take a risk on sight unseen. Then you just need to keep searching for one you like when you try it. PS on why try expensive basses, it helps you judge how performance does or does not vary with price. Double the cost very rarely (no, make that never) means a bass is "twice" as "good" so the compromise of a mid price bass (e.g. A good Squier vs a lower range Fender) may not be as big a compromise as you may think. It might be pretty much as good for £200 less. Now, if you buy the Squier you have the quiet confidence that you didn't really lose out bu not getting the Fender. Conversely you might say, "No, that's a significant step up. It's worth waiting and saving up for it...". It is educative (knowledge is power and all that) and how we all picked up our personal knowledge and bass prejudices.

Voted "Other" as I have never had a bass I considered a "beater" or "looker" even though some would be considered boutique and others basic. I've taken both my Wals and my Frankenjazz to pub gigs and to nice clubs/posh venues. Only time I've differentiated on looks was when I took the Jazz to some "60's" night gigs for visual authenticity purposes only. And all my basses get treated with the same level of care/respect, whether my Wals or the old Squier Jazz I had many moons ago.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1469650305' post='3100104'] In common with many of my brethren above, the only time I'm plugged in is when I'm actually playing. All my active basses get fresh batteries every January, whether they really need them or not. [/quote] Me too. End of set routine... Tuner mute on, Jack plug out, bass on stand. Every single time.

Apologies for the zombie thread but the recent wedding venue thread brought back the pains of playing with these things. Played in a number of venues withi these and often managed OK but there were a few nightmare stories. The worst thing was how badly set up they were. Where they were properly set up they were quite manageable although playing with one eye constantly on the traffic lights was a bit of a passion killer as you were always on tenterhooks. And we were never what you'd call a loud band either. A few particular events spring to mind. One was a b it of a laugh. The reset button was at the other end of the room behind a gate to which we were given the key. Since it was on my side of the stage it ended up being my job to take my bass off, jump of the stage, jog to the other end of the room, unlock the gate, switch it back on and then jog back to the stage while the band continued the song. The wedding crowd took it in really good humour and gave me a huge cheer like a marathon runner crossing the finishing line. By the end, when the trip switch went the audience would part to make a channel for me to jog down and clap me to the button and back to the stage! And what was setting it off? Super loud bass and drums? No, our female singer hitting either a B or a G. Every time. She did some interesting vocal gymnastics that night. Less good natured was the wedding where the groom was chair of the local rugby club. When we sound checked we realised that the trip switch was stupidly sensitive. A capella singing, over reactive in the vocal frequencies sensitive... We asked the kitchen staff if we could run an extension from the kitchen and got a serious bums rush. "Hotel policy mate, your problem not ours, that's the rules, like it or lump it, just play quiet..." So we trotted off to see the bride and her father and apologetically explained the issue. We said that we'd try our best but warned them that we doubted that we would make it through more than a couple of songs at a time without it tripping. At this point the groom was off with the rugby club guys having a bevvy so missed the chat. Soon after it was time for the first dance. Well, we made it through most of it with a tenterhooks performance but in the last chorus the switch tripped, gaining us disapproving looks from the audience. The trip was behind me so I quickly flicked it back. Next song, Brown Eyed Girl, it tripped twice. Next song, a super quiet version of Half a World Away and it decided it didn't like one of the notes in the verse and tripped every time the singer got there. At this point there was an entire, already tipsy rugby team gathered In front of the stage ready to rip us to shreds for ripping off their chum by charging them a fortune and then coming along with cr@ppy gear that didn't work and ruining their mate's wedding. When we explained that it was the trip switch they told us (in no uncertain terms) to F-off and stop making excuses. Somehow we managed to calm them down, showed them the traffic light and demonstrated how I could turn up my bass excruciatingly loud while the drummer battered like Jason Bonham and the traffic light barely touched the Amber. Next our singer quietly strummed his acoustic and sang the verse again and the red light immediately maxed out. Off went the PA system and all the amps. This convinced them. About three minutes later some rather shaken kitchen staff arrived with an extension cable and the rest of the gig went like a blinder. Though, I have never before felt closer to being beaten to a bloody pulp. Noise limiters. Hate the things!

Wise words, Mr Charic. Wise words. I'm surprised that the OP seems to loath to try out more expensive basses as, a) it's a treat and b.) there is still lots to learn about what is important to you in a bass. Like you outline, it helps narrow down options. From personal example as a youth lusted after Rickenbaker basses. I loved the sound and I loved the look (it was the Ricky in my older brother's band that drew me to the bass in the first place). Then I tried a few. Hated the necks. New info, aspirations and inclinations duly adjusted. See also P-bass and Stingray necks etc.

Yes, sounds like a Nordy to me. Had the self same head scratch watching "The Sci Fi Band" in Woking Park the other week. The Stormtrooper was playing one...

I'll throw in (up?) Love Is An Open Door from Disney's Frozen. The electric bass on all the soundtrack is Abe Laboriel. If you listen past the sugar frosting he rips it up on that track!

Laneyt Linebacker 75W upgraded to a TE 200W Series 6 1215 combo early on in the decade... Boy was that jump up in quality...

[size=3][font=Calibri][color=#000000]I took just this flexible approach when I bought my Markbass rig and got two compact Traveler cabs. Use both for bigger/backline only gigs: [/color][/font][/size] [size=3][font=Calibri][color=#000000][/color][/font][/size] [size=3][font=Calibri][color=#000000]And just the 2x10 for quieter venues, coffee bars, church etc. The smaller cab still throws out a lot of volume if you want it to but sounds great at lower volumes too…[/color][/font][/size] [font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000][/color][/size][/font]

And a +1 for Mo Foster's Bel Assis

And check out Steve Lawson's solo bass stuff. Recommend "Grace and Gratitude" and "Behind every word" for starters.

I used a Lehle 3@1 for just this purpose. Not cheap but built like a battleship, completely uncolouring of the sound, totally silent, simple to set up and does the job 110%.

Always liked the look of those Iceni basses. That one looks like a real peach!

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1455615807' post='2980623'] Tech 21 are having a laugh with this. Despite the fact I truly love their stuff and my psa 1.1 is my favourite preamp of all time, it's not enough to get away from the feeling that we're being done. Until they sell stuff in the UK at a reasonable price or the value of the dollar sinks substantively, I'm not partaking in this. [/quote] Isn't it so often the case with stuff imported from the State's... It costs $200 so it costs £200. It costs $400 so it costs £400. It costs $1000 so it costs £1000... And so on.