TJ1

Totally not - if 2021 brings some strange/unpleasant economic times that means that people have to sell gear in desperation.

I think maybe the odd shape would persuade me that I need to try it out, for me being physically comfortable with the instrument is the bottom line - everything else comes afterwards. NB: I've got an musicman Silhouette which is ergonimically the best guitar I've ever played in terms of feel, position etc. And whatever you think about BMW's they are comfortable to drive.

No - being an ignoramus I am not in a position to infer anything. Just that you might expect more expensive materials to be used,, but as as others have pointed out Basswood is a proper wood and there also probably different grades of it. The responses so far have intrigued me about the Bongo, but confirmed there is no way I should buy one without trying it first - it is just too left field.

It sounds like a generic wood composite - not from an actual tree. My Sterling SB14 is made of Basswood - it's a decent bass but for a £2000 plus I might expect something like Alder.

Thanks for the replies so far. One thing that would put me off is that the body is made of 'basswood' - this is the same wood that my 300quid Sterling is made of. On the other hand that orange might tip me over the edge.

It certainly looks different. I am a big fan of Musicman products, but this bass is difficult to try out in the UK(as well as the £2k plus price tag meaning I might have to take leave of my senses) Has anyone got the experience as to whether this is worth hankering fo?. Any opinions gratefully received.

Bought an amp from David that was as described, and transaction effeciently handled.

The science of sound and pitch is very interesting(if only they could write in actual English), OTOH I believe(don't actually know) that intense low pitches are more likely to kill a person than intense high pitched ones. The human ear may be responsive to bass than treble but this can work both ways. For me listening to it now the bass line of God Save the Queen(or King) cues the crowd to sing-along - as such it works but it is not subtle.

I am getting that -in fact I have discovered using my own empirical, scientific research faculty: that Paul Mccartney was the go to bassist with the Beatles, and whatever you might think about Paul versus John , it probably is true that he wrote the majority of their material - including Yesterday. The reason I questioned the importance of the bassist was in the sort of music I like the Bassline is generally semi-hidden or mainly in the background. But I can now see that even then stripping it would be a big mistake. But TBH I am not a dedicated troll and I think the question represents the views/prejudices of a lot of non professional/non knowledgable music lovers.

Actually I am pretty ancient certainly old enough to remember the Specials. It's just the sort of songs I like don't tend to feature prominent bass lines, so it was meant as a devil's advocate type question. For instance in the example I gave 'Winner takes it all', it is not apparent at all that there is any bass in it, but listening to it carefully I can see the bass provides some kind of unconscious emphasis for the listener, underlining the direction of the melody. I also think it may provide some kind of continuity to the melody or tune underneath the vocals, when a guitar or keys simaltaneously accompanying the singer would be too intrusive or overpowering, this seems to be true of two of my favourite tracks 'While my guitar gently weeps' and 'Wild World', although Harrison's guitar or Steven's piano are the obvious melodic foundations. As for modern music I think maybe a lot of traditional instruments have been replaced by computer generated effects. Anyway many thanks to everyone for pointing out the not obvioustruth. I guess maybe the bass can be like salt or cooking oil, I don't particularly care for the taste of either, but cooking would be impossible without them. My final question is: If drummers are insane, guitarists are knobs, singers are prima donnas - what is the bassist's standard personality defect?

Even taking into account the casual atitude of this strange man, this clip makes wonder why the Beatles bothered with their own performances. Why did he have to die?

Not all, it's good to come across a new genre. Just watched one of Sly and Robbie's youtube videos and it's an impressive display of the versatilty of the bass guitar centre stage - I am assuming they only use a bass and drums?

Not a lot no, in fact i've never come across dub. But listening to Marley's 'No Woman,no cry' I would not have said the bass was the foundation, it seems to be the drums and keys on that one.

As an experiment I've just listened to Abba's 'winner takes it all'(for me the undisputed emperor of keyboard-driven pop songs), unless I am mistaken - there is a subtle echo of a bass guitar matching the low notes on the keys - possibly giving them additional depth/poignancy. But as a casual listener it would'nt have occurred that a bassist even existed in that early 80's studio.

I realise this is a somewhat controversial/stupid question to ask a bass forum, but I am new to the bass, as I mainly play a 12 string acoustic alone, with chords and everything. :If the drummer keeps the underlying beat and the six string guitarist sets the tune/melody, where does the bassist fit in musically? The truth is I can only think of a minority of songs where the bass line is immediately obvious - the Bee Gees Stayin' Alive spring to mind(yes it's a classic,) That said I can't think of a well known rock/pop band that does not have a bassist so they must be equal, in some crucial way.

Were you able to compare the Skyline directly against a USA made Lakland? For me there's something intriguling attractive about a guitar costs £3,000,(but looks the same/similar to a £1,000 one), for me this price tag spells mysterious, untold magic. But, then I am idiot.

I can't comment on how common it is. But according to the guitar guitar website the bodies(not the necks) of all the Lakland Skyline series basses are made of Ash or Swamp Ash.

Does anyone know if one is 'better' than the other? I ask specifically because some Lakland Skylines are made of Swamp Ash and others of just plain old Ash

Yes this could be a practical consideration. But all other things being equal, in terms of value for money I'd go for the Indonesian made over the American. I think a US made Lakland costs over 3,000 and my understanding is that the pick ups are the same as the 1200 Asian ones.

I'd imagine labour is much cheaper, but, again, on a standardised, well controlled production line - why is nationality/location important?

Does where it's made/what nationality makes it really make a difference to what I imagine is a pretty standard CNC machining process? I appreciate there is a big premium to US made product but what difference can one American make over an Indonesian? That said, I am more snobbish about acoustics than electrics/basses because of the extent of individual craftmanship needed.

Thanks for the replies so far. Assuming they are all built to a consistent standard, it sounds like it might worth the risk. Lovely looking pearl inlays(not that this should be relevant)

Hi I am not too happy with the sound or feel of my current bass. But I might be able to acquire a nearly new one of the above Daryl Jones signature Lakland Skyline 5 string, however ,because of Lockdown I am not sure if I will be able to try before buying. Does anyone have experience of these? Thanks in advance

many thanks. I was going to take it to Bobby Joe's music in Seven sisters road, I think they know basses - at least they sell quite a few second ones.(I got this one off a private seller)