chris_b

Everything that Warwick does with this brand in the first months will be under the microscope. I can't imagine that bass would have got through Sadowsky QC. I understand Roger Sadowsky bigging up the business relationship, but are we seeing a difference in Warwick QC?

VW's right. Rhythm, groove and locking with the drummer are the first priority for a good bass player. I'd say, then comes good tone and only then the bass lines. You can play a great line, but it's not great if you are out of time or sound terrible.

This is exactly the difference that the guys who make these instruments say exists between maple and rosewood. And the doubters still doubt. The Wyn video is a demonstration, Michael Tobias taps his body blanks and chooses the most resonant pieces. And the doubters still doubt. The flat earth society lives.

Joe Osborn played bass on this one.

I have played for free and I'd do it again, but if someone else is making money out of my playing, then I won't be playing for free.

I've also read that Alembic believe their sound comes from their pickups and electrics. That's OK. They will know their basses better than anyone else. It might be true with basses made from many laminates. It doesn't discount the point made in my post.

That depends on the context of the gig. Are you playing in the Dog and Duck, Later with Jools, the Albert Hall or at Muscle Shoals studio. Are you a loud noisy band or a quiet musically complex band? A Flea or Freddy Washington? Fortunately there are guys making basses for all those situations because it seems to be a thing that many players can hear the differences in their basses.

In the context of a musical instrument, wood does have a sound. It absolutely does on an acoustic instrument so why should that feature of the material be absent on an electric instrument? The way every part of a bass is made and the materials it is made from has the potential to affect the sound of the instrument. Some parts will have a large impact on the sound and others not so much. Some people can hear the differences and some can't. I had several conversations with Pete at Wal about how they chose the wood for their basses and how the different woods would affect the end sound. I would believe the likes of Pete Stephens, Roger Sadowsky, Michael Tobias etc when they say that wood and construction will have an influence on the sound of a bass before the opinion of an accountant/postman [add profession here] who plays bass for a hobby. No sleight intended. Having owned several maple boards I have decided I don't like the way they wear and mark, so prefer dark wood boards eg rosewood/morado etc. edit for spelling!!

I've a set of TI's on my PJ5 and they sound very good across all strings.

A discouraging report of a gig run to social distancing rules. . . . . . . . Folk rocker Frank Turner played one of the UK's first gigs with a socially-distanced audience at London's Clapham Grand last night. Performing live for the first time in more than four months made for a "strange, emotional evening", the singer said. But with just 200 people able to attend the 1,250 capacity venue, manager Ally Wolf said it did not make enough money to cover the operating costs, even before paying a fee to the performer. "It can't be the future for live music, it can't be the future for venues,"he said. The venue had to be reconfigured, with temperature checks on the door, tables and seats brought in and drinks ordered to the table. So it might be on the cards that we won't be gigging until a vaccine is available!!

Yes. I don't know how we plugged into the Mac but we used DI.

I only play 5 string basses and the string spacing at the bridge is the only neck/string/bridge parameter where I have a preference and that's 18/19mm. I also have a leaning towards darker fretboards, ie not maple, but if the bass sounds good enough I'll wave that preference.

On the last recording I did I used my Lull PJ5+foam into an Aguilar TH500 into Logic Pro. The project didn't get past the basic tracks but the bass sounded very good.

I liked the band, and thought the drums and bass worked well together, although the bass had to stand back due to the intricate drum lines. I'd put that band in the "Good for my CV" category.

. . . . . . and I'd be listening to Percy Grainger, Russ Conway and Miki and Griff. They are on YouTube, if you want to see how close I came to musical beigeness! Thank goodness the Beatles came along and rescued us. Oh yes, and I'd have been an accountant (shudder!!), with apologies to those who didn't escape the accountancy net. When you have kids you are invaded by an alien race. My parents had no idea what had happened or was going on. My only advice is to make sure the kids have a very wide circle of friends. These will be the people who will be the main influence in their lives. To the OP, sorry, doesn't help much with the play list!

I seem to recall that Pete wasn't very well. It would have been easy for him to just walk away, so good on him to stay focussed on the integrity of the brand in those difficult times.

When my kids were 5 the theme tune for Dogtanian was a favourite, and Star Trekkin. I'd suggest sing-along tapes designed for that age group rather than trying to merge 2 totally different musical requirements. Even today, we all sing along to Star Trekkin if it comes on the radio.

I play with guitarist who is a mad keen PG fan. We regularly play Black Magic Woman, Long Grey Mare, Oh Well, Need Your Love So Bad, Green Manalishi and Albatross. God, how I hate Albatross!!

Is it one of the great sounding pre-CBS Precisions? The problem is you now own a bass which is an appreciating asset. Do you play it or put it away and watch the value increase day by day. I'd keep it safe and just take it out for special gigs.

We have a possible gig. It's a nice outdoors setting. A sit down and drink and eat in the sunshine Sunday afternoon and we get to the playing area from the road. SD is maintained and I'm relaxed about doing it. The nervousness is rising now because the band leader wants to rehearse. I'm still isolating and right now I'm not sure I want to be cooped up in a small room with a bunch of guys I haven't seen for 6 months. This might be my only gig for the rest of the year so I'd rather not cancel. . . . . . . . it's a dilemma.

This. I get that these basses are very special, but, as an ex owner of Wal mk2 and mk3 5 strings (bought second hand), when it comes to the gig they are just another bass. They have to feel right and sound right. They are a lot of money and a very long wait only to find out you really wanted something else. I'd buy a second hand Wal to work out what playing one on a regular basis is like. After 6 months you might change your mind about some important bits. Then look at your need to drop a small fortune on a new one.

I'll take your word for that (I haven't wasted my time trying to follow the bickering). These "xyz basses aren't worth the price tag" posts are pretty pointless. Mostly they are framed as questions when in reality they are just making statements about personal preferences. Why is the AC headstock any more ugly than any other bass? Is it? Doesn't bother me, it's just a shape. Fender headstocks aren't pretty, either. No one else can use Fender's, so pick a shape. As a Sadowsky and Mike Lull owner I can tell anyone, who hears with their eyes, that while these basses resemble Fenders they are not copies at all. They are made to a much higher spec than the originals they are based on, which adds an extra dimension to the way they play and the way they sound. Their success is what prompted Fender to cash in by setting up the Custom Shop, a move that actually copies manufacturers like Sadowsky, AC and many others. Arguing over how much anything costs is a waste of time. Why is a Ferrari more expensive than a Ford Focus when they do exactly the same job? The answer is, of course, they don't do the same job! Same with basses.

Very sad news. In various bands Peter Green was a major part of the sound track to my youth.

Having a famous Dad always generates interest, but you have to deliver or else the talking stops pretty quickly. From the little I've seen he looks like a good player.

Did you sound like him when he holds it?