Beedster

If I had a pound for every time the question of the drummer's whereabouts was raised I'd own one more Wal than is currently the case

Greg sold me a Wal that I had sold him. It's a recurring theme, and once again it was an absolute pleasure. BC royalty

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1441706348' post='2860977'] I was watching the 'Standing In The Shadows Of Motown' film last night. [/quote] How good is that film? Very good, that's how good. Definitive viewing for any musician who aspires to play in a band. Also made me realise what a massive contribution the humble tambourine made to the Motown sound.

There's very few albums recorded in the last few years, at least by 'name' artists, that I'd bother to buy on vinyl. To my ear too many tracks sound sufficiently poor on the medium for which they were mastered to stand any chance of sounding good on a medium for which they weren't. If I'm looking for a decent sound on the hifi, I don't bother with anything recorded much after Graceland

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1441692197' post='2860836'] Also , have a word with the vocalist and tell him that the band is a sum of parts and each is important, so telling someone to turn down so they can't hear them self, is not conducive to a pleasant audio experience ! [/quote] Agreed, although that's probably a discussion for the whole band.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1441542534' post='2859633'] Don't boost the bass. If anything, boost the mids. Boosted bass will up your volume but won't give you any definition. Try starting from scratch - turn off all FX, compressors and the like, set your EQ to as flat as you can get it, then turn up the gain to where you're getting a good signal without distortion - then set your overall level with your master. If your singer still complains, turn down the master slightly but boost your mids. It also helps to get at least one of your cabs up to head height so you can hear what you're doing without being too loud. Or possibly use a stand. I use an angled stand to point my cab to my ears, but I only use the one cab. Check the guitarists EQ too - they need to cut their bottom end - if they're encroaching on your frequency territory it's going to be a problem. Down around 80-120Hz or so you only really want to hear the bass and the kick and not much else. [/quote] Right there is pretty much the complete guide to good bass tone live

[quote name='Shaggy' timestamp='1441393660' post='2858651'] Hehe - you KNOW you'll be trading it back to me one of these days Chris...... Seriously; even compared to other '80's Wals this one is an absolute gem - it was only prised out of my hot little hands as Chris was an absolute star and helped me acquire something I wanted more, Enjoy mate, and I reckon an unlined ebony board would look so right with that wenge body [/quote] Ah, the cycle of life eh Greg. Having this Wal does make me wonder whether the one I owned a few years back was simply not the best example, although I suspect that my needs have changed, my tastes have matured, and I'm simply prepared to spend a little more time getting the tone I need, which for the project I'm working on is quite specific for certain songs but quite varied given the set list. In short, the versatility of the Wal is perfect. Now, of course, the big issue is that I want a fretted one to go with it. I wonder if the best bet is to put this back to original (fretted) and source an original unlined fretless.......?

I often hear musos spouting the likes of "If Macca/Flea/Squire/Lee played it, it would sound great whoever made it...", but I'm none of those guys, and I've found that I get more compliments on my tone when I'm playing through decent gear. Also, having spent the first 10-15 years of what I laughingly call my "musical career" playing through gear that I had to play for financial reasons, now that I can afford to, I enjoy playing through gear I choose to play. In short, I'm with Discreet [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1441287545' post='2857574'] I'm quite sure it does not - but it certainly makes a difference to me. [/quote]

To be honest I think it's pretty amazing he's still going given the way he's lived his life, and good on him for keeping at it. I get the impression that altitude at one of the gigs was the catalyst for this specific problem, and given that even elite athletes can be hit quite severely with both altitude-related underperformance and altitude-related illness - even at relatively moderate levels such as those in Colorado cities - it's no surprise he's been hit. I used to love Motorhead back in the day. I'm no great fan of their's now, but have to say that Lemmy made me smile hugely in the recent movie when he compared what "most bass players do" with "what Lemmy does". Monstrous sound, and not bad playing either, a Ric played like a rhythm guitar! Shared a few beers with him in around 1982 in a bar in Holland Park, top guy and really friendly and warm even at the height of his fame. I wish him all the best and hope to see him on stage again soon, albeit in perhaps a less physically stressful environment!

All of the above proved strangely prophetic and this beautiful bass is now back at Beedster Towers. It's reminded me why, in the early 80's all I wanted was a fretless Wal. Everything about the instrument is absolutely wonderful, build, tone, playability and simple mojo. I now have the dilemma of whether to ask Paul to install a new unlined ebony fretboard, or to have an unlined fretless neck built and have this neck re-fretted to original factory spec. Nice dilemma to have though

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1441190527' post='2856734'] ... so all in all it wasn't the greatest suggested purchase [/quote] Time will tell Rob

And if you have to return the bass you don't get any of those UK payments back, and depending on the U.S. state in question, and notwithstanding eBay regs, you might not get your courier fees back either. As you may have guessed, I've been on the wrong end of this!

Excellent, are you going to dress to match Jack?

Marinus is a top guy to deal with, simple as that, a very professional seller Chris

Quite a few guys appear to do the above, Flea, Geddy and Macca to name three. Any particular reason for this?

I think that's the nicest Wal I've ever seen, and I've seen a few

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1439971455' post='2847093'] Flightcase on top of a PB300 - now you're talking! Slightly OT (massively OT); Chris, am I right in thinking that you're using a Rob Allen without the nylon wrapped flat wounds? If so, which ones are you using and how do you find it affected the tone? If I'm wrong, oops! Sorry for the derail. [/quote] No, that's not me I'm afraid, might be Jason (Legion)? [quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1440447010' post='2850881'] My PB300 keeps up with with my current 5 piece just using a Bass Buddy to power it (I do also use the Cub as a head too occasionally), the band aren't hugely loud, but they're not quiet either. [/quote] Yes, as I've said above, the big PJBs are plenty loud enough, and the PB300 is one of the lighter big boxes as well. OK, it's not SVT loud, but with the correct EQ you'd have no trouble playing with even a loud drummer and for pub gigs/small stages it does the job just fine

With the passing of my SVT-300 now my big rig. 100w but louder than most 500w solid state heads. Tone to die for. Nearly sold it a couple of times but for various reasons neither sale happened. Fate appears to want me to keep this rig [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1706_zps6ded7b12.jpg.html"][/url]

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1440070370' post='2847998'] The difference would most likely be so small that you wouldn't hear it and let's face it, once you turn up for gigs, no one would be able to hear any difference. [/quote] Or care

Yes, old, very well played in, and heavy gauge rounds get very close to flats. In fact it's my preferred string option on P-Bass also.