Beedster

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1424600456' post='2698058'] The type of person they are looking for probably would not care about the grammar, those they want to scare off to save the embarresment of saying "no thanks grandpa" will not even reply, looking at this thread the plan is working just as planned [/quote] Ha ha, I've been there, and the guy - 17 years old - was so polite in saying essentially "You gotta be f*****g joking mate, you're older than my dad". [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1424604387' post='2698131'] I agree with the sentiment but the thing about bass players is that they have to pretty much play all the song, and the all the others as well, so there is no hiding place. But sure, many bass players have the minimum competence in their band in quite a lot of bands that I see. And they get away with it, because some people don't want /require them to have much more..?? [/quote] I agree, although I'll add that if you're an intuitive musician - that is you have a natural feel for timing, groove and other structural aspects of music generally - bass is probably one of the least technically demanding instruments at which you can be considered competent. It's also the instrument on which you are perhaps most likely to be found out if you're not an intuitive musician. Lead guitarists without a shred of musicality can achieve a lot through sheer hard work and technical ability, and lead guitarists without huge technical ability rarely get the gig. Plenty of the great bass lines however are played by players relatively low on technical skill but high on musicality. Perhaps the band in the opening thread want this type of player - a Simenon or a Wobble - with a feel for the music, as opposed to a technician. I don't get many consistent compliments for my playing, but the one I'm most happy to receive is that I rarely do more than the song needs, in fact a guitarist said last week "the great thing about your playing is that we don't notice when it's there, only when it's not there". I'm a pretty average and agricultural bass technician, but I believe a good musician, which is what matters. I doubt I'd ever get a gig on guitar despite being just as technically proficient on guitar as I am on bass. I also know quite a few very good musicians who can pick up a bass and humble me, they just choose to play other instruments in bands, which is lucky for me. In fact, to steal an idea from John Lennon, I'm in a four piece band, and three of the members are better bass players than me! You don't have to be good, you just have to be good enough for whatever the band needs.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1424530303' post='2697372'] Well, it's poorly spelt and shows definite signs of illitrucy, but the ellipsis has been around a long time. Read some Arthur C Clarke if you want to see liberal use of it... [/quote] I assume that's ironic

[quote name='rushbo' timestamp='1424536946' post='2697460'] I can see what the person who wrote the ad is getting at. Aside from the grammar issues and the possible over use of the ellipses, this seems like a sensible way to find someone who really loves the music rather than a jobbing musician who may lack drive and enthusiasm. When I joined my first band, I could barely tune my bass, but I was a huge fan of the genre and got on really well with the guys in the band. That meant that I worked really hard to improve and my learning curve was massive and by the time that band folded, I was a semi-decent player. A few bands have formed in this rather ad hoc way - UB40 being a prime example. Who would you rather have in your band - the bored, uncommitted but competent guy or the devoted, driven beginner? [/quote] Spot on [quote name='skej21' timestamp='1424537200' post='2697464'] A jobbing musician who lacks drive and enthusiasm? Never heard of one of them! All the jobbing musicians I've ever played with have had a lot of drive. I suppose you have to have it if the gig is what is putting food on your table. [/quote] Your experience is different to mine, I've played with a few who are exactly the opposite. [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1424537714' post='2697468'] Bloody hell, guys, do none of you remember punk? [/quote] Exactly. And seriously, spelling errors, you guys got nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon than spellcheck a band add for a bunch of kids?

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1424524699' post='2697295'] These 'rehearsals' will at best be social occasions where booze and drugs will be consumed while wearing guitars, etc. [/quote] That's what being in a band meant to me when I wasn't quite as old as I am now, and I have to say there's still an element of it when we rehearse (no drugs I have to add, unless you include the rush of endorphins on the rare occasion that we all manage to nail the groove at the same time).

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1424164324' post='2693234'] There's a Fender Rory Gallagher Strat that looks terrible. The flaking paint effect has been achieved by using stickers! [/quote] The problem with the aesthetics of some 'signature relics' is that they are made to look as close as possible not to an artistically pleasing ideal of what a nicely worn bass should look like, but to what a genuinely worn instrument actually did look like. I don't like the look of the Fender Jaco Relic at all, but have to say that when you see photos of that model and photos of the bass on which it's modelled, it's pretty close. Still ugly though.

The feel and sound of a good pre CBS with the reliability and functionality of a new instrument. What's not to like? The finishes can look crap, but so can many genuinely reliced instruments.

Precisions don't sound good soloed, the magic is in the mix

Bought an absolutely stunning CS '55 Precision from Dan. Can't sing his praises highly enough, firstly the bass is glorious in every way, I know it's a hell of a statement but it might just be the best Precision I've ever picked up (and I've owned a few), second, Dan went out of his way to make the whole thing as easy as possible, which required almost military planning and logistics, and quite late on a weekday evening. I could have probably spent a few hours chewing the fat about Fenders and Moduli, but time didn't allow it. I sincerely hope to have the opportunity to do so at some point in the future, I'm guessing that with our similar tastes in instruments, plus our not exactly low profiles on the FS forums here, it's almost inevitable that our paths will cross again anyway! Cheers mate Chris

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1423485092' post='2685272'] Total ruined garbage - it's too wet to even be firewood. [/quote] Yep, and given the hysterical relic obsessed culture on eBay, I bet it'll go for well over £30

Looks like the body's actually coming apart, or is that just a heavy finish cracking up?

