Shaggy

When I was in Liverpool Uni ('79 - 81), Echo & the Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Wah! and OMD were all local bands yet to make it big and you'd see them playing the Student Union most weeks. Even though I was aware they were good we rather took it for granted - but with hindsight what a truly amazing time for music in the Liverpool / Manchester that was

I'd be tempted by this (if I didn't have 2 already) - [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gibson-EB2-Bass-Guitar-1964-5-headsdtock-repaired-/290552191492?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item43a6429a04"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gibson-EB2-Bass-Guit...=item43a6429a04[/url] Even with the neck repair a seriously cool vintage bass for not too much dosh, with all the low end you could want +1 on the '51 P bass though. Or either of these; [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=129227"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=129227[/url] (lush! ) [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=124021&hl=Cowpoke&st=0"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...owpoke&st=0[/url]

[quote name='Beedster' post='1187095' date='Apr 3 2011, 09:09 PM']So if a guy has the perfect bass (pre-CBS Precision), perfect strings (La Bella heavy flats), perfect amplification (loads of tubes), what's the best cab for the American 60s/70s tone we're talking here.....?[/quote] Not sure myself; but in my quest for "bassy yet punchy" I'd love to try my P through a 1 x 18" - a decent one (EV, JBL etc) rather than the flabby under-powered 18" Fane in a chipboard box I owned many moons ago........

[b]G-strings, huh?, What are they good for?[/b] Pulling back, and letting go with a "thwack" mostly......

Bassculture in Germany do - [url="http://www.bassculture.de/"]http://www.bassculture.de/[/url] - I had some MM p/ups with flamed maple covers made by them on a Listerud bass that were just lush

My first love is and always will be British post-punk circa '78 - 85 (Joy Division, Magazine, Siouxie, Smiths, Jam, Japan (who were more Roxy/Bowie throwbacks, I know).........etc) but I've always had a soft spot for the great music in this thread - the soundtrack of my childhood after all. Maybe one reason why most of my basses are old (60's / 70's) and American. When you see a band like the Eagles or the Allman Bros playing live you've just got to marvel at their incredible technical proficiency, the telepathy between them, and the sheer in-the-grooveness of it all. So many great session players around in that era too. Standout for me would have to be John McVie, and I was really glad Stevie Nicks bigged him up in a recent TV documentary as he rarely gets the recognition he derserves. One example of his genius; I usually have Radio 2 on in the car (see how post-punk I am?), and a while back Richard Madely was filling in for Chris Evans (one knob for another, really) - he put on "Dreams" saying "this for me is the best bassline EVER made" ........... it's just 2 notes, repeated, in a lovely, laid-back groove with the drums.

Possibly I've got the wrong end of the stick here (not having read the article), but the 5 I've never tried and would love to before I go to the great gig in the sky, are (more or less in order); [list=1] [*]Travis Bean TB2000. They look so cool, owners rave about their tone and sustain, and Mick Karn's weapon of choice for most of the Japan recordings which are so iconic to me. [*]'60's Rickenbacker 4005 (true hollow-body). Big fan of old Ric's, and of electro-acoustics. [*]Alembic John-Paul-Jones bass. Uber-cool [*]Pre-EB MM Stingray (fretless, a la early Pino) I used to own a pre-EB MM Sabre, but apparently the voicing of the pre-amp is different plus the huge magnets of the neck p/up of Sabres slightly dampened string vibration, so just would like to see how different they are. [*]GUS bass - do they sound as good as they look? [/list] A common theme on this thread that many own their dream basses already. I'm fortunate enough to now own 7 of the 8 basses I've consistently GAS-ed for over my playing career of 34 years (8th being the elusive Travis Bean); which I guess could sound smug, but it's my main indulgance as a self-confessed gear-head - at least 25 of those 34 years was with one ratty old bass (usually a copy or something obscure) and one el cheapo amp.

[quote name='cocco' post='1172896' date='Mar 23 2011, 08:08 AM']hopefully it will do some good for the ovation re sale value [/quote] Nice one here....... [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1978-Ovation-Magnum-Bass-/310306246818?pt=Guitar&hash=item483fb190a2"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1978-Ovation-Magnum-...=item483fb190a2[/url] (shame it's in the US! )

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1171991' date='Mar 22 2011, 12:31 PM']BTW Shaggy was your Magnum always fretless or is that a mod? Also the black pickup surround?[/quote] Original fretless; only one I've seen - to my mind it's one of those basses that are just "right" as a fretless. There are individual fret markers on the side of the board with 3/5/7...etc markers in between, which isn't my preferred layout. Ebony board of course, on all models. The p/up surround frame is original black-finished alu alloy too - I used to think the polished versions had been stripped and polished by owners (probably when the paint had started flaking), but I think someone on here - joegarcia? - said the factory finish changed from black to polished alloy at some point. You can see from the pics that the thumb-slide mute is missing on mine.

