hubrad

Personally, the nicest bass I ever played so far is this one: [url="http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/253"]http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/produ...products_id/253[/url] from Overwater. I sold it - one of those happy-and-sad moments! I play an extremely customised Ibanez Roadster (remember those?) and I'm building up to doing a Build Diary as I've got it off the road for a re-face. These days, it's a 5-string headless fretless.. all done by me and so personalised that whatever I tried I coudn't find anything I preferred. Until the above! If I had a couple of grand to spend and more electric gigs the Overwater above would have been mine over a year ago! Those Carlisle chaps are, as has already been said of other makers, also really good to deal with. Most importantly, you have to find someone who makes the right bass for you. HUGH

[quote name='timloudon' post='399992' date='Feb 4 2009, 02:13 PM']I'm having a bit of trouble. These guys don't have any of those in stock, and won't have for a long while. I still searching around, but is there anywhere else I cn look? Is there a specific thing I need to search for?[/quote] This may sound a bit ordinary, but have you tried asking Roland? If anyone has the direct replacement or can get one shipped from the factory, then they're the folks! A busy place, so don't panic if no reply immediately. [url="http://www.roland.co.uk/logcallserv.asp?id1=1w2l3t4e4u2e3j5a5z"]http://www.roland.co.uk/logcallserv.asp?id...l3t4e4u2e3j5a5z[/url] ATB, Hugh

[quote name='Telebass' post='399965' date='Feb 4 2009, 01:43 PM']And on top of that, the quality of both is ever increasing.[/quote] Indeed so.. anyone remember what was on offer for the same money 20 years ago?

[quote name='Machines' post='399934' date='Feb 4 2009, 01:22 PM']I've had my MIM Jazz a couple of years now and initially I wasn't that impressed with it. Since changing the pickups and spending some time getting the setup nailed - now it sounds great and plays like butter.[/quote] A big vote for an individual setup on almost anything. One of my best mates, living near Bradford, is a real magician in this stuff (he once taught me how to fret-dress in instalments over the phone!). His standard setup charge, assuming not much fret work, is £35 plus your favourite set of strings. I've seen grown men on the verge of tears with the improvement! Sadly, on an instrument costing a couple of hundred, there's not enough time factored into the price for that level of attention. He also said the same re MIM pickups.. quite acceptable, but an upgrade is well worthwile if you've got the right instrument for you!

[quote name='clauster' post='399926' date='Feb 4 2009, 01:16 PM']Long live the guitar shop![/quote] +1 to that!

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='399262' date='Feb 3 2009, 06:52 PM']all bottom, no zing, no finger noise... I've got mine on a fretted bass, so don't know how much bloom and mwaah they have... but they make my fretted acoustic bass sound more like a double bass than a big acoustic guitar... I hate phosphor bronze strings... too zingy, too much finger noise.[/quote] Go on.. bite the bullet.. get a double! My last car was a Punto, so you don't have to have an estate. [quote name='Paul Cooke' post='399262' date='Feb 3 2009, 06:52 PM']I tried Picato flats on it, but it was too dead... far more life with the LaBellas on it...[/quote] I'm on Picato flats these days, as they're the only folks I could persuade to make an odd custom set. 5-string headless flats? See: [url="http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/3542"]http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/produ...roducts_id/3542[/url] I'm using a Crafter Congress 5FL with a head at the mo, so I'm using Picato 766 flats on that; thoroughly enjoying the tone: [url="http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/4346"]http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/produ...roducts_id/4346[/url] May well give La Bella a try as well since we have some of those somewhere. Anyone know who actually makes the Status strings?

You have to remember that wood is a nautral material, and hence is a variable. I work in a shopspecialising in acoustic instruments, so the Martin D-28 is one of our world standards. Even at that quality level, we sometimes get a 'normal' one - never so far com across a ropey one - and occasionally a real belter! Electric solid body instruments are also subject to the same qualities of resonance (or lack of). Hence you'll read here of folks who tried half a dozen of the same bass or guitar before they found one that really worked for them. Have fun tasting lots of basses!