Horses for courses, my Jazz FL sings with rounds, my 4003 FL was born to sing with flats, and does so

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1423360639' post='2683992'] I have been playing bass guitar for close to 45 years and I have never understood why we attribute our sound solely to our bass. Doesn't the amp we use have an impact on your sound? For example, take a guy with a beautiful American Standard Fender Jazz Bass, however he/she is playing it through a inexpensive poor quality and poor sounding amp. I attribute my sound to my bass, my GK RBX cabs, my amp and whatever the sound person does to my signal. Does that make any sense? Blue [/quote] Add the other players and the room to that, a bass only sounds like it does if it sits well with the other players and the whole only sounds as it does as the result of the constraints of the physical space. A good band and good sound guy are big players in good bass tone.

[quote name='earhook' timestamp='1423002227' post='2679543'] I know the sensible thing to do would be to trawl around the country trying various basses but 'the guvnor' didnt go mentally when I proposed the purchase so I had to strike while the iron was hot, so to speak. I have a bit of a collection (20 at the moment) and have picked up a couple of guitars off ebay with issues. Whilst most things are fixable I hoped a new Riccy would be issue free and since its by far the most expensive of my purchases I thought it would be less risky option. Anyway its on its way now so I will let you know how it goes on its arrival. I am pretty flappin' excited! Fingers crossed. [/quote] Keep us posted

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1422908244' post='2678288'] I will say though that the 4004 I had was stunningly made, better than either of the Wals I owned and as good as some of my Seis. [/quote] That is in part the problem, Ric have a loyal, almost rabid, fan base for their traditional output, yet have experienced very little reward for their attempts at innovation and improved quality. I can't help thinking that RH's philosophy could best be summed up as 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Forumites around the world can rant all they want, but traditional Rics sell, they hold their value, and the brand maintains a semi-mystical and iconic foothold in music instrument culture that only Fender and Gibson can rival.

[quote name='BigGuyAtTheBack' timestamp='1422867653' post='2677592'] I've had 2 4003 lefthanders and both had the dead E string. The last one was a beautiful Mapleglo jobbie. I tried everything to make it work, truss rod adjustments, set ups, changed pickups, bought one of those fancy drop in bridges ( which had problems of its own!) to no avail. Gutted as I love Ricks and the sounds. Even my missus was sad to see it go! Of course these were bought online with no chance to play them as I live up in God's country and they were down south. Lesson learned eventually! [/quote] There's s thread on TB suggesting the dead E is a truss rid issue. Brave man who plays around with the rods in a Ric too much, but if you know what you're doing might be worth a go. Re the thread topic, I love Rics, own two great examples, but even by Fender standards their QC is absolutely appalling, even instruments at trade shows have poorly aligned PUPs/strings/bridges, gaps under pickguards, poor finishes etc. Buying new and unseen is a huge risk. It's going to be interesting to see whether the 'new' 4003s series is a genuine attempt to lure back an increasingly disaffected and weary bass community , or just another run of poorly made reinventions of the same old model.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1422874891' post='2677701'] Tried lots of different manufacturers through the years but it's always surprised me how [i]little[/i] difference there is between one set of roundwounds of the same guage and another. After reading lots of string related threads I thought I'd better check again so last string change I swapped the cheap £5 a set jobs I'd been happy with and bought some Rotosounds in the same guage for about £16. Can't tell the difference at all, if anything I think I prefer the £5 set. This is testing them in a real life situation though, playing in a band. Maybe I might hear tiny differences in isolation just noodling in my bedroom but I couldn't care less about that, it's not what I'm playing for. [/quote] Gauge, material and type perhaps are more substantial factors than brand, but brand will have an effect. Re your Rotos, I'd expect a cheap set by an unknown brand to be preferable to most Rotos I've played

http://youtu.be/hx01UXtjuFg

[quote name='joeghee' timestamp='1422442221' post='2672606'] [i]But we can't please everyone with how we do handles [/i] [/quote] Ha ha, I expect Alex had a wry grin on his face as he wrote that Cab looks lovely. All other things being equal, I'd rather have a light cab with less than ideal handles than vice versa (when my 69er arrived the carriage box was so light I was utterly convinced that Alex had forgotten to put the cab in it).

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1422611395' post='2674532'] The line reminds me a bit of Badge by Cream, but these sort of coincidences happen! [/quote] A little? The section in question [i]is[/i] Badge by Cream in almost every respect (can't be sure about key though) Like the tone though