prowla

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1487075731' post='3236763'] My first bass was a Kay - rick-ish shaped, rather than Rick copy I'd say.... I think I paid about £25 for it back in the 80's..... and sold it for about the same It was truly, utterly dreadful. I'd say they aren't worth £50 even of Monopoly money Trust me, don't buy one - They'd be firewood but the paint is probably full of nasty toxins [/quote] Well, that's a glowing recommendation, isn't it!

It's highly likely that you are going slightly mad, but you're not alone in that! :~} ... Those Travis Beans are awesome machines. I think they're probably unplayable, will knacker your back, were prone to going out of tune due to metal expansion, can't be played if it's really cold (did you see the video of the bloke whose tongue got stuck to an ice-cold beer tap?) and may give weird (or no) feedback to your neck hand (Kramer derived ones added wood inserts to the neck to give them a bit of feel). So, based on that, I say go for it! (I've no idea as to price, though I did see one a few months back in a shop on Denmark Street and I remember thinking it wasn't cheap.)

[quote name='GuyR' timestamp='1487061755' post='3236565'] I don't like marmite, but I've never thought it worth starting a thread about. [/quote] Well, it would be a bit off topic for the bass forum. I have to say, I'm neutral on the marmite question, though I don't like twiglets. However, back on topic, I do like to keep an eye on instruments for sale at various sites and that prompted the discussion.

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1487056811' post='3236536'] The fortunate thing about the free market is if you don't like something you don't have to buy it. I'm not really sure what the point of this thread is, how can you be bored of something completely unrelated to you? Unless you mean you have one & don't like it any more? [/quote] I also have an opinion on antique painted MDF and shell suits, neither of which I own!

I've got a double-neck bass/guitar.

Will the current trend for taking mediocre instruments and relic-ing them ever end? I get the feeling that a few years down the road it'll be a bit like grown up folks wishing they'd never had that tattoo on their left butt cheek.

It just looks like a Chinese bass to me.

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1486922170' post='3235547'] he wants £52 to ship it :-) [/quote] I didn't do an outright LOL at that, but I did manage a derisory chuckle!

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1486924226' post='3235586'] And a couple of £20 notes included [/quote] Yeah - that too!

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1486920065' post='3235524'] I wouldn't mind a Kay 20B, but I would be looking to pay about £50 for one and no more. [/quote] Maybe £50 including a new set of strings and a case...

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1486905569' post='3235374'] Also are the the Statii actually louder? trick question, if the signal was set to flat on the active Status would it still have a hotter output than the passive Ricky, who knows, even the if the "flat" points have a centre detent on the preamp they might not be truly flat as such and could still be boosting a bit of something. [/quote] Based on setting passive controls to full and actives on central detent where available or full otherwise. But yes, if the pre-amp is boosting something, even when set to flat, then yes they are louder!

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1486908600' post='3235396'] This monstrosity is on ebay at the moment for £250 :-) made of "laminated" wood :-) [/quote] Calling it a monstrosity is too kind; this was never a good bass and never will be. (I have to say though, that the idea sometimes appeals to me to get a really good bass made to look like one of these cheapos!)

Hmmm, I've always fancied a Toka, but how to tell if it's a good 'un?

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1486857140' post='3235147'] Hmmm... I think you might be confusing boosting signal with boosting eq! [/quote] (This is a bit like the "Why are the adverts on telly louder than the programme?" question.) If you turn up all of the eq, does that count as boosting the signal? :-) Actually, I really did mean the overall volume; my Rickys aren't as loud as my Statii... :-)

And it has a Greco pickup in it. I plugged it in last night and it sounds rather good; I use it in mono, but split the signal and route half straight through and half via effects - just a bit of crunch from a Boss OD pedal and I was there playing "Fragile". I think I will get the bust treble one fixed anyway, though. I've also taken the "R" word off the TRC, leaving clear plastic, and have to put something in its place. I've had a bit of a bout of buying things, so I might have to offload this one before I start my next project.

I think that's put me off MIDI basses!

I'm off to pick up a 5-string Status today.

I guess someone might know...

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1486743145' post='3234310'] It must be bloody cold in that workshop! Omg a more serious not I see it uses fret sensing technology, which IMO is the only practical way to do pitch to MIDI. However a video which only shows a couple of seconds of each mode does make me rather suspicious of how good the tracking and false note rejection actually is. On a more positive note looking at the price of the guitar version and comparing it with that of the Industrial Radio MIDI guitar, the bass version should be a lot more affordable than the IR MIDI bass. [/quote] I think it was triggering on fret contact, but not doing fixed pitch from there, as the bloke was doing vibrato.

A couple of months back someone said to me that they could never see a justification for a double-neck bass, to which I replied maybe a fretted and fretless, which he accepted. Now these folks have stuck that together onto a single neck! I kind of get it, and putting the fretless below (or is it above?) the E-string kindof reinforces thumb position for fretless expression. The only grumble is the fretted isn't a 5-string. And I don't like the red fingerboard. At £1k it's cheaper than a Stick. (I can't envisage a situation where I'd buy on though, unless they bombed and they had a fire-sale so they were available real cheap.)

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1486318004' post='3230851'] I think people confuse boosting signal with boosting eq? [/quote] My rule is: if it sounds louder, then it is louder!

My 'faker is almost done, my fretless P is done (apart from logo), my Partscaster is there or thereabouts. Next, I want to restore another 'faker. Then I want to restore a real Ricky, or maybe get a custom build soundalike. I'd also like to build a Tele. Apart from that, no plans... ...except, (sigh).

[quote name='JoeEvans' timestamp='1481067883' post='3189533'] I'm obsessed with the idea of a fairly bashed-about Capri Orange P-Bass, almost to the point of creating one from bits or from an older Japanese copy. Does anyone else get that kind of random but really specific obsession going on? [/quote] Just a reminder...

You need arms like an orangutan to play a Thunderbird!

There's something to be said for not having animated avatars on the site!