I just got a Crafter Congress 5FL as a stand in; The original strings were pretty bad - especially the B, and the pickups were ok. Now equipped with Picato flatwounds and EMG soapbars, this bass rocks! Even my wife wants me to keep it after I've done the surgery on my Ex-Ibanez Roadster! BTW, welcome home - fretless is the one true path. HUGH

[quote name='Toasted' post='397760' date='Feb 2 2009, 12:28 PM']The personal one that gets stuff done? [/quote] Yaay! Second that!

[quote name='johnnylager' post='397655' date='Feb 2 2009, 10:53 AM']Yeah, I liked them, nickels if I remember correctly.[/quote] Hi there, The shop where I work has the La Bella Super Steps in [url="http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/4361"]http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/produ...roducts_id/4361[/url] I've not used them myself as I'm into flatties myself these days, but I've sold quite a few sets in the shop with no complaints at all. I measured the ball to step distance to be 54mm or 2 1/8".. check with your bass as to whether that's enough. They seem to have a good endorsement or two - Alain Caron on La Bella website - so by those two factors I'd say they must be ok. My boss extended a sale 'til midinight tonight so they'd come out at £15 inc p+p if you get in there swift-like! Much cheer HUGH

Hmm. I'm stuck with IE6 as I use Win2000 Prof - nice and stable but lost support from MS. They're pulling support from WinXP in a while.. anyone think that'll give them time to iron out all the Vista incompatibilities? Plucking up courage to switch OS to Linux or just get my hand deep in my pocket and buy a Mac!

I often sell those Stentor ones, including a couple to friends, deffo way better than anything I've seen cheaper. The strings are not half bad to start with; I'm using Evah Pirazzi which just leapt up to nearly £250 a set! A brill pickup is the Realist by David Gage. I've used this for 8 years now, and recently got the mandolin version too.

I'm a freelance and an MU member, hence I have the union PLI cover. However, this only applies to me as an individual and not to a whole band in which I am performing. A couple of bands I do function gigs with now have a policy for the band. I'll try to find out where they go for these. Another reason for MU membership is access to insurers who will give you a decent quote for vehicle insurance (if such a thing exists!) as part of a professional body. On PAT testing, as far as I understand it, any Portable Appliance (i.e. amps etc for us, kettles and computers etc in a standard business) in a place of work is supposed to be checked. Last time I had gear tested, the tester said the hardwired Fender amp was to be done, but for my Trace head only the kettle lead needed doing as that's the bit that actually plugs into the mains. It appears to me that, rather like Building Regs, the rules are open to interpretation. Any surprise we get wound up about this issue? When it comes down to it, I'll still frequently check inside my own plugs looking for any loose or broken stuff, as 12 months is a long time in the life of a mains cable. A loose screw can mean an involuntary earth lift!

All of the above! It's not so much about technique as feel and groove. Sounds like you can groove already, so you just have to soak yourself in the best blues artists' vibes and off you go. I came from folk-rock and folk-punk, and answered an ad years ago while pro in a touring band. I was thinking 'oh, yes, just turn up on the odd occasion, walk the standard pattern all night and a few extra quid in the coffers'. My education started there, and I actually started to appreciate blues rather than thinking of it as an easy middle ground as so many do. Mind you, if you can play funky stuff too, you can add further textures which make you as a bass player and hence the bands you play with just that bit different! Have fun!

Looks like the stacked pots used for blend control.. possibilities for clever stuff like treble off one pickup more than the other? Can we take it in turns to experiment?

Just bought and fitted an EMG soapbar. Price most agreeable, kept me up to date at all times and very speedy at getting it to me. Brilliant all round - Cheers Matt! HUGH

[quote name='neepheid' post='388305' date='Jan 22 2009, 10:42 AM']Ref! Foul! I've sold one bass this year already! [/quote] ..and a pickup!