Beedster

Hey folks I never thought I'd see the day....... Anyway, I've never really used slap live, but we're moving into Chili Pepper territory and I think I'm going to have to take both my technique and tone shaping a little more seriously. I don't use any FX live, and never have, so I'm a little wary of getting into such a GAS inducing thing, but the main difference between the slap tone I produce at home at relatively low volumes and the tone I produce in a live situation is the significant inconsistency in volume levels in the latter. Certainly technique is a big factor, certainly the fact that the bass is also sitting in a mix with the rest of the band who are also at times a bit up and down in volume is a factor, but I'd like to at try some compression, if only to see if it makes life easier, and/or until I get my technique a little better. I'd prefer a rack unit to be honest, there's enough stuff on the floor without me adding to it. I'd be happy to listen to any other thoughts on FX for slap (please don't waste your time commenting on technique, I'm along way off where I want to be but am working on it, or EQ, which I'm on top of). Cheers Chris

I don’t like the look of it, to me it begs the question “what went wrong with the body/neck that led to the hardware being removed”. The crack might be part of the story, but as above, it might seem a good shout but it will be cheaper in the long run to buy a 30th Anniversary bass when it comes up, which they do quite frequently

I found the Rics filled the space in a three piece - and without FX- in a way that my Precisions and even my Modulus Flea didn’t. There’s an almost sub-bass quality to a good Ric played through a big tube amp that I’ve never found with even the best active basses (Wal, Modulus, Sadowsky etc). Its lows are organic and visceral, as opposed to what always feels synthetic and forced with an active bass. Player and instrument it could well be, always felt really at home with my 4003FL and my C64, both strung with flats, and never had to touch EQ to get thunderous tone.

There's almost need of a conspiracy theory.......

Given how cheap some older series Mesa gear was being sold at New Year, I was hoping to hear something around now about new prices on their new range......

Well now's your chance Ped. All joking aside, wonder if the seller has inadvertently added a zero?

All fair points Chris, although I suspect the 400+ cost a lot to distribute compared to the WD-800. Given the respect for the Walkabout, it's a shame for a company that does try to bring both quality and innovation to all of its products that this appears to have gone nowhere.

I had exactly the same experience, singer said ‘bring your Fender next time’. I tooK the Ric and kept taking the Ric, because in a 3-piece it worked way better than the Precision.

Seems to have gone quiet on this head, now it's been out a while, is it any good, any issues, anything.........?

Looking forward to unleashing my new (to me) Titan this Friday

He says it’s a Jazz Bass, so yes he can

Evidence certainly suggests that he's a righteous kinda guy, the 2x3 equation of RIC + SVT

You make a rather good point I have to admit

Early 80's I think?

Just another of life's dreamers/chancers. When that type of bass - which is rather nice and probably worth £1500 - turns up in that context I tend to be a little suspicious.........

So what, sure he’s a great guy and a great player, but I’ve not heard of him or for that matter half the ‘signature’ artists of other brands. If you believe it’s some form of honour bestowed, that’s up to you, but in my view his people talked to their people, sums were agreed and contracts signed. Counter to the ‘honour’ view, I imagine many artists would run a mile at the thought of a signature bass with a large multinational corporation, especially given the poor quality if some of them.

Absolutely

BC is a fantastic place to buy gear, it can be a slightly less than fantastic place to sell it at times, but for me the opportunity to trade gear among trusted forum members is a unique feature and in my experience often leaves both parties to the good compared to eBay etc. I don't think people use the feedback forum enough here - that is you occasionally pick up news about a deal gone bad but nothing in the respective seller's feedback thread suggests this - and I find feedback here so unreliable - i.e., a complete positive bias - that if I'm thinking of buying from someone and if I don't already know their rep I generally check out what type of person they are from their posts. If they haven't posted much, I've learned to stay clear, as the one down side here is that if there is a wombler - unlike eBay - there's nothing direct you can do about it (and in this context, don't be fooled into the idea that PayPal always support the buyer, they don't, especially if the seller is an out and out liar and practiced at ripping people off). Having said this, one of the most positive experiences I've ever had buying and selling was when I was screwed by a guy in BC who sold me an amp that had clearly previously caught fire, and more than one member PM'd me suggesting that if I was left out of pocket they'd gladly chip in to help me out. You don't get that on eBay.

Yes, I saw a photo of him plugged into 4 x SVT/8x10, which I assume is his on-stage monitoring. Glorious.