CookPassBabtridge

That is very nice indeed. The one neck binding in particular…not sure how easy it would be to play with all those pickup/bridge covers though 😂

In that case I shall defo have to try one and report back!

Cheers, what bass did you end up getting in the end? I’ve just twigged that finding a relic’d (or indeed, any) jazz bass in 2 tone sunburst to match my P is pretty much impossible, so my options have just expanded somewhat.

Thanks, absolutely will try one first. If it’s a no go I may look at the American Professional - that has some nice single coils, I’ll just have to relic it myself 😬

I'm keen on this lute - looks like it has a face!

Very nice! I have one of these bad boys in blue (see Vigier p*rn thread). It's exactly as you described, you're going to love yours!

Thought I'd resurrect this thread rather than start a new one - does anyone else have recent experience playing one of these? I am seriously tempted to get myself the sunburst as I'd like a single coil jazz to match my sunburst road worn P. The 'original' road worn jazzes don't seem to come up used that often, not in sunburst anyway. I'll be off to Guitar Guitar in the next week or so to try one but would welcome any thoughts beforehand!

I would certainly agree with that, there is a really cool factory tour video here that definitely shows the hand built, workshop vibe is still there (you might even see the bench where your Forte was made 😬). If I had one minor gripe it would be that they have released three new models in the last year or so (Dimension/Ethos/RST) which may risk a slight dilution of the brand, but having said that they do look pretty nice (especially the RST).

Good to hear, the new RST line uses Empresswood too I think and they look killer. If I were to get a Spector one day I think I’d go for a 4-string Forte in either Nightshade (like you’ve got there) or Ultraviolet. Yum.

Ahh, so you are the lucky owner! I saw that one arrive (and then go 😂) from the website pretty quickly. As others have said your pics are better than the Bass Direct ones. Empresswood, right? How does it sound?

Thanks, interesting you found the hi-beams too bright too. I guess I should have guessed that from their name 🤦‍♂️ I thought they’d be bright but not quite to the extreme! Cheers, I’ll give the Elixirs a go based on both suggestions. I used them on other basses years ago but switched to Jim Dunlops. I can’t quite remember why. Possibly because I’m a cheapskate, but my Vigier deserves the best 😬

A lovely addition to your collection there @wright/watt Sorry if this doesn’t adhere to the ‘pornography’ subject of this thread, but while we are on the topic of strings, does anyone have a recommendation for a series IV passion? I’ve recently restrung with some DR hi-beams and the tone is good but not quite what I was after…a tad too aggressive.

I usually try and avoid Scott Devine’s clickbait video titles and his 10+ minutes of goofing around but I may have to watch this one as it sounds interesting. Echoing others’ comments about the mix being super important - there was an isolated bass track from MJ’s ‘Rock with You’ shared here a short while ago. I’d always thought that the bass on that track sounded great, but on its own it was terrible!

Haha that wasn’t what I was expecting 😂 Who knew that NBA teams had so many high profile bassists as fans? I’d like to see Mark King perform God Save the Queen at the FA Cup final just for something a bit different.

I quite like him, he was one of the ‘gateway’ players that got me into playing bass but is he an all time great? Possibly not. Not keen on that national anthem though, it might have been OK without all the improvisation and shredding!

Thanks for sharing, I enjoy these isolated tracks 👍

The Phil Jones Bighead is about the best there is IMO, but it’s not a particularly cheap option.

Description: ‘Harley Benton BZ-7000 NT 7 string bass guitar’. Sounds great, I’m sold!

Oh now that is nice. Lots of people say they're some of the best MIMs Fender have ever produced. My sunburst one has the same characteristics you speak of. It's going nowhere for now but if I'm ever tempted to sell it I'll let you know

Ooh interesting, I am also trying to improve my picking skills at the moment (having played finger style for years and years). A lot of Green Day stuff is a good starting point I've found, "Holiday" in particular is a nice combination of being not too tricky yet fun to play.

Indeed - for a lot of stuff he uses two fingers, which is even more mind boggling! A great player for sure, compounded by the fact he's the main songwriter, too.

I've just learnt Aces High by Iron Maiden - real eye opener in terms of Harris' technique! There is one fill in the middle that's proving to be my Everest though 😕

Having had a quick scan i'm surprised no-one has mentioned Phil Jones Bass H-850s. Designed specifically for bassists. The one critique I'd have is that they do feel ever so slightly flimsy, but they're a snip at Bass Direct for £69.

Yep, everyone has different experiences with couriers. I won’t touch DPD anymore as they lost a lovely neck-thru Warwick Thumb I bought (never to be seen again), and managed to destroy the body of another bass I sent with them. Funnily enough, Hermes have never let me down and most people I know say they’re the worst of the lot!