philw

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='715680' date='Jan 17 2010, 02:18 PM']Phil, you mean you have one of these ? [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bassplayermag/4274748435/in/photostream/"]http://www.flickr.com/photos/bassplayermag...in/photostream/[/url][/quote] Yes Andy, one of those. Mine is a fretless 4 with ebony neck and bridge, spruce top, and koa back and sides, all made to look a bit mysterious and moody by a transparent smoke tint. I'll put some pics up when I get around to it (although I'm a useless photographer and unlikely to do the instrument justice). You could always pop down to Brighton and have a go on it. Phil

[quote name='bassatnight' post='715839' date='Jan 17 2010, 06:02 PM']Cheers Chris, what a great community this is. I have mailed Wal for a quote as ideally I would like a lined neck. Thanks everyone! Steve.[/quote] Steve, I know just how busy Paul Herman at Wal is and you're probably better off calling than emailing. Phil

I'm closer to being a size zero catwalk model than that is to being a Steinberger. Owner wants £300 does he? How well does he deal with disappointment?. P

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='709956' date='Jan 12 2010, 01:17 PM']Sounds like a good plan Can bring the Electro 1 for old times sake if you like Andy[/quote] Yeah, bring the Electro, but don't let me offer to buy it back. P

[quote name='walbassist' post='709532' date='Jan 11 2010, 10:43 PM']Thanks Andy. Yes, an AB session would be good as I've always loved Rob's basses. Drop me a PM when the snow clears?[/quote] Can I come too? I'd love a look at your Deep 5 Andy – never seen one in the flesh. I'll bring the Veillette acoustic bass. Phil PS. I'll try and get a few pictures of it up in the next day or so.

So you still have my old Electro Andy! There's part of me that regrets selling it you know. It's a unique sounding instrument. Phil

Thanks Gareth. Glad you're enjoying it. Flattery won't get you a better deal on the next one you know (no, actually, thinking about it, it might). Phil

Fretless five string L or XL series Steinbergers, if that's what it is, make hen's teeth look common as muck. They are very rare beasts and much in demand (despite the narrow sting spacing thanks to five strings on a four string neck). Phil

All, In a somewhat post horse bolting attempt to add some knowledge and structure to my often near random note choices, I've been wondering about taking one of the Berklee bass courses (www.berkleemusic.co.uk/). The jazz one appeals. Any opinions to share? Worth the money or just a waste of it (it'd buy quite a few one-to-one lessons). Phil

All, I've just bought myself a used Squire Vintage Modified Precision (my first Precision after 30 years of playing) and I'd love it even more if the body were Lake Placid Blue. So can anybody recommend an outfit in the Brighton area (or a reasonable drive either side) that could refinish it for me? Oh and it'll need a custom white scratch plate? Phil

[quote name='The Burpster' post='661888' date='Nov 22 2009, 04:16 PM']hasnt Walbassist just parted company with one of these (A Villette IIRC) that is now residing in the galllery looking for a new home......?[/quote] Yes, Gareth's bass was a Veillette Minotaur. Not originally intended as a piccolo, but can be strung as such. Phil

I played one too at LIMS back in the summer. Loved the feel but the look is a bit bling for me. The pickup options were deeply confusing too – but then I'm not a fan of switches on guitars. It struck me too that Enfield is a bit Wal like in some respects (look at the bridge). I wonder if Martin Simms feels a bit gutted at the phoenix like rise of Wal that Paul Herman has pulled-off? Phil

I wonder what his headphone monitoring level is like and how long it'll be before he's part deaf? P

So I tried a couple more Squire Precisions today (thanks GAK). First, the Vintage Modified Precision TB neck felt great: reasonably chunky but not so much it was a problem, far better than the impossibly baseball bat like 50s Classic Vibe Precision. Only issue with the Vintage Modified is an unremittingly dark (but very ballsy) tone thanks to the single neck position humbucker – at the right price I could be convinced. Then I tried the Mike Drint and I'm really struggling to come up with anything positive to say. Weedy tone, and genuinely horrible neck (a poor setup and a non-functioning tuning machine didn't help). Unattractive looking instrument too. Phil

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='641085' date='Oct 30 2009, 01:54 PM']I find the neck on my Squier tele bass to be a bit thin for my liking. If the other one has a tele headstock and is chunkier I'd cheerfully swap, its a bit used, but has got a fair bit of birdseye in it.[/quote] This is my problem. Precision necks vary considerably between models, trouble is, apart from knowing that the Squire Classic Vibe 50s neck is too chunky for me, I'm not sure how the rest of them measure up. I might consider a swap Mr. Fox, but I'd rather exhaust the other possibilities first. Phil

All, After something like 30 years of fiddling around on bass I thought it was time I got a fretted Precision (I did own a fretless Jazz/Precision hybrid for a while but that didn't count). I don't have much to spend, maybe up to £300, so it'll no doubt have to be a Squire – either new or previously loved. I'm confused about necks however. To my eyes, the best looking Squire Precision around at the moment is the Classic Vibe 50s P Bass. I love both the tele style and the maple fingerboard. Trouble is, having tried one I really didn't get on with the chunky neck (I play a fretless Wal mostly). So who can guide me through necks fitted to Squire Precisions? What about the Vintage Modified Precision Tele Bass? What about the Mike Dirnt? And if I were to stay away from the Tele style what should I be looking for? Phil

Percy Jones played a fretless P Bass in Brand X before he became so strongly identified with Wal. The early Brand X albums are all fretless P and the bass sound is utterly gorgeous. P

[quote name='Stacker' post='631062' date='Oct 20 2009, 08:08 AM']Sure, on an image with a watermark; I meant images in general that have, say, a corner credit. Re using somebody's image: whilst I take your point, to a degree, we're always trying to show things/describe things to each other on any forum so what are we supposed to do? Avoid the 'right-click' trigger-finger? Take the time to find/email the copyrightholder for their permission to use a few pix? C'mon. man, life's too short for that! It would be a different kettle of fish if you were lifting stuff willy-nilly and putting it in an actual publication, but on a net forum for the purposes of discussion??[/quote] And I take your point too, to a degree – but an argument that effectively says copyright infringement is ok 'cause it's the convenient option clearly has some, "where do you draw the line issues". You can post a link to a picture too, rather than copying the "original". Maybe I'm a bit sensitive about this. I write manuals/magazine features and design speakers for a living, which is tough enough as it is, but when I see my words lifted and posted in some forum or another, or my work passed-off as somebody else's, I get just a little annoyed. Phil PS. © Phil Ward 2009