Ay, I'd noticed those new Eastwoods and was very disappointed - as the OP says the whole point of the original was to redesign the bass guitar from the ground up, with a whole raft of new design features and use of new materials. Slightly flawed they may have been, but I love my Magnum 1 (in pics) - now my longest-serving "keeper" by some measure. Someone on Finnbass said they admired it aesthetically for its "combination of art nouveau curves and massive f*ck-off industrial hardware", which about sums it up. I wish Ovation would return to making electric solid-bodies how they used to do best - high tech, highly original designs which I think would be better recieved these days. Unfortunately a reissue of the Magnum wouldn't be in the ethos of that, but I wish Eastwood would have tried harder than this cheap, bland, formulaic load of old tosh.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1156766' date='Mar 10 2011, 03:59 PM'] You probably have to be Scottish to get this. edit - Pants! It took so long to find the pic you'd already corrected it. [/quote] I got it.........also as played by Robbie Shakespeare

[quote name='silddx' post='1156619' date='Mar 10 2011, 01:59 PM'][/quote] Seriously cool - I used to have the guitar version of the white one, with 3 p/ups and the on-board active boost/FX

Not a huge amount amount of choice back in '61, but I wouldn't say no to any of the below. One? It would have to be the Rick, one lady owner (pic attached)............ I've got the EB-2, but it's a '58.

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1153428' date='Mar 8 2011, 09:37 AM']Yep,an Ibanez fretless,ala Sting,people rave about them,but i thought it was completely lifeless,and it weighed about as much as Dawn French.[/quote] I had one of those, but then I've always loved a fat bird A much better bass with decent strings and set-up - applies to any bass I know, but to some more than others. Back to the OP, it took me years to realise the bass that was was perfect for me ergonomically and tonally was ..........a Thunderbird (albeit a '60's one) Biggest let down; a Patrick Eggle Milan IV. Looked nice, build quality obviously the mutt's, but totally uninspiring

[quote name='Beedster' post='1150370' date='Mar 5 2011, 10:51 AM']Hope you're well Greg? C PS the only reason I let the fretless go was that I was increasingly aware that, recorded, I could get very similar tones from my Yamaha EUB, and that on the basis that DB is where both my gigs are now, it simply seemed more sense to use the EUB if the situation called for classic fretless tone. As Clarky will tell you though, I had a couple of 'moments' during the trade![/quote] Good thanks mate, almost GAS-free these days! Hope the EUB and studio projects are going well. I'm actually about to put your old '78 fretless maple P neck back onto the '79 body in place of the CIJ fretted rosewood one currently in situ (also courtesy of Beedster's "Vintage Fenders 'R Us Emporium"...... ), using Status or D'Addario half-rounds, as I've tried and tried but just can't get on with flats! Yes, Clarky said you hummed and hah-ed a bit, but hey, by your standards the '71 semi-qualified as a "keeper"! [quote name='Clarky' post='1150379' date='Mar 5 2011, 10:57 AM']Thanks Greg. Re: aesthetics, if only there was a way to accelerate the aging process for the headstock (which is too pale by comparison) it would look perfect. Don't suppose I can pour coffee on it [/quote] There's a trader on ebay who supplies cans of aerosol nitrocellulose lacquer for around £12 a can, one tint of which is called "nicotine" and specifically for ageing maple necks - I used it very successfully on an old no-name '60's Euro-crap guit*r I refinned last year. I'll try and dig out the contact details. People worry about lacquer spraying, but nitro is actually a cinch as it's very thin, the tint is very subtle, idea is to build up layers so there's no dramatic irreversable change and you just stop after a couple of coats when it looks right. (also works on fingers for that "60 Capstan full-strength a day" look...) What makes it look done by a pro is rubbing down with T-cut or a liquid rubbing compund after it's hardened for a week or so - again, a cinch. Apparently leaving in the sun accelerates the ageing patination too. Holiday in the Bahamas .......... ? [i][Edit; obviously neck only, not the body, or the red in the 3TS will vanish, and become 2TS......][/i]

Been in the hands of a few BC-er's this one (in fretless guise); originally Bassbod's for years and years, then Walbassist's, then mine, then Beedsters. A lovely, lightweight, resonant bass. I wasn't expecting to like it with the Jazz neck, but have to say it looks absolutely superb - the rosewood just right, and the neck binding continues into the pickguard edging in an aesthetically really pleasing way. Bet it plays well too. Nice one! ([i]nostalgic sniff[/i]! )

A few threads on this; try [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=116948&hl=EB3"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=116948&hl=EB3[/url] and particularly check check 9th post down (ELJJ's) For me it would have to be an old EB-3; still relatively affordable, much more tonal options than the "0", and more grunt than the SG. I'd have thought your Triumph would have ticked most of the boxes though?

I acquired this one; [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=108319&hl=Paulman"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...&hl=Paulman[/url] in a trade with Lozbass for a Gordon Smith semi-acoustic 4 (apologies to angelagnostic for the use of his sale thread and pics) - as a dyed-in-the-wool 4-string player I saw it as an inexpensive foray into the world of 5-string, but at a decent quality level. I have to say I'm hugely impressed with the build quality and the tonewoods - the multi-laminate flamed maple neck is a work of art, and the lovely quilt top is needless to say a proper carved one, not a veneer Also as the spacing on the upper 4 strings is very similar to a standard 4-string it's perfect for a 5-string noob like me - no confusing the E with the B like I did on my previous attempt (an OLP "MM5"). I'm considering changing the p/ups and preamp, more out of interest than from real need. Shame Paulman wasn't better known as his instruments are easily on a par with Overwater, Goodfellow etc, and damn shame he passed away last year. Edit; I think this was designated the "Rex" model